(Gen 1:1 TLB)  When God began creating the heavens and the earth,

       (Gen 1:2 TLB)  the earth was a shapeless, chaotic mass, with the 
       Spirit of God brooding over the dark vapors.

       (Gen 1:3 TLB)  Then God said, "Let there be light." And light 
       appeared.

       (Gen 1:4 TLB)  And God was pleased with it and divided the light from 
       the darkness.

       (Gen 1:5 TLB)  He called the light "daytime," and the darkness 
       "nighttime." Together they formed the first day.

       (Gen 1:6 TLB)  And God said, "Let the vapors separate to form the sky 
       above and the oceans below."

       (Gen 1:7 TLB)  So God made the sky, dividing the vapor above from the 
       water below.

       (Gen 1:8 TLB)  This all happened on the second day.

       (Gen 1:9 TLB)  Then God said, "Let the water beneath the sky be 
       gathered into oceans so that the dry land will emerge." And so it was.

       (Gen 1:10 TLB)  Then God named the dry land "earth," and the water 
       "seas." And God was pleased.

       (Gen 1:11 TLB)  And he said, "Let the earth burst forth with every 
       sort of grass and seed-bearing plant, and fruit trees with seeds 
       inside the fruit, so that these seeds will produce the kinds of plants 
       and fruits they came from."

       (Gen 1:12 TLB)  And so it was, and God was pleased.

       (Gen 1:13 TLB)  This all occurred on the third day.

       (Gen 1:14 TLB)  Then God said, "Let bright lights appear in the sky to 
       give light to the earth and to identify the day and the night; they 
       shall bring about the seasons on the earth, and mark the days and 
       years." And so it was.

       (Gen 1:15 TLB)  

       (Gen 1:16 TLB)  For God had made two huge lights, the sun and moon, to 
       shine down upon the earth--the larger one, the sun, to preside over 
       the day and the smaller one, the moon, to preside through the night; 
       he had also made the stars.

       (Gen 1:17 TLB)  And God set them in the sky to light the earth,

       (Gen 1:18 TLB)  and to preside over the day and night, and to divide 
       the light from the darkness. And God was pleased.

       (Gen 1:19 TLB)  This all happened on the fourth day.





       (Gen 1:20 TLB)  Then God said, "Let the waters teem with fish and 
       other life, and let the skies be filled with birds of every kind."

       (Gen 1:21 TLB)  So God created great sea animals, and every sort of 
       fish and every kind of bird.

       (Gen 1:22 TLB)  And God looked at them with pleasure, and blessed them 
       all. "Multiply and stock the oceans," he told them, and to the birds 
       he said, "Let your numbers increase. Fill the earth!"

       (Gen 1:23 TLB)  That ended the fifth day.

       (Gen 1:24 TLB)  And God said, "Let the earth bring forth every kind of 
       animal--cattle and reptiles and wildlife of every kind." And so it 
       was.

       (Gen 1:25 TLB)  God made all sorts of wild animals and cattle and 
       reptiles. And God was pleased with what he had done.

       (Gen 1:26 TLB)  Then God said, "Let us make a man--someone like 
       ourselves, to be the master of all life upon the earth and in the 
       skies and in the seas."

       (Gen 1:27 TLB)  So God made man like his Maker. Like God did God make 
       man; Man and maid did he make them.

       (Gen 1:28 TLB)  And God blessed them and told them, "Multiply and fill 
       the earth and subdue it; you are masters of the fish and birds and all 
       the animals.

       (Gen 1:29 TLB)  And look! I have given you the seed-bearing plants 
       throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food.

       (Gen 1:30 TLB)  And I've given all the grass and plants to the animals 
       and birds for their food."

       (Gen 1:31 TLB)  Then God looked over all that he had made, and it was 
       excellent in every way. This ended the sixth day.

       (Gen 2:1 TLB)  Now at last the heavens and earth were successfully 
       completed, with all that they contained.

       (Gen 2:2 TLB)  So on the seventh day, having finished his task, God 
       ceased from this work he had been doing,

       (Gen 2:3 TLB)  and God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, 
       because it was the day when he ceased this work of creation.

       (Gen 2:4 TLB)  Here is a summary of the events in the creation of the 
       heavens and earth when the Lord God made them.

       (Gen 2:5 TLB)  There were no plants or grain sprouting up across the 
       earth at first, for the Lord God hadn't sent any rain; nor was there 
       anyone to farm the soil.

       (Gen 2:6 TLB)  (However, water welled up from the ground at certain 





       places and flowed across the land.)

       (Gen 2:7 TLB)  The time came when the Lord God formed a man's body 
       from the dust of the ground and breathed into it the breath of life. 
       And man became a living person.

       (Gen 2:8 TLB)  Then the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, to the 
       east, and placed in the garden the man he had formed.

       (Gen 2:9 TLB)  The Lord God planted all sorts of beautiful trees there 
       in the garden, trees producing the choicest of fruit. At the center of 
       the garden he placed the Tree of Life, and also the Tree of 
       Conscience, giving knowledge of Good and Bad.

       (Gen 2:10 TLB)  A river from the land of Eden flowed through the 
       garden to water it; afterwards the river divided into four branches.

       (Gen 2:11 TLB)  One of these was named the Pishon; it winds across the 
       entire length of the land of Havilah, where nuggets of pure gold are 
       found,

       (Gen 2:12 TLB)  also beautiful bdellium and even lapis lazuli.

       (Gen 2:13 TLB)  The second branch is called the Gihon, crossing the 
       entire length of the land of Cush.

       (Gen 2:14 TLB)  The third branch is the Tigris, which flows to the 
       east of the city of Asher. And the fourth is the Euphrates.

       (Gen 2:15 TLB)  The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden as 
       its gardener, to tend and care for it.

       (Gen 2:16 TLB)  But the Lord God gave the man this warning: "You may 
       eat any fruit in the garden

       (Gen 2:17 TLB)  except fruit from the Tree of Conscience--for its 
       fruit will open your eyes to make you aware of right and wrong, good 
       and bad. If you eat its fruit, you will be doomed to die."

       (Gen 2:18 TLB)  And the Lord God said, "It isn't good for man to be 
       alone; I will make a companion for him, a helper suited to his needs."

       (Gen 2:19 TLB)  So the Lord God formed from the soil every kind of 
       animal and bird, and brought them to the man to see what he would call 
       them;

       (Gen 2:20 TLB)  and whatever he called them, that was their name. But 
       still there was no proper helper for the man.

       (Gen 2:21 TLB)  Then the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep 
       sleep, and took one of his ribs and closed up the place from which he 
       had removed it,

       (Gen 2:22 TLB)  and made the rib into a woman, and brought her to the 
       man.





       (Gen 2:23 TLB)  "This is it!" Adam exclaimed. "She is part of my own 
       bone and flesh! Her name is 'woman' because she was taken out of a 
       man."

       (Gen 2:24 TLB)  This explains why a man leaves his father and mother 
       and is joined to his wife in such a way that the two become one 
       person.

       (Gen 2:25 TLB)  Now although the man and his wife were both naked, 
       neither of them was embarrassed or ashamed.

       (Gen 3:1 TLB)  The serpent was the craftiest of all the creatures the 
       Lord God had made. So the serpent came to the woman. "Really?" he 
       asked. "None of the fruit in the garden? God says you mustn't eat any 
       of it?"

       (Gen 3:2 TLB)  "Of course we may eat it," the woman told him.

       (Gen 3:3 TLB)  "It's only the fruit from the tree at the center of the 
       garden that we are not to eat. God says we mustn't eat it or even 
       touch it, or we will die."

       (Gen 3:4 TLB)  "That's a lie!" the serpent hissed. "You'll not die!

       (Gen 3:5 TLB)  God knows very well that the instant you eat it you 
       will become like him, for your eyes will be opened--you will be able 
       to distinguish good from evil!"

       (Gen 3:6 TLB)  The woman was convinced. How lovely and fresh looking 
       it was! And it would make her so wise! So she ate some of the fruit 
       and gave some to her husband, and he ate it too.

       (Gen 3:7 TLB)  And as they ate it, suddenly they became aware of their 
       nakedness, and were embarrassed. So they strung fig leaves together to 
       cover themselves around the hips.

       (Gen 3:8 TLB)  That evening they heard the sound of the Lord God 
       walking in the garden; and they hid themselves among the trees.

       (Gen 3:9 TLB)  The Lord God called to Adam, "Why are you hiding?"

       (Gen 3:10 TLB)  And Adam replied, "I heard you coming and didn't want 
       you to see me naked. So I hid."

       (Gen 3:11 TLB)  "Who told you you were naked?" the Lord God asked. 
       "Have you eaten fruit from the tree I warned you about?"

       (Gen 3:12 TLB)  "Yes," Adam admitted, "but it was the woman you gave 
       me who brought me some, and I ate it."

       (Gen 3:13 TLB)  Then the Lord God asked the woman, "How could you do 
       such a thing?" "The serpent tricked me," she replied.

       (Gen 3:14 TLB)  So the Lord God said to the serpent, "This is your 
       punishment: You are singled out from among all the domestic and wild 
       animals of the whole earth--to be cursed. You shall grovel in the dust 





       as long as you live, crawling along on your belly.

       (Gen 3:15 TLB)  From now on you and the woman will be enemies, as will 
       your offspring and hers. You will strike his heel, but he will crush 
       your head."

       (Gen 3:16 TLB)  Then God said to the woman, "You shall bear children 
       in intense pain and suffering; yet even so, you shall welcome your 
       husband's affections, and he shall be your master."

       (Gen 3:17 TLB)  And to Adam, God said, "Because you listened to your 
       wife and ate the fruit when I told you not to, I have placed a curse 
       upon the soil. All your life you will struggle to extract a living 
       from it.

       (Gen 3:18 TLB)  It will grow thorns and thistles for you, and you 
       shall eat its grasses.

       (Gen 3:19 TLB)  All your life you will sweat to master it, until your 
       dying day. Then you will return to the ground from which you came. For 
       you were made from the ground, and to the ground you will return."

       (Gen 3:20 TLB)  The man named his wife Eve (meaning "The life-giving 
       one"), for he said, "She shall become the mother of all mankind";

       (Gen 3:21 TLB)  and the Lord God clothed Adam and his wife with 
       garments made from skins of animals.

       (Gen 3:22 TLB)  Then the Lord said, "Now that the man has become as we 
       are, knowing good from bad, what if he eats the fruit of the Tree of 
       Life and lives forever?"

       (Gen 3:23 TLB)  So the Lord God banished him forever from the Garden 
       of Eden, and sent him out to farm the ground from which he had been 
       taken.

       (Gen 3:24 TLB)  Thus God expelled him, and placed mighty angels at the 
       east of the Garden of Eden, with a flaming sword to guard the entrance 
       to the Tree of Life.

       (Gen 4:1 TLB)  Then Adam had sexual intercourse with Eve his wife, and 
       she conceived and gave birth to a son, Cain (meaning "I have 
       created"). For, as she said, "With God's help, I have created a man!"

       (Gen 4:2 TLB)  Her next child was his brother, Abel. Abel became a 
       shepherd, while Cain was a farmer.

       (Gen 4:3 TLB)  At harvest time Cain brought the Lord a gift of his 
       farm produce,

       (Gen 4:4 TLB)  and Abel brought the fatty cuts of meat from his best 
       lambs, and presented them to the Lord. And the Lord accepted Abel's 
       offering,

       (Gen 4:5 TLB)  but not Cain's. This made Cain both dejected and very 
       angry, and his face grew dark with fury.






       (Gen 4:6 TLB)  "Why are you angry?" the Lord asked him. "Why is your 
       face so dark with rage?

       (Gen 4:7 TLB)  It can be bright with joy if you will do what you 
       should! But if you refuse to obey, watch out. Sin is waiting to attack 
       you, longing to destroy you. But you can conquer it!"

       (Gen 4:8 TLB)  One day Cain suggested to his brother, "Let's go out 
       into the fields." And while they were together there, Cain attacked 
       and killed his brother.

       (Gen 4:9 TLB)  But afterwards the Lord asked Cain, "Where is your 
       brother? Where is Abel?" "How should I know?" Cain retorted. "Am I 
       supposed to keep track of him wherever he goes?"

       (Gen 4:10 TLB)  But the Lord said, "Your brother's blood calls to me 
       from the ground. What have you done?

       (Gen 4:11 TLB)  You are hereby banished from this ground which you 
       have defiled with your brother's blood.

       (Gen 4:12 TLB)  No longer will it yield crops for you, even if you 
       toil on it forever! From now on you will be a fugitive and a tramp 
       upon the earth, wandering from place to place."

       (Gen 4:13 TLB)  Cain replied to the Lord, "My punishment is greater 
       than I can bear.

       (Gen 4:14 TLB)  For you have banished me from my farm and from you, 
       and made me a fugitive and a tramp; and everyone who sees me will try 
       to kill me."

       (Gen 4:15 TLB)  The Lord replied, "They won't kill you, for I will 
       give seven times your punishment to anyone who does." Then the Lord 
       put an identifying mark on Cain as a warning not to kill him.

       (Gen 4:16 TLB)  So Cain went out from the presence of the Lord and 
       settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

       (Gen 4:17 TLB)  Then Cain's wife conceived and presented him with a 
       baby son named Enoch; so when Cain founded a city, he named it Enoch, 
       after his son.

       (Gen 4:18 TLB)  Enoch was the father of Irad; Irad was the father of 
       Mehujael; Mehujael was the father of Methusael; Methusael was the 
       father of Lamech;

       (Gen 4:19 TLB)  Lamech married two wives--Adah and Zillah.

       (Gen 4:20 TLB)  To Adah was born a baby named Jabal. He became the 
       first of the cattlemen and those living in tents.

       (Gen 4:21 TLB)  His brother's name was Jubal, the first musician--the 
       inventor of the harp and flute.





       (Gen 4:22 TLB)  To Lamech's other wife, Zillah, was born Tubal-cain. 
       He opened the first foundry forging instruments of bronze and iron.

       (Gen 4:23 TLB)  One day Lamech said to Adah and Zillah, "Listen to me, 
       my wives. I have killed a youth who attacked and wounded me.

       (Gen 4:24 TLB)  If anyone who kills Cain will be punished seven times, 
       anyone taking revenge against me for killing that youth should be 
       punished seventy-seven times!"

       (Gen 4:25 TLB)  Later on Eve gave birth to another son and named him 
       Seth (meaning "Granted"); for, as Eve put it, "God has granted me 
       another son for the one Cain killed."

       (Gen 4:26 TLB)  When Seth grew up, he had a son and named him Enosh. 
       It was during his lifetime that men first began to call themselves 
       "the Lord's people."

       (Gen 5:1 TLB)  Here is a list of some of the descendants of Adam--the 
       man who was like God from the day of his creation.

       (Gen 5:2 TLB)  God created man and woman and blessed them, and called 
       them Man from the start.

       (Gen 5:3 TLB)  Adam: Adam was 130 years old when his son Seth was 
       born, the very image of his father in every way.

       (Gen 5:4 TLB)  After Seth was born, Adam lived another 800 years, 
       producing sons and daughters,

       (Gen 5:5 TLB)  and died at the age of 930.

       (Gen 5:6 TLB)  Seth: Seth was 105 years old when his son Enosh was 
       born.

       (Gen 5:7 TLB)  Afterwards he lived another 807 years, producing sons 
       and daughters,

       (Gen 5:8 TLB)  and died at the age of 912.

       (Gen 5:9 TLB)  Enosh: Enosh was ninety years old when his son Kenan 
       was born.

       (Gen 5:10 TLB)  Afterwards he lived another 815 years, producing sons 
       and daughters,

       (Gen 5:11 TLB)  and died at the age of 905.

       (Gen 5:12 TLB)  Kenan: Kenan was seventy years old when his son 
       Mahalalel was born.

       (Gen 5:13 TLB)  Afterwards he lived another 840 years, producing sons 
       and daughters,

       (Gen 5:14 TLB)  and died at the age of 910.





       (Gen 5:15 TLB)  Mahalalel: Mahalalel was sixty-five years old when his 
       son Jared was born.

       (Gen 5:16 TLB)  Afterwards he lived 830 years, producing sons and 
       daughters,

       (Gen 5:17 TLB)  and died at the age of 895.

       (Gen 5:18 TLB)  Jared: Jared was 162 years old when his son Enoch was 
       born.

       (Gen 5:19 TLB)  Afterwards he lived another 800 years, producing sons 
       and daughters,

       (Gen 5:20 TLB)  and died at the age of 962.

       (Gen 5:21 TLB)  Enoch: Enoch was sixty-five years old when his son 
       Methuselah was born.

       (Gen 5:22 TLB)  Afterwards he lived another 300 years in fellowship 
       with God, and produced sons and daughters; then,

       (Gen 5:23 TLB)  when he was 365, and in constant touch with God, he 
       disappeared, for God took him!

       (Gen 5:24 TLB)  

       (Gen 5:25 TLB)  Methuselah: Methuselah was 187 years old when his son 
       Lamech was born;

       (Gen 5:26 TLB)  afterwards he lived another 782 years, producing sons 
       and daughters,

       (Gen 5:27 TLB)  and died at the age of 969.

       (Gen 5:28 TLB)  Lamech: Lamech was 182 years old when his son Noah was 
       born.

       (Gen 5:29 TLB)  Lamech named him Noah (meaning "Relief") because he 
       said, "He will bring us relief from the hard work of farming this 
       ground which God has cursed."

       (Gen 5:30 TLB)  Afterwards Lamech lived 595 years, producing sons and 
       daughters,

       (Gen 5:31 TLB)  and died at the age of 777.

       (Gen 5:32 TLB)  Noah: Noah was 500 years old and had three sons, Shem, 
       Ham, and Japheth.

       (Gen 6:1 TLB)  Now a population explosion took place upon the earth. 
       It was at this time that beings from the spirit world looked upon the 
       beautiful earth women and took any they desired to be their wives.

       (Gen 6:2 TLB)  





       (Gen 6:3 TLB)  Then Jehovah said, "My Spirit must not forever be 
       disgraced in man, wholly evil as he is. I will give him 120 years to 
       mend his ways."

       (Gen 6:4 TLB)  In those days, and even afterwards, when the evil 
       beings from the spirit world were sexually involved with human women, 
       their children became giants, of whom so many legends are told.

       (Gen 6:5 TLB)  When the Lord God saw the extent of human wickedness, 
       and that the trend and direction of men's lives were only towards 
       evil,

       (Gen 6:6 TLB)  he was sorry he had made them. It broke his heart.

       (Gen 6:7 TLB)  And he said, "I will blot out from the face of the 
       earth all mankind that I created. Yes, and the animals too, and the 
       reptiles and the birds. For I am sorry I made them."

       (Gen 6:8 TLB)  But Noah was a pleasure to the Lord. Here is the story 
       of Noah:

       (Gen 6:9 TLB)  He was the only truly righteous man living on the earth 
       at that time. He tried always to conduct his affairs according to 
       God's will.

       (Gen 6:10 TLB)  And he had three sons--Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

       (Gen 6:11 TLB)  Meanwhile, the crime rate was rising rapidly across 
       the earth, and, as seen by God, the world was rotten to the core.

       (Gen 6:12 TLB)  As God observed how bad it was, and saw that all 
       mankind was vicious and depraved,

       (Gen 6:13 TLB)  he said to Noah, "I have decided to destroy all 
       mankind; for the earth is filled with crime because of man. Yes, I 
       will destroy mankind from the earth.

       (Gen 6:14 TLB)  Make a boat from resinous wood, sealing it with tar; 
       and construct decks and stalls throughout the ship.

       (Gen 6:15 TLB)  Make it 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high.

       (Gen 6:16 TLB)  Construct a skylight all the way around the ship, 
       eighteen inches below the roof; and make three decks inside the 
       boat--a bottom, middle, and upper deck--and put a door in the side.

       (Gen 6:17 TLB)  "Look! I am going to cover the earth with a flood and 
       destroy every living being--everything in which there is the breath of 
       life. All will die.

       (Gen 6:18 TLB)  But I promise to keep you safe in the ship, with your 
       wife and your sons and their wives.

       (Gen 6:19 TLB)  Bring a pair of every animal--a male and a 
       female--into the boat with you, to keep them alive through the flood.





       (Gen 6:20 TLB)  Bring in a pair of each kind of bird and animal and 
       reptile.

       (Gen 6:21 TLB)  Store away in the boat all the food that they and you 
       will need."

       (Gen 6:22 TLB)  And Noah did everything as God commanded him.

       (Gen 7:1 TLB)  Finally the day came when the Lord said to Noah, "Go 
       into the boat with all your family, for among all the people of the 
       earth, I consider you alone to be righteous.

       (Gen 7:2 TLB)  Bring in the animals, too--a pair of each, except those 
       kinds I have chosen for eating and for sacrifice: take seven pairs of 
       each of them,

       (Gen 7:3 TLB)  and seven pairs of every kind of bird. Thus there will 
       be every kind of life reproducing again after the flood has ended.

       (Gen 7:4 TLB)  One week from today I will begin forty days and nights 
       of rain; and all the animals and birds and reptiles I have made will 
       die."

       (Gen 7:5 TLB)  So Noah did everything the Lord commanded him.

       (Gen 7:6 TLB)  He was 600 years old when the flood came.

       (Gen 7:7 TLB)  He boarded the boat with his wife and sons and their 
       wives, to escape the flood.

       (Gen 7:8 TLB)  With him were all the various kinds of animals--those 
       for eating and sacrifice, and those that were not, and the birds and 
       reptiles.

       (Gen 7:9 TLB)  They came into the boat in pairs, male and female, just 
       as God commanded Noah.

       (Gen 7:10 TLB)  One week later, when Noah was 600 years, two months, 
       and seventeen days old, the rain came down in mighty torrents from the 
       sky,

       (Gen 7:11 TLB)  

       (Gen 7:12 TLB)  and the subterranean waters burst forth upon the earth 
       for forty days and nights.

       (Gen 7:13 TLB)  But Noah had gone into the boat that very day with his 
       wife and his sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and their wives.

       (Gen 7:14 TLB)  With them in the boat were pairs of every kind of 
       animal--domestic and wild--and reptiles and birds of every sort.

       (Gen 7:15 TLB)  

       (Gen 7:16 TLB)  Two by two they came, male and female, just as God had 
       commanded. Then the Lord God closed the door and shut them in.






       (Gen 7:17 TLB)  For forty days the roaring floods prevailed, covering 
       the ground and lifting the boat high above the earth.

       (Gen 7:18 TLB)  As the water rose higher and higher above the ground, 
       the boat floated safely upon it;

       (Gen 7:19 TLB)  until finally the water covered all the high mountains 
       under the whole heaven,

       (Gen 7:20 TLB)  standing twenty-two feet and more above the highest 
       peaks.

       (Gen 7:21 TLB)  And all living things upon the earth perished--birds, 
       domestic and wild animals, and reptiles and all mankind--

       (Gen 7:22 TLB)  everything that breathed and lived upon dry land.

       (Gen 7:23 TLB)  All existence on the earth was blotted out--man and 
       animals alike, and reptiles and birds. God destroyed them all, leaving 
       only Noah alive, and those with him in the boat.

       (Gen 7:24 TLB)  And the water covered the earth 150 days.

       (Gen 8:1 TLB)  God didn't forget about Noah and all the animals in the 
       boat! He sent a wind to blow across the waters, and the floods began 
       to disappear,

       (Gen 8:2 TLB)  for the subterranean water sources ceased their 
       gushing, and the torrential rains subsided.

       (Gen 8:3 TLB)  So the flood gradually receded until, 150 days after it 
       began, the boat came to rest upon the mountains of Ararat.

       (Gen 8:4 TLB)  

       (Gen 8:5 TLB)  Three months later, as the waters continued to go down, 
       other mountain peaks appeared.

       (Gen 8:6 TLB)  After another forty days, Noah opened a porthole

       (Gen 8:7 TLB)  and released a raven that flew back and forth until the 
       earth was dry.

       (Gen 8:8 TLB)  Meanwhile he sent out a dove to see if it could find 
       dry ground,

       (Gen 8:9 TLB)  but the dove found no place to light, and returned to 
       Noah, for the water was still too high. So Noah held out his hand and 
       drew the dove back into the boat.

       (Gen 8:10 TLB)  Seven days later Noah released the dove again,

       (Gen 8:11 TLB)  and this time, toward evening, the bird returned to 
       him with an olive leaf in her beak. So Noah knew that the water was 
       almost gone.






       (Gen 8:12 TLB)  A week later he released the dove again, and this time 
       she didn't come back.

       (Gen 8:13 TLB)  Twenty-nine days after that, Noah opened the door to 
       look, and the water was gone.

       (Gen 8:14 TLB)  Eight more weeks went by. Then at last the earth was 
       dry.

       (Gen 8:15 TLB)  Then God told Noah, "You may all go out.

       (Gen 8:16 TLB)  

       (Gen 8:17 TLB)  Release all the animals, birds, and reptiles, so that 
       they will breed abundantly and reproduce in great numbers."

       (Gen 8:18 TLB)  So the boat was soon empty. Noah, his wife, and his 
       sons and their wives all disembarked, along with all the animals, 
       reptiles, and birds--all left the ark in pairs and groups.

       (Gen 8:19 TLB)  

       (Gen 8:20 TLB)  Then Noah built an altar and sacrificed on it some of 
       the animals and birds God had designated for that purpose.

       (Gen 8:21 TLB)  And Jehovah was pleased with the sacrifice and said to 
       himself, "I will never do it again--I will never again curse the 
       earth, destroying all living things, even though man's bent is always 
       toward evil from his earliest youth, and even though he does such 
       wicked things.

       (Gen 8:22 TLB)  As long as the earth remains, there will be springtime 
       and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, day and night."

       (Gen 9:1 TLB)  God blessed Noah and his sons and told them to have 
       many children and to repopulate the earth.

       (Gen 9:2 TLB)  "All wild animals and birds and fish will be afraid of 
       you," God told him; "for I have placed them in your power, and they 
       are yours to use for food, in addition to grain and vegetables.

       (Gen 9:3 TLB)  

       (Gen 9:4 TLB)  But never eat animals unless their life-blood has been 
       drained off.

       (Gen 9:5 TLB)  And murder is forbidden. Man-killing animals must die, 
       and any man who murders shall be killed; for to kill a man is to kill 
       one made like God.

       (Gen 9:6 TLB)  

       (Gen 9:7 TLB)  Yes, have many children and repopulate the earth and 
       subdue it."





       (Gen 9:8 TLB)  Then God told Noah and his sons,

       (Gen 9:9 TLB)  "I solemnly promise you and your children

       (Gen 9:10 TLB)  and the animals you brought with you--all these birds 
       and cattle and wild animals--

       (Gen 9:11 TLB)  that I will never again send another flood to destroy 
       the earth.

       (Gen 9:12 TLB)  And I seal this promise with this sign:

       (Gen 9:13 TLB)  I have placed my rainbow in the clouds as a sign of my 
       promise until the end of time, to you and to all the earth.

       (Gen 9:14 TLB)  When I send clouds over the earth, the rainbow will be 
       seen in the clouds,

       (Gen 9:15 TLB)  and I will remember my promise to you and to every 
       being, that never again will the floods come and destroy all life.

       (Gen 9:16 TLB)  For I will see the rainbow in the cloud and remember 
       my eternal promise to every living being on the earth."

       (Gen 9:17 TLB)  

       (Gen 9:18 TLB)  The names of Noah's three sons were Shem, Ham, and 
       Japheth. (Ham is the ancestor of the Canaanites.)

       (Gen 9:19 TLB)  From these three sons of Noah came all the nations of 
       the earth.

       (Gen 9:20 TLB)  Noah became a farmer and planted a vineyard, and he 
       made wine. One day as he was drunk and lay naked in his tent,

       (Gen 9:21 TLB)  

       (Gen 9:22 TLB)  Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father's nakedness 
       and went outside and told his two brothers.

       (Gen 9:23 TLB)  Then Shem and Japheth took a robe and held it over 
       their shoulders and, walking backwards into the tent, let it fall 
       across their father to cover his nakedness as they looked the other 
       way.

       (Gen 9:24 TLB)  When Noah awoke from his drunken stupor, and learned 
       what had happened and what Ham, his younger son, had done,

       (Gen 9:25 TLB)  he cursed Ham's descendants: "A curse upon the 
       Canaanites," he swore. "May they be the lowest of slaves To the 
       descendants of Shem and Japheth."

       (Gen 9:26 TLB)  Then he said, "God bless Shem, And may Canaan be his 
       slave.

       (Gen 9:27 TLB)  God bless Japheth, And let him share the prosperity of 





       Shem, And let Canaan be his slave."

       (Gen 9:28 TLB)  Noah lived another 350 years after the flood

       (Gen 9:29 TLB)  and was 950 years old at his death.

       (Gen 10:1 TLB)  These are the families of Shem, Ham, and Japheth, who 
       were the three sons of Noah; for sons were born to them after the 
       flood.

       (Gen 10:2 TLB)  The sons of Japheth were: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, 
       Tubal, Meshech, Tiras.

       (Gen 10:3 TLB)  The sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Riphath, Togarmah.

       (Gen 10:4 TLB)  The sons of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, Dodanim.

       (Gen 10:5 TLB)  Their descendants became the maritime nations in 
       various lands, each with a separate language.

       (Gen 10:6 TLB)  The sons of Ham were: Cush, Mizraim, Put, Canaan.

       (Gen 10:7 TLB)  The sons of Cush were: Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, 
       Sabteca. The sons of Raamah were: Sheba, Dedan.

       (Gen 10:8 TLB)  One of the descendants of Cush was Nimrod, who became 
       the first of the kings.

       (Gen 10:9 TLB)  He was a mighty hunter, blessed of God, and his name 
       became proverbial. People would speak of someone as being "like 
       Nimrod--a mighty hunter, blessed of God."

       (Gen 10:10 TLB)  The heart of his empire included Babel, Erech, Accad, 
       and Calneh in the land of Shinar.

       (Gen 10:11 TLB)  From there he extended his reign to Assyria. He built 
       Nineveh, Rehoboth-Ir, Calah, and Resen (which is located between 
       Nineveh and Calah), the main city of the empire.

       (Gen 10:12 TLB)  

       (Gen 10:13 TLB)  Mizraim was the ancestor of the people inhabiting 
       these areas: Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim,

       (Gen 10:14 TLB)  Pathrusim, Casluhim (from whom came the Philistines), 
       and Caphtorim.

       (Gen 10:15 TLB)  Canaan's oldest son was Sidon, and he was also the 
       father of Heth; from Canaan descended these nations:

       (Gen 10:16 TLB)  Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites,

       (Gen 10:17 TLB)  Hivites, Arkites, Sinites,

       (Gen 10:18 TLB)  Arvadites, Zemarites, Hamathites.





       (Gen 10:19 TLB)  Eventually the descendants of Canaan spread from 
       Sidon all the way to Gerar, in the Gaza strip; and to Sodom, Gomorrah, 
       Admah, and Zeboiim, near Lasha.

       (Gen 10:20 TLB)  These, then, were the descendants of Ham, spread 
       abroad in many lands and nations, with many languages.

       (Gen 10:21 TLB)  Eber descended from Shem, the oldest brother of 
       Japheth.

       (Gen 10:22 TLB)  Here is a list of Shem's other descendants: Elam, 
       Asshur, Arpachshad, Lud, Aram.

       (Gen 10:23 TLB)  Aram's sons were: Uz, Hul, Gether, Mash.

       (Gen 10:24 TLB)  Arpachshad's son was Shelah, and Shelah's son was 
       Eber.

       (Gen 10:25 TLB)  Two sons were born to Eber: Peleg (meaning 
       "Division," for during his lifetime the people of the world were 
       separated and dispersed), and Joktan (Peleg's brother).

       (Gen 10:26 TLB)  Joktan was the father of Almodad, Sheleph, 
       Hazarmaveth, Jerah,

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

       (Gen 10:28 TLB)  Obal, Abima-el, Sheba,

       (Gen 10:29 TLB)  Ophir, Havi-lah, Jobab. These descendants of Joktan 
       lived all the way from Mesha to the eastern hills of Sephar.

       (Gen 10:30 TLB)  

       (Gen 10:31 TLB)  These, then, were the descendants of Shem, classified 
       according to their political groupings, languages, and geographical 
       locations.

       (Gen 10:32 TLB)  All of the men listed above descended from Noah, 
       through many generations, living in the various nations that developed 
       after the flood.

       (Gen 11:1 TLB)  At that time all mankind spoke a single language.

       (Gen 11:2 TLB)  As the population grew and spread eastward, a plain 
       was discovered in the land of Babylon and was soon thickly populated.

       (Gen 11:3 TLB)  The people who lived there began to talk about 
       building a great city, with a temple-tower reaching to the skies--a 
       proud, eternal monument to themselves.

       (Gen 11:4 TLB)  "This will weld us together," they said, "and keep us 
       from scattering all over the world." So they made great piles of 
       hardburned brick, and collected bitumen to use as mortar.

       (Gen 11:5 TLB)  But when God came down to see the city and the tower 





       mankind was making,

       (Gen 11:6 TLB)  he said, "Look! If they are able to accomplish all 
       this when they have just begun to exploit their linguistic and 
       political unity, just think of what they will do later! Nothing will 
       be unattainable for them!

       (Gen 11:7 TLB)  Come, let us go down and give them different 
       languages, so that they won't understand each other's words!"

       (Gen 11:8 TLB)  So, in that way, God scattered them all over the 
       earth; and that ended the building of the city.

       (Gen 11:9 TLB)  That is why the city was called Babel (meaning 
       "confusion"), because it was there that Jehovah confused them by 
       giving them many languages, thus widely scattering them across the 
       face of the earth.

       (Gen 11:10 TLB)  Shem's line of descendants included Arpachshad, born 
       two years after the flood when Shem was 100 years old; after that he 
       lived another 500 years and had many sons and daughters.

       (Gen 11:11 TLB)  

       (Gen 11:12 TLB)  When Arpachshad was thirty-five years old, his son 
       Shelah was born,

       (Gen 11:13 TLB)  and after that he lived another 403 years and had 
       many sons and daughters.

       (Gen 11:14 TLB)  Shelah was thirty years old when his son Eber was 
       born,

       (Gen 11:15 TLB)  living 403 years after that, and had many sons and 
       daughters.

       (Gen 11:16 TLB)  Eber was thirty-four years old when his son Peleg was 
       born.

       (Gen 11:17 TLB)  He lived another 430 years afterwards and had many 
       sons and daughters.

       (Gen 11:18 TLB)  Peleg was thirty years old when his son Reu was born.

       (Gen 11:19 TLB)  He lived another 209 years afterwards and had many 
       sons and daughters.

       (Gen 11:20 TLB)  Reu was thirty-two years old when Serug was born.

       (Gen 11:21 TLB)  He lived 207 years after that, with many sons and 
       daughters.

       (Gen 11:22 TLB)  Serug was thirty years old when his son Nahor was 
       born.

       (Gen 11:23 TLB)  He lived 200 years afterwards, with many sons and 





       daughters.

       (Gen 11:24 TLB)  Nahor was twenty-nine years old at the birth of his 
       son Terah.

       (Gen 11:25 TLB)  He lived 119 years afterwards and had sons and 
       daughters.

       (Gen 11:26 TLB)  By the time Terah was seventy years old, he had three 
       sons, Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

       (Gen 11:27 TLB)  And Haran had a son named Lot.

       (Gen 11:28 TLB)  But Haran died young, in the land where he was born 
       (in Ur of the Chaldeans), and was survived by his father.

       (Gen 11:29 TLB)  Meanwhile, Abram married his half-sister Sarai, while 
       his brother Nahor married their orphaned niece, Milcah, who was the 
       daughter of their brother Haran; and she had a sister named Iscah.

       (Gen 11:30 TLB)  But Sarai was barren; she had no children.

       (Gen 11:31 TLB)  Then Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot (his 
       son Haran's child), and his daughter-in-law Sarai, and left Ur of the 
       Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan; but they stopped instead at the 
       city of Haran and settled there.

       (Gen 11:32 TLB)  And there Terah died at the age of 205.

       (Gen 12:1 TLB)  God had told Abram, "Leave your own country behind 
       you, and your own people, and go to the land I will guide you to.

       (Gen 12:2 TLB)  If you do, I will cause you to become the father of a 
       great nation; I will bless you and make your name famous, and you will 
       be a blessing to many others.

       (Gen 12:3 TLB)  I will bless those who bless you and curse those who 
       curse you; and the entire world will be blessed because of you."

       (Gen 12:4 TLB)  So Abram departed as the Lord had instructed him, and 
       Lot went too; Abram was seventy-five years old at that time.

       (Gen 12:5 TLB)  He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all his 
       wealth--the cattle and slaves he had gotten in Haran--and finally 
       arrived in Canaan.

       (Gen 12:6 TLB)  Traveling through Canaan, they came to a place near 
       Shechem, and set up camp beside the oak at Moreh. (This area was 
       inhabited by Canaanites at that time.)

       (Gen 12:7 TLB)  Then Jehovah appeared to Abram and said, "I am going 
       to give this land to your descendants." And Abram built an altar there 
       to commemorate Jehovah's visit.

       (Gen 12:8 TLB)  Afterwards Abram left that place and traveled 
       southward to the hilly country between Bethel on the west and Ai on 





       the east. There he made camp, and made an altar to the Lord and prayed 
       to him.

       (Gen 12:9 TLB)  Thus he continued slowly southward to the Negeb, 
       pausing frequently.

       (Gen 12:10 TLB)  There was at that time a terrible famine in the land: 
       and so Abram went on down to Egypt to live.

       (Gen 12:11 TLB)  But as he was approaching the borders of Egypt, he 
       asked Sarai his wife to tell everyone that she was his sister! "You 
       are very beautiful," he told her,

       (Gen 12:12 TLB)  "and when the Egyptians see you they will say, 'This 
       is his wife. Let's kill him and then we can have her!'

       (Gen 12:13 TLB)  But if you say you are my sister, then the Egyptians 
       will treat me well because of you, and spare my life!"

       (Gen 12:14 TLB)  And sure enough, when they arrived in Egypt everyone 
       spoke of her beauty.

       (Gen 12:15 TLB)  When the palace aides saw her, they praised her to 
       their king, the Pharaoh, and she was taken into his harem.

       (Gen 12:16 TLB)  Then Pharaoh gave Abram many gifts because of 
       her--sheep, oxen, donkeys, men and women slaves, and camels.

       (Gen 12:17 TLB)  But the Lord sent a terrible plague upon Pharaoh's 
       household on account of her being there.

       (Gen 12:18 TLB)  Then Pharaoh called Abram before him and accused him 
       sharply. "What is this you have done to me?" he demanded. "Why didn't 
       you tell me she was your wife?

       (Gen 12:19 TLB)  Why were you willing to let me marry her, saying she 
       was your sister? Here, take her and be gone!"

       (Gen 12:20 TLB)  And Pharaoh sent them out of the country under armed 
       escort--Abram, his wife, and all his household and possessions.

       (Gen 13:1 TLB)  So they left Egypt and traveled north into the 
       Negeb--Abram with his wife, and Lot, and all that they owned, for 
       Abram was very rich in livestock, silver, and gold.

       (Gen 13:2 TLB)  

       (Gen 13:3 TLB)  Then they continued northward toward Bethel where he 
       had camped before, between Bethel and Ai--to the place

       (Gen 13:4 TLB)  where he had built the altar. And there he again 
       worshiped the Lord.

       (Gen 13:5 TLB)  Lot too was very wealthy, with sheep and cattle and 
       many servants.





       (Gen 13:6 TLB)  But the land could not support both Abram and Lot with 
       all their flocks and herds. There were too many animals for the 
       available pasture.

       (Gen 13:7 TLB)  So fights broke out between the herdsmen of Abram and 
       Lot, despite the danger they all faced from the tribes of Canaanites 
       and Perizzites present in the land.

       (Gen 13:8 TLB)  Then Abram talked it over with Lot. "This fighting 
       between our men has got to stop," he said. "We can't afford to let a 
       rift develop between our clans. Close relatives such as we are must 
       present a united front!

       (Gen 13:9 TLB)  I'll tell you what we'll do. Take your choice of any 
       section of the land you want, and we will separate. If you want that 
       part over there to the east, then I'll stay here in the western 
       section. Or, if you want the west, then I'll go over there to the 
       east."

       (Gen 13:10 TLB)  Lot took a long look at the fertile plains of the 
       Jordan River, well watered everywhere (this was before Jehovah 
       destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah); the whole section was like the Garden 
       of Eden, or like the beautiful countryside around Zoar in Egypt.

       (Gen 13:11 TLB)  So that is what Lot chose--the Jordan valley to the 
       east of them. He went there with his flocks and servants, and thus he 
       and Abram parted company.

       (Gen 13:12 TLB)  For Abram stayed in the land of Canaan, while Lot 
       lived among the cities of the plain, settling at a place near the city 
       of Sodom.

       (Gen 13:13 TLB)  The men of this area were unusually wicked, and 
       sinned greatly against Jehovah.

       (Gen 13:14 TLB)  After Lot was gone, the Lord said to Abram, "Look as 
       far as you can see in every direction,

       (Gen 13:15 TLB)  for I am going to give it all to you and your 
       descendants.

       (Gen 13:16 TLB)  And I am going to give you so many descendants that, 
       like dust, they can't be counted!

       (Gen 13:17 TLB)  Hike in all directions and explore the new 
       possessions I am giving you."

       (Gen 13:18 TLB)  Then Abram moved his tent to the oaks of Mamre, near 
       Hebron, and built an altar to Jehovah there.

       (Gen 14:1 TLB)  Now war filled the land--Amraphel, king of Shinar, 
       Arioch, king of Ellasar, Ched-or-laomer, king of Elam, and Tidal, king 
       of Goiim

       (Gen 14:2 TLB)  fought against: Bera, king of Sodom, Birsha, king of 
       Gomorrah, Shinab, king of Admah, Shemeber, king of Zeboiim, and the 





       king of Bela (later called Zoar).

       (Gen 14:3 TLB)  These kings (of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and 
       Bela) mobilized their armies in Siddim Valley (that is, the valley of 
       the Dead Sea).

       (Gen 14:4 TLB)  For twelve years they had all been subject to King 
       Ched-or-laomer, but now in the thirteenth year, they rebelled.

       (Gen 14:5 TLB)  One year later, Ched-or-laomer and his allies arrived 
       and the slaughter began. For they were victorious over the following 
       tribes at the places indicated: the Rephaim in Ashteroth-karnaim; the 
       Zuzim in Ham; the Emim in the plain of Kiriathaim;

       (Gen 14:6 TLB)  the Horites in Mount Seir, as far as El-paran at the 
       edge of the desert.

       (Gen 14:7 TLB)  Then they swung around to Enmishpat (later called 
       Kadesh) and destroyed the Amalekites, and also the Amorites living in 
       Hazazan-tamar.

       (Gen 14:8 TLB)  But now the other army, that of the kings of Sodom, 
       Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Bela (Zoar), unsuccessfully

       (Gen 14:9 TLB)  attacked Ched-or-laomer and his allies as they were in 
       the Dead Sea Valley (four kings against five).

       (Gen 14:10 TLB)  As it happened, the valley was full of asphalt pits. 
       And as the army of the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some slipped 
       into the pits, and the remainder fled to the mountains.

       (Gen 14:11 TLB)  Then the victors plundered Sodom and Gomorrah and 
       carried off all their wealth and food, and went on their homeward way,

       (Gen 14:12 TLB)  taking with them Lot--Abram's nephew who lived in 
       Sodom--and all he owned.

       (Gen 14:13 TLB)  One of the men who escaped came and told Abram the 
       Hebrew, who was camping among the oaks belonging to Mamre the Amorite 
       (brother of Eshcol and Aner, Abram's allies).

       (Gen 14:14 TLB)  When Abram learned that Lot had been captured, he 
       called together the men born into his household, 318 of them in all, 
       and chased after the retiring army as far as Dan.

       (Gen 14:15 TLB)  He divided his men and attacked during the night from 
       several directions, and pursued the fleeing army to Hobah, north of 
       Damascus,

       (Gen 14:16 TLB)  and recovered everything--the loot that had been 
       taken, his relative Lot, and all of Lot's possessions, including the 
       women and other captives.

       (Gen 14:17 TLB)  As Abram returned from his strike against 
       Ched-or-laomer and the other kings at the Valley of Shaveh (later 
       called King's Valley), the king of Sodom came out to meet him,






       (Gen 14:18 TLB)  and Melchizedek, the king of Salem (Jerusalem), who 
       was a priest of the God of Highest Heaven, brought him bread and wine.

       (Gen 14:19 TLB)  Then Melchizedek blessed Abram with this blessing: 
       "The blessing of the supreme God, Creator of heaven and earth, be upon 
       you, Abram;

       (Gen 14:20 TLB)  and blessed be God, who has delivered your enemies 
       over to you." Then Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of all the loot.

       (Gen 14:21 TLB)  The king of Sodom told him, "Just give me back my 
       people who were captured; keep for yourself the booty stolen from my 
       city."

       (Gen 14:22 TLB)  But Abram replied, "I have solemnly promised Jehovah, 
       the supreme God, Creator of heaven and earth,

       (Gen 14:23 TLB)  that I will not take so much as a single thread from 
       you, lest you say, 'Abram is rich because of what I gave him!'

       (Gen 14:24 TLB)  All I'll accept is what these young men of mine have 
       eaten; but give a share of the loot to Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre, my 
       allies."

       (Gen 15:1 TLB)  Afterwards Jehovah spoke to Abram in a vision, and 
       this is what he told him: "Don't be fearful, Abram, for I will defend 
       you. And I will give you great blessings."

       (Gen 15:2 TLB)  But Abram replied, "O Lord Jehovah, what good are all 
       your blessings when I have no son?

       (Gen 15:3 TLB)  For without a son, some other member of my household 
       will inherit all my wealth."

       (Gen 15:4 TLB)  Then Jehovah told him, "No, no one else will be your 
       heir, for you will have a son to inherit everything you own."

       (Gen 15:5 TLB)  Then God brought Abram outside beneath the nighttime 
       sky and told him, "Look up into the heavens and count the stars if you 
       can. Your descendants will be like that--too many to count!"

       (Gen 15:6 TLB)  And Abram believed God; then God considered him 
       righteous on account of his faith.

       (Gen 15:7 TLB)  And he told him, "I am Jehovah who brought you out of 
       the city of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land."

       (Gen 15:8 TLB)  But Abram replied, "O Lord Jehovah, how can I be sure 
       that you will give it to me?"

       (Gen 15:9 TLB)  Then Jehovah told him to take a three-year-old heifer, 
       a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove and a 
       young pigeon,

       (Gen 15:10 TLB)  and to slay them and to cut them apart down the 





       middle, and to separate the halves, but not to divide the birds.

       (Gen 15:11 TLB)  And when the vultures came down upon the carcasses, 
       Abram shooed them away.

       (Gen 15:12 TLB)  That evening as the sun was going down, a deep sleep 
       fell upon Abram, and a vision of terrible foreboding, darkness, and 
       horror.

       (Gen 15:13 TLB)  Then Jehovah told Abram, "Your descendants will be 
       oppressed as slaves in a foreign land for 400 years.

       (Gen 15:14 TLB)  But I will punish the nation that enslaves them, and 
       at the end they will come away with great wealth.

       (Gen 15:15 TLB)  (But you will die in peace, at a ripe old age.)

       (Gen 15:16 TLB)  After four generations they will return here to this 
       land; for the wickedness of the Amorite nations living here now will 
       not be ready for punishment until then."

       (Gen 15:17 TLB)  As the sun went down and it was dark, Abram saw a 
       smoking firepot and a flaming torch that passed between the halves of 
       the carcasses.

       (Gen 15:18 TLB)  So that day Jehovah made this covenant with Abram: "I 
       have given this land to your descendants from the Wadi-el-Arish to the 
       Euphrates River.

       (Gen 15:19 TLB)  And I give to them these nations: Kenites, 
       Kenizzites, Kadmonites,

       (Gen 15:20 TLB)  Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaim,

       (Gen 15:21 TLB)  Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, Jebusites."

       (Gen 16:1 TLB)  But Sarai and Abram had no children. So Sarai took her 
       maid, an Egyptian girl named Hagar,

       (Gen 16:2 TLB)  and gave her to Abram to be his second wife. "Since 
       the Lord has given me no children," Sarai said, "you may sleep with my 
       servant girl, and her children shall be mine." And Abram agreed.

       (Gen 16:3 TLB)  (This took place ten years after Abram had first 
       arrived in the land of Canaan.)

       (Gen 16:4 TLB)  So he slept with Hagar, and she conceived; and when 
       she realized she was pregnant, she became very proud and arrogant 
       toward her mistress Sarai.

       (Gen 16:5 TLB)  Then Sarai said to Abram, "It's all your fault. For 
       now this servant girl of mine despises me, though I myself gave her 
       the privilege of being your wife. May the Lord judge you for doing 
       this to me!"

       (Gen 16:6 TLB)  "You have my permission to punish the girl as you see 





       fit," Abram replied. So Sarai beat her and she ran away.

       (Gen 16:7 TLB)  The Angel of the Lord found her beside a desert spring 
       along the road to Shur.

       (Gen 16:8 TLB)  The Angel: "Hagar, Sarai's maid, where have you come 
       from, and where are you going?" Hagar: "I am running away from my 
       mistress."

       (Gen 16:9 TLB)  The Angel: "Return to your mistress and act as you 
       should,

       (Gen 16:10 TLB)  for I will make you into a great nation.

       (Gen 16:11 TLB)  Yes, you are pregnant and your baby will be a son, 
       and you are to name him Ishmael ('God hears'), because God has heard 
       your woes.

       (Gen 16:12 TLB)  This son of yours will be a wild one--free and 
       untamed as a wild ass! He will be against everyone, and everyone will 
       feel the same toward him. But he will live near the rest of his kin."

       (Gen 16:13 TLB)  Thereafter Hagar spoke of Jehovah--for it was he who 
       appeared to her--as "the God who looked upon me," for she thought, "I 
       saw God and lived to tell it."

       (Gen 16:14 TLB)  Later that well was named "The Well of the Living One 
       Who Sees Me." It lies between Kadesh and Bered.

       (Gen 16:15 TLB)  So Hagar gave Abram a son, and Abram named him 
       Ishmael.

       (Gen 16:16 TLB)  (Abram was eighty-six years old at this time.)

       (Gen 17:1 TLB)  When Abram was ninety-nine years old, God appeared to 
       him and told him, "I am the Almighty; obey me and live as you should.

       (Gen 17:2 TLB)  I will prepare a contract between us, guaranteeing to 
       make you into a mighty nation.

       (Gen 17:3 TLB)  In fact you shall be the father of not only one 
       nation, but a multitude of nations!" Abram fell face downward in the 
       dust as God talked with him.

       (Gen 17:4 TLB)  

       (Gen 17:5 TLB)  "What's more," God told him, "I am changing your name. 
       It is no longer 'Abram' ('Exalted Father'), but 'Abraham' ('Father of 
       Nations')--for that is what you will be. I have declared it.

       (Gen 17:6 TLB)  I will give you millions of descendants who will form 
       many nations! Kings shall be among your descendants!

       (Gen 17:7 TLB)  And I will continue this agreement between us 
       generation after generation, forever, for it shall be between me and 
       your children as well.






       (Gen 17:8 TLB)  It is a contract that I shall be your God and the God 
       of your posterity. And I will give all this land of Canaan to you and 
       them, forever. And I will be your God.

       (Gen 17:9 TLB)  "Your part of the contract," God told him, "is to obey 
       its terms.

       (Gen 17:10 TLB)  You personally and all your posterity have this 
       continual responsibility: that every male among you shall be 
       circumcised;

       (Gen 17:11 TLB)  the foreskin of his penis shall be cut off. This will 
       be the proof that you and they accept this covenant.

       (Gen 17:12 TLB)  Every male shall be circumcised on the eighth day 
       after birth. This applies to every foreign-born slave as well as to 
       everyone born in your household. This is a permanent part of this 
       contract, and it applies to all your posterity.

       (Gen 17:13 TLB)  All must be circumcised. Your bodies will thus be 
       marked as participants in my everlasting covenant.

       (Gen 17:14 TLB)  Anyone who refuses these terms shall be cut off from 
       his people; for he has violated my contract."

       (Gen 17:15 TLB)  Then God added, "Regarding Sarai your wife--her name 
       is no longer 'Sarai' but 'Sarah' ('Princess').

       (Gen 17:16 TLB)  And I will bless her and give you a son from her! 
       Yes, I will bless her richly, and make her the mother of nations! Many 
       kings shall be among your posterity."

       (Gen 17:17 TLB)  Then Abraham threw himself down in worship before the 
       Lord, but inside he was laughing in disbelief! "Me, be a father?" he 
       said in amusement. "Me--100 years old? And Sarah, to have a baby at 
       90?"

       (Gen 17:18 TLB)  And Abraham said to God, "Yes, do bless Ishmael!"

       (Gen 17:19 TLB)  "No," God replied, "that isn't what I said. Sarah 
       shall bear you a son; and you are to name him Isaac ('Laughter'), and 
       I will sign my covenant with him forever, and with his descendants.

       (Gen 17:20 TLB)  As for Ishmael, all right, I will bless him also, 
       just as you have asked me to. I will cause him to multiply and become 
       a great nation. Twelve princes shall be among his posterity.

       (Gen 17:21 TLB)  But my contract is with Isaac, who will be born to 
       you and Sarah next year at about this time."

       (Gen 17:22 TLB)  That ended the conversation and God left.

       (Gen 17:23 TLB)  Then, that very day, Abraham took Ishmael his son and 
       every other male--born in his household or bought from outside--and 
       cut off their foreskins, just as God had told him to.






       (Gen 17:24 TLB)  Abraham was ninety-nine years old at that time,

       (Gen 17:25 TLB)  and Ishmael was thirteen.

       (Gen 17:26 TLB)  Both were circumcised the same day,

       (Gen 17:27 TLB)  along with all the other men and boys of the 
       household, whether born there or bought as slaves.

       (Gen 18:1 TLB)  The Lord appeared again to Abraham while he was living 
       in the oak grove at Mamre. This is the way it happened: One hot summer 
       afternoon as he was sitting in the opening of his tent,

       (Gen 18:2 TLB)  he suddenly noticed three men coming toward him. He 
       sprang up and ran to meet them and welcomed them.

       (Gen 18:3 TLB)  "Sirs," he said, "please don't go any farther. Stop 
       awhile and rest here in the shade of this tree while I get water to 
       refresh your feet,

       (Gen 18:4 TLB)  

       (Gen 18:5 TLB)  and a bite to eat to strengthen you. Do stay awhile 
       before continuing your journey." "All right," they said, "do as you 
       have said."

       (Gen 18:6 TLB)  Then Abraham ran back to the tent and said to Sarah, 
       "Quick! Mix up some pancakes! Use your best flour, and make enough for 
       the three of them!"

       (Gen 18:7 TLB)  Then he ran out to the herd and selected a fat calf 
       and told a servant to hurry and butcher it.

       (Gen 18:8 TLB)  Soon, taking them cheese and milk and the roast veal, 
       he set it before the men and stood beneath the trees beside them as 
       they ate.

       (Gen 18:9 TLB)  "Where is Sarah, your wife?" they asked him. "In the 
       tent," Abraham replied.

       (Gen 18:10 TLB)  Then the Lord said, "Next year I will give you and 
       Sarah a son!" (Sarah was listening from the tent door behind him.)

       (Gen 18:11 TLB)  Now Abraham and Sarah were both very old, and Sarah 
       was long since past the time when she could have a baby.

       (Gen 18:12 TLB)  So Sarah laughed silently. "A woman my age have a 
       baby?" she scoffed to herself. "And with a husband as old as mine?"

       (Gen 18:13 TLB)  Then God said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh? Why 
       did she say 'Can an old woman like me have a baby?'

       (Gen 18:14 TLB)  Is anything too hard for God? Next year, just as I 
       told you, I will certainly see to it that Sarah has a son."





       (Gen 18:15 TLB)  But Sarah denied it. "I didn't laugh," she lied, for 
       she was afraid.

       (Gen 18:16 TLB)  Then the men stood up from their meal and started on 
       toward Sodom; and Abraham went with them part of the way.

       (Gen 18:17 TLB)  "Should I hide my plan from Abraham?" God asked.

       (Gen 18:18 TLB)  "For Abraham shall become a mighty nation, and he 
       will be a source of blessing for all the nations of the earth.

       (Gen 18:19 TLB)  And I have picked him out to have godly descendants 
       and a godly household--men who are just and good--so that I can do for 
       him all I have promised."

       (Gen 18:20 TLB)  So the Lord told Abraham, "I have heard that the 
       people of Sodom and Gomorrah are utterly evil, and that everything 
       they do is wicked.

       (Gen 18:21 TLB)  I am going down to see whether these reports are true 
       or not. Then I will know."

       (Gen 18:22 TLB)  So the other two went on toward Sodom, but the Lord 
       remained with Abraham a while. Then Abraham approached him and said, 
       "Will you kill good and bad alike?

       (Gen 18:23 TLB)  

       (Gen 18:24 TLB)  Suppose you find fifty godly people there within the 
       city--will you destroy it, and not spare it for their sakes?

       (Gen 18:25 TLB)  That wouldn't be right! Surely you wouldn't do such a 
       thing, to kill the godly with the wicked! Why, you would be treating 
       godly and wicked exactly the same! Surely you wouldn't do that! Should 
       not the Judge of all the earth be fair?"

       (Gen 18:26 TLB)  And God replied, "If I find fifty godly people there, 
       I will spare the entire city for their sake."

       (Gen 18:27 TLB)  Then Abraham spoke again. "Since I have begun, let me 
       go on and speak further to the Lord, though I am but dust and ashes.

       (Gen 18:28 TLB)  Suppose there are only forty-five? Will you destroy 
       the city for lack of five?" And God said, "I will not destroy it if I 
       find forty-five."

       (Gen 18:29 TLB)  Then Abraham went further with his request. "Suppose 
       there are only forty?" And God replied, "I won't destroy it if there 
       are forty."

       (Gen 18:30 TLB)  "Please don't be angry," Abraham pleaded. "Let me 
       speak: suppose only thirty are found there?" And God replied, "I won't 
       do it if there are thirty there."

       (Gen 18:31 TLB)  Then Abraham said, "Since I have dared to speak to 
       God, let me continue --suppose there are only twenty?" And God said, 





       "Then I won't destroy it for the sake of the twenty."

       (Gen 18:32 TLB)  Finally, Abraham said, "Oh, let not the Lord be 
       angry; I will speak but this once more! Suppose only ten are found?" 
       And God said, "Then, for the sake of the ten, I won't destroy it."

       (Gen 18:33 TLB)  And the Lord went on his way when he had finished his 
       conversation with Abraham. And Abraham returned to his tent.

       (Gen 19:1 TLB)  That evening the two angels came to the entrance of 
       the city of Sodom, and Lot was sitting there as they arrived. When he 
       saw them he stood up to meet them, and welcomed them.

       (Gen 19:2 TLB)  "Sirs," he said, "come to my home as my guests for the 
       night; you can get up as early as you like and be on your way again." 
       "Oh, no thanks," they said, "we'll just stretch out here along the 
       street."

       (Gen 19:3 TLB)  But he was very urgent, until at last they went home 
       with him, and he set a great feast before them, complete with freshly 
       baked unleavened bread. After the meal,

       (Gen 19:4 TLB)  as they were preparing to retire for the night, the 
       men of the city--yes, Sodomites, young and old from all over the 
       city--surrounded the house

       (Gen 19:5 TLB)  and shouted to Lot, "Bring out those men to us so we 
       can rape them."

       (Gen 19:6 TLB)  Lot stepped outside to talk to them, shutting the door 
       behind him.

       (Gen 19:7 TLB)  "Please, fellows," he begged, "don't do such a wicked 
       thing.

       (Gen 19:8 TLB)  Look--I have two virgin daughters, and I'll surrender 
       them to you to do with as you wish. But leave these men alone, for 
       they are under my protection."

       (Gen 19:9 TLB)  "Stand back," they yelled. "Who do you think you are? 
       We let this fellow settle among us and now he tries to tell us what to 
       do! We'll deal with you far worse than with those other men." And they 
       lunged at Lot and began breaking down the door.

       (Gen 19:10 TLB)  But the two men reached out and pulled Lot in and 
       bolted the door

       (Gen 19:11 TLB)  and temporarily blinded the men of Sodom so that they 
       couldn't find the door.

       (Gen 19:12 TLB)  "What relatives do you have here in the city?" the 
       men asked. "Get them out of this place--sons-in-law, sons, daughters, 
       or anyone else.

       (Gen 19:13 TLB)  For we will destroy the city completely. The stench 
       of the place has reached to heaven and God has sent us to destroy it."






       (Gen 19:14 TLB)  So Lot rushed out to tell his daughters' fiances, 
       "Quick, get out of the city, for the Lord is going to destroy it." But 
       the young men looked at him as though he had lost his senses.

       (Gen 19:15 TLB)  At dawn the next morning the angels became urgent. 
       "Hurry," they said to Lot, "take your wife and your two daughters who 
       are here and get out while you can, or you will be caught in the 
       destruction of the city."

       (Gen 19:16 TLB)  When Lot still hesitated, the angels seized his hand 
       and the hands of his wife and two daughters and rushed them to safety, 
       outside the city, for the Lord was merciful.

       (Gen 19:17 TLB)  "Flee for your lives," the angels told him. "And 
       don't look back. Escape to the mountains. Don't stay down here on the 
       plain or you will die."

       (Gen 19:18 TLB)  "Oh no, sirs, please," Lot begged,

       (Gen 19:19 TLB)  "since you've been so kind to me and saved my life, 
       and you've granted me such mercy, let me flee to that little village 
       over there instead of into the mountains, for I fear disaster in the 
       mountain.

       (Gen 19:20 TLB)  See, the village is close by and it is just a small 
       one. Please, please, let me go there instead. Don't you see how small 
       it is? And my life will be saved."

       (Gen 19:21 TLB)  "All right," the angel said, "I accept your 
       proposition and won't destroy that little city.

       (Gen 19:22 TLB)  But hurry! For I can do nothing until you are there." 
       (From that time on that village was named Zoar, meaning "Little 
       City.")

       (Gen 19:23 TLB)  The sun was rising as Lot reached the village.

       (Gen 19:24 TLB)  Then the Lord rained down fire and flaming tar from 
       heaven upon Sodom and Gomorrah,

       (Gen 19:25 TLB)  and utterly destroyed them, along with the other 
       cities and villages of the plain, eliminating all life--people, 
       plants, and animals alike.

       (Gen 19:26 TLB)  But Lot's wife looked back as she was following along 
       behind him and became a pillar of salt.

       (Gen 19:27 TLB)  That morning Abraham was up early and hurried out to 
       the place where he had stood before the Lord.

       (Gen 19:28 TLB)  He looked out across the plain to Sodom and Gomorrah 
       and saw columns of smoke and fumes, as from a furnace, rising from the 
       cities there.

       (Gen 19:29 TLB)  So God heeded Abraham's plea and kept Lot safe, 





       removing him from the maelstrom of death that engulfed the cities.

       (Gen 19:30 TLB)  Afterwards Lot left Zoar, fearful of the people 
       there, and went to live in a cave in the mountains with his two 
       daughters.

       (Gen 19:31 TLB)  One day the older girl said to her sister, "There 
       isn't a man anywhere in this entire area that our father would let us 
       marry. And our father will soon be too old for having children.

       (Gen 19:32 TLB)  Come, let's fill him with wine and then we will sleep 
       with him, so that our clan will not come to an end."

       (Gen 19:33 TLB)  So they got him drunk that night, and the older girl 
       went in and had sexual intercourse with her father; but he was unaware 
       of her lying down or getting up again.

       (Gen 19:34 TLB)  The next morning she said to her younger sister, "I 
       slept with my father last night. Let's fill him with wine again 
       tonight, and you go in and lie with him, so that our family line will 
       continue."

       (Gen 19:35 TLB)  So they got him drunk again that night, and the 
       younger girl went in and lay with him, and, as before, he didn't know 
       that anyone was there.

       (Gen 19:36 TLB)  And so it was that both girls became pregnant from 
       their father.

       (Gen 19:37 TLB)  The older girl's baby was named Moab; he became the 
       ancestor of the nation of the Moabites.

       (Gen 19:38 TLB)  The name of the younger girl's baby was Benammi; he 
       became the ancestor of the nation of the Ammonites.

       (Gen 20:1 TLB)  Now Abraham moved south to the Negeb and settled 
       between Kadesh and Shur. One day, when visiting the city of Gerar,

       (Gen 20:2 TLB)  he declared that Sarah was his sister! Then King 
       Abimelech sent for her, and had her brought to him at his palace.

       (Gen 20:3 TLB)  But that night God came to him in a dream and told 
       him, "You are a dead man, for that woman you took is married."

       (Gen 20:4 TLB)  But Abimelech hadn't slept with her yet, so he said, 
       "Lord, will you slay an innocent man?

       (Gen 20:5 TLB)  He told me, 'She is my sister,' and she herself said, 
       'Yes, he is my brother.' I hadn't the slightest intention of doing 
       anything wrong."

       (Gen 20:6 TLB)  "Yes, I know," the Lord replied. "That is why I held 
       you back from sinning against me; that is why I didn't let you touch 
       her.

       (Gen 20:7 TLB)  Now restore her to her husband, and he will pray for 





       you (for he is a prophet) and you shall live. But if you don't return 
       her to him, you are doomed to death along with all your household."

       (Gen 20:8 TLB)  The king was up early the next morning, and hastily 
       called a meeting of all the palace personnel and told them what had 
       happened. And great fear swept through the crowd.

       (Gen 20:9 TLB)  Then the king called for Abraham. "What is this you've 
       done to us?" he demanded. "What have I done that deserves treatment 
       like this, to make me and my kingdom guilty of this great sin? Who 
       would suspect that you would do a thing like this to me?

       (Gen 20:10 TLB)  Whatever made you think of this vile deed?"

       (Gen 20:11 TLB)  "Well," Abraham said, "I figured this to be a godless 
       place. 'They will want my wife and will kill me to get her,' I 
       thought.

       (Gen 20:12 TLB)  And besides, she is my sister--or at least a 
       half-sister (we both have the same father)--and I married her.

       (Gen 20:13 TLB)  And when God sent me traveling far from my childhood 
       home, I told her, 'Have the kindness to mention, wherever we come, 
       that you are my sister.'"

       (Gen 20:14 TLB)  Then King Abimelech took sheep and oxen and 
       servants--both men and women--and gave them to Abraham, and returned 
       Sarah his wife to him.

       (Gen 20:15 TLB)  "Look my kingdom over, and choose the place where you 
       want to live," the king told him.

       (Gen 20:16 TLB)  Then he turned to Sarah. "Look," he said, "I am 
       giving your 'brother' a thousand silver pieces as damages for what I 
       did, to compensate for any embarrassment and to settle any claim 
       against me regarding this matter. Now justice has been done."

       (Gen 20:17 TLB)  Then Abraham prayed, asking God to cure the king and 
       queen and the other women of the household, so that they could have 
       children;

       (Gen 20:18 TLB)  for God had stricken all the women with barrenness to 
       punish Abimelech for taking Abraham's wife.

       (Gen 21:1 TLB)  Then God did as he had promised, and Sarah became 
       pregnant and gave Abraham a baby son in his old age, at the time God 
       had said;

       (Gen 21:2 TLB)  

       (Gen 21:3 TLB)  and Abraham named him Isaac (meaning "Laughter!").

       (Gen 21:4 TLB)  Eight days after he was born, Abraham circumcised him, 
       as God required. (Abraham was 100 years old at that time.)

       (Gen 21:5 TLB)  






       (Gen 21:6 TLB)  And Sarah declared, "God has brought me laughter! All 
       who hear about this shall rejoice with me.

       (Gen 21:7 TLB)  For who would have dreamed that I would ever have a 
       baby? Yet I have given Abraham a child in his old age!"

       (Gen 21:8 TLB)  Time went by and the child grew and was weaned; and 
       Abraham gave a party to celebrate the happy occasion.

       (Gen 21:9 TLB)  But when Sarah noticed Ishmael--the son of Abraham and 
       the Egyptian girl Hagar--teasing Isaac,

       (Gen 21:10 TLB)  she turned upon Abraham and demanded, "Get rid of 
       that slave girl and her son. He is not going to share your property 
       with my son. I won't have it."

       (Gen 21:11 TLB)  This upset Abraham very much, for after all, Ishmael 
       too was his son.

       (Gen 21:12 TLB)  But God told Abraham, "Don't be upset over the boy or 
       your slave-girl wife; do as Sarah says, for Isaac is the son through 
       whom my promise will be fulfilled.

       (Gen 21:13 TLB)  And I will make a nation of the descendants of the 
       slave-girl's son, too, because he also is yours."

       (Gen 21:14 TLB)  So Abraham got up early the next morning, prepared 
       food for the journey, and strapped a canteen of water to Hagar's 
       shoulders and sent her away with their son. She walked out into the 
       wilderness of Beersheba, wandering aimlessly.

       (Gen 21:15 TLB)  When the water was gone she left the youth in the 
       shade of a bush

       (Gen 21:16 TLB)  and went off and sat down a hundred yards or so away. 
       "I don't want to watch him die," she said, and burst into tears, 
       sobbing wildly.

       (Gen 21:17 TLB)  Then God heard the boy crying, and the Angel of God 
       called to Hagar from the sky, "Hagar, what's wrong? Don't be afraid! 
       For God has heard the lad's cries as he is lying there.

       (Gen 21:18 TLB)  Go and get him and comfort him, for I will make a 
       great nation from his descendants."

       (Gen 21:19 TLB)  Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well; so she 
       refilled the canteen and gave the lad a drink.

       (Gen 21:20 TLB)  And God blessed the boy and he grew up in the 
       wilderness of Paran, and became an expert archer.

       (Gen 21:21 TLB)  And his mother arranged a marriage for him with a 
       girl from Egypt.

       (Gen 21:22 TLB)  About this time King Abimelech and Phicol, commander 





       of his troops, came to Abraham and said to him, "It is evident that 
       God helps you in everything you do;

       (Gen 21:23 TLB)  swear to me by God's name that you won't defraud me 
       or my son or my grandson, but that you will be on friendly terms with 
       my country, as I have been toward you."

       (Gen 21:24 TLB)  Abraham replied, "All right, I swear to it!"

       (Gen 21:25 TLB)  Then Abraham complained to the king about a well the 
       king's servants had taken violently away from Abraham's servants.

       (Gen 21:26 TLB)  "This is the first I've heard of it," the king 
       exclaimed, "and I have no idea who is responsible. Why didn't you tell 
       me before?"

       (Gen 21:27 TLB)  Then Abraham gave sheep and oxen to the king, as 
       sacrifices to seal their pact.

       (Gen 21:28 TLB)  But when he took seven ewe lambs and set them off by 
       themselves, the king inquired, "Why are you doing that?"

       (Gen 21:29 TLB)  

       (Gen 21:30 TLB)  And Abraham replied, "They are my gift to you as a 
       public confirmation that this well is mine."

       (Gen 21:31 TLB)  So from that time on the well was called Beer-sheba ( 
       "Well of the Oath"), because that was the place where they made their 
       covenant.

       (Gen 21:32 TLB)  Then King Abimelech and Phicol, commander of his 
       army, returned home again.

       (Gen 21:33 TLB)  And Abraham planted a tamarisk tree beside the well 
       and prayed there to the Lord, calling upon the Eternal God.

       (Gen 21:34 TLB)  And Abraham lived in the Philistine country for a 
       long time.

       (Gen 22:1 TLB)  Later on, God tested Abraham's (faith and obedience). 
       "Abraham!" God called. "Yes, Lord?" he replied.

       (Gen 22:2 TLB)  "Take with you your only son--yes, Isaac whom you love 
       so much--and go to the land of Moriah and sacrifice him there as a 
       burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I'll point out to you!"

       (Gen 22:3 TLB)  The next morning Abraham got up early, chopped wood 
       for a fire upon the altar, saddled his donkey, and took with him his 
       son Isaac and two young men who were his servants, and started off to 
       the place where God had told him to go.

       (Gen 22:4 TLB)  On the third day of the journey Abraham saw the place 
       in the distance.

       (Gen 22:5 TLB)  "Stay here with the donkey," Abraham told the young 





       men, "and the lad and I will travel yonder and worship, and then come 
       right back."

       (Gen 22:6 TLB)  Abraham placed the wood for the burnt offering upon 
       Isaac's shoulders, while he himself carried the knife and the flint 
       for striking a fire. So the two of them went on together.

       (Gen 22:7 TLB)  "Father," Isaac asked, "we have the wood and the flint 
       to make the fire, but where is the lamb for the sacrifice?"

       (Gen 22:8 TLB)  "God will see to it, my son," Abraham replied. And 
       they went on.

       (Gen 22:9 TLB)  When they arrived at the place where God had told 
       Abraham to go, he built an altar and placed the wood in order, ready 
       for the fire, and then tied Isaac and laid him on the altar over the 
       wood.

       (Gen 22:10 TLB)  And Abraham took the knife and lifted it up to plunge 
       it into his son, to slay him.

       (Gen 22:11 TLB)  At that moment the Angel of God shouted to him from 
       heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!" "Yes, Lord!" he answered.

       (Gen 22:12 TLB)  "Lay down the knife; don't hurt the lad in any way," 
       the Angel said, "for I know that God is first in your life--you have 
       not withheld even your beloved son from me."

       (Gen 22:13 TLB)  Then Abraham noticed a ram caught by its horns in a 
       bush. So he took the ram and sacrificed it, instead of his son, as a 
       burnt offering on the altar.

       (Gen 22:14 TLB)  Abraham named the place "Jehovah provides"--and it 
       still goes by that name to this day.

       (Gen 22:15 TLB)  Then the Angel of God called again to Abraham from 
       heaven.

       (Gen 22:16 TLB)  "I, the Lord, have sworn by myself that because you 
       have obeyed me and have not withheld even your beloved son from me,

       (Gen 22:17 TLB)  I will bless you with incredible blessings and 
       multiply your descendants into countless thousands and millions, like 
       the stars above you in the sky, and like the sands along the seashore. 
       They will conquer their enemies,

       (Gen 22:18 TLB)  and your offspring will be a blessing to all the 
       nations of the earth--all because you have obeyed me."

       (Gen 22:19 TLB)  So they returned to his young men and traveled home 
       again to Beer-sheba.

       (Gen 22:20 TLB)  After this, a message arrived that Milcah, the wife 
       of Abraham's brother Nahor, had borne him eight sons. Their names 
       were:





       (Gen 22:21 TLB)  Uz, the oldest, Buz, the next oldest, Kemuel (father 
       of Aram),

       (Gen 22:22 TLB)  Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph,

       (Gen 22:23 TLB)  Bethuel (father of Rebekah).

       (Gen 22:24 TLB)  He also had four other children from his concubine, 
       Reumah: Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, Maacah.

       (Gen 23:1 TLB)  When Sarah was 127 years old, she died in Hebron in 
       the land of Canaan; there Abraham mourned and wept for her.

       (Gen 23:2 TLB)  

       (Gen 23:3 TLB)  Then, standing beside her body, he said to the men of 
       Heth:

       (Gen 23:4 TLB)  "Here I am, a visitor in a foreign land, with no place 
       to bury my wife. Please sell me a piece of ground for this purpose."

       (Gen 23:5 TLB)  "Certainly," the men replied, "for you are an honored 
       prince of God among us; it will be a privilege to have you choose the 
       finest of our sepulchres, so that you can bury her there."

       (Gen 23:6 TLB)  

       (Gen 23:7 TLB)  Then Abraham bowed low before them and said,

       (Gen 23:8 TLB)  "Since this is your feeling in the matter, be so kind 
       as to ask Ephron, Zohar's son,

       (Gen 23:9 TLB)  to sell me the cave of Mach-pelah, down at the end of 
       his field. I will of course pay the full price for it, whatever is 
       publicly agreed upon, and it will become a permanent cemetery for my 
       family."

       (Gen 23:10 TLB)  Ephron was sitting there among the others, and now he 
       spoke up, answering Abraham as the others listened, speaking publicly 
       before all the citizens of the town:

       (Gen 23:11 TLB)  "Sir," he said to Abraham, "please listen to me. I 
       will give you the cave and the field without any charge. Here in the 
       presence of my people, I give it to you free. Go and bury your dead."

       (Gen 23:12 TLB)  Abraham bowed again to the men of Heth,

       (Gen 23:13 TLB)  and replied to Ephron, as all listened: "No, let me 
       buy it from you. Let me pay the full price of the field, and then I 
       will bury my dead."

       (Gen 23:14 TLB)  "Well, the land is worth 400 pieces of silver," 
       Ephron said, "but what is that between friends? Go ahead and bury your 
       dead."

       (Gen 23:15 TLB)  






       (Gen 23:16 TLB)  So Abraham paid Ephron the price he had 
       suggested--400 pieces of silver, as publicly agreed.

       (Gen 23:17 TLB)  This is the land he bought: Ephron's field at 
       Mach-pelah, near Mamre, and the cave at the end of the field, and all 
       the trees in the field.

       (Gen 23:18 TLB)  They became his permanent possession, by agreement in 
       the presence of the men of Heth at the city gate.

       (Gen 23:19 TLB)  So Abraham buried Sarah there, in the field and cave 
       deeded to him by the men of Heth as a burial plot.

       (Gen 23:20 TLB)  

       (Gen 24:1 TLB)  Abraham was now a very old man, and God blessed him in 
       every way.

       (Gen 24:2 TLB)  One day Abraham said to his household administrator, 
       who was his oldest servant,

       (Gen 24:3 TLB)  "Swear by Jehovah, the God of heaven and earth, that 
       you will not let my son marry one of these local girls, these 
       Canaanites.

       (Gen 24:4 TLB)  Go instead to my homeland, to my relatives, and find a 
       wife for him there."

       (Gen 24:5 TLB)  "But suppose I can't find a girl who will come so far 
       from home?" the servant asked. "Then shall I take Isaac there, to live 
       among your relatives?"

       (Gen 24:6 TLB)  "No!" Abraham warned. "Be careful that you don't do 
       that under any circumstance.

       (Gen 24:7 TLB)  For the Lord God of heaven told me to leave that land 
       and my people, and promised to give me and my children this land. He 
       will send his angel on ahead of you, and he will see to it that you 
       find a girl from there to be my son's wife.

       (Gen 24:8 TLB)  But if you don't succeed, then you are free from this 
       oath; but under no circumstances are you to take my son there."

       (Gen 24:9 TLB)  So the servant vowed to follow Abraham's instructions.

       (Gen 24:10 TLB)  He took with him ten of Abraham's camels loaded with 
       samples of the best of everything his master owned and journeyed to 
       Iraq, to Nahor's village.

       (Gen 24:11 TLB)  There he made the camels kneel down outside the town, 
       beside a spring. It was evening, and the women of the village were 
       coming to draw water.

       (Gen 24:12 TLB)  "O Jehovah, the God of my master," he prayed, "show 
       kindness to my master Abraham and help me to accomplish the purpose of 





       my journey.

       (Gen 24:13 TLB)  See, here I am, standing beside this spring, and the 
       girls of the village are coming out to draw water.

       (Gen 24:14 TLB)  This is my request: When I ask one of them for a 
       drink and she says, 'Yes, certainly, and I will water your camels 
       too!'--let her be the one you have appointed as Isaac's wife. That is 
       how I will know."

       (Gen 24:15 TLB)  As he was still speaking to the Lord about this, a 
       beautiful young girl named Rebekah

       (Gen 24:16 TLB)  arrived with a water jug on her shoulder and filled 
       it at the spring. (Her father was Bethuel the son of Nahor and his 
       wife Milcah.)

       (Gen 24:17 TLB)  Running over to her, the servant asked her for a 
       drink.

       (Gen 24:18 TLB)  "Certainly, sir," she said, and quickly lowered the 
       jug for him to drink.

       (Gen 24:19 TLB)  Then she said, "I'll draw water for your camels, too, 
       until they have enough!"

       (Gen 24:20 TLB)  So she emptied the jug into the watering trough and 
       ran down to the spring again and kept carrying water to the camels 
       until they had enough.

       (Gen 24:21 TLB)  The servant said no more, but watched her carefully 
       to see if she would finish the job, so that he would know whether she 
       was the one.

       (Gen 24:22 TLB)  Then at last, when the camels had finished drinking, 
       he produced a quarter-ounce gold earring and two five-ounce gold 
       bracelets for her wrists.

       (Gen 24:23 TLB)  "Whose daughter are you, miss?" he asked. "Would your 
       father have any room to put us up for the night?"

       (Gen 24:24 TLB)  "My father is Bethuel," she replied. "My grandparents 
       are Milcah and Nahor.

       (Gen 24:25 TLB)  Yes, we have plenty of straw and food for the camels, 
       and a guest room."

       (Gen 24:26 TLB)  The man stood there a moment with head bowed, 
       worshiping Jehovah.

       (Gen 24:27 TLB)  "Thank you, Lord God of my master Abraham," he 
       prayed; "thank you for being so kind and true to him, and for leading 
       me straight to the family of my master's relatives."

       (Gen 24:28 TLB)  The girl ran home to tell her folks,





       (Gen 24:29 TLB)  and when her brother Laban saw the ring, and the 
       bracelets on his sister's wrists, and heard her story,

       (Gen 24:30 TLB)  he rushed out to the spring where the man was still 
       standing beside his camels, and said to him,

       (Gen 24:31 TLB)  "Come and stay with us, friend; why stand here 
       outside the city when we have a room all ready for you, and a place 
       prepared for the camels!"

       (Gen 24:32 TLB)  So the man went home with Laban, and Laban gave him 
       straw to bed down the camels, and feed for them, and water for the 
       camel drivers to wash their feet.

       (Gen 24:33 TLB)  Then supper was served. But the old man said, "I 
       don't want to eat until I have told you why I am here." "All right," 
       Laban said, "tell us your errand."

       (Gen 24:34 TLB)  "I am Abraham's servant," he explained.

       (Gen 24:35 TLB)  "And Jehovah has overwhelmed my master with blessings 
       so that he is a great man among the people of his land. God has given 
       him flocks of sheep and herds of cattle, and a fortune in silver and 
       gold, and many slaves and camels and donkeys.

       (Gen 24:36 TLB)  "Now when Sarah, my master's wife, was very old, she 
       gave birth to my master's son, and my master has given him everything 
       he owns.

       (Gen 24:37 TLB)  And my master made me promise not to let Isaac marry 
       one of the local girls,

       (Gen 24:38 TLB)  but to come to his relatives here in this far-off 
       land, to his brother's family, and to bring back a girl from here to 
       marry his son.

       (Gen 24:39 TLB)  'But suppose I can't find a girl who will come?' I 
       asked him.

       (Gen 24:40 TLB)  'She will,' he told me--' for my Lord, in whose 
       presence I have walked, will send his angel with you and make your 
       mission successful. Yes, find a girl from among my relatives, from my 
       brother's family.

       (Gen 24:41 TLB)  You are under oath to go and ask. If they won't send 
       anyone, then you are freed from your promise.'

       (Gen 24:42 TLB)  "Well, this afternoon when I came to the spring I 
       prayed this prayer: 'O Jehovah, the God of my master Abraham, if you 
       are planning to make my mission a success, please guide me in this 
       way:

       (Gen 24:43 TLB)  Here I am, standing beside this spring. I will say to 
       some girl who comes out to draw water, "Please give me a drink of 
       water!"





       (Gen 24:44 TLB)  And she will reply, "Certainly! And I'll water your 
       camels too!" Let that girl be the one you have selected to be the wife 
       of my master's son.'

       (Gen 24:45 TLB)  "Well, while I was still speaking these words, 
       Rebekah was coming along with her water jug upon her shoulder; and she 
       went down to the spring and drew water and filled the jug. I said to 
       her, 'Please give me a drink.'

       (Gen 24:46 TLB)  She quickly lifted the jug down from her shoulder so 
       that I could drink, and told me, 'Certainly, sir, and I will water 
       your camels too!' So she did!

       (Gen 24:47 TLB)  Then I asked her, 'Whose family are you from?' And 
       she told me, 'Nahor's. My father is Bethuel, the son of Nahor and his 
       wife Milcah.' So I gave her the ring and the bracelets.

       (Gen 24:48 TLB)  Then I bowed my head and worshiped and blessed 
       Jehovah, the God of my master Abraham, because he had led me along 
       just the right path to find a girl from the family of my master's 
       brother.

       (Gen 24:49 TLB)  So tell me, yes or no. Will you or won't you be kind 
       to my master and do what is right? When you tell me, then I'll know 
       what my next step should be, whether to move this way or that."

       (Gen 24:50 TLB)  Then Laban and Bethuel replied, "The Lord has 
       obviously brought you here, so what can we say?

       (Gen 24:51 TLB)  Take her and go! Yes, let her be the wife of your 
       master's son, as Jehovah has directed."

       (Gen 24:52 TLB)  At this reply, Abraham's servant fell to his knees 
       before Jehovah.

       (Gen 24:53 TLB)  Then he brought out jewels set in solid gold and 
       silver for Rebekah, and lovely clothing; and he gave many valuable 
       presents to her mother and brother.

       (Gen 24:54 TLB)  Then they had supper, and the servant and the men 
       with him stayed there overnight. But early the next morning he said, 
       "Send me back to my master!"

       (Gen 24:55 TLB)  "But we want Rebekah here at least another ten days 
       or so!" her mother and brother exclaimed. "Then she can go."

       (Gen 24:56 TLB)  But he pleaded, "Don't hinder my return; the Lord has 
       made my mission successful, and I want to report back to my master."

       (Gen 24:57 TLB)  "Well," they said, "we'll call the girl and ask her 
       what she thinks."

       (Gen 24:58 TLB)  So they called Rebekah. "Are you willing to go with 
       this man?" they asked her. And she replied, "Yes, I will go."

       (Gen 24:59 TLB)  So they told her good-bye, sending along the woman 





       who had been her childhood nurse,

       (Gen 24:60 TLB)  and blessed her with this blessing as they parted: 
       "Our sister, May you become The mother of many millions! May your 
       descendants Overcome all your enemies."

       (Gen 24:61 TLB)  So Rebekah and her servant girls mounted the camels 
       and went with him.

       (Gen 24:62 TLB)  Meanwhile, Isaac, whose home was in the Negeb, had 
       returned to Beer-lahai-roi.

       (Gen 24:63 TLB)  One evening as he was taking a walk out in the 
       fields, meditating, he looked up and saw the camels coming.

       (Gen 24:64 TLB)  Rebekah noticed him and quickly dismounted.

       (Gen 24:65 TLB)  "Who is that man walking through the fields to meet 
       us?" she asked the servant. And he replied, "It is my master's son!" 
       So she covered her face with her veil.

       (Gen 24:66 TLB)  Then the servant told Isaac the whole story.

       (Gen 24:67 TLB)  And Isaac brought Rebekah into his mother's tent, and 
       she became his wife. He loved her very much, and she was a special 
       comfort to him after the loss of his mother.

       (Gen 25:1 TLB)  Now Abraham married again. Keturah was his new wife, 
       and she bore him several children:

       (Gen 25:2 TLB)  Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, Shuah.

       (Gen 25:3 TLB)  Jokshan's two sons were Sheba and Dedan. Dedan's sons 
       were Asshurim, Letushim, and Leummim.

       (Gen 25:4 TLB)  Midian's sons were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and 
       Eldaah.

       (Gen 25:5 TLB)  Abraham deeded everything he owned to Isaac;

       (Gen 25:6 TLB)  however, he gave gifts to the sons of his concubines 
       and sent them off into the east, away from Isaac.

       (Gen 25:7 TLB)  Then Abraham died, at the ripe old age of 175,

       (Gen 25:8 TLB)  

       (Gen 25:9 TLB)  and his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave 
       of Mach-pelah near Mamre,

       (Gen 25:10 TLB)  in the field Abraham had purchased from Ephron the 
       son of Zohar, the Hethite, where Sarah, Abraham's wife, was buried.

       (Gen 25:11 TLB)  After Abraham's death, God poured out rich blessings 
       upon Isaac. (Isaac had now moved south to Beer-lahai-roi in the 
       Negeb.)






       (Gen 25:12 TLB)  Here is a list, in the order of their births, of the 
       descendants of Ishmael, who was the son of Abraham and Hagar the 
       Egyptian, Sarah's slave girl:

       (Gen 25:13 TLB)  Nebaioth, Kedar, Abdeel, Mibsam,

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

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

       (Gen 25:16 TLB)  These twelve sons of his became the founders of 
       twelve tribes that bore their names.

       (Gen 25:17 TLB)  Ishmael finally died at the age of 137, and joined 
       his ancestors.

       (Gen 25:18 TLB)  These descendants of Ishmael were scattered across 
       the country from Havilah to Shur (which is a little way to the 
       northeast of the Egyptian border in the direction of Assyria). And 
       they were constantly at war with one another.

       (Gen 25:19 TLB)  This is the story of Isaac's children:

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

       (Gen 25:21 TLB)  Isaac pleaded with Jehovah to give Rebekah a child, 
       for even after many years of marriage she had no children. Then at 
       last she became pregnant.

       (Gen 25:22 TLB)  And it seemed as though children were fighting each 
       other inside her! "I can't endure this," she exclaimed. So she asked 
       the Lord about it.

       (Gen 25:23 TLB)  And he told her, "The sons in your womb shall become 
       two rival nations. One will be stronger than the other; and the older 
       shall be a servant of the younger!"

       (Gen 25:24 TLB)  And sure enough, she had twins.

       (Gen 25:25 TLB)  The first was born so covered with reddish hair that 
       one would think he was wearing a fur coat! So they called him "Esau."

       (Gen 25:26 TLB)  Then the other twin was born with his hand on Esau's 
       heel! So they called him Jacob (meaning "Grabber"). Isaac was sixty 
       years old when the twins were born.

       (Gen 25:27 TLB)  As the boys grew, Esau became a skillful hunter, 
       while Jacob was a quiet sort who liked to stay at home.

       (Gen 25:28 TLB)  Isaac's favorite was Esau, because of the venison he 
       brought home, and Rebekah's favorite was Jacob.

       (Gen 25:29 TLB)  One day Jacob was cooking stew when Esau arrived home 





       exhausted from the hunt.

       (Gen 25:30 TLB)  Esau: "Boy, am I starved! Give me a bite of that red 
       stuff there!" (From this came his nickname "Edom," which means "Red 
       Stuff.")

       (Gen 25:31 TLB)  Jacob: "All right, trade me your birthright for it!"

       (Gen 25:32 TLB)  Esau: "When a man is dying of starvation, what good 
       is his birthright?"

       (Gen 25:33 TLB)  Jacob: "Well then, vow to God that it is mine!" And 
       Esau vowed, thereby selling all his eldest-son rights to his younger 
       brother.

       (Gen 25:34 TLB)  Then Jacob gave Esau bread, peas, and stew; so he ate 
       and drank and went on about his business, indifferent to the loss of 
       the rights he had thrown away.

       (Gen 26:1 TLB)  Now a severe famine overshadowed the land, as had 
       happened before, in Abraham's time, and so Isaac moved to the city of 
       Gerar where Abimelech, king of the Philistines, lived.

       (Gen 26:2 TLB)  Jehovah appeared to him there and told him, "Don't go 
       to Egypt.

       (Gen 26:3 TLB)  Do as I say and stay here in this land. If you do, I 
       will be with you and bless you, and I will give all this land to you 
       and to your descendants, just as I promised Abraham your father.

       (Gen 26:4 TLB)  And I will cause your descendants to become as 
       numerous as the stars! And I will give them all of these lands; and 
       they shall be a blessing to all the nations of the earth.

       (Gen 26:5 TLB)  I will do this because Abraham obeyed my commandments 
       and laws."

       (Gen 26:6 TLB)  So Isaac stayed in Gerar.

       (Gen 26:7 TLB)  And when the men there asked him about Rebekah, he 
       said, "She is my sister!" For he feared for his life if he told them 
       she was his wife; he was afraid they would kill him to get her, for 
       she was very attractive.

       (Gen 26:8 TLB)  But sometime later, King Abimelech, king of the 
       Philistines, looked out of a window and saw Isaac and Rebekah making 
       love.

       (Gen 26:9 TLB)  Abimelech called for Isaac and exclaimed, "She is your 
       wife! Why did you say she is your sister?" "Because I was afraid I 
       would be murdered," Isaac replied. "I thought someone would kill me to 
       get her from me."

       (Gen 26:10 TLB)  "How could you treat us this way?" Abimelech 
       exclaimed. "Someone might carelessly have raped her, and we would be 
       doomed."






       (Gen 26:11 TLB)  Then Abimelech made a public proclamation: "Anyone 
       harming this man or his wife shall die."

       (Gen 26:12 TLB)  That year Isaac's crops were tremendous--100 times 
       the grain he sowed. For Jehovah blessed him.

       (Gen 26:13 TLB)  He was soon a man of great wealth and became richer 
       and richer.

       (Gen 26:14 TLB)  He had large flocks of sheep and goats, great herds 
       of cattle, and many servants. And the Philistines became jealous of 
       him.

       (Gen 26:15 TLB)  So they filled up his wells with earth--all those dug 
       by the servants of his father Abraham.

       (Gen 26:16 TLB)  And King Abimelech asked Isaac to leave the country. 
       "Go somewhere else," he said, "for you have become too rich and 
       powerful for us."

       (Gen 26:17 TLB)  So Isaac moved to Gerar Valley and lived there 
       instead.

       (Gen 26:18 TLB)  And Isaac redug the wells of his father Abraham, the 
       ones the Philistines had filled after his father's death, and gave 
       them the same names they had had before, when his father had named 
       them.

       (Gen 26:19 TLB)  His shepherds also dug a new well in Gerar Valley, 
       and found a gushing underground spring.

       (Gen 26:20 TLB)  Then the local shepherds came and claimed it. "This 
       is our land and our well," they said, and argued over it with Isaac's 
       herdsmen. So he named the well, "The Well of Argument!"

       (Gen 26:21 TLB)  Isaac's men then dug another well, but again there 
       was a fight over it. So he called it, "The Well of Anger."

       (Gen 26:22 TLB)  Abandoning that one, he dug again, and the local 
       residents finally left him alone. So he called it, "The Well of Room 
       Enough for Us at Last!" "For now at last," he said, "the Lord has made 
       room for us and we shall thrive."

       (Gen 26:23 TLB)  When he went to Beer-sheba,

       (Gen 26:24 TLB)  Jehovah appeared to him on the night of his arrival. 
       "I am the God of Abraham your father," he said. "Fear not, for I am 
       with you and will bless you, and will give you so many descendants 
       that they will become a great nation--because of my promise to 
       Abraham, who obeyed me."

       (Gen 26:25 TLB)  Then Isaac built an altar and worshiped Jehovah; and 
       he settled there, and his servants dug a well.

       (Gen 26:26 TLB)  One day Isaac had visitors from Gerar. King Abimelech 





       arrived with his advisor, Ahuzzath, and also Phicol, his army 
       commander.

       (Gen 26:27 TLB)  "Why have you come?" Isaac asked them. "This is 
       obviously no friendly visit, since you kicked me out in a most uncivil 
       way."

       (Gen 26:28 TLB)  "Well," they said, "we can plainly see that Jehovah 
       is blessing you. We've decided to ask for a treaty between us.

       (Gen 26:29 TLB)  Promise that you will not harm us, just as we have 
       not harmed you, and in fact, have done only good to you and have sent 
       you away in peace; we bless you in the name of the Lord."

       (Gen 26:30 TLB)  So Isaac prepared a great feast for them, and they 
       ate and drank in preparation for the treaty ceremonies.

       (Gen 26:31 TLB)  In the morning, as soon as they were up, they each 
       took solemn oaths to seal a nonaggression pact. Then Isaac sent them 
       happily home again.

       (Gen 26:32 TLB)  That very same day Isaac's servants came to tell him, 
       "We have found water"--in the well they had been digging.

       (Gen 26:33 TLB)  So he named the well, "The Well of the Oath," and the 
       city that grew up there was named "Oath," and is called that to this 
       day.

       (Gen 26:34 TLB)  Esau, at the age of forty, married a girl named 
       Judith, daughter of Be-eri the Hethite; and he also married Basemath, 
       daughter of Elon the Hethite.

       (Gen 26:35 TLB)  But Isaac and Rebekah were bitter about his marrying 
       them.

       (Gen 27:1 TLB)  One day, in Isaac's old age when he was almost blind, 
       he called for Esau his oldest son. Isaac: "My son?" Esau: "Yes, 
       father?"

       (Gen 27:2 TLB)  Isaac: "I am an old man now, and expect every day to 
       be my last.

       (Gen 27:3 TLB)  Take your bow and arrows out into the fields and get 
       me some venison,

       (Gen 27:4 TLB)  and prepare it just the way I like it--savory and 
       good--and bring it here for me to eat, and I will give you the 
       blessings that belong to you, my first-born son, before I die."

       (Gen 27:5 TLB)  But Rebekah overheard the conversation. So when Esau 
       left for the field to hunt for the venison,

       (Gen 27:6 TLB)  she called her son Jacob and told him what his father 
       had said to his brother.

       (Gen 27:7 TLB)  






       (Gen 27:8 TLB)  Rebekah: "Now do exactly as I tell you.

       (Gen 27:9 TLB)  Go out to the flocks and bring me two young goats, and 
       I'll prepare your father's favorite dish from them.

       (Gen 27:10 TLB)  Then take it to your father, and after he has enjoyed 
       it he will bless you before his death, instead of Esau!"

       (Gen 27:11 TLB)  Jacob: "But mother! He won't be fooled that easily. 
       Think how hairy Esau is, and how smooth my skin is!

       (Gen 27:12 TLB)  What if my father feels me? He'll think I'm making a 
       fool of him and curse me instead of blessing me!"

       (Gen 27:13 TLB)  Rebekah: "Let his curses be on me, dear son. Just do 
       what I tell you. Go out and get the goats."

       (Gen 27:14 TLB)  So Jacob followed his mother's instructions, bringing 
       the dressed kids, which she prepared in his father's favorite way.

       (Gen 27:15 TLB)  Then she took Esau's best clothes--they were there in 
       the house--and instructed Jacob to put them on.

       (Gen 27:16 TLB)  And she made him a pair of gloves from the hairy skin 
       of the young goats, and fastened a strip of the hide around his neck;

       (Gen 27:17 TLB)  then she gave him the meat, with its rich aroma, and 
       some fresh-baked bread.

       (Gen 27:18 TLB)  Jacob carried the platter of food into the room where 
       his father was lying. Jacob: "Father?" Isaac: "Yes? Who is it, my 
       son--Esau or Jacob?"

       (Gen 27:19 TLB)  Jacob: "It's Esau, your oldest son. I've done as you 
       told me to. Here is the delicious venison you wanted. Sit up and eat 
       it, so that you will bless me with all your heart!"

       (Gen 27:20 TLB)  Isaac: "How were you able to find it so quickly, my 
       son?" Jacob: "Because Jehovah your God put it in my path!"

       (Gen 27:21 TLB)  Isaac: "Come over here. I want to feel you and be 
       sure it really is Esau!"

       (Gen 27:22 TLB)  (Jacob goes over to his father. He feels him!) Isaac: 
       (to himself) "The voice is Jacob's, but the hands are Esau's!"

       (Gen 27:23 TLB)  (The ruse convinces Isaac and he gives Jacob his 
       blessings):

       (Gen 27:24 TLB)  Isaac: "Are you really Esau?" Jacob: "Yes, of 
       course."

       (Gen 27:25 TLB)  Isaac: "Then bring me the venison, and I will eat it 
       and bless you with all my heart." (Jacob takes it over to him and 
       Isaac eats; he also drinks the wine Jacob brings him.)






       (Gen 27:26 TLB)  Isaac: "Come here and kiss me, my son!" (Jacob goes 
       over and kisses him on the cheek. Isaac sniffs his clothes, and 
       finally seems convinced.)

       (Gen 27:27 TLB)  Isaac: "The smell of my son is the good smell of the 
       earth and fields that Jehovah has blessed.

       (Gen 27:28 TLB)  May God always give you plenty of rain for your 
       crops, and good harvests and grapes.

       (Gen 27:29 TLB)  May many nations be your slaves. Be the master of 
       your brothers. May all your relatives bow low before you. Cursed are 
       all who curse you, and blessed are all who bless you."

       (Gen 27:30 TLB)  (As soon as Isaac has blessed Jacob, and almost 
       before Jacob leaves the room, Esau arrives, coming in from his 
       hunting.

       (Gen 27:31 TLB)  He also has prepared his father's favorite dish and 
       brings it to him.) Esau: "Here I am, father, with the venison. Sit up 
       and eat it so that you can give me your finest blessings!"

       (Gen 27:32 TLB)  Isaac: "Who is it?" Esau: "Why, it's me, of course! 
       Esau, your oldest son!"

       (Gen 27:33 TLB)  (Isaac begins to tremble noticeably.) Isaac: "Then 
       who is it who was just here with venison, and I have already eaten it 
       and blessed him with irrevocable blessing?"

       (Gen 27:34 TLB)  (Esau begins to sob with deep and bitter sobs.) Esau: 
       "O my father, bless me, bless me too!"

       (Gen 27:35 TLB)  Isaac: "Your brother was here and tricked me and has 
       carried away your blessing."

       (Gen 27:36 TLB)  Esau: (bitterly) "No wonder they call him 'The 
       Cheater.' For he took my birthright, and now he has stolen my 
       blessing. Oh, haven't you saved even one blessing for me?"

       (Gen 27:37 TLB)  Isaac: "I have made him your master, and have given 
       him yourself and all of his relatives as his servants. I have 
       guaranteed him abundance of grain and wine--what is there left to 
       give?"

       (Gen 27:38 TLB)  Esau: "Not one blessing left for me? O my father, 
       bless me too." (Isaac says nothing as Esau weeps.)

       (Gen 27:39 TLB)  Isaac: "Yours will be no life of ease and luxury,

       (Gen 27:40 TLB)  but you shall hew your way with your sword. For a 
       time you will serve your brother, but you will finally shake loose 
       from him and be free."

       (Gen 27:41 TLB)  So Esau hated Jacob because of what he had done to 
       him. He said to himself, "My father will soon be gone, and then I will 





       kill Jacob."

       (Gen 27:42 TLB)  But someone got wind of what he was planning and 
       reported it to Rebekah. She sent for Jacob and told him that his life 
       was being threatened by Esau.

       (Gen 27:43 TLB)  "This is what to do," she said. "Flee to your Uncle 
       Laban in Haran.

       (Gen 27:44 TLB)  Stay there with him awhile until your brother's fury 
       is spent,

       (Gen 27:45 TLB)  and he forgets what you have done. Then I will send 
       for you. For why should I be bereaved of both of you in one day?"

       (Gen 27:46 TLB)  Then Rebekah said to Isaac, "I'm sick and tired of 
       these local girls. I'd rather die than see Jacob marry one of them."

       (Gen 28:1 TLB)  So Isaac called for Jacob and blessed him and said to 
       him, "Don't marry one of these Canaanite girls.

       (Gen 28:2 TLB)  Instead, go at once to Paddan-aram, to the house of 
       your grandfather Bethuel, and marry one of your cousins--your Uncle 
       Laban's daughters.

       (Gen 28:3 TLB)  God Almighty bless you and give you many children; may 
       you become a great nation of many tribes!

       (Gen 28:4 TLB)  May God pass on to you and to your descendants the 
       mighty blessings promised to Abraham. May you own this land where we 
       now are foreigners, for God has given it to Abraham."

       (Gen 28:5 TLB)  So Isaac sent Jacob away, and he went to Paddan-aram 
       to visit his Uncle Laban, his mother's brother--the son of Bethuel the 
       Aramean.

       (Gen 28:6 TLB)  Esau realized that his father despised the local 
       girls,

       (Gen 28:7 TLB)  and that his father and mother had sent Jacob to 
       Paddan-aram, with his father's blessing, to get a wife from there, and 
       that they had strictly warned him against marrying a Canaanite girl,

       (Gen 28:8 TLB)  and that Jacob had agreed and had left for 
       Paddan-aram.

       (Gen 28:9 TLB)  So Esau went to his Uncle Ishmael's family and married 
       another wife from there, besides the wives he already had. Her name 
       was Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth, and daughter of Ishmael, 
       Abraham's son.

       (Gen 28:10 TLB)  So Jacob left Beer-sheba and journeyed toward Haran.

       (Gen 28:11 TLB)  That night, when he stopped to camp at sundown, he 
       found a rock for a headrest and lay down to sleep,





       (Gen 28:12 TLB)  and dreamed that a staircase reached from earth to 
       heaven, and he saw the angels of God going up and down upon it.

       (Gen 28:13 TLB)  At the top of the stairs stood the Lord. "I am 
       Jehovah," he said, "the God of Abraham, and of your father, Isaac. The 
       ground you are lying on is yours! I will give it to you and to your 
       descendants.

       (Gen 28:14 TLB)  For you will have descendants as many as dust! They 
       will cover the land from east to west and from north to south; and all 
       the nations of the earth will be blessed through you and your 
       descendants.

       (Gen 28:15 TLB)  What's more, I am with you, and will protect you 
       wherever you go, and will bring you back safely to this land; I will 
       be with you constantly until I have finished giving you all I am 
       promising."

       (Gen 28:16 TLB)  Then Jacob woke up. "God lives here!" he exclaimed in 
       terror. "I've stumbled into his home! This is the awesome entrance to 
       heaven!"

       (Gen 28:17 TLB)  

       (Gen 28:18 TLB)  The next morning he got up very early and set his 
       stone headrest upright as a memorial pillar, and poured olive oil over 
       it.

       (Gen 28:19 TLB)  He named the place Bethel ( "House of God"), though 
       the previous name of the nearest village was Luz.

       (Gen 28:20 TLB)  And Jacob vowed this vow to God: "If God will help 
       and protect me on this journey and give me food and clothes,

       (Gen 28:21 TLB)  and will bring me back safely to my father, then I 
       will choose Jehovah as my God!

       (Gen 28:22 TLB)  And this memorial pillar shall become a place for 
       worship; and I will give you back a tenth of everything you give me!"

       (Gen 29:1 TLB)  Jacob traveled on, finally arriving in the land of the 
       East.

       (Gen 29:2 TLB)  He saw in the distance three flocks of sheep lying 
       beside a well in an open field, waiting to be watered. But a heavy 
       stone covered the mouth of the well.

       (Gen 29:3 TLB)  (The custom was that the stone was not removed until 
       all the flocks were there. After watering them, the stone was rolled 
       back over the mouth of the well again.)

       (Gen 29:4 TLB)  Jacob went over to the shepherds and asked them where 
       they lived. "At Haran," they said.

       (Gen 29:5 TLB)  "Do you know a fellow there named Laban, the son of 
       Nahor?" "We sure do."






       (Gen 29:6 TLB)  "How is he?" "He's well and prosperous. Look, there 
       comes his daughter Rachel with the sheep."

       (Gen 29:7 TLB)  "Why don't you water the flocks so they can get back 
       to grazing?" Jacob asked. "They'll be hungry if you stop so early in 
       the day!"

       (Gen 29:8 TLB)  "We don't roll away the stone and begin the watering 
       until all the flocks and shepherds are here," they replied.

       (Gen 29:9 TLB)  As this conversation was going on, Rachel arrived with 
       her father's sheep, for she was a shepherdess.

       (Gen 29:10 TLB)  And because she was his cousin--the daughter of his 
       mother's brother--and because the sheep were his uncle's, Jacob went 
       over to the well and rolled away the stone and watered his uncle's 
       flock.

       (Gen 29:11 TLB)  Then Jacob kissed Rachel and started crying!

       (Gen 29:12 TLB)  He explained about being her cousin on her father's 
       side, and that he was her Aunt Rebekah's son. She quickly ran and told 
       her father, Laban,

       (Gen 29:13 TLB)  and as soon as he heard of Jacob's arrival, he rushed 
       out to meet him and greeted him warmly and brought him home. Then 
       Jacob told him his story.

       (Gen 29:14 TLB)  "Just think, my very own flesh and blood," Laban 
       exclaimed. After Jacob had been there about a month,

       (Gen 29:15 TLB)  Laban said to him one day, "Just because we are 
       relatives is no reason for you to work for me without pay. How much do 
       you want?"

       (Gen 29:16 TLB)  Now Laban had two daughters, Leah, the older, and her 
       younger sister, Rachel.

       (Gen 29:17 TLB)  Leah had lovely eyes, but Rachel was shapely, and in 
       every way a beauty.

       (Gen 29:18 TLB)  Well, Jacob was in love with Rachel. So he told her 
       father, "I'll work for you seven years if you'll give me Rachel as my 
       wife."

       (Gen 29:19 TLB)  "Agreed!" Laban replied. "I'd rather give her to you 
       than to someone outside the family."

       (Gen 29:20 TLB)  So Jacob spent the next seven years working to pay 
       for Rachel. But they seemed to him but a few days, he was so much in 
       love.

       (Gen 29:21 TLB)  Finally the time came for him to marry her. "I have 
       fulfilled my contract," Jacob said to Laban. "Now give me my wife, so 
       that I can sleep with her."






       (Gen 29:22 TLB)  So Laban invited all the men of the settlement to 
       celebrate with Jacob at a big party.

       (Gen 29:23 TLB)  Afterwards, that night, when it was dark, Laban took 
       Leah to Jacob, and he slept with her.

       (Gen 29:24 TLB)  (And Laban gave to Leah a servant girl, Zilpah, to be 
       her maid.)

       (Gen 29:25 TLB)  But in the morning--it was Leah! "What sort of trick 
       is this?" Jacob raged at Laban. "I worked for seven years for Rachel. 
       What do you mean by this trickery?"

       (Gen 29:26 TLB)  "It's not our custom to marry off a younger daughter 
       ahead of her sister," Laban replied smoothly.

       (Gen 29:27 TLB)  "Wait until the bridal week is over and you can have 
       Rachel too--if you promise to work for me another seven years!"

       (Gen 29:28 TLB)  So Jacob agreed to work seven more years. Then Laban 
       gave him Rachel, too.

       (Gen 29:29 TLB)  And Laban gave to Rachel a servant girl, Bilhah, to 
       be her maid.

       (Gen 29:30 TLB)  So Jacob slept with Rachel, too, and he loved her 
       more than Leah, and stayed and worked the additional seven years.

       (Gen 29:31 TLB)  But because Jacob was slighting Leah, Jehovah let her 
       have a child, while Rachel was barren.

       (Gen 29:32 TLB)  So Leah became pregnant and had a son, Reuben 
       (meaning "God has noticed my trouble"), for she said, "Jehovah has 
       noticed my trouble--now my husband will love me."

       (Gen 29:33 TLB)  She soon became pregnant again and had another son 
       and named him Simeon (meaning "Jehovah heard"), for she said, "Jehovah 
       heard that I was unloved, and so he has given me another son."

       (Gen 29:34 TLB)  Again she became pregnant and had a son, and named 
       him Levi (meaning "Attachment") for she said, "Surely now my husband 
       will feel affection for me, since I have given him three sons!"

       (Gen 29:35 TLB)  Once again she was pregnant and had a son and named 
       him Judah (meaning "Praise"), for she said, "Now I will praise 
       Jehovah!" And then she stopped having children.

       (Gen 30:1 TLB)  Rachel, realizing she was barren, became envious of 
       her sister. "Give me children or I'll die," she exclaimed to Jacob.

       (Gen 30:2 TLB)  Jacob flew into a rage. "Am I God?" he flared. "He is 
       the one who is responsible for your barrenness."

       (Gen 30:3 TLB)  Then Rachel told him, "Sleep with my servant-girl 
       Bilhah, and her children will be mine."






       (Gen 30:4 TLB)  So she gave him Bilhah to be his wife, and he slept 
       with her,

       (Gen 30:5 TLB)  and she became pregnant and presented him with a son.

       (Gen 30:6 TLB)  Rachel named him Dan (meaning "Justice"), for she 
       said, "God has given me justice, and heard my plea and given me a 
       son."

       (Gen 30:7 TLB)  Then Bilhah, Rachel's servant-girl, became pregnant 
       again and gave Jacob a second son.

       (Gen 30:8 TLB)  Rachel named him Naphtali (meaning "Wrestling"), for 
       she said, "I am in a fierce contest with my sister and I am winning!"

       (Gen 30:9 TLB)  Meanwhile, when Leah realized that she wasn't getting 
       pregnant anymore, she gave her servant-girl Zilpah to Jacob, to be his 
       wife,

       (Gen 30:10 TLB)  and soon Zilpah presented him with a son.

       (Gen 30:11 TLB)  Leah named him Gad (meaning "My luck has turned!").

       (Gen 30:12 TLB)  Then Zilpah produced a second son,

       (Gen 30:13 TLB)  and Leah named him Asher (meaning "Happy"), for she 
       said, "What joy is mine! The other women will think me blessed 
       indeed!"

       (Gen 30:14 TLB)  One day during the wheat harvest, Reuben found some 
       mandrakes growing in a field and brought them to his mother Leah. 
       Rachel begged Leah to give some of them to her.

       (Gen 30:15 TLB)  But Leah angrily replied, "Wasn't it enough to steal 
       my husband? And now will you steal my son's mandrakes too?" Rachel 
       said sadly, "He will sleep with you tonight because of the mandrakes."

       (Gen 30:16 TLB)  That evening as Jacob was coming home from the 
       fields, Leah went out to meet him. "You must sleep with me tonight!" 
       she said; "for I am hiring you with some mandrakes my son has found!" 
       So he did.

       (Gen 30:17 TLB)  And God answered her prayers and she became pregnant 
       again, and gave birth to her fifth son.

       (Gen 30:18 TLB)  She named him Issachar (meaning "Wages"), for she 
       said, "God has repaid me for giving my slave-girl to my husband."

       (Gen 30:19 TLB)  Then once again she became pregnant, with a sixth 
       son.

       (Gen 30:20 TLB)  She named him Zebulun (meaning "Gifts"), for she 
       said, "God has given me good gifts for my husband. Now he will honor 
       me, for I have given him six sons."





       (Gen 30:21 TLB)  Afterwards she gave birth to a daughter and named her 
       Dinah.

       (Gen 30:22 TLB)  Then God remembered about Rachel's plight, and 
       answered her prayers by giving her a child.

       (Gen 30:23 TLB)  For she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. "God 
       has removed the dark slur against my name," she said.

       (Gen 30:24 TLB)  And she named him Joseph (meaning "May I also have 
       another!"), for she said, "May Jehovah give me another son."

       (Gen 30:25 TLB)  Soon after the birth of Joseph to Rachel, Jacob said 
       to Laban, "I want to go back home.

       (Gen 30:26 TLB)  Let me take my wives and children--for I earned them 
       from you--and be gone, for you know how fully I have paid for them 
       with my service to you."

       (Gen 30:27 TLB)  "Please don't leave me," Laban replied, "for a 
       fortune-teller that I consulted told me that the many blessings I've 
       been enjoying are all because of your being here.

       (Gen 30:28 TLB)  How much of a raise do you need to get you to stay? 
       Whatever it is, I'll pay it."

       (Gen 30:29 TLB)  Jacob replied, "You know how faithfully I've served 
       you through these many years, and how your flocks and herds have 
       grown.

       (Gen 30:30 TLB)  For it was little indeed you had before I came, and 
       your wealth has increased enormously; Jehovah has blessed you from 
       everything I do! But now, what about me? When should I provide for my 
       own family?"

       (Gen 30:31 TLB)  "What wages do you want?" Laban asked again. Jacob 
       replied, "If you will do one thing, I'll go back to work for you.

       (Gen 30:32 TLB)  Let me go out among your flocks today and remove all 
       the goats that are speckled or spotted, and all the black sheep. Give 
       them to me as my wages.

       (Gen 30:33 TLB)  Then if you ever find any white goats or sheep in my 
       flock, you will know that I have stolen them from you!"

       (Gen 30:34 TLB)  "All right!" Laban replied. "It shall be as you have 
       said!"

       (Gen 30:35 TLB)  So that very day Laban went out and formed a flock 
       for Jacob of all the male goats that were ringed and spotted, and the 
       females that were speckled and spotted with any white patches, and all 
       of the black sheep.

       (Gen 30:36 TLB)  He gave them to Jacob's sons to take them three days' 
       distance, and Jacob stayed and cared for Laban's flock.





       (Gen 30:37 TLB)  Then Jacob took fresh shoots from poplar, almond, and 
       sycamore trees, and peeled white streaks in them,

       (Gen 30:38 TLB)  and placed these rods beside the watering troughs so 
       that Laban's flocks would see them when they came to drink; for that 
       is when they mated.

       (Gen 30:39 TLB)  So the flocks mated before the white-streaked rods, 
       and their offspring were streaked and spotted, and Jacob added them to 
       his flock.

       (Gen 30:40 TLB)  Then he divided out the ewes from Laban's flock and 
       segregated them from the rams, and let them mate only with Jacob's 
       black rams. Thus he built his flocks from Laban's.

       (Gen 30:41 TLB)  Moreover, he watched for the stronger animals to 
       mate, and placed the peeled branches before them,

       (Gen 30:42 TLB)  but didn't with the feebler ones. So the less healthy 
       lambs were Laban's and the stronger ones were Jacob's!

       (Gen 30:43 TLB)  As a result, Jacob's flocks increased rapidly and he 
       became very wealthy, with many servants, camels, and donkeys.

       (Gen 31:1 TLB)  But Jacob learned that Laban's sons were grumbling, 
       "He owes everything he owns to our father. All his wealth is at our 
       father's expense."

       (Gen 31:2 TLB)  Soon Jacob noticed a considerable cooling in Laban's 
       attitude toward him.

       (Gen 31:3 TLB)  Jehovah now spoke to Jacob and told him, "Return to 
       the land of your fathers, and to your relatives there; and I will be 
       with you."

       (Gen 31:4 TLB)  So one day Jacob sent for Rachel and Leah to come out 
       to the field where he was with the flocks,

       (Gen 31:5 TLB)  to talk things over with them. "Your father has turned 
       against me," he told them, "and now the God of my fathers has come and 
       spoken to me.

       (Gen 31:6 TLB)  You know how hard I've worked for your father,

       (Gen 31:7 TLB)  but he has been completely unscrupulous and has broken 
       his wage contract with me again and again and again. But God has not 
       permitted him to do me any harm!

       (Gen 31:8 TLB)  For if he said the speckled animals would be mine, 
       then all the flock produced speckled; and when he changed and said I 
       could have the streaked ones, then all the lambs were streaked!

       (Gen 31:9 TLB)  In this way God has made me wealthy at your father's 
       expense.

       (Gen 31:10 TLB)  "And at the mating season, I had a dream, and saw 





       that the he-goats mating with the flock were streaked, speckled, and 
       mottled.

       (Gen 31:11 TLB)  Then, in my dream, the Angel of God called to me

       (Gen 31:12 TLB)  and told me that I should mate the white female goats 
       with streaked, speckled, and mottled male goats. 'For I have seen all 
       that Laban has done to you,' the Angel said.

       (Gen 31:13 TLB)  'I am the God you met at Bethel,' he continued, 'the 
       place where you anointed the pillar and made a vow to serve me. Now 
       leave this country and return to the land of your birth.'"

       (Gen 31:14 TLB)  Rachel and Leah replied, "That's fine with us! 
       There's nothing for us here--none of our father's wealth will come to 
       us anyway!

       (Gen 31:15 TLB)  He has reduced our rights to those of foreign women; 
       he sold us, and what he received for us has disappeared.

       (Gen 31:16 TLB)  The riches God has given you from our father were 
       legally ours and our children's to begin with! So go ahead and do 
       whatever God has told you to."

       (Gen 31:17 TLB)  So one day while Laban was out shearing sheep, Jacob 
       set his wives and sons on camels,

       (Gen 31:18 TLB)  and fled without telling Laban his intentions.

       (Gen 31:19 TLB)  He drove the flocks before him--Jacob's flocks he had 
       gotten there at Paddan-aram--and took everything he owned and started 
       out to return to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan.

       (Gen 31:20 TLB)  

       (Gen 31:21 TLB)  So he fled with all of his possessions (and Rachel 
       stole her father's household gods and took them with her) and crossed 
       the Euphrates River and headed for the territory of Gilead.

       (Gen 31:22 TLB)  Laban didn't learn of their flight for three days.

       (Gen 31:23 TLB)  Then, taking several men with him, he set out in hot 
       pursuit and caught up with them seven days later, at Mount Gilead.

       (Gen 31:24 TLB)  That night God appeared to Laban in a dream. "Watch 
       out what you say to Jacob," he was told. "Don't give him your blessing 
       and don't curse him."

       (Gen 31:25 TLB)  Laban finally caught up with Jacob as he was camped 
       at the top of a ridge; Laban, meanwhile, camped below him in the 
       mountains.

       (Gen 31:26 TLB)  "What do you mean by sneaking off like this?" Laban 
       demanded. "Are my daughters prisoners, captured in a battle, that you 
       have rushed them away like this?





       (Gen 31:27 TLB)  Why didn't you give me a chance to have a farewell 
       party, with singing and orchestra and harp?

       (Gen 31:28 TLB)  Why didn't you let me kiss my grandchildren and tell 
       them good-bye? This is a strange way to act.

       (Gen 31:29 TLB)  I could crush you, but the God of your father 
       appeared to me last night and told me, 'Be careful not to be too hard 
       on Jacob!'

       (Gen 31:30 TLB)  But see here--though you feel you must go, and long 
       so intensely for your childhood home--why have you stolen my idols?"

       (Gen 31:31 TLB)  "I sneaked away because I was afraid," Jacob 
       answered. "I said to myself, 'He'll take his daughters from me by 
       force.'

       (Gen 31:32 TLB)  But as for your household idols, a curse upon anyone 
       who took them. Let him die! If you find a single thing we've stolen 
       from you, I swear before all these men, I'll give it back without 
       question." For Jacob didn't know that Rachel had taken them.

       (Gen 31:33 TLB)  Laban went first into Jacob's tent to search there, 
       then into Leah's, and then searched the two tents of the concubines, 
       but didn't find them. Finally he went into Rachel's tent.

       (Gen 31:34 TLB)  Rachel, remember, was the one who had stolen the 
       idols; she had stuffed them into her camel saddle and now was sitting 
       on them! So although Laban searched the tents thoroughly, he didn't 
       find them.

       (Gen 31:35 TLB)  "Forgive my not getting up, father," Rachel 
       explained, "but I'm having my monthly period." So Laban didn't find 
       them.

       (Gen 31:36 TLB)  Now Jacob got mad. "What did you find?" he demanded 
       of Laban. "What is my crime? You have come rushing after me as though 
       you were chasing a criminal

       (Gen 31:37 TLB)  and have searched through everything. Now put 
       everything I stole out here in front of us, before your men and mine, 
       for all to see and to decide whose it is!

       (Gen 31:38 TLB)  Twenty years I've been with you, and all that time I 
       cared for your ewes and goats so that they produced healthy offspring, 
       and I never touched one ram of yours for food.

       (Gen 31:39 TLB)  If any were attacked and killed by wild animals, did 
       I show them to you and ask you to reduce the count of your flock? No, 
       I took the loss. You made me pay for every animal stolen from the 
       flocks, whether I could help it or not.

       (Gen 31:40 TLB)  I worked for you through the scorching heat of the 
       day, and through the cold and sleepless nights.

       (Gen 31:41 TLB)  Yes, twenty years--fourteen of them earning your two 





       daughters, and six years to get the flock! And you have reduced my 
       wages ten times!

       (Gen 31:42 TLB)  In fact, except for the grace of God--the God of my 
       grandfather Abraham, even the glorious God of Isaac, my father--you 
       would have sent me off without a penny to my name. But God has seen 
       your cruelty and my hard work, and that is why he appeared to you last 
       night."

       (Gen 31:43 TLB)  Laban replied, "These women are my daughters, and 
       these children are mine, and these flocks and all that you have--all 
       are mine. So how could I harm my own daughters and grandchildren?

       (Gen 31:44 TLB)  Come now and we will sign a peace pact, you and I, 
       and will live by its terms."

       (Gen 31:45 TLB)  So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a monument,

       (Gen 31:46 TLB)  and told his men to gather stones and make a heap, 
       and Jacob and Laban ate together beside the pile of rocks.

       (Gen 31:47 TLB)  They named it "The Witness Pile"-- "Jegar-sahadutha," 
       in Laban's language, and "Galeed" in Jacob's.

       (Gen 31:48 TLB)  "This pile of stones will stand as a witness against 
       us (if either of us trespasses across this line)," Laban said.

       (Gen 31:49 TLB)  So it was also called "The Watchtower" (Mizpah). For 
       Laban said, "May the Lord see to it that we keep this bargain when we 
       are out of each other's sight.

       (Gen 31:50 TLB)  And if you are harsh to my daughters, or take other 
       wives, I won't know, but God will see it.

       (Gen 31:51 TLB)  This heap," Laban continued, "stands between us as a 
       witness of our vows that I will not cross this line to attack you and 
       you will not cross it to attack me.

       (Gen 31:52 TLB)  

       (Gen 31:53 TLB)  I call upon the God of Abraham and Nahor, and of 
       their father, to destroy either one of us who does." So Jacob took 
       oath before the mighty God of his father, Isaac, to respect the 
       boundary line.

       (Gen 31:54 TLB)  Then Jacob presented a sacrifice to God there at the 
       top of the mountain, and invited his companions to a feast, and 
       afterwards spent the night with them on the mountain.

       (Gen 31:55 TLB)  Laban was up early the next morning and kissed his 
       daughters and grandchildren, and blessed them, and returned home.

       (Gen 32:1 TLB)  So Jacob and his household started on again. And the 
       angels of God came to meet him.

       (Gen 32:2 TLB)  When he saw them he exclaimed, "God lives here!" So he 





       named the place "God's territory!"

       (Gen 32:3 TLB)  Jacob now sent messengers to his brother, Esau, in 
       Edom, in the land of Seir,

       (Gen 32:4 TLB)  with this message: "Hello from Jacob! I have been 
       living with Uncle Laban until recently,

       (Gen 32:5 TLB)  and now I own oxen, donkeys, sheep, goats, and many 
       servants, both men and women. I have sent these messengers to inform 
       you of my coming, hoping that you will be friendly to us."

       (Gen 32:6 TLB)  The messengers returned with the news that Esau was on 
       the way to meet Jacob--with an army of 400 men!

       (Gen 32:7 TLB)  Jacob was frantic with fear. He divided his household, 
       along with the flocks and herds and camels, into two groups;

       (Gen 32:8 TLB)  for he said, "If Esau attacks one group, perhaps the 
       other can escape."

       (Gen 32:9 TLB)  Then Jacob prayed, "O God of Abraham my grandfather, 
       and of my father Isaac--O Jehovah who told me to return to the land of 
       my relatives, and said that you would do me good--

       (Gen 32:10 TLB)  I am not worthy of the least of all your 
       loving-kindnesses shown me again and again just as you promised me. 
       For when I left home I owned nothing except a walking stick! And now I 
       am two armies!

       (Gen 32:11 TLB)  O Lord, please deliver me from destruction at the 
       hand of my brother Esau, for I am frightened--terribly afraid that he 
       is coming to kill me and these mothers and my children.

       (Gen 32:12 TLB)  But you promised to do me good, and to multiply my 
       descendants until they become as the sands along the shores--too many 
       to count."

       (Gen 32:13 TLB)  Jacob stayed where he was for the night, and prepared 
       a present for his brother Esau:

       (Gen 32:14 TLB)  200 female goats, 20 male goats, 200 ewes, 20 rams,

       (Gen 32:15 TLB)  30 milk camels, with their colts, 40 cows, 10 bulls, 
       20 female donkeys, 10 male donkeys.

       (Gen 32:16 TLB)  He instructed his servants to drive them on ahead, 
       each group of animals by itself, separated by a distance between.

       (Gen 32:17 TLB)  He told the men driving the first group that when 
       they met Esau and he asked, "Where are you going? Whose servants are 
       you? Whose animals are these?"--

       (Gen 32:18 TLB)  they should reply: "These belong to your servant 
       Jacob. They are a present for his master Esau! He is coming right 
       behind us!"






       (Gen 32:19 TLB)  Jacob gave the same instructions to each driver, with 
       the same message.

       (Gen 32:20 TLB)  Jacob's strategy was to appease Esau with the 
       presents before meeting him face to face! "Perhaps," Jacob hoped, "he 
       will be friendly to us."

       (Gen 32:21 TLB)  So the presents were sent on ahead, and Jacob spent 
       that night in the camp.

       (Gen 32:22 TLB)  But during the night he got up and wakened his two 
       wives and his two concubines and eleven sons, and sent them across the 
       Jordan River at the Jabbok ford

       (Gen 32:23 TLB)  with all his possessions,

       (Gen 32:24 TLB)  then returned again to the camp and was there alone; 
       and a Man wrestled with him until dawn.

       (Gen 32:25 TLB)  And when the Man saw that he couldn't win the match, 
       he struck Jacob's hip and knocked it out of joint at the socket.

       (Gen 32:26 TLB)  Then the Man said, "Let me go, for it is dawn." But 
       Jacob panted, "I will not let you go until you bless me."

       (Gen 32:27 TLB)  "What is your name?" the Man asked. "Jacob," was the 
       reply.

       (Gen 32:28 TLB)  "It isn't anymore!" the Man told him. "It is 
       Israel--one who has power with God. Because you have been strong with 
       God, you shall prevail with men."

       (Gen 32:29 TLB)  "What is your name?" Jacob asked him. "No, you 
       mustn't ask," the Man told him. And he blessed him there.

       (Gen 32:30 TLB)  Jacob named the place "Peniel" ( "The Face of God"), 
       for he said, "I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is 
       spared."

       (Gen 32:31 TLB)  The sun rose as he started on, and he was limping 
       because of his hip.

       (Gen 32:32 TLB)  (That is why even today the people of Israel don't 
       eat meat from near the hip, in memory of what happened that night.)

       (Gen 33:1 TLB)  Then, far in the distance, Jacob saw Esau coming with 
       his 400 men.

       (Gen 33:2 TLB)  Jacob now arranged his family into a column, with his 
       two concubines and their children at the head, Leah and her children 
       next, and Rachel and Joseph last.

       (Gen 33:3 TLB)  Then Jacob went on ahead. As he approached his brother 
       he bowed low seven times before him.





       (Gen 33:4 TLB)  And then Esau ran to meet him and embraced him 
       affectionately and kissed him; and both of them were in tears!

       (Gen 33:5 TLB)  Then Esau looked at the women and children and asked, 
       "Who are these people with you?" "My children," Jacob replied.

       (Gen 33:6 TLB)  Then the concubines came forward with their children, 
       and bowed low before him.

       (Gen 33:7 TLB)  Next came Leah with her children, and bowed, and 
       finally Rachel and Joseph came and made their bows.

       (Gen 33:8 TLB)  "And what were all the flocks and herds I met as I 
       came?" Esau asked. And Jacob replied, "They are my gifts, to curry 
       your favor!"

       (Gen 33:9 TLB)  "Brother, I have plenty," Esau laughed. "Keep what you 
       have."

       (Gen 33:10 TLB)  "No, but please accept them," Jacob said, "for what a 
       relief it is to see your friendly smile! I was as frightened of you as 
       though approaching God!

       (Gen 33:11 TLB)  Please take my gifts. For God has been very generous 
       to me and I have enough." So Jacob insisted, and finally Esau accepted 
       them.

       (Gen 33:12 TLB)  "Well, let's be going," Esau said. "My men and I will 
       stay with you and lead the way."

       (Gen 33:13 TLB)  But Jacob replied, "As you can see, some of the 
       children are small, and the flocks and herds have their young, and if 
       they are driven too hard, they will die.

       (Gen 33:14 TLB)  So you go on ahead of us and we'll follow at our own 
       pace and meet you at Seir."

       (Gen 33:15 TLB)  "Well," Esau said, "at least let me leave you some of 
       my men to assist you and be your guides." "No," Jacob insisted, "we'll 
       get along just fine. Please do as I suggest."

       (Gen 33:16 TLB)  So Esau started back to Seir that same day.

       (Gen 33:17 TLB)  Meanwhile Jacob and his household went as far as 
       Succoth. There he built himself a camp, with pens for his flocks and 
       herds. (That is why the place is called Succoth, meaning "huts.")

       (Gen 33:18 TLB)  Then they arrived safely at Shechem, in Canaan, and 
       camped outside the city.

       (Gen 33:19 TLB)  (He bought the land he camped on from the family of 
       Hamor, Shechem's father, for 100 pieces of silver.

       (Gen 33:20 TLB)  And there he erected an altar and called it 
       "El-Elohe-Israel," "The Altar to the God of Israel.")





       (Gen 34:1 TLB)  One day Dinah, Leah's daughter, went out to visit some 
       of the neighborhood girls,

       (Gen 34:2 TLB)  but when Shechem, son of King Hamor the Hivite, saw 
       her, he took her and raped her.

       (Gen 34:3 TLB)  He fell deeply in love with her, and tried to win her 
       affection.

       (Gen 34:4 TLB)  Then he spoke to his father about it. "Get this girl 
       for me," he demanded. "I want to marry her."

       (Gen 34:5 TLB)  Word soon reached Jacob of what had happened, but his 
       sons were out in the fields herding cattle, so he did nothing until 
       their return.

       (Gen 34:6 TLB)  Meanwhile King Hamor, Shechem's father, went to talk 
       with Jacob,

       (Gen 34:7 TLB)  arriving just as Jacob's sons came in from the fields, 
       too shocked and angry to overlook the insult, for it was an outrage 
       against all of them.

       (Gen 34:8 TLB)  Hamor told Jacob, "My son Shechem is truly in love 
       with your daughter, and longs for her to be his wife. Please let him 
       marry her.

       (Gen 34:9 TLB)  Moreover, we invite you folks to live here among us 
       and to let your daughters marry our sons, and we will give our 
       daughters as wives for your young men.

       (Gen 34:10 TLB)  And you shall live among us wherever you wish and 
       carry on your business among us and become rich!"

       (Gen 34:11 TLB)  Then Shechem addressed Dinah's father and brothers. 
       "Please be kind to me and let me have her as my wife," he begged. "I 
       will give whatever you require.

       (Gen 34:12 TLB)  No matter what dowry or gift you demand, I will pay 
       it--only give me the girl as my wife."

       (Gen 34:13 TLB)  Her brothers then lied to Shechem and Hamor, acting 
       dishonorably because of what Shechem had done to their sister.

       (Gen 34:14 TLB)  They said, "We couldn't possibly. For you are not 
       circumcised. It would be a disgrace for her to marry such a man.

       (Gen 34:15 TLB)  I'll tell you what we'll do--if every man of you will 
       be circumcised,

       (Gen 34:16 TLB)  then we will intermarry with you and live here and 
       unite with you to become one people.

       (Gen 34:17 TLB)  Otherwise we will take her and be on our way."

       (Gen 34:18 TLB)  Hamor and Shechem gladly agreed,






       (Gen 34:19 TLB)  and lost no time in acting upon this request, for 
       Shechem was very much in love with Dinah, and could, he felt sure, 
       sell the idea to the other men of the city--for he was highly 
       respected and very popular.

       (Gen 34:20 TLB)  So Hamor and Shechem appeared before the city council 
       and presented their request.

       (Gen 34:21 TLB)  "Those men are our friends," they said. "Let's invite 
       them to live here among us and ply their trade. For the land is large 
       enough to hold them, and we can intermarry with them.

       (Gen 34:22 TLB)  But they will only consider staying here on one 
       condition--that every one of us men be circumcised, the same as they 
       are.

       (Gen 34:23 TLB)  But if we do this, then all they have will become 
       ours and the land will be enriched. Come on, let's agree to this so 
       that they will settle here among us."

       (Gen 34:24 TLB)  So all the men agreed, and all were circumcised.

       (Gen 34:25 TLB)  But three days later, when their wounds were sore and 
       sensitive to every move they made, two of Dinah's brothers, Simeon and 
       Levi, took their swords, entered the city without opposition, and 
       slaughtered every man there,

       (Gen 34:26 TLB)  including Hamor and Shechem. They rescued Dinah from 
       Shechem's house and returned to their camp again.

       (Gen 34:27 TLB)  Then all of Jacob's sons went over and plundered the 
       city because their sister had been dishonored there.

       (Gen 34:28 TLB)  They confiscated all the flocks and herds and 
       donkeys--everything they could lay their hands on, both inside the 
       city and outside in the fields,

       (Gen 34:29 TLB)  and took all the women and children, and wealth of 
       every kind.

       (Gen 34:30 TLB)  Then Jacob said to Levi and Simeon, "You have made me 
       stink among all the people of this land--all the Canaanites and 
       Perizzites. We are so few that they will come and crush us, and we 
       will all be killed."

       (Gen 34:31 TLB)  "Should he treat our sister like a prostitute?" they 
       retorted.

       (Gen 35:1 TLB)  "Move on to Bethel now, and settle there," God said to 
       Jacob, "and build an altar to worship me--the God who appeared to you 
       when you fled from your brother Esau."

       (Gen 35:2 TLB)  So Jacob instructed all those in his household to 
       destroy the idols they had brought with them, and to wash themselves 
       and to put on fresh clothing.






       (Gen 35:3 TLB)  "For we are going to Bethel," he told them, "and I 
       will build an altar there to the God who answered my prayers in the 
       day of my distress, and was with me on my journey."

       (Gen 35:4 TLB)  So they gave Jacob all their idols and their earrings, 
       and he buried them beneath the oak tree near Shechem.

       (Gen 35:5 TLB)  Then they started on again. And the terror of God was 
       upon all the cities they journeyed through, so that they were not 
       attacked.

       (Gen 35:6 TLB)  Finally they arrived at Luz (also called Bethel), in 
       Canaan.

       (Gen 35:7 TLB)  And Jacob erected an altar there and named it "The 
       altar to the God who met me here at Bethel" because it was there at 
       Bethel that God appeared to him when he was fleeing from Esau.

       (Gen 35:8 TLB)  Soon after this Rebekah's old nurse, Deborah, died and 
       was buried beneath the oak tree in the valley below Bethel. And ever 
       after it was called "The Oak of Weeping."

       (Gen 35:9 TLB)  Upon Jacob's arrival at Bethel, en route from 
       Paddan-aram, God appeared to him once again and blessed him.

       (Gen 35:10 TLB)  And God said to him, "You shall no longer be called 
       Jacob ('Grabber'), but Israel ('One who prevails with God').

       (Gen 35:11 TLB)  I am God Almighty," the Lord said to him, "and I will 
       cause you to be fertile and to multiply and to become a great nation, 
       yes, many nations; many kings shall be among your descendants.

       (Gen 35:12 TLB)  And I will pass on to you the land I gave to Abraham 
       and Isaac. Yes, I will give it to you and to your descendants."

       (Gen 35:13 TLB)  Afterwards Jacob built a stone pillar at the place 
       where God had appeared to him; and he poured wine over it as an 
       offering to God and then anointed the pillar with olive oil.

       (Gen 35:14 TLB)  

       (Gen 35:15 TLB)  Jacob named the spot Bethel ( "House of God"), 
       because God had spoken to him there.

       (Gen 35:16 TLB)  Leaving Bethel, he and his household traveled on 
       toward Ephrath (Bethlehem). But Rachel's pains of childbirth began 
       while they were still a long way away.

       (Gen 35:17 TLB)  After a very hard delivery, the midwife finally 
       exclaimed, "Wonderful--another boy!"

       (Gen 35:18 TLB)  And with Rachel's last breath (for she died) she 
       named him "Ben-oni" ( "Son of my sorrow"); but his father called him 
       "Benjamin" ( "Son of my right hand").





       (Gen 35:19 TLB)  So Rachel died, and was buried near the road to 
       Ephrath (also called Bethlehem).

       (Gen 35:20 TLB)  And Jacob set up a monument of stones upon her grave, 
       and it is there to this day.

       (Gen 35:21 TLB)  Then Israel journeyed on and camped beyond the Tower 
       of Eder.

       (Gen 35:22 TLB)  It was while he was there that Reuben slept with 
       Bilhah, his father's concubine, and someone told Israel about it. Here 
       are the names of the twelve sons of Jacob:

       (Gen 35:23 TLB)  The sons of Leah: Reuben, Jacob's oldest child, 
       Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun.

       (Gen 35:24 TLB)  The sons of Rachel: Joseph, Benjamin.

       (Gen 35:25 TLB)  The sons of Bilhah, Rachel's servant-girl: Dan, 
       Naphtali.

       (Gen 35:26 TLB)  The sons of Zilpah, Leah's servant-girl: Gad, Asher. 
       All these were born to him at Paddan-aram.

       (Gen 35:27 TLB)  So Jacob came at last to Isaac his father at Mamre in 
       Kiriath-arba (now called Hebron), where Abraham too had lived.

       (Gen 35:28 TLB)  Isaac died soon afterwards, at the ripe old age of 
       180. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.

       (Gen 35:29 TLB)  

       (Gen 36:1 TLB)  Here is a list of the descendants of Esau (also called 
       Edom):

       (Gen 36:2 TLB)  Esau married three local girls from Canaan: Adah 
       (daughter of Elon the Hethite), Oholibamah (daughter of Anah and 
       granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite),

       (Gen 36:3 TLB)  Basemath (his cousin--she was a daughter of 
       Ishmael--the sister of Nebaioth).

       (Gen 36:4 TLB)  Esau and Adah had a son named Eliphaz. Esau and 
       Basemath had a son named Reuel.

       (Gen 36:5 TLB)  Esau and Oholibamah had sons named Jeush, Jalam, and 
       Korah. All these sons were born to Esau in the land of Canaan.

       (Gen 36:6 TLB)  Then Esau took his wives, children, household 
       servants, cattle and flocks--all the wealth he had gained in the land 
       of Canaan--

       (Gen 36:7 TLB)  and moved away from his brother Jacob to Mount Seir.

       (Gen 36:8 TLB)  (For there was not land enough to support them both 
       because of all their cattle.)






       (Gen 36:9 TLB)  Here are the names of Esau's descendants, the 
       Edomites, born to him in Mount Seir:

       (Gen 36:10 TLB)  Descended from his wife Adah, born to her son Eliphaz 
       were:

       (Gen 36:11 TLB)  Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, Kenaz,

       (Gen 36:12 TLB)  Amalek (born to Timna, Eliphaz' concubine).

       (Gen 36:13 TLB)  Esau also had grandchildren from his wife Basemath. 
       Born to her son Reuel were: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, Mizzah.

       (Gen 36:14 TLB)  

       (Gen 36:15 TLB)  Esau's grandchildren became the heads of clans, as 
       listed here: the clan of Teman, the clan of Omar, the clan of Zepho, 
       the clan of Kenaz,

       (Gen 36:16 TLB)  the clan of Korah, the clan of Gatam, the clan of 
       Amalek. The above clans were the descendants of Eliphaz, the oldest 
       son of Esau and Adah.

       (Gen 36:17 TLB)  The following clans were the descendants of Reuel, 
       born to Esau and his wife Basemath while they lived in Canaan: the 
       clan of Nahath, the clan of Zerah, the clan of Shammah, the clan of 
       Mizzah.

       (Gen 36:18 TLB)  And these are the clans named after the sons of Esau 
       and his wife Oholibamah (daughter of Anah): the clan of Jeush, the 
       clan of Jalam, the clan of Korah.

       (Gen 36:19 TLB)  

       (Gen 36:20 TLB)  These are the names of the tribes that descended from 
       Seir, the Horite--one of the native families of the land of Seir: the 
       tribe of Lotan, the tribe of Shobal, the tribe of Zibeon, the tribe of 
       Anah,

       (Gen 36:21 TLB)  the tribe of Dishon, the tribe of Ezer, the tribe of 
       Dishan.

       (Gen 36:22 TLB)  The children of Lotan (the son of Seir) were Hori and 
       Heman. (Lotan had a sister, Timna.)

       (Gen 36:23 TLB)  The children of Shobal: Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, 
       Shepho, Onam.

       (Gen 36:24 TLB)  The children of Zibeon: Aiah, Anah. (This is the boy 
       who discovered a hot springs in the wasteland while he was grazing his 
       father's donkeys.)

       (Gen 36:25 TLB)  The children of Anah: Dishon, Oholibamah.

       (Gen 36:26 TLB)  The children of Dishon: Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, 





       Cheran.

       (Gen 36:27 TLB)  The children of Ezer: Bilhan, Zaavan, Akan.

       (Gen 36:28 TLB)  The children of Dishan: Uz, Aran.

       (Gen 36:29 TLB)  

       (Gen 36:30 TLB)  

       (Gen 36:31 TLB)  These are the names of the kings of Edom (before 
       Israel had her first king):

       (Gen 36:32 TLB)  King Bela (son of Beor), from Dinhabah in Edom.

       (Gen 36:33 TLB)  Succeeded by: King Jobab (son of BOZERAH), from the 
       city of Bozrah.

       (Gen 36:34 TLB)  Succeeded by: King Husham, from the land of the 
       Temanites.

       (Gen 36:35 TLB)  Succeeded by: King Hadad (son of Bedad), the leader 
       of the forces that defeated the army of Midian when it invaded Moab. 
       His city was Avith.

       (Gen 36:36 TLB)  Succeeded by: King Samlah, from Masrekah.

       (Gen 36:37 TLB)  Succeeded by: King Shaul, from Rehoboth-by-the-River.

       (Gen 36:38 TLB)  Succeeded by: King Baal-hanan (son of Achbor).

       (Gen 36:39 TLB)  Succeeded by: King Hadad, from the city of Pau. King 
       Hadad's wife was Mehetabel, daughter of Matred and granddaughter of 
       Mezahab.

       (Gen 36:40 TLB)  Here are the names of the sub-tribes of Esau, living 
       in the localities named after themselves: the clan of Timna, the clan 
       of Alvah, the clan of Jetheth,

       (Gen 36:41 TLB)  the clan of Oholibamah, the clan of Elah, the clan of 
       Pinon,

       (Gen 36:42 TLB)  the clan of Kenaz, the clan of Teman, the clan of 
       Mibzar,

       (Gen 36:43 TLB)  the clan of Magdiel, the clan of Iram. These, then, 
       are the names of the subtribes of Edom, each giving its name to the 
       area it occupied. (All were Edomites, descendants of Esau.)

       (Gen 37:1 TLB)  So Jacob settled again in the land of Canaan, where 
       his father had lived.

       (Gen 37:2 TLB)  Jacob's son Joseph was now seventeen years old. His 
       job, along with his half-brothers, the sons of his father's wives 
       Bilhah and Zilpah, was to shepherd his father's flocks. But Joseph 
       reported to his father some of the bad things they were doing.






       (Gen 37:3 TLB)  Now as it happened, Israel loved Joseph more than any 
       of his other children, because Joseph was born to him in his old age. 
       So one day Jacob gave him a special gift--a brightly colored coat.

       (Gen 37:4 TLB)  His brothers of course noticed their father's 
       partiality, and consequently hated Joseph; they couldn't say a kind 
       word to him.

       (Gen 37:5 TLB)  One night Joseph had a dream and promptly reported the 
       details to his brothers, causing even deeper hatred.

       (Gen 37:6 TLB)  "Listen to this," he proudly announced.

       (Gen 37:7 TLB)  "We were out in the field binding sheaves, and my 
       sheaf stood up, and your sheaves all gathered around it and bowed low 
       before it!"

       (Gen 37:8 TLB)  "So you want to be our king, do you?" his brothers 
       derided. And they hated him both for the dream and for his cocky 
       attitude.

       (Gen 37:9 TLB)  Then he had another dream and told it to his brothers. 
       "Listen to my latest dream," he boasted. "The sun, moon, and eleven 
       stars bowed low before me!"

       (Gen 37:10 TLB)  This time he told his father as well as his brothers; 
       but his father rebuked him. "What is this?" he asked. "Shall I indeed, 
       and your mother and brothers come and bow before you?"

       (Gen 37:11 TLB)  His brothers were fit to be tied concerning this 
       affair, but his father gave it quite a bit of thought and wondered 
       what it all meant.

       (Gen 37:12 TLB)  One day Joseph's brothers took their father's flocks 
       to Shechem to graze them there.

       (Gen 37:13 TLB)  A few days later Israel called for Joseph, and told 
       him, "Your brothers are over in Shechem grazing the flocks. Go and see 
       how they are getting along, and how it is with the flocks, and bring 
       me word." "Very good," Joseph replied.

       (Gen 37:14 TLB)  So he traveled to Shechem from his home at Hebron 
       Valley.

       (Gen 37:15 TLB)  A man noticed him wandering in the fields. "Who are 
       you looking for?" he asked.

       (Gen 37:16 TLB)  "For my brothers and their flocks," Joseph replied. 
       "Have you seen them?"

       (Gen 37:17 TLB)  "Yes," the man told him, "they are no longer here. I 
       heard your brothers say they were going to Dothan." So Joseph followed 
       them to Dothan and found them there.

       (Gen 37:18 TLB)  But when they saw him coming, recognizing him in the 





       distance, they decided to kill him!

       (Gen 37:19 TLB)  "Here comes that master-dreamer," they exclaimed.

       (Gen 37:20 TLB)  "Come on, let's kill him and toss him into a well and 
       tell Father that a wild animal has eaten him. Then we'll see what will 
       become of all his dreams!"

       (Gen 37:21 TLB)  But Reuben hoped to spare Joseph's life. "Let's not 
       kill him," he said;

       (Gen 37:22 TLB)  "we'll shed no blood--let's throw him alive into this 
       well here; that way he'll die without our touching him!" (Reuben was 
       planning to get him out later and return him to his father.)

       (Gen 37:23 TLB)  So when Joseph got there, they pulled off his 
       brightly-colored robe,

       (Gen 37:24 TLB)  and threw him into an empty well--there was no water 
       in it.

       (Gen 37:25 TLB)  Then they sat down for supper. Suddenly they noticed 
       a string of camels coming towards them in the distance, probably 
       Ishmaelite traders who were taking gum, spices, and herbs from Gilead 
       to Egypt.

       (Gen 37:26 TLB)  "Look there," Judah said to the others. "Here come 
       some Ishmaelites. Let's sell Joseph to them! Why kill him and have a 
       guilty conscience?

       (Gen 37:27 TLB)  Let's not be responsible for his death, for, after 
       all, he is our brother!" And his brothers agreed.

       (Gen 37:28 TLB)  So when the traders came by, his brothers pulled 
       Joseph out of the well and sold him to them for twenty pieces of 
       silver, and they took him along to Egypt.

       (Gen 37:29 TLB)  Some time later, Reuben (who was away when the 
       traders came by) returned to get Joseph out of the well. When Joseph 
       wasn't there, he ripped at his clothes in anguish and frustration.

       (Gen 37:30 TLB)  "The child is gone; and I, where shall I go now?" he 
       wept to his brothers.

       (Gen 37:31 TLB)  Then the brothers killed a goat and spattered its 
       blood on Joseph's coat,

       (Gen 37:32 TLB)  and took the coat to their father and asked him to 
       identify it. "We found this in the field," they told him. "Is it 
       Joseph's coat or not?"

       (Gen 37:33 TLB)  Their father recognized it at once. "Yes," he sobbed, 
       "it is my son's coat. A wild animal has eaten him. Joseph is without 
       doubt torn in pieces."

       (Gen 37:34 TLB)  Then Israel tore his garments and put on sackcloth 





       and mourned for his son in deepest mourning for many weeks.

       (Gen 37:35 TLB)  His family all tried to comfort him, but it was no 
       use. "I will die in mourning for my son," he would say, and then break 
       down and cry.

       (Gen 37:36 TLB)  Meanwhile, in Egypt, the traders sold Joseph to 
       Potiphar, an officer of the Pharaoh--the king of Egypt. Potiphar was 
       captain of the palace guard, the chief executioner.

       (Gen 38:1 TLB)  About this time, Judah left home and moved to Adullam 
       and lived there with a man named Hirah.

       (Gen 38:2 TLB)  There he met and married a Canaanite girl--the 
       daughter of Shua.

       (Gen 38:3 TLB)  They lived at Chezib and had three sons, Er, Onan, and 
       Shelah. These names were given to them by their mother, except for Er, 
       who was named by his father.

       (Gen 38:4 TLB)  

       (Gen 38:5 TLB)  

       (Gen 38:6 TLB)  When his oldest son, Er, grew up, Judah arranged for 
       him to marry a girl named Tamar.

       (Gen 38:7 TLB)  But Er was a wicked man, and so the Lord killed him.

       (Gen 38:8 TLB)  Then Judah said to Er's brother, Onan, "You must marry 
       Tamar, as our law requires of a dead man's brother; so that her sons 
       from you will be your brother's heirs."

       (Gen 38:9 TLB)  But Onan was not willing to have a child who would not 
       be counted as his own, and so, although he married her, whenever he 
       went in to sleep with her, he spilled the sperm on the bed to prevent 
       her from having a baby which would be his brother's.

       (Gen 38:10 TLB)  So far as the Lord was concerned, it was very wrong 
       of him (to deny a child to his deceased brother), so he killed him, 
       too.

       (Gen 38:11 TLB)  Then Judah told Tamar, his daughter-in-law, not to 
       marry again at that time, but to return to her childhood home and to 
       her parents, and to remain a widow there until his youngest son, 
       Shelah, was old enough to marry her. (But he didn't really intend for 
       Shelah to do this, for fear God would kill him, too, just as he had 
       his two brothers.) So Tamar went home to her parents.

       (Gen 38:12 TLB)  In the process of time Judah's wife died. After the 
       time of mourning was over, Judah and his friend Hirah, the Adullamite, 
       went to Timnah to supervise the shearing of his sheep.

       (Gen 38:13 TLB)  When someone told Tamar that her father-in-law had 
       left for the sheep-shearing at Timnah,





       (Gen 38:14 TLB)  and realizing by now that she was not going to be 
       permitted to marry Shelah, though he was fully grown, she laid aside 
       her widow's clothing and covered herself with a veil to disguise 
       herself, and sat beside the road at the entrance to the village of 
       Enaim, which is on the way to Timnah.

       (Gen 38:15 TLB)  Judah noticed her as he went by and thought she was a 
       prostitute, since her face was veiled.

       (Gen 38:16 TLB)  So he stopped and propositioned her to sleep with 
       him, not realizing of course that she was his own daughter-in-law. 
       "How much will you pay me?" she asked.

       (Gen 38:17 TLB)  "I'll send you a young goat from my flock," he 
       promised. "What pledge will you give me, so that I can be sure you 
       will send it?" she asked.

       (Gen 38:18 TLB)  "Well, what do you want?" he inquired. "Your 
       identification seal and your walking stick," she replied. So he gave 
       them to her and she let him come and sleep with her; and she became 
       pregnant as a result.

       (Gen 38:19 TLB)  Afterwards she resumed wearing her widow's clothing 
       as usual.

       (Gen 38:20 TLB)  Judah asked his friend Hirah the Adullamite to take 
       the young goat back to her, and to pick up the pledges he had given 
       her, but Hirah couldn't find her!

       (Gen 38:21 TLB)  So he asked around of the men of the city, "Where 
       does the prostitute live who was soliciting out beside the road at the 
       entrance of the village?" "But we've never had a public prostitute 
       here," they replied.

       (Gen 38:22 TLB)  So he returned to Judah and told him he couldn't find 
       her anywhere, and what the men of the place had told him.

       (Gen 38:23 TLB)  "Then let her keep them!" Judah exclaimed. "We tried 
       our best. We'd be the laughingstock of the town to go back again."

       (Gen 38:24 TLB)  About three months later word reached Judah that 
       Tamar, his daughter-in-law, was pregnant, obviously as a result of 
       prostitution. "Bring her out and burn her," Judah shouted.

       (Gen 38:25 TLB)  But as they were taking her out to kill her she sent 
       this message to her father-in-law: "The man who owns this 
       identification seal and walking stick is the father of my child. Do 
       you recognize them?"

       (Gen 38:26 TLB)  Judah admitted that they were his and said, "She is 
       more in the right than I am, because I refused to keep my promise to 
       give her to my son Shelah." But he did not marry her.

       (Gen 38:27 TLB)  In due season the time of her delivery arrived and 
       she had twin sons.





       (Gen 38:28 TLB)  As they were being born, the midwife tied a scarlet 
       thread around the wrist of the child who appeared first,

       (Gen 38:29 TLB)  but he drew back his hand and the other baby was 
       actually the first to be born. "Where did you come from!" she 
       exclaimed. And ever after he was called Perez (meaning "Bursting 
       Out").

       (Gen 38:30 TLB)  Then, soon afterwards, the baby with the scarlet 
       thread on his wrist was born, and he was named Zerah.

       (Gen 39:1 TLB)  When Joseph arrived in Egypt as a captive of the 
       Ishmaelite traders, he was purchased from them by Potiphar, a member 
       of the personal staff of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. Now this man 
       Potiphar was the captain of the king's bodyguard and his chief 
       executioner.

       (Gen 39:2 TLB)  The Lord greatly blessed Joseph there in the home of 
       his master, so that everything he did succeeded.

       (Gen 39:3 TLB)  Potiphar noticed this and realized that the Lord was 
       with Joseph in a very special way.

       (Gen 39:4 TLB)  So Joseph naturally became quite a favorite with him. 
       Soon he was put in charge of the administration of Potiphar's 
       household, and all of his business affairs.

       (Gen 39:5 TLB)  At once the Lord began blessing Potiphar for Joseph's 
       sake. All his household affairs began to run smoothly, his crops 
       flourished and his flocks multiplied.

       (Gen 39:6 TLB)  So Potiphar gave Joseph the complete administrative 
       responsibility over everything he owned. He hadn't a worry in the 
       world with Joseph there, except to decide what he wanted to eat! 
       Joseph, by the way, was a very handsome young man.

       (Gen 39:7 TLB)  One day at about this time Potiphar's wife began 
       making eyes at Joseph, and suggested that he come and sleep with her.

       (Gen 39:8 TLB)  Joseph refused. "Look," he told her, "my master trusts 
       me with everything in the entire household;

       (Gen 39:9 TLB)  he himself has no more authority here than I have! He 
       has held back nothing from me except you yourself because you are his 
       wife. How can I do such a wicked thing as this? It would be a great 
       sin against God."

       (Gen 39:10 TLB)  But she kept on with her suggestions day after day, 
       even though he refused to listen, and kept out of her way as much as 
       possible.

       (Gen 39:11 TLB)  Then one day as he was in the house going about his 
       work--as it happened, no one else was around at the time--

       (Gen 39:12 TLB)  she came and grabbed him by the sleeve demanding, 
       "Sleep with me." He tore himself away, but as he did, his jacket 





       slipped off and she was left holding it as he fled from the house.

       (Gen 39:13 TLB)  When she saw that she had his jacket, and that he had 
       fled,

       (Gen 39:14 TLB)  she began screaming; and when the other men around 
       the place came running in to see what had happened, she was crying 
       hysterically. "My husband had to bring in this Hebrew slave to insult 
       us!" she sobbed.

       (Gen 39:15 TLB)  "He tried to rape me, but when I screamed, he ran, 
       and forgot to take his jacket."

       (Gen 39:16 TLB)  She kept the jacket, and when her husband came home 
       that night,

       (Gen 39:17 TLB)  she told him her story. "That Hebrew slave you've had 
       around here tried to rape me,

       (Gen 39:18 TLB)  and I was only saved by my screams. He fled, leaving 
       his jacket behind!"

       (Gen 39:19 TLB)  Well, when her husband heard his wife's story, he was 
       furious.

       (Gen 39:20 TLB)  He threw Joseph into prison, where the king's 
       prisoners were kept in chains.

       (Gen 39:21 TLB)  But the Lord was with Joseph there, too, and was kind 
       to him by granting him favor with the chief jailer.

       (Gen 39:22 TLB)  In fact, the jailer soon handed over the entire 
       prison administration to Joseph, so that all the other prisoners were 
       responsible to him.

       (Gen 39:23 TLB)  The chief jailer had no more worries after that, for 
       Joseph took care of everything, and the Lord was with him so that 
       everything ran smoothly and well.

       (Gen 40:1 TLB)  Some time later it so happened that the king of Egypt 
       became angry with both his chief baker and his chief butler,

       (Gen 40:2 TLB)  

       (Gen 40:3 TLB)  so he jailed them both in the prison where Joseph was, 
       in the castle of Potiphar, the captain of the guard, who was the chief 
       executioner.

       (Gen 40:4 TLB)  They remained under arrest there for quite some time, 
       and Potiphar assigned Joseph to wait on them.

       (Gen 40:5 TLB)  One night each of them had a dream.

       (Gen 40:6 TLB)  The next morning Joseph noticed that they looked 
       dejected and sad.





       (Gen 40:7 TLB)  "What in the world is the matter?" he asked.

       (Gen 40:8 TLB)  And they replied, "We both had dreams last night, but 
       there is no one here to tell us what they mean." "Interpreting dreams 
       is God's business," Joseph replied. "Tell me what you saw."

       (Gen 40:9 TLB)  The butler told his dream first. "In my dream," he 
       said, "I saw a vine with three branches that began to bud and blossom, 
       and soon there were clusters of ripe grapes.

       (Gen 40:10 TLB)  

       (Gen 40:11 TLB)  I was holding Pharaoh's wine cup in my hand, so I 
       took the grapes and squeezed the juice into it, and gave it to him to 
       drink."

       (Gen 40:12 TLB)  "I know what the dream means," Joseph said. "The 
       three branches mean three days!

       (Gen 40:13 TLB)  Within three days Pharaoh is going to take you out of 
       prison and give you back your job again as his chief butler.

       (Gen 40:14 TLB)  And please have some pity on me when you are back in 
       his favor, and mention me to Pharaoh, and ask him to let me out of 
       here.

       (Gen 40:15 TLB)  For I was kidnapped from my homeland among the 
       Hebrews, and now this--here I am in jail when I did nothing to deserve 
       it."

       (Gen 40:16 TLB)  When the chief baker saw that the first dream had 
       such a good meaning, he told his dream to Joseph, too. "In my dream," 
       he said, "there were three baskets of pastries on my head.

       (Gen 40:17 TLB)  In the top basket were all kinds of bakery goods for 
       Pharaoh, but the birds came and ate them."

       (Gen 40:18 TLB)  "The three baskets mean three days," Joseph told him.

       (Gen 40:19 TLB)  "Three days from now Pharaoh will take off your head 
       and impale your body on a pole, and the birds will come and pick off 
       your flesh!"

       (Gen 40:20 TLB)  Pharaoh's birthday came three days later, and he held 
       a party for all of his officials and household staff. He sent for his 
       chief butler and chief baker, and they were brought to him from the 
       prison.

       (Gen 40:21 TLB)  Then he restored the chief butler to his former 
       position;

       (Gen 40:22 TLB)  but he sentenced the chief baker to be impaled, just 
       as Joseph had predicted.

       (Gen 40:23 TLB)  Pharaoh's wine taster, however, promptly forgot all 
       about Joseph, never giving him a thought.






       (Gen 41:1 TLB)  One night two years later, Pharaoh dreamed that he was 
       standing on the bank of the Nile River,

       (Gen 41:2 TLB)  when suddenly, seven sleek, fat cows came up out of 
       the river and began grazing in the grass.

       (Gen 41:3 TLB)  Then seven other cows came up from the river, but they 
       were very skinny and all their ribs stood out. They went over and 
       stood beside the fat cows.

       (Gen 41:4 TLB)  Then the skinny cows ate the fat ones! At which point, 
       Pharaoh woke up!

       (Gen 41:5 TLB)  Soon he fell asleep again and had a second dream. This 
       time he saw seven heads of grain on one stalk, with every kernel well 
       formed and plump.

       (Gen 41:6 TLB)  Then, suddenly, seven more heads appeared on the 
       stalk, but these were shriveled and withered by the east wind.

       (Gen 41:7 TLB)  And these thin heads swallowed up the seven plump, 
       well-formed heads! Then Pharaoh woke up again and realized it was all 
       a dream.

       (Gen 41:8 TLB)  Next morning, as he thought about it, he became very 
       concerned as to what the dreams might mean; he called for all the 
       magicians and sages of Egypt and told them about it, but not one of 
       them could suggest what his dreams meant.

       (Gen 41:9 TLB)  Then the king's wine taster spoke up. "Today I 
       remember my sin!" he said.

       (Gen 41:10 TLB)  "Some time ago when you were angry with a couple of 
       us and put me and the chief baker in jail in the castle of the captain 
       of the guard,

       (Gen 41:11 TLB)  the chief baker and I each had a dream one night.

       (Gen 41:12 TLB)  We told the dreams to a young Hebrew fellow there who 
       was a slave of the captain of the guard, and he told us what our 
       dreams meant.

       (Gen 41:13 TLB)  And everything happened just as he said: I was 
       restored to my position of wine taster, and the chief baker was 
       executed, and impaled on a pole."

       (Gen 41:14 TLB)  Pharaoh sent at once for Joseph. He was brought 
       hastily from the dungeon, and after a quick shave and change of 
       clothes, came in before Pharaoh.

       (Gen 41:15 TLB)  "I had a dream last night," Pharaoh told him, "and 
       none of these men can tell me what it means. But I have heard that you 
       can interpret dreams, and that is why I have called for you."

       (Gen 41:16 TLB)  "I can't do it by myself," Joseph replied, "but God 





       will tell you what it means!"

       (Gen 41:17 TLB)  So Pharaoh told him the dream. "I was standing upon 
       the bank of the Nile River," he said,

       (Gen 41:18 TLB)  "when suddenly, seven fat, healthy-looking cows came 
       up out of the river and began grazing along the river bank.

       (Gen 41:19 TLB)  But then seven other cows came up from the river, 
       very skinny and bony--in fact, I've never seen such poor-looking 
       specimens in all the land of Egypt.

       (Gen 41:20 TLB)  And these skinny cattle ate up the seven fat ones 
       that had come out first,

       (Gen 41:21 TLB)  and afterwards they were still as skinny as before! 
       Then I woke up.

       (Gen 41:22 TLB)  "A little later I had another dream. This time there 
       were seven heads of grain on one stalk, and all seven heads were plump 
       and full.

       (Gen 41:23 TLB)  Then, out of the same stalk, came seven withered, 
       thin heads.

       (Gen 41:24 TLB)  And the thin heads swallowed up the fat ones! I told 
       all this to my magicians, but not one of them could tell me the 
       meaning."

       (Gen 41:25 TLB)  "Both dreams mean the same thing," Joseph told 
       Pharaoh. "God was telling you what he is going to do here in the land 
       of Egypt.

       (Gen 41:26 TLB)  The seven fat cows (and also the seven fat, 
       well-formed heads of grain) mean that there are seven years of 
       prosperity ahead.

       (Gen 41:27 TLB)  The seven skinny cows (and also the seven thin and 
       withered heads of grain) indicate that there will be seven years of 
       famine following the seven years of prosperity.

       (Gen 41:28 TLB)  "So God has showed you what he is about to do:

       (Gen 41:29 TLB)  The next seven years will be a period of great 
       prosperity throughout all the land of Egypt;

       (Gen 41:30 TLB)  but afterwards there will be seven years of famine so 
       great that all the prosperity will be forgotten and wiped out; famine 
       will consume the land.

       (Gen 41:31 TLB)  The famine will be so terrible that even the memory 
       of the good years will be erased.

       (Gen 41:32 TLB)  The double dream gives double impact, showing that 
       what I have told you is certainly going to happen, for God has decreed 
       it, and it is going to happen soon.






       (Gen 41:33 TLB)  My suggestion is that you find the wisest man in 
       Egypt and put him in charge of administering a nationwide farm 
       program.

       (Gen 41:34 TLB)  Let Pharaoh divide Egypt into five administrative 
       districts,

       (Gen 41:35 TLB)  and let the officials of these districts gather into 
       the royal storehouses all the excess crops of the next seven years,

       (Gen 41:36 TLB)  so that there will be enough to eat when the seven 
       years of famine come. Otherwise, disaster will surely strike."

       (Gen 41:37 TLB)  Joseph's suggestions were well received by Pharaoh 
       and his assistants.

       (Gen 41:38 TLB)  As they discussed who should be appointed for the 
       job, Pharaoh said, "Who could do it better than Joseph? For he is a 
       man who is obviously filled with the Spirit of God."

       (Gen 41:39 TLB)  Turning to Joseph, Pharaoh said to him, "Since God 
       has revealed the meaning of the dreams to you, you are the wisest man 
       in the country!

       (Gen 41:40 TLB)  I am hereby appointing you to be in charge of this 
       entire project. What you say goes, throughout all the land of Egypt. I 
       alone will outrank you."

       (Gen 41:41 TLB)  Then Pharaoh placed his own signet ring on Joseph's 
       finger as a token of his authority, and dressed him in beautiful 
       clothing and placed the royal gold chain about his neck and declared,

       (Gen 41:42 TLB)  "See, I have placed you in charge of all the land of 
       Egypt."

       (Gen 41:43 TLB)  Pharaoh also gave Joseph the chariot of his 
       second-in-command, and wherever he went the shout arose, "Kneel down!"

       (Gen 41:44 TLB)  And Pharaoh declared to Joseph, "I, the king of 
       Egypt, swear that you shall have complete charge over all the land of 
       Egypt."

       (Gen 41:45 TLB)  Pharaoh gave him a name meaning "He has the godlike 
       power of life and death!" And he gave him a wife, a girl named 
       Asenath, daughter of Potiphera, priest of Heliopolis. So Joseph became 
       famous throughout the land of Egypt.

       (Gen 41:46 TLB)  He was thirty years old as he entered the service of 
       the king. Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh and began 
       traveling all across the land.

       (Gen 41:47 TLB)  And sure enough, for the next seven years there were 
       bumper crops everywhere.

       (Gen 41:48 TLB)  During those years, Joseph requisitioned for the 





       government a portion of all the crops grown throughout Egypt, storing 
       them in nearby cities.

       (Gen 41:49 TLB)  After seven years of this, the granaries were full to 
       overflowing, and there was so much that no one kept track of the 
       amount.

       (Gen 41:50 TLB)  During this time before the arrival of the first of 
       the famine years, two sons were born to Joseph by Asenath, the 
       daughter of Potiphera, priest of the sun god Re of Heliopolis.

       (Gen 41:51 TLB)  Joseph named his oldest son Manasseh (meaning "Made 
       to Forget"--what he meant was that God had made up to him for all the 
       anguish of his youth, and for the loss of his father's home).

       (Gen 41:52 TLB)  The second boy was named Ephraim (meaning 
       "Fruitful"-- "For God has made me fruitful in this land of my 
       slavery," he said).

       (Gen 41:53 TLB)  So at last the seven years of plenty came to an end.

       (Gen 41:54 TLB)  Then the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph 
       had predicted. There were crop failures in all the surrounding 
       countries, too, but in Egypt there was plenty of grain in the 
       storehouses.

       (Gen 41:55 TLB)  The people began to starve. They pleaded with Pharaoh 
       for food, and he sent them to Joseph. "Do whatever he tells you to," 
       he instructed them.

       (Gen 41:56 TLB)  So now, with severe famine all over the world, Joseph 
       opened up the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians

       (Gen 41:57 TLB)  and to those from other lands who came to Egypt to 
       buy grain from Joseph.

       (Gen 42:1 TLB)  When Jacob heard that there was grain available in 
       Egypt he said to his sons, "Why are you standing around looking at one 
       another?

       (Gen 42:2 TLB)  I have heard that there is grain available in Egypt. 
       Go down and buy some for us before we all starve to death."

       (Gen 42:3 TLB)  So Joseph's ten older brothers went down to Egypt to 
       buy grain.

       (Gen 42:4 TLB)  However, Jacob wouldn't let Joseph's younger brother 
       Benjamin go with them, for fear some harm might happen to him (as it 
       had to his brother Joseph).

       (Gen 42:5 TLB)  So it was that Israel's sons arrived in Egypt along 
       with many others from many lands to buy food, for the famine was as 
       severe in Canaan as it was everywhere else.

       (Gen 42:6 TLB)  Since Joseph was governor of all Egypt, and in charge 
       of the sale of the grain, it was to him that his brothers came, and 





       bowed low before him, with their faces to the earth.

       (Gen 42:7 TLB)  Joseph recognized them instantly, but pretended he 
       didn't. "Where are you from?" he demanded roughly. "From the land of 
       Canaan," they replied. "We have come to buy grain."

       (Gen 42:8 TLB)  Then Joseph remembered the dreams of long ago! But he 
       said to them, "You are spies. You have come to see how destitute the 
       famine has made our land."

       (Gen 42:9 TLB)  

       (Gen 42:10 TLB)  "No, no," they exclaimed. "We have come to buy food.

       (Gen 42:11 TLB)  We are all brothers and honest men, sir! We are not 
       spies!"

       (Gen 42:12 TLB)  "Yes, you are," he insisted. "You have come to see 
       how weak we are."

       (Gen 42:13 TLB)  "Sir," they said, "there are twelve of us brothers, 
       and our father is in the land of Canaan. Our youngest brother is there 
       with our father, and one of our brothers is dead."

       (Gen 42:14 TLB)  "So?" Joseph asked. "What does that prove? You are 
       spies.

       (Gen 42:15 TLB)  This is the way I will test your story: I swear by 
       the life of Pharaoh that you are not going to leave Egypt until this 
       youngest brother comes here.

       (Gen 42:16 TLB)  One of you go and get your brother! I'll keep the 
       rest of you here, bound in prison. Then we'll find out whether your 
       story is true or not. If it turns out that you don't have a younger 
       brother, then I'll know you are spies."

       (Gen 42:17 TLB)  So he threw them all into jail for three days.

       (Gen 42:18 TLB)  The third day Joseph said to them, "I am a 
       God-fearing man and I'm going to give you an opportunity to prove 
       yourselves.

       (Gen 42:19 TLB)  I'm going to take a chance that you are honorable; 
       only one of you shall remain in chains in jail, and the rest of you 
       may go on home with grain for your families;

       (Gen 42:20 TLB)  but bring your youngest brother back to me. In this 
       way I will know whether you are telling me the truth; and if you are, 
       I will spare you." To this they agreed.

       (Gen 42:21 TLB)  Speaking among themselves, they said, "This has all 
       happened because of what we did to Joseph long ago. We saw his terror 
       and anguish and heard his pleadings, but we wouldn't listen."

       (Gen 42:22 TLB)  "Didn't I tell you not to do it?" Reuben asked. "But 
       you wouldn't listen. And now we are going to die because we murdered 





       him."

       (Gen 42:23 TLB)  Of course they didn't know that Joseph understood 
       them as he was standing there, for he had been speaking to them 
       through an interpreter.

       (Gen 42:24 TLB)  Now he left the room and found a place where he could 
       weep. Returning, he selected Simeon from among them and had him bound 
       before their eyes.

       (Gen 42:25 TLB)  Joseph then ordered his servants to fill the men's 
       sacks with grain, but also gave secret instructions to put each 
       brother's payment at the top of his sack! He also gave them provisions 
       for their journey.

       (Gen 42:26 TLB)  So they loaded up their donkeys with the grain and 
       started for home.

       (Gen 42:27 TLB)  But when they stopped for the night and one of them 
       opened his sack to get some grain to feed the donkeys, there was his 
       money in the mouth of the sack!

       (Gen 42:28 TLB)  "Look," he exclaimed to his brothers, "my money is 
       here in my sack." They were filled with terror. Trembling, they 
       exclaimed to each other. "What is this that God has done to us?"

       (Gen 42:29 TLB)  So they came to their father, Jacob, in the land of 
       Canaan and told him all that had happened.

       (Gen 42:30 TLB)  "The king's chief assistant spoke very roughly to 
       us," they told him, "and took us for spies.

       (Gen 42:31 TLB)  'No, no,' we said, 'we are honest men, not spies.

       (Gen 42:32 TLB)  We are twelve brothers, sons of one father; one is 
       dead, and the youngest is with our father in the land of Canaan.'

       (Gen 42:33 TLB)  Then the man told us, 'This is the way I will find 
       out if you are what you claim to be. Leave one of your brothers here 
       with me and take grain for your families and go on home,

       (Gen 42:34 TLB)  but bring your youngest brother back to me. Then I 
       shall know whether you are spies or honest men; if you prove to be 
       what you say, then I will give you back your brother and you can come 
       as often as you like to purchase grain.'"

       (Gen 42:35 TLB)  As they emptied out the sacks, there at the top of 
       each was the money paid for the grain! Terror gripped them, as it did 
       their father.

       (Gen 42:36 TLB)  Then Jacob exclaimed, "You have bereaved me of my 
       children--Joseph didn't come back, Simeon is gone, and now you want to 
       take Benjamin too! Everything has been against me."

       (Gen 42:37 TLB)  Then Reuben said to his father, "Kill my two sons if 
       I don't bring Benjamin back to you. I'll be responsible for him."






       (Gen 42:38 TLB)  But Jacob replied, "My son shall not go down with 
       you, for his brother Joseph is dead and he alone is left of his 
       mother's children. If anything should happen to him, I would die."

       (Gen 43:1 TLB)  But there was no relief from the terrible famine 
       throughout the land.

       (Gen 43:2 TLB)  When the grain they had brought from Egypt was almost 
       gone, their father said to them, "Go again and buy us a little food."

       (Gen 43:3 TLB)  But Judah told him, "The man wasn't fooling one bit 
       when he said, 'Don't ever come back again unless your brother is with 
       you.' We cannot go unless you let Benjamin go with us."

       (Gen 43:4 TLB)  

       (Gen 43:5 TLB)  

       (Gen 43:6 TLB)  "Why did you ever tell him you had another brother?" 
       Israel moaned. "Why did you have to treat me like that?"

       (Gen 43:7 TLB)  "But the man specifically asked us about our family," 
       they told him. "He wanted to know whether our father was still living 
       and he asked us if we had another brother, so we told him. How could 
       we know that he was going to say, 'Bring me your brother'?"

       (Gen 43:8 TLB)  Judah said to his father, "Send the lad with me and we 
       will be on our way; otherwise we will all die of starvation--and not 
       only we, but you and all our little ones.

       (Gen 43:9 TLB)  I guarantee his safety. If I don't bring him back to 
       you, then let me bear the blame forever.

       (Gen 43:10 TLB)  For we could have gone and returned by this time if 
       you had let him come."

       (Gen 43:11 TLB)  So their father Israel finally said to them, "If it 
       can't be avoided, then at least do this. Load your donkeys with the 
       best products of the land. Take them to the man as gifts--balm, honey, 
       spices, myrrh, pistachio nuts, and almonds.

       (Gen 43:12 TLB)  Take double money so that you can pay back what was 
       in the mouths of your sacks, as it was probably someone's mistake,

       (Gen 43:13 TLB)  and take your brother and go.

       (Gen 43:14 TLB)  May God Almighty give you mercy before the man, so 
       that he will release Simeon and return Benjamin. And if I must bear 
       the anguish of their deaths, then so be it."

       (Gen 43:15 TLB)  So they took the gifts and double money and went to 
       Egypt, and stood before Joseph.

       (Gen 43:16 TLB)  When Joseph saw that Benjamin was with them, he said 
       to the manager of his household, "These men will eat with me this 





       noon. Take them home and prepare a big feast."

       (Gen 43:17 TLB)  So the man did as he was told and took them to 
       Joseph's palace.

       (Gen 43:18 TLB)  They were badly frightened when they saw where they 
       were being taken. "It's because of the money returned to us in our 
       sacks," they said. "He wants to pretend we stole it and seize us as 
       slaves, with our donkeys."

       (Gen 43:19 TLB)  As they arrived at the entrance to the palace, they 
       went over to Joseph's household manager,

       (Gen 43:20 TLB)  and said to him, "O sir, after our first trip to 
       Egypt to buy food,

       (Gen 43:21 TLB)  as we were returning home, we stopped for the night 
       and opened our sacks, and the money was there that we had paid for the 
       grain. Here it is; we have brought it back again,

       (Gen 43:22 TLB)  along with additional money to buy more grain. We 
       have no idea how the money got into our sacks."

       (Gen 43:23 TLB)  "Don't worry about it," the household manager told 
       them; "your God, even the God of your fathers, must have put it there, 
       for we collected your money all right." Then he released Simeon and 
       brought him out to them.

       (Gen 43:24 TLB)  They were then conducted into the palace and given 
       water to refresh their feet; and their donkeys were fed.

       (Gen 43:25 TLB)  Then they got their presents ready for Joseph's 
       arrival at noon, for they were told that they would be eating there.

       (Gen 43:26 TLB)  When Joseph came home they gave him their presents, 
       bowing low before him.

       (Gen 43:27 TLB)  He asked how they had been getting along. "And how is 
       your father--the old man you spoke about? Is he still alive?"

       (Gen 43:28 TLB)  "Yes," they replied. "He is alive and well." Then 
       again they bowed before him.

       (Gen 43:29 TLB)  Looking at his brother Benjamin, he asked, "Is this 
       your youngest brother, the one you told me about? How are you, my son? 
       God be gracious to you."

       (Gen 43:30 TLB)  Then Joseph made a hasty exit, for he was overcome 
       with love for his brother and had to go out and cry. Going into his 
       bedroom, he wept there.

       (Gen 43:31 TLB)  Then he washed his face and came out, keeping himself 
       under control. "Let's eat," he said.

       (Gen 43:32 TLB)  Joseph ate by himself, his brothers were served at a 
       separate table, and the Egyptians at still another; for Egyptians 





       despise Hebrews and never eat with them.

       (Gen 43:33 TLB)  He told each of them where to sit, and seated them in 
       the order of their ages, from the oldest to the youngest, much to 
       their amazement!

       (Gen 43:34 TLB)  Their food was served to them from his own table. He 
       gave the largest serving to Benjamin--five times as much as to any of 
       the others! They had a wonderful time bantering back and forth, and 
       the wine flowed freely!

       (Gen 44:1 TLB)  When his brothers were ready to leave, Joseph ordered 
       his household manager to fill each of their sacks with as much grain 
       as they could carry--and to put into the mouth of each man's sack the 
       money he had paid!

       (Gen 44:2 TLB)  He was also told to put Joseph's own silver cup at the 
       top of Benjamin's sack, along with the grain money. So the household 
       manager did as he was told.

       (Gen 44:3 TLB)  The brothers were up at dawn and on their way with 
       their loaded donkeys.

       (Gen 44:4 TLB)  But when they were barely out of the city, Joseph said 
       to his household manager, "Chase after them and stop them and ask them 
       why they are acting like this when their benefactor has been so kind 
       to them?

       (Gen 44:5 TLB)  Ask them, 'What do you mean by stealing my lord's 
       personal silver drinking cup, which he uses for fortune telling? What 
       a wicked thing you have done!'"

       (Gen 44:6 TLB)  So he caught up with them and spoke to them along the 
       lines he had been instructed.

       (Gen 44:7 TLB)  "What in the world are you talking about?" they 
       demanded. "What kind of people do you think we are, that you accuse us 
       of such a terrible thing as that?

       (Gen 44:8 TLB)  Didn't we bring back the money we found in the mouth 
       of our sacks? Why would we steal silver or gold from your master's 
       house?

       (Gen 44:9 TLB)  If you find his cup with any one of us, let that one 
       die. And all the rest of us will be slaves forever to your master."

       (Gen 44:10 TLB)  "Fair enough," the man replied, "except that only the 
       one who stole it will be a slave, and the rest of you can go free."

       (Gen 44:11 TLB)  They quickly took down their sacks from the backs of 
       their donkeys and opened them.

       (Gen 44:12 TLB)  He began searching the oldest brother's sack, going 
       on down the line to the youngest. And the cup was found in Benjamin's!

       (Gen 44:13 TLB)  They ripped their clothing in despair, loaded the 





       donkeys again, and returned to the city.

       (Gen 44:14 TLB)  Joseph was still home when Judah and his brothers 
       arrived, and they fell to the ground before him.

       (Gen 44:15 TLB)  "What were you trying to do?" Joseph demanded. 
       "Didn't you know such a man as I would know who stole it?"

       (Gen 44:16 TLB)  And Judah said, "Oh, what shall we say to my lord? 
       How can we plead? How can we prove our innocence? God is punishing us 
       for our sins. Sir, we have all returned to be your slaves, both we and 
       he in whose sack the cup was found."

       (Gen 44:17 TLB)  "No," Joseph said. "Only the man who stole the cup, 
       he shall be my slave. The rest of you can go on home to your father."

       (Gen 44:18 TLB)  Then Judah stepped forward and said, "O sir, let me 
       say just this one word to you. Be patient with me for a moment, for I 
       know you can doom me in an instant, as though you were Pharaoh 
       himself.

       (Gen 44:19 TLB)  "Sir, you asked us if we had a father or a brother,

       (Gen 44:20 TLB)  and we said, 'Yes, we have a father, an old man, and 
       a child of his old age, a little one. And his brother is dead, and he 
       alone is left of his mother's children, and his father loves him very 
       much.'

       (Gen 44:21 TLB)  And you said to us, 'Bring him here so that I can see 
       him.'

       (Gen 44:22 TLB)  But we said to you, 'Sir, the lad cannot leave his 
       father, for his father would die.'

       (Gen 44:23 TLB)  But you told us, 'Don't come back here unless your 
       youngest brother is with you.'

       (Gen 44:24 TLB)  So we returned to our father and told him what you 
       had said.

       (Gen 44:25 TLB)  And when he said, 'Go back again and buy us a little 
       food,'

       (Gen 44:26 TLB)  we replied, 'We can't, unless you let our youngest 
       brother go with us. Only then may we come.'

       (Gen 44:27 TLB)  "Then my father said to us, 'You know that my wife 
       had two sons,

       (Gen 44:28 TLB)  and that one of them went away and never 
       returned--doubtless torn to pieces by some wild animal; I have never 
       seen him since.

       (Gen 44:29 TLB)  And if you take away his brother from me also, and 
       any harm befalls him, I shall die with sorrow.'





       (Gen 44:30 TLB)  And now, sir, if I go back to my father and the lad 
       is not with us--seeing that our father's life is bound up in the lad's 
       life--

       (Gen 44:31 TLB)  when he sees that the boy is not with us, our father 
       will die; and we will be responsible for bringing down his gray hairs 
       with sorrow to the grave.

       (Gen 44:32 TLB)  Sir, I pledged my father that I would take care of 
       the lad. I told him, 'If I don't bring him back to you, I shall bear 
       the blame forever.'

       (Gen 44:33 TLB)  Please sir, let me stay here as a slave instead of 
       the lad, and let the lad return with his brothers.

       (Gen 44:34 TLB)  For how shall I return to my father if the lad is not 
       with me? I cannot bear to see what this would do to him."

       (Gen 45:1 TLB)  Joseph could stand it no longer. "Out, all of you," he 
       cried out to his attendants, and he was left alone with his brothers.

       (Gen 45:2 TLB)  Then he wept aloud. His sobs could be heard throughout 
       the palace, and the news was quickly carried to Pharaoh's palace.

       (Gen 45:3 TLB)  "I am Joseph!" he said to his brothers. "Is my father 
       still alive?" But his brothers couldn't say a word, they were so 
       stunned with surprise.

       (Gen 45:4 TLB)  "Come over here," he said. So they came closer. And he 
       said again, "I am Joseph, your brother whom you sold into Egypt!

       (Gen 45:5 TLB)  But don't be angry with yourselves that you did this 
       to me, for God did it! He sent me here ahead of you to preserve your 
       lives.

       (Gen 45:6 TLB)  These two years of famine will grow to seven, during 
       which there will be neither plowing nor harvest.

       (Gen 45:7 TLB)  God has sent me here to keep you and your families 
       alive, so that you will become a great nation.

       (Gen 45:8 TLB)  Yes, it was God who sent me here, not you! And he has 
       made me a counselor to Pharaoh, and manager of this entire nation, 
       ruler of all the land of Egypt.

       (Gen 45:9 TLB)  "Hurry, return to my father and tell him, 'Your son 
       Joseph says, "God has made me chief of all the land of Egypt. Come 
       down to me right away!

       (Gen 45:10 TLB)  You shall live in the land of Goshen so that you can 
       be near me with all your children, your grandchildren, your flocks and 
       herds, and all that you have.

       (Gen 45:11 TLB)  I will take care of you there'" (you men are 
       witnesses of my promise, and my brother Benjamin has heard me say it) 
       "'for there are still five years of famine ahead of us. Otherwise you 





       will come to utter poverty along with all your household.'"

       (Gen 45:12 TLB)  

       (Gen 45:13 TLB)  Tell our father about all my power here in Egypt, and 
       how everyone obeys me. And bring him to me quickly."

       (Gen 45:14 TLB)  Then, weeping with joy, he embraced Benjamin and 
       Benjamin began weeping too.

       (Gen 45:15 TLB)  And he did the same with each of his brothers, who 
       finally found their tongues!

       (Gen 45:16 TLB)  The news soon reached Pharaoh-- "Joseph's brothers 
       have come"; and Pharaoh was very happy to hear it, as were his 
       officials.

       (Gen 45:17 TLB)  Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Tell your brothers to 
       load their pack animals and return quickly to their homes in Canaan,

       (Gen 45:18 TLB)  and to bring your father and all of your families and 
       come here to Egypt to live. Tell them, 'Pharaoh will assign to you the 
       very best territory in the land of Egypt. You shall live off the fat 
       of the land!'

       (Gen 45:19 TLB)  And tell your brothers to take wagons from Egypt to 
       carry their wives and little ones, and to bring your father here.

       (Gen 45:20 TLB)  Don't worry about your property, for the best of all 
       the land of Egypt is yours."

       (Gen 45:21 TLB)  So Joseph gave them wagons, as Pharaoh had commanded, 
       and provisions for the journey,

       (Gen 45:22 TLB)  and he gave each of them new clothes--but to Benjamin 
       he gave five changes of clothes and three hundred pieces of silver!

       (Gen 45:23 TLB)  He sent his father ten donkey-loads of the good 
       things of Egypt, and ten donkeys loaded with grain and all kinds of 
       other food, to eat on his journey.

       (Gen 45:24 TLB)  So he sent his brothers off. "Don't quarrel along the 
       way!" was his parting shot!

       (Gen 45:25 TLB)  And leaving, they returned to the land of Canaan, to 
       Jacob their father.

       (Gen 45:26 TLB)  "Joseph is alive," they shouted to him. "And he is 
       ruler over all the land of Egypt!" But Jacob's heart was like a stone; 
       he couldn't take it in.

       (Gen 45:27 TLB)  But when they had given him Joseph's messages, and 
       when he saw the wagons filled with food that Joseph had sent him, his 
       spirit revived.

       (Gen 45:28 TLB)  And he said, "It must be true! Joseph my son is 





       alive! I will go and see him before I die."

       (Gen 46:1 TLB)  So Israel set out with all his possessions, and came 
       to Beer-sheba, and offered sacrifices there to the God of his father, 
       Isaac.

       (Gen 46:2 TLB)  During the night God spoke to him in a vision. "Jacob! 
       Jacob!" he called. "Yes?" Jacob answered.

       (Gen 46:3 TLB)  "I am God," the voice replied, "the God of your 
       father. Don't be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will see to it that 
       you become a great nation there.

       (Gen 46:4 TLB)  And I will go down with you into Egypt and I will 
       bring your descendants back again; but you shall die in Egypt with 
       Joseph at your side."

       (Gen 46:5 TLB)  So Jacob left Beer-sheba, and his sons brought him to 
       Egypt, along with their little ones and their wives, in the wagons 
       Pharaoh had provided for them.

       (Gen 46:6 TLB)  They brought their livestock, too, and all their 
       belongings accumulated in the land of Canaan, and came to Egypt--Jacob 
       and all his children,

       (Gen 46:7 TLB)  sons and daughters, grandsons and granddaughters--all 
       his loved ones.

       (Gen 46:8 TLB)  Here are the names of his sons and grandchildren who 
       went with him into Egypt: Reuben, his oldest son;

       (Gen 46:9 TLB)  Reuben's sons: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.

       (Gen 46:10 TLB)  Simeon and his sons: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, 
       Zohar, and Shaul (Shaul's mother was a girl from Canaan).

       (Gen 46:11 TLB)  Levi and his sons: Gershon, Kohath, Merari.

       (Gen 46:12 TLB)  Judah and his sons: Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, Zerah 
       (however, Er and Onan died while still in Canaan, before Israel went 
       to Egypt). The sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul.

       (Gen 46:13 TLB)  Issachar and his sons: Tola, Puvah, Iob, Shimron.

       (Gen 46:14 TLB)  Zebulun and his sons: Sered, Elon, Jahleel.

       (Gen 46:15 TLB)  So these descendants of Jacob and Leah, not including 
       their daughter Dinah, born to Jacob in Paddan-aram, were thirty-three 
       in all.

       (Gen 46:16 TLB)  Also accompanying him were: Gad and his sons: 
       Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli.

       (Gen 46:17 TLB)  Asher and his sons: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah, and 
       a sister, Serah. Beriah's sons were Heber and Malchiel.





       (Gen 46:18 TLB)  These sixteen persons were the sons of Jacob and 
       Zilpah, the slave-girl given to Leah by her father, Laban.

       (Gen 46:19 TLB)  Also in the total of Jacob's household were these 
       fourteen sons and descendants of Jacob and Rachel: Joseph and 
       Benjamin;

       (Gen 46:20 TLB)  Joseph's sons, born in the land of Egypt, were 
       Manasseh and Ephraim (their mother was Asenath, the daughter of 
       Potiphera, priest of Heliopolis);

       (Gen 46:21 TLB)  Benjamin's sons: Bela, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, 
       Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard.

       (Gen 46:22 TLB)  

       (Gen 46:23 TLB)  Also in the group were these seven sons and 
       descendants of Jacob and Bilhah, the slave-girl given to Rachel by her 
       father, Laban: Dan and his son: Hushim.

       (Gen 46:24 TLB)  

       (Gen 46:25 TLB)  Naphtali and his sons: Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and 
       Shillem.

       (Gen 46:26 TLB)  So the total number of those going to Egypt, of his 
       own descendants, not counting the wives of Jacob's sons, was 
       sixty-six.

       (Gen 46:27 TLB)  With Joseph and his two sons included, this total of 
       Jacob's household there in Egypt totaled seventy.

       (Gen 46:28 TLB)  Jacob sent Judah on ahead to tell Joseph that they 
       were on the way, and would soon arrive in Goshen--which they did.

       (Gen 46:29 TLB)  Joseph jumped into his chariot and journeyed to 
       Goshen to meet his father and they fell into each other's arms and 
       wept a long while.

       (Gen 46:30 TLB)  Then Israel said to Joseph, "Now let me die, for I 
       have seen you again and know you are alive."

       (Gen 46:31 TLB)  And Joseph said to his brothers and to all their 
       households, "I'll go and tell Pharaoh that you are here, and that you 
       have come from the land of Canaan to join me.

       (Gen 46:32 TLB)  And I will tell him, 'These men are shepherds. They 
       have brought with them their flocks and herds and everything they 
       own.'

       (Gen 46:33 TLB)  So when Pharaoh calls for you and asks you about your 
       occupation,

       (Gen 46:34 TLB)  tell him, 'We have been shepherds from our youth, as 
       our fathers have been for many generations.' When you tell him this, 
       he will let you live here in the land of Goshen." For shepherds were 





       despised and hated in other parts of Egypt.

       (Gen 47:1 TLB)  Upon their arrival, Joseph went in to see Pharaoh. "My 
       father and my brothers are here from Canaan," he reported, "with all 
       their flocks and herds and possessions. They wish to settle in the 
       land of Goshen."

       (Gen 47:2 TLB)  He took five of his brothers with him, and presented 
       them to Pharaoh.

       (Gen 47:3 TLB)  Pharaoh asked them, "What is your occupation?" And 
       they replied, "We are shepherds like our ancestors.

       (Gen 47:4 TLB)  We have come to live here in Egypt, for there is no 
       pasture for our flocks in Canaan--the famine is very bitter there. We 
       request permission to live in the land of Goshen."

       (Gen 47:5 TLB)  And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Choose anywhere you like 
       for them to live. Give them the best land of Egypt. The land of Goshen 
       will be fine. And if any of them are capable, put them in charge of my 
       flocks, too."

       (Gen 47:6 TLB)  

       (Gen 47:7 TLB)  Then Joseph brought his father Jacob to Pharaoh. And 
       Jacob blessed Pharaoh.

       (Gen 47:8 TLB)  "How old are you?" Pharaoh asked him.

       (Gen 47:9 TLB)  Jacob replied, "I have lived 130 long, hard years, and 
       I am not nearly as old as many of my ancestors."

       (Gen 47:10 TLB)  Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh again before he left.

       (Gen 47:11 TLB)  So Joseph assigned the best land of Egypt--the land 
       of Rameses--to his father and brothers, just as Pharaoh had commanded.

       (Gen 47:12 TLB)  And Joseph furnished food to them in accordance with 
       the number of their dependents.

       (Gen 47:13 TLB)  The famine became worse and worse, so that all the 
       land of Egypt and Canaan was starving.

       (Gen 47:14 TLB)  Joseph collected all the money in Egypt and Canaan in 
       exchange for grain, and he brought the money to Pharaoh's 
       treasure-houses.

       (Gen 47:15 TLB)  When the people were out of money, they came to 
       Joseph crying again for food. "Our money is gone," they said, "but 
       give us bread; for why should we die?"

       (Gen 47:16 TLB)  "Well then," Joseph replied, "give me your livestock. 
       I will trade you food in exchange."

       (Gen 47:17 TLB)  So they brought their cattle to Joseph in exchange 
       for food. Soon all the horses, flocks, herds, and donkeys of Egypt 





       were in Pharaoh's possession.

       (Gen 47:18 TLB)  The next year they came again and said, "Our money is 
       gone, and our cattle are yours, and there is nothing left but our 
       bodies and land.

       (Gen 47:19 TLB)  Why should we die? Buy us and our land and we will be 
       serfs to Pharaoh. We will trade ourselves for food, then we will live, 
       and the land won't be abandoned."

       (Gen 47:20 TLB)  So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; 
       all the Egyptians sold him their fields because the famine was so 
       severe. And the land became Pharaoh's.

       (Gen 47:21 TLB)  Thus all the people of Egypt became Pharaoh's serfs.

       (Gen 47:22 TLB)  The only land he didn't buy was that belonging to the 
       priests, for they were assigned food from Pharaoh and didn't need to 
       sell.

       (Gen 47:23 TLB)  Then Joseph said to the people, "See, I have bought 
       you and your land for Pharaoh. Here is grain. Go and sow the land.

       (Gen 47:24 TLB)  And when you harvest it, a fifth of everything you 
       get belongs to Pharaoh. Keep four parts for yourselves to be used for 
       next year's seed, and as food for yourselves and for your households 
       and little ones."

       (Gen 47:25 TLB)  "You have saved our lives," they said. "We will 
       gladly be the serfs of Pharaoh."

       (Gen 47:26 TLB)  So Joseph made it a law throughout the land of 
       Egypt--and it is still the law--that Pharaoh should have as his tax 20 
       percent of all the crops except those produced on the land owned by 
       the temples.

       (Gen 47:27 TLB)  So Israel lived in the land of Goshen in Egypt, and 
       soon the people of Israel began to prosper, and there was a veritable 
       population explosion among them.

       (Gen 47:28 TLB)  Jacob lived seventeen years after his arrival, so 
       that he was 147 years old at the time of his death.

       (Gen 47:29 TLB)  As the time drew near for him to die, he called for 
       his son Joseph and said to him, "Swear to me most solemnly that you 
       will honor this, my last request: do not bury me in Egypt.

       (Gen 47:30 TLB)  But when I am dead, take me out of Egypt and bury me 
       beside my ancestors." And Joseph promised.

       (Gen 47:31 TLB)  "Swear that you will do it," Jacob insisted. And 
       Joseph did. Soon afterwards Jacob took to his bed.

       (Gen 48:1 TLB)  One day not long after this, word came to Joseph that 
       his father was failing rapidly. So, taking with him his two sons, 
       Manasseh and Ephraim, he went to visit him.






       (Gen 48:2 TLB)  When Jacob heard that Joseph had arrived, he gathered 
       his strength and sat up in the bed to greet him,

       (Gen 48:3 TLB)  and said to him, "God Almighty appeared to me at Luz 
       in the land of Canaan and blessed me,

       (Gen 48:4 TLB)  and said to me, 'I will make you a great nation and I 
       will give this land of Canaan to you and to your children's children, 
       for an everlasting possession.'

       (Gen 48:5 TLB)  And now, as to these two sons of yours, Ephraim and 
       Manasseh, born here in the land of Egypt before I arrived, I am 
       adopting them as my own, and they will inherit from me just as Reuben 
       and Simeon will.

       (Gen 48:6 TLB)  But any other children born to you shall be your own, 
       and shall inherit Ephraim's and Manasseh's portion from you.

       (Gen 48:7 TLB)  For your mother, Rachel, died after only two children 
       when I came from Paddan-aram, as we were just a short distance from 
       Ephrath, and I buried her beside the road to Bethlehem."

       (Gen 48:8 TLB)  Then Israel looked over at the two boys. "Are these 
       the ones?" he asked.

       (Gen 48:9 TLB)  "Yes," Joseph told him, "these are my sons whom God 
       has given me here in Egypt." And Israel said, "Bring them over to me 
       and I will bless them."

       (Gen 48:10 TLB)  Israel was half blind with age, so that he could 
       hardly see. So Joseph brought the boys close to him and he kissed and 
       embraced them.

       (Gen 48:11 TLB)  And Israel said to Joseph, "I never thought that I 
       would see you again, but now God has let me see your children too."

       (Gen 48:12 TLB)  Joseph took the boys by the hand, bowed deeply to 
       him, and led the boys to their grandfather's knees--Ephraim at 
       Israel's left hand and Manasseh at his right.

       (Gen 48:13 TLB)  

       (Gen 48:14 TLB)  But Israel crossed his arms as he stretched them out 
       to lay his hands upon the boys' heads, so that his right hand was upon 
       the head of Ephraim, the younger boy, and his left hand was upon the 
       head of Manasseh, the older. He did this purposely.

       (Gen 48:15 TLB)  Then he blessed Joseph with this blessing: "May God, 
       the God of my fathers Abraham and Isaac, the God who has shepherded me 
       all my life, wonderfully bless these boys.

       (Gen 48:16 TLB)  He is the Angel who has kept me from all harm. May 
       these boys be an honor to my name and to the names of my fathers 
       Abraham and Isaac; and may they become a mighty nation."





       (Gen 48:17 TLB)  But Joseph was upset and displeased when he saw that 
       his father had laid his right hand on Ephraim's head; so he lifted it 
       to place it on Manasseh's head instead.

       (Gen 48:18 TLB)  "No, Father," he said. "You've got your right hand on 
       the wrong head! This one over here is the older. Put your right hand 
       on him!"

       (Gen 48:19 TLB)  But his father refused. "I know what I'm doing, my 
       son," he said. "Manasseh too shall become a great nation, but his 
       younger brother shall become even greater."

       (Gen 48:20 TLB)  So Jacob blessed the boys that day with this 
       blessing: "May the people of Israel bless each other by saying, 'God 
       make you as prosperous as Ephraim and Manasseh.'" (Note that he put 
       Ephraim before Manasseh.)

       (Gen 48:21 TLB)  Then Israel said to Joseph, "I am about to die, but 
       God will be with you and will bring you again to Canaan, the land of 
       your fathers.

       (Gen 48:22 TLB)  And I have given the choice land of Shekem to you 
       instead of to your brothers, as your portion of that land which I took 
       from the Amorites with my sword and with my bow."

       (Gen 49:1 TLB)  Then Jacob called together all his sons and said, 
       "Gather around me and I will tell you what is going to happen to you 
       in the days to come.

       (Gen 49:2 TLB)  Listen to me, O sons of Jacob; listen to Israel your 
       father.

       (Gen 49:3 TLB)  "Reuben, you are my oldest son, the child of my 
       vigorous youth. You are the head of the list in rank and in honor.

       (Gen 49:4 TLB)  But you are unruly as the wild waves of the sea, and 
       you shall be first no longer. I am demoting you, for you slept with 
       one of my wives and thus dishonored me.

       (Gen 49:5 TLB)  "Simeon and Levi are two of a kind. They are men of 
       violence and injustice.

       (Gen 49:6 TLB)  O my soul, stay away from them. May I never be a party 
       to their wicked plans. For in their anger they murdered a man, and 
       maimed oxen just for fun.

       (Gen 49:7 TLB)  Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce and cruel. 
       Therefore, I will scatter their descendants throughout Israel.

       (Gen 49:8 TLB)  "Judah, your brothers shall praise you. You shall 
       destroy your enemies. Your father's sons shall bow before you.

       (Gen 49:9 TLB)  Judah is a young lion that has finished eating its 
       prey. He has settled down as a lion--who will dare to rouse him?

       (Gen 49:10 TLB)  The scepter shall not depart from Judah until Shiloh 





       comes, whom all people shall obey.

       (Gen 49:11 TLB)  He has chained his steed to the choicest vine and 
       washed his clothes in wine.

       (Gen 49:12 TLB)  His eyes are darker than wine and his teeth are 
       whiter than milk.

       (Gen 49:13 TLB)  "Zebulun shall dwell on the shores of the sea and 
       shall be a harbor for ships, with his borders extending to Sidon.

       (Gen 49:14 TLB)  "Issachar is a strong beast of burden resting among 
       the saddlebags.

       (Gen 49:15 TLB)  When he saw how good the countryside was, how 
       pleasant the land, he willingly bent his shoulder to the task and 
       served his masters with vigor.

       (Gen 49:16 TLB)  "Dan shall govern his people like any other tribe in 
       Israel.

       (Gen 49:17 TLB)  He shall be a serpent in the path that bites the 
       horses' heels, so that the rider falls off.

       (Gen 49:18 TLB)  I trust in your salvation, Lord.

       (Gen 49:19 TLB)  "A marauding band shall stamp upon Gad, but he shall 
       rob and pursue them!

       (Gen 49:20 TLB)  "Asher shall produce rich foods, fit for kings!

       (Gen 49:21 TLB)  "Naphtali is a deer let loose, producing lovely 
       fawns.

       (Gen 49:22 TLB)  "Joseph is a fruitful tree beside a fountain. His 
       branches shade the wall.

       (Gen 49:23 TLB)  He has been severely injured by those who shot at him 
       and persecuted him,

       (Gen 49:24 TLB)  but their weapons were shattered by the Mighty One of 
       Jacob, the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel.

       (Gen 49:25 TLB)  May the God of your fathers, the Almighty, bless you 
       with blessings of heaven above and of the earth beneath--blessings of 
       the breasts and of the womb,

       (Gen 49:26 TLB)  blessings of the grain and flowers, blessings 
       reaching to the utmost bounds of the everlasting hills. These shall be 
       the blessings upon the head of Joseph who was exiled from his 
       brothers.

       (Gen 49:27 TLB)  "Benjamin is a wolf that prowls. He devours his 
       enemies in the morning, and in the evening divides the loot."

       (Gen 49:28 TLB)  So these are the blessings that Israel, their father, 





       blessed his twelve sons with.

       (Gen 49:29 TLB)  Then he told them, "Soon I will die. You must bury me 
       with my fathers in the land of Canaan,

       (Gen 49:30 TLB)  in the cave in the field of Mach-pelah, facing 
       Mamre--the field Abraham bought from Ephron the Hethite for a burial 
       ground.

       (Gen 49:31 TLB)  There they buried Abraham and Sarah, his wife; there 
       they buried Isaac and Rebekah, his wife; and there I buried Leah.

       (Gen 49:32 TLB)  It is the cave which my grandfather Abraham purchased 
       from the sons of Heth."

       (Gen 49:33 TLB)  Then, when Jacob had finished his prophecies to his 
       sons, he lay back in the bed, breathed his last, and died.

       (Gen 50:1 TLB)  Joseph threw himself upon his father's body and wept 
       over him and kissed him.

       (Gen 50:2 TLB)  Afterwards he commanded his morticians to embalm the 
       body.

       (Gen 50:3 TLB)  The embalming process required forty days, with a 
       period of national mourning of seventy days.

       (Gen 50:4 TLB)  Then, when at last the mourning was over, Joseph 
       approached Pharaoh's staff and requested them to speak to Pharaoh on 
       his behalf.

       (Gen 50:5 TLB)  "Tell His Majesty," he requested them, "that Joseph's 
       father made Joseph swear to take his body back to the land of Canaan, 
       to bury him there. Ask His Majesty to permit me to go and bury my 
       father; assure him that I will return promptly."

       (Gen 50:6 TLB)  Pharaoh agreed. "Go and bury your father, as you 
       promised," he said.

       (Gen 50:7 TLB)  So Joseph went, and a great number of Pharaoh's 
       counselors and assistants--all the senior officers of the land,

       (Gen 50:8 TLB)  as well as all of Joseph's people--his brothers and 
       their families. But they left their little children and flocks and 
       herds in the land of Goshen.

       (Gen 50:9 TLB)  So a very great number of chariots, cavalry, and 
       people accompanied Joseph.

       (Gen 50:10 TLB)  When they arrived at Atad (meaning "Threshing Place 
       of Brambles"), beyond the Jordan River, they held a very great and 
       solemn funeral service, with a seven-day period of lamentation for 
       Joseph's father.

       (Gen 50:11 TLB)  The local residents, the Canaanites, renamed the 
       place Abel-mizraim (meaning "Egyptian Mourners") for they said, "It is 





       a place of very deep mourning by these Egyptians."

       (Gen 50:12 TLB)  So his sons did as Israel commanded them,

       (Gen 50:13 TLB)  and carried his body into the land of Canaan and 
       buried it there in the cave of Mach-pelah--the cave Abraham had bought 
       in the field of Ephron the Hethite, close to Mamre.

       (Gen 50:14 TLB)  Then Joseph returned to Egypt with his brothers and 
       all who had accompanied him to the funeral of his father.

       (Gen 50:15 TLB)  But now that their father was dead, Joseph's brothers 
       were frightened. "Now Joseph will pay us back for all the evil we did 
       to him," they said.

       (Gen 50:16 TLB)  So they sent him this message: "Before he died, your 
       father instructed us to tell you

       (Gen 50:17 TLB)  to forgive us for the great evil we did to you. We 
       servants of the God of your father beg you to forgive us." When Joseph 
       read the message, he broke down and cried.

       (Gen 50:18 TLB)  Then his brothers came and fell down before him and 
       said, "We are your slaves."

       (Gen 50:19 TLB)  But Joseph told them, "Don't be afraid of me. Am I 
       God, to judge and punish you?

       (Gen 50:20 TLB)  As far as I am concerned, God turned into good what 
       you meant for evil, for he brought me to this high position I have 
       today so that I could save the lives of many people.

       (Gen 50:21 TLB)  No, don't be afraid. Indeed, I myself will take care 
       of you and your families." And he spoke very kindly to them, 
       reassuring them.

       (Gen 50:22 TLB)  So Joseph and his brothers and their families 
       continued to live in Egypt. Joseph was 110 years old when he died.

       (Gen 50:23 TLB)  He lived to see the birth of his son Ephraim's 
       children, and the children of Machir, Manasseh's son, who played at 
       his feet.

       (Gen 50:24 TLB)  "Soon I will die," Joseph told his brothers, "but God 
       will surely come and get you, and bring you out of this land of Egypt 
       and take you back to the land he promised to the descendants of 
       Abraham, Isaac and Jacob."

       (Gen 50:25 TLB)  Then Joseph made his brothers promise with an oath 
       that they would take his body back with them when they returned to 
       Canaan.

       (Gen 50:26 TLB)  So Joseph died at the age of 110, and they embalmed 
       him, and his body was placed in a coffin in Egypt.

       (Exo 1:1 TLB)  This is the list of the sons of Jacob who accompanied 





       him to Egypt, with their families:

       (Exo 1:2 TLB)  Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah,

       (Exo 1:3 TLB)  Issachar, Zebulun, Benjamin,

       (Exo 1:4 TLB)  Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher.

       (Exo 1:5 TLB)  So the total number who went with him was seventy (for 
       Joseph was already there).

       (Exo 1:6 TLB)  In due season Joseph and each of his brothers died, 
       ending that generation.

       (Exo 1:7 TLB)  Meanwhile, their descendants were very fertile, 
       increasing rapidly in numbers; there was a veritable population 
       explosion so that they soon became a large nation, and they filled the 
       land of Goshen.

       (Exo 1:8 TLB)  Then, eventually, a new king came to the throne of 
       Egypt who felt no obligation to the descendants of Joseph.

       (Exo 1:9 TLB)  He told his people, "These Israelis are becoming 
       dangerous to us because there are so many of them.

       (Exo 1:10 TLB)  Let's figure out a way to put an end to this. If we 
       don't, and war breaks out, they will join our enemies and fight 
       against us and escape out of the country."

       (Exo 1:11 TLB)  So the Egyptians made slaves of them and put brutal 
       taskmasters over them to wear them down under heavy burdens while 
       building the cities of Pithom and Rameses as supply centers for the 
       king.

       (Exo 1:12 TLB)  But the more the Egyptians mistreated and oppressed 
       them, the more the Israelis seemed to multiply! The Egyptians became 
       alarmed

       (Exo 1:13 TLB)  and made the Hebrew slavery more bitter still, forcing 
       them to toil long and hard in the fields and to carry heavy loads of 
       mortar and brick.

       (Exo 1:14 TLB)  

       (Exo 1:15 TLB)  Then Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, instructed the Hebrew 
       midwives (their names were Shiphrah and Puah) to kill all Hebrew boys 
       as soon as they were born, but to let the girls live.

       (Exo 1:16 TLB)  

       (Exo 1:17 TLB)  But the midwives feared God and didn't obey the 
       king--they let the boys live too.

       (Exo 1:18 TLB)  The king summoned them before him and demanded, "Why 
       have you disobeyed my command and let the baby boys live?"





       (Exo 1:19 TLB)  "Sir," they told him, "the Hebrew women have their 
       babies so quickly that we can't get there in time! They are not slow 
       like the Egyptian women!"

       (Exo 1:20 TLB)  And God blessed the midwives (because they were 
       God-fearing women). So the people of Israel continued to multiply and 
       to become a mighty nation.

       (Exo 1:21 TLB)  And because the midwives revered God, he gave them 
       children of their own.

       (Exo 1:22 TLB)  Then Pharaoh commanded all of his people to throw the 
       newborn Hebrew boys into the Nile River. But the girls, he said, could 
       live.

       (Exo 2:1 TLB)  There were at this time a Hebrew fellow and girl of the 
       tribe of Levi who married and had a family,

       (Exo 2:2 TLB)  and a baby son was born to them. When the baby's mother 
       saw that he was an unusually beautiful baby, she hid him at home for 
       three months.

       (Exo 2:3 TLB)  Then, when she could no longer hide him, she made a 
       little boat from papyrus reeds, waterproofed it with tar, put the baby 
       in it, and laid it among the reeds along the river's edge.

       (Exo 2:4 TLB)  The baby's sister watched from a distance to see what 
       would happen to him.

       (Exo 2:5 TLB)  Well, this is what happened: A princess, one of 
       Pharaoh's daughters, came down to bathe in the river, and as she and 
       her maids were walking along the riverbank, she spied the little boat 
       among the reeds and sent one of the maids to bring it to her.

       (Exo 2:6 TLB)  When she opened it, there was a baby! And he was 
       crying. This touched her heart. "He must be one of the Hebrew 
       children!" she said.

       (Exo 2:7 TLB)  Then the baby's sister approached the princess and 
       asked her, "Shall I go and find one of the Hebrew women to nurse the 
       baby for you?"

       (Exo 2:8 TLB)  "Yes, do!" the princess replied. So the little girl 
       rushed home and called her mother!

       (Exo 2:9 TLB)  "Take this child home and nurse him for me," the 
       princess instructed the baby's mother, "and I will pay you well!" So 
       she took him home and nursed him.

       (Exo 2:10 TLB)  Later, when he was older, she brought him back to the 
       princess and he became her son. She named him Moses (meaning "to draw 
       out") because she had drawn him out of the water.

       (Exo 2:11 TLB)  One day, many years later when Moses had grown up and 
       become a man, he went out to visit his fellow Hebrews and saw the 
       terrible conditions they were under. During his visit he saw an 





       Egyptian knock a Hebrew to the ground--one of his own Hebrew brothers!

       (Exo 2:12 TLB)  Moses looked this way and that to be sure no one was 
       watching, then killed the Egyptian and hid his body in the sand.

       (Exo 2:13 TLB)  The next day as he was out visiting among the Hebrews 
       again, he saw two of them fighting. "What are you doing, hitting your 
       own Hebrew brother like that?" he said to the one in the wrong.

       (Exo 2:14 TLB)  "And who are you?" the man demanded. "I suppose you 
       think you are our prince and judge! And do you plan to kill me as you 
       did that Egyptian yesterday?" When Moses realized that his deed was 
       known, he was frightened.

       (Exo 2:15 TLB)  And sure enough, when Pharaoh heard about it he 
       ordered Moses arrested and executed. But Moses ran away into the land 
       of Midian. As he was sitting there beside a well,

       (Exo 2:16 TLB)  seven girls who were daughters of the priest of Midian 
       came to draw water and fill the water troughs for their father's 
       flocks.

       (Exo 2:17 TLB)  But the shepherds chased the girls away. Moses then 
       came to their aid and rescued them from the shepherds and watered 
       their flocks.

       (Exo 2:18 TLB)  When they returned to their father, Reuel, he asked, 
       "How did you get the flocks watered so quickly today?"

       (Exo 2:19 TLB)  "An Egyptian defended us against the shepherds," they 
       told him; "he drew water for us and watered the flocks."

       (Exo 2:20 TLB)  "Well, where is he?" their father demanded. "Did you 
       just leave him there? Invite him home for supper."

       (Exo 2:21 TLB)  Moses eventually decided to accept Reuel's invitation 
       to live with them, and Reuel gave him one of the girls, Zipporah, as 
       his wife.

       (Exo 2:22 TLB)  They had a baby named Gershom (meaning "foreigner"), 
       for he said, "I am a stranger in a foreign land."

       (Exo 2:23 TLB)  Several years later the king of Egypt died. The 
       Israelis were groaning beneath their burdens, in deep trouble because 
       of their slavery, and weeping bitterly before the Lord. He heard their 
       cries from heaven,

       (Exo 2:24 TLB)  and remembered his promise to Abraham, Isaac, and 
       Jacob (to bring their descendants back into the land of Canaan).

       (Exo 2:25 TLB)  Looking down upon them, he knew that the time had come 
       for their rescue.

       (Exo 3:1 TLB)  One day as Moses was tending the flock of his 
       father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, out at the edge of the 
       desert near Horeb, the mountain of God,






       (Exo 3:2 TLB)  suddenly the Angel of Jehovah appeared to him as a 
       flame of fire in a bush. When Moses saw that the bush was on fire and 
       that it didn't burn up,

       (Exo 3:3 TLB)  he went over to investigate. Then God called out to 
       him, "Moses! Moses!" "Who is it?" Moses asked.

       (Exo 3:4 TLB)  

       (Exo 3:5 TLB)  "Don't come any closer," God told him. "Take off your 
       shoes, for you are standing on holy ground.

       (Exo 3:6 TLB)  I am the God of your fathers--the God of Abraham, 
       Isaac, and Jacob." (Moses covered his face with his hands, for he was 
       afraid to look at God.)

       (Exo 3:7 TLB)  Then the Lord told him, "I have seen the deep sorrows 
       of my people in Egypt and have heard their pleas for freedom from 
       their harsh taskmasters.

       (Exo 3:8 TLB)  I have come to deliver them from the Egyptians and to 
       take them out of Egypt into a good land, a large land, a land 'flowing 
       with milk and honey'--the land where the Canaanites, Hittites, 
       Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites live.

       (Exo 3:9 TLB)  Yes, the wail of the people of Israel has risen to me 
       in heaven, and I have seen the heavy tasks the Egyptians have 
       oppressed them with.

       (Exo 3:10 TLB)  Now I am going to send you to Pharaoh, to demand that 
       he let you lead my people out of Egypt."

       (Exo 3:11 TLB)  "But I'm not the person for a job like that!" Moses 
       exclaimed.

       (Exo 3:12 TLB)  Then God told him, "I will certainly be with you, and 
       this is the proof that I am the one who is sending you: When you have 
       led the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God here upon this 
       mountain!"

       (Exo 3:13 TLB)  But Moses asked, "If I go to the people of Israel and 
       tell them that their fathers' God has sent me, they will ask, 'Which 
       God are you talking about?' What shall I tell them?"

       (Exo 3:14 TLB)  "'The Sovereign God,'" was the reply. "Just say, 'I Am 
       has sent me!'

       (Exo 3:15 TLB)  Yes, tell them, 'Jehovah, the God of your ancestors 
       Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, has sent me to you.' (This is my eternal 
       name, to be used throughout all generations.)

       (Exo 3:16 TLB)  "Call together all the elders of Israel," God 
       instructed him, "and tell them about Jehovah appearing to you here in 
       this burning bush and that he said to you, 'I have visited my people 
       and have seen what is happening to them there in Egypt.






       (Exo 3:17 TLB)  I promise to rescue them from the drudgery and 
       humiliation they are undergoing, and to take them to the land now 
       occupied by the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, 
       and Jebusites, a land "flowing with milk and honey.'"

       (Exo 3:18 TLB)  The elders of the people of Israel will accept your 
       message. They must go with you to the king of Egypt and tell him, 
       'Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us and instructed us to 
       go three days' journey into the desert to sacrifice to him. Give us 
       your permission.'

       (Exo 3:19 TLB)  "But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go 
       except under heavy pressure.

       (Exo 3:20 TLB)  So I will give him all the pressure he needs! I will 
       destroy Egypt with my miracles, and then at last he will let you go.

       (Exo 3:21 TLB)  And I will see to it that the Egyptians load you down 
       with gifts when you leave, so that you will by no means go out 
       empty-handed!

       (Exo 3:22 TLB)  Every woman will ask for jewels, silver, gold, and the 
       finest of clothes from her Egyptian master's wife and neighbors. You 
       will clothe your sons and daughters with the best of Egypt!"

       (Exo 4:1 TLB)  But Moses said, "They won't believe me! They won't do 
       what I tell them to. They'll say, 'Jehovah never appeared to you!'"

       (Exo 4:2 TLB)  "What do you have there in your hand?" the Lord asked 
       him. And he replied, "A shepherd's rod."

       (Exo 4:3 TLB)  "Throw it down on the ground," the Lord told him. So he 
       threw it down--and it became a serpent, and Moses ran from it!

       (Exo 4:4 TLB)  Then the Lord told him, "Grab it by the tail!" He did, 
       and it became a rod in his hand again!

       (Exo 4:5 TLB)  "Do that and they will believe you!" the Lord told him. 
       "Then they will realize that Jehovah, the God of their ancestors 
       Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, has really appeared to you.

       (Exo 4:6 TLB)  Now reach your hand inside your robe, next to your 
       chest." And when he did, and took it out again, it was white with 
       leprosy!

       (Exo 4:7 TLB)  "Now put it in again," Jehovah said. And when he did, 
       and took it out again, it was normal, just as before!

       (Exo 4:8 TLB)  "If they don't believe the first miracle, they will the 
       second," the Lord said,

       (Exo 4:9 TLB)  "and if they don't accept you after these two signs, 
       then take water from the Nile River and pour it upon the dry land, and 
       it will turn to blood."





       (Exo 4:10 TLB)  But Moses pleaded, "O Lord, I'm just not a good 
       speaker. I never have been, and I'm not now, even after you have 
       spoken to me, for I have a speech impediment."

       (Exo 4:11 TLB)  "Who makes mouths?" Jehovah asked him. "Isn't it I, 
       the Lord? Who makes a man so that he can speak or not speak, see or 
       not see, hear or not hear?

       (Exo 4:12 TLB)  Now go ahead and do as I tell you, for I will help you 
       to speak well, and I will tell you what to say."

       (Exo 4:13 TLB)  But Moses said, "Lord, please! Send someone else."

       (Exo 4:14 TLB)  Then the Lord became angry. "All right," he said, 
       "your brother, Aaron, is a good speaker. And he is coming here to look 
       for you and will be very happy when he finds you.

       (Exo 4:15 TLB)  So I will tell you what to tell him, and I will help 
       both of you to speak well, and I will tell you what to do.

       (Exo 4:16 TLB)  He will be your spokesman to the people. And you will 
       be as God to him, telling him what to say.

       (Exo 4:17 TLB)  And be sure to take your rod along so that you can 
       perform the miracles I have shown you."

       (Exo 4:18 TLB)  Moses returned home and talked it over with Jethro, 
       his father-in-law. "With your permission," Moses said, "I will go back 
       to Egypt and visit my relatives. I don't even know whether they are 
       still alive." "Go with my blessing," Jethro replied.

       (Exo 4:19 TLB)  Before Moses left Midian, Jehovah said to him, "Don't 
       be afraid to return to Egypt, for all those who wanted to kill you are 
       dead."

       (Exo 4:20 TLB)  So Moses took his wife and sons and put them on a 
       donkey, and returned to the land of Egypt, holding tightly to the "rod 
       of God"!

       (Exo 4:21 TLB)  Jehovah told him, "When you arrive back in Egypt you 
       are to go to Pharaoh and do the miracles I have shown you, but I will 
       make him stubborn so that he will not let the people go.

       (Exo 4:22 TLB)  Then you are to tell him, 'Jehovah says, "Israel is my 
       eldest son,

       (Exo 4:23 TLB)  and I have commanded you to let him go away and 
       worship me, but you have refused: and now see, I will slay your eldest 
       son."'"

       (Exo 4:24 TLB)  As Moses and his family were traveling along and had 
       stopped for the night, Jehovah appeared to Moses and threatened to 
       kill him.

       (Exo 4:25 TLB)  Then Zipporah his wife took a flint knife and cut off 
       the foreskin of her young son's penis, and threw it against Moses' 





       feet, remarking disgustedly, "What a blood-smeared husband you've 
       turned out to be!"

       (Exo 4:26 TLB)  Then God let him alone.

       (Exo 4:27 TLB)  Now Jehovah said to Aaron, "Go into the wilderness to 
       meet Moses." So Aaron traveled to Mount Horeb, the mountain of God, 
       and met Moses there, and they greeted each other warmly.

       (Exo 4:28 TLB)  Moses told Aaron what God had said they must do, and 
       what they were to say, and told him about the miracles they must do 
       before Pharaoh.

       (Exo 4:29 TLB)  So Moses and Aaron returned to Egypt and summoned the 
       elders of the people of Israel to a council meeting.

       (Exo 4:30 TLB)  Aaron told them what Jehovah had said to Moses, and 
       Moses performed the miracles as they watched.

       (Exo 4:31 TLB)  Then the elders believed that God had sent them, and 
       when they heard that Jehovah had visited them and had seen their 
       sorrows, and had decided to rescue them, they all rejoiced and bowed 
       their heads and worshiped.

       (Exo 5:1 TLB)  After this presentation to the elders, Moses and Aaron 
       went to see Pharaoh. They told him, "We bring you a message from 
       Jehovah, the God of Israel. He says, 'Let my people go, for they must 
       make a holy pilgrimage out into the wilderness, for a religious feast, 
       to worship me there.'"

       (Exo 5:2 TLB)  "Is that so?" retorted Pharaoh. "And who is Jehovah, 
       that I should listen to him, and let Israel go? I don't know Jehovah 
       and I will not let Israel go."

       (Exo 5:3 TLB)  But Aaron and Moses persisted. "The God of the Hebrews 
       has met with us," they declared. "We must take a three days' trip into 
       the wilderness and sacrifice there to Jehovah our God; if we don't 
       obey him, we face death by plague or sword."

       (Exo 5:4 TLB)  "Who do you think you are," Pharaoh shouted, 
       "distracting the people from their work? Get back to your jobs!"

       (Exo 5:5 TLB)  

       (Exo 5:6 TLB)  That same day Pharaoh sent this order to the 
       taskmasters and officers he had set over the people of Israel:

       (Exo 5:7 TLB)  "Don't give the people any more straw for making 
       bricks!

       (Exo 5:8 TLB)  However, don't reduce their production quotas by a 
       single brick, for they obviously don't have enough to do or else they 
       wouldn't be talking about going out into the wilderness and 
       sacrificing to their God.

       (Exo 5:9 TLB)  Load them with work and make them sweat; that will 





       teach them to listen to Moses' and Aaron's lies!"

       (Exo 5:10 TLB)  So the taskmasters and officers informed the people: 
       "Pharaoh has given orders to furnish you with no more straw.

       (Exo 5:11 TLB)  Go and find it wherever you can; but you must produce 
       just as many bricks as before!"

       (Exo 5:12 TLB)  So the people scattered everywhere to gather straw.

       (Exo 5:13 TLB)  The taskmasters were brutal. "Fulfill your daily quota 
       just as before," they kept demanding.

       (Exo 5:14 TLB)  Then they whipped the Israeli work-crew bosses. "Why 
       haven't you fulfilled your quotas either yesterday or today?" they 
       roared.

       (Exo 5:15 TLB)  These foremen went to Pharaoh and pleaded with him. 
       "Don't treat us like this," they begged.

       (Exo 5:16 TLB)  "We are given no straw and told to make as many bricks 
       as before, and we are beaten for something that isn't our fault--it is 
       the fault of your taskmasters for making such unreasonable demands."

       (Exo 5:17 TLB)  But Pharaoh replied, "You don't have enough work, or 
       else you wouldn't be saying, 'Let us go and sacrifice to Jehovah.'

       (Exo 5:18 TLB)  Get back to work. No straw will be given you, and you 
       must deliver the regular quota of bricks."

       (Exo 5:19 TLB)  Then the foremen saw that they were indeed in a bad 
       situation.

       (Exo 5:20 TLB)  When they met Moses and Aaron waiting for them outside 
       the palace, as they came out from their meeting with Pharaoh,

       (Exo 5:21 TLB)  they swore at them. "May God judge you for making us 
       stink before Pharaoh and his people," they said, "and for giving them 
       an excuse to kill us."

       (Exo 5:22 TLB)  Then Moses went back to the Lord. "Lord," he 
       protested, "how can you mistreat your own people like this? Why did 
       you ever send me if you were going to do this to them?

       (Exo 5:23 TLB)  Ever since I gave Pharaoh your message, he has only 
       been more and more brutal to them, and you have not delivered them at 
       all!"

       (Exo 6:1 TLB)  "Now you will see what I shall do to Pharaoh," the Lord 
       told Moses. "For he must be forced to let my people go; he will not 
       only let them go, but will drive them out of his land!

       (Exo 6:2 TLB)  I am Jehovah, the Almighty God who appeared to Abraham, 
       Isaac, and Jacob--though I did not reveal my name, Jehovah, to them.

       (Exo 6:3 TLB)  






       (Exo 6:4 TLB)  And I entered into a solemn covenant with them; under 
       its terms I promised to give them and their descendants the land of 
       Canaan where they were living.

       (Exo 6:5 TLB)  And now I have heard the groanings of the people of 
       Israel, in slavery now to the Egyptians, and I remember my promise.

       (Exo 6:6 TLB)  "Therefore tell the descendants of Israel that I will 
       use my mighty power and perform great miracles to deliver them from 
       slavery and make them free.

       (Exo 6:7 TLB)  And I will accept them as my people and be their God. 
       And they shall know that I am Jehovah their God who has rescued them 
       from the Egyptians.

       (Exo 6:8 TLB)  I will bring them into the land I promised to give to 
       Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It shall belong to my people."

       (Exo 6:9 TLB)  So Moses told the people what God had said, but they 
       wouldn't listen any more because they were too dispirited after the 
       tragic consequence of what he had said before.

       (Exo 6:10 TLB)  Now the Lord spoke to Moses again and told him,

       (Exo 6:11 TLB)  "Go back again to Pharaoh and tell him that he must 
       let the people of Israel go."

       (Exo 6:12 TLB)  "But look," Moses objected, "my own people won't even 
       listen to me any more; how can I expect Pharaoh to? I'm no orator!"

       (Exo 6:13 TLB)  Then the Lord ordered Moses and Aaron to return to the 
       people of Israel and to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, demanding that the 
       people be permitted to leave.

       (Exo 6:14 TLB)  These are the names of the heads of the clans of the 
       various tribes of Israel: The sons of Reuben, Israel's oldest son: 
       Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, Carmi.

       (Exo 6:15 TLB)  The heads of the clans of the tribe of Simeon: Jemuel, 
       Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, Shaul (whose mother was a Canaanite).

       (Exo 6:16 TLB)  These are the names of the heads of the clans of the 
       tribe of Levi, in the order of their ages: Gershon, Kohath, Merari. 
       (Levi lived 137 years.)

       (Exo 6:17 TLB)  The sons of Gershon were: Libni, Shime-i (and their 
       clans).

       (Exo 6:18 TLB)  The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, Uzziel. 
       (Kohath lived 133 years.)

       (Exo 6:19 TLB)  The sons of Merari: Mahli, Mushi. The above are the 
       families of the Levites, listed according to their ages.

       (Exo 6:20 TLB)  And Amram married Jochebed, his father's sister; and 





       Aaron and Moses were their sons. Amram lived to the age of 137.

       (Exo 6:21 TLB)  The sons of Izhar: Korah, Nepheg, Zichri.

       (Exo 6:22 TLB)  The sons of Uzziel: Misha-el, Elzaphan, Sithri.

       (Exo 6:23 TLB)  Aaron married Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab and 
       sister of Nahshon. Their children were: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, 
       Ithamar.

       (Exo 6:24 TLB)  The sons of Korah: Assir, Elkanah, Abiasaph. These are 
       the families within the clan of Korah.

       (Exo 6:25 TLB)  Aaron's son Eleazar married one of the daughters of 
       Puti-el, and Phinehas was one of his children. These are all the names 
       of the heads of the clans of the Levites and the families within the 
       clans.

       (Exo 6:26 TLB)  Aaron and Moses, included in that list, are the same 
       Aaron and Moses to whom Jehovah said, "Lead all the people of Israel 
       out of the land of Egypt,"

       (Exo 6:27 TLB)  and who went to Pharaoh to ask permission to lead the 
       people from the land,

       (Exo 6:28 TLB)  and to whom the Lord said, "I am Jehovah. Go in and 
       give Pharaoh the message I have given you."

       (Exo 6:29 TLB)  

       (Exo 6:30 TLB)  This is that Moses who argued with the Lord, "I can't 
       do it; I'm no speaker--why should Pharaoh listen to me?"

       (Exo 7:1 TLB)  Then the Lord said to Moses, "See, I have appointed you 
       as my ambassador to Pharaoh, and your brother, Aaron, shall be your 
       spokesman.

       (Exo 7:2 TLB)  Tell Aaron everything I say to you, and he will 
       announce it to Pharaoh, demanding that the people of Israel be allowed 
       to leave Egypt.

       (Exo 7:3 TLB)  But I will cause Pharaoh to stubbornly refuse, and I 
       will multiply my miracles in the land of Egypt.

       (Exo 7:4 TLB)  Yet even then Pharaoh won't listen to you; so I will 
       crush Egypt with a final major disaster and then lead my people out.

       (Exo 7:5 TLB)  The Egyptians will find out that I am indeed God when I 
       show them my power and force them to let my people go."

       (Exo 7:6 TLB)  So Moses and Aaron did as the Lord commanded them.

       (Exo 7:7 TLB)  Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three at 
       this time of their confrontation with Pharaoh.

       (Exo 7:8 TLB)  Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron,






       (Exo 7:9 TLB)  "Pharaoh will demand that you show him a miracle to 
       prove that God has sent you; when he does, Aaron is to throw down his 
       rod, and it will become a serpent."

       (Exo 7:10 TLB)  So Moses and Aaron went in to see Pharaoh, and 
       performed the miracle, as Jehovah had instructed them--Aaron threw 
       down his rod before Pharaoh and his court, and it became a serpent.

       (Exo 7:11 TLB)  Then Pharaoh called in his sorcerers--the magicians of 
       Egypt--and they were able to do the same thing with their magical 
       arts!

       (Exo 7:12 TLB)  Their rods became serpents, too! But Aaron's serpent 
       swallowed their serpents!

       (Exo 7:13 TLB)  Pharaoh's heart was still hard and stubborn, and he 
       wouldn't listen, just as the Lord had predicted.

       (Exo 7:14 TLB)  The Lord pointed this out to Moses, that Pharaoh's 
       heart had been unmoved, and that he would continue to refuse to let 
       the people go.

       (Exo 7:15 TLB)  "Nevertheless," the Lord said, "go back to Pharaoh in 
       the morning, to be there as he goes down to the river. Stand beside 
       the riverbank and meet him there, holding in your hand the rod that 
       turned into a serpent.

       (Exo 7:16 TLB)  Say to him, 'Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews, has sent 
       me back to demand that you let his people go to worship him in the 
       wilderness. You wouldn't listen before,

       (Exo 7:17 TLB)  and now the Lord says this: "You are going to find out 
       that I am God. For I have instructed Moses to hit the water of the 
       Nile with his rod, and the river will turn to blood!

       (Exo 7:18 TLB)  The fish will die and the river will stink, so that 
       the Egyptians will be unwilling to drink it."'"

       (Exo 7:19 TLB)  Then the Lord instructed Moses: "Tell Aaron to point 
       his rod toward the waters of Egypt: all its rivers, canals, marshes, 
       and reservoirs, and even the water stored in bowls and pots in the 
       homes will turn to blood."

       (Exo 7:20 TLB)  So Moses and Aaron did as the Lord commanded them. As 
       Pharaoh and all of his officials watched, Aaron hit the surface of the 
       Nile with the rod, and the river turned to blood.

       (Exo 7:21 TLB)  The fish died and the water became so foul that the 
       Egyptians couldn't drink it; and there was blood throughout the land 
       of Egypt.

       (Exo 7:22 TLB)  But then the magicians of Egypt used their secret arts 
       and they, too, turned water into blood; so Pharaoh's heart remained 
       hard and stubborn, and he wouldn't listen to Moses and Aaron, just as 
       the Lord had predicted,






       (Exo 7:23 TLB)  and he returned to his palace, unimpressed.

       (Exo 7:24 TLB)  Then the Egyptians dug wells along the riverbank to 
       get drinking water, for they couldn't drink from the river.

       (Exo 7:25 TLB)  A week went by.

       (Exo 8:1 TLB)  Then the Lord said to Moses, "Go in again to Pharaoh 
       and tell him, 'Jehovah says, "Let my people go and worship me.

       (Exo 8:2 TLB)  If you refuse, I will send vast hordes of frogs across 
       your land from one border to the other.

       (Exo 8:3 TLB)  The Nile River will swarm with them, and they will come 
       out into your houses, even into your bedrooms and right into your 
       beds! Every home in Egypt will be filled with them. They will fill 
       your ovens and your kneading bowls;

       (Exo 8:4 TLB)  you and your people will be immersed in them!"'"

       (Exo 8:5 TLB)  Then the Lord said to Moses, "Instruct Aaron to point 
       the rod toward all the rivers, streams, and pools of Egypt, so that 
       there will be frogs in every corner of the land."

       (Exo 8:6 TLB)  Aaron did, and frogs covered the nation.

       (Exo 8:7 TLB)  But the magicians did the same with their secret arts, 
       and they, too, caused frogs to come up upon the land.

       (Exo 8:8 TLB)  Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and begged, 
       "Plead with God to take the frogs away, and I will let the people go 
       and sacrifice to him."

       (Exo 8:9 TLB)  "Be so kind as to tell me when you want them to go," 
       Moses said, "and I will pray that the frogs will die at the time you 
       specify, everywhere except in the river."

       (Exo 8:10 TLB)  "Do it tomorrow," Pharaoh said. "All right," Moses 
       replied, "it shall be as you have said; then you will know that there 
       is no one like the Lord our God.

       (Exo 8:11 TLB)  All the frogs will be destroyed, except those in the 
       river."

       (Exo 8:12 TLB)  So Moses and Aaron went out from the presence of 
       Pharaoh, and Moses pleaded with the Lord concerning the frogs he had 
       sent.

       (Exo 8:13 TLB)  And the Lord did as Moses promised--dead frogs covered 
       the countryside and filled the nation's homes.

       (Exo 8:14 TLB)  They were piled into great heaps, making a terrible 
       stench throughout the land.

       (Exo 8:15 TLB)  But when Pharaoh saw that the frogs were gone, he 





       hardened his heart and refused to let the people go, just as the Lord 
       had predicted.

       (Exo 8:16 TLB)  Then the Lord said to Moses, "Tell Aaron to strike the 
       dust with his rod, and it will become lice, throughout all the land of 
       Egypt."

       (Exo 8:17 TLB)  So Moses and Aaron did as God commanded, and suddenly 
       lice infested the entire nation, covering the Egyptians and their 
       animals.

       (Exo 8:18 TLB)  Then the magicians tried to do the same thing with 
       their secret arts, but this time they failed.

       (Exo 8:19 TLB)  "This is the finger of God," they exclaimed to 
       Pharaoh. But Pharaoh's heart was hard and stubborn, and he wouldn't 
       listen to them, just as the Lord had predicted.

       (Exo 8:20 TLB)  Next the Lord told Moses, "Get up early in the morning 
       and meet Pharaoh as he comes out to the river to bathe, and say to 
       him, 'Jehovah says, "Let my people go and worship me.

       (Exo 8:21 TLB)  If you refuse I will send swarms of flies throughout 
       Egypt. Your homes will be filled with them and the ground will be 
       covered with them.

       (Exo 8:22 TLB)  But it will be very different in the land of Goshen 
       where the Israelis live. No flies will be there; thus you will know 
       that I am the Lord God of all the earth,

       (Exo 8:23 TLB)  for I will make a distinction between your people and 
       my people. All this will happen tomorrow."'"

       (Exo 8:24 TLB)  And Jehovah did as he had said, so that there were 
       terrible swarms of flies in Pharaoh's palace and in every home in 
       Egypt.

       (Exo 8:25 TLB)  Pharaoh hastily summoned Moses and Aaron and said, 
       "All right, go ahead and sacrifice to your God, but do it here in the 
       land. Don't go out into the wilderness."

       (Exo 8:26 TLB)  But Moses replied, "That won't do! Our sacrifices to 
       God are hated by the Egyptians, and if we do this right here before 
       their eyes, they will kill us.

       (Exo 8:27 TLB)  We must take a three-day trip into the wilderness and 
       sacrifice there to Jehovah our God, as he commanded us."

       (Exo 8:28 TLB)  "All right, go ahead," Pharaoh replied, "but don't go 
       too far away. Now, hurry and plead with God for me."

       (Exo 8:29 TLB)  "Yes," Moses said, "I will ask him to cause the swarms 
       of flies to disappear. But I am warning you that you must never again 
       lie to us by promising to let the people go and then changing your 
       mind."





       (Exo 8:30 TLB)  So Moses went out from Pharaoh and asked the Lord to 
       get rid of the flies.

       (Exo 8:31 TLB)  And the Lord did as Moses asked and caused the swarms 
       to disappear, so that not one remained.

       (Exo 8:32 TLB)  But Pharaoh hardened his heart again and did not let 
       the people go!

       (Exo 9:1 TLB)  "Go back to Pharaoh," the Lord commanded Moses, "and 
       tell him, 'Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews, demands that you let his 
       people go to sacrifice to him.

       (Exo 9:2 TLB)  If you refuse,

       (Exo 9:3 TLB)  the power of God will send a deadly plague to destroy 
       your cattle, horses, donkeys, camels, flocks, and herds.

       (Exo 9:4 TLB)  But the plague will affect only the cattle of Egypt; 
       none of the Israeli herds and flocks will even be touched!'"

       (Exo 9:5 TLB)  The Lord announced that the plague would begin the very 
       next day,

       (Exo 9:6 TLB)  and it did. The next morning all the cattle of the 
       Egyptians began dying, but not one of the Israeli herds was even sick.

       (Exo 9:7 TLB)  Pharaoh sent to see whether it was true that none of 
       the Israeli cattle were dead, yet when he found out that it was so, 
       even then his mind remained unchanged and he refused to let the people 
       go.

       (Exo 9:8 TLB)  Then Jehovah said to Moses and Aaron, "Take ashes from 
       the kiln and have Moses toss them into the sky as Pharaoh watches.

       (Exo 9:9 TLB)  They will spread like fine dust over all the land of 
       Egypt and cause boils to break out upon people and animals alike, 
       throughout the land."

       (Exo 9:10 TLB)  So they took ashes from the kiln and went to Pharaoh; 
       as he watched, Moses tossed them toward the sky, and they became boils 
       that broke out on men and animals alike throughout all Egypt.

       (Exo 9:11 TLB)  And the magicians couldn't stand before Moses because 
       of the boils, for the boils appeared upon them too.

       (Exo 9:12 TLB)  But Jehovah hardened Pharaoh in his stubbornness, so 
       that he refused to listen, just as the Lord had predicted to Moses.

       (Exo 9:13 TLB)  Then the Lord said to Moses, "Get up early in the 
       morning and stand before Pharaoh and tell him, 'Jehovah the God of the 
       Hebrews says, "Let my people go to worship me.

       (Exo 9:14 TLB)  This time I am going to send a plague that will really 
       speak to you and to your servants and to all the Egyptian people, and 
       prove to you there is no other God in all the earth.






       (Exo 9:15 TLB)  I could have killed you all by now,

       (Exo 9:16 TLB)  but I didn't, for I wanted to demonstrate my power to 
       you and to all the earth.

       (Exo 9:17 TLB)  So you still think you are so great, do you, and defy 
       my power, and refuse to let my people go?

       (Exo 9:18 TLB)  Well, tomorrow about this time I will send a hailstorm 
       across the nation such as there has never been since Egypt was 
       founded!

       (Exo 9:19 TLB)  Quick! Bring in your cattle from the fields, for every 
       man and animal left out in the fields will die beneath the hail!"'"

       (Exo 9:20 TLB)  Some of the Egyptians, terrified by this threat, 
       brought their cattle and slaves in from the fields;

       (Exo 9:21 TLB)  but those who had no regard for the word of Jehovah 
       left them out in the storm.

       (Exo 9:22 TLB)  Then Jehovah said to Moses, "Point your hand toward 
       heaven and cause the hail to fall throughout all Egypt, upon the 
       people, animals, and trees."

       (Exo 9:23 TLB)  So Moses held out his hand, and the Lord sent thunder 
       and hail and lightning.

       (Exo 9:24 TLB)  It was terrible beyond description. Never in all the 
       history of Egypt had there been a storm like that.

       (Exo 9:25 TLB)  All Egypt lay in ruins. Everything left in the fields, 
       men and animals alike, was killed, and the trees were shattered and 
       the crops were destroyed.

       (Exo 9:26 TLB)  The only spot in all Egypt without hail that day was 
       the land of Goshen where the people of Israel lived.

       (Exo 9:27 TLB)  Then Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron. "I finally see 
       my fault," he confessed. "Jehovah is right, and I and my people have 
       been wrong all along.

       (Exo 9:28 TLB)  Beg God to end this terrifying thunder and hail, and I 
       will let you go at once."

       (Exo 9:29 TLB)  "All right," Moses replied, "as soon as I have left 
       the city I will spread out my hands to the Lord, and the thunder and 
       hail will stop. This will prove to you that the earth is controlled by 
       Jehovah.

       (Exo 9:30 TLB)  But as for you and your officials, I know that even 
       yet you will not obey him."

       (Exo 9:31 TLB)  All the flax and barley were knocked down and 
       destroyed (for the barley was ripe, and the flax was in bloom),






       (Exo 9:32 TLB)  but the wheat and the emmer were not destroyed, for 
       they were not yet out of the ground.

       (Exo 9:33 TLB)  So Moses left Pharaoh and went out of the city and 
       lifted his hands to heaven to the Lord, and the thunder and hail 
       stopped, and the rain ceased pouring down.

       (Exo 9:34 TLB)  When Pharaoh saw this, he and his officials sinned yet 
       more by their stubborn refusal to do what they had promised;

       (Exo 9:35 TLB)  so Pharaoh refused to let the people leave, just as 
       the Lord had predicted to Moses.

       (Exo 10:1 TLB)  Then the Lord said to Moses, "Go back again and make 
       your demand upon Pharaoh; but I have hardened him and his officials, 
       so that I can do more miracles demonstrating my power.

       (Exo 10:2 TLB)  What stories you can tell your children and 
       grandchildren about the incredible things I am doing in Egypt! Tell 
       them what fools I made of the Egyptians, and how I proved to you that 
       I am Jehovah."

       (Exo 10:3 TLB)  So Moses and Aaron requested another audience with 
       Pharaoh and told him: "Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews, asks, 'How 
       long will you refuse to submit to me? Let my people go so they can 
       worship me.

       (Exo 10:4 TLB)  If you refuse, tomorrow I will cover the entire nation 
       with a thick layer of locusts

       (Exo 10:5 TLB)  so that you won't even be able to see the ground, and 
       they will finish destroying everything that escaped the hail.

       (Exo 10:6 TLB)  They will fill your palace, and the homes of your 
       officials, and all the houses of Egypt. Never in the history of Egypt 
       has there been a plague like this will be!'" Then Moses stalked out.

       (Exo 10:7 TLB)  The court officials now came to Pharaoh and asked him, 
       "Are you going to destroy us completely? Don't you know even yet that 
       all Egypt lies in ruins? Let the men go and serve Jehovah their God!"

       (Exo 10:8 TLB)  So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. "All 
       right, go and serve Jehovah your God!" he said. "But just who is it 
       you want to go?"

       (Exo 10:9 TLB)  "We will go with our sons and daughters, flocks and 
       herds," Moses replied. "We will take everything with us; for we must 
       all join in the holy pilgrimage."

       (Exo 10:10 TLB)  "In the name of God I will not let you take your 
       little ones!" Pharaoh retorted. "I can see your plot!

       (Exo 10:11 TLB)  Never! You that are men, go and serve Jehovah, for 
       that is what you asked for." And they were driven out from Pharaoh's 
       presence.






       (Exo 10:12 TLB)  Then the Lord said to Moses, "Hold out your hand over 
       the land of Egypt to bring locusts--they will cover the land and eat 
       everything the hail has left."

       (Exo 10:13 TLB)  So Moses lifted his rod and Jehovah caused an east 
       wind to blow all that day and night; and when it was morning, the east 
       wind had brought the locusts.

       (Exo 10:14 TLB)  And the locusts covered the land of Egypt from border 
       to border; it was the worst locust plague in all Egyptian history; and 
       there will never again be another like it.

       (Exo 10:15 TLB)  For the locusts covered the face of the earth and 
       blotted out the sun so that the land was darkened; and they ate every 
       bit of vegetation the hail had left; there remained not one green 
       thing--not a tree, not a plant throughout all the land of Egypt.

       (Exo 10:16 TLB)  Then Pharaoh sent an urgent call for Moses and Aaron 
       and said to them, "I confess my sin against Jehovah your God and 
       against you.

       (Exo 10:17 TLB)  Forgive my sin only this once, and beg Jehovah your 
       God to take away this deadly plague. I solemnly promise that I will 
       let you go as soon as the locusts are gone."

       (Exo 10:18 TLB)  So Moses went out from Pharaoh and entreated the 
       Lord,

       (Exo 10:19 TLB)  and he sent a very strong west wind that blew the 
       locusts out into the Red Sea, so that there remained not one locust in 
       all the land of Egypt!

       (Exo 10:20 TLB)  But the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart and he did not 
       let the people go.

       (Exo 10:21 TLB)  Then Jehovah said to Moses, "Lift your hands to 
       heaven, and darkness without a ray of light will descend upon the land 
       of Egypt."

       (Exo 10:22 TLB)  So Moses did, and there was thick darkness over all 
       the land for three days.

       (Exo 10:23 TLB)  During all that time the people scarcely moved--but 
       all the people of Israel had light as usual.

       (Exo 10:24 TLB)  Then Pharaoh called for Moses and said, "Go and 
       worship Jehovah--but let your flocks and herds stay here; you can even 
       take your children with you."

       (Exo 10:25 TLB)  "No," Moses said, "we must take our flocks and herds 
       for sacrifices and burnt offerings to Jehovah our God.

       (Exo 10:26 TLB)  Not a hoof shall be left behind; for we must have 
       sacrifices for the Lord our God, and we do not know what he will 
       choose until we get there."






       (Exo 10:27 TLB)  So the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart and he would not 
       let them go.

       (Exo 10:28 TLB)  "Get out of here and don't let me ever see you 
       again," Pharaoh shouted at Moses. "The day you do, you shall die."

       (Exo 10:29 TLB)  "Very well," Moses replied. "I will never see you 
       again."

       (Exo 11:1 TLB)  Then the Lord said to Moses, "I will send just one 
       more disaster on Pharaoh and his land, and after that he will let you 
       go; in fact, he will be so anxious to get rid of you that he will 
       practically throw you out of the country.

       (Exo 11:2 TLB)  Tell all the men and women of Israel to ask their 
       Egyptian neighbors for gold and silver jewelry."

       (Exo 11:3 TLB)  (For God caused the Egyptians to be very favorable to 
       the people of Israel, and Moses was a very great man in the land of 
       Egypt and was revered by Pharaoh's officials and the Egyptian people 
       alike.)

       (Exo 11:4 TLB)  Now Moses announced to Pharaoh, "Jehovah says, 'About 
       midnight I will pass through Egypt.

       (Exo 11:5 TLB)  And all the oldest sons shall die in every family in 
       Egypt, from the oldest child of Pharaoh, heir to his throne, to the 
       oldest child of his lowliest slave; and even the firstborn of the 
       animals.

       (Exo 11:6 TLB)  The wail of death will resound throughout the entire 
       land of Egypt; never before has there been such anguish, and it will 
       never be again.

       (Exo 11:7 TLB)  "'But not a dog shall move his tongue against any of 
       the people of Israel, nor shall any of their animals die. Then you 
       will know that Jehovah makes a distinction between Egyptians and 
       Israelis.'

       (Exo 11:8 TLB)  All these officials of yours will come running to me, 
       bowing low and begging, 'Please leave at once, and take all your 
       people with you.' Only then will I go!" Then, red-faced with anger, 
       Moses stomped from the palace.

       (Exo 11:9 TLB)  The Lord had told Moses, "Pharaoh won't listen, and 
       this will give me the opportunity of doing mighty miracles to 
       demonstrate my power."

       (Exo 11:10 TLB)  So, although Moses and Aaron did these miracles right 
       before Pharaoh's eyes, the Lord hardened his heart so that he wouldn't 
       let the people leave the land.

       (Exo 12:1 TLB)  Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron,

       (Exo 12:2 TLB)  "From now on, this month will be the first and most 





       important of the entire year.

       (Exo 12:3 TLB)  Annually, on the tenth day of this month (announce 
       this to all the people of Israel) each family shall get a lamb

       (Exo 12:4 TLB)  (or, if a family is small, let it share the lamb with 
       another small family in the neighborhood; whether to share in this way 
       depends on the size of the families).

       (Exo 12:5 TLB)  This animal shall be a year-old male, either a sheep 
       or a goat, without any defects.

       (Exo 12:6 TLB)  "On the evening of the fourteenth day of this month, 
       all these lambs shall be killed,

       (Exo 12:7 TLB)  and their blood shall be placed on the two side-frames 
       of the door of every home and on the panel above the door. Use the 
       blood of the lamb eaten in that home.

       (Exo 12:8 TLB)  Everyone shall eat roast lamb that night, with 
       unleavened bread and bitter herbs.

       (Exo 12:9 TLB)  The meat must not be eaten raw or boiled, but roasted, 
       including the head, legs, heart, and liver.

       (Exo 12:10 TLB)  Don't eat any of it the next day; if all is not eaten 
       that night, burn what is left.

       (Exo 12:11 TLB)  "Eat it with your traveling clothes on, prepared for 
       a long journey, wearing your walking shoes and carrying your walking 
       sticks in your hands; eat it hurriedly. This observance shall be 
       called the Lord's Passover.

       (Exo 12:12 TLB)  For I will pass through the land of Egypt tonight and 
       kill all the oldest sons and firstborn male animals in all the land of 
       Egypt, and execute judgment upon all the gods of Egypt--for I am 
       Jehovah.

       (Exo 12:13 TLB)  The blood you have placed on the doorposts will be 
       proof that you obey me, and when I see the blood I will pass over you 
       and I will not destroy your firstborn children when I smite the land 
       of Egypt.

       (Exo 12:14 TLB)  "You shall celebrate this event each year (this is a 
       permanent law) to remind you of this fatal night.

       (Exo 12:15 TLB)  The celebration shall last seven days. For that 
       entire period you are to eat only bread made without yeast. Anyone who 
       disobeys this rule at any time during the seven days of the 
       celebration shall be excommunicated from Israel.

       (Exo 12:16 TLB)  On the first day of the celebration, and again on the 
       seventh day, there will be special religious services for the entire 
       congregation, and no work of any kind may be done on those days except 
       the preparation of food.





       (Exo 12:17 TLB)  "This annual 'Celebration with Unleavened Bread' will 
       cause you always to remember today as the day when I brought you out 
       of the land of Egypt; so it is a law that you must celebrate this day 
       annually, generation after generation.

       (Exo 12:18 TLB)  Only bread without yeast may be eaten from the 
       evening of the fourteenth day of the month until the evening of the 
       twenty-first day of the month.

       (Exo 12:19 TLB)  For these seven days there must be no trace of yeast 
       in your homes; during that time anyone who eats anything that has 
       yeast in it shall be excommunicated from the congregation of Israel. 
       These same rules apply to foreigners who are living among you just as 
       much as to those born in the land.

       (Exo 12:20 TLB)  Again I repeat, during those days you must not eat 
       anything made with yeast; serve only yeastless bread."

       (Exo 12:21 TLB)  Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and 
       said to them, "Go and get lambs from your flocks, a lamb for one or 
       more families depending upon the number of persons in the families, 
       and kill the lamb so that God will pass over you and not destroy you.

       (Exo 12:22 TLB)  Drain the lamb's blood into a basin, and then take a 
       cluster of hyssop branches and dip them into the lamb's blood, and 
       strike the hyssop against the lintel above the door and against the 
       two side panels, so that there will be blood upon them, and none of 
       you shall go outside all night.

       (Exo 12:23 TLB)  "For Jehovah will pass through the land and kill the 
       Egyptians; but when he sees the blood upon the panel at the top of the 
       door and on the two side pieces, he will pass over that home and not 
       permit the Destroyer to enter and kill your firstborn.

       (Exo 12:24 TLB)  And remember, this is a permanent law for you and 
       your posterity.

       (Exo 12:25 TLB)  And when you come into the land that the Lord will 
       give you, just as he promised, and when you are celebrating the 
       Passover,

       (Exo 12:26 TLB)  and your children ask, 'What does all this mean? What 
       is this ceremony about?'

       (Exo 12:27 TLB)  you will reply, 'It is the celebration of Jehovah's 
       passing over us, for he passed over the homes of the people of Israel, 
       though he killed the Egyptians; he passed over our houses and did not 
       come in to destroy us.'" And all the people bowed their heads and 
       worshiped.

       (Exo 12:28 TLB)  So the people of Israel did as Moses and Aaron had 
       commanded.

       (Exo 12:29 TLB)  And that night, at midnight, Jehovah killed all the 
       firstborn sons in the land of Egypt, from Pharaoh's oldest son to the 
       oldest son of the captive in the dungeon; also all the firstborn of 





       the cattle.

       (Exo 12:30 TLB)  Then Pharaoh and his officials and all the people of 
       Egypt got up in the night; and there was bitter crying throughout all 
       the land of Egypt, for there was not a house where there was not one 
       dead.

       (Exo 12:31 TLB)  And Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron during the night 
       and said, "Leave us; please go away, all of you; go and serve Jehovah 
       as you said.

       (Exo 12:32 TLB)  Take your flocks and herds and be gone; and oh, give 
       me a blessing as you go."

       (Exo 12:33 TLB)  And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people of 
       Israel, to get them out of the land as quickly as possible. For they 
       said, "We are as good as dead."

       (Exo 12:34 TLB)  The Israelis took with them their bread dough without 
       yeast, and bound their kneading troughs into their spare clothes, and 
       carried them on their shoulders.

       (Exo 12:35 TLB)  And the people of Israel did as Moses said and asked 
       the Egyptians for silver and gold jewelry and for clothing.

       (Exo 12:36 TLB)  And the Lord gave the Israelis favor with the 
       Egyptians, so that they gave them whatever they wanted. And the 
       Egyptians were practically stripped of everything they owned!

       (Exo 12:37 TLB)  That night the people of Israel left Rameses and 
       started for Succoth; there were six hundred thousand of them, besides 
       all the women and children, going on foot.

       (Exo 12:38 TLB)  People of various sorts went with them; and there 
       were flocks and herds--a vast exodus of cattle.

       (Exo 12:39 TLB)  When they stopped to eat, they baked bread from the 
       yeastless dough they had brought along. It was yeastless because the 
       people were pushed out of Egypt and didn't have time to wait for bread 
       to rise to take with them on the trip.

       (Exo 12:40 TLB)  The sons of Jacob and their descendants had lived in 
       Egypt 430 years, and it was on the last day of the 430 th year that 
       all of Jehovah's people left the land.

       (Exo 12:41 TLB)  

       (Exo 12:42 TLB)  This night was selected by the Lord to bring his 
       people out from the land of Egypt; so the same night was selected as 
       the date of the annual celebration of God's deliverance.

       (Exo 12:43 TLB)  Then Jehovah said to Moses and Aaron, "These are the 
       rules concerning the observance of the Passover. No foreigners shall 
       eat the lamb,

       (Exo 12:44 TLB)  but any slave who has been purchased may eat it if he 





       has been circumcised.

       (Exo 12:45 TLB)  A hired servant or a visiting foreigner may not eat 
       of it.

       (Exo 12:46 TLB)  You shall, all of you who eat each lamb, eat it 
       together in one house, and not carry it outside; and you shall not 
       break any of its bones.

       (Exo 12:47 TLB)  All the congregation of Israel shall observe this 
       memorial at the same time.

       (Exo 12:48 TLB)  "As to foreigners, if they are living with you and 
       want to observe the Passover with you, let all the males be 
       circumcised, and then they may come and celebrate with you--then they 
       shall be just as though they had been born among you; but no 
       uncircumcised person shall ever eat the lamb.

       (Exo 12:49 TLB)  The same law applies to those born in Israel and to 
       foreigners living among you."

       (Exo 12:50 TLB)  So the people of Israel followed all of Jehovah's 
       instructions to Moses and Aaron.

       (Exo 12:51 TLB)  That very day the Lord brought out the people of 
       Israel from the land of Egypt, wave after wave of them crossing the 
       border.

       (Exo 13:1 TLB)  The Lord instructed Moses,

       (Exo 13:2 TLB)  "Dedicate to me all of the firstborn sons of Israel, 
       and every firstborn male animal; they are mine!"

       (Exo 13:3 TLB)  Then Moses said to the people, "This is a day to 
       remember forever--the day of leaving Egypt and your slavery; for the 
       Lord has brought you out with mighty miracles. Now remember, during 
       the annual celebration of this event you are to use no yeast; don't 
       even have any in your homes.

       (Exo 13:4 TLB)  Celebrate this day of your exodus, at the end of March 
       each year,

       (Exo 13:5 TLB)  when Jehovah brings you into the land of the 
       Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Hivites, and Jebusites--the land he 
       promised your fathers, a land 'flowing with milk and honey.'

       (Exo 13:6 TLB)  For seven days you shall eat only bread without yeast,

       (Exo 13:7 TLB)  and there must be no yeast in your homes or anywhere 
       within the borders of your land! Then, on the seventh day, a great 
       feast to the Lord shall be held.

       (Exo 13:8 TLB)  "During those celebration days each year you must 
       explain to your children why you are celebrating--it is a celebration 
       of what the Lord did for you when you left Egypt.





       (Exo 13:9 TLB)  This annual memorial week will brand you as his own 
       unique people, just as though he had branded his mark of ownership 
       upon your hands or your forehead.

       (Exo 13:10 TLB)  "So celebrate the event annually in late March.

       (Exo 13:11 TLB)  And remember, when the Lord brings you into the land 
       he promised to your ancestors long ago, where the Canaanites are now 
       living,

       (Exo 13:12 TLB)  all firstborn sons and firstborn male animals belong 
       to the Lord, and you shall give them to him.

       (Exo 13:13 TLB)  A firstborn donkey may be purchased back from the 
       Lord in exchange for a lamb or baby goat; but if you decide not to 
       trade, the donkey shall be killed. However, you must buy back your 
       firstborn sons.

       (Exo 13:14 TLB)  "And in the future, when your children ask you, 'What 
       is this all about?' you shall tell them, 'With mighty miracles Jehovah 
       brought us out of Egypt from our slavery.

       (Exo 13:15 TLB)  Pharaoh wouldn't let us go, so Jehovah killed all the 
       firstborn males throughout the land of Egypt, both of men and animals; 
       that is why we now give all the firstborn males to the Lord--except 
       that all the eldest sons are always bought back.'

       (Exo 13:16 TLB)  Again I say, this celebration shall identify you as 
       God's people, just as much as if his brand of ownership were placed 
       upon your foreheads. It is a reminder that the Lord brought us out of 
       Egypt with great power."

       (Exo 13:17 TLB)  So at last Pharaoh let the people go. God did not 
       lead them through the land of the Philistines, although that was the 
       most direct route from Egypt to the Promised Land. The reason was that 
       God felt the people might become discouraged by having to fight their 
       way through, even though they had left Egypt armed; he thought they 
       might return to Egypt.

       (Exo 13:18 TLB)  Instead, God led them along a route through the Red 
       Sea wilderness.

       (Exo 13:19 TLB)  Moses took the bones of Joseph with them, for Joseph 
       had made the sons of Israel vow before God that they would take his 
       bones with them when God led them out of Egypt--as he was sure God 
       would.

       (Exo 13:20 TLB)  Leaving Succoth, they camped in Etham at the edge of 
       the wilderness.

       (Exo 13:21 TLB)  The Lord guided them by a pillar of cloud during the 
       daytime and by a pillar of fire at night. So they could travel either 
       by day or night.

       (Exo 13:22 TLB)  The cloud and fire were never out of sight.





       (Exo 14:1 TLB)  Jehovah now instructed Moses,

       (Exo 14:2 TLB)  "Tell the people to turn toward Piha-hiroth between 
       Migdol and the sea, opposite Baal-zephon, and to camp there along the 
       shore.

       (Exo 14:3 TLB)  For Pharaoh will think, 'Those Israelites are trapped 
       now, between the desert and the sea!'

       (Exo 14:4 TLB)  And once again I will harden Pharaoh's heart and he 
       will chase after you. I have planned this to gain great honor and 
       glory over Pharaoh and all his armies, and the Egyptians shall know 
       that I am the Lord." So they camped where they were told.

       (Exo 14:5 TLB)  When word reached the king of Egypt that the Israelis 
       were not planning to return to Egypt after three days, but to keep on 
       going, Pharaoh and his staff became bold again. "What is this we have 
       done, letting all these slaves get away?" they asked.

       (Exo 14:6 TLB)  So Pharaoh led the chase in his chariot,

       (Exo 14:7 TLB)  followed by the pick of Egypt's chariot corps--600 
       chariots in all--and other chariots driven by Egyptian officers.

       (Exo 14:8 TLB)  He pursued the people of Israel, for they had taken 
       much of the wealth of Egypt with them.

       (Exo 14:9 TLB)  Pharaoh's entire cavalry--horses, chariots, and 
       charioteers--was used in the chase; and the Egyptian army overtook the 
       people of Israel as they were camped beside the shore near 
       Piha-hiroth, across from Baal-zephon.

       (Exo 14:10 TLB)  As the Egyptian army approached, the people of Israel 
       saw them far in the distance, speeding after them, and they were 
       terribly frightened and cried out to the Lord to help them.

       (Exo 14:11 TLB)  And they turned against Moses, whining, "Have you 
       brought us out here to die in the desert because there were not enough 
       graves for us in Egypt? Why did you make us leave Egypt?

       (Exo 14:12 TLB)  Isn't this what we told you, while we were slaves, to 
       leave us alone? We said it would be better to be slaves to the 
       Egyptians than dead in the wilderness."

       (Exo 14:13 TLB)  But Moses told the people, "Don't be afraid. Just 
       stand where you are and watch, and you will see the wonderful way the 
       Lord will rescue you today. The Egyptians you are looking at--you will 
       never see them again.

       (Exo 14:14 TLB)  The Lord will fight for you, and you won't need to 
       lift a finger!"

       (Exo 14:15 TLB)  Then the Lord said to Moses, "Quit praying and get 
       the people moving! Forward, march!

       (Exo 14:16 TLB)  Use your rod--hold it out over the water, and the sea 





       will open up a path before you, and all the people of Israel shall 
       walk through on dry ground!

       (Exo 14:17 TLB)  I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they 
       will go in after you and you will see the honor I will get in 
       defeating Pharaoh and all his armies, chariots, and horsemen.

       (Exo 14:18 TLB)  And all Egypt shall know that I am Jehovah."

       (Exo 14:19 TLB)  Then the Angel of God, who was leading the people of 
       Israel, moved the cloud around behind them,

       (Exo 14:20 TLB)  and it stood between the people of Israel and the 
       Egyptians. And that night, as it changed to a pillar of fire, it gave 
       darkness to the Egyptians but light to the people of Israel! So the 
       Egyptians couldn't find the Israelis!

       (Exo 14:21 TLB)  Meanwhile, Moses stretched his rod over the sea, and 
       the Lord opened up a path through the sea, with walls of water on each 
       side; and a strong east wind blew all that night, drying the sea 
       bottom.

       (Exo 14:22 TLB)  So the people of Israel walked through the sea on dry 
       ground!

       (Exo 14:23 TLB)  Then the Egyptians followed them between the walls of 
       water along the bottom of the sea--all of Pharaoh's horses, chariots, 
       and horsemen.

       (Exo 14:24 TLB)  But in the early morning Jehovah looked down from the 
       cloud of fire upon the array of the Egyptians, and began to harass 
       them.

       (Exo 14:25 TLB)  Their chariot wheels began coming off, so that their 
       chariots scraped along the dry ground. "Let's get out of here," the 
       Egyptians yelled. "Jehovah is fighting for them and against us."

       (Exo 14:26 TLB)  When all the Israelites were on the other side, the 
       Lord said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand again over the sea, so that 
       the waters will come back over the Egyptians and their chariots and 
       horsemen."

       (Exo 14:27 TLB)  Moses did, and the sea returned to normal beneath the 
       morning light. The Egyptians tried to flee, but the Lord drowned them 
       in the sea.

       (Exo 14:28 TLB)  The water covered the path and the chariots and 
       horsemen. And of all the army of Pharaoh that chased after Israel 
       through the sea, not one remained alive.

       (Exo 14:29 TLB)  The people of Israel had walked through on dry land, 
       and the waters had been walled up on either side of them.

       (Exo 14:30 TLB)  Thus Jehovah saved Israel that day from the 
       Egyptians; and the people of Israel saw the Egyptians dead, washed up 
       on the seashore.






       (Exo 14:31 TLB)  When the people of Israel saw the mighty miracle the 
       Lord had done for them against the Egyptians, they were afraid and 
       revered the Lord, and believed in him and in his servant Moses.

       (Exo 15:1 TLB)  Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to 
       the Lord: I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; He 
       has thrown both horse and rider into the sea.

       (Exo 15:2 TLB)  The Lord is my strength, my song, and my salvation. He 
       is my God, and I will praise him. He is my father's God--I will exalt 
       him.

       (Exo 15:3 TLB)  The Lord is a warrior-- Yes, Jehovah is his name.

       (Exo 15:4 TLB)  He has overthrown Pharaoh's chariots and armies, 
       Drowning them in the sea. The famous Egyptian captains are dead 
       beneath the waves.

       (Exo 15:5 TLB)  The water covers them. They went down into the depths 
       like a stone.

       (Exo 15:6 TLB)  Your right hand, O Lord, is glorious in power; It 
       dashes the enemy to pieces.

       (Exo 15:7 TLB)  In the greatness of your majesty You overthrew all 
       those who rose against you. You sent forth your anger, and it consumed 
       them as fire consumes straw.

       (Exo 15:8 TLB)  At the blast of your breath The waters divided! They 
       stood as solid walls to hold the seas apart.

       (Exo 15:9 TLB)  The enemy said, "I will chase after them, Catch up 
       with them, destroy them. I will cut them apart with my sword And 
       divide the captured booty."

       (Exo 15:10 TLB)  But God blew with his wind, and the sea covered them. 
       They sank as lead in the mighty waters.

       (Exo 15:11 TLB)  Who else is like the Lord among the gods? Who is 
       glorious in holiness like him? Who is so awesome in splendor, A 
       wonder-working God?

       (Exo 15:12 TLB)  You reached out your hand and the earth swallowed 
       them.

       (Exo 15:13 TLB)  You have led the people you redeemed. But in your 
       loving-kindness You have guided them wonderfully To your holy land.

       (Exo 15:14 TLB)  The nations heard what happened, and they trembled. 
       Fear has gripped the people of Philistia.

       (Exo 15:15 TLB)  The leaders of Edom are appalled, The mighty men of 
       Moab tremble; All the people of Canaan melt with fear.

       (Exo 15:16 TLB)  Terror and dread have overcome them. O Lord, because 





       of your great power they won't attack us! Your people whom you 
       purchased Will pass by them in safety.

       (Exo 15:17 TLB)  You will bring them in and plant them on your 
       mountain, Your own homeland, Lord-- The sanctuary you made for them to 
       live in.

       (Exo 15:18 TLB)  Jehovah shall reign forever and forever.

       (Exo 15:19 TLB)  The horses of Pharaoh, his horsemen, and his chariots 
       Tried to follow through the sea; But the Lord let down the walls of 
       water on them While the people of Israel walked through on dry land.

       (Exo 15:20 TLB)  Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took 
       a tambourine and led the women in dances.

       (Exo 15:21 TLB)  And Miriam sang this song: Sing to the Lord, for he 
       has triumphed gloriously. The horse and rider have been drowned in the 
       sea.

       (Exo 15:22 TLB)  Then Moses led the people of Israel on from the Red 
       Sea, and they moved out into the wilderness of Shur and were there 
       three days without water.

       (Exo 15:23 TLB)  Arriving at Marah, they couldn't drink the water 
       because it was bitter (that is why the place was called Marah, meaning 
       "bitter").

       (Exo 15:24 TLB)  Then the people turned against Moses. "Must we die of 
       thirst?" they demanded.

       (Exo 15:25 TLB)  Moses pleaded with the Lord to help them, and the 
       Lord showed him a tree to throw into the water, and the water became 
       sweet. It was there at Marah that the Lord laid before them the 
       following conditions, to test their commitment to him:

       (Exo 15:26 TLB)  "If you will listen to the voice of the Lord your 
       God, and obey it, and do what is right, then I will not make you 
       suffer the diseases I sent on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord who 
       heals you."

       (Exo 15:27 TLB)  And they came to Elim where there were twelve springs 
       and seventy palm trees; and they camped there beside the springs.

       (Exo 16:1 TLB)  Now they left Elim and journeyed on into the Sihn 
       Wilderness, between Elim and Mt. Sinai, arriving there on the 
       fifteenth day of the second month after leaving Egypt.

       (Exo 16:2 TLB)  There, too, the people spoke bitterly against Moses 
       and Aaron.

       (Exo 16:3 TLB)  "Oh, that we were back in Egypt," they moaned, "and 
       that the Lord had killed us there! For there we had plenty to eat. But 
       now you have brought us into this wilderness to kill us with 
       starvation."





       (Exo 16:4 TLB)  Then the Lord said to Moses, "Look, I'm going to rain 
       down food from heaven for them. Everyone can go out each day and 
       gather as much food as he needs. And I will test them in this, to see 
       whether they will follow my instructions or not.

       (Exo 16:5 TLB)  Tell them to gather twice as much as usual on the 
       sixth day of each week."

       (Exo 16:6 TLB)  Then Moses and Aaron called a meeting of all the 
       people of Israel and told them, "This evening you will realize that it 
       was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt.

       (Exo 16:7 TLB)  In the morning you will see more of his glory; for he 
       has heard your complaints against him (for you aren't really 
       complaining against us--who are we?).

       (Exo 16:8 TLB)  The Lord will give you meat to eat in the evening, and 
       bread in the morning.

       (Exo 16:9 TLB)  Come now before Jehovah and hear his reply to your 
       complaints."

       (Exo 16:10 TLB)  So Aaron called them together and suddenly, out 
       toward the wilderness, from within the guiding cloud, there appeared 
       the awesome glory of Jehovah.

       (Exo 16:11 TLB)  And Jehovah said to Moses,

       (Exo 16:12 TLB)  "I have heard their complaints. Tell them, 'In the 
       evening you will have meat and in the morning you will be stuffed with 
       bread, and you shall know that I am Jehovah your God.'"

       (Exo 16:13 TLB)  That evening vast numbers of quail arrived and 
       covered the camp, and in the morning the desert all around the camp 
       was wet with dew;

       (Exo 16:14 TLB)  and when the dew disappeared later in the morning it 
       left thin white flakes that covered the ground like frost.

       (Exo 16:15 TLB)  When the people of Israel saw it they asked each 
       other, "What is it?" And Moses told them, "It is the food Jehovah has 
       given you.

       (Exo 16:16 TLB)  Jehovah has said for everyone to gather as much as is 
       needed for his household--about two quarts for each person."

       (Exo 16:17 TLB)  So the people of Israel went out and gathered 
       it--some getting more and some less before it melted on the ground,

       (Exo 16:18 TLB)  and there was just enough for everyone. Those who 
       gathered more had nothing left over and those who gathered little had 
       no lack! Each home had just enough.

       (Exo 16:19 TLB)  And Moses told them, "Don't leave it overnight."

       (Exo 16:20 TLB)  But of course some of them wouldn't listen, and left 





       it until morning; and when they looked, it was full of maggots and had 
       a terrible odor; and Moses was very angry with them.

       (Exo 16:21 TLB)  So they gathered the food morning by morning, each 
       home according to its need; and when the sun became hot upon the 
       ground, the food melted and disappeared.

       (Exo 16:22 TLB)  On the sixth day there was twice as much as usual on 
       the ground--four quarts instead of two; the leaders of the people came 
       and asked Moses why this had happened.

       (Exo 16:23 TLB)  And he told them, "Because the Lord has appointed 
       tomorrow as a day of seriousness and rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord 
       when we must refrain from doing our daily tasks. So cook as much as 
       you want to today, and keep what is left for tomorrow."

       (Exo 16:24 TLB)  And the next morning the food was wholesome and good, 
       without maggots or odor.

       (Exo 16:25 TLB)  Moses said, "This is your food for today, for today 
       is the Sabbath to Jehovah and there will be no food on the ground 
       today.

       (Exo 16:26 TLB)  Gather the food for six days, but the seventh is a 
       Sabbath, and there will be none there for you on that day."

       (Exo 16:27 TLB)  But some of the people went out anyway to gather 
       food, even though it was the Sabbath, but there wasn't any.

       (Exo 16:28 TLB)  "How long will these people refuse to obey?" the Lord 
       asked Moses.

       (Exo 16:29 TLB)  "Don't they realize that I am giving them twice as 
       much on the sixth day, so that there will be enough for two days? For 
       the Lord has given you the seventh day as a day of Sabbath rest; stay 
       in your tents and don't go out to pick up food from the ground that 
       day."

       (Exo 16:30 TLB)  So the people rested on the seventh day.

       (Exo 16:31 TLB)  And the food became known as "manna" (meaning "What 
       is it?"); it was white, like coriander seed, and flat, and tasted like 
       honey bread.

       (Exo 16:32 TLB)  Then Moses gave them this further instruction from 
       the Lord: they were to take two quarts of it to be kept as a museum 
       specimen forever, so that later generations could see the bread the 
       Lord had fed them with in the wilderness, when he brought them from 
       Egypt.

       (Exo 16:33 TLB)  Moses told Aaron to get a container and put two 
       quarts of manna in it and to keep it in a sacred place from generation 
       to generation.

       (Exo 16:34 TLB)  Aaron did this, just as the Lord had instructed 
       Moses, and eventually it was kept in the Ark in the Tabernacle.






       (Exo 16:35 TLB)  So the people of Israel ate the manna forty years 
       until they arrived in the land of Canaan, where there were crops to 
       eat.

       (Exo 16:36 TLB)  The omer--the container used to measure the 
       manna--held about two quarts; it is approximately a tenth of a bushel.

       (Exo 17:1 TLB)  Now, at God's command, the people of Israel left the 
       Sihn desert, going by easy stages to Rephidim. But upon arrival, there 
       was no water!

       (Exo 17:2 TLB)  So once more the people growled and complained to 
       Moses. "Give us water!" they wailed. "Quiet!" Moses commanded. "Are 
       you trying to test God's patience with you?"

       (Exo 17:3 TLB)  But, tormented by thirst, they cried out, "Why did you 
       ever take us out of Egypt? Why did you bring us here to die, with our 
       children and cattle too?"

       (Exo 17:4 TLB)  Then Moses pleaded with Jehovah. "What shall I do? For 
       they are almost ready to stone me."

       (Exo 17:5 TLB)  Then Jehovah said to Moses, "Take the elders of Israel 
       with you and lead the people out to Mt. Horeb.

       (Exo 17:6 TLB)  I will meet you there at the rock. Strike it with your 
       rod--the same one you struck the Nile with--and water will come 
       pouring out, enough for everyone!" Moses did as he was told, and the 
       water gushed out!

       (Exo 17:7 TLB)  Moses named the place Massah (meaning "tempting 
       Jehovah to slay us"), and sometimes they referred to it as Meribah 
       (meaning "argument" and "strife!")--for it was there that the people 
       of Israel argued against God and tempted him to slay them by saying, 
       "Is Jehovah going to take care of us or not?"

       (Exo 17:8 TLB)  But now the warriors of Amalek came to fight against 
       the people of Israel at Rephidim.

       (Exo 17:9 TLB)  Moses instructed Joshua to issue a call to arms to the 
       Israelites, to fight the army of Amalek. "Tomorrow," Moses told him, 
       "I will stand at the top of the hill, with the rod of God in my hand!"

       (Exo 17:10 TLB)  So Joshua and his men went out to fight the army of 
       Amalek. Meanwhile Moses, Aaron, and Hur went to the top of the hill.

       (Exo 17:11 TLB)  And as long as Moses held up the rod in his hands, 
       Israel was winning; but whenever he rested his arms at his sides, the 
       soldiers of Amalek were winning.

       (Exo 17:12 TLB)  Moses' arms finally became too tired to hold up the 
       rod any longer; so Aaron and Hur rolled a stone for him to sit on, and 
       they stood on each side, holding up his hands until sunset.

       (Exo 17:13 TLB)  As a result, Joshua and his troops crushed the army 





       of Amalek, putting them to the sword.

       (Exo 17:14 TLB)  Then the Lord instructed Moses, "Write this into a 
       permanent record, to be remembered forever, and announce to Joshua 
       that I will utterly blot out every trace of Amalek."

       (Exo 17:15 TLB)  Moses built an altar there and called it 
       "Jehovah-nissi" (meaning "Jehovah is my flag").

       (Exo 17:16 TLB)  "Raise the banner of the Lord!" Moses said. "For the 
       Lord will be at war with Amalek generation after generation."

       (Exo 18:1 TLB)  Word soon reached Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, the 
       priest of Midian, about all the wonderful things God had done for his 
       people and for Moses, and how the Lord had brought them out of Egypt.

       (Exo 18:2 TLB)  Then Jethro took Moses' wife, Zipporah, to him (for he 
       had sent her home),

       (Exo 18:3 TLB)  along with Moses' two sons, Gershom (meaning 
       "foreigner," for Moses said when he was born, "I have been wandering 
       in a foreign land")

       (Exo 18:4 TLB)  and Eliezer (meaning "God is my help," for Moses said 
       at his birth, "The God of my fathers was my helper and delivered me 
       from the sword of Pharaoh").

       (Exo 18:5 TLB)  They arrived while Moses and the people were camped at 
       Mt. Sinai.

       (Exo 18:6 TLB)  "Jethro, your father-in-law, has come to visit you," 
       Moses was told, "and he has brought your wife and your two sons."

       (Exo 18:7 TLB)  Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and greeted 
       him warmly; they asked about each other's health and then went into 
       Moses' tent to talk further.

       (Exo 18:8 TLB)  Moses related to his father-in-law all that had been 
       happening and what the Lord had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians in 
       order to deliver Israel, and all the problems there had been along the 
       way, and how the Lord had delivered his people from all of them.

       (Exo 18:9 TLB)  Jethro was very happy about everything the Lord had 
       done for Israel, and about his bringing them out of Egypt.

       (Exo 18:10 TLB)  "Bless the Lord," Jethro said, "for he has saved you 
       from the Egyptians and from Pharaoh, and has rescued Israel.

       (Exo 18:11 TLB)  I know now that the Lord is greater than any other 
       god because he delivered his people from the proud and cruel 
       Egyptians."

       (Exo 18:12 TLB)  Jethro offered sacrifices to God, and afterwards 
       Aaron and the leaders of Israel came to meet Jethro, and they all ate 
       the sacrificial meal together before the Lord.





       (Exo 18:13 TLB)  The next day Moses sat as usual to hear the people's 
       complaints against each other, from morning to evening.

       (Exo 18:14 TLB)  When Moses' father-in-law saw how much time this was 
       taking, he said, "Why are you trying to do all this alone, with people 
       standing here all day long to get your help?"

       (Exo 18:15 TLB)  "Well, because the people come to me with their 
       disputes, to ask for God's decisions," Moses told him.

       (Exo 18:16 TLB)  "I am their judge, deciding who is right and who is 
       wrong, and instructing them in God's ways. I apply the laws of God to 
       their particular disputes."

       (Exo 18:17 TLB)  "It's not right!" his father-in-law exclaimed.

       (Exo 18:18 TLB)  "You're going to wear yourself out--and if you do, 
       what will happen to the people? Moses, this job is too heavy a burden 
       for you to try to handle all by yourself.

       (Exo 18:19 TLB)  Now listen, and let me give you a word of advice, and 
       God will bless you: Be these people's lawyer--their representative 
       before God--bringing him their questions to decide;

       (Exo 18:20 TLB)  you will tell them his decisions, teaching them God's 
       laws, and showing them the principles of godly living.

       (Exo 18:21 TLB)  "Find some capable, godly, honest men who hate 
       bribes, and appoint them as judges, one judge for each 1,000 people; 
       he in turn will have ten judges under him, each in charge of a 
       hundred; and under each of them will be two judges, each responsible 
       for the affairs of fifty people; and each of these will have five 
       judges beneath him, each counseling ten persons.

       (Exo 18:22 TLB)  Let these men be responsible to serve the people with 
       justice at all times. Anything that is too important or complicated 
       can be brought to you. But the smaller matters they can take care of 
       themselves. That way it will be easier for you because you will share 
       the burden with them.

       (Exo 18:23 TLB)  If you follow this advice, and if the Lord agrees, 
       you will be able to endure the pressures, and there will be peace and 
       harmony in the camp."

       (Exo 18:24 TLB)  Moses listened to his father-in-law's advice and 
       followed this suggestion.

       (Exo 18:25 TLB)  He chose able men from all over Israel and made them 
       judges over the people--thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens.

       (Exo 18:26 TLB)  They were constantly available to administer justice. 
       They brought the hard cases to Moses but judged the smaller matters 
       themselves.

       (Exo 18:27 TLB)  Soon afterwards Moses let his father-in-law return to 
       his own land.






       (Exo 19:1 TLB)  The Israelis arrived in the Sinai peninsula three 
       months after the night of their departure from Egypt.

       (Exo 19:2 TLB)  After breaking camp at Rephidim, they came to the base 
       of Mt. Sinai and set up camp there.

       (Exo 19:3 TLB)  Moses climbed the rugged mountain to meet with God, 
       and from somewhere in the mountain God called to him and said, "Give 
       these instructions to the people of Israel. Tell them,

       (Exo 19:4 TLB)  'You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I 
       brought you to myself as though on eagle's wings.

       (Exo 19:5 TLB)  Now if you will obey me and keep your part of my 
       contract with you, you shall be my own little flock from among all the 
       nations of the earth; for all the earth is mine.

       (Exo 19:6 TLB)  And you shall be a kingdom of priests to God, a holy 
       nation.'"

       (Exo 19:7 TLB)  Moses returned from the mountain and called together 
       the leaders of the people and told them what the Lord had said.

       (Exo 19:8 TLB)  They all responded in unison, "We will certainly do 
       everything he asks of us." Moses reported the words of the people to 
       the Lord.

       (Exo 19:9 TLB)  Then he said to Moses, "I am going to come to you in 
       the form of a dark cloud, so that the people themselves can hear me 
       when I talk with you, and then they will always believe you.

       (Exo 19:10 TLB)  Go down now and see that the people are ready for my 
       visit. Sanctify them today and tomorrow, and have them wash their 
       clothes.

       (Exo 19:11 TLB)  Then, the day after tomorrow, I will come down upon 
       Mt. Sinai as all the people watch.

       (Exo 19:12 TLB)  Set boundary lines the people may not pass, and tell 
       them, 'Beware! Do not go up into the mountain or even touch its 
       boundaries; whoever does shall die--

       (Exo 19:13 TLB)  no hand shall touch him, but he shall be stoned or 
       shot to death with arrows, whether man or animal.' Stay away from the 
       mountain entirely until you hear a ram's horn sounding one long blast; 
       then gather at the foot of the mountain!"

       (Exo 19:14 TLB)  So Moses went down to the people and sanctified them 
       and they washed their clothing.

       (Exo 19:15 TLB)  He told them, "Get ready for God's appearance two 
       days from now, and do not have sexual intercourse with your wives."

       (Exo 19:16 TLB)  On the morning of the third day there was a terrific 
       thunder and lightning storm, and a huge cloud came down upon the 





       mountain, and there was a long, loud blast as from a ram's horn; and 
       all the people trembled.

       (Exo 19:17 TLB)  Moses led them out from the camp to meet God, and 
       they stood at the foot of the mountain.

       (Exo 19:18 TLB)  All Mt. Sinai was covered with smoke because Jehovah 
       descended upon it in the form of fire; the smoke billowed into the sky 
       as from a furnace, and the whole mountain shook with a violent 
       earthquake.

       (Exo 19:19 TLB)  As the trumpet blast grew louder and louder, Moses 
       spoke and God thundered his reply.

       (Exo 19:20 TLB)  So the Lord came down upon the top of Mt. Sinai and 
       called Moses up to the top of the mountain, and Moses ascended to God.

       (Exo 19:21 TLB)  But the Lord told Moses, "Go back down and warn the 
       people not to cross the boundaries. They must not come up here to try 
       to see God, for if they do, many of them will die.

       (Exo 19:22 TLB)  Even the priests on duty must sanctify themselves, or 
       else I will destroy them."

       (Exo 19:23 TLB)  "But the people won't come up into the mountain!" 
       Moses protested. "You told them not to! You told me to set boundaries 
       around the mountain and to declare it off limits because it is 
       reserved for God."

       (Exo 19:24 TLB)  But Jehovah said, "Go down and bring Aaron back with 
       you, and don't let the priests and the people break across the 
       boundaries to try to come up here, or I will punish them."

       (Exo 19:25 TLB)  So Moses went down to the people and told them what 
       God had said.

       (Exo 20:1 TLB)  Then God issued this edict:

       (Exo 20:2 TLB)  "I am Jehovah your God who liberated you from your 
       slavery in Egypt.

       (Exo 20:3 TLB)  "You may worship no other god than me.

       (Exo 20:4 TLB)  "You shall not make yourselves any idols: no images of 
       animals, birds, or fish.

       (Exo 20:5 TLB)  You must never bow or worship it in any way; for I, 
       the Lord your God, am very possessive. I will not share your affection 
       with any other god! "And when I punish people for their sins, the 
       punishment continues upon the children, grandchildren, and 
       great-grandchildren of those who hate me;

       (Exo 20:6 TLB)  but I lavish my love upon thousands of those who love 
       me and obey my commandments.

       (Exo 20:7 TLB)  "You shall not use the name of Jehovah your God 





       irreverently, nor use it to swear to a falsehood. You will not escape 
       punishment if you do.

       (Exo 20:8 TLB)  "Remember to observe the Sabbath as a holy day.

       (Exo 20:9 TLB)  Six days a week are for your daily duties and your 
       regular work,

       (Exo 20:10 TLB)  but the seventh day is a day of Sabbath rest before 
       the Lord your God. On that day you are to do no work of any kind, nor 
       shall your son, daughter, or slaves--whether men or women--or your 
       cattle or your house guests.

       (Exo 20:11 TLB)  For in six days the Lord made the heaven, earth, and 
       sea, and everything in them, and rested the seventh day; so he blessed 
       the Sabbath day and set it aside for rest.

       (Exo 20:12 TLB)  "Honor your father and mother, that you may have a 
       long, good life in the land the Lord your God will give you.

       (Exo 20:13 TLB)  "You must not murder.

       (Exo 20:14 TLB)  "You must not commit adultery.

       (Exo 20:15 TLB)  "You must not steal.

       (Exo 20:16 TLB)  "You must not lie.

       (Exo 20:17 TLB)  "You must not be envious of your neighbor's house, or 
       want to sleep with his wife, or want to own his slaves, oxen, donkeys, 
       or anything else he has."

       (Exo 20:18 TLB)  All the people saw the lightning and the smoke 
       billowing from the mountain, and heard the thunder and the long, 
       frightening trumpet blast; and they stood at a distance, shaking with 
       fear.

       (Exo 20:19 TLB)  They said to Moses, "You tell us what God says and we 
       will obey, but don't let God speak directly to us, or it will kill 
       us."

       (Exo 20:20 TLB)  "Don't be afraid," Moses told them, "for God has come 
       in this way to show you his awesome power, so that from now on you 
       will be afraid to sin against him!"

       (Exo 20:21 TLB)  As the people stood in the distance, Moses entered 
       into the deep darkness where God was.

       (Exo 20:22 TLB)  And the Lord told Moses to be his spokesman to the 
       people of Israel. "You are witnesses to the fact that I have made 
       known my will to you from heaven.

       (Exo 20:23 TLB)  Remember, you must not make or worship idols made of 
       silver or gold or of anything else!

       (Exo 20:24 TLB)  "The altars you make for me must be simple altars of 





       earth. Offer upon them your sacrifices to me--your burnt offerings and 
       peace offerings of sheep and oxen. Build altars only where I tell you 
       to, and I will come and bless you there.

       (Exo 20:25 TLB)  You may also build altars from stone, but if you do, 
       then use only uncut stones and boulders. Don't chip or shape the 
       stones with a tool, for that would make them unfit for my altar.

       (Exo 20:26 TLB)  And don't make steps for the altar, or someone might 
       look up beneath the skirts of your clothing and see your nakedness.

       (Exo 21:1 TLB)  "Here are other laws you must obey:

       (Exo 21:2 TLB)  "If you buy a Hebrew slave, he shall serve only six 
       years and be freed in the seventh year, and need pay nothing to regain 
       his freedom.

       (Exo 21:3 TLB)  "If he sold himself as a slave before he married, then 
       if he married afterwards, only he shall be freed; but if he was 
       married before he became a slave, then his wife shall be freed with 
       him at the same time.

       (Exo 21:4 TLB)  But if his master gave him a wife while he was a 
       slave, and they have sons or daughters, the wife and children shall 
       still belong to the master, and he shall go out by himself free.

       (Exo 21:5 TLB)  "But if the man shall plainly declare, 'I prefer my 
       master, my wife, and my children, and I would rather not go free,'

       (Exo 21:6 TLB)  then his master shall bring him before the judges and 
       shall publicly bore his ear with an awl, and after that he will be a 
       slave forever.

       (Exo 21:7 TLB)  "If a man sells his daughter as a slave, she shall not 
       be freed at the end of six years as the men are.

       (Exo 21:8 TLB)  If she does not please the man who bought her, then he 
       shall let her be bought back again; but he has no power to sell her to 
       foreigners, since he has wronged her by no longer wanting her after 
       marrying her.

       (Exo 21:9 TLB)  And if he arranges an engagement between a Hebrew 
       slave-girl and his son, then he may no longer treat her as a 
       slave-girl, but must treat her as a daughter.

       (Exo 21:10 TLB)  If he himself marries her and then takes another 
       wife, he may not reduce her food or clothing, or fail to sleep with 
       her as his wife.

       (Exo 21:11 TLB)  If he fails in any of these three things, then she 
       may leave freely without any payment.

       (Exo 21:12 TLB)  "Anyone who hits a man so hard that he dies shall 
       surely be put to death.

       (Exo 21:13 TLB)  But if it is accidental--an act of God--and not 





       intentional, then I will appoint a place where he can run and get 
       protection.

       (Exo 21:14 TLB)  However, if a man deliberately attacks another, 
       intending to kill him, drag him even from my altar, and kill him.

       (Exo 21:15 TLB)  "Anyone who strikes his father or mother shall surely 
       be put to death.

       (Exo 21:16 TLB)  "A kidnapper must be killed, whether he is caught in 
       possession of his victim or has already sold him as a slave.

       (Exo 21:17 TLB)  "Anyone who reviles or curses his mother or father 
       shall surely be put to death.

       (Exo 21:18 TLB)  "If two men are fighting, and one hits the other with 
       a stone or with his fist and injures him so that he must be confined 
       to bed, but doesn't die,

       (Exo 21:19 TLB)  if later he is able to walk again, even with a limp, 
       the man who hit him will be innocent except that he must pay for the 
       loss of his time until he is thoroughly healed, and pay any medical 
       expenses.

       (Exo 21:20 TLB)  "If a man beats his slave to death--whether the slave 
       is male or female--that man shall surely be punished.

       (Exo 21:21 TLB)  However, if the slave does not die for a couple of 
       days, then the man shall not be punished--for the slave is his 
       property.

       (Exo 21:22 TLB)  "If two men are fighting, and in the process hurt a 
       pregnant woman so that she has a miscarriage, but she lives, then the 
       man who injured her shall be fined whatever amount the woman's husband 
       shall demand, and as the judges approve.

       (Exo 21:23 TLB)  But if any harm comes to the woman and she dies, he 
       shall be executed.

       (Exo 21:24 TLB)  "If her eye is injured, injure his; if her tooth is 
       knocked out, knock out his; and so on--hand for hand, foot for foot,

       (Exo 21:25 TLB)  burn for burn, wound for wound, lash for lash.

       (Exo 21:26 TLB)  "If a man hits his slave in the eye, whether man or 
       woman, and the eye is blinded, then the slave shall go free because of 
       his eye.

       (Exo 21:27 TLB)  And if a master knocks out his slave's tooth, he 
       shall let him go free to pay for the tooth.

       (Exo 21:28 TLB)  "If an ox gores a man or woman to death, the ox shall 
       be stoned and its flesh not eaten, but the owner shall not be held--

       (Exo 21:29 TLB)  unless the ox was known to gore people in the past, 
       and the owner had been notified and still the ox was not kept under 





       control; in that case, if it kills someone, the ox shall be stoned and 
       the owner also shall be killed.

       (Exo 21:30 TLB)  But the dead man's relatives may accept a fine 
       instead, if they wish. The judges will determine the amount.

       (Exo 21:31 TLB)  "The same law holds if the ox gores a boy or a girl.

       (Exo 21:32 TLB)  But if the ox gores a slave, whether male or female, 
       the slave's master shall be given thirty pieces of silver, and the ox 
       shall be stoned.

       (Exo 21:33 TLB)  "If a man digs a well and doesn't cover it, and an ox 
       or a donkey falls into it,

       (Exo 21:34 TLB)  the owner of the well shall pay full damages to the 
       owner of the animal, and the dead animal shall belong to him.

       (Exo 21:35 TLB)  "If a man's ox injures another, and it dies, then the 
       two owners shall sell the live ox and divide the price between 
       them--and each shall also own half of the dead ox.

       (Exo 21:36 TLB)  But if the ox was known from past experience to gore, 
       and its owner has not kept it under control, then there will not be a 
       division of the income; but the owner of the living ox shall pay in 
       full for the dead ox, and the dead one shall be his.

       (Exo 22:1 TLB)  "If a man steals an ox or sheep and then kills or 
       sells it, he shall pay a fine of five to one--five oxen shall be 
       returned for each stolen ox. For sheep, the fine shall be four to 
       one--four sheep returned for each sheep stolen.

       (Exo 22:2 TLB)  "If a thief is caught in the act of breaking into a 
       house and is killed, the one who killed him is not guilty.

       (Exo 22:3 TLB)  But if it happens in the daylight, it must be presumed 
       to be murder and the man who kills him is guilty. "If a thief is 
       captured, he must make full restitution; if he can't, then he must be 
       sold as a slave for his debt.

       (Exo 22:4 TLB)  "If he is caught in the act of stealing a live ox or 
       donkey or sheep or whatever it is, he shall pay double value as his 
       fine.

       (Exo 22:5 TLB)  "If someone deliberately lets his animal loose and it 
       gets into another man's vineyard; or if he turns it into another man's 
       field to graze, he must pay for all damages by giving the owner of the 
       field or vineyard an equal amount of the best of his own crop.

       (Exo 22:6 TLB)  "If the field is being burned off and the fire gets 
       out of control and goes into another field so that the shocks of 
       grain, or the standing grain, are destroyed, the one who started the 
       fire shall make full restitution.

       (Exo 22:7 TLB)  "If someone gives money or goods to anyone to keep for 
       him, and it is stolen, the thief shall pay double if he is found.






       (Exo 22:8 TLB)  But if no thief is found, then the man to whom the 
       valuables were entrusted shall be brought before God to determine 
       whether or not he himself has stolen his neighbor's property.

       (Exo 22:9 TLB)  "In every case in which an ox, donkey, sheep, 
       clothing, or anything else is lost, and the owner believes he has 
       found it in the possession of someone else who denies it, both parties 
       to the dispute shall come before God for a decision, and the one whom 
       God declares guilty shall pay double to the other.

       (Exo 22:10 TLB)  "If a man asks his neighbor to keep a donkey, ox, 
       sheep, or any other animal for him, and it dies, or is hurt, or gets 
       away, and there is no eyewitness to report just what happened to it,

       (Exo 22:11 TLB)  then the neighbor must take an oath that he has not 
       stolen it, and the owner must accept his word, and no restitution 
       shall be made for it.

       (Exo 22:12 TLB)  But if the animal or property has been stolen, the 
       neighbor caring for it must repay the owner.

       (Exo 22:13 TLB)  If it was attacked by some wild animal, he shall 
       bring the torn carcass to confirm the fact, and shall not be required 
       to make restitution.

       (Exo 22:14 TLB)  "If a man borrows an animal (or anything else) from a 
       neighbor, and it is injured or killed, and the owner is not there at 
       the time, then the man who borrowed it must pay for it.

       (Exo 22:15 TLB)  But if the owner is there, he need not pay; and if it 
       was rented, then he need not pay, because this possibility was 
       included in the original rental fee.

       (Exo 22:16 TLB)  "If a man seduces a girl who is not engaged to anyone 
       and sleeps with her, he must pay the usual dowry and accept her as his 
       wife.

       (Exo 22:17 TLB)  But if her father utterly refuses to let her marry 
       him, then he shall pay the money anyway.

       (Exo 22:18 TLB)  "A sorceress shall be put to death.

       (Exo 22:19 TLB)  "Anyone having sexual relations with an animal shall 
       certainly be executed.

       (Exo 22:20 TLB)  "Anyone sacrificing to any other god than Jehovah 
       shall be executed.

       (Exo 22:21 TLB)  "You must not oppress a stranger in any way; 
       remember, you yourselves were foreigners in the land of Egypt.

       (Exo 22:22 TLB)  "You must not exploit widows or orphans;

       (Exo 22:23 TLB)  if you do so in any way, and they cry to me for my 
       help, I will surely give it.






       (Exo 22:24 TLB)  And my anger shall flame out against you, and I will 
       kill you with enemy armies, so that your wives will be widows and your 
       children fatherless.

       (Exo 22:25 TLB)  "If you lend money to a needy fellow-Hebrew, you are 
       not to handle the transaction in an ordinary way, with interest.

       (Exo 22:26 TLB)  If you take his clothing as a pledge of his 
       repayment, you must let him have it back at night.

       (Exo 22:27 TLB)  For it is probably his only warmth; how can he sleep 
       without it? If you don't return it, and he cries to me for help, I 
       will hear and be very gracious to him (at your expense), for I am very 
       compassionate.

       (Exo 22:28 TLB)  "You shall not blaspheme God, nor curse government 
       officials--your judges and your rulers.

       (Exo 22:29 TLB)  "You must be prompt in giving me the tithe of your 
       crops and your wine, and the redemption payment for your oldest son.

       (Exo 22:30 TLB)  "As to the firstborn of the oxen and the sheep, give 
       it to me on the eighth day, after leaving it with its mother for seven 
       days.

       (Exo 22:31 TLB)  "And since you yourselves are holy--my special 
       people--do not eat any animal that has been attacked and killed by a 
       wild animal. Leave its carcass for the dogs to eat.

       (Exo 23:1 TLB)  "Do not pass along untrue reports. Do not cooperate 
       with an evil man by affirming on the witness stand something you know 
       is false.

       (Exo 23:2 TLB)  "Don't join mobs intent on evil. When on the witness 
       stand, don't be swayed in your testimony by the mood of the majority 
       present,

       (Exo 23:3 TLB)  and do not slant your testimony in favor of a man just 
       because he is poor.

       (Exo 23:4 TLB)  "If you come upon an enemy's ox or donkey that has 
       strayed away, you must take it back to its owner.

       (Exo 23:5 TLB)  If you see your enemy trying to get his donkey onto 
       its feet beneath a heavy load, you must not go on by but must help 
       him.

       (Exo 23:6 TLB)  "A man's poverty is no excuse for twisting justice 
       against him.

       (Exo 23:7 TLB)  "Keep far away from falsely charging anyone with evil; 
       never let an innocent person be put to death. I will not stand for 
       this.

       (Exo 23:8 TLB)  "Take no bribes, for a bribe makes you unaware of what 





       you clearly see! A bribe hurts the cause of the person who is right.

       (Exo 23:9 TLB)  "Do not oppress foreigners; you know what it's like to 
       be a foreigner; remember your own experience in the land of Egypt.

       (Exo 23:10 TLB)  "Sow and reap your crops for six years,

       (Exo 23:11 TLB)  but let the land rest and lie fallow during the 
       seventh year, and let the poor among the people harvest any volunteer 
       crop that may come up; leave the rest for the animals to enjoy. The 
       same rule applies to your vineyards and your olive groves.

       (Exo 23:12 TLB)  "Work six days only, and rest the seventh; this is to 
       give your oxen and donkeys a rest, as well as the people of your 
       household--your slaves and visitors.

       (Exo 23:13 TLB)  "Be sure to obey all of these instructions; and 
       remember--never mention the name of any other god.

       (Exo 23:14 TLB)  "There are three annual religious pilgrimages you 
       must make.

       (Exo 23:15 TLB)  "The first is the Pilgrimage of Unleavened Bread, 
       when for seven days you are not to eat bread with yeast, just as I 
       commanded you before. This celebration is to be an annual event at the 
       regular time in March, the month you left Egypt; everyone must bring 
       me a sacrifice at that time.

       (Exo 23:16 TLB)  Then there is the Harvest Pilgrimage, when you must 
       bring to me the first of your crops. And, finally, the Pilgrimage of 
       Ingathering at the end of the harvest season.

       (Exo 23:17 TLB)  At these three times each year, every man in Israel 
       shall appear before the Lord God.

       (Exo 23:18 TLB)  "No sacrificial blood shall be offered with leavened 
       bread; no sacrificial fat shall be left unoffered until the next 
       morning.

       (Exo 23:19 TLB)  "As you reap each of your crops, bring me the 
       choicest sample of the first day's harvest; it shall be offered to the 
       Lord your God. "Do not boil a young goat in its mother's milk.

       (Exo 23:20 TLB)  "See, I am sending an Angel before you to lead you 
       safely to the land I have prepared for you.

       (Exo 23:21 TLB)  Reverence him and obey all of his instructions; do 
       not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgression; he 
       is my representative--he bears my name.

       (Exo 23:22 TLB)  But if you are careful to obey him, following all my 
       instructions, then I will be an enemy to your enemies.

       (Exo 23:23 TLB)  For my Angel shall go before you and bring you into 
       the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites, 
       and Jebusites, to live there. And I will destroy those people before 





       you.

       (Exo 23:24 TLB)  "You must not worship the gods of these other 
       nations, nor sacrifice to them in any way, and you must not follow the 
       evil example of these heathen people; you must utterly conquer them 
       and break down their shameful idols.

       (Exo 23:25 TLB)  "You shall serve the Lord your God only; then I will 
       bless you with food and with water, and I will take away sickness from 
       among you.

       (Exo 23:26 TLB)  There will be no miscarriages nor barrenness 
       throughout your land, and you will live out the full quota of the days 
       of your life.

       (Exo 23:27 TLB)  "The terror of the Lord shall fall upon all the 
       people whose land you invade, and they will flee before you;

       (Exo 23:28 TLB)  and I will send hornets to drive out the Hivites, 
       Canaanites, and Hittites from before you.

       (Exo 23:29 TLB)  I will not do it all in one year, for the land would 
       become a wilderness, and the wild animals would become too many to 
       control.

       (Exo 23:30 TLB)  But I will drive them out a little at a time, until 
       your population has increased enough to fill the land.

       (Exo 23:31 TLB)  And I will set your enlarged boundaries from the Red 
       Sea to the Philistine coast, and from the southern deserts as far as 
       the Euphrates River; and I will cause you to defeat the people now 
       living in the land, and you will drive them out ahead of you.

       (Exo 23:32 TLB)  "You must make no covenant with them, nor have 
       anything to do with their gods.

       (Exo 23:33 TLB)  Don't let them live among you! For I know that they 
       will infect you with their sin of worshiping false gods, and that 
       would be an utter disaster to you."

       (Exo 24:1 TLB)  The Lord now instructed Moses, "Come up here with 
       Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel. All of you 
       except Moses are to worship at a distance.

       (Exo 24:2 TLB)  Moses alone shall come near to the Lord; and remember, 
       none of the ordinary people are permitted to come up into the mountain 
       at all."

       (Exo 24:3 TLB)  Then Moses announced to the people all the laws and 
       regulations God had given him; and the people answered in unison, "We 
       will obey them all."

       (Exo 24:4 TLB)  Moses wrote down the laws; and early the next morning 
       he built an altar at the foot of the mountain, with twelve pillars 
       around the altar because there were twelve tribes of Israel.





       (Exo 24:5 TLB)  Then he sent some of the young men to sacrifice the 
       burnt offerings and peace offerings to the Lord.

       (Exo 24:6 TLB)  Moses took half of the blood of these animals and drew 
       it off into basins. The other half he splashed against the altar.

       (Exo 24:7 TLB)  And he read to the people the Book he had written--the 
       Book of the Covenant--containing God's directions and laws. And the 
       people said again, "We solemnly promise to obey every one of these 
       rules."

       (Exo 24:8 TLB)  Then Moses threw the blood from the basins toward the 
       people and said, "This blood confirms and seals the covenant the Lord 
       has made with you in giving you these laws."

       (Exo 24:9 TLB)  Then Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy of the 
       elders of Israel went up into the mountain.

       (Exo 24:10 TLB)  And they saw the God of Israel; under his feet there 
       seemed to be a pavement of brilliant sapphire stones, as clear as the 
       heavens.

       (Exo 24:11 TLB)  Yet, even though the elders saw God, he did not 
       destroy them; and they had a meal together before the Lord.

       (Exo 24:12 TLB)  And the Lord said to Moses, "Come up to me into the 
       mountain, and remain until I give you the laws and commandments I have 
       written on tablets of stone, so that you can teach the people from 
       them."

       (Exo 24:13 TLB)  So Moses and Joshua, his assistant, went up into the 
       mountain of God.

       (Exo 24:14 TLB)  He told the elders, "Stay here and wait for us until 
       we come back; if there are any problems while I am gone, consult with 
       Aaron and Hur."

       (Exo 24:15 TLB)  Then Moses went up the mountain and disappeared into 
       the cloud at the top.

       (Exo 24:16 TLB)  And the glory of the Lord rested upon Mt. Sinai, and 
       the cloud covered it six days; the seventh day he called to Moses from 
       the cloud.

       (Exo 24:17 TLB)  Those at the bottom of the mountain saw the awesome 
       sight: the glory of the Lord on the mountaintop looked like a raging 
       fire.

       (Exo 24:18 TLB)  And Moses disappeared into the cloud-covered 
       mountaintop, and was there for forty days and forty nights.

       (Exo 25:1 TLB)  Jehovah said to Moses,

       (Exo 25:2 TLB)  "Tell the people of Israel that everyone who wants to 
       may bring me an offering





       (Exo 25:3 TLB)  from this list: gold, silver, bronze,

       (Exo 25:4 TLB)  blue cloth, purple cloth, scarlet cloth, fine linen, 
       goats' hair,

       (Exo 25:5 TLB)  red-dyed rams' skins, goatskins, acacia wood,

       (Exo 25:6 TLB)  olive oil for the lamps, spices for the anointing oil 
       and for the fragrant incense,

       (Exo 25:7 TLB)  onyx stones, stones to be set in the ephod and in the 
       breastplate.

       (Exo 25:8 TLB)  "For I want the people of Israel to make me a sacred 
       Temple where I can live among them.

       (Exo 25:9 TLB)  "This home of mine shall be a tent pavilion--a 
       Tabernacle. I will give you a drawing of the construction plan and the 
       details of each furnishing.

       (Exo 25:10 TLB)  "Using acacia wood, make an Ark 3 3/ 4 feet long, 2 
       1/ 4 feet wide, and 2 1/ 4 feet high.

       (Exo 25:11 TLB)  Overlay it inside and outside with pure gold, with a 
       molding of gold all around it.

       (Exo 25:12 TLB)  Cast four rings of gold for it and attach them to the 
       four lower corners, two rings on each side.

       (Exo 25:13 TLB)  Make poles from acacia wood overlaid with gold, and 
       fit the poles into the rings at the sides of the Ark to carry it.

       (Exo 25:14 TLB)  

       (Exo 25:15 TLB)  These carrying poles shall never be taken from the 
       rings, but are to be left there permanently.

       (Exo 25:16 TLB)  When the Ark is finished, place inside it the tablets 
       of stone I will give you, with the Ten Commandments engraved on them.

       (Exo 25:17 TLB)  "And make a lid of pure gold, 3 3/ 4 feet long and 2 
       1/ 4 feet wide. This is the place of mercy for your sins.

       (Exo 25:18 TLB)  Then make two statues of Guardian Angels using beaten 
       gold, and place them at the two ends of the lid of the Ark.

       (Exo 25:19 TLB)  They shall be one piece with the mercy place, one at 
       each end.

       (Exo 25:20 TLB)  The Guardian Angels shall be facing each other, 
       looking down upon the place of mercy, and shall have wings spread out 
       above the gold lid.

       (Exo 25:21 TLB)  Install the lid upon the Ark, and place within the 
       Ark the tablets of stone I shall give you.





       (Exo 25:22 TLB)  And I will meet with you there and talk with you from 
       above the place of mercy between the Guardian Angels; and the Ark will 
       contain the laws of my covenant. There I will tell you my commandments 
       for the people of Israel.

       (Exo 25:23 TLB)  "Then make a table of acacia wood 3 feet long, 1 1/ 2 
       feet wide, and 2 1/ 4 feet high.

       (Exo 25:24 TLB)  Overlay it with pure gold, and run a rib of gold 
       around it.

       (Exo 25:25 TLB)  Put a molding four inches wide around the edge of the 
       top, and a gold ridge along the molding, all around.

       (Exo 25:26 TLB)  Make four gold rings and put the rings at the outside 
       corner of the four legs,

       (Exo 25:27 TLB)  close to the top; these are rings for the poles that 
       will be used to carry the table.

       (Exo 25:28 TLB)  Make the poles from acacia wood overlaid with gold.

       (Exo 25:29 TLB)  And make gold dishes, spoons, pitchers, and flagons;

       (Exo 25:30 TLB)  and always keep the special Bread of the Presence on 
       the table before me.

       (Exo 25:31 TLB)  "Make a lampstand of pure, beaten gold. The entire 
       lampstand and its decorations shall be one piece--the base, shaft, 
       lamps, and blossoms.

       (Exo 25:32 TLB)  It will have three branches going out from each side 
       of the center shaft, each branch decorated with three almond flowers.

       (Exo 25:33 TLB)  

       (Exo 25:34 TLB)  The central shaft itself will be decorated with four 
       almond flowers--

       (Exo 25:35 TLB)  one placed between each set of branches; also, there 
       will be one flower above the top set of branches and one below the 
       bottom set.

       (Exo 25:36 TLB)  These decorations and branches and the shaft are all 
       to be one piece of pure, beaten gold.

       (Exo 25:37 TLB)  Then make seven lamps for the lampstand, and set them 
       so that they reflect their light forward.

       (Exo 25:38 TLB)  The snuffers and trays are to be made of pure gold.

       (Exo 25:39 TLB)  You will need about 107 pounds of pure gold for the 
       lampstand and its accessories.

       (Exo 25:40 TLB)  "Be sure that everything you make follows the pattern 
       I am showing you here on the mountain.






       (Exo 26:1 TLB)  "Make the tabernacle-tent from ten colored sheets of 
       fine linen, 42 feet long and 6 feet wide, dyed blue, purple, and 
       scarlet, with figures of Guardian Angels embroidered on them.

       (Exo 26:2 TLB)  

       (Exo 26:3 TLB)  Join five sheets end to end for each side of the tent, 
       forming two long pieces, one for each side.

       (Exo 26:4 TLB)  Use loops at the edges to join these two long pieces 
       together side by side. There are to be fifty loops on each side, 
       opposite each other.

       (Exo 26:5 TLB)  

       (Exo 26:6 TLB)  Then make fifty gold clasps to fasten the loops 
       together, so that the Tabernacle, the dwelling place of God, becomes a 
       single unit.

       (Exo 26:7 TLB)  "The roof of the Tabernacle is made of goats' hair 
       tarpaulins. There are to be eleven of these tarpaulins, each 45 feet 
       across and 6 feet wide.

       (Exo 26:8 TLB)  

       (Exo 26:9 TLB)  Connect five of these tarpaulins into one wide 
       section; and use the other six for another wide section. (The sixth 
       tarpaulin will hang down to form a curtain across the front of the 
       sacred tent.)

       (Exo 26:10 TLB)  Use fifty loops along the edges of each of these two 
       wide pieces, to join them together with fifty bronze clasps. Thus the 
       two widths become one.

       (Exo 26:11 TLB)  

       (Exo 26:12 TLB)  There will be a 1 1/ 2-foot length of this 
       roof-covering hanging down from the back of the tent,

       (Exo 26:13 TLB)  and a 1 1/ 2-foot length at the front.

       (Exo 26:14 TLB)  On top of these blankets is placed a layer of rams' 
       skins, dyed red, and over them a top layer of goatskins. This 
       completes the roof-covering.

       (Exo 26:15 TLB)  "The framework of the sacred tent shall be made from 
       acacia wood, each frame-piece being 15 feet high and 2 1/ 4 feet wide, 
       standing upright,

       (Exo 26:16 TLB)  

       (Exo 26:17 TLB)  with grooves on each side to mortise into the next 
       upright piece.

       (Exo 26:18 TLB)  Twenty of these frames will form the south side of 





       the sacred tent, with forty silver bases for the frames to fit 
       into--two bases under each piece of the frame.

       (Exo 26:19 TLB)  

       (Exo 26:20 TLB)  On the north side there will also be twenty of these 
       frames,

       (Exo 26:21 TLB)  with their forty silver bases, two bases for each 
       frame, one under each edge.

       (Exo 26:22 TLB)  On the west side there will be six frames,

       (Exo 26:23 TLB)  and two frames at each corner.

       (Exo 26:24 TLB)  These corner frames will be connected at the bottom 
       and top with clasps.

       (Exo 26:25 TLB)  So, in all, there will be eight frames on that end of 
       the building with sixteen silver bases for the frames--two bases under 
       each frame.

       (Exo 26:26 TLB)  "Make bars of acacia wood to run across the frames, 
       five bars on each side of the Tabernacle. Also five bars for the rear 
       of the building, facing westward.

       (Exo 26:27 TLB)  

       (Exo 26:28 TLB)  The middle bar, halfway up the frames, runs all the 
       way from end to end of the Tabernacle.

       (Exo 26:29 TLB)  Overlay the frames with gold, and make gold rings to 
       hold the bars; and also overlay the bars with gold.

       (Exo 26:30 TLB)  Set up this Tabernacle-tent in the manner I showed 
       you on the mountain.

       (Exo 26:31 TLB)  "(Inside the Tabernacle), make a curtain from fine 
       linen, with blue, purple, and scarlet Guardian Angels embroidered into 
       the cloth.

       (Exo 26:32 TLB)  Hang this curtain on gold hooks set into four pillars 
       made from acacia wood overlaid with gold. The pillars are to be set in 
       silver bases.

       (Exo 26:33 TLB)  Behind this curtain place the Ark containing the 
       stone tablets engraved with God's laws. The curtain will separate the 
       Holy Place and the Most Holy Place.

       (Exo 26:34 TLB)  "Now install the mercy place--the golden lid of the 
       Ark--in the Most Holy Place.

       (Exo 26:35 TLB)  Place the table and lampstand across the room from 
       each other on the outer side of the veil, the lampstand on the south 
       and the table on the north.





       (Exo 26:36 TLB)  "As a screen for the door of the sacred tent, make 
       another curtain from fine linen, skillfully embroidered in blue, 
       purple, and scarlet.

       (Exo 26:37 TLB)  Hang this curtain on gold hooks set into posts made 
       from acacia wood overlaid with gold. The posts are to rest on bronze 
       bases.

       (Exo 27:1 TLB)  "Using acacia wood, make a square altar 7 1/ 2 feet 
       wide, and 4 1/ 2 feet high.

       (Exo 27:2 TLB)  Make horns for the four corners of the altar, attach 
       them firmly, and overlay everything with bronze.

       (Exo 27:3 TLB)  The ash buckets, shovels, basins, carcass-hooks, and 
       fire pans are all to be made of bronze.

       (Exo 27:4 TLB)  Make a bronze grating, with a metal ring at each 
       corner,

       (Exo 27:5 TLB)  and fit the grating halfway down into the firebox, 
       resting it upon the ledge built there.

       (Exo 27:6 TLB)  For moving the altar, make poles from acacia wood 
       overlaid with bronze.

       (Exo 27:7 TLB)  To carry it, put the poles into the rings at each side 
       of the altar.

       (Exo 27:8 TLB)  The altar is to be hollow, made from planks, just as 
       was shown you on the mountain.

       (Exo 27:9 TLB)  "Then make a courtyard for the Tabernacle, enclosed 
       with curtains made from fine-twined linen. On the south side the 
       curtains will stretch for 150 feet,

       (Exo 27:10 TLB)  and be held up by twenty posts, fitting into twenty 
       bronze post holders. The curtains will be held up with silver hooks 
       attached to silver rods, attached to the posts.

       (Exo 27:11 TLB)  It will be the same on the north side of the 
       court--150 feet of curtains held up by twenty posts fitted into bronze 
       sockets, with silver hooks and rods.

       (Exo 27:12 TLB)  The west side of the court will be 75 feet wide, with 
       ten posts and ten sockets.

       (Exo 27:13 TLB)  The east side will also be 75 feet.

       (Exo 27:14 TLB)  On each side of the entrance there will be 22 1/ 2 
       feet of curtain, held up by three posts imbedded in three sockets.

       (Exo 27:15 TLB)  

       (Exo 27:16 TLB)  "The entrance to the court will be a 30-foot-wide 
       curtain, made of beautifully embroidered blue, purple, and scarlet 





       fine-twined linen, and attached to four posts imbedded in their four 
       sockets.

       (Exo 27:17 TLB)  All the posts around the court are to be connected by 
       silver rods, using silver hooks, the posts being imbedded in solid 
       bronze bases.

       (Exo 27:18 TLB)  So the entire court will be 150 feet long and 75 feet 
       wide, with curtain walls 7 1/ 2 feet high, made from fine-twined 
       linen.

       (Exo 27:19 TLB)  "All utensils used in the work of the Tabernacle, 
       including all the pins and pegs for hanging the utensils on the walls, 
       will be made of bronze.

       (Exo 27:20 TLB)  "Instruct the people of Israel to bring you pure 
       olive oil to use in the lamps of the Tabernacle, to burn there 
       continually.

       (Exo 27:21 TLB)  Aaron and his sons shall place this eternal flame in 
       the outer holy room, tending it day and night before the Lord, so that 
       it never goes out. This is a permanent rule for the people of Israel.

       (Exo 28:1 TLB)  "Consecrate Aaron your brother, and his sons Nadab, 
       Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar, to be priests, to minister to me.

       (Exo 28:2 TLB)  Make special clothes for Aaron, to indicate his 
       separation to God--beautiful garments that will lend dignity to his 
       work.

       (Exo 28:3 TLB)  Instruct those to whom I have given special skill as 
       tailors to make the garments that will set him apart from others, so 
       that he may minister to me in the priest's office.

       (Exo 28:4 TLB)  This is the wardrobe they shall make: a chestpiece, an 
       ephod, a robe, an embroidered shirt, a turban, and a sash. They shall 
       also make special garments for Aaron's sons.

       (Exo 28:5 TLB)  "The ephod shall be made by the most skilled of the 
       workmen, using gold, blue, purple, and scarlet threads of fine linen.

       (Exo 28:6 TLB)  

       (Exo 28:7 TLB)  It will consist of two pieces, front and back, joined 
       at the shoulders.

       (Exo 28:8 TLB)  And the sash shall be made of the same 
       material--threads of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet fine-twined 
       linen.

       (Exo 28:9 TLB)  Take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of 
       the tribes of Israel.

       (Exo 28:10 TLB)  Six names shall be on each stone, so that all the 
       tribes are named in the order of their births.





       (Exo 28:11 TLB)  When engraving these names, use the same technique as 
       in making a seal; and mount the stones in gold settings.

       (Exo 28:12 TLB)  Fasten the two stones upon the shoulders of the 
       ephod, as memorial stones for the people of Israel: Aaron will carry 
       their names before the Lord as a constant reminder.

       (Exo 28:13 TLB)  Two chains of pure, twisted gold shall be made and 
       attached to gold clasps on the shoulder of the ephod.

       (Exo 28:14 TLB)  

       (Exo 28:15 TLB)  "Then, using the most careful workmanship, make a 
       chestpiece to be used as God's oracle; use the same gold, blue, 
       purple, and scarlet threads of fine-twined linen as you did in the 
       ephod.

       (Exo 28:16 TLB)  This chestpiece is to be of two folds of cloth, 
       forming a pouch nine inches square.

       (Exo 28:17 TLB)  Attach to it four rows of stones: A ruby, a topaz, 
       and an emerald shall be in the first row.

       (Exo 28:18 TLB)  The second row will be carbuncle, a sapphire, and a 
       diamond.

       (Exo 28:19 TLB)  The third row will be an amber, an agate, and an 
       amethyst.

       (Exo 28:20 TLB)  The fourth row will be an onyx, a beryl, and a 
       jasper--all set in gold settings.

       (Exo 28:21 TLB)  Each stone will represent one of the tribes of Israel 
       and the name of that tribe will be engraved upon it like a seal.

       (Exo 28:22 TLB)  "Attach the top of the chestpiece to the ephod by 
       means of two twisted cords of pure gold.

       (Exo 28:23 TLB)  One end of each cord is attached to gold rings placed 
       at the outer top edge of the chestpiece.

       (Exo 28:24 TLB)  

       (Exo 28:25 TLB)  The other ends of the two cords are attached to the 
       front edges of the two settings of the onyx stones on the shoulder of 
       the ephod.

       (Exo 28:26 TLB)  Then make two more gold rings and place them on the 
       two lower, inside edges of the chestpiece;

       (Exo 28:27 TLB)  also make two other gold rings for the bottom front 
       edge of the ephod at the sash.

       (Exo 28:28 TLB)  Now attach the bottom of the chestpiece to the bottom 
       rings of the ephod by means of blue ribbons; this will prevent the 
       chestpiece from coming loose from the ephod.






       (Exo 28:29 TLB)  In this way Aaron shall carry the names of the tribes 
       of Israel on the chestpiece over his heart (it is God's oracle) when 
       he goes into the Holy Place; thus Jehovah will be reminded of them 
       continually.

       (Exo 28:30 TLB)  Insert into the pocket of the chestpiece the Urim and 
       Thummim, to be carried over Aaron's heart when he goes in before 
       Jehovah. Thus Aaron shall always be carrying the oracle over his heart 
       when he goes in before the Lord.

       (Exo 28:31 TLB)  "The ephod shall be made of blue cloth,

       (Exo 28:32 TLB)  with an opening for Aaron's head. It shall have a 
       woven band around this opening, just as on the neck of a coat of mail, 
       so that it will not fray.

       (Exo 28:33 TLB)  The bottom edge of the ephod shall be embroidered 
       with blue, purple, and scarlet pomegranates, alternated with gold 
       bells.

       (Exo 28:34 TLB)  

       (Exo 28:35 TLB)  Aaron shall wear the ephod whenever he goes in to 
       minister to the Lord; the bells will tinkle as he goes in and out of 
       the presence of the Lord in the Holy Place, so that he will not die.

       (Exo 28:36 TLB)  "Next, make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it, 
       just as you would upon a seal, 'Consecrated to Jehovah.'

       (Exo 28:37 TLB)  This plate is to be attached by means of a blue 
       ribbon to the front of Aaron's turban.

       (Exo 28:38 TLB)  In this way Aaron will be wearing it upon his 
       forehead, and thus bear the guilt connected with any errors regarding 
       the offerings of the people of Israel. It shall always be worn when he 
       goes into the presence of the Lord, so that the people will be 
       accepted and forgiven.

       (Exo 28:39 TLB)  "Weave Aaron's embroidered shirt from fine-twined 
       linen, using a checkerboard pattern; make the turban, too, of this 
       linen; and make him an embroidered sash.

       (Exo 28:40 TLB)  "Then, for Aaron's sons, make robes, sashes, and 
       turbans to give them honor and respect.

       (Exo 28:41 TLB)  Clothe Aaron and his sons with these garments, and 
       then dedicate these men to their ministry by anointing their heads 
       with olive oil, thus sanctifying them as the priests, my ministers.

       (Exo 28:42 TLB)  Also make linen undershorts for them, to be worn 
       beneath their robes next to their bodies, reaching from hips to knees.

       (Exo 28:43 TLB)  These are to be worn whenever Aaron and his sons go 
       into the Tabernacle or to the altar in the Holy Place, lest they be 
       guilty and die. This is a permanent ordinance for Aaron and his sons.






       (Exo 29:1 TLB)  "This is the ceremony for the dedication of Aaron and 
       his sons as priests: get a young bull and two rams with no defects,

       (Exo 29:2 TLB)  and bread made without yeast, and thin sheets of 
       sweetened bread mingled with oil, and unleavened wafers with oil 
       poured over them. (The various kinds of bread shall be made with 
       finely ground wheat flour.)

       (Exo 29:3 TLB)  Place the bread in a basket and bring it to the 
       entrance of the Tabernacle, along with the young bull and the two 
       rams.

       (Exo 29:4 TLB)  "Bathe Aaron and his sons there at the entrance.

       (Exo 29:5 TLB)  Then put Aaron's robe on him, and the embroidered 
       shirt, ephod, chestpiece, and sash,

       (Exo 29:6 TLB)  and place on his head the turban with the gold plate.

       (Exo 29:7 TLB)  Then take the anointing oil and pour it upon his head.

       (Exo 29:8 TLB)  Next, dress his sons in their robes,

       (Exo 29:9 TLB)  with their woven sashes, and place caps on their 
       heads. They will then be priests forever; thus you shall consecrate 
       Aaron and his sons.

       (Exo 29:10 TLB)  "Then bring the young bull to the Tabernacle, and 
       Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands upon its head;

       (Exo 29:11 TLB)  and you shall kill it before the Lord, at the 
       entrance of the Tabernacle.

       (Exo 29:12 TLB)  Place its blood upon the horns of the altar, smearing 
       it on with your finger, and pour the rest at the base of the altar.

       (Exo 29:13 TLB)  Then take all the fat that covers the inner parts, 
       also the gall bladder and two kidneys, and the fat on them, and burn 
       them upon the altar.

       (Exo 29:14 TLB)  Then take the body, including the skin and the dung, 
       outside the camp and burn it as a sin offering.

       (Exo 29:15 TLB)  "Next, Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands upon 
       the head of one of the rams as it is killed. Its blood shall also be 
       collected and sprinkled upon the altar.

       (Exo 29:16 TLB)  

       (Exo 29:17 TLB)  Cut up the ram and wash off the entrails and the 
       legs; place them with the head and the other pieces of the body,

       (Exo 29:18 TLB)  and burn it all upon the altar; it is a burnt 
       offering to the Lord, and very pleasant to him.





       (Exo 29:19 TLB)  "Now take the other ram, and Aaron and his sons shall 
       lay their hands upon its head as it is killed.

       (Exo 29:20 TLB)  Collect the blood and place some of it upon the tip 
       of the right ear of Aaron and his sons, and upon their right thumbs 
       and the big toes of their right feet; sprinkle the rest of the blood 
       over the altar.

       (Exo 29:21 TLB)  Then scrape off some of the blood from the altar and 
       mix it with some of the anointing oil and sprinkle it upon Aaron and 
       his sons and upon their clothes; and they and their clothing shall be 
       sanctified to the Lord.

       (Exo 29:22 TLB)  "Then take the fat of the ram, including the fat tail 
       and the fat that covers the insides, also the gall bladder and the two 
       kidneys and the fat surrounding them, and the right thigh--for this is 
       the ram for ordination of Aaron and his sons--

       (Exo 29:23 TLB)  and one loaf of bread, one cake of shortening bread, 
       and one wafer from the basket of unleavened bread that was placed 
       before the Lord:

       (Exo 29:24 TLB)  Place these in the hands of Aaron and his sons, to 
       wave them in a gesture of offering to the Lord.

       (Exo 29:25 TLB)  Afterwards, take them from their hands and burn them 
       on the altar as a fragrant burnt offering to him.

       (Exo 29:26 TLB)  Then take the breast of Aaron's ordination ram and 
       wave it before the Lord in a gesture of offering; afterwards, keep it 
       for yourself.

       (Exo 29:27 TLB)  "Give the breast and thigh of the consecration ram

       (Exo 29:28 TLB)  to Aaron and his sons. The people of Israel must 
       always contribute this portion of their sacrifices--whether peace 
       offerings or thanksgiving offerings--as their contribution to the 
       Lord.

       (Exo 29:29 TLB)  "These sacred garments of Aaron shall be preserved 
       for the consecration of his son who succeeds him, from generation to 
       generation, for his anointing ceremony.

       (Exo 29:30 TLB)  Whoever is the next High Priest after Aaron shall 
       wear these clothes for seven days before beginning to minister in the 
       Tabernacle and the Holy Place.

       (Exo 29:31 TLB)  "Take the ram of consecration--the ram used in the 
       ordination ceremony--and boil its meat in a sacred area.

       (Exo 29:32 TLB)  Aaron and his sons shall eat the meat, also the bread 
       in the basket, at the door of the Tabernacle.

       (Exo 29:33 TLB)  They alone shall eat those items used in their 
       atonement (that is, in their consecration ceremony). The ordinary 
       people shall not eat them, for these things are set apart and holy.






       (Exo 29:34 TLB)  If any of the meat or bread remains until the 
       morning, burn it; it shall not be eaten, for it is holy.

       (Exo 29:35 TLB)  "This, then, is the way you shall ordain Aaron and 
       his sons to their offices. This ordination shall go on for seven days.

       (Exo 29:36 TLB)  Every day you shall sacrifice a young bull as a sin 
       offering for atonement; afterwards, purge the altar by making 
       atonement for it; pour olive oil upon it to sanctify it.

       (Exo 29:37 TLB)  Make atonement for the altar and consecrate it to God 
       every day for seven days. After this the altar shall be exceedingly 
       holy, so that whatever touches it shall be set apart for God.

       (Exo 29:38 TLB)  "Each day offer two yearling lambs upon the altar,

       (Exo 29:39 TLB)  one in the morning and the other in the evening.

       (Exo 29:40 TLB)  With one of them offer 3 quarts of finely ground 
       flour mixed with 2 1/ 2 pints of oil, pressed from olives; also 2 1/ 2 
       pints of wine, as an offering.

       (Exo 29:41 TLB)  Offer the other lamb in the evening, along with the 
       flour and the wine as in the morning, for a fragrant offering to the 
       Lord, an offering made to the Lord by fire.

       (Exo 29:42 TLB)  "This shall be a perpetual daily offering at the door 
       of the Tabernacle before the Lord, where I will meet with you and 
       speak with you.

       (Exo 29:43 TLB)  And I will meet with the people of Israel there, and 
       the Tabernacle shall be sanctified by my glory.

       (Exo 29:44 TLB)  Yes, I will sanctify the Tabernacle and the altar and 
       Aaron and his sons who are my ministers, the priests.

       (Exo 29:45 TLB)  And I will live among the people of Israel and be 
       their God,

       (Exo 29:46 TLB)  and they shall know that I am the Lord their God. I 
       brought them out of Egypt so that I could live among them. I am 
       Jehovah their God.

       (Exo 30:1 TLB)  "Then make a small altar for burning incense. It shall 
       be made from acacia wood.

       (Exo 30:2 TLB)  It is to be eighteen inches square and three feet 
       high, with horns carved from the wood of the altar--they are not to be 
       merely separate parts that are attached.

       (Exo 30:3 TLB)  Overlay the top, sides, and horns of the altar with 
       pure gold, and run a gold molding around the entire altar.

       (Exo 30:4 TLB)  Beneath the molding, on each of two sides, construct 
       two gold rings to hold the carrying poles.






       (Exo 30:5 TLB)  The poles are to be made of acacia wood overlaid with 
       gold.

       (Exo 30:6 TLB)  Place the altar just outside the veil, near the place 
       of mercy that is above the Ark containing the Ten Commandments. I will 
       meet with you there.

       (Exo 30:7 TLB)  "Every morning when Aaron trims the lamps, he shall 
       burn sweet spices on the altar,

       (Exo 30:8 TLB)  and each evening when he lights the lamps he shall 
       burn the incense before the Lord, and this shall go on from generation 
       to generation.

       (Exo 30:9 TLB)  Offer no unauthorized incense, burnt offerings, meal 
       offerings, or wine offerings.

       (Exo 30:10 TLB)  "Once a year Aaron must sanctify the altar, placing 
       upon its horns the blood of the sin offering for atonement. This shall 
       be a regular, annual event from generation to generation, for this is 
       the Lord's supremely holy altar."

       (Exo 30:11 TLB)  And Jehovah said to Moses,

       (Exo 30:12 TLB)  "Whenever you take a census of the people of Israel, 
       each man who is numbered shall give a ransom to the Lord for his soul, 
       so that there will be no plague among the people when you number them.

       (Exo 30:13 TLB)  His payment shall be half a dollar.

       (Exo 30:14 TLB)  All who have reached their twentieth birthday shall 
       give this offering.

       (Exo 30:15 TLB)  The rich shall not give more and the poor shall not 
       give less, for it is an offering to the Lord to make atonement for 
       yourselves.

       (Exo 30:16 TLB)  Use this money for the care of the Tabernacle; it is 
       to bring you, the people of Israel, to the Lord's attention, and to 
       make atonement for you."

       (Exo 30:17 TLB)  And the Lord said to Moses, "Make a bronze basin with 
       a bronze pedestal. Put it between the Tabernacle and the altar, and 
       fill it with water.

       (Exo 30:18 TLB)  

       (Exo 30:19 TLB)  Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and feet 
       there,

       (Exo 30:20 TLB)  when they go into the Tabernacle to appear before the 
       Lord, or when they approach the altar to burn offerings to the Lord. 
       They must always wash before doing so, or they will die.

       (Exo 30:21 TLB)  These are instructions to Aaron and his sons from 





       generation to generation."

       (Exo 30:22 TLB)  Then the Lord told Moses to collect the choicest of 
       spices--eighteen pounds of pure myrrh; half as much of cinnamon and of 
       sweet cane;

       (Exo 30:23 TLB)  

       (Exo 30:24 TLB)  the same amount of cassia as of myrrh; and 1 1/ 2 
       gallons of olive oil.

       (Exo 30:25 TLB)  The Lord instructed skilled perfumemakers to compound 
       all this into a holy anointing oil.

       (Exo 30:26 TLB)  "Use this," he said, "to anoint the Tabernacle, the 
       Ark, the table and all its instruments, the lampstand and all its 
       utensils, the incense altar,

       (Exo 30:27 TLB)  

       (Exo 30:28 TLB)  the burnt offering altar with all its instruments, 
       and the washbasin and its pedestal.

       (Exo 30:29 TLB)  Sanctify them, to make them holy; whatever touches 
       them shall become holy.

       (Exo 30:30 TLB)  Use it to anoint Aaron and his sons, sanctifying them 
       so that they can minister to me as priests.

       (Exo 30:31 TLB)  And say to the people of Israel, 'This shall always 
       be my holy anointing oil.

       (Exo 30:32 TLB)  It must never be poured upon an ordinary person, and 
       you shall never make any of it yourselves, for it is holy, and it 
       shall be treated by you as holy.

       (Exo 30:33 TLB)  Anyone who compounds any incense like it or puts any 
       of it upon someone who is not a priest shall be excommunicated.'"

       (Exo 30:34 TLB)  These were the Lord's directions to Moses concerning 
       the incense: "Use sweet spices--stacte, onycha, galbanum, and pure 
       frankincense, weighing out the same amounts of each,

       (Exo 30:35 TLB)  using the usual techniques of the incensemaker, and 
       seasoning it with salt; it shall be a pure and holy incense.

       (Exo 30:36 TLB)  Beat some of it very fine and put some of it in front 
       of the Ark where I meet with you in the Tabernacle; this incense is 
       most holy.

       (Exo 30:37 TLB)  Never make it for yourselves, for it is reserved for 
       the Lord and you must treat it as holy.

       (Exo 30:38 TLB)  Anyone making it for himself shall be 
       excommunicated."





       (Exo 31:1 TLB)  The Lord also said to Moses, "See, I have appointed 
       Bezalel (son of Uri, and grandson of Hur, of the tribe of Judah),

       (Exo 31:2 TLB)  

       (Exo 31:3 TLB)  and have filled him with the Spirit of God, giving him 
       great wisdom, ability, and skill in constructing the Tabernacle and 
       everything it contains.

       (Exo 31:4 TLB)  He is highly capable as an artistic designer of 
       objects made of gold, silver, and bronze.

       (Exo 31:5 TLB)  He is skilled, too, as a jeweler and in carving wood.

       (Exo 31:6 TLB)  "And I have appointed Oholiab (son of Ahisamach of the 
       tribe of Dan) to be his assistant; moreover, I have given special 
       skill to all who are known as experts, so that they can make all the 
       things I have instructed you to make:

       (Exo 31:7 TLB)  the Tabernacle; the Ark with the place of mercy upon 
       it; all the furnishings of the Tabernacle;

       (Exo 31:8 TLB)  the table and its instruments; the pure gold lampstand 
       with its instruments; the altar of incense;

       (Exo 31:9 TLB)  the burnt offering altar with its instruments; the 
       laver and its pedestal;

       (Exo 31:10 TLB)  the beautifully made, holy garments for Aaron the 
       priest, and the garments for his sons, so that they can minister as 
       priests;

       (Exo 31:11 TLB)  the anointing oil; and the sweet-spice incense for 
       the Holy Place. They are to follow exactly the directions I gave you."

       (Exo 31:12 TLB)  The Lord then gave these further instructions to 
       Moses:

       (Exo 31:13 TLB)  "Tell the people of Israel to rest on my Sabbath day, 
       for the Sabbath is a reminder of the covenant between me and you 
       forever; it helps you to remember that I am Jehovah who makes you 
       holy.

       (Exo 31:14 TLB)  Yes, rest on the Sabbath, for it is holy. Anyone who 
       does not obey this command must die; anyone who does any work on that 
       day shall be killed.

       (Exo 31:15 TLB)  

       (Exo 31:16 TLB)  Work six days only, for the seventh day is a special 
       day to remind you of my covenant--a weekly reminder forever of my 
       promises to the people of Israel.

       (Exo 31:17 TLB)  For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and 
       rested on the seventh day, and was refreshed."





       (Exo 31:18 TLB)  Then, as God finished speaking with Moses on Mount 
       Sinai, he gave him the two tablets of stone on which the Ten 
       Commandments were written with the finger of God.

       (Exo 32:1 TLB)  When Moses didn't come back down the mountain right 
       away, the people went to Aaron. "Look," they said, "make us a god to 
       lead us, for this fellow Moses who brought us here from Egypt has 
       disappeared; something must have happened to him."

       (Exo 32:2 TLB)  "Give me your gold earrings," Aaron replied. So they 
       all did--men and women, boys and girls.

       (Exo 32:3 TLB)  

       (Exo 32:4 TLB)  Aaron melted the gold, then molded and tooled it into 
       the form of a calf. The people exclaimed, "O Israel, this is the god 
       that brought you out of Egypt!"

       (Exo 32:5 TLB)  When Aaron saw how happy the people were about it, he 
       built an altar before the calf and announced, "Tomorrow there will be 
       a feast to Jehovah!"

       (Exo 32:6 TLB)  So they were up early the next morning and began 
       offering burnt offerings and peace offerings to the calf-idol; 
       afterwards they sat down to feast and drink at a wild party, followed 
       by sexual immorality.

       (Exo 32:7 TLB)  Then the Lord told Moses, "Quick! Go on down, for your 
       people that you brought from Egypt have defiled themselves,

       (Exo 32:8 TLB)  and have quickly abandoned all my laws. They have 
       molded themselves a calf, and worshiped it, and sacrificed to it, and 
       said, 'This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of Egypt.'"

       (Exo 32:9 TLB)  Then the Lord said, "I have seen what a stubborn, 
       rebellious lot these people are.

       (Exo 32:10 TLB)  Now let me alone and my anger shall blaze out against 
       them and destroy them all; and I will make you, Moses, into a great 
       nation instead of them."

       (Exo 32:11 TLB)  But Moses begged God not to do it. "Lord," he 
       pleaded, "why is your anger so hot against your own people whom you 
       brought from the land of Egypt with such great power and mighty 
       miracles?

       (Exo 32:12 TLB)  Do you want the Egyptians to say, 'God tricked them 
       into coming to the mountains so that he could slay them, destroying 
       them from off the face of the earth'? Turn back from your fierce 
       wrath. Turn away from this terrible evil you are planning against your 
       people!

       (Exo 32:13 TLB)  Remember your promise to your servants--to Abraham, 
       Isaac, and Israel. For you swore by your own self, 'I will multiply 
       your posterity as the stars of heaven, and I will give them all of 
       this land I have promised to your descendants, and they shall inherit 





       it forever.'"

       (Exo 32:14 TLB)  So the Lord changed his mind and spared them.

       (Exo 32:15 TLB)  Then Moses went down the mountain, holding in his 
       hands the Ten Commandments written on both sides of two stone tablets.

       (Exo 32:16 TLB)  (God himself had written the commandments on the 
       tablets.)

       (Exo 32:17 TLB)  When Joshua heard the noise below them, of all the 
       people shouting, he exclaimed to Moses, "It sounds as if they are 
       preparing for war!"

       (Exo 32:18 TLB)  But Moses replied, "No, it's not a cry of victory or 
       defeat, but singing."

       (Exo 32:19 TLB)  When they came near the camp, Moses saw the calf and 
       the dancing, and in terrible anger he threw the tablets to the ground, 
       and they lay broken at the foot of the mountain.

       (Exo 32:20 TLB)  He took the calf and melted it in the fire, and when 
       the metal cooled, he ground it into powder and spread it upon the 
       water and made the people drink it.

       (Exo 32:21 TLB)  Then he turned to Aaron. "What in the world did the 
       people do to you," he demanded, "to make you bring such a terrible sin 
       upon them?"

       (Exo 32:22 TLB)  "Don't get so upset," Aaron replied. "You know these 
       people and what a wicked bunch they are.

       (Exo 32:23 TLB)  They said to me, 'Make us a god to lead us, for 
       something has happened to this fellow Moses who led us out of Egypt.'

       (Exo 32:24 TLB)  Well, I told them, 'Bring me your gold earrings.' So 
       they brought them to me and I threw them into the fire, and. . . well. 
       . . this calf came out!"

       (Exo 32:25 TLB)  When Moses saw that the people had been committing 
       adultery--at Aaron's encouragement, and much to the amusement of their 
       enemies--

       (Exo 32:26 TLB)  he stood at the camp entrance and shouted, "All of 
       you who are on the Lord's side, come over here and join me." And all 
       the Levites came.

       (Exo 32:27 TLB)  He told them, "Jehovah the God of Israel says, 'Get 
       your swords and go back and forth from one end of the camp to the 
       other and kill even your brothers, friends, and neighbors.'"

       (Exo 32:28 TLB)  So they did, and about three thousand men died that 
       day.

       (Exo 32:29 TLB)  Then Moses told the Levites, "Today you have ordained 
       yourselves for the service of the Lord, for you obeyed him even though 





       it meant killing your own sons and brothers; now he will give you a 
       great blessing."

       (Exo 32:30 TLB)  The next day Moses said to the people, "You have 
       sinned a great sin, but I will return to the Lord on the 
       mountain--perhaps I will be able to obtain his forgiveness for you."

       (Exo 32:31 TLB)  So Moses returned to the Lord and said, "Oh, these 
       people have sinned a great sin and have made themselves gods of gold.

       (Exo 32:32 TLB)  Yet now if you will only forgive their sin--and if 
       not, then blot me out of the book you have written."

       (Exo 32:33 TLB)  And the Lord replied to Moses, "Whoever has sinned 
       against me will be blotted out of my book.

       (Exo 32:34 TLB)  And now go, lead the people to the place I told you 
       about, and I assure you that my Angel shall travel on ahead of you; 
       however, when I come to visit these people, I will punish them for 
       their sins."

       (Exo 32:35 TLB)  And the Lord sent a great plague upon the people 
       because they had worshiped Aaron's calf.

       (Exo 33:1 TLB)  The Lord said to Moses, "Lead these people you brought 
       from Egypt to the land I promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; for I 
       said, 'I will give this land to your descendants.'

       (Exo 33:2 TLB)  I will send an Angel before you to drive out the 
       Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.

       (Exo 33:3 TLB)  It is a land 'flowing with milk and honey'; but I will 
       not travel among you, for you are a stubborn, unruly people, and I 
       would be tempted to destroy you along the way."

       (Exo 33:4 TLB)  When the people heard these stern words, they went 
       into mourning and stripped themselves of their jewelry and ornaments.

       (Exo 33:5 TLB)  For the Lord had told Moses to tell them, "You are an 
       unruly, stubborn people. If I were there among you for even a moment, 
       I would exterminate you. Remove your jewelry and ornaments until I 
       decide what to do with you."

       (Exo 33:6 TLB)  So, after that, they wore no jewelry.

       (Exo 33:7 TLB)  Moses always erected the sacred tent (the "Tent for 
       Meeting with God," he called it) far outside the camp, and everyone 
       who wanted to consult with Jehovah went out there.

       (Exo 33:8 TLB)  Whenever Moses went to the Tabernacle, all the people, 
       when they saw it, stood and would rise and stand in their tent doors.

       (Exo 33:9 TLB)  As he entered, the pillar of cloud would come down and 
       stand at the door while the Lord spoke with Moses.

       (Exo 33:10 TLB)  Then all the people worshiped from their tent doors, 





       bowing low to the pillar of cloud.

       (Exo 33:11 TLB)  Inside the tent the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, 
       as a man speaks to his friend. Afterwards Moses would return to the 
       camp, but the young man who assisted him, Joshua (son of Nun), stayed 
       behind in the Tabernacle.

       (Exo 33:12 TLB)  Moses talked there with the Lord and said to him, 
       "You have been telling me, 'Take these people to the Promised Land,' 
       but you haven't told me whom you will send with me. You say you are my 
       friend, and that I have found favor before you;

       (Exo 33:13 TLB)  please, if this is really so, guide me clearly along 
       the way you want me to travel so that I will understand you and walk 
       acceptably before you. For don't forget that this nation is your 
       people."

       (Exo 33:14 TLB)  And the Lord replied, "I myself will go with you and 
       give you success."

       (Exo 33:15 TLB)  For Moses had said, "If you aren't going with us, 
       don't let us move a step from this place.

       (Exo 33:16 TLB)  If you don't go with us, who will ever know that I 
       and my people have found favor with you, and that we are different 
       from any other people upon the face of the earth?"

       (Exo 33:17 TLB)  And the Lord had replied to Moses, "Yes, I will do 
       what you have asked, for you have certainly found favor with me, and 
       you are my friend."

       (Exo 33:18 TLB)  Then Moses asked to see God's glory.

       (Exo 33:19 TLB)  The Lord replied, "I will make my goodness pass 
       before you, and I will announce to you the meaning of my name Jehovah, 
       the Lord. I show kindness and mercy to anyone I want to.

       (Exo 33:20 TLB)  But you may not see the glory of my face, for man may 
       not see me and live.

       (Exo 33:21 TLB)  However, stand here on this rock beside me.

       (Exo 33:22 TLB)  And when my glory goes by, I will put you in the 
       cleft of the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed.

       (Exo 33:23 TLB)  Then I will remove my hand, and you shall see my back 
       but not my face."

       (Exo 34:1 TLB)  The Lord told Moses, "Prepare two stone tablets like 
       the first ones, and I will write upon them the same commands that were 
       on the tablets you broke.

       (Exo 34:2 TLB)  Be ready in the morning to come up into Mount Sinai 
       and present yourself to me on the top of the mountain.

       (Exo 34:3 TLB)  No one shall come with you and no one must be anywhere 





       on the mountain. Do not let the flocks or herds feed close to the 
       mountain."

       (Exo 34:4 TLB)  So Moses took two tablets of stone like the first 
       ones, and was up early and climbed Mount Sinai, as the Lord had told 
       him to, taking the two stone tablets in his hands.

       (Exo 34:5 TLB)  Then the Lord descended in the form of a pillar of 
       cloud and stood there with him, and passed in front of him and 
       announced the meaning of his name.

       (Exo 34:6 TLB)  "I am Jehovah, the merciful and gracious God," he 
       said, "slow to anger and rich in steadfast love and truth.

       (Exo 34:7 TLB)  I, Jehovah, show this steadfast love to many thousands 
       by forgiving their sins; or else I refuse to clear the guilty, and 
       require that a father's sins be punished in the sons and grandsons, 
       and even later generations."

       (Exo 34:8 TLB)  Moses fell down before the Lord and worshiped.

       (Exo 34:9 TLB)  And he said, "If it is true that I have found favor in 
       your sight, O Lord, then please go with us to the Promised Land; yes, 
       it is an unruly, stubborn people, but pardon our iniquity and our 
       sins, and accept us as your own."

       (Exo 34:10 TLB)  The Lord replied, "All right, this is the contract I 
       am going to make with you. I will do miracles such as have never been 
       done before anywhere in all the earth, and all the people of Israel 
       shall see the power of the Lord--the terrible power I will display 
       through you.

       (Exo 34:11 TLB)  Your part of the agreement is to obey all of my 
       commandments; then I will drive out from before you the Amorites, 
       Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.

       (Exo 34:12 TLB)  "Be very, very careful never to compromise with the 
       people there in the land where you are going, for if you do, you will 
       soon be following their evil ways.

       (Exo 34:13 TLB)  Instead, you must break down their heathen altars, 
       smash the obelisks they worship, and cut down their shameful idols.

       (Exo 34:14 TLB)  For you must worship no other gods, but only Jehovah, 
       for he is a God who claims absolute loyalty and exclusive devotion.

       (Exo 34:15 TLB)  "No, do not make a peace treaty of any kind with the 
       people living in the land, for they are spiritual prostitutes, 
       committing adultery against me by sacrificing to their gods. If you 
       become friendly with them and one of them invites you to go with him 
       and worship his idol, you are apt to do it.

       (Exo 34:16 TLB)  And you would accept their daughters, who worship 
       other gods, as wives for your sons--and then your sons would commit 
       adultery against me by worshiping their wives' gods.





       (Exo 34:17 TLB)  You must have nothing to do with idols.

       (Exo 34:18 TLB)  "Be sure to celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread 
       for seven days, just as I instructed you, at the dates appointed each 
       year in March; that was the month you left Egypt.

       (Exo 34:19 TLB)  "Every firstborn male is mine--cattle, sheep, and 
       goats.

       (Exo 34:20 TLB)  The firstborn colt of a donkey may be redeemed by 
       giving a lamb in its place. If you decide not to redeem it, then its 
       neck must be broken. But your sons must all be redeemed. And no one 
       shall appear before me without a gift.

       (Exo 34:21 TLB)  "Even during plowing and harvest times, work only six 
       days, and rest on the seventh.

       (Exo 34:22 TLB)  "And you must remember to celebrate these three 
       annual religious festivals: the Festival of Weeks, the Festival of the 
       First Wheat, and the Harvest Festival.

       (Exo 34:23 TLB)  On each of these three occasions all the men and boys 
       of Israel shall appear before the Lord.

       (Exo 34:24 TLB)  No one will attack and conquer your land when you go 
       up to appear before the Lord your God those three times each year. For 
       I will drive out the nations from before you and enlarge your 
       boundaries.

       (Exo 34:25 TLB)  "You must not use leavened bread with your sacrifices 
       to me, and none of the meat of the Passover lamb may be kept over 
       until the following morning.

       (Exo 34:26 TLB)  And you must bring the best of the first of each 
       year's crop to the Tabernacle of the Lord your God. You must not cook 
       a young goat in its mother's milk."

       (Exo 34:27 TLB)  And the Lord said to Moses, "Write down these laws 
       that I have given you, for they represent the terms of my covenant 
       with you and with Israel."

       (Exo 34:28 TLB)  Moses was up on the mountain with the Lord for forty 
       days and forty nights, and in all that time he neither ate nor drank. 
       At that time God wrote out the Covenant--the Ten Commandments--on the 
       stone tablets.

       (Exo 34:29 TLB)  Moses didn't realize as he came back down the 
       mountain with the tablets that his face glowed from being in the 
       presence of God.

       (Exo 34:30 TLB)  Because of this radiance upon his face, Aaron and the 
       people of Israel were afraid to come near him.

       (Exo 34:31 TLB)  But Moses called them over to him, and Aaron and the 
       leaders of the congregation came and talked with him.





       (Exo 34:32 TLB)  Afterwards, all the people came to him, and he gave 
       them the commandments the Lord had given him upon the mountain.

       (Exo 34:33 TLB)  When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a 
       veil over his face;

       (Exo 34:34 TLB)  but whenever he went into the Tabernacle to speak 
       with the Lord, he removed the veil until he came out again; then he 
       would pass on to the people whatever instructions God had given him,

       (Exo 34:35 TLB)  and the people would see his face aglow. Afterwards 
       he would put the veil on again until he returned to speak with God.

       (Exo 35:1 TLB)  Now Moses called a meeting of all the people and told 
       them, "These are the laws of Jehovah you must obey.

       (Exo 35:2 TLB)  "Work six days only; the seventh day is a day of 
       solemn rest, a holy day to be used to worship Jehovah; anyone working 
       on that day must die.

       (Exo 35:3 TLB)  Don't even light the fires in your homes that day."

       (Exo 35:4 TLB)  Then Moses said to all the people, "This is what the 
       Lord has commanded:

       (Exo 35:5 TLB)  All of you who wish to, all those with generous 
       hearts, may bring these offerings to Jehovah: Gold, silver, and 
       bronze;

       (Exo 35:6 TLB)  Blue, purple, and scarlet cloth, made of fine-twined 
       linen or of goats' hair;

       (Exo 35:7 TLB)  Tanned rams' skins and specially treated goatskins; 
       Acacia wood;

       (Exo 35:8 TLB)  Olive oil for the lamps; Spices for the anointing oil 
       and for the incense;

       (Exo 35:9 TLB)  Onyx stones and stones to be used for the ephod and 
       chestpiece.

       (Exo 35:10 TLB)  "Come, all of you who are skilled craftsmen having 
       special talents, and construct what God has commanded us:

       (Exo 35:11 TLB)  The Tabernacle tent, and its coverings, clasps, 
       frames, bars, pillars, and bases;

       (Exo 35:12 TLB)  The Ark and its poles; The place of mercy; The 
       curtain to enclose the Holy Place;

       (Exo 35:13 TLB)  The table, its carrying poles, and all of its 
       utensils; The Bread of the Presence;

       (Exo 35:14 TLB)  Lamp holders, with lamps and oil;

       (Exo 35:15 TLB)  The incense altar and its carrying poles; The 





       anointing oil and sweet incense; The curtain for the door of the 
       Tabernacle;

       (Exo 35:16 TLB)  The altar for the burnt offerings; The bronze grating 
       of the altar, and its carrying poles and utensils; The basin with its 
       pedestal;

       (Exo 35:17 TLB)  The drapes for the walls of the court; The pillars 
       and their bases; Drapes for the entrance to the court;

       (Exo 35:18 TLB)  The posts of the Tabernacle court, and their cords;

       (Exo 35:19 TLB)  The beautiful clothing for the priests, to be used 
       when ministering in the Holy Place; The holy garments for Aaron the 
       priest, and for his sons."

       (Exo 35:20 TLB)  So all the people went to their tents to prepare 
       their gifts.

       (Exo 35:21 TLB)  Those whose hearts were stirred by God's Spirit 
       returned with their offerings of materials for the Tabernacle, its 
       equipment, and for the holy garments.

       (Exo 35:22 TLB)  Both men and women came, all who were 
       willing-hearted. They brought to the Lord their offerings of gold, 
       jewelry--earrings, rings from their fingers, necklaces--and gold 
       objects of every kind.

       (Exo 35:23 TLB)  Others brought blue, purple, and scarlet cloth made 
       from the fine-twined linen or goats' hair; and rams' skins dyed red, 
       and specially treated goatskins.

       (Exo 35:24 TLB)  Others brought silver and bronze as their offering to 
       the Lord; and some brought the acacia wood needed in the construction.

       (Exo 35:25 TLB)  The women skilled in sewing and spinning prepared 
       blue, purple, and scarlet thread and cloth, and fine-twined linen, and 
       brought them in.

       (Exo 35:26 TLB)  Some other women gladly used their special skill to 
       spin the goats' hair into cloth.

       (Exo 35:27 TLB)  The leaders brought onyx stones to be used for the 
       ephod and the chestpiece;

       (Exo 35:28 TLB)  and spices, and oil--for the light, and for 
       compounding the anointing oil and the sweet incense.

       (Exo 35:29 TLB)  So the people of Israel--every man and woman who 
       wanted to assist in the work given to them by the Lord's command to 
       Moses--brought their freewill offerings to him.

       (Exo 35:30 TLB)  And Moses told them, "Jehovah has specifically 
       appointed Bezalel (the son of Uri and grandson of Hur of the tribe of 
       Judah) as general superintendent of the project.





       (Exo 35:31 TLB)  

       (Exo 35:32 TLB)  He will be able to create beautiful workmanship from 
       gold, silver, and bronze;

       (Exo 35:33 TLB)  he can cut and set stones like a jeweler and can do 
       beautiful carving; in fact, he has every needed skill.

       (Exo 35:34 TLB)  And God has made him and Oholiab gifted teachers of 
       their skills to others. (Oholiab is the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe 
       of Dan.)

       (Exo 35:35 TLB)  God has filled them both with unusual skills as 
       jewelers, carpenters, embroidery designers in blue, purple, and 
       scarlet on linen backgrounds, and as weavers--they excel in all the 
       crafts we will be needing in the work.

       (Exo 36:1 TLB)  "All the other craftsmen with God-given abilities are 
       to assist Bezalel and Oholiab in constructing and furnishing the 
       Tabernacle."

       (Exo 36:2 TLB)  So Moses told Bezalel and Oholiab and all others who 
       felt called to the work to begin.

       (Exo 36:3 TLB)  Moses gave them the materials donated by the people 
       and additional gifts were received each morning.

       (Exo 36:4 TLB)  But finally the workmen all left their task

       (Exo 36:5 TLB)  to meet with Moses and told him, "We have more than 
       enough materials on hand now to complete the job!"

       (Exo 36:6 TLB)  So Moses sent a message throughout the camp announcing 
       that no more donations were needed.

       (Exo 36:7 TLB)  Then at last the people were restrained from bringing 
       more!

       (Exo 36:8 TLB)  The skilled weavers first made ten sheets from fine 
       linen, then embroidered into them blue, purple, and scarlet Guardian 
       Angels. Each sheet was 42 feet long and 6 feet wide.

       (Exo 36:9 TLB)  

       (Exo 36:10 TLB)  Five of these sheets were attached end to end, then 
       five others similarly attached, forming two long roofsheets.

       (Exo 36:11 TLB)  Fifty blue ribbons were looped along the edges of 
       these two long sheets, each loop being opposite its mate on the other 
       long sheet.

       (Exo 36:12 TLB)  

       (Exo 36:13 TLB)  Then fifty clasps of gold were made to connect the 
       loops, thus tying the two long sheets together to form the ceiling of 
       the Tabernacle.






       (Exo 36:14 TLB)  Above the ceiling was a second layer formed by eleven 
       draperies made of goats' hair (uniformly 45 feet long and 6 feet 
       wide).

       (Exo 36:15 TLB)  

       (Exo 36:16 TLB)  Bezalel coupled five of these draperies together to 
       make one long piece, and six others to make another long piece.

       (Exo 36:17 TLB)  Then he made fifty loops along the end of each

       (Exo 36:18 TLB)  and fifty small bronze clasps to couple the loops so 
       that the draperies were firmly attached to each other.

       (Exo 36:19 TLB)  The top layer of the roof was made of rams' skins, 
       dyed red, and tanned goatskins.

       (Exo 36:20 TLB)  For the sides of the Tabernacle he used frames of 
       acacia wood standing on end.

       (Exo 36:21 TLB)  The height of each frame was 15 feet and the width 2 
       1/ 4 feet.

       (Exo 36:22 TLB)  Each frame had two clasps joining it to the next.

       (Exo 36:23 TLB)  There were twenty frames on the south side,

       (Exo 36:24 TLB)  with the bottoms fitting into forty silver bases. 
       Each frame was connected to its base by two clasps.

       (Exo 36:25 TLB)  There were also twenty frames on the north side of 
       the Tabernacle, with forty silver bases, two for each frame.

       (Exo 36:26 TLB)  

       (Exo 36:27 TLB)  The west side of the Tabernacle, which was its rear, 
       was made from six frames,

       (Exo 36:28 TLB)  plus another at each corner.

       (Exo 36:29 TLB)  These frames, including those at the corners, were 
       linked to each other at both top and bottom by rings.

       (Exo 36:30 TLB)  So, on the west side, there were a total of eight 
       frames with sixteen silver bases beneath them, two for each frame.

       (Exo 36:31 TLB)  Then he made five sets of bars from acacia wood to 
       tie the frames together along the sides, five for each side of the 
       Tabernacle.

       (Exo 36:32 TLB)  

       (Exo 36:33 TLB)  The middle bar of the five was halfway up the frames, 
       along each side, running from one end to the other.





       (Exo 36:34 TLB)  The frames and bars were all overlaid with gold, and 
       the rings were pure gold.

       (Exo 36:35 TLB)  The blue, purple, and scarlet inner curtain was made 
       from woven linen, with Guardian Angels skillfully embroidered into it.

       (Exo 36:36 TLB)  The curtain was then attached to four gold hooks set 
       into four posts of acacia wood, overlaid with gold and set into four 
       silver bases.

       (Exo 36:37 TLB)  Then he made a drapery for the entrance to the 
       Tabernacle; it was woven from finespun linen, embroidered with blue, 
       purple, and scarlet.

       (Exo 36:38 TLB)  This drapery was connected by five hooks to five 
       posts. The posts and their capitals and rods were overlaid with gold; 
       their five bases were molded from bronze.

       (Exo 37:1 TLB)  Next Bezalel made the Ark. This was constructed of 
       acacia wood and was 3 3/ 4 feet long, 2 1/ 4 feet wide, and 2 1/ 4 
       feet high.

       (Exo 37:2 TLB)  It was plated with pure gold inside and out, and had a 
       molding of gold all the way around the sides.

       (Exo 37:3 TLB)  There were four gold rings fastened into its four 
       feet, two rings at each end.

       (Exo 37:4 TLB)  Then he made poles from acacia wood, and overlaid them 
       with gold,

       (Exo 37:5 TLB)  and put the poles into the rings at the sides of the 
       Ark, to carry it.

       (Exo 37:6 TLB)  Then, from pure gold, he made a lid called "the place 
       of mercy"; it was 3 3/ 4 feet long and 2 1/ 4 feet wide.

       (Exo 37:7 TLB)  He made two statues of Guardian Angels of beaten gold 
       and placed them at the two ends of the gold lid.

       (Exo 37:8 TLB)  They were molded so that they were actually a part of 
       the gold lid--it was all one piece.

       (Exo 37:9 TLB)  The Guardian Angels faced each other, with 
       outstretched wings that overshadowed the place of mercy, looking down 
       upon it.

       (Exo 37:10 TLB)  Then he made a table, using acacia wood, 3 feet long, 
       1 1/ 2 feet wide, and 2 1/ 4 feet high.

       (Exo 37:11 TLB)  It was overlaid with pure gold, with a gold molding 
       all around the edge.

       (Exo 37:12 TLB)  A rim 4 inches high was constructed around the edges 
       of the table, with a gold molding along the rim.





       (Exo 37:13 TLB)  Then he cast four rings of gold and placed them into 
       the four table legs,

       (Exo 37:14 TLB)  close to the molding, to hold the carrying poles in 
       place.

       (Exo 37:15 TLB)  He made the carrying poles of acacia wood covered 
       with gold.

       (Exo 37:16 TLB)  Next, using pure gold, he made the bowls, flagons, 
       dishes, and spoons to be placed upon this table.

       (Exo 37:17 TLB)  Then he made the lampstand, again using pure, beaten 
       gold. Its base, shaft, lamp-holders, and decorations of almond flowers 
       were all of one piece.

       (Exo 37:18 TLB)  The lampstand had six branches, three from each side.

       (Exo 37:19 TLB)  Each of the branches was decorated with identical 
       carvings of blossoms.

       (Exo 37:20 TLB)  The main stem of the lampstand was similarly 
       decorated with almond blossoms,

       (Exo 37:21 TLB)  a flower on the stem beneath each pair of branches; 
       also a flower below the bottom pair and above the top pair, four in 
       all.

       (Exo 37:22 TLB)  The decorations and branches were all one piece of 
       pure, beaten gold.

       (Exo 37:23 TLB)  Then he made the seven lamps at the ends of the 
       branches, the snuffers, and the ashtrays, all of pure gold. The entire 
       lampstand weighed 107 pounds, all pure gold.

       (Exo 37:24 TLB)  

       (Exo 37:25 TLB)  The incense altar was made of acacia wood. It was 18 
       inches square and 3 feet high, with its corner-horns made as part of 
       the altar so that it was all one piece.

       (Exo 37:26 TLB)  He overlaid it all with pure gold and ran a gold 
       molding around the edge.

       (Exo 37:27 TLB)  Two gold rings were placed on each side, beneath this 
       molding, to hold the carrying poles.

       (Exo 37:28 TLB)  The carrying poles were gold-plated acacia wood.

       (Exo 37:29 TLB)  Then, from sweet spices, he made the sacred oil for 
       anointing the priests, and the pure incense, using the techniques of 
       the most skilled perfumers.

       (Exo 38:1 TLB)  The burnt-offering altar was also constructed of 
       acacia wood; it was 7 1/ 2 feet square at the top, and 4 1/ 2 feet 
       high.






       (Exo 38:2 TLB)  There were four horns at the four corners, all of one 
       piece with the rest. This altar was overlaid with bronze.

       (Exo 38:3 TLB)  Then he made bronze utensils to be used with the 
       altar--the pots, shovels, basins, meat hooks, and fire pans.

       (Exo 38:4 TLB)  Next he made a bronze grating that rested upon a ledge 
       about halfway up (in the firebox).

       (Exo 38:5 TLB)  Four rings were cast for each side of the grating, to 
       insert the carrying poles.

       (Exo 38:6 TLB)  The carrying poles themselves were made of acacia 
       wood, overlaid with bronze.

       (Exo 38:7 TLB)  The carrying poles were inserted into the rings at the 
       side of the altar. The altar was hollow, with plank siding.

       (Exo 38:8 TLB)  The bronze washbasin and its bronze pedestal were cast 
       from the solid bronze mirrors donated by the women who assembled at 
       the entrance to the Tabernacle.

       (Exo 38:9 TLB)  Then he constructed the courtyard. The south wall was 
       150 feet long; it consisted of drapes woven from fine-twined linen 
       thread.

       (Exo 38:10 TLB)  There were twenty posts to hold drapes, with bases of 
       bronze and with silver hooks and rods.

       (Exo 38:11 TLB)  The north wall was also 150 feet long, with twenty 
       bronze posts and bases and with silver hooks and rods.

       (Exo 38:12 TLB)  The west side was 75 feet wide; the walls were made 
       from drapes supported by ten posts and bases, and with silver hooks 
       and rods.

       (Exo 38:13 TLB)  The east side was also 75 feet wide.

       (Exo 38:14 TLB)  The drapes at either side of the entrance were 22 1/ 
       2 feet wide, each with three posts and three bases.

       (Exo 38:15 TLB)  

       (Exo 38:16 TLB)  All the drapes making up the walls of the court were 
       woven of fine-twined linen.

       (Exo 38:17 TLB)  Each post had a bronze base, and all the hooks and 
       rods were silver; the tops of the posts were overlaid with silver, and 
       the rods to hold up the drapes were solid silver.

       (Exo 38:18 TLB)  The drapery covering the entrance to the court was 
       made of fine-twined linen, beautifully embroidered with blue, purple, 
       and scarlet thread. It was 30 feet long and 7 1/ 2 feet wide, just the 
       same as the drapes composing the walls of the court.





       (Exo 38:19 TLB)  It was supported by four posts, with four bronze 
       bases and with silver hooks and rods; the tops of the posts were also 
       silver.

       (Exo 38:20 TLB)  All the nails used in constructing the Tabernacle and 
       court were bronze.

       (Exo 38:21 TLB)  This summarizes the various steps in building the 
       Tabernacle to house the Ark, so that the Levites could carry on their 
       ministry. All was done in the order designated by Moses and was 
       supervised by Ithamar, son of Aaron the priest.

       (Exo 38:22 TLB)  Bezalel (son of Uri and grandson of Hur, of the tribe 
       of Judah) was the master craftsman,

       (Exo 38:23 TLB)  assisted by Oholiab (son of Ahisamach of the tribe of 
       Dan); he too was a skilled craftsman and also an expert at engraving, 
       weaving, and at embroidering blue, purple, and scarlet threads into 
       fine linen cloth.

       (Exo 38:24 TLB)  The people brought gifts of 3,140 pounds of gold, all 
       of which was used throughout the Tabernacle.

       (Exo 38:25 TLB)  The amount of silver used was 9,575 pounds, which 
       came from the fifty-cent head tax collected from all those registered 
       in the census

       (Exo 38:26 TLB)  who were twenty years old or older, a total of 
       603,550 men.

       (Exo 38:27 TLB)  The bases for the frames of the sanctuary walls and 
       for the posts supporting the veil required 9,500 pounds of silver, 95 
       pounds for each socket.

       (Exo 38:28 TLB)  The silver left over was used for the posts and to 
       overlay their tops, and for the rods and hooks.

       (Exo 38:29 TLB)  The people brought 7,540 pounds of bronze,

       (Exo 38:30 TLB)  which was used for casting the bases for the posts at 
       the entrance to the Tabernacle, and for the bronze altar, the bronze 
       grating, the altar utensils,

       (Exo 38:31 TLB)  the bases for the posts supporting the drapes 
       enclosing the court, and for all the nails used in the construction of 
       the Tabernacle and the court.

       (Exo 39:1 TLB)  Then, for the priests, the people made beautiful 
       garments of blue, purple, and scarlet cloth--garments to be used while 
       ministering in the Holy Place. This same cloth was used for Aaron's 
       sacred garments, in accordance with the Lord's instructions to Moses.

       (Exo 39:2 TLB)  The ephod was made from this cloth too, woven from 
       fine-twined linen thread.

       (Exo 39:3 TLB)  Bezalel beat gold into thin plates and cut it into 





       wire threads, to work into the blue, purple, and scarlet linen; it was 
       a skillful and beautiful piece of workmanship when finished.

       (Exo 39:4 TLB)  The ephod was held together by shoulder straps at the 
       top

       (Exo 39:5 TLB)  and was tied down by an elaborate one-piece woven sash 
       made of the same gold, blue, purple, and scarlet cloth cut from 
       fine-twined linen thread, just as God had directed Moses.

       (Exo 39:6 TLB)  The (two) onyx stones, attached to the (two) shoulder 
       straps of the ephod, were set in gold, and the stones were engraved 
       with the names of the tribes of Israel, just as initials are engraved 
       upon a ring.

       (Exo 39:7 TLB)  These stones were reminders to Jehovah concerning the 
       people of Israel; all this was done in accordance with the Lord's 
       instructions to Moses.

       (Exo 39:8 TLB)  The chestpiece was a beautiful piece of work, just 
       like the ephod, made from the finest gold, blue, purple, and scarlet 
       linen.

       (Exo 39:9 TLB)  It was a piece nine inches square, doubled over to 
       form a pouch;

       (Exo 39:10 TLB)  there were four rows of stones across it. In the 
       first row were a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle;

       (Exo 39:11 TLB)  in the second row were an emerald, a sapphire, and a 
       diamond.

       (Exo 39:12 TLB)  In the third row were a jacinth, an agate, and an 
       amethyst.

       (Exo 39:13 TLB)  In the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a 
       jasper--all set in gold filigree.

       (Exo 39:14 TLB)  The stones were engraved like a seal, with the names 
       of the twelve tribes of Israel.

       (Exo 39:15 TLB)  (To attach the chestpiece to the ephod), a gold ring 
       was placed at the top of each shoulder strap of the ephod,

       (Exo 39:16 TLB)  and from these gold rings, two strands of twined gold 
       attached to gold clasps on the top corners of the chestpiece.

       (Exo 39:17 TLB)  

       (Exo 39:18 TLB)  

       (Exo 39:19 TLB)  Two gold rings were also set at the lower edge of the 
       chestpiece, on the under side, next to the ephod.

       (Exo 39:20 TLB)  Two other gold rings were placed low on the shoulder 
       straps of the ephod, close to where the ephod joined its beautifully 





       woven sash.

       (Exo 39:21 TLB)  The chestpiece was held securely above the 
       beautifully woven sash of the ephod by tying the rings of the 
       chestpiece to the rings of the ephod with a blue ribbon. All this was 
       commanded to Moses by the Lord.

       (Exo 39:22 TLB)  The main part of the ephod was woven, all of blue,

       (Exo 39:23 TLB)  and there was a hole at the center, just as in a coat 
       of mail, for the head to go through, reinforced around the edge so 
       that it would not tear.

       (Exo 39:24 TLB)  Pomegranates were attached to the bottom edge of the 
       robe; these were made of linen cloth, embroidered with blue, purple, 
       and scarlet.

       (Exo 39:25 TLB)  Bells of pure gold were placed between the 
       pomegranates along the bottom edge of the skirt,

       (Exo 39:26 TLB)  with bells and pomegranates alternating all around 
       the edge. This robe was worn when Aaron ministered to the Lord, just 
       as the Lord had commanded Moses.

       (Exo 39:27 TLB)  Robes were now made for Aaron and his sons from 
       fine-twined linen thread.

       (Exo 39:28 TLB)  The chestpiece, the beautiful turbans, and the caps 
       and the underclothes were all made of this linen,

       (Exo 39:29 TLB)  and the linen belt was beautifully embroidered with 
       blue, purple, and scarlet threads, just as Jehovah had commanded 
       Moses.

       (Exo 39:30 TLB)  Finally, they made the holy plate of pure gold to 
       wear on the front of the turban, engraved with the words, "Consecrated 
       to Jehovah."

       (Exo 39:31 TLB)  It was tied to the turban with a blue cord, just as 
       the Lord had instructed.

       (Exo 39:32 TLB)  And so at last the Tabernacle was finished, following 
       all of the Lord's instructions to Moses.

       (Exo 39:33 TLB)  Then they brought the entire Tabernacle to Moses: 
       Furniture; clasps; frames; bars; Posts; bases; layers of covering for 
       the roof and sides--

       (Exo 39:34 TLB)  the rams' skins dyed red, the specially tanned 
       goatskins, and the entrance drape;

       (Exo 39:35 TLB)  the Ark with the Ten Commandments in it; The carrying 
       poles; The place of mercy;

       (Exo 39:36 TLB)  The table and all its utensils; The Bread of the 
       Presence;






       (Exo 39:37 TLB)  The pure (gold) lampstand with its lamps, utensils, 
       and oil;

       (Exo 39:38 TLB)  The gold altar; The anointing oil; The sweet incense; 
       The curtain-door of the Tabernacle;

       (Exo 39:39 TLB)  The bronze altar; The bronze grating; The poles and 
       the utensils; The washbasin and its base;

       (Exo 39:40 TLB)  The drapes for the walls of the court and the posts 
       holding them up; The bases and the drapes at the gate of the court; 
       The cords and nails; All the utensils used there in the work of the 
       Tabernacle.

       (Exo 39:41 TLB)  They also brought for his inspection the beautifully 
       tailored garments to be worn while ministering in the Holy Place and 
       the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and those for his sons, to be 
       worn when on duty.

       (Exo 39:42 TLB)  So the people of Israel followed all the Lord's 
       instructions to Moses.

       (Exo 39:43 TLB)  And Moses inspected all their work and blessed them 
       because it was all as the Lord had instructed him.

       (Exo 40:1 TLB)  The Lord now said to Moses,

       (Exo 40:2 TLB)  "Put together the Tabernacle on the first day of the 
       first month.

       (Exo 40:3 TLB)  In it place the Ark containing the Ten Commandments; 
       and install the veil to enclose the Ark within the Holy of Holies.

       (Exo 40:4 TLB)  Then bring in the table and place the utensils on it, 
       and bring in the lampstand and light the lamps.

       (Exo 40:5 TLB)  "Place the gold altar for the incense in front of the 
       Ark. Set up the drapes at the entrance of the Tabernacle,

       (Exo 40:6 TLB)  and place the altar for burnt offerings in front of 
       the entrance.

       (Exo 40:7 TLB)  Set the washbasin between the Tabernacle-tent and the 
       altar, and fill it with water.

       (Exo 40:8 TLB)  Then make the courtyard around the outside of the 
       tent, and hang the curtain-door at the entrance to the courtyard.

       (Exo 40:9 TLB)  "Take the anointing oil and sprinkle it here and there 
       upon the Tabernacle and everything in it, upon all of its utensils and 
       parts, and all the furniture, to hallow it; and it shall become holy.

       (Exo 40:10 TLB)  Sprinkle the anointing oil upon the altar of burnt 
       offering and its utensils, sanctifying it; for the altar shall then 
       become most holy.






       (Exo 40:11 TLB)  Then anoint the washbasin and its pedestal, 
       sanctifying it.

       (Exo 40:12 TLB)  "Now bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the 
       Tabernacle and wash them with water;

       (Exo 40:13 TLB)  and clothe Aaron with the holy garments and anoint 
       him, sanctifying him to minister to me as a priest.

       (Exo 40:14 TLB)  Then bring his sons and put their robes upon them,

       (Exo 40:15 TLB)  and anoint them as you did their father, that they 
       may minister to me as priests; their anointing shall be permanent from 
       generation to generation: all their children and children's children 
       shall forever be my priests."

       (Exo 40:16 TLB)  So Moses proceeded to do all as the Lord had 
       commanded him.

       (Exo 40:17 TLB)  On the first day of the first month, in the second 
       year, the Tabernacle was put together.

       (Exo 40:18 TLB)  Moses erected it by setting its frames into their 
       bases and attaching the bars.

       (Exo 40:19 TLB)  Then he spread the coverings over the framework and 
       put on the top layers, just as the Lord had commanded him.

       (Exo 40:20 TLB)  Inside the Ark he placed the stones with the Ten 
       Commandments engraved on them, and attached the carrying poles to the 
       Ark and installed the gold lid, the place of mercy.

       (Exo 40:21 TLB)  Then he brought the Ark into the Tabernacle and set 
       up the curtain to screen it, just as the Lord had commanded.

       (Exo 40:22 TLB)  Next he placed the table at the north side of the 
       room outside the curtain

       (Exo 40:23 TLB)  and set the Bread of the Presence upon the table 
       before the Lord, just as the Lord had commanded.

       (Exo 40:24 TLB)  And he placed the lampstand next to the table, on the 
       south side of the Tabernacle.

       (Exo 40:25 TLB)  Then he lighted the lamps before the Lord, following 
       all the instructions,

       (Exo 40:26 TLB)  and placed the gold altar in the Tabernacle next to 
       the curtain,

       (Exo 40:27 TLB)  and burned upon it the incense made from sweet 
       spices, just as the Lord had commanded.

       (Exo 40:28 TLB)  He attached the curtain at the entrance of the 
       Tabernacle,






       (Exo 40:29 TLB)  and placed the outside altar for the burnt offerings 
       near the entrance, and offered upon it a burnt offering and a meal 
       offering, just as the Lord had commanded him.

       (Exo 40:30 TLB)  Next he placed the washbasin between the tent and the 
       altar and filled it with water so that the priests could use it for 
       washing.

       (Exo 40:31 TLB)  Moses and Aaron and Aaron's sons washed their hands 
       and feet there.

       (Exo 40:32 TLB)  Whenever they walked past the altar to enter the 
       Tabernacle, they stopped and washed, just as the Lord had commanded 
       Moses.

       (Exo 40:33 TLB)  Then he erected the enclosure surrounding the tent 
       and the altar, and set up the curtain-door at the entrance of the 
       enclosure. So at last Moses finished the work.

       (Exo 40:34 TLB)  Then the cloud covered the Tabernacle and the glory 
       of the Lord filled it.

       (Exo 40:35 TLB)  Moses was not able to enter because the cloud was 
       standing there, and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle.

       (Exo 40:36 TLB)  Whenever the cloud lifted and moved, the people of 
       Israel journeyed onward, following it.

       (Exo 40:37 TLB)  But if the cloud stayed, they stayed until it moved.

       (Exo 40:38 TLB)  The cloud rested upon the Tabernacle during the 
       daytime, and at night there was fire in the cloud so that all the 
       people of Israel could see it. This continued throughout all their 
       journeys.

       (Lev 1:1 TLB)  The Lord now spoke to Moses from the Tabernacle,

       (Lev 1:2 TLB)  and commanded him to give the following instructions to 
       the people of Israel: "When you sacrifice to the Lord, use animals 
       from your herds and flocks.

       (Lev 1:3 TLB)  "If your sacrifice is to be an ox given as a burnt 
       offering, use only a bull with no physical defects. Bring the animal 
       to the entrance of the Tabernacle where the priests will accept your 
       gift for the Lord.

       (Lev 1:4 TLB)  The person bringing it is to lay his hand upon its 
       head, and it then becomes his substitute: the death of the animal will 
       be accepted by God instead of the death of the man who brings it, as 
       the penalty for his sins.

       (Lev 1:5 TLB)  The man shall then kill the animal there before the 
       Lord, and Aaron's sons, the priests, will present the blood before the 
       Lord, sprinkling it upon all sides of the altar at the entrance of the 
       Tabernacle.






       (Lev 1:6 TLB)  Then the priests will skin the animal and quarter it, 
       and build a wood fire upon the altar,

       (Lev 1:7 TLB)  

       (Lev 1:8 TLB)  and put the sections of the animal and its head and fat 
       upon the wood.

       (Lev 1:9 TLB)  The internal organs and the legs are to be washed, then 
       the priests will burn them upon the altar, and they will be an 
       acceptable burnt offering with which the Lord is pleased.

       (Lev 1:10 TLB)  "If the animal used as a burnt offering is a sheep or 
       a goat, it too must be a male, and without any blemishes.

       (Lev 1:11 TLB)  The man who brings it will kill it before the Lord on 
       the north side of the altar, and Aaron's sons, the priests, will 
       sprinkle its blood back and forth upon the altar.

       (Lev 1:12 TLB)  Then the man will quarter it, and the priests will lay 
       the pieces, with the head and the fat, on top of the wood on the 
       altar.

       (Lev 1:13 TLB)  But the internal organs and the legs shall first be 
       washed with water. Then the priests shall burn it all upon the altar 
       as an offering to the Lord; for burnt offerings give much pleasure to 
       the Lord.

       (Lev 1:14 TLB)  "If anyone wishes to use a bird as his burnt offering, 
       he may choose either turtledoves or young pigeons.

       (Lev 1:15 TLB)  A priest will take the bird to the altar and wring off 
       its head, and the blood shall be drained out at the side of the altar.

       (Lev 1:16 TLB)  Then the priest will remove the crop and the feathers 
       and throw them on the east side of the altar with the ashes.

       (Lev 1:17 TLB)  Then, grasping it by the wings, he shall tear it 
       apart, but not completely. And the priest shall burn it upon the 
       altar, and the Lord will have pleasure in this sacrifice.

       (Lev 2:1 TLB)  "Anyone who wishes to sacrifice a grain offering to the 
       Lord is to bring fine flour and is to pour olive oil and incense upon 
       it.

       (Lev 2:2 TLB)  Then he is to take a handful, representing the entire 
       amount, to one of the priests to burn, and the Lord will be fully 
       pleased.

       (Lev 2:3 TLB)  The remainder of the flour is to be given to Aaron and 
       his sons as their food; but all of it is counted as a holy burnt 
       offering to the Lord.

       (Lev 2:4 TLB)  "If bread baked in the oven is brought as an offering 
       to the Lord, it must be made from finely ground flour, baked with 





       olive oil but without yeast. Wafers made without yeast and spread with 
       olive oil may also be used as an offering.

       (Lev 2:5 TLB)  If the offering is something from the griddle, it shall 
       be made of finely ground flour without yeast, and mingled with olive 
       oil.

       (Lev 2:6 TLB)  Break it into pieces and pour oil upon it--it is a form 
       of grain offering.

       (Lev 2:7 TLB)  If your offering is cooked in a pan, it too shall be 
       made of fine flour mixed with olive oil.

       (Lev 2:8 TLB)  "However it is prepared--whether baked, fried, or 
       grilled--you are to bring this grain offering to the priest and he 
       shall take it to the altar to present it to the Lord.

       (Lev 2:9 TLB)  "The priests are to burn only a representative portion 
       of the offering, but all of it will be fully appreciated by the Lord.

       (Lev 2:10 TLB)  The remainder belongs to the priests for their own 
       use, but it is all counted as a holy burnt offering to the Lord.

       (Lev 2:11 TLB)  "Use no yeast with your offerings of flour; for no 
       yeast or honey is permitted in burnt offerings to the Lord.

       (Lev 2:12 TLB)  You may offer yeast bread and honey as thanksgiving 
       offerings at harvest time, but not as burnt offerings.

       (Lev 2:13 TLB)  "Every offering must be seasoned with salt, because 
       the salt is a reminder of God's covenant.

       (Lev 2:14 TLB)  "If you are offering from the first of your harvest, 
       remove the kernels from a fresh ear, crush and roast them, then offer 
       them to the Lord.

       (Lev 2:15 TLB)  Put olive oil and incense on the offering, for it is a 
       grain offering.

       (Lev 2:16 TLB)  Then the priests shall burn part of the bruised grain 
       mixed with oil and all of the incense as a representative portion 
       before the Lord.

       (Lev 3:1 TLB)  "When anyone wants to give an offering of thanksgiving 
       to the Lord, he may use either a bull or a cow, but the animal must be 
       entirely without defect if it is to be offered to the Lord!

       (Lev 3:2 TLB)  The man who brings the animal shall lay his hand upon 
       its head and kill it at the door of the Tabernacle. Then Aaron's sons 
       shall throw the blood against the sides of the altar

       (Lev 3:3 TLB)  and shall burn before the Lord the fat that covers the 
       inward parts, the two kidneys and the loin-fat on them, and the gall 
       bladder. And it will give the Lord much pleasure.

       (Lev 3:4 TLB)  






       (Lev 3:5 TLB)  

       (Lev 3:6 TLB)  "If a goat or sheep is used as a thank-offering to the 
       Lord, it must have no defect and may be either a male or female.

       (Lev 3:7 TLB)  "If it is a lamb, the man who brings it

       (Lev 3:8 TLB)  shall lay his hand upon its head and kill it at the 
       entrance of the Tabernacle; the priests shall throw the blood against 
       the sides of the altar,

       (Lev 3:9 TLB)  and shall offer upon the altar the fat, the tail 
       removed close to the backbone, the fat covering the internal organs,

       (Lev 3:10 TLB)  the two kidneys with the loin-fat on them, and the 
       gall bladder, as a burnt offering to the Lord.

       (Lev 3:11 TLB)  

       (Lev 3:12 TLB)  "If anyone brings a goat as his offering to the Lord,

       (Lev 3:13 TLB)  he shall lay his hand upon its head and kill it at the 
       entrance of the Tabernacle. The priest shall throw its blood against 
       the sides of the altar,

       (Lev 3:14 TLB)  and shall offer upon the altar, as a burnt offering to 
       the Lord, the fat that covers the insides,

       (Lev 3:15 TLB)  the two kidneys and the loin-fat on them, and the gall 
       bladder. This burnt offering is very pleasing to the Lord. All the fat 
       is Jehovah's.

       (Lev 3:16 TLB)  

       (Lev 3:17 TLB)  This is a permanent law throughout your land, that you 
       shall eat neither fat nor blood."

       (Lev 4:1 TLB)  Then the Lord gave these further instructions to Moses:

       (Lev 4:2 TLB)  "Tell the people of Israel that these are the laws 
       concerning anyone who unintentionally breaks any of my commandments.

       (Lev 4:3 TLB)  If a priest sins unintentionally and so brings guilt 
       upon the people, he must offer a young bull without defect as a sin 
       offering to the Lord.

       (Lev 4:4 TLB)  He shall bring it to the door of the Tabernacle, and 
       shall lay his hand upon its head and kill it there before Jehovah.

       (Lev 4:5 TLB)  Then the priest shall take the animal's blood into the 
       Tabernacle,

       (Lev 4:6 TLB)  and shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle it 
       seven times before the Lord in front of the veil that bars the way to 
       the Holy of Holies.






       (Lev 4:7 TLB)  Then the priest shall put some of the blood upon the 
       horns of the incense altar before the Lord in the Tabernacle; the 
       remainder of the blood shall be poured out at the base of the altar 
       for burnt offerings, at the entrance to the Tabernacle.

       (Lev 4:8 TLB)  Then he shall take all the fat on the entrails,

       (Lev 4:9 TLB)  the two kidneys and the loin-fat on them, and the gall 
       bladder,

       (Lev 4:10 TLB)  and shall burn them on the altar of burnt offering, 
       just as in the case of a bull or cow sacrificed as a thank-offering.

       (Lev 4:11 TLB)  But the remainder of the young bull--the skin, meat, 
       head, legs, internal organs, and intestines--

       (Lev 4:12 TLB)  shall be carried to a ceremonially clean place outside 
       the camp--a place where the ashes are brought from the altar--and 
       burned there on a wood fire.

       (Lev 4:13 TLB)  "If the entire nation of Israel sins without realizing 
       it and does something that Jehovah has said not to do, all the people 
       are guilty.

       (Lev 4:14 TLB)  When they realize it, they shall offer a young bull 
       for a sin offering, bringing it to the Tabernacle

       (Lev 4:15 TLB)  where the leaders of the nation shall lay their hands 
       upon the animal's head and kill it before the Lord.

       (Lev 4:16 TLB)  Then the priest shall bring its blood into the 
       Tabernacle,

       (Lev 4:17 TLB)  and shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle it 
       seven times before the Lord, in front of the veil.

       (Lev 4:18 TLB)  Then he shall put blood upon the horns of the altar 
       there in the Tabernacle before the Lord, and all the remainder of the 
       blood shall be poured out at the base of the burnt offering altar, at 
       the entrance to the Tabernacle.

       (Lev 4:19 TLB)  All the fat shall be removed and burned upon the 
       altar.

       (Lev 4:20 TLB)  He shall follow the same procedure as for a sin 
       offering; in this way the priest shall make atonement for the nation, 
       and everyone will be forgiven.

       (Lev 4:21 TLB)  The priest shall then cart the young bull outside the 
       camp and burn it there, just as though it were a sin offering for an 
       individual, only this time it is a sin offering for the entire nation.

       (Lev 4:22 TLB)  "If one of the leaders sins without realizing it and 
       is guilty of disobeying one of God's laws,





       (Lev 4:23 TLB)  as soon as it is called to his attention he must bring 
       as his sacrifice a male goat without any physical defect.

       (Lev 4:24 TLB)  He shall lay his hand upon its head and kill it at the 
       place where the burnt offerings are killed, and present it to the 
       Lord. This is his sin offering.

       (Lev 4:25 TLB)  Then the priest shall take some of the blood of this 
       sin offering and place it with his finger upon the horns of the altar 
       of burnt offerings, and the rest of the blood shall be poured out at 
       the base of the altar.

       (Lev 4:26 TLB)  All the fat shall be burned upon the altar, just as if 
       it were the fat of the sacrifice of a thank-offering; thus the priest 
       shall make atonement for the leader concerning his sin, and he shall 
       be forgiven.

       (Lev 4:27 TLB)  "If any one of the common people sins and doesn't 
       realize it, he is guilty.

       (Lev 4:28 TLB)  But as soon as he does realize it, he is to bring as 
       his sacrifice a female goat without defect to atone for his sin.

       (Lev 4:29 TLB)  He shall bring it to the place where the animals for 
       burnt offerings are killed, and there lay his hand upon the head of 
       the sin offering and kill it.

       (Lev 4:30 TLB)  And the priest shall take some of the blood with his 
       finger and smear it upon the horns of the burnt offering altar. Then 
       the priest shall pour out the remainder of the blood at the base of 
       the altar.

       (Lev 4:31 TLB)  All the fat shall be taken off, just as in the 
       procedure for the thank-offering sacrifice, and the priest shall burn 
       it upon the altar; and the Lord will appreciate it. Thus the priest 
       shall make atonement for that man, and he shall be forgiven.

       (Lev 4:32 TLB)  "However, if he chooses to bring a lamb as his sin 
       offering, it must be a female without physical defect.

       (Lev 4:33 TLB)  He shall bring it to the place where the burnt 
       offerings are killed, and lay his hand upon its head and kill it there 
       as a sin offering.

       (Lev 4:34 TLB)  The priest shall take some of the blood with his 
       finger and smear it upon the horns of the burnt offering altar, and 
       all the rest of the blood shall be poured out at the base of the 
       altar.

       (Lev 4:35 TLB)  The fat shall be used just as in the case of a 
       thank-offering lamb--the priest shall burn the fat on the altar as in 
       any other sacrifice made to Jehovah by fire; and the priest shall make 
       atonement for the man, and his sin shall be forgiven.

       (Lev 5:1 TLB)  "Anyone refusing to give testimony concerning what he 
       knows about a crime is guilty.






       (Lev 5:2 TLB)  "Anyone touching anything ceremonially unclean--such as 
       the dead body of an animal forbidden for food, wild or domesticated, 
       or the dead body of some forbidden insect--is guilty, even though he 
       wasn't aware of touching it.

       (Lev 5:3 TLB)  Or if he touches human discharge of any kind, he 
       becomes guilty as soon as he realizes that he has touched it.

       (Lev 5:4 TLB)  "If anyone makes a rash vow, whether the vow is good or 
       bad, when he realizes what a foolish vow he has taken, he is guilty.

       (Lev 5:5 TLB)  "In any of these cases, he shall confess his sin

       (Lev 5:6 TLB)  and bring his guilt offering to the Lord, a female lamb 
       or goat, and the priest shall make atonement for him, and he shall be 
       freed from his sin, and need not fulfill the vow.

       (Lev 5:7 TLB)  "If he is too poor to bring a lamb to the Lord, then he 
       shall bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons as his guilt 
       offering; one of the birds shall be his sin offering and the other his 
       burnt offering.

       (Lev 5:8 TLB)  The priest shall offer as the sin sacrifice whichever 
       bird is handed to him first, breaking its neck, but not severing its 
       head from its body.

       (Lev 5:9 TLB)  Then he shall sprinkle some of the blood at the side of 
       the altar and the rest shall be drained out at the base of the altar; 
       this is the sin offering.

       (Lev 5:10 TLB)  He shall offer the second bird as a burnt offering, 
       following the customary procedures that have been set forth; so the 
       priest shall make atonement for him concerning his sin, and he shall 
       be forgiven.

       (Lev 5:11 TLB)  "If he is too poor to bring turtledoves or young 
       pigeons as his sin offering, then he shall bring a tenth of a bushel 
       of fine flour. He must not mix it with olive oil or put any incense on 
       it because it is a sin offering.

       (Lev 5:12 TLB)  He shall bring it to the priest, and the priest shall 
       take out a handful as a representative portion and burn it on the 
       altar just as any other offering to Jehovah made by fire; this shall 
       be his sin offering.

       (Lev 5:13 TLB)  In this way the priest shall make atonement for him 
       for any sin of this kind, and he shall be forgiven. The rest of the 
       flour shall belong to the priest, just as was the case with the grain 
       offering."

       (Lev 5:14 TLB)  And the Lord said to Moses,

       (Lev 5:15 TLB)  "If anyone sins by unintentionally defiling what is 
       holy, then he shall bring a ram without defect, worth whatever fine 
       you charge against him, as his guilt offering to the Lord.






       (Lev 5:16 TLB)  And he shall make restitution for the holy thing he 
       has defiled, or the tithe omitted, by paying for the loss, plus a 20 
       percent penalty; he shall bring it to the priest, and the priest shall 
       make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt offering, and he 
       shall be forgiven.

       (Lev 5:17 TLB)  "Anyone who disobeys some law of God without realizing 
       it is guilty anyway,

       (Lev 5:18 TLB)  and must bring his sacrifice of a value determined by 
       Moses. This sacrifice shall be a ram without blemish taken to the 
       priest as a guilt offering; with it the priest shall make atonement 
       for him, so that he will be forgiven for whatever it is he has done 
       without realizing it.

       (Lev 5:19 TLB)  It must be offered as a guilt offering, for he is 
       certainly guilty before the Lord."

       (Lev 6:1 TLB)  And the Lord said to Moses,

       (Lev 6:2 TLB)  "If anyone sins against me by refusing to return a 
       deposit on something borrowed or rented, or by refusing to return 
       something entrusted to him, or by robbery, or by oppressing his 
       neighbor,

       (Lev 6:3 TLB)  or by finding a lost article and lying about it, 
       swearing that he doesn't have it--

       (Lev 6:4 TLB)  on the day he is found guilty of any such sin, he shall 
       restore what he took,

       (Lev 6:5 TLB)  adding a 20 percent fine, and give it to the one he has 
       harmed; and on the same day he shall bring his guilt offering to the 
       Tabernacle.

       (Lev 6:6 TLB)  His guilt offering shall be a ram without defect, and 
       must be worth whatever value you demand. He shall bring it to the 
       priest,

       (Lev 6:7 TLB)  and the priest shall make atonement for him before the 
       Lord, and he shall be forgiven."

       (Lev 6:8 TLB)  Then the Lord said to Moses,

       (Lev 6:9 TLB)  "Give Aaron and his sons these regulations concerning 
       the burnt offering: "The burnt offering shall be left upon the hearth 
       of the altar all night, with the altar fire kept burning.

       (Lev 6:10 TLB)  (The next morning) the priest shall put on his linen 
       undergarments and his linen outer garments, and clean out the ashes of 
       the burnt offering, and put them beside the altar.

       (Lev 6:11 TLB)  Then he shall change his clothes and carry the ashes 
       outside the camp to a place that is ceremonially clean.





       (Lev 6:12 TLB)  Meanwhile, the fire on the altar must be kept 
       burning--it must not go out. The priest shall put on fresh wood each 
       morning, and lay the daily burnt offering on it, and burn the fat of 
       the daily peace offering.

       (Lev 6:13 TLB)  The fire must be kept burning upon the altar 
       continually. It must never go out.

       (Lev 6:14 TLB)  "These are the regulations concerning the grain 
       offering: "Aaron's sons shall stand in front of the altar to offer it 
       before the Lord.

       (Lev 6:15 TLB)  The priest shall then take out a handful of the finely 
       ground flour, with the olive oil and the incense mixed into it, and 
       burn it upon the altar as a representative portion for the Lord; and 
       it will be received with pleasure by the Lord.

       (Lev 6:16 TLB)  After taking out this handful, the remainder of the 
       flour will belong to Aaron and his sons for their food; it shall be 
       eaten without yeast in the courtyard of the Tabernacle.

       (Lev 6:17 TLB)  (Stress this instruction, that if it is baked, it must 
       be without yeast.) I have given to the priests this part of the burnt 
       offerings made to me. However, all of it is most holy, just as is the 
       entire sin offering and the entire guilt offering.

       (Lev 6:18 TLB)  It may be eaten by any male descendant of Aaron, any 
       priest, generation after generation. But only the priests may eat 
       these offerings made by fire to the Lord."

       (Lev 6:19 TLB)  And Jehovah said to Moses,

       (Lev 6:20 TLB)  "On the day Aaron and his sons are anointed and 
       inducted into the priesthood, they shall bring to the Lord a regular 
       grain offering--a tenth of a bushel of fine flour, half to be offered 
       in the morning and half in the evening.

       (Lev 6:21 TLB)  It shall be cooked on a griddle, using olive oil, and 
       should be well cooked, then brought to the Lord as an offering that 
       pleases him very much.

       (Lev 6:22 TLB)  As the sons of the priests replace their fathers, they 
       shall be inducted into office by offering this same sacrifice on the 
       day of their anointing. This is a perpetual law.

       (Lev 6:23 TLB)  These offerings shall be entirely burned up before the 
       Lord; none of it shall be eaten."

       (Lev 6:24 TLB)  Then the Lord said to Moses,

       (Lev 6:25 TLB)  "Tell Aaron and his sons that these are the 
       instructions concerning the sin offering: "This sacrifice is most 
       holy, and shall be killed before the Lord at the place where the burnt 
       offerings are killed.

       (Lev 6:26 TLB)  The priest who performs the ceremony shall eat it in 





       the courtyard of the Tabernacle.

       (Lev 6:27 TLB)  Only those who are sanctified--the priests--may touch 
       this meat; if any blood sprinkles onto their clothing, it must be 
       washed in a holy place.

       (Lev 6:28 TLB)  Then the clay pot in which the clothing is boiled 
       shall be broken; or if a bronze kettle is used, it must be scoured and 
       rinsed out thoroughly.

       (Lev 6:29 TLB)  Every male among the priests may eat this offering, 
       but only they, for it is most holy.

       (Lev 6:30 TLB)  No sin offering may be eaten by the priests if any of 
       its blood is taken into the Tabernacle to make atonement in the Holy 
       Place. That carcass must be entirely burned with fire before the Lord.

       (Lev 7:1 TLB)  "Here are the instructions concerning the most holy 
       offering for guilt:

       (Lev 7:2 TLB)  "The sacrificial animal shall be killed at the place 
       where the burnt offering sacrifices are slain, and its blood shall be 
       sprinkled back and forth upon the altar.

       (Lev 7:3 TLB)  The priest will offer upon the altar all its fat, 
       including the tail, the fat that covers the insides,

       (Lev 7:4 TLB)  the two kidneys and the loin-fat, and the gall 
       bladder--all shall be set aside for sacrificing.

       (Lev 7:5 TLB)  The priests will burn them upon the altar as a guilt 
       offering to the Lord.

       (Lev 7:6 TLB)  Only males among the priests may then eat the carcass, 
       and it must be eaten in a holy place, for this is a most holy 
       sacrifice.

       (Lev 7:7 TLB)  "The same instructions apply to both the sin offering 
       and the guilt offering--the carcass shall be given to the priest who 
       is in charge of the atonement ceremony, for his food.

       (Lev 7:8 TLB)  (When the offering is a burnt sacrifice, the priest who 
       is in charge shall also be given the animal's hide.)

       (Lev 7:9 TLB)  The priests who present the people's grain offerings to 
       the Lord shall be given whatever remains of the sacrifice after the 
       ceremony is completed. This rule applies whether the sacrifice is 
       baked, fried, or grilled.

       (Lev 7:10 TLB)  All other grain offerings, whether mixed with olive 
       oil or dry, are the common property of all sons of Aaron.

       (Lev 7:11 TLB)  "Here are the instructions concerning the sacrifices 
       given to the Lord as special peace offerings:

       (Lev 7:12 TLB)  "If it is an offering of thanksgiving, unleavened 





       short bread shall be included with the sacrifice, along with 
       unleavened wafers spread with olive oil and loaves from a batter of 
       flour mixed with olive oil.

       (Lev 7:13 TLB)  This thanksgiving peace offering shall be accompanied 
       with loaves of leavened bread.

       (Lev 7:14 TLB)  Part of this sacrifice shall be presented to the Lord 
       by a gesture of waving it before the altar, then it shall be given to 
       the assisting priest, the one who sprinkles the blood of the animal 
       presented for the sacrifice.

       (Lev 7:15 TLB)  After the animal has been sacrificed and presented to 
       the Lord as a peace offering to show special appreciation and 
       thanksgiving to him, its meat is to be eaten that same day, and none 
       left to be eaten the next day.

       (Lev 7:16 TLB)  "However, if someone brings a sacrifice that is not 
       for thanksgiving, but is because of a vow or is simply a voluntary 
       offering to the Lord, any portion of the sacrifice that is not eaten 
       the day it is sacrificed may be eaten the next day.

       (Lev 7:17 TLB)  But anything left over until the third day shall be 
       burned.

       (Lev 7:18 TLB)  For if any of it is eaten on the third day, the Lord 
       will not accept it; it will have no value as a sacrifice, and there 
       will be no credit to the one who brought it to be offered; and the 
       priest who eats it shall be guilty, for it is detestable to the Lord, 
       and the person who eats it must answer for his sin.

       (Lev 7:19 TLB)  "Any meat that comes into contact with anything that 
       is ceremonially unclean shall not be eaten, but burned; and as for the 
       meat that may be eaten, it may be eaten only by a person who is 
       ceremonially clean.

       (Lev 7:20 TLB)  Any priest who is ceremonially unclean but eats the 
       thanksgiving offering anyway, shall be cut off from his people, for he 
       has defiled what is sacred.

       (Lev 7:21 TLB)  Anyone who touches anything that is ceremonially 
       unclean, whether it is uncleanness from man or beast, and then eats 
       the peace offering, shall be cut off from his people, for he has 
       defiled what is holy."

       (Lev 7:22 TLB)  Then the Lord said to Moses,

       (Lev 7:23 TLB)  "Tell the people of Israel never to eat fat, whether 
       from oxen, sheep, or goats.

       (Lev 7:24 TLB)  The fat of an animal that dies of disease, or is 
       attacked and killed by wild animals, may be used for other purposes, 
       but never eaten.

       (Lev 7:25 TLB)  Anyone who eats fat from an offering sacrificed by 
       fire to the Lord shall be outlawed from his people.






       (Lev 7:26 TLB)  "Never eat blood, whether of birds or animals. Anyone 
       who does shall be excommunicated from his people."

       (Lev 7:27 TLB)  

       (Lev 7:28 TLB)  And the Lord said to Moses,

       (Lev 7:29 TLB)  "Tell the people of Israel that anyone bringing a 
       thanksgiving offering to the Lord must bring it personally with his 
       own hands.

       (Lev 7:30 TLB)  He shall bring the offering of the fat and breast, 
       which is to be presented to the Lord by waving it before the altar.

       (Lev 7:31 TLB)  Then the priest shall burn the fat upon the altar, but 
       the breast shall belong to Aaron and his sons,

       (Lev 7:32 TLB)  while the right thigh shall be given to the 
       officiating priest.

       (Lev 7:33 TLB)  

       (Lev 7:34 TLB)  For I have designated the breast and thigh as 
       donations from the people of Israel to the sons of Aaron. Aaron and 
       his sons must always be given this portion of the sacrifice.

       (Lev 7:35 TLB)  This is their pay! It is to be set apart from the 
       burnt offerings, and given to all who have been appointed to minister 
       to the Lord as priests--to Aaron and to his sons.

       (Lev 7:36 TLB)  For on the day the Lord anointed them, he commanded 
       that the people of Israel give these portions to them; it is their 
       right forever throughout all their generations."

       (Lev 7:37 TLB)  These were the instructions concerning the burnt 
       offering, grain offering, sin offering, and guilt offering, and 
       concerning the consecration offering and the peace offering;

       (Lev 7:38 TLB)  these instructions were given to Moses by the Lord on 
       Mount Sinai, to be passed on to the people of Israel so that they 
       would know how to offer their sacrifices to God in the Sinai desert.

       (Lev 8:1 TLB)  The Lord said to Moses,

       (Lev 8:2 TLB)  "Now bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the 
       Tabernacle, together with their garments, the anointing oil, the young 
       bull for the sin offering, the two rams, and the basket of bread made 
       without yeast;

       (Lev 8:3 TLB)  and summon all Israel to a meeting there."

       (Lev 8:4 TLB)  So all the people assembled,

       (Lev 8:5 TLB)  and Moses said to them, "What I am now going to do has 
       been commanded by Jehovah."






       (Lev 8:6 TLB)  Then he took Aaron and his sons and washed them with 
       water,

       (Lev 8:7 TLB)  and he clothed Aaron with the special coat, sash, robe, 
       and the ephod-jacket with its beautifully woven belt.

       (Lev 8:8 TLB)  Then he put on him the chestpiece and deposited the 
       Urim and the Thummim inside its pouch;

       (Lev 8:9 TLB)  and placed on Aaron's head the turban with the sacred 
       gold plate at its front--the holy crown--as the Lord had commanded 
       Moses.

       (Lev 8:10 TLB)  Then Moses took the anointing oil and sprinkled it 
       upon the Tabernacle itself and on each item in it, sanctifying them.

       (Lev 8:11 TLB)  When he came to the altar he sprinkled it seven times, 
       and also sprinkled the utensils of the altar and the washbasin and its 
       pedestal, to sanctify them.

       (Lev 8:12 TLB)  Then he poured the anointing oil upon Aaron's head, 
       thus setting him apart for his work.

       (Lev 8:13 TLB)  Next Moses placed the robes on Aaron's sons, with the 
       belts and caps, as the Lord had commanded him.

       (Lev 8:14 TLB)  Then he took the young bull for the sin offering, and 
       Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon its head

       (Lev 8:15 TLB)  as Moses killed it. He smeared some of the blood with 
       his finger upon the four horns of the altar and upon the altar itself, 
       to sanctify it, and poured out the rest of the blood at the base of 
       the altar; thus he sanctified the altar, making atonement for it.

       (Lev 8:16 TLB)  He took all the fat covering the entrails, the fatty 
       mass above the liver, and the two kidneys and their fat, and burned 
       them all on the altar.

       (Lev 8:17 TLB)  The carcass of the young bull, with its hide and dung, 
       was burned outside the camp, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

       (Lev 8:18 TLB)  Then he presented to the Lord the ram for the burnt 
       offering. Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon its head,

       (Lev 8:19 TLB)  and Moses killed it and sprinkled the blood back and 
       forth upon the altar.

       (Lev 8:20 TLB)  Next he quartered the ram and burned the pieces, the 
       head and the fat.

       (Lev 8:21 TLB)  He then washed the insides and the legs with water, 
       and burned them upon the altar, so that the entire ram was consumed 
       before the Lord; it was a burnt offering that pleased the Lord very 
       much, for Jehovah's directions to Moses were followed in every detail.





       (Lev 8:22 TLB)  Then Moses presented the other ram, the ram of 
       consecration; Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon its head.

       (Lev 8:23 TLB)  Moses killed it and took some of its blood and smeared 
       it upon the lobe of Aaron's right ear and the thumb of his right hand 
       and upon the big toe of his right foot.

       (Lev 8:24 TLB)  Next he smeared some of the blood upon Aaron's 
       sons--upon the lobes of their right ears, upon their right thumbs, and 
       upon the big toes of their right feet. The rest of the blood he 
       sprinkled back and forth upon the altar.

       (Lev 8:25 TLB)  Then he took the fat, the tail, the fat upon the inner 
       organs, the gall bladder, the two kidneys with their fat, and the 
       right shoulder,

       (Lev 8:26 TLB)  and placed on top of these one unleavened wafer, one 
       wafer spread with olive oil, and a slice of bread, all taken from the 
       basket that had been placed there before the Lord.

       (Lev 8:27 TLB)  All this was placed in the hands of Aaron and his sons 
       to present to the Lord by a gesture of waving them before the altar.

       (Lev 8:28 TLB)  Moses then took it all back from them and burned it 
       upon the altar, along with the burnt offering to the Lord; and Jehovah 
       was pleased by the offering.

       (Lev 8:29 TLB)  Now Moses took the breast and presented it to the Lord 
       by waving it before the altar; this was Moses' portion of the ram of 
       consecration, just as the Lord had instructed him.

       (Lev 8:30 TLB)  Next he took some of the anointing oil and some of the 
       blood that had been sprinkled upon the altar, and sprinkled it upon 
       Aaron and upon his clothes and upon his sons and upon their clothes, 
       thus consecrating to the Lord's use Aaron and his sons and their 
       clothes.

       (Lev 8:31 TLB)  Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons, "Boil the meat 
       at the entrance of the Tabernacle, and eat it along with the bread 
       that is in the basket of consecration, just as I instructed you to do.

       (Lev 8:32 TLB)  Anything left of the meat and bread must be burned."

       (Lev 8:33 TLB)  Next he told them not to leave the Tabernacle entrance 
       for seven days, after which time their consecration would be 
       completed--for it takes seven days.

       (Lev 8:34 TLB)  Then Moses stated again that all he had done that day 
       had been commanded by the Lord in order to make atonement for them.

       (Lev 8:35 TLB)  And again he warned Aaron and his sons to stay at the 
       entrance of the Tabernacle day and night for seven days. "If you 
       leave," he told them, "you will die--this is what the Lord has said."

       (Lev 8:36 TLB)  So Aaron and his sons did all that the Lord had 
       commanded Moses.






       (Lev 9:1 TLB)  On the eighth day (of the consecration ceremonies), 
       Moses summoned Aaron and Aaron's sons and the elders of Israel,

       (Lev 9:2 TLB)  and told Aaron to take a bull calf from the herd for a 
       sin offering, and a ram without bodily defect for a burnt offering, 
       and to offer them before the Lord.

       (Lev 9:3 TLB)  "And tell the people of Israel," Moses instructed, "to 
       select a male goat for their sin offering, also a yearling calf and a 
       yearling lamb, all without bodily defect, for their burnt offering.

       (Lev 9:4 TLB)  In addition, the people are to bring to the Lord a 
       peace offering sacrifice--an ox and a ram, and a grain offering--flour 
       mingled with olive oil. For today," Moses said, "Jehovah will appear 
       to them."

       (Lev 9:5 TLB)  So they brought all these things to the entrance of the 
       Tabernacle, as Moses had commanded, and the people came and stood 
       there before the Lord.

       (Lev 9:6 TLB)  Moses told them, "When you have followed the Lord's 
       instructions, his glory will appear to you."

       (Lev 9:7 TLB)  Moses then told Aaron to proceed to the altar and to 
       offer the sin offering and the burnt offering, making atonement for 
       himself first, and then for the people, as the Lord had commanded.

       (Lev 9:8 TLB)  So Aaron went up to the altar and killed the calf as a 
       sacrifice for his own sin;

       (Lev 9:9 TLB)  his sons caught the blood for him, and he dipped his 
       finger in it and smeared it upon the horns of the altar, and poured 
       out the rest at the base of the altar.

       (Lev 9:10 TLB)  Then he burned upon the altar the fat, kidneys, and 
       gall bladder from this sin offering, as the Lord had commanded Moses,

       (Lev 9:11 TLB)  but he burned the meat and hide outside the camp.

       (Lev 9:12 TLB)  Next he killed the burnt offering animal, and his sons 
       caught the blood, and he sprinkled it back and forth upon the altar;

       (Lev 9:13 TLB)  they brought the animal to him piece by piece, 
       including the head, and he burned each part upon the altar.

       (Lev 9:14 TLB)  Then he washed the insides and the legs, and offered 
       these also upon the altar as a burnt offering.

       (Lev 9:15 TLB)  Next he sacrificed the people's offering; he killed 
       the goat and offered it in just the same way as he had the sin 
       offering for himself.

       (Lev 9:16 TLB)  Thus he sacrificed their burnt offering to the Lord, 
       in accordance with the instructions God had given.





       (Lev 9:17 TLB)  Then he presented the grain offering, taking a handful 
       and burning it upon the altar in addition to the regular morning 
       offering.

       (Lev 9:18 TLB)  Next he killed the ox and ram--the people's peace 
       offering sacrifice; and Aaron's sons brought the blood to him, and he 
       sprinkled it back and forth upon the altar.

       (Lev 9:19 TLB)  Then he collected the fat of the ox and the ram--the 
       fat from their tails and the fat covering the inner organs--and the 
       kidneys and gall bladders.

       (Lev 9:20 TLB)  The fat was placed upon the breasts of these animals, 
       and Aaron burned it upon the altar;

       (Lev 9:21 TLB)  but he waved the breasts and right shoulders slowly 
       before the Lord as a gesture of offering it to him, just as Moses had 
       commanded.

       (Lev 9:22 TLB)  Then, with hands spread out toward the people, Aaron 
       blessed them and came down from the altar.

       (Lev 9:23 TLB)  Moses and Aaron went into the Tabernacle, and when 
       they came out again they blessed the people; and the glory of the Lord 
       appeared to the whole assembly.

       (Lev 9:24 TLB)  Then fire came from the Lord and consumed the burnt 
       offering and fat on the altar; and when the people saw it, they all 
       shouted and fell flat upon the ground before the Lord.

       (Lev 10:1 TLB)  But Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, placed unholy 
       fire in their censers, laid incense on the fire, and offered the 
       incense before the Lord--contrary to what the Lord had just commanded 
       them!

       (Lev 10:2 TLB)  So fire blazed forth from the presence of the Lord and 
       destroyed them.

       (Lev 10:3 TLB)  Then Moses said to Aaron, "This is what the Lord meant 
       when he said, 'I will show myself holy among those who approach me, 
       and I will be glorified before all the people.'" And Aaron was 
       speechless.

       (Lev 10:4 TLB)  Then Moses called for Mishael and Elzaphon, Aaron's 
       cousins, the sons of Uzziel, and told them, "Go and get the charred 
       bodies from before the Tabernacle, and carry them outside the camp."

       (Lev 10:5 TLB)  So they went over and got them, and carried them out 
       in their coats as Moses had told them to.

       (Lev 10:6 TLB)  Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons Eleazar and 
       Ithamar, "Do not mourn--do not let your hair hang loose as a sign of 
       your mourning, and do not tear your clothes. If you do, God will 
       strike you dead too, and his wrath will come upon all the people of 
       Israel. But the rest of the people of Israel may lament the death of 
       Nadab and Abihu, and mourn because of the terrible fire the Lord has 





       sent.

       (Lev 10:7 TLB)  But you are not to leave the Tabernacle under penalty 
       of death, for the anointing oil of Jehovah is upon you." And they did 
       as Moses commanded.

       (Lev 10:8 TLB)  Now the Lord instructed Aaron,

       (Lev 10:9 TLB)  "Never drink wine or strong drink when you go into the 
       Tabernacle, lest you die; and this rule applies to your sons and to 
       all your descendants from generation to generation.

       (Lev 10:10 TLB)  Your duties will be to arbitrate for the people, to 
       teach them the difference between what is holy and what is ordinary, 
       what is pure and what is impure;

       (Lev 10:11 TLB)  and to teach them all the laws Jehovah has given 
       through Moses."

       (Lev 10:12 TLB)  Then Moses said to Aaron and to his sons who were 
       left, Eleazar and Ithamar, "Take the grain offering--the food that 
       remains after the handful has been offered to the Lord by burning it 
       on the altar--make sure there is no leaven in it, and eat it beside 
       the altar. The offering is most holy;

       (Lev 10:13 TLB)  therefore, you must eat it in the sanctuary, in a 
       holy place. It belongs to you and to your sons, from the offerings to 
       Jehovah made by fire; for so I am commanded.

       (Lev 10:14 TLB)  But the breast and the thigh, which have been offered 
       to the Lord by the gesture of waving it before him, may be eaten in 
       any holy place. It belongs to you and to your sons and daughters for 
       your food. It is your portion of the peace offering sacrifices of the 
       people of Israel.

       (Lev 10:15 TLB)  The people are to bring the thigh that was set aside, 
       along with the breast that was offered when the fat was burned, and 
       they shall be presented before the Lord by the gesture of waving them. 
       And afterwards they shall belong to you and your family, for the Lord 
       has commanded this."

       (Lev 10:16 TLB)  Then Moses searched everywhere for the goat of the 
       sin offering and discovered that it had been burned! He was very angry 
       about this with Eleazar and Ithamar, the remaining sons of Aaron.

       (Lev 10:17 TLB)  "Why haven't you eaten the sin offering in the 
       sanctuary, since it is most holy, and God has given it to you to take 
       away the iniquity and guilt of the people, to make atonement for them 
       before the Lord?" he demanded.

       (Lev 10:18 TLB)  "Since its blood was not taken inside the sanctuary, 
       you should certainly have eaten it there, as I ordered you."

       (Lev 10:19 TLB)  But Aaron interceded with Moses. "They offered their 
       sin offering and burnt offering before the Lord," he said, "but if I 
       had eaten the sin offering on such a day as this, would it have 





       pleased the Lord?"

       (Lev 10:20 TLB)  And when Moses heard that, he was satisfied.

       (Lev 11:1 TLB)  Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron,

       (Lev 11:2 TLB)  "Tell the people of Israel that the animals which may 
       be used for food include any animal with cloven hooves which chews its 
       cud.

       (Lev 11:3 TLB)  

       (Lev 11:4 TLB)  This means that the following may not be eaten: The 
       camel (it chews the cud but does not have cloven hooves);

       (Lev 11:5 TLB)  The coney, or rock badger (because although it chews 
       the cud, it does not have cloven hooves);

       (Lev 11:6 TLB)  The hare (because although it chews the cud, it does 
       not have cloven hooves);

       (Lev 11:7 TLB)  The swine (because although it has cloven hooves, it 
       does not chew the cud).

       (Lev 11:8 TLB)  You may not eat their meat or even touch their dead 
       bodies; they are forbidden foods for you.

       (Lev 11:9 TLB)  "As to fish, you may eat whatever has fins and scales, 
       whether taken from rivers or from the sea;

       (Lev 11:10 TLB)  but all other water creatures are strictly forbidden 
       to you.

       (Lev 11:11 TLB)  You mustn't eat their meat or even touch their dead 
       bodies.

       (Lev 11:12 TLB)  I'll repeat it again--any water creature that does 
       not have fins or scales is forbidden to you.

       (Lev 11:13 TLB)  "Among the birds, these are the ones you may not eat: 
       the eagle, the metire, the osprey,

       (Lev 11:14 TLB)  the falcon (all kinds), the kite,

       (Lev 11:15 TLB)  the raven (all kinds),

       (Lev 11:16 TLB)  the ostrich, the nighthawk, the seagull, the hawk 
       (all kinds),

       (Lev 11:17 TLB)  the owl, the cormorant, the ibis,

       (Lev 11:18 TLB)  the marsh hen, the pelican, the vulture,

       (Lev 11:19 TLB)  the stork, the heron (all kinds), the hoopoe, the 
       bat.





       (Lev 11:20 TLB)  "No insects may be eaten,

       (Lev 11:21 TLB)  with the exception of those that jump; locusts of all 
       varieties--ordinary locusts, bald locusts, crickets, and 
       grasshoppers--may be eaten.

       (Lev 11:22 TLB)  

       (Lev 11:23 TLB)  All insects that fly and walk or crawl are forbidden 
       to you.

       (Lev 11:24 TLB)  "Anyone touching their dead bodies shall be defiled 
       until the evening

       (Lev 11:25 TLB)  and must wash his clothes immediately. He must also 
       quarantine himself until nightfall, as being ceremonially defiled.

       (Lev 11:26 TLB)  "You are also defiled by touching any animal with 
       only semiparted hoofs, or any animal that does not chew the cud.

       (Lev 11:27 TLB)  Any animal that walks on paws is forbidden to you as 
       food. Anyone touching the dead body of such an animal shall be defiled 
       until evening.

       (Lev 11:28 TLB)  Anyone carrying away the carcass shall wash his 
       clothes and be ceremonially defiled until evening; for it is forbidden 
       to you.

       (Lev 11:29 TLB)  "These are the forbidden small animals which scurry 
       about your feet or crawl upon the ground: the mole, the rat, the great 
       lizard,

       (Lev 11:30 TLB)  the gecko, the mouse, the lizard, the snail, the 
       chameleon.

       (Lev 11:31 TLB)  Anyone touching their dead bodies shall be defiled 
       until evening,

       (Lev 11:32 TLB)  and anything upon which the carcass falls shall be 
       defiled--any article of wood, or of clothing, a rug, or a sack; 
       anything it touches must be put into water and is defiled until 
       evening. After that it may be used again.

       (Lev 11:33 TLB)  If it falls into a pottery bowl, anything in the bowl 
       is defiled, and you shall smash the bowl.

       (Lev 11:34 TLB)  If the water used to cleanse the defiled article 
       touches any food, all of it is defiled. Any drink which is in the 
       defiled bowl is also contaminated.

       (Lev 11:35 TLB)  "If the dead body of such an animal touches any clay 
       oven, it is defiled and must be smashed.

       (Lev 11:36 TLB)  If the body falls into a spring or cistern where 
       there is water, that water is not defiled; yet anyone who pulls out 
       the carcass is defiled.






       (Lev 11:37 TLB)  And if the carcass touches grain to be sown in the 
       field, it is not contaminated;

       (Lev 11:38 TLB)  but if the seeds are wet and the carcass falls upon 
       it, the seed is defiled.

       (Lev 11:39 TLB)  "If an animal which you are permitted to eat dies of 
       disease, anyone touching the carcass shall be defiled until evening.

       (Lev 11:40 TLB)  Also, anyone eating its meat or carrying away its 
       carcass shall wash his clothes and be defiled until evening.

       (Lev 11:41 TLB)  "Animals that crawl shall not be eaten.

       (Lev 11:42 TLB)  This includes all reptiles that slither along upon 
       their bellies as well as those that have legs. No crawling thing with 
       many feet may be eaten, for it is defiled.

       (Lev 11:43 TLB)  Do not defile yourselves by touching it.

       (Lev 11:44 TLB)  "I am the Lord your God. Keep yourselves pure 
       concerning these things, and be holy, for I am holy; therefore do not 
       defile yourselves by touching any of these things that crawl upon the 
       earth.

       (Lev 11:45 TLB)  For I am the Lord who brought you out of the land of 
       Egypt to be your God. You must therefore be holy, for I am holy."

       (Lev 11:46 TLB)  These are the laws concerning animals, birds, and 
       whatever swims in the water or crawls upon the ground.

       (Lev 11:47 TLB)  These are the distinctions between what is 
       ceremonially clean and may be eaten, and what is ceremonially defiled 
       and may not be eaten, among all animal life upon the earth.

       (Lev 12:1 TLB)  The Lord told Moses to give these instructions to the 
       people of Israel:

       (Lev 12:2 TLB)  "When a baby boy is born, the mother shall be 
       ceremonially defiled for seven days, and under the same restrictions 
       as during her monthly menstrual periods.

       (Lev 12:3 TLB)  On the eighth day, her son must be circumcised.

       (Lev 12:4 TLB)  Then, for the next thirty-three days, while she is 
       recovering from her ceremonial impurity, she must not touch anything 
       sacred nor enter the Tabernacle.

       (Lev 12:5 TLB)  "When a baby girl is born, the mother's ceremonial 
       impurity shall last two weeks, during which time she will be under the 
       same restrictions as during menstruation. Then for a further sixty-six 
       days she shall continue her recovery.

       (Lev 12:6 TLB)  "When these days of purification are ended (the 
       following instructions are applicable whether her baby is a boy or 





       girl), she must bring a yearling lamb as a burnt offering, and a young 
       pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering. She must take them to the 
       door of the Tabernacle to the priest;

       (Lev 12:7 TLB)  and the priest will offer them before the Lord and 
       make atonement for her; then she will be ceremonially clean again 
       after her bleeding at childbirth. "These then, are the procedures 
       after childbirth.

       (Lev 12:8 TLB)  But if she is too poor to bring a lamb, then she must 
       bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons. One will be for a burnt 
       offering and the other for a sin offering. The priest will make 
       atonement for her with these, so that she will be ceremonially pure 
       again."

       (Lev 13:1 TLB)  The Lord said to Moses and Aaron,

       (Lev 13:2 TLB)  "If anyone notices a swelling in his skin, or a scab 
       or boil or pimple with transparent skin, leprosy is to be suspected. 
       He must be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons

       (Lev 13:3 TLB)  for the spot to be examined. If the hair in this spot 
       turns white, and if the spot looks to be more than skin-deep, it is 
       leprosy, and the priest must declare him a leper.

       (Lev 13:4 TLB)  "But if the white spot in the skin does not seem to be 
       deeper than the skin and the hair in the spot has not turned white, 
       the priest shall quarantine him for seven days.

       (Lev 13:5 TLB)  At the end of that time, on the seventh day, the 
       priest will examine him again, and if the spot has not changed and has 
       not spread in the skin, then the priest must quarantine him seven days 
       more.

       (Lev 13:6 TLB)  Again on the seventh day the priest will examine him, 
       and if the marks of the disease have become fainter and have not 
       spread, then the priest shall pronounce him cured; it was only a scab, 
       and the man need only wash his clothes and everything will be normal 
       again.

       (Lev 13:7 TLB)  But if the spot spreads in the skin after he has come 
       to the priest to be examined, he must come back to the priest again,

       (Lev 13:8 TLB)  and the priest shall look again, and if the spot has 
       spread, then the priest must pronounce him a leper.

       (Lev 13:9 TLB)  "When anyone suspected of having leprosy is brought to 
       the priest,

       (Lev 13:10 TLB)  the priest is to look to see if there is a white 
       swelling in the skin with white hairs in the spot, and an ulcer 
       developing.

       (Lev 13:11 TLB)  If he finds these symptoms, it is an established case 
       of leprosy, and the priest must pronounce him defiled. The man is not 
       to be quarantined for further observation, for he is definitely 





       diseased.

       (Lev 13:12 TLB)  But if the priest sees that the leprosy has erupted 
       and spread all over his body from head to foot wherever he looks,

       (Lev 13:13 TLB)  then the priest shall pronounce him cured of leprosy, 
       for it has all turned white; he is cured.

       (Lev 13:14 TLB)  But if there is raw flesh anywhere, the man shall be 
       declared a leper. It is proved by the raw flesh.

       (Lev 13:15 TLB)  

       (Lev 13:16 TLB)  But if the raw flesh later changes to white, the 
       leper will return to the priest

       (Lev 13:17 TLB)  to be examined again. If the spot has indeed turned 
       completely white, then the priest will pronounce him cured.

       (Lev 13:18 TLB)  "In the case of a man who has a boil in his skin 
       which heals,

       (Lev 13:19 TLB)  but which leaves a white swelling or a bright spot, 
       sort of reddish white, the man must go to the priest for examination.

       (Lev 13:20 TLB)  If the priest sees that the trouble seems to be down 
       under the skin, and if the hair at the spot has turned white, then the 
       priest shall declare him defiled, for leprosy has broken out from the 
       boil.

       (Lev 13:21 TLB)  But if the priest sees that there are no white hairs 
       in this spot, and the spot does not appear to be deeper than the skin, 
       and if the color is gray, then the priest shall quarantine him for 
       seven days.

       (Lev 13:22 TLB)  If during that time the spot spreads, the priest must 
       declare him a leper.

       (Lev 13:23 TLB)  But if the bright spot grows no larger and does not 
       spread, it is merely the scar from the boil, and the priest shall 
       declare that all is well.

       (Lev 13:24 TLB)  "If a man is burned in some way, and the burned place 
       becomes bright reddish white or white,

       (Lev 13:25 TLB)  then the priest must examine the spot. If the hair in 
       the bright spot turns white and the problem seems to be more than 
       skin-deep, it is leprosy that has broken out from the burn, and the 
       priest must pronounce him a leper.

       (Lev 13:26 TLB)  But if the priest sees that there are no white hairs 
       in the bright spot and the brightness appears to be no deeper than the 
       skin and is fading, the priest shall quarantine him for seven days

       (Lev 13:27 TLB)  and examine him again the seventh day. If the spot 
       spreads in the skin, the priest must pronounce him a leper.






       (Lev 13:28 TLB)  But if the bright spot does not move or spread in the 
       skin, and is fading, it is simply a scar from the burn, and the priest 
       shall declare that he does not have leprosy.

       (Lev 13:29 TLB)  "If a man or woman has a sore on the head or chin,

       (Lev 13:30 TLB)  the priest must examine him; if the infection seems 
       to be below the skin and yellow hair is found in the sore, the priest 
       must pronounce him a leper.

       (Lev 13:31 TLB)  But if the priest's examination reveals that the spot 
       seems to be only in the skin but there is healthy hair in it, then he 
       shall be quarantined for seven days,

       (Lev 13:32 TLB)  and examined again on the seventh day. If the spot 
       has not spread and no yellow hair has appeared, and if the infection 
       does not seem to be deeper than the skin,

       (Lev 13:33 TLB)  he shall shave off all the hair around the spot (but 
       not on the spot itself) and the priest shall quarantine him for 
       another seven days.

       (Lev 13:34 TLB)  He shall be examined again on the seventh day, and if 
       the spot has not spread, and it appears to be no deeper than the skin, 
       the priest shall pronounce him well, and after washing his clothes, he 
       is free.

       (Lev 13:35 TLB)  But if, later on, this spot begins to spread,

       (Lev 13:36 TLB)  then the priest must examine him again and, without 
       waiting to see if any yellow hair develops, declare him a leper.

       (Lev 13:37 TLB)  But if it appears that the spreading has stopped and 
       black hairs are found in the spot, then he is healed and is not a 
       leper, and the priest shall declare him healed.

       (Lev 13:38 TLB)  "If a man or a woman has white, transparent areas in 
       the skin,

       (Lev 13:39 TLB)  but these spots are growing dimmer, this is not 
       leprosy, but an ordinary infection that has broken out in the skin.

       (Lev 13:40 TLB)  "If a man's hair is gone, this does not make him a 
       leper even though he is bald!

       (Lev 13:41 TLB)  If the hair is gone from the front part of his head, 
       he simply has a bald forehead, but this is not leprosy.

       (Lev 13:42 TLB)  However, if in the baldness there is a reddish white 
       spot, it may be leprosy breaking out.

       (Lev 13:43 TLB)  In that case the priest shall examine him, and if 
       there is a reddish white lump that looks like leprosy,

       (Lev 13:44 TLB)  then he is a leper, and the priest must pronounce him 





       such.

       (Lev 13:45 TLB)  "Anyone who is discovered to have leprosy must tear 
       his clothes and let his hair grow in wild disarray, and cover his 
       upper lip and call out as he goes, "I am a leper, I am a leper."

       (Lev 13:46 TLB)  As long as the disease lasts, he is defiled and must 
       live outside the camp.

       (Lev 13:47 TLB)  "If leprosy is suspected in a woolen or linen garment 
       or fabric, or in a piece of leather or leather-work,

       (Lev 13:48 TLB)  

       (Lev 13:49 TLB)  and there is a greenish or a reddish spot in it, it 
       is probably leprosy, and must be taken to the priest to be examined.

       (Lev 13:50 TLB)  The priest will put it away for seven days

       (Lev 13:51 TLB)  and look at it again on the seventh day. If the spot 
       has spread, it is a contagious leprosy,

       (Lev 13:52 TLB)  and he must burn the clothing, fabric, linen or 
       woolen covering, or leather article, for it is contagious and must be 
       destroyed by fire.

       (Lev 13:53 TLB)  "But if when he examines it again on the seventh day 
       the spot has not spread,

       (Lev 13:54 TLB)  the priest shall order the suspected article to be 
       washed, then isolated for seven more days.

       (Lev 13:55 TLB)  If after that time the spot has not changed its 
       color, even though it has not spread, it is leprosy and shall be 
       burned, for the article is infected through and through.

       (Lev 13:56 TLB)  But if the priest sees that the spot has faded after 
       the washing, then he shall cut it out from the garment or leather 
       goods or whatever it is in.

       (Lev 13:57 TLB)  However, if it then reappears, it is leprosy and he 
       must burn it.

       (Lev 13:58 TLB)  But if after washing it there is no further trouble, 
       it can be put back into service after another washing."

       (Lev 13:59 TLB)  These are the regulations concerning leprosy in a 
       garment or anything made of skin or leather, indicating whether to 
       pronounce it leprous or not.

       (Lev 14:1 TLB)  And the Lord gave Moses these regulations concerning a 
       person whose leprosy disappears:

       (Lev 14:2 TLB)  

       (Lev 14:3 TLB)  "The priest shall go out of the camp to examine him. 





       If the priest sees that the leprosy is gone,

       (Lev 14:4 TLB)  he shall require two living birds of a kind permitted 
       for food, and shall take some cedar wood, a scarlet string, and some 
       hyssop branches, to be used for the purification ceremony of the one 
       who is healed.

       (Lev 14:5 TLB)  The priest shall then order one of the birds killed in 
       an earthenware pot held above running water.

       (Lev 14:6 TLB)  The other bird, still living, shall be dipped in the 
       blood, along with the cedar wood, the scarlet thread, and the hyssop 
       branch.

       (Lev 14:7 TLB)  Then the priest shall sprinkle the blood seven times 
       upon the man cured of his leprosy, and the priest shall pronounce him 
       cured, and shall let the living bird fly into the open field.

       (Lev 14:8 TLB)  "Then the man who is cured shall wash his clothes, 
       shave off all his hair, and bathe himself, and return to live inside 
       the camp; however, he must stay outside his tent for seven days.

       (Lev 14:9 TLB)  The seventh day he shall again shave all the hair from 
       his head, beard, and eyebrows, and wash his clothes and bathe, and 
       shall then be declared fully cured of his leprosy.

       (Lev 14:10 TLB)  "The next day, the eighth day, he shall take two male 
       lambs without physical defect, one yearling ewe-lamb without physical 
       defect, ten quarts of finely ground flour mixed with olive oil, and a 
       pint of olive oil;

       (Lev 14:11 TLB)  then the priest who examines him shall place the man 
       and his offerings before the Lord at the entrance of the Tabernacle.

       (Lev 14:12 TLB)  The priest shall take one of the lambs and the pint 
       of olive oil and offer them to the Lord as a guilt offering by the 
       gesture of waving them before the altar.

       (Lev 14:13 TLB)  Then he shall kill the lamb at the place where sin 
       offerings and burnt offerings are killed, there at the Tabernacle; 
       this guilt offering shall then be given to the priest for food, as in 
       the case of a sin offering. It is a most holy offering.

       (Lev 14:14 TLB)  The priest shall take the blood from this guilt 
       offering and smear some of it upon the tip of the right ear of the man 
       being cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the big 
       toe of his right foot.

       (Lev 14:15 TLB)  "Then the priest shall take the olive oil and pour it 
       into the palm of his left hand,

       (Lev 14:16 TLB)  and dip his right finger into it, and sprinkle it 
       with his finger seven times before the Lord.

       (Lev 14:17 TLB)  Some of the oil remaining in his left hand shall then 
       be placed by the priest upon the tip of the man's right ear and the 





       thumb of his right hand and the big toe of his right foot--just as he 
       did with the blood of the guilt offering.

       (Lev 14:18 TLB)  The remainder of the oil in his hand shall be used to 
       anoint the man's head. Thus the priest shall make atonement for him 
       before the Lord.

       (Lev 14:19 TLB)  "Then the priest must offer the sin offering and 
       again perform the rite of atonement for the person being cleansed from 
       his leprosy; and afterwards the priest shall kill the burnt offering,

       (Lev 14:20 TLB)  and offer it along with the grain offering upon the 
       altar, making atonement for the man, who shall then be pronounced 
       finally cleansed.

       (Lev 14:21 TLB)  "If he is so poor that he cannot afford two lambs, 
       then he shall bring only one, a male lamb for the guilt offering, to 
       be presented to the Lord in the rite of atonement by waving it before 
       the altar; and only three quarts of fine white flour, mixed with olive 
       oil, for a grain offering, and a pint of olive oil.

       (Lev 14:22 TLB)  "He shall also bring two turtledoves or two young 
       pigeons--whichever he is able to afford--and use one of the pair for a 
       sin offering and the other for a burnt offering.

       (Lev 14:23 TLB)  He shall bring them to the priest at the entrance of 
       the Tabernacle on the eighth day, for his ceremony of cleansing before 
       the Lord.

       (Lev 14:24 TLB)  The priest shall take the lamb for the guilt 
       offering, and the pint of oil, and wave them before the altar as a 
       gesture of offering to the Lord.

       (Lev 14:25 TLB)  Then he shall kill the lamb for the guilt offering 
       and smear some of its blood upon the tip of the man's right ear--the 
       man on whose behalf the ceremony is being performed--and upon the 
       thumb of his right hand and upon the big toe of his right foot.

       (Lev 14:26 TLB)  "The priest shall then pour the olive oil into the 
       palm of his own left hand,

       (Lev 14:27 TLB)  and with his right finger he is to sprinkle some of 
       it seven times before the Lord.

       (Lev 14:28 TLB)  Then he must put some of the olive oil from his hand 
       upon the tip of the man's right ear, and upon the thumb of his right 
       hand, and upon the big toe of his right foot, just as he did with the 
       blood of the guilt offering.

       (Lev 14:29 TLB)  The remaining oil in his hand shall be placed upon 
       the head of the man being cleansed, to make atonement for him before 
       the Lord.

       (Lev 14:30 TLB)  "Then he must offer the two turtledoves or two young 
       pigeons (whichever pair he is able to afford).





       (Lev 14:31 TLB)  One of the pair is for a sin offering and the other 
       for a burnt offering, to be sacrificed along with the grain offering; 
       and the priest shall make atonement for the man before the Lord."

       (Lev 14:32 TLB)  These, then, are the laws concerning those who are 
       cleansed of leprosy but are not able to bring the sacrifices normally 
       required for the ceremony of cleansing.

       (Lev 14:33 TLB)  Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron,

       (Lev 14:34 TLB)  "When you arrive in the land of Canaan which I have 
       given you, and I place leprosy in some house there,

       (Lev 14:35 TLB)  then the owner of the house shall come and report to 
       the priest, 'It seems to me that there may be leprosy in my house!'

       (Lev 14:36 TLB)  "The priest shall order the house to be emptied 
       before he examines it, so that everything in the house will not be 
       declared contaminated if he decides that there is leprosy there.

       (Lev 14:37 TLB)  If he finds greenish or reddish streaks in the walls 
       of the house which seem to be beneath the surface of the wall,

       (Lev 14:38 TLB)  he shall close up the house for seven days,

       (Lev 14:39 TLB)  and return the seventh day to look at it again. If 
       the spots have spread in the wall,

       (Lev 14:40 TLB)  then the priest shall order the removal of the 
       spotted section of wall, and the material must be thrown into a 
       defiled place outside the city.

       (Lev 14:41 TLB)  Then he shall order the inside walls of the house 
       scraped thoroughly and the scrapings dumped in a defiled place outside 
       the city.

       (Lev 14:42 TLB)  Other stones shall be brought to replace those that 
       have been removed, new mortar used, and the house replastered.

       (Lev 14:43 TLB)  "But if the spots appear again,

       (Lev 14:44 TLB)  the priest shall come again and look, and if he sees 
       that the spots have spread, it is leprosy, and the house is defiled.

       (Lev 14:45 TLB)  Then he shall order the destruction of the house--all 
       its stones, timbers, and mortar shall be carried out of the city to a 
       defiled place.

       (Lev 14:46 TLB)  Anyone entering the house while it is closed shall be 
       defiled until evening.

       (Lev 14:47 TLB)  Anyone who lies down or eats in the house shall wash 
       his clothing.

       (Lev 14:48 TLB)  "But if, when the priest comes again to look, the 
       spots have not reappeared after the fresh plastering, then he will 





       pronounce the house cleansed and declare the leprosy gone.

       (Lev 14:49 TLB)  He shall also perform the ceremony of cleansing, 
       using two birds, cedar wood, scarlet thread, and hyssop branches.

       (Lev 14:50 TLB)  He shall kill one of the birds over fresh water in an 
       earthenware bowl,

       (Lev 14:51 TLB)  and dip the cedar wood, hyssop branch, and scarlet 
       thread, as well as the living bird, into the blood of the bird that 
       was killed over the fresh water, and shall sprinkle the house seven 
       times.

       (Lev 14:52 TLB)  In this way the house shall be cleansed.

       (Lev 14:53 TLB)  Then he shall let the live bird fly away into an open 
       field outside the city. This is the method for making atonement for 
       the house and cleansing it."

       (Lev 14:54 TLB)  These, then, are the laws concerning the various 
       places where leprosy may appear:

       (Lev 14:55 TLB)  in a garment or in a house,

       (Lev 14:56 TLB)  or in any swelling in one's skin, or a scab from a 
       burn, or a bright spot.

       (Lev 14:57 TLB)  In this way you will know whether or not it is 
       actually leprosy. That is why these laws are given.

       (Lev 15:1 TLB)  The Lord told Moses and Aaron

       (Lev 15:2 TLB)  to give the people of Israel these further 
       instructions: "Any man who has a genital discharge is ceremonially 
       defiled.

       (Lev 15:3 TLB)  This applies not only while the discharge is active, 
       but also for a time after it heals.

       (Lev 15:4 TLB)  Any bed he lies on and anything he sits on is 
       contaminated:

       (Lev 15:5 TLB)  so anyone touching the man's bed is ceremonially 
       defiled until evening, and must wash his clothes and bathe himself.

       (Lev 15:6 TLB)  Anyone sitting on a seat the man has sat upon while 
       defiled is himself ceremonially impure until evening, and must wash 
       his clothes and bathe himself.

       (Lev 15:7 TLB)  The same instructions apply to anyone touching him.

       (Lev 15:8 TLB)  Anyone he spits on is ceremonially impure until 
       evening, and must wash his clothes and bathe himself.

       (Lev 15:9 TLB)  Any saddle he rides on is defiled.





       (Lev 15:10 TLB)  Anyone touching or carrying anything else that was 
       beneath him shall be defiled until evening, and must wash his clothes 
       and bathe himself.

       (Lev 15:11 TLB)  If the defiled man touches anyone without first 
       rinsing his hands, that person must wash his clothes and bathe himself 
       and be defiled until evening.

       (Lev 15:12 TLB)  Any earthen pot touched by the defiled man must be 
       broken, and every wooden utensil must be rinsed in water.

       (Lev 15:13 TLB)  "When the discharge stops, he shall begin a seven-day 
       cleansing ceremony by washing his clothes and bathing in running 
       water.

       (Lev 15:14 TLB)  On the eighth day he shall take two turtledoves or 
       two young pigeons and come before the Lord at the entrance of the 
       Tabernacle, and give them to the priest.

       (Lev 15:15 TLB)  The priest shall sacrifice them there, one for a sin 
       offering and the other for a burnt offering; thus the priest shall 
       make atonement before the Lord for the man because of his discharge.

       (Lev 15:16 TLB)  "Whenever a man's semen goes out from him, he shall 
       take a complete bath and be ceremonially impure until the evening.

       (Lev 15:17 TLB)  Any clothing or bedding the semen spills on must be 
       washed and remain ceremonially defiled until evening.

       (Lev 15:18 TLB)  After sexual intercourse, the woman as well as the 
       man must bathe, and they are ceremonially defiled until the next 
       evening.

       (Lev 15:19 TLB)  "Whenever a woman menstruates, she shall be in a 
       state of ceremonial defilement for seven days afterwards, and during 
       that time anyone touching her shall be defiled until evening.

       (Lev 15:20 TLB)  Anything she lies on or sits on during that time 
       shall be defiled.

       (Lev 15:21 TLB)  Anyone touching her bed or anything she sits upon 
       shall wash his clothes and bathe himself and be ceremonially defiled 
       until evening.

       (Lev 15:22 TLB)  

       (Lev 15:23 TLB)  

       (Lev 15:24 TLB)  A man having sexual intercourse with her during this 
       time is ceremonially defiled for seven days, and every bed he lies 
       upon shall be defiled.

       (Lev 15:25 TLB)  "If the menstrual flow continues after the normal 
       time, or at some irregular time during the month, the same rules apply 
       as indicated above,





       (Lev 15:26 TLB)  so that anything she lies upon during that time is 
       defiled, just as it would be during her normal menstrual period, and 
       everything she sits on is in a similar state of defilement.

       (Lev 15:27 TLB)  Anyone touching her bed or anything she sits on shall 
       be defiled, and shall wash his clothes and bathe and be defiled until 
       evening.

       (Lev 15:28 TLB)  Seven days after the menstruating stops, she is no 
       longer ceremonially defiled.

       (Lev 15:29 TLB)  "On the eighth day, she shall take two turtledoves or 
       two young pigeons and bring them to the priest at the entrance of the 
       Tabernacle,

       (Lev 15:30 TLB)  and the priest shall offer one for a sin offering and 
       the other for a burnt offering, and make atonement for her before the 
       Lord for her menstrual defilement.

       (Lev 15:31 TLB)  In this way you shall cleanse the people of Israel 
       from their defilement, lest they die because of defiling my Tabernacle 
       that is among them."

       (Lev 15:32 TLB)  This, then, is the law for the man who is defiled by 
       a genital disease or by a seminal emission;

       (Lev 15:33 TLB)  and for a woman's menstrual period; and for anyone 
       who has sexual intercourse with her while she is in her period of 
       defilement afterwards.

       (Lev 16:1 TLB)  After Aaron's two sons died before the Lord, the Lord 
       said to Moses,

       (Lev 16:2 TLB)  "Warn your brother Aaron not to enter into the Holy 
       Place behind the veil, where the Ark and the place of mercy are, just 
       whenever he chooses. The penalty for intrusion is death. For I myself 
       am present in the cloud above the place of mercy.

       (Lev 16:3 TLB)  "Here are the conditions for his entering there: He 
       must bring a young bull for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt 
       offering.

       (Lev 16:4 TLB)  He must bathe himself and put on the sacred linen 
       coat, shorts, belt, and turban.

       (Lev 16:5 TLB)  The people of Israel shall then bring him two male 
       goats for their sin offering, and a ram for their burnt offering.

       (Lev 16:6 TLB)  First he shall present to the Lord the young bull as a 
       sin offering for himself, making atonement for himself and his family.

       (Lev 16:7 TLB)  Then he shall bring the two goats before the Lord at 
       the entrance of the Tabernacle,

       (Lev 16:8 TLB)  and cast lots to determine which is the Lord's and 
       which is to be sent away.






       (Lev 16:9 TLB)  The goat allotted to the Lord shall then be sacrificed 
       by Aaron as a sin offering.

       (Lev 16:10 TLB)  The other goat shall be kept alive and placed before 
       the Lord. The rite of atonement shall be performed over it, and it 
       shall then be sent out into the desert as a scapegoat.

       (Lev 16:11 TLB)  "After Aaron has sacrificed the young bull as a sin 
       offering for himself and his family,

       (Lev 16:12 TLB)  he shall take a censer full of live coals from the 
       altar of the Lord, and fill his hands with sweet incense beaten into 
       fine powder, and bring it inside the veil.

       (Lev 16:13 TLB)  There before the Lord he shall put the incense upon 
       the coals, so that a cloud of incense will cover the mercy place above 
       the Ark (containing the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments); thus 
       he will not die.

       (Lev 16:14 TLB)  And he shall bring some of the blood of the young 
       bull and sprinkle it with his finger upon the east side of the mercy 
       place, and then seven times in front of it.

       (Lev 16:15 TLB)  "Then he must go out and sacrifice the people's sin 
       offering goat, and bring its blood within the veil, and sprinkle it 
       upon the place of mercy and in front of it, just as he did with the 
       blood of the young bull.

       (Lev 16:16 TLB)  Thus he shall make atonement for the holy place 
       because it is defiled by the sins of the people of Israel, and for the 
       Tabernacle, located right among them and surrounded by their 
       defilement.

       (Lev 16:17 TLB)  Not another soul shall be inside the Tabernacle when 
       Aaron enters to make atonement in the Holy Place--not until after he 
       comes out again and has made atonement for himself and his household 
       and for all the people of Israel.

       (Lev 16:18 TLB)  Then he shall go out to the altar before the Lord and 
       make atonement for it. He must smear the blood of the young bull and 
       the goat on the horns of the altar,

       (Lev 16:19 TLB)  and sprinkle blood upon the altar seven times with 
       his finger, thus cleansing it from the sinfulness of Israel and making 
       it holy.

       (Lev 16:20 TLB)  "When he has completed the rite of atonement for the 
       Holy Place, the entire Tabernacle, and the altar, he shall bring the 
       live goat and,

       (Lev 16:21 TLB)  laying both hands upon its head, confess over it all 
       the sins of the people of Israel. He shall lay all their sins upon the 
       head of the goat and send it into the desert, led by a man appointed 
       for the task.





       (Lev 16:22 TLB)  So the goat shall carry all the sins of the people 
       into a land where no one lives, and the man shall let it loose in the 
       wilderness.

       (Lev 16:23 TLB)  "Then Aaron shall go into the Tabernacle again and 
       take off the linen garments he wore when he went behind the veil, and 
       leave them there in the Tabernacle.

       (Lev 16:24 TLB)  Then he shall bathe in a sacred place, put on his 
       clothes again, and go out and sacrifice his own burnt offering for the 
       people, making atonement for himself and for them.

       (Lev 16:25 TLB)  He shall also burn upon the altar the fat for the sin 
       offering.

       (Lev 16:26 TLB)  "(The man who took the goat out into the desert shall 
       afterwards wash his clothes and bathe himself and then come back into 
       the camp.)

       (Lev 16:27 TLB)  And the young bull and the goat used for the sin 
       offering (their blood was taken into the Holy Place by Aaron, to make 
       atonement) shall be carried outside the camp and burned, including the 
       hides and internal organs.

       (Lev 16:28 TLB)  Afterwards, the person doing the burning shall wash 
       his clothes and bathe himself and then return to camp.

       (Lev 16:29 TLB)  "This is a permanent law: You must do no work on the 
       twenty-fifth day of September, but must spend the day in 
       self-examination and humility. This applies whether you are born in 
       the land or are a foreigner living among the people of Israel;

       (Lev 16:30 TLB)  for this is the day commemorating the atonement, 
       cleansing you in the Lord's eyes from all of your sins.

       (Lev 16:31 TLB)  It is a Sabbath of solemn rest for you, and you shall 
       spend the day in quiet humility; this is a permanent law.

       (Lev 16:32 TLB)  This ceremony, in later generations, shall be 
       performed by the anointed High Priest, consecrated in place of his 
       ancestor Aaron; he shall be the one to put on the holy linen garments,

       (Lev 16:33 TLB)  and make atonement for the holy sanctuary, the 
       Tabernacle, the altar, the priests, and the people.

       (Lev 16:34 TLB)  This shall be an everlasting law for you, to make 
       atonement for the people of Israel once each year, because of their 
       sins." And Aaron followed all these instructions that the Lord gave to 
       Moses.

       (Lev 17:1 TLB)  The Lord gave to Moses these additional instructions 
       for Aaron and the priests and for all the people of Israel:

       (Lev 17:2 TLB)  

       (Lev 17:3 TLB)  "Any Israelite who sacrifices an ox, lamb, or goat 





       anywhere

       (Lev 17:4 TLB)  except at the Tabernacle is guilty of murder and shall 
       be excommunicated from his nation.

       (Lev 17:5 TLB)  The purpose of this law is to stop the people of 
       Israel from sacrificing in the open fields, and to cause them to bring 
       their sacrifices to the priest at the entrance of the Tabernacle, and 
       to burn the fat as a savor the Lord will appreciate and enjoy--

       (Lev 17:6 TLB)  for in this way the priest will be able to sprinkle 
       the blood upon the altar of the Lord at the entrance of the 
       Tabernacle, and to burn the fat as a savor the Lord will appreciate 
       and enjoy--

       (Lev 17:7 TLB)  instead of the people's sacrificing to evil spirits 
       out in the fields. This shall be a permanent law for you, from 
       generation to generation.

       (Lev 17:8 TLB)  I repeat: Anyone, whether an Israelite or a foreigner 
       living among you who offers a burnt offering or a sacrifice

       (Lev 17:9 TLB)  anywhere other than at the entrance of the Tabernacle, 
       where it will be sacrificed to the Lord, shall be excommunicated.

       (Lev 17:10 TLB)  "And I will turn my face against anyone, whether an 
       Israelite or a foreigner living among you, who eats blood in any form. 
       I will excommunicate him from his people.

       (Lev 17:11 TLB)  For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have 
       given you the blood to sprinkle upon the altar as an atonement for 
       your souls; it is the blood that makes atonement because it is the 
       life.

       (Lev 17:12 TLB)  That is the reasoning behind my decree to the people 
       of Israel, that neither they, nor any foreigner living among them, may 
       eat blood.

       (Lev 17:13 TLB)  Anyone, whether an Israelite or a foreigner living 
       among you, who goes hunting and kills an animal or bird of a kind 
       permitted for food, must pour out the blood and cover it with dust,

       (Lev 17:14 TLB)  for the blood is the life. That is why I told the 
       people of Israel never to eat it, for the life of every bird and 
       animal is its blood. Therefore, anyone who eats blood must be 
       excommunicated.

       (Lev 17:15 TLB)  "And anyone--native born or foreigner--who eats the 
       dead body of an animal that dies a natural death, or is killed by wild 
       animals, must wash his clothes and bathe himself and be defiled until 
       evening; after that he shall be declared cleansed.

       (Lev 17:16 TLB)  But if he does not wash his clothes and bathe, he 
       shall suffer the consequence."

       (Lev 18:1 TLB)  The Lord then told Moses to tell the people of Israel, 





       "I am Jehovah your God,

       (Lev 18:2 TLB)  

       (Lev 18:3 TLB)  so don't act like heathen--like the people of Egypt 
       where you lived so long, or the people of Canaan where I am going to 
       take you.

       (Lev 18:4 TLB)  You must obey only my laws, and you must carry them 
       out in detail, for I am the Lord your God.

       (Lev 18:5 TLB)  If you obey them, you shall live. I am the Lord.

       (Lev 18:6 TLB)  "None of you shall marry a near relative, for I am the 
       Lord.

       (Lev 18:7 TLB)  Do not disgrace your father by having intercourse with 
       your mother,

       (Lev 18:8 TLB)  nor any other of your father's wives.

       (Lev 18:9 TLB)  Do not have intercourse with your sister or 
       half-sister, whether the daughter of your father or your mother, 
       whether brought up in the same household or elsewhere.

       (Lev 18:10 TLB)  "You shall not have intercourse with your 
       granddaughter--the daughter of either your son or your daughter--for 
       she is a close relative.

       (Lev 18:11 TLB)  You may not have intercourse with a half-sister--your 
       father's wife's daughter;

       (Lev 18:12 TLB)  nor your aunt--your father's sister--because she is 
       so closely related to your father;

       (Lev 18:13 TLB)  nor your aunt--your mother's sister--because she is a 
       close relative of your mother;

       (Lev 18:14 TLB)  nor your aunt--the wife of your father's brother.

       (Lev 18:15 TLB)  "You may not marry your daughter-in-law--your son's 
       wife;

       (Lev 18:16 TLB)  nor your brother's wife, for she is your brother's.

       (Lev 18:17 TLB)  You may not marry both a woman and her daughter or 
       granddaughter, for they are near relatives, and to do so is horrible 
       wickedness.

       (Lev 18:18 TLB)  You shall not marry two sisters, for they will be 
       rivals. However, if your wife dies, then it is all right to marry her 
       sister.

       (Lev 18:19 TLB)  "There must be no sexual relationship with a woman 
       who is menstruating;





       (Lev 18:20 TLB)  nor with anyone else's wife, to defile yourself with 
       her.

       (Lev 18:21 TLB)  "You shall not give any of your children to Molech, 
       burning them upon his altar; never profane the name of your God, for I 
       am Jehovah.

       (Lev 18:22 TLB)  "Homosexuality is absolutely forbidden, for it is an 
       enormous sin.

       (Lev 18:23 TLB)  A man shall have no sexual intercourse with any 
       female animal, thus defiling himself; and a woman must never give 
       herself to a male animal, to mate with it; this is a terrible 
       perversion.

       (Lev 18:24 TLB)  "Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, for 
       these are the things the heathen do; and because they do them, I am 
       going to cast them out from the land into which you are going.

       (Lev 18:25 TLB)  That entire country is defiled with this kind of 
       activity; that is why I am punishing the people living there, and will 
       throw them out of the land.

       (Lev 18:26 TLB)  You must strictly obey all of my laws and ordinances, 
       and you must not do any of these abominable things; these laws apply 
       both to you who are born in the nation of Israel and to foreigners 
       living among you.

       (Lev 18:27 TLB)  "Yes, all these abominations have been done 
       continually by the people of the land where I am taking you, and the 
       land is defiled.

       (Lev 18:28 TLB)  Do not do these things or I will throw you out of the 
       land, just as I will throw out the nations that live there now.

       (Lev 18:29 TLB)  Whoever does any of these terrible deeds shall be 
       excommunicated from this nation.

       (Lev 18:30 TLB)  So be very sure to obey my laws, and do not practice 
       any of these horrible customs. Do not defile yourselves with the evil 
       deeds of those living in the land where you are going. For I am 
       Jehovah your God."

       (Lev 19:1 TLB)  The Lord also told Moses

       (Lev 19:2 TLB)  to tell the people of Israel, "You must be holy 
       because I, the Lord your God, am holy. You must respect your mothers 
       and fathers, and obey my Sabbath law, for I am the Lord your God.

       (Lev 19:3 TLB)  Do not make or worship idols, for I am Jehovah your 
       God.

       (Lev 19:4 TLB)  

       (Lev 19:5 TLB)  "When you sacrifice a peace offering to the Lord, 
       offer it correctly so that it will be accepted:






       (Lev 19:6 TLB)  Eat it the same day you offer it, or the next day at 
       the latest; any remaining until the third day must be burned.

       (Lev 19:7 TLB)  For any of it eaten on the third day is repulsive to 
       me and will not be accepted.

       (Lev 19:8 TLB)  If you eat it on the third, day you are guilty, for 
       you profane the holiness of Jehovah, and you shall be excommunicated 
       from Jehovah's people.

       (Lev 19:9 TLB)  "When you harvest your crops, don't reap the corners 
       of your fields, and don't pick up stray grains of wheat from the 
       ground.

       (Lev 19:10 TLB)  It is the same with your grape crop--don't strip 
       every last piece of fruit from the vines, and don't pick up the grapes 
       that fall to the ground. Leave them for the poor and for those 
       traveling through, for I am Jehovah your God.

       (Lev 19:11 TLB)  "You must not steal nor lie nor defraud.

       (Lev 19:12 TLB)  You must not swear to a falsehood, thus bringing 
       reproach upon the name of your God, for I am Jehovah.

       (Lev 19:13 TLB)  "You shall not rob nor oppress anyone, and you shall 
       pay your hired workers promptly. If something is due them, don't even 
       keep it overnight.

       (Lev 19:14 TLB)  "You must not curse the deaf nor trip up a blind man 
       as he walks. Fear your God; I am Jehovah!

       (Lev 19:15 TLB)  "Judges must always be just in their sentences, not 
       noticing whether a person is poor or rich; they must always be 
       perfectly fair.

       (Lev 19:16 TLB)  "Don't gossip. Don't falsely accuse your neighbor of 
       some crime, for I am Jehovah.

       (Lev 19:17 TLB)  "Don't hate your brother. Rebuke anyone who sins; 
       don't let him get away with it, or you will be equally guilty.

       (Lev 19:18 TLB)  Don't seek vengeance. Don't bear a grudge; but love 
       your neighbor as yourself, for I am Jehovah.

       (Lev 19:19 TLB)  "Obey my laws: Do not mate your cattle with a 
       different kind; don't sow your field with two kinds of seed; don't 
       wear clothes made of half wool and half linen.

       (Lev 19:20 TLB)  "If a man seduces a slave girl who is engaged to be 
       married, they shall be tried in a court but not put to death, because 
       she is not free.

       (Lev 19:21 TLB)  The man involved shall bring his guilt offering to 
       the Lord at the entrance of the Tabernacle; the offering shall be a 
       ram.






       (Lev 19:22 TLB)  The priest shall make atonement with the ram for the 
       sin the man has committed, and it shall be forgiven him.

       (Lev 19:23 TLB)  "When you enter the land and have planted all kinds 
       of fruit trees, do not eat the first three crops, for they are 
       considered ceremonially defiled.

       (Lev 19:24 TLB)  And the fourth year the entire crop shall be devoted 
       to the Lord, and shall be given to the Lord in praise to him.

       (Lev 19:25 TLB)  Finally, in the fifth year, the crop is yours.

       (Lev 19:26 TLB)  "I am Jehovah your God! You must not eat meat with 
       undrained blood nor use fortune telling or witchcraft.

       (Lev 19:27 TLB)  "You must not trim off your hair on your temples or 
       clip the edges of your beard, as the heathen do.

       (Lev 19:28 TLB)  You shall not cut yourselves nor put tattoo marks 
       upon yourselves in connection with funeral rites; I am the Lord.

       (Lev 19:29 TLB)  "Do not violate your daughter's sanctity by making 
       her a prostitute, lest the land become full of enormous wickedness.

       (Lev 19:30 TLB)  "Keep my Sabbath laws and reverence my Tabernacle, 
       for I am the Lord.

       (Lev 19:31 TLB)  "Do not defile yourselves by consulting mediums and 
       wizards, for I am Jehovah your God.

       (Lev 19:32 TLB)  "You shall give due honor and respect to the elderly, 
       in the fear of God. I am Jehovah.

       (Lev 19:33 TLB)  "Do not take advantage of foreigners in your land; do 
       not wrong them.

       (Lev 19:34 TLB)  They must be treated like any other citizen; love 
       them as yourself, for remember that you too were foreigners in the 
       land of Egypt. I am Jehovah your God.

       (Lev 19:35 TLB)  "You must be impartial in judgment. Use accurate 
       measurements--lengths, weights, and volumes--and give full measure, 
       for I am Jehovah your God who brought you from the land of Egypt.

       (Lev 19:36 TLB)  

       (Lev 19:37 TLB)  You must heed all of my commandments and ordinances, 
       carefully obeying them, for I am Jehovah."

       (Lev 20:1 TLB)  The Lord gave Moses these further instructions for the 
       people of Israel:

       (Lev 20:2 TLB)  "Anyone--whether an Israelite or a foreigner living 
       among you--who sacrifices his child as a burnt offering to Molech 
       shall without fail be stoned by his peers.






       (Lev 20:3 TLB)  And I myself will turn against that man and cut him 
       off from all his people, because he has given his child to Molech, 
       thus making my Tabernacle unfit for me to live in, and insulting my 
       holy name.

       (Lev 20:4 TLB)  And if the people of the land pretend they do not know 
       what the man has done and refuse to put him to death,

       (Lev 20:5 TLB)  then I myself will set my face against that man and 
       his family and cut him off, along with all others who turn to other 
       gods than me.

       (Lev 20:6 TLB)  "I will set my face against anyone who consults 
       mediums and wizards instead of me and I will cut that person off from 
       his people.

       (Lev 20:7 TLB)  So sanctify yourselves and be holy, for I am the Lord 
       your God.

       (Lev 20:8 TLB)  You must obey all of my commandments, for I am the 
       Lord who sanctifies you.

       (Lev 20:9 TLB)  "Anyone who curses his father or mother shall surely 
       be put to death--for he has cursed his own flesh and blood.

       (Lev 20:10 TLB)  "If a man commits adultery with another man's wife, 
       both the man and woman shall be put to death.

       (Lev 20:11 TLB)  If a man sleeps with his father's wife, he has 
       defiled what is his father's; both the man and the woman must die, for 
       it is their own fault.

       (Lev 20:12 TLB)  And if a man has sexual intercourse with his 
       daughter-in-law, both shall be executed: they have brought it upon 
       themselves by defiling each other.

       (Lev 20:13 TLB)  The penalty for homosexual acts is death to both 
       parties. They have brought it upon themselves.

       (Lev 20:14 TLB)  If a man has sexual intercourse with a woman and with 
       her mother, it is a great evil. All three shall be burned alive to 
       wipe out wickedness from among you.

       (Lev 20:15 TLB)  "If a man has sexual intercourse with an animal, he 
       shall be executed and the animal killed.

       (Lev 20:16 TLB)  If a woman has sexual intercourse with an animal, 
       kill the woman and the animal, for they deserve their punishment.

       (Lev 20:17 TLB)  "If a man has sexual intercourse with his sister, 
       whether the daughter of his father or of his mother, it is a shameful 
       thing, and they shall publicly be cut off from the people of Israel. 
       He shall bear his guilt.

       (Lev 20:18 TLB)  If a man has sexual intercourse with a woman during 





       her period of menstruation, both shall be excommunicated, for he has 
       uncovered the source of her flow, and she has permitted it.

       (Lev 20:19 TLB)  "Sexual intercourse is outlawed between a man and his 
       maiden aunt--whether the sister of his mother or of his father--for 
       they are near of kin; they shall bear their guilt.

       (Lev 20:20 TLB)  If a man has intercourse with his uncle's wife, he 
       has taken what belongs to his uncle; their punishment is that they 
       shall bear their sin and die childless.

       (Lev 20:21 TLB)  If a man marries his brother's wife, this is 
       impurity; for he has taken what belongs to his brother, and they shall 
       be childless.

       (Lev 20:22 TLB)  "You must obey all of my laws and ordinances so that 
       I will not throw you out of your new land.

       (Lev 20:23 TLB)  You must not follow the customs of the nations I cast 
       out before you, for they do all these things I have warned you 
       against; that is the reason I abhor them.

       (Lev 20:24 TLB)  I have promised you their land; I will give it to you 
       to possess it. It is a land 'flowing with milk and honey.' I am the 
       Lord your God who has made a distinction between you and the people of 
       other nations.

       (Lev 20:25 TLB)  "You shall therefore make a distinction between the 
       birds and animals I have given you permission to eat and those you may 
       not eat. You shall not contaminate yourselves and make yourselves 
       hateful to me by eating any animal or bird which I have forbidden, 
       though the land teem with them.

       (Lev 20:26 TLB)  You shall be holy to me, for I the Lord am holy, and 
       I have set you apart from all other peoples to be mine.

       (Lev 20:27 TLB)  "A medium or a wizard--whether man or woman--shall 
       surely be stoned to death. They have caused their own doom."

       (Lev 21:1 TLB)  The Lord said to Moses: "Tell the priests never to 
       defile themselves by touching a dead person,

       (Lev 21:2 TLB)  unless it is a near relative--a mother, father, son, 
       daughter, brother,

       (Lev 21:3 TLB)  or unmarried sister for whom he has special 
       responsibility since she has no husband.

       (Lev 21:4 TLB)  For the priest is a leader among his people, and he 
       may not ceremonially defile himself as an ordinary person can.

       (Lev 21:5 TLB)  "The priests shall not clip bald spots in their hair 
       or beards, nor cut their flesh.

       (Lev 21:6 TLB)  They shall be holy unto their God and shall not 
       dishonor and profane his name; otherwise they will be unfit to make 





       food offerings by fire to the Lord their God.

       (Lev 21:7 TLB)  A priest shall not marry a prostitute, nor a woman of 
       another tribe, and he shall not marry a divorced woman, for he is a 
       holy man of God.

       (Lev 21:8 TLB)  The priest is set apart to offer the sacrifices of 
       your God; he is holy, for I, the Lord who sanctifies you, am holy.

       (Lev 21:9 TLB)  The daughter of any priest who becomes a prostitute, 
       thus violating her father's holiness as well as her own, shall be 
       burned alive.

       (Lev 21:10 TLB)  "The High Priest--anointed with the special anointing 
       oil and wearing the special garments--must not let his hair hang loose 
       in mourning, nor tear his clothing,

       (Lev 21:11 TLB)  nor be in the presence of any dead person--not even 
       his father or mother.

       (Lev 21:12 TLB)  He shall not leave the sanctuary (when on duty), nor 
       treat my Tabernacle like an ordinary house, for the consecration of 
       the anointing oil of his God is upon him; I am Jehovah.

       (Lev 21:13 TLB)  He must marry a virgin.

       (Lev 21:14 TLB)  He may not marry a widow, nor a woman who is 
       divorced, nor a prostitute. She must be a virgin from his own tribe,

       (Lev 21:15 TLB)  for he must not be the father of children of mixed 
       blood--half priestly and half ordinary."

       (Lev 21:16 TLB)  And the Lord said to Moses, "Tell Aaron that any of 
       his descendants from generation to generation who have any bodily 
       defect may not offer the sacrifices to God.

       (Lev 21:17 TLB)  

       (Lev 21:18 TLB)  For instance, if a man is blind or lame, or has a 
       broken nose or any extra fingers or toes,

       (Lev 21:19 TLB)  or has a broken foot or hand,

       (Lev 21:20 TLB)  or has a humped back, or is a dwarf, or has a defect 
       in his eye, or has pimples or scabby skin, or has imperfect 
       testicles--

       (Lev 21:21 TLB)  although he is a descendant of Aaron--he is not 
       permitted to offer the fire sacrifices to the Lord because of his 
       physical defect.

       (Lev 21:22 TLB)  However, he shall be fed with the food of the priests 
       from the offerings sacrificed to God, both from the holy and most holy 
       offerings.

       (Lev 21:23 TLB)  But he shall not go in behind the veil, nor come near 





       the altar, because of the physical defect; this would defile my 
       sanctuary, for it is Jehovah who sanctifies it."

       (Lev 21:24 TLB)  So Moses gave these instructions to Aaron and his 
       sons and to all the people of Israel.

       (Lev 22:1 TLB)  The Lord told Moses, "Instruct Aaron and his sons to 
       be very careful not to defile my holy name by desecrating the people's 
       sacred gifts; for I am Jehovah.

       (Lev 22:2 TLB)  

       (Lev 22:3 TLB)  From now on and forever, if a priest who is 
       ceremonially defiled sacrifices the animals brought by the people or 
       handles the gifts dedicated to Jehovah, he shall be discharged from 
       the priesthood. For I am Jehovah!

       (Lev 22:4 TLB)  "No priest who is a leper or who has a running sore 
       may eat the holy sacrifices until healed. And any priest who touches a 
       dead person, or who is defiled by a seminal emission,

       (Lev 22:5 TLB)  or who touches any reptile or other forbidden thing, 
       or who touches anyone who is ceremonially defiled for any reason--

       (Lev 22:6 TLB)  that priest shall be defiled until evening and shall 
       not eat of the holy sacrifices until after he has bathed that evening.

       (Lev 22:7 TLB)  When the sun is down, then he shall be purified again 
       and may eat the holy food, for it is his source of life.

       (Lev 22:8 TLB)  He may not eat any animal that dies of itself or is 
       torn by wild animals, for this will defile him. I am Jehovah.

       (Lev 22:9 TLB)  Warn the priests to follow these instructions 
       carefully, lest they be declared guilty and die for violating these 
       rules. I am the Lord who sanctifies them.

       (Lev 22:10 TLB)  "No one may eat of the holy sacrifices unless he is a 
       priest; no one visiting the priest, for instance, nor a hired servant, 
       may eat this food.

       (Lev 22:11 TLB)  However, there is one exception--if the priest buys a 
       slave with his own money, that slave may eat it, and any slave 
       children born in his household may eat it.

       (Lev 22:12 TLB)  If a priest's daughter is married outside the tribe, 
       she may not eat the sacred offerings.

       (Lev 22:13 TLB)  But if she is a widow or divorced and has no son to 
       support her, and has returned home to her father's household, she may 
       eat of her father's food again. But otherwise, no one who is not in 
       the priestly families may eat this food.

       (Lev 22:14 TLB)  "If someone should eat of the holy sacrifices without 
       realizing it, he shall return to the priest the amount he has used, 
       with 20 percent added;






       (Lev 22:15 TLB)  for the holy sacrifices brought by the people of 
       Israel must not be defiled by being eaten by unauthorized persons, for 
       these sacrifices have been offered to the Lord.

       (Lev 22:16 TLB)  Anyone who violates this law is guilty and is in 
       great danger because he has eaten the sacred offerings; for I am 
       Jehovah who sanctifies the offerings."

       (Lev 22:17 TLB)  And the Lord said to Moses,

       (Lev 22:18 TLB)  "Tell Aaron and his sons and all the people of Israel 
       that if an Israelite or other person living among you offers a burnt 
       offering sacrifice to the Lord--whether it is to fulfill a promise or 
       is a spontaneous free will offering--

       (Lev 22:19 TLB)  it will only be acceptable to the Lord if it is a 
       male animal without defect; it must be a young bull or a sheep or a 
       goat.

       (Lev 22:20 TLB)  Anything that has a defect must not be offered, for 
       it will not be accepted.

       (Lev 22:21 TLB)  "Anyone sacrificing a peace offering to the Lord from 
       the herd or flock, whether to fulfill a vow or as a voluntary 
       offering, must sacrifice an animal that has no defect, or it will not 
       be accepted:

       (Lev 22:22 TLB)  An animal that is blind or disabled or mutilated, or 
       which has sores or itch or any other skin disease, must not be offered 
       to the Lord; it is not a fit burnt offering for the altar of the Lord.

       (Lev 22:23 TLB)  If the young bull or lamb presented to the Lord has 
       anything superfluous or lacking in its body parts, it may be offered 
       as a free will offering, but not for a vow.

       (Lev 22:24 TLB)  An animal that has injured genitals--crushed or 
       castrated--shall not be offered to the Lord at any time.

       (Lev 22:25 TLB)  This restriction applies to the sacrifices made by 
       foreigners among you as well as those made by yourselves, for no 
       defective animal is acceptable for this sacrifice."

       (Lev 22:26 TLB)  And the Lord said to Moses,

       (Lev 22:27 TLB)  "When a bullock, sheep, or goat is born, it shall be 
       left with its mother for seven days, but from the eighth day onward it 
       is acceptable as a sacrifice by fire to the Lord.

       (Lev 22:28 TLB)  You shall not slaughter a mother animal and her 
       offspring the same day, whether she is a cow or ewe.

       (Lev 22:29 TLB)  When you offer the Lord a sacrifice of thanksgiving, 
       you must do it in the right way,

       (Lev 22:30 TLB)  eating the sacrificial animal the same day it is 





       slain. Leave none of it for the following day. I am the Lord.

       (Lev 22:31 TLB)  "You must keep all of my commandments, for I am the 
       Lord.

       (Lev 22:32 TLB)  You must not treat me as common and ordinary. Revere 
       me and hallow me, for I, the Lord, made you holy to myself

       (Lev 22:33 TLB)  and rescued you from Egypt to be my own people! I am 
       Jehovah!"

       (Lev 23:1 TLB)  The Lord said to Moses, "Announce to the people of 
       Israel that they are to celebrate several annual festivals of the 
       Lord--times when all Israel will assemble and worship me.

       (Lev 23:2 TLB)  

       (Lev 23:3 TLB)  (These are in addition to your Sabbaths--the seventh 
       day of every week--which are always days of rest in every home, times 
       for assembling to worship, and for resting from the normal business of 
       the week.)

       (Lev 23:4 TLB)  These are the holy festivals which are to be observed 
       each year:

       (Lev 23:5 TLB)  "The Passover of the Lord: This is to be celebrated on 
       the first day of April, beginning at sundown.

       (Lev 23:6 TLB)  "The Festival of Unleavened Bread: This is to be 
       celebrated beginning the day following the Passover, and for seven 
       days you must not eat any bread made with yeast.

       (Lev 23:7 TLB)  On the first day of this festival, you shall gather 
       the people for worship, and all ordinary work shall cease.

       (Lev 23:8 TLB)  You shall do the same on the seventh day of the 
       festival. On each of the intervening days you shall make an offering 
       by fire to the Lord.

       (Lev 23:9 TLB)  "The Festival of First Fruits: When you arrive in the 
       land I will give you and you reap your first harvest, bring the first 
       sheaf of the harvest to the priest

       (Lev 23:10 TLB)  

       (Lev 23:11 TLB)  on the day after the Sabbath. He shall wave it before 
       the Lord in a gesture of offering, and it will be accepted by the Lord 
       as your gift.

       (Lev 23:12 TLB)  That same day you shall sacrifice to the Lord a male 
       yearling lamb without defect as a burnt offering.

       (Lev 23:13 TLB)  A grain offering shall accompany it, consisting of a 
       fifth of a bushel of finely ground flour mixed with olive oil, to be 
       offered by fire to the Lord; this will be very pleasant to him. Also 
       offer a drink offering consisting of three pints of wine.






       (Lev 23:14 TLB)  Until this is done you must not eat any of the 
       harvest for yourselves--neither fresh kernels nor bread nor parched 
       grain. This is a permanent law throughout your nation.

       (Lev 23:15 TLB)  "The Harvest Festival (Festival of Pentecost): Fifty 
       days later you shall bring to the Lord an offering of a sample of the 
       new grain of your later crops.

       (Lev 23:16 TLB)  

       (Lev 23:17 TLB)  This shall consist of two loaves of bread from your 
       homes to be waved before the Lord in a gesture of offering. Bake this 
       bread from a fifth of a bushel of fine flour containing yeast. It is 
       an offering to the Lord of the first sampling of your later crops.

       (Lev 23:18 TLB)  Along with the bread and the wine, you shall 
       sacrifice as burnt offerings to the Lord seven yearling lambs without 
       defects, one young bull, and two rams. All are fire offerings, very 
       acceptable to Jehovah.

       (Lev 23:19 TLB)  And you shall offer one male goat for a sin offering 
       and two male yearling lambs for a peace offering.

       (Lev 23:20 TLB)  "The priests shall wave these offerings before the 
       Lord along with the loaves representing the first sampling of your 
       later crops. They are holy to the Lord and will be given to the 
       priests as food.

       (Lev 23:21 TLB)  That day shall be announced as a time of sacred 
       convocation of all the people; don't do any work that day. This is a 
       law to be honored from generation to generation.

       (Lev 23:22 TLB)  (When you reap your harvests, you must not thoroughly 
       reap all the corners of the fields, nor pick up the fallen grain; 
       leave it for the poor and for foreigners living among you who have no 
       land of their own; I am Jehovah your God!)

       (Lev 23:23 TLB)  "The Festival of Trumpets: Mid-September is a time 
       for all the people to meet together for worship; it is a time of 
       remembrance, and is to be announced by loud blowing of trumpets.

       (Lev 23:24 TLB)  

       (Lev 23:25 TLB)  Don't do any hard work on that day, but offer a 
       sacrifice by fire to the Lord.

       (Lev 23:26 TLB)  "The Day of Atonement follows nine days later: All 
       the people are to come together before the Lord, saddened by their 
       sin; and they shall offer sacrifices by fire to the Lord.

       (Lev 23:27 TLB)  

       (Lev 23:28 TLB)  Don't do any work that day, for it is a special day 
       for making atonement before the Lord your God.





       (Lev 23:29 TLB)  Anyone who does not spend the day in repentance and 
       sorrow for sin shall be excommunicated from his people.

       (Lev 23:30 TLB)  And I will put to death anyone who does any kind of 
       work that day. This is a law of Israel from generation to generation.

       (Lev 23:31 TLB)  

       (Lev 23:32 TLB)  For this is a Sabbath of rest, and in it you shall go 
       without food and be filled with sorrow; this time for atonement begins 
       in the evening and continues through the next day.

       (Lev 23:33 TLB)  "The Festival of Shelters: Five days later, on the 
       last day of September, is the Festival of Shelters to be celebrated 
       before the Lord for seven days.

       (Lev 23:34 TLB)  

       (Lev 23:35 TLB)  On the first day there will be a sacred assembly of 
       all the people; don't do any hard work that day.

       (Lev 23:36 TLB)  On each of the seven days of the festival you are to 
       sacrifice an offering by fire to the Lord. The eighth day requires 
       another sacred convocation of all the people, at which time there will 
       again be an offering by fire to the Lord. It is the closing assembly, 
       and no regular work is permitted.

       (Lev 23:37 TLB)  "(These, then, are the regular annual 
       festivals--sacred convocations of all people--when offerings to the 
       Lord are to be made by fire.

       (Lev 23:38 TLB)  These annual festivals are in addition to your 
       regular Sabbaths--the weekly days of holy rest. The sacrifices made 
       during the festivals are to be in addition to your regular giving and 
       normal fulfillment of your vows.)

       (Lev 23:39 TLB)  "This last day of September, at the end of your 
       harvesting, is the time to begin to celebrate this seven-day festival 
       before the Lord. Remember that the first and last days of the festival 
       are special days of rest.

       (Lev 23:40 TLB)  On the first day, take boughs of fruit trees laden 
       with fruit, and palm fronds, and the boughs of leafy trees--such as 
       willows that grow by the brooks--and (build shelters with them), 
       rejoicing before the Lord your God for seven days.

       (Lev 23:41 TLB)  This seven-day annual feast is a law from generation 
       to generation.

       (Lev 23:42 TLB)  During those seven days, all of you who are native 
       Israelites are to live in these shelters.

       (Lev 23:43 TLB)  The purpose of this is to remind the people of 
       Israel, generation after generation, that I rescued you from Egypt, 
       and caused you to live in shelters. I am Jehovah your God."





       (Lev 23:44 TLB)  So Moses announced these annual festivals of the Lord 
       to the people of Israel.

       (Lev 24:1 TLB)  The Lord said to Moses, "Tell the people of Israel to 
       bring you pure olive oil for an eternal flame

       (Lev 24:2 TLB)  

       (Lev 24:3 TLB)  in the lampstand of pure gold which stands outside the 
       veil that secludes the Holy of Holies. Each morning and evening Aaron 
       shall supply it with fresh oil and trim the wicks.

       (Lev 24:4 TLB)  It will be an eternal flame before the Lord from 
       generation to generation.

       (Lev 24:5 TLB)  "Every Sabbath day the High Priest shall place twelve 
       loaves of bread in two rows upon the gold table that stands before the 
       Lord.

       (Lev 24:6 TLB)  These loaves shall be baked from finely ground flour, 
       using a fifth of a bushel for each.

       (Lev 24:7 TLB)  Pure frankincense shall be sprinkled along each row.

       (Lev 24:8 TLB)  This will be a memorial offering made by fire to the 
       Lord, in memory of his everlasting covenant with the people of Israel.

       (Lev 24:9 TLB)  The bread shall be eaten by Aaron and his sons, in a 
       place set apart for the purpose. For these are offerings made by fire 
       to the Lord under a permanent law of God and are most holy."

       (Lev 24:10 TLB)  Out in the camp one day, a young man whose mother was 
       an Israelite and whose father was an Egyptian, got into a fight with 
       one of the men of Israel.

       (Lev 24:11 TLB)  During the fight the Egyptian man's son cursed God, 
       and was brought to Moses for judgment. (His mother's name was 
       Shelomith, daughter of Dibri of the tribe of Dan.)

       (Lev 24:12 TLB)  He was put in jail until the Lord would indicate what 
       to do with him.

       (Lev 24:13 TLB)  And the Lord said to Moses, "Take him outside the 
       camp and tell all who heard him to lay their hands upon his head; then 
       all the people are to execute him by stoning.

       (Lev 24:14 TLB)  

       (Lev 24:15 TLB)  And tell the people of Israel that anyone who curses 
       his God must pay the penalty:

       (Lev 24:16 TLB)  he must die. All the congregation shall stone him; 
       this law applies to the foreigner as well as to the Israelite who 
       blasphemes the name of Jehovah. He must die.

       (Lev 24:17 TLB)  "Also, all murderers must be executed.






       (Lev 24:18 TLB)  Anyone who kills an animal (that isn't his) shall 
       replace it.

       (Lev 24:19 TLB)  The penalty for injuring anyone is to be injured in 
       exactly the same way:

       (Lev 24:20 TLB)  fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. 
       Whatever anyone does to another shall be done to him.

       (Lev 24:21 TLB)  "To repeat, whoever kills an animal must replace it, 
       and whoever kills a man must die.

       (Lev 24:22 TLB)  You shall have the same law for the foreigner as for 
       the home-born citizen, for I am Jehovah your God."

       (Lev 24:23 TLB)  So they took the youth out of the camp and stoned him 
       until he died, as Jehovah had commanded Moses.

       (Lev 25:1 TLB)  While Moses was on Mount Sinai, the Lord gave him 
       these instructions for the people of Israel:

       (Lev 25:2 TLB)  "When you come into the land I am going to give you, 
       you must let the land rest before the Lord every seventh year.

       (Lev 25:3 TLB)  For six years you may sow your field and prune your 
       vineyards and harvest your crops,

       (Lev 25:4 TLB)  but during the seventh year the land is to lie fallow 
       before the Lord, uncultivated. Don't sow your crops and don't prune 
       your vineyards during that entire year.

       (Lev 25:5 TLB)  Don't even reap for yourself the volunteer crops that 
       come up, and don't gather the grapes for yourself; for it is a year of 
       rest for the land.

       (Lev 25:6 TLB)  Any crops that do grow that year shall be free to 
       all--for you, your servants, your slaves, and any foreigners living 
       among you.

       (Lev 25:7 TLB)  Cattle and wild animals alike shall be allowed to 
       graze there.

       (Lev 25:8 TLB)  "Every fiftieth year,

       (Lev 25:9 TLB)  on the Day of Atonement, let the trumpets blow loud 
       and long throughout the land.

       (Lev 25:10 TLB)  For the fiftieth year shall be holy, a time to 
       proclaim liberty throughout the land to all enslaved debtors, and a 
       time for the canceling of all public and private debts. It shall be a 
       year when all the family estates sold to others shall be returned to 
       the original owners or their heirs.

       (Lev 25:11 TLB)  "What a happy year it will be! In it you shall not 
       sow, nor gather crops nor grapes;






       (Lev 25:12 TLB)  for it is a holy Year of Jubilee for you. That year 
       your food shall be the volunteer crops that grow wild in the fields.

       (Lev 25:13 TLB)  Yes, during the Year of Jubilee everyone shall return 
       home to his original family possession; if he has sold it, it shall be 
       his again!

       (Lev 25:14 TLB)  Because of this, if the land is sold or bought during 
       the preceding forty-nine years, a fair price shall be arrived at by 
       counting the number of years until the Jubilee.

       (Lev 25:15 TLB)  If the Jubilee is many years away, the price will be 
       high; if few years, the price will be low;

       (Lev 25:16 TLB)  for what you are really doing is selling the number 
       of crops the new owner will get from the land before it is returned to 
       you.

       (Lev 25:17 TLB)  "You must fear your God and not overcharge! For I am 
       Jehovah. Obey my laws if you want to live safely in the land.

       (Lev 25:18 TLB)  

       (Lev 25:19 TLB)  When you obey, the land will yield bumper crops and 
       you can eat your fill in safety.

       (Lev 25:20 TLB)  But you will ask, 'What shall we eat the seventh 
       year, since we are not allowed to plant or harvest crops that year?'

       (Lev 25:21 TLB)  The answer is, 'I will bless you with bumper crops 
       the sixth year that will last you until the crops of the eighth year 
       are harvested!'

       (Lev 25:22 TLB)  

       (Lev 25:23 TLB)  And remember, the land is mine, so you may not sell 
       it permanently. You are merely my tenants and sharecroppers!

       (Lev 25:24 TLB)  "In every contract of sale there must be a 
       stipulation that the land can be redeemed at any time by the seller.

       (Lev 25:25 TLB)  If anyone becomes poor and sells some of his land, 
       then his nearest relatives may redeem it.

       (Lev 25:26 TLB)  If there is no one else to redeem it, and he himself 
       gets together enough money,

       (Lev 25:27 TLB)  then he may always buy it back at a price 
       proportionate to the number of harvests until the Jubilee, and the 
       owner must accept the money and return the land to him.

       (Lev 25:28 TLB)  But if the original owner is not able to redeem it, 
       then it shall belong to the new owner until the Year of Jubilee; but 
       at the Jubilee year it must be returned again.





       (Lev 25:29 TLB)  "If a man sells a house in the city, he has up to one 
       year to redeem it, with full right of redemption during that time.

       (Lev 25:30 TLB)  But if it is not redeemed within the year, then it 
       will belong permanently to the new owner--it does not return to the 
       original owner in the Year of Jubilee.

       (Lev 25:31 TLB)  But village houses--a village is a settlement without 
       fortifying walls around it--are like farmland, redeemable at any time, 
       and are always returned to the original owner in the Year of Jubilee.

       (Lev 25:32 TLB)  "There is one exception: The homes of the Levites, 
       even though in walled cities, may be redeemed at any time,

       (Lev 25:33 TLB)  and must be returned to the original owners in the 
       Year of Jubilee; for the Levites will not be given farmland like the 
       other tribes, but will receive only houses in their cities, and the 
       surrounding fields.

       (Lev 25:34 TLB)  The Levites are not permitted to sell the fields of 
       common land surrounding their cities, for these are their permanent 
       possession, and they must belong to no one else.

       (Lev 25:35 TLB)  "If your brother becomes poor, you are responsible to 
       help him; invite him to live with you as a guest in your home.

       (Lev 25:36 TLB)  Fear your God and let your brother live with you; and 
       don't charge him interest on the money you lend him.

       (Lev 25:37 TLB)  Remember--no interest; and give him what he needs, at 
       your cost: don't try to make a profit!

       (Lev 25:38 TLB)  For I, the Lord your God, brought you out of the land 
       of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan, and to be your God.

       (Lev 25:39 TLB)  "If a fellow Israelite becomes poor and sells himself 
       to you, you must not treat him as an ordinary slave,

       (Lev 25:40 TLB)  but rather as a hired servant or as a guest; and he 
       shall serve you only until the Year of Jubilee.

       (Lev 25:41 TLB)  At that time he can leave with his children and 
       return to his own family and possessions.

       (Lev 25:42 TLB)  For I brought you from the land of Egypt, and you are 
       my servants; so you may not be sold as ordinary slaves

       (Lev 25:43 TLB)  or treated harshly; fear your God.

       (Lev 25:44 TLB)  "However, you may purchase slaves from the foreign 
       nations living around you,

       (Lev 25:45 TLB)  and you may purchase the children of the foreigners 
       living among you, even though they have been born in your land.

       (Lev 25:46 TLB)  They will be permanent slaves for you to pass on to 





       your children after you; but your brothers, the people of Israel, 
       shall not be treated so.

       (Lev 25:47 TLB)  "If a foreigner living among you becomes rich, and an 
       Israelite becomes poor and sells himself to the foreigner or to the 
       foreigner's family,

       (Lev 25:48 TLB)  he may be redeemed by one of his brothers,

       (Lev 25:49 TLB)  his uncle, nephew, or anyone else who is a near 
       relative. He may also redeem himself if he can find the money.

       (Lev 25:50 TLB)  The price of his freedom shall be in proportion to 
       the number of years left before the Year of Jubilee--whatever it would 
       cost to hire a servant for that number of years.

       (Lev 25:51 TLB)  If there are still many years until the Jubilee, he 
       shall pay almost the amount he received when he sold himself;

       (Lev 25:52 TLB)  if the years have passed and only a few remain until 
       the Jubilee, then he will repay only a small part of the amount he 
       received when he sold himself.

       (Lev 25:53 TLB)  If he sells himself to a foreigner, the foreigner 
       must treat him as a hired servant rather than as a slave or as 
       property.

       (Lev 25:54 TLB)  If he has not been redeemed by the time the Year of 
       Jubilee arrives, then he and his children shall be freed at that time.

       (Lev 25:55 TLB)  For the people of Israel are my servants; I brought 
       them from the land of Egypt; I am the Lord your God.

       (Lev 26:1 TLB)  "You must have no idols; you must never worship carved 
       images, obelisks, or shaped stones, for I am the Lord your God.

       (Lev 26:2 TLB)  You must obey my Sabbath laws of rest, and reverence 
       my Tabernacle, for I am the Lord.

       (Lev 26:3 TLB)  "If you obey all of my commandments,

       (Lev 26:4 TLB)  I will give you regular rains, and the land will yield 
       bumper crops, and the trees will be loaded with fruit long after the 
       normal time!

       (Lev 26:5 TLB)  And grapes will still be ripening when sowing time 
       comes again. You shall eat your fill, and live safely in the land,

       (Lev 26:6 TLB)  for I will give you peace, and you will go to sleep 
       without fear. I will chase away the dangerous animals.

       (Lev 26:7 TLB)  You will chase your enemies; they will die beneath 
       your swords.

       (Lev 26:8 TLB)  Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of 
       you, ten thousand! You will defeat all of your enemies.






       (Lev 26:9 TLB)  I will look after you, and multiply you, and fulfill 
       my covenant with you.

       (Lev 26:10 TLB)  You will have such a surplus of crops that you won't 
       know what to do with them when the new harvest is ready!

       (Lev 26:11 TLB)  And I will live among you and not despise you.

       (Lev 26:12 TLB)  I will walk among you and be your God, and you shall 
       be my people.

       (Lev 26:13 TLB)  For I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the 
       land of Egypt, so that you would be slaves no longer; I have broken 
       your chains so that you can walk with dignity.

       (Lev 26:14 TLB)  "But if you will not listen to me or obey me,

       (Lev 26:15 TLB)  but reject my laws,

       (Lev 26:16 TLB)  this is what I will do to you: I will punish you with 
       sudden terrors and panic, and with tuberculosis and burning fever; 
       your eyes shall be consumed and your life shall ebb away; you will sow 
       your crops in vain, for your enemies will eat them.

       (Lev 26:17 TLB)  I will set my face against you and you will flee 
       before your attackers; those who hate you will rule you; you will even 
       run when no one is chasing you!

       (Lev 26:18 TLB)  "And if you still disobey me, I will punish you seven 
       times more severely for your sins.

       (Lev 26:19 TLB)  I will break your proud power and make your heavens 
       as iron and your earth as bronze.

       (Lev 26:20 TLB)  Your strength shall be spent in vain; for your land 
       shall not yield its crops, nor your trees their fruit.

       (Lev 26:21 TLB)  "And if even then you will not obey me and listen to 
       me, I will send you seven times more plagues because of your sins.

       (Lev 26:22 TLB)  I will send wild animals to kill your children and 
       destroy your cattle and reduce your numbers so that your roads will be 
       deserted.

       (Lev 26:23 TLB)  "And if even this will not reform you, but you 
       continue to walk against my wishes,

       (Lev 26:24 TLB)  then I will walk against your wishes, and I, even I, 
       will personally smite you seven times for your sin.

       (Lev 26:25 TLB)  I will revenge the breaking of my covenant by 
       bringing war against you. You will flee to your cities, and I will 
       send a plague among you there; and you will be conquered by your 
       enemies.





       (Lev 26:26 TLB)  I will destroy your food supply so that one oven will 
       be large enough to bake all the bread available for ten entire 
       families; and you will still be hungry after your pittance has been 
       doled out to you.

       (Lev 26:27 TLB)  "And if you still won't listen to me or obey me,

       (Lev 26:28 TLB)  then I will let loose my great anger and send you 
       seven times greater punishment for your sins.

       (Lev 26:29 TLB)  You shall eat your own sons and daughters,

       (Lev 26:30 TLB)  and I will destroy the altars on the hills where you 
       worship your idols, and I will cut down your incense altars, leaving 
       your dead bodies to rot among your idols; and I will abhor you.

       (Lev 26:31 TLB)  I will make your cities desolate, and destroy your 
       places of worship, and will not respond to your incense offerings.

       (Lev 26:32 TLB)  Yes, I will desolate your land; your enemies shall 
       live in it, utterly amazed at what I have done to you.

       (Lev 26:33 TLB)  "I will scatter you out among the nations, destroying 
       you with war as you go. Your land shall be desolate and your cities 
       destroyed.

       (Lev 26:34 TLB)  Then at last the land will rest and make up for the 
       many years you refused to let it lie idle; for it will lie desolate 
       all the years that you are captives in enemy lands.

       (Lev 26:35 TLB)  Yes, then the land will rest and enjoy its Sabbaths! 
       It will make up for the rest you didn't give it every seventh year 
       when you lived upon it.

       (Lev 26:36 TLB)  "And for those who are left alive, I will cause them 
       to be dragged away to distant lands as prisoners of war and slaves. 
       There they will live in constant fear. The sound of a leaf driven in 
       the wind will send them fleeing as though chased by a man with a 
       sword; they shall fall when no one is pursuing them.

       (Lev 26:37 TLB)  Yes, though none pursue they shall stumble over each 
       other in flight, as though fleeing in battle, with no power to stand 
       before their enemies.

       (Lev 26:38 TLB)  You shall perish among the nations and be destroyed 
       among your enemies.

       (Lev 26:39 TLB)  Those left shall pine away in enemy lands because of 
       their sins, the same sins as those of their fathers.

       (Lev 26:40 TLB)  "But at last they shall confess their sins and their 
       fathers' sins of treachery against me.

       (Lev 26:41 TLB)  (Because they were against me, I was against them, 
       and brought them into the land of their enemies.) When at last their 
       evil hearts are humbled and they accept the punishment I send them for 





       their sins,

       (Lev 26:42 TLB)  then I will remember again my promises to Abraham, 
       Isaac, and Jacob, and I will remember the land (and its desolation).

       (Lev 26:43 TLB)  For the land shall enjoy its Sabbaths as it lies 
       desolate. But then at last they shall accept their punishment for 
       rejecting my laws and for despising my rule.

       (Lev 26:44 TLB)  But despite all they have done, I will not utterly 
       destroy them and my covenant with them, for I am Jehovah their God.

       (Lev 26:45 TLB)  For their sakes I will remember my promises to their 
       ancestors to be their God. For I brought their forefathers out of 
       Egypt as all the nations watched in wonder. I am Jehovah."

       (Lev 26:46 TLB)  These were the laws, ordinances, and instructions 
       that Jehovah gave to the people of Israel, through Moses, on Mount 
       Sinai.

       (Lev 27:1 TLB)  The Lord said to Moses, "Tell the people of Israel 
       that when a person makes a special vow to give himself to the Lord, he 
       shall give these payments instead:

       (Lev 27:2 TLB)  

       (Lev 27:3 TLB)  A man from the age of twenty to sixty shall pay 
       twenty-five dollars;

       (Lev 27:4 TLB)  a woman from the age of twenty to sixty shall pay 
       fifteen dollars;

       (Lev 27:5 TLB)  a boy from five to twenty shall pay ten dollars; a 
       girl, five dollars.

       (Lev 27:6 TLB)  A boy one month to five years old shall have paid for 
       him two and a half dollars; a girl, one and a half dollars.

       (Lev 27:7 TLB)  A man over sixty shall pay seven and a half dollars; a 
       woman, five dollars.

       (Lev 27:8 TLB)  But if the person is too poor to pay this amount, he 
       shall be brought to the priest, and the priest shall talk it over with 
       him, and he shall pay as the priest shall decide.

       (Lev 27:9 TLB)  "But if it is an animal that is vowed to be given to 
       the Lord as a sacrifice, it must be given.

       (Lev 27:10 TLB)  The vow may not be changed; the donor may neither 
       change his mind about giving it to the Lord, nor substitute good for 
       bad or bad for good; if he does, both the first and the second shall 
       belong to the Lord!

       (Lev 27:11 TLB)  But if the animal given to the Lord is not a kind 
       that is permitted as a sacrifice, the owner shall bring it to the 
       priest to value it, and he shall be told how much to pay instead.






       (Lev 27:12 TLB)  

       (Lev 27:13 TLB)  If the animal is a kind that may be offered as a 
       sacrifice, but the man wants to redeem it, then he shall pay 20 
       percent more than the value set by the priest.

       (Lev 27:14 TLB)  "If someone donates his home to the Lord and then 
       wishes to redeem it, the priest will decide its value,

       (Lev 27:15 TLB)  and the man shall pay that amount plus 20 percent, 
       and the house will be his again.

       (Lev 27:16 TLB)  "If a man dedicates any part of his field to the 
       Lord, value it in proportion to its size, as indicated by the amount 
       of seed required to sow it. A section of land that requires ten 
       bushels of barley seed for sowing is valued at twenty-five dollars.

       (Lev 27:17 TLB)  If a man dedicates his field in the Year of Jubilee, 
       then the whole estimate shall stand;

       (Lev 27:18 TLB)  but if it is after the Year of Jubilee, then the 
       value shall be in proportion to the number of years remaining until 
       the next Year of Jubilee.

       (Lev 27:19 TLB)  If the man decides to redeem the field, he shall pay 
       20 percent in addition to the priest's valuation, and the field will 
       be his again.

       (Lev 27:20 TLB)  But if he decides not to redeem the field, or if he 
       has sold the field to someone else (and has given to the Lord his 
       rights to it at the Year of Jubilee), it shall not be returned to him 
       again.

       (Lev 27:21 TLB)  When it is freed in the Year of Jubilee, it shall 
       belong to the Lord as a field devoted to him, and it shall be given to 
       the priests.

       (Lev 27:22 TLB)  "If a man dedicates to the Lord a field he has 
       bought, but which is not part of his family possession,

       (Lev 27:23 TLB)  the priest shall estimate the value until the Year of 
       Jubilee, and he shall immediately give that estimated value to the 
       Lord,

       (Lev 27:24 TLB)  and in the Year of Jubilee the field shall return to 
       the original owner from whom it was bought.

       (Lev 27:25 TLB)  All the valuations shall be stated in standard money.

       (Lev 27:26 TLB)  "You may not dedicate to the Lord the firstborn of 
       any ox or sheep, for it is already his.

       (Lev 27:27 TLB)  But if it is the firstborn of an animal that cannot 
       be sacrificed because it is not on the list of those acceptable to the 
       Lord, then the owner shall pay the priest's estimate of its worth, 





       plus 20 percent; or if the owner does not redeem it, the priest may 
       sell it to someone else.

       (Lev 27:28 TLB)  However, anything utterly devoted to the 
       Lord--people, animals, or inherited fields--shall not be sold or 
       redeemed, for they are most holy to the Lord.

       (Lev 27:29 TLB)  No one sentenced by the courts to die may pay a fine 
       instead; he shall surely be put to death.

       (Lev 27:30 TLB)  "A tenth of the produce of the land, whether grain or 
       fruit, is the Lord's, and is holy.

       (Lev 27:31 TLB)  If anyone wants to buy back this fruit or grain, he 
       must add a fifth to its value.

       (Lev 27:32 TLB)  And the Lord owns every tenth animal of your herds 
       and flocks and other domestic animals, as they pass by for counting.

       (Lev 27:33 TLB)  The tenth given to the Lord shall not be selected on 
       the basis of whether it is good or bad, and there shall be no 
       substitutions; for if there is any change made, then both the original 
       and the substitution shall belong to the Lord, and may not be bought 
       back!"

       (Lev 27:34 TLB)  These are the commandments the Lord gave to Moses for 
       the people of Israel on Mount Sinai.

       (Num 1:1 TLB)  It was on the fifteenth day of April of the second year 
       after the Israelis left Egypt that the Lord issued the following 
       instructions to Moses. (He was in the Tabernacle at the camp of Israel 
       on the Sinai peninsula at the time.)

       (Num 1:2 TLB)  "Take a census of all the men twenty years old and 
       older who are able to go to war, indicating their tribe and family.

       (Num 1:3 TLB)  You and Aaron are to direct the project,

       (Num 1:4 TLB)  assisted by these leaders from each tribe:" Tribe, 
       Leader;

       (Num 1:5 TLB)  Reuben, Elizur (son of Shedeur);

       (Num 1:6 TLB)  Simeon, Shelumiel (son of Zurishaddai);

       (Num 1:7 TLB)  Judah, Nahshon (son of Amminadab);

       (Num 1:8 TLB)  Issachar, Nethanel (son of Zuar);

       (Num 1:9 TLB)  Zebulun, Eliab (son of Helon);

       (Num 1:10 TLB)  Ephraim (son of Joseph), Elishama (son of Ammihud); 
       Manasseh (son of Joseph), Gamaliel (son of Pedahzur);

       (Num 1:11 TLB)  Benjamin, Abidan (son of Gideoni);





       (Num 1:12 TLB)  Dan, Ahiezer (son of Ammishaddai);

       (Num 1:13 TLB)  Asher, Pagiel (son of Ochran);

       (Num 1:14 TLB)  Gad, Eliasaph (son of Deuel);

       (Num 1:15 TLB)  Naphtali, Ahira (son of Enan);

       (Num 1:16 TLB)  These were the tribal leaders elected from among the 
       people.

       (Num 1:17 TLB)  On the same day Moses and Aaron and the above-named 
       leaders

       (Num 1:18 TLB)  summoned all the men of Israel who were twenty years 
       old or older to come and register, each man indicating his tribe and 
       family,

       (Num 1:19 TLB)  as the Lord had commanded Moses.

       (Num 1:20 TLB)  Here is the final tabulation: Tribe: Total

       (Num 1:21 TLB)  Reuben (the oldest son of Jacob): 46,500;

       (Num 1:22 TLB)  Simeon: 59,300;

       (Num 1:23 TLB)  

       (Num 1:24 TLB)  Gad: 45,650;

       (Num 1:25 TLB)  

       (Num 1:26 TLB)  Judah: 74,600;

       (Num 1:27 TLB)  

       (Num 1:28 TLB)  Issachar: 54,400;

       (Num 1:29 TLB)  

       (Num 1:30 TLB)  Zebulun: 57,400;

       (Num 1:31 TLB)  

       (Num 1:32 TLB)  Joseph: Ephraim (son of Joseph): 40,500;

       (Num 1:33 TLB)  

       (Num 1:34 TLB)  Joseph: Manasseh (son of Joseph): 32,200;

       (Num 1:35 TLB)  

       (Num 1:36 TLB)  Benjamin: 35,400;

       (Num 1:37 TLB)  





       (Num 1:38 TLB)  Dan: 62,700;

       (Num 1:39 TLB)  

       (Num 1:40 TLB)  Asher: 41,500;

       (Num 1:41 TLB)  

       (Num 1:42 TLB)  Naphtali: 53,400;

       (Num 1:43 TLB)  

       (Num 1:44 TLB)  Grand Total: 603,550

       (Num 1:45 TLB)  

       (Num 1:46 TLB)  

       (Num 1:47 TLB)  This total does not include the Levites, for the Lord 
       had said to Moses, "Exempt the entire tribe of Levi from the draft, 
       and do not include their number in the census.

       (Num 1:48 TLB)  

       (Num 1:49 TLB)  

       (Num 1:50 TLB)  For the Levites are assigned for the work connected 
       with the Tabernacle and its transportation. They are to live near the 
       Tabernacle,

       (Num 1:51 TLB)  and whenever the Tabernacle is moved, the Levites are 
       to take it down and set it up again; anyone else touching it shall be 
       executed.

       (Num 1:52 TLB)  Each tribe of Israel shall have a separate camping 
       area with its own flag.

       (Num 1:53 TLB)  The Levites' tents shall be clustered around the 
       Tabernacle as a wall between the people of Israel and God's wrath--to 
       protect them from his fierce anger against their sins."

       (Num 1:54 TLB)  So all these instructions of the Lord to Moses were 
       put into effect.

       (Num 2:1 TLB)  The Lord gave these further instructions to Moses and 
       Aaron:

       (Num 2:2 TLB)  "Each tribe will have its own tent area, with its 
       flagpole and tribal banner; and at the center of these tribal 
       compounds will be the Tabernacle."

       (Num 2:3 TLB)  Here are the tribal locations: Tribe, Leader, Location, 
       Census;

       (Num 2:4 TLB)  Judah, Nahshon (son of Amminadab), East side of the 
       Tabernacle, 74,600;






       (Num 2:5 TLB)  Issachar, Nethanel (son of Zuar), Next to Judah, 
       54,400;

       (Num 2:6 TLB)  

       (Num 2:7 TLB)  Zebulun, Eliab (son of Helon), Next to Issachar, 
       57,400;

       (Num 2:8 TLB)  

       (Num 2:9 TLB)  So the total of all those on Judah's side of the camp 
       was 186,400. These three tribes led the way whenever the Israelites 
       traveled to a new campsite.

       (Num 2:10 TLB)  Reuben, Elizur (son of Shedeur), South side of the 
       Tabernacle, 46,500;

       (Num 2:11 TLB)  

       (Num 2:12 TLB)  Simeon, Shelumiel (son of Zurishaddai), Next to 
       Reuben, 59,300;

       (Num 2:13 TLB)  

       (Num 2:14 TLB)  Gad, Eliasaph (son of Reuel ), Next to Simeon, 45,650;

       (Num 2:15 TLB)  

       (Num 2:16 TLB)  So the total of the Reuben side of the camp was 
       151,450. These three tribes were next in line whenever the Israelis 
       traveled.

       (Num 2:17 TLB)  Next in the line of march was the Tabernacle, with the 
       Levites. When traveling, each tribe stayed together under its own 
       flag, just as each was separate from the others in camp.

       (Num 2:18 TLB)  Ephraim, Elishama (son of Ammihud), West side of 
       Tabernacle, 40,500;

       (Num 2:19 TLB)  

       (Num 2:20 TLB)  Manasseh, Gamaliel (son of Pedahzur), Next to Ephraim, 
       32,200;

       (Num 2:21 TLB)  

       (Num 2:22 TLB)  Benjamin, Abidan (son of Gideoni), Next to Manasseh, 
       35,400;

       (Num 2:23 TLB)  

       (Num 2:24 TLB)  So the total on the Ephraim side of the camp was 
       108,100, and they were next in the line of march.

       (Num 2:25 TLB)  Dan, Ahiezer (son of Ammishaddai), North side of 





       Tabernacle, 62,700;

       (Num 2:26 TLB)  

       (Num 2:27 TLB)  Asher, Pagiel (son of Ochran), Next to Dan, 41,500;

       (Num 2:28 TLB)  

       (Num 2:29 TLB)  Naphtali, Ahira (son of Enan), Next to Asher, 53,400;

       (Num 2:30 TLB)  

       (Num 2:31 TLB)  So the total on Dan's side of the camp was 157,600. 
       They brought up the rear whenever Israel traveled.

       (Num 2:32 TLB)  In summary, the armies of Israel totaled 603,550 (not 
       including the Levites, who were exempted by Jehovah's commandment to 
       Moses).

       (Num 2:33 TLB)  

       (Num 2:34 TLB)  So the people of Israel set up their camps, each tribe 
       under its own banner, in the locations indicated by the Lord to Moses.

       (Num 3:1 TLB)  At the time when the Lord spoke to Moses on Mount 
       Sinai,

       (Num 3:2 TLB)  Aaron's sons were: Nadab (his oldest), Abihu, Eleazar, 
       Ithamar.

       (Num 3:3 TLB)  All were anointed as priests and set apart to minister 
       at the Tabernacle.

       (Num 3:4 TLB)  But Nadab and Abihu died before the Lord in the 
       wilderness of Sinai when they used unholy fire. And since they had no 
       children, this left only Eleazar and Ithamar to assist their father, 
       Aaron.

       (Num 3:5 TLB)  Then the Lord said to Moses,

       (Num 3:6 TLB)  "Summon the tribe of Levi and present them to Aaron as 
       his assistants.

       (Num 3:7 TLB)  They will follow his instructions and perform the 
       sacred duties at the Tabernacle on behalf of all the people of Israel. 
       For they are assigned to him as representatives of all the people of 
       Israel.

       (Num 3:8 TLB)  However, only Aaron and his sons may carry out the 
       duties of the priesthood; anyone else who presumes to assume this 
       office shall be executed."

       (Num 3:9 TLB)  

       (Num 3:10 TLB)  





       (Num 3:11 TLB)  And the Lord said to Moses, "I have accepted the 
       Levites in substitution for all the oldest sons of the people of 
       Israel. The Levites are mine

       (Num 3:12 TLB)  

       (Num 3:13 TLB)  in exchange for all the oldest sons. From the day I 
       killed all the oldest sons of the Egyptians, I took for myself all the 
       firstborn in Israel of both men and animals! They are mine; I am 
       Jehovah."

       (Num 3:14 TLB)  The Lord now spoke again to Moses at the Sinai 
       peninsula, telling him,

       (Num 3:15 TLB)  "Take a census of the tribe of Levi, indicating each 
       person's clan; count every male down to one month old."

       (Num 3:16 TLB)  So Moses did:

       (Num 3:17 TLB)  

       (Num 3:18 TLB)  

       (Num 3:19 TLB)  

       (Num 3:20 TLB)  

       (Num 3:21 TLB)  Levi's son: Gershon Levi's grandsons (clan names): 
       Libni, Shime-i

       (Num 3:22 TLB)  Census: 7,500

       (Num 3:23 TLB)  Leader: Elisaph (son of Lael)

       (Num 3:24 TLB)  Camp Location: West side of Tabernacle

       (Num 3:25 TLB)  Responsibilities: The responsibility of these two 
       clans of Levites was the care of the Tabernacle: its coverings, its 
       entry drapes,

       (Num 3:26 TLB)  the drapes covering the fence surrounding the 
       courtyard, the screen at the entrance of the courtyard surrounding the 
       Tabernacle, the altar, and all the ropes used in tying the Tabernacle 
       together.

       (Num 3:27 TLB)  Levi's son: Kohath Levi's grandsons (clan names): 
       Amram, Izhar, Hebron, Uzziel

       (Num 3:28 TLB)  Census: 8,600

       (Num 3:29 TLB)  Leader: Elizaphan (son of Uzziel)

       (Num 3:30 TLB)  Camp Location: South side of the Tabernacle

       (Num 3:31 TLB)  Responsibilities: The responsibility of these four 
       clans of Levites was the care of the Ark, the table, the lampstand, 





       the altars, the various utensils used in the Tabernacle, the veil, and 
       any repairs needed on any of these items.

       (Num 3:32 TLB)  (Note: Eleazar, Aaron's son, shall be the chief 
       administrator over the leaders of the Levites, with special 
       responsibility for the oversight of the sanctuary.)

       (Num 3:33 TLB)  Levi's son: Merari Levi's grandsons (clan names): 
       Mahli, Mushi

       (Num 3:34 TLB)  Census: 6,200

       (Num 3:35 TLB)  Leader: Zuriel (son of Abihail) Camp Location: North 
       side of Tabernacle

       (Num 3:36 TLB)  Responsibilities: The responsibility of these two 
       clans was the care of the frames of the Tabernacle building; the 
       posts; the bases for the posts, and all of the equipment needed for 
       their use;

       (Num 3:37 TLB)  the posts around the courtyard and their bases, pegs, 
       and ropes.

       (Num 3:38 TLB)  The area east of the Tabernacle was reserved for the 
       tents of Moses and of Aaron and his sons, who had the final 
       responsibility for the Tabernacle on behalf of the people of Israel. 
       (Anyone who was not a priest or Levite, but came into the Tabernacle, 
       was to be executed.)

       (Num 3:39 TLB)  So all the Levites, as numbered by Moses and Aaron at 
       the command of the Lord, were 22,000 males one month old and older.

       (Num 3:40 TLB)  Then the Lord said to Moses, "Now take a census of all 
       the eldest sons in Israel who are one month old and older, and 
       register each name.

       (Num 3:41 TLB)  The Levites shall be mine (I am Jehovah) as 
       substitutes for the eldest sons of Israel; and the Levites' cattle are 
       mine as substitutes for the firstborn cattle of the whole nation."

       (Num 3:42 TLB)  So Moses took a census of the eldest sons of the 
       people of Israel, as the Lord had commanded,

       (Num 3:43 TLB)  and found the total number of eldest sons one month 
       old and older to be 22,273.

       (Num 3:44 TLB)  Now the Lord said to Moses,

       (Num 3:45 TLB)  "Give me the Levites instead of the eldest sons of the 
       people of Israel; and give me the cattle of the Levites instead of the 
       firstborn cattle of the people of Israel; yes, the Levites shall be 
       mine; I am Jehovah.

       (Num 3:46 TLB)  To redeem the 273 eldest sons in excess of the number 
       of Levites,





       (Num 3:47 TLB)  pay five dollars for each one to Aaron and his sons."

       (Num 3:48 TLB)  

       (Num 3:49 TLB)  So Moses received redemption money for the 273 eldest 
       sons of Israel who were in excess of the number of Levites. (All the 
       others were redeemed because the Levites had been given to the Lord in 
       their place.)

       (Num 3:50 TLB)  The money collected came to a total of $1,365.

       (Num 3:51 TLB)  And Moses gave it to Aaron and his sons as the Lord 
       had commanded.

       (Num 4:1 TLB)  Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, "Take a census 
       of the Kohath division of the Levite tribe.

       (Num 4:2 TLB)  

       (Num 4:3 TLB)  This census will be of all males from ages thirty to 
       fifty who are able to work in the Tabernacle.

       (Num 4:4 TLB)  These are their sacred duties:

       (Num 4:5 TLB)  "When the camp moves, Aaron and his sons will enter the 
       Tabernacle first and take down the veil and cover the Ark with it.

       (Num 4:6 TLB)  Then they will cover the veil with goatskin leather, 
       cover the goatskins with a blue cloth, and place the carrying poles of 
       the Ark in their rings.

       (Num 4:7 TLB)  "Next they must spread a blue cloth over the table 
       where the Bread of the Presence is displayed, and place the dishes, 
       spoons, bowls, cups, and the Bread upon the cloth.

       (Num 4:8 TLB)  They will spread a scarlet cloth over that, and finally 
       a covering of goatskin leather on top of the scarlet cloth. Then they 
       shall insert the carrying poles into the table.

       (Num 4:9 TLB)  "Next they must cover with a blue cloth the lampstand, 
       the lamps, snuffers, trays, and the reservoir of olive oil.

       (Num 4:10 TLB)  This entire group of objects shall then be covered 
       with goatskin leather, and the bundle shall be placed upon a carrying 
       frame.

       (Num 4:11 TLB)  "They must then spread a blue cloth over the gold 
       altar, cover it with a covering of goatskin leather, and insert the 
       carrying poles into the altar.

       (Num 4:12 TLB)  All of the remaining utensils of the Tabernacle are to 
       be wrapped in a blue cloth, covered with goatskin leather, and placed 
       on the carrying frame.

       (Num 4:13 TLB)  "The ashes are to be removed from the altar, and the 
       altar shall be covered with a purple cloth.






       (Num 4:14 TLB)  All of the altar utensils are to be placed upon the 
       cloth--the firepans, hooks, shovels, basins, and other containers--and 
       a cover of goatskin leather will be spread over them. Finally, the 
       carrying poles are to be put in place.

       (Num 4:15 TLB)  When Aaron and his sons have finished packing the 
       sanctuary and all the utensils, the clan of Kohath shall come and 
       carry the units to wherever the camp is traveling; but they must not 
       touch the holy items, lest they die. This, then, is the sacred work of 
       the sons of Kohath.

       (Num 4:16 TLB)  "Aaron's son Eleazar shall be responsible for the oil 
       for the light, the sweet incense, the daily grain offering, and the 
       anointing oil--in fact, the supervision of the entire Tabernacle and 
       everything in it will be his responsibility."

       (Num 4:17 TLB)  Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron,

       (Num 4:18 TLB)  "Don't let the families of Kohath destroy themselves!

       (Num 4:19 TLB)  This is what you must do so that they will not die 
       when they carry the most holy things: Aaron and his sons shall go in 
       with them and point out what each is to carry.

       (Num 4:20 TLB)  Otherwise they must never enter the sanctuary for even 
       a moment, lest they look at the sacred objects there and die."

       (Num 4:21 TLB)  And the Lord said to Moses,

       (Num 4:22 TLB)  "Take a census of the Gershonite division of the tribe 
       of Levi,

       (Num 4:23 TLB)  all of the men between the ages of thirty and fifty 
       who are eligible for the sacred work of the Tabernacle.

       (Num 4:24 TLB)  These will be their duties:

       (Num 4:25 TLB)  "They will carry the curtains of the Tabernacle, the 
       Tabernacle itself with its coverings, the goatskin leather roof, and 
       the curtain for the Tabernacle entrance.

       (Num 4:26 TLB)  They are also to carry the drapes covering the 
       courtyard fence, and the curtain across the entrance to the courtyard 
       that surrounds the altar and the Tabernacle. They will also carry the 
       altar, the ropes, and all of the accessories. They are fully 
       responsible for the transportation of these items.

       (Num 4:27 TLB)  Aaron or any of his sons may assign the Gershonites' 
       tasks to them,

       (Num 4:28 TLB)  but the Gershonites will be directly responsible to 
       Aaron's son Ithamar.

       (Num 4:29 TLB)  "Now take a census of the Merari division of the 
       Levite tribe, all of the men from thirty to fifty who are eligible for 





       the Tabernacle service.

       (Num 4:30 TLB)  When the Tabernacle is moved, they are to carry the 
       frames of the Tabernacle, the bars, the bases,

       (Num 4:31 TLB)  

       (Num 4:32 TLB)  the frames for the courtyard fence with their bases, 
       pegs, cords, and everything else connected with their use and repair. 
       "Assign duties to each man by name.

       (Num 4:33 TLB)  The Merari division will also report to Aaron's son 
       Ithamar."

       (Num 4:34 TLB)  So Moses and Aaron and the other leaders took a census 
       of the Kohath division,

       (Num 4:35 TLB)  including all of the men thirty to fifty years of age 
       who were eligible for the Tabernacle service,

       (Num 4:36 TLB)  and found that the total number was 2,750.

       (Num 4:37 TLB)  All this was done to carry out the Lord's instructions 
       to Moses.

       (Num 4:38 TLB)  A similar census of the Gershon division totaled 
       2,630.

       (Num 4:39 TLB)  

       (Num 4:40 TLB)  

       (Num 4:41 TLB)  

       (Num 4:42 TLB)  And of the Merari division, 3,200.

       (Num 4:43 TLB)  

       (Num 4:44 TLB)  

       (Num 4:45 TLB)  

       (Num 4:46 TLB)  Thus Moses and Aaron and the leaders of Israel found 
       that the total of all the Levites

       (Num 4:47 TLB)  who were thirty to fifty years old and who were 
       eligible for the Tabernacle service and transportation

       (Num 4:48 TLB)  was 8,580.

       (Num 4:49 TLB)  This census was taken in response to the Lord's 
       instructions to Moses.

       (Num 5:1 TLB)  These are further instructions from the Lord to Moses:

       (Num 5:2 TLB)  "Inform the people of Israel that they must expel all 





       lepers from the camp, and all who have open sores, or who have been 
       defiled by touching a dead person.

       (Num 5:3 TLB)  This applies to men and women alike. Remove them so 
       that they will not defile the camp where I live among you."

       (Num 5:4 TLB)  These instructions were put into effect.

       (Num 5:5 TLB)  Then the Lord said to Moses, "Tell the people of Israel 
       that when anyone, man or woman, betrays the Lord by betraying a trust, 
       it is sin.

       (Num 5:6 TLB)  

       (Num 5:7 TLB)  He must confess his sin and make full repayment for 
       what he has stolen, adding 20 percent and returning it to the person 
       he took it from.

       (Num 5:8 TLB)  But if the person he wronged is dead, and there is no 
       near relative to whom the payment can be made, it must be given to the 
       priest, along with a lamb for atonement.

       (Num 5:9 TLB)  When the people of Israel bring a gift to the Lord it 
       shall go to the priests."

       (Num 5:10 TLB)  

       (Num 5:11 TLB)  And the Lord said to Moses, "Tell the people of Israel 
       that if a man's wife commits adultery,

       (Num 5:12 TLB)  

       (Num 5:13 TLB)  but there is no proof, there being no witness,

       (Num 5:14 TLB)  and he is jealous and suspicious,

       (Num 5:15 TLB)  the man shall bring his wife to the priest with an 
       offering for her of a tenth of a bushel of barley meal without oil or 
       frankincense mingled with it--for it is a suspicion offering--to bring 
       out the truth as to whether or not she is guilty.

       (Num 5:16 TLB)  "The priest shall bring her before the Lord,

       (Num 5:17 TLB)  and take holy water in a clay jar and mix into it dust 
       from the floor of the Tabernacle.

       (Num 5:18 TLB)  He shall unbind her hair and place the suspicion 
       offering in her hands to determine whether or not her husband's 
       suspicions are justified. The priest shall stand before her holding 
       the jar of bitter water that brings a curse.

       (Num 5:19 TLB)  He shall require her to swear that she is innocent, 
       and then he shall say to her, 'If no man has slept with you except 
       your husband, be free from the effects of this bitter water that 
       causes the curse.





       (Num 5:20 TLB)  But if you have committed adultery,

       (Num 5:21 TLB)  then Jehovah shall make you a curse among your people, 
       for he will make your thigh rot away and your body swell.' And the 
       woman shall be required to say, 'Yes, let it be so.'

       (Num 5:22 TLB)  

       (Num 5:23 TLB)  Then the priest shall write these curses in a book and 
       wash them off into the bitter water.

       (Num 5:24 TLB)  (When he requires the woman to drink the water, it 
       becomes bitter within her (if she is guilty).)

       (Num 5:25 TLB)  "Then the priest shall take the suspicion offering 
       from the woman's hand and wave it before Jehovah, and carry it to the 
       altar.

       (Num 5:26 TLB)  He shall take a handful, representing all of it, and 
       burn the handful upon the altar, and then require the woman to drink 
       the water.

       (Num 5:27 TLB)  If she has been defiled, having committed adultery 
       against her husband, the water will become bitter within her, and her 
       body will swell and her thigh will rot, and she shall be a curse among 
       her people.

       (Num 5:28 TLB)  But if she is pure and has not committed adultery, she 
       shall be unharmed and will soon become pregnant.

       (Num 5:29 TLB)  "This, then, is the law concerning a wayward wife--or 
       a husband's suspicions against his wife--

       (Num 5:30 TLB)  to determine whether or not she has been unfaithful to 
       him. He shall bring her before the Lord and the priest shall handle 
       the situation as outlined above.

       (Num 5:31 TLB)  Her husband shall not be brought to trial for causing 
       her horrible disease, for she is responsible."

       (Num 6:1 TLB)  The Lord gave Moses these further instructions for the 
       people of Israel:

       (Num 6:2 TLB)  "When either a man or a woman takes the special vow of 
       a Nazirite, consecrating himself to the Lord in a special way,

       (Num 6:3 TLB)  he must not thereafter, during the entire period of his 
       special consecration to the Lord, taste strong drink or wine or even 
       fresh wine, grape juice, grapes, or raisins!

       (Num 6:4 TLB)  He may eat nothing that comes from grape vines, not 
       even the seeds or skins!

       (Num 6:5 TLB)  "Throughout that time he must never cut his hair, for 
       he is holy and consecrated to the Lord; that is why he must let his 
       hair grow.






       (Num 6:6 TLB)  "And he may not go near any dead body during the entire 
       period of his vow,

       (Num 6:7 TLB)  even if it is the body of his father, mother, brother, 
       or sister; for his vow of consecration remains in effect,

       (Num 6:8 TLB)  and he is consecrated to the Lord throughout the entire 
       period.

       (Num 6:9 TLB)  If he is defiled by having someone fall dead beside 
       him, then seven days later he shall shave his defiled head; he will 
       then be cleansed from the contamination of being in the presence of 
       death.

       (Num 6:10 TLB)  The next day, the eighth day, he must bring two 
       turtledoves or two young pigeons to the priest at the entrance of the 
       Tabernacle.

       (Num 6:11 TLB)  The priest shall offer one of the birds for a sin 
       offering, and the other for a burnt offering, and make atonement for 
       his defilement. And he must renew his vows that day and let his hair 
       begin to grow again.

       (Num 6:12 TLB)  The days of his vow that were fulfilled before his 
       defilement no longer count. He must begin all over again with a new 
       vow, and must bring a male lamb a year old for a guilt offering.

       (Num 6:13 TLB)  "At the conclusion of the period of his vow of 
       separation to the Lord, he must go to the entrance of the Tabernacle

       (Num 6:14 TLB)  and offer a burnt sacrifice to the Lord, a year-old 
       lamb without defect. He must also offer a sin offering, a yearling ewe 
       lamb without defect; a peace offering, a ram without defect;

       (Num 6:15 TLB)  a basket of bread made without yeast; pancakes made of 
       fine flour mixed with olive oil; unleavened wafers spread with oil; 
       and the accompanying grain offering and drink offerings.

       (Num 6:16 TLB)  The priest shall present these offerings before the 
       Lord: first the sin offering and the burnt offering;

       (Num 6:17 TLB)  then the ram for a peace offering, along with the 
       basket of bread made without yeast; and finally the grain offering 
       along with the drink offering.

       (Num 6:18 TLB)  "Then the Nazirite shall shave his long hair--the sign 
       of his vow of separation. This shall be done at the entrance of the 
       Tabernacle, after which the hair shall be put in the fire under the 
       peace offering sacrifice.

       (Num 6:19 TLB)  After the man's head has been shaved, the priest shall 
       take the roasted shoulder of the lamb, one of the pancakes (made 
       without yeast), and one of the wafers (also made without yeast), and 
       put them all into the man's hands.





       (Num 6:20 TLB)  The priest shall then wave it all back and forth 
       before the Lord in a gesture of offering; all of it is a holy portion 
       for the priest, as are the rib piece and shoulder that were waved 
       before the Lord. After that the Nazirite may again drink wine, for he 
       is freed from his vow.

       (Num 6:21 TLB)  "These are the regulations concerning a Nazirite and 
       his sacrifices at the conclusion of his period of special dedication. 
       In addition to these sacrifices he must bring any further offering he 
       promised at the time he took his vow to become a Nazirite."

       (Num 6:22 TLB)  Now the Lord said to Moses, "Tell Aaron and his sons 
       that they are to give this special blessing to the people of Israel:

       (Num 6:23 TLB)  

       (Num 6:24 TLB)  'May the Lord bless and protect you; may the Lord's 
       face radiate with joy because of you; may he be gracious to you, show 
       you his favor, and give you his peace.'

       (Num 6:25 TLB)  

       (Num 6:26 TLB)  

       (Num 6:27 TLB)  This is how Aaron and his sons shall call down my 
       blessings upon the people of Israel; and I myself will personally 
       bless them."

       (Num 7:1 TLB)  Moses anointed and sanctified each part of the 
       Tabernacle, including the altar and its utensils, on the day he 
       finished setting it up.

       (Num 7:2 TLB)  Then the leaders of Israel--the chiefs of the tribes, 
       the men who had organized the census--brought their offerings.

       (Num 7:3 TLB)  They brought six covered wagons, each drawn by two 
       oxen--a wagon for every two leaders and an ox for each one; and they 
       presented them to the Lord in front of the Tabernacle.

       (Num 7:4 TLB)  "Accept their gifts," the Lord told Moses, "and use 
       these wagons for the work of the Tabernacle. Give them to the Levites 
       for whatever needs they may have."

       (Num 7:5 TLB)  

       (Num 7:6 TLB)  So Moses presented the wagons and the oxen to the 
       Levites.

       (Num 7:7 TLB)  Two wagons and four oxen were given to the Gershon 
       division for their use,

       (Num 7:8 TLB)  and four wagons and eight oxen were given to the Merari 
       division, which was under the leadership of Ithamar, Aaron's son.

       (Num 7:9 TLB)  None of the wagons or teams was given to the Kohath 
       division, for they were required to carry their portion of the 





       Tabernacle upon their shoulders.

       (Num 7:10 TLB)  The leaders also presented dedication gifts on the day 
       the altar was anointed, placing them before the altar.

       (Num 7:11 TLB)  The Lord said to Moses, "Let each of them bring his 
       gift on a different day for the dedication of the altar."

       (Num 7:12 TLB)  So Nahshon, the son of Amminadab of the tribe of 
       Judah, brought his gift the first day.

       (Num 7:13 TLB)  It consisted of a silver platter weighing three pounds 
       and a silver bowl of about two pounds, both filled with grain 
       offerings of fine flour mixed with oil.

       (Num 7:14 TLB)  He also brought a tiny gold box of incense which 
       weighed only about four ounces.

       (Num 7:15 TLB)  He brought a young bull, a ram, and a male yearling 
       lamb as burnt offerings;

       (Num 7:16 TLB)  a male goat for a sin offering;

       (Num 7:17 TLB)  and for the peace offerings two oxen, five rams, five 
       male goats, and five male yearling lambs.

       (Num 7:18 TLB)  The next day Nethanel, the son of Zuar, chief of the 
       tribe of Issachar, brought his gifts and offerings. They were exactly 
       the same as Nahshon had presented on the previous day.

       (Num 7:19 TLB)  

       (Num 7:20 TLB)  

       (Num 7:21 TLB)  

       (Num 7:22 TLB)  

       (Num 7:23 TLB)  

       (Num 7:24 TLB)  On the third day Eliab, the son of Helon, chief of the 
       tribe of Zebulun, came with his offerings--the same as those presented 
       on the previous days.

       (Num 7:25 TLB)  

       (Num 7:26 TLB)  

       (Num 7:27 TLB)  

       (Num 7:28 TLB)  

       (Num 7:29 TLB)  

       (Num 7:30 TLB)  On the fourth day the gifts were presented by Elizur, 
       son of Shedeur, chief of the tribe of Reuben; his gifts and offerings 





       were the same as those given on the previous days.

       (Num 7:31 TLB)  

       (Num 7:32 TLB)  

       (Num 7:33 TLB)  

       (Num 7:34 TLB)  

       (Num 7:35 TLB)  

       (Num 7:36 TLB)  On the fifth day came Shelumiel, the son of 
       Zurishaddai, chief of the tribe of Simeon, with the same gifts.

       (Num 7:37 TLB)  

       (Num 7:38 TLB)  

       (Num 7:39 TLB)  

       (Num 7:40 TLB)  

       (Num 7:41 TLB)  

       (Num 7:42 TLB)  The next day it was Eliasaph's turn, son of Deuel, 
       chief of the tribe of Gad. He, too, offered the same gifts and 
       sacrifices.

       (Num 7:43 TLB)  

       (Num 7:44 TLB)  

       (Num 7:45 TLB)  

       (Num 7:46 TLB)  

       (Num 7:47 TLB)  

       (Num 7:48 TLB)  On the seventh day, Elishama, the son of Ammihud, 
       chief of the tribe of Ephraim, brought his gifts, the same as those 
       presented on the previous days.

       (Num 7:49 TLB)  

       (Num 7:50 TLB)  

       (Num 7:51 TLB)  

       (Num 7:52 TLB)  

       (Num 7:53 TLB)  

       (Num 7:54 TLB)  Gamaliel, son of Pedahzur, prince of the tribe of 
       Manasseh, came the eighth day with the same offerings.





       (Num 7:55 TLB)  

       (Num 7:56 TLB)  

       (Num 7:57 TLB)  

       (Num 7:58 TLB)  

       (Num 7:59 TLB)  

       (Num 7:60 TLB)  On the ninth day it was Abidan the son of Gideoni, 
       chief of the tribe of Benjamin, with his gifts, the same as those 
       offered by the others.

       (Num 7:61 TLB)  

       (Num 7:62 TLB)  

       (Num 7:63 TLB)  

       (Num 7:64 TLB)  

       (Num 7:65 TLB)  

       (Num 7:66 TLB)  Ahiezer, the son of Ammishaddai, brought his gifts on 
       the tenth day. He was the chief of the tribe of Dan and his offerings 
       were the same as those on the previous days.

       (Num 7:67 TLB)  

       (Num 7:68 TLB)  

       (Num 7:69 TLB)  

       (Num 7:70 TLB)  

       (Num 7:71 TLB)  

       (Num 7:72 TLB)  Pagiel, son of Ochran, chief of the tribe of Asher, 
       brought his gifts on the eleventh day--the same gifts and offerings as 
       the others.

       (Num 7:73 TLB)  

       (Num 7:74 TLB)  

       (Num 7:75 TLB)  

       (Num 7:76 TLB)  

       (Num 7:77 TLB)  

       (Num 7:78 TLB)  On the twelfth day came Ahira, son of Enan, chief of 
       the tribe of Naphtali, with his offerings; they were identical to 
       those brought by the others.





       (Num 7:79 TLB)  

       (Num 7:80 TLB)  

       (Num 7:81 TLB)  

       (Num 7:82 TLB)  

       (Num 7:83 TLB)  

       (Num 7:84 TLB)  So, beginning the day the altar was anointed, it was 
       dedicated by these gifts from the chiefs of the tribes of Israel. 
       Their combined offerings were as follows: 12 silver platters (each 
       weighing about three pounds); 12 silver bowls (each weighing about two 
       pounds); (so the total weight of the silver was about sixty pounds); 
       12 gold trays (the trays weighing about four ounces apiece); (so the 
       total weight of gold was about three pounds).

       (Num 7:85 TLB)  

       (Num 7:86 TLB)  

       (Num 7:87 TLB)  For the burnt offerings they brought: 12 bulls, 12 
       rams, 12 yearling male goats (with the grain offerings that 
       accompanied them). For sin offerings they brought: 12 male goats.

       (Num 7:88 TLB)  For the peace offerings they brought: 24 young bulls, 
       60 rams, 60 male goats, 60 male lambs one year old.

       (Num 7:89 TLB)  When Moses went into the Tabernacle to speak with God, 
       he heard the Voice speaking to him from above the place of mercy over 
       the Ark, between the statues of the two Guardian Angels.

       (Num 8:1 TLB)  The Lord said to Moses,

       (Num 8:2 TLB)  "Tell Aaron that when he lights the seven lamps in the 
       lampstand, he is to set them so that they will throw their light 
       forward."

       (Num 8:3 TLB)  So Aaron did this.

       (Num 8:4 TLB)  The lampstand, including the floral decorations on the 
       base and branches, was made entirely of beaten gold. It was 
       constructed according to the exact design the Lord had shown Moses.

       (Num 8:5 TLB)  Then the Lord said to Moses, "Now set apart the Levites 
       from the other people of Israel.

       (Num 8:6 TLB)  

       (Num 8:7 TLB)  Do this by sprinkling water of purification upon them, 
       then having them shave their entire bodies and wash their clothing and 
       themselves.

       (Num 8:8 TLB)  Have them bring a young bull and a grain offering of 
       fine flour mingled with oil, along with another young bull for a sin 





       offering.

       (Num 8:9 TLB)  Then bring the Levites to the door of the Tabernacle as 
       all the people watch.

       (Num 8:10 TLB)  There the leaders of the tribes shall lay their hands 
       upon them,

       (Num 8:11 TLB)  and Aaron, with a gesture of offering, shall present 
       them to the Lord as a gift from the entire nation of Israel. The 
       Levites will represent all the people in serving the Lord.

       (Num 8:12 TLB)  "Next, the Levite leaders shall lay their hands upon 
       the heads of the young bulls and offer them before the Lord; one for a 
       sin offering and the other for a burnt offering, to make atonement for 
       the Levites.

       (Num 8:13 TLB)  Then the Levites are to be presented to Aaron and his 
       sons, just as any other gift to the Lord is given to the priests!

       (Num 8:14 TLB)  In this way you will dedicate the Levites from among 
       the rest of the people of Israel, and the Levites shall be mine.

       (Num 8:15 TLB)  After you have sanctified them and presented them in 
       this way, they shall go in and out of the Tabernacle to do their work.

       (Num 8:16 TLB)  "They are mine from among all the people of Israel, 
       and I have accepted them in place of all the firstborn children of the 
       Israelites: I have taken the Levites as their substitutes.

       (Num 8:17 TLB)  For all the firstborn among the people of Israel are 
       mine, both men and animals; I claimed them for myself the night I 
       killed all the firstborn Egyptians.

       (Num 8:18 TLB)  Yes, I have accepted the Levites in place of all the 
       eldest sons of Israel.

       (Num 8:19 TLB)  And I will give the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his 
       sons. The Levites will carry out the sacred duties required of the 
       people of Israel in the Tabernacle, and will offer the people's 
       sacrifices, making atonement for them. There will be no plague among 
       the Israelites--as there would be if the ordinary people entered the 
       Tabernacle."

       (Num 8:20 TLB)  So Moses and Aaron and all the people of Israel 
       dedicated the Levites, carefully following Jehovah's instructions to 
       Moses.

       (Num 8:21 TLB)  The Levites purified themselves and washed their 
       clothes, and Aaron presented them to the Lord in a gesture of 
       offering. He then performed the rite of atonement over them to purify 
       them.

       (Num 8:22 TLB)  After that they went into the Tabernacle as assistants 
       to Aaron and his sons; everything was done just as the Lord had 
       commanded Moses.






       (Num 8:23 TLB)  The Lord also instructed Moses, "The Levites are to 
       begin serving in the Tabernacle at the age of twenty-five, and are to 
       retire at the age of fifty.

       (Num 8:24 TLB)  

       (Num 8:25 TLB)  After retirement they can assist with various light 
       duties in the Tabernacle, but will have no regular responsibilities."

       (Num 8:26 TLB)  

       (Num 9:1 TLB)  Jehovah gave these instructions to Moses while he and 
       the rest of the Israelis were on the Sinai peninsula, during the first 
       month of the second year after leaving Egypt:

       (Num 9:2 TLB)  "The people of Israel must celebrate the Passover 
       annually on April first, beginning in the evening.

       (Num 9:3 TLB)  Be sure to follow all of my instructions concerning 
       this celebration."

       (Num 9:4 TLB)  So Moses announced that the Passover celebration would 
       begin on the evening of April first, there in the Sinai peninsula, 
       just as the Lord had commanded.

       (Num 9:5 TLB)  

       (Num 9:6 TLB)  But as it happened, some of the men had just attended a 
       funeral and were ceremonially defiled by having touched the dead, so 
       they couldn't eat the Passover lamb that night. They came to Moses and 
       Aaron

       (Num 9:7 TLB)  and explained their problem and protested at being 
       forbidden from offering their sacrifice to the Lord at the time he had 
       appointed.

       (Num 9:8 TLB)  Moses said he would ask the Lord about it,

       (Num 9:9 TLB)  and this was God's reply:

       (Num 9:10 TLB)  "If any of the people of Israel, now or in the 
       generations to come, are defiled at Passover time because of touching 
       a dead body, or if they are on a journey and cannot be present, they 
       may still celebrate the Passover, but one month later,

       (Num 9:11 TLB)  on May first, beginning in the evening. They are to 
       eat the lamb at that time, with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.

       (Num 9:12 TLB)  They must not leave any of it until the next morning, 
       and must not break a bone of it, and must follow all the regular 
       instructions concerning the Passover.

       (Num 9:13 TLB)  "But anyone who is not defiled, and anyone who is not 
       away on a trip, and yet refuses to celebrate the Passover at the 
       regular time, shall be excommunicated from the people of Israel for 





       refusing to sacrifice to Jehovah at the proper time; he must bear his 
       guilt.

       (Num 9:14 TLB)  And if a foreigner is living among you and wants to 
       celebrate the Passover to the Lord, he shall follow all these same 
       instructions. There is one law for all."

       (Num 9:15 TLB)  On the day the Tabernacle was raised the Cloud covered 
       it; and that evening the Cloud changed to the appearance of fire, and 
       stayed that way throughout the night.

       (Num 9:16 TLB)  It was always so--the daytime Cloud changing to the 
       appearance of fire at night.

       (Num 9:17 TLB)  When the Cloud lifted, the people of Israel moved on 
       to wherever it stopped, and camped there.

       (Num 9:18 TLB)  In this way they journeyed at the command of the Lord 
       and stopped where he told them to, then remained there as long as the 
       Cloud stayed.

       (Num 9:19 TLB)  If it stayed a long time, then they stayed a long 
       time. But if it stayed only a few days, then they remained only a few 
       days; for so the Lord had instructed them.

       (Num 9:20 TLB)  Sometimes the fire-cloud stayed only during the night 
       and moved on the next morning. But day or night, when it moved, the 
       people broke camp and followed.

       (Num 9:21 TLB)  

       (Num 9:22 TLB)  If the Cloud stayed above the Tabernacle two days, a 
       month, or a year, that is how long the people of Israel stayed; but as 
       soon as it moved, they moved.

       (Num 9:23 TLB)  So it was that they camped or traveled at the 
       commandment of the Lord; and whatever the Lord told Moses they should 
       do, they did.

       (Num 10:1 TLB)  Now the Lord said to Moses, "Make two trumpets of 
       beaten silver to be used for summoning the people to assemble and for 
       signaling the breaking of camp.

       (Num 10:2 TLB)  

       (Num 10:3 TLB)  When both trumpets are blown, the people will know 
       that they are to gather at the entrance of the Tabernacle.

       (Num 10:4 TLB)  But if only one is blown, then only the chiefs of the 
       tribes of Israel shall come to you.

       (Num 10:5 TLB)  "Different trumpet blasts will be necessary to 
       distinguish between the summons to assemble and the signal to break 
       camp and move onward.

       (Num 10:6 TLB)  When the travel signal is blown, the tribes camped on 





       the east side of the Tabernacle shall leave first;

       (Num 10:7 TLB)  at the second signal, the tribes on the south shall 
       go.

       (Num 10:8 TLB)  Only the priests are permitted to blow the trumpets. 
       This is a permanent instruction to be followed from generation to 
       generation.

       (Num 10:9 TLB)  "When you arrive in the Promised Land and go to war 
       against your enemies, God will hear you and save you from your enemies 
       when you sound the alarm with these trumpets.

       (Num 10:10 TLB)  Use the trumpets in times of gladness, too, blowing 
       them at your annual festivals and at the beginning of each month to 
       rejoice over your burnt offerings and peace offerings. And God will be 
       reminded of his covenant with you. For I am Jehovah, your God."

       (Num 10:11 TLB)  The Cloud lifted from the Tabernacle on the twentieth 
       day of the second month of the second year of Israel's leaving Egypt;

       (Num 10:12 TLB)  so the Israelites left the Sinai wilderness, and 
       followed the Cloud until it stopped in the wilderness of Paran.

       (Num 10:13 TLB)  This was their first journey after having received 
       the Lord's travel instructions to Moses.

       (Num 10:14 TLB)  At the head of the march was the tribe of Judah 
       grouped behind its flag and led by Nahshon, the son of Amminadab.

       (Num 10:15 TLB)  Next came the tribe of Issachar, led by Nethanel, the 
       son of Zuar,

       (Num 10:16 TLB)  and the tribe of Zebulun, led by Eliab, the son of 
       Helon.

       (Num 10:17 TLB)  The Tabernacle was taken down and the men of the 
       Gershon and Merari divisions of the tribe of Levi were next in the 
       line of march, carrying the Tabernacle upon their shoulders.

       (Num 10:18 TLB)  Then came the flag of the camp of Reuben, with Elizur 
       the son of Shedeur leading his people.

       (Num 10:19 TLB)  Next was the tribe of Simeon headed by Shelumiel, the 
       son of Zurishaddai;

       (Num 10:20 TLB)  and the tribe of Gad led by Eliasaph, the son of 
       Deuel.

       (Num 10:21 TLB)  Next came the Kohathites carrying the items from the 
       inner sanctuary. (The Tabernacle was already erected in its new 
       location by the time they arrived.)

       (Num 10:22 TLB)  Next in line was the tribe of Ephraim behind its 
       flag, led by Elishama, the son of Ammihud;





       (Num 10:23 TLB)  and the tribe of Manasseh led by Gamaliel the son of 
       Pedahzur;

       (Num 10:24 TLB)  and the tribe of Benjamin, led by Abidan the son of 
       Gideoni.

       (Num 10:25 TLB)  Last of all were the tribes headed by the flag of the 
       tribe of Dan under the leadership of Ahiezer, the son of Ammishaddai;

       (Num 10:26 TLB)  the tribe of Asher, led by Pagiel, the son of Ochran;

       (Num 10:27 TLB)  and the tribe of Naphtali, led by Ahira, the son of 
       Enan.

       (Num 10:28 TLB)  That was the order in which the tribes traveled.

       (Num 10:29 TLB)  One day Moses said to his brother-in-law, Hobab (son 
       of Reuel, the Midianite), "At last we are on our way to the Promised 
       Land. Come with us and we will do you good; for the Lord has given 
       wonderful promises to Israel!"

       (Num 10:30 TLB)  But his brother-in-law replied, "No, I must return to 
       my own land and kinfolk."

       (Num 10:31 TLB)  "Stay with us," Moses pleaded, "for you know the ways 
       of the wilderness and will be a great help to us.

       (Num 10:32 TLB)  If you come, you will share in all the good things 
       the Lord does for us."

       (Num 10:33 TLB)  They traveled for three days after leaving Mount 
       Sinai, with the Ark at the front of the column to choose a place for 
       them to stop.

       (Num 10:34 TLB)  It was daytime when they left, with the Cloud moving 
       along ahead of them as they began their march.

       (Num 10:35 TLB)  As the Ark was carried forward, Moses cried out, 
       "Arise, O Lord, and scatter your enemies; let them flee before you."

       (Num 10:36 TLB)  And when the Ark was set down he said, "Return, O 
       Lord, to the millions of Israel."

       (Num 11:1 TLB)  The people were soon complaining about all their 
       misfortunes, and the Lord heard them. His anger flared out against 
       them because of their complaints, so the fire of the Lord began 
       destroying those at the far end of the camp.

       (Num 11:2 TLB)  They screamed to Moses for help, and when he prayed 
       for them the fire stopped.

       (Num 11:3 TLB)  Ever after, the area was known as "The Place of 
       Burning," because the fire from the Lord burned among them there.

       (Num 11:4 TLB)  Then the Egyptians who had come with them began to 
       long for the good things of Egypt. This added to the discontent of the 





       people of Israel and they wept, "Oh, for a few bites of meat!

       (Num 11:5 TLB)  Oh, that we had some of the delicious fish we enjoyed 
       so much in Egypt, and the wonderful cucumbers and melons, leeks, 
       onions, and garlic!

       (Num 11:6 TLB)  But now our strength is gone, and day after day we 
       have to face this manna!"

       (Num 11:7 TLB)  The manna was the size of small seeds, whitish yellow 
       in color.

       (Num 11:8 TLB)  The people gathered it from the ground and pounded it 
       into flour, then boiled it, and then made pancakes from it--they 
       tasted like pancakes fried in vegetable oil.

       (Num 11:9 TLB)  The manna fell with the dew during the night.

       (Num 11:10 TLB)  Moses heard all the families standing around their 
       tent doors weeping, and the anger of the Lord grew hot; Moses too was 
       highly displeased.

       (Num 11:11 TLB)  Moses said to the Lord, "Why pick on me, to give me 
       the burden of a people like this?

       (Num 11:12 TLB)  Are they my children? Am I their father? Is that why 
       you have given me the job of nursing them along like babies until we 
       get to the land you promised their ancestors?

       (Num 11:13 TLB)  Where am I supposed to get meat for all these people? 
       For they weep to me saying, 'Give us meat!'

       (Num 11:14 TLB)  I can't carry this nation by myself! The load is far 
       too heavy!

       (Num 11:15 TLB)  If you are going to treat me like this, please kill 
       me right now; it will be a kindness! Let me out of this impossible 
       situation!"

       (Num 11:16 TLB)  Then the Lord said to Moses, "Summon before me 
       seventy of the leaders of Israel; bring them to the Tabernacle, to 
       stand there with you.

       (Num 11:17 TLB)  I will come down and talk with you there, and I will 
       take of the Spirit which is on you and will put it upon them also; 
       they shall bear the burden of the people along with you, so that you 
       will not have the task alone.

       (Num 11:18 TLB)  "And tell the people to purify themselves, for 
       tomorrow they shall have meat to eat. Tell them, 'The Lord has heard 
       your tearful complaints about all you left behind in Egypt, and he is 
       going to give you meat. You shall eat it,

       (Num 11:19 TLB)  not for just a day or two, or five or ten or even 
       twenty!





       (Num 11:20 TLB)  For one whole month you will have meat until you 
       vomit it from your noses; for you have rejected the Lord who is here 
       among you, and you have wept for Egypt.'"

       (Num 11:21 TLB)  But Moses said, "There are 600,000 men alone (besides 
       all the women and children), and yet you promise them meat for a whole 
       month!

       (Num 11:22 TLB)  If we butcher all our flocks and herds it won't be 
       enough! We would have to catch every fish in the ocean to fulfill your 
       promise!"

       (Num 11:23 TLB)  Then the Lord said to Moses, "When did I become weak? 
       Now you shall see whether my word comes true or not!"

       (Num 11:24 TLB)  So Moses left the Tabernacle and reported Jehovah's 
       words to the people; and he gathered the seventy elders and placed 
       them around the Tabernacle.

       (Num 11:25 TLB)  And the Lord came down in the Cloud and talked with 
       Moses, and the Lord took of the Spirit that was upon Moses and put it 
       upon the seventy elders; and when the Spirit rested upon them, they 
       prophesied for some time.

       (Num 11:26 TLB)  But two of the seventy--Eldad and Medad--were still 
       in the camp, and when the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied 
       there.

       (Num 11:27 TLB)  Some young men ran and told Moses what was happening,

       (Num 11:28 TLB)  and Joshua (the son of Nun), one of Moses' personally 
       chosen assistants, protested, "Sir, make them stop!"

       (Num 11:29 TLB)  But Moses replied, "Are you jealous for my sake? I 
       only wish that all of the Lord's people were prophets, and that the 
       Lord would put his Spirit upon them all!"

       (Num 11:30 TLB)  Then Moses returned to the camp with the elders of 
       Israel.

       (Num 11:31 TLB)  The Lord sent a wind that brought quail from the sea 
       and let them fall into the camp and all around it! As far as one could 
       walk in a day in any direction, there were quail flying three or four 
       feet above the ground.

       (Num 11:32 TLB)  So the people caught and killed quail all that day 
       and through the night and all the next day too! The least anyone 
       gathered was 100 bushels! Quail were spread out all around the camp.

       (Num 11:33 TLB)  But as everyone began eating the meat, the anger of 
       the Lord rose against the people and he killed large numbers of them 
       with a plague.

       (Num 11:34 TLB)  So the name of that place was called, "The Place of 
       the Graves Caused by Lust," because they buried the people there who 
       had lusted for meat and for Egypt.






       (Num 11:35 TLB)  And from that place they journeyed to Hazeroth, where 
       they stayed awhile.

       (Num 12:1 TLB)  One day Miriam and Aaron were criticizing Moses 
       because his wife was a Cushite woman,

       (Num 12:2 TLB)  and they said, "Has the Lord spoken only through 
       Moses? Hasn't he spoken through us, too?" But the Lord heard them.

       (Num 12:3 TLB)  Immediately he summoned Moses, Aaron, and Miriam to 
       the Tabernacle: "Come here, you three," he commanded. So they stood 
       before the Lord. (Now Moses was the humblest man on earth.)

       (Num 12:4 TLB)  

       (Num 12:5 TLB)  Then the Lord descended in the Cloud and stood at the 
       entrance of the Tabernacle. "Aaron and Miriam, step forward," he 
       commanded; and they did.

       (Num 12:6 TLB)  And the Lord said to them, "Even with a prophet, I 
       would communicate by visions and dreams;

       (Num 12:7 TLB)  but that is not how I communicate with my servant 
       Moses. He is completely at home in my house!

       (Num 12:8 TLB)  With him I speak face to face! And he shall see the 
       very form of God! Why then were you not afraid to criticize him?"

       (Num 12:9 TLB)  Then the anger of the Lord grew hot against them, and 
       he departed.

       (Num 12:10 TLB)  As the Cloud moved from above the Tabernacle, Miriam 
       suddenly became white with leprosy. When Aaron saw what had happened,

       (Num 12:11 TLB)  he cried out to Moses, "Oh, sir, do not punish us for 
       this sin; we were fools to do such a thing.

       (Num 12:12 TLB)  Don't let her be as one dead, whose body is half 
       rotted away at birth."

       (Num 12:13 TLB)  And Moses cried out to the Lord, "Heal her, O God, I 
       beg you!"

       (Num 12:14 TLB)  And the Lord said to Moses, "If her father had but 
       spit in her face she would be defiled seven days. Let her be banished 
       from the camp for seven days, and after that she can come back again."

       (Num 12:15 TLB)  So Miriam was excluded from the camp for seven days, 
       and the people waited until she was brought back in before they 
       traveled again.

       (Num 12:16 TLB)  Afterwards they left Hazeroth and camped in the 
       wilderness of Paran.

       (Num 13:1 TLB)  Jehovah now instructed Moses,






       (Num 13:2 TLB)  "Send spies into the land of Canaan--the land I am 
       giving to Israel; send one leader from each tribe."

       (Num 13:3 TLB)  (The Israelis were camped in the wilderness of Paran 
       at the time.) Moses did as the Lord had commanded and sent these 
       twelve tribal leaders:

       (Num 13:4 TLB)  Shammua, son of Zaccur, from the tribe of Reuben;

       (Num 13:5 TLB)  Shaphat, son of Hori, from the tribe of Simeon;

       (Num 13:6 TLB)  Caleb, son of Jephunneh, from the tribe of Judah;

       (Num 13:7 TLB)  Igal, son of Joseph, from the tribe of Issachar;

       (Num 13:8 TLB)  Hoshea, son of Nun, from the half-tribe of Ephraim;

       (Num 13:9 TLB)  Palti, son of Raphu, from the tribe of Benjamin;

       (Num 13:10 TLB)  Gaddiel, son of Sodi, from the tribe of Zebulun;

       (Num 13:11 TLB)  Gaddi, son of Susi, from the tribe of Joseph 
       (actually, the half-tribe of Manasseh);

       (Num 13:12 TLB)  Ammiel, son of Gemalli, from the tribe of Dan;

       (Num 13:13 TLB)  Sethur, son of Michael, from the tribe of Asher;

       (Num 13:14 TLB)  Nahbi, son of Vophsi, from the tribe of Naphtali;

       (Num 13:15 TLB)  Geuel, son of Machi, from the tribe of Gad.

       (Num 13:16 TLB)  It was at this time that Moses changed Hoshea's name 
       to Joshua.

       (Num 13:17 TLB)  Moses sent them out with these instructions: "Go 
       northward into the hill country of the Negeb,

       (Num 13:18 TLB)  and see what the land is like; see also what the 
       people are like who live there, whether they are strong or weak, many 
       or few;

       (Num 13:19 TLB)  and whether the land is fertile or not; and what 
       cities there are, and whether they are villages or are fortified;

       (Num 13:20 TLB)  whether the land is rich or poor, and whether there 
       are many trees. Don't be afraid, and bring back some samples of the 
       crops you see." (The first of the grapes were being harvested at that 
       time.)

       (Num 13:21 TLB)  So they spied out the land all the way from the 
       wilderness of Zin to Rehob near Hamath.

       (Num 13:22 TLB)  Going northward, they passed first through the Negeb 
       and arrived at Hebron. There they saw the Ahimanites, Sheshites, and 





       Talmites, all families descended from Anak. (By the way, Hebron was 
       very ancient, having been founded seven years before Tanis in Egypt.)

       (Num 13:23 TLB)  Then they came to what is now known as the Valley of 
       Eshcol where they cut down a single cluster of grapes so large that it 
       took two of them to carry it on a pole between them! They also took 
       some samples of the pomegranates and figs.

       (Num 13:24 TLB)  The Israelis named the valley "Eshcol" at that time 
       (meaning "Cluster") because of the cluster of grapes they found!

       (Num 13:25 TLB)  After forty days of exploration they returned from 
       their tour.

       (Num 13:26 TLB)  They made their report to Moses, Aaron, and all the 
       people of Israel in the wilderness of Paran at Kadesh, and they showed 
       the fruit they had brought with them.

       (Num 13:27 TLB)  This was their report: "We arrived in the land you 
       sent us to see, and it is indeed a magnificent country--a land 
       'flowing with milk and honey.' Here is some fruit we have brought as 
       proof.

       (Num 13:28 TLB)  But the people living there are powerful, and their 
       cities are fortified and very large; and what's more, we saw Anakim 
       giants there!

       (Num 13:29 TLB)  The Amalekites live in the south, while in the hill 
       country there are the Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites; down along 
       the coast of the Mediterranean Sea and in the Jordan River valley are 
       the Canaanites."

       (Num 13:30 TLB)  But Caleb reassured the people as they stood before 
       Moses. "Let us go up at once and possess it," he said, "for we are 
       well able to conquer it!"

       (Num 13:31 TLB)  "Not against people as strong as they are!" the other 
       spies said. "They would crush us!"

       (Num 13:32 TLB)  So the majority report of the spies was negative: 
       "The land is full of warriors, the people are powerfully built,

       (Num 13:33 TLB)  and we saw some of the Anakim there, descendants of 
       the ancient race of giants. We felt like grasshoppers before them, 
       they were so tall!"

       (Num 14:1 TLB)  Then all the people began weeping aloud, and they 
       carried on all night.

       (Num 14:2 TLB)  Their voices rose in a great chorus of complaint 
       against Moses and Aaron. "We wish we had died in Egypt," they wailed, 
       "or even here in the wilderness,

       (Num 14:3 TLB)  rather than be taken into this country ahead of us. 
       Jehovah will kill us there, and our wives and little ones will become 
       slaves. Let's get out of here and return to Egypt!"






       (Num 14:4 TLB)  The idea swept the camp. "Let's elect a leader to take 
       us back to Egypt!" they shouted.

       (Num 14:5 TLB)  Then Moses and Aaron fell face downward on the ground 
       before the people of Israel.

       (Num 14:6 TLB)  Two of the spies, Joshua (the son of Nun), and Caleb 
       (the son of Jephunneh), ripped their clothing

       (Num 14:7 TLB)  and said to all the people, "It is a wonderful country 
       ahead,

       (Num 14:8 TLB)  and the Lord loves us. He will bring us safely into 
       the land and give it to us. It is very fertile, a land 'flowing with 
       milk and honey'!

       (Num 14:9 TLB)  Oh, do not rebel against the Lord, and do not fear the 
       people of the land. For they are but bread for us to eat! The Lord is 
       with us and he has removed his protection from them! Don't be afraid 
       of them!"

       (Num 14:10 TLB)  But the only response of the people was to talk of 
       stoning them. Then the glory of the Lord appeared,

       (Num 14:11 TLB)  and the Lord said to Moses, "How long will these 
       people despise me? Will they never believe me, even after all the 
       miracles I have done among them?

       (Num 14:12 TLB)  I will disinherit them and destroy them with a 
       plague, and I will make you into a nation far greater and mightier 
       than they are!"

       (Num 14:13 TLB)  "But what will the Egyptians think when they hear 
       about it?" Moses pleaded with the Lord. "They know full well the power 
       you displayed in rescuing your people.

       (Num 14:14 TLB)  They have told this to the inhabitants of this land, 
       who are well aware that you are with Israel and that you talk with her 
       face to face. They see the pillar of cloud and fire standing above us, 
       and they know that you lead and protect us day and night.

       (Num 14:15 TLB)  Now if you kill all your people, the nations that 
       have heard your fame will say,

       (Num 14:16 TLB)  'The Lord had to kill them because he wasn't able to 
       take care of them in the wilderness. He wasn't strong enough to bring 
       them into the land he swore he would give them.'

       (Num 14:17 TLB)  "Oh, please, show the great power (of your patience) 
       by forgiving our sins and showing us your steadfast love.

       (Num 14:18 TLB)  Forgive us, even though you have said that you don't 
       let sin go unpunished, and that you punish the father's fault in the 
       children to the third and fourth generation.





       (Num 14:19 TLB)  Oh, I plead with you, pardon the sins of this people 
       because of your magnificent, steadfast love, just as you have forgiven 
       them all the time from when we left Egypt until now."

       (Num 14:20 TLB)  Then the Lord said, "All right, I will pardon them as 
       you have requested.

       (Num 14:21 TLB)  But I vow by my own name that just as it is true that 
       all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord,

       (Num 14:22 TLB)  so it is true that not one of the men who has seen my 
       glory and the miracles I did both in Egypt and in the wilderness--and 
       ten times refused to trust me and obey me--

       (Num 14:23 TLB)  shall even see the land I promised to this people's 
       ancestors.

       (Num 14:24 TLB)  But my servant Caleb is a different kind of man--he 
       has obeyed me fully. I will bring him into the land he entered as a 
       spy, and his descendants shall have their full share in it.

       (Num 14:25 TLB)  But now, since the people of Israel are so afraid of 
       the Amalekites and the Canaanites living in the valleys, tomorrow you 
       must turn back into the wilderness in the direction of the Red Sea."

       (Num 14:26 TLB)  Then the Lord said to Moses and to Aaron, "How long 
       will this wicked nation complain about me? For I have heard all that 
       they have been saying.

       (Num 14:27 TLB)  

       (Num 14:28 TLB)  Tell them, 'The Lord vows to do to you what you 
       feared:

       (Num 14:29 TLB)  You will all die here in this wilderness! Not a 
       single one of you twenty years old and older, who has complained 
       against me,

       (Num 14:30 TLB)  shall enter the Promised Land. Only Caleb (son of 
       Jephunneh) and Joshua (son of Nun) are permitted to enter it.

       (Num 14:31 TLB)  "'You said your children would become slaves of the 
       people of the land. Well, instead I will bring them safely into the 
       land and they shall inherit what you have despised.

       (Num 14:32 TLB)  But as for you, your dead bodies shall fall in this 
       wilderness.

       (Num 14:33 TLB)  You must wander in the desert like nomads for forty 
       years. In this way you will pay for your faithlessness, until the last 
       of you lies dead in the desert.

       (Num 14:34 TLB)  "'Since the spies were in the land for forty days, 
       you must wander in the wilderness for forty years--a year for each 
       day, bearing the burden of your sins. I will teach you what it means 
       to reject me.






       (Num 14:35 TLB)  I, Jehovah, have spoken. Every one of you who has 
       conspired against me shall die here in this wilderness.'"

       (Num 14:36 TLB)  Then the ten spies who had incited the rebellion 
       against Jehovah by striking fear into the hearts of the people

       (Num 14:37 TLB)  were struck dead before the Lord.

       (Num 14:38 TLB)  Of all the spies, only Joshua and Caleb remained 
       alive.

       (Num 14:39 TLB)  What sorrow there was throughout the camp when Moses 
       reported God's words to the people!

       (Num 14:40 TLB)  They were up early the next morning and started 
       toward the Promised Land. "Here we are!" they said. "We realize that 
       we have sinned, but now we are ready to go on into the land the Lord 
       has promised us."

       (Num 14:41 TLB)  But Moses said, "It's too late. Now you are 
       disobeying the Lord's orders to return to the wilderness.

       (Num 14:42 TLB)  Don't go ahead with your plan or you will be crushed 
       by your enemies, for the Lord is not with you.

       (Num 14:43 TLB)  Don't you remember? The Amalekites and the Canaanites 
       are there! You have deserted the Lord, and now he will desert you."

       (Num 14:44 TLB)  But they went ahead into the hill country, despite 
       the fact that neither the Ark nor Moses left the camp.

       (Num 14:45 TLB)  Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived in 
       the hills came down and attacked them and chased them to Hormah.

       (Num 15:1 TLB)  The Lord told Moses to give these instructions to the 
       people of Israel: "When your children finally live in the land I am 
       going to give them,

       (Num 15:2 TLB)  

       (Num 15:3 TLB)  and they want to please the Lord with a burnt offering 
       or any other offering by fire, their sacrifice must be an animal from 
       their flocks of sheep and goats, or from their herds of cattle.

       (Num 15:4 TLB)  Each sacrifice--whether an ordinary one, or a 
       sacrifice to fulfill a vow, or a free-will offering, or a special 
       sacrifice at any of the annual festivals--must be accompanied by a 
       grain offering. If a lamb is being sacrificed, use three quarts of 
       fine flour mixed with three pints of oil,

       (Num 15:5 TLB)  accompanied by three pints of wine for a drink 
       offering.

       (Num 15:6 TLB)  "If the sacrifice is a ram, use six quarts of fine 
       flour mixed with four pints of oil,






       (Num 15:7 TLB)  and four pints of wine for a drink offering. This will 
       be a sacrifice that is a pleasing fragrance to the Lord.

       (Num 15:8 TLB)  "If the sacrifice is a young bull, then the grain 
       offering accompanying it must consist of nine quarts of fine flour 
       mixed with three quarts of oil,

       (Num 15:9 TLB)  

       (Num 15:10 TLB)  plus three quarts of wine for the drink offering. 
       This shall be offered by fire as a pleasing fragrance to the Lord.

       (Num 15:11 TLB)  "These are the instructions for what is to accompany 
       each sacrificial bull, ram, lamb, or young goat.

       (Num 15:12 TLB)  

       (Num 15:13 TLB)  These instructions apply both to native-born Israelis 
       and to foreigners living among you who want to please the Lord with 
       sacrifices offered by fire;

       (Num 15:14 TLB)  

       (Num 15:15 TLB)  for there is the same law for all, native-born or 
       foreigner, and this shall be true forever from generation to 
       generation; all are the same before the Lord.

       (Num 15:16 TLB)  Yes, one law for all!"

       (Num 15:17 TLB)  The Lord also said to Moses at this time, "Instruct 
       the people of Israel that when they arrive in the land that I am going 
       to give them,

       (Num 15:18 TLB)  

       (Num 15:19 TLB)  they must present to the Lord a sample of each year's 
       new crops

       (Num 15:20 TLB)  by making a loaf, using coarse flour from the first 
       grain that is cut each year. This loaf must be waved back and forth 
       before the altar in a gesture of offering to the Lord.

       (Num 15:21 TLB)  It is an annual offering from your threshing floor 
       and must be observed from generation to generation.

       (Num 15:22 TLB)  "If by mistake you or future generations fail to 
       carry out all of these regulations that the Lord has given you over 
       the years through Moses,

       (Num 15:23 TLB)  then when the people realize their error, they must 
       offer one young bull for a burnt offering.

       (Num 15:24 TLB)  It will be a pleasant odor before the Lord, and must 
       be offered along with the usual grain offering and drink offering, and 
       one male goat for a sin offering.






       (Num 15:25 TLB)  And the priest shall make atonement for all of the 
       people of Israel and they shall be forgiven; for it was an error, and 
       they have corrected it with their sacrifice made by fire before the 
       Lord, and by their sin offering.

       (Num 15:26 TLB)  All the people shall be forgiven, including the 
       foreigners living among them, for the entire population is involved in 
       such error and forgiveness.

       (Num 15:27 TLB)  "If the error is made by a single individual, then he 
       shall sacrifice a one-year-old female goat for a sin offering,

       (Num 15:28 TLB)  and the priest shall make atonement for him before 
       the Lord, and he shall be forgiven.

       (Num 15:29 TLB)  This same law applies to individual foreigners who 
       are living among you.

       (Num 15:30 TLB)  "But anyone who deliberately makes the 'mistake,' 
       whether he is a native Israeli or a foreigner, is blaspheming Jehovah, 
       and shall be cut off from among his people.

       (Num 15:31 TLB)  For he has despised the commandment of the Lord and 
       deliberately failed to obey his law; he must be executed and die in 
       his sin."

       (Num 15:32 TLB)  One day while the people of Israel were in the 
       wilderness, one of them was caught gathering wood on the Sabbath day.

       (Num 15:33 TLB)  He was arrested and taken before Moses and Aaron and 
       the other judges.

       (Num 15:34 TLB)  They jailed him until they could find out the Lord's 
       mind concerning him.

       (Num 15:35 TLB)  Then the Lord said to Moses, "The man must die--all 
       the people shall stone him to death outside the camp."

       (Num 15:36 TLB)  So they took him outside the camp and killed him as 
       the Lord had commanded.

       (Num 15:37 TLB)  The Lord said to Moses,

       (Num 15:38 TLB)  "Tell the people of Israel to make tassels for the 
       hems of their clothes (this is a permanent regulation from generation 
       to generation) and to attach the tassels to their clothes with a blue 
       cord.

       (Num 15:39 TLB)  The purpose of this regulation is to remind you, 
       whenever you notice the tassels, of the commandments of the Lord, and 
       that you are to obey his laws instead of following your own desires 
       and going your own ways, as you used to do in serving other gods.

       (Num 15:40 TLB)  It will remind you to be holy to your God.





       (Num 15:41 TLB)  For I am Jehovah your God who brought you out of the 
       land of Egypt; yes, I am the Lord, your God."

       (Num 16:1 TLB)  One day Korah (son of Izhar, grandson of Kohath, and a 
       descendant of Levi) conspired with Dathan and Abiram (the sons of 
       Eliab) and On (the son of Peleth), all three from the tribe of Reuben,

       (Num 16:2 TLB)  to incite a rebellion against Moses. Two hundred and 
       fifty popular leaders, all members of the Assembly, were involved.

       (Num 16:3 TLB)  They went to Moses and Aaron and said, "We have had 
       enough of your presumption; you are no better than anyone else; 
       everyone in Israel has been chosen of the Lord, and he is with all of 
       us. What right do you have to put yourselves forward, claiming that we 
       must obey you, and acting as though you were greater than anyone else 
       among all these people of the Lord?"

       (Num 16:4 TLB)  When Moses heard what they were saying he fell face 
       downward to the ground.

       (Num 16:5 TLB)  Then he said to Korah and to those who were with him, 
       "In the morning the Lord will show you who are his, and who is holy, 
       and whom he has chosen as his priest.

       (Num 16:6 TLB)  Do this: You, Korah, and all those with you, take 
       censers

       (Num 16:7 TLB)  tomorrow and light them, and put incense upon them 
       before the Lord, and we will find out whom the Lord has chosen. You 
       are the presumptuous ones, you sons of Levi."

       (Num 16:8 TLB)  Then Moses spoke again to Korah:

       (Num 16:9 TLB)  "Does it seem a small thing to you that the God of 
       Israel has chosen you from among all the people of Israel to be near 
       to himself as you work in the Tabernacle of Jehovah, and to stand 
       before the people to minister to them?

       (Num 16:10 TLB)  Is it nothing to you that he has given this task to 
       only you Levites? And now are you demanding the priesthood also?

       (Num 16:11 TLB)  That is what you are really after! That is why you 
       are revolting against Jehovah. And what has Aaron done, that you are 
       dissatisfied with him?"

       (Num 16:12 TLB)  Then Moses summoned Dathan and Abiram (the sons of 
       Eliab), but they refused to come.

       (Num 16:13 TLB)  "Is it a small thing," they mimicked, "that you 
       brought us out of lovely Egypt to kill us here in this terrible 
       wilderness, and that now you want to make yourself our king?

       (Num 16:14 TLB)  What's more, you haven't brought us into the 
       wonderful country you promised, nor given us fields and vineyards. 
       Whom are you trying to fool? We refuse to come."





       (Num 16:15 TLB)  Then Moses was very angry and said to the Lord, "Do 
       not accept their sacrifices! I have never stolen so much as a donkey 
       from them and have not hurt one of them."

       (Num 16:16 TLB)  And Moses said to Korah, "Come here tomorrow before 
       the Lord with all your friends; Aaron will be here too.

       (Num 16:17 TLB)  Be sure to bring your censers with incense on them; a 
       censer for each man, 250 in all; and Aaron will also be here with 
       his."

       (Num 16:18 TLB)  So they did. They came with their censers and lit 
       them and placed the incense on them, and stood at the entrance of the 
       Tabernacle with Moses and Aaron.

       (Num 16:19 TLB)  Meanwhile, Korah had stirred up the entire nation 
       against Moses and Aaron, and they all assembled to watch. Then the 
       glory of Jehovah appeared to all the people,

       (Num 16:20 TLB)  and Jehovah said to Moses and Aaron,

       (Num 16:21 TLB)  "Get away from these people so that I may instantly 
       destroy them."

       (Num 16:22 TLB)  But Moses and Aaron fell face downward to the ground 
       before the Lord. "O God, the God of all mankind," they pleaded, "must 
       you be angry with all the people when one man sins?"

       (Num 16:23 TLB)  And the Lord said to Moses, "Then tell the people to 
       get away from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram."

       (Num 16:24 TLB)  

       (Num 16:25 TLB)  So Moses rushed over to the tents of Dathan and 
       Abiram, followed closely by the 250 Israeli leaders.

       (Num 16:26 TLB)  "Quick!" he told the people, "get away from the tents 
       of these wicked men, and don't touch anything that belongs to them, 
       lest you be included in their sins (and be destroyed with them)."

       (Num 16:27 TLB)  So all the people stood back from the tents of Korah, 
       Dathan, and Abiram. And Dathan and Abiram came out and stood at the 
       entrances of their tents with their wives and sons and little ones.

       (Num 16:28 TLB)  And Moses said, "By this you shall know that Jehovah 
       has sent me to do all these things that I have done--for I have not 
       done them on my own.

       (Num 16:29 TLB)  If these men die a natural death or from some 
       ordinary accident or disease, then Jehovah has not sent me.

       (Num 16:30 TLB)  But if the Lord does a miracle and the ground opens 
       up and swallows them and everything that belongs to them, and they go 
       down alive into Sheol, then you will know that these men have despised 
       the Lord."





       (Num 16:31 TLB)  He had hardly finished speaking the words when the 
       ground suddenly split open beneath them,

       (Num 16:32 TLB)  and a great fissure swallowed them up, along with 
       their tents and families and the friends who were standing with them, 
       and everything they owned.

       (Num 16:33 TLB)  So they went down alive into Sheol and the earth 
       closed upon them, and they perished.

       (Num 16:34 TLB)  All of the people of Israel fled at their screams, 
       fearing that the earth would swallow them too.

       (Num 16:35 TLB)  Then fire came from Jehovah and burned up the 250 men 
       who were offering incense.

       (Num 16:36 TLB)  And the Lord said to Moses,

       (Num 16:37 TLB)  "Tell Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest to pull 
       those censers from the fire; for they are holy, dedicated to the Lord. 
       He must also scatter the burning incense

       (Num 16:38 TLB)  from the censers of these men who have sinned at the 
       cost of their lives. He shall then beat the metal into a sheet as a 
       covering for the altar, for these censers are holy because they were 
       used before the Lord; and the altar sheet shall be a reminder to the 
       people of Israel."

       (Num 16:39 TLB)  So Eleazar the priest took the 250 bronze censers and 
       beat them out into a sheet of metal to cover the altar,

       (Num 16:40 TLB)  to be a reminder to the people of Israel that no 
       unauthorized person--no one who is not a descendant of Aaron--may come 
       before the Lord to burn incense, lest the same thing happen to him as 
       happened to Korah and his associates. Thus the Lord's directions to 
       Moses were carried out.

       (Num 16:41 TLB)  But the very next morning all the people began 
       muttering again against Moses and Aaron, saying, "You have killed the 
       Lord's people."

       (Num 16:42 TLB)  Soon a great, sullen mob formed; suddenly, as they 
       looked toward the Tabernacle, the Cloud appeared and the awesome glory 
       of the Lord was seen.

       (Num 16:43 TLB)  Moses and Aaron came and stood at the entrance of the 
       Tabernacle, and the Lord said to Moses,

       (Num 16:44 TLB)  

       (Num 16:45 TLB)  "Get away from these people so that I can instantly 
       destroy them." But Moses and Aaron fell face downward to the earth 
       before the Lord.

       (Num 16:46 TLB)  And Moses said to Aaron, "Quick, take a censer and 
       place fire in it from the altar; lay incense on it, and carry it 





       quickly among the people and make atonement for them; for God's anger 
       has gone out among them--the plague has already begun."

       (Num 16:47 TLB)  Aaron did as Moses had told him to, and ran among the 
       people, for the plague had indeed already begun; and he put on the 
       incense and made atonement for them.

       (Num 16:48 TLB)  And he stood between the living and the dead, and the 
       plague was stopped,

       (Num 16:49 TLB)  but not before 14,700 people had died (in addition to 
       those who had died the previous day with Korah).

       (Num 16:50 TLB)  Then Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance of the 
       Tabernacle; and so the plague was stopped.

       (Num 17:1 TLB)  Then the Lord said to Moses,

       (Num 17:2 TLB)  "Tell the people of Israel that each of their tribal 
       chiefs is to bring you a wooden rod with his name inscribed upon it.

       (Num 17:3 TLB)  Aaron's name is to be on the rod of the tribe of Levi.

       (Num 17:4 TLB)  Put these rods in the inner room of the Tabernacle 
       where I meet with you, in front of the Ark.

       (Num 17:5 TLB)  I will use these rods to identify the man I have 
       chosen: for buds will grow on his rod! Then at last this murmuring and 
       complaining against you will stop!"

       (Num 17:6 TLB)  So Moses gave the instructions to the people, and each 
       of the twelve chiefs (including Aaron) brought him a rod.

       (Num 17:7 TLB)  He put them before the Lord in the inner room of the 
       Tabernacle,

       (Num 17:8 TLB)  and when he went in the next day, he found that 
       Aaron's rod, representing the tribe of Levi, had budded and was 
       blossoming, and had ripe almonds hanging from it!

       (Num 17:9 TLB)  When Moses brought them out to show the others, they 
       stared in disbelief! Then each man except Aaron claimed his rod.

       (Num 17:10 TLB)  The Lord told Moses to place Aaron's rod permanently 
       beside the Ark as a reminder of this rebellion. He was to (bring it 
       out and show it to the people again) if there were any further 
       complaints about Aaron's authority; this would ward off further 
       catastrophe to the people.

       (Num 17:11 TLB)  So Moses did as the Lord commanded him.

       (Num 17:12 TLB)  But the people of Israel only grumbled the more. "We 
       are as good as dead," they whined. "Everyone who even comes close to 
       the Tabernacle dies. Must we all perish?"

       (Num 17:13 TLB)  






       (Num 18:1 TLB)  The Lord now spoke to Aaron: "You and your sons and 
       your family are responsible for any desecration of the sanctuary," he 
       said, "and will be held liable for any impropriety in your priestly 
       work.

       (Num 18:2 TLB)  "Your kinsmen, the tribe of Levi, are your assistants; 
       but only you and your sons may perform the sacred duties in the 
       Tabernacle itself.

       (Num 18:3 TLB)  The Levites must be careful not to touch any of the 
       sacred articles or the altar, lest I destroy both them and you.

       (Num 18:4 TLB)  No one who is not a member of the tribe of Levi shall 
       assist you in any way.

       (Num 18:5 TLB)  Remember, only the priests are to perform the sacred 
       duties within the sanctuary and at the altar. If you follow these 
       instructions, the wrath of God will never again fall upon any of the 
       people of Israel for violating this law.

       (Num 18:6 TLB)  I say it again--your kinsmen the Levites are your 
       assistants for the work of the Tabernacle. They are a gift to you from 
       the Lord.

       (Num 18:7 TLB)  But you and your sons, the priests, shall personally 
       handle all the sacred service, including the altar and all that is 
       within the veil, for the priesthood is your special gift of service. 
       Anyone else who attempts to perform these duties shall die."

       (Num 18:8 TLB)  The Lord gave these further instructions to Aaron: "I 
       have given the priests all the gifts which are brought to the Lord by 
       the people; all these offerings presented to the Lord by the gesture 
       of waving them before the altar belong to you and your sons, by 
       permanent law.

       (Num 18:9 TLB)  The grain offerings, the sin offerings, and the guilt 
       offerings are yours, except for the sample presented to the Lord by 
       burning upon the altar. All these are most holy offerings.

       (Num 18:10 TLB)  They are to be eaten only in a most holy place, and 
       only by males.

       (Num 18:11 TLB)  All other gifts presented to me by the gesture of 
       waving them before the altar are for you and your families, sons and 
       daughters alike. For all the members of your families may eat these 
       unless anyone is ceremonially impure at the time.

       (Num 18:12 TLB)  "Yours also are the first-of-the-harvest gifts the 
       people bring as offerings to the Lord--the best of the olive oil, 
       wine, grain,

       (Num 18:13 TLB)  and every other crop. Your families may eat these 
       unless they are ceremonially defiled at the time.

       (Num 18:14 TLB)  So everything that is dedicated to the Lord shall be 





       yours, including the firstborn sons of the people of Israel, and the 
       firstborn of their animals.

       (Num 18:15 TLB)  

       (Num 18:16 TLB)  However, you may never accept the firstborn sons, nor 
       the firstborn of any animals that I do not permit for food. Instead, 
       there must be a payment of two and a half dollars made for each 
       firstborn child. It is to be brought when he is one month old.

       (Num 18:17 TLB)  "However, the firstborn of cows, sheep, or goats may 
       not be bought back; they must be sacrificed to the Lord. Their blood 
       is to be sprinkled upon the altar, and their fat shall be burned as a 
       fire offering; it is very pleasant to the Lord.

       (Num 18:18 TLB)  The meat of these animals shall be yours, including 
       the breast and right thigh that are presented to the Lord by the 
       gesture of waving before the altar.

       (Num 18:19 TLB)  Yes, I have given to you all of these 'wave 
       offerings' brought by the people of Israel to the Lord; they are for 
       you and your families as food; this is a permanent contract between 
       the Lord and you and your descendants.

       (Num 18:20 TLB)  "You priests may own no property nor have any other 
       income, for I am all that you need.

       (Num 18:21 TLB)  As for the tribe of Levi, your relatives, they shall 
       be paid for their service with the tithes from the entire land of 
       Israel.

       (Num 18:22 TLB)  "From now on, Israelites other than the priests and 
       Levites shall not enter the sanctuary lest they be judged guilty and 
       die.

       (Num 18:23 TLB)  Only the Levites shall do the work there, and they 
       shall be guilty if they fail. This is a permanent law among you, that 
       the Levites shall own no property in Israel,

       (Num 18:24 TLB)  for the people's tithes, offered to the Lord by the 
       gesture of waving before the altar, shall belong to the Levites; these 
       are their inheritance, and so they have no need for property."

       (Num 18:25 TLB)  The Lord also said to Moses,

       (Num 18:26 TLB)  "Tell the Levites to give to the Lord a tenth of the 
       tithes they receive--a tithe of the tithe, to be presented to the Lord 
       by the gesture of waving before the altar.

       (Num 18:27 TLB)  The Lord will consider this as your 
       first-of-the-harvest offering to him of grain and wine, as though it 
       were from your own property.

       (Num 18:28 TLB)  This tithe of the tithe shall be selected from the 
       choicest part of the tithes you receive as the Lord's portion, and 
       shall be given to Aaron the priest.






       (Num 18:29 TLB)  

       (Num 18:30 TLB)  It shall be credited to you just as though it were 
       from your own threshing floor and wine press.

       (Num 18:31 TLB)  Aaron and his sons and their families may eat it in 
       their homes or anywhere they wish, for it is their compensation for 
       their service in the Tabernacle.

       (Num 18:32 TLB)  You Levites will not be held guilty for accepting the 
       Lord's tithes if you then give the best tenth to the priests. But 
       beware that you do not treat the holy gifts of the people of Israel as 
       though they were common, lest you die."

       (Num 19:1 TLB)  The Lord said to Moses and Aaron,

       (Num 19:2 TLB)  "Here is another of my laws: "Tell the people of 
       Israel to bring you a red heifer without defect, one that has never 
       been yoked.

       (Num 19:3 TLB)  Give her to Eleazar the priest and he shall take her 
       outside the camp and someone shall kill her as he watches.

       (Num 19:4 TLB)  Eleazar shall take some of her blood upon his finger 
       and sprinkle it seven times toward the front of the Tabernacle.

       (Num 19:5 TLB)  Then someone shall burn the heifer as he watches--her 
       hide, meat, blood, and dung.

       (Num 19:6 TLB)  Eleazar shall take cedar wood and hyssop branches and 
       scarlet thread, and throw them into the burning pile.

       (Num 19:7 TLB)  "Then he must wash his clothes, and bathe, and 
       afterwards return to the camp and be ceremonially defiled until the 
       evening.

       (Num 19:8 TLB)  And the one who burns the animal must wash his clothes 
       and bathe, and he too shall be defiled until evening.

       (Num 19:9 TLB)  Then someone who is not ceremonially defiled shall 
       gather up the ashes of the heifer and place them in some purified 
       place outside the camp, where they shall be kept for the people of 
       Israel as a source of water for the purification ceremonies, for 
       removal of sin.

       (Num 19:10 TLB)  And the one who gathers up the ashes of the heifer 
       must wash his clothes and be defiled until evening; this is a 
       permanent law for the benefit of the people of Israel and any 
       foreigners living among them.

       (Num 19:11 TLB)  "Anyone who touches a dead human body shall be 
       defiled for seven days,

       (Num 19:12 TLB)  and must purify himself the third and seventh days 
       with water (run through the ashes of the red heifer); then he will be 





       purified; but if he does not do this on the third day, he will 
       continue to be defiled even after the seventh day.

       (Num 19:13 TLB)  Anyone who touches a dead person and does not purify 
       himself in the manner specified has defiled the Tabernacle of the 
       Lord, and shall be excommunicated from Israel. The cleansing water was 
       not sprinkled upon him, so the defilement continues.

       (Num 19:14 TLB)  "When a man dies in a tent, these are the various 
       regulations: Everyone who enters the tent, and those who are in it at 
       the time, shall be defiled seven days.

       (Num 19:15 TLB)  Any container in the tent without a lid over it is 
       defiled.

       (Num 19:16 TLB)  "If someone out in a field touches the corpse of 
       someone who has been killed in battle or who has died in any other 
       way, or if he even touches a bone or a grave, he shall be defiled 
       seven days.

       (Num 19:17 TLB)  To become purified again, ashes from the red heifer 
       sin offering are to be added to spring water in a kettle.

       (Num 19:18 TLB)  Then a person who is not defiled shall take hyssop 
       branches and dip them into the water and sprinkle the water upon the 
       tent and upon all the pots and pans in the tent, and upon anyone who 
       has been defiled by being in the tent, or by touching a bone, or 
       touching someone who has been killed or is otherwise dead, or has 
       touched a grave.

       (Num 19:19 TLB)  This shall take place on the third and seventh days; 
       then the defiled person must wash his clothes and bathe himself, and 
       that evening he will be out from under the defilement.

       (Num 19:20 TLB)  "But anyone who is defiled and doesn't purify himself 
       shall be excommunicated, for he has defiled the sanctuary of the Lord, 
       and the water to cleanse him has not been sprinkled upon him; so he 
       remains defiled.

       (Num 19:21 TLB)  This is a permanent law. The man who sprinkles the 
       water must afterwards wash his clothes; and anyone touching the water 
       shall be defiled until evening.

       (Num 19:22 TLB)  And anything a defiled person touches shall be 
       defiled until evening."

       (Num 20:1 TLB)  The people of Israel arrived in the wilderness of Zin 
       in April and camped at Kadesh, where Miriam died and was buried.

       (Num 20:2 TLB)  There was not enough water to drink at that place, so 
       the people again rebelled against Moses and Aaron. A great mob formed,

       (Num 20:3 TLB)  and they held a protest meeting. "Would that we too 
       had died with our dear brothers the Lord killed!" they shouted at 
       Moses.





       (Num 20:4 TLB)  "You have deliberately brought us into this wilderness 
       to get rid of us, along with our flocks and herds.

       (Num 20:5 TLB)  Why did you ever make us leave Egypt and bring us here 
       to this evil place? Where is the fertile land of wonderful crops--the 
       figs, vines, and pomegranates you told us about? Why, there isn't even 
       water enough to drink!"

       (Num 20:6 TLB)  Moses and Aaron turned away and went to the entrance 
       of the Tabernacle, where they fell face downward before the Lord; and 
       the glory of Jehovah appeared to them.

       (Num 20:7 TLB)  And he said to Moses,

       (Num 20:8 TLB)  "Get Aaron's rod; then you and Aaron must summon the 
       people. As they watch, speak to that rock over there and tell it to 
       pour out its water! You will give them water from a rock, enough for 
       all the people and all their cattle!"

       (Num 20:9 TLB)  So Moses did as instructed. He took the rod from the 
       place where it was kept before the Lord;

       (Num 20:10 TLB)  then Moses and Aaron summoned the people to come and 
       gather at the rock; and he said to them, "Listen, you rebels! Must we 
       bring you water from this rock?"

       (Num 20:11 TLB)  Then Moses lifted the rod and struck the rock twice, 
       and water gushed out; and the people and their cattle drank.

       (Num 20:12 TLB)  But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you 
       did not believe me and did not sanctify me in the eyes of the people 
       of Israel, you shall not bring them into the land I have promised 
       them!"

       (Num 20:13 TLB)  This place was named Meribah (meaning "Rebel 
       Waters"), because it was where the people of Israel fought against 
       Jehovah, and where he showed himself to be holy before them.

       (Num 20:14 TLB)  While Moses was at Kadesh he sent messengers to the 
       king of Edom: "We are the descendants of your brother, Israel," he 
       declared. "You know our sad history,

       (Num 20:15 TLB)  how our ancestors went down to visit Egypt and stayed 
       there so long, and became slaves of the Egyptians.

       (Num 20:16 TLB)  But when we cried to the Lord he heard us and sent an 
       Angel who brought us out of Egypt, and now we are here at Kadesh, 
       encamped on the borders of your land.

       (Num 20:17 TLB)  Please let us pass through your country. We will be 
       careful not to go through your planted fields, nor through your 
       vineyards; we won't even drink water from your wells, but will stay on 
       the main road and not leave it until we have crossed your border on 
       the other side."

       (Num 20:18 TLB)  But the king of Edom said, "Stay out! If you attempt 





       to enter my land, I will meet you with an army!"

       (Num 20:19 TLB)  "But, sir," protested the Israeli ambassadors, "we 
       will stay on the main road and will not even drink your water unless 
       we pay whatever you demand for it. We only want to pass through and 
       nothing else."

       (Num 20:20 TLB)  But the king of Edom was adamant. "Stay out!" he 
       warned, and, mobilizing his army, he marched to the frontier with a 
       great force.

       (Num 20:21 TLB)  Because Edom refused to allow Israel to pass through 
       their country, Israel turned back and journeyed from Kadesh to Mount 
       Hor.

       (Num 20:22 TLB)  

       (Num 20:23 TLB)  Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron at the border 
       of the land of Edom,

       (Num 20:24 TLB)  "The time has come for Aaron to die--for he shall not 
       enter the land I have given the people of Israel, for the two of you 
       rebelled against my instructions concerning the water at Meribah.

       (Num 20:25 TLB)  Now take Aaron and his son Eleazar and lead them up 
       onto Mount Hor.

       (Num 20:26 TLB)  There you shall remove Aaron's priestly garments from 
       him and put them on Eleazar his son; and Aaron shall die there."

       (Num 20:27 TLB)  So Moses did as the Lord commanded him. The three of 
       them went up together into Mount Hor as all the people watched.

       (Num 20:28 TLB)  When they reached the summit, Moses removed the 
       priestly garments from Aaron and put them on his son Eleazar; and 
       Aaron died on the top of the mountain. Moses and Eleazar returned,

       (Num 20:29 TLB)  and when the people were informed of Aaron's death, 
       they mourned for him for thirty days.

       (Num 21:1 TLB)  When the king of Arad heard that the Israelis were 
       approaching (for they were traveling the same route as the spies), he 
       mobilized his army and attacked Israel, taking some of the men as 
       prisoners.

       (Num 21:2 TLB)  Then the people of Israel vowed to the Lord that if he 
       would help them conquer the king of Arad and his people, they would 
       completely annihilate all the cities of that area.

       (Num 21:3 TLB)  The Lord heeded their request and defeated the 
       Canaanites; and the Israelis completely destroyed them and their 
       cities. The name of the region was thereafter called Hormah (meaning 
       "Utterly Destroyed").

       (Num 21:4 TLB)  Then the people of Israel returned to Mount Hor, and 
       from there continued southward along the road to the Red Sea in order 





       to go around the land of Edom. The people were very discouraged;

       (Num 21:5 TLB)  they began to murmur against God and to complain 
       against Moses. "Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die here in 
       the wilderness?" they whined. "There is nothing to eat here, and 
       nothing to drink, and we hate this insipid manna."

       (Num 21:6 TLB)  So the Lord sent poisonous snakes among them to punish 
       them, and many of them were bitten and died.

       (Num 21:7 TLB)  Then the people came to Moses and cried out, "We have 
       sinned, for we have spoken against Jehovah and against you. Pray to 
       him to take away the snakes." So Moses prayed for the people.

       (Num 21:8 TLB)  Then the Lord told him, "Make a bronze replica of one 
       of these snakes and attach it to the top of a pole; anyone who is 
       bitten shall live if he simply looks at it!"

       (Num 21:9 TLB)  So Moses made the replica, and whenever anyone who had 
       been bitten looked at the bronze snake, he recovered!

       (Num 21:10 TLB)  Israel journeyed next to Oboth and camped there.

       (Num 21:11 TLB)  Then they went on to Iyeabarim, in the wilderness, a 
       short distance east of Moab,

       (Num 21:12 TLB)  and from there they traveled to the valley of the 
       brook Zared and set up camp.

       (Num 21:13 TLB)  Then they moved to the far side of the Arnon River, 
       near the borders of the Amorites. (The Arnon River is the boundary 
       line between the Moabites and the Amorites.

       (Num 21:14 TLB)  This fact is mentioned in The Book of the Wars of 
       Jehovah, where it is stated that the valley of the Arnon River and the 
       city of Waheb

       (Num 21:15 TLB)  lie between the Amorites and the people of Moab.)

       (Num 21:16 TLB)  Then Israel traveled to Beer (meaning "A Well"). This 
       is the place where the Lord told Moses, "Summon the people, and I will 
       give them water."

       (Num 21:17 TLB)  What happened is described in this song the people 
       sang: Spring up, O well! Sing of the water!

       (Num 21:18 TLB)  This is a well The leaders dug. It was hollowed With 
       their staves And shovels. Then they left the desert and proceeded on 
       through Mattanah,

       (Num 21:19 TLB)  Nahaliel, and Bamoth;

       (Num 21:20 TLB)  then to the valley in the plateau of Moab, which 
       overlooks the desert with Mount Pisgah in the distance.

       (Num 21:21 TLB)  Israel now sent ambassadors to King Sihon of the 





       Amorites.

       (Num 21:22 TLB)  "Let us travel through your land," they requested. 
       "We will not leave the road until we have passed beyond your borders. 
       We won't trample your fields or touch your vineyards or drink your 
       water."

       (Num 21:23 TLB)  But King Sihon refused. Instead he mobilized his army 
       and attacked Israel in the wilderness, battling them at Jahaz.

       (Num 21:24 TLB)  But Israel slaughtered them and occupied their land 
       from the Arnon River to the Jabbok River, as far as the borders of the 
       Ammonites; but they were stopped there by the rugged terrain.

       (Num 21:25 TLB)  So Israel captured all the cities of the Amorites and 
       lived in them, including the city of Heshbon, which had been King 
       Sihon's capital.

       (Num 21:26 TLB)  

       (Num 21:27 TLB)  The ancient poets had referred to King Sihon in this 
       poem: Come to Heshbon, King Sihon's capital,

       (Num 21:28 TLB)  For a fire has flamed forth And devoured The city of 
       Ar in Moab, On the heights of the Arnon River.

       (Num 21:29 TLB)  Woe to Moab! You are finished, O people of Chemosh; 
       Your sons have fled, And your daughters are captured By King Sihon of 
       the Amorites.

       (Num 21:30 TLB)  He has destroyed The little children And the men and 
       women As far as Dibon, Nophah, and Medeba.

       (Num 21:31 TLB)  While Israel was there in the Amorite country,

       (Num 21:32 TLB)  Moses sent spies to look over the Jazer area; he 
       followed up with an armed attack, capturing all of the towns and 
       driving out the Amorites.

       (Num 21:33 TLB)  They next turned their attention to the city of 
       Bashan, but King Og of Bashan met them with his army at Edrei.

       (Num 21:34 TLB)  The Lord told Moses not to fear--that the enemy was 
       already conquered! "The same thing will happen to King Og as happened 
       to King Sihon at Heshbon," the Lord assured him.

       (Num 21:35 TLB)  And sure enough, Israel was victorious and killed 
       King Og, his sons, and his subjects, so that not a single survivor 
       remained; and Israel occupied the land.

       (Num 22:1 TLB)  The people of Israel now traveled to the plains of 
       Moab and camped east of the Jordan River opposite Jericho.

       (Num 22:2 TLB)  When King Balak of Moab (the son of Zippor) realized 
       how many of them there were, and when he learned what they had done to 
       the Amorites, he and his people were terrified.






       (Num 22:3 TLB)  

       (Num 22:4 TLB)  They quickly consulted with the leaders of Midian. 
       "This mob will eat us like an ox eats grass," they exclaimed. So King 
       Balak

       (Num 22:5 TLB)  sent messengers to Balaam (son of Beor) who was living 
       in his native land of Pethor, near the Euphrates River. He begged 
       Balaam to come and help him. "A vast horde of people has arrived from 
       Egypt, and they cover the face of the earth and are headed toward me," 
       he frantically explained.

       (Num 22:6 TLB)  "Please come and curse them for me, so that I can 
       drive them out of my land; for I know what fantastic blessings fall on 
       those whom you bless, and I also know that those whom you curse are 
       doomed."

       (Num 22:7 TLB)  The messengers he sent were some of the top leaders of 
       Moab and Midian. They went to Balaam with money in hand and urgently 
       explained to him what Balak wanted.

       (Num 22:8 TLB)  "Stay here overnight," Balaam said, "and I'll tell you 
       in the morning whatever the Lord directs me to say." So they did.

       (Num 22:9 TLB)  That night God came to Balaam and asked him, "Who are 
       these men?"

       (Num 22:10 TLB)  "They have come from King Balak of Moab," he replied.

       (Num 22:11 TLB)  "The king says that a vast horde of people from Egypt 
       has arrived at his border, and he wants me to go at once and curse 
       them, in the hope that he can battle them successfully."

       (Num 22:12 TLB)  "Don't do it!" God told him. "You are not to curse 
       them, for I have blessed them!"

       (Num 22:13 TLB)  The next morning Balaam told the men, "Go on home! 
       The Lord won't let me do it."

       (Num 22:14 TLB)  So King Balak's ambassadors returned without him and 
       reported his refusal.

       (Num 22:15 TLB)  Balak tried again. This time he sent a larger number 
       of even more distinguished ambassadors than the former group.

       (Num 22:16 TLB)  They came to Balaam with this message: "King Balak 
       pleads with you to come.

       (Num 22:17 TLB)  He promises you great honors plus any payment you 
       ask. Name your own figure! Only come and curse these people for us."

       (Num 22:18 TLB)  But Balaam replied, "If he were to give me a palace 
       filled with silver and gold, I could do nothing contrary to the 
       command of the Lord my God.





       (Num 22:19 TLB)  However, stay here tonight so that I can find out 
       whether the Lord will add anything to what he said before."

       (Num 22:20 TLB)  That night God told Balaam, "You may get up and go 
       with these men, but be sure to say only what I tell you to."

       (Num 22:21 TLB)  So the next morning he saddled his donkey and started 
       off with them.

       (Num 22:22 TLB)  But God was angry about Balaam's eager attitude, so 
       he sent an angel to stand in the road to kill him. As Balaam and two 
       servants were riding along,

       (Num 22:23 TLB)  Balaam's donkey suddenly saw the angel of the Lord 
       standing in the road with a drawn sword. She bolted off the road into 
       a field, but Balaam beat her back onto the road.

       (Num 22:24 TLB)  Now the angel of the Lord stood at a place where the 
       road went between two vineyard walls.

       (Num 22:25 TLB)  When the donkey saw him standing there, she squirmed 
       past by pressing against the wall, crushing Balaam's foot in the 
       process. So he beat her again.

       (Num 22:26 TLB)  Then the angel of the Lord moved farther down the 
       road and stood in a place so narrow that the donkey couldn't get by at 
       all.

       (Num 22:27 TLB)  So she lay down in the road! In a great fit of temper 
       Balaam beat her again with his staff.

       (Num 22:28 TLB)  Then the Lord caused the donkey to speak! "What have 
       I done that deserves your beating me these three times?" she asked.

       (Num 22:29 TLB)  "Because you have made me look like a fool!" Balaam 
       shouted. "I wish I had a sword with me, for I would kill you."

       (Num 22:30 TLB)  "Have I ever done anything like this before in my 
       entire life?" the donkey asked. "No," he admitted.

       (Num 22:31 TLB)  Then the Lord opened Balaam's eyes and he saw the 
       angel standing in the roadway with drawn sword, and he fell flat on 
       the ground before him.

       (Num 22:32 TLB)  "Why did you beat your donkey those three times?" the 
       angel demanded. "I have come to stop you because you are headed for 
       destruction.

       (Num 22:33 TLB)  Three times the donkey saw me and shied away from me; 
       otherwise I would certainly have killed you by now and spared her."

       (Num 22:34 TLB)  Then Balaam confessed, "I have sinned. I didn't 
       realize you were there. I will go back home if you don't want me to go 
       on."

       (Num 22:35 TLB)  But the angel told him, "Go with the men, but say 





       only what I tell you to say." So Balaam went on with them.

       (Num 22:36 TLB)  When King Balak heard that Balaam was on the way, he 
       left the capital and went out to meet him at the Arnon River, at the 
       border of his land.

       (Num 22:37 TLB)  "Why did you delay so long?" he asked Balaam. "Didn't 
       you believe me when I said I would give you great honors?"

       (Num 22:38 TLB)  Balaam replied, "I have come, but I have no power to 
       say anything except what God tells me to say; and that is what I shall 
       speak."

       (Num 22:39 TLB)  Balaam accompanied the king to Kiriathhuzoth,

       (Num 22:40 TLB)  where King Balak sacrificed oxen and sheep, and gave 
       animals to Balaam and the ambassadors for their sacrifices.

       (Num 22:41 TLB)  The next morning Balak took Balaam to the top of 
       Mount Bamoth-baal, from which he could see the people of Israel spread 
       out before him.

       (Num 23:1 TLB)  Balaam said to the king, "Build seven altars here, and 
       prepare seven young bulls and seven rams for sacrifice."

       (Num 23:2 TLB)  Balak followed his instructions, and a young bull and 
       a ram were sacrificed on each altar.

       (Num 23:3 TLB)  Then Balaam said to the king, "Stand here by your 
       burnt offerings and I will see if the Lord will meet me; and I will 
       tell you what he says to me." So he went up to a barren height,

       (Num 23:4 TLB)  and God met him there. Balaam told the Lord, "I have 
       prepared seven altars and have sacrificed a young bull and a ram on 
       each."

       (Num 23:5 TLB)  Then the Lord gave Balaam a message for King Balak.

       (Num 23:6 TLB)  When Balaam returned, the king was standing beside the 
       burnt offerings with all the princes of Moab.

       (Num 23:7 TLB)  This was Balaam's message: "King Balak, king of Moab, 
       has brought me From the land of Aram, From the eastern mountains. 
       'Come,' he told me, 'curse Jacob for me! Let your anger rise on 
       Israel.'

       (Num 23:8 TLB)  But how can I curse What God has not cursed? How can I 
       denounce A people God has not denounced?

       (Num 23:9 TLB)  I see them from the cliff tops, I watch them from the 
       hills. They live alone, And prefer to remain distinct From every other 
       nation.

       (Num 23:10 TLB)  They are as numerous as dust! They are beyond 
       numbering. If only I could die as happy as an Israelite! Oh, that my 
       end might be like theirs!"






       (Num 23:11 TLB)  "What have you done to me?" demanded King Balak. "I 
       told you to curse my enemies, and now you have blessed them!"

       (Num 23:12 TLB)  But Balaam replied, "Can I say anything except what 
       Jehovah tells me to?"

       (Num 23:13 TLB)  Then Balak told him, "Come with me to another place; 
       there you will see only a portion of the nation of Israel. Curse at 
       least that many!"

       (Num 23:14 TLB)  So King Balak took Balaam into the fields of Zophim 
       at the top of Mount Pisgah, and built seven altars there; and he 
       offered up a young bull and a ram on each altar.

       (Num 23:15 TLB)  Then Balaam said to the king, "Stand here by your 
       burnt offering while I go to meet the Lord."

       (Num 23:16 TLB)  And the Lord met Balaam and told him what to say.

       (Num 23:17 TLB)  So he returned to where the king and the princes of 
       Moab were standing beside their burnt offerings. "What has Jehovah 
       said?" the king eagerly inquired.

       (Num 23:18 TLB)  And he replied, "Rise up, Balak, and hear: Listen to 
       me, you son of Zippor.

       (Num 23:19 TLB)  God is not a man, that he should lie; He doesn't 
       change his mind like humans do. Has he ever promised, Without doing 
       what he said?

       (Num 23:20 TLB)  Look! I have received a command to bless them, For 
       God has blessed them, And I cannot reverse it!

       (Num 23:21 TLB)  He has not seen sin in Jacob. He will not trouble 
       Israel! Jehovah their God is with them. He is their king!

       (Num 23:22 TLB)  God has brought them out of Egypt. Israel has the 
       strength of a wild ox.

       (Num 23:23 TLB)  No curse can be placed on Jacob, And no magic shall 
       be done against him. For now it shall be said of Israel, 'What wonders 
       God has done for them!'

       (Num 23:24 TLB)  These people rise up as a lion; They shall not lie 
       down Until they have eaten what they capture And have drunk the blood 
       of the slain!"

       (Num 23:25 TLB)  "If you aren't going to curse them, at least don't 
       bless them!" the king exclaimed to Balaam.

       (Num 23:26 TLB)  But Balaam replied, "Didn't I tell you that I must 
       say whatever Jehovah tells me to?"

       (Num 23:27 TLB)  Then the king said to Balaam, "I will take you to yet 
       another place. Perhaps it will please God to let you curse them from 





       there."

       (Num 23:28 TLB)  So King Balak took Balaam to the top of Mount Peor, 
       overlooking the desert.

       (Num 23:29 TLB)  Balaam again told the king to build seven altars, and 
       to prepare seven young bulls and seven rams for the sacrifice.

       (Num 23:30 TLB)  The king did as Balaam said, and offered a young bull 
       and ram on every altar.

       (Num 24:1 TLB)  Balaam realized by now that Jehovah planned to bless 
       Israel, so he didn't even go to meet the Lord as he had earlier. 
       Instead, he went at once and looked out toward the camp of Israel

       (Num 24:2 TLB)  which stretched away across the plains, divided by 
       tribal areas. Then the Spirit of God came upon him,

       (Num 24:3 TLB)  and he spoke this prophecy concerning them: "Balaam 
       the son of Beor says-- The man whose eyes are open says--

       (Num 24:4 TLB)  'I have listened to the word of God, I have seen what 
       God Almighty showed me; I fell, and my eyes were opened:

       (Num 24:5 TLB)  Oh, the joys awaiting Israel, Joys in the homes of 
       Jacob.

       (Num 24:6 TLB)  I see them spread before me as green valleys, And 
       fruitful gardens by the riverside; As aloes planted by the Lord 
       himself; As cedar trees beside the waters.

       (Num 24:7 TLB)  They shall be blessed with an abundance of water, And 
       they shall live in many places. Their king will be greater than Agag; 
       Their kingdom is exalted.

       (Num 24:8 TLB)  God has brought them from Egypt. Israel has the 
       strength of a wild ox, And shall eat up the nations that oppose him; 
       He shall break their bones in pieces, And shall shoot them with many 
       arrows.

       (Num 24:9 TLB)  Israel sleeps as a lion or a lioness-- Who dares 
       arouse him? Blessed is everyone who blesses you, O Israel, And curses 
       shall fall upon everyone who curses you.'"

       (Num 24:10 TLB)  King Balak was livid with rage by now. Striking his 
       hands together in anger and disgust he shouted, "I called you to curse 
       my enemies and instead you have blessed them three times.

       (Num 24:11 TLB)  Get out of here! Go back home! I had planned to 
       promote you to great honor, but Jehovah has kept you from it!"

       (Num 24:12 TLB)  Balaam replied, "Didn't I tell your messengers

       (Num 24:13 TLB)  that even if you gave me a palace filled with silver 
       and gold, I could not go beyond the words of Jehovah, and could not 
       say a word of my own? I said that I would say only what Jehovah says!






       (Num 24:14 TLB)  Yes, I shall return now to my own people. But first, 
       let me tell you what the Israelites are going to do to your people!"

       (Num 24:15 TLB)  So he spoke this prophecy to him: "Balaam the son of 
       Beor is the man Whose eyes are open!

       (Num 24:16 TLB)  He hears the words of God And has knowledge from the 
       Most High; He sees what Almighty God has shown him; He fell, and his 
       eyes were opened:

       (Num 24:17 TLB)  I see in the future of Israel, Far down the distant 
       trail, That there shall come a star from Jacob! This ruler of Israel 
       Shall smite the people of Moab, And destroy the sons of Sheth.

       (Num 24:18 TLB)  Israel shall possess all Edom and Seir. They shall 
       overcome their enemies.

       (Num 24:19 TLB)  Jacob shall arise in power And shall destroy many 
       cities."

       (Num 24:20 TLB)  Then Balaam looked over at the homes of the people of 
       Amalek and prophesied: "Amalek was the first of the nations, But its 
       destiny is destruction!"

       (Num 24:21 TLB)  Then he looked over at the Kenites: "Yes, you are 
       strongly situated, Your nest is set in the rocks!

       (Num 24:22 TLB)  But the Kenites shall be destroyed, And the mighty 
       army of the king of Assyria shall deport you from this land!"

       (Num 24:23 TLB)  He concluded his prophecies by saying: "Alas, who can 
       live when God does this?

       (Num 24:24 TLB)  Ships shall come from the coasts of Cyprus, And shall 
       oppress both Eber and Assyria. They too must be destroyed."

       (Num 24:25 TLB)  So Balaam and Balak returned to their homes.

       (Num 25:1 TLB)  While Israel was camped at Acacia, some of the young 
       men began going to wild parties with the local Moabite girls.

       (Num 25:2 TLB)  These girls also invited them to attend the sacrifices 
       to their gods, and soon the men were not only attending the feasts, 
       but also bowing down and worshiping the idols.

       (Num 25:3 TLB)  Before long all Israel was joining freely in the 
       worship of Baal, the god of Moab; and the anger of the Lord was hot 
       against his people.

       (Num 25:4 TLB)  He issued the following command to Moses: "Execute all 
       the tribal leaders of Israel. Hang them up before the Lord in broad 
       daylight, so that his fierce anger will turn away from the people."

       (Num 25:5 TLB)  So Moses ordered the judges to execute all who had 
       worshiped Baal.






       (Num 25:6 TLB)  But one of the Israeli men insolently brought a 
       Midianite girl into the camp, right before the eyes of Moses and all 
       the people, as they were weeping at the door of the Tabernacle.

       (Num 25:7 TLB)  When Phinehas (son of Eleazar and grandson of Aaron 
       the priest) saw this, he jumped up, grabbed a spear,

       (Num 25:8 TLB)  and rushed after the man into his tent, where he had 
       taken the girl. He thrust the spear all the way through the man's body 
       and into her stomach. So the plague was stopped,

       (Num 25:9 TLB)  but only after 24,000 people had already died.

       (Num 25:10 TLB)  Then the Lord said to Moses,

       (Num 25:11 TLB)  "Phinehas (son of Eleazar and grandson of Aaron the 
       priest) has turned away my anger for he was angry with my anger, and 
       would not tolerate the worship of any God but me. So I have stopped 
       destroying all Israel as I had intended.

       (Num 25:12 TLB)  Now because of what he has done--because of his zeal 
       for his God, and because he has made atonement for the people of 
       Israel by what he did--I promise that he and his descendants shall be 
       priests forever."

       (Num 25:13 TLB)  

       (Num 25:14 TLB)  The name of the man who was killed with the Midianite 
       girl was Zimri, son of Salu, a leader of the tribe of Simeon.

       (Num 25:15 TLB)  The girl's name was Cozbi, daughter of Zur, a 
       Midianite prince.

       (Num 25:16 TLB)  Then the Lord said to Moses, "Destroy the Midianites,

       (Num 25:17 TLB)  

       (Num 25:18 TLB)  for they are destroying you with their wiles. They 
       are causing you to worship Baal, and they are leading you astray, as 
       you have just seen by the death of Cozbi."

       (Num 26:1 TLB)  After the plague had ended, Jehovah said to Moses and 
       to Eleazar (son of Aaron the priest),

       (Num 26:2 TLB)  "Take a census of all the men of Israel who are twenty 
       years old or older, to find out how many of each tribe and clan are 
       able to go to war."

       (Num 26:3 TLB)  So Moses and Eleazar issued census instructions to the 
       leaders of Israel.

       (Num 26:4 TLB)  (The entire nation was camped in the plains of Moab 
       beside the Jordan River, opposite Jericho.) Here are the results of 
       the census:





       (Num 26:5 TLB)  The tribe of Reuben: 43,730. (Reuben was Israel's 
       oldest son.) In this tribe were the following clans, named after 
       Reuben's sons:

       (Num 26:6 TLB)  The Hanochites, named after their ancestor Hanoch. The 
       Palluites, named after their ancestor Pallu.

       (Num 26:7 TLB)  (In the subclan of Eliab--who was one of the sons of 
       Pallu--

       (Num 26:8 TLB)  were the families of Nemuel, Abiram, and Dathan. This 
       Dathan and Abiram were the two leaders who conspired with Korah 
       against Moses and Aaron, and in fact challenged the very authority of 
       God!

       (Num 26:9 TLB)  But the earth opened and swallowed them; and 250 men 
       were destroyed by fire from the Lord that day, as a warning to the 
       entire nation.)

       (Num 26:10 TLB)  

       (Num 26:11 TLB)  The Hezronites, named after their ancestor Hezron. 
       The Carmites, named after their ancestor Carmi.

       (Num 26:12 TLB)  The tribe of Simeon: 22,200.

       (Num 26:13 TLB)  In this tribe were the following clans, founded by 
       Simeon's sons: The Nemuelites, named after their ancestor Nemuel. The 
       Jaminites, named after their ancestor Jamin. The Jachinites, named 
       after their ancestor Jachin.

       (Num 26:14 TLB)  The Zerahites, named after their ancestor Zerah. The 
       Shaulites, named after their ancestor Shaul.

       (Num 26:15 TLB)  The tribe of Gad: 40,500

       (Num 26:16 TLB)  In this tribe were the following clans founded by the 
       sons of Gad: The Zephonites, named after their ancestor Zephon. The 
       Haggites, named after their ancestor Haggi. The Shunites, named after 
       their ancestor Shuni.

       (Num 26:17 TLB)  The Oznites, named after their ancestor Ozni. The 
       Erites, named after their ancestor Eri.

       (Num 26:18 TLB)  The Arodites, named after their ancestor Arod. The 
       Arelites, named after their ancestor Areli.

       (Num 26:19 TLB)  The tribe of Judah: 76,500

       (Num 26:20 TLB)  In this tribe were the following clans named after

       (Num 26:21 TLB)  the sons of Judah--but not including Er and Onan who 
       died in the land of Canaan: The Shelanites, named after their ancestor 
       Shelah. The Perezites, named after their ancestor Perez. The 
       Zerahites, named after their ancestor Zerah.





       (Num 26:22 TLB)  This census also included the subclans of Perez: The 
       Hezronites, named after their ancestor Hezron. The Hamulites, named 
       after their ancestor Hamul.

       (Num 26:23 TLB)  The tribe of Issachar: 64,300.

       (Num 26:24 TLB)  In this tribe were the following clans named after 
       the sons of Issachar: The Tolaites, named after their ancestor Tola. 
       The Punites, named after their ancestor Puvah.

       (Num 26:25 TLB)  The Jashubites, named after their ancestor Jashub. 
       The Shimronites, named after their ancestor Shimron.

       (Num 26:26 TLB)  The tribe of Zebulun: 60,500.

       (Num 26:27 TLB)  In this tribe were the following clans named after 
       the sons of Zebulun: The Seredites, named after their ancestor Sered. 
       The Elonites, named after their ancestor Elon. The Jahleelites, named 
       after their ancestor Jahleel.

       (Num 26:28 TLB)  The tribe of Joseph: 32,500 in the half-tribe of 
       Ephraim; and 52,700 in the half-tribe of Manasseh.

       (Num 26:29 TLB)  In the half-tribe of Manasseh was the clan of 
       Machirites, named after their ancestor Machir. The subclan of the 
       Machirites was the Gileadites, named after their ancestor Gilead.

       (Num 26:30 TLB)  The tribes of the Gileadites: The Jezerites, named 
       after their ancestor Jezer. The Helekites, named after their ancestor 
       Helek.

       (Num 26:31 TLB)  The Asrielites, named after their ancestor Asriel. 
       The Shechemites, named after their ancestor Shechem.

       (Num 26:32 TLB)  The Shemidaites, named after their ancestor Shemida. 
       The Hepherites, named after their ancestor Hepher. (Hepher's son,

       (Num 26:33 TLB)  Zelophehad, had no sons. Here are the names of his 
       daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, Tirzah.

       (Num 26:34 TLB)  The 32,500 registered in the half-tribe of Ephraim 
       included the following clans, named after the sons of Ephraim:

       (Num 26:35 TLB)  The Shuthelahites, named after their ancestor 
       Shuthelah. (A subclan of the Shuthelahites was the Eranites, named 
       after their ancestor Eran, a son of Shuthelah.)

       (Num 26:36 TLB)  

       (Num 26:37 TLB)  The Becherites, named after their ancestor Becher. 
       The Tahanites, named after their ancestor Tahan.

       (Num 26:38 TLB)  The tribe of Benjamin: 45,600.

       (Num 26:39 TLB)  In this tribe were the following clans named after 
       the sons of Benjamin: The Belaites, named after their ancestor Bela. 





       Subclans named after sons of Bela were: The Ardites, named after their 
       ancestor Ard. The Naamites, named after their ancestor Naaman.

       (Num 26:40 TLB)  The Ashbelites, named after their ancestor Ashbel. 
       The Ahiramites, named after their ancestor Ahiram.

       (Num 26:41 TLB)  The Shuphamites, named after their ancestor 
       Shephupham. The Huphamites, named after their ancestor Hupham.

       (Num 26:42 TLB)  The tribe of Dan: 64,400.

       (Num 26:43 TLB)  In this tribe was the clan of the Shuhamites, named 
       after Shuham, the son of Dan.

       (Num 26:44 TLB)  The tribe of Asher: 53,400.

       (Num 26:45 TLB)  In this tribe were the following clans named after 
       the sons of Asher: The Imnites, named after their ancestor Imnah. The 
       Ishvites, named after their ancestor Ishvi.

       (Num 26:46 TLB)  The Beriites, named after their ancestor Beriah. 
       Subclans named after the sons of Beriah were: The Heberites, named 
       after their ancestor Heber. The Malchielites, named after their 
       ancestor Malchiel.

       (Num 26:47 TLB)  Asher also had a daughter named Serah.

       (Num 26:48 TLB)  The tribe of Naphtali: 45,400.

       (Num 26:49 TLB)  In this tribe were the following clans, named after 
       the sons of Naphtali: The Jahzeelites, named after their ancestor 
       Jahzeel. The Gunites, named after their ancestor Guni.

       (Num 26:50 TLB)  The Jezerites, named after their ancestor Jezer. The 
       Shillemites, named after their ancestor Shillem.

       (Num 26:51 TLB)  So the total number of the men of draft age 
       throughout Israel was 601,730.

       (Num 26:52 TLB)  Then the Lord told Moses to divide the land among the 
       tribes in proportion to their population, as indicated by the census--

       (Num 26:53 TLB)  

       (Num 26:54 TLB)  the larger tribes to be given more land, the smaller 
       tribes less land.

       (Num 26:55 TLB)  "Let the representatives of the larger tribes have a 
       lottery, drawing for the larger sections," the Lord instructed, "and 
       let the smaller tribes draw for the smaller sections."

       (Num 26:56 TLB)  

       (Num 26:57 TLB)  These are the clans of the Levites numbered in the 
       census: The Gershonites, named after their ancestor Gershon. The 
       Kohathites, named after their ancestor Kohath. The Merarites, named 





       after their ancestor Merari.

       (Num 26:58 TLB)  These are the families of the tribe of Levi: the 
       Libnites, the Hebronites, the Mahlites, the Mushites, the Korahites.

       (Num 26:59 TLB)  While Levi was in Egypt, a daughter, Jochebed, was 
       born to him and she became the wife of Amram, son of Kohath. They were 
       the parents of Aaron, Moses, and Miriam.

       (Num 26:60 TLB)  To Aaron were born Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and 
       Ithamar.

       (Num 26:61 TLB)  But Nadab and Abihu died when they offered 
       unauthorized incense before the Lord.

       (Num 26:62 TLB)  The total number of Levites in the census was 23,000, 
       counting all the males a month old and upward. But the Levites were 
       not included in the total census figure of the people of Israel, for 
       the Levites were given no land when it was divided among the tribes.

       (Num 26:63 TLB)  So these are the census figures as prepared by Moses 
       and Eleazar the priest, in the plains of Moab beside the Jordan River, 
       across from Jericho.

       (Num 26:64 TLB)  Not one person in this entire census had been counted 
       in the previous census taken in the wilderness of Sinai! For all who 
       had been counted then had died, as the Lord had decreed when he said 
       of them, "They shall die in the wilderness." The only exceptions were 
       Caleb (son of Jephunneh) and Joshua (son of Nun).

       (Num 26:65 TLB)  

       (Num 27:1 TLB)  One day the daughters of Zelophehad came to the 
       entrance of the Tabernacle to give a petition to Moses, Eleazar the 
       priest, the tribal leaders, and others who were there.

       (Num 27:2 TLB)  The names of these women were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, 
       Milcah, and Tirzah. They were members of the half-tribe of Manasseh (a 
       son of Joseph). Their ancestor was Machir, son of Manasseh. Manasseh's 
       son Gilead was their great-grandfather, his son Hepher was their 
       grandfather, and his son Zelophehad was their father.

       (Num 27:3 TLB)  "Our father died in the wilderness," they said, "and 
       he was not one of those who perished in Korah's revolt against the 
       Lord--it was a natural death, but he had no sons.

       (Num 27:4 TLB)  Why should the name of our father disappear just 
       because he had no son? We feel that we should be given property along 
       with our father's brothers."

       (Num 27:5 TLB)  So Moses brought their case before the Lord.

       (Num 27:6 TLB)  And the Lord replied to Moses,

       (Num 27:7 TLB)  "The daughters of Zelophehad are correct. Give them 
       land along with their uncles; give them the property that would have 





       been given to their father if he had lived.

       (Num 27:8 TLB)  Moreover, this is a general law among you, that if a 
       man dies and has no sons, then his inheritance shall be passed on to 
       his daughters.

       (Num 27:9 TLB)  And if he has no daughter, it shall belong to his 
       brothers.

       (Num 27:10 TLB)  And if he has no brother, then it shall go to his 
       uncles.

       (Num 27:11 TLB)  But if he has no uncles, then it shall go to the 
       nearest relative."

       (Num 27:12 TLB)  One day the Lord said to Moses, "Go up into Mount 
       Abarim and look across the river to the land I have given to the 
       people of Israel.

       (Num 27:13 TLB)  After you have seen it, you shall die as Aaron your 
       brother did,

       (Num 27:14 TLB)  for you rebelled against my instructions in the 
       wilderness of Zin. When the people of Israel rebelled, you did not 
       glorify me before them by following my instructions to order water to 
       come out of the rock." He was referring to the incident at the waters 
       of Meribah ( "Place of Strife") in Kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin.

       (Num 27:15 TLB)  Then Moses said to the Lord,

       (Num 27:16 TLB)  "O Jehovah, the God of the spirits of all mankind, 
       (before I am taken away) please appoint a new leader for the people,

       (Num 27:17 TLB)  a man who will lead them into battle and care for 
       them, so that the people of the Lord will not be as sheep without a 
       shepherd."

       (Num 27:18 TLB)  The Lord replied, "Go and get Joshua (son of Nun), 
       who has the Spirit in him,

       (Num 27:19 TLB)  and take him to Eleazar the priest, and as all the 
       people watch, charge him with the responsibility of leading the 
       people.

       (Num 27:20 TLB)  Publicly give him your authority so that all the 
       people of Israel will obey him.

       (Num 27:21 TLB)  He shall be the one to consult with Eleazar the 
       priest in order to get directions from the Lord. The Lord will speak 
       to Eleazar through the use of the Urim, and Eleazar will pass on these 
       instructions to Joshua and the people. In this way the Lord will 
       continue to give them guidance."

       (Num 27:22 TLB)  So Moses did as Jehovah commanded and took Joshua to 
       Eleazar the priest. As the people watched,





       (Num 27:23 TLB)  Moses laid his hands upon him and dedicated him to 
       his responsibilities, as the Lord had commanded.

       (Num 28:1 TLB)  The Lord gave Moses these instructions to give to the 
       people of Israel:

       (Num 28:2 TLB)  "The offerings which you burn on the altar for me are 
       my food, and are a pleasure to me; so see to it that they are brought 
       regularly and are offered as I have instructed you.

       (Num 28:3 TLB)  "When you make offerings by fire, you shall use 
       yearling male lambs--each without defect. Two of them shall be offered 
       each day as a regular burnt offering.

       (Num 28:4 TLB)  One lamb shall be sacrificed in the morning, the other 
       in the evening.

       (Num 28:5 TLB)  With them shall be offered a grain offering of three 
       quarts of finely ground flour mixed with three pints of oil.

       (Num 28:6 TLB)  This is the burnt offering ordained at Mount Sinai, to 
       be regularly offered as a fragrant odor, an offering made by fire to 
       the Lord.

       (Num 28:7 TLB)  Along with it shall be the drink offering, consisting 
       of three pints of strong wine with each lamb, poured out in the holy 
       place before the Lord.

       (Num 28:8 TLB)  Offer the second lamb in the evening with the same 
       grain offering and drink offering. It too is a fragrant odor to the 
       Lord, an offering made by fire.

       (Num 28:9 TLB)  "On the Sabbath day, sacrifice two yearling male 
       lambs--both without defect--in addition to the regular offerings. They 
       are to be accompanied by a grain offering of six quarts of fine flour 
       mixed with oil, and the usual drink offering.

       (Num 28:10 TLB)  

       (Num 28:11 TLB)  "Also, on the first day of each month there shall be 
       an extra burnt offering to the Lord of two young bulls, one ram, and 
       seven male yearling lambs--all without defect.

       (Num 28:12 TLB)  Accompany them with nine quarts of finely ground 
       flour mixed with oil as a grain offering with each bull; and six 
       quarts of finely ground flour mixed with oil as a grain offering for 
       the ram;

       (Num 28:13 TLB)  and for each lamb, three quarts of finely ground 
       flour mixed with oil for a grain offering. This burnt offering shall 
       be presented by fire and will please the Lord very much.

       (Num 28:14 TLB)  Along with each sacrifice shall be a drink 
       offering--six pints of wine with each bull, four pints for a ram, and 
       three pints for a lamb. This, then, will be the burnt offering each 
       month throughout the year.






       (Num 28:15 TLB)  "Also on the first day of each month you shall offer 
       one male goat for a sin offering to the Lord. This is in addition to 
       the regular daily burnt offering and its drink offering.

       (Num 28:16 TLB)  "On April first you shall celebrate the Passover--( 
       when the death angel passed over the oldest sons of the Israelites in 
       Egypt, leaving them unharmed).

       (Num 28:17 TLB)  On the following day a great, joyous seven-day 
       festival will begin, but no leavened bread shall be served.

       (Num 28:18 TLB)  On the first day of the festival all the people shall 
       be called together before the Lord. No hard work shall be done on that 
       day.

       (Num 28:19 TLB)  You shall offer as burnt sacrifices to the Lord two 
       young bulls, one ram, and seven yearling male lambs--all without 
       defect.

       (Num 28:20 TLB)  With each bull there shall be a grain offering of 
       nine quarts of fine flour mixed with oil; with the ram there shall be 
       six quarts;

       (Num 28:21 TLB)  and with each of the seven lambs there shall be three 
       quarts of fine flour.

       (Num 28:22 TLB)  You must also offer a male goat as a sin offering, to 
       make atonement for yourselves.

       (Num 28:23 TLB)  These offerings shall be in addition to the usual 
       daily sacrifices.

       (Num 28:24 TLB)  This same sacrifice shall be offered on each of the 
       seven days of the feast; they will be very pleasant to the Lord.

       (Num 28:25 TLB)  On the seventh day there shall again be a holy and 
       solemn assembly of all the people, and during that day you may do no 
       hard work.

       (Num 28:26 TLB)  "On the first day of the Harvest Festival all the 
       people must come before the Lord for a special, solemn assembly to 
       celebrate the new harvest. On that day you are to present the first of 
       the new crop of grain as a grain offering to the Lord; there is to be 
       no regular work by anyone on that day.

       (Num 28:27 TLB)  A special burnt offering, very pleasant to the Lord, 
       shall be offered that day. It shall consist of two young bulls, one 
       ram, and seven yearling male lambs.

       (Num 28:28 TLB)  These shall be accompanied by your grain offering of 
       nine quarts of fine flour mixed with oil with each bull, six quarts 
       with the ram, and three quarts with each of the seven lambs.

       (Num 28:29 TLB)  





       (Num 28:30 TLB)  Also offer one male goat to make atonement for 
       yourselves.

       (Num 28:31 TLB)  These special offerings are in addition to the 
       regular daily burnt offerings and grain offerings and drink offerings. 
       Make sure that the animals you sacrifice are without defect.

       (Num 29:1 TLB)  "The Festival of Trumpets shall be celebrated on the 
       fifteenth day of September each year; there shall be a solemn assembly 
       of all the people on that day, and no hard work may be done.

       (Num 29:2 TLB)  On that day you shall offer a burnt sacrifice 
       consisting of one young bull, one ram, and seven yearling male 
       lambs--all without defect. These are sacrifices which the Lord will 
       appreciate and enjoy.

       (Num 29:3 TLB)  A grain offering of nine quarts of fine flour mingled 
       with oil shall be offered with the bull, six quarts with the ram, and 
       three quarts with each of the seven lambs.

       (Num 29:4 TLB)  

       (Num 29:5 TLB)  In addition, there shall be a male goat sacrificed as 
       a sin offering, to make atonement for you.

       (Num 29:6 TLB)  These special sacrifices are in addition to the 
       regular monthly burnt offering for that day, and also in addition to 
       the regular daily burnt sacrifices, which are to be offered with the 
       respective grain offerings and drink offerings, as specified by the 
       ordinances governing them.

       (Num 29:7 TLB)  "Ten days later another convocation of all the people 
       shall be held. This will be a day of solemn humility before the Lord, 
       and no work of any kind may be done.

       (Num 29:8 TLB)  On that day you shall offer a burnt sacrifice to the 
       Lord--it will be very pleasant to him--of one young bull, one ram, 
       seven yearling male lambs--each without defect--

       (Num 29:9 TLB)  and their accompanying grain offerings. Nine quarts of 
       fine flour mixed with oil are to be offered with the bull, six with 
       the ram, and three with each of the seven lambs.

       (Num 29:10 TLB)  

       (Num 29:11 TLB)  You are also to sacrifice one male goat for a sin 
       offering. This is in addition to the sin offering of the Day of 
       Atonement (offered annually on that day), and in addition to the 
       regular daily burnt sacrifices, grain offerings, and drink offerings.

       (Num 29:12 TLB)  "Five days later there shall be yet another assembly 
       of all the people, and on that day no hard work shall be done; it is 
       the beginning of a seven-day festival before the Lord.

       (Num 29:13 TLB)  Your special burnt sacrifice that day, which will 
       give much pleasure to the Lord, shall be thirteen young bulls, two 





       rams, and fourteen male yearling lambs--each without defect--

       (Num 29:14 TLB)  accompanied by the usual grain offerings--nine quarts 
       of fine flour mingled with oil for each of the thirteen young bulls; 
       six quarts for each of the two rams;

       (Num 29:15 TLB)  and three quarts for each of the fourteen lambs.

       (Num 29:16 TLB)  There must also be a male goat sacrificed for a sin 
       offering, in addition to the regular daily burnt sacrifice with its 
       accompanying grain offerings and drink offerings.

       (Num 29:17 TLB)  "On the second day of this seven-day festival you 
       shall sacrifice twelve young bulls, two rams, and fourteen male 
       yearling lambs--each without defect--

       (Num 29:18 TLB)  accompanied by the usual grain offerings and drink 
       offerings.

       (Num 29:19 TLB)  Also, in addition to the regular daily burnt 
       sacrifice, you are to sacrifice a male goat with its accompanying 
       grain offering and drink offering for a sin offering.

       (Num 29:20 TLB)  "On the third day of the festival, offer eleven young 
       bulls, two rams, fourteen male yearling lambs--each without defect--

       (Num 29:21 TLB)  and the usual grain offering and drink offering with 
       each sacrifice.

       (Num 29:22 TLB)  And in addition to the regular daily burnt 
       sacrifices, sacrifice a male goat for a sin offering, with its 
       accompanying grain offering and drink offering.

       (Num 29:23 TLB)  "On the fourth day of the festival, you are to 
       sacrifice ten young bulls, two rams, and fourteen male yearling 
       lambs--each without defect--

       (Num 29:24 TLB)  each with its accompanying grain offering and drink 
       offering;

       (Num 29:25 TLB)  also a male goat as a sin offering (along with the 
       usual grain and drink offerings) in addition to the regular daily 
       sacrifices.

       (Num 29:26 TLB)  "On the fifth day of the festival, sacrifice nine 
       young bulls, two rams, and fourteen male yearling lambs--each without 
       defect--

       (Num 29:27 TLB)  accompanied by the usual grain offerings and drink 
       offerings;

       (Num 29:28 TLB)  also sacrifice a male goat with the usual grain and 
       drink offerings, as a special sin offering, in addition to the usual 
       daily sacrifices.

       (Num 29:29 TLB)  "On the sixth day of the festival, you must sacrifice 





       eight young bulls, two rams, and fourteen male yearling lambs--each 
       without defect--

       (Num 29:30 TLB)  along with their usual grain and drink offerings.

       (Num 29:31 TLB)  In addition to the usual daily sacrifices, sacrifice 
       a male goat and the usual grain and drink offerings as a sin offering.

       (Num 29:32 TLB)  "On the seventh day of the festival, sacrifice seven 
       young bulls, two rams, and fourteen male yearling lambs--each without 
       defect--

       (Num 29:33 TLB)  each with its customary grain and drink offerings;

       (Num 29:34 TLB)  also sacrifice an extra sin offering of one male 
       goat, with the usual grain and drink offerings, in addition to the 
       regular daily sacrifices.

       (Num 29:35 TLB)  "On the eighth day summon the people to another 
       solemn assembly; you must do no hard work that day.

       (Num 29:36 TLB)  Sacrifice a burnt offering--they are very pleasant to 
       the Lord--of one young bull, one ram, seven male yearling lambs--each 
       without defect--

       (Num 29:37 TLB)  and the customary grain and drink offerings.

       (Num 29:38 TLB)  Sacrifice also one male goat with the usual grain and 
       drink offerings for a sin offering, in addition to the regular daily 
       sacrifices.

       (Num 29:39 TLB)  These offerings are compulsory at the times of your 
       annual feasts, and are in addition to sacrifices and offerings you 
       present in connection with vows, or as free-will offerings, burnt 
       sacrifices, grain offerings, drink offerings, or peace offerings."

       (Num 29:40 TLB)  So Moses gave all of these instructions to the people 
       of Israel.

       (Num 30:1 TLB)  Now Moses summoned the leaders of the tribes and told 
       them, "The Lord has commanded

       (Num 30:2 TLB)  that when anyone makes a promise to the Lord, either 
       to do something or to quit doing something, that vow must not be 
       broken: the person making the vow must do exactly as he has promised.

       (Num 30:3 TLB)  "If a woman promises the Lord to do or not do 
       something, and she is still a girl at home in her father's home,

       (Num 30:4 TLB)  and her father hears that she has made a vow with 
       penalties, but says nothing, then her vow shall stand.

       (Num 30:5 TLB)  But if her father refuses to let her make the vow, or 
       feels that the penalties she has agreed to are too harsh, then her 
       promise will automatically become invalid. Her father must state his 
       disagreement on the first day he hears about it; and then Jehovah will 





       forgive her because her father would not let her do it.

       (Num 30:6 TLB)  "If she takes a vow or makes a foolish pledge, and 
       later marries,

       (Num 30:7 TLB)  and her husband learns of her vow and says nothing on 
       the day he hears of it, her vow shall stand.

       (Num 30:8 TLB)  But if her husband refuses to accept her vow or 
       foolish pledge, his disagreement makes it void, and Jehovah will 
       forgive her.

       (Num 30:9 TLB)  "But if the woman is a widow or is divorced, she must 
       fulfill her vow.

       (Num 30:10 TLB)  "If she is married and living in her husband's home 
       when she makes the vow,

       (Num 30:11 TLB)  and her husband hears of it and does nothing, the vow 
       shall stand;

       (Num 30:12 TLB)  but if he refuses to allow it on the first day he 
       hears of it, her vow is void and Jehovah will forgive her.

       (Num 30:13 TLB)  So her husband may either confirm or nullify her vow,

       (Num 30:14 TLB)  but if he says nothing for a day, then he has already 
       agreed to it.

       (Num 30:15 TLB)  If he waits more than a day and then refuses to 
       permit the vow, whatever penalties to which she agreed shall come upon 
       him--he shall be responsible."

       (Num 30:16 TLB)  These, then, are the commandments the Lord gave Moses 
       concerning relationships between a man and his wife and between a 
       father and his daughter who is living at home.

       (Num 31:1 TLB)  Then the Lord said to Moses, "Take vengeance on the 
       Midianites for leading you into idolatry, and then you must die."

       (Num 31:2 TLB)  

       (Num 31:3 TLB)  Moses said to the people, "Some of you must take arms 
       to wage Jehovah's war against Midian.

       (Num 31:4 TLB)  Conscript 1,000 men from each tribe." So this was 
       done; and out of the many thousands of Israel, 12,000 armed men were 
       sent to battle by Moses.

       (Num 31:5 TLB)  

       (Num 31:6 TLB)  Phinehas (son of Eleazar the priest) led them into 
       battle, accompanied by the Ark, with trumpets blaring.

       (Num 31:7 TLB)  And every man of Midian was killed.





       (Num 31:8 TLB)  Among those killed were all five of the Midianite 
       kings--Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba. Balaam, the son of Beor, was 
       also killed.

       (Num 31:9 TLB)  Then the Israeli army took as captives all the women 
       and children, and seized the cattle and flocks and a lot of 
       miscellaneous booty.

       (Num 31:10 TLB)  

       (Num 31:11 TLB)  All of the cities, towns, and villages of Midian were 
       then burned.

       (Num 31:12 TLB)  The captives and other war loot were brought to Moses 
       and Eleazar the priest, and to the rest of the people of Israel who 
       were camped on the plains of Moab beside the Jordan River, across from 
       Jericho.

       (Num 31:13 TLB)  Moses and Eleazar the priest and all the leaders of 
       the people went out to meet the victorious army,

       (Num 31:14 TLB)  but Moses was very angry with the army officers and 
       battalion leaders.

       (Num 31:15 TLB)  "Why have you let all the women live?" he demanded.

       (Num 31:16 TLB)  "These are the very ones who followed Balaam's advice 
       and caused the people of Israel to worship idols on Mount Peor, and 
       they are the cause of the plague that destroyed us.

       (Num 31:17 TLB)  Now kill all the boys and all the women who have had 
       sexual intercourse.

       (Num 31:18 TLB)  Only the little girls may live; you may keep them for 
       yourselves.

       (Num 31:19 TLB)  Now stay outside of the camp for seven days, all of 
       you who have killed anyone or touched a dead body. Then purify 
       yourselves and your captives on the third and seventh days.

       (Num 31:20 TLB)  Remember also to purify all your garments and 
       everything made of leather, goat's hair, or wood."

       (Num 31:21 TLB)  Then Eleazar the priest said to the men who were in 
       the battle, "This is the commandment Jehovah has given Moses:

       (Num 31:22 TLB)  'Anything that will stand heat--such as gold, silver, 
       bronze, iron, tin, or lead--

       (Num 31:23 TLB)  shall be passed through fire in order to be made 
       ceremonially pure; it must then be further purified with the 
       purification water. But anything that won't stand heat shall be 
       purified by the water alone.'

       (Num 31:24 TLB)  On the seventh day you must wash your clothes and be 
       purified, and then you may come back into the camp."






       (Num 31:25 TLB)  And the Lord said to Moses,

       (Num 31:26 TLB)  "You and Eleazar the priest and the leaders of the 
       tribes are to make a list of all the loot, including the people and 
       animals;

       (Num 31:27 TLB)  then divide it into two parts. Half of it is for the 
       men who were in the battle, and the other half is to be given to the 
       people of Israel.

       (Num 31:28 TLB)  But first, the Lord gets a share of all the captives, 
       oxen, donkeys, and flocks kept by the army. His share is one out of 
       every five hundred.

       (Num 31:29 TLB)  Give this share to Eleazar the priest to be presented 
       to the Lord by the gesture of waving before the altar.

       (Num 31:30 TLB)  Also levy a 2 percent tribute of all the captives, 
       flocks, and cattle that are given to the people of Israel. Present 
       this to the Levites in charge of the Tabernacle, for it is the Lord's 
       portion."

       (Num 31:31 TLB)  So Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the Lord 
       commanded.

       (Num 31:32 TLB)  The total booty (besides the jewelry, clothing, etc., 
       which the soldiers kept for themselves) was 675,000 sheep;

       (Num 31:33 TLB)  72,000 oxen;

       (Num 31:34 TLB)  61,000 donkeys; and

       (Num 31:35 TLB)  32,000 young girls.

       (Num 31:36 TLB)  So the half given to the army totaled: 337,500 sheep

       (Num 31:37 TLB)  (of which 675 were given to the Lord);

       (Num 31:38 TLB)  36,000 oxen (of which 72 were given to the Lord);

       (Num 31:39 TLB)  30,500 donkeys (of which 61 were given to the Lord);

       (Num 31:40 TLB)  16,000 girls (of whom 32 went to the Levites).

       (Num 31:41 TLB)  All of the Lord's portion was given to Eleazar the 
       priest, as the Lord had directed Moses.

       (Num 31:42 TLB)  The half of the booty assigned to the people of 
       Israel--Moses had separated it from

       (Num 31:43 TLB)  the half belonging to the warriors--amounted to: 
       337,500 sheep,

       (Num 31:44 TLB)  36,000 oxen,





       (Num 31:45 TLB)  30,500 donkeys,

       (Num 31:46 TLB)  and 16,000 girls.

       (Num 31:47 TLB)  In accordance with the Lord's directions, Moses gave 
       2 percent of these to the Levites.

       (Num 31:48 TLB)  Then the officers and battalion leaders came to Moses 
       and said, "We have accounted for all the men who went out to battle, 
       and not one of us is missing!

       (Num 31:49 TLB)  

       (Num 31:50 TLB)  So we have brought a special thank-offering to the 
       Lord from our loot--gold jewelry, bracelets, anklets, rings, earrings, 
       and necklaces. This is to make atonement for our souls before the 
       Lord."

       (Num 31:51 TLB)  Moses and Eleazar the priest received this special 
       offering from the captains and battalion leaders and company 
       commanders, and found its total value to be more than $300,000.

       (Num 31:52 TLB)  

       (Num 31:53 TLB)  (The soldiers had also kept personal loot for 
       themselves.)

       (Num 31:54 TLB)  The offering was taken into the Tabernacle and kept 
       there before the Lord as a memorial of the people of Israel.

       (Num 32:1 TLB)  When Israel arrived in the land of Jazar and Gilead, 
       the tribes of Reuben and Gad (who had large flocks of sheep) noticed 
       what wonderful sheep country it was.

       (Num 32:2 TLB)  So they came to Moses and Eleazar the priest and the 
       other tribal leaders and said,

       (Num 32:3 TLB)  "The Lord has used Israel to destroy the population of 
       this whole countryside--Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, 
       Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon.

       (Num 32:4 TLB)  And it is all wonderful sheep country, ideal for our 
       flocks.

       (Num 32:5 TLB)  Please let us have this land as our portion instead of 
       the land on the other side of the Jordan River."

       (Num 32:6 TLB)  "You mean you want to sit here while your brothers go 
       across and do all the fighting?" Moses demanded.

       (Num 32:7 TLB)  "Are you trying to discourage the rest of the people 
       from going across to the land that the Lord has given them?

       (Num 32:8 TLB)  This is the same kind of thing your fathers did! I 
       sent them from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land,





       (Num 32:9 TLB)  but when they finished their survey and returned from 
       the valley of Eshcol, they discouraged the people from going on into 
       the Promised Land.

       (Num 32:10 TLB)  And the Lord's anger was hot against them, and he 
       swore

       (Num 32:11 TLB)  that of all those he had rescued from Egypt, no one 
       over twenty years of age would ever see the land he promised Abraham, 
       Isaac, and Jacob, for they had refused to do what he wanted them to.

       (Num 32:12 TLB)  "The only exceptions were Caleb (son of Jephunneh the 
       Kenizzite) and Joshua (son of Nun)--for they wholeheartedly followed 
       the Lord and urged the people to go on into the Promised Land.

       (Num 32:13 TLB)  "The Lord made us wander back and forth in the 
       wilderness for forty years until all that evil generation died.

       (Num 32:14 TLB)  But here you are, a brood of sinners doing exactly 
       the same thing! Only there are more of you, so Jehovah's anger against 
       Israel will be even fiercer this time.

       (Num 32:15 TLB)  If you turn away from God like this, he will make the 
       people stay even longer in the wilderness, and you will be responsible 
       for destroying his people and bringing disaster to this entire 
       nation!"

       (Num 32:16 TLB)  "Not at all!" they explained. "We will build 
       sheepfolds for our flocks and cities for our little ones,

       (Num 32:17 TLB)  but we ourselves will go over armed, ahead of the 
       rest of the people of Israel, until we have brought them safely to 
       their inheritance. But first we will need to build walled cities here 
       for our families, to keep them safe from attack by the local 
       inhabitants.

       (Num 32:18 TLB)  We will not settle down here until all the people of 
       Israel have received their inheritance.

       (Num 32:19 TLB)  We don't want land on the other side of the Jordan; 
       we would rather have it on this side, on the east."

       (Num 32:20 TLB)  Then Moses said, "All right, if you will do what you 
       have said and arm yourselves for Jehovah's war,

       (Num 32:21 TLB)  and keep your troops across the Jordan until the Lord 
       has driven out his enemies,

       (Num 32:22 TLB)  then, when the land is finally subdued before the 
       Lord, you may return. Then you will have discharged your duty to the 
       Lord and to the rest of the people of Israel. And the land on the 
       eastern side shall be your possession from the Lord.

       (Num 32:23 TLB)  But if you don't do as you have said, then you will 
       have sinned against the Lord, and you may be sure that your sin will 
       catch up with you.






       (Num 32:24 TLB)  Go ahead and build cities for your families and 
       sheepfolds for your sheep, and do all you have said."

       (Num 32:25 TLB)  "We will follow your instructions exactly," the 
       people of Gad and Reuben replied.

       (Num 32:26 TLB)  "Our children, wives, flocks, and cattle shall stay 
       here in the cities of Gilead.

       (Num 32:27 TLB)  But all of us who are conscripted will go over to 
       battle for the Lord, just as you have said."

       (Num 32:28 TLB)  So Moses gave his approval by saying to Eleazar, 
       Joshua, and the tribal leaders of Israel,

       (Num 32:29 TLB)  "If all the men of the tribes of Gad and Reuben who 
       are conscripted for the Lord's battles go with you over Jordan, then, 
       when the land is conquered, you must give them the land of Gilead;

       (Num 32:30 TLB)  but if they refuse, then they must accept land among 
       the rest of you in the land of Canaan."

       (Num 32:31 TLB)  The tribes of Gad and Reuben said again, "As the Lord 
       has commanded, so we will do--

       (Num 32:32 TLB)  we will follow the Lord fully armed into Canaan, but 
       our own land shall be here on this side of the Jordan."

       (Num 32:33 TLB)  So Moses assigned the territory of King Sihon of the 
       Amorites, and of King Og of Bashan--all the land and cities--to the 
       tribes of Gad, Reuben, and the half-tribe of Manasseh (son of Joseph).

       (Num 32:34 TLB)  The people of Gad built these cities: Dibon, Ataroth, 
       Aroer,

       (Num 32:35 TLB)  Atroth-shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah,

       (Num 32:36 TLB)  Beth-nimrah, Beth-haran. They were all fortified 
       cities with sheepfolds.

       (Num 32:37 TLB)  The children of Reuben built the following cities: 
       Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim,

       (Num 32:38 TLB)  Nebo, Baal-meon, Sibmah. (The Israelites later 
       changed the names of some of these cities they had conquered and 
       rebuilt.)

       (Num 32:39 TLB)  Then the clan of Machir of the tribe of Manasseh went 
       to Gilead and conquered it, and drove out the Amorites who were living 
       there.

       (Num 32:40 TLB)  So Moses gave Gilead to the Machirites, and they 
       lived there.

       (Num 32:41 TLB)  The men of Jair, another clan of the tribe of 





       Manasseh, occupied many of the towns in Gilead, and changed the name 
       of their area to Havroth-jair.

       (Num 32:42 TLB)  Meanwhile, a man named Nobah led an army to Kenath 
       and its surrounding villages, and occupied them, and he called the 
       area Nobah, after his own name.

       (Num 33:1 TLB)  This is the itinerary of the nation of Israel from the 
       time Moses and Aaron led them out of Egypt.

       (Num 33:2 TLB)  Moses had written down their movements as the Lord had 
       instructed him.

       (Num 33:3 TLB)  They left the city of Rameses, Egypt, on the first day 
       of April, the day after the night of the Passover. They left proudly, 
       hurried along by the Egyptians

       (Num 33:4 TLB)  who were burying all their eldest sons, killed by the 
       Lord the night before. The Lord had certainly defeated all the gods of 
       Egypt that night!

       (Num 33:5 TLB)  After leaving Rameses, they stayed in Succoth, Etham 
       (at the edge of the wilderness), and

       (Num 33:6 TLB)  

       (Num 33:7 TLB)  Pihahiroth (near Baal-zephon, where they camped at the 
       foot of Mount Migdol).

       (Num 33:8 TLB)  From there they went through the middle of the Red Sea 
       and on for three days into the Etham wilderness, camping at Marah.

       (Num 33:9 TLB)  Leaving Marah, they came to Elim, where there are 
       twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees; they stayed there for 
       quite a long time.

       (Num 33:10 TLB)  Leaving Elim, they camped beside the Red Sea,

       (Num 33:11 TLB)  and then in the wilderness of Sihn.

       (Num 33:12 TLB)  Next was Dophkah,

       (Num 33:13 TLB)  and then Alush;

       (Num 33:14 TLB)  then on to Rephidim (where there was no water for the 
       people to drink).

       (Num 33:15 TLB)  From Rephidim they went to the wilderness of Sinai;

       (Num 33:16 TLB)  from the wilderness of Sinai to Kibroth-hattaavah;

       (Num 33:17 TLB)  From Kibroth-hattaavah to Hazeroth;

       (Num 33:18 TLB)  From Hazeroth to Rithmah;

       (Num 33:19 TLB)  From Rithmah to Rimmon-parez;






       (Num 33:20 TLB)  From Rimmon-parez to Libnah;

       (Num 33:21 TLB)  From Libnah to Rissah;

       (Num 33:22 TLB)  From Rissah to Kehelathah;

       (Num 33:23 TLB)  From Kehelathah to Mount Shepher;

       (Num 33:24 TLB)  From Mount Shepher to Haradah;

       (Num 33:25 TLB)  From Haradah to Makheloth;

       (Num 33:26 TLB)  From Makheloth to Tahath;

       (Num 33:27 TLB)  From Tahath to Terah;

       (Num 33:28 TLB)  From Terah to Mithkah;

       (Num 33:29 TLB)  From Mithkah to Hashmonah;

       (Num 33:30 TLB)  From Hashmonah to Moseroth;

       (Num 33:31 TLB)  From Moseroth to Bene-jaakan;

       (Num 33:32 TLB)  From Bene-jaakan to Hor-haggidgad;

       (Num 33:33 TLB)  From Hor-haggidgad to Jotbathah;

       (Num 33:34 TLB)  From Jotbathah to Abronah;

       (Num 33:35 TLB)  From Abronah to Ezion-geber;

       (Num 33:36 TLB)  From Ezion-geber to Kadesh (in the wilderness of 
       Zin);

       (Num 33:37 TLB)  From Kadesh to Mount Hor (at the edge of the land of 
       Edom).

       (Num 33:38 TLB)  While they were at the foot of Mount Hor, Aaron the 
       priest was directed by the Lord to go up into the mountain, and there 
       he died. This occurred during the fortieth year after the people of 
       Israel had left Egypt.

       (Num 33:39 TLB)  The date of his death was July 15, when he was 123 
       years old.

       (Num 33:40 TLB)  It was then that the Canaanite king of Arad, who 
       lived in the Negeb, in the land of Canaan, heard that the people of 
       Israel were approaching his land.

       (Num 33:41 TLB)  After dealing with him, the Israelis journeyed from 
       Mount Hor and camped in Zalmonah,

       (Num 33:42 TLB)  then at Punon,





       (Num 33:43 TLB)  then at Oboth,

       (Num 33:44 TLB)  then Iyeabarim (at the border of Moab).

       (Num 33:45 TLB)  From there they went to Dibon-gad,

       (Num 33:46 TLB)  and then to Almon-diblathaim,

       (Num 33:47 TLB)  and on into the mountains of Abarim, near Mount Nebo,

       (Num 33:48 TLB)  and finally to the plains of Moab beside the river 
       Jordan, opposite Jericho.

       (Num 33:49 TLB)  While in that area they camped at various places 
       along the Jordan River, from Bethjeshimoth as far as Abel-shittim, on 
       the plains of Moab.

       (Num 33:50 TLB)  It was while they were camped there that the Lord 
       told Moses to tell the people of Israel, "When you pass across the 
       Jordan River into the land of Canaan,

       (Num 33:51 TLB)  

       (Num 33:52 TLB)  you must drive out all the people living there and 
       destroy all their idols--their carved stones, molten images, and the 
       open-air sanctuaries in the hills where they worship their idols.

       (Num 33:53 TLB)  I have given the land to you; take it and live there.

       (Num 33:54 TLB)  You will be given land in proportion to the size of 
       your tribes. The larger sections of land will be divided by lot among 
       the larger tribes, and the smaller sections will be allotted to the 
       smaller tribes.

       (Num 33:55 TLB)  But if you refuse to drive out the people living 
       there, those who remain will be as cinders in your eyes and thorns in 
       your sides.

       (Num 33:56 TLB)  And I will destroy you as I had planned for you to 
       destroy them."

       (Num 34:1 TLB)  The Lord told Moses to tell the people of Israel, 
       "When you come into the land of Canaan (I am giving you the entire 
       land as your homeland),

       (Num 34:2 TLB)  

       (Num 34:3 TLB)  the southern portion of the country will be the 
       wilderness of Zin, along the edge of Edom. The southern boundary will 
       begin at the Dead Sea,

       (Num 34:4 TLB)  and will continue south past Scorpion Pass in the 
       direction of Zin. Its southernmost point will be Kadesh-barnea, from 
       which it will go to Hazaraddar, and on to Azmon.

       (Num 34:5 TLB)  From Azmon the boundary will follow the Brook of Egypt 





       down to the Mediterranean Sea.

       (Num 34:6 TLB)  "Your western boundary will be the coastline of the 
       Mediterranean Sea.

       (Num 34:7 TLB)  "Your northern border will begin at the Mediterranean 
       Sea and will proceed eastward to Mount Hor, then to Lebo-Hamath, and 
       on through Zedad and Ziphron to Hazar-enan.

       (Num 34:8 TLB)  

       (Num 34:9 TLB)  

       (Num 34:10 TLB)  "The eastern border will be from Hazar-enan south to 
       Shepham,

       (Num 34:11 TLB)  then on to Riblah at the east side of Ain. From there 
       it will make a large half-circle, first going south and then westward 
       until it touches the southernmost tip of the Sea of Galilee,

       (Num 34:12 TLB)  and then along the Jordan River, ending at the Dead 
       Sea."

       (Num 34:13 TLB)  "This is the territory you are to apportion among 
       yourselves by lot," Moses said. "It is to be divided up among the nine 
       and one-half tribes,

       (Num 34:14 TLB)  for the tribes of Reuben and Gad and the half-tribe 
       of Manasseh have already been assigned land on the east side of the 
       Jordan, opposite Jericho."

       (Num 34:15 TLB)  

       (Num 34:16 TLB)  And the Lord said to Moses,

       (Num 34:17 TLB)  "These are the names of the men I have appointed to 
       handle the dividing up of the land: Eleazar the priest, Joshua (son of 
       Nun),

       (Num 34:18 TLB)  and one leader from each tribe, as listed below: 
       Tribe, Leader;

       (Num 34:19 TLB)  Judah, Caleb (son of Jephunneh);

       (Num 34:20 TLB)  Simeon, Shemuel (son of Ammihud);

       (Num 34:21 TLB)  Benjamin, Elidad (son of Chislon);

       (Num 34:22 TLB)  Dan, Bukki (son of Jogli);

       (Num 34:23 TLB)  Manasseh, Hanniel (son of Ephod);

       (Num 34:24 TLB)  Ephraim, Kemuel (son of Shiphtan);

       (Num 34:25 TLB)  Zebulun, Elizaphan (son of Parnach);





       (Num 34:26 TLB)  Issachar, Paltiel (son of Azzan);

       (Num 34:27 TLB)  Asher, Ahihud (son of Shelomi);

       (Num 34:28 TLB)  Naphtali, Pedahel (son of Ammihud);

       (Num 34:29 TLB)  These are the names of the men I have appointed to 
       oversee the dividing of the land among the tribes."

       (Num 35:1 TLB)  While Israel was camped beside the Jordan on the 
       plains of Moab, opposite Jericho, the Lord said to Moses,

       (Num 35:2 TLB)  "Instruct the people of Israel to give to the Levites 
       as their inheritance certain cities and surrounding pasture lands.

       (Num 35:3 TLB)  These cities are for their homes, and the surrounding 
       lands for their cattle, flocks, and other livestock.

       (Num 35:4 TLB)  Their gardens and vineyards shall extend 1,500 feet 
       out from the city walls in each direction, with an additional 1,500 
       feet beyond that for pastureland.

       (Num 35:5 TLB)  

       (Num 35:6 TLB)  "You shall give the Levites the six Cities of Refuge, 
       where a person who has accidentally killed someone can run and be 
       safe, and forty-two other cities besides.

       (Num 35:7 TLB)  In all, there shall be forty-eight cities with the 
       surrounding pastureland given to the Levites.

       (Num 35:8 TLB)  These cities shall be in various parts of the nation; 
       the larger tribes with many cities will give several to the Levites, 
       while the smaller tribes will give fewer."

       (Num 35:9 TLB)  And the Lord said to Moses, "Tell the people that when 
       they arrive in the land,

       (Num 35:10 TLB)  

       (Num 35:11 TLB)  Cities of Refuge shall be designated for anyone to 
       flee into if he has killed someone accidentally.

       (Num 35:12 TLB)  These cities will be places of protection from the 
       dead man's relatives who want to avenge his death; for the slayer must 
       not be killed unless a fair trial establishes his guilt.

       (Num 35:13 TLB)  Three of these six Cities of Refuge are to be located 
       in the land of Canaan, and three on the east side of the Jordan River.

       (Num 35:14 TLB)  

       (Num 35:15 TLB)  These are not only for the protection of Israelites, 
       but also for foreigners and travelers.

       (Num 35:16 TLB)  "But if someone is struck and killed by a piece of 





       iron, it must be presumed to be murder, and the murderer must be 
       executed.

       (Num 35:17 TLB)  Or if the slain man was struck down with a large 
       stone, it is murder, and the murderer shall die.

       (Num 35:18 TLB)  The same is true if he is killed with a wooden 
       weapon.

       (Num 35:19 TLB)  The avenger of his death shall personally kill the 
       murderer when he meets him.

       (Num 35:20 TLB)  So if anyone kills another out of hatred by throwing 
       something at him, or ambushing him,

       (Num 35:21 TLB)  or angrily striking him with his fist so that he 
       dies, he is a murderer; and the murderer shall be executed by the 
       avenger.

       (Num 35:22 TLB)  "But if it is an accident--a case in which something 
       is thrown unintentionally,

       (Num 35:23 TLB)  or in which a stone is thrown without anger, without 
       realizing it will hit anyone, and without wanting to harm an 
       enemy--yet the man dies,

       (Num 35:24 TLB)  then the people shall judge whether or not it was an 
       accident, and whether or not to hand the killer over to the avenger of 
       the dead man.

       (Num 35:25 TLB)  If it is decided that it was accidental, then the 
       people shall save the killer from the avenger; the killer shall be 
       permitted to stay in the City of Refuge; and he must live there until 
       the death of the High Priest.

       (Num 35:26 TLB)  "If the slayer leaves the city,

       (Num 35:27 TLB)  and the avenger finds him outside and kills him, it 
       is not murder,

       (Num 35:28 TLB)  for the man should have stayed inside the city until 
       the death of the High Priest. But after the death of the High Priest, 
       the man may return to his own land and home.

       (Num 35:29 TLB)  These are permanent laws for all Israel from 
       generation to generation.

       (Num 35:30 TLB)  "All murderers must be executed, but only if there is 
       more than one witness; no man shall die with only one person 
       testifying against him.

       (Num 35:31 TLB)  Whenever anyone is judged guilty of murder, he must 
       die--no ransom may be accepted for him.

       (Num 35:32 TLB)  Nor may a payment be accepted from a refugee in a 
       City of Refuge, permitting him to return to his home before the death 





       of the High Priest.

       (Num 35:33 TLB)  In this way the land will not be polluted, for murder 
       pollutes the land, and no atonement can be made for murder except by 
       the execution of the murderer.

       (Num 35:34 TLB)  You shall not defile the land where you are going to 
       live, for I, Jehovah, will be living there."

       (Num 36:1 TLB)  Then the heads of the subclan of Gilead (of the clan 
       of Machir, of the tribe of Manasseh, one of the sons of Joseph) came 
       to Moses and the leaders of Israel with a petition:

       (Num 36:2 TLB)  "The Lord instructed you to divide the land by lot 
       among the people of Israel," they reminded Moses, "and to give the 
       inheritance of our brother Zelophehad to his daughters.

       (Num 36:3 TLB)  But if they marry into another tribe, their land will 
       go with them to the tribe into which they marry. In this way the total 
       area of our tribe will be reduced

       (Num 36:4 TLB)  and will not be returned at the Year of Jubilee."

       (Num 36:5 TLB)  Then Moses replied publicly, giving them these 
       instructions from the Lord: "The men of the tribe of Joseph have a 
       proper complaint.

       (Num 36:6 TLB)  This is what the Lord has further commanded concerning 
       the daughters of Zelophehad: 'Let them be married to anyone they like, 
       so long as it is within their own tribe.

       (Num 36:7 TLB)  In this way none of the land of the tribe will shift 
       to any other tribe, for the inheritance of every tribe is to remain 
       permanently as it was first allotted.

       (Num 36:8 TLB)  The girls throughout the tribes of Israel who are 
       heiresses must marry within their own tribe, so that their land won't 
       leave the tribe.

       (Num 36:9 TLB)  In this way no inheritance shall move from one tribe 
       to another.'"

       (Num 36:10 TLB)  The daughters of Zelophehad did as the Lord commanded 
       Moses.

       (Num 36:11 TLB)  These girls, Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah, and 
       Noah, were married to men in their own tribe of Manasseh (son of 
       Joseph); so their inheritance remained in their tribe.

       (Num 36:12 TLB)  

       (Num 36:13 TLB)  These are the commandments and ordinances that the 
       Lord gave to the people of Israel through Moses, while they were 
       camped on the plains of Moab beside the Jordan River, across from 
       Jericho.





       (Deu 1:1 TLB)  This book records Moses' address to the people of 
       Israel when they were camped in the valley of the Arabah in the 
       wilderness of Moab, east of the Jordan River. (Cities in the area 
       included Suph, Paran, Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Dizahab.)

       (Deu 1:2 TLB)  The speech was given on February 15, forty years after 
       the people of Israel left Mount Horeb--

       (Deu 1:3 TLB)  though it takes only eleven days to travel by foot from 
       Mount Horeb to Kadesh-barnea, going by way of Mount Seir!

       (Deu 1:4 TLB)  At the time of this address, King Sihon of the Amorites 
       had already been defeated at Heshbon, and King Og of Bashan had been 
       defeated at Ashtaroth, near Edre-i.

       (Deu 1:5 TLB)  Here, then, is Moses' address to Israel, stating all 
       the laws God had commanded him to pass on to them:

       (Deu 1:6 TLB)  "It was forty years ago, at Mount Horeb, that Jehovah 
       our God told us, 'You have stayed here long enough.

       (Deu 1:7 TLB)  Now go and occupy the hill country of the Amorites, the 
       valley of the Arabah, and the Negeb, and all the land of Canaan and 
       Lebanon--the entire area from the shores of the Mediterranean Sea to 
       the Euphrates River.

       (Deu 1:8 TLB)  I am giving all of it to you! Go in and possess it, for 
       it is the land the Lord promised to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and 
       Jacob, and all of their descendants.'

       (Deu 1:9 TLB)  "At that time I told the people, 'I need help! You are 
       a great burden for me to carry all by myself,

       (Deu 1:10 TLB)  for the Lord has multiplied you to become as many as 
       the stars!

       (Deu 1:11 TLB)  And may he multiply you a thousand times more and 
       bless you as he promised,

       (Deu 1:12 TLB)  but what can one man do to settle all your quarrels 
       and problems?

       (Deu 1:13 TLB)  So choose some men from each tribe who are wise, 
       experienced, and understanding, and I will appoint them as your 
       leaders.'

       (Deu 1:14 TLB)  "They agreed to this;

       (Deu 1:15 TLB)  I took the men they selected, some from every tribe, 
       and appointed them as administrative assistants in charge of 
       thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens to decide their quarrels and 
       assist them in every way.

       (Deu 1:16 TLB)  I instructed them to be perfectly fair at all times, 
       even to foreigners.





       (Deu 1:17 TLB)  'When giving your decisions,' I told them, 'never 
       favor a man because he is rich; be fair to great and small alike. 
       Don't fear their displeasure, for you are judging in the place of God. 
       Bring me any cases too difficult for you, and I will handle them.'

       (Deu 1:18 TLB)  And I gave them other instructions at that time also.

       (Deu 1:19 TLB)  "Then we left Mount Horeb and traveled through the 
       great and terrible desert, finally arriving among the Amorite hills to 
       which the Lord our God had directed us. We were then at Kadesh-barnea 
       (on the border of the Promised Land)

       (Deu 1:20 TLB)  and I said to the people, 'The Lord God has given us 
       this land.

       (Deu 1:21 TLB)  Go and possess it as he told us to. Don't be afraid! 
       Don't even doubt!'

       (Deu 1:22 TLB)  "But they replied, 'First let's send out spies to 
       discover the best route of entry, and to decide which cities we should 
       capture first.'

       (Deu 1:23 TLB)  "This seemed like a good idea, so I chose twelve 
       spies, one from each tribe.

       (Deu 1:24 TLB)  They crossed into the hills and came to the Valley of 
       Eshcol,

       (Deu 1:25 TLB)  and returned with samples of the local fruit. One look 
       was enough to convince us that it was indeed a good land the Lord our 
       God had given us.

       (Deu 1:26 TLB)  But the people refused to go in and rebelled against 
       the Lord's command.

       (Deu 1:27 TLB)  "They murmured and complained in their tents and said, 
       'The Lord must hate us, bringing us here from Egypt to be slaughtered 
       by these Amorites.

       (Deu 1:28 TLB)  What are we getting into? Our brothers who spied out 
       the land have frightened us with their report. They say that the 
       people of the land are tall and powerful, and that the walls of their 
       cities rise high into the sky! They have even seen giants there--the 
       descendants of the Anakim!'

       (Deu 1:29 TLB)  "But I said to them, 'Don't be afraid!

       (Deu 1:30 TLB)  The Lord God is your leader, and he will fight for you 
       with his mighty miracles, just as you saw him do in Egypt.

       (Deu 1:31 TLB)  And you know how he has cared for you again and again 
       here in the wilderness, just as a father cares for his child!'

       (Deu 1:32 TLB)  But nothing I said did any good. "They refused to 
       believe the Lord our God





       (Deu 1:33 TLB)  who had led them all the way, and had selected the 
       best places for them to camp, and had guided them by a pillar of fire 
       at night and a pillar of cloud during the day.

       (Deu 1:34 TLB)  "Well, the Lord heard their complaining and was very 
       angry. He vowed that not one person in that entire generation would 
       live to see the good land he had promised their fathers,

       (Deu 1:35 TLB)  

       (Deu 1:36 TLB)  except Caleb (the son of Jephunneh), who, because he 
       had wholly followed the Lord, would receive as his personal 
       inheritance some of the land he had walked over.

       (Deu 1:37 TLB)  "And the Lord was even angry with me because of them 
       and said to me, 'You shall not enter the Promised Land!

       (Deu 1:38 TLB)  Instead, your assistant, Joshua (the son of Nun), 
       shall lead the people. Encourage him as he prepares to take over the 
       leadership.

       (Deu 1:39 TLB)  I will give the land to the children they said would 
       die in the wilderness.

       (Deu 1:40 TLB)  But as for you of the older generation, turn around 
       now and go on back across the desert toward the Red Sea.'

       (Deu 1:41 TLB)  "Then they confessed, 'We have sinned! We will go into 
       the land and fight for it as the Lord our God has told us to.' So they 
       strapped on their weapons and thought it would be easy to conquer the 
       whole area.

       (Deu 1:42 TLB)  "But the Lord said to me, 'Tell them not to do it, for 
       I will not go with them; they will be struck down before their 
       enemies.'

       (Deu 1:43 TLB)  "I told them, but they wouldn't listen. Instead, they 
       rebelled again against the Lord's commandment and went on up into the 
       hill country to fight.

       (Deu 1:44 TLB)  But the Amorites who lived there came out against them 
       and chased them like bees and killed them from Seir to Hormah.

       (Deu 1:45 TLB)  Then they returned and wept before the Lord, but he 
       wouldn't listen.

       (Deu 1:46 TLB)  So they stayed there at Kadesh for a long time.

       (Deu 2:1 TLB)  "Then we turned back across the wilderness toward the 
       Red Sea, for so the Lord had instructed me. For many years we wandered 
       around in the area of Mount Seir.

       (Deu 2:2 TLB)  Then at last the Lord said,

       (Deu 2:3 TLB)  "'You have stayed here long enough. Turn northward.





       (Deu 2:4 TLB)  Inform the people that they will be passing through the 
       country belonging to their brothers the Edomites, the descendants of 
       Esau who live in Seir; the Edomites will be nervous, so be careful.

       (Deu 2:5 TLB)  Don't start a fight! For I have given them all the 
       Mount Seir hill country as their permanent possession, and I will not 
       give you even a tiny piece of their land.

       (Deu 2:6 TLB)  Pay them for whatever food or water you use.

       (Deu 2:7 TLB)  The Lord your God has watched over you and blessed you 
       every step of the way for all these forty years as you have wandered 
       around in this great wilderness; and you have lacked nothing in all 
       that time.'

       (Deu 2:8 TLB)  "So we passed through Edom where our brothers lived, 
       crossing the Arabah Road that goes south to Elath and Ezion-geber, and 
       traveling northward toward the Moab desert.

       (Deu 2:9 TLB)  "Then the Lord warned us, 'Don't attack the Moabites 
       either, for I will not give you any of their land; I have given it to 
       the descendants of Lot.'

       (Deu 2:10 TLB)  "(The Emim used to live in that area, a very large 
       tribe, tall as the giants of Anakim;

       (Deu 2:11 TLB)  both the Emim and the Anakim are often referred to as 
       the Rephaim, but the Moabites call them Emim.

       (Deu 2:12 TLB)  In earlier days the Horites lived in Seir, but they 
       were driven out and displaced by the Edomites, the descendants of 
       Esau, just as Israel would displace the peoples of Canaan, whose land 
       had been assigned to Israel by the Lord.)

       (Deu 2:13 TLB)  "'Now cross Zered Brook,' the Lord said; and we did.

       (Deu 2:14 TLB)  "So it took us thirty-eight years to finally get 
       across Zered Brook from Kadesh! For the Lord had decreed that this 
       could not happen until all the men, who thirty-eight years earlier 
       were old enough to bear arms, had died.

       (Deu 2:15 TLB)  Yes, the hand of the Lord was against them until 
       finally all were dead.

       (Deu 2:16 TLB)  "Then at last the Lord said to me,

       (Deu 2:17 TLB)  

       (Deu 2:18 TLB)  "'Today Israel shall cross the borders of Moab at Ar,

       (Deu 2:19 TLB)  into the land of the Ammonites. But do not attack 
       them, for I will not give you any of their land. I have given it to 
       the descendants of Lot.'

       (Deu 2:20 TLB)  "(That area, too, used to be inhabited by the Rephaim, 
       called 'Zamzummim' by the Ammonites.






       (Deu 2:21 TLB)  They were a large and powerful tribe, as tall as the 
       Anakim; but Jehovah destroyed them as the Ammonites came in, and the 
       Ammonites lived there in their place.

       (Deu 2:22 TLB)  The Lord had similarly helped the descendants of Esau 
       at Mount Seir, for he destroyed the Horites who were living there 
       before them.

       (Deu 2:23 TLB)  Another similar situation occurred when the people of 
       Caphtor invaded and destroyed the tribe of Avvim living in villages 
       scattered across the countryside as far away as Gaza.)

       (Deu 2:24 TLB)  "Then the Lord said, 'Cross the Arnon River into the 
       land of King Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon. War against him and 
       begin to take possession of his land.

       (Deu 2:25 TLB)  Beginning today I will make people throughout the 
       whole earth tremble with fear because of you, and dread your arrival.'

       (Deu 2:26 TLB)  "Then from the wilderness of Kedemoth I sent 
       ambassadors to King Sihon of Heshbon with a proposal of peace.

       (Deu 2:27 TLB)  'Let us pass through your land,' we said. 'We will 
       stay on the main road and won't turn off into the fields on either 
       side.

       (Deu 2:28 TLB)  We will not steal food as we go, but will purchase 
       every bite we eat and everything we drink; all we want is permission 
       to pass through.

       (Deu 2:29 TLB)  The Edomites at Seir allowed us to go through their 
       country, and so did the Moabites, whose capital is at Ar. We are on 
       our way across the Jordan into the land the Lord our God has given 
       us.'

       (Deu 2:30 TLB)  "But King Sihon refused because Jehovah your God made 
       him obstinate, so that he could destroy Sihon by the hands of Israel, 
       as has now been done.

       (Deu 2:31 TLB)  "Then the Lord said to me, 'I have begun to give you 
       the land of King Sihon; when you possess it, it shall belong to Israel 
       forever.'

       (Deu 2:32 TLB)  "King Sihon then declared war on us and mobilized his 
       forces at Jahaz.

       (Deu 2:33 TLB)  But the Lord our God crushed him, and we conquered all 
       his cities and utterly destroyed everything, including the women and 
       babies. We left nothing alive

       (Deu 2:34 TLB)  

       (Deu 2:35 TLB)  except the cattle, which we took as our reward, along 
       with the booty gained from ransacking the cities we had taken. We 
       conquered everything






       (Deu 2:36 TLB)  from Aroer to Gilead--from the edge of the Arnon River 
       valley, and including all the cities in the valley. Not one city was 
       too strong for us, for the Lord our God gave all of them to us.

       (Deu 2:37 TLB)  However, we stayed away from the people of Ammon and 
       from the Jabbok River and the hill country cities, the places Jehovah 
       our God had forbidden us to enter.

       (Deu 3:1 TLB)  "Next we turned toward King Og's land of Bashan. He 
       immediately mobilized his army and attacked us at Edre-i.

       (Deu 3:2 TLB)  But the Lord told me not to be afraid of him. 'All his 
       people and his land are yours,' the Lord told me. 'You will do to him 
       as you did to King Sihon of the Amorites at Heshbon.'

       (Deu 3:3 TLB)  So the Lord helped us fight against King Og and his 
       people, and we killed them all.

       (Deu 3:4 TLB)  We conquered all sixty of his cities, the entire Argob 
       region of Bashan.

       (Deu 3:5 TLB)  These were well-fortified cities with high walls and 
       barred gates. Of course we also took all of the unwalled towns.

       (Deu 3:6 TLB)  We utterly destroyed the kingdom of Bashan just as we 
       had destroyed King Sihon's kingdom at Heshbon, killing the entire 
       population--men, women, and children alike.

       (Deu 3:7 TLB)  But we kept the cattle and loot for ourselves.

       (Deu 3:8 TLB)  "We now possessed all the land of the two kings of the 
       Amorites east of the Jordan River--all the land from the valley of the 
       Arnon to Mount Hermon.

       (Deu 3:9 TLB)  (The Sidonians called Mount Hermon 'Sirion,' while the 
       Amorites called it 'Senir.')

       (Deu 3:10 TLB)  We had now conquered all the cities on the plateau, 
       and all of Gilead and Bashan as far as the cities of Salecah and 
       Edre-i.

       (Deu 3:11 TLB)  "Incidentally, King Og of Bashan was the last of the 
       giant Rephaim. His iron bedstead is kept in a museum at Rabbah, one of 
       the cities of the Ammonites, and measures thirteen and a half feet 
       long by six feet wide.

       (Deu 3:12 TLB)  "At that time I gave the conquered land to the tribes 
       of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. To the tribes of 
       Reuben and Gad I gave the area beginning at Aroer on the Arnon River, 
       plus half of Mount Gilead, including its cities.

       (Deu 3:13 TLB)  The half-tribe of Manasseh received the remainder of 
       Gilead and all of the former kingdom of King Og, the Argob region. 
       (Bashan is sometimes called 'The Land of the Rephaim.')





       (Deu 3:14 TLB)  The clan of Jair, of the tribe of Manasseh, took over 
       the whole Argob region (Bashan) to the borders of the Geshurites and 
       Maacathites. They renamed their country after themselves, calling it 
       Havvoth-jair (meaning 'Jair's Villages') as it is still known today.

       (Deu 3:15 TLB)  Then I gave Gilead to the clan of Machir.

       (Deu 3:16 TLB)  The tribes of Reuben and Gad received the area 
       extending from the Jabbok River in Gilead (which was the Ammonite 
       frontier) to the middle of the valley of the Arnon River.

       (Deu 3:17 TLB)  They also received the Arabah (or wasteland), bounded 
       by the Jordan River on the west, from Chinnereth to Mount Pisgah and 
       the Dead Sea (also called the Sea of the Arabah).

       (Deu 3:18 TLB)  "At that time I reminded the tribes of Reuben and Gad 
       and the half-tribe of Manasseh that, although the Lord had given them 
       the land, they could not begin settling down until their armed men led 
       the other tribes across the Jordan to the land the Lord was giving 
       them.

       (Deu 3:19 TLB)  "'But your wives and children,' I told them, 'may live 
       here in the cities the Lord has given you, caring for your many cattle

       (Deu 3:20 TLB)  until you return after the Lord has given victory to 
       the other tribes too. When they conquer the land the Lord your God has 
       given them across the Jordan River, then you may return here to your 
       own land.'

       (Deu 3:21 TLB)  "Then I said to Joshua, 'You have seen what the Lord 
       your God has done to those two kings. You will do the same to all the 
       kingdoms on the other side of the Jordan.

       (Deu 3:22 TLB)  Don't be afraid of the nations there, for the Lord 
       your God will fight for you.'

       (Deu 3:23 TLB)  "At that time I made this plea to God:

       (Deu 3:24 TLB)  'O Lord God, please let me cross over into the 
       Promised Land--the good land beyond the Jordan River with its rolling 
       hills--and Lebanon.

       (Deu 3:25 TLB)  I want to see the result of all the greatness and 
       power you have been showing us; for what God in all of heaven or earth 
       can do what you have done for us?'

       (Deu 3:26 TLB)  "But the Lord was angry with me because of you and 
       would not let me cross over. 'Speak of it no more,' he ordered,

       (Deu 3:27 TLB)  'but go to the top of Mount Pisgah where you can look 
       out in every direction, and there you will see the land in the 
       distance. But you shall not cross the Jordan River.

       (Deu 3:28 TLB)  Commission Joshua to replace you, and then encourage 
       him, for he shall lead the people across to conquer the land you will 
       see from the mountaintop.'






       (Deu 3:29 TLB)  "So we remained in the valley near Beth-peor.

       (Deu 4:1 TLB)  "And now, O Israel, listen carefully to these laws I 
       teach you, and obey them if you want to live and enter into and 
       possess the land given you by the Lord God of your ancestors.

       (Deu 4:2 TLB)  Do not add other laws or subtract from these; just obey 
       them, for they are from the Lord your God.

       (Deu 4:3 TLB)  You have seen what the Lord did to you at Baalpeor, 
       where he destroyed many people for worshiping idols.

       (Deu 4:4 TLB)  But all of you who were faithful to the Lord your God 
       are still alive today.

       (Deu 4:5 TLB)  "These are the laws for you to obey when you arrive in 
       the land where you will live. They are from the Lord our God. He has 
       given them to me to pass on to you.

       (Deu 4:6 TLB)  If you obey them, they will give you a reputation for 
       wisdom and intelligence. When the surrounding nations hear these laws, 
       they will exclaim, 'What other nation is as wise and prudent as 
       Israel!'

       (Deu 4:7 TLB)  For what other nation, great or small, has God among 
       them, as the Lord our God is here among us whenever we call upon him?

       (Deu 4:8 TLB)  And what nation, no matter how great, has laws as fair 
       as these I am giving you today?

       (Deu 4:9 TLB)  "But watch out! Be very careful never to forget what 
       you have seen God doing for you. May his miracles have a deep and 
       permanent effect upon your lives! Tell your children and your 
       grandchildren about the glorious miracles he did.

       (Deu 4:10 TLB)  Tell them especially about the day you stood before 
       the Lord at Mount Horeb, and he told me, 'Summon the people before me 
       and I will instruct them, so that they will learn always to reverence 
       me, and so that they can teach my laws to their children.'

       (Deu 4:11 TLB)  You stood at the foot of the mountain, and the 
       mountain burned with fire; flames shot far into the sky, surrounded by 
       black clouds and deep darkness.

       (Deu 4:12 TLB)  And the Lord spoke to you from the fire; you heard his 
       words but didn't see him.

       (Deu 4:13 TLB)  He proclaimed the laws you must obey--the Ten 
       Commandments--and wrote them on two stone tablets.

       (Deu 4:14 TLB)  Yes, it was at that time that the Lord commanded me to 
       issue the laws you must obey when you arrive in the Promised Land.

       (Deu 4:15 TLB)  "But beware! You didn't see the form of God that day 
       as he spoke to you from the fire at Mount Horeb,






       (Deu 4:16 TLB)  so do not defile yourselves by trying to make a statue 
       of God--an idol in any form, whether of a man, woman, animal, bird,

       (Deu 4:17 TLB)  

       (Deu 4:18 TLB)  a small animal that runs along the ground, or a fish.

       (Deu 4:19 TLB)  And do not look up into the sky to worship the sun, 
       moon, or stars. The Lord may permit other nations to get away with 
       this, but not you.

       (Deu 4:20 TLB)  The Lord has rescued you from prison--Egypt--to be his 
       special people, his own inheritance; this is what you are today.

       (Deu 4:21 TLB)  But he was angry with me because of you; he vowed that 
       I could not go over the Jordan River into the good land he has given 
       you as your inheritance.

       (Deu 4:22 TLB)  I must die here on this side of the river.

       (Deu 4:23 TLB)  Beware lest you break the contract the Lord your God 
       has made with you! You will break it if you make any idols, for the 
       Lord your God has utterly forbidden this.

       (Deu 4:24 TLB)  He is a devouring fire, a jealous God.

       (Deu 4:25 TLB)  "In the future, when your children and grandchildren 
       are born and you have been in the land a long time, and you have 
       defiled yourselves by making idols, and the Lord your God is very 
       angry because of your sin,

       (Deu 4:26 TLB)  heaven and earth are witnesses that you shall be 
       quickly destroyed from the land. Soon now you will cross the Jordan 
       River and conquer that land. But your days there will be brief; you 
       will then be utterly destroyed.

       (Deu 4:27 TLB)  For the Lord will scatter you among the nations, and 
       you will be but few in number.

       (Deu 4:28 TLB)  There, far away, you will worship idols made from wood 
       and stone, idols that neither see nor hear nor eat nor smell.

       (Deu 4:29 TLB)  "But you will also begin to search again for Jehovah 
       your God, and you will find him when you search for him with all your 
       heart and soul.

       (Deu 4:30 TLB)  When those bitter days have come upon you in the 
       latter times, you will finally return to the Lord your God and listen 
       to what he tells you.

       (Deu 4:31 TLB)  For the Lord your God is merciful--he will not abandon 
       you nor destroy you nor forget the promises he has made to your 
       ancestors.

       (Deu 4:32 TLB)  "In all history, going back to the time when God 





       created man upon the earth, search from one end of the heavens to the 
       other to see if you can find anything like this:

       (Deu 4:33 TLB)  An entire nation heard the voice of God speaking to it 
       from fire, as you did, and lived!

       (Deu 4:34 TLB)  Where else will you ever find another example of God's 
       removing a nation from its slavery by sending terrible plagues, mighty 
       miracles, war, and terror? Yet that is what the Lord your God did for 
       you in Egypt, right before your very eyes.

       (Deu 4:35 TLB)  He did these things so you would realize that Jehovah 
       is God, and that there is no one else like him.

       (Deu 4:36 TLB)  He let you hear his voice instructing you from heaven, 
       and he let you see his great pillar of fire upon the earth; you even 
       heard his words from the center of the fire.

       (Deu 4:37 TLB)  "It was because he loved your ancestors and chose to 
       bless their descendants that he personally brought you out from Egypt 
       with a great display of power.

       (Deu 4:38 TLB)  He drove away other nations greater by far than you 
       and gave you their land as an inheritance, as it is today.

       (Deu 4:39 TLB)  This is your wonderful thought for the day: Jehovah is 
       God both in heaven and down here upon the earth; and there is no God 
       other than him!

       (Deu 4:40 TLB)  You must obey these laws that I will tell you today, 
       so that all will be well with you and your children, and so that you 
       will live forever in the land the Lord your God is giving you."

       (Deu 4:41 TLB)  Then Moses instructed the people of Israel to set 
       apart three cities east of the Jordan River,

       (Deu 4:42 TLB)  where anyone who accidentally killed someone could 
       flee for safety.

       (Deu 4:43 TLB)  These cities were Bezer, on the plateau in the 
       wilderness, for the tribe of Reuben; Ramoth, in Gilead, for the tribe 
       of Gad; and Golan, in Bashan, for the tribe of Manasseh.

       (Deu 4:44 TLB)  Listed below are the laws Moses issued to the people 
       of Israel when they left Egypt,

       (Deu 4:45 TLB)  

       (Deu 4:46 TLB)  and as they were camped east of the Jordan River near 
       the city of Beth-peor. (This was the land formerly occupied by the 
       Amorites under King Sihon, whose capital was Heshbon; he and his 
       people were destroyed by Moses and the Israelis.

       (Deu 4:47 TLB)  Israel conquered his land and that of King Og of 
       Bashan--they were two Amorite kings east of the Jordan.





       (Deu 4:48 TLB)  Israel also conquered all the area from Aroer at the 
       edge of the Arnon River valley to Mount Sirion, or Mount Hermon, as it 
       is sometimes called;

       (Deu 4:49 TLB)  and all the Arabah east of the Jordan River over to 
       the Dead Sea, below the slopes of Mount Pisgah.)

       (Deu 5:1 TLB)  Moses continued speaking to the people of Israel and 
       said, "Listen carefully now to all these laws God has given you; learn 
       them, and be sure to obey them!

       (Deu 5:2 TLB)  "The Lord our God made a contract with you at Mount 
       Horeb--not with your ancestors, but with you who are here alive today.

       (Deu 5:3 TLB)  

       (Deu 5:4 TLB)  He spoke with you face to face from the center of the 
       fire, there at the mountain.

       (Deu 5:5 TLB)  I stood as an intermediary between you and Jehovah, for 
       you were afraid of the fire and did not go up to him on the mountain. 
       He spoke to me and I passed on his laws to you. This is what he said:

       (Deu 5:6 TLB)  "'I am Jehovah your God who rescued you from slavery in 
       Egypt.

       (Deu 5:7 TLB)  "'Never worship any god but me.

       (Deu 5:8 TLB)  "'Never make idols; don't worship images, whether of 
       birds, animals, or fish.

       (Deu 5:9 TLB)  You shall not bow down to any images nor worship them 
       in any way, for I am the Lord your God. I am a jealous God, and I will 
       bring the curse of a father's sins upon even the third and fourth 
       generation of the children of those who hate me;

       (Deu 5:10 TLB)  but I will show kindness to a thousand generations of 
       those who love me and keep my commandments.

       (Deu 5:11 TLB)  "'You must never use my name to make a vow you don't 
       intend to keep. I will not overlook that.

       (Deu 5:12 TLB)  "'Keep the Sabbath day holy. This is my command.

       (Deu 5:13 TLB)  Work the other six days,

       (Deu 5:14 TLB)  but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your 
       God; no work shall be done that day by you or by any of your 
       household--your sons, daughters, servants, oxen, donkeys, or cattle; 
       even foreigners living among you must obey this law. Everybody must 
       rest as you do.

       (Deu 5:15 TLB)  Why should you keep the Sabbath? It is because you 
       were slaves in Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out with a 
       great display of miracles.





       (Deu 5:16 TLB)  "'Honor your father and mother (remember, this is a 
       commandment of the Lord your God); if you do so, you shall have a 
       long, prosperous life in the land he is giving you.

       (Deu 5:17 TLB)  "'You must not murder.

       (Deu 5:18 TLB)  "'You must not commit adultery.

       (Deu 5:19 TLB)  "'You must not steal.

       (Deu 5:20 TLB)  "'You must not tell lies.

       (Deu 5:21 TLB)  "'You must not burn with desire for another man's 
       wife, nor envy him for his home, land, servants, oxen, donkeys, nor 
       anything else he owns.'

       (Deu 5:22 TLB)  "The Lord has given these laws to each one of you from 
       the heart of the fire, surrounded by the clouds and thick darkness 
       that engulfed Mount Sinai. Those were the only commandments he gave 
       you at that time, and he wrote them out on two stone tablets and gave 
       them to me.

       (Deu 5:23 TLB)  But when you heard the loud voice from the darkness 
       and saw the terrible fire at the top of the mountain, all your tribal 
       leaders came to me

       (Deu 5:24 TLB)  and pleaded, 'Today the Lord our God has shown us his 
       glory and greatness; we have even heard his voice from the heart of 
       the fire. Now we know that a man may speak to God and not die;

       (Deu 5:25 TLB)  but we will surely die if he speaks to us again. This 
       awesome fire will consume us.

       (Deu 5:26 TLB)  What man can hear, as we have, the voice of the living 
       God speaking from the heart of the fire, and live?

       (Deu 5:27 TLB)  You go and listen to all that God says, then come and 
       tell us, and we will listen and obey.'

       (Deu 5:28 TLB)  "And the Lord agreed to your request and said to me, 
       'I have heard what the people have said to you, and I agree.

       (Deu 5:29 TLB)  Oh, that they would always have such a heart for me, 
       wanting to obey my commandments. Then all would go well with them in 
       the future, and with their children throughout all generations!

       (Deu 5:30 TLB)  Go and tell them to return to their tents.

       (Deu 5:31 TLB)  Then you come back and stand here beside me, and I 
       will give you all my commandments, and you shall teach them to the 
       people; and they will obey them in the land I am giving to them.'"

       (Deu 5:32 TLB)  So Moses told the people, "You must obey all the 
       commandments of the Lord your God, following his directions in every 
       detail, going the whole way he has laid out for you;





       (Deu 5:33 TLB)  only then will you live long and prosperous lives in 
       the land you are to enter and possess.

       (Deu 6:1 TLB)  "The Lord your God told me to give you all these 
       commandments which you are to obey in the land you will soon be 
       entering, where you will live.

       (Deu 6:2 TLB)  The purpose of these laws is to cause you, your sons, 
       and your grandsons to reverence the Lord your God by obeying all of 
       his instructions as long as you live; if you do, you will have long, 
       prosperous years ahead of you.

       (Deu 6:3 TLB)  Therefore, O Israel, listen closely to each command and 
       be careful to obey it, so that all will go well with you, and so that 
       you will have many children. If you obey these commands, you will 
       become a great nation in a glorious land 'flowing with milk and 
       honey,' even as the God of your fathers promised you.

       (Deu 6:4 TLB)  "O Israel, listen: Jehovah is our God, Jehovah alone.

       (Deu 6:5 TLB)  You must love him with all your heart, soul, and might.

       (Deu 6:6 TLB)  And you must think constantly about these commandments 
       I am giving you today.

       (Deu 6:7 TLB)  You must teach them to your children and talk about 
       them when you are at home or out for a walk; at bedtime and the first 
       thing in the morning.

       (Deu 6:8 TLB)  Tie them on your finger, wear them on your forehead,

       (Deu 6:9 TLB)  and write them on the doorposts of your house!

       (Deu 6:10 TLB)  "When the Lord your God has brought you into the land 
       he promised your ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and when he has 
       given you great cities full of good things--

       (Deu 6:11 TLB)  cities you didn't build, wells you didn't dig, and 
       vineyards and olive trees you didn't plant--and when you have eaten 
       until you can hold no more,

       (Deu 6:12 TLB)  then beware lest you forget the Lord who brought you 
       out of the land of Egypt, the land of slavery.

       (Deu 6:13 TLB)  When you are full, don't forget to be reverent to him 
       and to serve him and to use his name alone to endorse your promises.

       (Deu 6:14 TLB)  "You must not worship the gods of the neighboring 
       nations,

       (Deu 6:15 TLB)  for Jehovah your God who lives among you is a jealous 
       God, and his anger may rise quickly against you, and wipe you off the 
       face of the earth.

       (Deu 6:16 TLB)  You must not provoke him and try his patience as you 
       did when you complained against him at Massah.






       (Deu 6:17 TLB)  You must actively obey him in everything he commands.

       (Deu 6:18 TLB)  Only then will you be doing what is right and good in 
       the Lord's eyes. If you obey him, all will go well for you, and you 
       will be able to go in and possess the good land that the Lord promised 
       your ancestors.

       (Deu 6:19 TLB)  You will also be able to throw out all the enemies 
       living in your land, as the Lord agreed to help you do.

       (Deu 6:20 TLB)  "In the years to come when your son asks you, 'What is 
       the purpose of these laws which the Lord our God has given us?'

       (Deu 6:21 TLB)  you must tell him, 'We were Pharaoh's slaves in Egypt, 
       and the Lord brought us out of Egypt with great power

       (Deu 6:22 TLB)  and mighty miracles--with terrible blows against Egypt 
       and Pharaoh and all his people. We saw it all with our own eyes.

       (Deu 6:23 TLB)  He brought us out of Egypt so that he could give us 
       this land he had promised to our ancestors.

       (Deu 6:24 TLB)  And he has commanded us to obey all of these laws and 
       to reverence him so that he can preserve us alive as he has until now.

       (Deu 6:25 TLB)  For it always goes well with us when we obey all the 
       laws of the Lord our God.'

       (Deu 7:1 TLB)  "When the Lord brings you into the Promised Land, as he 
       soon will, he will destroy the following seven nations, all greater 
       and mightier than you are: the Hittites, the Girgashites, the 
       Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, the Jebusites.

       (Deu 7:2 TLB)  "When the Lord your God delivers them over to you to be 
       destroyed, do a complete job of it--don't make any treaties or show 
       them mercy; utterly wipe them out.

       (Deu 7:3 TLB)  Do not intermarry with them, nor let your sons and 
       daughters marry their sons and daughters.

       (Deu 7:4 TLB)  That would surely result in your young people's 
       beginning to worship their gods. Then the anger of the Lord would be 
       hot against you, and he would surely destroy you.

       (Deu 7:5 TLB)  "You must break down the heathen altars and shatter the 
       obelisks and cut up the shameful images and burn the idols.

       (Deu 7:6 TLB)  "For you are a holy people, dedicated to the Lord your 
       God. He has chosen you from all the people on the face of the whole 
       earth to be his own chosen ones.

       (Deu 7:7 TLB)  He didn't choose you and pour out his love upon you 
       because you were a larger nation than any other, for you were the 
       smallest of all!





       (Deu 7:8 TLB)  It was just because he loves you, and because he kept 
       his promise to your ancestors. That is why he brought you out of 
       slavery in Egypt with such amazing power and mighty miracles.

       (Deu 7:9 TLB)  "Understand, therefore, that the Lord your God is the 
       faithful God who for a thousand generations keeps his promises and 
       constantly loves those who love him and who obey his commands.

       (Deu 7:10 TLB)  But those who hate him shall be punished publicly and 
       destroyed. He will deal with them personally.

       (Deu 7:11 TLB)  Therefore, obey all these commandments I am giving you 
       today.

       (Deu 7:12 TLB)  Because of your obedience, the Lord your God will keep 
       his part of the contract which, in his tender love, he made with your 
       fathers.

       (Deu 7:13 TLB)  And he will love you and bless you and make you into a 
       great nation. He will make you fertile and give fertility to your 
       ground and to your animals, so that you will have large crops of 
       grain, grapes, and olives, and great flocks of cattle, sheep, and 
       goats when you arrive in the land he promised your fathers to give 
       you.

       (Deu 7:14 TLB)  You will be blessed above all the nations of the 
       earth; not one of you, whether male or female, shall be barren, not 
       even your cattle.

       (Deu 7:15 TLB)  And the Lord will take away all your sickness and will 
       not let you suffer any of the diseases of Egypt you remember so well; 
       he will give them all to your enemies!

       (Deu 7:16 TLB)  "You must destroy all the nations the Lord your God 
       delivers into your hands. Have no pity, and do not worship their gods; 
       if you do, it will be a sad day for you.

       (Deu 7:17 TLB)  Perhaps you will think to yourself, 'How can we ever 
       conquer these nations that are so much more powerful than we are?'

       (Deu 7:18 TLB)  But don't be afraid of them! Just remember what the 
       Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all the land of Egypt.

       (Deu 7:19 TLB)  Do you remember the terrors the Lord sent upon 
       them--your parents saw it with their own eyes--and the mighty miracles 
       and wonders, and the power and strength of Almighty God that he used 
       to bring you out of Egypt? Well, the Lord your God will use this same 
       might against the people you fear.

       (Deu 7:20 TLB)  Moreover, the Lord your God will send hornets to drive 
       out those who hide from you!

       (Deu 7:21 TLB)  "No, do not be afraid of those nations, for the Lord 
       your God is among you, and he is a great and awesome God.

       (Deu 7:22 TLB)  He will cast them out a little at a time; he will not 





       do it all at once, for if he did, the wild animals would multiply too 
       quickly and become dangerous.

       (Deu 7:23 TLB)  He will do it gradually, and you will move in against 
       those nations and destroy them.

       (Deu 7:24 TLB)  He will deliver their kings into your hands, and you 
       will erase their names from the face of the earth. No one will be able 
       to stand against you.

       (Deu 7:25 TLB)  "Burn their idols and do not touch the silver or gold 
       they are made of. Do not take it or it will be a snare to you, for it 
       is horrible to the Lord your God.

       (Deu 7:26 TLB)  Do not bring an idol into your home and worship it, 
       for then your doom is sealed. Utterly detest it, for it is a cursed 
       thing.

       (Deu 8:1 TLB)  "You must obey all the commandments I give you today. 
       If you do, you will not only live, you will multiply and will go in 
       and take over the land promised to your fathers by the Lord.

       (Deu 8:2 TLB)  Do you remember how the Lord led you through the 
       wilderness for all those forty years, humbling you and testing you to 
       find out how you would respond, and whether or not you would really 
       obey him?

       (Deu 8:3 TLB)  Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then 
       feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to both you and your 
       ancestors. He did it to help you realize that food isn't everything, 
       and that real life comes by obeying every command of God.

       (Deu 8:4 TLB)  For all these forty years your clothes haven't grown 
       old, and your feet haven't been blistered or swollen.

       (Deu 8:5 TLB)  So you should realize that, as a man punishes his son, 
       the Lord punishes you to help you.

       (Deu 8:6 TLB)  "Obey the laws of the Lord your God. Walk in his ways 
       and fear him.

       (Deu 8:7 TLB)  For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land 
       of brooks, pools, gushing springs, valleys, and hills;

       (Deu 8:8 TLB)  it is a land of wheat and barley, of grape vines, fig 
       trees, pomegranates, olives, and honey;

       (Deu 8:9 TLB)  it is a land where food is plentiful, and nothing is 
       lacking; it is a land where iron is as common as stone, and copper is 
       abundant in the hills.

       (Deu 8:10 TLB)  When you have eaten your fill, bless the Lord your God 
       for the good land he has given you.

       (Deu 8:11 TLB)  "But that is the time to be careful! Beware that in 
       your plenty you don't forget the Lord your God and begin to disobey 





       him.

       (Deu 8:12 TLB)  For when you have become full and prosperous and have 
       built fine homes to live in, and when your flocks and herds have 
       become very large, and your silver and gold have multiplied,

       (Deu 8:13 TLB)  

       (Deu 8:14 TLB)  that is the time to watch out that you don't become 
       proud and forget the Lord your God who brought you out of your slavery 
       in the land of Egypt.

       (Deu 8:15 TLB)  Beware that you don't forget the God who led you 
       through the great and terrible wilderness with the dangerous snakes 
       and scorpions, where it was so hot and dry. He gave you water from the 
       rock!

       (Deu 8:16 TLB)  He fed you with manna in the wilderness (it was a kind 
       of bread unknown before) so that you would become humble and so that 
       your trust in him would grow, and he could do you good.

       (Deu 8:17 TLB)  He did it so that you would never feel that it was 
       your own power and might that made you wealthy.

       (Deu 8:18 TLB)  Always remember that it is the Lord your God who gives 
       you power to become rich, and he does it to fulfill his promise to 
       your ancestors.

       (Deu 8:19 TLB)  "But if you forget about the Lord your God and worship 
       other gods instead, and follow evil ways, you shall certainly perish,

       (Deu 8:20 TLB)  just as the Lord has caused other nations in the past 
       to perish. That will be your fate, too, if you don't obey the Lord 
       your God.

       (Deu 9:1 TLB)  "O Israel, listen! Today you are to cross the Jordan 
       River and begin to dispossess the nations on the other side. Those 
       nations are much greater and more powerful than you are!

       (Deu 9:2 TLB)  They live in high walled cities. Among them are the 
       famed Anak giants, against whom none can stand!

       (Deu 9:3 TLB)  But the Lord your God will go before you as a devouring 
       fire to destroy them, so that you will quickly conquer them and drive 
       them out.

       (Deu 9:4 TLB)  "Then, when the Lord has done this for you, don't say 
       to yourselves, 'The Lord has helped us because we are so good!' No, it 
       is because of the wickedness of the other nations that he is doing it.

       (Deu 9:5 TLB)  It is not at all because you are such fine, upright 
       people that the Lord will drive them out from before you! I say it 
       again, it is only because of the wickedness of the other nations, and 
       because of his promises to your ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, 
       that he will do it.





       (Deu 9:6 TLB)  I say it yet again: Jehovah your God is not giving you 
       this good land because you are good, for you are not--you are a 
       wicked, stubborn people.

       (Deu 9:7 TLB)  "Don't you remember (oh, never forget it!) how 
       continually angry you made the Lord your God out in the wilderness, 
       from the day you left Egypt until now? For all this time you have 
       constantly rebelled against him.

       (Deu 9:8 TLB)  "Don't you remember how angry you made him at Mount 
       Horeb? He was ready to destroy you.

       (Deu 9:9 TLB)  I was on the mountain at the time, receiving the 
       contract which Jehovah had made with you--the stone tablets with the 
       laws inscribed upon them. I was there for forty days and forty nights, 
       and all that time I ate nothing. I didn't even take a drink of water.

       (Deu 9:10 TLB)  At the end of those forty days and nights the Lord 
       gave me the contract, the tablets on which he had written the 
       commandments he had spoken from the fire-covered mountain while the 
       people had watched below.

       (Deu 9:11 TLB)  

       (Deu 9:12 TLB)  He told me to go down quickly because the people I had 
       led out of Egypt had defiled themselves, quickly turning away from the 
       laws of God, and had made an idol from molten metal.

       (Deu 9:13 TLB)  "'Let me alone that I may destroy this evil, stubborn 
       people!' the Lord told me, 'and I will blot out their name from under 
       heaven, and I will make a mighty nation of you, mightier and greater 
       than they are.'

       (Deu 9:14 TLB)  

       (Deu 9:15 TLB)  "I came down from the burning mountain, holding in my 
       hands the two tablets inscribed with the laws of God.

       (Deu 9:16 TLB)  There below me I could see the calf you had made in 
       your terrible sin against the Lord your God. How quickly you turned 
       away from him!

       (Deu 9:17 TLB)  I lifted the tablets high above my head and dashed 
       them to the ground! I smashed them before your eyes!

       (Deu 9:18 TLB)  Then, for another forty days and nights I lay before 
       the Lord, neither eating bread nor drinking water, for you had done 
       what the Lord hated most, thus provoking him to great anger.

       (Deu 9:19 TLB)  How I feared for you--for the Lord was ready to 
       destroy you. But that time, too, he listened to me.

       (Deu 9:20 TLB)  Aaron was in great danger because the Lord was so 
       angry with him; but I prayed, and the Lord spared him.

       (Deu 9:21 TLB)  I took your sin--the calf you had made--and burned it 





       and ground it into fine dust, and threw it into the stream that 
       cascaded out of the mountain.

       (Deu 9:22 TLB)  "Again at Taberah and once again at Massah you angered 
       the Lord, and yet again at Kibroth-hattaavah.

       (Deu 9:23 TLB)  At Kadesh-barnea, when the Lord told you to enter the 
       land he had given you, you rebelled and wouldn't believe that he would 
       help you; you refused to obey him.

       (Deu 9:24 TLB)  Yes, you have been rebellious against the Lord from 
       the first day I knew you.

       (Deu 9:25 TLB)  That is why I fell down before him for forty days and 
       nights when the Lord was ready to destroy you.

       (Deu 9:26 TLB)  "I prayed to him, 'O Lord God, don't destroy your own 
       people. They are your inheritance saved from Egypt by your mighty 
       power and glorious strength.

       (Deu 9:27 TLB)  Don't notice the rebellion and stubbornness of these 
       people, but remember instead your promises to your servants Abraham, 
       Isaac, and Jacob. Oh, please overlook the awful wickedness and sin of 
       these people.

       (Deu 9:28 TLB)  For if you destroy them, the Egyptians will say, "It 
       is because the Lord wasn't able to bring them to the land he promised 
       them," or "He destroyed them because he hated them: he brought them 
       into the wilderness to slay them."

       (Deu 9:29 TLB)  They are your people and your inheritance that you 
       brought from Egypt by your great power and your mighty arm.'

       (Deu 10:1 TLB)  "At that time the Lord told me to cut two more stone 
       tablets like the first ones, and to make a wooden Ark to keep them in, 
       and to return to God on the mountain.

       (Deu 10:2 TLB)  He said he would rewrite on the tablets the same 
       commandments that were on the tablets I had smashed, and that I should 
       place them in the Ark.

       (Deu 10:3 TLB)  So I made an Ark of acacia wood and hewed out two 
       stone tablets like the first two, and took the tablets up on the 
       mountain to God.

       (Deu 10:4 TLB)  He again wrote the Ten Commandments on them and gave 
       them to me. (They were the same commandments he had given you from the 
       heart of the fire on the mountain as you all watched below.)

       (Deu 10:5 TLB)  Then I came down and placed the tablets in the Ark I 
       had made, where they are to this day, just as the Lord commanded me.

       (Deu 10:6 TLB)  "The people of Israel then journeyed from Be-eroth of 
       Bene-jaakan to Moserah, where Aaron died and was buried. His son 
       Eleazar became the next priest.





       (Deu 10:7 TLB)  "Then they journeyed to Gudgodah, and from there to 
       Jotbathah, a land of brooks and water.

       (Deu 10:8 TLB)  It was there that Jehovah set apart the tribe of Levi 
       to carry the Ark containing the Ten Commandments of Jehovah, and to 
       stand before the Lord and to do his work and to bless his name, just 
       as is done today.

       (Deu 10:9 TLB)  (That is why the tribe of Levi does not have a portion 
       of land reserved for it in the Promised Land, as their brother tribes 
       do; for as the Lord told them, he himself is their inheritance.)

       (Deu 10:10 TLB)  "As I said before, I stayed on the mountain before 
       the Lord for forty days and nights the second time, just as I had the 
       first, and the Lord again yielded to my pleas and didn't destroy you.

       (Deu 10:11 TLB)  "But he said to me, 'Arise and lead the people to the 
       land I promised their fathers. It is time to go in and possess it.'

       (Deu 10:12 TLB)  "And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require 
       of you except to listen carefully to all he says to you,

       (Deu 10:13 TLB)  and to obey for your own good the commandments I am 
       giving you today, and to love him, and to worship him with all your 
       hearts and souls?

       (Deu 10:14 TLB)  Earth and highest heaven belong to the Lord your God.

       (Deu 10:15 TLB)  And yet he rejoiced in your fathers and loved them so 
       much that he chose you, their children, to be above every other 
       nation, as is evident today.

       (Deu 10:16 TLB)  Therefore, cleanse your sinful hearts and stop your 
       stubbornness.

       (Deu 10:17 TLB)  "Jehovah your God is God of gods and Lord of lords. 
       He is the great and mighty God, the God of terror who shows no 
       partiality and takes no bribes.

       (Deu 10:18 TLB)  He gives justice to the fatherless and widows. He 
       loves foreigners and gives them food and clothing.

       (Deu 10:19 TLB)  (You too must love foreigners, for you yourselves 
       were foreigners in the land of Egypt.)

       (Deu 10:20 TLB)  You must fear the Lord your God and worship him and 
       cling to him, and take oaths by his name alone.

       (Deu 10:21 TLB)  He is your praise and he is your God, the one who has 
       done mighty miracles you yourselves have seen.

       (Deu 10:22 TLB)  When your ancestors went down into Egypt there were 
       only seventy of them, but now the Lord your God has made you as many 
       as the stars in the sky!

       (Deu 11:1 TLB)  "You must love the Lord your God and obey every one of 





       his commands.

       (Deu 11:2 TLB)  Listen! I am not talking now to your children who have 
       never experienced the Lord's punishments or seen his greatness and his 
       awesome power.

       (Deu 11:3 TLB)  They weren't there to see the miracles he did in Egypt 
       against Pharaoh and all his land.

       (Deu 11:4 TLB)  They didn't see what God did to the armies of Egypt 
       and to their horses and chariots--how he drowned them in the Red Sea 
       as they were chasing you, and how the Lord has kept them powerless 
       against you until this very day!

       (Deu 11:5 TLB)  They didn't see how the Lord cared for you time and 
       again through all the years you were wandering in the wilderness, 
       until your arrival here.

       (Deu 11:6 TLB)  They weren't there when Dathan and Abiram (the sons of 
       Eliab, descendants of Reuben) sinned, and the earth opened up and 
       swallowed them, with their households and tents and all their 
       belongings, as all Israel watched!

       (Deu 11:7 TLB)  "But you have seen these mighty miracles!

       (Deu 11:8 TLB)  How carefully, then, you should obey these 
       commandments I am going to give you today, so that you may have the 
       strength to go in and possess the land you are about to enter.

       (Deu 11:9 TLB)  If you obey the commandments, you will have a long and 
       good life in the land the Lord promised to your ancestors and to you, 
       their descendants--a wonderful land 'flowing with milk and honey'!

       (Deu 11:10 TLB)  For the land you are about to enter and possess is 
       not like the land of Egypt where you have come from, where irrigation 
       is necessary.

       (Deu 11:11 TLB)  It is a land of hills and valleys with plenty of 
       rain--

       (Deu 11:12 TLB)  a land that the Lord your God personally cares for! 
       His eyes are always upon it, day after day throughout the year!

       (Deu 11:13 TLB)  "And if you will carefully obey all of his 
       commandments that I am going to give you today, and if you will love 
       the Lord your God with all your hearts and souls and will worship him,

       (Deu 11:14 TLB)  then he will continue to send both the early and late 
       rains that will produce wonderful crops of grain, grapes for your 
       wine, and olive oil.

       (Deu 11:15 TLB)  He will give you lush pastureland for your cattle to 
       graze in, and you yourselves shall have plenty to eat and be fully 
       content.

       (Deu 11:16 TLB)  "But beware that your hearts do not turn from God to 





       worship other gods.

       (Deu 11:17 TLB)  For if you do, the anger of the Lord will be hot 
       against you, and he will shut the heavens--there will be no rain and 
       no harvest, and you will quickly perish from the good land the Lord 
       has given you.

       (Deu 11:18 TLB)  So keep these commandments carefully in mind. Tie 
       them to your hand to remind you to obey them, and tie them to your 
       forehead between your eyes!

       (Deu 11:19 TLB)  Teach them to your children. Talk about them when you 
       are sitting at home, when you are out walking, at bedtime, and before 
       breakfast!

       (Deu 11:20 TLB)  Write them upon the doors of your houses and upon 
       your gates,

       (Deu 11:21 TLB)  so that as long as there is sky above the earth, you 
       and your children will enjoy the good life awaiting you in the land 
       the Lord has promised you.

       (Deu 11:22 TLB)  "If you carefully obey all the commandments I give 
       you, loving the Lord your God, walking in all his ways, and clinging 
       to him,

       (Deu 11:23 TLB)  then the Lord will drive out all the nations in your 
       land, no matter how much greater and stronger than you they might be.

       (Deu 11:24 TLB)  Wherever you go, the land is yours. Your frontiers 
       will stretch from the southern Negeb to Lebanon, and from the 
       Euphrates River to the Mediterranean Sea.

       (Deu 11:25 TLB)  No one will be able to stand against you, for the 
       Lord your God will send fear and dread ahead of you wherever you go, 
       just as he has promised.

       (Deu 11:26 TLB)  "I am giving you the choice today between God's 
       blessing or God's curse!

       (Deu 11:27 TLB)  There will be blessing if you obey the commandments 
       of the Lord your God that I am giving you today,

       (Deu 11:28 TLB)  and a curse if you refuse them and worship the gods 
       of these other nations.

       (Deu 11:29 TLB)  When the Lord your God brings you into the land to 
       possess it, a blessing shall be proclaimed from Mount Gerizim and a 
       curse from Mount Ebal!

       (Deu 11:30 TLB)  (Gerizim and Ebal are mountains west of the Jordan 
       River, where the Canaanites live, in the wasteland near Gilgal, where 
       the oaks of Moreh are.)

       (Deu 11:31 TLB)  For you are to cross the Jordan and live in the land 
       the Lord is giving you.






       (Deu 11:32 TLB)  But you must obey all the laws I am giving you today.

       (Deu 12:1 TLB)  "These are the laws you must obey when you arrive in 
       the land that Jehovah, the God of your fathers, has given you forever:

       (Deu 12:2 TLB)  "You must destroy all the heathen altars wherever you 
       find them--high in the mountains, up in the hills, or under the trees.

       (Deu 12:3 TLB)  Break the altars, smash the obelisks, burn the 
       shameful images, cut down the metal idols, and leave nothing even to 
       remind you of them!

       (Deu 12:4 TLB)  "You must not make sacrifices to your God just 
       anywhere, as the heathen sacrifice to their gods.

       (Deu 12:5 TLB)  Rather, you must build a sanctuary for him at a place 
       he himself will select as his home.

       (Deu 12:6 TLB)  There you shall bring to the Lord your burnt offerings 
       and other sacrifices--your tithes, your offerings presented by the 
       gesture of waving before the altar, your offerings to fulfill your 
       vows, your free-will offerings, and your offerings of the firstborn 
       animals of your flocks and herds.

       (Deu 12:7 TLB)  There you and your families shall feast before the 
       Lord your God and shall rejoice in all he has done for you.

       (Deu 12:8 TLB)  "You will no longer go your own way as you do now, 
       everyone doing whatever he thinks is right;

       (Deu 12:9 TLB)  (for these laws don't go into effect until you arrive 
       in the place of rest the Lord will give to you).

       (Deu 12:10 TLB)  But when you cross the Jordan River and live in the 
       Promised Land, and the Lord gives you rest and keeps you safe from all 
       your enemies,

       (Deu 12:11 TLB)  then you must bring all your burnt sacrifices and 
       other offerings to his sanctuary, the place he will choose as his 
       home.

       (Deu 12:12 TLB)  You shall rejoice there before the Lord with your 
       sons and daughters and servants; and remember to invite the Levites to 
       feast with you, for they have no land of their own.

       (Deu 12:13 TLB)  "You are not to sacrifice your burnt offerings just 
       anywhere;

       (Deu 12:14 TLB)  you may only do so in the place the Lord will choose. 
       He will pick a place in the territory allotted to one of the tribes. 
       Only there may you offer your sacrifices and bring your offerings.

       (Deu 12:15 TLB)  However, the meat you eat may be butchered anywhere, 
       just as you do now with gazelle and deer. Eat as much of this meat as 
       you wish and as often as you are able to obtain it, because the Lord 





       has prospered you. Those who are ceremonially defiled may eat it too.

       (Deu 12:16 TLB)  The only restriction is that you are not to eat the 
       blood--pour it out on the ground, like water.

       (Deu 12:17 TLB)  "But none of the offerings may be eaten at home. 
       Neither the tithe of your grain and new wine and olive oil, nor the 
       firstborn of your flocks and herds, nor anything you have vowed to 
       give the Lord, nor your freewill offerings, nor the offerings to be 
       presented to the Lord by waving them before his altar.

       (Deu 12:18 TLB)  All these must be brought to the central altar where 
       you, your children, and the Levites shall eat them before the Lord 
       your God. He will tell you where this altar must be located. Rejoice 
       before the Lord your God in everything you do.

       (Deu 12:19 TLB)  (By the way, be very careful not to forget about the 
       Levites. Share with them.)

       (Deu 12:20 TLB)  "If, when the Lord enlarges your borders,

       (Deu 12:21 TLB)  the central altar is too far away from you, then your 
       flocks and herds may be butchered on your own farms,

       (Deu 12:22 TLB)  just as you do now with gazelle and deer. And even 
       persons who are ceremonially defiled may eat them.

       (Deu 12:23 TLB)  The only restriction is never to eat the blood, for 
       the blood is the life, and you shall not eat the life with the meat.

       (Deu 12:24 TLB)  Instead, pour the blood out upon the earth. If you 
       do, all will be well with you and your children.

       (Deu 12:25 TLB)  

       (Deu 12:26 TLB)  Only your gifts to the Lord, and the offerings you 
       have promised in your vows, and your burnt offerings need be taken to 
       the central altar.

       (Deu 12:27 TLB)  These may only be sacrificed upon the altar of the 
       Lord your God. The blood will be poured out upon the altar, and you 
       will eat the meat.

       (Deu 12:28 TLB)  "Be careful to obey all of these commandments. If you 
       do what is right in the eyes of the Lord your God, all will go well 
       with you and your children forever.

       (Deu 12:29 TLB)  When he destroys the nations in the land where you 
       will live,

       (Deu 12:30 TLB)  don't follow their example in worshiping their gods. 
       Do not ask, 'How do these nations worship their gods?' and then go and 
       worship as they do!

       (Deu 12:31 TLB)  You must not insult the Lord your God like that! 
       These nations have done horrible things that he hates, all in the name 





       of their religion. They have even roasted their sons and daughters in 
       front of their gods.

       (Deu 12:32 TLB)  Obey all the commandments I give you. Do not add to 
       or subtract from them.

       (Deu 13:1 TLB)  "If there is a prophet among you, or one who claims to 
       foretell the future by dreams,

       (Deu 13:2 TLB)  and if his predictions come true but he says, 'Come, 
       let us worship the gods of the other nations,'

       (Deu 13:3 TLB)  don't listen to him. For the Lord is testing you to 
       find out whether or not you really love him with all your heart and 
       soul.

       (Deu 13:4 TLB)  You must never worship any God but Jehovah; obey only 
       his commands and cling to him.

       (Deu 13:5 TLB)  "The prophet who tries to lead you astray must be 
       executed, for he has attempted to foment rebellion against the Lord 
       your God who brought you out of slavery in the land of Egypt. By 
       executing him you will clear out the evil from among you.

       (Deu 13:6 TLB)  If your nearest relative or closest friend, even a 
       brother, son, daughter, or beloved wife whispers to you to come and 
       worship these foreign gods,

       (Deu 13:7 TLB)  

       (Deu 13:8 TLB)  do not consent or listen, and have no pity: Do not 
       spare that person from the penalty; don't conceal his horrible 
       suggestion.

       (Deu 13:9 TLB)  Execute him! Your own hand shall be the first upon him 
       to put him to death, then the hands of all the people.

       (Deu 13:10 TLB)  Stone him to death because he has tried to draw you 
       away from the Lord your God who brought you from the land of Egypt, 
       the place of slavery.

       (Deu 13:11 TLB)  Then all Israel will hear about his evil deed and 
       will fear such wickedness as this among you.

       (Deu 13:12 TLB)  "If you ever hear it said about one of the cities of 
       Israel

       (Deu 13:13 TLB)  that some worthless rabble have led their fellow 
       citizens astray with the suggestion that they worship foreign gods,

       (Deu 13:14 TLB)  first check the facts to see if the rumor is true. If 
       you find that it is, that it is certain that such a horrible thing is 
       happening among you in one of the cities the Lord has given you,

       (Deu 13:15 TLB)  you must without fail declare war against that city 
       and utterly destroy all of its inhabitants, and even all of the 





       cattle.

       (Deu 13:16 TLB)  Afterwards you must pile all the booty into the 
       middle of the street and burn it, then put the entire city to the 
       torch, as a burnt offering to Jehovah your God. That city shall 
       forever remain a lifeless mound and may never be rebuilt.

       (Deu 13:17 TLB)  Keep none of the booty! Then the Lord will turn from 
       his fierce anger and be merciful to you, and have compassion upon you, 
       and make you a great nation just as he promised your ancestors.

       (Deu 13:18 TLB)  "Of course, the Lord your God will be merciful only 
       if you have been obedient to him and to his commandments that I am 
       giving you today, and if you have been doing that which is right in 
       the eyes of the Lord.

       (Deu 14:1 TLB)  "Since you are the people of God, never cut yourselves 
       (as the heathen do when they worship their idols) nor shave the front 
       halves of your heads for funerals.

       (Deu 14:2 TLB)  You belong exclusively to the Lord your God, and he 
       has chosen you to be his own possession, more so than any other nation 
       on the face of the earth.

       (Deu 14:3 TLB)  "You are not to eat any animal I have declared to be 
       ceremonially defiled.

       (Deu 14:4 TLB)  These are the animals you may eat: the ox, the sheep, 
       the goat,

       (Deu 14:5 TLB)  the deer, the gazelle, the roebuck, the wild goat, the 
       ibex, the antelope, and the mountain sheep.

       (Deu 14:6 TLB)  "Any animal that has cloven hooves and chews the cud 
       may be eaten,

       (Deu 14:7 TLB)  but if the animal doesn't have both, it may not be 
       eaten. So you may not eat the camel, the hare, or the coney. They chew 
       the cud but do not have cloven hooves.

       (Deu 14:8 TLB)  Pigs may not be eaten because, although they have 
       cloven hooves, they don't chew the cud. You may not even touch the 
       dead bodies of such animals.

       (Deu 14:9 TLB)  "Only sea animals with fins and scales may be eaten;

       (Deu 14:10 TLB)  all other kinds are ceremonially defiled.

       (Deu 14:11 TLB)  "You may eat any bird

       (Deu 14:12 TLB)  except the following: the eagle, the vulture,

       (Deu 14:13 TLB)  the osprey, the buzzard, the falcon (any variety), 
       the raven (any variety), the ostrich, the nighthawk, the sea gull, the 
       hawk (any variety), the screech owl, the great owl, the horned owl, 
       the pelican, the vulture, the cormorant,






       (Deu 14:14 TLB)  

       (Deu 14:15 TLB)  

       (Deu 14:16 TLB)  

       (Deu 14:17 TLB)  

       (Deu 14:18 TLB)  the stork, the heron (any variety), the hoopoe, the 
       bat.

       (Deu 14:19 TLB)  "With certain exceptions, insects are a defilement to 
       you and may not be eaten.

       (Deu 14:20 TLB)  

       (Deu 14:21 TLB)  "Don't eat anything that has died a natural death. 
       However, a foreigner among you may eat it. You may give it or sell it 
       to him, but don't eat it yourself, for you are holy to the Lord your 
       God. "You must not boil a young goat in its mother's milk.

       (Deu 14:22 TLB)  "You must tithe all of your crops every year.

       (Deu 14:23 TLB)  Bring this tithe to eat before the Lord your God at 
       the place he shall choose as his sanctuary; this applies to your 
       tithes of grain, new wine, olive oil, and the firstborn of your flocks 
       and herds. The purpose of tithing is to teach you always to put God 
       first in your lives.

       (Deu 14:24 TLB)  If the place the Lord chooses for his sanctuary is so 
       far away that it isn't convenient to carry your tithes to that place,

       (Deu 14:25 TLB)  then you may sell the tithe portion of your crops and 
       herds and take the money to the Lord's sanctuary.

       (Deu 14:26 TLB)  When you arrive, use the money to buy an ox, a sheep, 
       some wine, or beer, to feast there before the Lord your God, and to 
       rejoice with your household.

       (Deu 14:27 TLB)  "Don't forget to share your income with the Levites 
       in your community, for they have no property or crops as you do.

       (Deu 14:28 TLB)  "Every third year you are to use your entire tithe 
       for local welfare programs:

       (Deu 14:29 TLB)  Give it to the Levites who have no inheritance among 
       you, or to foreigners, or to widows and orphans within your city, so 
       that they can eat and be satisfied; and then Jehovah your God will 
       bless you and your work.

       (Deu 15:1 TLB)  "At the end of every seventh year there is to be a 
       canceling of all debts!

       (Deu 15:2 TLB)  Every creditor shall write 'Paid in full' on any 
       promissory note he holds against a fellow Israelite, for the Lord has 





       released everyone from his obligation.

       (Deu 15:3 TLB)  (This release does not apply to foreigners.)

       (Deu 15:4 TLB)  No one will become poor because of this, for the Lord 
       will greatly bless you in the land he is giving you if you obey this 
       command.

       (Deu 15:5 TLB)  The only prerequisite for his blessing is that you 
       carefully heed all the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving 
       you today.

       (Deu 15:6 TLB)  He will bless you as he has promised. You shall lend 
       money to many nations but will never need to borrow! You shall rule 
       many nations, but they shall not rule over you!

       (Deu 15:7 TLB)  "But if, when you arrive in the land the Lord will 
       give you, there are any among you who are poor, you must not shut your 
       heart or hand against them;

       (Deu 15:8 TLB)  you must lend them as much as they need.

       (Deu 15:9 TLB)  Beware! Don't refuse a loan because the year of debt 
       cancellation is close at hand! If you refuse to make the loan and the 
       needy man cries out to the Lord, it will be counted against you as a 
       sin.

       (Deu 15:10 TLB)  You must lend him what he needs, and don't moan about 
       it either! For the Lord will prosper you in everything you do because 
       of this!

       (Deu 15:11 TLB)  There will always be some among you who are poor; 
       that is why this commandment is necessary. You must lend to them 
       liberally.

       (Deu 15:12 TLB)  "If you buy a Hebrew slave, whether a man or woman, 
       you must free him at the end of the sixth year you have owned him,

       (Deu 15:13 TLB)  and don't send him away empty-handed!

       (Deu 15:14 TLB)  Give him a large farewell present from your flock, 
       your olive press, and your wine press. Share with him in proportion as 
       the Lord your God has blessed you.

       (Deu 15:15 TLB)  Remember that you were slaves in the land of Egypt 
       and the Lord your God rescued you! That is why I am giving you this 
       command.

       (Deu 15:16 TLB)  "But if your Hebrew slave doesn't want to leave--if 
       he says he loves you and enjoys your pleasant home and gets along well 
       with you--

       (Deu 15:17 TLB)  then take an awl and pierce his ear into the door, 
       and after that he shall be your slave forever. Do the same with your 
       women slaves.





       (Deu 15:18 TLB)  But when you free a slave you must not feel bad, for 
       remember that for six years he has cost you less than half the price 
       of a hired hand! And the Lord your God will prosper all you do because 
       you have released him!

       (Deu 15:19 TLB)  "You shall set aside for God all the firstborn males 
       from your flocks and herds. Do not use the firstborn of your herds to 
       work your fields, and do not shear the firstborn of your flocks of 
       sheep and goats.

       (Deu 15:20 TLB)  Instead, you and your family shall eat these animals 
       before the Lord your God each year at his sanctuary.

       (Deu 15:21 TLB)  However, if this firstborn animal has any defect such 
       as being lame or blind, or if anything else is wrong with it, you 
       shall not sacrifice it.

       (Deu 15:22 TLB)  Instead, use it for food for your family at home. 
       Anyone, even if ceremonially defiled at the time, may eat it, just as 
       anyone may eat a gazelle or deer.

       (Deu 15:23 TLB)  But don't eat the blood; pour it out upon the ground 
       like water.

       (Deu 16:1 TLB)  "Always remember to celebrate the Passover during the 
       month of April, for that was when Jehovah your God brought you out of 
       Egypt by night.

       (Deu 16:2 TLB)  Your Passover sacrifice shall be either a lamb or an 
       ox, sacrificed to the Lord your God at his sanctuary.

       (Deu 16:3 TLB)  Eat the sacrifice with unleavened bread. Eat 
       unleavened bread for seven days as a reminder of the bread you ate as 
       you escaped from Egypt. This is to remind you that you left Egypt in 
       such a hurry that there was no time for the bread to rise. Remember 
       that day all the rest of your lives!

       (Deu 16:4 TLB)  For seven days no trace of yeast shall be in your 
       homes, and none of the Passover lamb shall be left until the next 
       morning.

       (Deu 16:5 TLB)  "The Passover is not to be eaten in your homes.

       (Deu 16:6 TLB)  It must be eaten at the place the Lord shall choose as 
       his sanctuary. Sacrifice it there on the anniversary evening just as 
       the sun goes down.

       (Deu 16:7 TLB)  Roast the lamb and eat it, then start back to your 
       homes the next morning.

       (Deu 16:8 TLB)  For the following six days you shall eat no bread made 
       with yeast. On the seventh day there shall be a quiet gathering of the 
       people of each city before the Lord your God. Don't do any work that 
       day.

       (Deu 16:9 TLB)  "Seven weeks after the harvest begins,






       (Deu 16:10 TLB)  there shall be another festival before the Lord your 
       God called the Festival of Weeks. At that time bring to him a 
       free-will offering proportionate in size to his blessing upon you as 
       judged by the amount of your harvest.

       (Deu 16:11 TLB)  It is a time to rejoice before the Lord with your 
       family and household. And don't forget to include the local Levites, 
       foreigners, widows, and orphans. Invite them to accompany you to the 
       celebration at the sanctuary.

       (Deu 16:12 TLB)  Remember! You were a slave in Egypt, so be sure to 
       carry out this command.

       (Deu 16:13 TLB)  "Another celebration, the Festival of Shelters, must 
       be observed for seven days at the end of the harvest season, after the 
       grain is threshed and the grapes have been pressed.

       (Deu 16:14 TLB)  This will be a happy time of rejoicing together with 
       your family and servants. And don't forget to include the Levites, 
       foreigners, orphans, and widows of your town.

       (Deu 16:15 TLB)  "This feast will be held at the sanctuary, which will 
       be located at the place the Lord will designate. It is a time of deep 
       thanksgiving to the Lord for blessing you with a good harvest and in 
       so many other ways; it shall be a time of great joy.

       (Deu 16:16 TLB)  "Every man in Israel shall appear before the Lord 
       your God three times a year at the sanctuary for these festivals: The 
       Festival of Unleavened Bread, The Festival of Weeks, The Festival of 
       Shelters. "On each of these occasions bring a gift to the Lord.

       (Deu 16:17 TLB)  Give as you are able, according as the Lord has 
       blessed you.

       (Deu 16:18 TLB)  "Appoint judges and administrative officials for all 
       the cities the Lord your God is giving you. They will administer 
       justice in every part of the land.

       (Deu 16:19 TLB)  Never twist justice to benefit a rich man, and never 
       accept bribes. For bribes blind the eyes of the wisest and corrupt 
       their decisions.

       (Deu 16:20 TLB)  Justice must prevail. "That is the only way you will 
       be successful in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.

       (Deu 16:21 TLB)  "Never, under any circumstances, are you to erect 
       shameful images beside the altar of the Lord your God.

       (Deu 16:22 TLB)  And never set up stone pillars to worship them, for 
       the Lord hates them!

       (Deu 17:1 TLB)  "Never sacrifice a sick or defective ox or sheep to 
       the Lord your God. He doesn't feel honored by such gifts!

       (Deu 17:2 TLB)  "If anyone, whether man or woman, in any village 





       throughout your land violates your covenant with God

       (Deu 17:3 TLB)  by worshiping other gods, the sun, moon, or 
       stars--which I have strictly forbidden--

       (Deu 17:4 TLB)  first check the rumor very carefully; if there is no 
       doubt it is true,

       (Deu 17:5 TLB)  then that man or woman shall be taken outside the city 
       and shall be stoned to death.

       (Deu 17:6 TLB)  However, never put a man to death on the testimony of 
       only one witness; there must be at least two or three.

       (Deu 17:7 TLB)  The witnesses shall throw the first stones, and then 
       all the people shall join in. In this way you will purge all evil from 
       among you.

       (Deu 17:8 TLB)  "If a case arises that is too hard for you to 
       decide--for instance, whether someone is guilty of murder when there 
       is insufficient evidence, or whether someone's rights have been 
       violated--you shall take the case to the sanctuary of the Lord your 
       God,

       (Deu 17:9 TLB)  to the priests and Levites, and the chief judge on 
       duty at the time will make the decision.

       (Deu 17:10 TLB)  His decision is without appeal and is to be followed 
       to the letter.

       (Deu 17:11 TLB)  The sentence he imposes is to be fully executed.

       (Deu 17:12 TLB)  If the defendant refuses to accept the decision of 
       the priest or judge appointed by God for this purpose, the penalty is 
       death. Such sinners must be purged from Israel.

       (Deu 17:13 TLB)  Then everyone will hear about what happened to the 
       man who refused God's verdict, and they will be afraid to defy a 
       court's judgment.

       (Deu 17:14 TLB)  "When you arrive in the land the Lord your God will 
       give you, and have conquered it, and begin to think, 'We ought to have 
       a king like the other nations around us'--

       (Deu 17:15 TLB)  be sure that you select as king the man the Lord your 
       God shall choose. He must be an Israelite, not a foreigner.

       (Deu 17:16 TLB)  Be sure that he doesn't build up a large stable of 
       horses for himself, nor send his men to Egypt to raise horses for him 
       there, for the Lord has told you, 'Never return to Egypt again.'

       (Deu 17:17 TLB)  He must not have too many wives, lest his heart be 
       turned away from the Lord, neither shall he be excessively rich.

       (Deu 17:18 TLB)  "And when he has been crowned and sits upon his 
       throne as king, then he must copy these laws from the book kept by the 





       Levite-priests.

       (Deu 17:19 TLB)  That copy of the laws shall be his constant 
       companion. He must read from it every day of his life so that he will 
       learn to respect the Lord his God by obeying all of his commands.

       (Deu 17:20 TLB)  This regular reading of God's laws will prevent him 
       from feeling that he is better than his fellow citizens. It will also 
       prevent him from turning away from God's laws in the slightest respect 
       and will ensure his having a long, good reign. His sons will then 
       follow him upon the throne.

       (Deu 18:1 TLB)  "Remember that the priests and all the other members 
       of the Levite tribe will not be given property like the other tribes. 
       So the priests and Levites are to be supported by the sacrifices 
       brought to the altar of the Lord and by the other offerings the people 
       bring to him.

       (Deu 18:2 TLB)  They don't need to own property, for the Lord is their 
       property! That is what he promised them!

       (Deu 18:3 TLB)  The shoulder, the cheeks, and the stomach of every ox 
       or sheep brought for sacrifice must be given to the priests.

       (Deu 18:4 TLB)  In addition, the priests shall receive the harvest 
       samples brought in thanksgiving to the Lord--the first of the grain, 
       the new wine, the olive oil, and of the fleece at shearing time.

       (Deu 18:5 TLB)  For the Lord your God has chosen the tribe of Levi, of 
       all the tribes, to minister to the Lord from generation to generation.

       (Deu 18:6 TLB)  "Any Levite, no matter where he lives in the land of 
       Israel, has the right to come to the sanctuary at any time

       (Deu 18:7 TLB)  and minister in the name of the Lord, just like his 
       brother Levites who work there regularly.

       (Deu 18:8 TLB)  He shall be given his share of the sacrifices and 
       offerings as his right, not just if he is in need.

       (Deu 18:9 TLB)  "When you arrive in the Promised Land you must be very 
       careful lest you be corrupted by the horrible customs of the nations 
       now living there.

       (Deu 18:10 TLB)  For example, any Israeli who presents his child to be 
       burned to death as a sacrifice to heathen gods must be killed. No 
       Israeli may practice black magic, or call on the evil spirits for aid, 
       or be a fortune teller,

       (Deu 18:11 TLB)  or be a serpent charmer, medium, or wizard, or call 
       forth the spirits of the dead.

       (Deu 18:12 TLB)  Anyone doing these things is an object of horror and 
       disgust to the Lord, and it is because the nations do these things 
       that the Lord your God will displace them.





       (Deu 18:13 TLB)  You must walk blamelessly before the Lord your God.

       (Deu 18:14 TLB)  The nations you replace all do these evil things, but 
       the Lord your God will not permit you to do such things.

       (Deu 18:15 TLB)  "Instead, he will raise up for you a Prophet like me, 
       an Israeli, a man to whom you must listen and whom you must obey.

       (Deu 18:16 TLB)  For this is what you yourselves begged of God at 
       Mount Horeb. There at the foot of the mountain you begged that you 
       might not have to listen to the terrifying voice of God again, or see 
       the awesome fire on the mountain, lest you die.

       (Deu 18:17 TLB)  "'All right,' the Lord said to me, 'I will do as they 
       have requested.

       (Deu 18:18 TLB)  I will raise up from among them a Prophet, an Israeli 
       like you. I will tell him what to say, and he shall be my spokesman to 
       the people.

       (Deu 18:19 TLB)  I will personally deal with anyone who will not 
       listen to him and heed his messages from me.

       (Deu 18:20 TLB)  But any prophet who falsely claims that his message 
       is from me, shall die. And any prophet who claims to give a message 
       from other gods must die.'

       (Deu 18:21 TLB)  If you wonder, 'How shall we know whether the 
       prophecy is from the Lord or not?'

       (Deu 18:22 TLB)  this is the way to know: If the thing he prophesies 
       doesn't happen, it is not the Lord who has given him the message; he 
       has made it up himself. You have nothing to fear from him.

       (Deu 19:1 TLB)  "When the Lord your God has destroyed the nations you 
       will displace, and when you are living in their cities and homes,

       (Deu 19:2 TLB)  you must set apart three Cities of Refuge so that 
       anyone who accidentally kills someone may flee to safety.

       (Deu 19:3 TLB)  Divide the country into three districts, with one of 
       these cities in each district; and keep the roads to these cities in 
       good repair.

       (Deu 19:4 TLB)  "Here is an example of the purpose of these cities:

       (Deu 19:5 TLB)  If a man goes into the forest with his neighbor to 
       chop wood, and the axe head flies off the handle and kills the man's 
       neighbor, he may flee to one of those cities and be safe.

       (Deu 19:6 TLB)  Anyone seeking to avenge the death will not be able 
       to. These cities must be scattered so that one of them will be 
       reasonably close to everyone;

       (Deu 19:7 TLB)  otherwise the angry avenger might catch and kill the 
       innocent slayer, even though he should not have died since he had not 





       killed deliberately.

       (Deu 19:8 TLB)  "If the Lord enlarges your boundaries as he promised 
       your ancestors, and gives you all the land he promised

       (Deu 19:9 TLB)  (whether he does this depends on your obedience to all 
       these commandments I am giving you today--loving the Lord your God and 
       walking his paths), then you must designate three additional Cities of 
       Refuge.

       (Deu 19:10 TLB)  In this way you will be able to avoid the death of 
       innocent people, and you will not be held responsible for unjustified 
       bloodshed.

       (Deu 19:11 TLB)  "But if anyone hates his neighbor and springs out of 
       hiding and kills him, and then flees into one of the Cities of Refuge,

       (Deu 19:12 TLB)  the elders of his hometown shall send for him and 
       shall bring him home and deliver him over to the dead man's avenger, 
       to kill him.

       (Deu 19:13 TLB)  Don't pity him! Purge all murderers from Israel! Only 
       then will all go well with you.

       (Deu 19:14 TLB)  "When you arrive in the land the Lord your God is 
       giving you, remember that you must never steal a man's land by moving 
       the boundary marker.

       (Deu 19:15 TLB)  "Never convict anyone on the testimony of one 
       witness. There must be at least two, and three is even better.

       (Deu 19:16 TLB)  If anyone gives false witness, claiming he has seen 
       someone do wrong when he hasn't,

       (Deu 19:17 TLB)  both men shall be brought before the priests and 
       judges on duty before the Lord at the time.

       (Deu 19:18 TLB)  They must be closely questioned, and if the witness 
       is lying,

       (Deu 19:19 TLB)  his penalty shall be the punishment he thought the 
       other man would get. In this way you will purge out evil from among 
       you.

       (Deu 19:20 TLB)  Then those who hear about it will be afraid to tell 
       lies on the witness stand.

       (Deu 19:21 TLB)  You shall not show pity to a false witness. Life for 
       life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot; this 
       is your rule in such cases.

       (Deu 20:1 TLB)  "When you go to war and see before you vast numbers of 
       horses and chariots, an army far greater than yours, don't be 
       frightened! The Lord your God is with you--the same God who brought 
       you safely out of Egypt!





       (Deu 20:2 TLB)  Before you begin the battle, a priest shall stand 
       before the Israeli army and say,

       (Deu 20:3 TLB)  "'Listen to me, all you men of Israel! Don't be afraid 
       as you go out to fight today!

       (Deu 20:4 TLB)  For the Lord your God is going with you! He will fight 
       for you against your enemies, and he will give you the victory!'

       (Deu 20:5 TLB)  "Then the officers of the army shall address the men 
       in this manner: 'Has anyone just built a new house but not yet 
       dedicated it? If so, go home! For you might be killed in the battle, 
       and someone else would dedicate it!

       (Deu 20:6 TLB)  Has anyone just planted a vineyard but not yet eaten 
       any of its fruit? If so, go home! You might die in battle and someone 
       else would eat it!

       (Deu 20:7 TLB)  Has anyone just become engaged? Well, go home and get 
       married! For you might die in the battle, and someone else would marry 
       your fiancee.

       (Deu 20:8 TLB)  And now, is anyone afraid? If you are, go home before 
       you frighten the rest of us!'

       (Deu 20:9 TLB)  When the officers have finished saying this to their 
       men, they will announce the names of the battalion leaders.

       (Deu 20:10 TLB)  "As you approach a city to fight against it, first 
       offer it a truce.

       (Deu 20:11 TLB)  If it accepts the truce and opens its gates to you, 
       then all its people shall become your servants.

       (Deu 20:12 TLB)  But if it refuses and won't make peace with you, you 
       must besiege it.

       (Deu 20:13 TLB)  When the Lord your God has given it to you, kill 
       every male in the city;

       (Deu 20:14 TLB)  but you may keep for yourselves all the women, 
       children, cattle, and booty.

       (Deu 20:15 TLB)  These instructions apply only to distant cities, not 
       to those in the Promised Land itself.

       (Deu 20:16 TLB)  "For in the cities within the boundaries of the 
       Promised Land you are to save no one; destroy every living thing.

       (Deu 20:17 TLB)  Utterly destroy the Hittites, the Amorites, the 
       Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. This is 
       the commandment of the Lord your God.

       (Deu 20:18 TLB)  The purpose of this command is to prevent the people 
       of the land from luring you into idol worship and into participation 
       in their loathsome customs, thus sinning deeply against the Lord your 





       God.

       (Deu 20:19 TLB)  "When you besiege a city, don't destroy the fruit 
       trees. Eat all the fruit you wish; just don't cut down the trees. They 
       aren't enemies who need to be slaughtered!

       (Deu 20:20 TLB)  But you may cut down trees that aren't valuable for 
       food. Use them for the siege (to make ladders, portable towers, and 
       battering rams).

       (Deu 21:1 TLB)  "If, when you arrive in the Promised Land, a murder 
       victim is found lying in a field and no one has seen the murder,

       (Deu 21:2 TLB)  the elders and judges shall measure from the body to 
       the nearest city.

       (Deu 21:3 TLB)  Then the elders of that city shall take a heifer that 
       has never been yoked,

       (Deu 21:4 TLB)  and lead it to a valley where there is running 
       water--a valley neither plowed nor sowed--and there break its neck.

       (Deu 21:5 TLB)  "Then the priests shall come (for the Lord your God 
       has chosen them to minister before him and to pronounce his blessings 
       and decide lawsuits and punishments),

       (Deu 21:6 TLB)  and shall wash their hands over the heifer,

       (Deu 21:7 TLB)  and say, 'Our hands have not shed this blood, neither 
       have our eyes seen it.

       (Deu 21:8 TLB)  O Lord, forgive your people Israel whom you have 
       redeemed, and do not charge them with murdering an innocent man. 
       Forgive us the guilt of this man's blood.'

       (Deu 21:9 TLB)  In this way you will put away the guilt from among you 
       by following the Lord's directions.

       (Deu 21:10 TLB)  "When you go to war and the Lord your God delivers 
       your enemies to you,

       (Deu 21:11 TLB)  and you see among the captives a beautiful girl you 
       want as your wife,

       (Deu 21:12 TLB)  take her home with you. She must shave her head and 
       pare her nails

       (Deu 21:13 TLB)  and change her clothing, laying aside that which she 
       was wearing when she was captured, then remain in your home in 
       mourning for her father and mother for a full month. After that you 
       may marry her.

       (Deu 21:14 TLB)  However, if after marrying her you decide you don't 
       like her, you must let her go free--you may not sell her or treat her 
       as a slave, for you have humiliated her.





       (Deu 21:15 TLB)  "If a man has two wives but loves one and not the 
       other, and both have borne him children, and the mother of his oldest 
       son is the wife he doesn't love,

       (Deu 21:16 TLB)  he may not give a larger inheritance to his younger 
       son, the son of the wife he loves.

       (Deu 21:17 TLB)  He must give the customary double portion to his 
       oldest son, who is the beginning of his strength and who owns the 
       rights of a firstborn son, even though he is the son of the wife his 
       father doesn't love.

       (Deu 21:18 TLB)  "If a man has a stubborn, rebellious son who will not 
       obey his father or mother, even though they punish him,

       (Deu 21:19 TLB)  then his father and mother shall take him before the 
       elders of the city

       (Deu 21:20 TLB)  and declare, 'This son of ours is stubborn and 
       rebellious and won't obey; he is a worthless drunkard.'

       (Deu 21:21 TLB)  Then the men of the city shall stone him to death. In 
       this way you shall put away this evil from among you, and all the 
       young men of Israel will hear about what happened and will be afraid.

       (Deu 21:22 TLB)  "If a man has committed a crime worthy of death, and 
       is executed and then hanged on a tree,

       (Deu 21:23 TLB)  his body shall not remain on the tree overnight. You 
       must bury him the same day, for anyone hanging on a tree is cursed of 
       God. Don't defile the land the Lord your God has given you.

       (Deu 22:1 TLB)  "If you see someone's ox or sheep wandering away, 
       don't pretend you didn't see it; take it back to its owner.

       (Deu 22:2 TLB)  If you don't know who the owner is, take it to your 
       farm and keep it there until the owner comes looking for it, and then 
       give it to him.

       (Deu 22:3 TLB)  The same applies to donkeys, clothing, or anything 
       else you find. Keep it for its owner.

       (Deu 22:4 TLB)  "If you see someone trying to get an ox or donkey onto 
       its feet when it has slipped beneath its load, don't look the other 
       way. Go and help!

       (Deu 22:5 TLB)  "A woman must not wear men's clothing, and a man must 
       not wear women's clothing. This is abhorrent to the Lord your God.

       (Deu 22:6 TLB)  "If a bird's nest is lying on the ground, or if you 
       spy one in a tree, and there are young ones or eggs in it with the 
       mother sitting in the nest, don't take the mother with the young.

       (Deu 22:7 TLB)  Let her go, and take only the young. The Lord will 
       bless you for it.





       (Deu 22:8 TLB)  "Every new house must have a guardrail around the edge 
       of the flat rooftop to prevent anyone from falling off and bring guilt 
       to both the house and its owner.

       (Deu 22:9 TLB)  "Do not sow other crops in the rows of your vineyard. 
       If you do, both the crops and the grapes shall be confiscated by the 
       priests.

       (Deu 22:10 TLB)  "Don't plow with an ox and a donkey harnessed 
       together.

       (Deu 22:11 TLB)  "Don't wear clothing woven from two kinds of thread: 
       for instance, wool and linen.

       (Deu 22:12 TLB)  "You must sew tassels on the four corners of your 
       cloaks.

       (Deu 22:13 TLB)  "If a man marries a girl, then after sleeping with 
       her accuses her of having had premarital intercourse with another man, 
       saying, 'She was not a virgin when I married her,'

       (Deu 22:14 TLB)  

       (Deu 22:15 TLB)  then the girl's father and mother shall bring the 
       proof of her virginity to the city judges.

       (Deu 22:16 TLB)  "Her father shall tell them, 'I gave my daughter to 
       this man to be his wife, and now he despises her

       (Deu 22:17 TLB)  and has accused her of shameful things, claiming that 
       she was not a virgin when she married; yet here is the proof.'

       (Deu 22:18 TLB)  And they shall spread before the judges the 
       blood-stained sheet from her marriage bed. The judges shall sentence 
       the man to be whipped,

       (Deu 22:19 TLB)  and fine him one hundred dollars to be given to the 
       girl's father, for he has falsely accused a virgin of Israel. She 
       shall remain his wife and he may never divorce her.

       (Deu 22:20 TLB)  But if the man's accusations are true, and she was 
       not a virgin,

       (Deu 22:21 TLB)  the judges shall take the girl to the door of her 
       father's home where the men of the city shall stone her to death. She 
       has defiled Israel by flagrant crime, being a prostitute while living 
       at home with her parents; and such evil must be cleansed from among 
       you.

       (Deu 22:22 TLB)  "If a man is discovered committing adultery, both he 
       and the other man's wife must be killed; in this way evil will be 
       cleansed from Israel.

       (Deu 22:23 TLB)  If a girl who is engaged is seduced within the walls 
       of a city,





       (Deu 22:24 TLB)  both she and the man who seduced her shall be taken 
       outside the gates and stoned to death--the girl because she didn't 
       scream for help, and the man because he has violated the virginity of 
       another man's fiancee.

       (Deu 22:25 TLB)  In this way you will reduce crime among you. But if 
       this deed takes place out in the country, only the man shall die.

       (Deu 22:26 TLB)  The girl is as innocent as a murder victim;

       (Deu 22:27 TLB)  for it must be assumed that she screamed, but there 
       was no one to hear and rescue her out in the field.

       (Deu 22:28 TLB)  If a man rapes a girl who is not engaged and is 
       caught in the act,

       (Deu 22:29 TLB)  he must pay a fine to the girl's father and marry 
       her; he may never divorce her.

       (Deu 22:30 TLB)  A man shall not sleep with his father's widow since 
       she belonged to his father.

       (Deu 23:1 TLB)  "If a man's testicles are crushed or his penis cut 
       off, he shall not enter the sanctuary.

       (Deu 23:2 TLB)  A bastard may not enter the sanctuary, nor any of his 
       descendants for ten generations.

       (Deu 23:3 TLB)  "No Ammonite or Moabite may ever enter the sanctuary, 
       even after the tenth generation.

       (Deu 23:4 TLB)  The reason for this law is that these nations did not 
       welcome you with food and water when you came out of Egypt; they even 
       tried to hire Balaam, the son of Beor from Pethor, Mesopotamia, to 
       curse you.

       (Deu 23:5 TLB)  But the Lord wouldn't listen to Balaam; instead, he 
       turned the intended curse into a blessing for you because the Lord 
       loves you.

       (Deu 23:6 TLB)  You must never, as long as you live, try to help the 
       Ammonites or the Moabites in any way.

       (Deu 23:7 TLB)  But don't look down on the Edomites and the Egyptians; 
       the Edomites are your brothers and you lived among the Egyptians.

       (Deu 23:8 TLB)  The grandchildren of the Egyptians who came with you 
       from Egypt may enter the sanctuary of the Lord.

       (Deu 23:9 TLB)  "When you are at war, the men in the camps must stay 
       away from all evil.

       (Deu 23:10 TLB)  Any man who becomes ceremonially defiled because of a 
       seminal emission during the night must leave the camp

       (Deu 23:11 TLB)  and stay outside until the evening; then he shall 





       bathe himself and return at sunset.

       (Deu 23:12 TLB)  The toilet area shall be outside the camp.

       (Deu 23:13 TLB)  Each man must have a spade as part of his equipment; 
       after every bowel movement he must dig a hole with the spade and cover 
       the excrement.

       (Deu 23:14 TLB)  The camp must be holy, for the Lord walks among you 
       to protect you and to cause your enemies to fall before you; and the 
       Lord does not want to see anything indecent lest he turn away from 
       you.

       (Deu 23:15 TLB)  "If a slave escapes from his master, you must not 
       force him to return; let him live among you in whatever town he shall 
       choose, and do not oppress him.

       (Deu 23:16 TLB)  

       (Deu 23:17 TLB)  "No prostitutes are permitted in Israel, either men 
       or women;

       (Deu 23:18 TLB)  you must not bring to the Lord any offering from the 
       earnings of a prostitute or a homosexual, for both are detestable to 
       the Lord your God.

       (Deu 23:19 TLB)  "Don't demand interest on loans you make to a brother 
       Israelite, whether it is in the form of money, food, or anything else.

       (Deu 23:20 TLB)  You may take interest from a foreigner, but not from 
       an Israeli. For if you take interest from a brother, an Israeli, the 
       Lord your God won't bless you when you arrive in the Promised Land.

       (Deu 23:21 TLB)  "When you make a vow to the Lord, be prompt in doing 
       whatever it is you promised him, for the Lord demands that you 
       promptly fulfill your vows; it is a sin if you don't.

       (Deu 23:22 TLB)  (But it is not a sin if you refrain from vowing!)

       (Deu 23:23 TLB)  Once you make the vow, you must be careful to do as 
       you have said, for it was your own choice, and you have vowed to the 
       Lord your God.

       (Deu 23:24 TLB)  "You may eat your fill of the grapes from another 
       man's vineyard, but do not take any away in a container.

       (Deu 23:25 TLB)  It is the same with someone else's grain--you may eat 
       a few handfuls of it, but don't use a sickle.

       (Deu 24:1 TLB)  "If a man doesn't like something about his wife, he 
       may write a letter stating that he has divorced her, give her the 
       letter, and send her away.

       (Deu 24:2 TLB)  If she then remarries

       (Deu 24:3 TLB)  and the second husband also divorces her or dies,






       (Deu 24:4 TLB)  the former husband may not marry her again, for she 
       has been defiled; this would bring guilt upon the land the Lord your 
       God is giving you.

       (Deu 24:5 TLB)  "A newly married man is not to be drafted into the 
       army nor given any other special responsibilities; for a year he shall 
       be free to be at home, happy with his wife.

       (Deu 24:6 TLB)  "It is illegal to take a millstone as a pledge, for it 
       is a tool by which its owner gains his livelihood.

       (Deu 24:7 TLB)  If anyone kidnaps a brother Israelite and treats him 
       as a slave or sells him, the kidnapper must die, in order to purge the 
       evil from among you.

       (Deu 24:8 TLB)  "Be very careful to follow the instructions of the 
       priest in cases of leprosy, for I have given him rules and guidelines 
       you must obey to the letter:

       (Deu 24:9 TLB)  Remember what the Lord your God did to Miriam as you 
       were coming from Egypt.

       (Deu 24:10 TLB)  "If you lend anything to another man, you must not 
       enter his house to get his security.

       (Deu 24:11 TLB)  Stand outside! The owner will bring it out to you.

       (Deu 24:12 TLB)  If the man is poor and gives you his cloak as 
       security, you are not to sleep in it.

       (Deu 24:13 TLB)  Take it back to him at sundown so that he can use it 
       through the night and bless you; and the Lord your God will count it 
       as righteousness for you.

       (Deu 24:14 TLB)  "Never oppress a poor hired man, whether a fellow 
       Israelite or a foreigner living in your town.

       (Deu 24:15 TLB)  Pay him his wage each day before sunset, for since he 
       is poor he needs it right away; otherwise he may cry out to the Lord 
       against you and it would be counted as a sin against you.

       (Deu 24:16 TLB)  "Fathers shall not be put to death for the sins of 
       their sons nor the sons for the sins of their fathers; every man 
       worthy of death shall be executed for his own crime.

       (Deu 24:17 TLB)  "Justice must be given to migrants and orphans, and 
       you must never accept a widow's garment in pledge of her debt.

       (Deu 24:18 TLB)  Always remember that you were slaves in Egypt and 
       that the Lord your God rescued you; that is why I have given you this 
       command.

       (Deu 24:19 TLB)  If, when reaping your harvest, you forget to bring in 
       a sheaf from the field, don't go back after it. Leave it for the 
       migrants, orphans, and widows; then the Lord your God will bless and 





       prosper all you do.

       (Deu 24:20 TLB)  When you beat the olives from your olive trees, don't 
       go over the boughs twice; leave anything remaining for the migrants, 
       orphans, and widows.

       (Deu 24:21 TLB)  It is the same for the grapes in your vineyard; don't 
       glean the vines after they are picked, but leave what's left for those 
       in need.

       (Deu 24:22 TLB)  Remember that you were slaves in the land of 
       Egypt--that is why I am giving you this command.

       (Deu 25:1 TLB)  "If a man is guilty of a crime and the penalty is a 
       beating, the judge shall command him to lie down and be beaten in his 
       presence with up to forty stripes in proportion to the seriousness of 
       the crime;

       (Deu 25:2 TLB)  

       (Deu 25:3 TLB)  but no more than forty stripes may be given lest the 
       punishment seem too severe, and your brother be degraded in your eyes.

       (Deu 25:4 TLB)  "Don't muzzle an ox as it treads out the grain.

       (Deu 25:5 TLB)  "If a man's brother dies without a son, his widow must 
       not marry outside the family; instead, her husband's brother must 
       marry her and sleep with her.

       (Deu 25:6 TLB)  The first son she bears to him shall be counted as the 
       son of the dead brother, so that his name will not be forgotten.

       (Deu 25:7 TLB)  But if the dead man's brother refuses to do his duty 
       in this matter, refusing to marry the widow, then she shall go to the 
       city elders and say to them, 'My husband's brother refuses to let his 
       brother's name continue--he refuses to marry me.'

       (Deu 25:8 TLB)  The elders of the city will then summon him and talk 
       it over with him, and if he still refuses,

       (Deu 25:9 TLB)  the widow shall walk over to him in the presence of 
       the elders, pull his sandal from his foot and spit in his face. She 
       shall then say, 'This is what happens to a man who refuses to build 
       his brother's house.'

       (Deu 25:10 TLB)  And ever afterwards his house shall be referred to as 
       'the home of the man who had his sandal pulled off!'

       (Deu 25:11 TLB)  "If two men are fighting and the wife of one 
       intervenes to help her husband by grabbing the testicles of the other 
       man,

       (Deu 25:12 TLB)  her hand shall be cut off without pity.

       (Deu 25:13 TLB)  "In all your transactions you must use accurate 
       scales and honest measurements, so that you will have a long, good 





       life in the land the Lord your God is giving you.

       (Deu 25:14 TLB)  

       (Deu 25:15 TLB)  

       (Deu 25:16 TLB)  All who cheat with unjust weights and measurements 
       are detestable to the Lord your God.

       (Deu 25:17 TLB)  "You must never forget what the people of Amalek did 
       to you as you came from Egypt.

       (Deu 25:18 TLB)  Remember that they fought with you and struck down 
       those who were faint and weary and lagging behind, with no respect or 
       fear of God.

       (Deu 25:19 TLB)  Therefore, when the Lord your God has given you rest 
       from all your enemies in the Promised Land, you are utterly to destroy 
       the name of Amalek from under heaven. Never forget this.

       (Deu 26:1 TLB)  "When you arrive in the land and have conquered it and 
       are living there,

       (Deu 26:2 TLB)  you must present to the Lord at his sanctuary the 
       first sample from each annual harvest. Bring it in a basket

       (Deu 26:3 TLB)  and hand it to the priest on duty and say to him, 
       'This gift is my acknowledgment that the Lord my God has brought me to 
       the land he promised our ancestors.'

       (Deu 26:4 TLB)  The priest will then take the basket from your hand 
       and set it before the altar.

       (Deu 26:5 TLB)  You shall then say before the Lord your God, 'My 
       ancestors were migrant Arameans who went to Egypt for refuge. They 
       were few in number, but in Egypt they became a mighty nation.

       (Deu 26:6 TLB)  The Egyptians mistreated us and we cried to the Lord 
       God. He heard us and saw our hardship, toil, and oppression,

       (Deu 26:7 TLB)  

       (Deu 26:8 TLB)  and brought us out of Egypt with mighty miracles and a 
       powerful hand. He did great and awesome miracles before the Egyptians

       (Deu 26:9 TLB)  and has brought us to this place and given us this 
       land "flowing with milk and honey!"

       (Deu 26:10 TLB)  And now, O Lord, see, I have brought you a token of 
       the first of the crops from the ground you have given me.' Then place 
       the samples before the Lord your God, and worship him.

       (Deu 26:11 TLB)  Afterwards, go and feast on all the good things he 
       has given you. Celebrate with your family and with any Levites or 
       migrants living among you.





       (Deu 26:12 TLB)  "Every third year is a year of special tithing. That 
       year you are to give all your tithes to the Levites, migrants, 
       orphans, and widows, so that they will be well fed.

       (Deu 26:13 TLB)  Then you shall declare before the Lord your God, 'I 
       have given all of my tithes to the Levites, the migrants, the orphans, 
       and the widows, just as you commanded me; I have not violated or 
       forgotten any of your rules.

       (Deu 26:14 TLB)  I have not touched the tithe while I was ceremonially 
       defiled (for instance, while I was in mourning), nor have I offered 
       any of it to the dead. I have obeyed the Lord my God and have done 
       everything you commanded me.

       (Deu 26:15 TLB)  Look down from your holy home in heaven and bless 
       your people and the land you have given us, as you promised our 
       ancestors; make it a land "flowing with milk and honey"!'

       (Deu 26:16 TLB)  "You must wholeheartedly obey all of these 
       commandments and ordinances that the Lord your God is giving you 
       today.

       (Deu 26:17 TLB)  You have declared today that he is your God, and you 
       have promised to obey and keep his laws and ordinances, and to heed 
       all he tells you to do.

       (Deu 26:18 TLB)  And the Lord has declared today that you are his very 
       own people, just as he promised, and that you must obey all of his 
       laws.

       (Deu 26:19 TLB)  If you do, he will make you greater than any other 
       nation, allowing you to receive praise, honor, and renown; but to 
       attain this honor and renown you must be a holy people to the Lord 
       your God, as he requires."

       (Deu 27:1 TLB)  Then Moses and the elders of Israel gave the people 
       these further instructions to obey:

       (Deu 27:2 TLB)  "When you cross the Jordan River and go into the 
       Promised Land--a land 'flowing with milk and honey'--take out boulders 
       from the river bottom and immediately pile them into a monument on the 
       other side, at Mount Ebal. Face the stones with a coating of lime and 
       then write the laws of God in the lime.

       (Deu 27:3 TLB)  

       (Deu 27:4 TLB)  

       (Deu 27:5 TLB)  And build an altar there to the Lord your God. Use 
       uncut boulders, and on the altar offer burnt offerings to the Lord 
       your God.

       (Deu 27:6 TLB)  

       (Deu 27:7 TLB)  Sacrifice peace offerings upon it also, and feast 
       there with great joy before the Lord your God.






       (Deu 27:8 TLB)  Write all of these laws plainly (upon the monument)."

       (Deu 27:9 TLB)  Then Moses and the Levite-priests addressed all Israel 
       as follows: "O Israel, listen! Today you have become the people of the 
       Lord your God,

       (Deu 27:10 TLB)  so today you must begin to obey all of these 
       commandments I have given you."

       (Deu 27:11 TLB)  That same day Moses gave this charge to the people:

       (Deu 27:12 TLB)  "When you cross into the Promised Land, the tribes of 
       Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin shall stand upon 
       Mount Gerizim to proclaim a blessing,

       (Deu 27:13 TLB)  and the tribes of Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, 
       and Naphtali shall stand upon Mount Ebal to proclaim a curse.

       (Deu 27:14 TLB)  Then the Levites standing between them shall shout to 
       all Israel,

       (Deu 27:15 TLB)  "'The curse of God be upon anyone who makes and 
       worships an idol, even in secret, whether carved of wood or made from 
       molten metal--for these handmade gods are hated by the Lord.' And all 
       the people shall reply, 'Amen.'

       (Deu 27:16 TLB)  "'Cursed is anyone who despises his father or 
       mother.' And all the people shall reply, 'Amen.'

       (Deu 27:17 TLB)  "'Cursed is he who moves the boundary marker between 
       his land and his neighbor's.' And all the people shall reply, 'Amen.'

       (Deu 27:18 TLB)  "'Cursed is he who takes advantage of a blind man.' 
       And all the people shall reply, 'Amen.'

       (Deu 27:19 TLB)  "'Cursed is he who is unjust to the foreigner, the 
       orphan, and the widow.' And all the people shall reply, 'Amen.'

       (Deu 27:20 TLB)  "'Cursed is he who commits adultery with one of his 
       father's wives, for she belongs to his father.' And all the people 
       shall reply, 'Amen.'

       (Deu 27:21 TLB)  "'Cursed is he who has sexual intercourse with an 
       animal.' And all the people shall reply, 'Amen.'

       (Deu 27:22 TLB)  "'Cursed is he who has sexual intercourse with his 
       sister, whether she be a full sister or a half-sister.' And all the 
       people shall reply, 'Amen.'

       (Deu 27:23 TLB)  "'Cursed is he who has sexual intercourse with his 
       widowed mother-in-law.' And all the people shall reply, 'Amen.'

       (Deu 27:24 TLB)  "'Cursed is he who secretly slays another.' And all 
       the people shall reply, 'Amen.'





       (Deu 27:25 TLB)  "'Cursed is he who accepts a bribe to kill an 
       innocent person.' And all the people shall reply, 'Amen.'

       (Deu 27:26 TLB)  "'Cursed is anyone who does not obey these laws.' And 
       all the people shall reply, 'Amen.'

       (Deu 28:1 TLB)  "If you fully obey all of these commandments of the 
       Lord your God, the laws I am declaring to you today, God will 
       transform you into the greatest nation in the world.

       (Deu 28:2 TLB)  These are the blessings that will come upon you:

       (Deu 28:3 TLB)  Blessings in the city, Blessings in the field;

       (Deu 28:4 TLB)  Many children, Ample crops, Large flocks and herds;

       (Deu 28:5 TLB)  Blessings of fruit and bread;

       (Deu 28:6 TLB)  Blessings when you come in, Blessings when you go out.

       (Deu 28:7 TLB)  "The Lord will defeat your enemies before you; they 
       will march out together against you but scatter before you in seven 
       directions!

       (Deu 28:8 TLB)  The Lord will bless you with good crops and healthy 
       cattle, and prosper everything you do when you arrive in the land the 
       Lord your God is giving you.

       (Deu 28:9 TLB)  He will change you into a holy people dedicated to 
       himself; this he has promised to do if you will only obey him and walk 
       in his ways.

       (Deu 28:10 TLB)  All the nations in the world shall see that you 
       belong to the Lord, and they will stand in awe.

       (Deu 28:11 TLB)  "The Lord will give you an abundance of good things 
       in the land, just as he promised: many children, many cattle, and 
       abundant crops.

       (Deu 28:12 TLB)  He will open to you his wonderful treasury of rain in 
       the heavens, to give you fine crops every season. He will bless 
       everything you do; and you shall lend to many nations, but shall not 
       borrow from them.

       (Deu 28:13 TLB)  If you will only listen and obey the commandments of 
       the Lord your God that I am giving you today, he will make you the 
       head and not the tail, and you shall always have the upper hand.

       (Deu 28:14 TLB)  But each of these blessings depends on your not 
       turning aside in any way from the laws I have given you; and you must 
       never worship other gods.

       (Deu 28:15 TLB)  "If you won't listen to the Lord your God and won't 
       obey these laws I am giving you today, then all of these curses shall 
       come upon you:





       (Deu 28:16 TLB)  Curses in the city, Curses in the fields,

       (Deu 28:17 TLB)  Curses on your fruit and bread,

       (Deu 28:18 TLB)  The curse of barren wombs, Curses upon your crops, 
       Curses upon the fertility of your cattle and flocks,

       (Deu 28:19 TLB)  Curses when you come in, Curses when you go out.

       (Deu 28:20 TLB)  "For the Lord himself will send his personal curse 
       upon you. You will be confused and a failure in everything you do, 
       until at last you are destroyed because of the sin of forsaking him.

       (Deu 28:21 TLB)  He will send disease among you until you are 
       destroyed from the face of the land you are about to enter and 
       possess.

       (Deu 28:22 TLB)  He will send tuberculosis, fever, infections, plague, 
       and war. He will blight your crops, covering them with mildew. All 
       these devastations shall pursue you until you perish.

       (Deu 28:23 TLB)  "The heavens above you will be as unyielding as 
       bronze, and the earth beneath will be as iron.

       (Deu 28:24 TLB)  The land will become as dry as dust for lack of rain, 
       and dust storms shall destroy you.

       (Deu 28:25 TLB)  "The Lord will cause you to be defeated by your 
       enemies. You will march out to battle gloriously, but flee before your 
       enemies in utter confusion; and you will be tossed to and fro among 
       all the nations of the earth.

       (Deu 28:26 TLB)  Your dead bodies will be food to the birds and wild 
       animals, and no one will be there to chase them away.

       (Deu 28:27 TLB)  "He will send upon you Egyptian boils, tumors, 
       scurvy, and itch, for none of which will there be a remedy.

       (Deu 28:28 TLB)  He will send madness, blindness, fear, and panic upon 
       you.

       (Deu 28:29 TLB)  You shall grope in the bright sunlight just as the 
       blind man gropes in darkness. You shall not prosper in anything you 
       do; you will be oppressed and robbed continually, and nothing will 
       save you.

       (Deu 28:30 TLB)  "Someone else will marry your fiancee; someone else 
       will live in the house you build; someone else will eat the fruit of 
       the vineyard you plant.

       (Deu 28:31 TLB)  Your oxen shall be butchered before your eyes, but 
       you won't get a single bite of the meat. Your donkeys will be driven 
       away as you watch and will never return to you again. Your sheep will 
       be given to your enemies. And there will be no one to protect you.

       (Deu 28:32 TLB)  You will watch as your sons and daughters are taken 





       away as slaves. Your heart will break with longing for them, but you 
       will not be able to help them.

       (Deu 28:33 TLB)  A foreign nation you have not even heard of will eat 
       the crops you will have worked so hard to grow. You will always be 
       oppressed and crushed.

       (Deu 28:34 TLB)  You will go mad because of all the tragedy you see 
       around you.

       (Deu 28:35 TLB)  The Lord will cover you with boils from head to foot.

       (Deu 28:36 TLB)  "He will exile you and the king you will choose to a 
       nation to whom neither you nor your ancestors gave a second thought; 
       and while in exile you shall worship gods of wood and stone!

       (Deu 28:37 TLB)  You will become an object of horror, a proverb and a 
       byword among all the nations, for the Lord will thrust you away.

       (Deu 28:38 TLB)  "You will sow much but reap little, for the locusts 
       will eat your crops.

       (Deu 28:39 TLB)  You will plant vineyards and care for them, but you 
       won't eat the grapes or drink the wine, for worms will destroy the 
       vines.

       (Deu 28:40 TLB)  Olive trees will be growing everywhere, but there 
       won't be enough olive oil to anoint yourselves! For the trees will 
       drop their fruit before it is matured.

       (Deu 28:41 TLB)  Your sons and daughters will be snatched away from 
       you as slaves.

       (Deu 28:42 TLB)  The locusts shall destroy your trees and vines.

       (Deu 28:43 TLB)  Foreigners living among you shall become richer and 
       richer while you become poorer and poorer.

       (Deu 28:44 TLB)  They shall lend to you, not you to them! They shall 
       be the head and you shall be the tail!

       (Deu 28:45 TLB)  "All these curses shall pursue and overtake you until 
       you are destroyed--all because you refuse to listen to the Lord your 
       God.

       (Deu 28:46 TLB)  These horrors shall befall you and your descendants 
       as a warning:

       (Deu 28:47 TLB)  You will become slaves to your enemies because of 
       your failure to praise God for all that he has given you.

       (Deu 28:48 TLB)  The Lord will send your enemies against you, and you 
       will be hungry, thirsty, naked, and in want of everything. A yoke of 
       iron shall be placed around your neck until you are destroyed!

       (Deu 28:49 TLB)  "The Lord will bring a distant nation against you, 





       swooping down upon you like an eagle; a nation whose language you 
       don't understand--

       (Deu 28:50 TLB)  a nation of fierce and angry men who will have no 
       mercy upon young or old.

       (Deu 28:51 TLB)  They will eat you out of house and home until your 
       cattle and crops are gone. Your grain, new wine, olive oil, calves, 
       and lambs will all disappear.

       (Deu 28:52 TLB)  That nation will lay siege to your cities and knock 
       down your highest walls--the walls you will trust to protect you.

       (Deu 28:53 TLB)  You will even eat the flesh of your own sons and 
       daughters in the terrible days of siege that lie ahead.

       (Deu 28:54 TLB)  The most tenderhearted man among you will be utterly 
       callous toward his own brother and his beloved wife and his children 
       who are still alive.

       (Deu 28:55 TLB)  He will refuse to give them a share of the flesh he 
       is devouring--the flesh of his own children--because he is starving in 
       the midst of the siege of your cities.

       (Deu 28:56 TLB)  The most tender and delicate woman among you--the one 
       who would not so much as touch her feet to the ground--will refuse to 
       share with her beloved husband, son, and daughter.

       (Deu 28:57 TLB)  She will hide from them the afterbirth and the new 
       baby she has borne, so that she herself can eat them: so terrible will 
       be the hunger during the siege and the awful distress caused by your 
       enemies at your gates.

       (Deu 28:58 TLB)  "If you refuse to obey all the laws written in this 
       book, thus refusing reverence to the glorious and fearful name of 
       Jehovah your God,

       (Deu 28:59 TLB)  then Jehovah will send perpetual plagues upon you and 
       upon your children.

       (Deu 28:60 TLB)  He will bring upon you all the diseases of Egypt that 
       you feared so much, and they shall plague the land.

       (Deu 28:61 TLB)  And that is not all! The Lord will bring upon you 
       every sickness and plague there is, even those not mentioned in this 
       book, until you are destroyed.

       (Deu 28:62 TLB)  There will be few of you left, though before you were 
       as numerous as stars. All this if you do not listen to the Lord your 
       God.

       (Deu 28:63 TLB)  "Just as the Lord has rejoiced over you and has done 
       such wonderful things for you and has multiplied you, so the Lord at 
       that time will rejoice in destroying you; and you shall disappear from 
       the land.





       (Deu 28:64 TLB)  For the Lord will scatter you among all the nations 
       from one end of the earth to the other. There you will worship heathen 
       gods that neither you nor your ancestors have known, gods made of wood 
       and stone!

       (Deu 28:65 TLB)  There among those nations you shall find no rest, but 
       the Lord will give you trembling hearts, darkness, and bodies wasted 
       from sorrow and fear.

       (Deu 28:66 TLB)  Your lives will hang in doubt. You will live night 
       and day in fear, and will have no reason to believe that you will see 
       the morning light.

       (Deu 28:67 TLB)  In the morning you will say, 'Oh, that night were 
       here!' And in the evening you will say, 'Oh, that morning were here!' 
       You will say this because of the awesome horrors surrounding you.

       (Deu 28:68 TLB)  Then the Lord will send you back to Egypt in ships, a 
       journey I promised you would never need to make again; and there you 
       will offer to sell yourselves to your enemies as slaves--but no one 
       will even want to buy you."

       (Deu 29:1 TLB)  It was on the plains of Moab that Moses restated the 
       covenant that the Lord had made with the people of Israel at Mount 
       Horeb.

       (Deu 29:2 TLB)  He summoned all Israel before him and told them, "You 
       have seen with your own eyes the great plagues and mighty miracles 
       that the Lord brought upon Pharaoh and his people in the land of 
       Egypt.

       (Deu 29:3 TLB)  

       (Deu 29:4 TLB)  But even yet the Lord hasn't given you hearts that 
       understand or eyes that see or ears that hear!

       (Deu 29:5 TLB)  For forty years God has led you through the 
       wilderness, yet your clothes haven't become old, and your shoes 
       haven't worn out!

       (Deu 29:6 TLB)  The reason he hasn't let you settle down to grow grain 
       for bread or grapes for wine and strong drink is so that you would 
       realize that it is the Lord your God who has been caring for you.

       (Deu 29:7 TLB)  "When we came here, King Sihon of Heshbon and King Og 
       of Bashan came out against us in battle, but we destroyed them,

       (Deu 29:8 TLB)  and took their land and gave it to the tribes of 
       Reuben and Gad and to the half-tribe of Manasseh as their inheritance.

       (Deu 29:9 TLB)  Therefore, obey the terms of this covenant so that you 
       will prosper in everything you do.

       (Deu 29:10 TLB)  All of you--your leaders, the people, your judges, 
       and your administrative officers--are standing today before the Lord 
       your God,






       (Deu 29:11 TLB)  along with your little ones and your wives and the 
       foreigners that are among you--those who chop your wood and carry your 
       water.

       (Deu 29:12 TLB)  You are standing here to enter into a contract with 
       Jehovah your God, a contract he is making with you today.

       (Deu 29:13 TLB)  He wants to confirm you today as his people, and to 
       confirm that he is your God, just as he promised your ancestors, 
       Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

       (Deu 29:14 TLB)  This contract is not with you alone as you stand 
       before him today, but with all future generations of Israel as well.

       (Deu 29:15 TLB)  

       (Deu 29:16 TLB)  "Surely you remember how we lived in the land of 
       Egypt, and how as we left, we came safely through the territory of 
       enemy nations.

       (Deu 29:17 TLB)  And you have seen their heathen idols made of wood, 
       stone, silver, and gold.

       (Deu 29:18 TLB)  The day that any of you--man or woman, family or 
       tribe of Israel--begins to turn away from the Lord our God and desires 
       to worship these gods of other nations, that day a root will be 
       planted that will grow bitter and poisonous fruit.

       (Deu 29:19 TLB)  "Let no one blithely think, when he hears the 
       warnings of this curse, 'I shall prosper even though I walk in my own 
       stubborn way!'

       (Deu 29:20 TLB)  For the Lord will not pardon! His anger and jealousy 
       will be hot against that man. And all the curses written in this book 
       shall lie heavily upon him, and the Lord will blot out his name from 
       under heaven.

       (Deu 29:21 TLB)  The Lord will separate that man from all the tribes 
       of Israel, to pour out upon him all the curses (which are recorded in 
       this book) that befall those who break this contract.

       (Deu 29:22 TLB)  Then your children and the generations to come and 
       the foreigners that pass by from distant lands shall see the 
       devastation of the land and the diseases the Lord will have sent upon 
       it.

       (Deu 29:23 TLB)  They will see that the whole land is alkali and salt, 
       a burned over wasteland, unsown, without crops, without a shred of 
       vegetation--just like Sodom and Gomorrah and Admah and Zeboiim, 
       destroyed by the Lord in his anger.

       (Deu 29:24 TLB)  "'Why has the Lord done this to his land?' the 
       nations will ask. 'Why was he so angry?'

       (Deu 29:25 TLB)  "And they will be told, 'Because the people of the 





       land broke the contract made with them by Jehovah, the God of their 
       ancestors, when he brought them out of the land of Egypt.

       (Deu 29:26 TLB)  For they worshiped other gods, violating his express 
       command.

       (Deu 29:27 TLB)  That is why the anger of the Lord was hot against 
       this land, so that all his curses (which are recorded in this book) 
       broke forth upon them.

       (Deu 29:28 TLB)  In great anger the Lord rooted them out of their land 
       and threw them away into another land, where they still live today!'

       (Deu 29:29 TLB)  "There are secrets the Lord your God has not revealed 
       to us, but these words that he has revealed are for us and our 
       children to obey forever.

       (Deu 30:1 TLB)  "When all these things have happened to you--the 
       blessings and the curses I have listed--you will meditate upon them as 
       you are living among the nations where the Lord your God will have 
       driven you.

       (Deu 30:2 TLB)  If at that time you want to return to the Lord your 
       God, and you and your children have begun wholeheartedly to obey all 
       of the commandments I have given you today,

       (Deu 30:3 TLB)  then the Lord your God will rescue you from your 
       captivity! He will have mercy upon you and come and gather you out of 
       all the nations where he will have scattered you.

       (Deu 30:4 TLB)  Though you are at the ends of the earth, he will go 
       and find you and bring you back again

       (Deu 30:5 TLB)  to the land of your ancestors. You shall possess the 
       land again, and he will do you good and bless you even more than he 
       did your ancestors!

       (Deu 30:6 TLB)  He will cleanse your hearts and the hearts of your 
       children and of your children's children so that you will love the 
       Lord your God with all your hearts and souls, and Israel shall come 
       alive again!

       (Deu 30:7 TLB)  "If you return to the Lord and obey all the 
       commandments that I command you today,

       (Deu 30:8 TLB)  the Lord your God will take his curses and turn them 
       against your enemies--against those who hate you and persecute you.

       (Deu 30:9 TLB)  The Lord your God will prosper everything you do and 
       give you many children and much cattle and wonderful crops; for the 
       Lord will again rejoice over you as he did over your fathers.

       (Deu 30:10 TLB)  He will rejoice if you but obey the commandments 
       written in this book of the law, and if you turn to the Lord your God 
       with all your hearts and souls.





       (Deu 30:11 TLB)  "Obeying these commandments is not something beyond 
       your strength and reach;

       (Deu 30:12 TLB)  for these laws are not in the far heavens, so distant 
       that you can't hear and obey them, and with no one to bring them down 
       to you;

       (Deu 30:13 TLB)  nor are they beyond the ocean, so far that no one can 
       bring you their message;

       (Deu 30:14 TLB)  but they are very close at hand--in your hearts and 
       on your lips--so obey them.

       (Deu 30:15 TLB)  "Look, today I have set before you life and death, 
       depending on whether you obey or disobey.

       (Deu 30:16 TLB)  I have commanded you today to love the Lord your God 
       and to follow his paths and to keep his laws, so that you will live 
       and become a great nation, and so that the Lord your God will bless 
       you and the land you are about to possess.

       (Deu 30:17 TLB)  But if your hearts turn away and you won't listen--if 
       you are drawn away to worship other gods--

       (Deu 30:18 TLB)  then I declare to you this day that you shall surely 
       perish; you will not have a long, good life in the land you are going 
       in to possess.

       (Deu 30:19 TLB)  "I call heaven and earth to witness against you that 
       today I have set before you life or death, blessing or curse. Oh, that 
       you would choose life; that you and your children might live!

       (Deu 30:20 TLB)  Choose to love the Lord your God and to obey him and 
       to cling to him, for he is your life and the length of your days. You 
       will then be able to live safely in the land the Lord promised your 
       ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob."

       (Deu 31:1 TLB)  After Moses had said all these things to the people of 
       Israel,

       (Deu 31:2 TLB)  he told them, "I am now 120 years old! I am no longer 
       able to lead you, for the Lord has told me that I shall not cross the 
       Jordan River.

       (Deu 31:3 TLB)  But the Lord himself will lead you and will destroy 
       the nations living there, and you shall overcome them. Joshua is your 
       new commander, as the Lord has instructed.

       (Deu 31:4 TLB)  The Lord will destroy the nations living in the land, 
       just as he destroyed Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites.

       (Deu 31:5 TLB)  The Lord will deliver over to you the people living 
       there, and you shall destroy them as I have commanded you.

       (Deu 31:6 TLB)  Be strong! Be courageous! Do not be afraid of them! 
       For the Lord your God will be with you. He will neither fail you nor 





       forsake you."

       (Deu 31:7 TLB)  Then Moses called for Joshua and said to him, as all 
       Israel watched, "Be strong! Be courageous! For you shall lead these 
       people into the land promised by the Lord to their ancestors; see to 
       it that they conquer it.

       (Deu 31:8 TLB)  Don't be afraid, for the Lord will go before you and 
       will be with you; he will not fail nor forsake you."

       (Deu 31:9 TLB)  Then Moses wrote out the laws he had already delivered 
       to the people and gave them to the priests, the sons of Levi, who 
       carried the Ark containing the Ten Commandments of the Lord. Moses 
       also gave copies of the laws to the elders of Israel.

       (Deu 31:10 TLB)  The Lord commanded that these laws be read to all the 
       people at the end of every seventh year--the Year of Release--at the 
       Festival of Tabernacles,

       (Deu 31:11 TLB)  when all Israel would assemble before the Lord at the 
       sanctuary.

       (Deu 31:12 TLB)  "Call them all together," the Lord instructed, 
       "--men, women, children, and foreigners living among you--to hear the 
       laws of God and to learn his will, so that you will reverence the Lord 
       your God and obey his laws.

       (Deu 31:13 TLB)  Do this so that your little children who have not 
       known these laws will hear them and learn how to revere the Lord your 
       God as long as you live in the Promised Land."

       (Deu 31:14 TLB)  Then the Lord said to Moses, "The time has come when 
       you must die. Summon Joshua and come into the Tabernacle where I can 
       give him his instructions." So Moses and Joshua came and stood before 
       the Lord.

       (Deu 31:15 TLB)  He appeared to them in a great cloud at the 
       Tabernacle entrance,

       (Deu 31:16 TLB)  and said to Moses, "You shall die and join your 
       ancestors. After you are gone, these people will begin worshiping 
       foreign gods in the Promised Land. They will forget about me and break 
       the contract I have made with them.

       (Deu 31:17 TLB)  Then my anger will flame out against them and I will 
       abandon them, hiding my face from them, and they shall be destroyed. 
       Terrible trouble will come upon them, so that they will say, 'God is 
       no longer among us!'

       (Deu 31:18 TLB)  I will turn away from them because of their sins in 
       worshiping other gods.

       (Deu 31:19 TLB)  "Now write down the words of this song, and teach it 
       to the people of Israel as my warning to them.

       (Deu 31:20 TLB)  When I have brought them into the land I promised 





       their ancestors--a land 'flowing with milk and honey'--and when they 
       have become fat and prosperous, and worship other gods and despise me 
       and break my contract,

       (Deu 31:21 TLB)  and great disasters come upon them, then this song 
       will remind them of the reason for their woes. (For this song will 
       live from generation to generation.) I know now, even before they 
       enter the land, what these people are like."

       (Deu 31:22 TLB)  So, on that very day, Moses wrote down the words of 
       the song and taught it to the Israelites.

       (Deu 31:23 TLB)  Then he charged Joshua (son of Nun) to be strong and 
       courageous and said to him, "You must bring the people of Israel into 
       the land the Lord promised them; for the Lord says, 'I will be with 
       you.'"

       (Deu 31:24 TLB)  When Moses had finished writing down all the laws 
       that are recorded in this book,

       (Deu 31:25 TLB)  he instructed the Levites who carried the Ark 
       containing the Ten Commandments

       (Deu 31:26 TLB)  to put this book of the law beside the Ark, as a 
       solemn warning to the people of Israel.

       (Deu 31:27 TLB)  "For I know how rebellious and stubborn you are," 
       Moses told them. "If even today, while I am still here with you, you 
       are defiant rebels against the Lord, how much more rebellious will you 
       be after my death!

       (Deu 31:28 TLB)  Now summon all the elders and officers of your tribes 
       so that I can speak to them, and call heaven and earth to witness 
       against them.

       (Deu 31:29 TLB)  I know that after my death you will utterly defile 
       yourselves and turn away from God and his commands; and in the days to 
       come evil will crush you for you will do what the Lord says is evil, 
       making him very angry."

       (Deu 31:30 TLB)  So Moses recited this entire song to the whole 
       assembly of Israel:

       (Deu 32:1 TLB)  "Listen, O heavens and earth! Listen to what I say!

       (Deu 32:2 TLB)  My words shall fall upon you Like the gentle rain and 
       dew, Like rain upon the tender grass, Like showers on the hillside.

       (Deu 32:3 TLB)  I will proclaim the greatness of the Lord. How 
       glorious he is!

       (Deu 32:4 TLB)  He is the Rock. His work is perfect. Everything he 
       does is just and fair. He is faithful, without sin.

       (Deu 32:5 TLB)  But Israel has become corrupt, Smeared with sin. They 
       are no longer his; They are a stubborn, twisted generation.






       (Deu 32:6 TLB)  Is this the way you treat Jehovah? O foolish people, 
       Is not God your Father? Has he not created you? Has he not established 
       you and made you strong?

       (Deu 32:7 TLB)  Remember the days of long ago! (Ask your father and 
       the aged men; They will tell you all about it.)

       (Deu 32:8 TLB)  When God divided up the world among the nations, He 
       gave each of them a supervising angel!

       (Deu 32:9 TLB)  But he appointed none for Israel; For Israel was God's 
       own personal possession!

       (Deu 32:10 TLB)  God protected them in the howling wilderness As 
       though they were the apple of his eye.

       (Deu 32:11 TLB)  He spreads his wings over them, Even as an eagle 
       overspreads her young. She carries them upon her wings-- As does the 
       Lord his people!

       (Deu 32:12 TLB)  When the Lord alone was leading them, And they lived 
       without foreign gods,

       (Deu 32:13 TLB)  God gave them fertile hilltops, Rolling, fertile 
       fields, Honey from the rock, And olive oil from stony ground!

       (Deu 32:14 TLB)  He gave them milk and meat-- Choice Bashan rams, and 
       goats-- And the finest of the wheat; They drank the sparkling wine.

       (Deu 32:15 TLB)  But Israel was soon overfed; Yes, fat and bloated; 
       Then, in plenty, they forsook their God. They shrugged away the Rock 
       of their salvation.

       (Deu 32:16 TLB)  Israel began to follow foreign gods, And Jehovah was 
       very angry; He was jealous of his people.

       (Deu 32:17 TLB)  They sacrificed to heathen gods, To new gods never 
       before worshiped.

       (Deu 32:18 TLB)  They spurned the Rock who had made them, Forgetting 
       it was God who had given them birth.

       (Deu 32:19 TLB)  God saw what they were doing, And detested them! His 
       sons and daughters were insulting him.

       (Deu 32:20 TLB)  He said, 'I will abandon them; See what happens to 
       them then! For they are a stubborn, faithless generation.

       (Deu 32:21 TLB)  They have made me very jealous of their idols, Which 
       are not gods at all. Now I, in turn, will make them jealous By giving 
       my affections To the foolish Gentile nations of the world.

       (Deu 32:22 TLB)  For my anger has kindled a fire That burns to the 
       depths of the underworld, Consuming the earth and all of its crops, 
       And setting its mountains on fire.






       (Deu 32:23 TLB)  I will heap evils upon them And shoot them down with 
       my arrows.

       (Deu 32:24 TLB)  I will waste them with hunger, Burning fever, and 
       fatal disease. I will devour them! I will set wild beasts upon them, 
       To rip them apart with their teeth; And deadly serpents Crawling in 
       the dust.

       (Deu 32:25 TLB)  Outside, the enemies' sword-- Inside, the plague-- 
       Shall terrorize young men and girls alike; The baby nursing at the 
       breast, And aged men.

       (Deu 32:26 TLB)  I had decided to scatter them to distant lands, So 
       that even the memory of them Would disappear.

       (Deu 32:27 TLB)  But then I thought, "My enemies will boast, 'Israel 
       is destroyed by our own might; It was not the Lord Who did it!'"'

       (Deu 32:28 TLB)  Israel is a stupid nation; Foolish, without 
       understanding.

       (Deu 32:29 TLB)  Oh, that they were wise! Oh, that they could 
       understand! Oh, that they would know what they are getting into!

       (Deu 32:30 TLB)  How could one single enemy chase a thousand of them, 
       And two put ten thousand to flight, Unless their Rock had abandoned 
       them, Unless the Lord had destroyed them?

       (Deu 32:31 TLB)  But the rock of other nations Is not like our Rock; 
       Prayers to their gods are valueless.

       (Deu 32:32 TLB)  They act like men of Sodom and Gomorrah: Their deeds 
       are bitter with poison;

       (Deu 32:33 TLB)  They drink the wine of serpent venom.

       (Deu 32:34 TLB)  But Israel is my special people, Sealed as jewels 
       within my treasury.

       (Deu 32:35 TLB)  Vengeance is mine, And I decree the punishment of all 
       her enemies: Their doom is sealed.

       (Deu 32:36 TLB)  The Lord will see his people righted, And will have 
       compassion on them when they slip. He will watch their power ebb away, 
       Both slave and free.

       (Deu 32:37 TLB)  Then God will ask, 'Where are their gods-- The rocks 
       they claimed to be their refuge?

       (Deu 32:38 TLB)  Where are these gods now, To whom they sacrificed 
       their fat and wine? Let those gods arise, And help them!

       (Deu 32:39 TLB)  Don't you see that I alone am God? I kill and make 
       live. I wound and heal-- No one delivers from my power.





       (Deu 32:40 TLB)  I raise my hand to heaven And vow by my existence,

       (Deu 32:41 TLB)  That I will whet the lightning of my sword! And hurl 
       my punishments upon my enemies!

       (Deu 32:42 TLB)  My arrows shall be drunk with blood! My sword devours 
       the flesh and blood Of all the slain and captives. The heads of the 
       enemy Are gory with blood.'

       (Deu 32:43 TLB)  Praise his people, Gentile nations, For he will 
       avenge his people, Taking vengeance on his enemies, Purifying his land 
       And his people."

       (Deu 32:44 TLB)  When Moses and Joshua had recited all the words of 
       this song to the people,

       (Deu 32:45 TLB)  

       (Deu 32:46 TLB)  Moses made these comments: "Meditate upon all the 
       laws I have given you today, and pass them on to your children.

       (Deu 32:47 TLB)  These laws are not mere words--they are your life! 
       Through obeying them you will live long, plentiful lives in the land 
       you are going to possess across the Jordan River."

       (Deu 32:48 TLB)  That same day, the Lord said to Moses,

       (Deu 32:49 TLB)  "Go to Mount Nebo in the Abarim mountains, in the 
       land of Moab across from Jericho. Climb to its heights and look out 
       across the land of Canaan, the land I am giving to the people of 
       Israel.

       (Deu 32:50 TLB)  After you see the land, you must die and join your 
       ancestors, just as Aaron, your brother, died in Mount Hor and joined 
       them.

       (Deu 32:51 TLB)  For you dishonored me among the people of Israel at 
       the springs of Meribah-kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin.

       (Deu 32:52 TLB)  You will see spread out before you the land I am 
       giving the people of Israel, but you will not enter it."

       (Deu 33:1 TLB)  This is the blessing Moses, the man of God, gave to 
       the people of Israel before his death:

       (Deu 33:2 TLB)  "The Lord came to us at Mount Sinai, And dawned upon 
       us from Mount Seir; He shone from Mount Paran, Surrounded by ten 
       thousands of holy angels, And with flaming fire at his right hand.

       (Deu 33:3 TLB)  How he loves his people-- His holy ones are in his 
       hands. They followed in your steps, O Lord. They have received their 
       directions from you.

       (Deu 33:4 TLB)  The laws I have given Are your precious possession.

       (Deu 33:5 TLB)  The Lord became king in Jerusalem, Elected by a 





       convocation of the leaders of the tribes!

       (Deu 33:6 TLB)  Let Reuben live forever And may his tribe increase!"

       (Deu 33:7 TLB)  And Moses said of Judah: "O Lord, hear the cry of 
       Judah And unite him with Israel; Fight for him against his enemies."

       (Deu 33:8 TLB)  Then Moses said concerning the tribe of Levi: "Give to 
       godly Levi Your Urim and your Thummim. You tested Levi at Massah and 
       at Meribah;

       (Deu 33:9 TLB)  He obeyed your instructions (and destroyed many 
       sinners), Even his own children, brothers, fathers, and mothers.

       (Deu 33:10 TLB)  The Levites shall teach God's laws to Israel And 
       shall work before you at the incense altar And the altar of burnt 
       offering.

       (Deu 33:11 TLB)  O Lord, prosper the Levites And accept the work they 
       do for you. Crush those who are their enemies; Don't let them rise 
       again."

       (Deu 33:12 TLB)  Concerning the tribe of Benjamin, Moses said: "He is 
       beloved of God And lives in safety beside him. God surrounds him with 
       his loving care, And preserves him from every harm."

       (Deu 33:13 TLB)  Concerning the tribe of Joseph, he said: "May his 
       land be blessed by God With the choicest gifts of heaven And of the 
       earth that lies below.

       (Deu 33:14 TLB)  May he be blessed With the best of what the sun makes 
       grow; Growing richly month by month,

       (Deu 33:15 TLB)  With the finest of mountain crops And of the 
       everlasting hills.

       (Deu 33:16 TLB)  May he be blessed with the best gifts Of the earth 
       and its fullness, And with the favor of God who appeared In the 
       burning bush. Let all these blessings come upon Joseph, The prince 
       among his brothers.

       (Deu 33:17 TLB)  He is a young bull in strength and splendor, With the 
       strong horns of a wild ox To push against the nations everywhere; This 
       is my blessing on the multitudes of Ephraim And the thousands of 
       Manasseh."

       (Deu 33:18 TLB)  Of the tribe of Zebulun, Moses said: "Rejoice, O 
       Zebulun, you outdoorsmen, And Issachar, you lovers of your tents;

       (Deu 33:19 TLB)  They shall summon the people To celebrate their 
       sacrifices with them. Lo, they taste the riches of the sea And the 
       treasures of the sand."

       (Deu 33:20 TLB)  Concerning the tribe of Gad, Moses said: "A blessing 
       upon those who help Gad. He crouches like a lion, With savage arm and 
       face and head.






       (Deu 33:21 TLB)  He chose the best of the land for himself Because it 
       is reserved for a leader. He led the people Because he carried out 
       God's penalties for Israel."

       (Deu 33:22 TLB)  Of the tribe of Dan, Moses said: "Dan is like a 
       lion's cub Leaping out from Bashan."

       (Deu 33:23 TLB)  Of the tribe of Naphtali, Moses said: "O Naphtali, 
       you are satisfied With all the blessings of the Lord; The 
       Mediterranean coast and the Negeb Are your home."

       (Deu 33:24 TLB)  Of the tribe of Asher: "Asher is a favorite son, 
       Esteemed above his brothers; He bathes his feet in oil.

       (Deu 33:25 TLB)  May you be protected with strong bolts Of iron and 
       bronze, And may your strength match the length of your days!

       (Deu 33:26 TLB)  There is none like the God of Jerusalem-- He descends 
       from the heavens In majestic splendor to help you.

       (Deu 33:27 TLB)  The eternal God is your Refuge, And underneath are 
       the everlasting arms. He thrusts out your enemies before you; It is he 
       who cries, 'Destroy them!'

       (Deu 33:28 TLB)  So Israel dwells safely, Prospering in a land of corn 
       and wine, While the gentle rains descend from heaven.

       (Deu 33:29 TLB)  What blessings are yours, O Israel! Who else has been 
       saved by the Lord? He is your shield and your helper! He is your 
       excellent sword! Your enemies shall bow low before you, And you shall 
       trample on their backs!"

       (Deu 34:1 TLB)  Then Moses climbed from the plains of Moab to Pisgah 
       Peak in Mount Nebo, across from Jericho. And the Lord pointed out to 
       him the Promised Land, as they gazed out across Gilead as far as Dan:

       (Deu 34:2 TLB)  "There is Naphtali; and there is Ephraim and Manasseh; 
       and across there, Judah, extending to the Mediterranean Sea;

       (Deu 34:3 TLB)  there is the Negeb; and the Jordan Valley; and 
       Jericho, the city of palm trees; and Zoar," the Lord told him.

       (Deu 34:4 TLB)  "It is the Promised Land," the Lord told Moses. "I 
       promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that I would give it to their 
       descendants. Now you have seen it, but you will not enter it."

       (Deu 34:5 TLB)  So Moses, the disciple of the Lord, died in the land 
       of Moab as the Lord had said.

       (Deu 34:6 TLB)  The Lord buried him in a valley near Beth-peor in 
       Moab, but no one knows the exact place.

       (Deu 34:7 TLB)  Moses was 120 years old when he died, yet his eyesight 
       was perfect and he was as strong as a young man.





       (Deu 34:8 TLB)  The people of Israel mourned for him for thirty days 
       on the plains of Moab.

       (Deu 34:9 TLB)  Joshua (son of Nun) was full of the spirit of wisdom, 
       for Moses had laid his hands upon him; so the people of Israel obeyed 
       him and followed the commandments the Lord had given to Moses.

       (Deu 34:10 TLB)  There has never been another prophet like Moses, for 
       the Lord talked to him face to face.

       (Deu 34:11 TLB)  And at God's command he performed amazing miracles 
       that have never been equaled.

       (Deu 34:12 TLB)  

       (Josh 1:1 TLB)  After the death of Moses, the Lord's disciple, God 
       spoke to Moses' assistant, whose name was Joshua (the son of Nun), and 
       said to him,

       (Josh 1:2 TLB)  "Now that my disciple is dead, (you are the new leader 
       of Israel). Lead my people across the Jordan River into the Promised 
       Land.

       (Josh 1:3 TLB)  I say to you what I said to Moses: 'Wherever you go 
       will be part of the land of Israel--

       (Josh 1:4 TLB)  all the way from the Negeb desert in the south to the 
       Lebanon mountains in the north, and from the Mediterranean Sea in the 
       west to the Euphrates River in the east, including all the land of the 
       Hittites.'

       (Josh 1:5 TLB)  No one will be able to oppose you as long as you live, 
       for I will be with you just as I was with Moses; I will not abandon 
       you or fail to help you.

       (Josh 1:6 TLB)  "Be strong and brave, for you will be a successful 
       leader of my people; and they shall conquer all the land I promised to 
       their ancestors.

       (Josh 1:7 TLB)  You need only to be strong and courageous and to obey 
       to the letter every law Moses gave you, for if you are careful to obey 
       every one of them, you will be successful in everything you do.

       (Josh 1:8 TLB)  Constantly remind the people about these laws, and you 
       yourself must think about them every day and every night so that you 
       will be sure to obey all of them. For only then will you succeed.

       (Josh 1:9 TLB)  Yes, be bold and strong! Banish fear and doubt! For 
       remember, the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

       (Josh 1:10 TLB)  Then Joshua issued instructions to the leaders of 
       Israel

       (Josh 1:11 TLB)  to tell the people to get ready to cross the Jordan 
       River. "In three days we will go across and conquer and live in the 
       land which God has given us!" he told them.






       (Josh 1:12 TLB)  Then he summoned the leaders of the tribes of Reuben, 
       Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh

       (Josh 1:13 TLB)  and reminded them of their agreement with Moses: "The 
       Lord your God has given you a homeland here on the east side of the 
       Jordan River," Moses had told them,

       (Josh 1:14 TLB)  "so your wives and children and cattle may remain 
       here, but your troops, fully armed, must lead the other tribes across 
       the Jordan River to help them conquer their territory on the other 
       side;

       (Josh 1:15 TLB)  stay with them until they complete the conquest. Only 
       then may you settle down here on the east side of the Jordan."

       (Josh 1:16 TLB)  To this they fully agreed and pledged themselves to 
       obey Joshua as their commander-in-chief.

       (Josh 1:17 TLB)  "We will obey you just as we obeyed Moses," they 
       assured him, "and may the Lord your God be with you as he was with 
       Moses.

       (Josh 1:18 TLB)  If anyone, no matter who, rebels against your 
       commands, he shall die. So lead on with courage and strength!"

       (Josh 2:1 TLB)  Then Joshua sent two spies from the Israeli camp at 
       Acacia to cross the river and check out the situation on the other 
       side, especially at Jericho. They arrived at an inn operated by a 
       woman named Rahab, who was a prostitute. They were planning to spend 
       the night there,

       (Josh 2:2 TLB)  but someone informed the king of Jericho that two 
       Israelis who were suspected of being spies had arrived in the city 
       that evening.

       (Josh 2:3 TLB)  He dispatched a police squadron to Rahab's home, 
       demanding that she surrender them. "They are spies," he explained. 
       "They have been sent by the Israeli leaders to discover the best way 
       to attack us."

       (Josh 2:4 TLB)  But she had hidden them, so she told the officer in 
       charge, "The men were here earlier, but I didn't know they were spies.

       (Josh 2:5 TLB)  They left the city at dusk as the city gates were 
       about to close, and I don't know where they went. If you hurry, you 
       can probably catch up with them!"

       (Josh 2:6 TLB)  But actually she had taken them up to the roof and 
       hidden them beneath piles of flax that were drying there.

       (Josh 2:7 TLB)  So the constable and his men went all the way to the 
       Jordan River looking for them; meanwhile, the city gates were kept 
       shut.

       (Josh 2:8 TLB)  Rahab went up to talk to the men before they retired 





       for the night.

       (Josh 2:9 TLB)  "I know perfectly well that your God is going to give 
       my country to you," she told them. "We are all afraid of you; everyone 
       is terrified if the word Israel is even mentioned.

       (Josh 2:10 TLB)  For we have heard how the Lord made a path through 
       the Red Sea for you when you left Egypt! And we know what you did to 
       Sihon and Og, the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan, and how you 
       ruined their land and completely destroyed their people.

       (Josh 2:11 TLB)  No wonder we are afraid of you! No one has any fight 
       left in him after hearing things like that, for your God is the 
       supreme God of heaven, not just an ordinary god.

       (Josh 2:12 TLB)  Now I beg for this one thing: Swear to me by the 
       sacred name of your God that when Jericho is conquered you will

       (Josh 2:13 TLB)  let me live, along with my father and mother, my 
       brothers and sisters, and all their families. This is only fair after 
       the way I have helped you."

       (Josh 2:14 TLB)  The men agreed. "If you won't betray us, we'll see to 
       it that you and your family aren't harmed," they promised.

       (Josh 2:15 TLB)  "We'll defend you with our lives." Then, since her 
       house was on top of the city wall, she let them down by a rope from a 
       window.

       (Josh 2:16 TLB)  "Escape to the mountains," she told them. "Hide there 
       for three days until the men who are searching for you have returned; 
       then go on your way."

       (Josh 2:17 TLB)  But before they left, the men had said to her, "We 
       cannot be responsible for what happens to you

       (Josh 2:18 TLB)  unless this rope is hanging from this window and 
       unless all your relatives--your father, mother, brothers, and anyone 
       else--are here inside the house.

       (Josh 2:19 TLB)  If they go out into the street, we assume no 
       responsibility whatsoever; but we swear that no one inside this house 
       will be killed or injured.

       (Josh 2:20 TLB)  However, if you betray us, then this oath will no 
       longer bind us in any way."

       (Josh 2:21 TLB)  "I accept your terms," she replied. And she left the 
       scarlet rope hanging from the window.

       (Josh 2:22 TLB)  The spies went up into the mountains and stayed there 
       three days, until the men who were chasing them had returned to the 
       city after searching everywhere along the road without success.

       (Josh 2:23 TLB)  Then the two spies came down from the mountain and 
       crossed the river and reported to Joshua all that had happened to 





       them.

       (Josh 2:24 TLB)  "The Lord will certainly give us the entire land," 
       they said, "for all the people over there are scared to death of us."

       (Josh 3:1 TLB)  Early the next morning Joshua and all the people of 
       Israel left Acacia and arrived that evening at the banks of the Jordan 
       River, where they camped for a few days before crossing.

       (Josh 3:2 TLB)  On the third day officers went through the camp

       (Josh 3:3 TLB)  giving these instructions: "When you see the priests 
       carrying the Ark of God, follow them.

       (Josh 3:4 TLB)  You have never before been where we are going now, so 
       they will guide you. However, stay about a half mile behind, with a 
       clear space between you and the Ark; be sure that you don't get any 
       closer."

       (Josh 3:5 TLB)  Then Joshua told the people to purify themselves. "For 
       tomorrow," he said, "the Lord will do a great miracle."

       (Josh 3:6 TLB)  In the morning Joshua ordered the priests, "Take up 
       the Ark and lead us across the river!" And so they started out.

       (Josh 3:7 TLB)  "Today," the Lord told Joshua, "I will give you great 
       honor, so that all Israel will know that I am with you just as I was 
       with Moses.

       (Josh 3:8 TLB)  Instruct the priests who are carrying the Ark to stop 
       at the edge of the river."

       (Josh 3:9 TLB)  Then Joshua summoned all the people and told them, 
       "Come and listen to what the Lord your God has said.

       (Josh 3:10 TLB)  Today you are going to know for sure that the living 
       God is among you and that he will, without fail, drive out the 
       Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and 
       Jebusites--all the people who now live in the land you will soon 
       occupy.

       (Josh 3:11 TLB)  Think of it! The Ark of God, who is Lord of the whole 
       earth, will lead you across the river!

       (Josh 3:12 TLB)  "Now select twelve men, one from each tribe, for a 
       special task.

       (Josh 3:13 TLB)  When the priests who are carrying the Ark touch the 
       water with their feet, the river will stop flowing as though held back 
       by a dam, and will pile up as though against an invisible wall!"

       (Josh 3:14 TLB)  Now it was the harvest season and the Jordan was 
       overflowing all its banks; but as the people set out to cross the 
       river and as the feet of the priests who were carrying the Ark touched 
       the water at the river's edge,





       (Josh 3:15 TLB)  suddenly, far up the river at the city of Adam, near 
       Zarethan,

       (Josh 3:16 TLB)  the water began piling up as though against a dam! 
       And the water below that point flowed on to the Dead Sea until the 
       riverbed was empty. Then all the people crossed at a spot where the 
       river was close to the city of Jericho,

       (Josh 3:17 TLB)  and the priests who were carrying the Ark stood on 
       dry ground in the middle of the Jordan and waited as all the people 
       passed by.

       (Josh 4:1 TLB)  When all the people were safely across, the Lord said 
       to Joshua,

       (Josh 4:2 TLB)  "Tell the twelve men chosen for a special task, one 
       from each tribe,

       (Josh 4:3 TLB)  each to take a stone from where the priests are 
       standing in the middle of the Jordan, and to carry them out and pile 
       them up as a monument at the place where you camp tonight."

       (Josh 4:4 TLB)  So Joshua summoned the twelve men

       (Josh 4:5 TLB)  and told them, "Go out into the middle of the Jordan 
       where the Ark is. Each of you is to carry out a stone on your 
       shoulder--twelve stones in all, one for each of the twelve tribes.

       (Josh 4:6 TLB)  We will use them to build a monument so that in the 
       future, when your children ask, 'What is this monument for?'

       (Josh 4:7 TLB)  you can tell them, 'It is to remind us that the Jordan 
       River stopped flowing when the Ark of God went across!' The monument 
       will be a permanent reminder to the people of Israel of this amazing 
       miracle."

       (Josh 4:8 TLB)  So the men did as Joshua told them. They took twelve 
       stones from the middle of the Jordan river--one for each tribe, just 
       as the Lord had commanded Joshua. They carried them to the place where 
       they were camped for the night and constructed a monument there.

       (Josh 4:9 TLB)  Joshua also built another monument of twelve stones in 
       the middle of the river, at the place where the priests were standing; 
       and it is there to this day.

       (Josh 4:10 TLB)  The priests who were carrying the Ark stood in the 
       middle of the river until all these instructions of the Lord, which 
       had been given to Joshua by Moses, had been carried out. Meanwhile, 
       the people had hurried across the riverbed,

       (Josh 4:11 TLB)  and when everyone was over, the people watched the 
       priests carry the Ark up out of the riverbed.

       (Josh 4:12 TLB)  The troops of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of 
       Manasseh--fully armed as Moses had instructed,





       (Josh 4:13 TLB)  and forty thousand strong--led the other tribes of 
       the Lord's army across to the plains of Jericho.

       (Josh 4:14 TLB)  It was a tremendous day for Joshua! The Lord made him 
       great in the eyes of all the people of Israel, and they revered him as 
       much as they had Moses and respected him deeply all the rest of his 
       life.

       (Josh 4:15 TLB)  For it was Joshua who, at the Lord's command,

       (Josh 4:16 TLB)  issued the orders to the priests carrying the Ark. 
       "Come up from the riverbed," the Lord now told him to command them.

       (Josh 4:17 TLB)  So Joshua issued the order.

       (Josh 4:18 TLB)  And as soon as the priests came out, the water poured 
       down again as usual and overflowed the banks of the river as before!

       (Josh 4:19 TLB)  This miracle occurred on the 25 th of March. That day 
       the entire nation crossed the Jordan River and camped in Gilgal at the 
       eastern edge of the city of Jericho;

       (Josh 4:20 TLB)  and there the twelve stones from the Jordan were 
       piled up as a monument.

       (Josh 4:21 TLB)  Then Joshua explained again the purpose of the 
       stones: "In the future," he said, "when your children ask you why 
       these stones are here and what they mean,

       (Josh 4:22 TLB)  you are to tell them that these stones are a reminder 
       of this amazing miracle--that the nation of Israel crossed the Jordan 
       River on dry ground!

       (Josh 4:23 TLB)  Tell them how the Lord our God dried up the river 
       right before our eyes and then kept it dry until we were all across! 
       It is the same thing the Lord did forty years ago at the Red Sea!

       (Josh 4:24 TLB)  He did this so that all the nations of the earth will 
       realize that Jehovah is the mighty God, and so that all of you will 
       worship him forever."

       (Josh 5:1 TLB)  When the nations west of the Jordan River--the 
       Amorites and Canaanites who lived along the Mediterranean coast--heard 
       that the Lord had dried up the Jordan River so the people of Israel 
       could cross, their courage melted away completely and they were 
       paralyzed with fear.

       (Josh 5:2 TLB)  The Lord then told Joshua to set aside a day to 
       circumcise the entire male population of Israel. (It was the second 
       time in Israel's history that this was done.)

       (Josh 5:3 TLB)  The Lord instructed them to manufacture flint knives 
       for this purpose. The place where the circumcision rite took place was 
       named "The Hill of the Foreskins."

       (Josh 5:4 TLB)  The reason for this second circumcision ceremony was 





       that although when Israel left Egypt

       (Josh 5:5 TLB)  all of the men who had been old enough to bear arms 
       had been circumcised, that entire generation had died during the years 
       in the wilderness, and none of the boys born since that time had been 
       circumcised.

       (Josh 5:6 TLB)  For the nation of Israel had traveled back and forth 
       across the wilderness for forty years until all the men who had been 
       old enough to bear arms when they left Egypt were dead; they had not 
       obeyed the Lord, and he vowed that he wouldn't let them enter the land 
       he had promised to Israel--a land that "flowed with milk and honey."

       (Josh 5:7 TLB)  So now Joshua circumcised their children--the men who 
       had grown up to take their fathers' places.

       (Josh 5:8 TLB)  And the Lord said to Joshua, "Today I have ended your 
       shame of not being circumcised." So the place where this was done was 
       called Gilgal (meaning, "to end"), and is still called that today.

       (Josh 5:9 TLB)  After the ceremony the entire nation rested in camp 
       until the raw flesh of their wounds had been healed.

       (Josh 5:10 TLB)  While they were camped at Gilgal on the plains of 
       Jericho, they celebrated the Passover during the evening of April 
       first.

       (Josh 5:11 TLB)  The next day they began to eat from the gardens and 
       grain fields which they invaded, and they made unleavened bread.

       (Josh 5:12 TLB)  The following day no manna fell, and it was never 
       seen again! So from that time on they lived on the crops of Canaan.

       (Josh 5:13 TLB)  As Joshua was sizing up the city of Jericho, a man 
       appeared nearby with a drawn sword. Joshua strode over to him and 
       demanded, "Are you friend or foe?"

       (Josh 5:14 TLB)  "I am the Commander-in-Chief of the Lord's army," he 
       replied. Joshua fell to the ground before him and worshiped him and 
       said, "Give me your commands."

       (Josh 5:15 TLB)  "Take off your shoes," the Commander told him, "for 
       this is holy ground." And Joshua did.

       (Josh 6:1 TLB)  The gates of Jericho were kept tightly shut because 
       the people were afraid of the Israelis; no one was allowed to go in or 
       out.

       (Josh 6:2 TLB)  But the Lord said to Joshua, "Jericho and its king and 
       all its mighty warriors are already defeated, for I have given them to 
       you!

       (Josh 6:3 TLB)  Your entire army is to walk around the city once a day 
       for six days,

       (Josh 6:4 TLB)  followed by seven priests walking ahead of the Ark, 





       each carrying a trumpet made from a ram's horn. On the seventh day you 
       are to walk around the city seven times, with the priests blowing 
       their trumpets.

       (Josh 6:5 TLB)  Then, when they give one long, loud blast, all the 
       people are to give a mighty shout, and the walls of the city will fall 
       down; then move in upon the city from every direction."

       (Josh 6:6 TLB)  So Joshua summoned the priests and gave them their 
       instructions:

       (Josh 6:7 TLB)  the armed men would lead the procession,

       (Josh 6:8 TLB)  followed by seven priests blowing continually on their 
       trumpets.

       (Josh 6:9 TLB)  Behind them would come the priests carrying the Ark, 
       followed by a rear guard.

       (Josh 6:10 TLB)  "Let there be complete silence except for the 
       trumpets," Joshua commanded. "Not a single word from any of you until 
       I tell you to shout; then shout!"

       (Josh 6:11 TLB)  The Ark was carried around the city once that day, 
       after which everyone returned to the camp again and spent the night 
       there.

       (Josh 6:12 TLB)  At dawn the next morning they went around again and 
       returned again to the camp. They followed this pattern for six days.

       (Josh 6:13 TLB)  

       (Josh 6:14 TLB)  

       (Josh 6:15 TLB)  At dawn of the seventh day they started out again, 
       but this time they went around the city not once, but seven times.

       (Josh 6:16 TLB)  The seventh time, as the priests blew a long, loud 
       trumpet blast, Joshua yelled to the people, "Shout! The Lord has given 
       us the city!"

       (Josh 6:17 TLB)  (He had told them previously, "Kill everyone except 
       Rahab the prostitute and anyone in her house, for she protected our 
       spies.

       (Josh 6:18 TLB)  Don't take any loot, for everything is to be 
       destroyed. If it isn't, disaster will fall upon the entire nation of 
       Israel.

       (Josh 6:19 TLB)  But all the silver and gold and the utensils of 
       bronze and iron will be dedicated to the Lord and must be brought into 
       his treasury.")

       (Josh 6:20 TLB)  So when the people heard the trumpet blast, they 
       shouted as loud as they could. And suddenly the walls of Jericho 
       crumbled and fell before them, and the people of Israel poured into 





       the city from every side and captured it!

       (Josh 6:21 TLB)  They destroyed everything in it--men and women, young 
       and old; oxen; sheep; donkeys--everything.

       (Josh 6:22 TLB)  Meanwhile Joshua had said to the two spies, "Keep 
       your promise. Go and rescue the prostitute and everyone with her."

       (Josh 6:23 TLB)  The young men found her and rescued her, along with 
       her father, mother, brothers, and other relatives who were with her. 
       Arrangements were made for them to live outside the camp of Israel.

       (Josh 6:24 TLB)  Then the Israelis burned the city and everything in 
       it except that the silver and gold and the bronze and iron utensils 
       were kept for the Lord's treasury.

       (Josh 6:25 TLB)  Thus Joshua saved Rahab the prostitute and her 
       relatives who were with her in the house, and they still live among 
       the Israelites because she hid the spies sent to Jericho by Joshua.

       (Josh 6:26 TLB)  Then Joshua declared a terrible curse upon anyone who 
       might rebuild Jericho, warning that when the foundation was laid, the 
       builder's oldest son would die, and when the gates were set up, his 
       youngest son would die.

       (Josh 6:27 TLB)  So the Lord was with Joshua, and his name became 
       famous everywhere.

       (Josh 7:1 TLB)  But there was sin among the Israelis. God's command to 
       destroy everything except that which was reserved for the Lord's 
       treasury was disobeyed. For Achan (the son of Carmi, grandson of 
       Zabdi, and great-grandson of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah) took some 
       loot for himself, and the Lord was very angry with the entire nation 
       of Israel because of this.

       (Josh 7:2 TLB)  Soon after Jericho's defeat, Joshua sent some of his 
       men to spy on the city of Ai, east of Bethel.

       (Josh 7:3 TLB)  Upon their return they told Joshua, "It's a small city 
       and it won't take more than two or three thousand of us to destroy it; 
       there's no point in all of us going there."

       (Josh 7:4 TLB)  So approximately three thousand soldiers were 
       sent--and they were soundly defeated.

       (Josh 7:5 TLB)  About thirty-six of the Israelis were killed during 
       the attack, and many others died while being chased by the men of Ai 
       as far as the quarries. The Israeli army was paralyzed with fear at 
       this turn of events.

       (Josh 7:6 TLB)  Joshua and the elders of Israel tore their clothing 
       and lay prostrate before the Ark of the Lord until evening, with dust 
       on their heads.

       (Josh 7:7 TLB)  Joshua cried out to the Lord, "O Jehovah, why have you 
       brought us over the Jordan River if you are going to let the Amorites 





       kill us? Why weren't we content with what we had? Why didn't we stay 
       on the other side?

       (Josh 7:8 TLB)  O Lord, what am I to do now that Israel has fled from 
       her enemies!

       (Josh 7:9 TLB)  For when the Canaanites and the other nearby nations 
       hear about it, they will surround us and attack us and wipe us out. 
       And then what will happen to the honor of your great name?"

       (Josh 7:10 TLB)  But the Lord said to Joshua, "Get up off your face!

       (Josh 7:11 TLB)  Israel has sinned and disobeyed my commandment and 
       has taken loot when I said it was not to be taken; and they have not 
       only taken it, they have lied about it and have hidden it among their 
       belongings.

       (Josh 7:12 TLB)  That is why the people of Israel are being defeated. 
       That is why your men are running from their enemies--for they are 
       cursed. I will not stay with you any longer unless you completely rid 
       yourselves of this sin.

       (Josh 7:13 TLB)  "Get up! Tell the people, 'Each of you must undergo 
       purification rites in preparation for tomorrow, for the Lord your God 
       of Israel says that someone has stolen from him, and you cannot defeat 
       your enemies until you deal with this sin.

       (Josh 7:14 TLB)  In the morning you must come by tribes, and the Lord 
       will point out the tribe to which the guilty man belongs. And that 
       tribe must come by its clans and the Lord will point out the guilty 
       clan; and the clan must come by its families, and then each member of 
       the guilty family must come one by one.

       (Josh 7:15 TLB)  And the one who has stolen that which belongs to the 
       Lord shall be burned with fire, along with everything he has, for he 
       has violated the covenant of the Lord and has brought calamity upon 
       all of Israel."'

       (Josh 7:16 TLB)  So, early the next morning, Joshua brought the tribes 
       of Israel before the Lord, and the tribe of Judah was indicated.

       (Josh 7:17 TLB)  Then he brought the clans of Judah, and the clan of 
       Zerah was singled out. Then the families of that clan were brought 
       before the Lord and the family of Zabdi was indicated.

       (Josh 7:18 TLB)  Zabdi's family was brought man by man, and his 
       grandson Achan was found to be the guilty one.

       (Josh 7:19 TLB)  Joshua said to Achan, "My son, give glory to the God 
       of Israel and make your confession. Tell me what you have done."

       (Josh 7:20 TLB)  Achan replied, "I have sinned against the Lord, the 
       God of Israel.

       (Josh 7:21 TLB)  For I saw a beautiful robe imported from Babylon, and 
       some silver worth $200, and a bar of gold worth $500. I wanted them so 





       much that I took them, and they are hidden in the ground beneath my 
       tent, with the silver buried deeper than the rest."

       (Josh 7:22 TLB)  So Joshua sent some men to search for the loot. They 
       ran to the tent and found the stolen goods hidden there just as Achan 
       had said, with the silver buried beneath the rest.

       (Josh 7:23 TLB)  They brought it all to Joshua and laid it on the 
       ground in front of him.

       (Josh 7:24 TLB)  Then Joshua and all the Israelites took Achan, the 
       silver, the robe, the wedge of gold, his sons, his daughters, his 
       oxen, donkeys, sheep, his tent, and everything he had, and brought 
       them to the valley of Achor.

       (Josh 7:25 TLB)  Then Joshua said to Achan, "Why have you brought 
       calamity upon us? The Lord will now bring calamity upon you." And the 
       men of Israel stoned them to death and burned their bodies,

       (Josh 7:26 TLB)  and piled a great heap of stones upon them. The 
       stones are still there to this day, and even today that place is 
       called "The Valley of Calamity." And so the fierce anger of the Lord 
       was ended.

       (Josh 8:1 TLB)  Then the Lord said to Joshua, "Don't be afraid or 
       discouraged; take the entire army and go to Ai, for it is now yours to 
       conquer. I have given the king of Ai and all of his people to you.

       (Josh 8:2 TLB)  You shall do to them as you did to Jericho and her 
       king; but this time you may keep the loot and the cattle for 
       yourselves. Set an ambush behind the city."

       (Josh 8:3 TLB)  Before the main army left for Ai, Joshua sent thirty 
       thousand of his bravest troops to hide in ambush close behind the 
       city, alert for action.

       (Josh 8:4 TLB)  

       (Josh 8:5 TLB)  "This is the plan," he explained to them. "When our 
       main army attacks, the men of Ai will come out to fight as they did 
       before, and we will run away.

       (Josh 8:6 TLB)  We will let them chase us until they have all left the 
       city; for they will say, 'The Israelis are running away again just as 
       they did before!'

       (Josh 8:7 TLB)  Then you will jump up from your ambush and enter the 
       city, for the Lord will give it to you.

       (Josh 8:8 TLB)  Set the city on fire, as the Lord has commanded. You 
       now have your instructions."

       (Josh 8:9 TLB)  So they left that night and lay in ambush between 
       Bethel and the west side of Ai; but Joshua and the rest of the army 
       remained in the camp at Jericho.





       (Josh 8:10 TLB)  Early the next morning Joshua roused his men and 
       started toward Ai, accompanied by the elders of Israel,

       (Josh 8:11 TLB)  and stopped at the edge of a valley north of the 
       city.

       (Josh 8:12 TLB)  That night Joshua sent another five thousand men to 
       join the troops in ambush on the west side of the city.

       (Josh 8:13 TLB)  He himself spent the night in the valley.

       (Josh 8:14 TLB)  The King of Ai, seeing the Israelis across the 
       valley, went out early the next morning and attacked at the Plain of 
       Arabah. But of course he didn't realize that there was an ambush 
       behind the city.

       (Josh 8:15 TLB)  Joshua and the Israeli army fled across the 
       wilderness as though badly beaten,

       (Josh 8:16 TLB)  and all the soldiers in the city were called out to 
       chase after them; so the city was left defenseless;

       (Josh 8:17 TLB)  there was not a soldier left in Ai or Bethel, and the 
       city gates were left wide open.

       (Josh 8:18 TLB)  Then the Lord said to Joshua, "Point your spear 
       toward Ai, for I will give you the city." Joshua did.

       (Josh 8:19 TLB)  And when the men in ambush saw his signal, they 
       jumped up and poured into the city and set it on fire.

       (Josh 8:20 TLB)  When the men of Ai looked behind them, smoke from the 
       city was filling the sky, and they had nowhere to go.

       (Josh 8:21 TLB)  When Joshua and the troops who were with him saw the 
       smoke, they knew that their men who had been in ambush were inside the 
       city, so they turned upon their pursuers and began killing them.

       (Josh 8:22 TLB)  Then the Israelis who were inside the city came out 
       and began destroying the enemy from the rear. So the men of Ai were 
       caught in a trap and all of them died; not one man survived or 
       escaped,

       (Josh 8:23 TLB)  except for the king of Ai, who was captured and 
       brought to Joshua.

       (Josh 8:24 TLB)  When the army of Israel had finished slaughtering all 
       the men outside the city, they went back and finished off everyone 
       left inside.

       (Josh 8:25 TLB)  So the entire population of Ai, twelve thousand in 
       all, was wiped out that day.

       (Josh 8:26 TLB)  For Joshua kept his spear pointed toward Ai until the 
       last person was dead.





       (Josh 8:27 TLB)  Only the cattle and the loot were not destroyed, for 
       the armies of Israel kept these for themselves. (The Lord had told 
       Joshua they could.)

       (Josh 8:28 TLB)  So Ai became a desolate mound of refuse, as it still 
       is today.

       (Josh 8:29 TLB)  Joshua hanged the king of Ai on a tree until evening, 
       but as the sun was going down, he took down the body and threw it in 
       front of the city gate. There he piled a great heap of stones over it, 
       which can still be seen.

       (Josh 8:30 TLB)  Then Joshua built an altar to the Lord God of Israel 
       at Mount Ebal,

       (Josh 8:31 TLB)  as Moses had commanded in the book of his laws: "Make 
       me an altar of boulders that have neither been broken nor carved," the 
       Lord had said concerning Mount Ebal. Then the priests offered burnt 
       sacrifices and peace offerings to the Lord on the altar.

       (Josh 8:32 TLB)  And as the people of Israel watched, Joshua carved 
       upon the stones of the altar each of the Ten Commandments.

       (Josh 8:33 TLB)  Then all the people of Israel--including the elders, 
       officers, judges, and the foreigners living among them--divided into 
       two groups, half of them standing at the foot of Mount Gerizim and 
       half at the foot of Mount Ebal. Between them stood the priests with 
       the Ark, ready to pronounce their blessing. (This was all done in 
       accordance with the instructions given long before by Moses.)

       (Josh 8:34 TLB)  Joshua then read to them all of the statements of 
       blessing and curses that Moses had written in the book of God's laws.

       (Josh 8:35 TLB)  Every commandment Moses had ever given was read 
       before the entire assembly, including the women and children and the 
       foreigners who lived among the Israelis.

       (Josh 9:1 TLB)  When the kings of the surrounding area heard what had 
       happened to Jericho, they quickly combined their armies to fight for 
       their lives against Joshua and the Israelis. These were the kings of 
       the nations west of the Jordan River, along the shores of the 
       Mediterranean as far north as the Lebanon mountains--the Hittites, 
       Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.

       (Josh 9:2 TLB)  

       (Josh 9:3 TLB)  But when the people of Gibeon heard what had happened 
       to Jericho and Ai,

       (Josh 9:4 TLB)  they resorted to trickery to save themselves. They 
       sent ambassadors to Joshua

       (Josh 9:5 TLB)  wearing worn-out clothing, as though from a long 
       journey, with patched shoes, weatherworn saddlebags on their donkeys, 
       old, patched wineskins and dry, moldy bread.





       (Josh 9:6 TLB)  When they arrived at the camp of Israel at Gilgal, 
       they told Joshua and the men of Israel, "We have come from a distant 
       land to ask for a peace treaty with you."

       (Josh 9:7 TLB)  The Israelis replied to these Hivites, "How do we know 
       you don't live nearby? For if you do, we cannot make a treaty with 
       you."

       (Josh 9:8 TLB)  They replied, "We will be your slaves." "But who are 
       you?" Joshua demanded. "Where do you come from?"

       (Josh 9:9 TLB)  And they told him, "We are from a very distant 
       country; we have heard of the might of the Lord your God and of all 
       that he did in Egypt,

       (Josh 9:10 TLB)  and what you did to the two kings of the 
       Amorites--Sihon, king of Heshbon, and Og, king of Bashan.

       (Josh 9:11 TLB)  So our elders and our people instructed us, 'Prepare 
       for a long journey; go to the people of Israel and declare our nation 
       to be their servants, and ask for peace.'

       (Josh 9:12 TLB)  This bread was hot from the ovens when we left, but 
       now as you see, it is dry and moldy;

       (Josh 9:13 TLB)  these wineskins were new, but now they are old and 
       cracked; our clothing and shoes have become worn out from our long, 
       hard trip."

       (Josh 9:14 TLB)  Joshua and the other leaders finally believed them. 
       They did not bother to ask the Lord

       (Josh 9:15 TLB)  but went ahead and signed a peace treaty. And the 
       leaders of Israel ratified the agreement with a binding oath.

       (Josh 9:16 TLB)  Three days later the facts came out--these men were 
       close neighbors.

       (Josh 9:17 TLB)  The Israeli army set out at once to investigate and 
       reached their cities in three days. (The names of the cities were 
       Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath-jearim.)

       (Josh 9:18 TLB)  But the cities were not harmed because of the vow 
       which the leaders of Israel had made before the Lord God. The people 
       of Israel were angry with their leaders because of the peace treaty.

       (Josh 9:19 TLB)  But the leaders replied, "We have sworn before the 
       Lord God of Israel that we will not touch them, and we won't.

       (Josh 9:20 TLB)  We must let them live, for if we break our oath, the 
       wrath of Jehovah will be upon us."

       (Josh 9:21 TLB)  So they became servants of the Israelis, chopping 
       their wood and carrying their water.

       (Josh 9:22 TLB)  Joshua summoned their leaders and demanded, "Why have 





       you lied to us by saying that you lived in a distant land, when you 
       were actually living right here among us?

       (Josh 9:23 TLB)  Now a curse shall be upon you! From this moment you 
       must always furnish us with servants to chop wood and carry water for 
       the service of our God."

       (Josh 9:24 TLB)  They replied, "We did it because we were told that 
       Jehovah instructed his disciple Moses to conquer this entire land and 
       destroy all the people living in it. So we feared for our lives 
       because of you; that is why we have done it.

       (Josh 9:25 TLB)  But now we are in your hands; you may do with us as 
       you wish."

       (Josh 9:26 TLB)  So Joshua would not allow the people of Israel to 
       kill them,

       (Josh 9:27 TLB)  but they became woodchoppers and water-carriers for 
       the people of Israel and for the altar of the Lord--wherever it would 
       be built (for the Lord hadn't yet told them where to build it). This 
       arrangement is still in force at the time of this writing.

       (Josh 10:1 TLB)  When Adoni-zedek, the king of Jerusalem, heard how 
       Joshua had captured and destroyed Ai and had killed its king, the same 
       as he had done at Jericho, and how the people of Gibeon had made peace 
       with Israel and were now their allies,

       (Josh 10:2 TLB)  he was very frightened. For Gibeon was a great 
       city--as great as the royal cities and much larger than Ai--and its 
       men were known as hard fighters.

       (Josh 10:3 TLB)  So King Adoni-zedek of Jerusalem sent messengers to 
       several other kings: King Hoham of Hebron, King Piram of Jarmuth, King 
       Japhia of Lachish, King Debir of Eglon.

       (Josh 10:4 TLB)  "Come and help me destroy Gibeon," he urged them, 
       "for they have made peace with Joshua and the people of Israel."

       (Josh 10:5 TLB)  So these five Amorite kings combined their armies for 
       a united attack on Gibeon.

       (Josh 10:6 TLB)  The men of Gibeon hurriedly sent messengers to Joshua 
       at Gilgal. "Come and help your servants!" they demanded. "Come quickly 
       and save us! For all the kings of the Amorites who live in the hills 
       are here with their armies."

       (Josh 10:7 TLB)  So Joshua and the Israeli army left Gilgal and went 
       to rescue Gibeon.

       (Josh 10:8 TLB)  "Don't be afraid of them," the Lord said to Joshua, 
       "for they are already defeated! I have given them to you to destroy. 
       Not a single one of them will be able to stand up to you."

       (Josh 10:9 TLB)  Joshua traveled all night from Gilgal and took the 
       enemy armies by surprise.






       (Josh 10:10 TLB)  Then the Lord threw them into a panic so that the 
       army of Israel slaughtered great numbers of them at Gibeon and chased 
       the others all the way to Beth-horon and Azekah and Makkedah, killing 
       them along the way.

       (Josh 10:11 TLB)  And as the enemy was racing down the hill to 
       Beth-horon, the Lord destroyed them with a great hailstorm that 
       continued all the way to Azekah; in fact, more men died from the hail 
       than by the swords of the Israelis.

       (Josh 10:12 TLB)  As the men of Israel were pursuing and harassing the 
       foe, Joshua prayed aloud, "Let the sun stand still over Gibeon, and 
       let the moon stand in its place over the valley of Aijalon!"

       (Josh 10:13 TLB)  And the sun and the moon didn't move until the 
       Israeli army had finished the destruction of its enemies! This is 
       described in greater detail in The Book of Jashar. So the sun stopped 
       in the heavens and stayed there for almost twenty-four hours!

       (Josh 10:14 TLB)  There had never been such a day before, and there 
       has never been another since, when the Lord stopped the sun and 
       moon--all because of the prayer of one man. But the Lord was fighting 
       for Israel.

       (Josh 10:15 TLB)  (Afterwards Joshua and the Israeli army returned to 
       Gilgal.)

       (Josh 10:16 TLB)  During the battle the five kings escaped and hid in 
       a cave at Makkedah.

       (Josh 10:17 TLB)  When the news was brought to Joshua that they had 
       been found,

       (Josh 10:18 TLB)  he issued a command that a great stone be rolled 
       against the mouth of the cave and that guards be placed there to keep 
       the kings inside.

       (Josh 10:19 TLB)  Then Joshua commanded the rest of the army, "Go on 
       chasing the enemy and cut them down from the rear. Don't let them get 
       back to their cities, for the Lord will help you to completely destroy 
       them."

       (Josh 10:20 TLB)  So Joshua and the Israeli army continued the 
       slaughter and wiped out the five armies except for a tiny remnant that 
       managed to reach their fortified cities.

       (Josh 10:21 TLB)  Then the Israelis returned to their camp at Makkedah 
       without having lost a single man! And after that no one dared to 
       attack Israel.

       (Josh 10:22 TLB)  Joshua now instructed his men to remove the stone 
       from the mouth of the cave and to bring out the five kings--of 
       Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon.

       (Josh 10:23 TLB)  






       (Josh 10:24 TLB)  Joshua told the captains of his army to put their 
       feet on the kings' necks.

       (Josh 10:25 TLB)  "Don't ever be afraid or discouraged," Joshua said 
       to his men. "Be strong and courageous, for the Lord is going to do 
       this to all of your enemies."

       (Josh 10:26 TLB)  With that, Joshua plunged his sword into each of the 
       five kings, killing them. He then hanged them on five trees until 
       evening.

       (Josh 10:27 TLB)  As the sun was going down, Joshua instructed that 
       their bodies be taken down and thrown into the cave where they had 
       been hiding; and a great pile of stones was placed at the mouth of the 
       cave. (The pile is still there today.)

       (Josh 10:28 TLB)  On that same day Joshua destroyed the city of 
       Makkedah and killed its king and everyone in it. Not one person in the 
       entire city was left alive.

       (Josh 10:29 TLB)  Then the Israelis went to Libnah.

       (Josh 10:30 TLB)  There, too, the Lord gave them the city and its 
       king. Every last person was slaughtered, just as at Jericho.

       (Josh 10:31 TLB)  From Libnah they went to Lachish and attacked it.

       (Josh 10:32 TLB)  And the Lord gave it to them on the second day; 
       here, too, the entire population was slaughtered, just as at Libnah.

       (Josh 10:33 TLB)  During the attack on Lachish, King Horam of Gezer 
       arrived with his army to try to help defend the city, but Joshua's men 
       killed him and destroyed his entire army.

       (Josh 10:34 TLB)  The Israeli army then captured Eglon on the first 
       day and, as at Lachish, they killed everyone in the city.

       (Josh 10:35 TLB)  

       (Josh 10:36 TLB)  After leaving Eglon they went to Hebron

       (Josh 10:37 TLB)  and captured it and all of its surrounding villages, 
       slaughtering the entire population. Not one person was left alive.

       (Josh 10:38 TLB)  Then they turned back to Debir,

       (Josh 10:39 TLB)  which they quickly captured with all of its outlying 
       villages. And they killed everyone just as they had at Libnah.

       (Josh 10:40 TLB)  So Joshua and his army conquered the whole 
       country--the nations and kings of the hill country, the Negeb, the 
       lowlands, and the mountain slopes. They destroyed everyone in the 
       land, just as the Lord God of Israel had commanded,

       (Josh 10:41 TLB)  slaughtering them from Kadesh-barnea to Gaza, and 





       from Goshen to Gibeon.

       (Josh 10:42 TLB)  This was all accomplished in one campaign, for the 
       Lord God of Israel was fighting for his people.

       (Josh 10:43 TLB)  Then Joshua and his army returned to their camp at 
       Gilgal.

       (Josh 11:1 TLB)  When King Jabin of Hazor heard what had happened, he 
       sent urgent messages to the following kings: King Jobab of Madon; The 
       king of Shimron; The king of Achshaph;

       (Josh 11:2 TLB)  All the kings of the northern hill country; The kings 
       in the Arabah, south of Chinneroth; Those in the lowland; The kings in 
       the mountain areas of Dor, on the west;

       (Josh 11:3 TLB)  The kings of Canaan, both east and west; The kings of 
       the Amorites; The kings of the Hittites; The kings of the Perizzites; 
       The kings in the Jebusite hill country; The Hivite kings in the cities 
       on the slopes of Mount Hermon, in the land of Mizpah.

       (Josh 11:4 TLB)  All these kings responded by mobilizing their armies 
       and uniting to crush Israel. Their combined troops, along with a vast 
       array of horses and chariots, covered the landscape around the Springs 
       of Merom as far as one could see;

       (Josh 11:5 TLB)  for they established their camp at the Springs of 
       Merom.

       (Josh 11:6 TLB)  But the Lord said to Joshua, "Don't be afraid of 
       them, for by this time tomorrow they will all be dead! Hamstring their 
       horses and burn their chariots."

       (Josh 11:7 TLB)  Joshua and his troops arrived suddenly at the Springs 
       of Merom and attacked.

       (Josh 11:8 TLB)  And the Lord gave all that vast army to the Israelis, 
       who chased them as far as Great Sidon and a place called the Salt 
       Pits, and eastward into the valley of Mizpah; so not one enemy troop 
       survived the battle.

       (Josh 11:9 TLB)  Then Joshua and his men did as the Lord had 
       instructed, for they hamstrung the horses and burned all the chariots.

       (Josh 11:10 TLB)  On the way back, Joshua captured Hazor and killed 
       its king. (Hazor had at one time been the capital of the federation of 
       all those kingdoms.)

       (Josh 11:11 TLB)  Every person there was killed and the city was 
       burned.

       (Josh 11:12 TLB)  Then he attacked and destroyed all the other cities 
       of those kings. All the people were slaughtered, just as Moses had 
       commanded long before.

       (Josh 11:13 TLB)  (However, Joshua did not burn any of the cities 





       built on mounds except for Hazor.)

       (Josh 11:14 TLB)  All the loot and cattle of the ravaged cities were 
       taken by the Israelis for themselves, but they killed all the people.

       (Josh 11:15 TLB)  For so the Lord had commanded his disciple Moses; 
       and Moses had passed the commandment on to Joshua, who did as he had 
       been told: he carefully obeyed all of the Lord's instructions to 
       Moses.

       (Josh 11:16 TLB)  So Joshua conquered the entire land--the hill 
       country, the Negeb, the land of Goshen, the lowlands, the Arabah, and 
       the hills and lowlands of Israel.

       (Josh 11:17 TLB)  The Israeli territory now extended all the way from 
       Mount Halak, near Seir, to Baal-gad in the valley of Lebanon, at the 
       foot of Mount Hermon. And Joshua killed all the kings of those 
       territories.

       (Josh 11:18 TLB)  It took seven years of war to accomplish all of 
       this.

       (Josh 11:19 TLB)  None of the cities was given a peace treaty except 
       the Hivites of Gibeon; all of the others were destroyed.

       (Josh 11:20 TLB)  For the Lord made the enemy kings want to fight the 
       Israelis instead of asking for peace; so they were mercilessly killed, 
       as the Lord had commanded Moses.

       (Josh 11:21 TLB)  During this period Joshua routed all of the 
       giants--the descendants of Anak who lived in the hill country in 
       Hebron, Debir, Anab, Judah, and Israel; he killed them all and 
       completely destroyed their cities.

       (Josh 11:22 TLB)  None was left in all the land of Israel, though some 
       still remained in Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod.

       (Josh 11:23 TLB)  So Joshua took the entire land just as the Lord had 
       instructed Moses; and he gave it to the people of Israel as their 
       inheritance, dividing the land among the tribes. So the land finally 
       rested from its war.

       (Josh 12:1 TLB)  Here is the list of the kings on the east side of the 
       Jordan River whose cities were destroyed by the Israelis: (The area 
       involved stretched all the way from the valley of the Arnon River to 
       Mount Hermon, including the cities of the eastern desert.)

       (Josh 12:2 TLB)  King Sihon of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon. His 
       kingdom extended from Aroer, on the edge of the Arnon Valley, and from 
       the middle of the valley of the Arnon River to the Jabbok River, which 
       is the boundary of the Ammonites. This includes half of the present 
       area of Gilead, which lies north of the Jabbok River.

       (Josh 12:3 TLB)  Sihon also controlled the Jordan River valley as far 
       north as the western shores of the Lake of Galilee; and as far south 
       as the Dead Sea and the slopes of Mount Pisgah.






       (Josh 12:4 TLB)  King Og of Bashan, the last of the Rephaim, who lived 
       at Ashtaroth and Edrei:

       (Josh 12:5 TLB)  He ruled a territory stretching from Mount Hermon in 
       the north to Salecah on Mount Bashan in the east, and on the west, 
       extending to the boundary of the kingdoms of Geshur and Maacah. His 
       kingdom also stretched south to include the northern half of Gilead 
       where the boundary touched the border of the kingdom of Sihon, king of 
       Heshbon.

       (Josh 12:6 TLB)  Moses and the people of Israel had destroyed these 
       people, and Moses gave the land to the tribes of Reuben and the 
       half-tribe of Manasseh.

       (Josh 12:7 TLB)  Here is a list of the kings destroyed by Joshua and 
       the armies of Israel on the west side of the Jordan. (This land which 
       lay between Baal-gad in the Valley of Lebanon and Mount Halak, west of 
       Mount Seir, was allotted by Joshua to the other tribes of Israel.

       (Josh 12:8 TLB)  The area included the hill country, the lowlands, the 
       Arabah, the mountain slopes, the Judean Desert, and the Negeb. The 
       people who lived there were the Hittites, the Amorites, the 
       Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites):

       (Josh 12:9 TLB)  the king of Jericho; the king of Ai, near Bethel;

       (Josh 12:10 TLB)  the king of Jerusalem; the king of Hebron;

       (Josh 12:11 TLB)  the king of Jarmuth; the king of Lachish;

       (Josh 12:12 TLB)  the king of Eglon; the king of Gezer;

       (Josh 12:13 TLB)  the king of Debir; the king of Geder;

       (Josh 12:14 TLB)  the king of Hormah; the king of Arad;

       (Josh 12:15 TLB)  the king of Libnah; the king of Adullam;

       (Josh 12:16 TLB)  the king of Makkedah; the king of Bethel;

       (Josh 12:17 TLB)  the king of Tappuah; the king of Hepher;

       (Josh 12:18 TLB)  the king of Aphek; the king of Lasharon;

       (Josh 12:19 TLB)  the king of Madon; the king of Hazor;

       (Josh 12:20 TLB)  the king of Shimron-meron; the king of Achshaph;

       (Josh 12:21 TLB)  the king of Taanach; the king of Megiddo;

       (Josh 12:22 TLB)  the king of Kedesh; the king of Jokneam, in Carmel;

       (Josh 12:23 TLB)  the king of Dor in the city of Naphathdor; the king 
       of Goiim in Gilgal;





       (Josh 12:24 TLB)  the king of Tirzah. So in all, thirty-one kings and 
       their cities were destroyed.

       (Josh 13:1 TLB)  Joshua was now an old man. "You are growing old," the 
       Lord said to him, "and there are still many nations to be conquered.

       (Josh 13:2 TLB)  Here is a list of the areas still to be occupied: All 
       the land of the Philistines; The land of the Geshurites;

       (Josh 13:3 TLB)  The territory now belonging to the Canaanites from 
       the brook of Egypt to the southern boundary of Ekron; Five cities of 
       the Philistines: Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, Ekron;

       (Josh 13:4 TLB)  The land of the Avvim in the south; In the north, all 
       the land of the Canaanites, including Mearah (which belongs to the 
       Sidonians), stretching northward to Aphek at the boundary of the 
       Amorites;

       (Josh 13:5 TLB)  The land of the Gebalites on the coast and all of the 
       Lebanon mountain area from Baal-gad beneath Mount Hermon in the south 
       to the entrance of Hamath in the north;

       (Josh 13:6 TLB)  All the hill country from Lebanon to Misrephoth-maim, 
       including all the land of the Sidonians. I am ready to drive these 
       people out from before the nation of Israel,

       (Josh 13:7 TLB)  so include all this territory when you divide the 
       land among the nine tribes and the half-tribe of Manasseh as I have 
       commanded you."

       (Josh 13:8 TLB)  The other half of the tribe of Manasseh and the 
       tribes of Reuben and Gad had already received their inheritance on the 
       east side of the Jordan, for Moses had previously assigned this land 
       to them.

       (Josh 13:9 TLB)  Their territory ran from Aroer, on the edge of the 
       valley of the Arnon River, included the city in the valley, and 
       crossed the tableland of Medeba to Dibon;

       (Josh 13:10 TLB)  it also included all the cities of King Sihon of the 
       Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, and extended as far as the borders 
       of Ammon.

       (Josh 13:11 TLB)  It included Gilead; the territory of the Geshurites 
       and the Maacathites; all of Mount Hermon; Mount Bashan with its city 
       of Salecah;

       (Josh 13:12 TLB)  and all the territory of King Og of Bashan, who had 
       reigned in Ashtaroth and Edrei. (He was the last of the Rephaim, for 
       Moses had attacked them and driven them out.

       (Josh 13:13 TLB)  However, the people of Israel had not driven out the 
       Geshurites or the Maacathites, who still live there among the 
       Israelites to this day.)

       (Josh 13:14 TLB)  The Territorial Assignments The Land Given to the 





       Tribe of Levi: Moses hadn't assigned any land to the tribe of Levi: 
       instead, they were given the offerings brought to the Lord.

       (Josh 13:15 TLB)  The Land Given to the Tribe of Reuben: Fitting the 
       size of its territory to its size of population, Moses had assigned 
       the following area to the tribe of Reuben:

       (Josh 13:16 TLB)  Their land extended from Aroer on the edge of the 
       valley of the Arnon River, past the city of Arnon in the middle of the 
       valley, to beyond the tableland near Medeba.

       (Josh 13:17 TLB)  It included Heshbon and the other cities on the 
       plain--Dibon, Bamoth-baal, Beth-baal-meon,

       (Josh 13:18 TLB)  Jahaz, Kedemoth, Mephaath,

       (Josh 13:19 TLB)  Kiriathaim, Sibmah, Zereth-shahar on the mountain 
       above the valley,

       (Josh 13:20 TLB)  Beth-peor, Beth-jeshimoth, and the slopes of Mount 
       Pisgah.

       (Josh 13:21 TLB)  The land of Reuben also included the cities of the 
       tableland and the kingdom of Sihon. Sihon was the king who had lived 
       in Heshbon and was killed by Moses along with the other chiefs of 
       Midian--Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba.

       (Josh 13:22 TLB)  The people of Israel also killed Balaam the 
       magician, the son of Beor.

       (Josh 13:23 TLB)  The Jordan River was the western boundary of the 
       tribe of Reuben.

       (Josh 13:24 TLB)  The Land Given to the Tribe of Gad: Moses also 
       assigned land to the tribe of Gad in proportion to its population.

       (Josh 13:25 TLB)  This territory included Jazer, all the cities of 
       Gilead, and half of the land of Ammon as far as Aroer near Rabbah.

       (Josh 13:26 TLB)  It also extended from Heshbon to Ramath-mizpeh and 
       Betonim, and from Mahanaim to Lodebar.

       (Josh 13:27 TLB)  In the valley were Beth-haram, and Beth-nimrah, 
       Succoth, Zaphon, and the rest of the kingdom of King Sihon of Heshbon. 
       The Jordan River was the western border, extending as far as the Lake 
       of Galilee; then the border turned east from the Jordan River.

       (Josh 13:28 TLB)  

       (Josh 13:29 TLB)  The Land Given to the Half-Tribe of Manasseh: Moses 
       had assigned the following territory to the half-tribe of Manasseh in 
       proportion to its needs:

       (Josh 13:30 TLB)  Their territory extended north from Mahanaim, 
       included all of Bashan, the former kingdom of King Og, and the sixty 
       cities of Jair in Bashan.






       (Josh 13:31 TLB)  Half of Gilead and King Og's royal cities of 
       Ashtaroth and Edrei were given to half of the clan Machir, who was 
       Manasseh's son.

       (Josh 13:32 TLB)  That was how Moses divided the land east of the 
       Jordan River where the people were camped at that time across from 
       Jericho.

       (Josh 13:33 TLB)  But Moses had given no land to the tribe of Levi 
       for, as he had explained to them, the Lord God was their inheritance. 
       He was all they needed. He would take care of them in other ways.

       (Josh 14:1 TLB)  The conquered lands of Canaan were allotted to the 
       remaining nine and a half tribes of Israel.

       (Josh 14:2 TLB)  The decision as to which tribe would receive which 
       area was decided by throwing dice before the Lord, and he caused them 
       to turn up in the ways he wanted. Eleazar the priest, Joshua, and the 
       tribal leaders supervised the lottery.

       (Josh 14:3 TLB)  (Moses had already given land to the two and a half 
       tribes on the east side of the Jordan River.

       (Josh 14:4 TLB)  The tribe of Joseph had become two separate tribes, 
       Manasseh and Ephraim, and the Levites were given no land at all, 
       except cities in which to live and the surrounding pasturelands for 
       their cattle.

       (Josh 14:5 TLB)  So the distribution of the land was in strict 
       accordance with the Lord's directions to Moses.)

       (Josh 14:6 TLB)  The Land Given to Caleb: A delegation from the tribe 
       of Judah, led by Caleb, came to Joshua in Gilgal. "Remember what the 
       Lord said to Moses about you and me when we were at Kadesh-barnea?" 
       Caleb asked Joshua.

       (Josh 14:7 TLB)  "I was forty years old at the time, and Moses had 
       sent us from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land of Canaan. I reported 
       what I felt was the truth,

       (Josh 14:8 TLB)  but our brothers who went with us frightened the 
       people and discouraged them from entering the Promised Land. But since 
       I had followed the Lord my God,

       (Josh 14:9 TLB)  Moses told me, 'The section of Canaan you were just 
       in shall belong to you and your descendants forever.'

       (Josh 14:10 TLB)  "Now, as you see, from that time until now the Lord 
       has kept me alive and well for all these forty-five years since 
       crisscrossing the wilderness, and today I am eighty-five years old.

       (Josh 14:11 TLB)  I am as strong now as I was when Moses sent us on 
       that journey, and I can still travel and fight as well as I could 
       then!





       (Josh 14:12 TLB)  So I'm asking that you give me the hill country that 
       the Lord promised me. You will remember that as spies we found the 
       Anakim living there in great, walled cities, but if the Lord is with 
       me, I shall drive them out of the land."

       (Josh 14:13 TLB)  So Joshua blessed him and gave him Hebron as a 
       permanent inheritance because he had followed the Lord God of Israel.

       (Josh 14:14 TLB)  

       (Josh 14:15 TLB)  (Before that time Hebron had been called 
       Kiriath-arba, after a great hero of the Anakim.) And there was no 
       resistance from the local populations as the Israelis resettled the 
       land.

       (Josh 15:1 TLB)  The land given to the Tribe of Judah (as assigned by 
       sacred lot): Judah's southern boundary began at the northern border of 
       Edom, crossed the Wilderness of Zin, and ended at the northern edge of 
       the Negeb.

       (Josh 15:2 TLB)  More specifically, this boundary began at the south 
       bay of the Dead Sea,

       (Josh 15:3 TLB)  ran along the road going south of Mount Akrabbim, on 
       into the Wilderness of Zin to Hezron (south of Kadesh-barnea),

       (Josh 15:4 TLB)  and then up through Karka and Azmon, until it finally 
       reached the Brook of Egypt, and along that to the Mediterranean Sea.

       (Josh 15:5 TLB)  The eastern boundary extended along the Dead Sea to 
       the mouth of the Jordan River. The northern boundary began at the bay 
       where the Jordan River empties into the Salt Sea,

       (Josh 15:6 TLB)  crossed to Beth-hoglah, then proceeded north of 
       Beth-arabah to the stone of Bohan (son of Reuben).

       (Josh 15:7 TLB)  From that point it went through the Valley of Achor 
       to Debir, where it turned northwest toward Gilgal, opposite the slopes 
       of Adummim on the south side of the valley. From there the border 
       extended to the springs at En-shemesh and on to En-rogel.

       (Josh 15:8 TLB)  The boundary then passed through the Valley of 
       Hinnom, along the southern shoulder of Jebus (where the city of 
       Jerusalem is located), then west to the top of the mountain above the 
       Valley of Hinnom, and on up to the northern end of the Valley of 
       Rephaim.

       (Josh 15:9 TLB)  From there the border extended from the top of the 
       mountain to the spring of Nephtoah, and from there to the cities of 
       Mount Ephron before it turned northward to circle around Baalah (which 
       is another name for Kiriath-jearim).

       (Josh 15:10 TLB)  Then the border circled west of Baalah to Mount 
       Seir, passed along to the town of Chesalon on the northern shoulder of 
       Mount Jearim, and went down to Beth-shemesh. Turning northwest again, 
       the boundary line proceeded past the south of Timnah






       (Josh 15:11 TLB)  to the shoulder of the hill north of Ekron, where it 
       bent to the left, passing south of Shikkeron and Mount Baalah. Turning 
       again to the north, it passed Jabneel and ended at the Mediterranean 
       Sea.

       (Josh 15:12 TLB)  The western border was the shoreline of the 
       Mediterranean.

       (Josh 15:13 TLB)  The Land Given to Caleb: The Lord instructed Joshua 
       to assign some of Judah's territory to Caleb (son of Jephunneh), so he 
       was given the city of Arba (also called Hebron), which had been named 
       after Anak's father.

       (Josh 15:14 TLB)  Caleb drove out the descendants of the three sons of 
       Anak: Talmai, Sheshai, and Ahiman.

       (Josh 15:15 TLB)  Then he fought against the people living in the city 
       of Debir (formerly called Kiriath-sepher).

       (Josh 15:16 TLB)  Caleb said that he would give his daughter Achsah to 
       be the wife of anyone who would go and capture Kiriath-sepher.

       (Josh 15:17 TLB)  Othniel (son of Kenaz), Caleb's nephew, was the one 
       who conquered it, so Achsah became Othniel's wife.

       (Josh 15:18 TLB)  As she was leaving with him, she urged him to ask 
       her father for an additional field as a wedding present. She got off 
       her donkey to speak to Caleb about this. "What is it? What can I do 
       for you?" he asked.

       (Josh 15:19 TLB)  And she replied, "Give me another present! For the 
       land you gave me is a desert. Give us some springs too!" Then he gave 
       her the upper and lower springs.

       (Josh 15:20 TLB)  So this was the assignment of land to the tribe of 
       Judah:

       (Josh 15:21 TLB)  The cities of Judah which were situated along the 
       borders of Edom in the Negeb, namely: Kabzeel, Eder, Jagur,

       (Josh 15:22 TLB)  Kinah, Dimonah, Adadah,

       (Josh 15:23 TLB)  Kedesh, Hazor, Ithnan,

       (Josh 15:24 TLB)  Ziph, Telem, Bealoth,

       (Josh 15:25 TLB)  Hazor-hadattah, Kerioth-hezron (or, Hazor),

       (Josh 15:26 TLB)  Amam, Shema, Moladah,

       (Josh 15:27 TLB)  Hazar-gaddah, Heshmon, Beth-pelet,

       (Josh 15:28 TLB)  Hazar-shual, Beer-sheba, Biziothiah,

       (Josh 15:29 TLB)  Baalah, Iim, Ezem,






       (Josh 15:30 TLB)  Eltolad, Chesil, Hormah,

       (Josh 15:31 TLB)  Ziklag, Madmannah, Sansannah,

       (Josh 15:32 TLB)  Lebaoth, Shilhim, Ain, and Rimmon. In all, there 
       were twenty-nine of these cities with their surrounding villages.

       (Josh 15:33 TLB)  The following cities situated in the lowlands were 
       also given to Judah: Eshtaol, Zorah, Ashnah,

       (Josh 15:34 TLB)  Zanoah, En-gannim, Tappuah, Enam,

       (Josh 15:35 TLB)  Jarmuth, Adullam, Socoh, Azekah,

       (Josh 15:36 TLB)  Shaaraim, Adithaim, Gederah, and Gederothaim. In 
       all, there were fourteen of these cities with their surrounding 
       villages.

       (Josh 15:37 TLB)  The tribe of Judah also inherited twenty-five other 
       cities with their villages: Zenan, Hadashah, Migdal-gad,

       (Josh 15:38 TLB)  Dilean, Mizpeh, Joktheel,

       (Josh 15:39 TLB)  Lachish, Bozkath, Eglon,

       (Josh 15:40 TLB)  Cabbon, Lahmam, Chitlish,

       (Josh 15:41 TLB)  Gederoth, Beth-dagon, Naamah, Makkedah,

       (Josh 15:42 TLB)  Libnah, Ether, Ashan,

       (Josh 15:43 TLB)  Iphtah, Ashnah, Nezib,

       (Josh 15:44 TLB)  Keilah, Achzib, and Mareshah.

       (Josh 15:45 TLB)  The territory of the tribe of Judah also included 
       all the towns and villages of Ekron.

       (Josh 15:46 TLB)  From Ekron the boundary extended to the 
       Mediterranean and included the cities along the borders of Ashdod with 
       their nearby villages;

       (Josh 15:47 TLB)  also the city of Ashdod with its villages, and Gaza 
       with its villages as far as the Brook of Egypt; also the entire 
       Mediterranean coast from the mouth of the Brook of Egypt on the south 
       to Tyre on the north.

       (Josh 15:48 TLB)  Judah also received these forty-four cities in the 
       hill country with their surrounding villages: Shamir, Jattir, Socoh,

       (Josh 15:49 TLB)  Dannah, Kiriath-sannah (or Debir),

       (Josh 15:50 TLB)  Anab, Eshtemoh, Anim,

       (Josh 15:51 TLB)  Goshen, Holon, Giloh,






       (Josh 15:52 TLB)  Arab, Dumah, Eshan,

       (Josh 15:53 TLB)  Janim, Beth-tappuah, Aphekah,

       (Josh 15:54 TLB)  Humtah, Kiriath-arba (or, Hebron), Zior,

       (Josh 15:55 TLB)  Maon, Carmel, Ziph, Juttah,

       (Josh 15:56 TLB)  Jezreel, Jokdeam, Zanoah,

       (Josh 15:57 TLB)  Kain, Gibeah, Timnah,

       (Josh 15:58 TLB)  Halhul, Beth-zur, Gedor,

       (Josh 15:59 TLB)  Maarath, Beth-anoth, Eltekon,

       (Josh 15:60 TLB)  Kiriath-baal (also known as Kiriath-jearim), Rabbah,

       (Josh 15:61 TLB)  Beth-arabah, Middin, Secacah,

       (Josh 15:62 TLB)  Nibshan, The City of Salt, and En-gedi.

       (Josh 15:63 TLB)  But the tribe of Judah could not drive out the 
       Jebusites who lived in the city of Jerusalem, so the Jebusites live 
       there among the people of Judah to this day.

       (Josh 16:1 TLB)  The southern boundary of the Tribes of Joseph 
       (Ephraim and the half-tribe of Manasseh): This boundary extended from 
       the Jordan River at Jericho through the wilderness and the hill 
       country to Bethel.

       (Josh 16:2 TLB)  

       (Josh 16:3 TLB)  It then went from Bethel to Luz, then on to Ataroth, 
       in the territory of the Archites;

       (Josh 16:4 TLB)  and west to the border of the Japhletites as far as 
       Lower Beth-horon, then to Gezer and on over to the Mediterranean.

       (Josh 16:5 TLB)  The Land Given to the Tribe of Ephraim: The eastern 
       boundary began at Ataroth-addar. From there it ran to Upper 
       Beth-horon,

       (Josh 16:6 TLB)  then on to the Mediterranean Sea. The northern 
       boundary began at the Sea, ran east past Michmethath, then continued 
       on past Taanath-shiloh and Janoah.

       (Josh 16:7 TLB)  From Janoah it turned southward to Ataroth and 
       Naarah, touched Jericho, and ended at the Jordan River.

       (Josh 16:8 TLB)  (The western half of the northern boundary) went from 
       Tappuah and followed along Kanah Brook to the Mediterranean Sea.

       (Josh 16:9 TLB)  Ephraim was also given some of the cities in the 
       territory of the half-tribe of Manasseh.






       (Josh 16:10 TLB)  The Canaanites living in Gezer were never driven 
       out, so they still live as slaves among the people of Ephraim.

       (Josh 17:1 TLB)  The land given to the Half-tribe of Manasseh 
       (Joseph's oldest son): The clan of Machir (Manasseh's oldest son who 
       was the father of Gilead) had already been given the land of Gilead 
       and Bashan (on the east side of the Jordan River), for they were great 
       warriors.

       (Josh 17:2 TLB)  So now, land on the west side of the Jordan was given 
       to the clans of Abiezer, Helek, Asriel, Shechem, Shemida, and Hepher.

       (Josh 17:3 TLB)  However, Hepher's son Zelophehad (grandson of Gilead, 
       great-grandson of Machir, and great-great-grandson of Manasseh) had no 
       sons. He had only five daughters whose names were Mahlah, Noah, 
       Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.

       (Josh 17:4 TLB)  These women came to Eleazar the priest and to Joshua 
       and the Israeli leaders and reminded them, "The Lord told Moses that 
       we were to receive as much property as the men of our tribe."

       (Josh 17:5 TLB)  So, as the Lord had commanded through Moses, these 
       five women were given an inheritance along with their five 
       great-uncles,

       (Josh 17:6 TLB)  and the total inheritance came to ten sections of 
       land (in addition to the land of Gilead and Bashan across the Jordan 
       River).

       (Josh 17:7 TLB)  The northern boundary of the tribe of Manasseh 
       extended southward from the border of Asher to Michmethath, which is 
       east of Shechem. On the south the boundary went from Michmethath to 
       the Spring of Tappuah.

       (Josh 17:8 TLB)  (The land of Tappuah belonged to Manasseh, but the 
       city of Tappuah, on the border of Manasseh's land, belonged to the 
       tribe of Ephraim.)

       (Josh 17:9 TLB)  From the spring of Tappuah the border of Manasseh 
       followed the north bank of the Brook of Kanah to the Mediterranean 
       Sea. (Several cities south of the brook belonged to the tribe of 
       Ephraim, though they were located in Manasseh's territory.)

       (Josh 17:10 TLB)  The land south of the brook and as far west as the 
       Mediterranean Sea was assigned to Ephraim, and the land north of the 
       brook and east of the sea went to Manasseh. Manasseh's northern 
       boundary was the territory of Asher, and the eastern boundary was the 
       territory of Issachar.

       (Josh 17:11 TLB)  The half-tribe of Manasseh was also given the 
       following cities, which were situated in the areas assigned to 
       Issachar and Asher: Beth-shean, Ibleam, Dor, En-dor, Taanach, Megiddo 
       (where there are the three cliffs), with their respective villages.

       (Josh 17:12 TLB)  But since the descendants of Manasseh could not 





       drive out the people who lived in those cities, the Canaanites 
       remained.

       (Josh 17:13 TLB)  Later on, however, when the Israelis became strong 
       enough, they forced the Canaanites to work as slaves.

       (Josh 17:14 TLB)  Then the two tribes of Joseph came to Joshua and 
       asked, "Why have you given us only one portion of land when the Lord 
       has given us such large populations?"

       (Josh 17:15 TLB)  "If the hill country of Ephraim is not large enough 
       for you," Joshua replied, "and if you are able to do it, you may clear 
       out the forest land where the Perizzites and Rephaim live."

       (Josh 17:16 TLB)  "Fine," said the tribes of Joseph, "for the 
       Canaanites in the lowlands around Beth-shean and the Valley of Jezreel 
       have iron chariots and are too strong for us."

       (Josh 17:17 TLB)  "Then you shall have the mountain forests," Joshua 
       replied, "and since you are such a large, strong tribe you will surely

       (Josh 17:18 TLB)  be able to clear it all and live there. And I'm sure 
       you can drive out the Canaanites from the valleys, too, even though 
       they are strong and have iron chariots."

       (Josh 18:1 TLB)  After the conquest--although seven of the tribes of 
       Israel had not yet entered and conquered the land God had given 
       them--all Israel gathered at Shiloh to set up the Tabernacle.

       (Josh 18:2 TLB)  

       (Josh 18:3 TLB)  Then Joshua asked them, "How long are you going to 
       wait before clearing out the people living in the land that the Lord 
       your God has given to you?

       (Josh 18:4 TLB)  Select three men from each tribe, and I will send 
       them to scout the unconquered territory and bring back a report of its 
       size and natural divisions so that I can divide it for you.

       (Josh 18:5 TLB)  The scouts will map it into seven sections, and then 
       I will throw the sacred dice to decide which section will be assigned 
       to each tribe.

       (Josh 18:6 TLB)  

       (Josh 18:7 TLB)  However, remember that the Levites won't receive any 
       land; they are priests of the Lord. That is their wonderful heritage. 
       And of course the tribes of Gad and Reuben and the half-tribe of 
       Manasseh won't receive any more, for they already have land on the 
       east side of the Jordan where Moses promised them that they could 
       settle."

       (Josh 18:8 TLB)  So the scouts went out to map the country and to 
       bring back their report to Joshua. Then the Lord could assign the 
       sections of land to the tribes by the throw of the sacred dice.





       (Josh 18:9 TLB)  The men did as they were told and divided the entire 
       territory into seven sections, listing the cities in each section. 
       Then they returned to Joshua and the camp at Shiloh.

       (Josh 18:10 TLB)  There at the Tabernacle at Shiloh the Lord showed 
       Joshua by the sacred lottery which tribe should have each section:

       (Josh 18:11 TLB)  The Land Given to the Tribe of Benjamin: The section 
       of land assigned to the families of the tribe of Benjamin lay between 
       the territory previously assigned to the tribes of Judah and Joseph.

       (Josh 18:12 TLB)  The northern boundary began at the Jordan River, 
       went north of Jericho, then west through the hill country and the 
       Wilderness of Beth-aven.

       (Josh 18:13 TLB)  From there the boundary went south to Luz (also 
       called Bethel) and proceeded down to Ataroth-addar in the hill country 
       south of Lower Beth-horon.

       (Josh 18:14 TLB)  There the border turned south, passing the mountain 
       near Beth-horon and ending at the village of Kiriath-baal (sometimes 
       called Kiriath-jearim), one of the cities of the tribe of Judah. This 
       was the western boundary.

       (Josh 18:15 TLB)  The southern border ran from the edge of 
       Kiriath-baal, over Mount Ephron to the spring of Naphtoah,

       (Josh 18:16 TLB)  and down to the base of the mountain beside the 
       valley of Hinnom, north of the valley of Rephaim. From there it 
       continued across the valley of Hinnom, crossed south of the old city 
       of Jerusalem where the Jebusites lived, and continued down to 
       En-rogel.

       (Josh 18:17 TLB)  From En-rogel the boundary proceeded northeast to 
       En-shemesh and on to Geliloth (which is opposite the slope of 
       Adummim). Then it went down to the Stone of Bohan (who was a son of 
       Reuben),

       (Josh 18:18 TLB)  where it passed along the north edge of the Arabah. 
       The border then went down into the Arabah,

       (Josh 18:19 TLB)  ran south past Beth-hoglah, and ended at the north 
       bay of the Dead Sea--which is the southern end of the Jordan River.

       (Josh 18:20 TLB)  The eastern border was the Jordan River. This was 
       the land assigned to the tribe of Benjamin.

       (Josh 18:21 TLB)  These twenty-six cities were included in the land 
       given to the tribe of Benjamin: Jericho, Beth-hoglah, Emek-keziz,

       (Josh 18:22 TLB)  Beth-arabah, Zimaraim, Bethel,

       (Josh 18:23 TLB)  Avvim, Parah, Ophrah,

       (Josh 18:24 TLB)  Chephar-ammoni, Ophni, Geba,





       (Josh 18:25 TLB)  Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth,

       (Josh 18:26 TLB)  Mizpeh, Chephirah, Mozah,

       (Josh 18:27 TLB)  Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah,

       (Josh 18:28 TLB)  Zela, Haeleph, Jebus (or Jerusalem), Gibeah, and 
       Kiriath-jearim. All of these cities and their surrounding villages 
       were given to the tribe of Benjamin.

       (Josh 19:1 TLB)  The land given to the Tribe of Simeon: The tribe of 
       Simeon received the next assignment of land--including part of the 
       land previously assigned to Judah.

       (Josh 19:2 TLB)  Their inheritance included these seventeen cities 
       with their respective villages: Beer-sheba, Sheba, Moladah,

       (Josh 19:3 TLB)  Hazar-shual, Balah, Ezem,

       (Josh 19:4 TLB)  Eltolad, Bethul, Hormah,

       (Josh 19:5 TLB)  Ziklag, Beth-marcaboth, Hazar-susah,

       (Josh 19:6 TLB)  Beth-lebaoth, Sharuhen,

       (Josh 19:7 TLB)  En-rimmon, Ether, and Ashan.

       (Josh 19:8 TLB)  The cities as far south as Baalath-beer (also known 
       as Ramah-in-the-Negeb) were also given to the tribe of Simeon.

       (Josh 19:9 TLB)  So the Simeon tribe's inheritance came from what had 
       earlier been given to Judah, for Judah's section had been too large 
       for them.

       (Josh 19:10 TLB)  The Land Given to the Tribe of Zebulun: The third 
       tribe to receive its assignment of land was Zebulun. Its boundary 
       started on the south side of Sarid.

       (Josh 19:11 TLB)  From there it circled to the west, going near Mareal 
       and Dabbesheth until it reached the brook east of Jokneam.

       (Josh 19:12 TLB)  In the other direction, the boundary line went east 
       to the border of Chisloth-tabor, and from there to Daberath and 
       Japhia;

       (Josh 19:13 TLB)  then it continued east of Gath-hepher, Ethkazin, and 
       Rimmon and turned toward Neah.

       (Josh 19:14 TLB)  The northern boundary of Zebulun passed Hannathon 
       and ended at the Valley of Iphtahel.

       (Josh 19:15 TLB)  The cities in these areas, besides those already 
       mentioned, included Kattath, Nahalal, Shimron, Idalah, Bethlehem, and 
       each of their surrounding villages.

       (Josh 19:16 TLB)  Altogether there were twelve of these cities.






       (Josh 19:17 TLB)  The Land Given to the Tribe of Issachar: The fourth 
       tribe to be assigned its land was Issachar. Its boundaries included 
       the following cities:

       (Josh 19:18 TLB)  Jezreel, Chesulloth, Shunem,

       (Josh 19:19 TLB)  Hapharaim, Shion, Anaharath,

       (Josh 19:20 TLB)  Rabbith, Kishion, Ebez,

       (Josh 19:21 TLB)  Remeth, En-gannim, En-haddah, Beth-pazzez,

       (Josh 19:22 TLB)  Tabor, Shahazumah, and Beth-shemesh--sixteen cities 
       in all, each with its surrounding villages.

       (Josh 19:23 TLB)  The boundary of Issachar ended at the Jordan River.

       (Josh 19:24 TLB)  The Land Given to the Tribe of Asher:

       (Josh 19:25 TLB)  The fifth tribe to be assigned its land was Asher. 
       The boundaries included these cities: Helkath, Hali, Beten, Achshaph,

       (Josh 19:26 TLB)  Allammelech, Amad, and Mishal. The boundary on the 
       west side went from Carmel to Shihor-libnath,

       (Josh 19:27 TLB)  turned east toward Beth-dagon, and ran as far as 
       Zebulun in the Valley of Iphtahel, running north of Beth-emek and 
       Neiel. It then passed to the east of Kabul,

       (Josh 19:28 TLB)  Ebron, Rehob, Hammon, Kanah, and Greater Sidon.

       (Josh 19:29 TLB)  Then the boundary turned toward Ramah and the 
       fortified city of Tyre and came to the Mediterranean Sea at Hosah. The 
       territory also included Mahalab, Achzib,

       (Josh 19:30 TLB)  Ummah, Aphek, and Rehob--an overall total of 
       twenty-two cities and their surrounding villages.

       (Josh 19:31 TLB)  

       (Josh 19:32 TLB)  The Land Given to the Tribe of Naphtali: The sixth 
       tribe to receive its assignment was the tribe of Naphtali.

       (Josh 19:33 TLB)  Its boundary began at Judah, at the oak in 
       Zaanannim, and extended across to Adami-nekeb, Jabneel, and Lakkum, 
       ending at the Jordan River.

       (Josh 19:34 TLB)  The western boundary began near Heleph and ran past 
       Aznoth-tabor, then to Hukkok, and coincided with the Zebulun boundary 
       in the south, and with the boundary of Asher on the west, and with the 
       Jordan River at the east.

       (Josh 19:35 TLB)  The fortified cities included in this territory 
       were: Ziddim, Zer, Hammath, Rakkath, Chinnereth,





       (Josh 19:36 TLB)  Adamah, Ramah, Hazor,

       (Josh 19:37 TLB)  Kedesh, Edrei, Enhazor,

       (Josh 19:38 TLB)  Yiron, Migdal-el, Horem, Beth-anath, and 
       Beth-shemesh.

       (Josh 19:39 TLB)  So altogether the territory included nineteen cities 
       with their surrounding villages.

       (Josh 19:40 TLB)  The Land Given to the Tribe of Dan: The last tribe 
       to be assigned its land was Dan.

       (Josh 19:41 TLB)  The cities within its area included: Zorah, Eshtaol, 
       Ir-shemesh,

       (Josh 19:42 TLB)  Shaalabbin, Aijalon, Ithlah,

       (Josh 19:43 TLB)  Elon, Timnah, Ekron,

       (Josh 19:44 TLB)  Eltekeh, Gibbethon, Baalath,

       (Josh 19:45 TLB)  Jehud, Bene-berak, Gath-rimmon,

       (Josh 19:46 TLB)  Me-jarkon, and Rakkon, also the territory near 
       Joppa.

       (Josh 19:47 TLB)  But some of this territory proved impossible to 
       conquer, so the tribe of Dan captured the city of Leshem, slaughtered 
       its people, and lived there; and they called the city "Dan," naming it 
       after their ancestor.

       (Josh 19:48 TLB)  

       (Josh 19:49 TLB)  So all the land was divided among the tribes, with 
       the boundaries indicated; and the nation of Israel gave a special 
       piece of land to Joshua,

       (Josh 19:50 TLB)  for the Lord had said that he could have any city he 
       wanted. He chose Timnath-serah in the hill country of Ephraim; he 
       rebuilt it and lived there.

       (Josh 19:51 TLB)  Eleazar the priest, Joshua, and the leaders of the 
       tribes of Israel supervised the sacred lottery to divide the land 
       among the tribes. This was done in the Lord's presence at the entrance 
       of the Tabernacle at Shiloh.

       (Josh 20:1 TLB)  The Lord said to Joshua,

       (Josh 20:2 TLB)  "Tell the people of Israel to designate now the 
       Cities of Refuge, as I instructed Moses.

       (Josh 20:3 TLB)  If a man is guilty of killing someone 
       unintentionally, he can run to one of these cities and be protected 
       from the relatives of the dead man, who may try to kill him in 
       revenge.






       (Josh 20:4 TLB)  When the innocent killer reaches any of these cities, 
       he will meet with the city council and explain what happened, and they 
       must let him come in and must give him a place to live among them.

       (Josh 20:5 TLB)  If a relative of the dead man comes to kill him in 
       revenge, the innocent slayer must not be released to him for the death 
       was accidental.

       (Josh 20:6 TLB)  The man who caused the accidental death must stay in 
       that city until he has been tried by the judges and found innocent, 
       and must live there until the death of the High Priest who was in 
       office at the time of the accident. But then he is free to return to 
       his own city and home."

       (Josh 20:7 TLB)  The cities chosen as Cities of Refuge were Kedesh of 
       Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali; Shechem, in the hill country 
       of Ephraim; and Kiriath-arba (also known as Hebron) in the hill 
       country of Judah.

       (Josh 20:8 TLB)  The Lord also instructed that three cities be set 
       aside for this purpose on the east side of the Jordan River, across 
       from Jericho. They were Bezer, in the wilderness of the land of the 
       tribe of Reuben; Ramoth of Gilead, in the territory of the tribe of 
       Gad; and Golan of Bashan, in the land of the tribe of Manasseh.

       (Josh 20:9 TLB)  These Cities of Refuge were for foreigners living in 
       Israel as well as for the Israelis themselves, so that anyone who 
       accidentally killed another man could run to that place for a trial 
       and not be killed in revenge.

       (Josh 21:1 TLB)  Then the leaders of the tribe of Levi came to Shiloh 
       to consult with Eleazar the priest and with Joshua and the leaders of 
       the various tribes.

       (Josh 21:2 TLB)  "The Lord instructed Moses to give cities to us 
       Levites for our homes, and pastureland for our cattle," they said.

       (Josh 21:3 TLB)  So they were given some of the recently conquered 
       cities with their pasturelands.

       (Josh 21:4 TLB)  Thirteen of these cities had been assigned originally 
       to the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin. These were given to some 
       of the priests of the Kohath division (of the tribe of Levi, 
       descendants of Aaron).

       (Josh 21:5 TLB)  The other families of the Kohath division were given 
       ten cities from the territories of Ephraim, Dan, and the half-tribe of 
       Manasseh.

       (Josh 21:6 TLB)  The Gershon division received thirteen cities, 
       selected by sacred lot in the area of Bashan. These cities were given 
       by the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and the half-tribe of 
       Manasseh.

       (Josh 21:7 TLB)  The Merari division received twelve cities from the 





       tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun.

       (Josh 21:8 TLB)  So the Lord's command to Moses was obeyed, and the 
       cities and pasturelands were assigned by the toss of the sacred dice.

       (Josh 21:9 TLB)  First to receive their assignment were the priests--

       (Josh 21:10 TLB)  the descendants of Aaron, who was a member of the 
       Kohath division of the Levites. The tribes of Judah and Simeon gave 
       them the nine cities listed below, with their surrounding 
       pasturelands:

       (Josh 21:11 TLB)  Hebron, in the Judean hills, as a City of Refuge--it 
       was also called Kiriath-arba (Arba was the father of Anak)--

       (Josh 21:12 TLB)  although the fields beyond the city and the 
       surrounding villages were given to Caleb, the son of Jephunneh;

       (Josh 21:13 TLB)  Libnah,

       (Josh 21:14 TLB)  Jattir, Eshtemoa,

       (Josh 21:15 TLB)  Holon, Debir,

       (Josh 21:16 TLB)  Ain, Juttah, and Beth-shemesh.

       (Josh 21:17 TLB)  The tribe of Benjamin gave them these four cities 
       and their pasturelands: Gibeon, Gaba, Anathoth, and Almon.

       (Josh 21:18 TLB)  

       (Josh 21:19 TLB)  So in all, thirteen cities were given to the 
       priests--the descendants of Aaron.

       (Josh 21:20 TLB)  The other families of the Kohath division received 
       four cities and pasturelands from the tribe of Ephraim:

       (Josh 21:21 TLB)  Shechem (a City of Refuge), Gezer, Kibza-im, and 
       Beth-horon.

       (Josh 21:22 TLB)  

       (Josh 21:23 TLB)  The following four cities and pasturelands were 
       given by the tribe of Dan: Elteke, Gibbethon, Aijalon, and 
       Gath-rimmon.

       (Josh 21:24 TLB)  

       (Josh 21:25 TLB)  The half-tribe of Manasseh gave the cities of 
       Taanach and Gath-rimmon with their surrounding pasturelands.

       (Josh 21:26 TLB)  So the total number of cities and pasturelands given 
       to the remainder of the Kohath division was ten.

       (Josh 21:27 TLB)  The descendants of Gershon, another division of the 
       Levites, received two cities and pasturelands from the half-tribe of 





       Manasseh: Golan, in Bashan (a City of Refuge), and Be-eshterah.

       (Josh 21:28 TLB)  The tribe of Issachar gave four cities: Kishion, 
       Daberath, Jarmuth, and Engannim.

       (Josh 21:29 TLB)  

       (Josh 21:30 TLB)  The tribe of Asher gave four cities and 
       pasturelands: Mishal, Abdon, Helkath, and Rehob.

       (Josh 21:31 TLB)  

       (Josh 21:32 TLB)  The tribe of Naphtali gave: Kedesh, in Galilee (a 
       City of Refuge), Hammoth-dor, and Kartan.

       (Josh 21:33 TLB)  So thirteen cities with their pasturelands were 
       assigned to the division of Gershon.

       (Josh 21:34 TLB)  The remainder of the Levites--the Merari 
       division--were given four cities by the tribe of Zebulun: Jokneam, 
       Kartah, Dimnah, and Nahalal.

       (Josh 21:35 TLB)  

       (Josh 21:36 TLB)  Reuben gave them: Bezer, Jahaz, Kedemoth, and 
       Mephaath.

       (Josh 21:37 TLB)  

       (Josh 21:38 TLB)  Gad gave them four cities with pasturelands: Ramoth 
       (a City of Refuge), Mahanaim, Heshbon, and Jazer.

       (Josh 21:39 TLB)  

       (Josh 21:40 TLB)  So the Merari division of the Levites was given 
       twelve cities in all.

       (Josh 21:41 TLB)  The total number of cities and pasturelands given to 
       the Levites came to forty-eight.

       (Josh 21:42 TLB)  

       (Josh 21:43 TLB)  So in this way the Lord gave to Israel all the land 
       he had promised to their ancestors, and they went in and conquered it 
       and lived there.

       (Josh 21:44 TLB)  And the Lord gave them peace, just as he had 
       promised, and no one could stand against them; the Lord helped them 
       destroy all their enemies.

       (Josh 21:45 TLB)  Every good thing the Lord had promised them came 
       true.

       (Josh 22:1 TLB)  Joshua now called together the troops from the tribes 
       of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh,





       (Josh 22:2 TLB)  and addressed them as follows: "You have done as the 
       Lord's disciple Moses commanded you, and have obeyed every order I 
       have given you--every order of the Lord your God.

       (Josh 22:3 TLB)  You have not deserted your brother tribes, even 
       though the campaign has lasted for such a long time.

       (Josh 22:4 TLB)  And now the Lord our God has given us success and 
       rest as he promised he would. So go home now to the land given you by 
       the Lord's servant Moses, on the other side of the Jordan River.

       (Josh 22:5 TLB)  Be sure to continue to obey all of the commandments 
       Moses gave you. Love the Lord and follow his plan for your lives. 
       Cling to him and serve him enthusiastically."

       (Josh 22:6 TLB)  So Joshua blessed them and sent them home.

       (Josh 22:7 TLB)  (Moses had assigned the land of Bashan to the 
       half-tribe of Manasseh, although the other half of the tribe was given 
       land on the west side of the Jordan.) As Joshua sent away these 
       troops, he blessed them

       (Josh 22:8 TLB)  and told them to share their great wealth with their 
       relatives back home--their loot of cattle, silver, gold, bronze, iron, 
       and clothing.

       (Josh 22:9 TLB)  So the troops of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of 
       Manasseh left the army of Israel at Shiloh in Canaan and crossed the 
       Jordan River to their own homeland of Gilead.

       (Josh 22:10 TLB)  Before they went across, while they were still in 
       Canaan, they built a large monument for everyone to see, in the shape 
       of an altar.

       (Josh 22:11 TLB)  But when the rest of Israel heard about what they 
       had done,

       (Josh 22:12 TLB)  they mustered an army at Shiloh and prepared to go 
       to war against their brother tribes.

       (Josh 22:13 TLB)  First, however, they sent a delegation led by 
       Phinehas, the son of Eleazar the priest. They crossed the river and 
       talked to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh.

       (Josh 22:14 TLB)  In this delegation were ten high officials of 
       Israel, one from each of the ten tribes, and each a clan leader.

       (Josh 22:15 TLB)  When they arrived in the land of Gilead they said to 
       the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh,

       (Josh 22:16 TLB)  "The whole congregation of the Lord demands to know 
       why you are sinning against the God of Israel by turning away from him 
       and building an altar of rebellion against the Lord.

       (Josh 22:17 TLB)  Was our guilt at Peor--from which we have not even 
       yet been cleansed despite the plague that tormented us--






       (Josh 22:18 TLB)  so little that you must rebel again? For you know 
       that if you rebel today the Lord will be angry with all of us 
       tomorrow.

       (Josh 22:19 TLB)  If you need the altar because your land is defiled, 
       then join us on our side of the river where the Lord lives among us in 
       his Tabernacle, and we will share our land with you. But do not rebel 
       against the Lord by building another altar in addition to the only 
       true altar of our God.

       (Josh 22:20 TLB)  Don't you remember that when Achan, the son of 
       Zerah, sinned against the Lord, the entire nation was punished in 
       addition to the one man who had sinned?"

       (Josh 22:21 TLB)  This was the reply of the people of Reuben, Gad, and 
       the half-tribe of Manasseh to these high officials:

       (Josh 22:22 TLB)  "We swear by Jehovah, the God of gods, that we have 
       not built the altar in rebellion against the Lord. He knows (and let 
       all Israel know it too) that we have not built the altar to sacrifice 
       burnt offerings or grain offerings or peace offerings--may the curse 
       of God be on us if we did.

       (Josh 22:23 TLB)  

       (Josh 22:24 TLB)  We have done it because we love the Lord and because 
       we fear that in the future your children will say to ours, 'What right 
       do you have to worship the Lord God of Israel?

       (Josh 22:25 TLB)  The Lord has placed the Jordan River as a barrier 
       between our people and your people! You have no part in the Lord.' And 
       your children may make our children stop worshiping him.

       (Josh 22:26 TLB)  So we decided to build the altar as a symbol

       (Josh 22:27 TLB)  to show our children and your children that we, too, 
       may worship the Lord with our burnt offerings and peace offerings and 
       sacrifices, and your children will not be able to say to ours, 'You 
       have no part in the Lord our God.'

       (Josh 22:28 TLB)  If they say this, our children can reply, 'Look at 
       the altar of the Lord that our fathers made, patterned after the altar 
       of Jehovah. It is not for burnt offerings or sacrifices but is a 
       symbol of the relationship with God that both of us have.'

       (Josh 22:29 TLB)  Far be it from us to turn away from the Lord or to 
       rebel against him by building our own altar for burnt offerings, grain 
       offerings, or sacrifices. Only the altar in front of the Tabernacle 
       may be used for that."

       (Josh 22:30 TLB)  When Phinehas the priest and the high officials 
       heard this from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh, they were 
       very happy.

       (Josh 22:31 TLB)  Phinehas replied to them, "Today we know that the 





       Lord is among us because you have not sinned against the Lord as we 
       thought; instead, you have saved us from destruction!"

       (Josh 22:32 TLB)  Then Phinehas and the ten ambassadors went back to 
       the people of Israel and told them what had happened,

       (Josh 22:33 TLB)  and all Israel rejoiced and praised God and spoke no 
       more of war against Reuben and Gad.

       (Josh 22:34 TLB)  The people of Reuben and Gad named the altar "The 
       Altar of Witness," for they said, "It is a witness between us and them 
       that Jehovah is our God too."

       (Josh 23:1 TLB)  Long after this, when the Lord had given success to 
       the people of Israel against their enemies and when Joshua was very 
       old,

       (Josh 23:2 TLB)  he called for the leaders of Israel--the elders, 
       judges, and officers--and said to them, "I am an old man now,

       (Josh 23:3 TLB)  and you have seen all that the Lord your God has done 
       for you during my lifetime. He has fought for you against your enemies 
       and has given you their land.

       (Josh 23:4 TLB)  And I have divided to you the land of the nations yet 
       unconquered as well as the land of those you have already destroyed. 
       All the land from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea shall be 
       yours,

       (Josh 23:5 TLB)  for the Lord your God will drive out all the people 
       living there now, and you will live there instead, just as he has 
       promised you.

       (Josh 23:6 TLB)  "But be very sure to follow all the instructions 
       written in the book of the laws of Moses; do not deviate from them the 
       least little bit.

       (Josh 23:7 TLB)  Be sure that you do not mix with the heathen people 
       still remaining in the land; do not even mention the names of their 
       gods, much less swear by them or worship them.

       (Josh 23:8 TLB)  But follow the Lord your God just as you have until 
       now.

       (Josh 23:9 TLB)  He has driven out great, strong nations from before 
       you, and no one has been able to defeat you.

       (Josh 23:10 TLB)  Each one of you has put to flight a thousand of the 
       enemy, for the Lord your God fights for you, just as he has promised.

       (Josh 23:11 TLB)  So be very careful to keep on loving him.

       (Josh 23:12 TLB)  "If you don't, and if you begin to intermarry with 
       the nations around you,

       (Josh 23:13 TLB)  then know for a certainty that the Lord your God 





       will no longer chase those nations from your land. Instead, they will 
       be a snare and a trap to you, a pain in your side and a thorn in your 
       eyes, and you will disappear from this good land which the Lord your 
       God has given you.

       (Josh 23:14 TLB)  "Soon I will be going the way of all the earth--I am 
       going to die. "You know very well that God's promises to you have all 
       come true.

       (Josh 23:15 TLB)  But as certainly as the Lord has given you the good 
       things he promised, just as certainly he will bring evil upon you if 
       you disobey him.

       (Josh 23:16 TLB)  For if you worship other gods, he will completely 
       wipe you out from this good land that the Lord has given you. His 
       anger will rise hot against you, and you will quickly perish."

       (Josh 24:1 TLB)  Then Joshua summoned all the people of Israel to him 
       at Shechem, along with their leaders--the elders, officers, and 
       judges. So they came and presented themselves before God.

       (Josh 24:2 TLB)  Then Joshua addressed them as follows: "The Lord God 
       of Israel says, 'Your ancestors, including Terah the father of Abraham 
       and Nahor, lived east of the Euphrates River; and they worshiped other 
       gods.

       (Josh 24:3 TLB)  But I took your father Abraham from that land across 
       the river and led him into the land of Canaan and gave him many 
       descendants through Isaac, his son.

       (Josh 24:4 TLB)  Isaac's children, whom I gave him, were Jacob and 
       Esau. To Esau I gave the area around Mount Seir while Jacob and his 
       children went into Egypt.

       (Josh 24:5 TLB)  "Then I sent Moses and Aaron to bring terrible 
       plagues upon Egypt; and afterwards I brought my people out as free 
       men.

       (Josh 24:6 TLB)  But when they arrived at the Red Sea, the Egyptians 
       chased after them with chariots and cavalry.

       (Josh 24:7 TLB)  Then Israel cried out to me and I put darkness 
       between them and the Egyptians; and I brought the sea crashing in upon 
       the Egyptians, drowning them. You saw what I did. Then Israel lived in 
       the wilderness for many years.

       (Josh 24:8 TLB)  "Finally I brought you into the land of the Amorites 
       on the other side of the Jordan; and they fought against you, but I 
       destroyed them and gave you their land.

       (Josh 24:9 TLB)  Then King Balak of Moab started a war against Israel, 
       and he asked Balaam, the son of Beor, to curse you.

       (Josh 24:10 TLB)  But I wouldn't listen to him. Instead I made him 
       bless you; and so I delivered Israel from him.





       (Josh 24:11 TLB)  "Then you crossed the Jordan River and came to 
       Jericho. The men of Jericho fought against you, and so did many 
       others--the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, 
       the Hivites, and the Jebusites. Each in turn fought against you, but I 
       destroyed them all.

       (Josh 24:12 TLB)  And I sent hornets ahead of you to drive out the two 
       kings of the Amorites and their people. It was not your swords or bows 
       that brought you victory!

       (Josh 24:13 TLB)  I gave you land you had not worked for and cities 
       you did not build--these cities where you are now living. I gave you 
       vineyards and olive groves for food, though you did not plant them.'

       (Josh 24:14 TLB)  "So revere Jehovah and serve him in sincerity and 
       truth. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped when they 
       lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Worship the Lord alone.

       (Josh 24:15 TLB)  But if you are unwilling to obey the Lord, then 
       decide today whom you will obey. Will it be the gods of your ancestors 
       beyond the Euphrates or the gods of the Amorites here in this land? 
       But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord."

       (Josh 24:16 TLB)  And the people replied, "We would never forsake the 
       Lord and worship other gods!

       (Josh 24:17 TLB)  For the Lord our God is the one who rescued our 
       fathers from their slavery in the land of Egypt. He is the God who did 
       mighty miracles before the eyes of Israel, as we traveled through the 
       wilderness, and preserved us from our enemies when we passed through 
       their land.

       (Josh 24:18 TLB)  It was the Lord who drove out the Amorites and the 
       other nations living here in the land. Yes, we choose the Lord, for he 
       alone is our God."

       (Josh 24:19 TLB)  But Joshua replied to the people, "You can't worship 
       the Lord God, for he is holy and jealous; he will not forgive your 
       rebellion and sins.

       (Josh 24:20 TLB)  If you forsake him and worship other gods, he will 
       turn upon you and destroy you, even though he has taken care of you 
       for such a long time."

       (Josh 24:21 TLB)  But the people answered, "We choose the Lord!"

       (Josh 24:22 TLB)  "You have heard yourselves say it," Joshua said. 
       "You have chosen to obey the Lord." "Yes," they replied, "we are 
       witnesses."

       (Josh 24:23 TLB)  "All right," he said, "then you must destroy all the 
       idols you now own, and you must obey the Lord God of Israel."

       (Josh 24:24 TLB)  The people replied to Joshua, "Yes, we will worship 
       and obey the Lord alone."





       (Josh 24:25 TLB)  So Joshua made a covenant with them that day at 
       Shechem, committing them to a permanent and binding contract between 
       themselves and God.

       (Josh 24:26 TLB)  Joshua recorded the people's reply in the book of 
       the laws of God and took a huge stone as a reminder and rolled it 
       beneath the oak tree that was beside the Tabernacle.

       (Josh 24:27 TLB)  Then Joshua said to all the people, "This stone has 
       heard everything the Lord said, so it will be a witness to testify 
       against you if you go back on your word."

       (Josh 24:28 TLB)  Then Joshua sent the people away to their own 
       sections of the country.

       (Josh 24:29 TLB)  Soon after this he died at the age of 110.

       (Josh 24:30 TLB)  He was buried on his own estate at Timnath-serah, in 
       the hill country of Ephraim, on the north side of the mountains of 
       Gaash.

       (Josh 24:31 TLB)  Israel obeyed the Lord throughout the lifetimes of 
       Joshua and the other old men who had personally witnessed the amazing 
       deeds the Lord had done for Israel.

       (Josh 24:32 TLB)  The bones of Joseph, the people of Israel had 
       brought them along when they left Egypt--were buried in Shechem, in 
       the parcel of ground Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor. (The 
       land was located in the territory assigned to the tribes of Joseph.)

       (Josh 24:33 TLB)  Eleazar, the son of Aaron, also died; he was buried 
       in the hill country of Ephraim, at Gibeah, the city that had been 
       given to his son Phinehas.

       (Judg 1:1 TLB)  After Joshua died, the nation of Israel went to the 
       Lord to receive his instructions. "Which of our tribes should be the 
       first to go to war against the Canaanites?" they inquired.

       (Judg 1:2 TLB)  God's answer came, "Judah. And I will give them a 
       great victory."

       (Judg 1:3 TLB)  The leaders of the tribe of Judah, however, asked help 
       from the tribe of Simeon. "Join us in clearing out the people living 
       in the territory allotted to us," they said, "and then we will help 
       you conquer yours." So the army of Simeon went with the army of Judah.

       (Judg 1:4 TLB)  And the Lord helped them defeat the Canaanites and 
       Perizzites, so that ten thousand of the enemy were slain at Bezek.

       (Judg 1:5 TLB)  

       (Judg 1:6 TLB)  King Adoni-bezek escaped, but the Israeli army soon 
       captured him and cut off his thumbs and big toes.

       (Judg 1:7 TLB)  "I have treated seventy kings in this same manner and 
       have fed them the scraps under my table!" King Adoni-bezek said. "Now 





       God has paid me back." He was taken to Jerusalem and died there.

       (Judg 1:8 TLB)  (Judah had conquered Jerusalem and massacred its 
       people, setting the city on fire.)

       (Judg 1:9 TLB)  Afterward the army of Judah fought the Canaanites in 
       the hill country and in the Negeb, as well as on the coastal plains.

       (Judg 1:10 TLB)  Then Judah marched against the Canaanites in Hebron 
       (formerly called Kiriath-arba), destroying the cities of Sheshai, 
       Ahiman, and Talmai.

       (Judg 1:11 TLB)  Later they attacked the city of Debir (formerly 
       called Kiriath-sepher).

       (Judg 1:12 TLB)  "Who will lead the attack against Debir?" Caleb 
       challenged them. "Whoever conquers it shall have my daughter Achsah as 
       his wife!"

       (Judg 1:13 TLB)  Caleb's nephew, Othniel, son of his younger brother 
       Kenaz, volunteered to lead the attack; and he conquered the city and 
       won Achsah as his bride.

       (Judg 1:14 TLB)  As they were leaving for their new home, she urged 
       him to ask her father for an additional piece of land. She dismounted 
       from her donkey to speak to Caleb about it. "What do you wish?" he 
       asked.

       (Judg 1:15 TLB)  And she replied, "You have been kind enough to give 
       me land in the Negeb, but please give us springs of water too." So 
       Caleb gave her the upper and lower springs.

       (Judg 1:16 TLB)  When the tribe of Judah moved into its new land in 
       the Negeb wilderness south of Arad, the descendants of Moses' 
       father-in-law--members of the Kenite tribe--accompanied them. They 
       left their homes in Jericho, "The City of Palm Trees," and the two 
       tribes lived together after that.

       (Judg 1:17 TLB)  Afterwards the army of Judah joined Simeon's, and 
       they fought the Canaanites at the city of Zephath and massacred all 
       its people. So now the city is named Hormah (meaning, "massacred").

       (Judg 1:18 TLB)  The army of Judah also conquered the cities of Gaza, 
       Ashkelon, and Ekron, with their surrounding villages.

       (Judg 1:19 TLB)  The Lord helped the tribe of Judah exterminate the 
       people of the hill country, though they failed in their attempt to 
       conquer the people of the valley, who had iron chariots.

       (Judg 1:20 TLB)  The city of Hebron was given to Caleb as the Lord had 
       promised; so Caleb drove out the inhabitants of the city; they were 
       descendants of the three sons of Anak.

       (Judg 1:21 TLB)  The tribe of Benjamin failed to exterminate the 
       Jebusites living in their part of the city of Jerusalem, so they still 
       live there today, mingled with the Israelis.






       (Judg 1:22 TLB)  As for the tribe of Joseph, they attacked the city of 
       Bethel, formerly known as Luz, and the Lord was with them. First they 
       sent scouts,

       (Judg 1:23 TLB)  

       (Judg 1:24 TLB)  who captured a man coming out of the city. They 
       offered to spare his life and that of his family if he would show them 
       the entrance passage through the wall.

       (Judg 1:25 TLB)  So he showed them how to get in, and they massacred 
       the entire population except for this man and his family.

       (Judg 1:26 TLB)  Later the man moved to Syria and founded a city 
       there, naming it Luz, too, as it is still known today.

       (Judg 1:27 TLB)  The tribe of Manasseh failed to drive out the people 
       living in Beth-shean, Taanach, Dor, Ibleam, Megiddo, with their 
       surrounding towns; so the Canaanites stayed there.

       (Judg 1:28 TLB)  In later years when the Israelis were stronger, they 
       put the Canaanites to work as slaves, but never did force them to 
       leave the country.

       (Judg 1:29 TLB)  This was also true of the Canaanites living in Gezer; 
       they still live among the tribe of Ephraim.

       (Judg 1:30 TLB)  And the tribe of Zebulun did not massacre the people 
       of Kitron or Nahalol, but made them their slaves;

       (Judg 1:31 TLB)  nor did the tribe of Asher drive out the residents of 
       Acco, Sidon, Ahlab, Achzib, Helbah, Aphik, or Rehob;

       (Judg 1:32 TLB)  so the Israelis still live among the Canaanites, who 
       were the original people of that land.

       (Judg 1:33 TLB)  And the tribe of Naphtali did not drive out the 
       people of Beth-shemesh or of Beth-anath, so these people continue to 
       live among them as servants.

       (Judg 1:34 TLB)  As for the tribe of Dan, the Amorites forced them 
       into the hill country and wouldn't let them come down into the valley;

       (Judg 1:35 TLB)  but when the Amorites later spread into Mount Heres, 
       Aijalon, and Shaalbim, the tribe of Joseph conquered them and made 
       them their slaves.

       (Judg 1:36 TLB)  The boundary of the Amorites begins at the ascent of 
       Scorpion Pass, runs to a spot called The Rock, and continues upward 
       from there.

       (Judg 2:1 TLB)  One day the Angel of the Lord arrived at Bochim, 
       coming from Gilgal, and announced to the people of Israel, "I brought 
       you out of Egypt into this land that I promised to your ancestors, and 
       I said that I would never break my covenant with you,






       (Judg 2:2 TLB)  if you, on your part, would make no peace treaties 
       with the people living in this land; I told you to destroy their 
       heathen altars. Why have you not obeyed?

       (Judg 2:3 TLB)  And now since you have broken the contract, it is no 
       longer in effect, and I no longer promise to destroy the nations 
       living in your land; rather, they shall be thorns in your sides, and 
       their gods will be a constant temptation to you."

       (Judg 2:4 TLB)  The people broke into tears as the Angel finished 
       speaking;

       (Judg 2:5 TLB)  so the name of that place was called "Bochim" 
       (meaning, "the place where people wept"). Then they offered sacrifices 
       to the Lord.

       (Judg 2:6 TLB)  When Joshua finally disbanded the armies of Israel, 
       the tribes moved into their new territories and took possession of the 
       land.

       (Judg 2:7 TLB)  Joshua, the man of God, died at the age of 110

       (Judg 2:8 TLB)  and was buried at the edge of his property in 
       Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.

       (Judg 2:9 TLB)  The people had remained true to the Lord throughout 
       Joshua's lifetime, and as long afterward as the old men of his 
       generation were still living--those who had seen the mighty miracles 
       the Lord had done for Israel.

       (Judg 2:10 TLB)  But finally all that generation died; and the next 
       generation did not worship Jehovah as their God and did not care about 
       the mighty miracles he had done for Israel.

       (Judg 2:11 TLB)  They did many things that the Lord had expressly 
       forbidden, including the worshiping of heathen gods.

       (Judg 2:12 TLB)  They abandoned Jehovah, the God loved and worshiped 
       by their ancestors--the God who had brought them out of Egypt. 
       Instead, they were worshiping and bowing low before the idols of the 
       neighboring nations. So the anger of the Lord flamed out against all 
       Israel. He left them to the mercy of their enemies,

       (Judg 2:13 TLB)  

       (Judg 2:14 TLB)  for they had departed from Jehovah and were 
       worshiping Baal and the Ashtaroth idols.

       (Judg 2:15 TLB)  So now when the nation of Israel went out to battle 
       against its enemies, the Lord blocked their path. He had warned them 
       about this, and in fact had vowed that he would do it. But when the 
       people were in this terrible plight,

       (Judg 2:16 TLB)  the Lord raised up judges to save them from their 
       enemies.






       (Judg 2:17 TLB)  Yet even then Israel would not listen to the judges, 
       but broke faith with Jehovah by worshiping other gods instead. How 
       quickly they turned away from the true faith of their ancestors, for 
       they refused to obey God's commands.

       (Judg 2:18 TLB)  Each judge rescued the people of Israel from their 
       enemies throughout his lifetime, for the Lord was moved to pity by the 
       groaning of his people under their crushing oppressions; so he helped 
       them as long as that judge lived.

       (Judg 2:19 TLB)  But when the judge died, the people turned from doing 
       right and behaved even worse than their ancestors had. They prayed to 
       heathen gods again, throwing themselves to the ground in humble 
       worship. They stubbornly returned to the evil customs of the nations 
       around them.

       (Judg 2:20 TLB)  Then the anger of the Lord would flame out against 
       Israel again. He declared, "Because these people have violated the 
       treaty I made with their ancestors,

       (Judg 2:21 TLB)  I will no longer drive out the nations left 
       unconquered by Joshua when he died.

       (Judg 2:22 TLB)  Instead, I will use these nations to test my people, 
       to see whether or not they will obey the Lord as their ancestors did."

       (Judg 2:23 TLB)  So the Lord left those nations in the land and did 
       not drive them out, nor let Israel destroy them.

       (Judg 3:1 TLB)  Here is a list of the nations the Lord left in the 
       land to test the new generation of Israel who had not experienced the 
       wars of Canaan.

       (Judg 3:2 TLB)  For God wanted to give opportunity to the youth of 
       Israel to exercise faith and obedience in conquering their enemies:

       (Judg 3:3 TLB)  the Philistines (five cities), the Canaanites, the 
       Sidonians, the Hivites living in Mount Lebanon, from Baal-hermon to 
       the entrance of Hamath.

       (Judg 3:4 TLB)  These people were a test to the new generation of 
       Israel, to see whether they would obey the commandments the Lord had 
       given to them through Moses.

       (Judg 3:5 TLB)  So Israel lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, 
       Hivites, Perizzites, Amorites, and Jebusites.

       (Judg 3:6 TLB)  But instead of destroying them, the people of Israel 
       intermarried with them. The young men of Israel took their girls as 
       wives, and the Israeli girls married their men. And soon Israel was 
       worshiping their gods.

       (Judg 3:7 TLB)  So the people of Israel were very evil in God's sight, 
       for they turned against Jehovah their God and worshiped Baal and the 
       Asheroth idols.






       (Judg 3:8 TLB)  Then the anger of the Lord flamed out against Israel, 
       and he let King Cushan-rishathaim of eastern Syria conquer them. They 
       were under his rule for eight years.

       (Judg 3:9 TLB)  But when Israel cried out to the Lord, he gave them 
       Caleb's nephew, Othniel (son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother) to 
       save them.

       (Judg 3:10 TLB)  The Spirit of the Lord took control of him, and he 
       reformed and purged Israel so that when he led the forces of Israel 
       against the army of King Cushan-rishathaim, the Lord helped Israel 
       conquer him completely.

       (Judg 3:11 TLB)  Then, for forty years under Othniel, there was peace 
       in the land. But when Othniel died,

       (Judg 3:12 TLB)  the people of Israel turned once again to their 
       sinful ways, so God helped King Eglon of Moab to conquer part of 
       Israel at that time.

       (Judg 3:13 TLB)  Allied with him were the armies of the Ammonites and 
       the Amalekites. These forces defeated the Israelis and took possession 
       of Jericho, often called "The City of Palm Trees."

       (Judg 3:14 TLB)  For the next eighteen years the people of Israel were 
       required to pay crushing taxes to King Eglon.

       (Judg 3:15 TLB)  But when they cried to the Lord, he sent them a 
       savior, Ehud (son of Gera, a Benjaminite), who was left-handed. Ehud 
       was the man chosen to carry Israel's annual tax money to the Moabite 
       capital.

       (Judg 3:16 TLB)  Before he went on this journey, he made himself a 
       double-edged dagger eighteen inches long and hid it in his clothing, 
       strapped against his right thigh.

       (Judg 3:17 TLB)  After delivering the money to King Eglon (who, by the 
       way, was very fat!),

       (Judg 3:18 TLB)  he started home again. But outside the city, at the 
       quarries of Gilgal, he sent his companions on and returned alone to 
       the king.

       (Judg 3:19 TLB)  "I have a secret message for you," he told him. The 
       king immediately dismissed all those who were with him so that he 
       could have a private interview.

       (Judg 3:20 TLB)  Ehud walked over to him as he was sitting in a cool 
       upstairs room and said to him, "It is a message from God!" King Eglon 
       stood up at once to receive it,

       (Judg 3:21 TLB)  whereupon Ehud reached beneath his robe with his 
       strong left hand, pulled out the double-bladed dagger strapped against 
       his right thigh, and plunged it deep into the king's belly.





       (Judg 3:22 TLB)  The hilt of the dagger disappeared beneath the flesh, 
       and the fat closed over it as the entrails oozed out.

       (Judg 3:23 TLB)  Leaving the dagger there, Ehud locked the doors 
       behind him and escaped across an upstairs porch.

       (Judg 3:24 TLB)  When the king's servants returned and saw that the 
       doors were locked, they waited, thinking that perhaps he was using the 
       bathroom.

       (Judg 3:25 TLB)  But when, after a long time, he still didn't come 
       out, they became concerned and got a key. And when they opened the 
       door, they found their master dead on the floor.

       (Judg 3:26 TLB)  Meanwhile Ehud had escaped past the quarries to 
       Seirah.

       (Judg 3:27 TLB)  When he arrived in the hill country of Ephraim, he 
       blew a trumpet as a call to arms and mustered an army under his own 
       command.

       (Judg 3:28 TLB)  "Follow me," he told them, "for the Lord has put your 
       enemies, the Moabites, at your mercy!" The army then proceeded to 
       seize the fords of the Jordan River near Moab, preventing anyone from 
       crossing.

       (Judg 3:29 TLB)  Then they attacked the Moabites and killed about ten 
       thousand of the strongest and most skillful of their fighting men, 
       letting not one escape.

       (Judg 3:30 TLB)  So Moab was conquered by Israel that day, and the 
       land was at peace for the next eighty years.

       (Judg 3:31 TLB)  The next judge after Ehud was Shamgar (son of Anath). 
       He once killed six hundred Philistines with an ox goad, thereby saving 
       Israel from disaster.

       (Judg 4:1 TLB)  After Ehud's death the people of Israel again sinned 
       against the Lord,

       (Judg 4:2 TLB)  so the Lord let them be conquered by King Jabin of 
       Hazor, in Canaan. The commander-in-chief of his army was Sisera, who 
       lived in Harosheth-hagoiim.

       (Judg 4:3 TLB)  He had nine hundred iron chariots and made life 
       unbearable for the Israelis for twenty years. But finally they begged 
       the Lord for help.

       (Judg 4:4 TLB)  Israel's leader at that time, the one who was 
       responsible for bringing the people back to God, was Deborah, a 
       prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth.

       (Judg 4:5 TLB)  She held court at a place now called "Deborah's Palm 
       Tree," between Ramah and Bethel, in the hill country of Ephraim; and 
       the Israelites came to her to decide their disputes.





       (Judg 4:6 TLB)  One day she summoned Barak (son of Abinoam), who lived 
       in Kedesh, in the land of Naphtali, and said to him, "The Lord God of 
       Israel has commanded you to mobilize ten thousand men from the tribes 
       of Naphtali and Zebulun. Lead them to Mount Tabor

       (Judg 4:7 TLB)  to fight King Jabin's mighty army with all his 
       chariots, under General Sisera's command. The Lord says, 'I will draw 
       them to the Kishon River, and you will defeat them there.'"

       (Judg 4:8 TLB)  "I'll go, but only if you go with me!" Barak told her.

       (Judg 4:9 TLB)  "All right," she replied, "I'll go with you; but I'm 
       warning you now that the honor of conquering Sisera will go to a woman 
       instead of to you!" So she went with him to Kedesh.

       (Judg 4:10 TLB)  When Barak summoned the men of Zebulun and Naphtali 
       to mobilize at Kedesh, ten thousand men volunteered. And Deborah 
       marched with them.

       (Judg 4:11 TLB)  (Heber, the Kenite--the Kenites were the descendants 
       of Moses' father-in-law Hobab--had moved away from the rest of his 
       clan, and had been living in various places as far away as the Oak of 
       Zaanannim, near Kedesh.)

       (Judg 4:12 TLB)  When General Sisera was told that Barak and his army 
       were camped at Mount Tabor,

       (Judg 4:13 TLB)  he mobilized his entire army, including the nine 
       hundred iron chariots, and marched from Harosheth-hagoiim to the 
       Kishon River.

       (Judg 4:14 TLB)  Then Deborah said to Barak, "Now is the time for 
       action! The Lord leads on! He has already delivered Sisera into your 
       hand!" So Barak led his ten thousand men down the slopes of Mount 
       Tabor into battle.

       (Judg 4:15 TLB)  Then the Lord threw the enemy into a panic, both the 
       soldiers and the charioteers, and Sisera leaped from his chariot and 
       escaped on foot.

       (Judg 4:16 TLB)  Barak and his men chased the enemy and the chariots 
       as far as Harosheth-hagoiim, until all of Sisera's army was destroyed; 
       not one man was left alive.

       (Judg 4:17 TLB)  Meanwhile, Sisera had escaped to the tent of Jael, 
       the wife of Heber the Kenite, for there was a mutual-assistance 
       agreement between King Jabin of Hazor and the clan of Heber.

       (Judg 4:18 TLB)  Jael went out to meet Sisera and said to him, "Come 
       into my tent, sir. You will be safe here in our protection. Don't be 
       afraid." So he went into her tent, and she covered him with a blanket.

       (Judg 4:19 TLB)  "Please give me some water," he said, "for I am very 
       thirsty." So she gave him some milk and covered him again.

       (Judg 4:20 TLB)  "Stand in the door of the tent," he told her, "and if 





       anyone comes by, looking for me, tell them that no one is here."

       (Judg 4:21 TLB)  Then Jael took a sharp tent peg and a hammer and, 
       quietly creeping up to him as he slept, she drove the peg through his 
       temples and into the ground; and so he died, for he was fast asleep 
       from weariness.

       (Judg 4:22 TLB)  When Barak came by looking for Sisera, Jael went out 
       to meet him and said, "Come, and I will show you the man you are 
       looking for." So he followed her into the tent and found Sisera lying 
       there dead, with the tent peg through his temples.

       (Judg 4:23 TLB)  So that day the Lord used Israel to subdue King Jabin 
       of Canaan.

       (Judg 4:24 TLB)  And from that time on Israel became stronger and 
       stronger against King Jabin, until he and all his people were 
       destroyed.

       (Judg 5:1 TLB)  Then Deborah and Barak sang this song about the 
       wonderful victory:

       (Judg 5:2 TLB)  "Praise the Lord! Israel's leaders bravely led; The 
       people gladly followed! Yes, bless the Lord!

       (Judg 5:3 TLB)  Listen, O you kings and princes, For I shall sing 
       about the Lord, The God of Israel.

       (Judg 5:4 TLB)  When you led us out from Seir, Out across the fields 
       of Edom, The earth trembled And the sky poured down its rain.

       (Judg 5:5 TLB)  Yes, even Mount Sinai quaked At the presence of the 
       God of Israel!

       (Judg 5:6 TLB)  In the days of Shamgar and of Jael, The main roads 
       were deserted. Travelers used the narrow, crooked side paths.

       (Judg 5:7 TLB)  Israel's population dwindled, Until Deborah became a 
       mother to Israel.

       (Judg 5:8 TLB)  When Israel chose new gods, Everything collapsed. Our 
       masters would not let us have A shield or spear. Among forty thousand 
       men of Israel, Not a weapon could be found!

       (Judg 5:9 TLB)  How I rejoice In the leaders of Israel Who offered 
       themselves so willingly! Praise the Lord!

       (Judg 5:10 TLB)  Let all Israel, rich and poor, Join in his praises-- 
       Those who ride on white donkeys And sit on rich carpets, And those who 
       are poor and must walk.

       (Judg 5:11 TLB)  The village musicians Gather at the village well To 
       sing of the triumphs of the Lord. Again and again they sing the ballad 
       Of how the Lord saved Israel With an army of peasants! The people of 
       the Lord Marched through the gates!





       (Judg 5:12 TLB)  Awake, O Deborah, and sing! Arise, O Barak! O son of 
       Abinoam, lead away your captives!

       (Judg 5:13 TLB)  Down from Mount Tabor marched the noble remnant. The 
       people of the Lord Marched down against great odds.

       (Judg 5:14 TLB)  They came from Ephraim and Benjamin, From Machir and 
       from Zebulun.

       (Judg 5:15 TLB)  Down into the valley Went the princes of Issachar 
       With Deborah and Barak. At God's command they rushed into the valley. 
       (But the tribe of Reuben didn't go.

       (Judg 5:16 TLB)  Why did you sit at home among the sheepfolds, Playing 
       your shepherd pipes? Yes, the tribe of Reuben has an uneasy 
       conscience.

       (Judg 5:17 TLB)  Why did Gilead remain across the Jordan, And why did 
       Dan remain with his ships? And why did Asher sit unmoved Upon the 
       seashore, At ease beside his harbors?)

       (Judg 5:18 TLB)  But the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali Dared to die 
       upon the fields of battle.

       (Judg 5:19 TLB)  The kings of Canaan fought in Taanach By Megiddo's 
       springs, But did not win the victory.

       (Judg 5:20 TLB)  The very stars of heaven Fought Sisera.

       (Judg 5:21 TLB)  The rushing Kishon River Swept them away. March on, 
       my soul, with strength!

       (Judg 5:22 TLB)  Hear the stamping Of the horsehoofs of the enemy! See 
       the prancing of his steeds!

       (Judg 5:23 TLB)  But the Angel of Jehovah Put a curse on Meroz. 'Curse 
       them bitterly,' he said, 'Because they did not come to help the Lord 
       Against his enemies.'

       (Judg 5:24 TLB)  Blessed be Jael, The wife of Heber the Kenite-- Yes, 
       may she be blessed Above all women who live in tents.

       (Judg 5:25 TLB)  He asked for water And she gave him milk in a 
       beautiful cup!

       (Judg 5:26 TLB)  Then she took a tent pin and a workman's hammer And 
       pierced Sisera's temples, Crushing his head. She pounded the tent pin 
       through his head.

       (Judg 5:27 TLB)  He sank, he fell, he lay dead at her feet.

       (Judg 5:28 TLB)  The mother of Sisera watched through the window For 
       his return. 'Why is his chariot so long in coming? Why don't we hear 
       the sound of the wheels?'

       (Judg 5:29 TLB)  But her ladies-in-waiting--and she herself--replied,






       (Judg 5:30 TLB)  'There is much loot to be divided, And it takes time. 
       Each man receives a girl or two; And Sisera will get gorgeous robes, 
       And he will bring home Many gifts for me.'

       (Judg 5:31 TLB)  O Lord, may all your enemies Perish as Sisera did, 
       But may those who love the Lord Shine as the sun!" After that there 
       was peace in the land for forty years.

       (Judg 6:1 TLB)  Then the people of Israel began once again to worship 
       other gods, and once again the Lord let their enemies harass them. 
       This time it was by the people of Midian, for seven years.

       (Judg 6:2 TLB)  The Midianites were so cruel that the Israelis took to 
       the mountains, living in caves and dens.

       (Judg 6:3 TLB)  When they planted their seed, marauders from Midian, 
       Amalek, and other neighboring nations came

       (Judg 6:4 TLB)  and destroyed their crops and plundered the 
       countryside as far away as Gaza, leaving nothing to eat and taking 
       away all their sheep, oxen, and donkeys.

       (Judg 6:5 TLB)  These enemy hordes arrived on droves of camels too 
       numerous to count and stayed until the land was completely stripped 
       and devastated.

       (Judg 6:6 TLB)  So Israel was reduced to abject poverty because of the 
       Midianites. Then at last the people of Israel began to cry out to the 
       Lord for help.

       (Judg 6:7 TLB)  

       (Judg 6:8 TLB)  However, the Lord's reply through the prophet he sent 
       to them was this: "The Lord God of Israel brought you out of slavery 
       in Egypt,

       (Judg 6:9 TLB)  and rescued you from the Egyptians and from all who 
       were cruel to you, and drove out your enemies before you, and gave you 
       their land.

       (Judg 6:10 TLB)  He told you he is the Lord your God, and you must not 
       worship the gods of the Amorites who live around you on every side. 
       But you have not listened to him."

       (Judg 6:11 TLB)  But one day the Angel of the Lord came and sat 
       beneath the oak tree at Ophrah, on the farm of Joash the Abiezrite. 
       Joash's son, Gideon, had been threshing wheat by hand in the bottom of 
       a grape press--a pit where grapes were pressed to make wine--for he 
       was hiding from the Midianites.

       (Judg 6:12 TLB)  The Angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, 
       "Mighty soldier, the Lord is with you!"

       (Judg 6:13 TLB)  "Stranger," Gideon replied, "if the Lord is with us, 
       why has all this happened to us? And where are all the miracles our 





       ancestors have told us about--such as when God brought them out of 
       Egypt? Now the Lord has thrown us away and has let the Midianites 
       completely ruin us."

       (Judg 6:14 TLB)  Then the Lord turned to him and said, "I will make 
       you strong! Go and save Israel from the Midianites! I am sending you!"

       (Judg 6:15 TLB)  But Gideon replied, "Sir, how can I save Israel? My 
       family is the poorest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the 
       least thought of in the entire family!"

       (Judg 6:16 TLB)  Whereupon the Lord said to him, "But I, Jehovah, will 
       be with you! And you shall quickly destroy the Midianite hordes!"

       (Judg 6:17 TLB)  Gideon replied, "If it is really true that you are 
       going to help me like that, then do some miracle to prove it! Prove 
       that it is really Jehovah who is talking to me!

       (Judg 6:18 TLB)  But stay here until I go and get a present for you." 
       "All right," the Angel agreed. "I'll stay here until you return."

       (Judg 6:19 TLB)  Gideon hurried home and roasted a young goat and 
       baked some unleavened bread from a bushel of flour. Then, carrying the 
       meat in a basket and broth in a pot, he took it out to the Angel, who 
       was beneath the oak tree, and presented it to him.

       (Judg 6:20 TLB)  The Angel said to him, "Place the meat and the bread 
       upon that rock over there, and pour the broth over it." When Gideon 
       had followed these instructions,

       (Judg 6:21 TLB)  the Angel touched the meat and bread with his staff, 
       and fire flamed up from the rock and consumed them! And suddenly the 
       Angel was gone!

       (Judg 6:22 TLB)  When Gideon realized that it had indeed been the 
       Angel of the Lord, he cried out, "Alas, O Lord God, for I have seen 
       the Angel of the Lord face to face!"

       (Judg 6:23 TLB)  "It's all right," the Lord replied. "Don't be afraid! 
       You shall not die."

       (Judg 6:24 TLB)  And Gideon built an altar there and named it "The 
       Altar of Peace with Jehovah." (The altar is still there in Ophrah in 
       the land of the Abiezrites.)

       (Judg 6:25 TLB)  That night the Lord told Gideon to hitch his father's 
       best ox to the family altar of Baal and pull it down, and to cut down 
       the wooden idol of the goddess Asherah that stood nearby.

       (Judg 6:26 TLB)  "Replace it with an altar for the Lord your God, 
       built here on this hill, laying the stones carefully. Then sacrifice 
       the ox as a burnt offering to the Lord, using the wooden idol as wood 
       for the fire on the altar."

       (Judg 6:27 TLB)  So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the 
       Lord had commanded. But he did it at night for fear of the other 





       members of his father's household, and for fear of the men of the 
       city; for he knew what would happen if they found out who did it!

       (Judg 6:28 TLB)  Early the next morning, as the city began to stir, 
       someone discovered that the altar of Baal was knocked apart, the idol 
       beside it was gone, and a new altar had been built instead, with the 
       remains of a sacrifice on it.

       (Judg 6:29 TLB)  "Who did this?" everyone demanded. Finally they 
       learned that it was Gideon, the son of Joash.

       (Judg 6:30 TLB)  "Bring out your son," they shouted to Joash. "He must 
       die for insulting the altar of Baal and for cutting down the Asherah 
       idol."

       (Judg 6:31 TLB)  But Joash retorted to the whole mob, "Does Baal need 
       your help? What an insult to a god! You are the ones who should die 
       for insulting Baal! If Baal is really a god, let him take care of 
       himself and destroy the one who broke apart his altar!"

       (Judg 6:32 TLB)  From then on Gideon was called "Jerubbaal," a 
       nickname meaning "Let Baal take care of himself!"

       (Judg 6:33 TLB)  Soon afterward the armies of Midian, Amalek, and 
       other neighboring nations united in one vast alliance against Israel. 
       They crossed the Jordan and camped in the valley of Jezreel.

       (Judg 6:34 TLB)  Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon, and he 
       blew a trumpet as a call to arms, and the men of Abiezer came to him.

       (Judg 6:35 TLB)  He also sent messengers throughout Manasseh, Asher, 
       Zebulun, and Naphtali, summoning their fighting forces, and all of 
       them responded.

       (Judg 6:36 TLB)  Then Gideon said to God, "If you are really going to 
       use me to save Israel as you promised,

       (Judg 6:37 TLB)  prove it to me in this way: I'll put some wool on the 
       threshing floor tonight, and if, in the morning, the fleece is wet and 
       the ground is dry, I will know you are going to help me!"

       (Judg 6:38 TLB)  And it happened just that way! When he got up the 
       next morning, he pressed the fleece together and wrung out a whole 
       bowlful of water!

       (Judg 6:39 TLB)  Then Gideon said to the Lord, "Please don't be angry 
       with me, but let me make one more test: this time let the fleece 
       remain dry while the ground around it is wet!"

       (Judg 6:40 TLB)  So the Lord did as he asked; that night the fleece 
       stayed dry, but the ground was covered with dew!

       (Judg 7:1 TLB)  Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon--his other name) and his 
       army got an early start and went as far as the spring of Harod. The 
       armies of Midian were camped north of them, down in the valley beside 
       the hill of Moreh.






       (Judg 7:2 TLB)  The Lord then said to Gideon, "There are too many of 
       you! I can't let all of you fight the Midianites, for then the people 
       of Israel will boast to me that they saved themselves by their own 
       strength!

       (Judg 7:3 TLB)  Send home any of your men who are timid and 
       frightened." So twenty-two thousand of them left, and only ten 
       thousand remained who were willing to fight.

       (Judg 7:4 TLB)  But the Lord told Gideon, "There are still too many! 
       Bring them down to the spring and I'll show you which ones shall go 
       with you and which ones shall not."

       (Judg 7:5 TLB)  So Gideon assembled them at the water. There the Lord 
       told him, "Divide them into two groups decided by the way they drink. 
       In Group 1 will be all the men who cup the water in their hands to get 
       it to their mouths and lap it like dogs. In Group 2 will be those who 
       kneel, with their mouths in the stream."

       (Judg 7:6 TLB)  Only three hundred of the men drank from their hands; 
       all the others drank with their mouths to the stream.

       (Judg 7:7 TLB)  "I'll conquer the Midianites with these three 
       hundred!" the Lord told Gideon. "Send all the others home!"

       (Judg 7:8 TLB)  So after Gideon had collected all the clay jars and 
       trumpets they had among them, he sent them home, leaving only three 
       hundred men with him.

       (Judg 7:9 TLB)  During the night, with the Midianites camped in the 
       valley just below, the Lord said to Gideon, "Get up! Take your troops 
       and attack the Midianites, for I will cause you to defeat them!

       (Judg 7:10 TLB)  But if you are afraid, first go down to the camp 
       alone--take along your servant Purah if you like--

       (Judg 7:11 TLB)  and listen to what they are saying down there! You 
       will be greatly encouraged and be eager to attack!" So he took Purah 
       and crept down through the darkness to the outposts of the enemy camp.

       (Judg 7:12 TLB)  The vast armies of Midian, Amalek, and the other 
       nations of the Mideast were crowded across the valley like 
       locusts--yes, like the sand upon the seashore--and there were too many 
       camels even to count!

       (Judg 7:13 TLB)  Gideon crept up to one of the tents just as a man 
       inside had wakened from a nightmare and was telling his tent-mate 
       about it. "I had this strange dream," he was saying, "and there was 
       this huge loaf of barley bread that came tumbling down into our camp. 
       It hit our tent and knocked it flat!"

       (Judg 7:14 TLB)  The other soldier replied, "Your dream can mean only 
       one thing! Gideon, the son of Joash, the Israeli, is going to come and 
       massacre all the allied forces of Midian!"





       (Judg 7:15 TLB)  When Gideon heard the dream and the interpretation, 
       all he could do was just stand there worshiping God! Then he returned 
       to his men and shouted, "Get up! For the Lord is going to use you to 
       conquer all the vast armies of Midian!"

       (Judg 7:16 TLB)  He divided the three hundred men into three groups 
       and gave each man a trumpet and a clay jar with a torch in it.

       (Judg 7:17 TLB)  Then he explained his plan. "When we arrive at the 
       outer guardposts of the camp," he told them, "do just as I do.

       (Judg 7:18 TLB)  As soon as I and the men in my group blow our 
       trumpets, you blow yours on all sides of the camp and shout, 'We fight 
       for God and for Gideon!'"

       (Judg 7:19 TLB)  It was just after midnight and the change of guards 
       when Gideon and the hundred men with him crept to the outer edge of 
       the camp of Midian. Suddenly they blew their trumpets and broke their 
       clay jars so that their torches blazed into the night.

       (Judg 7:20 TLB)  Then the other two hundred of his men did the same, 
       blowing the trumpets in their right hands, and holding the flaming 
       torches in their left hands, all shouting, "For the Lord and for 
       Gideon!"

       (Judg 7:21 TLB)  Then they just stood and watched as the whole vast 
       enemy army began rushing around in a panic, shouting and running away.

       (Judg 7:22 TLB)  For in the confusion the Lord caused the enemy troops 
       to begin fighting and killing each other from one end of the camp to 
       the other, and they fled into the night to places as far away as 
       Beth-shittah near Zererah, and to the border of Abel-meholah near 
       Tabbath.

       (Judg 7:23 TLB)  Then Gideon sent for the troops of Naphtali, Asher, 
       and Manasseh and told them to come and chase and destroy the fleeing 
       army of Midian.

       (Judg 7:24 TLB)  Gideon also sent messengers throughout the hill 
       country of Ephraim summoning troops who seized the fords of the Jordan 
       River at Beth-barah, thus preventing the Midianites from escaping by 
       going across.

       (Judg 7:25 TLB)  Oreb and Zeeb, the two generals of Midian, were 
       captured. Oreb was killed at the rock now known by his name, and Zeeb 
       at the winepress of Zeeb, as it is now called; and the Israelis took 
       the heads of Oreb and Zeeb across the Jordan to Gideon.

       (Judg 8:1 TLB)  But the tribal leaders of Ephraim were violently angry 
       with Gideon. "Why didn't you send for us when you first went out to 
       fight the Midianites?" they demanded.

       (Judg 8:2 TLB)  But Gideon replied, "God let you capture Oreb and 
       Zeeb, the generals of the army of Midian! What have I done in 
       comparison with that?





       (Judg 8:3 TLB)  Your actions at the end of the battle were more 
       important than ours at the beginning!" So they calmed down.

       (Judg 8:4 TLB)  Gideon now crossed the Jordan River with his three 
       hundred men. They were very tired, but still chasing the enemy.

       (Judg 8:5 TLB)  He asked the men of Succoth for food. "We are weary 
       from chasing after Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian," he said.

       (Judg 8:6 TLB)  But the leaders of Succoth replied, "You haven't 
       caught them yet! If we feed you and you fail, they'll return and 
       destroy us."

       (Judg 8:7 TLB)  Then Gideon warned them, "When the Lord has delivered 
       them to us, I will return and tear your flesh with the thorns and 
       briars of the wilderness."

       (Judg 8:8 TLB)  Then he went up to Penuel and asked for food there, 
       but got the same answer.

       (Judg 8:9 TLB)  And he said to them also, "When this is all over, I 
       will return and break down this tower."

       (Judg 8:10 TLB)  By this time King Zebah and King Zalmunna with a 
       remnant of fifteen thousand troops were in Karkor. That was all that 
       was left of the allied armies of the east; for one hundred twenty 
       thousand had already been killed.

       (Judg 8:11 TLB)  Then Gideon circled around by the caravan route east 
       of Nobah and Jogbehah, striking at the Midianite army in surprise 
       raids.

       (Judg 8:12 TLB)  The two kings fled, but Gideon chased and captured 
       them, routing their entire force.

       (Judg 8:13 TLB)  Later, Gideon returned by way of Heres Pass.

       (Judg 8:14 TLB)  There he captured a young fellow from Succoth and 
       demanded that he write down the names of all the seventy-seven 
       political and religious leaders of the city.

       (Judg 8:15 TLB)  He then returned to Succoth. "You taunted me that I 
       would never catch King Zebah and King Zalmunna, and you refused to 
       give us food when we were tired and hungry," he said. "Well, here they 
       are!"

       (Judg 8:16 TLB)  Then he took the leaders of the city and scraped them 
       to death with wild thorns and briars.

       (Judg 8:17 TLB)  He also went to Penuel and knocked down the city 
       tower and killed the entire male population.

       (Judg 8:18 TLB)  Then Gideon asked King Zebah and King Zalmunna, "The 
       men you killed at Tabor--what were they like?" They replied, "They 
       were dressed just like you--like sons of kings!"





       (Judg 8:19 TLB)  "They must have been my brothers!" Gideon exclaimed. 
       "I swear that if you hadn't killed them I wouldn't kill you."

       (Judg 8:20 TLB)  Then, turning to Jether, his oldest son, he 
       instructed him to kill them. But the boy was only a lad and was afraid 
       to.

       (Judg 8:21 TLB)  Then Zebah and Zalmunna said to Gideon, "You do it; 
       we'd rather be killed by a man!" So Gideon killed them and took the 
       ornaments from their camels' necks.

       (Judg 8:22 TLB)  Now the men of Israel said to Gideon, "Be our king! 
       You and your sons and all your descendants shall be our rulers, for 
       you have saved us from Midian."

       (Judg 8:23 TLB)  But Gideon replied, "I will not be your king, nor 
       shall my son; the Lord is your King!

       (Judg 8:24 TLB)  However, I have one request. Give me all the earrings 
       collected from your fallen foes"--for the troops of Midian, being 
       Ishmaelites, all wore gold earrings.

       (Judg 8:25 TLB)  "Gladly!" they replied, and spread out a sheet for 
       everyone to throw in the gold earrings he had gathered.

       (Judg 8:26 TLB)  Their value was estimated at $25,000, not including 
       the crescents and pendants, or the royal clothing of the kings, or the 
       chains around the camels' necks.

       (Judg 8:27 TLB)  Gideon made an ephod from the gold and put it in 
       Ophrah, his hometown. But all Israel soon began worshiping it, so it 
       became an evil deed that Gideon and his family did.

       (Judg 8:28 TLB)  That is the true account of how Midian was subdued by 
       Israel. Midian never recovered, and the land was at peace for forty 
       years--all during Gideon's lifetime.

       (Judg 8:29 TLB)  He returned home

       (Judg 8:30 TLB)  and eventually had seventy sons, for he married many 
       wives.

       (Judg 8:31 TLB)  He also had a concubine in Shechem, who presented him 
       with a son named Abimelech.

       (Judg 8:32 TLB)  Gideon finally died, an old, old man, and was buried 
       in the sepulcher of his father, Joash, in Ophrah, in the land of the 
       Abiezrites.

       (Judg 8:33 TLB)  But as soon as Gideon was dead, the Israelis began to 
       worship the idols Baal and Baal-berith.

       (Judg 8:34 TLB)  They no longer considered the Lord as their God, 
       though he had rescued them from all their enemies on every side.

       (Judg 8:35 TLB)  Nor did they show any kindness to the family of 





       Gideon despite all he had done for them.

       (Judg 9:1 TLB)  One day Gideon's son Abimelech visited his uncles--his 
       mother's brothers--in Shechem.

       (Judg 9:2 TLB)  "Go and talk to the leaders of Shechem," he requested, 
       "and ask them whether they want to be ruled by seventy kings--Gideon's 
       seventy sons--or by one man--meaning me, your own flesh and blood!"

       (Judg 9:3 TLB)  So his uncles went to the leaders of the city and 
       proposed Abimelech's scheme; and they decided that since his mother 
       was a native of their town they would go along with it.

       (Judg 9:4 TLB)  They gave him money from the temple offerings of the 
       idol Baal-berith, which he used to hire some worthless loafers who 
       agreed to do whatever he told them to.

       (Judg 9:5 TLB)  He took them to his father's home at Ophrah and there, 
       upon one stone, they slaughtered all seventy of his half brothers, 
       except for the youngest, Jotham, who escaped and hid.

       (Judg 9:6 TLB)  Then the citizens of Shechem and Beth-millo called a 
       meeting under the oak beside the garrison at Shechem, and Abimelech 
       was acclaimed king of Israel.

       (Judg 9:7 TLB)  When Jotham heard about this, he stood at the top of 
       Mount Gerizim and shouted across to the men of Shechem, "If you want 
       God's blessing, listen to me!

       (Judg 9:8 TLB)  Once upon a time the trees decided to elect a king. 
       First they asked the olive tree,

       (Judg 9:9 TLB)  but it refused. "'Should I quit producing the olive 
       oil that blesses God and man, just to wave to and fro over the other 
       trees?' it asked.

       (Judg 9:10 TLB)  "Then they said to the fig tree, 'You be our king!'

       (Judg 9:11 TLB)  "But the fig tree also refused. 'Should I quit 
       producing sweetness and fruit just to lift my head above all the other 
       trees?' it asked.

       (Judg 9:12 TLB)  "Then they said to the grapevine, 'You reign over 
       us!'

       (Judg 9:13 TLB)  "But the grapevine replied, 'Shall I quit producing 
       the wine that cheers both God and man, just to be mightier than all 
       the other trees?'

       (Judg 9:14 TLB)  "Then all the trees finally turned to the thorn bush. 
       'You be our king!' they explained.

       (Judg 9:15 TLB)  "And the thorn bush replied, 'If you really want me, 
       come and humble yourselves beneath my shade! If you refuse, let fire 
       flame forth from me and burn down the great cedars of Lebanon!'





       (Judg 9:16 TLB)  "Now make sure that you have done the right thing in 
       making Abimelech your king, that you have done right by Gideon and all 
       of his descendants.

       (Judg 9:17 TLB)  For my father fought for you and risked his life and 
       delivered you from the Midianites,

       (Judg 9:18 TLB)  yet you have revolted against him and killed his 
       seventy sons upon one stone. And now you have chosen his slave girl's 
       son, Abimelech, to be your king just because he is your relative.

       (Judg 9:19 TLB)  If you are sure that you have done right by Gideon 
       and his descendants, then may you and Abimelech have a long and happy 
       life together.

       (Judg 9:20 TLB)  But if you have not been fair to Gideon, then may 
       Abimelech destroy the citizens of Shechem and Beth-millo; and may they 
       destroy Abimelech!"

       (Judg 9:21 TLB)  Then Jotham escaped and lived in Beer for fear of his 
       brother, Abimelech.

       (Judg 9:22 TLB)  Three years later God stirred up trouble between King 
       Abimelech and the citizens of Shechem, and they revolted.

       (Judg 9:23 TLB)  

       (Judg 9:24 TLB)  In the events that followed, both Abimelech and the 
       citizens of Shechem who aided him in butchering Gideon's seventy sons 
       were given their just punishment for these murders.

       (Judg 9:25 TLB)  For the men of Shechem set an ambush for Abimelech 
       along the trail at the top of the mountain. (While they were waiting 
       for him to come along, they robbed everyone else who passed that way.) 
       But someone warned Abimelech about their plot.

       (Judg 9:26 TLB)  At that time Gaal (the son of Ebed) moved to Shechem 
       with his brothers, and he became one of the leading citizens.

       (Judg 9:27 TLB)  During the harvest feast at Shechem that year, held 
       in the temple of the local god, the wine flowed freely and everyone 
       began cursing Abimelech.

       (Judg 9:28 TLB)  "Who is Abimelech," Gaal shouted, "and why should he 
       be our king? Why should we be his servants? He and his friend Zebul 
       should be our servants. Down with Abimelech!

       (Judg 9:29 TLB)  Make me your king and you'll soon see what happens to 
       Abimelech! I'll tell Abimelech, 'Get up an army and come on out and 
       fight!'"

       (Judg 9:30 TLB)  But when Zebul, the mayor of the city, heard what 
       Gaal was saying, he was furious.

       (Judg 9:31 TLB)  He sent messengers to Abimelech in Arumah telling 
       him, "Gaal, son of Ebed, and his relatives have come to live in 





       Shechem, and now they are arousing the city to rebellion against you.

       (Judg 9:32 TLB)  Come by night with an army and hide out in the 
       fields;

       (Judg 9:33 TLB)  and in the morning, as soon as it is daylight, storm 
       the city. When he and those who are with him come out against you, you 
       can do with them as you wish!"

       (Judg 9:34 TLB)  So Abimelech and his men marched through the night 
       and split into four groups, stationing themselves around the city.

       (Judg 9:35 TLB)  The next morning as Gaal sat at the city gates, 
       discussing various issues with the local leaders, Abimelech and his 
       men began their march upon the city.

       (Judg 9:36 TLB)  When Gaal saw them, he exclaimed to Zebul, "Look over 
       at that mountain! Doesn't it look like people coming down?" "No!" 
       Zebul said. "You're just seeing shadows that look like men!"

       (Judg 9:37 TLB)  "No, look over there," Gaal said. "I'm sure I see 
       people coming toward us. And look! There are others coming along the 
       road past the oak of Meonenim!"

       (Judg 9:38 TLB)  Then Zebul turned on him triumphantly. "Now where is 
       that big mouth of yours?" he demanded. "Who was it who said, 'Who is 
       Abimelech, and why should he be our king?' The men you taunted and 
       cursed are right outside the city! Go on out and fight!"

       (Judg 9:39 TLB)  So Gaal led the men of Shechem into the battle and 
       fought with Abimelech,

       (Judg 9:40 TLB)  but was defeated, and many of the men of Shechem were 
       left wounded all the way to the city gate.

       (Judg 9:41 TLB)  Abimelech was living at Arumah at this time, and 
       Zebul drove Gaal and his relatives out of Shechem and wouldn't let 
       them live there any longer.

       (Judg 9:42 TLB)  The next day the men of Shechem went out to battle 
       again. However, someone had told Abimelech about their plans,

       (Judg 9:43 TLB)  so he had divided his men into three groups hiding in 
       the fields. And when the men of the city went out to attack, he and 
       his men jumped up from their hiding places and began killing them.

       (Judg 9:44 TLB)  Abimelech stormed the city gate to keep the men of 
       Shechem from getting back in, while his other two groups cut them down 
       in the fields.

       (Judg 9:45 TLB)  The battle went on all day before Abimelech finally 
       captured the city, killed its people, and leveled it to the ground.

       (Judg 9:46 TLB)  The people at the nearby town of Migdal saw what was 
       happening and took refuge in the fort next to the temple of 
       Baal-berith.






       (Judg 9:47 TLB)  When Abimelech learned of this,

       (Judg 9:48 TLB)  he led his forces to Mount Zalmon where he began 
       chopping a bundle of firewood, and placed it upon his shoulder. "Do as 
       I have done," he told his men.

       (Judg 9:49 TLB)  So each of them quickly cut a bundle and carried it 
       back to the town where, following Abimelech's example, the bundles 
       were piled against the walls of the fort and set on fire. So all the 
       people inside died, about a thousand men and women.

       (Judg 9:50 TLB)  Abimelech next attacked the city of Thebez, and 
       captured it.

       (Judg 9:51 TLB)  However, there was a fort inside the city and the 
       entire population fled into it, barricaded the gates, and climbed to 
       the top of the roof to watch.

       (Judg 9:52 TLB)  But as Abimelech was preparing to burn it,

       (Judg 9:53 TLB)  a woman on the roof threw down a millstone. It landed 
       on Abimelech's head, crushing his skull.

       (Judg 9:54 TLB)  "Kill me!" he groaned to his youthful armor-bearer. 
       "Never let it be said that a woman killed Abimelech!" So the young man 
       pierced him with his sword, and he died.

       (Judg 9:55 TLB)  When his men saw that he was dead, they disbanded and 
       returned to their homes.

       (Judg 9:56 TLB)  Thus God punished both Abimelech and the men of 
       Shechem for their sin of murdering Gideon's seventy sons. So the curse 
       of Jotham, Gideon's son, came true.

       (Judg 9:57 TLB)  

       (Judg 10:1 TLB)  After Abimelech's death, the next judge of Israel was 
       Tola (son of Puah and grandson of Dodo). He was from the tribe of 
       Issachar, but lived in the city of Shamir in the hill country of 
       Ephraim.

       (Judg 10:2 TLB)  He was Israel's judge for twenty-three years. When he 
       died, he was buried in Shamir,

       (Judg 10:3 TLB)  and was succeeded by Jair, a man from Gilead, who 
       judged Israel for twenty-two years.

       (Judg 10:4 TLB)  His thirty sons rode around together on thirty 
       donkeys, and they owned thirty cities in the land of Gilead which are 
       still called "The Cities of Jair."

       (Judg 10:5 TLB)  When Jair died he was buried in Kamon.

       (Judg 10:6 TLB)  Then the people of Israel turned away from the Lord 
       again and worshiped the heathen gods Baal and Ashtaroth, and the gods 





       of Syria, Sidon, Moab, Ammon, and Philistia. Not only this, but they 
       no longer worshiped Jehovah at all.

       (Judg 10:7 TLB)  This made Jehovah very angry with his people, so he 
       immediately permitted the Philistines and the Ammonites to begin 
       tormenting them.

       (Judg 10:8 TLB)  These attacks took place east of the Jordan River in 
       the land of the Amorites (that is, in Gilead),

       (Judg 10:9 TLB)  and also in Judah, Benjamin, and Ephraim. For the 
       Ammonites crossed the Jordan to attack the Israelis. This went on for 
       eighteen years.

       (Judg 10:10 TLB)  Finally the Israelis turned to Jehovah again and 
       begged him to save them. "We have sinned against you and have forsaken 
       you as our God and have worshiped idols," they confessed.

       (Judg 10:11 TLB)  But the Lord replied, "Didn't I save you from the 
       Egyptians, the Amorites, the Ammonites, the Philistines,

       (Judg 10:12 TLB)  the Sidonians, the Amalekites, and the Maonites? Has 
       there ever been a time when you cried out to me that I haven't rescued 
       you?

       (Judg 10:13 TLB)  Yet you continue to abandon me and to worship other 
       gods. So go away; I won't save you any more.

       (Judg 10:14 TLB)  Go and cry to the new gods you have chosen! Let them 
       save you in your hour of distress!"

       (Judg 10:15 TLB)  But they pleaded with him again and said, "We have 
       sinned. Punish us in any way you think best, only save us once more 
       from our enemies."

       (Judg 10:16 TLB)  Then they destroyed their foreign gods and worshiped 
       only the Lord; and he was grieved by their misery.

       (Judg 10:17 TLB)  The armies of Ammon were mobilized in Gilead at that 
       time, preparing to attack Israel's army at Mizpah.

       (Judg 10:18 TLB)  "Who will lead our forces against the Ammonites?" 
       the leaders of Gilead asked each other. "Whoever volunteers shall be 
       our king!"

       (Judg 11:1 TLB)  Now Jephthah was a great warrior from the land of 
       Gilead, but his mother was a prostitute.

       (Judg 11:2 TLB)  His father (whose name was Gilead) had several other 
       sons by his legitimate wife, and when these half brothers grew up, 
       they chased Jephthah out of the country. "You son of a whore!" they 
       said. "You'll not get any of our father's estate."

       (Judg 11:3 TLB)  So Jephthah fled from his father's home and lived in 
       the land of Tob. Soon he had quite a band of malcontents as his 
       followers, living off the land as bandits.






       (Judg 11:4 TLB)  It was about this time that the Ammonites began their 
       war against Israel.

       (Judg 11:5 TLB)  The leaders of Gilead sent for Jephthah,

       (Judg 11:6 TLB)  begging him to come and lead their army against the 
       Ammonites.

       (Judg 11:7 TLB)  But Jephthah said to them, "Why do you come to me 
       when you hate me and have driven me out of my father's house? Why come 
       now when you're in trouble?"

       (Judg 11:8 TLB)  "Because we need you," they replied. "If you will be 
       our commander-in-chief against the Ammonites, we will make you the 
       king of Gilead."

       (Judg 11:9 TLB)  "Sure!" Jephthah exclaimed. "Do you expect me to 
       believe that?"

       (Judg 11:10 TLB)  "We swear it," they replied. "We promise with a 
       solemn oath."

       (Judg 11:11 TLB)  So Jephthah accepted the commission and was made 
       commander-in-chief and king. The contract was ratified before the Lord 
       in Mizpah at a general assembly of all the people.

       (Judg 11:12 TLB)  Then Jephthah sent messengers to the king of Ammon, 
       demanding to know why Israel was being attacked.

       (Judg 11:13 TLB)  The king of Ammon replied that the land belonged to 
       the people of Ammon; it had been stolen from them, he said, when the 
       Israelis came from Egypt; the whole territory from the Arnon River to 
       the Jabbok and the Jordan was his, he claimed. "Give us back our land 
       peaceably," he demanded.

       (Judg 11:14 TLB)  Jephthah replied, "Israel did not steal the land.

       (Judg 11:15 TLB)  

       (Judg 11:16 TLB)  What happened was this: When the people of Israel 
       arrived at Kadesh, on their journey from Egypt after crossing the Red 
       Sea,

       (Judg 11:17 TLB)  they sent a message to the king of Edom asking 
       permission to pass through his land. But their petition was denied. 
       Then they asked the king of Moab for similar permission. It was the 
       same story there, so the people of Israel stayed in Kadesh.

       (Judg 11:18 TLB)  "Finally they went around Edom and Moab through the 
       wilderness, and traveled along the eastern border until at last they 
       arrived beyond the boundary of Moab at the Arnon River; but they never 
       once crossed into Moab.

       (Judg 11:19 TLB)  Then Israel sent messengers to King Sihon of the 
       Amorites, who lived in Heshbon, and asked permission to cross through 





       his land to get to their destination.

       (Judg 11:20 TLB)  "But King Sihon didn't trust Israel, so he mobilized 
       an army at Jahaz and attacked them.

       (Judg 11:21 TLB)  But the Lord our God helped Israel defeat King Sihon 
       and all your people, so Israel took over all of your land

       (Judg 11:22 TLB)  from the Arnon River to the Jabbok, and from the 
       wilderness to the Jordan River.

       (Judg 11:23 TLB)  "So you see, it was the Lord God of Israel who took 
       away the land from the Amorites and gave it to Israel. Why, then, 
       should we return it to you?

       (Judg 11:24 TLB)  You keep whatever your god Chemosh gives you, and we 
       will keep whatever Jehovah our God gives us!

       (Judg 11:25 TLB)  And besides, just who do you think you are? Are you 
       better than King Balak, the king of Moab? Did he try to recover his 
       land after Israel defeated him? No, of course not.

       (Judg 11:26 TLB)  But now after three hundred years you make an issue 
       of this! Israel has been living here for all that time, spread across 
       the land from Heshbon to Aroer, and all along the Arnon River. Why 
       have you made no effort to recover it before now?

       (Judg 11:27 TLB)  No, I have not sinned against you; rather, you have 
       wronged me by coming to war against me; but Jehovah the Judge will 
       soon show which of us is right--Israel or Ammon."

       (Judg 11:28 TLB)  But the king of Ammon paid no attention to 
       Jephthah's message.

       (Judg 11:29 TLB)  At that time the Spirit of the Lord came upon 
       Jephthah, and he led his army across the land of Gilead and Manasseh, 
       past Mizpah in Gilead, and attacked the army of Ammon.

       (Judg 11:30 TLB)  Meanwhile Jephthah had vowed to the Lord that if God 
       would help Israel conquer the Ammonites, then when he returned home in 
       peace,

       (Judg 11:31 TLB)  the first person coming out of his house to meet him 
       would be sacrificed as a burnt offering to the Lord!

       (Judg 11:32 TLB)  So Jephthah led his army against the Ammonites, and 
       the Lord gave him the victory.

       (Judg 11:33 TLB)  He destroyed the Ammonites with a terrible slaughter 
       all the way from Aroer to Minnith, including twenty cities, and as far 
       away as Vineyard Meadow. Thus the Ammonites were subdued by the people 
       of Israel.

       (Judg 11:34 TLB)  When Jephthah returned home his daughter--his only 
       child--ran out to meet him, playing on a tambourine and dancing for 
       joy.






       (Judg 11:35 TLB)  When he saw her, he tore his clothes in anguish. 
       "Alas, my daughter!" he cried out. "You have brought me to the dust. 
       For I have made a vow to the Lord and I cannot take it back."

       (Judg 11:36 TLB)  And she said, "Father, you must do whatever you 
       promised the Lord, for he has given you a great victory over your 
       enemies, the Ammonites.

       (Judg 11:37 TLB)  But first let me go up into the hills and roam with 
       my girlfriends for two months, weeping because I'll never marry."

       (Judg 11:38 TLB)  "Yes," he said. "Go." And so she did, bewailing her 
       fate with her friends for two months.

       (Judg 11:39 TLB)  Then she returned to her father, who did as he had 
       vowed. So she was never married. And after that it became a custom in 
       Israel

       (Judg 11:40 TLB)  that the young girls went away for four days each 
       year to lament the fate of Jephthah's daughter.

       (Judg 12:1 TLB)  Then the tribe of Ephraim mobilized its army at 
       Zaphon and sent this message to Jephthah: "Why didn't you call for us 
       to help you fight against Ammon? We are going to burn down your house, 
       with you in it!"

       (Judg 12:2 TLB)  "I summoned you, but you refused to come!" Jephthah 
       retorted. "You failed to help us in our time of need,

       (Judg 12:3 TLB)  so I risked my life and went to battle without you, 
       and the Lord helped me to conquer the enemy. Is that anything for you 
       to fight us about?"

       (Judg 12:4 TLB)  Then Jephthah, furious at the taunt of Ephraim that 
       the men of Gilead were mere outcasts and the scum of the earth, 
       mobilized his army and attacked the army of Ephraim.

       (Judg 12:5 TLB)  He captured the fords of the Jordan behind the army 
       of Ephraim, and whenever a fugitive from Ephraim tried to cross the 
       river, the Gilead guards challenged him. "Are you a member of the 
       tribe of Ephraim?" they asked. If the man replied that he was not,

       (Judg 12:6 TLB)  then they demanded, "Say 'Shibboleth.'" But if he 
       couldn't pronounce the H and said, "Sibboleth" instead of 
       "Shibboleth," he was dragged away and killed. So forty-two thousand 
       people of Ephraim died there at that time.

       (Judg 12:7 TLB)  Jephthah was Israel's judge for six years. At his 
       death he was buried in one of the cities of Gilead.

       (Judg 12:8 TLB)  The next judge was Ibzan, who lived in Bethlehem.

       (Judg 12:9 TLB)  He had thirty sons and thirty daughters. He married 
       his daughters to men outside his clan and brought in thirty girls to 
       marry his sons.






       (Judg 12:10 TLB)  He judged Israel for seven years before he died, and 
       was buried at Bethlehem.

       (Judg 12:11 TLB)  The next judge was Elon from Zebulun. He judged 
       Israel for ten years and was buried at Aijalon in Zebulun.

       (Judg 12:12 TLB)  

       (Judg 12:13 TLB)  Next was Abdon (son of Hillel) from Pirathon.

       (Judg 12:14 TLB)  He had forty sons and thirty grandsons, who rode on 
       seventy donkeys. He was Israel's judge for eight years.

       (Judg 12:15 TLB)  Then he died and was buried in Pirathon, in Ephraim, 
       in the hill country of the Amalekites.

       (Judg 13:1 TLB)  Once again Israel sinned by worshiping other gods, so 
       the Lord let them be conquered by the Philistines, who kept them in 
       subjection for forty years.

       (Judg 13:2 TLB)  Then one day the Angel of the Lord appeared to the 
       wife of Manoah, of the tribe of Dan, who lived in the city of Zorah. 
       She had no children,

       (Judg 13:3 TLB)  but the Angel said to her, "Even though you have been 
       barren so long, you will soon conceive and have a son!

       (Judg 13:4 TLB)  Don't drink any wine or beer and don't eat any food 
       that isn't kosher.

       (Judg 13:5 TLB)  Your son's hair must never be cut, for he shall be a 
       Nazirite, a special servant of God from the time of his birth; and he 
       will begin to rescue Israel from the Philistines."

       (Judg 13:6 TLB)  The woman ran and told her husband, "A man from God 
       appeared to me and I think he must be the Angel of the Lord, for he 
       was almost too glorious to look at. I didn't ask where he was from, 
       and he didn't tell me his name,

       (Judg 13:7 TLB)  but he told me, 'You are going to have a baby boy!' 
       And he told me not to drink any wine or beer and not to eat food that 
       isn't kosher, for the baby is going to be a Nazirite--he will be 
       dedicated to God from the moment of his birth until the day of his 
       death!"

       (Judg 13:8 TLB)  Then Manoah prayed, "O Lord, please let the man from 
       God come back to us again and give us more instructions about the 
       child you are going to give us."

       (Judg 13:9 TLB)  The Lord answered his prayer, and the Angel of God 
       appeared once again to his wife as she was sitting in the field. But 
       again she was alone--Manoah was not with her--

       (Judg 13:10 TLB)  so she quickly ran and found her husband and told 
       him, "The same man is here again!"






       (Judg 13:11 TLB)  Manoah ran back with his wife and asked, "Are you 
       the man who talked to my wife the other day?" "Yes," he replied, "I 
       am."

       (Judg 13:12 TLB)  So Manoah asked him, "Can you give us any special 
       instructions about how we should raise the baby after he is born?"

       (Judg 13:13 TLB)  And the Angel replied, "Be sure that your wife 
       follows the instructions I gave her.

       (Judg 13:14 TLB)  She must not eat grapes or raisins, or drink any 
       wine or beer, or eat anything that isn't kosher."

       (Judg 13:15 TLB)  Then Manoah said to the Angel, "Please stay here 
       until we can get you something to eat."

       (Judg 13:16 TLB)  "I'll stay," the Angel replied, "but I'll not eat 
       anything. However, if you wish to bring something, bring an offering 
       to sacrifice to the Lord." (Manoah didn't yet realize that he was the 
       Angel of the Lord.)

       (Judg 13:17 TLB)  Then Manoah asked him for his name. "When all this 
       comes true and the baby is born," he said to the Angel, "we will 
       certainly want to tell everyone that you predicted it!"

       (Judg 13:18 TLB)  "Don't even ask my name," the Angel replied, "for it 
       is a secret."

       (Judg 13:19 TLB)  Then Manoah took a young goat and a grain offering 
       and offered it as a sacrifice to the Lord; and the Angel did a strange 
       and wonderful thing,

       (Judg 13:20 TLB)  for as the flames from the altar were leaping up 
       toward the sky, and as Manoah and his wife watched, the Angel ascended 
       in the fire! Manoah and his wife fell face downward to the ground,

       (Judg 13:21 TLB)  and that was the last they ever saw of him. It was 
       then that Manoah finally realized that it had been the Angel of the 
       Lord.

       (Judg 13:22 TLB)  "We will die," Manoah cried out to his wife, "for we 
       have seen God!"

       (Judg 13:23 TLB)  But his wife said, "If the Lord were going to kill 
       us, he wouldn't have accepted our burnt offerings and wouldn't have 
       appeared to us and told us this wonderful thing and done these 
       miracles."

       (Judg 13:24 TLB)  When her son was born they named him Samson, and the 
       Lord blessed him as he grew up.

       (Judg 13:25 TLB)  And the Spirit of the Lord began to excite him 
       whenever he visited the parade grounds of the army of the tribe of 
       Dan, located between the cities of Zorah and Eshtaol.





       (Judg 14:1 TLB)  One day when Samson was in Timnah he noticed a 
       certain Philistine girl,

       (Judg 14:2 TLB)  and when he got home he told his father and mother 
       that he wanted to marry her.

       (Judg 14:3 TLB)  They objected strenuously. "Why don't you marry a 
       Jewish girl?" they asked. "Why must you go and get a wife from these 
       heathen Philistines? Isn't there one girl among all the people of 
       Israel you could marry?" But Samson told his father, "She is the one I 
       want. Get her for me."

       (Judg 14:4 TLB)  His father and mother didn't realize that the Lord 
       was behind the request, for God was setting a trap for the 
       Philistines, who at that time were the rulers of Israel.

       (Judg 14:5 TLB)  As Samson and his parents were going to Timnah, a 
       young lion attacked Samson in the vineyards on the outskirts of the 
       town.

       (Judg 14:6 TLB)  At that moment the Spirit of the Lord came mightily 
       upon him and since he had no weapon, he ripped the lion's jaws apart 
       and did it as easily as though it were a young goat! But he didn't 
       tell his father or mother about it.

       (Judg 14:7 TLB)  Upon arriving at Timnah, he talked with the girl and 
       found her to be just what he wanted, so the arrangements were made.

       (Judg 14:8 TLB)  When he returned for the wedding, he turned off the 
       path to look at the carcass of the lion. And he found a swarm of bees 
       in it and some honey!

       (Judg 14:9 TLB)  He took some of the honey with him, eating as he 
       went, and gave some of it to his father and mother. But he didn't tell 
       them where he had gotten it.

       (Judg 14:10 TLB)  As his father was making final arrangements for the 
       marriage, Samson threw a party for thirty young men of the village, as 
       was the custom of the day.

       (Judg 14:11 TLB)  

       (Judg 14:12 TLB)  When Samson asked if they would like to hear a 
       riddle, they replied that they would. "If you solve my riddle during 
       these seven days of the celebration," he said, "I'll give you thirty 
       plain robes and thirty fancy robes.

       (Judg 14:13 TLB)  But if you can't solve it, then you must give the 
       robes to me!" "All right," they agreed, "let's hear it."

       (Judg 14:14 TLB)  This was his riddle: "Food came out of the eater, 
       and sweetness from the strong!" Three days later they were still 
       trying to figure it out.

       (Judg 14:15 TLB)  On the fourth day they said to his new wife, "Get 
       the answer from your husband, or we'll burn down your father's house 





       with you in it. Were we invited to this party just to make us poor?"

       (Judg 14:16 TLB)  So Samson's wife broke down in tears before him and 
       said, "You don't love me at all; you hate me, for you have told a 
       riddle to my people and haven't told me the answer!" "I haven't even 
       told it to my father or mother; why should I tell you?" he replied.

       (Judg 14:17 TLB)  So she cried whenever she was with him and kept it 
       up for the remainder of the celebration. At last, on the seventh day, 
       he told her the answer and she, of course, gave the answer to the 
       young men.

       (Judg 14:18 TLB)  So before sunset of the seventh day they gave him 
       their reply. "What is sweeter than honey?" they asked, "and what is 
       stronger than a lion?" "If you hadn't plowed with my heifer, you 
       wouldn't have found the answer to my riddle!" he retorted.

       (Judg 14:19 TLB)  Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon him and he 
       went to the city of Ashkelon, killed thirty men, took their clothing, 
       and gave it to the young men who had told him the answer to his 
       riddle. But he was furious about it and abandoned his wife and went 
       back home to live with his father and mother.

       (Judg 14:20 TLB)  So his wife was married instead to the fellow who 
       had been best man at Samson's wedding.

       (Judg 15:1 TLB)  Later on, during the wheat harvest, Samson took a 
       young goat as a present to his wife, intending to sleep with her; but 
       her father wouldn't let him in.

       (Judg 15:2 TLB)  "I really thought you hated her," he explained, "so I 
       married her to your best man. But look, her sister is prettier than 
       she is. Marry her instead."

       (Judg 15:3 TLB)  Samson was furious. "You can't blame me for whatever 
       happens now," he shouted.

       (Judg 15:4 TLB)  So he went out and caught three hundred foxes and 
       tied their tails together in pairs, with a torch between each pair.

       (Judg 15:5 TLB)  Then he lit the torches and let the foxes run through 
       the fields of the Philistines, burning the grain to the ground along 
       with all the sheaves and shocks of grain, and destroying the olive 
       trees.

       (Judg 15:6 TLB)  "Who did this?" the Philistines demanded. "Samson," 
       was the reply, "because his wife's father gave her to another man." So 
       the Philistines came and got the girl and her father and burned them 
       alive.

       (Judg 15:7 TLB)  "Now my vengeance will strike again!" Samson vowed.

       (Judg 15:8 TLB)  So he attacked them with great fury and killed many 
       of them. Then he went to live in a cave in the rock of Etam.

       (Judg 15:9 TLB)  The Philistines in turn sent a huge posse into Judah 





       and raided Lehi.

       (Judg 15:10 TLB)  "Why have you come here?" the men of Judah asked. 
       And the Philistines replied, "To capture Samson and do to him as he 
       has done to us."

       (Judg 15:11 TLB)  So three thousand men of Judah went down to get 
       Samson at the cave in the rock of Etam. "What are you doing to us?" 
       they demanded of him. "Don't you realize that the Philistines are our 
       rulers?" But Samson replied, "I only paid them back for what they did 
       to me."

       (Judg 15:12 TLB)  "We have come to capture you and take you to the 
       Philistines," the men of Judah told him. "All right," Samson said, 
       "but promise me that you won't kill me yourselves."

       (Judg 15:13 TLB)  "No," they replied, "we won't do that." So they tied 
       him with two new ropes and led him away.

       (Judg 15:14 TLB)  As Samson and his captors arrived at Lehi, the 
       Philistines shouted with glee; but then the strength of the Lord came 
       upon Samson, and the ropes with which he was tied snapped like thread 
       and fell from his wrists!

       (Judg 15:15 TLB)  Then he picked up a donkey's jawbone that was lying 
       on the ground and killed a thousand Philistines with it.

       (Judg 15:16 TLB)  Tossing away the jawbone, he remarked,

       (Judg 15:17 TLB)  "Heaps upon heaps, All with a donkey's jaw! I've 
       killed a thousand men, All with a donkey's jaw!" (The place has been 
       called "Jawbone Hill" ever since.)

       (Judg 15:18 TLB)  But now he was very thirsty and he prayed to the 
       Lord and said, "You have given Israel such a wonderful deliverance 
       through me today! Must I now die of thirst and fall to the mercy of 
       these heathen?"

       (Judg 15:19 TLB)  So the Lord caused water to gush out from a hollow 
       in the ground, and Samson's spirit was revived as he drank. Then he 
       named the place "The Spring of the Man Who Prayed," and the spring is 
       still there today.

       (Judg 15:20 TLB)  Samson was Israel's leader for the next twenty 
       years, but the Philistines still controlled the land.

       (Judg 16:1 TLB)  One day Samson went to the Philistine city of Gaza 
       and spent the night with a prostitute.

       (Judg 16:2 TLB)  Word soon spread that he had been seen in the city, 
       so the police were alerted and many men of the city lay in wait all 
       night at the city gate to capture him if he tried to leave. "In the 
       morning," they thought, "when there is enough light, we'll find him 
       and kill him."

       (Judg 16:3 TLB)  Samson stayed in bed with the girl until midnight, 





       then went out to the city gates and lifted them, with the two 
       gateposts, right out of the ground. He put them on his shoulders and 
       carried them to the top of the mountain across from Hebron!

       (Judg 16:4 TLB)  Later on he fell in love with a girl named Delilah 
       over in the valley of Sorek.

       (Judg 16:5 TLB)  The five heads of the Philistine nation went 
       personally to her and demanded that she find out from Samson what made 
       him so strong, so that they would know how to overpower and subdue him 
       and put him in chains. "Each of us will give you a thousand dollars 
       for this job," they promised.

       (Judg 16:6 TLB)  So Delilah begged Samson to tell her his secret. 
       "Please tell me, Samson, why you are so strong," she pleaded. "I don't 
       think anyone could ever capture you!"

       (Judg 16:7 TLB)  "Well," Samson replied, "if I were tied with seven 
       raw-leather bowstrings, I would become as weak as anyone else."

       (Judg 16:8 TLB)  So they brought her the seven bowstrings, and while 
       he slept she tied him with them.

       (Judg 16:9 TLB)  Some men were hiding in the next room, so as soon as 
       she had tied him up she exclaimed, "Samson! The Philistines are here!" 
       Then he snapped the bowstrings like cotton thread, and so his secret 
       was not discovered.

       (Judg 16:10 TLB)  Afterward Delilah said to him, "You are making fun 
       of me! You told me a lie! Please tell me how you can be captured!"

       (Judg 16:11 TLB)  "Well," he said, "if I am tied with brand new ropes 
       which have never been used, I will be as weak as other men."

       (Judg 16:12 TLB)  So that time, as he slept, Delilah took new ropes 
       and tied him with them. The men were hiding in the next room, as 
       before. Again Delilah exclaimed, "Samson! The Philistines have come to 
       capture you!" But he broke the ropes from his arms like spiderwebs!

       (Judg 16:13 TLB)  "You have mocked me again and told me more lies!" 
       Delilah complained. "Now tell me how you can really be captured." 
       "Well," he said, "if you weave my hair into your loom.. . !"

       (Judg 16:14 TLB)  So while he slept, she did just that and then 
       screamed, "The Philistines have come, Samson!" And he woke up and 
       yanked his hair away, breaking the loom.

       (Judg 16:15 TLB)  "How can you say you love me when you don't confide 
       in me?" she whined. "You've made fun of me three times now, and you 
       still haven't told me what makes you so strong!"

       (Judg 16:16 TLB)  She nagged at him every day until he couldn't stand 
       it any longer and finally told her his secret.

       (Judg 16:17 TLB)  "My hair has never been cut," he confessed, "for 
       I've been a Nazirite to God since before my birth. If my hair were 





       cut, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as anyone 
       else."

       (Judg 16:18 TLB)  Delilah realized that he had finally told her the 
       truth, so she sent for the five Philistine leaders. "Come just this 
       once more," she said, "for this time he has told me everything." So 
       they brought the money with them.

       (Judg 16:19 TLB)  She lulled him to sleep with his head in her lap, 
       and they brought in a barber and cut off his hair. Delilah began to 
       hit him, but she could see that his strength was leaving him.

       (Judg 16:20 TLB)  Then she screamed, "The Philistines are here to 
       capture you, Samson!" And he woke up and thought, "I will do as 
       before; I'll just shake myself free." But he didn't realize that the 
       Lord had left him.

       (Judg 16:21 TLB)  So the Philistines captured him and gouged out his 
       eyes and took him to Gaza, where he was bound with bronze chains and 
       made to grind grain in the prison.

       (Judg 16:22 TLB)  But before long his hair began to grow again.

       (Judg 16:23 TLB)  The Philistine leaders declared a great festival to 
       celebrate the capture of Samson. The people made sacrifices to their 
       god Dagon and excitedly praised him.

       (Judg 16:24 TLB)  "Our god has delivered our enemy Samson to us!" they 
       gloated as they saw him there in chains. "The scourge of our nation 
       who killed so many of us is now in our power!"

       (Judg 16:25 TLB)  Half drunk by now, the people demanded, "Bring out 
       Samson so we can have some fun with him!" So he was brought from the 
       prison and made to stand at the center of the temple, between the two 
       pillars supporting the roof.

       (Judg 16:26 TLB)  Samson said to the boy who was leading him by the 
       hand, "Place my hands against the two pillars. I want to rest against 
       them."

       (Judg 16:27 TLB)  By then the temple was completely filled with 
       people. The five Philistine leaders were there as well as three 
       thousand people in the balconies who were watching Samson and making 
       fun of him.

       (Judg 16:28 TLB)  Then Samson prayed to the Lord and said, "O Lord 
       Jehovah, remember me again--please strengthen me one more time, so 
       that I may pay back the Philistines for the loss of at least one of my 
       eyes."

       (Judg 16:29 TLB)  Then Samson pushed against the pillars with all his 
       might.

       (Judg 16:30 TLB)  "Let me die with the Philistines," he prayed. And 
       the temple crashed down upon the Philistine leaders and all the 
       people. So those he killed at the moment of his death were more than 





       those he had killed during his entire lifetime.

       (Judg 16:31 TLB)  Later, his brothers and other relatives came down to 
       get his body, and they brought him back home and buried him between 
       Zorah and Eshtaol, where his father, Manoah, was buried. He had led 
       Israel for twenty years.

       (Judg 17:1 TLB)  In the hill country of Ephraim lived a man named 
       Micah.

       (Judg 17:2 TLB)  One day he said to his mother, "That thousand dollars 
       you thought was stolen from you, and you were cursing about--well, I 
       stole it!" "God bless you for confessing it," his mother replied.

       (Judg 17:3 TLB)  So he returned the money to her. "I am going to give 
       it to the Lord as a credit for your account," she declared. "I'll have 
       an idol carved for you and plate it with the silver."

       (Judg 17:4 TLB)  So his mother took a fifth of it to a silversmith, 
       and the idol he made from it was placed in Micah's shrine.

       (Judg 17:5 TLB)  Micah had many idols in his collection, also an ephod 
       and some teraphim, and he installed one of his sons as the priest.

       (Judg 17:6 TLB)  (For in those days Israel had no king, so everyone 
       did whatever he wanted to--whatever seemed right in his own eyes.)

       (Judg 17:7 TLB)  One day a young priest from the town of Bethlehem, in 
       Judah,

       (Judg 17:8 TLB)  arrived in that area of Ephraim, looking for a good 
       place to live. He happened to stop at Micah's house as he was 
       traveling through.

       (Judg 17:9 TLB)  "Where are you from?" Micah asked him. And he 
       replied, "I am a priest from Bethlehem, in Judah, and I am looking for 
       a place to live."

       (Judg 17:10 TLB)  "Well, stay here with me," Micah said, "and you can 
       be my priest. I will give you one hundred dollars a year plus a new 
       suit and your board and room."

       (Judg 17:11 TLB)  The young man agreed to this and became as one of 
       Micah's sons.

       (Judg 17:12 TLB)  So Micah consecrated him as his personal priest.

       (Judg 17:13 TLB)  "I know the Lord will really bless me now," Micah 
       exclaimed, "because now I have a genuine priest working for me!"

       (Judg 18:1 TLB)  As has already been stated, there was no king in 
       Israel at that time. The tribe of Dan was trying to find a place to 
       settle, for they had not yet driven out the people living in the land 
       assigned to them.

       (Judg 18:2 TLB)  So the men of Dan chose five army heroes from the 





       cities of Zorah and Eshtaol as scouts to go and spy out the land they 
       were supposed to settle in. Arriving in the hill country of Ephraim, 
       they stayed at Micah's home.

       (Judg 18:3 TLB)  Noticing the young Levite's accent, they took him 
       aside and asked him, "What are you doing here? Why did you come?"

       (Judg 18:4 TLB)  He told them about his contract with Micah, and that 
       he was his personal priest.

       (Judg 18:5 TLB)  "Well, then," they said, "ask God whether or not our 
       trip will be successful."

       (Judg 18:6 TLB)  "Yes," the priest replied, "all is well. The Lord is 
       taking care of you."

       (Judg 18:7 TLB)  So the five men went on to the town of Laish and 
       noticed how secure everyone felt. Their manner of life was Phoenician, 
       and they were wealthy. They lived quietly and were unprepared for an 
       attack, for there were no tribes in the area strong enough to try it. 
       They lived a great distance from their relatives in Sidon, and had 
       little or no contact with the nearby villages.

       (Judg 18:8 TLB)  So the spies returned to their people in Zorah and 
       Eshtaol. "What about it?" they were asked. "What did you find?"

       (Judg 18:9 TLB)  And the men replied, "Let's attack! We have seen the 
       land and it is ours for the taking--a broad, fertile, wonderful 
       place--a real paradise.

       (Judg 18:10 TLB)  The people aren't even prepared to defend 
       themselves! Come on, let's go! For God has given it to us!"

       (Judg 18:11 TLB)  So six hundred armed troops of the tribe of Dan set 
       out from Zorah and Eshtaol.

       (Judg 18:12 TLB)  They camped first at a place west of Kiriath-jearim 
       in Judah (which is still called "The Camp of Dan"),

       (Judg 18:13 TLB)  then they went on up into the hill country of 
       Ephraim. As they passed the home of Micah,

       (Judg 18:14 TLB)  the five spies told the others. "There is a shrine 
       in there with an ephod, some teraphim, and many plated idols. It's 
       obvious what we ought to do!"

       (Judg 18:15 TLB)  So the five men went over to the house and with all 
       of the armed men standing just outside the gate, they talked to the 
       young priest and asked him how he was getting along.

       (Judg 18:16 TLB)  

       (Judg 18:17 TLB)  Then the five spies entered the shrine and took the 
       idols, the ephod, and the teraphim.

       (Judg 18:18 TLB)  "What are you doing?" the young priest demanded when 





       he saw them carrying them out.

       (Judg 18:19 TLB)  "Be quiet and come with us," they said. "Be a priest 
       to all of us. Isn't it better for you to be a priest to a whole tribe 
       in Israel instead of just to one man in his private home?"

       (Judg 18:20 TLB)  The young priest was then quite happy to go with 
       them, and he took along the ephod, the teraphim, and the idols.

       (Judg 18:21 TLB)  They started on their way again, placing their 
       children, cattle, and household goods at the front of the column.

       (Judg 18:22 TLB)  When they were quite a distance from Micah's home, 
       Micah and some of his neighbors came chasing after them,

       (Judg 18:23 TLB)  yelling at them to stop. "What do you want, chasing 
       after us like this?" the men of Dan demanded.

       (Judg 18:24 TLB)  "What do you mean, 'What do I want'!" Micah 
       retorted. "You've taken away all my gods and my priest, and I have 
       nothing left!"

       (Judg 18:25 TLB)  "Be careful how you talk, mister," the men of Dan 
       replied. "Somebody's apt to get angry and kill every one of you."

       (Judg 18:26 TLB)  So the men of Dan kept going. When Micah saw that 
       there were too many of them for him to handle, he turned back home.

       (Judg 18:27 TLB)  Then, with Micah's idols and the priest, the men of 
       Dan arrived at the city of Laish. There weren't even any guards, so 
       they went in and slaughtered all the people and burned the city to the 
       ground.

       (Judg 18:28 TLB)  There was no one to help the inhabitants, for they 
       were too far away from Sidon, and they had no local allies, for they 
       had no dealings with anyone. This happened in the valley next to 
       Beth-rehob. Then the people of the tribe of Dan rebuilt the city and 
       lived there.

       (Judg 18:29 TLB)  The city was named "Dan" after their ancestor, 
       Israel's son, but it had originally been called Laish.

       (Judg 18:30 TLB)  Then they set up the idols and appointed a man named 
       Jonathan (son of Gershom and grandson of Moses!) and his sons as their 
       priests. This family continued as priests until the city was finally 
       conquered by its enemies.

       (Judg 18:31 TLB)  So Micah's idols were worshiped by the tribe of Dan 
       as long as the Tabernacle remained at Shiloh.

       (Judg 19:1 TLB)  At this time before Israel had a king, there was a 
       man of the tribe of Levi living on the far side of the hill country of 
       Ephraim, who brought home a girl from Bethlehem in Judah to be his 
       concubine.

       (Judg 19:2 TLB)  But she became angry with him and ran away, and 





       returned to her father's home in Bethlehem, and was there about four 
       months.

       (Judg 19:3 TLB)  Then her husband, taking along a servant and an extra 
       donkey, went to see her to try to win her back again. When he arrived 
       at her home, she let him in and introduced him to her father, who was 
       delighted to meet him.

       (Judg 19:4 TLB)  Her father urged him to stay awhile, so he stayed 
       three days, and they all had a very pleasant time.

       (Judg 19:5 TLB)  On the fourth day they were up early, ready to leave, 
       but the girl's father insisted on their having breakfast first.

       (Judg 19:6 TLB)  Then he pleaded with him to stay one more day, as 
       they were having such a good time.

       (Judg 19:7 TLB)  At first the man refused, but his father-in-law kept 
       urging him until finally he gave in.

       (Judg 19:8 TLB)  The next morning they were up early again, and again 
       the girl's father pleaded, "Stay just today and leave sometime this 
       evening." So they had another day of feasting.

       (Judg 19:9 TLB)  That afternoon as he and his wife and servant were 
       preparing to leave, his father-in-law said, "Look, it's getting late. 
       Stay just tonight, and we will have a pleasant evening together and 
       tomorrow you can get up early and be on your way."

       (Judg 19:10 TLB)  But this time the man was adamant, so they left, 
       getting as far as Jerusalem (also called Jebus) before dark.

       (Judg 19:11 TLB)  His servant said to him, "It's getting too late to 
       travel; let's stay here tonight."

       (Judg 19:12 TLB)  "No," his master said, "we can't stay in this 
       heathen city where there are no Israelites--we will go on to Gibeah, 
       or possibly Ramah."

       (Judg 19:13 TLB)  

       (Judg 19:14 TLB)  So they went on. The sun was setting just as they 
       came to Gibeah, a village of the tribe of Benjamin,

       (Judg 19:15 TLB)  so they went there for the night. But as no one 
       invited them in, they camped in the village square.

       (Judg 19:16 TLB)  Just then an old man came by on his way home from 
       his work in the fields. (He was originally from the hill country of 
       Ephraim, but was living now in Gibeah, even though it was in the 
       territory of Benjamin.)

       (Judg 19:17 TLB)  When he saw the travelers camped in the square, he 
       asked them where they were from and where they were going.

       (Judg 19:18 TLB)  "We're on the way home from Bethlehem, in Judah," 





       the man replied. "I live on the far edge of the Ephraim hill country, 
       near Shiloh. But no one has taken us in for the night,

       (Judg 19:19 TLB)  even though we have fodder for our donkeys and 
       plenty of food and wine for ourselves."

       (Judg 19:20 TLB)  "Don't worry," the old man said, "be my guests; for 
       you mustn't stay here in the square. It's too dangerous."

       (Judg 19:21 TLB)  So he took them home with him. He fed their donkeys 
       while they rested, and afterward they had supper together.

       (Judg 19:22 TLB)  Just as they were beginning to warm to the occasion, 
       a gang of sex perverts gathered around the house and began beating at 
       the door and yelling at the old man to bring out the man who was 
       staying with him, so they could rape him.

       (Judg 19:23 TLB)  The old man stepped outside to talk to them. "No, my 
       brothers, don't do such a dastardly act," he begged, "for he is my 
       guest.

       (Judg 19:24 TLB)  Here, take my virgin daughter and this man's wife. 
       I'll bring them out and you can do whatever you like to them--but 
       don't do such a thing to this man."

       (Judg 19:25 TLB)  But they wouldn't listen to him. Then the girl's 
       husband pushed her out to them, and they abused her all night, taking 
       turns raping her until morning. Finally, just at dawn, they let her 
       go.

       (Judg 19:26 TLB)  She fell down at the door of the house and lay there 
       until it was light.

       (Judg 19:27 TLB)  When her husband opened the door to be on his way, 
       he found her there, fallen down in front of the door with her hands 
       digging into the threshold.

       (Judg 19:28 TLB)  "Well, come on," he said. "Let's get going." But 
       there was no answer, for she was dead; so he threw her across the 
       donkey's back and took her home.

       (Judg 19:29 TLB)  When he got there he took a knife and cut her body 
       into twelve parts and sent one piece to each tribe of Israel.

       (Judg 19:30 TLB)  Then the entire nation was roused to action against 
       the men of Benjamin because of this awful deed. "There hasn't been 
       such a horrible crime since Israel left Egypt," everyone said. "We've 
       got to do something about it."

       (Judg 20:1 TLB)  Then the entire nation of Israel sent their leaders 
       and 450,000 troops to assemble with one mind before the Lord at 
       Mizpah.

       (Judg 20:2 TLB)  They came from as far away as Dan and Beersheba, and 
       everywhere between, and from across the Jordan in the land of Gilead.





       (Judg 20:3 TLB)  (Word of the mobilization of the Israeli forces at 
       Mizpah soon reached the land of Benjamin.) The chiefs of Israel now 
       called for the murdered woman's husband and asked him just what had 
       happened.

       (Judg 20:4 TLB)  "We arrived one evening at Gibeah, a village in 
       Benjamin," he began.

       (Judg 20:5 TLB)  "That night the men of Gibeah surrounded the house, 
       planning to kill me, and they raped my wife until she was dead.

       (Judg 20:6 TLB)  So I cut her body into twelve pieces and sent the 
       pieces throughout the land of Israel, for these men have committed a 
       terrible crime.

       (Judg 20:7 TLB)  Now then, sons of Israel, express your mind and give 
       me your counsel!"

       (Judg 20:8 TLB)  And as one man they replied, "Not one of us will 
       return home

       (Judg 20:9 TLB)  until we have punished the village of Gibeah.

       (Judg 20:10 TLB)  A tenth of the army will be selected by lot as a 
       supply line to bring us food, and the rest of us will destroy Gibeah 
       for this horrible deed."

       (Judg 20:11 TLB)  So the whole nation united in this task.

       (Judg 20:12 TLB)  Then messengers were sent to the tribe of Benjamin, 
       asking, "Did you know about the terrible thing that was done among 
       you?

       (Judg 20:13 TLB)  Give up these evil men from the city of Gibeah so 
       that we can execute them and purge Israel of her evil." But the people 
       of Benjamin wouldn't listen.

       (Judg 20:14 TLB)  Instead, 26,000 of them arrived in Gibeah to join 
       the 700 local men in their defense against the rest of Israel.

       (Judg 20:15 TLB)  

       (Judg 20:16 TLB)  (Among all these there were 700 men who were 
       left-handed sharpshooters. They could hit a target within a hair's 
       breadth, never missing!)

       (Judg 20:17 TLB)  The army of Israel, not counting the men of 
       Benjamin, numbered 400,000 men.

       (Judg 20:18 TLB)  Before the battle the Israeli army went to Bethel 
       first to ask counsel from God. "Which tribe shall lead us against the 
       people of Benjamin?" they asked. And the Lord replied, "Judah shall go 
       first."

       (Judg 20:19 TLB)  So the entire army left early the next morning to go 
       to Gibeah, to attack the men of Benjamin.






       (Judg 20:20 TLB)  

       (Judg 20:21 TLB)  But the men defending the village stormed out and 
       killed 22,000 Israelis that day.

       (Judg 20:22 TLB)  Then the Israeli army wept before the Lord until 
       evening and asked him, "Shall we fight further against our brother 
       Benjamin?" And the Lord said, "Yes."

       (Judg 20:23 TLB)  

       (Judg 20:24 TLB)  So the men of Israel took courage and went out again 
       the next day to fight at the same place.

       (Judg 20:25 TLB)  And that day they lost another 18,000 men, all 
       experienced swordsmen.

       (Judg 20:26 TLB)  Then the entire army went up to Bethel and wept 
       before the Lord and fasted until evening, offering burnt sacrifices 
       and peace offerings.

       (Judg 20:27 TLB)  (The Ark of God was in Bethel in those days. 
       Phinehas, the son of Eleazar and grandson of Aaron, was the priest.)

       (Judg 20:28 TLB)  The men of Israel asked the Lord, "Shall we go out 
       again and fight against our brother Benjamin, or shall we stop?" And 
       the Lord said, "Go, for tomorrow I will see to it that you defeat the 
       men of Benjamin."

       (Judg 20:29 TLB)  So the Israeli army set an ambush all around the 
       village,

       (Judg 20:30 TLB)  and went out again on the third day and set 
       themselves in their usual battle formation.

       (Judg 20:31 TLB)  When the army of Benjamin came out of the town to 
       attack, the Israeli forces retreated and Benjamin was drawn away from 
       the town as they chased after Israel. And as they had done previously, 
       Benjamin began to kill the men of Israel along the roadway running 
       between Bethel and Gibeah, so that about thirty of them died.

       (Judg 20:32 TLB)  Then the army of Benjamin shouted, "We're defeating 
       them again!" But the armies of Israel had agreed in advance to run 
       away so that the army of Benjamin would chase them and be drawn away 
       from the town.

       (Judg 20:33 TLB)  But when the main army of Israel reached Baal-tamar, 
       it turned and attacked, and the 10,000 men in ambush west of Geba 
       jumped up from where they were

       (Judg 20:34 TLB)  and advanced against the rear of the army of 
       Benjamin, who still didn't realize the impending disaster.

       (Judg 20:35 TLB)  So the Lord helped Israel defeat Benjamin, and the 
       Israeli army killed 25,100 men of Benjamin that day,






       (Judg 20:36 TLB)  leaving but a tiny remnant of their forces. Summary 
       of the Battle: The army of Israel retreated from the men of Benjamin 
       in order to give the ambush more room for maneuvering.

       (Judg 20:37 TLB)  When the men of Benjamin had killed about thirty of 
       the Israelis, they were confident of a massive slaughter just as on 
       the previous days.

       (Judg 20:38 TLB)  But then the men in ambush rushed into the village 
       and slaughtered everyone in it, and set it on fire.

       (Judg 20:39 TLB)  The great cloud of smoke pouring into the sky was 
       the signal for the Israeli army to turn around and attack the army of 
       Benjamin,

       (Judg 20:40 TLB)  who now looked behind them and were terrified to 
       discover that their city was on fire, and that they were in serious 
       trouble.

       (Judg 20:41 TLB)  

       (Judg 20:42 TLB)  So they ran toward the wilderness, but the Israelis 
       chased after them, and the men who had set the ambush came out and 
       joined the slaughter from the rear.

       (Judg 20:43 TLB)  They encircled the army of Benjamin east of Gibeah, 
       and killed most of them there.

       (Judg 20:44 TLB)  Eighteen thousand of the Benjamin troops died in 
       that day's battle.

       (Judg 20:45 TLB)  The rest of the army fled into the wilderness toward 
       the rock of Rimmon, but 5,000 were killed along the way, and 2,000 
       more near Gidom.

       (Judg 20:46 TLB)  So the tribe of Benjamin lost 25,000 thousand brave 
       warriors that day, leaving only 600 men who escaped to the rock of 
       Rimmon, where they lived for four months.

       (Judg 20:47 TLB)  

       (Judg 20:48 TLB)  Then the Israeli army returned and slaughtered the 
       entire population of the tribe of Benjamin--men, women, children, and 
       cattle--and burned down every city and village in the entire land.

       (Judg 21:1 TLB)  The leaders of Israel had vowed at Mizpah never to 
       let their daughters marry a man from the tribe of Benjamin.

       (Judg 21:2 TLB)  And now the Israeli leaders met at Bethel and sat 
       before God until evening, weeping bitterly.

       (Judg 21:3 TLB)  "O Lord God of Israel," they cried out, "why has this 
       happened, that now one of our tribes is missing?"

       (Judg 21:4 TLB)  The next morning they were up early and built an 





       altar, and offered sacrifices and peace offerings on it.

       (Judg 21:5 TLB)  And they said among themselves, "Was any tribe of 
       Israel not represented when we held our council before the Lord at 
       Mizpah?" For at that time it was agreed by solemn oath that anyone who 
       refused to come must die.

       (Judg 21:6 TLB)  There was deep sadness throughout all Israel for the 
       loss of their brother tribe, Benjamin. "Gone," they kept saying to 
       themselves, "gone--an entire tribe of Israel has been cut off and is 
       gone.

       (Judg 21:7 TLB)  And how shall we get wives for the few who remain, 
       since we have sworn by the Lord that we will not give them our 
       daughters?"

       (Judg 21:8 TLB)  Then they thought again of their oath to kill anyone 
       who refused to come to Mizpah and discovered that no one had attended 
       from Jabesh-gilead.

       (Judg 21:9 TLB)  

       (Judg 21:10 TLB)  So they sent 12,000 of their best soldiers to 
       destroy the people of Jabesh-gilead.

       (Judg 21:11 TLB)  All the men, married women, and children were slain, 
       but the young virgins of marriageable age were saved.

       (Judg 21:12 TLB)  There were 400 of these, and they were brought to 
       the camp at Shiloh.

       (Judg 21:13 TLB)  Then Israel sent a peace delegation to the little 
       remnant of the men of Benjamin at Rimmon Rock.

       (Judg 21:14 TLB)  The 400 girls were given to them as wives, and they 
       returned to their homes; but there were not enough of these girls for 
       all of them.

       (Judg 21:15 TLB)  (What a sad time it was in Israel in those days 
       because the Lord had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.)

       (Judg 21:16 TLB)  "What shall we do for wives for the others, since 
       all the women of the tribe of Benjamin are dead?" the leaders of 
       Israel asked.

       (Judg 21:17 TLB)  "There must be some way to get wives for them, so 
       that an entire tribe of Israel will not be lost forever.

       (Judg 21:18 TLB)  But we can't give them our own daughters. We have 
       sworn with a solemn oath that anyone who does this shall be cursed of 
       God."

       (Judg 21:19 TLB)  Suddenly someone thought of the annual religious 
       festival held in the fields of Shiloh, between Lebonah and Bethel, 
       along the east side of the road that goes from Bethel to Shechem.





       (Judg 21:20 TLB)  They told the men of Benjamin who still needed 
       wives, "Go and hide in the vineyards,

       (Judg 21:21 TLB)  and when the girls of Shiloh come out for their 
       dances, rush out and catch them and take them home with you to be your 
       wives!

       (Judg 21:22 TLB)  And when their fathers and brothers come to us in 
       protest, we will tell them, 'Please be understanding and let them have 
       your daughters, for we didn't find enough wives for them when we 
       destroyed Jabesh-gilead, and you couldn't have given your daughters to 
       them without being guilty.'"

       (Judg 21:23 TLB)  So the men of Benjamin did as they were told and 
       kidnapped the girls who took part in the celebration, and carried them 
       off to their own land. Then they rebuilt their cities and lived in 
       them.

       (Judg 21:24 TLB)  So the people of Israel returned to their homes.

       (Judg 21:25 TLB)  (There was no king in Israel in those days, and 
       every man did whatever he thought was right.)

       (Ruth 1:1 TLB)  Long ago when judges ruled in Israel, a man named 
       Elimelech, from Bethlehem, left the country because of a famine and 
       moved to the land of Moab. With him were his wife, Naomi, and his two 
       sons, Mahlon and Chilion.

       (Ruth 1:2 TLB)  

       (Ruth 1:3 TLB)  During the time of their residence there, Elimelech 
       died and Naomi was left with her two sons.

       (Ruth 1:4 TLB)  These young men, Mahlon and Chilion, married girls of 
       Moab, Orpah and Ruth.

       (Ruth 1:5 TLB)  But later, both men died, so that Naomi was left 
       alone, without her husband or sons.

       (Ruth 1:6 TLB)  She decided to return to Israel with her 
       daughters-in-law, for she had heard that the Lord had blessed his 
       people by giving them good crops again.

       (Ruth 1:7 TLB)  

       (Ruth 1:8 TLB)  But after they had begun their homeward journey, she 
       changed her mind and said to her two daughters-in-law, "Why don't you 
       return to your parents' homes instead of coming with me? And may the 
       Lord reward you for your faithfulness to your husbands and to me.

       (Ruth 1:9 TLB)  And may he bless you with another happy marriage." 
       Then she kissed them, and they all broke down and cried.

       (Ruth 1:10 TLB)  "No," they said. "We want to go with you to your 
       people."





       (Ruth 1:11 TLB)  But Naomi replied, "It is better for you to return to 
       your own people. Do I have younger sons who could grow up to be your 
       husbands?

       (Ruth 1:12 TLB)  No, my daughters, return to your parents' homes, for 
       I am too old to have a husband. And even if that were possible, and I 
       became pregnant tonight, and bore sons

       (Ruth 1:13 TLB)  would you wait for them to grow up? No, of course 
       not, my daughters; oh, how I grieve for you that the Lord has punished 
       me in a way that injures you."

       (Ruth 1:14 TLB)  And again they cried together, and Orpah kissed her 
       mother-in-law good-bye, and returned to her childhood home; but Ruth 
       insisted on staying with Naomi.

       (Ruth 1:15 TLB)  "See," Naomi said to her, "your sister-in-law has 
       gone back to her people and to her gods; you should do the same."

       (Ruth 1:16 TLB)  But Ruth replied, "Don't make me leave you, for I 
       want to go wherever you go and to live wherever you live; your people 
       shall be my people, and your God shall be my God;

       (Ruth 1:17 TLB)  I want to die where you die and be buried there. May 
       the Lord do terrible things to me if I allow anything but death to 
       separate us."

       (Ruth 1:18 TLB)  And when Naomi saw that Ruth had made up her mind and 
       could not be persuaded otherwise, she stopped urging her.

       (Ruth 1:19 TLB)  So they both came to Bethlehem, and the entire 
       village was stirred by their arrival. "Is it really Naomi?" the women 
       asked.

       (Ruth 1:20 TLB)  But she told them, "Don't call me Naomi. Call me 
       Mara," (Naomi means "pleasant"; Mara means "bitter") "for Almighty God 
       has dealt me bitter blows.

       (Ruth 1:21 TLB)  I went out full and the Lord has brought me home 
       empty; why should you call me Naomi when the Lord has turned his back 
       on me and sent such calamity!"

       (Ruth 1:22 TLB)  (Their return from Moab and arrival in Bethlehem was 
       at the beginning of the barley harvest.)

       (Ruth 2:1 TLB)  Now Naomi had an in-law there in Bethlehem who was a 
       very wealthy man. His name was Boaz.

       (Ruth 2:2 TLB)  One day Ruth said to Naomi, "Perhaps I can go out into 
       the fields of some kind man to glean the free grain behind his 
       reapers." And Naomi said, "All right, dear daughter. Go ahead."

       (Ruth 2:3 TLB)  So she did. And as it happened, the field where she 
       found herself belonged to Boaz, this relative of Naomi's husband.

       (Ruth 2:4 TLB)  Boaz arrived from the city while she was there. After 





       exchanging greetings with the reapers

       (Ruth 2:5 TLB)  he said to his foreman, "Hey, who's that girl over 
       there?"

       (Ruth 2:6 TLB)  And the foreman replied, "It's that girl from the land 
       of Moab who came back with Naomi.

       (Ruth 2:7 TLB)  She asked me this morning if she could pick up the 
       grains dropped by the reapers, and she has been at it ever since 
       except for a few minutes' rest over there in the shade."

       (Ruth 2:8 TLB)  Boaz went over and talked to her. "Listen, my child," 
       he said to her. "Stay right here with us to glean; don't think of 
       going to any other fields.

       (Ruth 2:9 TLB)  Stay right behind my women workers; I have warned the 
       young men not to bother you; when you are thirsty, go and help 
       yourself to the water."

       (Ruth 2:10 TLB)  She thanked him warmly. "How can you be so kind to 
       me?" she asked. "You must know I am only a foreigner."

       (Ruth 2:11 TLB)  "Yes, I know," Boaz replied, "and I also know about 
       all the love and kindness you have shown your mother-in-law since the 
       death of your husband, and how you left your father and mother in your 
       own land and have come here to live among strangers.

       (Ruth 2:12 TLB)  May the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings you 
       have come to take refuge, bless you for it."

       (Ruth 2:13 TLB)  "Oh, thank you, sir," she replied. "You are so good 
       to me, and I'm not even one of your workers!"

       (Ruth 2:14 TLB)  At lunch time Boaz called to her, "Come and eat with 
       us." So she sat with his reapers and he gave her food, more than she 
       could eat.

       (Ruth 2:15 TLB)  And when she went back to work again, Boaz told his 
       young men to let her glean right among the sheaves without stopping 
       her,

       (Ruth 2:16 TLB)  and to snap off some heads of barley and drop them on 
       purpose for her to glean, and not to make any remarks.

       (Ruth 2:17 TLB)  So she worked there all day, and in the evening when 
       she had beaten out the barley she had gleaned, it came to a whole 
       bushel!

       (Ruth 2:18 TLB)  She carried it back into the city and gave it to her 
       mother-in-law, with what was left of her lunch.

       (Ruth 2:19 TLB)  "So much!" Naomi exclaimed. "Where in the world did 
       you glean today? Praise the Lord for whoever was so kind to you." So 
       Ruth told her mother-in-law all about it and mentioned that the owner 
       of the field was Boaz.






       (Ruth 2:20 TLB)  "Praise the Lord for a man like that! God has 
       continued his kindness to us as well as to your dead husband!" Naomi 
       cried excitedly. "Why, that man is one of our closest relatives!"

       (Ruth 2:21 TLB)  "Well," Ruth told her, "he said to come back and stay 
       close behind his reapers until the entire field is harvested."

       (Ruth 2:22 TLB)  "This is wonderful!" Naomi exclaimed. "Do as he has 
       said. Stay with his girls right through the whole harvest; you will be 
       safer there than in any other field!"

       (Ruth 2:23 TLB)  So Ruth did and gleaned with them until the end of 
       the barley harvest, and then the wheat harvest too.

       (Ruth 3:1 TLB)  One day Naomi said to Ruth, "My dear, isn't it time 
       that I try to find a husband for you and get you happily married 
       again?

       (Ruth 3:2 TLB)  The man I'm thinking of is Boaz! He has been so kind 
       to us and is a close relative. I happen to know that he will be 
       winnowing barley tonight out on the threshing-floor.

       (Ruth 3:3 TLB)  Now do what I tell you--bathe and put on some perfume 
       and some nice clothes and go on down to the threshing-floor, but don't 
       let him see you until he has finished his supper.

       (Ruth 3:4 TLB)  Notice where he lies down to sleep; then go and lift 
       the cover off his feet and lie down there, and he will tell you what 
       to do concerning marriage."

       (Ruth 3:5 TLB)  And Ruth replied, "All right. I'll do whatever you 
       say."

       (Ruth 3:6 TLB)  So she went down to the threshing-floor that night and 
       followed her mother-in-law's instructions.

       (Ruth 3:7 TLB)  After Boaz had finished a good meal, he lay down very 
       contentedly beside a heap of grain and went to sleep. Then Ruth came 
       quietly and lifted the covering off his feet and lay there.

       (Ruth 3:8 TLB)  Suddenly, around midnight, he wakened and sat up, 
       startled. There was a woman lying at his feet!

       (Ruth 3:9 TLB)  "Who are you?" he demanded. "It's I, sir--Ruth," she 
       replied. "Make me your wife according to God's law, for you are my 
       close relative."

       (Ruth 3:10 TLB)  "Thank God for a girl like you!" he exclaimed. "For 
       you are being even kinder to Naomi now than before. Naturally you'd 
       prefer a younger man, even though poor. But you have put aside your 
       personal desires.

       (Ruth 3:11 TLB)  Now don't worry about a thing, my child; I'll handle 
       all the details, for everyone knows what a wonderful person you are.





       (Ruth 3:12 TLB)  But there is one problem. It's true that I am a close 
       relative, but there is someone else who is more closely related to you 
       than I am.

       (Ruth 3:13 TLB)  Stay here tonight, and in the morning I'll talk to 
       him, and if he will marry you, fine; let him do his duty; but if he 
       won't, then I will, I swear by Jehovah; lie down until the morning."

       (Ruth 3:14 TLB)  So she lay at his feet until the morning and was up 
       early, before daybreak, for he had said to her, "Don't let it be known 
       that a woman was here at the threshing-floor."

       (Ruth 3:15 TLB)  "Bring your shawl," he told her. Then he tied up a 
       bushel and a half of barley in it as a present for her mother-in-law 
       and laid it on her back. Then she returned to the city.

       (Ruth 3:16 TLB)  "Well, what happened, dear?" Naomi asked her when she 
       arrived home. She told Naomi everything and gave her the barley from 
       Boaz,

       (Ruth 3:17 TLB)  and mentioned his remark that she mustn't go home 
       without a present.

       (Ruth 3:18 TLB)  Then Naomi said to her, "Just be patient until we 
       hear what happens, for Boaz won't rest until he has followed through 
       on this. He'll settle it today."

       (Ruth 4:1 TLB)  So Boaz went down to the marketplace and found the 
       relative he had mentioned. "Say, come over here," he called to him. "I 
       want to talk to you a minute." So they sat down together.

       (Ruth 4:2 TLB)  Then Boaz called for ten of the chief men of the 
       village and asked them to sit as witnesses.

       (Ruth 4:3 TLB)  Boaz said to his relative, "You know Naomi, who came 
       back to us from Moab. She is selling our brother Elimelech's property.

       (Ruth 4:4 TLB)  I felt that I should speak to you about it so that you 
       can buy it if you wish, with these respected men as witnesses. If you 
       want it, let me know right away, for if you don't take it, I will. You 
       have the first right to purchase it and I am next." The man replied, 
       "All right, I'll buy it."

       (Ruth 4:5 TLB)  Then Boaz told him, "Your purchase of the land from 
       Naomi requires your marriage to Ruth so that she can have children to 
       carry on her husband's name and to inherit the land."

       (Ruth 4:6 TLB)  "Then I can't do it," the man replied. "For her son 
       would become an heir to my property too; you buy it."

       (Ruth 4:7 TLB)  In those days it was the custom in Israel for a man 
       transferring a right of purchase to pull off his sandal and hand it to 
       the other party; this publicly validated the transaction.

       (Ruth 4:8 TLB)  So, as the man said to Boaz, "You buy it for 
       yourself," he drew off his sandal.






       (Ruth 4:9 TLB)  Then Boaz said to the witnesses and to the crowd 
       standing around, "You have seen that today I have bought all the 
       property of Elimelech, Chilion, and Mahlon, from Naomi,

       (Ruth 4:10 TLB)  and that with it I have purchased Ruth the Moabitess, 
       the widow of Mahlon, to be my wife, so that she can have a son to 
       carry on the family name of her dead husband."

       (Ruth 4:11 TLB)  And all the people standing there and the witnesses 
       replied, "We are witnesses. May the Lord make this woman, who has now 
       come into your home, as fertile as Rachel and Leah, from whom all the 
       nation of Israel descended! May you be a great and successful man in 
       Bethlehem,

       (Ruth 4:12 TLB)  and may the descendants the Lord will give you from 
       this young woman be as numerous and honorable as those of our ancestor 
       Perez, the son of Tamar and Judah."

       (Ruth 4:13 TLB)  So Boaz married Ruth, and when he slept with her, the 
       Lord gave her a son.

       (Ruth 4:14 TLB)  And the women of the city said to Naomi, "Bless the 
       Lord who has given you this little grandson; may he be famous in 
       Israel.

       (Ruth 4:15 TLB)  May he restore your youth and take care of you in 
       your old age; for he is the son of your daughter-in-law who loves you 
       so much, and who has been kinder to you than seven sons!"

       (Ruth 4:16 TLB)  Naomi took care of the baby, and the neighbor women 
       said,

       (Ruth 4:17 TLB)  "Now at last Naomi has a son again!" And they named 
       him Obed. He was the father of Jesse and grandfather of King David.

       (Ruth 4:18 TLB)  This is the family tree of Boaz, beginning with his 
       ancestor Perez: Perez, Hezron, Ram, Amminadab, Nashon, Salmon, Boaz, 
       Obed, Jesse, David.

       (Ruth 4:19 TLB)  

       (Ruth 4:20 TLB)  

       (Ruth 4:21 TLB)  

       (Ruth 4:22 TLB)  

       (1 Sam 1:1 TLB)  This is the story of Elkanah, a man of the tribe of 
       Ephraim who lived in Ramathaim-zophim, in the hills of Ephraim. His 
       father's name was Jeroham, His grandfather was Elihu, His 
       great-grandfather was Tohu, His great-great-grandfather was Zuph.

       (1 Sam 1:2 TLB)  He had two wives, Hannah and Peninnah. Peninnah had 
       some children, but Hannah didn't.





       (1 Sam 1:3 TLB)  Each year Elkanah and his families journeyed to the 
       Tabernacle at Shiloh to worship the Lord of the heavens and to 
       sacrifice to him. (The priests on duty at that time were the two sons 
       of Eli--Hophni and Phinehas.)

       (1 Sam 1:4 TLB)  On the day he presented his sacrifice, Elkanah would 
       celebrate the happy occasion by giving presents to Peninnah and her 
       children;

       (1 Sam 1:5 TLB)  but although he loved Hannah very much, he could give 
       her only one present, for the Lord had sealed her womb; so she had no 
       children to give presents to.

       (1 Sam 1:6 TLB)  Peninnah made matters worse by taunting Hannah 
       because of her barrenness.

       (1 Sam 1:7 TLB)  Every year it was the same--Peninnah scoffing and 
       laughing at her as they went to Shiloh, making her cry so much she 
       couldn't eat.

       (1 Sam 1:8 TLB)  "What's the matter, Hannah?" Elkanah would exclaim. 
       "Why aren't you eating? Why make such a fuss over having no children? 
       Isn't having me better than having ten sons?"

       (1 Sam 1:9 TLB)  One evening after supper, when they were at Shiloh, 
       Hannah went over to the Tabernacle. Eli the priest was sitting at his 
       customary place beside the entrance.

       (1 Sam 1:10 TLB)  She was in deep anguish and was crying bitterly as 
       she prayed to the Lord.

       (1 Sam 1:11 TLB)  And she made this vow: "O Lord of heaven, if you 
       will look down upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, 
       then I will give him back to you, and he'll be yours for his entire 
       lifetime, and his hair shall never be cut."

       (1 Sam 1:12 TLB)  Eli noticed her mouth moving as she was praying 
       silently and, hearing no sound, thought she had been drinking.

       (1 Sam 1:13 TLB)  

       (1 Sam 1:14 TLB)  "Must you come here drunk?" he demanded. "Throw away 
       your bottle."

       (1 Sam 1:15 TLB)  "Oh no, sir!" she replied, "I'm not drunk! But I am 
       very sad and I was pouring out my heart to the Lord. Please don't 
       think that I am just some drunken bum!"

       (1 Sam 1:16 TLB)  

       (1 Sam 1:17 TLB)  "In that case," Eli said, "cheer up! May the Lord of 
       Israel grant you your petition, whatever it is!"

       (1 Sam 1:18 TLB)  "Oh, thank you, sir!" she exclaimed, and went 
       happily back, and began to take her meals again.





       (1 Sam 1:19 TLB)  The entire family was up early the next morning and 
       went to the Tabernacle to worship the Lord once more. Then they 
       returned home to Ramah, and when Elkanah slept with Hannah, the Lord 
       remembered her petition;

       (1 Sam 1:20 TLB)  in the process of time, a baby boy was born to her. 
       She named him Samuel (meaning "asked of God") because, as she said, "I 
       asked the Lord for him."

       (1 Sam 1:21 TLB)  The next year Elkanah and Peninnah and her children 
       went on the annual trip to the Tabernacle

       (1 Sam 1:22 TLB)  without Hannah, for she told her husband, "Wait 
       until the baby is weaned, and then I will take him to the Tabernacle 
       and leave him there."

       (1 Sam 1:23 TLB)  "Well, whatever you think best," Elkanah agreed. 
       "May the Lord's will be done." So she stayed home until the baby was 
       weaned.

       (1 Sam 1:24 TLB)  Then, though he was still so small, they took him to 
       the Tabernacle in Shiloh, along with a three-year-old bull for the 
       sacrifice, and a bushel of flour and some wine.

       (1 Sam 1:25 TLB)  After the sacrifice they took the child to Eli.

       (1 Sam 1:26 TLB)  "Sir, do you remember me?" Hannah asked him. "I am 
       the woman who stood here that time praying to the Lord!

       (1 Sam 1:27 TLB)  I asked him to give me this child, and he has given 
       me my request;

       (1 Sam 1:28 TLB)  and now I am giving him to the Lord for as long as 
       he lives." So she left him there at the Tabernacle for the Lord to 
       use.

       (1 Sam 2:1 TLB)  This was Hannah's prayer: "How I rejoice in the Lord! 
       How he has blessed me! Now I have an answer for my enemies, For the 
       Lord has solved my problem. How I rejoice!

       (1 Sam 2:2 TLB)  No one is as holy as the Lord! There is no other God, 
       Nor any Rock like our God.

       (1 Sam 2:3 TLB)  Quit acting so proud and arrogant! The Lord knows 
       what you have done, And he will judge your deeds.

       (1 Sam 2:4 TLB)  Those who were mighty are mighty no more! Those who 
       were weak are now strong.

       (1 Sam 2:5 TLB)  Those who were well are now starving; Those who were 
       starving are fed. The barren woman now has seven children; She with 
       many children has no more!

       (1 Sam 2:6 TLB)  The Lord kills, The Lord gives life.

       (1 Sam 2:7 TLB)  Some he causes to be poor And others to be rich. He 





       cuts one down And lifts another up.

       (1 Sam 2:8 TLB)  He lifts the poor from the dust-- Yes, from a pile of 
       ashes-- And treats them as princes Sitting in the seats of honor. For 
       all the earth is the Lord's And he has set the world in order.

       (1 Sam 2:9 TLB)  He will protect his godly ones, But the wicked shall 
       be silenced in darkness. No one shall succeed by strength alone.

       (1 Sam 2:10 TLB)  Those who fight against the Lord shall be broken; He 
       thunders against them from heaven. He judges throughout the earth. He 
       gives mighty strength to his King, And gives great glory to his 
       anointed one."

       (1 Sam 2:11 TLB)  So they returned home to Ramah without Samuel; and 
       the child became the Lord's helper, for he assisted Eli the priest.

       (1 Sam 2:12 TLB)  Now the sons of Eli were evil men who didn't love 
       the Lord.

       (1 Sam 2:13 TLB)  It was their regular practice to send out a servant 
       whenever anyone was offering a sacrifice, and while the flesh of the 
       sacrificed animal was boiling,

       (1 Sam 2:14 TLB)  the servant would put a three-pronged fleshhook into 
       the pot and demand that whatever it brought up be given to Eli's sons. 
       They treated all of the Israelites in this way when they came to 
       Shiloh to worship.

       (1 Sam 2:15 TLB)  Sometimes the servant would come even before the 
       rite of burning the fat on the altar had been performed, and he would 
       demand raw meat before it was boiled, so that it could be used for 
       roasting.

       (1 Sam 2:16 TLB)  If the man offering the sacrifice replied, "Take as 
       much as you want, but the fat must first be burned" (as the law 
       requires), then the servant would say, "No, give it to me now or I'll 
       take it by force."

       (1 Sam 2:17 TLB)  So the sin of these young men was very great in the 
       eyes of the Lord; for they treated the people's offerings to the Lord 
       with contempt.

       (1 Sam 2:18 TLB)  Samuel, though only a child, was the Lord's helper 
       and wore a little linen robe just like the priest's.

       (1 Sam 2:19 TLB)  Each year his mother made a little coat for him and 
       brought it to him when she came with her husband for the sacrifice.

       (1 Sam 2:20 TLB)  Before they returned home Eli would bless Elkanah 
       and Hannah and ask God to give them other children to take the place 
       of this one they had given to the Lord.

       (1 Sam 2:21 TLB)  And the Lord gave Hannah three sons and two 
       daughters. Meanwhile Samuel grew up in the service of the Lord.





       (1 Sam 2:22 TLB)  Eli was now very old, but he was aware of what was 
       going on around him. He knew, for instance, that his sons were 
       seducing the young women who assisted at the entrance of the 
       Tabernacle.

       (1 Sam 2:23 TLB)  "I have been hearing terrible reports from the 
       Lord's people about what you are doing," Eli told his sons.

       (1 Sam 2:24 TLB)  "It is an awful thing to make the Lord's people sin.

       (1 Sam 2:25 TLB)  Ordinary sin receives heavy punishment, but how much 
       more this sin of yours that has been committed against the Lord!" But 
       they wouldn't listen to their father, for the Lord was already 
       planning to kill them.

       (1 Sam 2:26 TLB)  Little Samuel was growing in two ways--he was 
       getting taller, and he was becoming everyone's favorite (and he was a 
       favorite of the Lord's, too!).

       (1 Sam 2:27 TLB)  One day a prophet came to Eli and gave him this 
       message from the Lord: "Didn't I demonstrate my power when the people 
       of Israel were slaves in Egypt?

       (1 Sam 2:28 TLB)  Didn't I choose your ancestor Levi from among all 
       his brothers to be my priest, and to sacrifice upon my altar, and to 
       burn incense, and to wear a priestly robe as he served me? And didn't 
       I assign the sacrificial offerings to you priests?

       (1 Sam 2:29 TLB)  Then why are you so greedy for all the other 
       offerings which are brought to me? Why have you honored your sons more 
       than me--for you and they have become fat from the best of the 
       offerings of my people!

       (1 Sam 2:30 TLB)  "Therefore, I, the Lord God of Israel, declare that 
       although I promised that your branch of the tribe of Levi could always 
       be my priests, it is ridiculous to think that what you are doing can 
       continue. I will honor only those who honor me, and I will despise 
       those who despise me.

       (1 Sam 2:31 TLB)  I will put an end to your family, so that it will no 
       longer serve as priests. Every member will die before his time. None 
       shall live to be old.

       (1 Sam 2:32 TLB)  You will envy the prosperity I will give my people, 
       but you and your family will be in distress and need. Not one of them 
       will live out his days.

       (1 Sam 2:33 TLB)  Those who are left alive will live in sadness and 
       grief; and their children shall die by the sword.

       (1 Sam 2:34 TLB)  And to prove that what I have said will come true, I 
       will cause your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, to die on the same day!

       (1 Sam 2:35 TLB)  "Then I will raise up a faithful priest who will 
       serve me and do whatever I tell him to do. I will bless his 
       descendants, and his family shall be priests to my kings forever.






       (1 Sam 2:36 TLB)  Then all of your descendants shall bow before him, 
       begging for money and food. 'Please,' they will say, 'give me a job 
       among the priests so that I will have enough to eat.'"

       (1 Sam 3:1 TLB)  Meanwhile little Samuel was helping the Lord by 
       assisting Eli. Messages from the Lord were very rare in those days,

       (1 Sam 3:2 TLB)  but one night after Eli had gone to bed (he was 
       almost blind with age by now), and Samuel was sleeping in the Temple 
       near the Ark,

       (1 Sam 3:3 TLB)  

       (1 Sam 3:4 TLB)  the Lord called out, "Samuel! Samuel!" "Yes?" Samuel 
       replied. "What is it?"

       (1 Sam 3:5 TLB)  He jumped up and ran to Eli. "Here I am. What do you 
       want?" he asked. "I didn't call you," Eli said. "Go on back to bed." 
       So he did.

       (1 Sam 3:6 TLB)  Then the Lord called again, "Samuel!" And again 
       Samuel jumped up and ran to Eli. "Yes?" he asked. "What do you need?" 
       "No, I didn't call you, my son," Eli said. "Go on back to bed."

       (1 Sam 3:7 TLB)  (Samuel had never had a message from Jehovah before.)

       (1 Sam 3:8 TLB)  So now the Lord called the third time, and once more 
       Samuel jumped up and ran to Eli. "Yes?" he asked. "What do you need?" 
       Then Eli realized it was the Lord who had spoken to the child.

       (1 Sam 3:9 TLB)  So he said to Samuel, "Go and lie down again, and if 
       he calls again, say, 'Yes, Lord, I'm listening.'" So Samuel went back 
       to bed.

       (1 Sam 3:10 TLB)  And the Lord came and called as before, "Samuel! 
       Samuel!" And Samuel replied, "Yes, I'm listening."

       (1 Sam 3:11 TLB)  Then the Lord said to Samuel, "I am going to do a 
       shocking thing in Israel.

       (1 Sam 3:12 TLB)  I am going to do all of the dreadful things I warned 
       Eli about.

       (1 Sam 3:13 TLB)  I have continually threatened him and his entire 
       family with punishment because his sons are blaspheming God, and he 
       doesn't stop them.

       (1 Sam 3:14 TLB)  So I have vowed that the sins of Eli and of his sons 
       shall never be forgiven by sacrifices and offerings."

       (1 Sam 3:15 TLB)  Samuel stayed in bed until morning, then opened the 
       doors of the Temple as usual, for he was afraid to tell Eli what the 
       Lord had said to him.

       (1 Sam 3:16 TLB)  But Eli called him. "My son," he said, "what did the 





       Lord say to you?

       (1 Sam 3:17 TLB)  Tell me everything. And may God punish you if you 
       hide anything from me!"

       (1 Sam 3:18 TLB)  So Samuel told him what the Lord had said. "It is 
       the Lord's will," Eli replied; "let him do what he thinks best."

       (1 Sam 3:19 TLB)  As Samuel grew, the Lord was with him and people 
       listened carefully to his advice.

       (1 Sam 3:20 TLB)  And all Israel from one end of the land to the other 
       knew that Samuel was going to be a prophet of the Lord.

       (1 Sam 3:21 TLB)  Then the Lord began to give messages to him there at 
       the Tabernacle in Shiloh, and he passed them on to the people of 
       Israel.

       (1 Sam 4:1 TLB)  At that time Israel was at war with the Philistines. 
       The Israeli army was camped near Ebenezer, the Philistines at Aphek.

       (1 Sam 4:2 TLB)  And the Philistines defeated Israel, killing four 
       thousand of them.

       (1 Sam 4:3 TLB)  After the battle was over, the army of Israel 
       returned to their camp and their leaders discussed why the Lord had 
       let them be defeated. "Let's bring the Ark here from Shiloh," they 
       said. "If we carry it into battle with us, the Lord will be among us 
       and he will surely save us from our enemies."

       (1 Sam 4:4 TLB)  So they sent for the Ark of the Lord of heaven who is 
       enthroned above the angels. Hophni and Phinehas, the sons of Eli, 
       accompanied it into the battle.

       (1 Sam 4:5 TLB)  When the Israelis saw the Ark coming, their shout of 
       joy was so loud that it almost made the ground shake!

       (1 Sam 4:6 TLB)  "What's going on?" the Philistines asked. "What's all 
       the shouting about over in the camp of the Hebrews?" When they were 
       told it was because the Ark of the Lord had arrived,

       (1 Sam 4:7 TLB)  they panicked. "God has come into their camp!" they 
       cried out. "Woe upon us, for we have never had to face anything like 
       this before!

       (1 Sam 4:8 TLB)  Who can save us from these mighty gods of Israel? 
       They are the same gods who destroyed the Egyptians with plagues when 
       Israel was in the wilderness.

       (1 Sam 4:9 TLB)  Fight as you never have before, O Philistines, or we 
       will become their slaves just as they have been ours."

       (1 Sam 4:10 TLB)  So the Philistines fought desperately and Israel was 
       defeated again. Thirty thousand men of Israel died that day, and the 
       remainder fled to their tents.





       (1 Sam 4:11 TLB)  And the Ark of God was captured, and Hophni and 
       Phinehas were killed.

       (1 Sam 4:12 TLB)  A man from the tribe of Benjamin ran from the battle 
       and arrived at Shiloh the same day with his clothes torn and dirt on 
       his head.

       (1 Sam 4:13 TLB)  Eli was waiting beside the road to hear the news of 
       the battle, for his heart trembled for the safety of the Ark of God. 
       As the messenger from the battlefront arrived and told what had 
       happened, a great cry arose throughout the city.

       (1 Sam 4:14 TLB)  "What is all the noise about?" Eli asked. And the 
       messenger rushed over to Eli and told him what had happened.

       (1 Sam 4:15 TLB)  (Eli was ninety-eight years old and was blind.)

       (1 Sam 4:16 TLB)  "I have just come from the battle--I was there 
       today," he told Eli,

       (1 Sam 4:17 TLB)  "and Israel has been defeated and thousands of the 
       Israeli troops are dead on the battlefield. Hophni and Phinehas were 
       killed too, and the Ark has been captured."

       (1 Sam 4:18 TLB)  When the messenger mentioned what had happened to 
       the Ark, Eli fell backward from his seat beside the gate and his neck 
       was broken by the fall, and he died (for he was old and fat). He had 
       judged Israel for forty years.

       (1 Sam 4:19 TLB)  When Eli's daughter-in-law, Phinehas' wife, who was 
       pregnant, heard that the Ark had been captured and that her husband 
       and father-in-law were dead, her labor pains suddenly began.

       (1 Sam 4:20 TLB)  Just before she died, the women who were attending 
       her told her that everything was all right and that the baby was a 
       boy. But she did not reply or respond in any way.

       (1 Sam 4:21 TLB)  Then she murmured, "Name the child 'Ichabod,' for 
       Israel's glory is gone." (Ichabod means "there is no glory." She named 
       him this because the Ark of God had been captured and because her 
       husband and her father-in-law were dead.)

       (1 Sam 4:22 TLB)  

       (1 Sam 5:1 TLB)  The Philistines took the captured Ark of God from the 
       battleground at Ebenezer to the temple of their idol Dagon in the city 
       of Ashdod.

       (1 Sam 5:2 TLB)  

       (1 Sam 5:3 TLB)  But when the local citizens went to see it the next 
       morning, Dagon had fallen with his face to the ground before the Ark 
       of Jehovah! They set him up again,

       (1 Sam 5:4 TLB)  but the next morning the same thing had happened--the 
       idol had fallen face down before the Ark of the Lord again. This time 





       his head and hands had been cut off and were lying in the doorway; 
       only the trunk of his body was left intact.

       (1 Sam 5:5 TLB)  (That is why to this day neither the priests of Dagon 
       nor his worshipers will walk on the threshold of the temple of Dagon 
       in Ashdod.)

       (1 Sam 5:6 TLB)  Then the Lord began to destroy the people of Ashdod 
       and the nearby villages with bubonic plague.

       (1 Sam 5:7 TLB)  When the people realized what was happening, they 
       exclaimed, "We can't keep the Ark of the God of Israel here any 
       longer. We will all perish along with our god Dagon."

       (1 Sam 5:8 TLB)  So they called a conference of the mayors of the five 
       cities of the Philistines to decide how to dispose of the Ark. The 
       decision was to take it to Gath.

       (1 Sam 5:9 TLB)  But when the Ark arrived at Gath, the Lord began 
       destroying its people, young and old, with the plague, and there was a 
       great panic.

       (1 Sam 5:10 TLB)  So they sent the Ark to Ekron, but when the people 
       of Ekron saw it coming they cried out, "They are bringing the Ark of 
       the God of Israel here to kill us too!"

       (1 Sam 5:11 TLB)  So they summoned the mayors again and begged them to 
       send the Ark back to its own country, lest the entire city die. For 
       the plague had already begun, and great fear was sweeping across the 
       city.

       (1 Sam 5:12 TLB)  Those who didn't die were deathly ill; and there was 
       weeping everywhere.

       (1 Sam 6:1 TLB)  The Ark remained in the Philistine country for seven 
       months in all.

       (1 Sam 6:2 TLB)  Then the Philistines called for their priests and 
       diviners and asked them, "What shall we do about the Ark of God? What 
       sort of gift shall we send with it when we return it to its own land?"

       (1 Sam 6:3 TLB)  "Yes, send it back with a gift," they were told. 
       "Send a guilt offering so that the plague will stop. Then, if it 
       doesn't, you will know God didn't send the plague upon you after all."

       (1 Sam 6:4 TLB)  "What guilt offering shall we send?" they asked. And 
       they were told,

       (1 Sam 6:5 TLB)  "Send five gold models of the tumor caused by the 
       plague, and five gold models of the rats that have ravaged the whole 
       land--the capital cities and villages alike. If you send these gifts 
       and then praise the God of Israel, perhaps he will stop persecuting 
       you and your god.

       (1 Sam 6:6 TLB)  Don't be stubborn and rebellious as Pharaoh and the 
       Egyptians were. They wouldn't let Israel go until God had destroyed 





       them with dreadful plagues.

       (1 Sam 6:7 TLB)  Now build a new cart and hitch to it two cows that 
       have just had calves--cows that never before have been yoked--and shut 
       their calves away from them in the barn.

       (1 Sam 6:8 TLB)  Place the Ark of God on the cart beside a chest 
       containing the gold models of the rats and tumors, and let the cows go 
       wherever they want to.

       (1 Sam 6:9 TLB)  If they cross the border of our land and go into 
       Beth-shemesh, then you will know that it was God who brought this 
       great evil upon us; if they don't (but return to their calves), then 
       we will know that the plague was simply a coincidence and was not sent 
       by God at all."

       (1 Sam 6:10 TLB)  So these instructions were carried out. Two cows 
       with newborn calves were hitched to the cart and their calves were 
       shut up in the barn.

       (1 Sam 6:11 TLB)  Then the Ark of the Lord and the chest containing 
       the gold rats and tumors were placed upon the cart.

       (1 Sam 6:12 TLB)  And sure enough, the cows went straight along the 
       road toward Beth-shemesh, lowing as they went; and the Philistine 
       mayors followed them as far as the border of Beth-shemesh.

       (1 Sam 6:13 TLB)  The people of Beth-shemesh were reaping wheat in the 
       valley, and when they saw the Ark, they went wild with joy!

       (1 Sam 6:14 TLB)  The cart came into the field of a man named Joshua 
       and stopped beside a large rock. So the people broke up the wood of 
       the cart for a fire and killed the cows and sacrificed them to the 
       Lord as a burnt offering.

       (1 Sam 6:15 TLB)  Several men of the tribe of Levi lifted the Ark and 
       the chest containing the gold rats and tumors from the cart and laid 
       them on the rock. And many burnt offerings and sacrifices were offered 
       to the Lord that day by the men of Beth-shemesh.

       (1 Sam 6:16 TLB)  After the five Philistine mayors had watched for 
       awhile, they returned to Ekron that same day.

       (1 Sam 6:17 TLB)  The five gold models of tumors which had been sent 
       by the Philistines as a guilt offering to the Lord were gifts from the 
       mayors of the capital cities, Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron.

       (1 Sam 6:18 TLB)  The gold rats were to placate God for the other 
       Philistine cities, both the fortified cities and the country villages 
       controlled by the five capitals. (By the way, that large rock at 
       Beth-shemesh can still be seen in the field of Joshua.)

       (1 Sam 6:19 TLB)  But the Lord killed seventy of the men of 
       Beth-shemesh because they looked into the Ark. And the people mourned 
       because of the many people whom the Lord had killed.





       (1 Sam 6:20 TLB)  "Who is able to stand before Jehovah, this holy 
       God?" they cried out. "Where can we send the Ark from here?"

       (1 Sam 6:21 TLB)  So they sent messengers to the people at 
       Kiriath-jearim and told them that the Philistines had brought back the 
       Ark of the Lord. "Come and get it!" they begged.

       (1 Sam 7:1 TLB)  So the men of Kiriath-jearim came and took the Ark to 
       the hillside home of Abinadab and installed his son Eleazar to be in 
       charge of it.

       (1 Sam 7:2 TLB)  The Ark remained there for twenty years, and during 
       that time all Israel was in sorrow because the Lord had seemingly 
       abandoned them.

       (1 Sam 7:3 TLB)  At that time Samuel said to them, "If you are really 
       serious about wanting to return to the Lord, get rid of your foreign 
       gods and your Ashtaroth idols. Determine to obey only the Lord; then 
       he will rescue you from the Philistines."

       (1 Sam 7:4 TLB)  So they destroyed their idols of Baal and Ashtaroth 
       and worshiped only the Lord.

       (1 Sam 7:5 TLB)  Then Samuel told them, "Come to Mizpah, all of you, 
       and I will pray to the Lord for you."

       (1 Sam 7:6 TLB)  So they gathered there and, in a great ceremony, drew 
       water from the well and poured it out before the Lord. They also went 
       without food all day as a sign of sorrow for their sins. So it was at 
       Mizpah that Samuel became Israel's judge.

       (1 Sam 7:7 TLB)  When the Philistine leaders heard about the great 
       crowds at Mizpah, they mobilized their army and advanced. The Israelis 
       were badly frightened when they learned that the Philistines were 
       approaching.

       (1 Sam 7:8 TLB)  "Plead with God to save us!" they begged Samuel.

       (1 Sam 7:9 TLB)  So Samuel took a suckling lamb and offered it to the 
       Lord as a whole burnt offering and pleaded with him to help Israel. 
       And the Lord responded.

       (1 Sam 7:10 TLB)  Just as Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, 
       the Philistines arrived for battle, but the Lord spoke with a mighty 
       voice of thunder from heaven, and they were thrown into confusion, and 
       the Israelis routed them

       (1 Sam 7:11 TLB)  and chased them from Mizpah to Beth-car, killing 
       them all along the way.

       (1 Sam 7:12 TLB)  Samuel then took a stone and placed it between 
       Mizpah and Jeshanah and named it Ebenezer (meaning, "the Stone of 
       Help"), for he said, "The Lord has certainly helped us!"

       (1 Sam 7:13 TLB)  So the Philistines were subdued and didn't invade 
       Israel again at that time because the Lord was against them throughout 





       the remainder of Samuel's lifetime.

       (1 Sam 7:14 TLB)  The Israeli cities between Ekron and Gath, which had 
       been conquered by the Philistines, were now returned to Israel, for 
       the Israeli army rescued them from their Philistine captors. And there 
       was peace between Israel and the Amorites in those days.

       (1 Sam 7:15 TLB)  Samuel continued as Israel's judge for the remainder 
       of his life.

       (1 Sam 7:16 TLB)  He rode circuit annually, setting up his court first 
       at Bethel, then Gilgal, and then Mizpah, and cases of dispute were 
       brought to him in each of those three cities from all the surrounding 
       territory.

       (1 Sam 7:17 TLB)  Then he would come back to Ramah, for his home was 
       there, and he would hear cases there too. And he built an altar to the 
       Lord at Ramah.

       (1 Sam 8:1 TLB)  In his old age, Samuel retired and appointed his sons 
       as judges in his place.

       (1 Sam 8:2 TLB)  Joel and Abijah, his oldest sons, held court in 
       Beersheba;

       (1 Sam 8:3 TLB)  but they were not like their father, for they were 
       greedy for money. They accepted bribes and were very corrupt in the 
       administration of justice.

       (1 Sam 8:4 TLB)  Finally the leaders of Israel met in Ramah to discuss 
       the matter with Samuel.

       (1 Sam 8:5 TLB)  They told him that since his retirement things hadn't 
       been the same, for his sons were not good men. "Give us a king like 
       all the other nations have," they pleaded.

       (1 Sam 8:6 TLB)  Samuel was terribly upset and went to the Lord for 
       advice.

       (1 Sam 8:7 TLB)  "Do as they say," the Lord replied, "for I am the one 
       they are rejecting, not you--they don't want me to be their king any 
       longer.

       (1 Sam 8:8 TLB)  Ever since I brought them from Egypt they have 
       continually forsaken me and followed other gods. And now they are 
       giving you the same treatment.

       (1 Sam 8:9 TLB)  Do as they ask, but warn them about what it will be 
       like to have a king!"

       (1 Sam 8:10 TLB)  So Samuel told the people what the Lord had said:

       (1 Sam 8:11 TLB)  "If you insist on having a king, he will conscript 
       your sons and make them run before his chariots;

       (1 Sam 8:12 TLB)  some will be made to lead his troops into battle, 





       while others will be slave laborers; they will be forced to plow in 
       the royal fields and harvest his crops without pay, and make his 
       weapons and chariot equipment.

       (1 Sam 8:13 TLB)  He will take your daughters from you and force them 
       to cook and bake and make perfumes for him.

       (1 Sam 8:14 TLB)  He will take away the best of your fields and 
       vineyards and olive groves and give them to his friends.

       (1 Sam 8:15 TLB)  He will take a tenth of your harvest and distribute 
       it to his favorites.

       (1 Sam 8:16 TLB)  He will demand your slaves and the finest of your 
       youth and will use your animals for his personal gain.

       (1 Sam 8:17 TLB)  He will demand a tenth of your flocks, and you shall 
       be his slaves.

       (1 Sam 8:18 TLB)  You will shed bitter tears because of this king you 
       are demanding, but the Lord will not help you."

       (1 Sam 8:19 TLB)  But the people refused to listen to Samuel's 
       warning. "Even so, we still want a king," they said,

       (1 Sam 8:20 TLB)  "for we want to be like the nations around us. He 
       will govern us and lead us to battle."

       (1 Sam 8:21 TLB)  So Samuel told the Lord what the people had said,

       (1 Sam 8:22 TLB)  and the Lord replied again, "Then do as they say and 
       give them a king." So Samuel agreed and sent the men home again.

       (1 Sam 9:1 TLB)  Kish was a rich, influential man from the tribe of 
       Benjamin. He was the son of Abiel, grandson of Zeror, great-grandson 
       of Becorath, and great-great-grandson of Aphiah.

       (1 Sam 9:2 TLB)  His son Saul was the most handsome man in Israel. And 
       he was head and shoulders taller than anyone else in the land!

       (1 Sam 9:3 TLB)  One day Kish's donkeys strayed away, so he sent Saul 
       and a servant to look for them.

       (1 Sam 9:4 TLB)  They traveled all through the hill country of 
       Ephraim, the land of Shalisha, the Shaalim area, and the entire land 
       of Benjamin, but couldn't find them anywhere.

       (1 Sam 9:5 TLB)  Finally, after searching in the land of Zuph, Saul 
       said to the servant, "Let's go home; by now my father will be more 
       worried about us than about the donkeys!"

       (1 Sam 9:6 TLB)  But the servant said, "I've just thought of 
       something! There is a prophet who lives here in this city; he is held 
       in high honor by all the people because everything he says comes true; 
       let's go and find him, and perhaps he can tell us where the donkeys 
       are."






       (1 Sam 9:7 TLB)  "But we don't have anything to pay him with," Saul 
       replied. "Even our food is gone, and we don't have a thing to give 
       him."

       (1 Sam 9:8 TLB)  "Well," the servant said, "I have a dollar! We can at 
       least offer it to him and see what happens!"

       (1 Sam 9:9 TLB)  "All right," Saul agreed, "let's try it!" So they 
       started into the city where the prophet lived.

       (1 Sam 9:10 TLB)  As they were climbing a hill toward the city, they 
       saw some young girls going out to draw water and asked them if they 
       knew whether the seer was in town.

       (1 Sam 9:11 TLB)  (In those days prophets were called seers. "Let's go 
       and ask the seer," people would say, rather than, "Let's go and ask 
       the prophet," as we would say now.)

       (1 Sam 9:12 TLB)  "Yes," they replied, "stay right on this road. He 
       lives just inside the city gates. He has just arrived back from a trip 
       to take part in a public sacrifice up on the hill.

       (1 Sam 9:13 TLB)  So hurry, because he'll probably be leaving about 
       the time you get there; the guests can't eat until he arrives and 
       blesses the food."

       (1 Sam 9:14 TLB)  So they went into the city, and as they were 
       entering the gates they saw Samuel coming out toward them to go up the 
       hill.

       (1 Sam 9:15 TLB)  The Lord had told Samuel the previous day,

       (1 Sam 9:16 TLB)  "About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from 
       the land of Benjamin. You are to anoint him as the leader of my 
       people. He will save them from the Philistines, for I have looked down 
       on them in mercy and have heard their cry."

       (1 Sam 9:17 TLB)  When Samuel saw Saul the Lord said, "That's the man 
       I told you about! He will rule my people."

       (1 Sam 9:18 TLB)  Just then Saul approached Samuel and asked, "Can you 
       please tell me where the seer's house is?"

       (1 Sam 9:19 TLB)  "I am the seer!" Samuel replied. "Go on up the hill 
       ahead of me and we'll eat together; in the morning I will tell you 
       what you want to know and send you on your way.

       (1 Sam 9:20 TLB)  And don't worry about those donkeys that were lost 
       three days ago, for they have been found. And anyway, you own all the 
       wealth of Israel now!"

       (1 Sam 9:21 TLB)  "Pardon me, sir," Saul replied. "I'm from the tribe 
       of Benjamin, the smallest in Israel, and my family is the least 
       important of all the families of the tribe! You must have the wrong 
       man!"






       (1 Sam 9:22 TLB)  Then Samuel took Saul and his servant into the great 
       hall and placed them at the head of the table, honoring them above the 
       thirty special guests.

       (1 Sam 9:23 TLB)  Samuel then instructed the chef to bring Saul the 
       choicest cut of meat, the piece that had been set aside for the guest 
       of honor.

       (1 Sam 9:24 TLB)  So the chef brought it in and placed it before Saul. 
       "Go ahead and eat it," Samuel said, "for I was saving it for you, even 
       before I invited these others!" So Saul ate with Samuel.

       (1 Sam 9:25 TLB)  After the feast, when they had returned to the city, 
       Samuel took Saul up to the porch on the roof and talked with him 
       there.

       (1 Sam 9:26 TLB)  At daybreak the next morning, Samuel called up to 
       him, "Get up; it's time you were on your way!"

       (1 Sam 9:27 TLB)  So Saul got up, and Samuel accompanied him to the 
       edge of the city. When they reached the city walls, Samuel told Saul 
       to send the servant on ahead. Then he told him, "I have received a 
       special message for you from the Lord."

       (1 Sam 10:1 TLB)  Then Samuel took a flask of olive oil and poured it 
       over Saul's head, and kissed him on the cheek and said, "I am doing 
       this because the Lord has appointed you to be the king of his people, 
       Israel!

       (1 Sam 10:2 TLB)  When you leave me, you will see two men beside 
       Rachel's tomb at Zelzah, in the land of Benjamin; they will tell you 
       that the donkeys have been found and that your father is worried about 
       you and is asking, 'How am I to find my son?'

       (1 Sam 10:3 TLB)  And when you get to the oak of Tabor, you will see 
       three men coming toward you who are on their way to worship God at the 
       altar at Bethel; one will be bringing three young goats, another will 
       have three loaves of bread, and the third will have a bottle of wine.

       (1 Sam 10:4 TLB)  They will greet you and offer you two of the loaves, 
       which you are to accept.

       (1 Sam 10:5 TLB)  After that you will come to Gibeath-elohim, also 
       known as "God's Hill," where the garrison of the Philistines is. As 
       you arrive there you will meet a band of prophets coming down the hill 
       playing a psaltery, a timbrel, a flute, and a harp, and prophesying as 
       they come.

       (1 Sam 10:6 TLB)  "At that time the Spirit of the Lord will come 
       mightily upon you and you will prophesy with them, and you will feel 
       and act like a different person.

       (1 Sam 10:7 TLB)  From that time on your decisions should be based on 
       whatever seems best under the circumstances, for the Lord will guide 
       you.






       (1 Sam 10:8 TLB)  Go to Gilgal and wait there seven days for me, for I 
       will be coming to sacrifice burnt offerings and peace offerings. I 
       will give you further instructions when I arrive."

       (1 Sam 10:9 TLB)  As Saul said good-bye and started to go, God gave 
       him a new attitude, and all of Samuel's prophecies came true that day.

       (1 Sam 10:10 TLB)  When Saul and the servant arrived at the Hill of 
       God, they saw the prophets coming toward them, and the Spirit of God 
       came upon him, and he too began to prophesy.

       (1 Sam 10:11 TLB)  When his friends heard about it, they exclaimed, 
       "What? Saul a prophet?"

       (1 Sam 10:12 TLB)  And one of the neighbors added, "With a father like 
       his?" So that is the origin of the proverb, "Is Saul a prophet too?"

       (1 Sam 10:13 TLB)  When Saul had finished prophesying he climbed the 
       hill to the altar.

       (1 Sam 10:14 TLB)  "Where in the world did you go?" Saul's uncle asked 
       him. And Saul replied, "We went to look for the donkeys, but we 
       couldn't find them; so we went to the prophet Samuel to ask him where 
       they were."

       (1 Sam 10:15 TLB)  "Oh? And what did he say?" his uncle asked.

       (1 Sam 10:16 TLB)  "He said the donkeys had been found!" Saul replied. 
       (But he didn't tell him that he had been anointed as king!)

       (1 Sam 10:17 TLB)  Samuel now called a convocation of all Israel at 
       Mizpah

       (1 Sam 10:18 TLB)  and gave them this message from the Lord God: "I 
       brought you from Egypt and rescued you from the Egyptians and from all 
       of the nations that were torturing you.

       (1 Sam 10:19 TLB)  But although I have done so much for you, you have 
       rejected me and have said, 'We want a king instead!' All right, then, 
       present yourselves before the Lord by tribes and clans."

       (1 Sam 10:20 TLB)  So Samuel called the tribal leaders together before 
       the Lord, and the tribe of Benjamin was chosen by sacred lot.

       (1 Sam 10:21 TLB)  Then he brought each family of the tribe of 
       Benjamin before the Lord, and the family of the Matrites was chosen. 
       And finally the sacred lot selected Saul, the son of Kish. But when 
       they looked for him, he had disappeared!

       (1 Sam 10:22 TLB)  So they asked the Lord, "Where is he? Is he here 
       among us?" And the Lord replied, "He is hiding in the baggage."

       (1 Sam 10:23 TLB)  So they found him and brought him out, and he stood 
       head and shoulders above anyone else.





       (1 Sam 10:24 TLB)  Then Samuel said to all the people, "This is the 
       man the Lord has chosen as your king. There isn't his equal in all of 
       Israel!" And all the people shouted, "Long live the king!"

       (1 Sam 10:25 TLB)  Then Samuel told the people again what the rights 
       and duties of a king were; he wrote them in a book and put it in a 
       special place before the Lord. Then Samuel sent the people home again.

       (1 Sam 10:26 TLB)  When Saul returned to his home at Gibeah, a band of 
       men whose hearts the Lord had touched became his constant companions.

       (1 Sam 10:27 TLB)  There were, however, some bums and loafers who 
       exclaimed, "How can this man save us?" And they despised him and 
       refused to bring him presents, but he took no notice.

       (1 Sam 11:1 TLB)  At this time Nahash led the army of the Ammonites 
       against the Israeli city of Jabesh-gilead. But the citizens of Jabesh 
       asked for peace. "Leave us alone and we will be your servants," they 
       pleaded.

       (1 Sam 11:2 TLB)  "All right," Nahash said, "but only on one 
       condition: I will gouge out the right eye of every one of you as a 
       disgrace upon all Israel!"

       (1 Sam 11:3 TLB)  "Give us seven days to see if we can get some help!" 
       replied the elders of Jabesh. "If none of our brothers will come and 
       save us, we will agree to your terms."

       (1 Sam 11:4 TLB)  When a messenger came to Gibeah, Saul's hometown, 
       and told the people about their plight, everyone broke into tears.

       (1 Sam 11:5 TLB)  Saul was plowing in the field, and when he returned 
       to town he asked, "What's the matter? Why is everyone crying?" So they 
       told him about the message from Jabesh.

       (1 Sam 11:6 TLB)  Then the Spirit of God came strongly upon Saul and 
       he became very angry.

       (1 Sam 11:7 TLB)  He took two oxen and cut them into pieces and sent 
       messengers to carry them throughout all Israel. "This is what will 
       happen to the oxen of anyone who refuses to follow Saul and Samuel to 
       battle!" he announced. And God caused the people to be afraid of 
       Saul's anger, and they came to him as one man.

       (1 Sam 11:8 TLB)  He counted them in Bezek and found that there were 
       three hundred thousand of them in addition to thirty thousand from 
       Judah.

       (1 Sam 11:9 TLB)  So he sent the messengers back to Jabesh-gilead to 
       say, "We will rescue you before tomorrow noon!" What joy there was 
       throughout the city when that message arrived!

       (1 Sam 11:10 TLB)  The men of Jabesh then told their enemies, "We 
       surrender. Tomorrow we will come out to you and you can do to us as 
       you wish."





       (1 Sam 11:11 TLB)  But early the next morning Saul arrived, having 
       divided his army into three detachments, and launched a surprise 
       attack against the Ammonites and slaughtered them all morning. The 
       remnant of their army was so badly scattered that no two of them were 
       left together.

       (1 Sam 11:12 TLB)  Then the people exclaimed to Samuel, "Where are 
       those men who said that Saul shouldn't be our king? Bring them here 
       and we will kill them!"

       (1 Sam 11:13 TLB)  But Saul replied, "No one will be executed today; 
       for today the Lord has rescued Israel!"

       (1 Sam 11:14 TLB)  Then Samuel said to the people, "Come, let us all 
       go to Gilgal and reconfirm Saul as our king."

       (1 Sam 11:15 TLB)  So they went to Gilgal and in a solemn ceremony 
       before the Lord they crowned him king. Then they offered peace 
       offerings to the Lord, and Saul and all Israel were very happy.

       (1 Sam 12:1 TLB)  Then Samuel addressed the people again: "Look," he 
       said, "I have done as you asked. I have given you a king.

       (1 Sam 12:2 TLB)  I have selected him ahead of my own sons and now I 
       stand here, an old, gray-haired man who has been in public service 
       from the time he was a lad.

       (1 Sam 12:3 TLB)  Now tell me as I stand before the Lord and before 
       his anointed king--whose ox or donkey have I stolen? Have I ever 
       defrauded you? Have I ever oppressed you? Have I ever taken a bribe? 
       Tell me and I will make right whatever I have done wrong."

       (1 Sam 12:4 TLB)  "No," they replied, "you have never defrauded or 
       oppressed us in any way and you have never taken even one single 
       bribe."

       (1 Sam 12:5 TLB)  "The Lord and his anointed king are my witnesses," 
       Samuel declared, "that you can never accuse me of robbing you." "Yes, 
       it is true," they replied.

       (1 Sam 12:6 TLB)  "It was the Lord who appointed Moses and Aaron," 
       Samuel continued. "He brought your ancestors out of the land of Egypt.

       (1 Sam 12:7 TLB)  "Now stand here quietly before the Lord as I remind 
       you of all the good things he has done for you and for your ancestors:

       (1 Sam 12:8 TLB)  "When the Israelites were in Egypt and cried out to 
       the Lord, he sent Moses and Aaron to bring them into this land.

       (1 Sam 12:9 TLB)  But they soon forgot about the Lord their God, so he 
       let them be conquered by Sisera, the general of King Hazor's army, and 
       by the Philistines and the king of Moab.

       (1 Sam 12:10 TLB)  "Then they cried to the Lord again and confessed 
       that they had sinned by turning away from him and worshiping the Baal 
       and Ashtaroth idols. And they pleaded, 'We will worship you and you 





       alone if you will only rescue us from our enemies.'

       (1 Sam 12:11 TLB)  Then the Lord sent Gideon, Barak, Jephthah, and 
       Samuel to save you, and you lived in safety.

       (1 Sam 12:12 TLB)  "But when you were afraid of Nahash, the king of 
       Ammon, you came to me and said that you wanted a king to reign over 
       you. But the Lord your God was already your King, for he has always 
       been your King.

       (1 Sam 12:13 TLB)  All right, here is the king you have chosen. Look 
       him over. You have asked for him, and the Lord has answered your 
       request.

       (1 Sam 12:14 TLB)  "Now if you will fear and worship the Lord, and 
       listen to his commandments and not rebel against the Lord, and if both 
       you and your king follow the Lord your God, then all will be well.

       (1 Sam 12:15 TLB)  But if you rebel against the Lord's commandments 
       and refuse to listen to him, then his hand will be as heavy upon you 
       as it was upon your ancestors.

       (1 Sam 12:16 TLB)  "Now watch as the Lord does great miracles.

       (1 Sam 12:17 TLB)  You know that it does not rain at this time of the 
       year, during the wheat harvest; I will pray for the Lord to send 
       thunder and rain today, so that you will realize the extent of your 
       wickedness in asking for a king!"

       (1 Sam 12:18 TLB)  So Samuel called to the Lord, and the Lord sent 
       thunder and rain; and all the people were very much afraid of the Lord 
       and of Samuel.

       (1 Sam 12:19 TLB)  "Pray for us lest we die!" they cried out to 
       Samuel. "For now we have added to all our other sins by asking for a 
       king."

       (1 Sam 12:20 TLB)  "Don't be frightened," Samuel reassured them. "You 
       have certainly done wrong, but make sure now that you worship the Lord 
       with true enthusiasm, and that you don't turn your back on him in any 
       way.

       (1 Sam 12:21 TLB)  Other gods can't help you.

       (1 Sam 12:22 TLB)  The Lord will not abandon his chosen people, for 
       that would dishonor his great name. He made you a special nation for 
       himself--just because he wanted to!

       (1 Sam 12:23 TLB)  "As for me, I will certainly not sin against the 
       Lord by ending my prayers for you; and I will continue to teach you 
       those things which are good and right.

       (1 Sam 12:24 TLB)  "Trust the Lord and sincerely worship him; think of 
       all the tremendous things he has done for you.

       (1 Sam 12:25 TLB)  But if you continue to sin, you and your king will 





       be destroyed."

       (1 Sam 13:1 TLB)  By this time Saul had reigned for one year. In the 
       second year of his reign,

       (1 Sam 13:2 TLB)  he selected three thousand special troops and took 
       two thousand of them with him to Michmash and Mount Bethel while the 
       other thousand remained with Jonathan, Saul's son, in Gibeah in the 
       land of Benjamin. The rest of the army was sent home.

       (1 Sam 13:3 TLB)  Then Jonathan attacked and destroyed the garrison of 
       the Philistines at Geba.

       (1 Sam 13:4 TLB)  The news spread quickly throughout the land ofthe 
       Philistines, and Saul sounded the call to arms throughout Israel. He 
       announced that he had destroyed the Philistine garrison and warned his 
       men that the army of Israel stank to high heaven as far as the 
       Philistines were concerned. So the entire Israeli army mobilized again 
       and joined at Gilgal.

       (1 Sam 13:5 TLB)  The Philistines recruited a mighty army of three 
       thousand chariots, six thousand horsemen, and so many soldiers that 
       they were as thick as sand along the seashore; and they camped at 
       Michmash east of Beth-aven.

       (1 Sam 13:6 TLB)  When the men of Israel saw the vast mass of enemy 
       troops, they lost their nerve entirely and tried to hide in caves, 
       thickets, coverts, among the rocks, and even in tombs and cisterns.

       (1 Sam 13:7 TLB)  Some of them crossed the Jordan River and escaped to 
       the land of Gad and Gilead. Meanwhile, Saul stayed at Gilgal, and 
       those who were with him trembled with fear at what awaited them.

       (1 Sam 13:8 TLB)  Samuel had told Saul earlier to wait seven days for 
       his arrival, but when he still didn't come, and Saul's troops were 
       rapidly slipping away,

       (1 Sam 13:9 TLB)  he decided to sacrifice the burnt offering and the 
       peace offerings himself.

       (1 Sam 13:10 TLB)  But just as he was finishing, Samuel arrived. Saul 
       went out to meet him and to receive his blessing,

       (1 Sam 13:11 TLB)  but Samuel said, "What is this you have done?" 
       "Well," Saul replied, "when I saw that my men were scattering from me, 
       and that you hadn't arrived by the time you said you would, and that 
       the Philistines were at Michmash, ready for battle,

       (1 Sam 13:12 TLB)  I said, 'The Philistines are ready to march against 
       us and I haven't even asked for the Lord's help!' So I reluctantly 
       offered the burnt offering without waiting for you to arrive."

       (1 Sam 13:13 TLB)  "You fool!" Samuel exclaimed. "You have disobeyed 
       the commandment of the Lord your God. He was planning to make you and 
       your descendants kings of Israel forever,





       (1 Sam 13:14 TLB)  but now your dynasty must end; for the Lord wants a 
       man who will obey him. And he has discovered the man he wants and has 
       already appointed him as king over his people; for you have not obeyed 
       the Lord's commandment."

       (1 Sam 13:15 TLB)  Samuel then left Gilgal and went to Gibeah in the 
       land of Benjamin. When Saul counted the soldiers who were still with 
       him, he found only six hundred left!

       (1 Sam 13:16 TLB)  Saul and Jonathan and these six hundred men set up 
       their camp in Geba in the land of Benjamin; but the Philistines stayed 
       at Michmash.

       (1 Sam 13:17 TLB)  Three companies of raiders soon left the camp of 
       the Philistines; one went toward Ophrah in the land of Shual,

       (1 Sam 13:18 TLB)  another went to Beth-horon, and the third moved 
       toward the border above the valley of Zeboim near the desert.

       (1 Sam 13:19 TLB)  There were no blacksmiths at all in the land of 
       Israel in those days, for the Philistines wouldn't allow them for fear 
       of their making swords and spears for the Hebrews.

       (1 Sam 13:20 TLB)  So whenever the Israelites needed to sharpen their 
       plowshares, discs, axes, or sickles, they had to take them to a 
       Philistine blacksmith.

       (1 Sam 13:21 TLB)  The schedule of charges was as follows: For 
       sharpening a plow point, 60 cents. For sharpening a disc, 60 cents. 
       For sharpening an axe, 30 cents. For sharpening a sickle, 30 cents. 
       For sharpening an ox goad, 30 cents.

       (1 Sam 13:22 TLB)  So there was not a single sword or spear in the 
       entire "army" of Israel that day, except for Saul's and Jonathan's.

       (1 Sam 13:23 TLB)  The mountain pass at Michmash had meanwhile been 
       secured by a contingent of the Philistine army.

       (1 Sam 14:1 TLB)  A day or so later, Prince Jonathan said to his young 
       bodyguard, "Come on, let's cross the valley to the garrison of the 
       Philistines." But he didn't tell his father that he was leaving.

       (1 Sam 14:2 TLB)  Saul and his six hundred men were camped at the edge 
       of Gibeah, around the pomegranate tree at Migron.

       (1 Sam 14:3 TLB)  Among his men was Ahijah the priest (the son of 
       Ahitub, Ichabod's brother; Ahitub was the son of Phinehas and the 
       grandson of Eli, the priest of the Lord in Shiloh). No one realized 
       that Jonathan had gone.

       (1 Sam 14:4 TLB)  To reach the Philistine garrison, Jonathan had to go 
       over a narrow pass between two rocky crags which had been named Bozez 
       and Seneh.

       (1 Sam 14:5 TLB)  The crag on the north was in front of Michmash and 
       the southern one was in front of Geba.






       (1 Sam 14:6 TLB)  "Yes, let's go across to those heathen," Jonathan 
       had said to his bodyguard. "Perhaps the Lord will do a miracle for us. 
       For it makes no difference to him how many enemy troops there are!"

       (1 Sam 14:7 TLB)  "Fine!" the youth replied. "Do as you think best; 
       I'm with you heart and soul, whatever you decide."

       (1 Sam 14:8 TLB)  "All right, then this is what we'll do," Jonathan 
       told him.

       (1 Sam 14:9 TLB)  "When they see us, if they say, 'Stay where you are 
       or we'll kill you!' then we will stop and wait for them.

       (1 Sam 14:10 TLB)  But if they say, 'Come on up and fight!' then we 
       will do just that; for it will be God's signal that he will help us 
       defeat them!"

       (1 Sam 14:11 TLB)  When the Philistines saw them coming they shouted, 
       "Look! The Israelis are crawling out of their holes!"

       (1 Sam 14:12 TLB)  Then they shouted to Jonathan, "Come on up here and 
       we'll show you how to fight!" "Come on, climb right behind me," 
       Jonathan exclaimed to his bodyguard, "for the Lord will help us defeat 
       them!"

       (1 Sam 14:13 TLB)  So they clambered up on their hands and knees, and 
       the Philistines fell back as Jonathan and the lad killed them right 
       and left,

       (1 Sam 14:14 TLB)  about twenty men in all, and their bodies were 
       scattered over about half an acre of land.

       (1 Sam 14:15 TLB)  Suddenly panic broke out throughout the entire 
       Philistine army, and even among the raiders. And just then there was a 
       great earthquake, increasing the terror.

       (1 Sam 14:16 TLB)  Saul's lookouts in Gibeah saw a strange sight--the 
       vast army of the Philistines began to melt away in all directions.

       (1 Sam 14:17 TLB)  "Find out who isn't here," Saul ordered. And when 
       they had checked, they found that Jonathan and his bodyguard were 
       gone.

       (1 Sam 14:18 TLB)  "Bring the Ark of God," Saul shouted to Ahijah. 
       (For the Ark was among the people of Israel at that time.)

       (1 Sam 14:19 TLB)  But while Saul was talking to the priest, the 
       shouting and the tumult in the camp of the Philistines grew louder and 
       louder. "Quick! What does God say?" Saul demanded.

       (1 Sam 14:20 TLB)  Then Saul and his six hundred men rushed out to the 
       battle and found the Philistines killing each other, and there was 
       terrible confusion everywhere.

       (1 Sam 14:21 TLB)  And now the Hebrews who had been drafted into the 





       Philistine army revolted and joined with the Israelis.

       (1 Sam 14:22 TLB)  Finally even the men hiding in the hills joined the 
       chase when they saw that the Philistines were running away.

       (1 Sam 14:23 TLB)  So the Lord saved Israel that day, and the battle 
       continued out beyond Beth-aven.

       (1 Sam 14:24 TLB)  Saul had declared, "A curse upon anyone who eats 
       anything before evening--before I have full revenge on my enemies."

       (1 Sam 14:25 TLB)  So no one ate anything all day, even though they 
       found honeycomb on the ground in the forest,

       (1 Sam 14:26 TLB)  for they all feared Saul's curse.

       (1 Sam 14:27 TLB)  Jonathan, however, had not heard his father's 
       command; so he dipped a stick into a honeycomb, and when he had eaten 
       the honey he felt much better.

       (1 Sam 14:28 TLB)  Then someone told him that his father had laid a 
       curse upon anyone who ate food that day, and everyone was weary and 
       faint as a result.

       (1 Sam 14:29 TLB)  "That's ridiculous!" Jonathan exclaimed. "A command 
       like that only hurts us. See how much better I feel now that I have 
       eaten this little bit of honey.

       (1 Sam 14:30 TLB)  If the people had been allowed to eat freely from 
       the food they found among our enemies, think how many more we could 
       have slaughtered!"

       (1 Sam 14:31 TLB)  But hungry as they were, they chased and killed the 
       Philistines all day from Michmash to Aijalon, growing more and more 
       faint.

       (1 Sam 14:32 TLB)  That evening they flew upon the battle loot and 
       butchered the sheep, oxen, and calves, and ate the raw, bloody meat.

       (1 Sam 14:33 TLB)  Someone reported to Saul what was happening, that 
       the people were sinning against the Lord by eating blood. "That is 
       very wrong," Saul said. "Roll a great stone over here,

       (1 Sam 14:34 TLB)  and go out among the troops and tell them to bring 
       the oxen and sheep here to kill and drain them, and not to sin against 
       the Lord by eating the blood." So that is what they did.

       (1 Sam 14:35 TLB)  And Saul built an altar to the Lord--his first.

       (1 Sam 14:36 TLB)  Afterwards Saul said, "Let's chase the Philistines 
       all night and destroy every last one of them." "Fine!" his men 
       replied. "Do as you think best." But the priest said, "Let's ask God 
       first."

       (1 Sam 14:37 TLB)  So Saul asked God, "Shall we go after the 
       Philistines? Will you help us defeat them?" But the Lord made no reply 





       all night.

       (1 Sam 14:38 TLB)  Then Saul said to the leaders, "Something's wrong! 
       We must find out what sin was committed today.

       (1 Sam 14:39 TLB)  I vow by the name of the God who saved Israel that 
       though the sinner be my own son Jonathan, he shall surely die!" But no 
       one would tell him what the trouble was.

       (1 Sam 14:40 TLB)  Then Saul proposed, "Jonathan and I will stand over 
       here, and all of you stand over there." And the people agreed.

       (1 Sam 14:41 TLB)  Then Saul said, "O Lord God of Israel, why haven't 
       you answered my question? What is wrong? Are Jonathan and I guilty, or 
       is the sin among the others? O Lord God, show us who is guilty." And 
       Jonathan and Saul were chosen by sacred lot as the guilty ones, and 
       the people were declared innocent.

       (1 Sam 14:42 TLB)  Then Saul said, "Now draw lots between me and 
       Jonathan." And Jonathan was chosen as the guilty one.

       (1 Sam 14:43 TLB)  "Tell me what you've done," Saul demanded of 
       Jonathan. "I tasted a little honey," Jonathan admitted. "It was only a 
       little bit on the end of a stick; but now I must die."

       (1 Sam 14:44 TLB)  "Yes, Jonathan," Saul said, "you must die; may God 
       strike me dead if you are not executed for this."

       (1 Sam 14:45 TLB)  But the troops retorted, "Jonathan, who saved 
       Israel today, shall die? Far from it! We vow by the life of God that 
       not one hair on his head will be touched, for he has been used of God 
       to do a mighty miracle today." So the people rescued Jonathan.

       (1 Sam 14:46 TLB)  Then Saul called back the army, and the Philistines 
       returned home.

       (1 Sam 14:47 TLB)  And now, since he was securely in the saddle as 
       king of Israel, Saul sent the Israeli army out in every direction 
       against Moab, Ammon, Edom, the kings of Zobah, and the Philistines. 
       And wherever he turned, he was successful.

       (1 Sam 14:48 TLB)  He did great deeds and conquered the Amalekites and 
       saved Israel from all those who had been their conquerors.

       (1 Sam 14:49 TLB)  Saul had three sons, Jonathan, Ishvi, and 
       Malchishua; and two daughters, Merab and Michal.

       (1 Sam 14:50 TLB)  Saul's wife was Ahinoam, the daughter of Ahimaaz. 
       And the general-in-chief of his army was his cousin Abner, his uncle 
       Ner's son.

       (1 Sam 14:51 TLB)  (Abner's father, Ner, and Saul's father, Kish, were 
       brothers; both were the sons of Abiel.)

       (1 Sam 14:52 TLB)  The Israelis fought constantly with the Philistines 
       throughout Saul's lifetime. And whenever Saul saw any brave, strong 





       young man, he conscripted him into his army.

       (1 Sam 15:1 TLB)  One day Samuel said to Saul, "I crowned you king of 
       Israel because God told me to. Now be sure that you obey him.

       (1 Sam 15:2 TLB)  Here is his commandment to you: 'I have decided to 
       settle accounts with the nation of Amalek for refusing to allow my 
       people to cross their territory when Israel came from Egypt.

       (1 Sam 15:3 TLB)  Now go and completely destroy the entire Amalek 
       nation--men, women, babies, little children, oxen, sheep, camels, and 
       donkeys.'"

       (1 Sam 15:4 TLB)  So Saul mobilized his army at Telaim. There were two 
       hundred thousand troops in addition to ten thousand men from Judah.

       (1 Sam 15:5 TLB)  The Amalekites were camped in the valley below them.

       (1 Sam 15:6 TLB)  Saul sent a message to the Kenites, telling them to 
       get out from among the Amalekites or else die with them. "For you were 
       kind to the people of Israel when they came out of the land of Egypt," 
       he explained. So the Kenites packed up and left.

       (1 Sam 15:7 TLB)  Then Saul butchered the Amalekites from Havilah all 
       the way to Shur, east of Egypt.

       (1 Sam 15:8 TLB)  He captured Agag, the king of the Amalekites, but 
       killed everyone else.

       (1 Sam 15:9 TLB)  However, Saul and his men kept the best of the sheep 
       and oxen and the fattest of the lambs--everything, in fact, that 
       appealed to them. They destroyed only what was worthless or of poor 
       quality.

       (1 Sam 15:10 TLB)  Then the Lord said to Samuel,

       (1 Sam 15:11 TLB)  "I am sorry that I ever made Saul king, for he has 
       again refused to obey me." Samuel was so deeply moved when he heard 
       what God was saying, that he cried to the Lord all night.

       (1 Sam 15:12 TLB)  Early the next morning he went out to find Saul. 
       Someone said that he had gone to Mount Carmel to erect a monument to 
       himself and had then gone on to Gilgal.

       (1 Sam 15:13 TLB)  When Samuel finally found him, Saul greeted him 
       cheerfully. "Hello there," he said. "Well, I have carried out the 
       Lord's command!"

       (1 Sam 15:14 TLB)  "Then what was all the bleating of sheep and lowing 
       of oxen I heard?" Samuel demanded.

       (1 Sam 15:15 TLB)  "It's true that the army spared the best of the 
       sheep and oxen," Saul admitted, "but they are going to sacrifice them 
       to the Lord your God; and we have destroyed everything else."

       (1 Sam 15:16 TLB)  Then Samuel said to Saul, "Stop! Listen to what the 





       Lord told me last night!" "What was it?" Saul asked.

       (1 Sam 15:17 TLB)  And Samuel told him, "When you didn't think much of 
       yourself, God made you king of Israel.

       (1 Sam 15:18 TLB)  And he sent you on an errand and told you, 'Go and 
       completely destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, until they are all 
       dead.'

       (1 Sam 15:19 TLB)  Then why didn't you obey the Lord? Why did you rush 
       for the loot and do exactly what God said not to?"

       (1 Sam 15:20 TLB)  "But I have obeyed the Lord," Saul insisted. "I did 
       what he told me to; and I brought King Agag but killed everyone else.

       (1 Sam 15:21 TLB)  And it was only when my troops demanded it that I 
       let them keep the best of the sheep and oxen and loot to sacrifice to 
       the Lord."

       (1 Sam 15:22 TLB)  Samuel replied, "Has the Lord as much pleasure in 
       your burnt offerings and sacrifices as in your obedience? Obedience is 
       far better than sacrifice. He is much more interested in your 
       listening to him than in your offering the fat of rams to him.

       (1 Sam 15:23 TLB)  For rebellion is as bad as the sin of witchcraft, 
       and stubbornness is as bad as worshiping idols. And now because you 
       have rejected the word of Jehovah, he has rejected you from being 
       king."

       (1 Sam 15:24 TLB)  "I have sinned," Saul finally admitted. "Yes, I 
       have disobeyed your instructions and the command of the Lord, for I 
       was afraid of the people and did what they demanded.

       (1 Sam 15:25 TLB)  Oh, please pardon my sin now and go with me to 
       worship the Lord."

       (1 Sam 15:26 TLB)  But Samuel replied, "It's no use! Since you have 
       rejected the commandment of the Lord, he has rejected you from being 
       the king of Israel."

       (1 Sam 15:27 TLB)  As Samuel turned to go, Saul grabbed at him to try 
       to hold him back and tore his robe.

       (1 Sam 15:28 TLB)  And Samuel said to him, "See? The Lord has torn the 
       kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to a countryman of 
       yours who is better than you are.

       (1 Sam 15:29 TLB)  And he who is the glory of Israel is not lying, nor 
       will he change his mind, for he is not a man!"

       (1 Sam 15:30 TLB)  Then Saul pleaded again, "I have sinned; but oh, at 
       least honor me before the leaders and before my people by going with 
       me to worship the Lord your God."

       (1 Sam 15:31 TLB)  So Samuel finally agreed and went with him.





       (1 Sam 15:32 TLB)  Then Samuel said, "Bring King Agag to me." Agag 
       arrived all full of smiles, for he thought, "Surely the worst is over 
       and I have been spared!"

       (1 Sam 15:33 TLB)  But Samuel said, "As your sword has killed the sons 
       of many mothers, now your mother shall be childless." And Samuel 
       chopped him in pieces before the Lord at Gilgal.

       (1 Sam 15:34 TLB)  Then Samuel went home to Ramah, and Saul returned 
       to Gibeah.

       (1 Sam 15:35 TLB)  Samuel never saw Saul again, but he mourned 
       constantly for him; and the Lord was sorry that he had ever made Saul 
       king of Israel.

       (1 Sam 16:1 TLB)  Finally the Lord said to Samuel, "You have mourned 
       long enough for Saul, for I have rejected him as king of Israel. Now 
       take a vial of olive oil and go to Bethlehem and find a man named 
       Jesse, for I have selected one of his sons to be the new king."

       (1 Sam 16:2 TLB)  But Samuel asked, "How can I do that? If Saul hears 
       about it, he will kill me." "Take a heifer with you," the Lord 
       replied, "and say that you have come to make a sacrifice to the Lord.

       (1 Sam 16:3 TLB)  Then call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show 
       you which of his sons to anoint."

       (1 Sam 16:4 TLB)  So Samuel did as the Lord had told him to. When he 
       arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the city came trembling to meet 
       him. "What is wrong?" they asked. "Why have you come?"

       (1 Sam 16:5 TLB)  But he replied, "All is well. I have come to 
       sacrifice to the Lord. Purify yourselves and come with me to the 
       sacrifice." And he performed the purification rite on Jesse and his 
       sons, and invited them too.

       (1 Sam 16:6 TLB)  When they arrived, Samuel took one look at Eliab and 
       thought, "Surely this is the man the Lord has chosen!"

       (1 Sam 16:7 TLB)  But the Lord said to Samuel, "Don't judge by a man's 
       face or height, for this is not the one. I don't make decisions the 
       way you do! Men judge by outward appearance, but I look at a man's 
       thoughts and intentions."

       (1 Sam 16:8 TLB)  Then Jesse told his son Abinadab to step forward and 
       walk in front of Samuel. But the Lord said, "This is not the right man 
       either."

       (1 Sam 16:9 TLB)  Next Jesse summoned Shammah, but the Lord said, "No, 
       this is not the one." In the same way all seven of his sons presented 
       themselves to Samuel and were rejected.

       (1 Sam 16:10 TLB)  "The Lord has not chosen any of them," Samuel told 
       Jesse.

       (1 Sam 16:11 TLB)  "Are these all there are?" "Well, there is the 





       youngest," Jesse replied. "But he's out in the fields watching the 
       sheep." "Send for him at once," Samuel said, "for we will not sit down 
       to eat until he arrives."

       (1 Sam 16:12 TLB)  So Jesse sent for him. He was a fine looking boy, 
       ruddy-faced, and with pleasant eyes. And the Lord said, "This is the 
       one; anoint him."

       (1 Sam 16:13 TLB)  So as David stood there among his brothers, Samuel 
       took the olive oil he had brought and poured it upon David's head; and 
       the Spirit of Jehovah came upon him and gave him great power from that 
       day onward. Then Samuel returned to Ramah.

       (1 Sam 16:14 TLB)  But the Spirit of the Lord had left Saul, and 
       instead, the Lord had sent a tormenting spirit that filled him with 
       depression and fear.

       (1 Sam 16:15 TLB)  Some of Saul's aides suggested a cure.

       (1 Sam 16:16 TLB)  "We'll find a good harpist to play for you whenever 
       the tormenting spirit is bothering you," they said. "The harp music 
       will quiet you and you'll soon be well again."

       (1 Sam 16:17 TLB)  "All right," Saul said. "Find me a harpist."

       (1 Sam 16:18 TLB)  One of them said he knew a young fellow in 
       Bethlehem, the son of a man named Jesse, who was not only a talented 
       harp player, but was handsome, brave, and strong, and had good, solid 
       judgment. "What's more," he added, "the Lord is with him."

       (1 Sam 16:19 TLB)  So Saul sent messengers to Jesse, asking that he 
       send his son David the shepherd.

       (1 Sam 16:20 TLB)  Jesse responded by sending not only David but a 
       young goat and a donkey carrying a load of food and wine.

       (1 Sam 16:21 TLB)  From the instant he saw David, Saul admired and 
       loved him; and David became his bodyguard.

       (1 Sam 16:22 TLB)  Then Saul wrote to Jesse, "Please let David join my 
       staff, for I am very fond of him."

       (1 Sam 16:23 TLB)  And whenever the tormenting spirit from God 
       troubled Saul, David would play the harp and Saul would feel better, 
       and the evil spirit would go away.

       (1 Sam 17:1 TLB)  The Philistines now mustered their army for battle 
       and camped between Socoh in Judah and Azekah in Ephes-dammim.

       (1 Sam 17:2 TLB)  Saul countered with a buildup of forces at Elah 
       Valley.

       (1 Sam 17:3 TLB)  So the Philistines and Israelis faced each other on 
       opposite hills, with the valley between them.

       (1 Sam 17:4 TLB)  Then Goliath, a Philistine champion from Gath, came 





       out of the Philistine ranks to face the forces of Israel. He was a 
       giant of a man, measuring over nine feet tall!

       (1 Sam 17:5 TLB)  He wore a bronze helmet, a two-hundred-pound coat of 
       mail,

       (1 Sam 17:6 TLB)  bronze leggings,

       (1 Sam 17:7 TLB)  and carried a bronze javelin several inches thick, 
       tipped with a twenty-five-pound iron spearhead, and his armor-bearer 
       walked ahead of him with a huge shield.

       (1 Sam 17:8 TLB)  He stood and shouted across to the Israelis, "Do you 
       need a whole army to settle this? I will represent the Philistines, 
       and you choose someone to represent you, and we will settle this in 
       single combat!

       (1 Sam 17:9 TLB)  If your man is able to kill me, then we will be your 
       slaves. But if I kill him, then you must be our slaves!

       (1 Sam 17:10 TLB)  I defy the armies of Israel! Send me a man who will 
       fight with me!"

       (1 Sam 17:11 TLB)  When Saul and the Israeli army heard this, they 
       were dismayed and frightened.

       (1 Sam 17:12 TLB)  David (the son of aging Jesse, a member of the 
       tribe of Judah who lived in Bethlehem) had seven older brothers.

       (1 Sam 17:13 TLB)  The three oldest--Eliab, Abinadab, and Shammah--had 
       already volunteered for Saul's army to fight the Philistines.

       (1 Sam 17:14 TLB)  David was the youngest son and was on Saul's staff 
       on a part-time basis. He went back and forth to Bethlehem to help his 
       father with the sheep.

       (1 Sam 17:15 TLB)  

       (1 Sam 17:16 TLB)  For forty days, twice a day, morning and evening 
       the Philistine giant strutted before the armies of Israel.

       (1 Sam 17:17 TLB)  One day Jesse said to David, "Take this bushel of 
       roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread to your brothers.

       (1 Sam 17:18 TLB)  Give this cheese to their captain and see how the 
       boys are getting along; and bring us back a letter from them!"

       (1 Sam 17:19 TLB)  (Saul and the Israeli army were camped at the 
       valley of Elah.)

       (1 Sam 17:20 TLB)  So David left the sheep with another shepherd and 
       took off early the next morning with the gifts. He arrived at the 
       outskirts of the camp just as the Israeli army was leaving for the 
       battlefield with shouts and battle cries.

       (1 Sam 17:21 TLB)  Soon the Israeli and Philistine forces stood facing 





       each other, army against army.

       (1 Sam 17:22 TLB)  David left his luggage with a baggage officer and 
       hurried out to the ranks to find his brothers.

       (1 Sam 17:23 TLB)  As he was talking with them, he saw Goliath the 
       giant step out from the Philistine troops and shout his challenge to 
       the army of Israel.

       (1 Sam 17:24 TLB)  As soon as they saw him the Israeli army began to 
       run away in fright.

       (1 Sam 17:25 TLB)  "Have you seen the giant?" the soldiers were 
       asking. "He has insulted the entire army of Israel. And have you heard 
       about the huge reward the king has offered to anyone who kills him? 
       And the king will give him one of his daughters for a wife, and his 
       whole family will be exempted from paying taxes!"

       (1 Sam 17:26 TLB)  David talked to some others standing there to 
       verify the report. "What will a man get for killing this Philistine 
       and ending his insults to Israel?" he asked them. "Who is this heathen 
       Philistine, anyway, that he is allowed to defy the armies of the 
       living God?"

       (1 Sam 17:27 TLB)  And he received the same reply as before.

       (1 Sam 17:28 TLB)  But when David's oldest brother, Eliab, heard David 
       talking like that, he was angry. "What are you doing around here, 
       anyway?" he demanded. "What about the sheep you're supposed to be 
       taking care of? I know what a cocky brat you are; you just want to see 
       the battle!"

       (1 Sam 17:29 TLB)  "What have I done now?" David replied. "I was only 
       asking a question!"

       (1 Sam 17:30 TLB)  And he walked over to some others and asked them 
       the same thing and received the same answer.

       (1 Sam 17:31 TLB)  When it was finally realized what David meant, 
       someone told King Saul, and the king sent for him.

       (1 Sam 17:32 TLB)  "Don't worry about a thing," David told him. "I'll 
       take care of this Philistine!"

       (1 Sam 17:33 TLB)  "Don't be ridiculous!" Saul replied. "How can a kid 
       like you fight with a man like him? You are only a boy, and he has 
       been in the army since he was a boy!"

       (1 Sam 17:34 TLB)  But David persisted. "When I am taking care of my 
       father's sheep," he said, "and a lion or a bear comes and grabs a lamb 
       from the flock,

       (1 Sam 17:35 TLB)  I go after it with a club and take the lamb from 
       its mouth. If it turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to 
       death.





       (1 Sam 17:36 TLB)  I have done this to both lions and bears, and I'll 
       do it to this heathen Philistine too, for he has defied the armies of 
       the living God!

       (1 Sam 17:37 TLB)  The Lord who saved me from the claws and teeth of 
       the lion and the bear will save me from this Philistine!" Saul finally 
       consented, "All right, go ahead," he said, "and may the Lord be with 
       you!"

       (1 Sam 17:38 TLB)  Then Saul gave David his own armor--a bronze helmet 
       and a coat of mail. David put it on,

       (1 Sam 17:39 TLB)  strapped the sword over it, and took a step or two 
       to see what it was like, for he had never worn such things before. "I 
       can hardly move!" he exclaimed, and took them off again.

       (1 Sam 17:40 TLB)  Then he picked up five smooth stones from a stream 
       and put them in his shepherd's bag and, armed only with his shepherd's 
       staff and sling, started across to Goliath.

       (1 Sam 17:41 TLB)  Goliath walked out toward David with his 
       shield-bearer ahead of him, sneering in contempt at this nice little 
       red-cheeked boy!

       (1 Sam 17:42 TLB)  

       (1 Sam 17:43 TLB)  "Am I a dog," he roared at David, "that you come at 
       me with a stick?" And he cursed David by the names of his gods.

       (1 Sam 17:44 TLB)  "Come over here and I'll give your flesh to the 
       birds and wild animals," Goliath yelled.

       (1 Sam 17:45 TLB)  David shouted in reply, "You come to me with a 
       sword and a spear, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of the 
       armies of heaven and of Israel--the very God whom you have defied.

       (1 Sam 17:46 TLB)  Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill 
       you and cut off your head; and then I will give the dead bodies of 
       your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know 
       that there is a God in Israel!

       (1 Sam 17:47 TLB)  And Israel will learn that the Lord does not depend 
       on weapons to fulfill his plans--he works without regard to human 
       means! He will give you to us!"

       (1 Sam 17:48 TLB)  As Goliath approached, David ran out to meet him 
       and,

       (1 Sam 17:49 TLB)  reaching into his shepherd's bag, took out a stone, 
       hurled it from his sling, and hit the Philistine in the forehead. The 
       stone sank in, and the man fell on his face to the ground.

       (1 Sam 17:50 TLB)  So David conquered the Philistine giant with a 
       sling and a stone. Since he had no sword,

       (1 Sam 17:51 TLB)  he ran over and pulled Goliath's from its sheath 





       and killed him with it, and then cut off his head. When the 
       Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they turned and ran.

       (1 Sam 17:52 TLB)  Then the Israelis gave a great shout of triumph and 
       rushed after the Philistines, chasing them as far as Gath and the 
       gates of Ekron. The bodies of the dead and wounded Philistines were 
       strewn all along the road to Shaaraim.

       (1 Sam 17:53 TLB)  Then the Israeli army returned and plundered the 
       deserted Philistine camp.

       (1 Sam 17:54 TLB)  (Later David took Goliath's head to Jerusalem, but 
       stored his armor in his tent.)

       (1 Sam 17:55 TLB)  As Saul was watching David go out to fight Goliath, 
       he asked Abner, the general of his army, "Abner, what sort of family 
       does this young fellow come from?" "I really don't know," Abner said.

       (1 Sam 17:56 TLB)  "Well, find out!" the king told him.

       (1 Sam 17:57 TLB)  After David had killed Goliath, Abner brought him 
       to Saul with the Philistine's head still in his hand.

       (1 Sam 17:58 TLB)  "Tell me about your father, my boy," Saul said. And 
       David replied, "His name is Jesse and we live in Bethlehem."

       (1 Sam 18:1 TLB)  After King Saul had finished his conversation with 
       David, David met Jonathan, the king's son, and there was an immediate 
       bond of love between them. Jonathan swore to be his blood brother,

       (1 Sam 18:2 TLB)  

       (1 Sam 18:3 TLB)  

       (1 Sam 18:4 TLB)  and sealed the pact by giving him his robe, sword, 
       bow, and belt. King Saul now kept David with him and wouldn't let him 
       return home any more.

       (1 Sam 18:5 TLB)  He was Saul's special assistant, and he always 
       carried out his assignments successfully. So Saul made him commander 
       of his troops, an appointment that was applauded by the army and 
       general public alike.

       (1 Sam 18:6 TLB)  But something had happened when the victorious 
       Israeli army was returning home after David had killed Goliath. Women 
       came out from all the towns along the way to celebrate and to cheer 
       for King Saul, and were singing and dancing for joy with tambourines 
       and cymbals.

       (1 Sam 18:7 TLB)  However, this was their song: "Saul has slain his 
       thousands, and David his ten thousands!"

       (1 Sam 18:8 TLB)  Of course Saul was very angry. "What's this?" he 
       said to himself. "They credit David with ten thousands and me with 
       only thousands. Next they'll be making him their king!"





       (1 Sam 18:9 TLB)  So from that time on King Saul kept a jealous watch 
       on David.

       (1 Sam 18:10 TLB)  The very next day, in fact, a tormenting spirit 
       from God overwhelmed Saul, and he began to rave like a madman. David 
       began to soothe him by playing the harp, as he did whenever this 
       happened. But Saul, who was fiddling with his spear,

       (1 Sam 18:11 TLB)  suddenly hurled it at David, intending to pin him 
       to the wall. But David jumped aside and escaped. This happened another 
       time, too,

       (1 Sam 18:12 TLB)  for Saul was afraid of him and jealous because the 
       Lord had left him and was now with David.

       (1 Sam 18:13 TLB)  Finally Saul banned him from his presence and 
       demoted him to the rank of captain. But the controversy put David more 
       than ever in the public eye.

       (1 Sam 18:14 TLB)  David continued to succeed in everything he 
       undertook, for the Lord was with him.

       (1 Sam 18:15 TLB)  When King Saul saw this, he became even more afraid 
       of him; but all Israel and Judah loved him, for he was as one of them.

       (1 Sam 18:16 TLB)  

       (1 Sam 18:17 TLB)  One day Saul said to David, "I am ready to give you 
       my oldest daughter Merab as your wife. But first you must prove 
       yourself to be a real soldier by fighting the Lord's battles." For 
       Saul thought to himself, "I'll send him out against the Philistines 
       and let them kill him rather than doing it myself."

       (1 Sam 18:18 TLB)  "Who am I that I should be the king's son-in-law?" 
       David exclaimed. "My father's family is nothing!"

       (1 Sam 18:19 TLB)  But when the time arrived for the wedding, Saul 
       married her to Adriel, a man from Meholath, instead.

       (1 Sam 18:20 TLB)  In the meantime Saul's daughter Michal had fallen 
       in love with David, and Saul was delighted when he heard about it.

       (1 Sam 18:21 TLB)  "Here's another opportunity to see him killed by 
       the Philistines!" Saul said to himself. But to David he said, "You can 
       be my son-in-law after all, for I will give you my youngest daughter."

       (1 Sam 18:22 TLB)  Then Saul instructed his men to say confidentially 
       to David that the king really liked him a lot, and that they all loved 
       him and thought he should accept the king's proposition and become his 
       son-in-law.

       (1 Sam 18:23 TLB)  But David replied, "How can a poor man like me from 
       an unknown family find enough dowry to marry the daughter of a king?"

       (1 Sam 18:24 TLB)  When Saul's men reported this back to him,





       (1 Sam 18:25 TLB)  he told them, "Tell David that the only dowry I 
       need is one hundred dead Philistines! Vengeance on my enemies is all I 
       want." But what Saul had in mind was that David would be killed in the 
       fight.

       (1 Sam 18:26 TLB)  David was delighted to accept the offer. So, before 
       the time limit expired,

       (1 Sam 18:27 TLB)  he and his men went out and killed two hundred 
       Philistines and presented their foreskins to King Saul. So Saul gave 
       Michal to him.

       (1 Sam 18:28 TLB)  When the king realized how much the Lord was with 
       David and how immensely popular he was with all the people,

       (1 Sam 18:29 TLB)  he became even more afraid of him and grew to hate 
       him more with every passing day.

       (1 Sam 18:30 TLB)  Whenever the Philistine army attacked, David was 
       more successful against them than all the rest of Saul's officers. So 
       David's name became very famous throughout the land.

       (1 Sam 19:1 TLB)  Saul now urged his aides and his son Jonathan to 
       assassinate David. But Jonathan, because of his close friendship with 
       David,

       (1 Sam 19:2 TLB)  told him what his father was planning. "Tomorrow 
       morning," he warned him, "you must find a hiding place out in the 
       fields.

       (1 Sam 19:3 TLB)  I'll ask my father to go out there with me, and I'll 
       talk to him about you; then I'll tell you everything I can find out."

       (1 Sam 19:4 TLB)  The next morning as Jonathan and his father were 
       talking together, he spoke well of David and begged him not to be 
       against David. "He's never done anything to harm you," Jonathan 
       pleaded. "He has always helped you in any way he could.

       (1 Sam 19:5 TLB)  Have you forgotten about the time he risked his life 
       to kill Goliath, and how the Lord brought a great victory to Israel as 
       a result? You were certainly happy about it then. Why should you now 
       murder an innocent man? There is no reason for it at all!"

       (1 Sam 19:6 TLB)  Finally Saul agreed and vowed, "As the Lord lives, 
       he shall not be killed."

       (1 Sam 19:7 TLB)  Afterwards Jonathan called David and told him what 
       had happened. Then he took David to Saul and everything was as it had 
       been before.

       (1 Sam 19:8 TLB)  War broke out shortly after that, and David led his 
       troops against the Philistines and slaughtered many of them, and put 
       to flight their entire army.

       (1 Sam 19:9 TLB)  But one day as Saul was sitting at home, listening 
       to David playing the harp, suddenly the tormenting spirit from the 





       Lord attacked him.

       (1 Sam 19:10 TLB)  He had his spear in his hand and hurled it at David 
       in an attempt to kill him. But David dodged out of the way and fled 
       into the night, leaving the spear imbedded in the timber of the wall.

       (1 Sam 19:11 TLB)  Saul sent troops to watch David's house and kill 
       him when he came out in the morning. "If you don't get away tonight," 
       Michal warned him, "you'll be dead by morning."

       (1 Sam 19:12 TLB)  So she helped him get down to the ground through a 
       window.

       (1 Sam 19:13 TLB)  Then she took an idol and put it in his bed, and 
       covered it with blankets, with its head on a pillow of goat's hair.

       (1 Sam 19:14 TLB)  When the soldiers came to arrest David and take him 
       to Saul, she told them he was sick and couldn't get out of bed.

       (1 Sam 19:15 TLB)  Saul said to bring him in his bed, then, so that he 
       could kill him.

       (1 Sam 19:16 TLB)  But when they came to carry him out, they 
       discovered that it was only an idol!

       (1 Sam 19:17 TLB)  "Why have you deceived me and let my enemy escape?" 
       Saul demanded of Michal. "I had to," Michal replied. "He threatened to 
       kill me if I didn't help him."

       (1 Sam 19:18 TLB)  In that way David got away and went to Ramah to see 
       Samuel, and told him all that Saul had done to him. So Samuel took 
       David with him to live at Naioth.

       (1 Sam 19:19 TLB)  When the report reached Saul that David was at 
       Naioth in Ramah,

       (1 Sam 19:20 TLB)  he sent soldiers to capture him; but when they 
       arrived and saw Samuel and the other prophets prophesying, the Spirit 
       of God came upon them and they also began to prophesy.

       (1 Sam 19:21 TLB)  When Saul heard what had happened, he sent other 
       soldiers, but they too prophesied! The same thing happened a third 
       time!

       (1 Sam 19:22 TLB)  Then Saul himself went to Ramah and arrived at the 
       great well in Secu. "Where are Samuel and David?" he demanded. Someone 
       told him they were at Naioth.

       (1 Sam 19:23 TLB)  But on the way to Naioth the Spirit of God came 
       upon Saul, and he too began to prophesy!

       (1 Sam 19:24 TLB)  He tore off his clothes and lay naked all day and 
       all night, prophesying with Samuel's prophets. Saul's men were 
       incredulous! "What!" they exclaimed. "Is Saul a prophet too?"

       (1 Sam 20:1 TLB)  David now fled from Naioth in Ramah and found 





       Jonathan. "What have I done?" he exclaimed. "Why is your father so 
       determined to kill me?"

       (1 Sam 20:2 TLB)  "That's not true!" Jonathan protested. "I'm sure 
       he's not planning any such thing, for he always tells me everything 
       he's going to do, even little things, and I know he wouldn't hide 
       something like this from me. It just isn't so."

       (1 Sam 20:3 TLB)  "Of course you don't know about it!" David fumed. 
       "Your father knows perfectly well about our friendship, so he has said 
       to himself, 'I'll not tell Jonathan--why should I hurt him?' But the 
       truth is that I am only a step away from death! I swear it by the Lord 
       and by your own soul!"

       (1 Sam 20:4 TLB)  "Tell me what I can do," Jonathan begged.

       (1 Sam 20:5 TLB)  And David replied, "Tomorrow is the beginning of the 
       celebration of the new moon. Always before, I've been with your father 
       for this occasion, but tomorrow I'll hide in the field and stay there 
       until the evening of the third day.

       (1 Sam 20:6 TLB)  If your father asks where I am, tell him that I 
       asked permission to go home to Bethlehem for an annual family reunion.

       (1 Sam 20:7 TLB)  If he says, 'Fine!' then I'll know that all is well. 
       But if he is angry, then I'll know that he is planning to kill me.

       (1 Sam 20:8 TLB)  Do this for me as my sworn brother. Or else kill me 
       yourself if I have sinned against your father, but don't betray me to 
       him!"

       (1 Sam 20:9 TLB)  "Of course not!" Jonathan exclaimed. "Look, wouldn't 
       I say so if I knew that my father was planning to kill you?"

       (1 Sam 20:10 TLB)  Then David asked, "How will I know whether or not 
       your father is angry?"

       (1 Sam 20:11 TLB)  "Come out to the field with me," Jonathan replied. 
       And they went out there together.

       (1 Sam 20:12 TLB)  Then Jonathan told David, "I promise by the Lord 
       God of Israel that about this time tomorrow, or the next day at the 
       latest, I will talk to my father about you and let you know at once 
       how he feels about you.

       (1 Sam 20:13 TLB)  If he is angry and wants you killed, then may the 
       Lord kill me if I don't tell you, so you can escape and live. May the 
       Lord be with you as he used to be with my father.

       (1 Sam 20:14 TLB)  And remember, you must demonstrate the love and 
       kindness of the Lord not only to me during my own lifetime,

       (1 Sam 20:15 TLB)  but also to my children after the Lord has 
       destroyed all of your enemies."

       (1 Sam 20:16 TLB)  So Jonathan made a covenant with the family of 





       David, and David swore to it with a terrible curse against himself and 
       his descendants, should he be unfaithful to his promise.

       (1 Sam 20:17 TLB)  But Jonathan made David swear to it again, this 
       time by his love for him, for he loved him as much as he loved 
       himself.

       (1 Sam 20:18 TLB)  Then Jonathan said, "Yes, they will miss you 
       tomorrow when your place at the table is empty.

       (1 Sam 20:19 TLB)  By the day after tomorrow, everyone will be asking 
       about you, so be at the hideout where you were before, over by the 
       stone pile.

       (1 Sam 20:20 TLB)  I will come out and shoot three arrows in front of 
       the pile as though I were shooting at a target.

       (1 Sam 20:21 TLB)  Then I'll send a lad to bring the arrows back. If 
       you hear me tell him, 'They're on this side,' then you will know that 
       all is well and that there is no trouble.

       (1 Sam 20:22 TLB)  But if I tell him, 'Go farther--the arrows are 
       still ahead of you,' then it will mean that you must leave 
       immediately.

       (1 Sam 20:23 TLB)  And may the Lord make us keep our promises to each 
       other, for he has witnessed them."

       (1 Sam 20:24 TLB)  So David hid himself in the field. When the new 
       moon celebration began, the king sat down to eat at his usual place 
       against the wall.

       (1 Sam 20:25 TLB)  Jonathan sat opposite him and Abner was sitting 
       beside Saul, but David's place was empty.

       (1 Sam 20:26 TLB)  Saul didn't say anything about it that day, for he 
       supposed that something had happened so that David was ceremonially 
       impure. Yes, surely that must be it!

       (1 Sam 20:27 TLB)  But when his place was still empty the next day, 
       Saul asked Jonathan, "Why hasn't David been here for dinner either 
       yesterday or today?"

       (1 Sam 20:28 TLB)  "He asked me if he could go to Bethlehem to take 
       part in a family celebration," Jonathan replied.

       (1 Sam 20:29 TLB)  "His brother demanded that he be there, so I told 
       him to go ahead."

       (1 Sam 20:30 TLB)  Saul boiled with rage. "You fool!" he yelled at 
       him. "Do you think I don't know that you want this son of a nobody to 
       be king in your place, shaming yourself and your mother?

       (1 Sam 20:31 TLB)  As long as that fellow is alive, you'll never be 
       king. Now go and get him so I can kill him!"





       (1 Sam 20:32 TLB)  "But what has he done?" Jonathan demanded. "Why 
       should he be put to death?"

       (1 Sam 20:33 TLB)  Then Saul hurled his spear at Jonathan, intending 
       to kill him; so at last Jonathan realized that his father really meant 
       it when he said David must die.

       (1 Sam 20:34 TLB)  Jonathan left the table in fierce anger and refused 
       to eat all that day, for he was crushed by his father's shameful 
       behavior toward David.

       (1 Sam 20:35 TLB)  The next morning, as agreed, Jonathan went out into 
       the field and took a young boy with him to gather his arrows.

       (1 Sam 20:36 TLB)  "Start running," he told the boy, "so that you can 
       find the arrows as I shoot them." So the boy ran and Jonathan shot an 
       arrow beyond him.

       (1 Sam 20:37 TLB)  When the boy had almost reached the arrow, Jonathan 
       shouted, "The arrow is still ahead of you.

       (1 Sam 20:38 TLB)  Hurry, hurry, don't wait." So the boy quickly 
       gathered up the arrows and ran back to his master.

       (1 Sam 20:39 TLB)  He, of course, didn't understand what Jonathan 
       meant; only Jonathan and David knew.

       (1 Sam 20:40 TLB)  Then Jonathan gave his bow and arrows to the boy 
       and told him to take them back to the city.

       (1 Sam 20:41 TLB)  As soon as he was gone, David came out from where 
       he had been hiding near the south edge of the field. Both of them were 
       crying as they said goodbye, especially David.

       (1 Sam 20:42 TLB)  At last Jonathan said to David, "Cheer up, for we 
       have entrusted each other and each other's children into God's hands 
       forever." So they parted, David going away and Jonathan returning to 
       the city.

       (1 Sam 21:1 TLB)  David went to the city of Nob to see Ahimelech, the 
       priest. Ahimelech trembled when he saw him. "Why are you alone?" he 
       asked. "Why is no one with you?"

       (1 Sam 21:2 TLB)  "The king has sent me on a private matter," David 
       lied. "He told me not to tell anybody why I am here. I have told my 
       men where to meet me later.

       (1 Sam 21:3 TLB)  Now, what is there to eat? Give me five loaves of 
       bread or anything else you can."

       (1 Sam 21:4 TLB)  "We don't have any regular bread," the priest 
       replied, "but there is the holy bread, which I guess you can have if 
       only your young men have not slept with any women for awhile."

       (1 Sam 21:5 TLB)  "Rest assured," David replied. "I never let my men 
       run wild when they are on an expedition, and since they stay clean 





       even on ordinary trips, how much more so on this one!"

       (1 Sam 21:6 TLB)  So, since there was no other food available, the 
       priest gave him the holy bread--the Bread of the Presence that was 
       placed before the Lord in the Tabernacle. It had just been replaced 
       that day with fresh bread.

       (1 Sam 21:7 TLB)  (Incidentally, Doeg the Edomite, Saul's chief 
       herdsman, was there at that time for ceremonial purification.)

       (1 Sam 21:8 TLB)  David asked Ahimelech if he had a spear or sword he 
       could use. "The king's business required such haste, and I left in 
       such a rush that I came away without a weapon!" David explained.

       (1 Sam 21:9 TLB)  "Well," the priest replied, "I have the sword of 
       Goliath, the Philistine--the fellow you killed in the valley of Elah. 
       It is wrapped in a cloth in the clothes closet. Take that if you want 
       it, for there is nothing else here." "Just the thing!" David replied. 
       "Give it to me!"

       (1 Sam 21:10 TLB)  Then David hurried on, for he was fearful of Saul, 
       and went to King Achish of Gath.

       (1 Sam 21:11 TLB)  But Achish's officers weren't happy about his being 
       there. "Isn't he the top leader of Israel?" they asked. "Isn't he the 
       one the people honor at their dances, singing, 'Saul has slain his 
       thousands and David his ten thousands'?"

       (1 Sam 21:12 TLB)  David heard these comments and was afraid of what 
       King Achish might do to him,

       (1 Sam 21:13 TLB)  so he pretended to be insane! He scratched on doors 
       and let his spittle flow down his beard,

       (1 Sam 21:14 TLB)  until finally King Achish said to his men, "Must 
       you bring me a madman? We already have enough of them around here! 
       Should such a fellow as this be my guest?"

       (1 Sam 21:15 TLB)  

       (1 Sam 22:1 TLB)  So David left Gath and escaped to the cave of 
       Adullam, where his brothers and other relatives soon joined him.

       (1 Sam 22:2 TLB)  Then others began coming--those who were in any kind 
       of trouble, such as being in debt, or merely discontented--until David 
       was the leader of about four hundred men.

       (1 Sam 22:3 TLB)  (Later David went to Mizpeh in Moab to ask 
       permission of the king for his father and mother to live there under 
       royal protection until David knew what God was going to do for him.

       (1 Sam 22:4 TLB)  They stayed in Moab during the entire period when 
       David was living in the cave.)

       (1 Sam 22:5 TLB)  One day the prophet Gad told David to leave the cave 
       and return to the land of Judah. So David went to the forest of 





       Hereth.

       (1 Sam 22:6 TLB)  The news of his arrival in Judah soon reached Saul. 
       He was in Gibeah at the time, sitting beneath an oak tree playing with 
       his spear, surrounded by his officers.

       (1 Sam 22:7 TLB)  "Listen here, you men of Benjamin!" Saul exclaimed 
       when he heard the news. "Has David promised you fields and vineyards 
       and commissions in his army?

       (1 Sam 22:8 TLB)  Is that why you are against me? For not one of you 
       has ever told me that my own son is on David's side. You're not even 
       sorry for me. Think of it! My own son--encouraging David to come and 
       kill me!"

       (1 Sam 22:9 TLB)  Then Doeg the Edomite, who was standing there with 
       Saul's men, spoke up. "When I was at Nob," he said, "I saw David 
       talking to Ahimelech the priest.

       (1 Sam 22:10 TLB)  Ahimelech consulted the Lord to find out what David 
       should do, and then gave him food and the sword of Goliath the 
       Philistine."

       (1 Sam 22:11 TLB)  King Saul immediately summoned Ahimelech and all 
       his family and all the other priests at Nob. When they arrived Saul 
       shouted at him,

       (1 Sam 22:12 TLB)  "Listen to me, you son of Ahitub!" "What is it?" 
       quavered Ahimelech.

       (1 Sam 22:13 TLB)  "Why have you and David conspired against me?" Saul 
       demanded. "Why did you give him food and a sword and talk to God for 
       him? Why did you encourage him to revolt against me and to come here 
       and attack me?"

       (1 Sam 22:14 TLB)  "But sir," Ahimelech replied, "is there anyone 
       among all your servants who is as faithful as David your son-in-law? 
       Why, he is the captain of your bodyguard and a highly honored member 
       of your own household!

       (1 Sam 22:15 TLB)  This was certainly not the first time I had 
       consulted God for him! It's unfair for you to accuse me and my family 
       in this matter, for we knew nothing of any plot against you."

       (1 Sam 22:16 TLB)  "You shall die, Ahimelech, along with your entire 
       family!" the king shouted.

       (1 Sam 22:17 TLB)  He ordered his bodyguards, "Kill these priests, for 
       they are allies and conspirators with David; they knew he was running 
       away from me, but they didn't tell me!" But the soldiers refused to 
       harm the clergy.

       (1 Sam 22:18 TLB)  Then the king said to Doeg, "You do it." So Doeg 
       turned on them and killed them, eighty-five priests in all, all 
       wearing their priestly robes.





       (1 Sam 22:19 TLB)  Then he went to Nob, the city of the priests, and 
       killed the priests' families--men, women, children, and babies, and 
       also all the oxen, donkeys, and sheep.

       (1 Sam 22:20 TLB)  Only Abiathar, one of the sons of Ahimelech, 
       escaped and fled to David.

       (1 Sam 22:21 TLB)  When he told him what Saul had done,

       (1 Sam 22:22 TLB)  David exclaimed, "I knew it! When I saw Doeg there, 
       I knew he would tell Saul. Now I have caused the death of all of your 
       father's family.

       (1 Sam 22:23 TLB)  Stay here with me, and I'll protect you with my own 
       life. Any harm to you will be over my dead body."

       (1 Sam 23:1 TLB)  One day news came to David that the Philistines were 
       at Keilah robbing the threshing floors.

       (1 Sam 23:2 TLB)  David asked the Lord, "Shall I go and attack them?" 
       "Yes, go and save Keilah," the Lord told him.

       (1 Sam 23:3 TLB)  But David's men said, "We're afraid even here in 
       Judah; we certainly don't want to go to Keilah to fight the whole 
       Philistine army!"

       (1 Sam 23:4 TLB)  David asked the Lord again, and the Lord again 
       replied, "Go down to Keilah, for I will help you conquer the 
       Philistines."

       (1 Sam 23:5 TLB)  They went to Keilah and slaughtered the Philistines 
       and confiscated their cattle, and so the people of Keilah were saved.

       (1 Sam 23:6 TLB)  (Abiathar the priest went to Keilah with David, 
       taking his ephod with him to get answers for David from the Lord.)

       (1 Sam 23:7 TLB)  Saul soon learned that David was at Keilah. "Good!" 
       he exclaimed. "We've got him now! God has delivered him to me, for he 
       has trapped himself in a walled city!"

       (1 Sam 23:8 TLB)  So Saul mobilized his entire army to march to Keilah 
       and besiege David and his men.

       (1 Sam 23:9 TLB)  But David learned of Saul's plan and told Abiathar 
       the priest to bring the ephod and to ask the Lord what he should do.

       (1 Sam 23:10 TLB)  "O Lord God of Israel," David said, "I have heard 
       that Saul is planning to come and destroy Keilah because I am here.

       (1 Sam 23:11 TLB)  Will the men of Keilah surrender me to him? And 
       will Saul actually come, as I have heard? O Lord God of Israel, please 
       tell me." And the Lord said, "He will come."

       (1 Sam 23:12 TLB)  "And will these men of Keilah betray me to Saul?" 
       David persisted. And the Lord replied, "Yes, they will betray you."





       (1 Sam 23:13 TLB)  So David and his men--about six hundred of them 
       now--left Keilah and began roaming the countryside. Word soon reached 
       Saul that David had escaped, so he didn't go there after all.

       (1 Sam 23:14 TLB)  David now lived in the wilderness caves in the hill 
       country of Ziph.

       (1 Sam 23:15 TLB)  One day near Horesh he received the news that Saul 
       was on the way to Ziph to search for him and kill him. Saul hunted him 
       day after day, but the Lord didn't let him find him.

       (1 Sam 23:16 TLB)  (Prince Jonathan now went to find David; he met him 
       at Horesh and encouraged him in his faith in God.

       (1 Sam 23:17 TLB)  "Don't be afraid," Jonathan reassured him. "My 
       father will never find you! You are going to be the king of Israel and 
       I will be next to you, as my father is well aware."

       (1 Sam 23:18 TLB)  So the two of them renewed their pact of 
       friendship; and David stayed at Horesh while Jonathan returned home.)

       (1 Sam 23:19 TLB)  But now the men of Ziph went to Saul in Gibeah and 
       betrayed David to him. "We know where he is hiding," they said. "He is 
       in the caves of Horesh on Hachilah Hill, down in the southern part of 
       the wilderness.

       (1 Sam 23:20 TLB)  Come on down, sir, and we will catch him for you 
       and your fondest wish will be fulfilled!"

       (1 Sam 23:21 TLB)  "Well, praise the Lord!" Saul said. "At last 
       someone has had pity on me!

       (1 Sam 23:22 TLB)  Go and check again to be sure of where he is 
       staying and who has seen him there, for I know that he is very crafty.

       (1 Sam 23:23 TLB)  Discover his hiding places and then come back and 
       give me a more definite report. Then I'll go with you. And if he is in 
       the area at all, I'll find him if I have to search every inch of the 
       entire land!"

       (1 Sam 23:24 TLB)  So the men of Ziph returned home.

       (1 Sam 23:25 TLB)  But when David heard that Saul was on his way to 
       Ziph, he and his men went even further into the wilderness of Maon in 
       the south of the desert. But Saul followed them there.

       (1 Sam 23:26 TLB)  He and David were now on opposite sides of a 
       mountain. As Saul and his men began to close in, David tried his best 
       to escape, but it was no use.

       (1 Sam 23:27 TLB)  But just then a message reached Saul that the 
       Philistines were raiding Israel again,

       (1 Sam 23:28 TLB)  so Saul quit the chase and returned to fight the 
       Philistines. Ever since that time the place where David was camped has 
       been called, "The Rock of Escape!"






       (1 Sam 23:29 TLB)  David then went to live in the caves of Engedi.

       (1 Sam 24:1 TLB)  After Saul's return from his battle with the 
       Philistines, he was told that David had gone into the wilderness of 
       Engedi;

       (1 Sam 24:2 TLB)  so he took three thousand special troops and went to 
       search for him among the rocks and wild goats of the desert.

       (1 Sam 24:3 TLB)  At the place where the road passes some sheepfolds, 
       Saul went into a cave to go to the bathroom, but as it happened, David 
       and his men were hiding in the cave!

       (1 Sam 24:4 TLB)  "Now's your time!" David's men whispered to him. 
       "Today is the day the Lord was talking about when he said, 'I will 
       certainly put Saul into your power, to do with as you wish'!" Then 
       David crept forward and quietly slit off the bottom of Saul's robe!

       (1 Sam 24:5 TLB)  But then his conscience began bothering him.

       (1 Sam 24:6 TLB)  "I shouldn't have done it," he said to his men. "It 
       is a serious sin to attack God's chosen king in any way."

       (1 Sam 24:7 TLB)  These words of David persuaded his men not to kill 
       Saul. After Saul had left the cave and gone on his way,

       (1 Sam 24:8 TLB)  David came out and shouted after him, "My lord the 
       king!" And when Saul looked around, David bowed low before him.

       (1 Sam 24:9 TLB)  Then he shouted to Saul, "Why do you listen to the 
       people who say I am trying to harm you?

       (1 Sam 24:10 TLB)  This very day you have seen it isn't true. For the 
       Lord placed you at my mercy back there in the cave, and some of my men 
       told me to kill you, but I spared you. For I said, 'I will never harm 
       him--he is the Lord's chosen king.'

       (1 Sam 24:11 TLB)  See what I have in my hand? It is the hem of your 
       robe! I cut it off, but I didn't kill you! Doesn't this convince you 
       that I am not trying to harm you and that I have not sinned against 
       you, even though you have been hunting for my life?

       (1 Sam 24:12 TLB)  "The Lord will decide between us. Perhaps he will 
       kill you for what you are trying to do to me, but I will never harm 
       you.

       (1 Sam 24:13 TLB)  As that old proverb says, 'Wicked is as wicked 
       does,' but despite your wickedness, I'll not touch you.

       (1 Sam 24:14 TLB)  And who is the king of Israel trying to catch, 
       anyway? Should he spend his time chasing one who is as worthless as a 
       dead dog or a flea?

       (1 Sam 24:15 TLB)  May the Lord judge as to which of us is right and 
       punish whichever one of us is guilty. He is my lawyer and defender, 





       and he will rescue me from your power!"

       (1 Sam 24:16 TLB)  Saul called back, "Is it really you, my son David?" 
       Then he began to cry.

       (1 Sam 24:17 TLB)  And he said to David, "You are a better man than I 
       am, for you have repaid me good for evil.

       (1 Sam 24:18 TLB)  Yes, you have been wonderfully kind to me today, 
       for when the Lord delivered me into your hand, you didn't kill me.

       (1 Sam 24:19 TLB)  Who else in all the world would let his enemy get 
       away when he had him in his power? May the Lord reward you well for 
       the kindness you have shown me today.

       (1 Sam 24:20 TLB)  And now I realize that you are surely going to be 
       king, and Israel shall be yours to rule.

       (1 Sam 24:21 TLB)  Oh, swear to me by the Lord that when that happens 
       you will not kill my family and destroy my line of descendants!"

       (1 Sam 24:22 TLB)  So David promised, and Saul went home, but David 
       and his men went back to their cave.

       (1 Sam 25:1 TLB)  Shortly afterwards Samuel died, and all Israel 
       gathered for his funeral and buried him in his family plot at Ramah. 
       Meanwhile David went down to the wilderness of Paran.

       (1 Sam 25:2 TLB)  A wealthy man from Maon owned a sheep ranch there, 
       near the village of Carmel. He had three thousand sheep and a thousand 
       goats, and was at his ranch at this time for the sheep shearing.

       (1 Sam 25:3 TLB)  His name was Nabal and his wife, a beautiful and 
       very intelligent woman, was named Abigail. But the man, who was a 
       descendant of Caleb, was uncouth, churlish, stubborn, and 
       ill-mannered.

       (1 Sam 25:4 TLB)  When David heard that Nabal was shearing his sheep,

       (1 Sam 25:5 TLB)  he sent ten of his young men to Carmel to give him 
       this message:

       (1 Sam 25:6 TLB)  "May God prosper you and your family and multiply 
       everything you own.

       (1 Sam 25:7 TLB)  I am told that you are shearing your sheep and 
       goats. While your shepherds have lived among us, we have never harmed 
       them, nor stolen anything from them the whole time they have been in 
       Carmel.

       (1 Sam 25:8 TLB)  Ask your young men and they will tell you whether or 
       not this is true. Now I have sent my men to ask for a little 
       contribution from you, for we have come at a happy time of holiday. 
       Please give us a present of whatever is at hand."

       (1 Sam 25:9 TLB)  The young men gave David's message to Nabal and 





       waited for his reply.

       (1 Sam 25:10 TLB)  "Who is this fellow David?" he sneered. "Who does 
       this son of Jesse think he is? There are lots of servants these days 
       who run away from their masters.

       (1 Sam 25:11 TLB)  Should I take my bread and my water and my meat 
       that I've slaughtered for my shearers and give it to a gang who comes 
       from God knows where?"

       (1 Sam 25:12 TLB)  So David's messengers returned and told him what 
       Nabal had said.

       (1 Sam 25:13 TLB)  "Get your swords!" was David's reply as he strapped 
       on his own. Four hundred of them started off with David and two 
       hundred remained behind to guard their gear.

       (1 Sam 25:14 TLB)  Meanwhile, one of Nabal's men went and told 
       Abigail, "David sent men from the wilderness to talk to our master, 
       but he insulted them and railed at them.

       (1 Sam 25:15 TLB)  But David's men were very good to us and we never 
       suffered any harm from them;

       (1 Sam 25:16 TLB)  in fact, day and night they were like a wall of 
       protection to us and the sheep, and nothing was stolen from us the 
       whole time they were with us.

       (1 Sam 25:17 TLB)  You'd better think fast, for there is going to be 
       trouble for our master and his whole family--he's such a stubborn lout 
       that no one can even talk to him!"

       (1 Sam 25:18 TLB)  Then Abigail hurriedly took two hundred loaves of 
       bread, two barrels of wine, five dressed sheep, two bushels of roasted 
       grain, one hundred raisin cakes, and two hundred fig cakes, and packed 
       them onto donkeys.

       (1 Sam 25:19 TLB)  "Go on ahead," she said to her young men, "and I 
       will follow." But she didn't tell her husband what she was doing.

       (1 Sam 25:20 TLB)  As she was riding down the trail on her donkey, she 
       met David coming toward her.

       (1 Sam 25:21 TLB)  David had been saying to himself, "A lot of good it 
       did us to help this fellow. We protected his flocks in the wilderness 
       so that not one thing was lost or stolen, but he has repaid me bad for 
       good. All that I get for my trouble is insults.

       (1 Sam 25:22 TLB)  May God curse me if even one of his men remains 
       alive by tomorrow morning!"

       (1 Sam 25:23 TLB)  When Abigail saw David, she quickly dismounted and 
       bowed low before him.

       (1 Sam 25:24 TLB)  "I accept all blame in this matter, my lord," she 
       said. "Please listen to what I want to say.






       (1 Sam 25:25 TLB)  Nabal is a bad-tempered boor, but please don't pay 
       any attention to what he said. He is a fool--just like his name means. 
       But I didn't see the messengers you sent.

       (1 Sam 25:26 TLB)  Sir, since the Lord has kept you from murdering and 
       taking vengeance into your own hands, I pray by the life of God, and 
       by your own life too, that all your enemies shall be as cursed as 
       Nabal is.

       (1 Sam 25:27 TLB)  And now, here is a present I have brought to you 
       and your young men.

       (1 Sam 25:28 TLB)  Forgive me for my boldness in coming out here. The 
       Lord will surely reward you with eternal royalty for your descendants, 
       for you are fighting his battles; and you will never do wrong 
       throughout your entire life.

       (1 Sam 25:29 TLB)  Even when you are chased by those who seek your 
       life, you are safe in the care of the Lord your God, just as though 
       you were safe inside his purse! But the lives of your enemies shall 
       disappear like stones from a sling!

       (1 Sam 25:30 TLB)  When the Lord has done all the good things he 
       promised you and has made you king of Israel,

       (1 Sam 25:31 TLB)  you won't want the conscience of a murderer who 
       took the law into his own hands! And when the Lord has done these 
       great things for you, please remember me!"

       (1 Sam 25:32 TLB)  David replied to Abigail, "Bless the Lord God of 
       Israel who has sent you to meet me today!

       (1 Sam 25:33 TLB)  Thank God for your good sense! Bless you for 
       keeping me from murdering the man and carrying out vengeance with my 
       own hands.

       (1 Sam 25:34 TLB)  For I swear by the Lord, the God of Israel who has 
       kept me from hurting you, that if you had not come out to meet me, not 
       one of Nabal's men would be alive tomorrow morning."

       (1 Sam 25:35 TLB)  Then David accepted her gifts and told her to 
       return home without fear, for he would not kill her husband.

       (1 Sam 25:36 TLB)  When she arrived home she found that Nabal had 
       thrown a big party. He was roaring drunk, so she didn't tell him 
       anything about her meeting with David until the next morning.

       (1 Sam 25:37 TLB)  By that time he was sober, and when his wife told 
       him what had happened,

       (1 Sam 25:38 TLB)  he had a stroke and lay paralyzed for about ten 
       days, then died, for the Lord killed him.

       (1 Sam 25:39 TLB)  When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, 
       "Praise the Lord! God has paid back Nabal and kept me from doing it 





       myself; he has received his punishment for his sin." Then David wasted 
       no time in sending messengers to Abigail to ask her to become his 
       wife.

       (1 Sam 25:40 TLB)  When the messengers arrived at Carmel and told her 
       why they had come,

       (1 Sam 25:41 TLB)  she readily agreed to his request.

       (1 Sam 25:42 TLB)  Quickly getting ready, she took along five of her 
       serving girls as attendants, mounted her donkey, and followed the men 
       back to David. So she became his wife.

       (1 Sam 25:43 TLB)  David also married Ahinoam from Jezreel.

       (1 Sam 25:44 TLB)  King Saul, meanwhile, had forced David's wife 
       Michal, Saul's daughter, to marry a man from Gallim named Palti (the 
       son of Laish).

       (1 Sam 26:1 TLB)  Now the men from Ziph came back to Saul at Gibeah to 
       tell him that David had returned to the wilderness and was hiding on 
       Hachilah Hill.

       (1 Sam 26:2 TLB)  So Saul took his elite corps of three thousand 
       troops and went to hunt him down.

       (1 Sam 26:3 TLB)  Saul camped along the road at the edge of the 
       wilderness where David was hiding, but David knew of Saul's arrival 
       and sent out spies to watch his movements.

       (1 Sam 26:4 TLB)  

       (1 Sam 26:5 TLB)  David slipped over to Saul's camp one night to look 
       around. King Saul and General Abner were sleeping inside a ring formed 
       by the slumbering soldiers. "Any volunteers to go down there with me?"

       (1 Sam 26:6 TLB)  David asked Ahimelech (the Hittite) and Abishai 
       (Joab's brother and the son of Zeruiah). "I'll go with you," Abishai 
       replied.

       (1 Sam 26:7 TLB)  So David and Abishai went to Saul's camp and found 
       him asleep, with his spear in the ground beside his head.

       (1 Sam 26:8 TLB)  "God has put your enemy within your power this time 
       for sure," Abishai whispered to David. "Let me go and put that spear 
       through him. I'll pin him to the earth with it--I'll not need to 
       strike a second time!"

       (1 Sam 26:9 TLB)  "No," David said. "Don't kill him, for who can 
       remain innocent after attacking the Lord's chosen king?

       (1 Sam 26:10 TLB)  Surely God will strike him down some day, or he 
       will die in battle or of old age.

       (1 Sam 26:11 TLB)  But God forbid that I should kill the man he has 
       chosen to be king! But I'll tell you what--we'll take his spear and 





       his jug of water and then get out of here!"

       (1 Sam 26:12 TLB)  So David took the spear and jug of water, and they 
       got away without anyone seeing them or even waking up, because the 
       Lord had put them sound asleep.

       (1 Sam 26:13 TLB)  They climbed the mountain slope opposite the camp 
       until they were at a safe distance.

       (1 Sam 26:14 TLB)  Then David shouted down to Abner and Saul, "Wake 
       up, Abner!" "Who is it?" Abner demanded.

       (1 Sam 26:15 TLB)  "Well, Abner, you're a great fellow, aren't you?" 
       David taunted. "Where in all Israel is there anyone as wonderf ul? So 
       why haven't you guarded your master the king when someone came to kill 
       him?

       (1 Sam 26:16 TLB)  This isn't good at all! I swear by the Lord that 
       you ought to die for your carelessness. Where is the king's spear and 
       the jug of water that was beside his head? Look and see!"

       (1 Sam 26:17 TLB)  Saul recognized David's voice and said, "Is that 
       you, my son David?" And David replied, "Yes, sir, it is.

       (1 Sam 26:18 TLB)  Why are you chasing me? What have I done? What is 
       my crime?

       (1 Sam 26:19 TLB)  If the Lord has stirred you up against me, then let 
       him accept my peace offering. But if this is simply the scheme of a 
       man, then may he be cursed by God. For you have driven me out of my 
       home so that I can't be with the Lord's people, and you have sent me 
       away to worship heathen gods.

       (1 Sam 26:20 TLB)  Must I die on foreign soil, far from the presence 
       of Jehovah? Why should the king of Israel come out to hunt my life 
       like a partridge on the mountains?"

       (1 Sam 26:21 TLB)  Then Saul confessed, "I have done wrong. Come back 
       home, my son, and I'll no longer try to harm you; for you saved my 
       life today. I have been a fool, and very, very wrong."

       (1 Sam 26:22 TLB)  "Here is your spear, sir," David replied. "Let one 
       of your young men come over and get it.

       (1 Sam 26:23 TLB)  The Lord gives his own reward for doing good and 
       for being loyal, and I refused to kill you even when the Lord placed 
       you in my power.

       (1 Sam 26:24 TLB)  Now may the Lord save my life, even as I have saved 
       yours today. May he rescue me from all my troubles."

       (1 Sam 26:25 TLB)  And Saul said to David, "Blessings on you, my son 
       David. You shall do heroic deeds and be a great conqueror." Then David 
       went away and Saul returned home.

       (1 Sam 27:1 TLB)  But David kept thinking to himself, "Some day Saul 





       is going to get me. I'll try my luck among the Philistines until Saul 
       gives up and quits hunting for me; then I will finally be safe again."

       (1 Sam 27:2 TLB)  So David took his six hundred men and their families 
       to live at Gath under the protection of King Achish.

       (1 Sam 27:3 TLB)  He had his two wives with him--Ahinoam of Jezreel 
       and Abigail of Carmel, Nabal's widow.

       (1 Sam 27:4 TLB)  Word soon reached Saul that David had fled to Gath, 
       so he quit hunting for him.

       (1 Sam 27:5 TLB)  One day David said to Achish, "My lord, if it is all 
       right with you, we would rather live in one of the country towns 
       instead of here in the royal city."

       (1 Sam 27:6 TLB)  So Achish gave him Ziklag (which still belongs to 
       the kings of Judah to this day),

       (1 Sam 27:7 TLB)  and they lived there among the Philistines for a 
       year and four months.

       (1 Sam 27:8 TLB)  He and his men spent their time raiding the 
       Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites--people who had lived 
       near Shur along the road to Egypt ever since ancient times.

       (1 Sam 27:9 TLB)  They didn't leave one person alive in the villages 
       they hit and took for themselves the sheep, oxen, donkeys, camels, and 
       clothing before returning to their homes.

       (1 Sam 27:10 TLB)  "Where did you make your raid today?" Achish would 
       ask. And David would reply, "Against the south of Judah and the people 
       of Jerahmeel and the Kenites."

       (1 Sam 27:11 TLB)  No one was left alive to come to Gath and tell 
       where he had really been. This happened again and again while he was 
       living among the Philistines.

       (1 Sam 27:12 TLB)  Achish believed David and thought that the people 
       of Israel must hate him bitterly by now. "Now he will have to stay 
       here and serve me forever!" the king thought.

       (1 Sam 28:1 TLB)  About that time the Philistines mustered their 
       armies for another war with Israel. "Come and help us fight," King 
       Achish said to David and his men.

       (1 Sam 28:2 TLB)  "Good," David agreed. "You will soon see what a help 
       we can be to you." "If you are, you shall be my personal bodyguard for 
       life," Achish told him.

       (1 Sam 28:3 TLB)  (Meanwhile, Samuel had died and all Israel had 
       mourned for him. He was buried in Ramah, his hometown. King Saul had 
       banned all mediums and wizards from the land of Israel.)

       (1 Sam 28:4 TLB)  The Philistines set up their camp at Shunem, and 
       Saul and the armies of Israel were at Gilboa.






       (1 Sam 28:5 TLB)  When Saul saw the vast army of the Philistines, he 
       was frantic with fear

       (1 Sam 28:6 TLB)  and asked the Lord what he should do. But the Lord 
       refused to answer him, either by dreams, or by Urim, or by the 
       prophets.

       (1 Sam 28:7 TLB)  Saul then instructed his aides to try to find a 
       medium so that he could ask her what to do, and they found one at 
       Endor.

       (1 Sam 28:8 TLB)  Saul disguised himself by wearing ordinary clothing 
       instead of his royal robes. He went to the woman's home at night, 
       accompanied by two of his men. "I've got to talk to a dead man," he 
       pleaded. "Will you bring his spirit up?"

       (1 Sam 28:9 TLB)  "Are you trying to get me killed?" the woman 
       demanded. "You know that Saul has had all of the mediums and 
       fortune-tellers executed. You are spying on me."

       (1 Sam 28:10 TLB)  But Saul took a solemn oath that he wouldn't betray 
       her.

       (1 Sam 28:11 TLB)  Finally the woman said, "Well, whom do you want me 
       to bring up?" "Bring me Samuel," Saul replied.

       (1 Sam 28:12 TLB)  When the woman saw Samuel, she screamed, "You've 
       deceived me! You are Saul!"

       (1 Sam 28:13 TLB)  "Don't be frightened!" the king told her. "What do 
       you see?" "I see a specter coming up out of the earth," she said.

       (1 Sam 28:14 TLB)  "What does he look like?" "He is an old man wrapped 
       in a robe." Saul realized that it was Samuel and bowed low before him.

       (1 Sam 28:15 TLB)  "Why have you disturbed me by bringing me back?" 
       Samuel asked Saul. "Because I am in deep trouble," he replied. "The 
       Philistines are at war with us, and God has left me and won't reply by 
       prophets or dreams; so I have called for you to ask you what to do."

       (1 Sam 28:16 TLB)  But Samuel replied, "Why ask me if the Lord has 
       left you and has become your enemy?

       (1 Sam 28:17 TLB)  He has done just as he said he would and has taken 
       the kingdom from you and given it to your rival, David.

       (1 Sam 28:18 TLB)  All this has come upon you because you did not obey 
       the Lord's instructions when he was so angry with Amalek.

       (1 Sam 28:19 TLB)  What's more, the entire Israeli army will be routed 
       and destroyed by the Philistines tomorrow, and you and your sons will 
       be here with me."

       (1 Sam 28:20 TLB)  Saul now fell full length upon the ground, 
       paralyzed with fright because of Samuel's words. He was also faint 





       with hunger, for he had eaten nothing all day.

       (1 Sam 28:21 TLB)  When the woman saw how distraught he was, she said, 
       "Sir, I obeyed your command at the risk of my life.

       (1 Sam 28:22 TLB)  Now do what I say, and let me give you something to 
       eat so you'll regain your strength for the trip back."

       (1 Sam 28:23 TLB)  But he refused. The men who were with him added 
       their pleas to that of the woman until he finally yielded and got up 
       and sat on the bed.

       (1 Sam 28:24 TLB)  The woman had been fattening a calf, so she hurried 
       out and killed it and kneaded dough and baked unleavened bread.

       (1 Sam 28:25 TLB)  She brought the meal to the king and his men, and 
       they ate it. Then they went out into the night.

       (1 Sam 29:1 TLB)  The Philistine army now mobilized at Aphek, and the 
       Israelis camped at the springs in Jezreel.

       (1 Sam 29:2 TLB)  As the Philistine captains were leading out their 
       troops by battalions and companies, David and his men marched at the 
       rear with King Achish.

       (1 Sam 29:3 TLB)  But the Philistine commanders demanded, "What are 
       these Israelis doing here?" And King Achish told them, "This is David, 
       the runaway servant of King Saul of Israel. He's been with me for 
       years, and I've never found one fault in him since he arrived."

       (1 Sam 29:4 TLB)  But the Philistine leaders were angry. "Send them 
       back!" they demanded. "They aren't going into the battle with 
       us--they'll turn against us. Is there any better way for him to 
       reconcile himself with his master than by turning against us in the 
       battle?

       (1 Sam 29:5 TLB)  This is the same man the women of Israel sang about 
       in their dances: 'Saul has slain his thousands and David his ten 
       thousands!'"

       (1 Sam 29:6 TLB)  So Achish finally summoned David and his men. "I 
       swear by the Lord," he told them, "you are some of the finest men I've 
       ever met, and I think you should go with us, but my commanders say no.

       (1 Sam 29:7 TLB)  Please don't upset them, but go back quietly."

       (1 Sam 29:8 TLB)  "What have I done to deserve this treatment?" David 
       demanded. "Why can't I fight your enemies?"

       (1 Sam 29:9 TLB)  But Achish insisted, "As far as I'm concerned, 
       you're as perfect as an angel of God. But my commanders are afraid to 
       have you with them in the battle.

       (1 Sam 29:10 TLB)  Now get up early in the morning and leave as soon 
       as it is light."





       (1 Sam 29:11 TLB)  So David headed back into the land of the 
       Philistines while the Philistine army went on to Jezreel.

       (1 Sam 30:1 TLB)  Three days later, when David and his men arrived 
       home at their city of Ziklag, they found that the Amalekites had 
       raided the city and burned it to the ground,

       (1 Sam 30:2 TLB)  carrying off all the women and children.

       (1 Sam 30:3 TLB)  As David and his men looked at the ruins and 
       realized what had happened to their families,

       (1 Sam 30:4 TLB)  they wept until they could weep no more.

       (1 Sam 30:5 TLB)  (David's two wives, Ahinoam and Abigail, were among 
       those who had been captured.)

       (1 Sam 30:6 TLB)  David was seriously worried, for in their bitter 
       grief for their children, his men began talking of killing him. But 
       David took strength from the Lord.

       (1 Sam 30:7 TLB)  Then he said to Abiathar the priest, "Bring me the 
       oracle!" So Abiathar brought it.

       (1 Sam 30:8 TLB)  David asked the Lord, "Shall I chase them? Will I 
       catch them?" And the Lord told him, "Yes, go after them; you will 
       recover everything that was taken from you!"

       (1 Sam 30:9 TLB)  So David and his six hundred men set out after the 
       Amalekites. When they reached Besor Brook,

       (1 Sam 30:10 TLB)  two hundred of the men were too exhausted to cross, 
       but the other four hundred kept going.

       (1 Sam 30:11 TLB)  Along the way they found an Egyptian youth in a 
       field and brought him to David. He had not had anything to eat or 
       drink for three days and nights,

       (1 Sam 30:12 TLB)  so they gave him part of a fig cake, two clusters 
       of raisins, and some water, and his strength soon returned.

       (1 Sam 30:13 TLB)  "Who are you and where do you come from?" David 
       asked him. "I am an Egyptian--the servant of an Amalekite," he 
       replied. "My master left me behind three days ago because I was sick.

       (1 Sam 30:14 TLB)  We were on our way back from raiding the 
       Cherethites in the Negeb, and had raided the south of Judah and the 
       land of Caleb, and had burned Ziklag."

       (1 Sam 30:15 TLB)  "Can you tell me where they went?" David asked. The 
       young man replied, "If you swear by God's name that you will not kill 
       me or give me back to my master, then I will guide you to them."

       (1 Sam 30:16 TLB)  So he led them to the Amalekite encampment. They 
       were spread out across the fields, eating and drinking and dancing 
       with joy because of the vast amount of loot they had taken from the 





       Philistines and from the men of Judah.

       (1 Sam 30:17 TLB)  David and his men rushed in among them and 
       slaughtered them all that night and the entire next day until evening. 
       No one escaped except four hundred young men who fled on camels.

       (1 Sam 30:18 TLB)  David got back everything they had taken. The men 
       recovered their families and all of their belongings, and David 
       rescued his two wives.

       (1 Sam 30:19 TLB)  

       (1 Sam 30:20 TLB)  His troops rounded up all the flocks and herds and 
       drove them on ahead of them. "These are all yours personally, as your 
       reward!" they told David.

       (1 Sam 30:21 TLB)  When they reached Besor Brook and the two hundred 
       men who had been too exhausted to go on, David greeted them joyfully.

       (1 Sam 30:22 TLB)  But some of the ruffians among David's men 
       declared, "They didn't go with us, so they can't have any of the loot. 
       Give them their wives and their children and tell them to be gone."

       (1 Sam 30:23 TLB)  But David said, "No, my brothers! The Lord has kept 
       us safe and helped us defeat the enemy.

       (1 Sam 30:24 TLB)  Do you think that anyone will listen to you when 
       you talk like this? We share and share alike--those who go to battle 
       and those who guard the equipment."

       (1 Sam 30:25 TLB)  From then on David made this a law for all of 
       Israel, and it is still followed.

       (1 Sam 30:26 TLB)  When he arrived at Ziklag, he sent part of the loot 
       to the elders of Judah. "Here is a present for you, taken from the 
       Lord's enemies," he wrote them.

       (1 Sam 30:27 TLB)  The gifts were sent to the elders in the following 
       cities where David and his men had been: Bethel, South Ramoth, Jattir,

       (1 Sam 30:28 TLB)  Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa,

       (1 Sam 30:29 TLB)  Racal, the cities of the Jerahmeelites, the cities 
       of the Kenites,

       (1 Sam 30:30 TLB)  Hormah, Borashan, Athach, Hebron.

       (1 Sam 30:31 TLB)  

       (1 Sam 31:1 TLB)  Meanwhile the Philistines had begun the battle 
       against Israel, and the Israelis fled from them and were slaughtered 
       wholesale on Mount Gilboa.

       (1 Sam 31:2 TLB)  The Philistines closed in on Saul and killed his 
       sons Jonathan, Abinidab, and Malchishua.





       (1 Sam 31:3 TLB)  Then the archers overtook Saul and wounded him 
       badly.

       (1 Sam 31:4 TLB)  He groaned to his armor-bearer, "Kill me with your 
       sword before these heathen Philistines capture me and torture me." But 
       his armor-bearer was afraid to, so Saul took his own sword and fell 
       upon the point of the blade, and it pierced him through.

       (1 Sam 31:5 TLB)  When his armor-bearer saw that he was dead, he also 
       fell upon his sword and died with him.

       (1 Sam 31:6 TLB)  So Saul, his armor-bearer, his three sons, and his 
       troops died together that same day.

       (1 Sam 31:7 TLB)  When the Israelis on the other side of the valley 
       and beyond the Jordan heard that their comrades had fled and that Saul 
       and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities; and the 
       Philistines lived in them.

       (1 Sam 31:8 TLB)  The next day when the Philistines went out to strip 
       the dead, they found the bodies of Saul and his three sons on Mount 
       Gilboa.

       (1 Sam 31:9 TLB)  They cut off Saul's head and stripped off his armor 
       and sent the wonderful news of Saul's death to their idols and to the 
       people throughout their land.

       (1 Sam 31:10 TLB)  His armor was placed in the temple of Ashtaroth, 
       and his body was fastened to the wall of Beth-shan.

       (1 Sam 31:11 TLB)  But when the people of Jabesh-gilead heard what the 
       Philistines had done,

       (1 Sam 31:12 TLB)  warriors from that town traveled all night to 
       Beth-shan and took down the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall 
       and brought them to Jabesh, where they cremated them.

       (1 Sam 31:13 TLB)  Then they buried their remains beneath the oak tree 
       at Jabesh and fasted for seven days.

       (2 Sam 1:1 TLB)  Saul was dead and David had returned to Ziklag after 
       slaughtering the Amalekites.

       (2 Sam 1:2 TLB)  Three days later a man arrived from the Israeli army 
       with his clothes torn and with dirt on his head as a sign of mourning. 
       He fell to the ground before David in deep respect.

       (2 Sam 1:3 TLB)  "Where do you come from?" David asked. "From the 
       Israeli army," he replied.

       (2 Sam 1:4 TLB)  "What happened?" David demanded. "Tell me how the 
       battle went." And the man replied, "Our entire army fled. Thousands of 
       men are dead and wounded on the field, and Saul and his son Jonathan 
       have been killed."

       (2 Sam 1:5 TLB)  "How do you know they are dead?"






       (2 Sam 1:6 TLB)  "Because I was on Mount Gilboa and saw Saul leaning 
       against his spear with the enemy chariots closing in upon him.

       (2 Sam 1:7 TLB)  When he saw me he cried out for me to come to him.

       (2 Sam 1:8 TLB)  "'Who are you?' he asked. "'An Amalekite,' I replied.

       (2 Sam 1:9 TLB)  "'Come and put me out of my misery,' he begged, 'for 
       I am in terrible pain but life lingers on.'

       (2 Sam 1:10 TLB)  "So I killed him, for I knew he couldn't live. Then 
       I took his crown and one of his bracelets to bring to you, my lord."

       (2 Sam 1:11 TLB)  David and his men tore their clothes in sorrow when 
       they heard the news.

       (2 Sam 1:12 TLB)  They mourned and wept and fasted all day for Saul 
       and his son Jonathan, and for the Lord's people, and for the men of 
       Israel who had died that day.

       (2 Sam 1:13 TLB)  Then David said to the young man who had brought the 
       news, "Where are you from?" And he replied, "I am an Amalekite."

       (2 Sam 1:14 TLB)  "Why did you kill God's chosen king?" David 
       demanded.

       (2 Sam 1:15 TLB)  Then he said to one of his young men, "Kill him!" So 
       he ran him through with his sword and he died.

       (2 Sam 1:16 TLB)  "You die self-condemned," David said, "for you 
       yourself confessed that you killed God's appointed king."

       (2 Sam 1:17 TLB)  Then David composed a dirge for Saul and Jonathan 
       and afterward commanded that it be sung throughout Israel. It is 
       quoted here from the book, Heroic Ballads.

       (2 Sam 1:18 TLB)  

       (2 Sam 1:19 TLB)  O Israel, your pride and joy lies dead upon the 
       hills; Mighty heroes have fallen.

       (2 Sam 1:20 TLB)  Don't tell the Philistines, lest they rejoice. Hide 
       it from the cities of Gath and Ashkelon, Lest the heathen nations 
       laugh in triumph.

       (2 Sam 1:21 TLB)  O Mount Gilboa, Let there be no dew nor rain upon 
       you, Let no crops of grain grow on your slopes. For there the mighty 
       Saul has died; He is God's appointed king no more.

       (2 Sam 1:22 TLB)  Both Saul and Jonathan slew their strongest foes, 
       And did not return from battle empty-handed.

       (2 Sam 1:23 TLB)  How much they were loved, how wonderful they were-- 
       Both Saul and Jonathan! They were together in life and in death. They 
       were swifter than eagles, stronger than lions.






       (2 Sam 1:24 TLB)  But now, O women of Israel, weep for Saul; He 
       enriched you With fine clothing and gold ornaments.

       (2 Sam 1:25 TLB)  These mighty heroes have fallen in the midst of the 
       battle. Jonathan is slain upon the hills.

       (2 Sam 1:26 TLB)  How I weep for you, my brother Jonathan; How much I 
       loved you! And your love for me was deeper Than the love of women!

       (2 Sam 1:27 TLB)  The mighty ones have fallen, Stripped of their 
       weapons, and dead.

       (2 Sam 2:1 TLB)  David then asked the Lord, "Shall I move back to 
       Judah?" And the Lord replied, "Yes." "Which city shall I go to?" And 
       the Lord replied, "Hebron."

       (2 Sam 2:2 TLB)  So David and his wives--Ahinoam from Jezreel and 
       Abigail the widow of Nabal from Carmel--

       (2 Sam 2:3 TLB)  and his men and their families all moved to Hebron.

       (2 Sam 2:4 TLB)  Then the leaders of Judah came to David and crowned 
       him king of the Judean confederacy. When David heard that the men of 
       Jabesh-gilead had buried Saul,

       (2 Sam 2:5 TLB)  he sent them this message: "May the Lord bless you 
       for being so loyal to your king and giving him a decent burial.

       (2 Sam 2:6 TLB)  May the Lord be loyal to you in return and reward you 
       with many demonstrations of his love! And I too will be kind to you 
       because of what you have done.

       (2 Sam 2:7 TLB)  And now I ask you to be my strong and loyal subjects, 
       now that Saul is dead. Be like the tribe of Judah who have appointed 
       me as their new king."

       (2 Sam 2:8 TLB)  But Abner, Saul's commander-in-chief, had gone to 
       Mahanaim to crown Saul's son Ish-bosheth as king.

       (2 Sam 2:9 TLB)  His territory included Gilead, Ashuri, Jezreel, 
       Ephraim, the tribe of Benjamin, and all the rest of Israel.

       (2 Sam 2:10 TLB)  Ish-bosheth was forty years old at the time. He 
       reigned in Mahanaim for two years;

       (2 Sam 2:11 TLB)  meanwhile, David was reigning in Hebron and was king 
       of the Judean confederacy for seven and one-half years.

       (2 Sam 2:12 TLB)  One day General Abner led some of Ish-bosheth's 
       troops to Gibeon from Mahanaim,

       (2 Sam 2:13 TLB)  and General Joab (the son of Zeruiah) led David's 
       troops out to meet them. They met at the pool of Gibeon, where they 
       sat facing each other on opposite sides of the pool.





       (2 Sam 2:14 TLB)  Then Abner suggested to Joab, "Let's watch some 
       sword play between our young men!" Joab agreed,

       (2 Sam 2:15 TLB)  so twelve men were chosen from each side to fight in 
       mortal combat.

       (2 Sam 2:16 TLB)  Each one grabbed his opponent by the hair and thrust 
       his sword into the other's side, so that all of them died. The place 
       has been known ever since as Sword Field.

       (2 Sam 2:17 TLB)  The two armies then began to fight each other, and 
       by the end of the day Abner and the men of Israel had been defeated by 
       Joab and the forces of David.

       (2 Sam 2:18 TLB)  Joab's brothers, Abishai and Asahel, were also in 
       the battle. Asahel could run like a deer,

       (2 Sam 2:19 TLB)  and he began chasing Abner. He wouldn't stop for 
       anything, but kept on, singleminded, after Abner alone.

       (2 Sam 2:20 TLB)  When Abner looked behind and saw him coming, he 
       called out to him, "Is that you, Asahel?" "Yes," he called back, "it 
       is."

       (2 Sam 2:21 TLB)  "Go after someone else!" Abner warned. But Asahel 
       refused and kept on coming.

       (2 Sam 2:22 TLB)  Again Abner shouted to him, "Get away from here. I 
       could never face your brother Joab if I have to kill you!"

       (2 Sam 2:23 TLB)  But he refused to turn away, so Abner pierced him 
       through the belly with the butt end of his spear. It went right 
       through his body and came out his back. He stumbled to the ground and 
       died there, and everyone stopped when they came to the place where he 
       lay.

       (2 Sam 2:24 TLB)  Now Joab and Abishai set out after Abner. The sun 
       was just going down as they arrived at Ammah Hill near Giah, along the 
       road into the Gibeon desert.

       (2 Sam 2:25 TLB)  Abner's troops from the tribe of Benjamin regrouped 
       there at the top of the hill,

       (2 Sam 2:26 TLB)  and Abner shouted down to Joab, "Must our swords 
       continue to kill each other forever? How long will it be before you 
       call off your people from chasing their brothers?"

       (2 Sam 2:27 TLB)  Joab shouted back, "I swear by God that even if you 
       hadn't spoken, we would all have gone home tomorrow morning."

       (2 Sam 2:28 TLB)  Then he blew his trumpet and his men stopped chasing 
       the troops of Israel.

       (2 Sam 2:29 TLB)  That night Abner and his men retreated across the 
       Jordan Valley, crossed the river, and traveled all the next morning 
       until they arrived at Mahanaim.






       (2 Sam 2:30 TLB)  Joab and the men who were with him returned home, 
       too, and when he counted his casualties, he learned that only nineteen 
       men were missing, in addition to Asahel.

       (2 Sam 2:31 TLB)  But three hundred and sixty of Abner's men (all from 
       the tribe of Benjamin) were dead.

       (2 Sam 2:32 TLB)  Joab and his men took Asahel's body to Bethlehem and 
       buried him beside his father; then they traveled all night and reached 
       Hebron at daybreak.

       (2 Sam 3:1 TLB)  That was the beginning of a long war between the 
       followers of Saul and of David. David's position now became stronger 
       and stronger, while Saul's dynasty became weaker and weaker.

       (2 Sam 3:2 TLB)  Several sons were born to David while he was at 
       Hebron. The oldest was Amnon, born to his wife Ahinoam.

       (2 Sam 3:3 TLB)  His second son, Chileab, was born to Abigail, the 
       widow of Nabal of Carmel. The third was Absalom, born to Maacah, the 
       daughter of King Talmai of Geshur.

       (2 Sam 3:4 TLB)  The fourth was Adonijah, who was born to Haggith. 
       Then Shephatiah was born to Abital, and

       (2 Sam 3:5 TLB)  Ithream was born to Eglah.

       (2 Sam 3:6 TLB)  As the war went on, Abner became a very powerful 
       political leader among the followers of Saul.

       (2 Sam 3:7 TLB)  He took advantage of his position by sleeping with 
       one of Saul's concubines, a girl named Rizpah. But when Ish-bosheth 
       accused Abner of this,

       (2 Sam 3:8 TLB)  Abner was furious. "Am I a Judean dog to be kicked 
       around like this?" he shouted. "After all I have done for you and for 
       your father by not betraying you to David, is this my reward--to find 
       fault with me about some woman?

       (2 Sam 3:9 TLB)  May God curse me if I don't do everything I can to 
       take away the entire kingdom from you, all the way from Dan to 
       Beersheba, and give it to David, just as the Lord predicted."

       (2 Sam 3:10 TLB)  

       (2 Sam 3:11 TLB)  Ish-bosheth made no reply, for he was afraid of 
       Abner.

       (2 Sam 3:12 TLB)  Then Abner sent messengers to David to discuss a 
       deal--to surrender the kingdom of Israel to him in exchange for 
       becoming commander-in-chief of the combined armies of Israel and 
       Judah.

       (2 Sam 3:13 TLB)  "All right," David replied, "but I will not 
       negotiate with you unless you bring me my wife Michal, Saul's 





       daughter."

       (2 Sam 3:14 TLB)  David then sent this message to Ish-bosheth: "Give 
       me back my wife Michal, for I bought her with the lives of one hundred 
       Philistines."

       (2 Sam 3:15 TLB)  So Ish-bosheth took her away from her husband Palti.

       (2 Sam 3:16 TLB)  He followed along behind her as far as Behurim, 
       weeping as he went. Then Abner told him, "Go on home now." So he 
       returned.

       (2 Sam 3:17 TLB)  Meanwhile, Abner consulted with the leaders of 
       Israel and reminded them that for a long time they had wanted David as 
       their king.

       (2 Sam 3:18 TLB)  "Now is the time!" he told them. "For the Lord has 
       said, 'It is David by whom I will save my people from the Philistines 
       and from all their other enemies.'"

       (2 Sam 3:19 TLB)  Abner also talked to the leaders of the tribe of 
       Benjamin; then he went to Hebron and reported to David his progress 
       with the people of Israel and Benjamin.

       (2 Sam 3:20 TLB)  Twenty men accompanied him, and David entertained 
       them with a feast.

       (2 Sam 3:21 TLB)  As Abner left, he promised David, "When I get back I 
       will call a convention of all the people of Israel, and they will 
       elect you as their king, as you've so long desired." So David let 
       Abner return in safety.

       (2 Sam 3:22 TLB)  But just after Abner left, Joab and some of David's 
       troops returned from a raid, bringing much loot with them.

       (2 Sam 3:23 TLB)  When Joab was told that Abner had just been there 
       visiting the king and had been sent away in peace,

       (2 Sam 3:24 TLB)  he rushed to the king, demanding, "What have you 
       done? What do you mean by letting him get away?

       (2 Sam 3:25 TLB)  You know perfectly well that he came to spy on us 
       and that he plans to return and attack us!"

       (2 Sam 3:26 TLB)  Then Joab sent messengers to catch up with Abner and 
       tell him to come back. They found him at the well of Sirah and he 
       returned with them; but David knew nothing about it.

       (2 Sam 3:27 TLB)  When Abner arrived at Hebron, Joab took him aside at 
       the city gate as if to speak with him privately; but then he pulled 
       out a dagger and killed him in revenge for the death of his brother 
       Asahel.

       (2 Sam 3:28 TLB)  When David heard about it he declared, "I vow by the 
       Lord that I and my people are innocent of this crime against Abner.





       (2 Sam 3:29 TLB)  Joab and his family are the guilty ones. May each of 
       his children be victims of cancer, or be lepers, or be sterile, or die 
       of starvation, or be killed by the sword!"

       (2 Sam 3:30 TLB)  So Joab and his brother, Abishai, killed Abner 
       because of the death of their brother, Asahel, at the battle of 
       Gibeon.

       (2 Sam 3:31 TLB)  Then David said to Joab and to all those who were 
       with him, "Go into deep mourning for Abner." And King David 
       accompanied the bier to the cemetery.

       (2 Sam 3:32 TLB)  They buried Abner in Hebron. And the king and all 
       the people wept at the graveside.

       (2 Sam 3:33 TLB)  "Should Abner have died like a fool?" the king 
       lamented.

       (2 Sam 3:34 TLB)  "Your hands were not bound, Your feet were not 
       tied-- You were murdered-- The victim of a wicked plot." And all the 
       people wept again for him.

       (2 Sam 3:35 TLB)  David had refused to eat anything the day of the 
       funeral, and now everyone begged him to take a bite of supper. But 
       David vowed that he would eat nothing until sundown.

       (2 Sam 3:36 TLB)  This pleased his people, just as everything else he 
       did pleased them!

       (2 Sam 3:37 TLB)  Thus the whole nation, both Judah and Israel, 
       understood from David's actions that he was in no way responsible for 
       Abner's death.

       (2 Sam 3:38 TLB)  And David said to his people, "A great leader and a 
       great man has fallen today in Israel;

       (2 Sam 3:39 TLB)  and even though I am God's chosen king, I can do 
       nothing with these two sons of Zeruiah. May the Lord repay wicked men 
       for their wicked deeds."

       (2 Sam 4:1 TLB)  When King Ish-bosheth heard about Abner's death at 
       Hebron, he was paralyzed with fear, and his people too were badly 
       frightened.

       (2 Sam 4:2 TLB)  The command of the Israeli troops then fell to two 
       brothers, Baanah and Rechab, who were captains of King Ish-bosheth's 
       raiding bands. They were the sons of Rimmon, who was from Beeroth in 
       Benjamin.

       (2 Sam 4:3 TLB)  (People from Beeroth are counted as Benjaminites even 
       though they fled to Gittaim, where they now live.)

       (2 Sam 4:4 TLB)  (There was a little lame grandson of King Saul's 
       named Mephibosheth, who was the son of Prince Jonathan. He was five 
       years old at the time Saul and Jonathan were killed at the battle of 
       Jezreel. When the news of the outcome of the battle reached the 





       capital, the child's nurse grabbed him and fled, but she fell and 
       dropped him as she was running, and he became lame.)

       (2 Sam 4:5 TLB)  Rechab and Baanah arrived at King Ish-bosheth's home 
       one noon as he was taking a nap.

       (2 Sam 4:6 TLB)  They walked into the kitchen as though to get a sack 
       of wheat,

       (2 Sam 4:7 TLB)  but then sneaked into his bedroom and murdered him 
       and cut off his head. Taking his head with them, they fled across the 
       desert that night and escaped.

       (2 Sam 4:8 TLB)  They presented the head to David at Hebron. "Look!" 
       they exclaimed. "Here is the head of Ish-bosheth, the son of your 
       enemy Saul who tried to kill you. Today the Lord has given you revenge 
       upon Saul and upon his entire family!"

       (2 Sam 4:9 TLB)  But David replied, "I swear by the Lord who saved me 
       from my enemies,

       (2 Sam 4:10 TLB)  that when someone told me, 'Saul is dead,' thinking 
       he was bringing me good news, I killed him; that is how I rewarded him 
       for his 'glad tidings.'

       (2 Sam 4:11 TLB)  And how much more shall I do to wicked men who kill 
       a good man in his own house and on his bed! Shall I not demand your 
       lives?"

       (2 Sam 4:12 TLB)  So David ordered his young men to kill them, and 
       they did. They cut off their hands and feet and hanged their bodies 
       beside the pool in Hebron. And they took Ish-bosheth's head and buried 
       it in Abner's tomb in Hebron.

       (2 Sam 5:1 TLB)  Representatives of all the tribes of Israel now came 
       to David at Hebron and gave him their pledge of loyalty. "We are your 
       blood brothers," they said.

       (2 Sam 5:2 TLB)  "And even when Saul was our king you were our real 
       leader. The Lord has said that you should be the shepherd and leader 
       of his people."

       (2 Sam 5:3 TLB)  So David made a contract before the Lord with the 
       leaders of Israel there at Hebron, and they crowned him king of 
       Israel.

       (2 Sam 5:4 TLB)  (He had already been the king of Judah for seven 
       years, since the age of thirty.

       (2 Sam 5:5 TLB)  He then ruled thirty-three years in Jerusalem as king 
       of both Israel and Judah; so he reigned for forty years altogether.)

       (2 Sam 5:6 TLB)  David now led his troops to Jerusalem to fight 
       against the Jebusites who lived there. "You'll never come in here," 
       they told him. "Even the blind and lame could keep you out!" For they 
       thought they were safe.






       (2 Sam 5:7 TLB)  But David and his troops defeated them and captured 
       the stronghold of Zion, now called the City of David.

       (2 Sam 5:8 TLB)  When the insulting message from the defenders of the 
       city reached David, he told his troops, "Go up through the water 
       tunnel into the city and destroy those 'lame' and 'blind' Jebusites. 
       How I hate them." (That is the origin of the saying, "Even the blind 
       and the lame could conquer you!")

       (2 Sam 5:9 TLB)  So David made the stronghold of Zion (also called the 
       City of David) his headquarters. Then, beginning at the old Millo 
       section of the city, he built northward toward the present city 
       center.

       (2 Sam 5:10 TLB)  So David became greater and greater, for the Lord 
       God of heaven was with him.

       (2 Sam 5:11 TLB)  Then King Hiram of Tyre sent cedar lumber, 
       carpenters, and masons to build a palace for David.

       (2 Sam 5:12 TLB)  David now realized why the Lord had made him the 
       king and blessed his kingdom so greatly--it was because God wanted to 
       pour out his kindness on Israel, his chosen people.

       (2 Sam 5:13 TLB)  After moving from Hebron to Jerusalem, David married 
       additional wives and concubines, and had many sons and daughters.

       (2 Sam 5:14 TLB)  These are his children who were born at Jerusalem: 
       Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon,

       (2 Sam 5:15 TLB)  Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia,

       (2 Sam 5:16 TLB)  Elishama, Eliada, Eliphelet.

       (2 Sam 5:17 TLB)  When the Philistines heard that David had been 
       crowned king of Israel, they tried to capture him; but David was told 
       that they were coming and went into the stronghold.

       (2 Sam 5:18 TLB)  The Philistines arrived and spread out across the 
       valley of Rephaim.

       (2 Sam 5:19 TLB)  Then David asked the Lord, "Shall I go out and fight 
       against them? Will you defeat them for me?" And the Lord replied, 
       "Yes, go ahead, for I will give them to you."

       (2 Sam 5:20 TLB)  So David went out and fought with them at 
       Baal-perazim and defeated them. "The Lord did it!" he exclaimed. "He 
       burst through my enemies like a raging flood." So he named the place 
       "Bursting."

       (2 Sam 5:21 TLB)  At that time David and his troops confiscated many 
       idols that had been abandoned by the Philistines.

       (2 Sam 5:22 TLB)  But the Philistines returned and again spread out 
       across the valley of Rephaim.






       (2 Sam 5:23 TLB)  When David asked the Lord what to do, he replied, 
       "Don't make a frontal attack. Go behind them and come out by the 
       balsam trees.

       (2 Sam 5:24 TLB)  When you hear a sound like marching feet in the tops 
       of the balsam trees, attack! For it will signify that the Lord has 
       prepared the way for you and will destroy them."

       (2 Sam 5:25 TLB)  So David did as the Lord had instructed him and 
       destroyed the Philistines all the way from Geba to Gezer.

       (2 Sam 6:1 TLB)  Then David mobilized thirty thousand special troops 
       and led them to Baal-judah to bring home the Ark of the Lord of heaven 
       who is enthroned above the Guardian Angels.

       (2 Sam 6:2 TLB)  

       (2 Sam 6:3 TLB)  The Ark was placed upon a new cart and taken from the 
       hillside home of Abinadab. It was driven by Abinadab's sons, Uzzah and 
       Ahio.

       (2 Sam 6:4 TLB)  Ahio was walking in front

       (2 Sam 6:5 TLB)  and was followed by David and the other leaders of 
       Israel, who were joyously waving branches of juniper trees and playing 
       every sort of musical instrument before the Lord--lyres, harps, 
       tambourines, castanets, and cymbals.

       (2 Sam 6:6 TLB)  But when they arrived at the threshing floor of 
       Nacon, the oxen stumbled and Uzzah put out his hand to steady the Ark.

       (2 Sam 6:7 TLB)  Then the anger of the Lord flared out against Uzzah 
       and he killed him for doing this, so he died there beside the Ark.

       (2 Sam 6:8 TLB)  David was angry at what the Lord had done, and named 
       the spot "The Place of Wrath upon Uzzah" (which it is still called to 
       this day).

       (2 Sam 6:9 TLB)  David was now afraid of the Lord and asked, "How can 
       I ever bring the Ark home?"

       (2 Sam 6:10 TLB)  So he decided against taking it into the City of 
       David, but carried it instead to the home of Obed-edom, who had come 
       from Gath.

       (2 Sam 6:11 TLB)  It remained there for three months, and the Lord 
       blessed Obed-edom and all his household.

       (2 Sam 6:12 TLB)  When David heard this, he brought the Ark to the 
       City of David with a great celebration.

       (2 Sam 6:13 TLB)  After the men who were carrying it had gone six 
       paces, they stopped and waited so that he could sacrifice an ox and a 
       fat lamb.





       (2 Sam 6:14 TLB)  And David danced before the Lord with all his might 
       and was wearing priests' clothing.

       (2 Sam 6:15 TLB)  So Israel brought home the Ark of the Lord with much 
       shouting and blowing of trumpets.

       (2 Sam 6:16 TLB)  (But as the procession came into the city, Michal, 
       Saul's daughter, watched from a window and saw King David leaping and 
       dancing before the Lord; and she was filled with contempt for him.)

       (2 Sam 6:17 TLB)  The Ark was placed inside the tent that David had 
       prepared for it; and he sacrificed burnt offerings and peace offerings 
       to the Lord.

       (2 Sam 6:18 TLB)  Then he blessed the people in the name of the Lord 
       of heaven

       (2 Sam 6:19 TLB)  and gave a present to everyone--men and women 
       alike--of a loaf of bread, some wine, and a cake of raisins. When it 
       was all over, and everyone had gone home,

       (2 Sam 6:20 TLB)  David returned to bless his family. But Michal came 
       out to meet him and exclaimed in disgust, "How glorious the king of 
       Israel looked today! He exposed himself to the girls along the street 
       like a common pervert!"

       (2 Sam 6:21 TLB)  David retorted, "I was dancing before the Lord who 
       chose me above your father and his family and who appointed me as 
       leader of Israel, the people of the Lord! So I am willing to act like 
       a fool in order to show my joy in the Lord.

       (2 Sam 6:22 TLB)  Yes, and I am willing to look even more foolish than 
       this, but I will be respected by the girls of whom you spoke!"

       (2 Sam 6:23 TLB)  So Michal was childless throughout her life.

       (2 Sam 7:1 TLB)  When the Lord finally sent peace upon the land, and 
       Israel was no longer at war with the surrounding nations,

       (2 Sam 7:2 TLB)  David said to Nathan the prophet, "Look! Here I am 
       living in this beautiful cedar palace while the Ark of God is out in a 
       tent!"

       (2 Sam 7:3 TLB)  "Go ahead with what you have in mind," Nathan 
       replied, "for the Lord is with you."

       (2 Sam 7:4 TLB)  But that night the Lord said to Nathan,

       (2 Sam 7:5 TLB)  "Tell my servant David not to do it!

       (2 Sam 7:6 TLB)  For I have never lived in a temple. My home has been 
       a tent ever since the time I brought Israel out of Egypt.

       (2 Sam 7:7 TLB)  And I have never once complained to Israel's leaders, 
       the shepherds of my people. Have I ever asked them, 'Why haven't you 
       built me a beautiful cedar temple?'






       (2 Sam 7:8 TLB)  "Now go and give this message to David from the Lord 
       of heaven: 'I chose you to be the leader of my people Israel when you 
       were a mere shepherd, tending your sheep in the pastureland.

       (2 Sam 7:9 TLB)  I have been with you wherever you have gone and have 
       destroyed your enemies. And I will make your name greater yet, so that 
       you will be one of the most famous men in the world!

       (2 Sam 7:10 TLB)  I have selected a homeland for my people from which 
       they will never have to move.

       (2 Sam 7:11 TLB)  It will be their own land where the heathen nations 
       won't bother them as they did when the judges ruled my people. There 
       will be no more wars against you; and your descendants shall rule this 
       land for generations to come!

       (2 Sam 7:12 TLB)  For when you die, I will put one of your sons upon 
       your throne, and I will make his kingdom strong.

       (2 Sam 7:13 TLB)  He is the one who shall build me a temple. And I 
       will continue his kingdom into eternity.

       (2 Sam 7:14 TLB)  I will be his father and he shall be my son. If he 
       sins, I will use other nations to punish him,

       (2 Sam 7:15 TLB)  but my love and kindness shall not leave him as I 
       took it from Saul, your predecessor.

       (2 Sam 7:16 TLB)  Your family shall rule my kingdom forever.'"

       (2 Sam 7:17 TLB)  So Nathan went back to David and told him everything 
       the Lord had said.

       (2 Sam 7:18 TLB)  Then David went into the Tabernacle and sat before 
       the Lord and prayed, "O Lord God, why have you showered your blessings 
       on such an insignificant person as I am?

       (2 Sam 7:19 TLB)  And now, in addition to everything else, you speak 
       of giving me an eternal dynasty! Such generosity is far beyond any 
       human standard! O Lord God!

       (2 Sam 7:20 TLB)  What can I say? For you know what I am like!

       (2 Sam 7:21 TLB)  You are doing all these things just because you 
       promised to and because you want to!

       (2 Sam 7:22 TLB)  How great you are, Lord God! We have never heard of 
       any other god like you. And there is no other god.

       (2 Sam 7:23 TLB)  What other nation in all the earth has received such 
       blessings as Israel, your people? For you have rescued your chosen 
       nation in order to bring glory to your name. You have done great 
       miracles to destroy Egypt and its gods.

       (2 Sam 7:24 TLB)  You chose Israel to be your people forever, and you 





       became our God.

       (2 Sam 7:25 TLB)  "And now, Lord God, do as you have promised 
       concerning me and my family.

       (2 Sam 7:26 TLB)  And may you be eternally honored when you have 
       established Israel as your people and have established my dynasty 
       before you.

       (2 Sam 7:27 TLB)  For you have revealed to me, O Lord of heaven, God 
       of Israel, that I am the first of a dynasty which will rule your 
       people forever; that is why I have been bold enough to pray this 
       prayer of acceptance.

       (2 Sam 7:28 TLB)  For you are indeed God, and your words are truth; 
       and you have promised me these good things--

       (2 Sam 7:29 TLB)  so do as you have promised! Bless me and my family 
       forever! May our dynasty continue on and on before you; for you, Lord 
       God, have promised it."

       (2 Sam 8:1 TLB)  After this David subdued and humbled the Philistines 
       by conquering Gath, their largest city.

       (2 Sam 8:2 TLB)  He also devastated the land of Moab. He divided his 
       victims by making them lie down side by side in rows. Two-thirds of 
       each row, as measured with a tape, were butchered, and one-third were 
       spared to become David's servants--they paid him tribute each year.

       (2 Sam 8:3 TLB)  He also destroyed the forces of King Hadadezer (son 
       of Rehob) of Zobah in a battle at the Euphrates River, for Hadadezer 
       had attempted to regain his power.

       (2 Sam 8:4 TLB)  David captured seventeen hundred cavalry and twenty 
       thousand infantry; then he lamed all of the chariot horses except for 
       one hundred teams.

       (2 Sam 8:5 TLB)  He also slaughtered twenty-two thousand Syrians from 
       Damascus when they came to help Hadadezer.

       (2 Sam 8:6 TLB)  David placed several army garrisons in Damascus, and 
       the Syrians became David's subjects and brought him annual tribute 
       money. So the Lord gave him victories wherever he turned.

       (2 Sam 8:7 TLB)  David brought the gold shields to Jerusalem which 
       King Hadadezer's officers had used.

       (2 Sam 8:8 TLB)  He also carried back to Jerusalem a very large amount 
       of bronze from Hadadezer's cities of Betah and Berothai.

       (2 Sam 8:9 TLB)  When King Toi of Hamath heard about David's victory 
       over the army of Hadadezer,

       (2 Sam 8:10 TLB)  he sent his son Joram to congratulate him, for 
       Hadadezer and Toi were enemies. He gave David presents made from 
       silver, gold, and bronze.






       (2 Sam 8:11 TLB)  David dedicated all of these to the Lord, along with 
       the silver and gold he had taken from Syria, Moab, Ammon, the 
       Philistines, Amalek, and King Hadadezer.

       (2 Sam 8:12 TLB)  

       (2 Sam 8:13 TLB)  So David became very famous. After his return he 
       destroyed eighteen thousand Edomites at the Valley of Salt,

       (2 Sam 8:14 TLB)  and then placed garrisons throughout Edom, so that 
       the entire nation was forced to pay tribute to Israel--another example 
       of the way the Lord made him victorious wherever he went.

       (2 Sam 8:15 TLB)  David reigned with justice over Israel and was fair 
       to everyone.

       (2 Sam 8:16 TLB)  The general of his army was Joab (son of Zeruiah), 
       and his secretary of state was Jehoshaphat (son of Ahilud).

       (2 Sam 8:17 TLB)  Zadok (son of Ahitub) and Ahimelech (son of 
       Abiathar) were the High Priests, and Seraiah was the king's private 
       secretary.

       (2 Sam 8:18 TLB)  Benaiah (son of Jehoiada) was captain of his 
       bodyguard, and David's sons were his assistants.

       (2 Sam 9:1 TLB)  One day David began wondering if any of Saul's family 
       was still living, for he wanted to be kind to them, as he had promised 
       Prince Jonathan.

       (2 Sam 9:2 TLB)  He heard about a man named Ziba, who had been one of 
       Saul's servants, and summoned him. "Are you Ziba?" the king asked. 
       "Yes, sir, I am," he replied.

       (2 Sam 9:3 TLB)  The king then asked him, "Is anyone left from Saul's 
       family? If so, I want to fulfill a sacred vow by being kind to him." 
       "Yes," Ziba replied, "Jonathan's lame son is still alive."

       (2 Sam 9:4 TLB)  "Where is he?" the king asked. "In Lo-debar," Ziba 
       told him. "At the home of Machir."

       (2 Sam 9:5 TLB)  So King David sent for Mephibosheth--Jonathan's son 
       and Saul's grandson. Mephibosheth arrived in great fear and greeted 
       the king in deep humility, bowing low before him.

       (2 Sam 9:6 TLB)  

       (2 Sam 9:7 TLB)  But David said, "Don't be afraid! I've asked you to 
       come so that I can be kind to you because of my vow to your father 
       Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land of your grandfather Saul, 
       and you shall live here at the palace!"

       (2 Sam 9:8 TLB)  Mephibosheth fell to the ground before the king. 
       "Should the king show kindness to a dead dog like me?" he exclaimed.





       (2 Sam 9:9 TLB)  Then the king summoned Saul's servant Ziba. "I have 
       given your master's grandson everything that belonged to Saul and his 
       family," he said.

       (2 Sam 9:10 TLB)  "You and your sons and servants are to farm the land 
       for him, to produce food for his family; but he will live here with 
       me."

       (2 Sam 9:11 TLB)  Ziba, who had fifteen sons and twenty servants, 
       replied, "Sir, I will do all you have commanded." And from that time 
       on, Mephibosheth ate regularly with King David, as though he were one 
       of his own sons.

       (2 Sam 9:12 TLB)  Mephibosheth had a young son, Mica. All the 
       household of Ziba became Mephibosheth's servants,

       (2 Sam 9:13 TLB)  but Mephibosheth (who was lame in both feet) moved 
       to Jerusalem to live at the palace.

       (2 Sam 10:1 TLB)  Some time after this the Ammonite king died and his 
       son Hanun replaced him.

       (2 Sam 10:2 TLB)  "I am going to show special respect for him," David 
       said, "because his father Nahash was always so loyal and kind to me." 
       So David sent ambassadors to express regrets to Hanun about his 
       father's death.

       (2 Sam 10:3 TLB)  But Hanun's officers told him, "These men aren't 
       here to honor your father! David has sent them to spy out the city 
       before attacking it!"

       (2 Sam 10:4 TLB)  So Hanun took David's men and shaved off half their 
       beards and cut their robes off at the buttocks and sent them home half 
       naked.

       (2 Sam 10:5 TLB)  When David heard what had happened he told them to 
       stay at Jericho until their beards grew out; for the men were very 
       embarrassed over their appearance.

       (2 Sam 10:6 TLB)  Now the people of Ammon realized how seriously they 
       had angered David, so they hired twenty thousand Syrian mercenaries 
       from the lands of Rehob and Zobah, one thousand from the king of 
       Maacah, and ten thousand from the land of Tob.

       (2 Sam 10:7 TLB)  When David heard about this, he sent Joab and the 
       entire Israeli army to attack them.

       (2 Sam 10:8 TLB)  The Ammonites defended the gates of their city while 
       the Syrians from Zobah, Rehob, Tob, and Maacah fought in the fields.

       (2 Sam 10:9 TLB)  When Joab realized that he would have to fight on 
       two fronts, he selected the best fighters in his army, placed them 
       under his personal command, and took them out to fight the Syrians in 
       the fields.

       (2 Sam 10:10 TLB)  He left the rest of the army to his brother 





       Abishai, who was to attack the city.

       (2 Sam 10:11 TLB)  "If I need assistance against the Syrians, come out 
       and help me," Joab instructed him. "And if the Ammonites are too 
       strong for you, I will come and help you.

       (2 Sam 10:12 TLB)  Courage! We must really act like men today if we 
       are going to save our people and the cities of our God. May the Lord's 
       will be done."

       (2 Sam 10:13 TLB)  And when Joab and his troops attacked, the Syrians 
       began to run away.

       (2 Sam 10:14 TLB)  Then, when the Ammonites saw the Syrians running, 
       they ran too, and retreated into the city. Afterwards Joab returned to 
       Jerusalem.

       (2 Sam 10:15 TLB)  The Syrians now realized that they were no match 
       for Israel. So when they regrouped,

       (2 Sam 10:16 TLB)  they were joined by additional Syrian troops 
       summoned by Hadadezer from the other side of the Euphrates River. 
       These troops arrived at Helam under the command of Shobach, the 
       commander-in-chief of all of Hadadezer's forces.

       (2 Sam 10:17 TLB)  When David heard what was happening, he personally 
       led the Israeli army to Helam, where the Syrians attacked him.

       (2 Sam 10:18 TLB)  But again the Syrians fled from the Israelis, this 
       time leaving seven hundred charioteers dead on the field, also forty 
       thousand cavalrymen, including General Shobach.

       (2 Sam 10:19 TLB)  When Hadadezer's allies saw that the Syrians had 
       been defeated, they surrendered to David and became his servants. And 
       the Syrians were afraid to help the Ammonites anymore after that.

       (2 Sam 11:1 TLB)  In the spring of the following year, at the time 
       when wars begin, David sent Joab and the Israeli army to destroy the 
       Ammonites. They began by laying siege to the city of Rabbah. But David 
       stayed in Jerusalem.

       (2 Sam 11:2 TLB)  One night he couldn't get to sleep and went for a 
       stroll on the roof of the palace. As he looked out over the city, he 
       noticed a woman of unusual beauty taking her evening bath.

       (2 Sam 11:3 TLB)  He sent to find out who she was and was told that 
       she was Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah.

       (2 Sam 11:4 TLB)  Then David sent for her and when she came he slept 
       with her. (She had just completed the purification rites after 
       menstruation.) Then she returned home.

       (2 Sam 11:5 TLB)  When she found that he had gotten her pregnant she 
       sent a message to inform him.

       (2 Sam 11:6 TLB)  So David dispatched a memo to Joab: "Send me Uriah 





       the Hittite."

       (2 Sam 11:7 TLB)  When he arrived, David asked him how Joab and the 
       army were getting along and how the war was prospering.

       (2 Sam 11:8 TLB)  Then he told him to go home and relax, and he sent a 
       present to him at his home.

       (2 Sam 11:9 TLB)  But Uriah didn't go there. He stayed that night at 
       the gateway of the palace with the other servants of the king.

       (2 Sam 11:10 TLB)  When David heard what Uriah had done, he summoned 
       him and asked him, "What's the matter with you? Why didn't you go home 
       to your wife last night after being away for so long?"

       (2 Sam 11:11 TLB)  Uriah replied, "The Ark and the armies and the 
       general and his officers are camping out in open fields, and should I 
       go home to wine and dine and sleep with my wife? I swear that I will 
       never be guilty of acting like that."

       (2 Sam 11:12 TLB)  "Well, stay here tonight," David told him, "and 
       tomorrow you may return to the army." So Uriah stayed around the 
       palace.

       (2 Sam 11:13 TLB)  David invited him to dinner and got him drunk; but 
       even so he didn't go home that night, but again he slept at the entry 
       to the palace.

       (2 Sam 11:14 TLB)  Finally the next morning David wrote a letter to 
       Joab and gave it to Uriah to deliver.

       (2 Sam 11:15 TLB)  The letter instructed Joab to put Uriah at the 
       front of the hottest part of the battle--and then pull back and leave 
       him there to die!

       (2 Sam 11:16 TLB)  So Joab assigned Uriah to a spot close to the 
       besieged city where he knew that the enemies' best men were fighting;

       (2 Sam 11:17 TLB)  and Uriah was killed along with several other 
       Israeli soldiers.

       (2 Sam 11:18 TLB)  When Joab sent a report to David of how the battle 
       was going,

       (2 Sam 11:19 TLB)  he told his messenger,

       (2 Sam 11:20 TLB)  "If the king is angry and asks, 'Why did the troops 
       go so close to the city? Didn't they know there would be shooting from 
       the walls?

       (2 Sam 11:21 TLB)  Wasn't Abimelech killed at Thebez by a woman who 
       threw down a millstone on him?'--then tell him, 'Uriah was killed 
       too.'"

       (2 Sam 11:22 TLB)  So the messenger arrived at Jerusalem and gave the 
       report to David.






       (2 Sam 11:23 TLB)  "The enemy came out against us," he said, "and as 
       we chased them back to the city gates,

       (2 Sam 11:24 TLB)  the men on the wall attacked us; and some of our 
       men were killed, and Uriah the Hittite is dead too."

       (2 Sam 11:25 TLB)  "Well, tell Joab not to be discouraged," David 
       said. "The sword kills one as well as another! Fight harder next time, 
       and conquer the city; tell him he is doing well."

       (2 Sam 11:26 TLB)  When Bathsheba heard that her husband was dead, she 
       mourned for him;

       (2 Sam 11:27 TLB)  then, when the period of mourning was over, David 
       sent for her and brought her to the palace and she became one of his 
       wives; and she gave birth to his son. But the Lord was very displeased 
       with what David had done.

       (2 Sam 12:1 TLB)  So the Lord sent the prophet Nathan to tell David 
       this story: "There were two men in a certain city, one very rich, 
       owning many flocks of sheep and herds of goats;

       (2 Sam 12:2 TLB)  

       (2 Sam 12:3 TLB)  and the other very poor, owning nothing but a little 
       lamb he had managed to buy. It was his children's pet, and he fed it 
       from his own plate and let it drink from his own cup; he cuddled it in 
       his arms like a baby daughter.

       (2 Sam 12:4 TLB)  Recently a guest arrived at the home of the rich 
       man. But instead of killing a lamb from his own flocks for food for 
       the traveler, he took the poor man's lamb and roasted it and served 
       it."

       (2 Sam 12:5 TLB)  David was furious. "I swear by the living God," he 
       vowed, "any man who would do a thing like that should be put to death;

       (2 Sam 12:6 TLB)  he shall repay four lambs to the poor man for the 
       one he stole and for having no pity."

       (2 Sam 12:7 TLB)  Then Nathan said to David, "You are that rich man! 
       The Lord God of Israel says, 'I made you king of Israel and saved you 
       from the power of Saul.

       (2 Sam 12:8 TLB)  I gave you his palace and his wives and the kingdoms 
       of Israel and Judah; and if that had not been enough, I would have 
       given you much, much more.

       (2 Sam 12:9 TLB)  Why, then, have you despised the laws of God and 
       done this horrible deed? For you have murdered Uriah and stolen his 
       wife.

       (2 Sam 12:10 TLB)  Therefore murder shall be a constant threat in your 
       family from this time on because you have insulted me by taking 
       Uriah's wife.






       (2 Sam 12:11 TLB)  I vow that because of what you have done, I will 
       cause your own household to rebel against you. I will give your wives 
       to another man, and he will go to bed with them in public view.

       (2 Sam 12:12 TLB)  You did it secretly, but I will do this to you 
       openly, in the sight of all Israel.'"

       (2 Sam 12:13 TLB)  "I have sinned against the Lord," David confessed 
       to Nathan. Then Nathan replied, "Yes, but the Lord has forgiven you, 
       and you won't die for this sin.

       (2 Sam 12:14 TLB)  But you have given great opportunity to the enemies 
       of the Lord to despise and blaspheme him, so your child shall die."

       (2 Sam 12:15 TLB)  Then Nathan returned to his home. And the Lord made 
       Bathsheba's baby deathly sick.

       (2 Sam 12:16 TLB)  David begged him to spare the child and went 
       without food, and lay all night before the Lord on the bare earth.

       (2 Sam 12:17 TLB)  The leaders of the nation pleaded with him to get 
       up and eat with them, but he refused.

       (2 Sam 12:18 TLB)  Then, on the seventh day, the baby died. David's 
       aides were afraid to tell him. "He was so broken up about the baby 
       being sick," they said, "what will he do to himself when we tell him 
       the child is dead?"

       (2 Sam 12:19 TLB)  But when David saw them whispering, he realized 
       what had happened. "Is the baby dead?" he asked. "Yes," they replied, 
       "he is."

       (2 Sam 12:20 TLB)  Then David got up off the ground, washed himself, 
       brushed his hair, changed his clothes, and went into the Tabernacle 
       and worshiped the Lord. Then he returned to the palace and ate.

       (2 Sam 12:21 TLB)  His aides were amazed. "We don't understand you," 
       they told him. "While the baby was still living, you wept and refused 
       to eat; but now that the baby is dead, you have stopped your mourning 
       and are eating again."

       (2 Sam 12:22 TLB)  David replied, "I fasted and wept while the child 
       was alive, for I said, 'Perhaps the Lord will be gracious to me and 
       let the child live.'

       (2 Sam 12:23 TLB)  But why should I fast when he is dead? Can I bring 
       him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me."

       (2 Sam 12:24 TLB)  Then David comforted Bathsheba; and when he slept 
       with her, she conceived and gave birth to a son and named him Solomon. 
       And the Lord loved the baby,

       (2 Sam 12:25 TLB)  and sent congratulations and blessings through 
       Nathan the prophet. David nicknamed the baby Jedidiah (meaning, 
       "Beloved of Jehovah") because of the Lord's interest.






       (2 Sam 12:26 TLB)  Meanwhile Joab and the Israeli army were 
       successfully ending their siege of Rabbah the capital of Ammon.

       (2 Sam 12:27 TLB)  Joab sent messengers to tell David, "Rabbah and its 
       beautiful harbor are ours!

       (2 Sam 12:28 TLB)  Now bring the rest of the army and finish the job, 
       so that you will get the credit for the victory instead of me."

       (2 Sam 12:29 TLB)  So David led his army to Rabbah and captured it. 
       Tremendous amounts of loot were carried back to Jerusalem,

       (2 Sam 12:30 TLB)  and David took the king of Rabbah's crown--a 
       $50,000 treasure made from solid gold set with gems--and placed it on 
       his own head.

       (2 Sam 12:31 TLB)  He made slaves of the people of the city and made 
       them labor with saws, picks, and axes and work in the brick kilns; 
       that is the way he treated all of the cities of the Ammonites. Then 
       David and the army returned to Jerusalem.

       (2 Sam 13:1 TLB)  Prince Absalom, David's son, had a beautiful sister 
       named Tamar. And Prince Amnon (her half brother) fell desperately in 
       love with her.

       (2 Sam 13:2 TLB)  Amnon became so tormented by his love for her that 
       he became ill. He had no way of talking to her, for the girls and 
       young men were kept strictly apart.

       (2 Sam 13:3 TLB)  But Amnon had a very crafty friend--his cousin 
       Jonadab (the son of David's brother Shimeah).

       (2 Sam 13:4 TLB)  One day Jonadab said to Amnon, "What's the trouble? 
       Why should the son of a king look so haggard morning after morning?" 
       So Amnon told him, "I am in love with Tamar, my half sister."

       (2 Sam 13:5 TLB)  "Well," Jonadab said, "I'll tell you what to do. Go 
       back to bed and pretend you are sick; when your father comes to see 
       you, ask him to let Tamar come and prepare some food for you. Tell him 
       you'll feel better if she feeds you."

       (2 Sam 13:6 TLB)  So Amnon did. And when the king came to see him, 
       Amnon asked him for this favor--that his sister Tamar be permitted to 
       come and cook a little something for him to eat.

       (2 Sam 13:7 TLB)  David agreed and sent word to Tamar to go to Amnon's 
       quarters and prepare some food for him.

       (2 Sam 13:8 TLB)  So she did and went into his bedroom so that he 
       could watch her mix some dough; then she baked some special bread for 
       him.

       (2 Sam 13:9 TLB)  But when she set the serving tray before him, he 
       refused to eat! "Everyone get out of here," he told his servants; so 
       they all left the apartment.






       (2 Sam 13:10 TLB)  Then he said to Tamar, "Now bring me the food again 
       here in my bedroom and feed it to me." So Tamar took it to him.

       (2 Sam 13:11 TLB)  But as she was standing there before him, he 
       grabbed her and demanded, "Come to bed with me, my darling."

       (2 Sam 13:12 TLB)  "Oh, Amnon," she cried. "Don't be foolish! Don't do 
       this to me! You know what a serious crime it is in Israel.

       (2 Sam 13:13 TLB)  Where could I go in my shame? And you would be 
       called one of the greatest fools in Israel. Please, just speak to the 
       king about it, for he will let you marry me."

       (2 Sam 13:14 TLB)  But he wouldn't listen to her; and since he was 
       stronger than she, he forced her.

       (2 Sam 13:15 TLB)  Then suddenly his love turned to hate, and now he 
       hated her more than he had loved her. "Get out of here!" he snarled at 
       her.

       (2 Sam 13:16 TLB)  "No, no!" she cried. "To reject me now is a greater 
       crime than the other you did to me." But he wouldn't listen to her.

       (2 Sam 13:17 TLB)  He shouted for his valet and demanded, "Throw this 
       woman out and lock the door behind her."

       (2 Sam 13:18 TLB)  So he put her out. She was wearing a long robe with 
       sleeves, as was the custom in those days for virgin daughters of the 
       king.

       (2 Sam 13:19 TLB)  Now she tore the robe and put ashes on her head and 
       with her head in her hands went away crying.

       (2 Sam 13:20 TLB)  Her brother Absalom asked her, "Is it true that 
       Amnon raped you? Don't be so upset, since it's all in the family 
       anyway. It's not anything to worry about!" So Tamar lived as a 
       desolate woman in her brother Absalom's quarters.

       (2 Sam 13:21 TLB)  When King David heard what had happened, he was 
       very angry,

       (2 Sam 13:22 TLB)  but Absalom said nothing one way or the other about 
       this to Amnon. However, he hated him with a deep hatred because of 
       what he had done to his sister.

       (2 Sam 13:23 TLB)  Then, two years later, when Absalom's sheep were 
       being sheared at Baal-hazor in Ephraim,

       (2 Sam 13:24 TLB)  Absalom invited his father and all his brothers to 
       come to a feast to celebrate the occasion.

       (2 Sam 13:25 TLB)  The king replied, "No, my boy; if we all came, we 
       would be too much of a burden on you." Absalom pressed him, but he 
       wouldn't come, though he sent his thanks.





       (2 Sam 13:26 TLB)  "Well, then," Absalom said, "if you can't come, how 
       about sending my brother Amnon instead?" "Why Amnon?" the king asked.

       (2 Sam 13:27 TLB)  Absalom kept on urging the matter until finally the 
       king agreed and let all of his sons attend, including Amnon.

       (2 Sam 13:28 TLB)  Absalom told his men, "Wait until Amnon gets drunk, 
       then, at my signal, kill him! Don't be afraid. I'm the one who gives 
       the orders around here, and this is a command. Take courage and do 
       it!"

       (2 Sam 13:29 TLB)  So they murdered Amnon. Then the other sons of the 
       king jumped on their mules and fled.

       (2 Sam 13:30 TLB)  As they were on the way back to Jerusalem, the 
       report reached David: "Absalom has killed all of your sons, and not 
       one is left alive!"

       (2 Sam 13:31 TLB)  The king jumped up, ripped off his robe, and fell 
       prostrate to the ground. His aides also tore their clothes in horror 
       and sorrow.

       (2 Sam 13:32 TLB)  But just then Jonadab (the son of David's brother 
       Shimeah) arrived and said, "No, not all have been killed! It was only 
       Amnon! Absalom has been plotting this ever since Amnon raped Tamar.

       (2 Sam 13:33 TLB)  No, no! Your sons aren't all dead! It was only 
       Amnon."

       (2 Sam 13:34 TLB)  Meanwhile Absalom escaped. Now the watchman on the 
       Jerusalem wall saw a great crowd coming toward the city along the road 
       at the side of the hill.

       (2 Sam 13:35 TLB)  "See!" Jonadab told the king. "There they are now! 
       Your sons are coming, just as I said."

       (2 Sam 13:36 TLB)  They soon arrived, weeping and sobbing, and the 
       king and his officials wept with them.

       (2 Sam 13:37 TLB)  Absalom fled to King Talmai of Geshur (the son of 
       Ammihud)

       (2 Sam 13:38 TLB)  and stayed there three years.

       (2 Sam 13:39 TLB)  Meanwhile David, now reconciled to Amnon's death, 
       longed day after day for fellowship with his son Absalom.

       (2 Sam 14:1 TLB)  When General Joab realized how much the king was 
       longing to see Absalom,

       (2 Sam 14:2 TLB)  he sent for a woman of Tekoa who had a reputation 
       for great wisdom and told her to ask for an appointment with the king.

       (2 Sam 14:3 TLB)  He told her what to say to him. "Pretend you are in 
       mourning," Joab instructed her. "Wear mourning clothes, and dishevel 
       your hair as though you have been in deep sorrow for a long time."






       (2 Sam 14:4 TLB)  When the woman approached the king, she fell face 
       downward on the floor in front of him, and cried out, "O king! Help 
       me!"

       (2 Sam 14:5 TLB)  "What's the trouble?" he asked. "I am a widow," she 
       replied,

       (2 Sam 14:6 TLB)  "and my two sons had a fight out in the field, and 
       since no one was there to part them, one of them was killed.

       (2 Sam 14:7 TLB)  Now the rest of the family is demanding that I 
       surrender my other son to them to be executed for murdering his 
       brother. But if I do that, I will have no one left, and my husband's 
       name will be destroyed from the face of the earth."

       (2 Sam 14:8 TLB)  "Leave it with me," the king told her. "I'll see to 
       it that no one touches him."

       (2 Sam 14:9 TLB)  "Oh, thank you, my lord," she replied. "And I'll 
       take the responsibility if you are criticized for helping me like 
       this."

       (2 Sam 14:10 TLB)  "Don't worry about that!" the king replied. "If 
       anyone objects, bring him to me; I can assure you he will never 
       complain again!"

       (2 Sam 14:11 TLB)  Then she said, "Please swear to me by God that you 
       won't let anyone harm my son. I want no more bloodshed." "I vow by 
       God," he replied, "that not a hair of your son's head shall be 
       disturbed!"

       (2 Sam 14:12 TLB)  "Please let me ask one more thing of you!" she 
       said. "Go ahead," he replied. "Speak!"

       (2 Sam 14:13 TLB)  "Why don't you do as much for all the people of God 
       as you have promised to do for me?" she asked. "You have convicted 
       yourself in making this decision, because you have refused to bring 
       home your own banished son.

       (2 Sam 14:14 TLB)  All of us must die eventually; our lives are like 
       water that is poured out on the ground--it can't be gathered up again. 
       But God will bless you with a longer life if you will find a way to 
       bring your son back from his exile.

       (2 Sam 14:15 TLB)  But I have come to plead with you for my son 
       because my life and my son's life have been threatened, and I said to 
       myself,

       (2 Sam 14:16 TLB)  'Perhaps the king will listen to me and rescue us 
       from those who would end our existence in Israel.

       (2 Sam 14:17 TLB)  Yes, the king will give us peace again.' I know 
       that you are like the angel of God and can discern good from evil. May 
       God be with you."





       (2 Sam 14:18 TLB)  "I want to know one thing," the king replied. "Yes, 
       my lord?" she asked.

       (2 Sam 14:19 TLB)  "Did Joab send you here?" And the woman replied, 
       "How can I deny it? Yes, Joab sent me and told me what to say.

       (2 Sam 14:20 TLB)  He did it in order to place the matter before you 
       in a different light. But you are as wise as an angel of God, and you 
       know everything that happens!"

       (2 Sam 14:21 TLB)  So the king sent for Joab and told him, "All right, 
       go and bring back Absalom."

       (2 Sam 14:22 TLB)  Joab fell to the ground before the king and blessed 
       him and said, "At last I know that you like me! For you have granted 
       me this request!"

       (2 Sam 14:23 TLB)  Then Joab went to Geshur and brought Absalom back 
       to Jerusalem.

       (2 Sam 14:24 TLB)  "He may go to his own quarters," the king ordered, 
       "but he must never come here. I refuse to see him."

       (2 Sam 14:25 TLB)  Now no one in Israel was such a handsome specimen 
       of manhood as Absalom, and no one else received such praise.

       (2 Sam 14:26 TLB)  He cut his hair only once a year--and then only 
       because it weighed three pounds and was too much of a load to carry 
       around!

       (2 Sam 14:27 TLB)  He had three sons and one daughter, Tamar, who was 
       a very beautiful girl.

       (2 Sam 14:28 TLB)  After Absalom had been in Jerusalem for two years 
       and had not yet seen the king,

       (2 Sam 14:29 TLB)  he sent for Joab to ask him to intercede for him; 
       but Joab wouldn't come. Absalom sent for him again, but again he 
       refused to come.

       (2 Sam 14:30 TLB)  So Absalom said to his servants, "Go and set fire 
       to that barley field of Joab's next to mine," and they did.

       (2 Sam 14:31 TLB)  Then Joab came to Absalom and demanded, "Why did 
       your servants set my field on fire?"

       (2 Sam 14:32 TLB)  And Absalom replied, "Because I wanted you to ask 
       the king why he brought me back from Geshur if he didn't intend to see 
       me. I might as well have stayed there. Let me have an interview with 
       the king; then if he finds that I am guilty of murder, let him execute 
       me."

       (2 Sam 14:33 TLB)  So Joab told the king what Absalom had said. Then 
       at last David summoned Absalom, and he came and bowed low before the 
       king, and David kissed him.





       (2 Sam 15:1 TLB)  Absalom then bought a magnificent chariot and 
       chariot horses, and hired fifty footmen to run ahead of him.

       (2 Sam 15:2 TLB)  He got up early every morning and went out to the 
       gate of the city; and when anyone came to bring a case to the king for 
       trial, Absalom called him over and expressed interest in his problem.

       (2 Sam 15:3 TLB)  He would say, "I can see that you are right in this 
       matter; it's unfortunate that the king doesn't have anyone to assist 
       him in hearing these cases.

       (2 Sam 15:4 TLB)  I surely wish I were the judge; then anyone with a 
       lawsuit could come to me, and I would give him justice!"

       (2 Sam 15:5 TLB)  And when anyone came to bow to him, Absalom wouldn't 
       let him, but shook his hand instead!

       (2 Sam 15:6 TLB)  So in this way Absalom stole the hearts of all the 
       people of Israel.

       (2 Sam 15:7 TLB)  After four years, Absalom said to the king, "Let me 
       go to Hebron to sacrifice to the Lord in fulfillment of a vow I made 
       to him

       (2 Sam 15:8 TLB)  while I was at Geshur--that if he would bring me 
       back to Jerusalem, I would sacrifice to him."

       (2 Sam 15:9 TLB)  "All right," the king told him, "go and fulfill your 
       vow." So Absalom went to Hebron.

       (2 Sam 15:10 TLB)  But while he was there, he sent spies to every part 
       of Israel to incite rebellion against the king. "As soon as you hear 
       the trumpets," his message read, "you will know that Absalom has been 
       crowned in Hebron."

       (2 Sam 15:11 TLB)  He took two hundred men from Jerusalem with him as 
       guests, but they knew nothing of his intentions.

       (2 Sam 15:12 TLB)  While he was offering the sacrifice, he sent for 
       Ahithophel, one of David's counselors who lived in Giloh. Ahithophel 
       declared for Absalom, as did more and more others. So the conspiracy 
       became very strong.

       (2 Sam 15:13 TLB)  A messenger soon arrived in Jerusalem to tell King 
       David, "All Israel has joined Absalom in a conspiracy against you!"

       (2 Sam 15:14 TLB)  "Then we must flee at once or it will be too late!" 
       was David's instant response to his men. "If we get out of the city 
       before he arrives, both we and the city of Jerusalem will be saved."

       (2 Sam 15:15 TLB)  "We are with you," his aides replied. "Do as you 
       think best."

       (2 Sam 15:16 TLB)  So the king and his household set out at once. He 
       left no one behind except ten of his young wives to keep the palace in 
       order.






       (2 Sam 15:17 TLB)  David paused at the edge of the city to let his 
       troops move past him to lead the way--six hundred Gittites who had 
       come with him from Gath, and the Cherethites and Pelethites.

       (2 Sam 15:18 TLB)  

       (2 Sam 15:19 TLB)  But suddenly the king turned to Ittai, the captain 
       of the six hundred Gittites, and said to him, "What are you doing 
       here? Go on back with your men to Jerusalem, to your king, for you are 
       a guest in Israel, a foreigner in exile.

       (2 Sam 15:20 TLB)  It seems but yesterday that you arrived, and now 
       today should I force you to wander with us, who knows where? Go on 
       back and take your troops with you, and may the Lord be merciful to 
       you."

       (2 Sam 15:21 TLB)  But Ittai replied, "I vow by God and by your own 
       life that wherever you go, I will go, no matter what happens--whether 
       it means life or death."

       (2 Sam 15:22 TLB)  So David replied, "All right, come with us." Then 
       Ittai and his six hundred men and their families went along.

       (2 Sam 15:23 TLB)  There was deep sadness throughout the city as the 
       king and his retinue passed by, crossed Kidron Brook, and went out 
       into the country.

       (2 Sam 15:24 TLB)  Abiathar and Zadok and the Levites took the Ark of 
       the Covenant of God and set it down beside the road until everyone had 
       passed.

       (2 Sam 15:25 TLB)  Then, following David's instructions, Zadok took 
       the Ark back into the city. "If the Lord sees fit," David said, "he 
       will bring me back to see the Ark and the Tabernacle again.

       (2 Sam 15:26 TLB)  But if he is through with me, well, let him do what 
       seems best to him."

       (2 Sam 15:27 TLB)  Then the king told Zadok, "Look, here is my plan. 
       Return quietly to the city with your son Ahimaaz and Abiathar's son 
       Jonathan.

       (2 Sam 15:28 TLB)  I will stop at the ford of the Jordan River and 
       wait there for a message from you. Let me know what happens in 
       Jerusalem before I disappear into the wilderness."

       (2 Sam 15:29 TLB)  So Zadok and Abiathar carried the Ark of God back 
       into the city and stayed there.

       (2 Sam 15:30 TLB)  David walked up the road that led to the Mount of 
       Olives, weeping as he went. His head was covered and his feet were 
       bare as a sign of mourning. And the people who were with him covered 
       their heads and wept as they climbed the mountain.

       (2 Sam 15:31 TLB)  When someone told David that Ahithophel, his 





       advisor, was backing Absalom, David prayed, "O Lord, please make 
       Ahithophel give Absalom foolish advice!"

       (2 Sam 15:32 TLB)  As they reached the spot at the top of the Mount of 
       Olives where people worshiped God, David found Hushai the Archite 
       waiting for him with torn clothing and earth upon his head.

       (2 Sam 15:33 TLB)  But David told him, "If you go with me, you will 
       only be a burden;

       (2 Sam 15:34 TLB)  return to Jerusalem and tell Absalom, 'I will 
       counsel you as I did your father.' Then you can frustrate and counter 
       Ahithophel's advice.

       (2 Sam 15:35 TLB)  Zadok and Abiathar, the priests, are there. Tell 
       them the plans that are being made to capture me,

       (2 Sam 15:36 TLB)  and they will send their sons Ahimaaz and Jonathan 
       to find me and tell me what is going on."

       (2 Sam 15:37 TLB)  So David's friend Hushai returned to the city, 
       getting there just as Absalom arrived.

       (2 Sam 16:1 TLB)  David was just past the top of the hill when Ziba, 
       the manager of Mephibosheth's household, caught up with him. He was 
       leading two donkeys loaded with two hundred loaves of bread, one 
       hundred clusters of raisins, one hundred bunches of grapes, and a 
       small barrel of wine.

       (2 Sam 16:2 TLB)  "What are these for?" the king asked Ziba. And Ziba 
       replied, "The donkeys are for your people to ride on, and the bread 
       and summer fruit are for the young men to eat; the wine is to be taken 
       with you into the wilderness for any who become faint."

       (2 Sam 16:3 TLB)  "And where is Mephibosheth?" the king asked him. "He 
       stayed at Jerusalem," Ziba replied. "He said, 'Now I'll get to be 
       king! Today I will get back the kingdom of my father, Saul.'"

       (2 Sam 16:4 TLB)  "In that case," the king told Ziba, "I give you 
       everything he owns." "Thank you, thank you, sir," Ziba replied.

       (2 Sam 16:5 TLB)  As David and his party passed Bahurim, a man came 
       out of the village cursing them. It was Shimei, the son of Gera, a 
       member of Saul's family.

       (2 Sam 16:6 TLB)  He threw stones at the king and the king's officers 
       and all the mighty warriors who surrounded them!

       (2 Sam 16:7 TLB)  "Get out of here, you murderer, you scoundrel!" he 
       shouted at David.

       (2 Sam 16:8 TLB)  "The Lord is paying you back for murdering King Saul 
       and his family; you stole his throne and now the Lord has given it to 
       your son Absalom! At last you will taste some of your own medicine, 
       you murderer!"





       (2 Sam 16:9 TLB)  "Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king?" 
       Abishai demanded. "Let me go over and strike off his head!"

       (2 Sam 16:10 TLB)  "No!" the king said. "If the Lord has told him to 
       curse me, who am I to say no?

       (2 Sam 16:11 TLB)  My own son is trying to kill me, and this 
       Benjaminite is merely cursing me. Let him alone, for no doubt the Lord 
       has told him to do it.

       (2 Sam 16:12 TLB)  And perhaps the Lord will see that I am being 
       wronged and will bless me because of these curses."

       (2 Sam 16:13 TLB)  So David and his men continued on, and Shimei kept 
       pace with them on a nearby hillside, cursing as he went and throwing 
       stones at David and tossing dust into the air.

       (2 Sam 16:14 TLB)  The king and all those who were with him were weary 
       by the time they reached Bahurim, so they stayed there awhile and 
       rested.

       (2 Sam 16:15 TLB)  Meanwhile, Absalom and his men arrived at 
       Jerusalem, accompanied by Ahithophel.

       (2 Sam 16:16 TLB)  When David's friend, Hushai the Archite, arrived, 
       he went immediately to see Absalom. "Long live the king!" he 
       exclaimed. "Long live the king!"

       (2 Sam 16:17 TLB)  "Is this the way to treat your friend David?" 
       Absalom asked him. "Why aren't you with him?"

       (2 Sam 16:18 TLB)  "Because I work for the man who is chosen by the 
       Lord and by Israel," Hushai replied.

       (2 Sam 16:19 TLB)  "And anyway, why shouldn't I? I helped your father 
       and now I will help you!"

       (2 Sam 16:20 TLB)  Then Absalom turned to Ahithophel and asked him, 
       "What shall I do next?"

       (2 Sam 16:21 TLB)  Ahithophel told him, "Go and sleep with your 
       father's wives, for he has left them here to keep the house. Then all 
       Israel will know that you have insulted him beyond the possibility of 
       reconciliation, and they will all close ranks behind you."

       (2 Sam 16:22 TLB)  So a tent was erected on the roof of the palace 
       where everybody could see it, and Absalom went into the tent to lie 
       with his father's wives.

       (2 Sam 16:23 TLB)  (Absalom did whatever Ahithophel told him to, just 
       as David had; for every word Ahithophel spoke seemed as wise as though 
       it had come directly from the mouth of God.)

       (2 Sam 17:1 TLB)  "Now," Ahithophel said, "give me twelve thousand men 
       to start out after David tonight.





       (2 Sam 17:2 TLB)  I will come upon him while he is weary and 
       discouraged, and he and his troops will be thrown into a panic and 
       everyone will run away;

       (2 Sam 17:3 TLB)  and I will kill only the king and let all those who 
       are with him live, and restore them to you."

       (2 Sam 17:4 TLB)  Absalom and all the elders of Israel approved of the 
       plan,

       (2 Sam 17:5 TLB)  but Absalom said, "Ask Hushai the Archite what he 
       thinks about this."

       (2 Sam 17:6 TLB)  When Hushai arrived, Absalom told him what 
       Ahithophel had said. "What is your opinion?" Absalom asked him. 
       "Should we follow Ahithophel's advice? If not, speak up."

       (2 Sam 17:7 TLB)  "Well," Hushai replied, "this time I think 
       Ahithophel has made a mistake.

       (2 Sam 17:8 TLB)  You know your father and his men; they are mighty 
       warriors and are probably as upset as a mother bear who has been 
       robbed of her cubs. And your father is an old soldier and isn't going 
       to be spending the night among the troops;

       (2 Sam 17:9 TLB)  he has probably already hidden in some pit or cave. 
       And when he comes out and attacks and a few of your men fall, there 
       will be panic among your troops and everyone will start shouting that 
       your men are being slaughtered.

       (2 Sam 17:10 TLB)  Then even the bravest of them, though they have 
       hearts of lions, will be paralyzed with fear; for all Israel knows 
       what a mighty man your father is and how courageous his soldiers are.

       (2 Sam 17:11 TLB)  "What I suggest is that you mobilize the entire 
       army of Israel, bringing them from as far away as Dan and Beersheba, 
       so that you will have a huge force. And I think that you should 
       personally lead the troops.

       (2 Sam 17:12 TLB)  Then when we find him we can destroy his entire 
       army so that not one of them is left alive.

       (2 Sam 17:13 TLB)  And if David has escaped into some city, you will 
       have the entire army of Israel there at your command, and we can take 
       ropes and drag the walls of the city into the nearest valley until 
       every stone is torn down."

       (2 Sam 17:14 TLB)  Then Absalom and all the men of Israel said, 
       "Hushai's advice is better than Ahithophel's." For the Lord had 
       arranged to defeat the counsel of Ahithophel, which really was the 
       better plan, so that he could bring disaster upon Absalom!

       (2 Sam 17:15 TLB)  Then Hushai reported to Zadok and Abiathar, the 
       priests, what Ahithophel had said and what he himself had suggested 
       instead.





       (2 Sam 17:16 TLB)  "Quick!" he told them. "Find David and urge him not 
       to stay at the ford of the Jordan River tonight. He must go across at 
       once into the wilderness beyond; otherwise he will die, and his entire 
       army with him."

       (2 Sam 17:17 TLB)  Jonathan and Ahimaaz had been staying at En-rogel 
       so as not to be seen entering and leaving the city. Arrangements had 
       been made for a servant girl to carry to them the messages they were 
       to take to King David.

       (2 Sam 17:18 TLB)  But a boy saw them leaving En-rogel to go to David, 
       and he told Absalom about it. Meanwhile, they escaped to Bahurim where 
       a man hid them inside a well in his backyard.

       (2 Sam 17:19 TLB)  The man's wife put a cloth over the top of the well 
       with grain on it to dry in the sun; so no one suspected they were 
       there.

       (2 Sam 17:20 TLB)  When Absalom's men arrived and asked her if she had 
       seen Ahimaaz and Jonathan, she said they had crossed the brook and 
       were gone. They looked for them without success and returned to 
       Jerusalem.

       (2 Sam 17:21 TLB)  Then the two men crawled out of the well and 
       hurried on to King David. "Quick!" they told him, "cross the Jordan 
       tonight!" And they told him how Ahithophel had advised that he be 
       captured and killed.

       (2 Sam 17:22 TLB)  So David and all the people with him went across 
       during the night and were all on the other bank before dawn.

       (2 Sam 17:23 TLB)  Meanwhile, Ahithophel--publicly disgraced when 
       Absalom refused his advice--saddled his donkey, went to his hometown, 
       set his affairs in order, and hanged himself; so he died and was 
       buried beside his father.

       (2 Sam 17:24 TLB)  David soon arrived at Mahanaim. Meanwhile, Absalom 
       had mobilized the entire army of Israel and was leading the men across 
       the Jordan River.

       (2 Sam 17:25 TLB)  Absalom had appointed Amasa as general of the army, 
       replacing Joab. (Amasa was Joab's second cousin; his father was Ithra, 
       an Ishmaelite, and his mother was Abigail, the daughter of Nahash, who 
       was the sister of Joab's mother, Zeruiah.)

       (2 Sam 17:26 TLB)  Absalom and the Israeli army now camped in the land 
       of Gilead.

       (2 Sam 17:27 TLB)  When David arrived at Mahanaim, he was warmly 
       greeted by Shobi (son of Nahash of Rabbah, an Ammonite) and Machir 
       (son of Ammiel of Lodebar) and Barzillai (a Gileadite of Rogelim).

       (2 Sam 17:28 TLB)  They brought him and those who were with him mats 
       to sleep on, cooking pots, serving bowls, wheat and barley flour, 
       parched grain, beans, lentils,





       (2 Sam 17:29 TLB)  honey, butter, and cheese. For they said, "You must 
       be very tired and hungry and thirsty after your long march through the 
       wilderness."

       (2 Sam 18:1 TLB)  David now appointed regimental colonels and company 
       commanders over his troops.

       (2 Sam 18:2 TLB)  A third were placed under Joab's brother, Abishai 
       (the son of Zeruiah); and a third under Ittai, the Gittite. The king 
       planned to lead the army himself, but his men objected strongly.

       (2 Sam 18:3 TLB)  "You mustn't do it," they said, "for if we have to 
       turn and run, and half of us die, it will make no difference to 
       them--they will be looking only for you. You are worth ten thousand of 
       us, and it is better that you stay here in the city and send us help 
       if we need it."

       (2 Sam 18:4 TLB)  "Well, whatever you think best," the king finally 
       replied. So he stood at the gate of the city as all the troops passed 
       by.

       (2 Sam 18:5 TLB)  And the king commanded Joab, Abishai, and Ittai, 
       "For my sake, deal gently with young Absalom." And all the troops 
       heard the king give them this charge.

       (2 Sam 18:6 TLB)  So the battle began in the forest of Ephraim,

       (2 Sam 18:7 TLB)  and the Israeli troops were beaten back by David's 
       men. There was a great slaughter and twenty thousand men laid down 
       their lives that day.

       (2 Sam 18:8 TLB)  The battle raged all across the countryside, and 
       more men disappeared in the forest than were killed.

       (2 Sam 18:9 TLB)  During the battle Absalom came upon some of David's 
       men and as he fled on his mule, it went beneath the thick boughs of a 
       great oak tree, and his hair caught in the branches. His mule went on, 
       leaving him dangling in the air.

       (2 Sam 18:10 TLB)  One of David's men saw him and told Joab.

       (2 Sam 18:11 TLB)  "What? You saw him there and didn't kill him?" Joab 
       demanded. "I would have rewarded you handsomely and made you a 
       commissioned officer."

       (2 Sam 18:12 TLB)  "For a million dollars I wouldn't do it," the man 
       replied. "We all heard the king say to you and Abishai and Ittai, 'For 
       my sake, please don't harm young Absalom.'

       (2 Sam 18:13 TLB)  And if I had betrayed the king by killing his son 
       (and the king would certainly find out who did it), you yourself would 
       be the first to accuse me."

       (2 Sam 18:14 TLB)  "Enough of this nonsense," Joab said. Then he took 
       three daggers and plunged them into the heart of Absalom as he dangled 
       alive from the oak.






       (2 Sam 18:15 TLB)  Ten of Joab's young armor-bearers then surrounded 
       Absalom and finished him off.

       (2 Sam 18:16 TLB)  Then Joab blew the trumpet, and his men returned 
       from chasing the army of Israel.

       (2 Sam 18:17 TLB)  They threw Absalom's body into a deep pit in the 
       forest and piled a great heap of stones over it. And the army of 
       Israel fled to their homes.

       (2 Sam 18:18 TLB)  (Absalom had built a monument to himself in the 
       King's Valley, for he said, "I have no sons to carry on my name." He 
       called it "Absalom's Monument," as it is still known today.)

       (2 Sam 18:19 TLB)  Then Zadok's son Ahimaaz said, "Let me run to King 
       David with the good news that the Lord has saved him from his enemy 
       Absalom."

       (2 Sam 18:20 TLB)  "No," Joab told him, "it wouldn't be good news to 
       the king that his son is dead. You can be my messenger some other 
       time."

       (2 Sam 18:21 TLB)  Then Joab said to a man from Cush, "Go tell the 
       king what you have seen." The man bowed and ran off.

       (2 Sam 18:22 TLB)  But Ahimaaz pleaded with Joab, "Please let me go 
       too." "No, we don't need you now, my boy." Joab replied. "There is no 
       further news to send."

       (2 Sam 18:23 TLB)  "Yes, but let me go anyway," he begged. And Joab 
       finally said, "All right, go ahead." Then Ahimaaz took a shortcut 
       across the plain and got there ahead of the man from Cush.

       (2 Sam 18:24 TLB)  David was sitting at the gate of the city. When the 
       watchman climbed the stairs to his post at the top of the wall, he saw 
       a lone man running toward them.

       (2 Sam 18:25 TLB)  He shouted the news down to David, and the king 
       replied, "If he is alone, he has news." As the messenger came closer,

       (2 Sam 18:26 TLB)  the watchman saw another man running toward them. 
       He shouted down, "Here comes another one." And the king replied, "He 
       will have more news."

       (2 Sam 18:27 TLB)  "The first man looks like Ahimaaz, the son of 
       Zadok," the watchman said. "He is a good man and comes with good 
       news," the king replied.

       (2 Sam 18:28 TLB)  Then Ahimaaz cried out to the king, "All is well!" 
       He bowed low with his face to the ground and said, "Blessed be the 
       Lord your God who has destroyed the rebels who dared to stand against 
       you."

       (2 Sam 18:29 TLB)  "What of young Absalom?" the king demanded. "Is he 
       all right?" "When Joab told me to come, there was a lot of shouting; 





       but I didn't know what was happening," Ahimaaz answered.

       (2 Sam 18:30 TLB)  "Wait here," the king told him. So Ahimaaz stepped 
       aside.

       (2 Sam 18:31 TLB)  Then the man from Cush arrived and said, "I have 
       good news for my lord the king. Today Jehovah has rescued you from all 
       those who rebelled against you."

       (2 Sam 18:32 TLB)  "What about young Absalom? Is he all right?" the 
       king demanded. And the man replied, "May all of your enemies be as 
       that young man is!"

       (2 Sam 18:33 TLB)  Then the king broke into tears, and went up to his 
       room over the gate, crying as he went. "O my son Absalom, my son, my 
       son Absalom. If only I could have died for you! O Absalom, my son, my 
       son."

       (2 Sam 19:1 TLB)  Word soon reached Joab that the king was weeping and 
       mourning for Absalom.

       (2 Sam 19:2 TLB)  As the people heard of the king's deep grief for his 
       son, the joy of that day's wonderful victory was turned into deep 
       sadness.

       (2 Sam 19:3 TLB)  The entire army crept back into the city as though 
       they were ashamed and had been beaten in battle.

       (2 Sam 19:4 TLB)  The king covered his face with his hands and kept on 
       weeping, "O my son Absalom! O Absalom my son, my son!"

       (2 Sam 19:5 TLB)  Then Joab went to the king's room and said to him, 
       "We saved your life today and the lives of your sons, your daughters, 
       your wives, and concubines; and yet you act like this, making us feel 
       ashamed, as though we had done something wrong.

       (2 Sam 19:6 TLB)  You seem to love those who hate you, and hate those 
       who love you. Apparently we don't mean anything to you; if Absalom had 
       lived and all of us had died, you would be happy.

       (2 Sam 19:7 TLB)  Now go out there and congratulate the troops, for I 
       swear by Jehovah that if you don't, not a single one of them will 
       remain here during the night; then you will be worse off than you have 
       ever been in your entire life."

       (2 Sam 19:8 TLB)  So the king went out and sat at the city gates, and 
       as the news spread throughout the city that he was there, everyone 
       went to him.

       (2 Sam 19:9 TLB)  Meanwhile, there was much discussion and argument 
       going on all across the nation: "Why aren't we talking about bringing 
       the king back?" was the great topic everywhere. "For he saved us from 
       our enemies, the Philistines;

       (2 Sam 19:10 TLB)  and Absalom, whom we made our king instead, chased 
       him out of the country, but now Absalom is dead. Let's ask David to 





       return and be our king again."

       (2 Sam 19:11 TLB)  Then David sent Zadok and Abiathar the priests to 
       say to the elders of Judah, "Why are you the last ones to reinstate 
       the king? For all Israel is ready, and only you are holding out.

       (2 Sam 19:12 TLB)  Yet you are my own brothers, my own tribe, my own 
       flesh and blood!"

       (2 Sam 19:13 TLB)  And he told them to tell Amasa, "Since you are my 
       nephew, may God strike me dead if I do not appoint you as 
       commander-in-chief of my army in place of Joab."

       (2 Sam 19:14 TLB)  Then Amasa convinced all the leaders of Judah, and 
       they responded as one man. They sent word to the king, "Return to us 
       and bring back all those who are with you."

       (2 Sam 19:15 TLB)  So the king started back to Jerusalem. And when he 
       arrived at the Jordan River, it seemed as if everyone in Judah had 
       come to Gilgal to meet him and escort him across the river!

       (2 Sam 19:16 TLB)  Then Shimei (the son of Gera the Benjaminite), the 
       man from Bahurim, hurried across with the men of Judah to welcome King 
       David.

       (2 Sam 19:17 TLB)  A thousand men from the tribe of Benjamin were with 
       him, including Ziba, the servant of Saul, and Ziba's fifteen sons and 
       twenty servants; they rushed down to the Jordan to arrive ahead of the 
       king.

       (2 Sam 19:18 TLB)  They all worked hard ferrying the king's household 
       and troops across, and helped them in every way they could. As the 
       king was crossing, Shimei fell down before him,

       (2 Sam 19:19 TLB)  and pleaded, "My lord the king, please forgive me 
       and forget the terrible thing I did when you left Jerusalem;

       (2 Sam 19:20 TLB)  for I know very well how much I sinned. That is why 
       I have come here today, the very first person in all the tribe of 
       Joseph to greet you."

       (2 Sam 19:21 TLB)  Abishai asked, "Shall not Shimei die, for he cursed 
       the Lord's chosen king!"

       (2 Sam 19:22 TLB)  "Don't talk to me like that!" David exclaimed. 
       "This is not a day for execution but for celebration! I am once more 
       king of Israel!"

       (2 Sam 19:23 TLB)  Then, turning to Shimei, he vowed, "Your life is 
       spared."

       (2 Sam 19:24 TLB)  Now Mephibosheth, Saul's grandson, arrived from 
       Jerusalem to meet the king. He had not washed his feet or clothes nor 
       trimmed his beard since the day the king left Jerusalem.

       (2 Sam 19:25 TLB)  "Why didn't you come with me, Mephibosheth?" the 





       king asked him.

       (2 Sam 19:26 TLB)  And he replied, "My lord, O king, my servant Ziba 
       deceived me. I told him, 'Saddle my donkey so that I can go with the 
       king.' For as you know I am lame.

       (2 Sam 19:27 TLB)  But Ziba has slandered me by saying that I refused 
       to come. But I know that you are as an angel of God, so do what you 
       think best.

       (2 Sam 19:28 TLB)  I and all my relatives could expect only death from 
       you, but instead you have honored me among all those who eat at your 
       own table! So how can I complain?"

       (2 Sam 19:29 TLB)  "All right," David replied. "My decision is that 
       you and Ziba will divide the land equally between you."

       (2 Sam 19:30 TLB)  "Give him all of it," Mephibosheth said. "I am 
       content just to have you back again!"

       (2 Sam 19:31 TLB)  Barzillai, who had fed the king and his army during 
       their exile in Mahanaim, arrived from Rogelim to conduct the king 
       across the river.

       (2 Sam 19:32 TLB)  He was very old now, about eighty, and very 
       wealthy.

       (2 Sam 19:33 TLB)  "Come across with me and live in Jerusalem," the 
       king said to Barzillai. "I will take care of you there."

       (2 Sam 19:34 TLB)  "No," he replied, "I am far too old for that.

       (2 Sam 19:35 TLB)  I am eighty years old today, and life has lost its 
       excitement. Food and wine are no longer tasty, and entertainment is 
       not much fun; I would only be a burden to my lord the king.

       (2 Sam 19:36 TLB)  Just to go across the river with you is all the 
       honor I need!

       (2 Sam 19:37 TLB)  Then let me return again to die in my own city, 
       where my father and mother are buried. But here is Chimham. Let him go 
       with you and receive whatever good things you want to give him."

       (2 Sam 19:38 TLB)  "Good," the king agreed. "Chimham shall go with me, 
       and I will do for him whatever I would have done for you."

       (2 Sam 19:39 TLB)  So all the people crossed the Jordan with the king; 
       and after David had kissed and blessed Barzillai, he returned home.

       (2 Sam 19:40 TLB)  The king then went on to Gilgal, taking Chimham 
       with him. And most of Judah and half of Israel were there to greet 
       him.

       (2 Sam 19:41 TLB)  But the men of Israel complained to the king 
       because only men from Judah had ferried him and his household across 
       the Jordan.






       (2 Sam 19:42 TLB)  "Why not?" the men of Judah replied. "The king is 
       one of our own tribe. Why should this make you angry? We have charged 
       him nothing--he hasn't fed us or given us gifts!"

       (2 Sam 19:43 TLB)  "But there are ten tribes in Israel," the others 
       replied, "so we have ten times as much right in the king as you do; 
       why didn't you invite the rest of us? And, remember, we were the first 
       to speak of bringing him back to be our king again." The argument 
       continued back and forth, and the men of Judah were very rough in 
       their replies.

       (2 Sam 20:1 TLB)  Then a hothead whose name was Sheba (son of Bichri, 
       a Benjaminite) blew a trumpet and yelled, "We want nothing to do with 
       David. Come on, you men of Israel, let's get out of here. He's not our 
       king!"

       (2 Sam 20:2 TLB)  So all except Judah and Benjamin turned around and 
       deserted David and followed Sheba! But the men of Judah stayed with 
       their king, accompanying him from the Jordan to Jerusalem.

       (2 Sam 20:3 TLB)  When he arrived at his palace in Jerusalem, the king 
       instructed that his ten wives he had left to keep house should be 
       placed in seclusion. Their needs were to be cared for, he said, but he 
       would no longer sleep with them as his wives. So they remained in 
       virtual widowhood until their deaths.

       (2 Sam 20:4 TLB)  Then the king instructed Amasa to mobilize the army 
       of Judah within three days and to report back at that time.

       (2 Sam 20:5 TLB)  So Amasa went out to notify the troops, but it took 
       him longer than the three days he had been given.

       (2 Sam 20:6 TLB)  Then David said to Abishai, "That fellow Sheba is 
       going to hurt us more than Absalom did. Quick, take my bodyguard and 
       chase after him before he gets into a fortified city where we can't 
       reach him."

       (2 Sam 20:7 TLB)  So Abishai and Joab set out after Sheba with an 
       elite guard from Joab's army and the king's own bodyguard.

       (2 Sam 20:8 TLB)  As they arrived at the great stone in Gibeon, they 
       came face to face with Amasa. Joab was wearing his uniform with a 
       dagger strapped to his side. As he stepped forward to greet Amasa, he 
       stealthily slipped the dagger from its sheath.

       (2 Sam 20:9 TLB)  "I'm glad to see you, my brother," Joab said, and 
       took him by the beard with his right hand as though to kiss him.

       (2 Sam 20:10 TLB)  Amasa didn't notice the dagger in his left hand, 
       and Joab stabbed him in the stomach with it, so that his bowels gushed 
       out onto the ground. He did not need to strike again, and he died 
       there. Joab and his brother, Abishai, left him lying there and 
       continued after Sheba.

       (2 Sam 20:11 TLB)  One of Joab's young officers shouted to Amasa's 





       troops, "If you are for David, come and follow Joab."

       (2 Sam 20:12 TLB)  But Amasa lay in his blood in the middle of the 
       road, and when Joab's young officers saw that a crowd was gathering 
       around to stare at him, they dragged him off the road into a field and 
       threw a garment over him.

       (2 Sam 20:13 TLB)  With the body out of the way, everyone went on with 
       Joab to capture Sheba.

       (2 Sam 20:14 TLB)  Meanwhile Sheba had traveled across Israel to 
       mobilize his own clan of Bichri at the city of Abel in Beth-maacah.

       (2 Sam 20:15 TLB)  When Joab's forces arrived, they besieged Abel and 
       built a mound to the top of the city wall and began battering it down.

       (2 Sam 20:16 TLB)  But a wise woman in the city called out to Joab, 
       "Listen to me, Joab. Come over here so I can talk to you."

       (2 Sam 20:17 TLB)  As he approached, the woman asked, "Are you Joab?" 
       And he replied, "I am."

       (2 Sam 20:18 TLB)  So she told him, "There used to be a saying, 'If 
       you want to settle an argument, ask advice at Abel.' For we always 
       give wise counsel.

       (2 Sam 20:19 TLB)  You are destroying an ancient, peace-loving city, 
       loyal to Israel. Should you destroy what is the Lord's?"

       (2 Sam 20:20 TLB)  And Joab replied, "That isn't it at all.

       (2 Sam 20:21 TLB)  All I want is a man named Sheba from the hill 
       country of Ephraim, who has revolted against King David. If you will 
       deliver him to me, we will leave the city in peace." "All right," the 
       woman replied, "we will throw his head over the wall to you."

       (2 Sam 20:22 TLB)  Then the woman went to the people with her wise 
       advice, and they cut off Sheba's head and threw it out to Joab. And he 
       blew the trumpet and called his troops back from the attack, and they 
       returned to the king at Jerusalem.

       (2 Sam 20:23 TLB)  Joab was commander-in-chief of the army, and 
       Benaiah was in charge of the king's bodyguard.

       (2 Sam 20:24 TLB)  Adoram was in charge of the forced labor 
       battalions, and Jehoshaphat was the historian who kept the records.

       (2 Sam 20:25 TLB)  Sheva was the secretary, and Zadok and Abiathar 
       were the chief priests.

       (2 Sam 20:26 TLB)  Ira the Jairite was David's personal chaplain.

       (2 Sam 21:1 TLB)  There was a famine during David's reign that lasted 
       year after year for three years, and David spent much time in prayer 
       about it. Then the Lord said, "The famine is because of the guilt of 
       Saul and his family, for they murdered the Gibeonites."






       (2 Sam 21:2 TLB)  So King David summoned the Gibeonites. They were not 
       part of Israel but were what was left of the nation of the Amorites. 
       Israel had sworn not to kill them; but Saul, in his nationalistic 
       zeal, had tried to wipe them out.

       (2 Sam 21:3 TLB)  David asked them, "What can I do for you to rid 
       ourselves of this guilt and to induce you to ask God to bless us?"

       (2 Sam 21:4 TLB)  "Well, money won't do it," the Gibeonites replied, 
       "and we don't want to see Israelites executed in revenge." "What can I 
       do, then?" David asked. "Just tell me and I will do it for you."

       (2 Sam 21:5 TLB)  "Well, then," they replied, "give us seven of Saul's 
       sons--

       (2 Sam 21:6 TLB)  the sons of the man who did his best to destroy us. 
       We will hang them before the Lord in Gibeon, the city of King Saul." 
       "All right," the king said, "I will do it."

       (2 Sam 21:7 TLB)  He spared Jonathan's son Mephibosheth, who was 
       Saul's grandson, because of the oath between himself and Jonathan.

       (2 Sam 21:8 TLB)  But he gave them Saul's two sons Armoni and 
       Mephibosheth, whose mother was Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah. He also 
       gave them the five adopted sons of Michal that she brought up for 
       Saul's daughter Merab, the wife of Adriel.

       (2 Sam 21:9 TLB)  The men of Gibeon impaled them in the mountain 
       before the Lord. So all seven of them died together at the beginning 
       of the barley harvest.

       (2 Sam 21:10 TLB)  Then Rizpah, the mother of two of the men, spread 
       sackcloth upon a rock and stayed there through the entire harvest 
       season to prevent the vultures from tearing at their bodies during the 
       day and the wild animals from eating them at night.

       (2 Sam 21:11 TLB)  When David learned what she had done,

       (2 Sam 21:12 TLB)  he arranged for the men's bones to be buried in the 
       grave of Saul's father, Kish. At the same time he sent a request to 
       the men of Jabesh-gilead, asking them to bring him the bones of Saul 
       and Jonathan.

       (2 Sam 21:13 TLB)  They had stolen their bodies from the public square 
       at Beth-shan where the Philistines had impaled them after they had 
       died in battle on Mount Gilboa.

       (2 Sam 21:14 TLB)  So their bones were brought to him. Then at last 
       God answered prayer and ended the famine.

       (2 Sam 21:15 TLB)  Once when the Philistines were at war with Israel, 
       and David and his men were in the thick of the battle, David became 
       weak and exhausted.

       (2 Sam 21:16 TLB)  Ishbi-benob, a giant whose speartip weighed more 





       than twelve pounds and who was sporting a new suit of armor, closed in 
       on David and was about to kill him.

       (2 Sam 21:17 TLB)  But Abishai, the son of Zeruiah, came to his rescue 
       and killed the Philistine. After that David's men declared, "You are 
       not going out to battle again! Why should we risk snuffing out the 
       light of Israel?"

       (2 Sam 21:18 TLB)  Later, during a war with the Philistines at Gob, 
       Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Saph, another giant.

       (2 Sam 21:19 TLB)  At still another time and at the same place, 
       Elhanan killed the brother of Goliath the Gittite, whose spearhandle 
       was as huge as a weaver's beam!

       (2 Sam 21:20 TLB)  And once when the Philistines and the Israelis were 
       fighting at Gath, a giant with six fingers on each hand and six toes 
       on each foot defied Israel,

       (2 Sam 21:21 TLB)  and David's nephew Jonathan--the son of David's 
       brother Shimei--killed him.

       (2 Sam 21:22 TLB)  These four were from the tribe of giants in Gath 
       and were killed by David's troops.

       (2 Sam 22:1 TLB)  David sang this song to the Lord after he had 
       rescued him from Saul and from all his other enemies:

       (2 Sam 22:2 TLB)  "Jehovah is my rock, My fortress and my Savior.

       (2 Sam 22:3 TLB)  I will hide in God, Who is my rock and my refuge. He 
       is my shield And my salvation, My refuge and high tower. Thank you, O 
       my Savior, For saving me from all my enemies.

       (2 Sam 22:4 TLB)  I will call upon the Lord, Who is worthy to be 
       praised; He will save me from all my enemies.

       (2 Sam 22:5 TLB)  The waves of death surrounded me; Floods of evil 
       burst upon me;

       (2 Sam 22:6 TLB)  I was trapped and bound By hell and death;

       (2 Sam 22:7 TLB)  But I called upon the Lord in my distress, And he 
       heard me from his Temple. My cry reached his ears.

       (2 Sam 22:8 TLB)  Then the earth shook and trembled; The foundations 
       of the heavens quaked Because of his wrath.

       (2 Sam 22:9 TLB)  Smoke poured from his nostrils; Fire leaped from his 
       mouth And burned up all before him, Setting fire to the world.

       (2 Sam 22:10 TLB)  He bent the heavens down and came to earth; He 
       walked upon dark clouds.

       (2 Sam 22:11 TLB)  He rode upon the glorious-- On the wings of the 
       wind.






       (2 Sam 22:12 TLB)  Darkness surrounded him, And clouds were thick 
       around him;

       (2 Sam 22:13 TLB)  The earth was radiant with his brightness.

       (2 Sam 22:14 TLB)  The Lord thundered from heaven; The God above all 
       gods gave out a mighty shout.

       (2 Sam 22:15 TLB)  He shot forth his arrows of lightning And routed 
       his enemies.

       (2 Sam 22:16 TLB)  By the blast of his breath Was the sea split in 
       two. The bottom of the sea appeared.

       (2 Sam 22:17 TLB)  From above, he rescued me. He drew me out from the 
       waters;

       (2 Sam 22:18 TLB)  He saved me from powerful enemies, From those who 
       hated me And from those who were too strong for me.

       (2 Sam 22:19 TLB)  They came upon me In the day of my calamity, But 
       the Lord was my salvation.

       (2 Sam 22:20 TLB)  He set me free and rescued me, For I was his 
       delight.

       (2 Sam 22:21 TLB)  The Lord rewarded me for my goodness, For my hands 
       were clean;

       (2 Sam 22:22 TLB)  And I have not departed from my God.

       (2 Sam 22:23 TLB)  I knew his laws, And I obeyed them.

       (2 Sam 22:24 TLB)  I was perfect in obedience And kept myself from 
       sin.

       (2 Sam 22:25 TLB)  That is why the Lord has done so much for me, For 
       he sees that I am clean.

       (2 Sam 22:26 TLB)  You are merciful to the merciful; You show your 
       perfections To the blameless.

       (2 Sam 22:27 TLB)  To those who are pure, You show yourself pure; But 
       you destroy those who are evil.

       (2 Sam 22:28 TLB)  You will save those in trouble, But you bring down 
       the haughty; For you watch their every move.

       (2 Sam 22:29 TLB)  O Lord, you are my light! You make my darkness 
       bright.

       (2 Sam 22:30 TLB)  By your power I can crush an army; By your strength 
       I leap over a wall.

       (2 Sam 22:31 TLB)  As for God, his way is perfect; The word of the 





       Lord is true. He shields all who hide behind him.

       (2 Sam 22:32 TLB)  Our Lord alone is God; We have no other Savior.

       (2 Sam 22:33 TLB)  God is my strong fortress; He has made me safe.

       (2 Sam 22:34 TLB)  He causes the good to walk a steady tread Like 
       mountain goats upon the rocks.

       (2 Sam 22:35 TLB)  He gives me skill in war And strength to bend a bow 
       of bronze.

       (2 Sam 22:36 TLB)  You have given me the shield of your salvation; 
       Your gentleness has made me great.

       (2 Sam 22:37 TLB)  You have made wide steps for my feet, To keep them 
       from slipping.

       (2 Sam 22:38 TLB)  I have chased my enemies And destroyed them. I did 
       not stop till all were gone.

       (2 Sam 22:39 TLB)  I have destroyed them So that none can rise again. 
       They have fallen beneath my feet.

       (2 Sam 22:40 TLB)  For you have given me strength for the battle And 
       have caused me to subdue All those who rose against me.

       (2 Sam 22:41 TLB)  You have made my enemies Turn and run away; I have 
       destroyed them all.

       (2 Sam 22:42 TLB)  They looked in vain for help; They cried to God, 
       But he refused to answer.

       (2 Sam 22:43 TLB)  I beat them into dust; I crushed and scattered them 
       Like dust along the streets.

       (2 Sam 22:44 TLB)  You have preserved me From the rebels of my people; 
       You have preserved me As the head of the nations. Foreigners shall 
       serve me

       (2 Sam 22:45 TLB)  And shall quickly submit to me When they hear of my 
       power.

       (2 Sam 22:46 TLB)  They shall lose heart And come, trembling, From 
       their hiding places.

       (2 Sam 22:47 TLB)  The Lord lives. Blessed be my Rock. Praise to him-- 
       The Rock of my salvation.

       (2 Sam 22:48 TLB)  Blessed be God Who destroys those who oppose me

       (2 Sam 22:49 TLB)  And rescues me from my enemies. Yes, you hold me 
       safe above their heads. You deliver me from violence.

       (2 Sam 22:50 TLB)  No wonder I give thanks to you, O Lord, among the 
       nations, And sing praises to your name.






       (2 Sam 22:51 TLB)  He gives wonderful deliverance to his king And 
       shows mercy to his anointed-- To David and his family, Forever."

       (2 Sam 23:1 TLB)  These are the last words of David: "David, the son 
       of Jesse, speaks. David, the man to whom God gave such wonderful 
       success; David, the anointed of the God of Jacob; David, sweet 
       psalmist of Israel:

       (2 Sam 23:2 TLB)  The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me, And his word was 
       on my tongue.

       (2 Sam 23:3 TLB)  The Rock of Israel said to me: 'One shall come who 
       rules righteously, Who rules in the fear of God.

       (2 Sam 23:4 TLB)  He shall be as the light of the morning; A cloudless 
       sunrise When the tender grass Springs forth upon the earth; As 
       sunshine after rain.'

       (2 Sam 23:5 TLB)  And it is my family He has chosen! Yes, God has made 
       An everlasting covenant with me; His agreement is eternal, final, 
       sealed. He will constantly look after My safety and success.

       (2 Sam 23:6 TLB)  But the godless are as thorns to be thrown away, For 
       they tear the hand that touches them.

       (2 Sam 23:7 TLB)  One must be armed to chop them down; They shall be 
       burned."

       (2 Sam 23:8 TLB)  These are the names of the Top Three--the most 
       heroic men in David's army: the first was Josheb-basshebeth from 
       Tah-chemon, known also as Adino, the Eznite. He once killed eight 
       hundred men in one battle.

       (2 Sam 23:9 TLB)  Next in rank was Eleazar, the son of Dodo and 
       grandson of Ahohi. He was one of the three men who, with David, held 
       back the Philistines that time when the rest of the Israeli army fled.

       (2 Sam 23:10 TLB)  He killed the Philistines until his hand was too 
       tired to hold his sword; and the Lord gave him a great victory. (The 
       rest of the army did not return until it was time to collect the 
       loot!)

       (2 Sam 23:11 TLB)  After him was Shammah, the son of Agee from Harar. 
       Once during a Philistine attack, when all his men deserted him and 
       fled,

       (2 Sam 23:12 TLB)  he stood alone at the center of a field of lentils 
       and beat back the Philistines; and God gave him a great victory.

       (2 Sam 23:13 TLB)  One time when David was living in the cave of 
       Adullam and the invading Philistines were at the valley of Rephaim, 
       three of The Thirty--the top-ranking officers of the Israeli 
       army--went down at harvest time to visit him.

       (2 Sam 23:14 TLB)  David was in the stronghold at the time, for 





       Philistine marauders had occupied the nearby city of Bethlehem.

       (2 Sam 23:15 TLB)  David remarked, "How thirsty I am for some of that 
       good water in the city well!" (The well was near the city gate.)

       (2 Sam 23:16 TLB)  So the three men broke through the Philistine ranks 
       and drew water from the well and brought it to David. But he refused 
       to drink it! Instead, he poured it out before the Lord.

       (2 Sam 23:17 TLB)  "No, my God," he exclaimed, "I cannot do it! This 
       is the blood of these men who have risked their lives."

       (2 Sam 23:18 TLB)  Of those three men, Abishai, the brother of Joab 
       (son of Zeruiah), was the greatest. Once he took on three hundred of 
       the enemy single-handed and killed them all.

       (2 Sam 23:19 TLB)  It was by such feats that he earned a reputation 
       equal to The Three, though he was not actually one of them. But he was 
       the greatest of The Thirty--the top-ranking officers of the army--and 
       was their leader.

       (2 Sam 23:20 TLB)  There was also Benaiah (son of Jehoiada), a heroic 
       soldier from Kabzeel. Benaiah killed two giants, sons of Ariel of 
       Moab. Another time he went down into a pit and, despite the slippery 
       snow on the ground, took on a lion that was caught there and killed 
       it.

       (2 Sam 23:21 TLB)  Another time, armed only with a staff, he killed an 
       Egyptian warrior who was armed with a spear; he wrenched the spear 
       from the Egyptian's hand and killed him with it.

       (2 Sam 23:22 TLB)  These were some of the deeds that gave Benaiah 
       almost as much renown as the Top Three.

       (2 Sam 23:23 TLB)  He was one of the greatest of The Thirty, but was 
       not actually one of the Top Three. And David made him chief of his 
       bodyguard.

       (2 Sam 23:24 TLB)  Asahel, the brother of Joab, was also one of The 
       Thirty. Others were: Elhanan (son of Dodo) from Bethlehem;

       (2 Sam 23:25 TLB)  Shammah from Harod; Elika from Harod;

       (2 Sam 23:26 TLB)  Helez from Palti; Ira (son of Ikkesh) from Tekoa;

       (2 Sam 23:27 TLB)  Abiezer from Anathoth; Mebunnai from Hushath;

       (2 Sam 23:28 TLB)  Zalmon from Ahoh; Maharai from Netophah;

       (2 Sam 23:29 TLB)  Heleb (son of Baanah) from Netophah; Ittai (son of 
       Ribai) from Gibeah, of the tribe of Benjamin;

       (2 Sam 23:30 TLB)  Benaiah of Pirathon; Hiddai from the brooks of 
       Gaash;

       (2 Sam 23:31 TLB)  Abi-albon from Arbath; Azmaveth from Bahurim;






       (2 Sam 23:32 TLB)  Eliahba from Shaalbon; The sons of Jashen; 
       Jonathan;

       (2 Sam 23:33 TLB)  Shammah from Harar; Ahiam (the son of Sharar) from 
       Harar;

       (2 Sam 23:34 TLB)  Eliphelet (son of Ahasbai) from Maacah; Eliam (the 
       son of Ahithophel) from Gilo;

       (2 Sam 23:35 TLB)  Hezro from Carmel; Paarai from Arba;

       (2 Sam 23:36 TLB)  Igal (son of Nathan) from Zobah; Bani from Gad;

       (2 Sam 23:37 TLB)  Zelek from Ammon; Naharai from Beeroth, the 
       armor-bearer of Joab (son of Zeruiah);

       (2 Sam 23:38 TLB)  Ira from Ithra; Gareb from Ithra;

       (2 Sam 23:39 TLB)  Uriah the Hittite--thirty-seven in all.

       (2 Sam 24:1 TLB)  Once again the anger of the Lord flared against 
       Israel, and he caused David to harm them by taking a national census. 
       "Go and count the people of Israel and Judah," the Lord told him.

       (2 Sam 24:2 TLB)  So the king said to Joab, commander-in-chief of his 
       army, "Take a census of all the people from one end of the nation to 
       the other, so that I will know how many of them there are."

       (2 Sam 24:3 TLB)  But Joab replied, "God grant that you will live to 
       see the day when there will be a hundred times as many people in your 
       kingdom as there are now! But you have no right to rejoice in their 
       strength."

       (2 Sam 24:4 TLB)  But the king's command overcame Joab's remonstrance; 
       so Joab and the other army officers went out to count the people of 
       Israel.

       (2 Sam 24:5 TLB)  First they crossed the Jordan and camped at Aroer, 
       south of the city that lies in the middle of the valley of Gad, near 
       Jazer;

       (2 Sam 24:6 TLB)  then they went to Gilead in the land of 
       Tahtim-hodshi and to Dan-jaan and around to Sidon;

       (2 Sam 24:7 TLB)  and then to the stronghold of Tyre, and all the 
       cities of the Hivites and Canaanites, and south to Judah as far as 
       Beersheba.

       (2 Sam 24:8 TLB)  Having gone through the entire land, they completed 
       their task in nine months and twenty days.

       (2 Sam 24:9 TLB)  And Joab reported the number of the people to the 
       king--800,000 men of conscription age in Israel and 500,000 in Judah.

       (2 Sam 24:10 TLB)  But after he had taken the census, David's 





       conscience began to bother him, and he said to the Lord, "What I did 
       was very wrong. Please forgive this foolish wickedness of mine."

       (2 Sam 24:11 TLB)  The next morning the word of the Lord came to the 
       prophet Gad, who was David's contact with God. The Lord said to Gad,

       (2 Sam 24:12 TLB)  "Tell David that I will give him three choices."

       (2 Sam 24:13 TLB)  So Gad came to David and asked him, "Will you 
       choose seven years of famine across the land, or to flee for three 
       months before your enemies, or to submit to three days of plague? 
       Think this over and let me know what answer to give to God."

       (2 Sam 24:14 TLB)  "This is a hard decision," David replied, "but it 
       is better to fall into the hand of the Lord (for his mercy is great) 
       than into the hands of men."

       (2 Sam 24:15 TLB)  So the Lord sent a plague upon Israel that morning, 
       and it lasted for three days; and seventy thousand men died throughout 
       the nation.

       (2 Sam 24:16 TLB)  But as the death angel was preparing to destroy 
       Jerusalem, the Lord was sorry for what was happening and told him to 
       stop. He was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite at the 
       time.

       (2 Sam 24:17 TLB)  When David saw the angel, he said to the Lord, 
       "Look, I am the one who has sinned! What have these sheep done? Let 
       your anger be only against me and my family."

       (2 Sam 24:18 TLB)  That day Gad came to David and said to him, "Go and 
       build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the 
       Jebusite."

       (2 Sam 24:19 TLB)  So David went to do what the Lord had commanded 
       him.

       (2 Sam 24:20 TLB)  When Araunah saw the king and his men coming toward 
       him, he came forward and fell flat on the ground with his face in the 
       dust.

       (2 Sam 24:21 TLB)  "Why have you come?" Araunah asked. And David 
       replied, "To buy your threshing floor, so that I can build an altar to 
       the Lord, and he will stop the plague."

       (2 Sam 24:22 TLB)  "Use anything you like," Araunah told the king. 
       "Here are oxen for the burnt offering, and you can use the threshing 
       instruments and ox yokes for wood to build a fire on the altar.

       (2 Sam 24:23 TLB)  I will give it all to you, and may the Lord God 
       accept your sacrifice."

       (2 Sam 24:24 TLB)  But the king said to Araunah, "No, I will not have 
       it as a gift. I will buy it, for I don't want to offer to the Lord my 
       God burnt offerings that have cost me nothing." So David paid him for 
       the threshing floor and the oxen.






       (2 Sam 24:25 TLB)  And David built an altar there to the Lord and 
       offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. And the Lord answered his 
       prayer, and the plague was stopped.

       (1 Ki 1:1 TLB)  In his old age King David was confined to his bed; but 
       no matter how many blankets were heaped upon him, he was always cold.

       (1 Ki 1:2 TLB)  "The cure for this," his aides told him, "is to find a 
       young virgin to be your concubine and nurse. She will lie in your arms 
       and keep you warm."

       (1 Ki 1:3 TLB)  So they searched the country from one end to the other 
       to find the most beautiful girl in all the land. Abishag, from Shunam, 
       was finally selected.

       (1 Ki 1:4 TLB)  They brought her to the king, and she lay in his arms 
       to warm him (but he had no sexual relations with her).

       (1 Ki 1:5 TLB)  At about that time, David's son Adonijah (his mother 
       was Haggith) decided to crown himself king in place of his aged 
       father. So he hired chariots and drivers and recruited fifty men to 
       run down the streets before him as royal footmen.

       (1 Ki 1:6 TLB)  Now his father, King David, had never disciplined him 
       at any time--not so much as by a single scolding! He was a very 
       handsome man and was Absalom's younger brother.

       (1 Ki 1:7 TLB)  He took General Joab and Abiathar the priest into his 
       confidence, and they agreed to help him become king.

       (1 Ki 1:8 TLB)  But among those who remained loyal to King David and 
       refused to endorse Adonijah were the priests Zadok and Benaiah, the 
       prophet Nathan, Shimei, Rei, and David's army chiefs.

       (1 Ki 1:9 TLB)  Adonijah went to En-rogel where he sacrificed sheep, 
       oxen, and fat young goats at the Serpent's Stone. Then he summoned all 
       of his brothers--the other sons of King David--and all the royal 
       officials of Judah, requesting that they come to his coronation.

       (1 Ki 1:10 TLB)  But he didn't invite Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, the 
       loyal army officers, or his brother Solomon.

       (1 Ki 1:11 TLB)  Then Nathan the prophet went to Bathsheba, Solomon's 
       mother, and asked her, "Do you realize that Haggith's son, Adonijah, 
       is now the king and that our lord David doesn't even know about it?

       (1 Ki 1:12 TLB)  If you want to save your own life and the life of 
       your son Solomon--do exactly as I say!

       (1 Ki 1:13 TLB)  Go at once to King David and ask him, 'My lord, 
       didn't you promise me that my son Solomon would be the next king and 
       would sit upon your throne? Then why is Adonijah reigning?'

       (1 Ki 1:14 TLB)  And while you are still talking with him, I'll come 
       and confirm everything you've said."






       (1 Ki 1:15 TLB)  So Bathsheba went into the king's bedroom. He was an 
       old, old man now, and Abishag was caring for him.

       (1 Ki 1:16 TLB)  Bathsheba bowed low before him. "What do you want?" 
       he asked her.

       (1 Ki 1:17 TLB)  She replied, "My lord, you vowed to me by the Lord 
       your God that my son Solomon would be the next king and would sit upon 
       your throne.

       (1 Ki 1:18 TLB)  But instead, Adonijah is the new king, and you don't 
       even know about it.

       (1 Ki 1:19 TLB)  He has celebrated his coronation by sacrificing oxen, 
       fat goats, and many sheep and has invited all your sons and Abiathar 
       the priest and General Joab. But he didn't invite Solomon.

       (1 Ki 1:20 TLB)  And now, my lord the king, all Israel is waiting for 
       your decision as to whether Adonijah is the one you have chosen to 
       succeed you.

       (1 Ki 1:21 TLB)  If you don't act, my son Solomon and I will be 
       arrested and executed as criminals as soon as you are dead."

       (1 Ki 1:22 TLB)  While she was speaking, the king's aides told him, 
       "Nathan the prophet is here to see you." Nathan came in and bowed low 
       before the king,

       (1 Ki 1:23 TLB)  

       (1 Ki 1:24 TLB)  and asked, "My lord, have you appointed Adonijah to 
       be the next king? Is he the one you have selected to sit upon your 
       throne?

       (1 Ki 1:25 TLB)  Today he celebrated his coronation by sacrificing 
       oxen, fat goats, and many sheep, and has invited your sons to attend 
       the festivities. He also invited General Joab and Abiathar the priest; 
       and they are feasting and drinking with him and shouting, 'Long live 
       King Adonijah!'

       (1 Ki 1:26 TLB)  But Zadok the priest and Benaiah and Solomon and I 
       weren't invited.

       (1 Ki 1:27 TLB)  Has this been done with your knowledge? For you 
       haven't said a word as to which of your sons you have chosen to be the 
       next king."

       (1 Ki 1:28 TLB)  "Call Bathsheba," David said. So she came back in and 
       stood before the king.

       (1 Ki 1:29 TLB)  And the king vowed, "As the Lord lives who has 
       rescued me from every danger,

       (1 Ki 1:30 TLB)  I decree that your son Solomon shall be the next king 
       and shall sit upon my throne, just as I swore to you before by the 





       Lord God of Israel."

       (1 Ki 1:31 TLB)  Then Bathsheba bowed low before him again and 
       exclaimed, "Oh, thank you, sir. May my lord the king live forever!"

       (1 Ki 1:32 TLB)  "Call Zadok the priest," the king ordered, "and 
       Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah." When they arrived,

       (1 Ki 1:33 TLB)  he said to them, "Take Solomon and my officers to 
       Gihon. Solomon is to ride on my personal mule,

       (1 Ki 1:34 TLB)  and Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet are to 
       anoint him there as king of Israel. Then blow the trumpets and shout, 
       'Long live King Solomon!'

       (1 Ki 1:35 TLB)  When you bring him back here, place him upon my 
       throne as the new king; for I have appointed him king of Israel and 
       Judah."

       (1 Ki 1:36 TLB)  "Amen! Praise God!" replied Benaiah, and added,

       (1 Ki 1:37 TLB)  "May the Lord be with Solomon as he has been with 
       you, and may God make Solomon's reign even greater than yours!"

       (1 Ki 1:38 TLB)  So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, and 
       David's bodyguard took Solomon to Gihon, riding on King David's own 
       mule.

       (1 Ki 1:39 TLB)  At Gihon, Zadok took a flask of sacred oil from the 
       Tabernacle and poured it over Solomon; and the trumpets were blown and 
       all the people shouted, "Long live King Solomon!"

       (1 Ki 1:40 TLB)  Then they all returned with him to Jerusalem, making 
       a joyous and noisy celebration all along the way.

       (1 Ki 1:41 TLB)  Adonijah and his guests heard the commotion and 
       shouting just as they were finishing their banquet. "What's going on?" 
       Joab demanded. "Why is the city in such an uproar?"

       (1 Ki 1:42 TLB)  And while he was still speaking, Jonathan, the son of 
       Abiathar the priest, rushed in. "Come in," Adonijah said to him, "for 
       you are a good man; you must have good news."

       (1 Ki 1:43 TLB)  "Our lord King David has declared Solomon as king!" 
       Jonathan shouted.

       (1 Ki 1:44 TLB)  "The king sent him to Gihon with Zadok the priest and 
       Nathan the prophet and Benaiah, protected by the king's own bodyguard; 
       and he rode on the king's own mule.

       (1 Ki 1:45 TLB)  And Zadok and Nathan have anointed him as the new 
       king! They have just returned, and the whole city is celebrating and 
       rejoicing. That's what all the noise is.

       (1 Ki 1:46 TLB)  Solomon is sitting on the throne,





       (1 Ki 1:47 TLB)  and all the people are congratulating King David, 
       saying, 'May God bless you even more through Solomon than he has 
       blessed you personally! May God make Solomon's reign even greater than 
       yours!' And the king is lying in bed, acknowledging their blessings.

       (1 Ki 1:48 TLB)  He is saying, 'Blessed be the Lord God of Israel who 
       has selected one of my sons to sit upon my throne while I am still 
       alive to see it.'"

       (1 Ki 1:49 TLB)  Then Adonijah and his guests jumped up from the 
       banquet table and fled in panic;

       (1 Ki 1:50 TLB)  for they were fearful for their lives. Adonijah 
       rushed into the Tabernacle and caught hold of the horns of the sacred 
       altar.

       (1 Ki 1:51 TLB)  When word reached Solomon that Adonijah was claiming 
       sanctuary in the Tabernacle, and pleading for clemency,

       (1 Ki 1:52 TLB)  Solomon replied, "If he behaves himself, he will not 
       be harmed; but if he does not, he shall die."

       (1 Ki 1:53 TLB)  So King Solomon summoned him, and they brought him 
       down from the altar. He came to bow low before the king; and then 
       Solomon curtly dismissed him. "Go on home," he said.

       (1 Ki 2:1 TLB)  As the time of King David's death approached, he gave 
       this charge to his son Solomon:

       (1 Ki 2:2 TLB)  "I am going where every man on earth must some day go. 
       I am counting on you to be a strong and worthy successor.

       (1 Ki 2:3 TLB)  Obey the laws of God and follow all his ways; keep 
       each of his commands written in the law of Moses so that you will 
       prosper in everything you do, wherever you turn.

       (1 Ki 2:4 TLB)  If you do this, then the Lord will fulfill the promise 
       he gave me, that if my children and their descendants watch their step 
       and are faithful to God, one of them shall always be the king of 
       Israel--my dynasty will never end.

       (1 Ki 2:5 TLB)  "Now listen to my instructions. You know that Joab 
       murdered my two generals, Abner and Amasa. He pretended that it was an 
       act of war, but it was done in a time of peace.

       (1 Ki 2:6 TLB)  You are a wise man and will know what to do--don't let 
       him die in peace.

       (1 Ki 2:7 TLB)  But be kind to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite. 
       Make them permanent guests of the king, for they took care of me when 
       I fled from your brother Absalom.

       (1 Ki 2:8 TLB)  And do you remember Shimei, the son of Gera the 
       Benjaminite from Bahurim? He cursed me with a terrible curse as I was 
       going to Mahanaim; but when he came down to meet me at the Jordan 
       River, I promised I wouldn't kill him.






       (1 Ki 2:9 TLB)  But that promise doesn't bind you! You are a wise man, 
       and you will know how to arrange a bloody death for him."

       (1 Ki 2:10 TLB)  Then David died and was buried in Jerusalem.

       (1 Ki 2:11 TLB)  He had reigned over Israel for forty years, seven of 
       them in Hebron and thirty-three in Jerusalem.

       (1 Ki 2:12 TLB)  And Solomon became the new king, replacing his father 
       David; and his kingdom prospered.

       (1 Ki 2:13 TLB)  One day Adonijah, the son of Haggith, came to see 
       Solomon's mother, Bathsheba. "Have you come to make trouble?" she 
       asked him. "No," he replied, "I come in peace.

       (1 Ki 2:14 TLB)  As a matter of fact, I have a favor to ask of you." 
       "What is it?" she asked.

       (1 Ki 2:15 TLB)  "Everything was going well for me," he said, "and the 
       kingdom was mine: everyone expected me to be the next king. But the 
       tables are turned, and everything went to my brother instead; for that 
       is the way the Lord wanted it.

       (1 Ki 2:16 TLB)  But now I have just a small favor to ask of you; 
       please don't turn me down." "What is it?" she asked.

       (1 Ki 2:17 TLB)  He replied, "Speak to King Solomon on my behalf (for 
       I know he will do anything you request) and ask him to give me 
       Abishag, the Shunammite, as mywife."

       (1 Ki 2:18 TLB)  "All right," Bathsheba replied, "I'll ask him."

       (1 Ki 2:19 TLB)  So she went to ask the favor of King Solomon. The 
       king stood up from his throne as she entered and bowed low to her. He 
       ordered that a throne for his mother be placed beside his; so she sat 
       at his right hand.

       (1 Ki 2:20 TLB)  "I have one small request to make of you," she said. 
       "I hope you won't turn me down." "What is it, my mother?" he asked. 
       "You know I won't refuse you."

       (1 Ki 2:21 TLB)  "Then let your brother Adonijah marry Abishag," she 
       replied.

       (1 Ki 2:22 TLB)  "Are you crazy?" he demanded. "If I were to give him 
       Abishag, I would be giving him the kingdom too! For he is my older 
       brother! He and Abiathar the priest and General Joab would take over!"

       (1 Ki 2:23 TLB)  Then King Solomon swore with a great oath, "May God 
       strike me dead if Adonijah does not die this very day for this plot 
       against me!

       (1 Ki 2:24 TLB)  I swear it by the living God who has given me the 
       throne of my father David and this kingdom he promised me."





       (1 Ki 2:25 TLB)  So King Solomon sent Benaiah to execute him, and he 
       killed him with a sword.

       (1 Ki 2:26 TLB)  Then the king said to Abiathar the priest, "Go back 
       to your home in Anathoth. You should be killed, too, but I won't do it 
       now. For you carried the Ark ofthe Lord during my father's reign, and 
       you suffered right along with him in all of his troubles."

       (1 Ki 2:27 TLB)  So Solomon forced Abiathar to give up his position as 
       the priest of the Lord, thereby fulfilling the decree of Jehovah at 
       Shiloh concerning the descendants of Eli.

       (1 Ki 2:28 TLB)  When Joab heard about Adonijah's death (Joab had 
       joined Adonijah's revolt, though not Absalom's) he ran to the 
       Tabernacle for sanctuary and caught hold of the horns of the altar.

       (1 Ki 2:29 TLB)  When news of this reached King Solomon, he sent 
       Benaiah to execute him.

       (1 Ki 2:30 TLB)  Benaiah went into the Tabernacle and said to Joab, 
       "The king says to come out!" "No," he said, "I'll die here." So 
       Benaiah returned to the king for further instructions.

       (1 Ki 2:31 TLB)  "Do as he says," the king replied. "Kill him there 
       beside the altar and bury him. This will remove the guilt of his 
       senseless murders from me and from my father's family.

       (1 Ki 2:32 TLB)  Then Jehovah will hold him personally responsible for 
       the murders of two men who were better than he. For my father was no 
       party to the deaths of General Abner, commander-in-chief of the army 
       of Israel, and General Amasa, commander-in-chief of the army of Judah.

       (1 Ki 2:33 TLB)  May Joab and his descendants be forever guilty of 
       these murders, and may the Lord declare David and his descendants 
       guiltless concerning their deaths."

       (1 Ki 2:34 TLB)  So Benaiah returned to the Tabernacle and killed 
       Joab; and he was buried beside his house in the desert.

       (1 Ki 2:35 TLB)  Then the king appointed Benaiah as 
       commander-in-chief, and Zadok as priest instead of Abiathar.

       (1 Ki 2:36 TLB)  The king now sent for Shimei and told him, "Build a 
       house here in Jerusalem, and don't step outside the city on pain of 
       death.

       (1 Ki 2:37 TLB)  The moment you go beyond Kidron Brook, you die; and 
       it will be your own fault."

       (1 Ki 2:38 TLB)  "All right," Shimei replied, "whatever you say." So 
       he lived in Jerusalem for a long time.

       (1 Ki 2:39 TLB)  But three years later two of Shimei's slaves escaped 
       to King Achish of Gath. When Shimei learned where they were,

       (1 Ki 2:40 TLB)  he saddled a donkey and went to Gath to visit the 





       king. And when he had found his slaves, he took them back to 
       Jerusalem.

       (1 Ki 2:41 TLB)  When Solomon heard that Shimei had left Jerusalem and 
       had gone to Gath and returned,

       (1 Ki 2:42 TLB)  he sent for him and demanded, "Didn't I command you 
       in the name of God to stay in Jerusalem or die? You replied, 'Very 
       well, I will do as you say.'

       (1 Ki 2:43 TLB)  Then why have you not kept your agreement and obeyed 
       my commandment?

       (1 Ki 2:44 TLB)  And what about all the wicked things you did to my 
       father, King David? May the Lord take revenge on you,

       (1 Ki 2:45 TLB)  but may I receive God's rich blessings, and may one 
       of David's descendants always sit upon this throne."

       (1 Ki 2:46 TLB)  Then, at the king's command, Benaiah took Shimei 
       outside and killed him. So Solomon's grip upon the kingdom became 
       secure.

       (1 Ki 3:1 TLB)  Solomon made an alliance with Pharaoh, the king of 
       Egypt, and married one of his daughters. He brought her to Jerusalem 
       to live in the City of David until he could finish building his palace 
       and the Temple and the wall around the city.

       (1 Ki 3:2 TLB)  At that time the people of Israel sacrificed their 
       offerings on altars in the hills, for the Temple of the Lord hadn't 
       yet been built.

       (1 Ki 3:3 TLB)  (Solomon loved the Lord and followed all of his father 
       David's instructions except that he continued to sacrifice in the 
       hills and to offer incense there.)

       (1 Ki 3:4 TLB)  The most famous of the hilltop altars was at Gibeon, 
       and now the king went there and sacrificed one thousand burnt 
       offerings!

       (1 Ki 3:5 TLB)  The Lord appeared to him in a dream that night and 
       told him to ask for anything he wanted, and it would be given to him!

       (1 Ki 3:6 TLB)  Solomon replied, "You were wonderfully kind to my 
       father David because he was honest and true and faithful to you, and 
       obeyed your commands. And you have continued your kindness to him by 
       giving him a son to succeed him.

       (1 Ki 3:7 TLB)  O Lord my God, now you have made me the king instead 
       of my father David, but I am as a little child who doesn't know his 
       way around.

       (1 Ki 3:8 TLB)  And here I am among your own chosen people, a nation 
       so great that there are almost too many people to count!

       (1 Ki 3:9 TLB)  Give me an understanding mind so that I can govern 





       your people well and know the difference between what is right and 
       what is wrong. For who by himself is able to carry such a heavy 
       responsibility?"

       (1 Ki 3:10 TLB)  The Lord was pleased with his reply and was glad that 
       Solomon had asked for wisdom.

       (1 Ki 3:11 TLB)  So he replied, "Because you have asked for wisdom in 
       governing my people and haven't asked for a long life, or riches for 
       yourself, or the defeat of your enemies--

       (1 Ki 3:12 TLB)  yes, I'll give you what you asked for! I will give 
       you a wiser mind than anyone else has ever had or ever will have!

       (1 Ki 3:13 TLB)  And I will also give you what you didn't ask 
       for--riches and honor! And no one in all the world will be as rich and 
       famous as you for the rest of your life!

       (1 Ki 3:14 TLB)  And I will give you a long life if you follow me and 
       obey my laws as your father David did."

       (1 Ki 3:15 TLB)  Then Solomon woke up and realized it had been a 
       dream. He returned to Jerusalem and went into the Tabernacle. And as 
       he stood before the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord, he sacrificed 
       burnt offerings and peace offerings. Then he invited all of his 
       officials to a great banquet.

       (1 Ki 3:16 TLB)  Soon afterwards two young prostitutes came to the 
       king to have an argument settled.

       (1 Ki 3:17 TLB)  "Sir," one of them began, "we live in the same house, 
       just the two of us, and recently I had a baby. When it was three days 
       old, this woman's baby was born too.

       (1 Ki 3:18 TLB)  

       (1 Ki 3:19 TLB)  But her baby died during the night when she rolled 
       over on it in her sleep and smothered it.

       (1 Ki 3:20 TLB)  Then she got up in the night and took my son from 
       beside me while I was asleep, and laid her dead child in my arms and 
       took mine to sleep beside her.

       (1 Ki 3:21 TLB)  And in the morning when I tried to feed my baby it 
       was dead! But when it became light outside, I saw that it wasn't my 
       son at all."

       (1 Ki 3:22 TLB)  Then the other woman interrupted, "It certainly was 
       her son, and the living child is mine." "No," the first woman said, 
       "the dead one is yours and the living one is mine." And so they argued 
       back and forth before the king.

       (1 Ki 3:23 TLB)  Then the king said, "Let's get the facts straight: 
       both of you claim the living child, and each says that the dead child 
       belongs to the other.





       (1 Ki 3:24 TLB)  All right, bring me a sword." So a sword was brought 
       to the king.

       (1 Ki 3:25 TLB)  Then he said, "Divide the living child in two and 
       give half to each of these women!"

       (1 Ki 3:26 TLB)  Then the woman who really was the mother of the 
       child, and who loved him very much, cried out, "Oh no, sir! Give her 
       the child--don't kill him!" But the other woman said, "All right, it 
       will be neither yours nor mine; divide it between us!"

       (1 Ki 3:27 TLB)  Then the king said, "Give the baby to the woman who 
       wants him to live, for she is the mother!"

       (1 Ki 3:28 TLB)  Word of the king's decision spread quickly throughout 
       the entire nation, and all the people were awed as they realized the 
       great wisdom God had given him.

       (1 Ki 4:1 TLB)  Here is a list of King Solomon's cabinet members:

       (1 Ki 4:2 TLB)  Azariah (son of Zadok) was the High Priest;

       (1 Ki 4:3 TLB)  Elihoreph and Ahijah (sons of Shisha) were 
       secretaries; Jehoshaphat (son of Ahilud) was the official historian 
       and in charge of the archives;

       (1 Ki 4:4 TLB)  Benaiah (son of Jehoiada) was commander-in-chief of 
       the army; Zadok and Abiathar were priests;

       (1 Ki 4:5 TLB)  Azariah (son of Nathan) was secretary of state; Zabud 
       (son of Nathan) was the king's personal priest and special friend;

       (1 Ki 4:6 TLB)  Ahishar was manager of palace affairs; Adoniram (son 
       of Abda) was superintendent of public works.

       (1 Ki 4:7 TLB)  There were also twelve officials of Solomon's 
       court--one man from each tribe--responsible for requisitioning food 
       from the people for the king's household. Each of them arranged 
       provisions for one month of the year.

       (1 Ki 4:8 TLB)  The names of these twelve officers were: Ben-hur, 
       whose area for this taxation was the hill country of Ephraim;

       (1 Ki 4:9 TLB)  Ben-deker, whose area was Makaz, Shaalbim, 
       Beth-shemesh, and Elon-beth-hanan;

       (1 Ki 4:10 TLB)  Ben-hesed, whose area was Arubboth, including Socoh 
       and all the land of Hepher;

       (1 Ki 4:11 TLB)  Ben-abinadab (who married Solomon's daughter, the 
       princess Taphath), whose area was the highlands of Dor;

       (1 Ki 4:12 TLB)  Baana (son of Ahilud), whose area was Taanach and 
       Megiddo, all of Beth-shean near Zarethan below Jezreel, and all the 
       territory from Beth-shean to Abel-meholah and over to Jokmeam;





       (1 Ki 4:13 TLB)  Ben-geber, whose area was Ramoth-gilead, including 
       the villages of Jair (the son of Manasseh) in Gilead; and the region 
       of Argob in Bashan, including sixty walled cities with bronze gates;

       (1 Ki 4:14 TLB)  Ahinadab (the son of Iddo), whose area was Mahanaim;

       (1 Ki 4:15 TLB)  Ahimaaz (who married Princess Basemath, another of 
       Solomon's daughters), whose area was Naphtali;

       (1 Ki 4:16 TLB)  Baana (son of Hushai), whose areas were Asher and 
       Bealoth;

       (1 Ki 4:17 TLB)  Jehoshaphat (son of Paruah), whose area was Issachar;

       (1 Ki 4:18 TLB)  Shimei (son of Ela), whose area was Benjamin;

       (1 Ki 4:19 TLB)  Geber (son of Uri), whose area was Gilead, including 
       the territories of King Sihon of the Amorites and King Og of Bashan. A 
       general manager supervised these officials and their work.

       (1 Ki 4:20 TLB)  Israel and Judah were a wealthy, populous, contented 
       nation at this time.

       (1 Ki 4:21 TLB)  King Solomon ruled the whole area from the Euphrates 
       River to the land of the Philistines and down to the borders of Egypt. 
       The conquered peoples of those lands sent taxes to Solomon and 
       continued to serve him throughout his lifetime.

       (1 Ki 4:22 TLB)  The daily food requirements for the palace were 195 
       bushels of fine flour, 390 bushels of meal,

       (1 Ki 4:23 TLB)  10 oxen from the fattening pens, 20 pasture-fed 
       cattle, 100 sheep, and, from time to time, deer, gazelles, roebucks, 
       and plump fowl.

       (1 Ki 4:24 TLB)  His dominion extended over all the kingdoms west of 
       the Euphrates River, from Tiphsah to Gaza. And there was peace 
       throughout the land.

       (1 Ki 4:25 TLB)  Throughout the lifetime of Solomon, all of Judah and 
       Israel lived in peace and safety; and each family had its own home and 
       garden.

       (1 Ki 4:26 TLB)  Solomon owned forty thousand chariot horses and 
       employed twelve thousand charioteers.

       (1 Ki 4:27 TLB)  Each month the tax officials provided food for King 
       Solomon and his court,

       (1 Ki 4:28 TLB)  also the barley and straw for the royal horses in the 
       stables.

       (1 Ki 4:29 TLB)  God gave Solomon great wisdom and understanding, and 
       a mind with broad interests.

       (1 Ki 4:30 TLB)  In fact, his wisdom excelled that of any of the wise 





       men of the East, including those in Egypt.

       (1 Ki 4:31 TLB)  He was wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite and Heman, 
       Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol; and he was famous among all the 
       surrounding nations.

       (1 Ki 4:32 TLB)  He was the author of 3,000 proverbs and wrote 1,005 
       songs.

       (1 Ki 4:33 TLB)  He was a great naturalist, with interest in animals, 
       birds, snakes, fish, and trees--from the great cedars OFLEBANON down 
       to the tiny hyssop which grows in cracks in the wall.

       (1 Ki 4:34 TLB)  And kings from many lands sent their ambassadors to 
       him for his advice.

       (1 Ki 5:1 TLB)  King Hiram of Tyre had always been a great admirer of 
       David, so when he learned that David's son Solomon was the new king of 
       Israel, he sent ambassadors to extend congratulations and good wishes.

       (1 Ki 5:2 TLB)  Solomon replied with a proposal about the Temple of 
       the Lord he wanted to build.

       (1 Ki 5:3 TLB)  His father David, Solomon pointed out to Hiram, had 
       not been able to build it because of the numerous wars going on, and 
       he had been waiting for the Lord to give him peace.

       (1 Ki 5:4 TLB)  "But now," Solomon said to Hiram, "the Lord my God has 
       given Israel peace on every side; I have no foreign enemies or 
       internal rebellions.

       (1 Ki 5:5 TLB)  So I am planning to build a Temple for the Lord my 
       God, just as he instructed my father that I should do. For the Lord 
       told him, 'Your son, whom I will place upon your throne, shall build 
       me a Temple.'

       (1 Ki 5:6 TLB)  Now please assist me with this project. Send your 
       woodsmen to the mountains of Lebanon to cut cedar timber for me, and I 
       will send my men to work beside them, and I will pay your men whatever 
       wages you ask; for as you know, no one in Israel can cut timber like 
       you Sidonians!"

       (1 Ki 5:7 TLB)  Hiram was very pleased with the message from Solomon. 
       "Praise God for giving David a wise son to be king of the great nation 
       of Israel," he said.

       (1 Ki 5:8 TLB)  Then he sent this reply to Solomon: "I have received 
       your message and I will do as you have asked concerning the timber. I 
       can supply both cedar and cypress.

       (1 Ki 5:9 TLB)  My men will bring the logs from the Lebanon mountains 
       to the Mediterranean Sea and build them into rafts. We will float them 
       along the coast to wherever you need them; then we will break the 
       rafts apart and deliver the timber to you. You can pay me with food 
       for my household."





       (1 Ki 5:10 TLB)  So Hiram produced for Solomon as much cedar and 
       cypress timber as he desired,

       (1 Ki 5:11 TLB)  and in return Solomon sent him an annual payment of 
       125,000 bushels of wheat for his household and 96 gallons of pure 
       olive oil.

       (1 Ki 5:12 TLB)  So the Lord gave great wisdom to Solomon just as he 
       had promised. And Hiram and Solomon made a formal alliance of peace.

       (1 Ki 5:13 TLB)  Then Solomon drafted thirty thousand laborers from 
       all over Israel,

       (1 Ki 5:14 TLB)  and rotated them to Lebanon, ten thousand a month, so 
       that each man was a month in Lebanon and two months at home. Adoniram 
       was the general superintendent of this labor camp.

       (1 Ki 5:15 TLB)  Solomon also had seventy thousand additional 
       laborers, eighty thousand stonecutters in the hill country,

       (1 Ki 5:16 TLB)  and thirty-three hundred foremen.

       (1 Ki 5:17 TLB)  The stonecutters quarried and shaped huge blocks of 
       stone--a very expensive job--for the foundation of the Temple.

       (1 Ki 5:18 TLB)  Men from Gebal helped Solomon's and Hiram's builders 
       in cutting the timber and making the boards, and in preparing the 
       stone for the Temple.

       (1 Ki 6:1 TLB)  It was in the spring of the fourth year of Solomon's 
       reign that he began the actual construction of the Temple. (This was 
       480 years after the people of Israel left their slavery in Egypt.)

       (1 Ki 6:2 TLB)  The Temple was ninety feet long, thirty feet wide, and 
       forty-five feet high.

       (1 Ki 6:3 TLB)  All along the front of the Temple was a porch thirty 
       feet long and fifteen feet deep.

       (1 Ki 6:4 TLB)  Narrow windows were used throughout.

       (1 Ki 6:5 TLB)  An annex of rooms was built along the full length of 
       both sides of the Temple against the outer walls.

       (1 Ki 6:6 TLB)  These rooms were three stories high, the lower floor 
       being 7 1/ 2 feet wide, the second floor 9 feet wide, and the upper 
       floor 10 1/ 2 feet wide. The rooms were connected to the walls of the 
       Temple by beams resting on blocks built out from the wall--so the 
       beams were not inserted into the walls themselves.

       (1 Ki 6:7 TLB)  The stones used in the construction of the Temple were 
       prefinished at the quarry, so the entire structure was built without 
       the sound of hammer, axe, or any other tool at the building site.

       (1 Ki 6:8 TLB)  The bottom floor of the side rooms was entered from 
       the right side of the Temple, and there were winding stairs going up 





       to the second floor; another flight of stairs led from the second to 
       the third.

       (1 Ki 6:9 TLB)  After completing the Temple, Solomon paneled it all, 
       including the beams and pillars, with cedar.

       (1 Ki 6:10 TLB)  As already stated, there was an annex on each side of 
       the building, attached to the Temple walls by cedar timbers. Each 
       story of the annex was 7 1/ 2 feet high.

       (1 Ki 6:11 TLB)  Then the Lord sent this message to Solomon concerning 
       the Temple he was building:

       (1 Ki 6:12 TLB)  "If you do as I tell you to and follow all of my 
       commandments and instructions, I will do what I told your father David 
       I would do:

       (1 Ki 6:13 TLB)  I will live among the people of Israel and never 
       forsake them."

       (1 Ki 6:14 TLB)  At last the Temple was finished.

       (1 Ki 6:15 TLB)  The entire inside, from floor to ceiling, was paneled 
       with cedar, and the floors were made of cypress boards.

       (1 Ki 6:16 TLB)  The thirty-foot inner room at the far end of the 
       Temple--the Most Holy Place--was also paneled from the floor to the 
       ceiling with cedar boards.

       (1 Ki 6:17 TLB)  The remainder of the Temple--other than the Most Holy 
       Place--was sixty feet long.

       (1 Ki 6:18 TLB)  Throughout the Temple the cedar paneling laid over 
       the stone walls was carved with designs of rosebuds and open flowers.

       (1 Ki 6:19 TLB)  The inner room was where the Ark of the Covenant of 
       the Lord was placed.

       (1 Ki 6:20 TLB)  This inner sanctuary was thirty feet long, thirty 
       feet wide, and thirty feet high. Its walls and ceiling were overlaid 
       with pure gold, and Solomon made a cedar-wood altar for this room.

       (1 Ki 6:21 TLB)  Then he overlaid the interior of the remainder of the 
       Temple--

       (1 Ki 6:22 TLB)  including the cedar altar--with pure gold; and he 
       made gold chains to protect the entrance to the Most Holy Place.

       (1 Ki 6:23 TLB)  Within the inner sanctuary Solomon placed two statues 
       of Guardian Angels made from olive wood, each fifteen feet high.

       (1 Ki 6:24 TLB)  They were placed so that their outspread wings 
       reached from wall to wall, while their inner wings touched each other 
       at the center of the room; each wing was 7 1/ 2 feet long, so each 
       angel measured fifteen feet from wing tip to wing tip. The two angels 
       were identical in all dimensions,






       (1 Ki 6:25 TLB)  

       (1 Ki 6:26 TLB)  

       (1 Ki 6:27 TLB)  

       (1 Ki 6:28 TLB)  and each was overlaid with gold.

       (1 Ki 6:29 TLB)  Figures of angels, palm trees, and open flowers were 
       carved on all the walls of both rooms of the Temple,

       (1 Ki 6:30 TLB)  and the floor of both rooms was overlaid with gold.

       (1 Ki 6:31 TLB)  The doorway to the inner sanctuary was a five-sided 
       opening,

       (1 Ki 6:32 TLB)  and its two olive-wood doors were carved with 
       Guardian Angels, palm trees, and open flowers, all overlaid with gold.

       (1 Ki 6:33 TLB)  Then he made square doorposts of olive wood for the 
       entrance to the Temple.

       (1 Ki 6:34 TLB)  There were two folding doors of cypress wood, and 
       each door was hinged to fold back upon itself.

       (1 Ki 6:35 TLB)  Angels, palm trees, and open flowers were carved on 
       these doors and carefully overlaid with gold.

       (1 Ki 6:36 TLB)  The wall of the inner court had three layers of hewn 
       stone and one layer of cedar beams.

       (1 Ki 6:37 TLB)  The foundation of the Temple was laid in the month of 
       May in the fourth year of Solomon's reign,

       (1 Ki 6:38 TLB)  and the entire building was completed in every detail 
       in November of the eleventh year of his reign. So it took seven years 
       to build.

       (1 Ki 7:1 TLB)  Then Solomon built his own palace, which took thirteen 
       years to construct.

       (1 Ki 7:2 TLB)  One of the rooms in the palace was called the Hall of 
       the Forest of Lebanon. It was huge--measuring 150 feet long, 75 feet 
       wide, and 45 feet high. The great cedar ceiling beams rested upon four 
       rows of cedar pillars.

       (1 Ki 7:3 TLB)  There were forty-five windows in the hall, set in 
       three tiers, one tier above the other, five to a tier, facing each 
       other from three walls.

       (1 Ki 7:4 TLB)  

       (1 Ki 7:5 TLB)  Each of the doorways and windows had a square frame.

       (1 Ki 7:6 TLB)  Another room was called the Hall of Pillars. It was 





       seventy-five feet long and forty-five feet wide, with a porch in front 
       covered by a canopy that was supported by pillars.

       (1 Ki 7:7 TLB)  There was also the Throne Room or Judgment Hall, where 
       Solomon sat to hear legal matters; it was paneled with cedar from the 
       floor to the rafters.

       (1 Ki 7:8 TLB)  His cedar-paneled living quarters surrounded a 
       courtyard behind this hall. (He designed similar living quarters, the 
       same size, in the palace that he built for Pharaoh's daughter--one of 
       his wives.)

       (1 Ki 7:9 TLB)  These buildings were constructed entirely from huge, 
       expensive stones, cut to measure.

       (1 Ki 7:10 TLB)  The foundation stones were twelve to fifteen feet 
       across.

       (1 Ki 7:11 TLB)  The huge stones in the walls were also cut to measure 
       and were topped with cedar beams.

       (1 Ki 7:12 TLB)  The Great Court had three courses of hewn stone in 
       its walls, topped with cedar beams, just like the inner court of the 
       Temple and the porch of the palace.

       (1 Ki 7:13 TLB)  King Solomon then asked for a man named Hiram to come 
       from Tyre, for he was a skilled craftsman in bronze work.

       (1 Ki 7:14 TLB)  He was half Jewish, being the son of a widow of the 
       tribe of Naphtali, and his father had been a foundry worker from Tyre. 
       So he came to work for King Solomon.

       (1 Ki 7:15 TLB)  He cast two hollow bronze pillars, each twenty-seven 
       feet high and eighteen feet around, with three-inch-thick walls.

       (1 Ki 7:16 TLB)  At the tops of the pillars he made two lily-shaped 
       capitals from molten bronze, each 7 1/ 2 feet high. The upper part of 
       each capital was shaped like a lily, six feet high.

       (1 Ki 7:17 TLB)  

       (1 Ki 7:18 TLB)  

       (1 Ki 7:19 TLB)  

       (1 Ki 7:20 TLB)  

       (1 Ki 7:21 TLB)  Each capital was decorated with seven sets of bronze, 
       chain-designed lattices and four hundred pomegranates in two rows.

       (1 Ki 7:22 TLB)  Hiram set these pillars at the entrance of the 
       Temple. The one on the south was named the Jachin Pillar, and the one 
       on the north, the Boaz Pillar.

       (1 Ki 7:23 TLB)  Then Hiram cast a round bronze tank, 7 1/ 2 feet high 
       and 15 feet from brim to brim; 45 feet in circumference.






       (1 Ki 7:24 TLB)  On the underside of the rim were two rows of 
       ornaments an inch or two apart, which were cast along with the tank.

       (1 Ki 7:25 TLB)  It rested on twelve bronze oxen standing tail to 
       tail, three facing north, three west, three south, and three east.

       (1 Ki 7:26 TLB)  The sides of the tank were four inches thick; its 
       brim was shaped like a goblet, and it had a twelve thousand gallon 
       capacity.

       (1 Ki 7:27 TLB)  Then he made ten four-wheeled movable stands, each 6 
       feet square and 4 1/ 2 feet high.

       (1 Ki 7:28 TLB)  They were constructed with undercarriages braced with 
       square crosspieces.

       (1 Ki 7:29 TLB)  These crosspieces were decorated with carved lions, 
       oxen, and angels. Above and below the lions and oxen were wreath 
       decorations.

       (1 Ki 7:30 TLB)  Each of these movable stands had four bronze wheels 
       and bronze axles, and at each corner of the stands were supporting 
       posts made of bronze and decorated with wreaths on each side.

       (1 Ki 7:31 TLB)  The top of each stand was a round piece 1 1/ 2 feet 
       high. Its center was concave, 2 1/ 4 feet deep, decorated on the 
       outside with wreaths. Its panels were square, not round.

       (1 Ki 7:32 TLB)  The stands rode on four wheels which were connected 
       to axles that had been cast as part of the stands. The wheels were 
       twenty-seven inches high

       (1 Ki 7:33 TLB)  and were similar to chariot wheels. All the parts of 
       the stands were cast from molten bronze, including the axles, spokes, 
       rims, and hubs.

       (1 Ki 7:34 TLB)  There were supports at each of the four corners of 
       the stands, and these, too, were cast with the stands.

       (1 Ki 7:35 TLB)  A nine-inch rim surrounded the tip of each stand, 
       banded with lugs. All was cast as one unit with the stand.

       (1 Ki 7:36 TLB)  Guardian Angels, lions, and palm trees surrounded by 
       wreaths were engraved on the borders of the band wherever there was 
       room.

       (1 Ki 7:37 TLB)  All ten stands were the same size and were made 
       alike, for each was cast from the same mold.

       (1 Ki 7:38 TLB)  Then he made ten brass vats, and placed them on the 
       stands. Each vat was six feet square and contained 240 gallons of 
       water.

       (1 Ki 7:39 TLB)  Five of these vats were arranged on the left and five 
       on the right-hand side of the room. The tank was in the southeast 





       corner, on the right-hand side of the room.

       (1 Ki 7:40 TLB)  Hiram also made the necessary pots, shovels, and 
       basins and at last completed the work in the Temple of the Lord that 
       had been assigned to him by King Solomon.

       (1 Ki 7:41 TLB)  Here is a list of the items he made: Two pillars; A 
       capital at the top of each pillar; Latticework covering the bases of 
       the capitals of each pillar;

       (1 Ki 7:42 TLB)  Four hundred pomegranates in two rows on the 
       latticework, to cover the bases of the two capitals;

       (1 Ki 7:43 TLB)  Ten movable stands holding ten vats;

       (1 Ki 7:44 TLB)  One large tank and twelve oxen supporting it;

       (1 Ki 7:45 TLB)  Pots; Shovels; Basins. All these items were made of 
       burnished bronze

       (1 Ki 7:46 TLB)  and were cast at the plains of the Jordan River 
       between Succoth and Zarethan.

       (1 Ki 7:47 TLB)  The total weight of these pieces was not known 
       because they were too heavy to weigh!

       (1 Ki 7:48 TLB)  All the utensils and furniture used in the Temple 
       were made of solid gold. This included the altar, the table where the 
       Bread of the Presence of God was displayed,

       (1 Ki 7:49 TLB)  the lampstands (five on the right-hand side and five 
       on the left, in front of the Most Holy Place), the flowers, lamps, 
       tongs,

       (1 Ki 7:50 TLB)  cups, snuffers, basins, spoons, firepans, the hinges 
       of the doors to the Most Holy Place, and the main entrance doors of 
       the Temple. Each of these was made of solid gold.

       (1 Ki 7:51 TLB)  When the Temple was finally finished, Solomon took 
       into the treasury of the Temple the silver, the gold, and all the 
       vessels dedicated for that purpose by his father David.

       (1 Ki 8:1 TLB)  Then Solomon called a convocation at Jerusalem of all 
       the leaders of Israel--the heads of the tribes and clans--to observe 
       the transferring of the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord from the 
       Tabernacle in Zion, the City of David, to the Temple.

       (1 Ki 8:2 TLB)  This celebration occurred at the time of the 
       Tabernacle Festival in the month of October.

       (1 Ki 8:3 TLB)  During the festivities the priests carried the Ark to 
       the Temple, along with all the sacred vessels that had previously been 
       in the Tabernacle.

       (1 Ki 8:4 TLB)  





       (1 Ki 8:5 TLB)  King Solomon and all the people gathered before the 
       Ark, sacrificing uncounted sheep and oxen.

       (1 Ki 8:6 TLB)  Then the priests took the Ark into the inner sanctuary 
       of the Temple--the Most Holy Place--and placed it under the wings of 
       the statues of the mighty angels.

       (1 Ki 8:7 TLB)  The angels had been constructed in such a manner that 
       their wings spread out over the spot where the Ark would be placed; so 
       now their wings overshadowed the Ark and its carrying poles.

       (1 Ki 8:8 TLB)  The poles were so long that they stuck out past the 
       angels and could be seen from the next room, but not from the outer 
       court; and they remain there to this day.

       (1 Ki 8:9 TLB)  There was nothing in the Ark at that time except the 
       two stone tablets that Moses had placed there at Mount Horeb at the 
       time the Lord made his covenant with the people of Israel after they 
       left Egypt.

       (1 Ki 8:10 TLB)  Look! As the priests are returning from the inner 
       sanctuary, a bright cloud fills the Temple!

       (1 Ki 8:11 TLB)  The priests have to go outside because the glory of 
       the Lord is filling the entire building!

       (1 Ki 8:12 TLB)  Now King Solomon prayed this invocation: "The Lord 
       has said that he would live in the thick darkness;

       (1 Ki 8:13 TLB)  But, O Lord, I have built you a lovely home on earth, 
       a place for you to live forever."

       (1 Ki 8:14 TLB)  Then the king turned around and faced the people as 
       they stood before him, and blessed them.

       (1 Ki 8:15 TLB)  "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel," he said, "who 
       has done today what he promised my father David:

       (1 Ki 8:16 TLB)  for he said to him, 'When I brought my people from 
       Egypt, I didn't appoint a place for my Temple, but I appointed a man 
       to be my people's leader.'

       (1 Ki 8:17 TLB)  This man was my father David. He wanted to build a 
       Temple for the Lord God of Israel,

       (1 Ki 8:18 TLB)  but the Lord told him not to. 'I am glad you want to 
       do it,' he said,

       (1 Ki 8:19 TLB)  'but your son is the one who shall build my Temple.'

       (1 Ki 8:20 TLB)  And now the Lord has done what he promised; for I 
       have followed my father as king of Israel, and now this Temple has 
       been built for the Lord God of Israel.

       (1 Ki 8:21 TLB)  And I have prepared a place in the Temple for the Ark 
       that contains the covenant made by the Lord with our fathers, at the 





       time that he brought them out of the land of Egypt."

       (1 Ki 8:22 TLB)  Then, as all the people watched, Solomon stood before 
       the altar of the Lord with his hands spread out toward heaven

       (1 Ki 8:23 TLB)  and said, "O Lord God of Israel, there is no god like 
       you in heaven or earth, for you are loving and kind and you keep your 
       promises to your people if they do their best to do your will.

       (1 Ki 8:24 TLB)  Today you have fulfilled your promise to my father 
       David, who was your servant;

       (1 Ki 8:25 TLB)  and now, O Lord God of Israel, fulfill your further 
       promise to him: that if his descendants follow your ways and try to do 
       your will as he did, one of them shall always sit upon the throne of 
       Israel.

       (1 Ki 8:26 TLB)  Yes, O God of Israel, fulfill this promise too.

       (1 Ki 8:27 TLB)  "But is it possible that God would really live on 
       earth? Why, even the skies and the highest heavens cannot contain you, 
       much less this Temple I have built!

       (1 Ki 8:28 TLB)  And yet, O Lord my God, you have heard and answered 
       my request:

       (1 Ki 8:29 TLB)  Please watch over this Temple night and day--this 
       place you have promised to live in--and as I face toward the Temple 
       and pray, whether by night or by day, please listen to me and answer 
       my requests.

       (1 Ki 8:30 TLB)  Listen to every plea of the people of Israel whenever 
       they face this place to pray; yes, hear in heaven where you live, and 
       when you hear, forgive.

       (1 Ki 8:31 TLB)  "If a man is accused of doing something wrong and 
       then, standing here before your altar, swears that he didn't do it,

       (1 Ki 8:32 TLB)  hear him in heaven and do what is right; judge 
       whether or not he did it.

       (1 Ki 8:33 TLB)  "And when your people sin and their enemies defeat 
       them,

       (1 Ki 8:34 TLB)  hear them from heaven and forgive them if they turn 
       to you again and confess that you are their God. Bring them back again 
       to this land which you have given to their fathers.

       (1 Ki 8:35 TLB)  "And when the skies are shut up and there is no rain 
       because of their sin,

       (1 Ki 8:36 TLB)  hear them from heaven and forgive them when they pray 
       toward this place and confess your name. And after you have punished 
       them, help them to follow the good ways in which they should walk, and 
       send rain upon the land that you have given your people.





       (1 Ki 8:37 TLB)  "If there is a famine in the land caused by plant 
       disease or locusts or caterpillars, or if Israel's enemies besiege one 
       of her cities, or if the people are struck by an epidemic or 
       plague--or whatever the problem is--

       (1 Ki 8:38 TLB)  then when the people realize their sin and pray 
       toward this Temple,

       (1 Ki 8:39 TLB)  hear them from heaven and forgive and answer all who 
       have made an honest confession; for you know each heart.

       (1 Ki 8:40 TLB)  In this way they will always learn to reverence you 
       as they continue to live in this land that you have given their 
       fathers.

       (1 Ki 8:41 TLB)  "And when foreigners hear of your great name and come 
       from distant lands to worship you (for they shall hear of your great 
       name and mighty miracles) and pray toward this Temple,

       (1 Ki 8:42 TLB)  

       (1 Ki 8:43 TLB)  hear them from heaven and answer their prayers. And 
       all the nations of the earth will know and fear your name just as your 
       own people Israel do; and all the earth will know that this is your 
       Temple.

       (1 Ki 8:44 TLB)  "When you send your people out to battle against 
       their enemies and they pray to you, looking toward your chosen city of 
       Jerusalem and toward this Temple that I have built in your name,

       (1 Ki 8:45 TLB)  hear their prayer and help them.

       (1 Ki 8:46 TLB)  "If they sin against you (and who doesn't?) and you 
       become angry with them and let their enemies lead them away as 
       captives to some foreign land, whether far or near,

       (1 Ki 8:47 TLB)  and they come to their senses and turn to you and cry 
       to you saying, 'We have sinned, we have done wrong';

       (1 Ki 8:48 TLB)  if they honestly return to you and pray toward this 
       land that you have given their fathers, and toward this city of 
       Jerusalem that you have chosen, and toward this Temple that I have 
       built for your name,

       (1 Ki 8:49 TLB)  hear their prayers and pleadings from heaven where 
       you live, and come to their assistance.

       (1 Ki 8:50 TLB)  "Forgive your people for all of their evil deeds, and 
       make their captors merciful to them;

       (1 Ki 8:51 TLB)  for they are your people--your inheritance that you 
       brought out from the Egyptian furnace.

       (1 Ki 8:52 TLB)  May your eyes be open and your ears listening to 
       their pleas. O Lord, hear and answer them whenever they cry out to 
       you,






       (1 Ki 8:53 TLB)  for when you brought our fathers out of the land of 
       Egypt, you told your servant Moses that you had chosen Israel from 
       among all the nations of the earth to be your own special people."

       (1 Ki 8:54 TLB)  Solomon had been kneeling with his hands outstretched 
       toward heaven. As he finished this prayer,

       (1 Ki 8:55 TLB)  he rose from before the altar of Jehovah and cried 
       out this blessing upon all the people of Israel:

       (1 Ki 8:56 TLB)  "Blessed be the Lord who has fulfilled his promise 
       and given rest to his people Israel; not one word has failed of all 
       the wonderful promises proclaimed by his servant Moses.

       (1 Ki 8:57 TLB)  May the Lord our God be with us as he was with our 
       fathers; may he never forsake us.

       (1 Ki 8:58 TLB)  May he give us the desire to do his will in 
       everything, and to obey all the commandments and instructions he has 
       given our ancestors.

       (1 Ki 8:59 TLB)  And may these words of my prayer be constantly before 
       him day and night, so that he helps me and all of Israel in accordance 
       with our daily needs.

       (1 Ki 8:60 TLB)  May people all over the earth know that the Lord is 
       God and that there is no other god at all.

       (1 Ki 8:61 TLB)  O my people, may you live good and perfect lives 
       before the Lord our God; may you always obey his laws and 
       commandments, just as you are doing today."

       (1 Ki 8:62 TLB)  Then the king and all the people dedicated the Temple 
       by sacrificing peace offerings to the Lord--a total of 22,000 oxen and 
       120,000 sheep and goats!

       (1 Ki 8:63 TLB)  

       (1 Ki 8:64 TLB)  As a temporary measure the king sanctified the court 
       in front of the Temple for the burnt offerings, grain offerings, and 
       the fat of the peace offerings: for the bronze altar was too small to 
       handle so much.

       (1 Ki 8:65 TLB)  The celebration lasted for fourteen days, and a great 
       crowd came from one end of the land to the other.

       (1 Ki 8:66 TLB)  Afterwards Solomon sent the people home, happy for 
       all the goodness that the Lord had shown to his servant David and to 
       his people Israel. And they blessed the king.

       (1 Ki 9:1 TLB)  When Solomon had finished building the Temple and the 
       palace and all the other buildings he had always wanted,

       (1 Ki 9:2 TLB)  the Lord appeared to him the second time (the first 
       time had been at Gibeon)






       (1 Ki 9:3 TLB)  and said to him, "I have heard your prayer. I have 
       hallowed this Temple that you have built and have put my name here 
       forever. I will constantly watch over it and rejoice in it.

       (1 Ki 9:4 TLB)  And if you live in honesty and truth as your father 
       David did, always obeying me,

       (1 Ki 9:5 TLB)  then I will cause your descendants to be the kings of 
       Israel forever, just as I promised your father David when I told him, 
       'One of your sons shall always be upon the throne of Israel.'

       (1 Ki 9:6 TLB)  "However, if you or your children turn away from me 
       and worship other gods and do not obey my laws,

       (1 Ki 9:7 TLB)  then I will take away the people of Israel from this 
       land that have given them. I will take them from this Temple which I 
       have hallowed for my name, and I will cast them out of my sight; and 
       Israel will become a joke to the nations and an example and proverb of 
       sudden disaster.

       (1 Ki 9:8 TLB)  This Temple will become a heap of ruins, and everyone 
       passing by will be amazed and will whistle with astonishment, asking, 
       'Why has the Lord done such things to this land and this Temple?'

       (1 Ki 9:9 TLB)  And the answer will be, 'The people of Israel 
       abandoned the Lord their God who brought them out of the land of 
       Egypt; they worshiped other gods instead. That is why the Lord has 
       brought this evil upon them.'"

       (1 Ki 9:10 TLB)  At the end of the twenty years during which Solomon 
       built the Temple and the palace,

       (1 Ki 9:11 TLB)  he gave twenty cities in the land of Galilee to King 
       Hiram of Tyre as payment for all the cedar and cypress lumber and gold 
       he had furnished for the construction of the palace and Temple.

       (1 Ki 9:12 TLB)  Hiram came from Tyre to see the cities, but he wasn't 
       at all pleased with them.

       (1 Ki 9:13 TLB)  "What sort of deal is this, my brother?" he asked. 
       "These cities are a wasteland!" (And they are still known as "The 
       Wasteland" today.)

       (1 Ki 9:14 TLB)  For Hiram had sent gold to Solomon valued at 
       $3,500,000!

       (1 Ki 9:15 TLB)  Solomon had conscripted forced labor to build the 
       Temple, his palace, Fort Millo, the wall of Jerusalem, and the cities 
       of Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer.

       (1 Ki 9:16 TLB)  Gezer was the city the king of Egypt conquered and 
       burned, killing the Israeli population; later he had given the city to 
       his daughter as a dowry--she was one of Solomon's wives.

       (1 Ki 9:17 TLB)  So now Solomon rebuilt Gezer along with Lower 





       Beth-horon, Baalath, and Tamar, a desert city.

       (1 Ki 9:18 TLB)  

       (1 Ki 9:19 TLB)  He also built cities for grain storage, cities in 
       which to keep his chariots, cities for homes for his cavalry and 
       chariot drivers, and resort cities near Jerusalem and in the Lebanon 
       mountains and elsewhere throughout the land.

       (1 Ki 9:20 TLB)  Solomon conscripted his labor forces from those who 
       survived in the nations he conquered--the Amorites, Hittites, 
       Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.

       (1 Ki 9:21 TLB)  For the people of Israel had not been able to wipe 
       them out completely at the time of the invasion and conquest of 
       Israel, and they continue as slaves even today.

       (1 Ki 9:22 TLB)  Solomon didn't conscript any Israelis for this work, 
       although they became soldiers, officials, army officers, chariot 
       commanders, and cavalrymen.

       (1 Ki 9:23 TLB)  And there were 550 men of Israel who were overseers 
       of the labor forces. Miscellaneous Notes:

       (1 Ki 9:24 TLB)  King Solomon moved Pharaoh's daughter from the City 
       of David--the old sector of Jerusalem--to the new quarters he had 
       built for her in the palace. Then he built Fort Millo.

       (1 Ki 9:25 TLB)  After the Temple was completed, Solomon offered burnt 
       offerings and peace offerings three times a year on the altar he had 
       built. And he also burned incense upon it.

       (1 Ki 9:26 TLB)  King Solomon had a shipyard in Ezion-geber near Eloth 
       on the Red Sea in the land of Edom, where he built a fleet of ships.

       (1 Ki 9:27 TLB)  King Hiram supplied experienced sailors to accompany 
       Solomon's crews.

       (1 Ki 9:28 TLB)  They used to sail back and forth from Ophir, bringing 
       gold to King Solomon, the total value of which was several million 
       dollars each trip.

       (1 Ki 10:1 TLB)  When the queen of Sheba heard how wonderfully the 
       Lord had blessed Solomon with wisdom, she decided to test him with 
       some hard questions.

       (1 Ki 10:2 TLB)  She arrived in Jerusalem with a long train of camels 
       carrying spices, gold, and jewels; and she told him all her problems.

       (1 Ki 10:3 TLB)  Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too 
       difficult for him, for the Lord gave him the right answers every time.

       (1 Ki 10:4 TLB)  She soon realized that everything she had ever heard 
       about his great wisdom was true. She also saw the beautiful palace he 
       had built,





       (1 Ki 10:5 TLB)  and when she saw the wonderful foods on his table, 
       the great number of servants and aides who stood around in splendid 
       uniforms, his cupbearers, and the many offerings he sacrificed by fire 
       to the Lord--well, there was no more spirit in her!

       (1 Ki 10:6 TLB)  She exclaimed to him, "Everything I heard in my own 
       country about your wisdom and about the wonderful things going on here 
       is all true.

       (1 Ki 10:7 TLB)  I didn't believe it until I came, but now I have seen 
       it for myself! And really! The half had not been told me! Your wisdom 
       and prosperity are far greater than anything I've ever heard of!

       (1 Ki 10:8 TLB)  Your people are happy and your palace aides are 
       content--but how could it be otherwise, for they stand here day after 
       day listening to your wisdom!

       (1 Ki 10:9 TLB)  Blessed be the Lord your God who chose you and set 
       you on the throne of Israel. How the Lord must love Israel--for he 
       gave you to them as their king! And you give your people a just, good 
       government!"

       (1 Ki 10:10 TLB)  Then she gave the king a gift of $3,500,000 in gold, 
       along with a huge quantity of spices and precious gems; in fact, it 
       was the largest single gift of spices King Solomon had ever received.

       (1 Ki 10:11 TLB)  (And when King Hiram's ships brought gold to Solomon 
       from Ophir, they also brought along a great supply of algum trees and 
       gems.

       (1 Ki 10:12 TLB)  Solomon used the algum wood to make pillars for the 
       Temple and the palace, and for harps and harpsichords for his choirs. 
       Never before or since has there been such a supply of beautiful wood.)

       (1 Ki 10:13 TLB)  In exchange for the gifts from the queen of Sheba, 
       King Solomon gave her everything she asked him for, besides the 
       presents he had already planned. Then she and her servants returned to 
       their own land.

       (1 Ki 10:14 TLB)  Each year Solomon received gold worth a quarter of a 
       billion dollars,

       (1 Ki 10:15 TLB)  besides sales taxes and profits from trade with the 
       kings of Arabia and the other surrounding territories.

       (1 Ki 10:16 TLB)  Solomon had some of the gold beaten into two hundred 
       pieces of armor (gold worth $6,000 went into each piece)

       (1 Ki 10:17 TLB)  and three hundred shields ( $1,800 worth of gold in 
       each). And he kept them in his palace in the Hall of the Forest of 
       Lebanon.

       (1 Ki 10:18 TLB)  He also made a huge ivory throne and overlaid it 
       with pure gold.

       (1 Ki 10:19 TLB)  It had six steps and a rounded back, with arm rests; 





       and a lion standing on each side.

       (1 Ki 10:20 TLB)  And there were two lions on each step--twelve in 
       all. There was no other throne in all the world so splendid as that 
       one.

       (1 Ki 10:21 TLB)  All of King Solomon's cups were of solid gold, and 
       in the Hall of the Forest of Lebanon his entire dining service was 
       made of solid gold. (Silver wasn't used because it wasn't considered 
       to be of much value!)

       (1 Ki 10:22 TLB)  King Solomon's merchant fleet was in partnership 
       with King Hiram's, and once every three years a great load of gold, 
       silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks arrived at the Israeli ports.

       (1 Ki 10:23 TLB)  So King Solomon was richer and wiser than all the 
       kings of the earth.

       (1 Ki 10:24 TLB)  Great men from many lands came to interview him and 
       listen to his God-given wisdom.

       (1 Ki 10:25 TLB)  They brought him annual tribute of silver and gold 
       dishes, beautiful cloth, myrrh, spices, horses, and mules.

       (1 Ki 10:26 TLB)  Solomon built up a great stable of horses with a 
       vast number of chariots and cavalry--1,400 chariots in all and 12,000 
       cavalrymen, who lived in the chariot cities and with the king at 
       Jerusalem.

       (1 Ki 10:27 TLB)  Silver was as common as stones in Jerusalem in those 
       days, and cedar was of no greater value than the common sycamore!

       (1 Ki 10:28 TLB)  Solomon's horses were brought to him from Egypt and 
       southern Turkey, where his agents purchased them at wholesale prices.

       (1 Ki 10:29 TLB)  An Egyptian chariot delivered to Jerusalem cost 
       $400, and the horses were valued at $150 each. Many of these were then 
       resold to the Hittite and Syrian kings.

       (1 Ki 11:1 TLB)  King Solomon married many other girls besides the 
       Egyptian princess. Many of them came from nations where idols were 
       worshiped--Moab, Ammon, Edom, Sidon, and from the Hittites--

       (1 Ki 11:2 TLB)  even though the Lord had clearly instructed his 
       people not to marry into those nations, because the women they married 
       would get them started worshiping their gods. Yet Solomon did it 
       anyway.

       (1 Ki 11:3 TLB)  He had seven hundred wives and three hundred 
       concubines; and sure enough, they turned his heart away from the Lord,

       (1 Ki 11:4 TLB)  especially in his old age. They encouraged him to 
       worship their gods instead of trusting completely in the Lord as his 
       father David had done.

       (1 Ki 11:5 TLB)  Solomon worshiped Ashtoreth, the goddess of the 





       Sidonians, and Milcom, the horrible god of the Ammonites.

       (1 Ki 11:6 TLB)  Thus Solomon did what was clearly wrong and refused 
       to follow the Lord as his father David did.

       (1 Ki 11:7 TLB)  He even built a temple on the Mount of Olives, across 
       the valley from Jerusalem, for Chemosh, the depraved god of Moab, and 
       another for Molech, the unutterably vile god of the Ammonites.

       (1 Ki 11:8 TLB)  Solomon built temples for these foreign wives to use 
       for burning incense and sacrificing to their gods.

       (1 Ki 11:9 TLB)  Jehovah was very angry with Solomon about this,

       (1 Ki 11:10 TLB)  for now Solomon was no longer interested in the Lord 
       God of Israel who had appeared to him twice to warn him specifically 
       against worshiping other gods. But he hadn't listened,

       (1 Ki 11:11 TLB)  so now the Lord said to him, "Since you have not 
       kept our agreement and have not obeyed my laws, I will tear the 
       kingdom away from you and your family and give it to someone else.

       (1 Ki 11:12 TLB)  However, for the sake of your father David, I won't 
       do this while you are still alive. I will take the kingdom away from 
       your son.

       (1 Ki 11:13 TLB)  And even so I will let him be king of one tribe, for 
       David's sake and for the sake of Jerusalem, my chosen city."

       (1 Ki 11:14 TLB)  So the Lord caused Hadad the Edomite to grow in 
       power. And Solomon became apprehensive, for Hadad was a member of the 
       royal family of Edom.

       (1 Ki 11:15 TLB)  Years before, when David had been in Edom with Joab 
       to arrange for the burial of some Israeli soldiers who had died in 
       battle, the Israeli army had killed nearly every male in the entire 
       country.

       (1 Ki 11:16 TLB)  It took six months to accomplish this, but they 
       finally killed all except

       (1 Ki 11:17 TLB)  Hadad and a few royal officials who took him to 
       Egypt (he was a very small child at the time).

       (1 Ki 11:18 TLB)  They slipped out of Midian and went to Paran, where 
       others joined them and accompanied them to Egypt, and Pharaoh had 
       given them homes and food.

       (1 Ki 11:19 TLB)  Hadad became one of Pharaoh's closest friends, and 
       he gave him a wife--the sister of Queen Tahpenes.

       (1 Ki 11:20 TLB)  She presented him with a son, Genubath, who was 
       brought up in Pharaoh's palace among Pharaoh's own sons.

       (1 Ki 11:21 TLB)  When Hadad, there in Egypt, heard that David and 
       Joab were both dead, he asked Pharaoh for permission to return to 





       Edom.

       (1 Ki 11:22 TLB)  "Why?" Pharaoh asked him. "What do you lack here? 
       How have we disappointed you?" "Everything is wonderful," he replied 
       "but even so, I'd like to go back home."

       (1 Ki 11:23 TLB)  Another of Solomon's enemies whom God raised to 
       power was Rezon, one of the officials of King Hadadezer of Zobah who 
       had deserted his post and fled the country.

       (1 Ki 11:24 TLB)  He had become the leader of a gang of bandits--men 
       who fled with him to Damascus (where he later became king) when David 
       destroyed Zobah.

       (1 Ki 11:25 TLB)  During Solomon's entire lifetime, Rezon and Hadad 
       were his enemies, for they hated Israel intensely.

       (1 Ki 11:26 TLB)  Another rebel leader was Jeroboam (the son of 
       Nebat), who came from the city of Zeredah in Ephraim; his mother was 
       Zeruah, a widow.

       (1 Ki 11:27 TLB)  Here is the story back of his rebellion: Solomon was 
       rebuilding Fort Millo, repairing the walls of this city his father had 
       built.

       (1 Ki 11:28 TLB)  Jeroboam was very able, and when Solomon saw how 
       industrious he was, he put him in charge of his labor battalions from 
       the tribe of Joseph.

       (1 Ki 11:29 TLB)  One day as Jeroboam was leaving Jerusalem, the 
       prophet Ahijah from Shiloh (who had put on a new robe for the 
       occasion) met him and called him aside to talk to him. And as the two 
       of them were alone in the field,

       (1 Ki 11:30 TLB)  Ahijah tore his new robe into twelve parts

       (1 Ki 11:31 TLB)  and said to Jeroboam, "Take ten of these pieces, for 
       the Lord God of Israel says, 'I will tear the kingdom from the hand of 
       Solomon and give ten of the tribes to you!

       (1 Ki 11:32 TLB)  But I will leave him one tribe for the sake of my 
       servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen above 
       all the other cities of Israel.

       (1 Ki 11:33 TLB)  For Solomon has forsaken me and worships Ashtoreth, 
       the goddess of the Sidonians; and Chemosh, the god of Moab; and 
       Milcom, the god of the Ammonites. He has not followed my paths and has 
       not done what I consider right; he has not kept my laws and 
       instructions as his father David did.

       (1 Ki 11:34 TLB)  I will not take the kingdom from him now, however; 
       for the sake of my servant David, my chosen one who obeyed my 
       commandments, I will let Solomon reign for the rest of his life.

       (1 Ki 11:35 TLB)  "'But I will take away the kingdom from his son and 
       give ten of the tribes to you.






       (1 Ki 11:36 TLB)  His son shall have the other one so that the 
       descendants of David will continue to reign in Jerusalem, the city I 
       have chosen to be the place for my name to be enshrined.

       (1 Ki 11:37 TLB)  And I will place you on the throne of Israel and 
       give you absolute power.

       (1 Ki 11:38 TLB)  If you listen to what I tell you and walk in my path 
       and do whatever I consider right, obeying my commandments as my 
       servant David did, then I will bless you; and your descendants shall 
       rule Israel forever. (I once made this same promise to David.

       (1 Ki 11:39 TLB)  But because of Solomon's sin, I will punish the 
       descendants of David--though not forever.)'"

       (1 Ki 11:40 TLB)  Solomon tried to kill Jeroboam, but he fled to King 
       Shishak of Egypt and stayed there until the death of Solomon.

       (1 Ki 11:41 TLB)  The rest of what Solomon did and said is written in 
       the book The Acts of Solomon.

       (1 Ki 11:42 TLB)  He ruled in Jerusalem for forty years,

       (1 Ki 11:43 TLB)  and then died and was buried in the city of his 
       father David; and his son Rehoboam reigned in his place.

       (1 Ki 12:1 TLB)  Rehoboam's inauguration was at Shechem, and all 
       Israel came for the coronation ceremony.

       (1 Ki 12:2 TLB)  Jeroboam, who was still in Egypt where he had fled 
       from King Solomon, heard about the plans from his friends.

       (1 Ki 12:3 TLB)  They urged him to attend, so he joined the rest of 
       Israel at Shechem and was the ringleader in getting the people to make 
       certain demands upon Rehoboam.

       (1 Ki 12:4 TLB)  "Your father was a hard master," they told Rehoboam. 
       "We don't want you as our king unless you promise to treat us better 
       than he did."

       (1 Ki 12:5 TLB)  "Give me three days to think this over," Rehoboam 
       replied. "Come back then for my answer." So the people left.

       (1 Ki 12:6 TLB)  Rehoboam talked it over with the old men who had 
       counseled his father Solomon. "What do you think I should do?" he 
       asked them.

       (1 Ki 12:7 TLB)  And they replied, "If you give them a pleasant reply 
       and agree to be good to them and serve them well, you can be their 
       king forever."

       (1 Ki 12:8 TLB)  But Rehoboam refused the old men's counsel and called 
       in the young men with whom he had grown up.

       (1 Ki 12:9 TLB)  "What do you think I should do?" he asked them.






       (1 Ki 12:10 TLB)  And the young men replied, "Tell them, 'If you think 
       my father was hard on you, well, I'll be harder!

       (1 Ki 12:11 TLB)  Yes, my father was harsh, but I'll be even harsher! 
       My father used whips on you, but I'll use scorpions!'"

       (1 Ki 12:12 TLB)  So when Jeroboam and the people returned three days 
       later,

       (1 Ki 12:13 TLB)  the new king answered them roughly. He ignored the 
       old men's advice and followed that of the young men;

       (1 Ki 12:14 TLB)  

       (1 Ki 12:15 TLB)  so the king refused the people's demands. (But the 
       Lord's hand was in it--he caused the new king to do this in order to 
       fulfill his promise to Jeroboam, made through Ahijah, the prophet from 
       Shiloh.)

       (1 Ki 12:16 TLB)  When the people realized that the king meant what he 
       said and was refusing to listen to them, they began shouting, "Down 
       with David and all his relatives! Let's go home! Let Rehoboam be king 
       of his own family!"

       (1 Ki 12:17 TLB)  And they all deserted him except for the tribe of 
       Judah, who remained loyal and accepted Rehoboam as their king.

       (1 Ki 12:18 TLB)  When King Rehoboam sent Adoram (who was in charge of 
       the draft) to conscript men from the other tribes, a great mob stoned 
       him to death. But King Rehoboam escaped by chariot and fled to 
       Jerusalem.

       (1 Ki 12:19 TLB)  And Israel has been in rebellion against the dynasty 
       of David to this day.

       (1 Ki 12:20 TLB)  When the people of Israel learned of Jeroboam's 
       return from Egypt, he was asked to come before an open meeting of all 
       the people; and there he was made king of Israel. Only the tribe of 
       Judah continued under the kingship of the family of David.

       (1 Ki 12:21 TLB)  When King Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he summoned 
       his army--all the able-bodied men of Judah and Benjamin: 180,000 
       special troops--to force the rest of Israel to acknowledge him as 
       their king.

       (1 Ki 12:22 TLB)  But God sent this message to Shemaiah, the prophet:

       (1 Ki 12:23 TLB)  "Tell Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, 
       and all the people of Judah and Benjamin that

       (1 Ki 12:24 TLB)  they must not fight against their brothers, the 
       people of Israel. Tell them to disband and go home, for what has 
       happened to Rehoboam is according to my wish." So the army went home 
       as the Lord had commanded.





       (1 Ki 12:25 TLB)  Jeroboam now built the city of Shechem in the hill 
       country of Ephraim, and it became his capital. Later he built Penuel.

       (1 Ki 12:26 TLB)  Jeroboam thought, "Unless I'm careful, the people 
       will want a descendant of David as their king.

       (1 Ki 12:27 TLB)  When they go to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices at the 
       Temple, they will become friendly with King Rehoboam; then they will 
       kill me and ask him to be their king instead."

       (1 Ki 12:28 TLB)  So on the advice of his counselors, the king had two 
       gold calf-idols made and told the people, "It's too much trouble to go 
       to Jerusalem to worship; from now on these will be your gods--they 
       rescued you from your captivity in Egypt!"

       (1 Ki 12:29 TLB)  One of these calf-idols was placed in Bethel and the 
       other in Dan.

       (1 Ki 12:30 TLB)  This was of course a great sin, for the people 
       worshiped them.

       (1 Ki 12:31 TLB)  He also made shrines on the hills and ordained 
       priests from the rank and file of the people--even those who were not 
       from the priest-tribe of Levi.

       (1 Ki 12:32 TLB)  Jeroboam also announced that the annual Tabernacle 
       Festival would be held at Bethel

       (1 Ki 12:33 TLB)  on the first of November (a date he decided upon 
       himself), similar to the annual festival at Jerusalem; he himself 
       offered sacrifices upon the altar to the calves at Bethel and burned 
       incense to them. And it was there at Bethel that he ordained priests 
       for the shrines on the hills.

       (1 Ki 13:1 TLB)  As Jeroboam approached the altar to burn incense to 
       the gold calf-idol, a prophet of the Lord from Judah walked up to him.

       (1 Ki 13:2 TLB)  Then, at the Lord's command, the prophet shouted, "O 
       altar, the Lord says that a child named Josiah shall be born into the 
       family line of David, and he shall sacrifice upon you the priests from 
       the shrines on the hills who come here to burn incense; and men's 
       bones shall be burned upon you."

       (1 Ki 13:3 TLB)  Then he gave this proof that his message was from the 
       Lord: "This altar will split apart, and the ashes on it will spill to 
       the ground."

       (1 Ki 13:4 TLB)  The king was very angry with the prophet for saying 
       this. He shouted to his guards, "Arrest that man!" and shook his fist 
       at him. Instantly the king's arm became paralyzed in that position; he 
       couldn't pull it back again!

       (1 Ki 13:5 TLB)  At the same moment a wide crack appeared in the altar 
       and the ashes poured out, just as the prophet had said would happen. 
       For this was the prophet's proof that God had been speaking through 
       him.






       (1 Ki 13:6 TLB)  "Oh, please, please," the king cried out to the 
       prophet, "beg the Lord your God to restore my arm again." So he prayed 
       to the Lord, and the king's arm became normal again.

       (1 Ki 13:7 TLB)  Then the king said to the prophet, "Come to the 
       palace with me and rest awhile and have some food; and I'll give you a 
       reward because you healed my arm."

       (1 Ki 13:8 TLB)  But the prophet said to the king, "Even if you gave 
       me half your palace, I wouldn't go into it; nor would I eat or drink 
       even water in this place!

       (1 Ki 13:9 TLB)  For the Lord has given me strict orders not to eat 
       anything or drink any water while I'm here, and not to return to Judah 
       by the road I came on."

       (1 Ki 13:10 TLB)  So he went back another way.

       (1 Ki 13:11 TLB)  As it happened, there was an old prophet living in 
       Bethel, and his sons went home and told him what the prophet from 
       Judah had done and what he had said to the king.

       (1 Ki 13:12 TLB)  "Which way did he go?" the old prophet asked. So 
       they told him.

       (1 Ki 13:13 TLB)  "Quick, saddle the donkey," the old man said. And 
       when they had saddled the donkey for him,

       (1 Ki 13:14 TLB)  he rode after the prophet and found him sitting 
       under an oak tree. "Are you the prophet who came from Judah?" he asked 
       him. "Yes," he replied, "I am."

       (1 Ki 13:15 TLB)  Then the old man said to the prophet, "Come home 
       with me and eat."

       (1 Ki 13:16 TLB)  "No," he replied, "I can't; for I am not allowed to 
       eat anything or to drink any water at Bethel.

       (1 Ki 13:17 TLB)  The Lord strictly warned me against it; and he also 
       told me not to return home by the same road I came on."

       (1 Ki 13:18 TLB)  But the old man said, "I am a prophet too, just as 
       you are; and an angel gave me a message from the Lord. I am to take 
       you home with me and give you food and water." But the old man was 
       lying to him.

       (1 Ki 13:19 TLB)  So they went back together, and the prophet ate some 
       food and drank some water at the old man's home.

       (1 Ki 13:20 TLB)  Then, suddenly, while they were sitting at the 
       table, a message from the Lord came to the old man,

       (1 Ki 13:21 TLB)  and he shouted at the prophet from Judah, "The Lord 
       says that because you have been disobedient to his clear command





       (1 Ki 13:22 TLB)  and have come here, and have eaten and drunk water 
       in the place he told you not to, therefore your body shall not be 
       buried in the grave of your fathers."

       (1 Ki 13:23 TLB)  After finishing the meal, the old man saddled the 
       prophet's donkey,

       (1 Ki 13:24 TLB)  and the prophet started off again. But as he was 
       traveling along, a lion came out and killed him. His body lay there on 
       the road, with the donkey and the lion standing beside it.

       (1 Ki 13:25 TLB)  Those who came by and saw the body lying in the road 
       and the lion standing quietly beside it, reported it in Bethel where 
       the old prophet lived.

       (1 Ki 13:26 TLB)  When he heard what had happened he exclaimed, "It is 
       the prophet who disobeyed the Lord's command; the Lord fulfilled his 
       warning by causing the lion to kill him."

       (1 Ki 13:27 TLB)  Then he said to his sons, "Saddle my donkey!" And 
       they did.

       (1 Ki 13:28 TLB)  He found the prophet's body lying in the road; and 
       the donkey and lion were still standing there beside it, for the lion 
       had not eaten the body nor attacked the donkey.

       (1 Ki 13:29 TLB)  So the prophet laid the body upon the donkey and 
       took it back to the city to mourn over it and bury it.

       (1 Ki 13:30 TLB)  He laid the body in his own grave, exclaiming, 
       "Alas, my brother!"

       (1 Ki 13:31 TLB)  Afterwards he said to his sons, "When I die, bury me 
       in the grave where the prophet is buried. Lay my bones beside his 
       bones.

       (1 Ki 13:32 TLB)  For the Lord told him to shout against the altar in 
       Bethel, and his curse against the shrines in the cities of Samaria 
       shall surely be fulfilled."

       (1 Ki 13:33 TLB)  Despite the prophet's warning, Jeroboam did not turn 
       away from his evil ways; instead, he made more priests than ever from 
       the common people, to offer sacrifices to idols in the shrines on the 
       hills. Anyone who wanted to could be a priest.

       (1 Ki 13:34 TLB)  This was a great sin and resulted in the destruction 
       of Jeroboam's kingdom and the death of all of his family.

       (1 Ki 14:1 TLB)  Jeroboam's son Abijah now became very sick.

       (1 Ki 14:2 TLB)  Jeroboam told his wife, "Disguise yourself so that no 
       one will recognize you as the queen, and go to Ahijah the prophet at 
       Shiloh--the man who told me that I would become king.

       (1 Ki 14:3 TLB)  Take him a gift of ten loaves of bread, some fig 
       bars, and a jar of honey, and ask him whether the boy will recover."






       (1 Ki 14:4 TLB)  So his wife went to Ahijah's home at Shiloh. He was 
       an old man now and could no longer see.

       (1 Ki 14:5 TLB)  But the Lord told him that the queen, pretending to 
       be someone else, would come to ask about her son, for he was very 
       sick. And the Lord told him what to tell her.

       (1 Ki 14:6 TLB)  So when Ahijah heard her at the door, he called out, 
       "Come in, wife of Jeroboam! Why are you pretending to be someone 
       else?" Then he told her, "I have sad news for you.

       (1 Ki 14:7 TLB)  Give your husband this message from the Lord God of 
       Israel: 'I promoted you from the ranks of the common people and made 
       you king of Israel.

       (1 Ki 14:8 TLB)  I ripped the kingdom away from the family of David 
       and gave it to you, but you have not obeyed my commandments as my 
       servant David did. His heart's desire was always to obey me and to do 
       whatever I wanted him to.

       (1 Ki 14:9 TLB)  But you have done more evil than all the other kings 
       before you; you have made other gods and have made me furious with 
       your gold calves. And since you have refused to acknowledge me,

       (1 Ki 14:10 TLB)  I will bring disaster upon your home and will 
       destroy all of your sons--this boy who is sick and all those who are 
       well. I will sweep away your family as a stable hand shovels out 
       manure.

       (1 Ki 14:11 TLB)  I vow that those of your family who die in the city 
       shall be eaten by dogs, and those who die in the field shall be eaten 
       by birds.'"

       (1 Ki 14:12 TLB)  Then Ahijah said to Jeroboam's wife, "Go on home, 
       and when you step into the city, the child will die.

       (1 Ki 14:13 TLB)  All of Israel will mourn for him and bury him, but 
       he is the only member of your family who will come to a quiet end. For 
       this child is the only good thing that the Lord God of Israel sees in 
       the entire family of Jeroboam.

       (1 Ki 14:14 TLB)  And the Lord will raise up a king over Israel who 
       will destroy the family of Jeroboam.

       (1 Ki 14:15 TLB)  Then the Lord will shake Israel like a reed whipped 
       about in a stream; he will uproot the people of Israel from this good 
       land of their fathers and scatter them beyond the Euphrates River, for 
       they have angered the Lord by worshiping idol-gods.

       (1 Ki 14:16 TLB)  He will abandon Israel because Jeroboam sinned and 
       made all of Israel sin along with him."

       (1 Ki 14:17 TLB)  So Jeroboam's wife returned to Tirzah; and the child 
       died just as she walked through the door of her home.





       (1 Ki 14:18 TLB)  And there was mourning for him throughout the land, 
       just as the Lord had predicted through Ahijah.

       (1 Ki 14:19 TLB)  The rest of Jeroboam's activities--his wars and the 
       other events of his reign--are recorded in The Annals of the Kings of 
       Israel.

       (1 Ki 14:20 TLB)  Jeroboam reigned twenty-two years, and when he died, 
       his son Nadab took the throne.

       (1 Ki 14:21 TLB)  Meanwhile, Rehoboam the son of Solomon was king in 
       Judah. He was forty-one years old when he began to reign, and he was 
       on the throne seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which, among all 
       the cities of Israel, the Lord had chosen to live in. (Rehoboam's 
       mother was Naamah, an Ammonite woman.)

       (1 Ki 14:22 TLB)  During his reign the people of Judah, like those in 
       Israel, did wrong and angered the Lord with their sin, for it was even 
       worse than that of their ancestors.

       (1 Ki 14:23 TLB)  They built shrines and obelisks and idols on every 
       high hill and under every green tree.

       (1 Ki 14:24 TLB)  There was homosexuality throughout the land, and the 
       people of Judah became as depraved as the heathen nations which the 
       Lord drove out to make room for his people.

       (1 Ki 14:25 TLB)  In the fifth year of Rehoboam's reign, King Shishak 
       of Egypt attacked and conquered Jerusalem.

       (1 Ki 14:26 TLB)  He ransacked the Temple and the palace and stole 
       everything, including all the gold shields Solomon had made.

       (1 Ki 14:27 TLB)  Afterwards Rehoboam made bronze shields as 
       substitutes, and the palace guards used these instead.

       (1 Ki 14:28 TLB)  Whenever the king went to the Temple, the guards 
       paraded before him and then took the shields back to the guard 
       chamber.

       (1 Ki 14:29 TLB)  The other events in Rehoboam's reign are written in 
       The Annals of the Kings of Judah.

       (1 Ki 14:30 TLB)  There was constant war between Rehoboam and 
       Jeroboam.

       (1 Ki 14:31 TLB)  When Rehoboam died--his mother was Naamah the 
       Ammonitess--he was buried among his ancestors in Jerusalem, and his 
       son Abijam took the throne.

       (1 Ki 15:1 TLB)  Abijam began his three-year reign as king of Judah in 
       Jerusalem during the eighteenth year of Jeroboam's reign in Israel. 
       (Abijam's mother was Maacah, the daughter of Abishalom.)

       (1 Ki 15:2 TLB)  





       (1 Ki 15:3 TLB)  He was as great a sinner as his father was, and his 
       heart was not right with God, as King David's was.

       (1 Ki 15:4 TLB)  But despite Abijam's sin, the Lord remembered David's 
       love and did not end the line of David's royal descendants.

       (1 Ki 15:5 TLB)  For David had obeyed God during his entire life 
       except for the affair concerning Uriah the Hittite.

       (1 Ki 15:6 TLB)  During Abijam's reign there was constant war between 
       Israel and Judah.

       (1 Ki 15:7 TLB)  The rest of Abijam's history is recorded in The 
       Annals of the Kings of Judah.

       (1 Ki 15:8 TLB)  When he died he was buried in Jerusalem, and his son 
       Asa reigned in his place.

       (1 Ki 15:9 TLB)  Asa became king of Judah, in Jerusalem, in the 
       twentieth year of the reign of Jeroboam over Israel,

       (1 Ki 15:10 TLB)  and reigned forty-one years. (His grandmother was 
       Maacah, the daughter of Abishalom.)

       (1 Ki 15:11 TLB)  He pleased the Lord like his ancestor King David.

       (1 Ki 15:12 TLB)  He executed the male prostitutes and removed all the 
       idols his father had made.

       (1 Ki 15:13 TLB)  He deposed his grandmother Maacah as queen-mother 
       because she had made an idol--which he cut down and burned at Kidron 
       Brook.

       (1 Ki 15:14 TLB)  However, the shrines on the hills were not removed, 
       for Asa did not realize that these were wrong.

       (1 Ki 15:15 TLB)  He made permanent exhibits in the Temple of the 
       bronze shields his grandfather had dedicated, along with the silver 
       and gold vessels he himself had donated.

       (1 Ki 15:16 TLB)  There was lifelong war between King Asa of Judah and 
       King Baasha of Israel.

       (1 Ki 15:17 TLB)  King Baasha built the fortress city of Ramah in an 
       attempt to cut off all trade with Jerusalem.

       (1 Ki 15:18 TLB)  Then Asa took all the silver and gold left in the 
       Temple treasury and all the treasures of the palace, and gave them to 
       his officials to take to Damascus, to King Ben-hadad of Syria, with 
       this message:

       (1 Ki 15:19 TLB)  "Let us be allies just as our fathers were. I am 
       sending you a present of gold and silver. Now break your alliance with 
       King Baasha of Israel so that he will leave me alone."

       (1 Ki 15:20 TLB)  Ben-hadad agreed and sent his armies against some of 





       the cities of Israel; and he destroyed Ijon, Dan, Abel-beth-maacah, 
       all of Chinneroth, and all the cities in the land of Naphtali.

       (1 Ki 15:21 TLB)  When Baasha received word of the attack, he 
       discontinued building the city of Ramah and returned to Tirzah.

       (1 Ki 15:22 TLB)  Then King Asa made a proclamation to all Judah, 
       asking every able-bodied man to help demolish Ramah and haul away its 
       stones and timbers. And King Asa used these materials to build the 
       city of Geba in Benjamin and the city of Mizpah.

       (1 Ki 15:23 TLB)  The rest of Asa's biography--his conquests and deeds 
       and the names of the cities he built--is found in The Annals of the 
       Kings of Judah. In his old age his feet became diseased,

       (1 Ki 15:24 TLB)  and when he died, he was buried in the royal 
       cemetery in Jerusalem. Then his son Jehoshaphat became the new king of 
       Judah.

       (1 Ki 15:25 TLB)  Meanwhile over in Israel, Nadab, the son of 
       Jeroboam, had become king. He reigned two years, beginning in the 
       second year of the reign of King Asa of Judah.

       (1 Ki 15:26 TLB)  But he was not a good king; like his father, he 
       worshiped many idols and led all of Israel into sin.

       (1 Ki 15:27 TLB)  Then Baasha (the son of Ahijah, from the tribe of 
       Issachar) plotted against him and assassinated him while he was with 
       the Israeli army laying siege to the Philistine city of Gibbethon.

       (1 Ki 15:28 TLB)  So Baasha replaced Nadab as the king of Israel in 
       Tirzah during the third year of the reign of King Asa of Judah.

       (1 Ki 15:29 TLB)  He immediately killed all of the descendants of King 
       Jeroboam, so that not one of the royal family was left, just as the 
       Lord had said would happen when he spoke through Ahijah, the prophet 
       from Shiloh.

       (1 Ki 15:30 TLB)  This was done because Jeroboam had angered the Lord 
       God of Israel by sinning and leading the rest of Israel into sin.

       (1 Ki 15:31 TLB)  Further details of Baasha's reign are recorded in 
       The Annals of the Kings of Israel.

       (1 Ki 15:32 TLB)  There was continuous warfare between King Asa of 
       Judah and King Baasha of Israel. Baasha reigned for twenty-four years,

       (1 Ki 15:33 TLB)  

       (1 Ki 15:34 TLB)  but all that time he continually disobeyed the Lord. 
       He followed the evil paths of Jeroboam, for he led the people of 
       Israel into the sin of worshiping idols.

       (1 Ki 16:1 TLB)  A message of condemnation from the Lord was delivered 
       to King Baasha at this time by the prophet Jehu:





       (1 Ki 16:2 TLB)  "I lifted you out of the dust," the message said, "to 
       make you king of my people Israel; but you have walked in the evil 
       paths of Jeroboam. You have made my people sin, and I am angry!

       (1 Ki 16:3 TLB)  So now I will destroy you and your family, just as I 
       did the descendants of Jeroboam.

       (1 Ki 16:4 TLB)  Those of your family who die in the city will be 
       eaten by dogs, and those who die in the fields will be eaten by the 
       birds."

       (1 Ki 16:5 TLB)  The message was sent to Baasha and his family because 
       he had angered the Lord by all his evil deeds.

       (1 Ki 16:6 TLB)  He was as evil as Jeroboam despite the fact that the 
       Lord had destroyed all of Jeroboam's descendants for their sins.

       (1 Ki 16:7 TLB)  The rest of Baasha's biography--his deeds and 
       conquests--are written in The Annals of the Kings of Israel.

       (1 Ki 16:8 TLB)  Elah, Baasha's son, began reigning during the 
       twenty-sixth year of the reign of King Asa of Judah, but he reigned 
       only two years.

       (1 Ki 16:9 TLB)  Then General Zimri, who had charge of half the royal 
       chariot troops, plotted against him. One day King Elah was half drunk 
       at the home of Arza, the superintendent of the palace, in the capital 
       city of Tirzah.

       (1 Ki 16:10 TLB)  Zimri simply walked in and struck him down and 
       killed him. (This occurred during the twenty-seventh year of the reign 
       of King Asa of Judah.) Then Zimri declared himself to be the new king 
       of Israel.

       (1 Ki 16:11 TLB)  He immediately killed the entire royal 
       family--leaving not a single male child. He even destroyed distant 
       relatives and friends.

       (1 Ki 16:12 TLB)  This destruction of the descendants of Baasha was in 
       line with what the Lord had predicted through the prophet Jehu.

       (1 Ki 16:13 TLB)  The tragedy occurred because of the sins of Baasha 
       and his son Elah; for they had led Israel into worshiping idols, and 
       the Lord was very angry about it.

       (1 Ki 16:14 TLB)  The rest of the history of Elah's reign is written 
       in The Annals of the Kings of Israel.

       (1 Ki 16:15 TLB)  But Zimri lasted only seven days; for when the army 
       of Israel, which was then engaged in attacking the Philistine city of 
       Gibbethon,

       (1 Ki 16:16 TLB)  heard that Zimri had assassinated the king, they 
       decided on General Omri, commander-in-chief of the army, as their new 
       ruler.





       (1 Ki 16:17 TLB)  So Omri led the army of Gibbethon to besiege Tirzah, 
       Israel's capital.

       (1 Ki 16:18 TLB)  When Zimri saw that the city had been taken, he went 
       into the palace and burned it over him and died in the flames.

       (1 Ki 16:19 TLB)  For he, too, had sinned like Jeroboam; he had 
       worshiped idols and had led the people of Israel to sin with him.

       (1 Ki 16:20 TLB)  The rest of the story of Zimri and his treason are 
       written in The Annals of the Kings of Israel.

       (1 Ki 16:21 TLB)  But now the kingdom of Israel was split in two; half 
       the people were loyal to General Omri, and the other half followed 
       Tibni, the son of Ginath.

       (1 Ki 16:22 TLB)  But General Omri won and Tibni was killed; so Omri 
       reigned without opposition.

       (1 Ki 16:23 TLB)  King Asa of Judah had been on the throne thirty-one 
       years when Omri began his reign over Israel, which lasted twelve 
       years, six of them in Tirzah.

       (1 Ki 16:24 TLB)  Then Omri bought the hill now known as Samaria from 
       its owner, Shemer, for $4,000 and built a city on it, calling it 
       Samaria in honor of Shemer.

       (1 Ki 16:25 TLB)  But Omri was worse than any of the kings before him;

       (1 Ki 16:26 TLB)  he worshiped idols as Jeroboam had and led Israel 
       into this same sin. So God was very angry.

       (1 Ki 16:27 TLB)  The rest of Omri's history is recorded in The Annals 
       of the Kings of Israel.

       (1 Ki 16:28 TLB)  When Omri died he was buried in Samaria, and his son 
       Ahab became king in his place.

       (1 Ki 16:29 TLB)  King Asa of Judah had been on the throne 
       thirty-eight years when Ahab became the king of Israel; and Ahab 
       reigned for twenty-two years.

       (1 Ki 16:30 TLB)  But he was even more wicked than his father Omri; he 
       was worse than any other king of Israel!

       (1 Ki 16:31 TLB)  And as though that were not enough, he married 
       Jezebel, the daughter of King Ethbaal of the Sidonians, and then began 
       worshiping Baal.

       (1 Ki 16:32 TLB)  First he built a temple and an altar for Baal in 
       Samaria.

       (1 Ki 16:33 TLB)  Then he made other idols and did more to anger the 
       Lord God of Israel than any of the other kings of Israel before him.

       (1 Ki 16:34 TLB)  (It was during his reign that Hiel, a man from 





       Bethel, rebuilt Jericho. When he laid the foundations, his oldest son, 
       Abiram, died; and when he finally completed it by setting up the 
       gates, his youngest son, Segub, died. For this was the Lord's curse 
       upon Jericho as declared by Joshua, the son of Nun.)

       (1 Ki 17:1 TLB)  Then Elijah, the prophet from Tishbe in Gilead, told 
       King Ahab, "As surely as the Lord God of Israel lives--the God whom I 
       worship and serve--there won't be any dew or rain for several years 
       until I say the word!"

       (1 Ki 17:2 TLB)  Then the Lord said to Elijah,

       (1 Ki 17:3 TLB)  "Go to the east and hide by Cherith Brook at a place 
       east of where it enters the Jordan River.

       (1 Ki 17:4 TLB)  Drink from the brook and eat what the ravens bring 
       you, for I have commanded them to feed you."

       (1 Ki 17:5 TLB)  So he did as the Lord had told him to and camped 
       beside the brook.

       (1 Ki 17:6 TLB)  The ravens brought him bread and meat each morning 
       and evening, and he drank from the brook.

       (1 Ki 17:7 TLB)  But after awhile the brook dried up, for there was no 
       rainfall anywhere in the land.

       (1 Ki 17:8 TLB)  Then the Lord said to him, "Go and live in the 
       village of Zarephath, near the city of Sidon. There is a widow there 
       who will feed you. I have given her my instructions."

       (1 Ki 17:9 TLB)  

       (1 Ki 17:10 TLB)  So he went to Zarephath. As he arrived at the gates 
       of the city he saw a widow gathering sticks; and he asked her for a 
       cup of water.

       (1 Ki 17:11 TLB)  As she was going to get it, he called to her, "Bring 
       me a bite of bread too."

       (1 Ki 17:12 TLB)  But she said, "I swear by the Lord your God that I 
       haven't a single piece of bread in the house. And I have only a 
       handful of flour left and a little cooking oil in the bottom of the 
       jar. I was just gathering a few sticks to cook this last meal, and 
       then my son and I must die of starvation."

       (1 Ki 17:13 TLB)  But Elijah said to her, "Don't be afraid! Go ahead 
       and cook that 'last meal,' but bake me a little loaf of bread first; 
       and afterwards there will still be enough food for you and your son.

       (1 Ki 17:14 TLB)  For the Lord God of Israel says that there will 
       always be plenty of flour and oil left in your containers until the 
       time when the Lord sends rain and the crops grow again!"

       (1 Ki 17:15 TLB)  So she did as Elijah said, and she and Elijah and 
       her son continued to eat from her supply of flour and oil as long as 





       it was needed.

       (1 Ki 17:16 TLB)  For no matter how much they used, there was always 
       plenty left in the containers, just as the Lord had promised through 
       Elijah!

       (1 Ki 17:17 TLB)  But one day the woman's son became sick and died.

       (1 Ki 17:18 TLB)  "O man of God," she cried, "what have you done to 
       me? Have you come here to punish my sins by killing my son?"

       (1 Ki 17:19 TLB)  "Give him to me," Elijah replied. And he took the 
       boy's body from her and carried it upstairs to the guest room where he 
       lived, and laid the body on his bed,

       (1 Ki 17:20 TLB)  and then cried out to the Lord, "O Lord my God, why 
       have you killed the son of this widow with whom I am staying?"

       (1 Ki 17:21 TLB)  And he stretched himself upon the child three times 
       and cried out to the Lord, "O Lord my God, please let this child's 
       spirit return to him."

       (1 Ki 17:22 TLB)  And the Lord heard Elijah's prayer; and the spirit 
       of the child returned, and he became alive again!

       (1 Ki 17:23 TLB)  Then Elijah took him downstairs and gave him to his 
       mother. "See! He's alive!" he beamed.

       (1 Ki 17:24 TLB)  "Now I know for sure that you are a prophet," she 
       told him afterward, "and that whatever you say is from the Lord!"

       (1 Ki 18:1 TLB)  It was three years later that the Lord said to 
       Elijah, "Go and tell King Ahab that I will soon send rain again!"

       (1 Ki 18:2 TLB)  So Elijah went to tell him. Meanwhile the famine had 
       become very severe in Samaria.

       (1 Ki 18:3 TLB)  The man in charge of Ahab's household affairs was 
       Obadiah, who was a devoted follower of the Lord.

       (1 Ki 18:4 TLB)  Once when Queen Jezebel had tried to kill all of the 
       Lord's prophets, Obadiah had hidden one hundred of them in two 
       caves--fifty in each--and had fed them with bread and water.

       (1 Ki 18:5 TLB)  That same day, while Elijah was on the way to see 
       King Ahab, the king said to Obadiah, "We must check every stream and 
       brook to see if we can find enough grass to save at least some of my 
       horses and mules. You go one way and I'll go the other, and we will 
       search the entire land."

       (1 Ki 18:6 TLB)  So they did, each going alone.

       (1 Ki 18:7 TLB)  Suddenly Obadiah saw Elijah coming toward him! 
       Obadiah recognized him at once and fell to the ground before him. "Is 
       it really you, my lord Elijah?" he asked.





       (1 Ki 18:8 TLB)  "Yes, it is," Elijah replied. "Now go and tell the 
       king I am here."

       (1 Ki 18:9 TLB)  "Oh, sir," Obadiah protested, "what harm have I done 
       to you that you are sending me to my death?

       (1 Ki 18:10 TLB)  For I swear by God that the king has searched every 
       nation and kingdom on earth from end to end to find you. And each time 
       when he was told 'Elijah isn't here,' King Ahab forced the king of 
       that nation to swear to the truth of his claim.

       (1 Ki 18:11 TLB)  And now you say, 'Go and tell him Elijah is here'!

       (1 Ki 18:12 TLB)  But as soon as I leave you, the Spirit of the Lord 
       will carry you away, who knows where, and when Ahab comes and can't 
       find you, he will kill me; yet I have been a true servant of the Lord 
       all my life.

       (1 Ki 18:13 TLB)  Has no one told you about the time when Queen 
       Jezebel was trying to kill the Lord's prophets, and I hid a hundred of 
       them in two caves and fed them with bread and water?

       (1 Ki 18:14 TLB)  And now you say, 'Go tell the king that Elijah is 
       here'! Sir, if I do that, I'm dead!"

       (1 Ki 18:15 TLB)  But Elijah said, "I swear by the Lord God of the 
       armies of heaven, in whose presence I stand, that I will present 
       myself to Ahab today."

       (1 Ki 18:16 TLB)  So Obadiah went to tell Ahab that Elijah had come; 
       and Ahab went out to meet him.

       (1 Ki 18:17 TLB)  "So it's you, is it?--the man who brought this 
       disaster upon Israel!" Ahab exclaimed when he saw him.

       (1 Ki 18:18 TLB)  "You're talking about yourself," Elijah answered. 
       "For you and your family have refused to obey the Lord and have 
       worshiped Baal instead.

       (1 Ki 18:19 TLB)  Now bring all the people of Israel to Mount Carmel, 
       with all 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah who are 
       supported by Jezebel."

       (1 Ki 18:20 TLB)  So Ahab summoned all the people and the prophets to 
       Mount Carmel.

       (1 Ki 18:21 TLB)  Then Elijah talked to them. "How long are you going 
       to waver between two opinions?" he asked the people. "If the Lord is 
       God, follow him! But if Baal is God, then follow him!"

       (1 Ki 18:22 TLB)  Then Elijah spoke again. "I am the only prophet of 
       the Lord who is left," he told them, "but Baal has 450 prophets.

       (1 Ki 18:23 TLB)  Now bring two young bulls. The prophets of Baal may 
       choose whichever one they wish and cut it into pieces and lay it on 
       the wood of their altar, but without putting any fire under the wood; 





       and I will prepare the other young bull and lay it on the wood on the 
       Lord's altar, with no fire under it.

       (1 Ki 18:24 TLB)  Then pray to your god, and I will pray to the Lord; 
       and the god who answers by sending fire to light the wood is the true 
       God!" And all the people agreed to this test.

       (1 Ki 18:25 TLB)  Then Elijah turned to the prophets of Baal. "You 
       first," he said, "for there are many of you; choose one of the bulls 
       and prepare it and call to your god; but don't put any fire under the 
       wood."

       (1 Ki 18:26 TLB)  So they prepared one of the young bulls and placed 
       it on the altar; and they called to Baal all morning, shouting, "O 
       Baal, hear us!" But there was no reply of any kind. Then they began to 
       dance around the altar.

       (1 Ki 18:27 TLB)  About noontime, Elijah began mocking them. "You'll 
       have to shout louder than that," he scoffed, "to catch the attention 
       of your god! Perhaps he is talking to someone, or is out sitting on 
       the toilet, or maybe he is away on a trip, or is asleep and needs to 
       be wakened!"

       (1 Ki 18:28 TLB)  So they shouted louder and, as was their custom, cut 
       themselves with knives and swords until the blood gushed out.

       (1 Ki 18:29 TLB)  They raved all afternoon until the time of the 
       evening sacrifice, but there was no reply, no voice, no answer.

       (1 Ki 18:30 TLB)  Then Elijah called to the people, "Come over here." 
       And they all crowded around him as he repaired the altar of the Lord 
       that had been torn down.

       (1 Ki 18:31 TLB)  He took twelve stones, one to represent each of the 
       tribes of Israel,

       (1 Ki 18:32 TLB)  and used the stones to rebuild the Lord's altar. 
       Then he dug a trench about three feet wide around the altar.

       (1 Ki 18:33 TLB)  He piled wood upon the altar and cut the young bull 
       into pieces and laid the pieces on the wood. "Fill four barrels with 
       water," he said, "and pour the water over the carcass and the wood." 
       After they had done this he said,

       (1 Ki 18:34 TLB)  "Do it again." And they did. "Now, do it once more!" 
       And they did;

       (1 Ki 18:35 TLB)  and the water ran off the altar and filled the 
       trench.

       (1 Ki 18:36 TLB)  At the customary time for offering the evening 
       sacrifice, Elijah walked up to the altar and prayed, "O Lord God of 
       Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, prove today that you are the God of Israel 
       and that I am your servant; prove that I have done all this at your 
       command.





       (1 Ki 18:37 TLB)  O Lord, answer me! Answer me so these people will 
       know that you are God and that you have brought them back to 
       yourself."

       (1 Ki 18:38 TLB)  Then, suddenly, fire flashed down from heaven and 
       burned up the young bull, the wood, the stones, the dust, and even 
       evaporated all the water in the ditch!

       (1 Ki 18:39 TLB)  And when the people saw it, they fell to their faces 
       upon the ground shouting, "Jehovah is God! Jehovah is God!"

       (1 Ki 18:40 TLB)  Then Elijah told them to grab the prophets of Baal. 
       "Don't let a single one escape," he commanded. So they seized them 
       all, and Elijah took them to Kishon Brook and killed them there.

       (1 Ki 18:41 TLB)  Then Elijah said to Ahab, "Go and enjoy a good meal! 
       For I hear a mighty rainstorm coming!"

       (1 Ki 18:42 TLB)  So Ahab prepared a feast. But Elijah climbed to the 
       top of Mount Carmel and got down on his knees, with his face between 
       his knees,

       (1 Ki 18:43 TLB)  and said to his servant, "Go and look out toward the 
       sea." He did, but returned to Elijah and told him, "I didn't see 
       anything." Then Elijah told him, "Go again, and again, and again, 
       seven times!"

       (1 Ki 18:44 TLB)  Finally, the seventh time, his servant told him, "I 
       saw a little cloud about the size of a man's hand rising from the 
       sea." Then Elijah shouted, "Hurry to Ahab and tell him to get into his 
       chariot and get down the mountain, or he'll be stopped by the rain!"

       (1 Ki 18:45 TLB)  And sure enough, the sky was soon black with clouds, 
       and a heavy wind brought a terrific rainstorm. Ahab left hastily for 
       Jezreel,

       (1 Ki 18:46 TLB)  and the Lord gave special strength to Elijah so that 
       he was able to run ahead of Ahab's chariot to the entrance of the 
       city!

       (1 Ki 19:1 TLB)  When Ahab told Queen Jezebel what Elijah had done, 
       and that he had slaughtered the prophets of Baal,

       (1 Ki 19:2 TLB)  she sent this message to Elijah: "You killed my 
       prophets, and now I swear by the gods that I am going to kill you by 
       this time tomorrow night."

       (1 Ki 19:3 TLB)  So Elijah fled for his life; he went to Beersheba, a 
       city of Judah, and left his servant there.

       (1 Ki 19:4 TLB)  Then he went on alone into the wilderness, traveling 
       all day, and sat down under a broom bush and prayed that he might die. 
       "I've had enough," he told the Lord. "Take away my life. I've got to 
       die sometime, and it might as well be now."

       (1 Ki 19:5 TLB)  Then he lay down and slept beneath the broom bush. 





       But as he was sleeping, an angel touched him and told him to get up 
       and eat!

       (1 Ki 19:6 TLB)  He looked around and saw some bread baking on hot 
       stones and a jar of water! So he ate and drank and lay down again.

       (1 Ki 19:7 TLB)  Then the angel of the Lord came again and touched him 
       and said, "Get up and eat some more, for there is a long journey ahead 
       of you."

       (1 Ki 19:8 TLB)  So he got up and ate and drank, and the food gave him 
       enough strength to travel forty days and forty nights to Mount Horeb, 
       the mountain of God,

       (1 Ki 19:9 TLB)  where he lived in a cave. But the Lord said to him, 
       "What are you doing here, Elijah?"

       (1 Ki 19:10 TLB)  He replied, "I have worked very hard for the Lord 
       God of the heavens; but the people of Israel have broken their 
       covenant with you and torn down your altars and killed your prophets, 
       and only I am left; and now they are trying to kill me too."

       (1 Ki 19:11 TLB)  "Go out and stand before me on the mountain," the 
       Lord told him. And as Elijah stood there the Lord passed by, and a 
       mighty windstorm hit the mountain; it was such a terrible blast that 
       the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the 
       wind, there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.

       (1 Ki 19:12 TLB)  And after the earthquake, there was a fire, but the 
       Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire, there was the sound of a 
       gentle whisper.

       (1 Ki 19:13 TLB)  When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his 
       scarf and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And a voice 
       said, "Why are you here, Elijah?"

       (1 Ki 19:14 TLB)  He replied again, "I have been working very hard for 
       the Lord God of the armies of heaven, but the people have broken their 
       covenant and have torn down your altars; they have killed every one of 
       your prophets except me; and now they are trying to kill me too."

       (1 Ki 19:15 TLB)  Then the Lord told him, "Go back by the desert road 
       to Damascus, and when you arrive, anoint Hazael to be king of Syria.

       (1 Ki 19:16 TLB)  Then anoint Jehu (son of Nimshi) to be king of 
       Israel, and anoint Elisha (the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah) to 
       replace you as my prophet.

       (1 Ki 19:17 TLB)  Anyone who escapes from Hazael shall be killed by 
       Jehu, and those who escape Jehu shall be killed by Elisha!

       (1 Ki 19:18 TLB)  And incidentally, there are 7,000 men in Israel who 
       have never bowed to Baal nor kissed him!"

       (1 Ki 19:19 TLB)  So Elijah went and found Elisha who was plowing a 
       field with eleven other teams ahead of him; he was at the end of the 





       line with the last team. Elijah went over to him and threw his coat 
       across his shoulders and walked away again.

       (1 Ki 19:20 TLB)  Elisha left the oxen standing there and ran after 
       Elijah and said to him, "First let me go and say good-bye to my father 
       and mother, and then I'll go with you!" Elijah replied, "Go on back! 
       Why all the excitement?"

       (1 Ki 19:21 TLB)  Elisha then returned to his oxen, killed them, and 
       used wood from the plow to build a fire to roast their flesh. He 
       passed around the meat to the other plowmen, and they all had a great 
       feast. Then he went with Elijah, as his assistant.

       (1 Ki 20:1 TLB)  King Ben-hadad of Syria now mobilized his army and, 
       with thirty-two allied nations and their hordes of chariots and 
       horses, besieged Samaria, the Israeli capital.

       (1 Ki 20:2 TLB)  He sent this message into the city to King Ahab of 
       Israel: "Your silver and gold are mine, as are your prettiest wives 
       and the best of your children!"

       (1 Ki 20:3 TLB)  

       (1 Ki 20:4 TLB)  "All right, my lord," Ahab replied. "All that I have 
       is yours!"

       (1 Ki 20:5 TLB)  Soon Ben-hadad's messengers returned again with 
       another message: "You must not only give me your silver, gold, wives, 
       and children,

       (1 Ki 20:6 TLB)  but about this time tomorrow I will send my men to 
       search your palace and the homes of your people, and they will take 
       away whatever they like!"

       (1 Ki 20:7 TLB)  Then Ahab summoned his advisors. "Look what this man 
       is doing," he complained to them. "He is stirring up trouble despite 
       the fact that I have already told him he could have my wives and 
       children and silver and gold, just as he demanded."

       (1 Ki 20:8 TLB)  "Don't give him anything more," the elders advised.

       (1 Ki 20:9 TLB)  So he told the messengers from Ben-hadad, "Tell my 
       lord the king, 'I will give you everything you asked for the first 
       time, but your men may not search the palace and the homes of the 
       people.'" So the messengers returned to Ben-hadad.

       (1 Ki 20:10 TLB)  Then the Syrian king sent this message to Ahab: "May 
       the gods do more to me than I am going to do to you if I don't turn 
       Samaria into handfuls of dust!"

       (1 Ki 20:11 TLB)  The king of Israel retorted, "Don't count your 
       chickens before they hatch!"

       (1 Ki 20:12 TLB)  This reply of Ahab's reached Ben-hadad and the other 
       kings as they were drinking in their tents. "Prepare to attack!" 
       Ben-hadad commanded his officers.






       (1 Ki 20:13 TLB)  Then a prophet came to see King Ahab and gave him 
       this message from the Lord: "Do you see all these enemy forces? I will 
       deliver them all to you today. Then at last you will know that I am 
       the Lord."

       (1 Ki 20:14 TLB)  Ahab asked, "How will he do it?" And the prophet 
       replied, "The Lord says, 'By the troops from the provinces.'" "Shall 
       we attack first?" Ahab asked. "Yes," the prophet answered.

       (1 Ki 20:15 TLB)  So he mustered the troops from the provinces, 232 of 
       them, then the rest of his army of 7,000 men.

       (1 Ki 20:16 TLB)  About noontime, as Ben-hadad and the thirty-two 
       allied kings were still drinking themselves drunk, the first of Ahab's 
       troops marched out of the city.

       (1 Ki 20:17 TLB)  As they approached, Ben-hadad's scouts reported to 
       him, "Some troops are coming!"

       (1 Ki 20:18 TLB)  "Take them alive," Ben-hadad commanded, "whether 
       they have come for truce or for war."

       (1 Ki 20:19 TLB)  By now Ahab's entire army had joined the attack.

       (1 Ki 20:20 TLB)  Each one killed a Syrian soldier, and suddenly the 
       entire Syrian army panicked and fled. The Israelis chased them, but 
       King Ben-hadad and a few others escaped on horses.

       (1 Ki 20:21 TLB)  However, the great bulk of the horses and chariots 
       were captured, and most of the Syrian army was killed in a great 
       slaughter.

       (1 Ki 20:22 TLB)  Then the prophet approached King Ahab and said, "Get 
       ready for another attack by the king of Syria."

       (1 Ki 20:23 TLB)  For after their defeat, Ben-hadad's officers said to 
       him, "The Israeli God is a god of the hills; that is why they won. But 
       we can beat them easily on the plains.

       (1 Ki 20:24 TLB)  Only this time replace the kings with generals!

       (1 Ki 20:25 TLB)  Recruit another army like the one you lost; give us 
       the same number of horses, chariots, and men, and we will fight 
       against them in the plains; there's not a shadow of a doubt that we 
       will beat them." So King Ben-hadad did as they suggested.

       (1 Ki 20:26 TLB)  The following year he called up the Syrian army and 
       marched out against Israel again, this time at Aphek.

       (1 Ki 20:27 TLB)  Israel then mustered its army, set up supply lines, 
       and moved into the battle; but the Israeli army looked like two little 
       flocks of baby goats in comparison to the vast Syrian forces that 
       filled the countryside!

       (1 Ki 20:28 TLB)  Then a prophet went to the king of Israel with this 





       message from the Lord: "Because the Syrians have declared, 'The Lord 
       is a God of the hills and not of the plains,' I will help you defeat 
       this vast army, and you shall know that I am indeed the Lord."

       (1 Ki 20:29 TLB)  The two armies camped opposite each other for seven 
       days, and on the seventh day the battle began. And the Israelis killed 
       100,000 Syrian infantrymen that first day.

       (1 Ki 20:30 TLB)  The rest fled behind the walls of Aphek, but the 
       wall fell on them and killed another 27,000. Ben-hadad fled into the 
       city and hid in the inner room of one of the houses.

       (1 Ki 20:31 TLB)  "Sir," his officers said to him, "we have heard that 
       the kings of Israel are very merciful. Let us wear sackcloth and put 
       ropes on our heads and go out to King Ahab to see if he will let you 
       live."

       (1 Ki 20:32 TLB)  So they went to the king of Israel and begged, "Your 
       servant Ben-hadad pleads, 'Let me live!'" "Oh, is he still alive?" the 
       king of Israel asked. "He is my brother!"

       (1 Ki 20:33 TLB)  The men were quick to grab this straw of hope and 
       hurried to clinch the matter by exclaiming, "Yes, your brother 
       Ben-hadad!" "Go and get him," the king of Israel told them. And when 
       Ben-hadad arrived, he invited him up into his chariot!

       (1 Ki 20:34 TLB)  Ben-hadad told him, "I will restore the cities my 
       father took from your father, and you may establish trading posts in 
       Damascus, as my father did in Samaria."

       (1 Ki 20:35 TLB)  Meanwhile, the Lord instructed one of the prophets 
       to say to another man, "Strike me with your sword!" But the man 
       refused.

       (1 Ki 20:36 TLB)  Then the prophet told him, "Because you have not 
       obeyed the voice of the Lord, a lion shall kill you as soon as you 
       leave me." And sure enough, as he turned to go a lion attacked and 
       killed him.

       (1 Ki 20:37 TLB)  Then the prophet turned to another man and said, 
       "Strike me with your sword." And he did, wounding him.

       (1 Ki 20:38 TLB)  The prophet waited for the king beside the road, 
       having placed a bandage over his eyes to disguise himself.

       (1 Ki 20:39 TLB)  As the king passed by, the prophet called out to 
       him, "Sir, I was in the battle, and a man brought me a prisoner and 
       said, 'Keep this man; if he gets away, you must die, or else pay me 
       $2,000!'

       (1 Ki 20:40 TLB)  But while I was busy doing something else, the 
       prisoner disappeared!" "Well, it's your own fault," the king replied. 
       "You'll have to pay."

       (1 Ki 20:41 TLB)  Then the prophet yanked off the bandage from his 
       eyes, and the king recognized him as one of the prophets.






       (1 Ki 20:42 TLB)  Then the prophet told him, "The Lord says, 'Because 
       you have spared the man I said must die, now you must die in his 
       place, and your people shall perish instead of his.'"

       (1 Ki 20:43 TLB)  So the king of Israel went home to Samaria angry and 
       sullen.

       (1 Ki 21:1 TLB)  Naboth, a man from Jezreel, had a vineyard on the 
       outskirts of the city near King Ahab's palace.

       (1 Ki 21:2 TLB)  One day the king talked to him about selling him this 
       land. "I want it for a garden," the king explained, "because it's so 
       convenient to the palace." He offered cash or, if Naboth preferred, a 
       piece of better land in trade.

       (1 Ki 21:3 TLB)  But Naboth replied, "Not on your life! That land has 
       been in my family for generations."

       (1 Ki 21:4 TLB)  So Ahab went back to the palace angry and sullen. He 
       refused to eat and went to bed with his face to the wall!

       (1 Ki 21:5 TLB)  "What in the world is the matter?" his wife, Jezebel, 
       asked him. "Why aren't you eating? What has made you so upset and 
       angry?"

       (1 Ki 21:6 TLB)  "I asked Naboth to sell me his vineyard or to trade 
       it, and he refused!" Ahab told her.

       (1 Ki 21:7 TLB)  "Are you the king of Israel or not?" Jezebel 
       demanded. "Get up and eat and don't worry about it. I'll get you 
       Naboth's vineyard!"

       (1 Ki 21:8 TLB)  So she wrote letters in Ahab's name, sealed them with 
       his seal, and addressed them to the civic leaders of Jezreel, where 
       Naboth lived.

       (1 Ki 21:9 TLB)  In her letter she commanded: "Call the citizens 
       together for fasting and prayer. Then summon Naboth,

       (1 Ki 21:10 TLB)  and find two scoundrels who will accuse him of 
       cursing God and the king. Then take him out and execute him."

       (1 Ki 21:11 TLB)  The city fathers followed the queen's instructions.

       (1 Ki 21:12 TLB)  They called the meeting and put Naboth on trial.

       (1 Ki 21:13 TLB)  Then two men who had no conscience accused him of 
       cursing God and the king; and he was dragged outside the city and 
       stoned to death.

       (1 Ki 21:14 TLB)  The city officials then sent word to Jezebel that 
       Naboth was dead.

       (1 Ki 21:15 TLB)  When Jezebel heard the news, she said to Ahab, "You 
       know the vineyard Naboth wouldn't sell you? Well, you can have it now! 





       He's dead!"

       (1 Ki 21:16 TLB)  So Ahab went down to the vineyard to claim it.

       (1 Ki 21:17 TLB)  But the Lord said to Elijah,

       (1 Ki 21:18 TLB)  "Go to Samaria to meet King Ahab. He will be at 
       Naboth's vineyard, taking possession of it.

       (1 Ki 21:19 TLB)  Give him this message from me: 'Isn't killing Naboth 
       bad enough? Must you rob him too? Because you have done this, dogs 
       shall lick your blood outside the city just as they licked the blood 
       of Naboth!'"

       (1 Ki 21:20 TLB)  "So my enemy has found me!" Ahab exclaimed to 
       Elijah. "Yes," Elijah answered, "I have come to place God's curse upon 
       you because you have sold yourself to the devil.

       (1 Ki 21:21 TLB)  The Lord is going to bring great harm to you and 
       sweep you away; he will not let a single one of your male descendants 
       survive!

       (1 Ki 21:22 TLB)  He is going to destroy your family as he did the 
       family of King Jeroboam and the family of King Baasha, for you have 
       made him very angry and have led all of Israel into sin.

       (1 Ki 21:23 TLB)  The Lord has also told me that the dogs of Jezreel 
       shall tear apart the body of your wife, Jezebel.

       (1 Ki 21:24 TLB)  The members of your family who die in the city shall 
       be eaten by dogs, and those who die in the country shall be eaten by 
       vultures."

       (1 Ki 21:25 TLB)  No one else was so completely sold out to the devil 
       as Ahab, for his wife, Jezebel, encouraged him to do every sort of 
       evil.

       (1 Ki 21:26 TLB)  He was especially guilty because he worshiped idols 
       just as the Amorites did--the people whom the Lord had chased out of 
       the land to make room for the people of Israel.

       (1 Ki 21:27 TLB)  When Ahab heard these prophecies, he tore his 
       clothing, put on rags, fasted, slept in sackcloth, and went about in 
       deep humility.

       (1 Ki 21:28 TLB)  Then another message came to Elijah:

       (1 Ki 21:29 TLB)  "Do you see how Ahab has humbled himself before me? 
       Because he has done this, I will not do what I promised during his 
       lifetime; it will happen to his sons; I will destroy his descendants."

       (1 Ki 22:1 TLB)  For three years there was no war between Syria and 
       Israel.

       (1 Ki 22:2 TLB)  But during the third year, while King Jehoshaphat of 
       Judah was visiting King Ahab of Israel,






       (1 Ki 22:3 TLB)  Ahab said to his officials, "Do you realize that the 
       Syrians are still occupying our city of Ramoth-gilead? And we're 
       sitting here without doing a thing about it!"

       (1 Ki 22:4 TLB)  Then he turned to Jehoshaphat and asked him, "Will 
       you send your army with mine to recover Ramoth-gilead?" And King 
       Jehoshaphat of Judah replied, "Of course! You and I are brothers; my 
       people are yours to command, and my horses are at your service.

       (1 Ki 22:5 TLB)  But," he added, "we should ask the Lord first, to be 
       sure of what he wants us to do."

       (1 Ki 22:6 TLB)  So King Ahab summoned his 400 heathen prophets and 
       asked them, "Shall I attack Ramoth-gilead, or not?" And they all said, 
       "Yes, go ahead, for God will help you conquer it."

       (1 Ki 22:7 TLB)  But Jehoshaphat asked, "Isn't there a prophet of the 
       Lord here? I'd like to ask him too."

       (1 Ki 22:8 TLB)  "Well, there's one," King Ahab replied, "but I hate 
       him, for he never prophesies anything good. He always has something 
       gloomy to say. His name is Micaiah, the son of Imlah." "Oh, come now!" 
       Jehoshaphat replied. "Don't talk like that!"

       (1 Ki 22:9 TLB)  So King Ahab called to one of his aides, "Go get 
       Micaiah. Hurry!"

       (1 Ki 22:10 TLB)  Meanwhile, all the prophets continued prophesying 
       before the two kings, who were dressed in their royal robes and were 
       sitting on thrones placed on the threshing floor near the city gate.

       (1 Ki 22:11 TLB)  One of the prophets, Zedekiah (son of Chenaanah), 
       made some iron horns and declared, "The Lord promises that you will 
       push the Syrians around with these horns until they are destroyed."

       (1 Ki 22:12 TLB)  And all the others agreed. "Go ahead and attack 
       Ramoth-gilead," they said, "for the Lord will cause you to triumph!"

       (1 Ki 22:13 TLB)  The messenger who went to get Micaiah told him what 
       the other prophets were saying and urged him to say the same thing.

       (1 Ki 22:14 TLB)  But Micaiah told him, "This I vow, that I will say 
       only what the Lord tells me to!"

       (1 Ki 22:15 TLB)  When he arrived, the king asked him, "Micaiah, shall 
       we attack Ramoth-gilead, or not?" "Why, of course! Go right ahead!" 
       Micaiah told him. "You will have a great victory, for the Lord will 
       cause you to conquer!"

       (1 Ki 22:16 TLB)  "How many times must I tell you to speak only what 
       the Lord tells you to?" the king demanded.

       (1 Ki 22:17 TLB)  Then Micaiah told him, "I saw all Israel scattered 
       upon the mountains as sheep without a shepherd. And the Lord said, 
       'Their king is dead; send them to their homes.'"






       (1 Ki 22:18 TLB)  Turning to Jehoshaphat, Ahab complained, "Didn't I 
       tell you this would happen? He never tells me anything good. It's 
       always bad."

       (1 Ki 22:19 TLB)  Then Micaiah said, "Listen to this further word from 
       the Lord. I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and the armies of 
       heaven stood around him.

       (1 Ki 22:20 TLB)  "Then the Lord said, 'Who will entice Ahab to go and 
       die at Ramoth-gilead?' "Various suggestions were made,

       (1 Ki 22:21 TLB)  until one angel approached the Lord and said, 'I'll 
       do it!'

       (1 Ki 22:22 TLB)  "'How?' the Lord asked. "And he replied, 'I will go 
       as a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.' "And the Lord 
       said, 'That will do it; you will succeed. Go ahead.'

       (1 Ki 22:23 TLB)  "Don't you see? The Lord has put a lying spirit in 
       the mouths of all these prophets, but the fact of the matter is that 
       the Lord has decreed disaster upon you."

       (1 Ki 22:24 TLB)  Then Zedekiah (son of Chenaanah) walked over and 
       slapped Micaiah on the face. "When did the Spirit of the Lord leave me 
       and speak to you?" he demanded.

       (1 Ki 22:25 TLB)  And Micaiah replied, "You will have the answer to 
       your question when you find yourself hiding in an inner room."

       (1 Ki 22:26 TLB)  Then King Ahab ordered Micaiah's arrest. "Take him 
       to Amon, the mayor of the city, and to my son Joash.

       (1 Ki 22:27 TLB)  Tell them, 'The king says to put this fellow in jail 
       and feed him with bread and water--and only enough to keep him 
       alive--until I return in peace.'"

       (1 Ki 22:28 TLB)  "If you return in peace," Micaiah replied, "it will 
       prove that the Lord has not spoken through me." Then he turned to the 
       people standing nearby and said, "Take note of what I've said."

       (1 Ki 22:29 TLB)  So King Ahab of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah 
       led their armies to Ramoth-gilead.

       (1 Ki 22:30 TLB)  Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, "You wear your royal 
       robes, but I'll not wear mine!" So Ahab went into the battle disguised 
       in an ordinary soldier's uniform.

       (1 Ki 22:31 TLB)  For the king of Syria had commanded his thirty-two 
       chariot captains to fight no one except King Ahab himself.

       (1 Ki 22:32 TLB)  When they saw King Jehoshaphat in his royal robes, 
       they thought, "That's the man we're after." So they wheeled around to 
       attack him.

       (1 Ki 22:33 TLB)  But when Jehoshaphat shouted out to identify 





       himself, they turned back!

       (1 Ki 22:34 TLB)  However, someone shot an arrow at random and it 
       struck King Ahab between the joints of his armor. "Take me out of the 
       battle, for I am badly wounded," he groaned to his chariot driver.

       (1 Ki 22:35 TLB)  The battle became more and more intense as the day 
       wore on, and King Ahab went back in, propped up in his chariot with 
       the blood from his wound running down onto the floorboards. Finally, 
       toward evening, he died.

       (1 Ki 22:36 TLB)  Just as the sun was going down the cry ran through 
       his troops. "It's all over--return home!

       (1 Ki 22:37 TLB)  The king is dead!" And his body was taken to Samaria 
       and buried there.

       (1 Ki 22:38 TLB)  When his chariot and armor were washed beside the 
       pool of Samaria, where the prostitutes bathed, dogs came and licked 
       the king's blood just as the Lord had said would happen.

       (1 Ki 22:39 TLB)  The rest of Ahab's history--including the story of 
       the ivory palace and the cities he built--is written in The Annals of 
       the Kings of Israel.

       (1 Ki 22:40 TLB)  So Ahab was buried among his ancestors, and Ahaziah, 
       his son, became the new king of Israel.

       (1 Ki 22:41 TLB)  Meanwhile, over in Judah, Jehoshaphat the son of Asa 
       had become king during the fourth year of the reign of King Ahab of 
       Israel.

       (1 Ki 22:42 TLB)  Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he 
       ascended the throne, and he reigned in Jerusalem for twenty-five 
       years. His mother was Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi.

       (1 Ki 22:43 TLB)  He did as his father Asa had done, obeying the Lord 
       in all but one thing: he did not destroy the shrines on the hills, so 
       the people sacrificed and burned incense there.

       (1 Ki 22:44 TLB)  He also made peace with Ahab, the king of Israel.

       (1 Ki 22:45 TLB)  The rest of the deeds of Jehoshaphat and his heroic 
       achievements and his wars are described in The Annals of the Kings of 
       Judah.

       (1 Ki 22:46 TLB)  He also closed all the houses of male prostitution 
       that still continued from the days of his father Asa.

       (1 Ki 22:47 TLB)  (There was no king in Edom at that time, only a 
       deputy.)

       (1 Ki 22:48 TLB)  King Jehoshaphat built great freighters to sail to 
       Ophir for gold; but they never arrived, for they were wrecked at 
       Ezion-geber.





       (1 Ki 22:49 TLB)  Ahaziah, King Ahab's son and successor, had proposed 
       to Jehoshaphat that his men go, too, but Jehoshaphat had refused the 
       offer.

       (1 Ki 22:50 TLB)  When King Jehoshaphat died he was buried with his 
       ancestors in Jerusalem, the city of his forefather David; and his son 
       Jehoram took the throne.

       (1 Ki 22:51 TLB)  It was during the seventeenth year of the reign of 
       King Jehoshaphat of Judah that Ahaziah, Ahab's son, began to reign 
       over Israel in Samaria; and he reigned two years.

       (1 Ki 22:52 TLB)  But he was not a good king, for he followed in the 
       footsteps of his father and mother and of Jeroboam,

       (1 Ki 22:53 TLB)  who had led Israel into the sin of worshiping idols. 
       So Ahaziah made the Lord God of Israel very angry.

       (2 Ki 1:1 TLB)  After King Ahab's death the nation of Moab declared 
       its independence and refused to pay tribute to Israel any longer.

       (2 Ki 1:2 TLB)  Israel's new king, Ahaziah, had fallen off the 
       upstairs porch of his palace at Samaria and was seriously injured. He 
       sent messengers to the temple of the god Baal-zebub at Ekron to ask 
       whether he would recover.

       (2 Ki 1:3 TLB)  But an angel of the Lord told Elijah the prophet, "Go 
       and meet the messengers and ask them, 'Is it true that there is no God 
       in Israel? Is that why you are going to Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, 
       to ask whether the king will get well?

       (2 Ki 1:4 TLB)  Because King Ahaziah has done this, the Lord says that 
       he will never leave the bed he is lying on; he will surely die.'" When 
       Elijah told the messengers this,

       (2 Ki 1:5 TLB)  they returned immediately to the king. "Why have you 
       returned so soon?" he asked them.

       (2 Ki 1:6 TLB)  "A man came up to us," they said, "and told us to go 
       back to the king and tell him, 'The Lord wants to know why you are 
       asking questions of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron. Is it because there 
       is no God in Israel? Now, since you have done this, you will not leave 
       the bed you are lying on; you will surely die.'"

       (2 Ki 1:7 TLB)  "Who was this fellow?" the king demanded. "What did he 
       look like?"

       (2 Ki 1:8 TLB)  "He was a hairy man," they replied, "with a wide 
       leather belt." "It was Elijah the prophet!" the king exclaimed.

       (2 Ki 1:9 TLB)  Then he sent an army captain with fifty soldiers to 
       arrest him. They found him sitting on top of a hill. The captain said 
       to him, "O man of God, the king has commanded you to come along with 
       us."

       (2 Ki 1:10 TLB)  But Elijah replied, "If I am a man of God, let fire 





       come down from heaven and destroy you and your fifty men!" Then 
       lightning struck them and killed them all!

       (2 Ki 1:11 TLB)  So the king sent another captain with fifty men to 
       demand, "O man of God, the king says that you must come down right 
       away."

       (2 Ki 1:12 TLB)  Elijah replied, "If I am a man of God, let fire come 
       down from heaven and destroy you and your fifty men." And again the 
       fire from God burned them up.

       (2 Ki 1:13 TLB)  Once more the king sent fifty men, but this time the 
       captain fell to his knees before Elijah and pleaded with him, "O man 
       of God, please spare my life and the lives of these, your fifty 
       servants.

       (2 Ki 1:14 TLB)  Have mercy on us! Don't destroy us as you did the 
       others."

       (2 Ki 1:15 TLB)  Then the angel of the Lord said to Elijah, "Don't be 
       afraid. Go with him." So Elijah went to the king.

       (2 Ki 1:16 TLB)  "Why did you send messengers to Baal-zebub, the god 
       of Ekron, to ask about your sickness?" Elijah demanded. "Is it because 
       there is no God in Israel to ask? Because you have done this, you 
       shall not leave this bed; you will surely die."

       (2 Ki 1:17 TLB)  So Ahaziah died as the Lord had predicted through 
       Elijah, and his brother Joram became the new king--for Ahaziah did not 
       have a son to succeed him. This occurred in the second year of the 
       reign of King Jehoram (son of Jehoshaphat) of Judah.

       (2 Ki 1:18 TLB)  The rest of the history of Ahaziah's reign is 
       recorded in The Annals of the Kings of Israel.

       (2 Ki 2:1 TLB)  Now the time came for the Lord to take Elijah to 
       heaven--by means of a whirlwind!

       (2 Ki 2:2 TLB)  Elijah said to Elisha as they left Gilgal, "Stay here, 
       for the Lord has told me to go to Bethel." But Elisha replied, "I 
       swear to God that I won't leave you!" So they went on together to 
       Bethel.

       (2 Ki 2:3 TLB)  There the young prophets of Bethel Seminary came out 
       to meet them and asked Elisha, "Did you know that the Lord is going to 
       take Elijah away from you today?" "Quiet!" Elisha snapped. "Of course 
       I know it."

       (2 Ki 2:4 TLB)  Then Elijah said to Elisha, "Please stay here in 
       Bethel, for the Lord has sent me to Jericho." But Elisha replied 
       again, "I swear to God that I won't leave you." So they went on 
       together to Jericho.

       (2 Ki 2:5 TLB)  Then the students at Jericho Seminary came to Elisha 
       and asked him, "Do you know that the Lord is going to take away your 
       master today?" "Will you please be quiet?" he commanded. "Of course I 





       know it!"

       (2 Ki 2:6 TLB)  Then Elijah said to Elisha, "Please stay here, for the 
       Lord has sent me to the Jordan River." But Elisha replied as before, 
       "I swear to God that I won't leave you."

       (2 Ki 2:7 TLB)  So they went on together and stood beside the Jordan 
       River as fifty of the young prophets watched from a distance.

       (2 Ki 2:8 TLB)  Then Elijah folded his cloak together and struck the 
       water with it; and the river divided and they went across on dry 
       ground!

       (2 Ki 2:9 TLB)  When they arrived on the other side Elijah said to 
       Elisha, "What wish shall I grant you before I am taken away?" And 
       Elisha replied, "Please grant me twice as much prophetic power as you 
       have had."

       (2 Ki 2:10 TLB)  "You have asked a hard thing," Elijah replied. "If 
       you see me when I am taken from you, then you will get your request. 
       But if not, then you won't."

       (2 Ki 2:11 TLB)  As they were walking along, talking, suddenly a 
       chariot of fire, drawn by horses of fire, appeared and drove between 
       them, separating them, and Elijah was carried by a whirlwind into 
       heaven.

       (2 Ki 2:12 TLB)  Elisha saw it and cried out, "My father! My father! 
       The Chariot of Israel and the charioteers!" As they disappeared from 
       sight he tore his robe.

       (2 Ki 2:13 TLB)  Then he picked up Elijah's cloak and returned to the 
       bank of the Jordan River,

       (2 Ki 2:14 TLB)  and struck the water with it. "Where is the Lord God 
       of Elijah?" he cried out. And the water parted and Elisha went across!

       (2 Ki 2:15 TLB)  When the young prophets of Jericho saw what had 
       happened, they exclaimed, "The spirit of Elijah rests upon Elisha!" 
       And they went to meet him and greeted him respectfully.

       (2 Ki 2:16 TLB)  "Sir," they said, "just say the word and fifty of our 
       best athletes will search the wilderness for your master; perhaps the 
       Spirit of the Lord has left him on some mountain or in some ravine." 
       "No," Elisha said, "don't bother."

       (2 Ki 2:17 TLB)  But they kept urging until he was embarrassed and 
       finally said, "All right, go ahead." Then fifty men searched for three 
       days, but didn't find him.

       (2 Ki 2:18 TLB)  Elisha was still at Jericho when they returned. 
       "Didn't I tell you not to go?" he growled.

       (2 Ki 2:19 TLB)  Now a delegation of the city officials of Jericho 
       visited Elisha. "We have a problem," they told him. "This city is 
       located in beautiful natural surroundings, as you can see; but the 





       water is bad and causes our women to have miscarriages."

       (2 Ki 2:20 TLB)  "Well," he said, "bring me a new bowl filled with 
       salt." So they brought it to him.

       (2 Ki 2:21 TLB)  Then he went out to the city well and threw the salt 
       in and declared, "The Lord has healed these waters. They shall no 
       longer cause death or miscarriage."

       (2 Ki 2:22 TLB)  And sure enough! The water was purified, just as 
       Elisha had said.

       (2 Ki 2:23 TLB)  From Jericho he went to Bethel. As he was walking 
       along the road, a gang of young men from the city began mocking and 
       making fun of him because of his bald head.

       (2 Ki 2:24 TLB)  He turned around and cursed them in the name of the 
       Lord; and two female bears came out of the woods and tore forty-two of 
       them.

       (2 Ki 2:25 TLB)  Then he went to Mount Carmel and finally returned to 
       Samaria.

       (2 Ki 3:1 TLB)  Ahab's son Joram began his reign over Israel during 
       the eighteenth year of the reign of King Jehoshaphat of Judah; and he 
       reigned twelve years. His capital was Samaria.

       (2 Ki 3:2 TLB)  He was a very evil man, but not as wicked as his 
       father and mother had been, for he at least tore down the pillar to 
       Baal that his father had made.

       (2 Ki 3:3 TLB)  Nevertheless he still clung to the great sin of 
       Jeroboam (the son of Nebat), who had led the people of Israel into the 
       worship of idols.

       (2 Ki 3:4 TLB)  King Mesha of Moab and his people were sheep ranchers. 
       They paid Israel an annual tribute of 100,000 lambs and the wool of 
       100,000 rams;

       (2 Ki 3:5 TLB)  but after Ahab's death, the king of Moab rebelled 
       against Israel.

       (2 Ki 3:6 TLB)  So King Joram mustered the Israeli army and

       (2 Ki 3:7 TLB)  sent this message to King Jehoshaphat of Judah: "The 
       king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you help me fight him?" "Of 
       course I will," Jehoshaphat replied. "My people and horses are yours 
       to command.

       (2 Ki 3:8 TLB)  What are your battle plans?" "We'll attack from the 
       wilderness of Edom," Jehoram replied.

       (2 Ki 3:9 TLB)  So their two armies, now joined also by troops from 
       Edom, moved along a roundabout route through the wilderness for seven 
       days; but there was no water for the men or their pack animals.





       (2 Ki 3:10 TLB)  "Oh, what shall we do?" the king of Israel cried out. 
       "The Lord has brought us here to let the king of Moab defeat us."

       (2 Ki 3:11 TLB)  But Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, asked, "Isn't 
       there a prophet of the Lord with us? If so, we can find out what to 
       do!" "Elisha is here," one of the king of Israel's officers replied. 
       Then he added, "He was Elijah's assistant."

       (2 Ki 3:12 TLB)  "Fine," Jehoshaphat said. "He's just the man we 
       want." So the kings of Israel, Judah, and Edom went to consult Elisha.

       (2 Ki 3:13 TLB)  "I want no part of you," Elisha snarled at King 
       Jehoram of Israel. "Go to the false prophets of your father and 
       mother!" But King Jehoram replied, "No! For it is the Lord who has 
       called us here to be destroyed by the king of Moab!"

       (2 Ki 3:14 TLB)  "I swear by the Lord God that I wouldn't bother with 
       you except for the presence of King Jehoshaphat of Judah," Elisha 
       replied.

       (2 Ki 3:15 TLB)  "Now bring me someone to play the lute." And as the 
       lute was played, the message of the Lord came to Elisha:

       (2 Ki 3:16 TLB)  "The Lord says to fill this dry valley with trenches 
       to hold the water he will send.

       (2 Ki 3:17 TLB)  You won't see wind nor rain, but this valley will be 
       filled with water, and you will have plenty for yourselves and for 
       your animals!

       (2 Ki 3:18 TLB)  But this is only the beginning, for the Lord will 
       make you victorious over the army of Moab!

       (2 Ki 3:19 TLB)  You will conquer the best of their cities--even those 
       that are fortified--and ruin all the good land with stones."

       (2 Ki 3:20 TLB)  And sure enough, the next day at about the time when 
       the morning sacrifice was offered--look! Water! It was flowing from 
       the direction of Edom, and soon there was water everywhere.

       (2 Ki 3:21 TLB)  Meanwhile, when the people of Moab heard about the 
       three armies marching against them, they mobilized every man who could 
       fight, old and young, and stationed themselves along their frontier.

       (2 Ki 3:22 TLB)  But early the next morning the sun looked red as it 
       shone across the water!

       (2 Ki 3:23 TLB)  "Blood!" they exclaimed. "The three armies have 
       attacked and killed each other! Let's go and collect the loot!"

       (2 Ki 3:24 TLB)  But when they arrived at the Israeli camp, the army 
       of Israel rushed out and began killing them; and the army of Moab 
       fled. Then the men of Israel moved forward into the land of Moab, 
       destroying everything as they went.

       (2 Ki 3:25 TLB)  They destroyed the cities, threw stones on every good 





       piece of land, stopped up the wells, and felled the fruit trees; 
       finally, only Fort Kir-hareseth was left, but even that finally fell 
       to them.

       (2 Ki 3:26 TLB)  When the king of Moab saw that the battle had been 
       lost, he led 700 of his swordsmen in a last desperate attempt to break 
       through to the king of Edom; but he failed.

       (2 Ki 3:27 TLB)  Then he took his oldest son, who was to have been the 
       next king, and to the horror of the Israeli army, killed him and 
       sacrificed him as a burnt offering upon the wall. So the army of 
       Israel turned back in disgust to their own land.

       (2 Ki 4:1 TLB)  One day the wife of one of the seminary students came 
       to Elisha to tell him of her husband's death. He was a man who had 
       loved God, she said. But he had owed some money when he died, and now 
       the creditor was demanding it back. If she didn't pay, he said he 
       would take her two sons as his slaves.

       (2 Ki 4:2 TLB)  "What shall I do?" Elisha asked. "How much food do you 
       have in the house?" "Nothing at all, except a jar of olive oil," she 
       replied.

       (2 Ki 4:3 TLB)  "Then borrow many pots and pans from your friends and 
       neighbors!" he instructed.

       (2 Ki 4:4 TLB)  "Go into your house with your sons and shut the door 
       behind you. Then pour olive oil from your jar into the pots and pans, 
       setting them aside as they are filled!"

       (2 Ki 4:5 TLB)  So she did. Her sons brought the pots and pans to her, 
       and she filled one after another!

       (2 Ki 4:6 TLB)  Soon every container was full to the brim! "Bring me 
       another jar," she said to her sons. "There aren't any more!" they told 
       her. And then the oil stopped flowing!

       (2 Ki 4:7 TLB)  When she told the prophet what had happened, he said 
       to her, "Go and sell the oil and pay your debt, and there will be 
       enough money left for you and your sons to live on!"

       (2 Ki 4:8 TLB)  One day Elisha went to Shunem. A prominent woman of 
       the city invited him in to eat, and afterwards, whenever he passed 
       that way, he stopped for dinner.

       (2 Ki 4:9 TLB)  She said to her husband, "I'm sure this man who stops 
       in from time to time is a holy prophet.

       (2 Ki 4:10 TLB)  Let's make a little room for him on the roof; we can 
       put in a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp, and he will have a place 
       to stay whenever he comes by."

       (2 Ki 4:11 TLB)  Once when he was resting in the room he said to his 
       servant Gehazi, "Tell the woman I want to speak to her." When she 
       came,





       (2 Ki 4:12 TLB)  

       (2 Ki 4:13 TLB)  he said to Gehazi, "Tell her that we appreciate her 
       kindness to us. Now ask her what we can do for her. Does she want me 
       to put in a good word for her to the king or to the general of the 
       army?" "No," she replied, "I am perfectly content."

       (2 Ki 4:14 TLB)  "What can we do for her?" he asked Gehazi afterwards. 
       He suggested, "She doesn't have a son, and her husband is an old man."

       (2 Ki 4:15 TLB)  "Call her back again," Elisha told him. When she 
       returned, he talked to her as she stood in the doorway.

       (2 Ki 4:16 TLB)  "Next year at about this time you shall have a son!" 
       "O man of God," she exclaimed, "don't lie to me like that!"

       (2 Ki 4:17 TLB)  But it was true; the woman soon conceived and had a 
       baby boy the following year, just as Elisha had predicted.

       (2 Ki 4:18 TLB)  One day when her child was older, he went out to 
       visit his father, who was working with the reapers.

       (2 Ki 4:19 TLB)  He complained about a headache and soon was moaning 
       in pain. His father said to one of the servants, "Carry him home to 
       his mother."

       (2 Ki 4:20 TLB)  So he took him home, and his mother held him on her 
       lap; but around noontime he died.

       (2 Ki 4:21 TLB)  She carried him up to the bed of the prophet and shut 
       the door;

       (2 Ki 4:22 TLB)  then she sent a message to her husband: "Send one of 
       the servants and a donkey so that I can hurry to the prophet and come 
       right back."

       (2 Ki 4:23 TLB)  "Why today?" he asked. "This isn't a religious 
       holiday." But she said, "It's important. I must go."

       (2 Ki 4:24 TLB)  So she saddled the donkey and said to the servant, 
       "Hurry! Don't slow down for my comfort unless I tell you to."

       (2 Ki 4:25 TLB)  As she approached Mount Carmel, Elisha saw her in the 
       distance and said to Gehazi, "Look, that woman from Shunem is coming.

       (2 Ki 4:26 TLB)  Run and meet her and ask her what the trouble is. See 
       if her husband is all right and if the child is well." "Yes," she told 
       Gehazi, "everything is fine."

       (2 Ki 4:27 TLB)  But when she came to Elisha at the mountain she fell 
       to the ground before him and caught hold of his feet. Gehazi began to 
       push her away, but the prophet said, "Let her alone; something is 
       deeply troubling her and the Lord hasn't told me what it is."

       (2 Ki 4:28 TLB)  Then she said, "It was you who said I'd have a son. 
       And I begged you not to lie to me!"






       (2 Ki 4:29 TLB)  Then he said to Gehazi, "Quick, take my staff! Don't 
       talk to anyone along the way. Hurry! Lay the staff upon the child's 
       face."

       (2 Ki 4:30 TLB)  But the boy's mother said, "I swear to God that I 
       won't go home without you." So Elisha returned with her.

       (2 Ki 4:31 TLB)  Gehazi went on ahead and laid the staff upon the 
       child's face, but nothing happened. There was no sign of life. He 
       returned to meet Elisha and told him, "The child is still dead."

       (2 Ki 4:32 TLB)  When Elisha arrived, the child was indeed dead, lying 
       there upon the prophet's bed.

       (2 Ki 4:33 TLB)  He went in and shut the door behind him and prayed to 
       the Lord.

       (2 Ki 4:34 TLB)  Then he lay upon the child's body, placing his mouth 
       upon the child's mouth, and his eyes upon the child's eyes, and his 
       hands upon the child's hands. And the child's body began to grow warm 
       again!

       (2 Ki 4:35 TLB)  Then the prophet went down and walked back and forth 
       in the house a few times; returning upstairs, he stretched himself 
       again upon the child. This time the little boy sneezed seven times and 
       opened his eyes!

       (2 Ki 4:36 TLB)  Then the prophet summoned Gehazi. "Call her!" he 
       said. And when she came in, he said, "Here's your son!"

       (2 Ki 4:37 TLB)  She fell to the floor at his feet and then picked up 
       her son and went out.

       (2 Ki 4:38 TLB)  Elisha now returned to Gilgal, but there was a famine 
       in the land. One day as he was teaching the young prophets, he said to 
       Gehazi, "Make some stew for supper for these men."

       (2 Ki 4:39 TLB)  One of the young men went out into the field to 
       gather vegetables and came back with some wild gourds. He shredded 
       them and put them into a kettle without realizing that they were 
       poisonous.

       (2 Ki 4:40 TLB)  But after the men had eaten a bite or two they cried 
       out, "Oh, sir, there's poison in this stew!"

       (2 Ki 4:41 TLB)  "Bring me some meal," Elisha said. He threw it into 
       the kettle and said, "Now it's all right! Go ahead and eat!" And then 
       it didn't harm them.

       (2 Ki 4:42 TLB)  One day a man from Baal-shalishah brought Elisha a 
       sack of fresh corn and twenty individual loaves of barley bread made 
       from the first grain of his harvest. Elisha told Gehazi to use it to 
       feed the young prophets.

       (2 Ki 4:43 TLB)  "What?" Gehazi exclaimed. "Feed one hundred men with 





       only this?" But Elisha said, "Go ahead, for the Lord says there will 
       be plenty for all, and some will even be left over!"

       (2 Ki 4:44 TLB)  And sure enough, there was, just as the Lord had 
       said!

       (2 Ki 5:1 TLB)  The king of Syria had high admiration for Naaman, the 
       commander-in-chief of his army, for he had led his troops to many 
       glorious victories. So he was a great hero, but he was a leper.

       (2 Ki 5:2 TLB)  Bands of Syrians had invaded the land of Israel, and 
       among their captives was a little girl who had been given to Naaman's 
       wife as a maid.

       (2 Ki 5:3 TLB)  One day the little girl said to her mistress, "I wish 
       my master would go to see the prophet in Samaria. He would heal him of 
       his leprosy!"

       (2 Ki 5:4 TLB)  Naaman told the king what the little girl had said.

       (2 Ki 5:5 TLB)  "Go and visit the prophet," the king told him. "I will 
       send a letter of introduction for you to carry to the king of Israel." 
       So Naaman started out, taking gifts of $20,000 in silver, $60,000 in 
       gold, and ten suits of clothing.

       (2 Ki 5:6 TLB)  The letter to the king of Israel said: "The man 
       bringing this letter is my servant Naaman; I want you to heal him of 
       his leprosy."

       (2 Ki 5:7 TLB)  When the king of Israel read it, he tore his clothes 
       and said, "This man sends me a leper to heal! Am I God, that I can 
       kill and give life? He is only trying to get an excuse to invade us 
       again."

       (2 Ki 5:8 TLB)  But when Elisha the prophet heard about the king of 
       Israel's plight, he sent this message to him: "Why are you so upset? 
       Send Naaman to me, and he will learn that there is a true prophet of 
       God here in Israel."

       (2 Ki 5:9 TLB)  So Naaman arrived with his horses and chariots and 
       stood at the door of Elisha's home.

       (2 Ki 5:10 TLB)  Elisha sent a messenger out to tell him to go and 
       wash in the Jordan River seven times and he would be healed of every 
       trace of his leprosy!

       (2 Ki 5:11 TLB)  But Naaman was angry and stalked away. "Look," he 
       said, "I thought at least he would come out and talk to me! I expected 
       him to wave his hand over the leprosy and call upon the name of the 
       Lord his God and heal me!

       (2 Ki 5:12 TLB)  Aren't the Abana River and Pharpar River of Damascus 
       better than all the rivers of Israel put together? If it's rivers I 
       need, I'll wash at home and get rid of my leprosy." So he went away in 
       a rage.





       (2 Ki 5:13 TLB)  But his officers tried to reason with him and said, 
       "If the prophet had told you to do some great thing, wouldn't you have 
       done it? So you should certainly obey him when he says simply to go 
       and wash and be cured!"

       (2 Ki 5:14 TLB)  So Naaman went down to the Jordan River and dipped 
       himself seven times, as the prophet had told him to. And his flesh 
       became as healthy as a little child's, and he was healed!

       (2 Ki 5:15 TLB)  Then he and his entire party went back to find the 
       prophet; they stood humbly before him and Naaman said, "I know at last 
       that there is no God in all the world except in Israel; now please 
       accept my gifts."

       (2 Ki 5:16 TLB)  But Elisha replied, "I swear by Jehovah my God that I 
       will not accept them." Naaman urged him to take them, but he 
       absolutely refused.

       (2 Ki 5:17 TLB)  "Well," Naaman said, "all right. But please give me 
       two muleloads of earth to take back with me, for from now on I will 
       never again offer any burnt offerings or sacrifices to any other god 
       except the Lord.

       (2 Ki 5:18 TLB)  However, may the Lord pardon me this one thing--when 
       my master the king goes into the temple of the god Rimmon to worship 
       there and leans on my arm, may the Lord pardon me when I bow too."

       (2 Ki 5:19 TLB)  "All right," Elisha said. So Naaman started home 
       again.

       (2 Ki 5:20 TLB)  But Gehazi, Elisha's servant, said to himself, "My 
       master shouldn't have let this fellow get away without taking his 
       gifts. I will chase after him and get something from him."

       (2 Ki 5:21 TLB)  So Gehazi caught up with him. When Naaman saw him 
       coming, he jumped down from his chariot and ran to meet him. "Is 
       everything all right?" he asked.

       (2 Ki 5:22 TLB)  "Yes," he said, "but my master has sent me to tell 
       you that two young prophets from the hills of Ephraim have just 
       arrived, and he would like $2,000 in silver and two suits to give to 
       them."

       (2 Ki 5:23 TLB)  "Take $4,000," Naaman insisted. He gave him two 
       expensive robes, tied up the money in two bags, and gave them to two 
       of his servants to carry back with Gehazi.

       (2 Ki 5:24 TLB)  But when they arrived at the hill where Elisha lived, 
       Gehazi took the bags from the servants and sent the men back. Then he 
       hid the money in his house.

       (2 Ki 5:25 TLB)  When he went in to his master, Elisha asked him, 
       "Where have you been, Gehazi?" "I haven't been anywhere," he replied.

       (2 Ki 5:26 TLB)  But Elisha asked him, "Don't you realize that I was 
       there in thought when Naaman stepped down from his chariot to meet 





       you? Is this the time to receive money and clothing and olive farms 
       and vineyards and sheep and oxen and servants?

       (2 Ki 5:27 TLB)  Because you have done this, Naaman's leprosy shall be 
       upon you and upon your children and your children's children forever." 
       And Gehazi walked from the room a leper, his skin as white as snow.

       (2 Ki 6:1 TLB)  One day the seminary students came to Elisha and told 
       him, "As you can see, our dormitory is too small.

       (2 Ki 6:2 TLB)  Tell us, as our president, whether we can build a new 
       one down beside the Jordan River, where there are plenty of logs." 
       "All right," he told them, "go ahead."

       (2 Ki 6:3 TLB)  "Please, sir, come with us," someone suggested. "I 
       will," he said.

       (2 Ki 6:4 TLB)  When they arrived at the Jordan, they began cutting 
       down trees;

       (2 Ki 6:5 TLB)  but as one of them was chopping, his axhead fell into 
       the river. "Oh, sir," he cried, "it was borrowed!"

       (2 Ki 6:6 TLB)  "Where did it fall?" the prophet asked. The youth 
       showed him the place, and Elisha cut a stick and threw it into the 
       water; and the axhead rose to the surface and floated!

       (2 Ki 6:7 TLB)  "Grab it," Elisha said to him; and he did.

       (2 Ki 6:8 TLB)  Once when the king of Syria was at war with Israel, he 
       said to his officers, "We will mobilize our forces at----" (naming the 
       place).

       (2 Ki 6:9 TLB)  Immediately Elisha warned the king of Israel, "Don't 
       go near----" (naming the same place) "for the Syrians are planning to 
       mobilize their troops there!"

       (2 Ki 6:10 TLB)  The king sent a scout to see if Elisha was right, and 
       sure enough, he had saved him from disaster. This happened several 
       times.

       (2 Ki 6:11 TLB)  The king of Syria was puzzled. He called together his 
       officers and demanded, "Which of you is the traitor? Who has been 
       informing the king of Israel about my plans?"

       (2 Ki 6:12 TLB)  "It's not us, sir," one of the officers replied. 
       "Elisha, the prophet, tells the king of Israel even the words you 
       speak in the privacy of your bedroom!"

       (2 Ki 6:13 TLB)  "Go and find out where he is, and we'll send troops 
       to seize him," the king exclaimed. And the report came back, "Elisha 
       is at Dothan."

       (2 Ki 6:14 TLB)  So one night the king of Syria sent a great army with 
       many chariots and horses to surround the city.





       (2 Ki 6:15 TLB)  When the prophet's servant got up early the next 
       morning and went outside, there were troops, horses, and chariots 
       everywhere. "Alas, my master, what shall we do now?" he cried out to 
       Elisha.

       (2 Ki 6:16 TLB)  "Don't be afraid!" Elisha told him. "For our army is 
       bigger than theirs!"

       (2 Ki 6:17 TLB)  Then Elisha prayed, "Lord, open his eyes and let him 
       see!" And the Lord opened the young man's eyes so that he could see 
       horses of fire and chariots of fire everywhere upon the mountain!

       (2 Ki 6:18 TLB)  As the Syrian army advanced upon them, Elisha prayed, 
       "Lord, please make them blind." And he did.

       (2 Ki 6:19 TLB)  Then Elisha went out and told them, "You've come the 
       wrong way! This isn't the right city! Follow me and I will take you to 
       the man you're looking for." And he led them to Samaria!

       (2 Ki 6:20 TLB)  As soon as they arrived Elisha prayed, "Lord, now 
       open their eyes and let them see." And the Lord did, and they 
       discovered that they were in Samaria, the capital city of Israel!

       (2 Ki 6:21 TLB)  When the king of Israel saw them, he shouted to 
       Elisha, "Oh, sir, shall I kill them? Shall I kill them?"

       (2 Ki 6:22 TLB)  "Of course not!" Elisha told him. "Do we kill 
       prisoners of war? Give them food and drink and send them home again."

       (2 Ki 6:23 TLB)  So the king made a great feast for them and then sent 
       them home to their king. And after that the Syrian raiders stayed away 
       from the land of Israel.

       (2 Ki 6:24 TLB)  Later on, however, King Ben-hadad of Syria mustered 
       his entire army and besieged Samaria.

       (2 Ki 6:25 TLB)  As a result there was a great famine in the city, and 
       after a long while even a donkey's head sold for fifty dollars and a 
       pint of dove's dung brought three dollars!

       (2 Ki 6:26 TLB)  One day as the king of Israel was walking along the 
       wall of the city, a woman called to him, "Help, my lord the king!"

       (2 Ki 6:27 TLB)  "If the Lord doesn't help you, what can I do?" he 
       retorted. "I have neither food nor wine to give you.

       (2 Ki 6:28 TLB)  However, what's the matter?" She replied, "This woman 
       proposed that we eat my son one day and her son the next.

       (2 Ki 6:29 TLB)  So we boiled my son and ate him, but the next day 
       when I said, 'Kill your son so we can eat him,' she hid him."

       (2 Ki 6:30 TLB)  When the king heard this he tore his clothes. (The 
       people watching noticed through the rip he tore in them that he was 
       wearing an inner robe made of sackcloth next to his flesh.)





       (2 Ki 6:31 TLB)  "May God kill me if I don't execute Elisha this very 
       day," the king vowed.

       (2 Ki 6:32 TLB)  Elisha was sitting in his house at a meeting with the 
       elders of Israel when the king sent a messenger to summon him. But 
       before the messenger arrived Elisha said to the elders, "This murderer 
       has sent a man to kill me. When he arrives, shut the door and keep him 
       out, for his master will soon follow him."

       (2 Ki 6:33 TLB)  While Elisha was still saying this, the messenger 
       arrived (followed by the king). "The Lord has caused this mess," the 
       king stormed. "Why should I expect any help from him?"

       (2 Ki 7:1 TLB)  Elisha replied, "The Lord says that by this time 
       tomorrow two gallons of flour or four gallons of barley grain will be 
       sold in the markets of Samaria for a dollar!"

       (2 Ki 7:2 TLB)  The officer assisting the king said, "That couldn't 
       happen if the Lord made windows in the sky!" But Elisha replied, "You 
       will see it happen, but you won't be able to buy any of it!"

       (2 Ki 7:3 TLB)  Now there were four lepers sitting outside the city 
       gates. "Why sit here until we die?" they asked each other.

       (2 Ki 7:4 TLB)  "We will starve if we stay here and we will starve if 
       we go back into the city; so we might as well go out and surrender to 
       the Syrian army. If they let us live, so much the better; but if they 
       kill us, we would have died anyway."

       (2 Ki 7:5 TLB)  So that evening they went out to the camp of the 
       Syrians, but there was no one there!

       (2 Ki 7:6 TLB)  (For the Lord had made the whole Syrian army hear the 
       clatter of speeding chariots and a loud galloping of horses and the 
       sounds of a great army approaching. "The king of Israel has hired the 
       Hittites and Egyptians to attack us," they cried out.

       (2 Ki 7:7 TLB)  So they panicked and fled into the night, abandoning 
       their tents, horses, donkeys, and everything else.)

       (2 Ki 7:8 TLB)  When the lepers arrived at the edge of the camp they 
       went into one tent after another, eating, drinking wine, and carrying 
       out silver and gold and clothing and hiding it.

       (2 Ki 7:9 TLB)  Finally they said to each other, "This isn't right. 
       This is wonderful news, and we aren't sharing it with anyone! Even if 
       we wait until morning, some terrible calamity will certainly fall upon 
       us; come on, let's go back and tell the people at the palace."

       (2 Ki 7:10 TLB)  So they went back to the city and told the watchmen 
       what had happened--they had gone out to the Syrian camp and no one was 
       there! The horses and donkeys were tethered and the tents were all in 
       order, but there was not a soul around.

       (2 Ki 7:11 TLB)  Then the watchmen shouted the news to those in the 
       palace.






       (2 Ki 7:12 TLB)  The king got out of bed and told his officers, "I 
       know what has happened. The Syrians know we are starving, so they have 
       left their camp and have hidden in the fields, thinking that we will 
       be lured out of the city. Then they will attack us and make slaves of 
       us and get in."

       (2 Ki 7:13 TLB)  One of his officers replied, "We'd better send out 
       scouts to see. Let them take five of the remaining horses--if 
       something happens to the animals it won't be any greater loss than if 
       they stay here and die with the rest of us!"

       (2 Ki 7:14 TLB)  Four chariot-horses were found and the king sent out 
       two charioteers to see where the Syrians had gone.

       (2 Ki 7:15 TLB)  They followed a trail of clothing and equipment all 
       the way to the Jordan River--thrown away by the Syrians in their 
       haste. The scouts returned and told the king,

       (2 Ki 7:16 TLB)  and the people of Samaria rushed out and plundered 
       the camp of the Syrians. So it was true that two gallons of flour and 
       four gallons of barley were sold that day for one dollar, just as the 
       Lord had said!

       (2 Ki 7:17 TLB)  The king appointed his special assistant to control 
       the traffic at the gate, but he was knocked down and trampled and 
       killed as the people rushed out. This is what Elisha had predicted on 
       the previous day when the king had come to arrest him,

       (2 Ki 7:18 TLB)  and the prophet had told the king that flour and 
       barley would sell for so little on the following day.

       (2 Ki 7:19 TLB)  The king's officer had replied, "That couldn't happen 
       even if the Lord opened the windows of heaven!" And the prophet had 
       said, "You will see it happen, but you won't be able to buy any of 
       it!"

       (2 Ki 7:20 TLB)  And he couldn't, for the people trampled him to death 
       at the gate!

       (2 Ki 8:1 TLB)  Elisha had told the woman whose son he had brought 
       back to life, "Take your family and move to some other country, for 
       the Lord has called down a famine on Israel that will last for seven 
       years."

       (2 Ki 8:2 TLB)  So the woman took her family and lived in the land of 
       the Philistines for seven years.

       (2 Ki 8:3 TLB)  After the famine ended, she returned to the land of 
       Israel and went to see the king about getting back her house and land.

       (2 Ki 8:4 TLB)  Just as she came in, the king was talking with Gehazi, 
       Elisha's servant, and saying, "Tell me some stories of the great 
       things Elisha has done."

       (2 Ki 8:5 TLB)  And Gehazi was telling the king about the time when 





       Elisha brought a little boy back to life. At that very moment, the 
       mother of the boy walked in! "Oh, sir!" Gehazi exclaimed. "Here is the 
       woman now, and this is her son--the very one Elisha brought back to 
       life!"

       (2 Ki 8:6 TLB)  "Is this true?" the king asked her. And she told him 
       that it was. So he directed one of his officials to see to it that 
       everything she had owned was restored to her, plus the value of any 
       crops that had been harvested during her absence.

       (2 Ki 8:7 TLB)  Afterwards Elisha went to Damascus (the capital of 
       Syria), where King Ben-hadad lay sick. Someone told the king that the 
       prophet had come.

       (2 Ki 8:8 TLB)  When the king heard the news, he said to Hazael, "Take 
       a present to the man of God and tell him to ask the Lord whether I 
       will get well again."

       (2 Ki 8:9 TLB)  So Hazael took forty camel-loads of the best produce 
       of the land as presents for Elisha and said to him, "Your son 
       Ben-hadad, the king of Syria, has sent me to ask you whether he will 
       recover."

       (2 Ki 8:10 TLB)  And Elisha replied, "Tell him, 'Yes.' But the Lord 
       has shown me that he will surely die!"

       (2 Ki 8:11 TLB)  Elisha stared at Hazael until he became embarrassed, 
       and then Elisha started crying.

       (2 Ki 8:12 TLB)  "What's the matter, sir?" Hazael asked him. Elisha 
       replied, "I know the terrible things you will do to the people of 
       Israel: you will burn their forts, kill the young men, dash their 
       babies against the rocks, and rip open the bellies of the pregnant 
       women!"

       (2 Ki 8:13 TLB)  "Am I a dog?" Hazael asked him. "I would never do 
       that sort of thing." But Elisha replied, "The Lord has shown me that 
       you are going to be the king of Syria."

       (2 Ki 8:14 TLB)  When Hazael went back, the king asked him, "What did 
       he tell you?" And Hazael replied, "He told me that you would recover."

       (2 Ki 8:15 TLB)  But the next day Hazael took a blanket and dipped it 
       in water and held it over the king's face until he smothered to death. 
       And Hazael became king instead.

       (2 Ki 8:16 TLB)  King Jehoram, the son of King Jehoshaphat of Judah, 
       began his reign during the fifth year of the reign of King Joram of 
       Israel, the son of Ahab.

       (2 Ki 8:17 TLB)  Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, 
       and he reigned in Jerusalem for eight years.

       (2 Ki 8:18 TLB)  But he was as wicked as Ahab and the other kings of 
       Israel; he even married one of Ahab's daughters.





       (2 Ki 8:19 TLB)  Nevertheless, because God had promised his servant 
       David that he would watch over and guide his descendants, he did not 
       destroy Judah.

       (2 Ki 8:20 TLB)  During Jehoram's reign, the people in Edom revolted 
       from Judah and appointed their own king.

       (2 Ki 8:21 TLB)  King Jehoram tried unsuccessfully to crush the 
       rebellion: he crossed the Jordan River and attacked the city of Zair, 
       but was quickly surrounded by the army of Edom. Under cover of night 
       he broke through their ranks, but his army deserted him and fled.

       (2 Ki 8:22 TLB)  So Edom has maintained its independence to this day. 
       Libnah also rebelled at that time.

       (2 Ki 8:23 TLB)  The rest of the history of King Jehoram is written in 
       The Annals of the Kings of Judah.

       (2 Ki 8:24 TLB)  He died and was buried in the royal cemetery in the 
       City of David--the old section of Jerusalem. Then his son Ahaziah 
       became the new king

       (2 Ki 8:25 TLB)  during the twelfth year of the reign of King Jehoram 
       of Israel, the son of Ahab.

       (2 Ki 8:26 TLB)  Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he began to 
       reign, but he reigned only one year, in Jerusalem. His mother was 
       Athaliah, the granddaughter of King Omri of Israel.

       (2 Ki 8:27 TLB)  He was an evil king, just as all of King Ahab's 
       descendants were--for he was related to Ahab by marriage.

       (2 Ki 8:28 TLB)  He joined King Joram of Israel (son of Ahab) in his 
       war against Hazael, the king of Syria, at Ramoth-gilead. King Joram 
       was wounded in the battle,

       (2 Ki 8:29 TLB)  so he went to Jezreel to rest and recover from his 
       wounds. While he was there, King Ahaziah of Judah (son of Jehoram) 
       came to visit him.

       (2 Ki 9:1 TLB)  Meanwhile Elisha had summoned one of the young 
       prophets. "Get ready to go to Ramoth-gilead," he told him. "Take this 
       vial of oil with you

       (2 Ki 9:2 TLB)  and find Jehu (the son of Jehoshaphat, the son of 
       Nimshi). Call him into a private room away from his friends,

       (2 Ki 9:3 TLB)  and pour the oil over his head. Tell him that the Lord 
       has anointed him to be the king of Israel; then run for your life!"

       (2 Ki 9:4 TLB)  So the young prophet did as he was told. When he 
       arrived in Ramoth-gilead,

       (2 Ki 9:5 TLB)  he found Jehu sitting around with the other army 
       officers. "I have a message for you, sir," he said. "For which one of 
       us?" Jehu asked. "For you," he replied.






       (2 Ki 9:6 TLB)  So Jehu left the others and went into the house, and 
       the young man poured the oil over his head and said, "The Lord God of 
       Israel says, 'I anoint you king of the Lord's people, Israel.

       (2 Ki 9:7 TLB)  You are to destroy the family of Ahab; you will avenge 
       the murder of my prophets and of all my other people who were killed 
       by Jezebel.

       (2 Ki 9:8 TLB)  The entire family of Ahab must be wiped out--every 
       male, no matter who.

       (2 Ki 9:9 TLB)  I will destroy the family of Ahab as I destroyed the 
       families of Jeroboam (son of Nebat) and of Baasha (son of Ahijah).

       (2 Ki 9:10 TLB)  Dogs shall eat Ahab's wife Jezebel at Jezreel, and no 
       one will bury her.'" Then he opened the door and ran.

       (2 Ki 9:11 TLB)  Jehu went back to his friends and one of them asked 
       him, "What did that crazy fellow want? Is everything all right?" "You 
       know very well who he was and what he wanted," Jehu replied.

       (2 Ki 9:12 TLB)  "No, we don't," they said. "Tell us." So he told them 
       what the man had said and that he had been anointed king of Israel!

       (2 Ki 9:13 TLB)  They quickly carpeted the bare steps with their coats 
       and blew a trumpet, shouting, "Jehu is king!"

       (2 Ki 9:14 TLB)  That is how Jehu (son of Jehoshaphat, son of Nimshi) 
       rebelled against King Joram. (King Joram had been with the army at 
       Ramoth-gilead, defending Israel against the forces of King Hazael of 
       Syria.

       (2 Ki 9:15 TLB)  But he had returned to Jezreel to recover from his 
       wounds.) "Since you want me to be king," Jehu told the men who were 
       with him, "don't let anyone escape to Jezreel to report what we have 
       done."

       (2 Ki 9:16 TLB)  Then Jehu jumped into a chariot and rode to Jezreel 
       himself to find King Joram, who was lying there wounded. (King Ahaziah 
       of Judah was there too, for he had gone to visit him.)

       (2 Ki 9:17 TLB)  The watchman on the Tower of Jezreel saw Jehu and his 
       company approaching and shouted, "Someone is coming." "Send out a 
       rider and find out if he is friend or foe," King Joram shouted back.

       (2 Ki 9:18 TLB)  So a soldier rode out to meet Jehu. "The king wants 
       to know whether you are friend or foe," he demanded. "Do you come in 
       peace?" Jehu replied, "What do you know about peace? Get behind me!" 
       The watchman called out to the king that the messenger had met them 
       but was not returning.

       (2 Ki 9:19 TLB)  So the king sent out a second rider. He rode up to 
       them and demanded in the name of the king to know whether their 
       intentions were friendly or not. Jehu answered, "What do you know 
       about friendliness? Get behind me!"






       (2 Ki 9:20 TLB)  "He isn't returning either!" the watchman exclaimed. 
       "It must be Jehu, for he is driving so furiously."

       (2 Ki 9:21 TLB)  "Quick! Get my chariot ready!" King Joram commanded. 
       Then he and King Ahaziah of Judah rode out to meet Jehu. They met him 
       at the field of Naboth,

       (2 Ki 9:22 TLB)  and King Joram demanded, "Do you come as a friend, 
       Jehu?" Jehu replied, "How can there be friendship as long as the evils 
       of your mother Jezebel are all around us?"

       (2 Ki 9:23 TLB)  Then King Joram reined the chariot-horses around and 
       fled, shouting to King Ahaziah, "There is treachery, Ahaziah! 
       Treason!"

       (2 Ki 9:24 TLB)  Then Jehu drew his bow with his full strength and 
       shot Joram between the shoulders; and the arrow pierced his heart, and 
       he sank down dead in his chariot.

       (2 Ki 9:25 TLB)  Jehu said to Bidkar, his assistant, "Throw him into 
       the field of Naboth, for once when you and I were riding along behind 
       his father Ahab, the Lord revealed this prophecy to me:

       (2 Ki 9:26 TLB)  'I will repay him here on Naboth's property for the 
       murder of Naboth and his sons.' So throw him out on Naboth's field, 
       just as the Lord said."

       (2 Ki 9:27 TLB)  Meanwhile, King Ahaziah of Judah had fled along the 
       road to Beth-haggan. Jehu rode after him, shouting, "Shoot him too." 
       So they shot him in his chariot at the place where the road climbs to 
       Gur, near Ibleam. He was able to go on as far as Megiddo, but died 
       there.

       (2 Ki 9:28 TLB)  His officials took him by chariot to Jerusalem where 
       they buried him in the royal cemetery.

       (2 Ki 9:29 TLB)  (Ahaziah's reign over Judah had begun in the twelfth 
       year of the reign of King Joram of Israel.)

       (2 Ki 9:30 TLB)  When Jezebel heard that Jehu had come to Jezreel, she 
       painted her eyelids and fixed her hair and sat at a window.

       (2 Ki 9:31 TLB)  When Jehu entered the gate of the palace, she shouted 
       at him, "How are you today, you murderer! You son of a Zimri who 
       murdered his master!"

       (2 Ki 9:32 TLB)  He looked up and saw her at the window and shouted, 
       "Who is on my side?" And two or three eunuchs looked out at him.

       (2 Ki 9:33 TLB)  "Throw her down!" he yelled. So they threw her out 
       the window, and her blood spattered against the wall and on the 
       horses; and she was trampled by the horses' hoofs.

       (2 Ki 9:34 TLB)  Then Jehu went into the palace for lunch. Afterwards 
       he said, "Someone go and bury this cursed woman, for she is the 





       daughter of a king."

       (2 Ki 9:35 TLB)  But when they went out to bury her, they found only 
       her skull, her feet, and her hands.

       (2 Ki 9:36 TLB)  When they returned and told him, he remarked, "That 
       is just what the Lord said would happen. He told Elijah the prophet 
       that dogs would eat her flesh

       (2 Ki 9:37 TLB)  and that her body would be scattered like manure upon 
       the field, so that no one could tell whose it was."

       (2 Ki 10:1 TLB)  Then Jehu wrote a letter to the city council of 
       Samaria and to the guardians of Ahab's seventy sons--all of whom were 
       living there.

       (2 Ki 10:2 TLB)  "Upon receipt of this letter,

       (2 Ki 10:3 TLB)  select the best one of Ahab's sons to be your king, 
       and prepare to fight for his throne. For you have chariots and horses 
       and a fortified city and an armory."

       (2 Ki 10:4 TLB)  But they were too frightened to do it. "Two kings 
       couldn't stand against this man! What can we do?" they said.

       (2 Ki 10:5 TLB)  So the manager of palace affairs and the city 
       manager, together with the city council and the guardians of Ahab's 
       sons, sent him this message: "Jehu, we are your servants and will do 
       anything you tell us to. We have decided that you should be our king 
       instead of one of Ahab's sons."

       (2 Ki 10:6 TLB)  Jehu responded with this message: "If you are on my 
       side and are going to obey me, bring the heads of your master's sons 
       to me at Jezreel at about this time tomorrow." (These seventy sons of 
       King Ahab were living in the homes of the chief men of the city, where 
       they had been raised since childhood.)

       (2 Ki 10:7 TLB)  When the letter arrived, all seventy of them were 
       murdered, and their heads were packed into baskets and presented to 
       Jehu at Jezreel.

       (2 Ki 10:8 TLB)  When a messenger told Jehu that the heads of the 
       king's sons had arrived, he said to pile them in two heaps at the 
       entrance of the city gate, and to leave them there until the next 
       morning.

       (2 Ki 10:9 TLB)  In the morning he went out and spoke to the crowd 
       that had gathered around them. "You aren't to blame," he told them. "I 
       conspired against my master and killed him, but I didn't kill his 
       sons! The

       (2 Ki 10:10 TLB)  Lord has done that, for everything he says comes 
       true. He declared through his servant Elijah that this would happen to 
       Ahab's descendants."

       (2 Ki 10:11 TLB)  Jehu then killed all the rest of the members of the 





       family of Ahab who were in Jezreel, as well as all of his important 
       officials, personal friends, and private chaplains. Finally, no one 
       was left who had been close to him in any way.

       (2 Ki 10:12 TLB)  Then he set out for Samaria and stayed overnight at 
       a shepherd's inn along the way.

       (2 Ki 10:13 TLB)  While he was there he met the brothers of King 
       Ahaziah of Judah. "Who are you?" he asked them. And they replied, "We 
       are brothers of King Ahaziah. We are going to Samaria to visit the 
       sons of King Ahab and of the Queen Mother, Jezebel."

       (2 Ki 10:14 TLB)  "Grab them!" Jehu shouted to his men. And he took 
       them out to the cistern and killed all forty-two of them.

       (2 Ki 10:15 TLB)  As he left the inn, he met Jehonadab, the son of 
       Rechab, who was coming to meet him. After they had greeted each other, 
       Jehu said to him, "Are you as loyal to me as I am to you?" "Yes," 
       Jehonadab replied. "Then give me your hand," Jehu said, and he helped 
       him into the royal chariot.

       (2 Ki 10:16 TLB)  "Now come along with me," Jehu said, "and see how 
       much I have done for the Lord." So Jehonadab rode along with him.

       (2 Ki 10:17 TLB)  When he arrived in Samaria he butchered all of 
       Ahab's friends and relatives, just as Elijah, speaking for the Lord, 
       had predicted. Then Jehu called a meeting of all the people of the 
       city and said to them, "Ahab hardly worshiped Baal at all in 
       comparison to the way I am going to!

       (2 Ki 10:18 TLB)  Summon all the prophets and priests of Baal, and 
       call together all his worshipers.

       (2 Ki 10:19 TLB)  See to it that every one of them comes, for we 
       worshipers of Baal are going to have a great celebration to praise 
       him. Any of Baal's worshipers who don't come will be put to death." 
       But Jehu's plan was to exterminate them.

       (2 Ki 10:20 TLB)  He sent messengers throughout all Israel summoning 
       those who worshiped Baal; and they all came and filled the temple of 
       Baal from one end to the other.

       (2 Ki 10:21 TLB)  

       (2 Ki 10:22 TLB)  He instructed the head of the robing room, "Be sure 
       that every worshiper wears one of the special robes."

       (2 Ki 10:23 TLB)  Then Jehu and Jehonadab (son of Rechab) went into 
       the temple to address the people: "Check to be sure that only those 
       who worship Baal are here; don't let anyone in who worships the Lord!"

       (2 Ki 10:24 TLB)  As the priests of Baal began offering sacrifices and 
       burnt offerings, Jehu surrounded the building with eighty of his men 
       and told them, "If you let anyone escape, you'll pay for it with your 
       own life."





       (2 Ki 10:25 TLB)  As soon as he had finished sacrificing the burnt 
       offering, Jehu went out and told his officers and men, "Go in and kill 
       the whole bunch of them. Don't let a single one escape." So they 
       slaughtered them all and dragged their bodies outside. Then Jehu's men 
       went into the inner temple,

       (2 Ki 10:26 TLB)  dragged out the pillar used for the worship of Baal, 
       and burned it.

       (2 Ki 10:27 TLB)  They wrecked the temple and converted it into a 
       public toilet, which it still is today.

       (2 Ki 10:28 TLB)  Thus Jehu destroyed every trace of Baal from Israel.

       (2 Ki 10:29 TLB)  However, he didn't destroy the gold calves at Bethel 
       and Dan--this was the great sin of Jeroboam (son of Nebat), for it 
       resulted in all Israel sinning.

       (2 Ki 10:30 TLB)  Afterwards the Lord said to Jehu, "You have done 
       well in following my instructions to destroy the dynasty of Ahab. 
       Because of this I will cause your son, your grandson, and your 
       great-grandson to be the kings of Israel."

       (2 Ki 10:31 TLB)  But Jehu didn't follow the Lord God of Israel with 
       all his heart, for he continued to worship Jeroboam's gold calves that 
       had been the cause of such great sin in Israel.

       (2 Ki 10:32 TLB)  At about that time the Lord began to whittle down 
       the size of Israel. King Hazael conquered several sections of the 
       country

       (2 Ki 10:33 TLB)  east of the Jordan River, as well as all of Gilead, 
       Gad, and Reuben; he also conquered parts of Manasseh from the Aroer 
       River in the valley of the Arnon as far as Gilead and Bashan.

       (2 Ki 10:34 TLB)  The rest of Jehu's activities are recorded in The 
       Annals of the Kings of Israel.

       (2 Ki 10:35 TLB)  When Jehu died, he was buried in Samaria; and his 
       son Jehoahaz became the new king.

       (2 Ki 10:36 TLB)  In all, Jehu reigned as king of Israel, in Samaria, 
       for twenty-eight years.

       (2 Ki 11:1 TLB)  When Athaliah, the mother of King Ahaziah of Judah, 
       learned that her son was dead, she killed all of his children,

       (2 Ki 11:2 TLB)  except for his year-old son Joash. Joash was rescued 
       by his Aunt Jehosheba, who was a sister of King Ahaziah (for she was a 
       daughter of King Jehoram, Ahaziah's father).

       (2 Ki 11:3 TLB)  She stole him away from among the rest of the king's 
       children who were waiting to be slain and hid him and his nurse in a 
       storeroom of the Temple. They lived there for six years while Athaliah 
       reigned as queen.





       (2 Ki 11:4 TLB)  In the seventh year of Queen Athaliah's reign, 
       Jehoiada the priest summoned the officers of the palace guard and the 
       queen's bodyguard. He met them in the Temple, swore them to secrecy, 
       and showed them the king's son.

       (2 Ki 11:5 TLB)  Then he gave them their instructions: "A third of 
       those who are on duty on the Sabbath are to guard the palace.

       (2 Ki 11:6 TLB)  The other two-thirds shall stand guard at the Temple; 
       surround the king, weapons in hand, and kill anyone who tries to break 
       through. Stay with the king at all times."

       (2 Ki 11:7 TLB)  

       (2 Ki 11:8 TLB)  

       (2 Ki 11:9 TLB)  So the officers followed Jehoiada's instructions. 
       They brought to Jehoiada the men who were going off duty on the 
       Sabbath and those who were coming on duty,

       (2 Ki 11:10 TLB)  and he armed them from the Temple's supply of spears 
       and shields that had belonged to King David.

       (2 Ki 11:11 TLB)  The guards, with weapons ready, stood across the 
       front of the sanctuary and surrounded the altar, which was near 
       Joash's hideaway.

       (2 Ki 11:12 TLB)  Then Jehoiada brought out the young prince and put 
       the crown upon his head and gave him a copy of the Ten Commandments, 
       and anointed him as king. Then everyone clapped and shouted, "Long 
       live the king!"

       (2 Ki 11:13 TLB)  When Athaliah heard all the noise, she ran into the 
       Temple

       (2 Ki 11:14 TLB)  and saw the new king standing beside the pillar, as 
       was the custom at times of coronation, surrounded by her bodyguard and 
       many trumpeters; and everyone was rejoicing and blowing trumpets. 
       "Treason! Treason!" she screamed, and began to tear her clothes.

       (2 Ki 11:15 TLB)  "Get her out of here," shouted Jehoiada to the 
       officers of the guard. "Don't kill her here in the Temple. But kill 
       anyone who tries to come to her rescue."

       (2 Ki 11:16 TLB)  So they dragged her to the palace stables and killed 
       her there.

       (2 Ki 11:17 TLB)  Jehoiada made a treaty between the Lord, the king, 
       and the people, that they would be the Lord's people. He also made a 
       contract between the king and the people.

       (2 Ki 11:18 TLB)  Everyone went over to the temple of Baal and tore it 
       down, breaking the altars and images and killing Mattan, the priest of 
       Baal, in front of the altar. And Jehoiada set guards at the Temple of 
       the Lord.





       (2 Ki 11:19 TLB)  Then he and the officers and the guard and all the 
       people led the king from the Temple, past the guardhouse, and into the 
       palace. And he sat upon the king's throne.

       (2 Ki 11:20 TLB)  So everyone was happy, and the city settled back 
       into quietness after Athaliah's death.

       (2 Ki 11:21 TLB)  Joash was seven years old when he became king.

       (2 Ki 12:1 TLB)  It was seven years after Jehu had become the king of 
       Israel that Joash became king of Judah. He reigned in Jerusalem for 
       forty years. (His mother was Zibiah, from Beersheba.)

       (2 Ki 12:2 TLB)  All his life Joash did what was right because 
       Jehoiada the High Priest instructed him.

       (2 Ki 12:3 TLB)  Yet even so he didn't destroy the shrines on the 
       hills--the people still sacrificed and burned incense there.

       (2 Ki 12:4 TLB)  One day King Joash said to Jehoiada, "The Temple 
       building needs repairing.

       (2 Ki 12:5 TLB)  Whenever anyone brings a contribution to the Lord, 
       whether it is a regular assessment or some special gift, use it to pay 
       for whatever repairs are needed."

       (2 Ki 12:6 TLB)  But in the twenty-third year of his reign the Temple 
       was still in disrepair.

       (2 Ki 12:7 TLB)  So Joash called for Jehoiada and the other priests 
       and asked them, "Why haven't you done anything about the Temple? Now 
       don't use any more money for your own needs; from now on it must all 
       be spent on getting the Temple into good condition."

       (2 Ki 12:8 TLB)  So the priests agreed to set up a special repair fund 
       that would not go through their hands, lest it be diverted to care for 
       their personal needs.

       (2 Ki 12:9 TLB)  Jehoiada the priest bored a hole in the lid of a 
       large chest and set it on the right-hand side of the altar at the 
       Temple entrance. The doorkeepers put all of the people's contributions 
       into it.

       (2 Ki 12:10 TLB)  Whenever the chest became full, the king's financial 
       secretary and the High Priest counted it, put it into bags,

       (2 Ki 12:11 TLB)  and gave it to the construction superintendents to 
       pay the carpenters,

       (2 Ki 12:12 TLB)  stonemasons, quarrymen, timber dealers, and stone 
       merchants, and to buy the other materials needed to repair the Temple 
       of the Lord.

       (2 Ki 12:13 TLB)  It was not used to buy silver cups, gold snuffers, 
       bowls, trumpets, or similar articles, but only for repairs to the 
       building.






       (2 Ki 12:14 TLB)  

       (2 Ki 12:15 TLB)  No accounting was required from the construction 
       superintendents, for they were honest and faithful men.

       (2 Ki 12:16 TLB)  However, the money that was contributed for guilt 
       offerings and sin offerings was given to the priests for their own 
       use. It was not put into the chest.

       (2 Ki 12:17 TLB)  About this time, King Hazael of Syria went to war 
       against Gath and captured it; then he moved on toward Jerusalem to 
       attack it.

       (2 Ki 12:18 TLB)  King Joash took all the sacred objects that his 
       ancestors--Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, and Ahaziah, the kings of Judah--had 
       dedicated, along with what he himself had dedicated, and all the gold 
       in the treasuries of the Temple and the palace, and sent it to Hazael. 
       So Hazael called off the attack.

       (2 Ki 12:19 TLB)  The rest of the history of Joash is recorded in The 
       Annals of the Kings of Judah.

       (2 Ki 12:20 TLB)  But his officers plotted against him and 
       assassinated him in his royal residence at Millo on the road to Silla.

       (2 Ki 12:21 TLB)  The assassins were Jozachar, the son of Shimeath, 
       and Jehozabad, the son of Shomer--both trusted aides. He was buried in 
       the royal cemetery in Jerusalem, and his son Amaziah became the new 
       king.

       (2 Ki 13:1 TLB)  Jehoahaz (the son of Jehu) began a seventeen-year 
       reign over Israel during the twenty-third year of the reign of King 
       Joash of Judah.

       (2 Ki 13:2 TLB)  But he was an evil king, and he followed the wicked 
       paths of Jeroboam, who had caused Israel to sin.

       (2 Ki 13:3 TLB)  So the Lord was very angry with Israel, and he 
       continually allowed King Hazael of Syria and his son Ben-hadad to 
       conquer them.

       (2 Ki 13:4 TLB)  But Jehoahaz prayed for the Lord's help, and the Lord 
       listened to him; for the Lord saw how terribly the king of Syria was 
       oppressing Israel.

       (2 Ki 13:5 TLB)  So the Lord raised up leaders among the Israelis to 
       rescue them from the tyranny of the Syrians; and then Israel lived in 
       safety again as they had in former days.

       (2 Ki 13:6 TLB)  But they continued to sin, following the evil ways of 
       Jeroboam; and they continued to worship the goddess Asherah at 
       Samaria.

       (2 Ki 13:7 TLB)  Finally the Lord reduced Jehoahaz's army to fifty 
       mounted troops, ten chariots, and ten thousand infantry; for the king 





       of Syria had destroyed the others as though they were dust beneath his 
       feet.

       (2 Ki 13:8 TLB)  The rest of the history of Jehoahaz is recorded in 
       The Annals of the Kings of Israel.

       (2 Ki 13:9 TLB)  Jehoahaz died and was buried in Samaria, and his son 
       Joash reigned in Samaria for sixteen years. He came to the throne in 
       the thirty-seventh year of the reign of King Joash of Judah.

       (2 Ki 13:10 TLB)  

       (2 Ki 13:11 TLB)  But he was an evil man, for, like Jeroboam, he 
       encouraged the people to worship idols and led them into sin.

       (2 Ki 13:12 TLB)  The rest of the history of the reign of Joash, 
       including his wars against King Amaziah of Judah, are written in The 
       Annals of the Kings of Israel.

       (2 Ki 13:13 TLB)  Joash died and was buried in Samaria with the other 
       kings of Israel; and Jeroboam II became the new king.

       (2 Ki 13:14 TLB)  When Elisha was in his last illness, King Joash 
       visited him and wept over him. "My father! My father! You are the 
       strength of Israel!" he cried.

       (2 Ki 13:15 TLB)  Elisha told him, "Get a bow and some arrows," and he 
       did.

       (2 Ki 13:16 TLB)  "Open that eastern window," he instructed. Then he 
       told the king to put his hand upon the bow, and Elisha laid his own 
       hands upon the king's hands.

       (2 Ki 13:17 TLB)  "Shoot!" Elisha commanded, and he did. Then Elisha 
       proclaimed, "This is the Lord's arrow, full of victory over Syria; for 
       you will completely conquer the Syrians at Aphek.

       (2 Ki 13:18 TLB)  Now pick up the other arrows and strike them against 
       the floor." So the king picked them up and struck the floor three 
       times.

       (2 Ki 13:19 TLB)  But the prophet was angry with him. "You should have 
       struck the floor five or six times," he exclaimed, "for then you would 
       have beaten Syria until they were entirely destroyed; now you will be 
       victorious only three times."

       (2 Ki 13:20 TLB)  So Elisha died and was buried. In those days bandit 
       gangs of Moabites used to invade the land each spring.

       (2 Ki 13:21 TLB)  Once some men who were burying a friend spied these 
       marauders so they hastily threw his body into the tomb of Elisha. And 
       as soon as the body touched Elisha's bones, the dead man revived and 
       jumped to his feet!

       (2 Ki 13:22 TLB)  King Hazael of Syria had oppressed Israel during the 
       entire reign of King Jehoahaz.






       (2 Ki 13:23 TLB)  But the Lord was gracious to the people of Israel, 
       and they were not totally destroyed. For God pitied them, and also he 
       was honoring his contract with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And this is 
       still true.

       (2 Ki 13:24 TLB)  Then King Hazael of Syria died, and his son 
       Ben-hadad reigned in his place.

       (2 Ki 13:25 TLB)  King Joash of Israel (the son of Jehoahaz) was 
       successful on three occasions in reconquering the cities that his 
       father had lost to Ben-hadad.

       (2 Ki 14:1 TLB)  During the second year of the reign of King Joash of 
       Israel, King Amaziah began his reign over Judah.

       (2 Ki 14:2 TLB)  Amaziah was twenty-five years old at the time, and he 
       reigned in Jerusalem for twenty-nine years. (His mother was Jehoaddin, 
       a native of Jerusalem.)

       (2 Ki 14:3 TLB)  He was a good king in the Lord's sight, though not 
       quite like his ancestor David; but he was as good a king as his father 
       Joash.

       (2 Ki 14:4 TLB)  However, he didn't destroy the shrines on the hills, 
       so the people still sacrificed and burned incense there.

       (2 Ki 14:5 TLB)  As soon as he had a firm grip on the kingdom, he 
       killed the men who had assassinated his father;

       (2 Ki 14:6 TLB)  but he didn't kill their children, for the Lord had 
       commanded through the law of Moses that fathers shall not be killed 
       for their children, nor children for the sins of their fathers: 
       everyone must pay the penalty for his own sins.

       (2 Ki 14:7 TLB)  Once Amaziah killed ten thousand Edomites in Salt 
       Valley; he also conquered Sela and changed its name to Joktheel, as it 
       is called to this day.

       (2 Ki 14:8 TLB)  One day he sent a message to King Joash of Israel 
       (the son of Jehoahaz and the grandson of Jehu), daring him to mobilize 
       his army and come out and fight.

       (2 Ki 14:9 TLB)  But King Joash replied, "The thistle of Lebanon 
       demanded of the mighty cedar tree, 'Give your daughter to be a wife 
       for my son.' But just then a wild animal passed by and stepped on the 
       thistle and trod it into the ground!

       (2 Ki 14:10 TLB)  You have destroyed Edom and are very proud about it; 
       but my advice to you is, be content with your glory and stay home! Why 
       provoke disaster for both yourself and Judah?"

       (2 Ki 14:11 TLB)  But Amaziah refused to listen, so King Joash of 
       Israel mustered his army. The battle began at Beth-shemesh, one of the 
       cities of Judah,





       (2 Ki 14:12 TLB)  and Judah was defeated and the army fled home.

       (2 Ki 14:13 TLB)  King Amaziah was captured, and the army of Israel 
       marched on Jerusalem and broke down its wall from the Gate of Ephraim 
       to the Corner Gate, a distance of about six hundred feet.

       (2 Ki 14:14 TLB)  King Joash took many hostages and all the gold and 
       silver from the Temple and palace treasury, also the gold cups. Then 
       he returned to Samaria.

       (2 Ki 14:15 TLB)  The rest of the history of Joash and his war with 
       King Amaziah of Judah are recorded in The Annals of the Kings of 
       Israel.

       (2 Ki 14:16 TLB)  When Joash died, he was buried in Samaria with the 
       other kings of Israel. And his son Jeroboam became the new king.

       (2 Ki 14:17 TLB)  Amaziah lived fifteen years longer than Joash,

       (2 Ki 14:18 TLB)  and the rest of his biography is recorded in The 
       Annals of the Kings of Judah.

       (2 Ki 14:19 TLB)  There was a plot against his life in Jerusalem, and 
       he fled to Lachish; but his enemies sent assassins and killed him 
       there.

       (2 Ki 14:20 TLB)  His body was returned on horses, and he was buried 
       in the royal cemetery, in the City of David section of Jerusalem.

       (2 Ki 14:21 TLB)  Then his son Azariah became the new king at the age 
       of sixteen.

       (2 Ki 14:22 TLB)  After his father's death, he built Elath and 
       restored it to Judah.

       (2 Ki 14:23 TLB)  Meanwhile, over in Israel, Jeroboam II had become 
       king during the fifteenth year of the reign of King Amaziah of Judah. 
       Jeroboam's reign lasted forty-one years.

       (2 Ki 14:24 TLB)  But he was as evil as Jeroboam I (the son of Nebat), 
       who had led Israel into the sin of worshiping idols.

       (2 Ki 14:25 TLB)  Jeroboam II recovered the lost territories of Israel 
       between Hamath and the Dead Sea, just as the Lord God of Israel had 
       predicted through Jonah (son of Amittai) the prophet from Gathhepher.

       (2 Ki 14:26 TLB)  For the Lord saw the bitter plight of Israel--she 
       had no one to help her.

       (2 Ki 14:27 TLB)  And he had not said that he would blot out the name 
       of Israel, so he used King Jeroboam II to save her.

       (2 Ki 14:28 TLB)  The rest of Jeroboam's biography--all that he did, 
       and his great power, and his wars, and how he recovered Damascus and 
       Hamath (which had been captured by Judah)--is recorded in The Annals 
       of the Kings of Israel.






       (2 Ki 14:29 TLB)  When Jeroboam II, died he was buried with the other 
       kings of Israel, and his son Zechariah became the new king of Israel.

       (2 Ki 15:1 TLB)  New king of Judah: Azariah Father's name: Amaziah, 
       the former king

       (2 Ki 15:2 TLB)  His age at the beginning of his reign: 16 years old 
       Length of reign: 52 years, in Jerusalem Mother's name: Jecoliah of 
       Jerusalem Reigning in Israel at that time: King Jeroboam, who had been 
       the king there for 27 years

       (2 Ki 15:3 TLB)  Azariah was a good king, and he pleased the Lord just 
       as his father Amaziah had.

       (2 Ki 15:4 TLB)  But like his predecessors, he didn't destroy the 
       shrines on the hills where the people sacrificed and burned incense.

       (2 Ki 15:5 TLB)  Because of this the Lord struck him with leprosy, 
       which lasted until the day of his death; so he lived in a house by 
       himself. And his son Jotham was the acting king.

       (2 Ki 15:6 TLB)  The rest of the history of Azariah is recorded in The 
       Annals of the Kings of Judah.

       (2 Ki 15:7 TLB)  When Azariah died, he was buried with his ancestors 
       in the City of David, and his son Jotham became king.

       (2 Ki 15:8 TLB)  New king of Israel: Zechariah Father's name: Jeroboam 
       Length of reign: 6 months, in Samaria Reigning in Judah at that time: 
       King Azariah, who had been the king there for 38 years

       (2 Ki 15:9 TLB)  But Zechariah was an evil king in the Lord's sight, 
       just like his ancestors. Like Jeroboam I (the son of Nebat), he 
       encouraged Israel in the sin of worshiping idols.

       (2 Ki 15:10 TLB)  Then Shallum (the son of Jabesh) conspired against 
       him and assassinated him at Ibleam and took the crown himself.

       (2 Ki 15:11 TLB)  The rest of the history of Zechariah's reign is 
       found in The Annals of the Kings of Israel.

       (2 Ki 15:12 TLB)  (So the Lord's statement to Jehu came true, that 
       Jehu's son, grandson, and great-grandson would be kings of Israel.)

       (2 Ki 15:13 TLB)  New king of Israel: Shallum Father's name: Jabesh 
       Length of reign: 1 month, in Samaria Reigning in Judah at that time: 
       King Uzziah, who had been the king there for 39 years

       (2 Ki 15:14 TLB)  One month after Shallum became king, Menahem (the 
       son of Gadi) came to Samaria from Tirzah and assassinated him and took 
       the throne.

       (2 Ki 15:15 TLB)  Additional details about King Shallum and his 
       conspiracy are recorded in The Annals of the Kings of Israel.





       (2 Ki 15:16 TLB)  Menahem destroyed the city of Tappuah and the 
       surrounding countryside, for its citizens refused to accept him as 
       their king; he killed the entire population and ripped open the 
       pregnant women.

       (2 Ki 15:17 TLB)  New king of Israel: Menahem Length of reign: 10 
       years, in Samaria Reigning in Judah at that time: King Azariah, who 
       had been the king there for 39 years

       (2 Ki 15:18 TLB)  But Menahem was an evil king. He worshiped idols, as 
       King Jeroboam I had done so long before, and he led the people of 
       Israel into grievous sin.

       (2 Ki 15:19 TLB)  Then King Pul of Assyria invaded the land; but King 
       Menahem bought him off with a gift of $2,000,000, so he turned around 
       and returned home.

       (2 Ki 15:20 TLB)  Menahem extorted the money from the rich, assessing 
       each one $2,000 in the form of a special tax.

       (2 Ki 15:21 TLB)  The rest of the history of King Menahem is written 
       in The Annals of the Kings of Israel.

       (2 Ki 15:22 TLB)  When he died, his son Pekahiah became the new king.

       (2 Ki 15:23 TLB)  New king of Israel: Pekahiah Father's name: King 
       Menahem Length of reign: 2 years, in Samaria Reigning in Judah at that 
       time: King Azariah, who had been the king there for 50 years

       (2 Ki 15:24 TLB)  But Pekahiah was an evil king, and he continued the 
       idol-worship begun by Jeroboam I (son of Nebat) who led Israel down 
       that evil trail.

       (2 Ki 15:25 TLB)  Then Pekah (son of Remaliah), the commanding general 
       of his army, conspired against him with fifty men from Gilead and 
       assassinated him in the palace at Samaria (Argob and Arieh were also 
       slain in the revolt). So Pekah became the new king.

       (2 Ki 15:26 TLB)  The rest of the history of King Pekahiah is recorded 
       in The Annals of the Kings of Israel.

       (2 Ki 15:27 TLB)  New king of Israel: Pekah Father's name: Remaliah 
       Length of reign: 20 years, in Samaria Reigning in Judah at that time: 
       King Azariah, who had been the king there for 52 years

       (2 Ki 15:28 TLB)  Pekah, too, was an evil king, and he continued in 
       the example of Jeroboam I (son of Nebat), who led all of Israel into 
       the sin of worshiping idols.

       (2 Ki 15:29 TLB)  It was during his reign that King Tiglath-pileser 
       led an attack against Israel. He captured the cities of Ijon, 
       Abel-beth-maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, Galilee, and all the 
       land of Naphtali; and he took the people away to Assyria as captives.

       (2 Ki 15:30 TLB)  Then Hoshea (the son of Elah) plotted against Pekah 
       and assassinated him; and he took the throne for himself. New king of 





       Israel: Hoshea Reigning in Judah at that time: King Jotham (son of 
       Uzziah), who had been the king there for 20 years

       (2 Ki 15:31 TLB)  The rest of the history of Pekah's reign is recorded 
       in The Annals of the Kings of Israel.

       (2 Ki 15:32 TLB)  New king of Judah: Jotham Father's name: King Uzziah

       (2 Ki 15:33 TLB)  His age at the beginning of his reign: 25 years old 
       Length of reign: 16 years, in Jerusalem Mother's name: Jerusha 
       (daughter of Zadok) Reigning in Israel at that time: King Pekah (son 
       of Remaliah), who had been the king there for 2 years

       (2 Ki 15:34 TLB)  Generally speaking, Jotham was a good king. Like his 
       father Uzziah, he followed the Lord.

       (2 Ki 15:35 TLB)  But he didn't destroy the shrines on the hills where 
       the people sacrificed and burned incense. It was during King Jotham's 
       reign that the upper gate of the Temple of the Lord was built.

       (2 Ki 15:36 TLB)  The rest of Jotham's history is written in The 
       Annals of the Kings of Judah.

       (2 Ki 15:37 TLB)  In those days the Lord caused King Rezin of Syria 
       and King Pekah of Israel to attack Judah.

       (2 Ki 15:38 TLB)  When Jotham died he was buried with the other kings 
       of Judah in the royal cemetery, in the City of David section of 
       Jerusalem. Then his son Ahaz became the new king.

       (2 Ki 16:1 TLB)  New king of Judah: Ahaz Father's name: Jotham His age 
       at the beginning of his reign: 20 years old Length of reign: 16 years, 
       in Jerusalem Character of his reign: evil Reigning in Israel at that 
       time: King Pekah (son of Remaliah), who had been the king there for 17 
       years

       (2 Ki 16:2 TLB)  But he did not follow the Lord as his ancestor David 
       had;

       (2 Ki 16:3 TLB)  he was as wicked as the kings of Israel. He even 
       killed his own son by offering him as a burnt sacrifice to the gods, 
       following the heathen customs of the nations around Judah--nations 
       that the Lord destroyed when the people of Israel entered the land.

       (2 Ki 16:4 TLB)  He also sacrificed and burned incense at the shrines 
       on the hills and at the numerous altars in the groves of trees.

       (2 Ki 16:5 TLB)  Then King Rezin of Syria and King Pekah (son of 
       Remaliah) of Israel declared war on Ahaz and besieged Jerusalem; but 
       they did not conquer it.

       (2 Ki 16:6 TLB)  However, at that time King Rezin of Syria recovered 
       the city of Elath for Syria; he drove out the Jews and sent Syrians to 
       live there, as they do to this day.

       (2 Ki 16:7 TLB)  King Ahaz sent a messenger to King Tiglath-pileser of 





       Assyria, begging him to help him fight the attacking armies of Syria 
       and Israel.

       (2 Ki 16:8 TLB)  Ahaz took the silver and gold from the Temple and 
       from the royal vaults and sent it as a payment to the Assyrian king.

       (2 Ki 16:9 TLB)  So the Assyrians attacked Damascus, the capital of 
       Syria. They took away the population of the city as captives, 
       resettling them in Kir, and King Rezin of Syria was killed.

       (2 Ki 16:10 TLB)  King Ahaz now went to Damascus to meet with King 
       Tiglath-pileser, and while he was there he noticed an unusual altar in 
       a heathen temple. He jotted down its dimensions and made a sketch and 
       sent it back to Uriah the priest with a detailed description.

       (2 Ki 16:11 TLB)  Uriah built one just like it by following these 
       directions and had it ready for the king, who, upon his return from 
       Damascus, inaugurated it with an offering.

       (2 Ki 16:12 TLB)  

       (2 Ki 16:13 TLB)  The king presented a burnt offering and a grain 
       offering, poured a drink offering over it, and sprinkled the blood of 
       peace offerings upon it.

       (2 Ki 16:14 TLB)  Then he removed the old bronze altar from the front 
       of the Temple (it had stood between the Temple entrance and the new 
       altar), and placed it on the north side of the new altar.

       (2 Ki 16:15 TLB)  He instructed Uriah the priest to use the new altar 
       for the sacrifices of burnt offering, the evening grain offering, the 
       king's burnt offering and grain offering, and the offerings of the 
       people, including their drink offerings. The blood from the burnt 
       offerings and sacrifices was also to be sprinkled over the new altar. 
       So the old altar was used only for purposes of divination. "The old 
       bronze altar," he said, "will be only for my personal use."

       (2 Ki 16:16 TLB)  Uriah the priest did as King Ahaz instructed him.

       (2 Ki 16:17 TLB)  Then the king dismantled the wheeled stands in the 
       Temple, removed their crosspieces and the water vats they supported, 
       and removed the great tank from the backs of the bronze oxen and 
       placed it upon the stone pavement.

       (2 Ki 16:18 TLB)  In deference to the king of Assyria he also removed 
       the festive passageway he had constructed between the palace and the 
       Temple.

       (2 Ki 16:19 TLB)  The rest of the history of the reign of King Ahaz is 
       recorded in The Annals of the Kings of Judah.

       (2 Ki 16:20 TLB)  When Ahaz died he was buried in the royal cemetery, 
       in the City of David sector of Jerusalem, and his son Hezekiah became 
       the new king.

       (2 Ki 17:1 TLB)  New king of Israel: Hoshea Father's name: Elah Length 





       of reign: 9 years, in Samaria

       (2 Ki 17:2 TLB)  Character of his reign: evil--but not as bad as some 
       of the other kings of Israel Reigning in Judah at that time: King 
       Ahaz, who had been the king there for 12 years

       (2 Ki 17:3 TLB)  King Shalmaneser of Assyria attacked and defeated 
       King Hoshea, so Israel had to pay heavy annual taxes to Assyria.

       (2 Ki 17:4 TLB)  Then Hoshea conspired against the king of Assyria by 
       asking King So of Egypt to help him shake free of Assyria's power, but 
       this treachery was discovered. At the same time he refused to pay the 
       annual tribute to Assyria. So the king of Assyria put him in prison 
       and in chains for his rebellion.

       (2 Ki 17:5 TLB)  Now the land of Israel was filled with Assyrian 
       troops for three years besieging Samaria, the capital city of Israel.

       (2 Ki 17:6 TLB)  Finally, in the ninth year of King Hoshea's reign, 
       Samaria fell and the people of Israel were exiled to Assyria. They 
       were placed in colonies in the city of Halah and along the banks of 
       the Habor River in Gozan, and among the cities of the Medes.

       (2 Ki 17:7 TLB)  This disaster came upon the nation of Israel because 
       the people worshiped other gods, thus sinning against the Lord their 
       God who had brought them safely out of their slavery in Egypt.

       (2 Ki 17:8 TLB)  They had followed the evil customs of the nations 
       which the Lord had cast out from before them.

       (2 Ki 17:9 TLB)  The people of Israel had also secretly done many 
       things that were wrong, and they had built altars to other gods 
       throughout the land.

       (2 Ki 17:10 TLB)  They had placed obelisks and idols at the top of 
       every hill and under every green tree;

       (2 Ki 17:11 TLB)  and they had burned incense to the gods of the very 
       nations which the Lord had cleared out of the land when Israel came 
       in. So the people of Israel had done many evil things, and the Lord 
       was very angry.

       (2 Ki 17:12 TLB)  Yes, they worshiped idols, despite the Lord's 
       specific and repeated warnings.

       (2 Ki 17:13 TLB)  Again and again the Lord had sent prophets to warn 
       both Israel and Judah to turn from their evil ways; he had warned them 
       to obey his commandments which he had given to their ancestors through 
       these prophets,

       (2 Ki 17:14 TLB)  but Israel wouldn't listen. The people were as 
       stubborn as their ancestors and refused to believe in the Lord their 
       God.

       (2 Ki 17:15 TLB)  They rejected his laws and the covenant he had made 
       with their ancestors, and despised all his warnings. In their 





       foolishness they worshiped heathen idols despite the Lord's stern 
       warnings.

       (2 Ki 17:16 TLB)  They defied all the commandments of the Lord their 
       God and made two calves from molten gold. They made detestable, 
       shameful idols and worshiped Baal and the sun, moon, and stars.

       (2 Ki 17:17 TLB)  They even burned their own sons and daughters to 
       death on the altars of Molech; they consulted fortune-tellers and used 
       magic and sold themselves to evil. So the Lord was very angry.

       (2 Ki 17:18 TLB)  He swept them from his sight until only the tribe of 
       Judah remained in the land.

       (2 Ki 17:19 TLB)  But even Judah refused to obey the commandments of 
       the Lord their God; they too walked in the same evil paths as Israel 
       had.

       (2 Ki 17:20 TLB)  So the Lord rejected all the descendants of Jacob. 
       He punished them by delivering them to their attackers until they were 
       destroyed.

       (2 Ki 17:21 TLB)  For Israel split off from the kingdom of David and 
       chose Jeroboam I (the son of Nebat) as its king. Then Jeroboam drew 
       Israel away from following the Lord. He made them sin a great sin,

       (2 Ki 17:22 TLB)  and the people of Israel never quit doing the evil 
       things that Jeroboam led them into,

       (2 Ki 17:23 TLB)  until the Lord finally swept them away, just as all 
       his prophets had warned would happen. So Israel was carried off to the 
       land of Assyria where they remain to this day.

       (2 Ki 17:24 TLB)  And the king of Assyria transported colonies of 
       people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim and 
       resettled them in the cities of Samaria, replacing the people of 
       Israel. So the Assyrians took over Samaria and the other cities of 
       Israel.

       (2 Ki 17:25 TLB)  But since these Assyrian colonists did not worship 
       the Lord when they first arrived, the Lord sent lions among them to 
       kill some of them.

       (2 Ki 17:26 TLB)  Then they sent a message to the king of Assyria: "We 
       colonists here in Israel don't know the laws of the god of the land, 
       and he has sent lions among us to destroy us because we have not 
       worshiped him."

       (2 Ki 17:27 TLB)  The king of Assyria then decreed that one of the 
       exiled priests from Samaria should return to Israel and teach the new 
       residents the laws of the god of the land.

       (2 Ki 17:28 TLB)  So one of them returned to Bethel and taught the 
       colonists from Babylon how to worship the Lord.

       (2 Ki 17:29 TLB)  But these foreigners also worshiped their own gods. 





       They placed them in the shrines on the hills near their cities.

       (2 Ki 17:30 TLB)  Those from Babylon worshiped idols of their god 
       Succoth-benoth; those from Cuth worshiped their god Nergal; and the 
       men of Hamath worshiped Ashima.

       (2 Ki 17:31 TLB)  The gods Nibhaz and Tartak were worshiped by the 
       Avvites, and the people from Sephar even burned their own children on 
       the altars of their gods Adrammelech and Anammelech.

       (2 Ki 17:32 TLB)  They also worshiped the Lord, and they appointed 
       from among themselves priests to sacrifice to the Lord on the hilltop 
       altars.

       (2 Ki 17:33 TLB)  But they continued to follow the religious customs 
       of the nations from which they came.

       (2 Ki 17:34 TLB)  And this is still going on among them today--they 
       follow their former practices instead of truly worshiping the Lord or 
       obeying the laws he gave to the descendants of Jacob (whose name was 
       later changed to Israel).

       (2 Ki 17:35 TLB)  For the Lord had made a contract with them--that 
       they were never to worship or make sacrifices to any heathen gods.

       (2 Ki 17:36 TLB)  They were to worship only the Lord who had brought 
       them out of the land of Egypt with such tremendous miracles and power.

       (2 Ki 17:37 TLB)  The descendants of Jacob were to obey all of God's 
       laws and never worship other gods.

       (2 Ki 17:38 TLB)  For God had said, "You must never forget the 
       covenant I made with you; never worship other gods.

       (2 Ki 17:39 TLB)  You must worship only the Lord; he will save you 
       from all your enemies."

       (2 Ki 17:40 TLB)  But Israel didn't listen, and the people continued 
       to worship other gods.

       (2 Ki 17:41 TLB)  These colonists from Babylon worshiped the Lord, 
       yes--but they also worshiped their idols. And to this day their 
       descendants do the same thing.

       (2 Ki 18:1 TLB)  New king of Judah: Hezekiah Father's name: Ahaz

       (2 Ki 18:2 TLB)  His age at the beginning of his reign: 25 years old 
       Length of reign: 29 years, in Jerusalem Mother's name: Abi (daughter 
       of Zechariah)

       (2 Ki 18:3 TLB)  Character of his reign: good (similar to that of his 
       ancestor David) Reigning in Israel at that time: King Hoshea (son of 
       Elah), who had been the king there for 3 years

       (2 Ki 18:4 TLB)  He removed the shrines on the hills, broke down the 
       obelisks, knocked down the shameful idols of Asherah, and broke up the 





       bronze serpent that Moses had made, because the people of Israel had 
       begun to worship it by burning incense to it; even though, as King 
       Hezekiah pointed out to them, it was merely a piece of bronze.

       (2 Ki 18:5 TLB)  He trusted very strongly in the Lord God of Israel. 
       In fact, none of the kings before or after him were as close to God as 
       he was.

       (2 Ki 18:6 TLB)  For he followed the Lord in everything, and carefully 
       obeyed all of God's commands to Moses.

       (2 Ki 18:7 TLB)  So the Lord was with him and prospered everything he 
       did. Then he rebelled against the king of Assyria and refused to pay 
       tribute any longer.

       (2 Ki 18:8 TLB)  He also conquered the Philistines as far distant as 
       Gaza and its suburbs, destroying cities both large and small.

       (2 Ki 18:9 TLB)  It was during the fourth year of his reign (which was 
       the seventh year of the reign of King Hoshea in Israel) that King 
       Shalmaneser of Assyria attacked Israel and began a siege on the city 
       of Samaria.

       (2 Ki 18:10 TLB)  Three years later (during the sixth year of the 
       reign of King Hezekiah and the ninth year of the reign OFKING Hoshea 
       of Israel) Samaria fell.

       (2 Ki 18:11 TLB)  It was at that time that the king of Assyria 
       transported the Israelis to Assyria and put them in colonies in the 
       city of Halath and along the banks of the Habor River in Gozan, and in 
       the cities of the Medes.

       (2 Ki 18:12 TLB)  For they had refused to listen to the Lord their God 
       or to do what he wanted them to do. Instead, they had transgressed his 
       covenant and disobeyed all the laws given to them by Moses the servant 
       of the Lord.

       (2 Ki 18:13 TLB)  Later, during the fourteenth year of the reign of 
       King Hezekiah, King Sennacherib of Assyria besieged and captured all 
       the fortified cities of Judah.

       (2 Ki 18:14 TLB)  King Hezekiah sued for peace and sent this message 
       to the king of Assyria at Lachish: "I have done wrong. I will pay 
       whatever tribute you demand if you will only go away." The king of 
       Assyria then demanded a settlement of $1,500,000.

       (2 Ki 18:15 TLB)  To gather this amount, King Hezekiah used all the 
       silver stored in the Temple and in the palace treasury.

       (2 Ki 18:16 TLB)  He even stripped off the gold from the Temple doors, 
       and from the doorposts he had overlaid with gold, and gave it all to 
       the Assyrian king.

       (2 Ki 18:17 TLB)  Nevertheless the king of Assyria sent his field 
       marshal, his chief treasurer, and his chief of staff from Lachish with 
       a great army; and they camped along the highway beside the field where 





       cloth was bleached, near the conduit of the upper pool.

       (2 Ki 18:18 TLB)  They demanded that King Hezekiah come out to speak 
       to them, but instead he sent a truce delegation of the following men: 
       Eliakim, his business manager; Shebnah, his secretary; and Joah, his 
       royal historian.

       (2 Ki 18:19 TLB)  Then the Assyrian general sent this message to King 
       Hezekiah: "The great king of Assyria says, 'No one can save you from 
       my power!

       (2 Ki 18:20 TLB)  You need more than mere promises of help before 
       rebelling against me. But which of your allies will give you more than 
       words? Egypt?

       (2 Ki 18:21 TLB)  If you lean on Egypt, you will find her to be a 
       stick that breaks beneath your weight and pierces your hand. The 
       Egyptian Pharaoh is totally unreliable!

       (2 Ki 18:22 TLB)  And if you say, "We're trusting the Lord to rescue 
       us"--just remember that he is the very one whose hilltop altars you've 
       destroyed. For you require everyone to worship at the altar in 
       Jerusalem!'

       (2 Ki 18:23 TLB)  I'll tell you what: Make a bet with my master, the 
       king of Assyria! If you have two thousand men left who can ride 
       horses, we'll furnish the horses!

       (2 Ki 18:24 TLB)  And with an army as small as yours, you are no 
       threat to even the least lieutenant in charge of the smallest 
       contingent in my master's army. Even if Egypt supplies you with horses 
       and chariots, it will do no good.

       (2 Ki 18:25 TLB)  And do you think we have come here on our own? No! 
       The Lord sent us and told us, 'Go and destroy this nation!'"

       (2 Ki 18:26 TLB)  Then Eliakim, Shebnah, and Joah said to them, 
       "Please speak in Aramaic, for we understand it. Don't use Hebrew, for 
       the people standing on the walls will hear you."

       (2 Ki 18:27 TLB)  But the Assyrian general replied, "Has my master 
       sent me to speak only to you and to your master? Hasn't he sent me to 
       the people on the walls too? For they are doomed with you to eat their 
       own excrement and drink their own urine!"

       (2 Ki 18:28 TLB)  Then the Assyrian ambassador shouted in Hebrew to 
       the people on the wall, "Listen to the great king of Assyria!

       (2 Ki 18:29 TLB)  'Don't let King Hezekiah fool you. He will never be 
       able to save you from my power.

       (2 Ki 18:30 TLB)  Don't let him fool you into trusting in the Lord to 
       rescue you.

       (2 Ki 18:31 TLB)  Don't listen to King Hezekiah. Surrender! You can 
       live in peace here in your own land






       (2 Ki 18:32 TLB)  until I take you to another land just like this 
       one--with plentiful crops, grain, grapes, olive trees, and honey. All 
       of this instead of death! Don't listen to King Hezekiah when he tries 
       to persuade you that the Lord will deliver you.

       (2 Ki 18:33 TLB)  Have any of the gods of the other nations ever 
       delivered their people from the king of Assyria?

       (2 Ki 18:34 TLB)  What happened to the gods of Hamath, Arpad, 
       Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah? Did they rescue Samaria?

       (2 Ki 18:35 TLB)  What god has ever been able to save any nation from 
       my power? So what makes you think the Lord can save Jerusalem?'"

       (2 Ki 18:36 TLB)  But the people on the wall remained silent, for the 
       king had instructed them to say nothing.

       (2 Ki 18:37 TLB)  Then Eliakim (son of Hilkiah) the business manager, 
       and Shebnah the king's secretary, and Joah (son of Asaph) the 
       historian went to King Hezekiah with their clothes torn and told him 
       what the Assyrian general had said.

       (2 Ki 19:1 TLB)  When King Hezekiah heard their report, he tore his 
       clothes and put on sackcloth and went into the Temple to pray.

       (2 Ki 19:2 TLB)  Then he told Eliakim, Shebnah, and some of the older 
       priests to clothe themselves in sackcloth and to go to Isaiah (son of 
       Amoz), the prophet, with this message:

       (2 Ki 19:3 TLB)  "King Hezekiah says, 'This is a day of trouble, 
       insult, and dishonor. It is as when a child is ready to be born, but 
       the mother has no strength to deliver it.

       (2 Ki 19:4 TLB)  Yet perhaps the Lord your God has heard the Assyrian 
       general defying the living God and will rebuke him. Oh, pray for the 
       few of us who are left.'"

       (2 Ki 19:5 TLB)  Isaiah replied, "The Lord says, 'Tell your master not 
       to be troubled by the sneers these Assyrians have made against me.'

       (2 Ki 19:6 TLB)  

       (2 Ki 19:7 TLB)  For the king of Assyria will receive bad news from 
       home and will decide to return; and the Lord will see to it that he is 
       killed when he arrives there."

       (2 Ki 19:8 TLB)  Then the Assyrian general returned to his king at 
       Libnah (for he received word that he had left Lachish).

       (2 Ki 19:9 TLB)  Soon afterwards news reached the king that King 
       Tirhakah of Ethiopia was coming to attack him. Before leaving to meet 
       the attack, he sent back this message to King Hezekiah:

       (2 Ki 19:10 TLB)  "Don't be fooled by that god you trust in. Don't 
       believe it when he says that I won't conquer Jerusalem.






       (2 Ki 19:11 TLB)  You know perfectly well what the kings of Assyria 
       have done wherever they have gone; they have completely destroyed 
       everything. Why would you be any different?

       (2 Ki 19:12 TLB)  Have the gods of the other nations delivered 
       them--such nations as Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and Eden in the land of 
       Telassar? The former kings of Assyria destroyed them all!

       (2 Ki 19:13 TLB)  What happened to the king of Hamoth and the king of 
       Arpad? What happened to the kings of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah?"

       (2 Ki 19:14 TLB)  Hezekiah took the letter from the messengers, read 
       it, and went over to the Temple and spread it out before the Lord.

       (2 Ki 19:15 TLB)  Then he prayed this prayer: "O Lord God of Israel, 
       sitting on your throne high above the angels, you alone are the God of 
       all the kingdoms of the earth. You created the heavens and the earth.

       (2 Ki 19:16 TLB)  Bend low, O Lord, and listen. Open your eyes, O 
       Lord, and see. Listen to this man's defiance of the living God.

       (2 Ki 19:17 TLB)  Lord, it is true that the kings of Assyria have 
       destroyed all those nations

       (2 Ki 19:18 TLB)  and have burned their idol-gods. But they weren't 
       gods at all; they were destroyed because they were only things that 
       men had made of wood and stone.

       (2 Ki 19:19 TLB)  O Lord our God, we plead with you to save us from 
       his power; then all the kingdoms of the earth will know that you alone 
       are God."

       (2 Ki 19:20 TLB)  Then Isaiah sent this message to Hezekiah: "The Lord 
       God of Israel says, 'I have heard you!

       (2 Ki 19:21 TLB)  And this is my reply to King Sennacherib: The virgin 
       daughter of Zion isn't afraid of you! The daughter of Jerusalem scorns 
       and mocks at you.

       (2 Ki 19:22 TLB)  Whom have you defied and blasphemed? And toward whom 
       have you felt so cocky? It is the Holy One of Israel!

       (2 Ki 19:23 TLB)  "'You have boasted, "My chariots have conquered the 
       highest mountains, yes, the peaks of Lebanon. I have cut down the 
       tallest cedars and choicest cypress trees and have conquered the 
       farthest borders.

       (2 Ki 19:24 TLB)  I have been refreshed at many conquered wells, and I 
       destroyed the strength of Egypt just by walking by!"

       (2 Ki 19:25 TLB)  "'Why haven't you realized long before this that it 
       is I, the Lord, who lets you do these things? I decreed your conquest 
       of all those fortified cities!

       (2 Ki 19:26 TLB)  So of course the nations you conquered had no power 





       against you! They were like grass shriveling beneath the hot sun, and 
       like grain blighted before it is half grown.

       (2 Ki 19:27 TLB)  I know everything about you. I know all your plans 
       and where you are going next; and I also know the evil things you have 
       said about me.

       (2 Ki 19:28 TLB)  And because of your arrogance against me, I am going 
       to put a hook in your nose and a bridle in your mouth and turn you 
       back on the road by which you came.

       (2 Ki 19:29 TLB)  And this is the proof that I will do as I have 
       promised: This year my people will eat the volunteer wheat and use it 
       as seed for next year's crop; and in the third year they will have a 
       bountiful harvest.

       (2 Ki 19:30 TLB)  "'O my people Judah, those of you who have escaped 
       the ravages of the siege shall become a great nation again; you shall 
       be rooted deeply in the soil and bear fruit for God.

       (2 Ki 19:31 TLB)  A remnant of my people shall become strong in 
       Jerusalem. The Lord is eager to cause this to happen.

       (2 Ki 19:32 TLB)  "'And my command concerning the king of Assyria is 
       that he shall not enter this city. He shall not stand before it with a 
       shield, nor build a ramp against its wall, nor even shoot an arrow 
       into it.

       (2 Ki 19:33 TLB)  He shall return by the road he came,

       (2 Ki 19:34 TLB)  for I will defend and save this city for the sake of 
       my own name and for the sake of my servant David.'"

       (2 Ki 19:35 TLB)  That very night the angel of the Lord killed 185,000 
       Assyrian troops, and dead bodies were seen all across the landscape in 
       the morning.

       (2 Ki 19:36 TLB)  Then King Sennacherib returned to Nineveh;

       (2 Ki 19:37 TLB)  and as he was worshiping in the temple of his god 
       Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer killed him. They escaped 
       into eastern Turkey--the land of Ararat--and his son Esarhaddon became 
       the new king.

       (2 Ki 20:1 TLB)  Hezekiah now became deathly sick, and Isaiah the 
       prophet went to visit him. "Set your affairs in order and prepare to 
       die," Isaiah told him. "The Lord says you won't recover."

       (2 Ki 20:2 TLB)  Hezekiah turned his face to the wall.

       (2 Ki 20:3 TLB)  "O Lord," he pleaded, "remember how I've always tried 
       to obey you and to please you in everything I do. . . . " Then he 
       broke down and cried.

       (2 Ki 20:4 TLB)  So before Isaiah had left the courtyard, the Lord 
       spoke to him again.






       (2 Ki 20:5 TLB)  "Go back to Hezekiah, the leader of my people, and 
       tell him that the Lord God of his ancestor David has heard his prayer 
       and seen his tears. I will heal him, and three days from now he will 
       be out of bed and at the Temple!

       (2 Ki 20:6 TLB)  I will add fifteen years to his life and save him and 
       this city from the king of Assyria. And it will all be done for the 
       glory of my own name and for the sake of my servant David."

       (2 Ki 20:7 TLB)  Isaiah then instructed Hezekiah to boil some dried 
       figs and to make a paste of them and spread it on the boil. And he 
       recovered!

       (2 Ki 20:8 TLB)  Meanwhile, King Hezekiah had said to Isaiah, "Do a 
       miracle to prove to me that the Lord will heal me and that I will be 
       able to go to the Temple again three days from now."

       (2 Ki 20:9 TLB)  "All right, the Lord will give you a proof," Isaiah 
       told him. "Do you want the shadow on the sundial to go forward ten 
       points or backward ten points?"

       (2 Ki 20:10 TLB)  "The shadow always moves forward," Hezekiah replied; 
       "make it go backward."

       (2 Ki 20:11 TLB)  So Isaiah asked the Lord to do this, and he caused 
       the shadow to move ten points backward on the sundial of Ahaz!

       (2 Ki 20:12 TLB)  At that time Merodach-baladan (the son of King 
       Baladan of Babylon) sent ambassadors with greetings and a present to 
       Hezekiah, for he had learned of his sickness.

       (2 Ki 20:13 TLB)  Hezekiah welcomed them and showed them all his 
       treasures--the silver, gold, spices, aromatic oils, the 
       armory--everything.

       (2 Ki 20:14 TLB)  Then Isaiah went to King Hezekiah and asked him, 
       "What did these men want? Where are they from?" "From far away in 
       Babylon," Hezekiah replied.

       (2 Ki 20:15 TLB)  "What have they seen in your palace?" Isaiah asked. 
       And Hezekiah replied, "Everything. I showed them all my treasures."

       (2 Ki 20:16 TLB)  Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, "Listen to the word of 
       the Lord:

       (2 Ki 20:17 TLB)  The time will come when everything in this palace 
       shall be carried to Babylon. All the treasures of your ancestors will 
       be taken--nothing shall be left.

       (2 Ki 20:18 TLB)  Some of your own sons will be taken away and made 
       into eunuchs who will serve in the palace of the king of Babylon."

       (2 Ki 20:19 TLB)  "All right," Hezekiah replied, "if this is what the 
       Lord wants, it is good." But he was really thinking, "At least there 
       will be peace and security during the remainder of my own life!"






       (2 Ki 20:20 TLB)  The rest of the history of Hezekiah and his great 
       deeds--including the pool and conduit he made and how he brought water 
       into the city--are recorded in The Annals of the Kings of Judah.

       (2 Ki 20:21 TLB)  When he died, his son Manasseh became the new king.

       (2 Ki 21:1 TLB)  New king of Judah: Manasseh His age at the beginning 
       of his reign: 12 years old Length of reign: 55 years, in Jerusalem 
       Mother's name: Hephzibah

       (2 Ki 21:2 TLB)  Character of his reign: evil; he did the same things 
       the nations had done that were thrown out of the land to make room for 
       the people of Israel

       (2 Ki 21:3 TLB)  He rebuilt the hilltop shrines that his father 
       Hezekiah had destroyed.

       (2 Ki 21:4 TLB)  He built altars for Baal and made a shameful Asherah 
       idol, just as Ahab the king of Israel had done.

       (2 Ki 21:5 TLB)  Heathen altars to the sun god, moon god, and the gods 
       of the stars were placed even in the Temple of the Lord--in the very 
       city and building that the Lord had selected to honor his own name.

       (2 Ki 21:6 TLB)  And he sacrificed one of his sons as a burnt offering 
       on a heathen altar. He practiced black magic and used fortune-telling, 
       and patronized mediums and wizards. So the Lord was very angry, for 
       Manasseh was an evil man, in God's sight.

       (2 Ki 21:7 TLB)  Manasseh even set up a shameful Asherah-idol in the 
       Temple--the very place that the Lord had spoken to David and Solomon 
       about when he said, "I will place my name forever in this Temple, and 
       in Jerusalem--the city I have chosen from among all the cities of the 
       tribes of Israel.

       (2 Ki 21:8 TLB)  If the people of Israel will only follow the 
       instructions I gave them through Moses, I will never again expel them 
       from this land of their fathers."

       (2 Ki 21:9 TLB)  But the people did not listen to the Lord, and 
       Manasseh enticed them to do even more evil than the surrounding 
       nations had done, even though Jehovah had destroyed those nations for 
       their evil ways when the people of Israel entered the land.

       (2 Ki 21:10 TLB)  Then the Lord declared through the prophets,

       (2 Ki 21:11 TLB)  "Because King Manasseh has done these evil things 
       and is even more wicked than the Amorites who were in this land long 
       ago, and because he has led the people of Judah into idolatry:

       (2 Ki 21:12 TLB)  I will bring such evil upon Jerusalem and Judah that 
       the ears of those who hear about it will tingle with horror.

       (2 Ki 21:13 TLB)  I will punish Jerusalem as I did Samaria, and as I 
       did King Ahab of Israel and his descendants. I will wipe away the 





       people of Jerusalem as a man wipes a dish and turns it upside down to 
       dry.

       (2 Ki 21:14 TLB)  Then I will reject even those few of my people who 
       are left, and I will hand them over to their enemies.

       (2 Ki 21:15 TLB)  For they have done great evil and have angered me 
       ever since I brought their ancestors from Egypt."

       (2 Ki 21:16 TLB)  In addition to the idolatry which God hated and into 
       which Manasseh led the people of Judah, he murdered great numbers of 
       innocent people. And Jerusalem was filled from one end to the other 
       with the bodies of his victims.

       (2 Ki 21:17 TLB)  The rest of the history of Manasseh's sinful reign 
       is recorded in The Annals of the Kings of Judah.

       (2 Ki 21:18 TLB)  When he died he was buried in the garden of his 
       palace at Uzza, and his son Amon became the new king.

       (2 Ki 21:19 TLB)  New king of Judah: Amon His age at the beginning of 
       his reign: 22 years old Length of reign: 2 years, in Jerusalem 
       Mother's name: Meshullemeth (daughter of Haruz, of Jotbah)

       (2 Ki 21:20 TLB)  Character of his reign: evil

       (2 Ki 21:21 TLB)  He did all the evil things his father had done: he 
       worshiped the same idols

       (2 Ki 21:22 TLB)  and turned his back on the Lord God of his 
       ancestors. He refused to listen to God's instructions.

       (2 Ki 21:23 TLB)  But his aides conspired against him and killed him 
       in the palace.

       (2 Ki 21:24 TLB)  Then a posse of civilians killed all the assassins 
       and placed Amon's son Josiah upon the throne.

       (2 Ki 21:25 TLB)  The rest of Amon's biography is recorded in The 
       Annals of the Kings of Judah.

       (2 Ki 21:26 TLB)  He was buried in a crypt in the garden of Uzza, and 
       his son Josiah became the new king.

       (2 Ki 22:1 TLB)  New king of Judah: Josiah His age at the beginning of 
       his reign: 8 years old Length of reign: 31 years, in Jerusalem 
       Mother's name: Jedidah (daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath)

       (2 Ki 22:2 TLB)  Character of his reign: good; he followed in the 
       steps of his ancestor King David, obeying the Lord completely

       (2 Ki 22:3 TLB)  In the eighteenth year of his reign, King Josiah sent 
       his secretary Shaphan (son of Azaliah, son of Meshullam) to the Temple 
       to give instruction to Hilkiah, the High Priest:

       (2 Ki 22:4 TLB)  "Collect the money given to the priests at the door 





       of the Temple when the people come to worship.

       (2 Ki 22:5 TLB)  Give this money to the building superintendents so 
       that they can hire carpenters and masons to repair the Temple, and to 
       buy lumber and stone."

       (2 Ki 22:6 TLB)  

       (2 Ki 22:7 TLB)  (The building superintendents were not required to 
       keep account of their expenditures, for they were honest men.)

       (2 Ki 22:8 TLB)  One day Hilkiah the High Priest went to Shaphan the 
       secretary and exclaimed, "I have discovered a scroll in the Temple, 
       with God's laws written on it!" He gave the scroll to Shaphan to read.

       (2 Ki 22:9 TLB)  When Shaphan reported to the king about the progress 
       of the repairs at the Temple, he also mentioned the scroll found by 
       Hilkiah. Then Shaphan read it to the king.

       (2 Ki 22:10 TLB)  

       (2 Ki 22:11 TLB)  When the king heard what was written in it, he tore 
       his clothes in terror.

       (2 Ki 22:12 TLB)  He commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Shaphan, and 
       Asaiah, the king's assistant, and Ahikam (Shaphan's son), and Achbor 
       (Michaiah's son) to

       (2 Ki 22:13 TLB)  ask the Lord, "What shall we do? For we have not 
       been following the instructions of this book: you must be very angry 
       with us, for neither we nor our ancestors have followed your 
       commands."

       (2 Ki 22:14 TLB)  So Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam, and Achbor, and 
       Shaphan, and Asaiah went to the Mishneh section of Jerusalem to find 
       Huldah the prophetess. (She was the wife of Shallum--son of Tikvah, 
       son of Harhas--who was in charge of the palace tailor shop.)

       (2 Ki 22:15 TLB)  She gave them this message from the Lord God of 
       Israel: "Tell the man who sent you to me that I am going to destroy 
       this city and its people, just as I stated in that book you read.

       (2 Ki 22:16 TLB)  

       (2 Ki 22:17 TLB)  For the people of Judah have thrown me aside and 
       have worshiped other gods and have made me very angry; and my anger 
       can't be stopped.

       (2 Ki 22:18 TLB)  But because you were sorry and concerned

       (2 Ki 22:19 TLB)  and humbled yourself before the Lord when you read 
       the book and its warnings that this land would be cursed and become 
       desolate, and because you have torn your clothing and wept before me 
       in contrition, I will listen to your plea.

       (2 Ki 22:20 TLB)  The death of this nation will not occur until after 





       you die--you will not see the evil that I will bring upon this place." 
       So they took the message to the king.

       (2 Ki 23:1 TLB)  Then the king sent for the elders and other leaders 
       of Judah and Jerusalem to go to the Temple with him.

       (2 Ki 23:2 TLB)  So all the priests and prophets and the people, small 
       and great, of Jerusalem and Judah gathered there at the Temple so that 
       the king could read to them the entire book of God's laws which had 
       been discovered in the Temple.

       (2 Ki 23:3 TLB)  He stood beside the pillar in front of the people, 
       and he and they made a solemn promise to the Lord to obey him at all 
       times and to do everything the book commanded.

       (2 Ki 23:4 TLB)  Then the king instructed Hilkiah the High Priest and 
       the rest of the priests and the guards of the Temple to destroy all 
       the equipment used in the worship of Baal, Asherah, and the sun, moon, 
       and stars. The king had it all burned in the fields of the Kidron 
       Valley outside Jerusalem, and he carried the ashes to Bethel.

       (2 Ki 23:5 TLB)  He killed the heathen priests who had been appointed 
       by the previous kings of Judah, for they had burned incense in the 
       shrines on the hills throughout Judah and even in Jerusalem. They had 
       also offered incense to Baal and to the sun, moon, stars, and planets.

       (2 Ki 23:6 TLB)  He removed the shameful idol of Asherah from the 
       Temple and took it outside Jerusalem to Kidron Brook; there he burned 
       it and beat it to dust and threw the dust on the graves of the common 
       people.

       (2 Ki 23:7 TLB)  He also tore down the houses of male prostitution 
       around the Temple, where the women wove robes for the Asherah-idol.

       (2 Ki 23:8 TLB)  He brought back to Jerusalem the priests of the Lord, 
       who were living in other cities of Judah, and tore down all the 
       shrines on the hills where they had burned incense, even those as far 
       away as Geba and Beersheba. He also destroyed the shrines at the 
       entrance of the palace of Joshua, the former mayor of Jerusalem, 
       located on the left side as one enters the city gate.

       (2 Ki 23:9 TLB)  However, these priests did not serve at the altar of 
       the Lord in Jerusalem, even though they ate with the other priests.

       (2 Ki 23:10 TLB)  Then the king destroyed the altar of Topheth in the 
       Valley of the Sons of Hinnom, so that no one could ever again use it 
       to burn his son or daughter to death as a sacrifice to Molech.

       (2 Ki 23:11 TLB)  He tore down the statues of horses and chariots 
       located near the entrance of the Temple, next to the quarters of 
       Nathan-melech the eunuch. These had been dedicated by former kings of 
       Judah to the sun god.

       (2 Ki 23:12 TLB)  Then he tore down the altars that the kings of Judah 
       had built on the palace roof above the Ahaz Room. He also destroyed 
       the altars that Manasseh had built in the two courts of the Temple; he 





       smashed them to bits and scattered the pieces in Kidron Valley.

       (2 Ki 23:13 TLB)  Next he removed the shrines on the hills east of 
       Jerusalem and south of Destruction Mountain. (Solomon had built these 
       shrines for Ashtoreth, the evil goddess of the Sidonians; and for 
       Chemosh, the evil god of Moab; and for Milcom, the evil god of the 
       Ammonites.)

       (2 Ki 23:14 TLB)  He smashed the obelisks and cut down the shameful 
       idols of Asherah; then he defiled these places by scattering human 
       bones over them.

       (2 Ki 23:15 TLB)  He also tore down the altar and shrine at Bethel 
       that Jeroboam I had made when he led Israel into sin. He crushed the 
       stones to dust and burned the shameful idol of Asherah.

       (2 Ki 23:16 TLB)  As Josiah was looking around, he noticed several 
       graves in the side of the mountain. He ordered his men to bring out 
       the bones in them and to burn them there upon the altar at Bethel to 
       defile it, just as the Lord's prophet had declared would happen to 
       Jeroboam's altar.

       (2 Ki 23:17 TLB)  "What is that monument over there?" he asked. And 
       the men of the city told him, "It is the grave of the prophet who came 
       from Judah and proclaimed that what you have just done would happen 
       here at the altar at Bethel!"

       (2 Ki 23:18 TLB)  So King Josiah replied, "Leave it alone. Don't 
       disturb his bones." So they didn't burn his bones or those of the 
       prophet from Samaria.

       (2 Ki 23:19 TLB)  Josiah demolished the shrines on the hills in all of 
       Samaria. They had been built by the various kings of Israel and had 
       made the Lord very angry. But now he crushed them into dust, just as 
       he had done at Bethel.

       (2 Ki 23:20 TLB)  He executed the priests of the heathen shrines upon 
       their own altars, and he burned human bones upon the altars to defile 
       them. Finally he returned to Jerusalem.

       (2 Ki 23:21 TLB)  The king then issued orders for his people to 
       observe the Passover ceremonies as recorded by the Lord their God in 
       The Book of the Covenant.

       (2 Ki 23:22 TLB)  There had not been a Passover celebration like that 
       since the days of the judges of Israel, and there was never another 
       like it in all the years of the kings of Israel and Judah.

       (2 Ki 23:23 TLB)  This Passover was in the eighteenth year of the 
       reign of King Josiah, and it was celebrated in Jerusalem.

       (2 Ki 23:24 TLB)  Josiah also exterminated the mediums and wizards, 
       and every kind of idol worship, both in Jerusalem and throughout the 
       land. For Josiah wanted to follow all the laws that were written in 
       the book that Hilkiah the priest had found in the Temple.





       (2 Ki 23:25 TLB)  There was no other king who so completely turned to 
       the Lord and followed all the laws of Moses; and no king since the 
       time of Josiah has approached his record of obedience.

       (2 Ki 23:26 TLB)  But the Lord still did not hold back his great anger 
       against Judah, caused by the evils of King Manasseh.

       (2 Ki 23:27 TLB)  For the Lord had said, "I will destroy Judah just as 
       I have destroyed Israel; and I will discard my chosen city of 
       Jerusalem and the Temple that I said was mine."

       (2 Ki 23:28 TLB)  The rest of the biography of Josiah is written in 
       The Annals of the Kings of Judah.

       (2 Ki 23:29 TLB)  In those days King Neco of Egypt went out to help 
       the king of Assyria at the Euphrates River. Then King Josiah went out 
       with his troops to fight King Neco; but King Neco withstood him at 
       Megiddo and killed him.

       (2 Ki 23:30 TLB)  His officers took his body back in a chariot from 
       Megiddo to Jerusalem and buried him in the grave he had selected. And 
       his son Jehoahaz was chosen by the nation as its new king.

       (2 Ki 23:31 TLB)  New king of Judah: Jehoahaz His age at the beginning 
       of his reign: 23 years old Length of reign: 3 months, in Jerusalem 
       Mother's name: Hamutal (the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah)

       (2 Ki 23:32 TLB)  Character of his reign: evil, like the other kings 
       who had preceded him

       (2 Ki 23:33 TLB)  Pharaoh-Neco jailed him at Riblah in Hamath to 
       prevent his reigning in Jerusalem, and he levied a tax against Judah 
       totaling $230,000.

       (2 Ki 23:34 TLB)  The Egyptian king then chose Eliakim, another of 
       Josiah's sons, to reign in Jerusalem; and he changed his name to 
       Jehoiakim. Then he took King Jehoahaz to Egypt, where he died.

       (2 Ki 23:35 TLB)  Jehoiakim taxed the people to get the money that the 
       Pharaoh had demanded.

       (2 Ki 23:36 TLB)  New king of Judah: Jehoiakim His age at the 
       beginning of his reign: 25 years old Length of reign: 11 years, in 
       Jerusalem Mother's name: Zebidah (daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah)

       (2 Ki 23:37 TLB)  Character of his reign: evil, like the other kings 
       who had preceded him

       (2 Ki 24:1 TLB)  During the reign of King Jehoiakim, King 
       Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon attacked Jerusalem. Jehoiakim surrendered 
       and paid him tribute for three years, but then rebelled.

       (2 Ki 24:2 TLB)  And the Lord sent bands of Chaldeans, Syrians, 
       Moabites, and Ammonites against Judah in order to destroy the nation, 
       just as the Lord had warned through his prophets that he would.





       (2 Ki 24:3 TLB)  It is clear that these disasters befell Judah at the 
       direct command of the Lord. He had decided to wipe Judah out of his 
       sight because of the many sins of Manasseh,

       (2 Ki 24:4 TLB)  for he had filled Jerusalem with blood, and the Lord 
       would not pardon it.

       (2 Ki 24:5 TLB)  The rest of the history of the life of Jehoiakim is 
       recorded in The Annals of the Kings of Judah.

       (2 Ki 24:6 TLB)  When he died, his son Jehoiachin became the new king.

       (2 Ki 24:7 TLB)  (The Egyptian Pharaoh never returned after that, for 
       the king of Babylon occupied the entire area claimed by Egypt--all of 
       Judah from the Brook of Egypt to the Euphrates River.)

       (2 Ki 24:8 TLB)  New king of Judah: Jehoiachin His age at the 
       beginning of his reign: 18 years old Length of reign: 3 months, in 
       Jerusalem Mother's name: Nehushta (daughter of Elnathan, a citizen of 
       Jerusalem)

       (2 Ki 24:9 TLB)  

       (2 Ki 24:10 TLB)  During his reign the armies of King Nebuchadnezzar 
       of Babylon besieged the city of Jerusalem.

       (2 Ki 24:11 TLB)  Nebuchadnezzar himself arrived during the siege,

       (2 Ki 24:12 TLB)  and King Jehoiachin, all of his officials, and the 
       queen mother surrendered to him. The surrender was accepted, and 
       Jehoiachin was imprisoned in Babylon during the eighth year of 
       Nebuchadnezzar's reign.

       (2 Ki 24:13 TLB)  The Babylonians carried home all the treasures from 
       the Temple and the royal palace; and they cut apart all the gold bowls 
       which King Solomon of Israel had placed in the Temple at the Lord's 
       directions.

       (2 Ki 24:14 TLB)  King Nebuchadnezzar took ten thousand captives from 
       Jerusalem, including all the princes and the best of the soldiers, 
       craftsmen, and smiths. So only the poorest and least skilled people 
       were left in the land.

       (2 Ki 24:15 TLB)  Nebuchadnezzar took King Jehoiachin, his wives and 
       officials, and the queen mother, to Babylon.

       (2 Ki 24:16 TLB)  He also took seven thousand of the best troops and 
       one thousand craftsmen and smiths, all of whom were strong and fit for 
       war.

       (2 Ki 24:17 TLB)  Then the king of Babylon appointed King Jehoiachin's 
       great-uncle, Mattaniah, to be the next king; and he changed his name 
       to Zedekiah.

       (2 Ki 24:18 TLB)  New king of Judah: Zedekiah His age at the beginning 
       of his reign: 21 years old Length of reign: 11 years, in Jerusalem 





       Mother's name: Hamutal (daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah)

       (2 Ki 24:19 TLB)  Character of his reign: evil, like that of Jehoiakim

       (2 Ki 24:20 TLB)  So the Lord finally, in his anger, destroyed the 
       people of Jerusalem and Judah. But now King Zedekiah rebelled against 
       the king of Babylon.

       (2 Ki 25:1 TLB)  Then King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon mobilized his 
       entire army and laid siege to Jerusalem, arriving on March 25 of the 
       ninth year of the reign of King Zedekiah of Judah.

       (2 Ki 25:2 TLB)  The siege continued into the eleventh year of his 
       reign.

       (2 Ki 25:3 TLB)  The last food in the city was eaten on July 24,

       (2 Ki 25:4 TLB)  and that night the king and his troops made a hole in 
       the inner wall and fled out toward the Arabah through a gate that lay 
       between the double walls near the king's garden.

       (2 Ki 25:5 TLB)  The Babylonian troops surrounding the city took out 
       after him and captured him in the plains of Jericho, and all his men 
       scattered.

       (2 Ki 25:6 TLB)  He was taken to Riblah, where he was tried and 
       sentenced before the king of Babylon.

       (2 Ki 25:7 TLB)  He was forced to watch as his sons were killed before 
       his eyes; then his eyes were put out, and he was bound with chains and 
       taken away to Babylon.

       (2 Ki 25:8 TLB)  General Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal 
       bodyguard, arrived at Jerusalem from Babylon on July 22 of the 
       nineteenth year of the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar.

       (2 Ki 25:9 TLB)  He burned down the Temple, the palace, and all the 
       other houses of any worth.

       (2 Ki 25:10 TLB)  He then supervised the Babylonian army in tearing 
       down the walls of Jerusalem.

       (2 Ki 25:11 TLB)  The remainder of the people in the city and the 
       Jewish deserters who had declared their allegiance to the king of 
       Babylon were all taken as exiles to Babylon.

       (2 Ki 25:12 TLB)  But the poorest of the people were left to farm the 
       land.

       (2 Ki 25:13 TLB)  The Babylonians broke up the bronze pillars of the 
       Temple and the bronze tank and its bases and carried all the bronze to 
       Babylon.

       (2 Ki 25:14 TLB)  They also took all the pots, shovels, firepans, 
       snuffers, spoons, and other bronze instruments used for the 
       sacrifices.






       (2 Ki 25:15 TLB)  The gold and silver bowls, with all the rest of the 
       gold and silver, were melted down to bullion.

       (2 Ki 25:16 TLB)  It was impossible to estimate the weight of the two 
       pillars and the great tank and its bases--all made for the Temple by 
       King Solomon--because they were so heavy.

       (2 Ki 25:17 TLB)  Each pillar was 27 feet high, with an intricate 
       bronze network of pomegranates decorating the 4 1/ 2-foot capitals at 
       the tops of the pillars.

       (2 Ki 25:18 TLB)  The general took Seraiah, the chief priest, his 
       assistant Zephaniah, and the three Temple guards to Babylon as 
       captives.

       (2 Ki 25:19 TLB)  A commander of the army of Judah, the chief 
       recruiting officer, five of the king's counselors, and sixty farmers, 
       all of whom were discovered hiding in the city,

       (2 Ki 25:20 TLB)  were taken by General Nebuzaradan to the king of 
       Babylon at Riblah,

       (2 Ki 25:21 TLB)  where they were put to the sword and died. So Judah 
       was exiled from its land.

       (2 Ki 25:22 TLB)  Then King Nebuchadnezzar appointed Gedaliah (the son 
       of Ahikam and grandson of Shaphan) as governor over the people left in 
       Judah.

       (2 Ki 25:23 TLB)  When the Israeli guerrilla forces learned that the 
       king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah as governor, some of these 
       underground leaders and their men joined him at Mizpah. These included 
       Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah; Johanan, the son of Kareah; Seraiah, 
       the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite; and Jaazaniah, son of 
       Maachathite, and their men.

       (2 Ki 25:24 TLB)  Gedaliah vowed that if they would give themselves up 
       and submit to the Babylonians, they would be allowed to live in the 
       land and would not be exiled.

       (2 Ki 25:25 TLB)  But seven months later, Ishmael, who was a member of 
       the royal line, went to Mizpah with ten men and killed Gedaliah and 
       his court--both the Jews and the Babylonians.

       (2 Ki 25:26 TLB)  Then all the men of Judah and the guerrilla leaders 
       fled in panic to Egypt, for they were afraid of what the Babylonians 
       would do to them.

       (2 Ki 25:27 TLB)  King Jehoiachin was released from prison on the 
       twenty-seventh day of the last month of the thirty-seventh year of his 
       captivity. This occurred during the first year of the reign of King 
       Evil-merodach of Babylon.

       (2 Ki 25:28 TLB)  He treated Jehoiachin kindly and gave him 
       preferential treatment over all the other kings who were being held as 





       prisoners in Babylon.

       (2 Ki 25:29 TLB)  Jehoiachin was given civilian clothing to replace 
       his prison garb, and for as long as he lived, he ate regularly at the 
       king's table.

       (2 Ki 25:30 TLB)  The king also gave him a daily cash allowance for 
       the rest of his life.

       (1 Chr 1:1 TLB)  These are the earliest generations of mankind: Adam, 
       Seth, Enosh,

       (1 Chr 1:2 TLB)  Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared,

       (1 Chr 1:3 TLB)  Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech,

       (1 Chr 1:4 TLB)  Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

       (1 Chr 1:5 TLB)  The sons of Japheth were: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, 
       Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras.

       (1 Chr 1:6 TLB)  The sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Diphath, and Togarmah.

       (1 Chr 1:7 TLB)  The sons of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and 
       Rodanim.

       (1 Chr 1:8 TLB)  The sons of Ham: Cush, Mizraim, Canaan, and Put.

       (1 Chr 1:9 TLB)  The sons of Cush were: Seba, Havilah, Sabta, Raama, 
       and Sabteca. The sons of Raama were Sheba and Dedan.

       (1 Chr 1:10 TLB)  Another of the sons of Cush was Nimrod, who became a 
       great hero.

       (1 Chr 1:11 TLB)  The clans named after the sons of Mizraim were: the 
       Ludim, the Anamim, the Lehabim, the Naphtuhim,

       (1 Chr 1:12 TLB)  the Pathrusim, the Caphtorim, and the Casluhim (the 
       ancestors of the Philistines).

       (1 Chr 1:13 TLB)  Among Canaan's sons were: Sidon (his firstborn) and 
       Heth. Canaan was also the ancestor of the

       (1 Chr 1:14 TLB)  Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites,

       (1 Chr 1:15 TLB)  Hivites, Arkites, Sinites,

       (1 Chr 1:16 TLB)  Arvadites, Zemarites, and Hamathites.

       (1 Chr 1:17 TLB)  The sons of Shem: Elam, Asshur, Arpachshad, Lud, 
       Aram, Uz, Hul, Gether, and Meshech.

       (1 Chr 1:18 TLB)  Arpachshad's son was Shelah, and Shelah's son was 
       Eber.

       (1 Chr 1:19 TLB)  Eber had two sons: Peleg (which means "Divided," for 





       it was during his lifetime that the people of the earth were divided 
       into different language groups) and Joktan.

       (1 Chr 1:20 TLB)  The sons of Joktan: Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, 
       Jerah, Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, Ebal, Abimael, Sheba, Ophir, Havilah, 
       and Jobab.

       (1 Chr 1:21 TLB)  

       (1 Chr 1:22 TLB)  

       (1 Chr 1:23 TLB)  

       (1 Chr 1:24 TLB)  So the son of Shem was Arpachshad, the son of 
       Arpachshad was Shelah,

       (1 Chr 1:25 TLB)  the son of Shelah was Eber, the son of Eber was 
       Peleg, the son of Peleg was Reu,

       (1 Chr 1:26 TLB)  the son of Reu was Serug, the son of Serug was 
       Nahor, the son of Nahor was Terah,

       (1 Chr 1:27 TLB)  the son of Terah was Abram (later known as Abraham).

       (1 Chr 1:28 TLB)  Abraham's sons were Isaac and Ishmael.

       (1 Chr 1:29 TLB)  The sons of Ishmael: Nebaioth (the oldest), Kedar, 
       Adbeel, Mibsam,

       (1 Chr 1:30 TLB)  Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema,

       (1 Chr 1:31 TLB)  Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah.

       (1 Chr 1:32 TLB)  Abraham also had sons by his concubine Keturah: 
       Zimram, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. Jokshan's sons were 
       Sheba and Dedan.

       (1 Chr 1:33 TLB)  The sons of Midian: Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and 
       Eldaah. These were the descendants of Abraham by his concubine 
       Keturah.

       (1 Chr 1:34 TLB)  Abraham's son Isaac had two sons, Esau and Israel.

       (1 Chr 1:35 TLB)  The sons of Esau: Eliphaz, Reuel, Jeush, Jalam, and 
       Korah.

       (1 Chr 1:36 TLB)  The sons of Eliphaz: Teman, Omar, Zephi, Gatam, 
       Kenaz, Timna, and Amalek.

       (1 Chr 1:37 TLB)  The sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and 
       Mizzah.

       (1 Chr 1:38 TLB)  The sons of Esau also included Lotan, Shobal, 
       Zibeon, Anah, Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan; and Esau's daughter was named 
       Timna.





       (1 Chr 1:39 TLB)  Lotan's sons: Hori and Homam.

       (1 Chr 1:40 TLB)  The sons of Shobal: Alian, Manahath, Ebal, Shephi, 
       and Onam. Zibeon's sons were Aiah and Anah.

       (1 Chr 1:41 TLB)  Anah's son was Dishon. The sons of Dishon: Hamran, 
       Eshban, Ithran, and Cheran.

       (1 Chr 1:42 TLB)  The sons of Ezer: Bilhan, Zaavan, and Jaakan. 
       Dishan's sons were Uz and Aran.

       (1 Chr 1:43 TLB)  Here is a list of the names of the kings of Edom who 
       reigned before the kingdom of Israel began: Bela (the son of Beor), 
       who lived in the city of Dinhabah.

       (1 Chr 1:44 TLB)  When Bela died, Jobab the son of Zerah from Bozrah 
       became the new king.

       (1 Chr 1:45 TLB)  When Jobab died, Husham from the country ofthe 
       Temanites became the king.

       (1 Chr 1:46 TLB)  When Husham died, Hadad the son of Bedad--the one 
       who destroyed the army of Midian in the fields of Moab--became king 
       and ruled from the city of Avith.

       (1 Chr 1:47 TLB)  When Hadad died, Samlah from the city of Masrekah 
       came to the throne.

       (1 Chr 1:48 TLB)  When Samlah died, Shaul from the river town of 
       Rehoboth became the new king.

       (1 Chr 1:49 TLB)  When Shaul died, Baal-hanan the son of Achbor became 
       king.

       (1 Chr 1:50 TLB)  When Baal-hanan died, Hadad became king and ruled 
       from the city of Pai (his wife was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred 
       and granddaughter of Mezahab).

       (1 Chr 1:51 TLB)  At the time of Hadad's death, the kings of Edom 
       were: Chief Timna, Chief Aliah, Chief Jetheth,

       (1 Chr 1:52 TLB)  Chief Oholibamah, Chief Elah, Chief Pinon,

       (1 Chr 1:53 TLB)  Chief Kenaz, Chief Teman, Chief Mibzar,

       (1 Chr 1:54 TLB)  Chief Magdiel, Chief Iram.

       (1 Chr 2:1 TLB)  The sons of Israel were: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, 
       Issachar, Zebulun,

       (1 Chr 2:2 TLB)  Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, Asher.

       (1 Chr 2:3 TLB)  Judah had three sons by Bathshua, a girl from Canaan: 
       Er, Onan, and Shelah. But the oldest son, Er, was so wicked that the 
       Lord killed him.





       (1 Chr 2:4 TLB)  Then Er's widow, Tamar, and her father-in-law, Judah, 
       became the parents of twin sons, Perez and Zerah. So Judah had five 
       sons.

       (1 Chr 2:5 TLB)  The sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul.

       (1 Chr 2:6 TLB)  The sons of Zerah were: Zimri, Ethan, Heman, Calcol, 
       and Dara.

       (1 Chr 2:7 TLB)  (Achan, the son of Carmi, was the man who robbed God 
       and was such a troublemaker for his nation.)

       (1 Chr 2:8 TLB)  Ethan's son was Azariah.

       (1 Chr 2:9 TLB)  The sons of Hezron were Jerahmeel, Ram, and Chelubai.

       (1 Chr 2:10 TLB)  Ram was the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab was 
       the father of Nahshon, a leader of Israel.

       (1 Chr 2:11 TLB)  Nahshon was the father of Salma, and Salma was the 
       father of Boaz.

       (1 Chr 2:12 TLB)  Boaz was the father of Obed, and Obed was the father 
       of Jesse.

       (1 Chr 2:13 TLB)  Jesse's first son was Eliab, his second was 
       Abinadab, his third was Shimea,

       (1 Chr 2:14 TLB)  his fourth was Nethanel, his fifth was Raddai,

       (1 Chr 2:15 TLB)  his sixth was Ozem, and his seventh was David.

       (1 Chr 2:16 TLB)  He also had two girls (by the same wife) named 
       Zeruiah and Abigail. Zeruiah's sons were Abishai, Joab, and Asahel.

       (1 Chr 2:17 TLB)  Abigail, whose husband was Jether from the land of 
       Ishmael, had a son named Amasa.

       (1 Chr 2:18 TLB)  Caleb (the son of Hezron) had two wives, Azubah and 
       Jerioth. These are the children of Azubah: Jesher, Shobab, and Ardon.

       (1 Chr 2:19 TLB)  After Azubah's death, Caleb married Ephrath, who 
       presented him with a son, Hur.

       (1 Chr 2:20 TLB)  Hur's son was Uri, and Uri's son was Bezalel.

       (1 Chr 2:21 TLB)  Hezron married Machir's daughter at the age of 
       sixty, and she presented him with a son, Segub. (Machir was also the 
       father of Gilead.)

       (1 Chr 2:22 TLB)  Segub was the father of Jair, who ruled twenty-three 
       cities in the land of Gilead.

       (1 Chr 2:23 TLB)  But Geshur and Aram wrested these cities from him 
       and also took Kenath and its sixty surrounding villages.





       (1 Chr 2:24 TLB)  Soon after his father Hezron's death, Caleb married 
       Ephrathah, his father's widow, and she gave birth to Ashhur, the 
       father of Tekoa.

       (1 Chr 2:25 TLB)  These are the sons of Jerahmeel (the oldest son of 
       Hezron): Ram (the oldest), Bunah, Oren, Ozem, and Ahijah.

       (1 Chr 2:26 TLB)  Jerahmeel's second wife Atarah was the mother of 
       Onam.

       (1 Chr 2:27 TLB)  The sons of Ram: Maaz, Jamin, and Eker.

       (1 Chr 2:28 TLB)  Onam's sons were Shammai and Jada. Shammai's sons 
       were Nadab and Abishur.

       (1 Chr 2:29 TLB)  The sons of Abishur and his wife Abihail were Ahban 
       and Molid.

       (1 Chr 2:30 TLB)  Nadab's sons were Seled and Appaim. Seled died 
       without children,

       (1 Chr 2:31 TLB)  but Appaim had a son named Ishi; Ishi's son was 
       Sheshan; and Sheshan's son was Ahlai.

       (1 Chr 2:32 TLB)  Shammai's brother Jada had two sons, Jether and 
       Jonathan. Jether died without children,

       (1 Chr 2:33 TLB)  but Jonathan had two sons named Peleth and Zaza.

       (1 Chr 2:34 TLB)  Sheshan had no sons, although he had several 
       daughters.

       (1 Chr 2:35 TLB)  He gave one of his daughters to be the wife of 
       Jarha, his Egyptian servant. And they had a son whom they named Attai.

       (1 Chr 2:36 TLB)  Attai's son was Nathan; Nathan's son was Zabad;

       (1 Chr 2:37 TLB)  Zabad's son was Ephlal; Ephlal's son was Obed;

       (1 Chr 2:38 TLB)  Obed's son was Jehu; Jehu's son was Azariah;

       (1 Chr 2:39 TLB)  Azariah's son was Helez; Helez's son was Eleasah;

       (1 Chr 2:40 TLB)  Eleasah's son was Sismai; Sismai's son was Shallum;

       (1 Chr 2:41 TLB)  Shallum's son was Jekamiah; Jekamiah's son was 
       Elishama.

       (1 Chr 2:42 TLB)  The oldest son of Caleb (Jerahmeel's brother) was 
       Mesha; he was the father of Ziph, who was father of Mareshah, who was 
       the father of Hebron.

       (1 Chr 2:43 TLB)  The sons of Hebron: Korah, Tappuah, Rekem, and 
       Shema.

       (1 Chr 2:44 TLB)  Shema was the father of Raham, who was the father of 





       Jorkeam. Rekem was the father of Shammai.

       (1 Chr 2:45 TLB)  Shammai's son was Maon, the father of Bethzur.

       (1 Chr 2:46 TLB)  Caleb's concubine Ephah bore him Haran, Moza, and 
       Gazez; Haran had a son named Gazez.

       (1 Chr 2:47 TLB)  The sons of Jahdai: Regem, Jotham, Geshan, Pelet, 
       Ephah, and Shaaph.

       (1 Chr 2:48 TLB)  Another of Caleb's concubines, Maacah, bore him 
       Sheber, Tirhanah,

       (1 Chr 2:49 TLB)  Shaaph (the father of Madmannah), and Sheva (the 
       father of Machbenah and of Gibea). Caleb also had a daughter, whose 
       name was Achsah.

       (1 Chr 2:50 TLB)  The sons of Hur (who was the oldest son of Caleb and 
       Ephrathah) were Shobal (the father of Kiriath-jearim),

       (1 Chr 2:51 TLB)  Salma (the father of Bethlehem), and Hareph (the 
       father of Beth-gader).

       (1 Chr 2:52 TLB)  Shobal's sons included Kiriath-jearim and Haroeh, 
       the ancestor of half of the Menuhoth tribe.

       (1 Chr 2:53 TLB)  The families of Kiriath-jearim were the Ithrites, 
       the Puthites, the Shumathites, and the Mishraites (from whom descended 
       the Zorathites and Eshtaolites).

       (1 Chr 2:54 TLB)  The descendants of Salma were his son Bethlehem, the 
       Netophathites, Atrothbeth-joab, half the Manahathites, and the 
       Zorites;

       (1 Chr 2:55 TLB)  they also included the families of the writers 
       living at Jabez--the Tirathites, Shimeathites, and Sucathites. All 
       these are Kenites who descended from Hammath, the founder of the 
       family of Rechab.

       (1 Chr 3:1 TLB)  King David's oldest son was Amnon, who was born to 
       his wife, Ahinoam of Jezreel. The second was Daniel, whose mother was 
       Abigail from Carmel.

       (1 Chr 3:2 TLB)  The third was Absalom, the son of his wife Maacah, 
       who was the daughter of King Talmai of Geshur. The fourth was 
       Adonijah, the son of Haggith.

       (1 Chr 3:3 TLB)  The fifth was Shephatiah, the son of Abital. The 
       sixth was Ithream, the son of his wife Eglah.

       (1 Chr 3:4 TLB)  These six were born to him in Hebron, where he 
       reigned seven and a half years. Then he moved the capital to 
       Jerusalem, where he reigned another thirty-three years.

       (1 Chr 3:5 TLB)  While he was in Jerusalem, his wife Bathsheba (the 
       daughter of Ammiel) became the mother of his sons Shimea, Shobab, 





       Nathan, and Solomon.

       (1 Chr 3:6 TLB)  David also had nine other sons: Ibhar, Elishama, 
       Eliphelet, Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet.

       (1 Chr 3:7 TLB)  

       (1 Chr 3:8 TLB)  

       (1 Chr 3:9 TLB)  (This list does not include the sons of his 
       concubines.) David also had a daughter Tamar.

       (1 Chr 3:10 TLB)  These are the descendants of King Solomon: Rehoboam, 
       Abijah, Asa, Jehoshaphat,

       (1 Chr 3:11 TLB)  Joram, Ahaziah, Joash,

       (1 Chr 3:12 TLB)  Amaziah, Azariah, Jotham,

       (1 Chr 3:13 TLB)  Ahaz, Hezekiah, Manasseh,

       (1 Chr 3:14 TLB)  Amon, Josiah.

       (1 Chr 3:15 TLB)  The sons of Josiah were: Johanan, Jehoiakim, 
       Zedekiah, Shallum.

       (1 Chr 3:16 TLB)  The sons of Jehoiakim: Jeconiah, Zedekiah.

       (1 Chr 3:17 TLB)  These are the sons who were born to King Jeconiah 
       during the years that he was under house arrest: Shealtiel,

       (1 Chr 3:18 TLB)  Malchiram, Pedaiah, Shenazzar, Jekamiah, Hoshama, 
       Nedabiah.

       (1 Chr 3:19 TLB)  Pedaiah was the father of Zerubbabel and Shimei. 
       Zerubbabel's children were: Meshullam, Hananiah,

       (1 Chr 3:20 TLB)  Hashubah, Ohel, Berechiah, Hasadiah, Jushab-hesed, 
       Shelomith (a daughter).

       (1 Chr 3:21 TLB)  Hananiah's sons were Pelatiah and Jeshaiah; 
       Jeshaiah's son was Rephaiah; Rephaiah's son was Arnan; Arnan's son was 
       Obadiah;

       (1 Chr 3:22 TLB)  Obadiah's son was Shecaniah. Shecaniah's son was 
       Shemaiah; Shemaiah had six sons, including Hattush, Igal, Bariah, 
       Neariah, and Shaphat.

       (1 Chr 3:23 TLB)  Neariah had three sons: Elioenai, Hizkiah, Azrikam.

       (1 Chr 3:24 TLB)  Elioenai had seven sons: Hodaviah, Eliashib, 
       Pelaiah, Akkub, Johanan, Delaiah, Anani.

       (1 Chr 4:1 TLB)  These are the sons of Judah: Perez, Hezron, Carmi, 
       Hur, Shobal.





       (1 Chr 4:2 TLB)  Shobal's son Reaiah was the father of Jahath, the 
       ancestor of Ahumai and Lahad. These were known as the Zorathite clans.

       (1 Chr 4:3 TLB)  The descendants of Etam: Jezreel, Ishma, Idbash, 
       Hazzelelponi (his daughter),

       (1 Chr 4:4 TLB)  Penuel (the ancestor of Gedor), Ezer (the ancestor of 
       Hushah), the son of Hur, the oldest son of Ephrathah, who was the 
       father of Bethlehem.

       (1 Chr 4:5 TLB)  Ashhur, the father of Tekoa, had two wives--Helah, 
       and Naarah.

       (1 Chr 4:6 TLB)  Naarah bore him Ahuzzam, Hepher, Temeni, and 
       Haahashtari;

       (1 Chr 4:7 TLB)  and Helah bore him Zereth, Izhar, and Ethnan.

       (1 Chr 4:8 TLB)  Koz was the father of Anub and Zobebah; he was also 
       the ancestor of the clan named after Aharhel, the son of Harum.

       (1 Chr 4:9 TLB)  Jabez was more distinguished than any of his 
       brothers. His mother named him Jabez because she had such a hard time 
       at his birth (Jabez means "Distress").

       (1 Chr 4:10 TLB)  He was the one who prayed to the God of Israel, "Oh, 
       that you would wonderfully bless me and help me in my work; please be 
       with me in all that I do, and keep me from all evil and disaster!" And 
       God granted him his request.

       (1 Chr 4:11 TLB)  The descendants of Recah were: Chelub (the brother 
       of Shuhah), whose son was Mahir, the father of Eshton;

       (1 Chr 4:12 TLB)  Eshton was the father of Bethrapha, Paseah, and 
       Tehinnah; Tehinnah was the father of Irnahash.

       (1 Chr 4:13 TLB)  The sons of Kenaz were Othniel and Seraiah. 
       Othniel's sons were Hathath and Meonothai;

       (1 Chr 4:14 TLB)  Meonothai was the father of Ophrah; Seraiah was the 
       father of Joab, the ancestor of the inhabitants of Craftsman Valley 
       (called that because many craftsmen lived there).

       (1 Chr 4:15 TLB)  The sons of Caleb (the son of Jephunneh): Iru, Elah, 
       Naam. The sons of Elah included Kenaz.

       (1 Chr 4:16 TLB)  Jehallelel's sons were: Ziph, Ziphah, Tiria, Asarel.

       (1 Chr 4:17 TLB)  Ezrah's sons were: Jether, Mered, Epher, Jalon. 
       Mered married Bithiah, an Egyptian princess. She was the mother of 
       Miriam, Shammai, and Ishbah--an ancestor of Eshtemoa.

       (1 Chr 4:18 TLB)  Eshtemoa's wife was a Jewess; she was the mother of 
       Jered, Heber, and Jekuthiel, who were, respectively, the ancestors of 
       the Gedorites, Socoites, and Zanoahites.





       (1 Chr 4:19 TLB)  Hodiah's wife was the sister of Naham. One of her 
       sons was the father of Keilah the Garmite, and another was the father 
       of Eshtemoa the Maacathite.

       (1 Chr 4:20 TLB)  The sons of Shimon: Amnon, Rinnah, Ben-hanan, Tilon. 
       The sons of Ishi: Zoheth, Ben-zoheth.

       (1 Chr 4:21 TLB)  The sons of Shelah (the son of Judah): Er (the 
       father of Lecah), Laadah (the father of Mareshah), The families of the 
       linen workers who worked at Beth-ashbea,

       (1 Chr 4:22 TLB)  Jokim, The clans of Cozeba, Joash, Saraph (who was a 
       ruler in Moab before he returned to Lehem). These names all come from 
       very ancient records.

       (1 Chr 4:23 TLB)  These clans were noted for their pottery, gardening, 
       and planting; they all worked for the king:

       (1 Chr 4:24 TLB)  The sons of Simeon: Nemuel, Jamin, Jarib, Zerah, 
       Shaul.

       (1 Chr 4:25 TLB)  Shaul's son was Shallum, his grandson was Mibsam, 
       and his great-grandson was Mishma.

       (1 Chr 4:26 TLB)  Mishma's sons included Hammuel (the father of Zaccur 
       and grandfather of Shimei).

       (1 Chr 4:27 TLB)  Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters, but none 
       of his brothers had large families--they all had fewer children than 
       was normal in Judah.

       (1 Chr 4:28 TLB)  They lived at Beersheba, Moladah, Hazar-shual,

       (1 Chr 4:29 TLB)  Bilhah, Ezem, Tolad,

       (1 Chr 4:30 TLB)  Bethuel, Hormah, Ziklag,

       (1 Chr 4:31 TLB)  Beth-marcaboth, Hazar-susim, Beth-biri, and 
       Shaaraim. These cities were under their control until the time of 
       David.

       (1 Chr 4:32 TLB)  Their descendants also lived in or near Etam, Ain, 
       Rimmon, Tochen, and Ashan; some were as far away as Baal. (These facts 
       are recorded in their genealogies.)

       (1 Chr 4:33 TLB)  

       (1 Chr 4:34 TLB)  These are the names of some of the princes of 
       wealthy clans who traveled to the east side of Gedor Valley in search 
       of pasture for their flocks: Meshobab, Jamlech, Joshah,

       (1 Chr 4:35 TLB)  

       (1 Chr 4:36 TLB)  

       (1 Chr 4:37 TLB)  Joel, Jehu,






       (1 Chr 4:38 TLB)  Elioenai, Jaakobah, Jeshohaiah, Asaiah, Adiel, 
       Jesimiel, Benaiah,

       (1 Chr 4:39 TLB)  Ziza (the son of Shiphi, son of Allon, son of 
       Jedaiah, son of Shimri, son of Shemaiah).

       (1 Chr 4:40 TLB)  They found good pastures, and everything was quiet 
       and peaceful; but the land belonged to the descendants of Ham.

       (1 Chr 4:41 TLB)  So during the reign of King Hezekiah of Judah these 
       princes invaded the land and struck down the tents and houses of the 
       descendants of Ham; they killed the inhabitants of the land and took 
       possession of it for themselves.

       (1 Chr 4:42 TLB)  Later, five hundred of these invaders from the tribe 
       of Simeon went to Mount Seir. (Their leaders were Pelatiah, Neariah, 
       Rephaiah, and Uzziel--all sons of Ishi.)

       (1 Chr 4:43 TLB)  There they destroyed the few surviving members of 
       the tribe of Amalek. And they have lived there ever since.

       (1 Chr 5:1 TLB)  The oldest son of Israel was Reuben, but since he 
       dishonored his father by sleeping with one of his father's wives, his 
       birthright was given to his half brother, Joseph. So the official 
       genealogy doesn't name Reuben as the oldest son.

       (1 Chr 5:2 TLB)  Although Joseph received the birthright, yet Judah 
       was a powerful and influential tribe in Israel, and from Judah came a 
       Prince.

       (1 Chr 5:3 TLB)  The sons of Reuben, Israel's son, were: Hanoch, 
       Pallu, Hezron, Carmi.

       (1 Chr 5:4 TLB)  Joel's descendants were his son Shemaiah, his 
       grandson Gog, and his great-grandson Shimei.

       (1 Chr 5:5 TLB)  Shimei's son was Micah; his grandson was Reaiah; and 
       his great-grandson was Baal.

       (1 Chr 5:6 TLB)  Baal's son was Beerah. He was a prince of the tribe 
       of Reuben and was taken into captivity by King Tilgath-pilneser of 
       Assyria.

       (1 Chr 5:7 TLB)  His relatives became heads of clans and were included 
       in the official genealogy: Jeiel, Zechariah,

       (1 Chr 5:8 TLB)  Bela (the son of Azaz, grandson of Shema, and 
       great-grandson of Joel). These Reubenites lived in Aroer and as far 
       distant as Mount Nebo and Baal-meon.

       (1 Chr 5:9 TLB)  Joel was a cattleman, and he pastured his animals 
       eastward to the edge of the desert and to the Euphrates River, for 
       there were many cattle in the land of Gilead.

       (1 Chr 5:10 TLB)  During the reign of King Saul, the men of Reuben 





       defeated the Hagrites in war and moved into their tents on the eastern 
       edge of Gilead.

       (1 Chr 5:11 TLB)  Across from them, in the land of Bashan, lived the 
       descendants of Gad, who were spread as far as Salecah.

       (1 Chr 5:12 TLB)  Joel was the greatest and was followed by Shapham, 
       also Janai and Shaphat.

       (1 Chr 5:13 TLB)  Their relatives, the heads of the seven clans, were 
       Michael, Meshullam, Sheba, Jorai, Jacan, Zia, and Eber.

       (1 Chr 5:14 TLB)  The descendants of Buz, in the order of their 
       generations, were: Jahdo, Jeshishai, Michael, Gilead, Jaroah, Huri, 
       Abihail.

       (1 Chr 5:15 TLB)  Ahi, the son of Abdiel and grandson of Guni, was the 
       leader of the clan.

       (1 Chr 5:16 TLB)  The clan lived in and around Gilead (in the land of 
       Bashan) and throughout the entire pasture country of Sharon.

       (1 Chr 5:17 TLB)  All were included in the official genealogy at the 
       time of King Jotham of Judah and King Jeroboam of Israel.

       (1 Chr 5:18 TLB)  There were 44,760 armed, trained, and brave troops 
       in the army of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.

       (1 Chr 5:19 TLB)  They declared war on the Hagrites, the Jeturites, 
       the Naphishites, and the Nodabites.

       (1 Chr 5:20 TLB)  They cried out to God to help them, and he did, for 
       they trusted in him. So the Hagrites and all their allies were 
       defeated.

       (1 Chr 5:21 TLB)  The booty included 50,000 camels, 250,000 sheep, 
       2,000 donkeys, and 100,000 captives.

       (1 Chr 5:22 TLB)  A great number of the enemy also died in the battle, 
       for God was fighting against them. So the Reubenites lived in the 
       territory of the Hagrites until the time of the exile.

       (1 Chr 5:23 TLB)  The half-tribe of Manasseh spread through the land 
       from Bashan to Baal-hermon, Senir, and Mount Hermon. They too were 
       very numerous.

       (1 Chr 5:24 TLB)  The chiefs of their clans were the following: Epher, 
       Ishi, Eliel, Azriel, Jeremiah, Hodaviah, Jahdiel. Each of these men 
       had a great reputation as a warrior and leader.

       (1 Chr 5:25 TLB)  But they were not true to the God of their fathers; 
       instead they worshiped the idols of the people whom God had destroyed.

       (1 Chr 5:26 TLB)  So God caused King Pul of Assyria (also known as 
       Tilgath-pilneser III) to invade the land and deport the men of Reuben, 
       Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. They took them to Halah, Habor, 





       Hara, and the Gozan River, where they remain to this day.

       (1 Chr 6:1 TLB)  These are the names of the sons of Levi: Gershom, 
       Kohath, Merari.

       (1 Chr 6:2 TLB)  Kohath's sons were: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, Uzziel.

       (1 Chr 6:3 TLB)  Amram's descendants included: Aaron, Moses, Miriam. 
       Aaron's sons were: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, Ithamar.

       (1 Chr 6:4 TLB)  The oldest sons of the successive generations of 
       Aaron were as follows: Eleazar, the father of Phinehas, the father of

       (1 Chr 6:5 TLB)  Abishua, the father of Bukki, the father of

       (1 Chr 6:6 TLB)  Uzzi, the father of Zerahiah, the father of

       (1 Chr 6:7 TLB)  Meraioth, the father of Amariah, the father of

       (1 Chr 6:8 TLB)  Ahitub, the father of Zadok, the father of

       (1 Chr 6:9 TLB)  Ahimaaz, the father of Azariah, the father of

       (1 Chr 6:10 TLB)  Johanan, the father of

       (1 Chr 6:11 TLB)  Azariah (the High Priest in Solomon's Temple at 
       Jerusalem), the father of Amariah, the father of

       (1 Chr 6:12 TLB)  Ahitub, the father of Zadok, the father of

       (1 Chr 6:13 TLB)  Shallum, the father of Hilkiah, the father of

       (1 Chr 6:14 TLB)  Azariah, the father of Seraiah, the father of

       (1 Chr 6:15 TLB)  Jehozadak (who went into exile when the Lord sent 
       the people of Judah and Jerusalem into captivity under 
       Nebuchadnezzar).

       (1 Chr 6:16 TLB)  As previously stated, the sons of Levi were: 
       Gershom, Kohath, Merari.

       (1 Chr 6:17 TLB)  The sons of Gershom were: Libni, Shimei.

       (1 Chr 6:18 TLB)  The sons of Kohath were: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, 
       Uzziel.

       (1 Chr 6:19 TLB)  The sons of Merari were: Mahli, Mushi. The subclans 
       of the Levites were:

       (1 Chr 6:20 TLB)  In the Gershom clan: Libni, Jahath, Zimmah,

       (1 Chr 6:21 TLB)  Joah, Iddo, Zerah, Jeatherai.

       (1 Chr 6:22 TLB)  In the Kohath clan: Amminadab, Korah, Assir, 
       Elkanah, Ebiasaph, Assir, Tahath, Uriel, Uzziah, Shaul.





       (1 Chr 6:23 TLB)  

       (1 Chr 6:24 TLB)  

       (1 Chr 6:25 TLB)  The subclan of Elkanah was further divided into the 
       families of his sons: Amasai, Ahimoth, Elkanah, Zophai, Nahath, Eliab, 
       Jeroham, Elkanah.

       (1 Chr 6:26 TLB)  

       (1 Chr 6:27 TLB)  

       (1 Chr 6:28 TLB)  The families of the subclan of Samuel were headed by 
       Samuel's sons: Joel, the oldest; Abijah, the second.

       (1 Chr 6:29 TLB)  The subclans of the clan of Merari were headed by 
       his sons: Mahli, Libni, Shimei, Uzzah, Shimea, Haggiah, Asaiah.

       (1 Chr 6:30 TLB)  

       (1 Chr 6:31 TLB)  King David appointed songleaders and choirs to 
       praise God in the Tabernacle after he had placed the Ark in it.

       (1 Chr 6:32 TLB)  Then, when Solomon built the Temple at Jerusalem, 
       the choirs carried on their work there.

       (1 Chr 6:33 TLB)  These are the names and ancestries of choir leaders: 
       Heman the Cantor was from the clan of Kohath; his genealogy was traced 
       back through: Joel, Samuel,

       (1 Chr 6:34 TLB)  Elkanah III, Jeroham, Eliel, Toah,

       (1 Chr 6:35 TLB)  Zuph, Elkanah II, Mahath, Amasai,

       (1 Chr 6:36 TLB)  Elkanah I, Joel, Azariah, Zephaniah,

       (1 Chr 6:37 TLB)  Tahath, Assir, Ebiasaph, Korah,

       (1 Chr 6:38 TLB)  Izhar, Kohath, Levi, Israel.

       (1 Chr 6:39 TLB)  Heman's assistant was his colleague Asaph, whose 
       genealogy was traced back through: Berechiah, Shimea,

       (1 Chr 6:40 TLB)  Michael, Baaseiah, Malchijah,

       (1 Chr 6:41 TLB)  Ethni, Zerah, Adaiah,

       (1 Chr 6:42 TLB)  Ethan, Zimmah, Shimei,

       (1 Chr 6:43 TLB)  Jahath, Gershom, Levi.

       (1 Chr 6:44 TLB)  Heman's second assistant was Ethan, a representative 
       from the clan of Merari, who stood on his left. Merari's ancestry was 
       traced back through: Kishi, Abdi, Malluch,

       (1 Chr 6:45 TLB)  Hashabiah, Amaziah, Hilkiah,






       (1 Chr 6:46 TLB)  Amzi, Bani, Shemer,

       (1 Chr 6:47 TLB)  Mahli, Mushi, Merari, Levi.

       (1 Chr 6:48 TLB)  Their relatives--all the other Levites--were 
       appointed to various other tasks in the Tabernacle.

       (1 Chr 6:49 TLB)  But only Aaron and his descendants were the priests. 
       Their duties included sacrificing burnt offerings and incense, 
       handling all the tasks relating to the inner sanctuary--the Holy of 
       Holies--and the tasks relating to the annual Day of Atonement for 
       Israel. They saw to it that all the details commanded by Moses the 
       servant of God were strictly followed.

       (1 Chr 6:50 TLB)  The descendants of Aaron were: Eleazar, Phinehas, 
       Abishua, Bukki, Uzzi, Zerahiah, Meraioth, Amariah, Ahitub, Zadok, 
       Ahimaaz.

       (1 Chr 6:51 TLB)  

       (1 Chr 6:52 TLB)  

       (1 Chr 6:53 TLB)  

       (1 Chr 6:54 TLB)  This is a record of the cities and land assigned by 
       lot to the descendants of Aaron, all of whom were members of the 
       Kohath clan:

       (1 Chr 6:55 TLB)  Hebron and its surrounding pasturelands in Judah 
       (although the fields and suburbs were given to Caleb the son of 
       Jephunneh),

       (1 Chr 6:56 TLB)  

       (1 Chr 6:57 TLB)  

       (1 Chr 6:58 TLB)  and the following Cities of Refuge with their 
       surrounding pasturelands: Libnah, Jattir, Eshtemoa, Hilen, Debir, 
       Ashan, Beth-shemesh.

       (1 Chr 6:59 TLB)  

       (1 Chr 6:60 TLB)  Thirteen other cities with surrounding 
       pastures--including Geba, Alemeth, and Anathoth--were given to the 
       priests by the tribe of Benjamin.

       (1 Chr 6:61 TLB)  Lots were then drawn to assign land to the remaining 
       descendants of Kohath, and they received ten cities in the territory 
       of the half-tribe of Manasseh.

       (1 Chr 6:62 TLB)  The subclans of the Gershom clan received by lot 
       thirteen cities in the Bashan area from the tribes of Issachar, Asher, 
       Naphtali, and Manasseh.

       (1 Chr 6:63 TLB)  The subclans of Merari received by lot twelve cities 





       from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun.

       (1 Chr 6:64 TLB)  Cities and pasturelands were also assigned by lot to 
       the Levites (and then renamed) from the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and 
       Benjamin.

       (1 Chr 6:65 TLB)  

       (1 Chr 6:66 TLB)  The tribe of Ephraim gave these Cities of Refuge

       (1 Chr 6:67 TLB)  with the surrounding pasturelands to the subclans of 
       Kohath: Shechem in Mount Ephraim, Gezer,

       (1 Chr 6:68 TLB)  Jokme-am, Beth-horon,

       (1 Chr 6:69 TLB)  Aijalon, Gath-rimmon.

       (1 Chr 6:70 TLB)  The following Cities of Refuge and their 
       pasturelands were given to the subclans of the Kohathites by the 
       half-tribe of Manasseh: Aner, Bileam.

       (1 Chr 6:71 TLB)  Cities of Refuge and pastureland given to the clan 
       of Gershom by the half-tribe of Manasseh were: Golan, in Bashan; 
       Ashtaroth.

       (1 Chr 6:72 TLB)  The tribe of Issachar gave them Kedesh, Daberath,

       (1 Chr 6:73 TLB)  Ramoth, and Anem, and the surrounding pastureland of 
       each.

       (1 Chr 6:74 TLB)  The tribe of Asher gave them Abdon, Mashal,

       (1 Chr 6:75 TLB)  Hukok, and Rehob, with their pasturelands.

       (1 Chr 6:76 TLB)  The tribe of Naphtali gave them Kedesh in Galilee, 
       Hammon, and Kiriathaim with pasturelands.

       (1 Chr 6:77 TLB)  The tribe of Zebulun gave Rimmono and Tabor to the 
       Merari clan as Cities of Refuge.

       (1 Chr 6:78 TLB)  And across the Jordan River, opposite Jericho, the 
       tribe of Reuben gave them Bezer (a desert town), Jahzah, Kedemoth and 
       Mephaath, along with their pasturelands.

       (1 Chr 6:79 TLB)  

       (1 Chr 6:80 TLB)  The tribe of Gad gave them Ramoth in Gilead, 
       Mahanaim,

       (1 Chr 6:81 TLB)  Heshbon, and Jazer, each with their surrounding 
       pasturelands.

       (1 Chr 7:1 TLB)  The sons of Issachar: Tola, Puah, Jashub, Shimron.

       (1 Chr 7:2 TLB)  The sons of Tola, each of whom was the head of a 
       subclan: Uzzi, Rephaiah, Jeriel, Jahmai, Ibsam, Shemuel. At the time 





       of King David, the total number of men of war from these families 
       totaled 22,600.

       (1 Chr 7:3 TLB)  Uzzi's son was Izrahiah among whose five sons were 
       Michael, Obadiah, Joel, and Isshiah, all chiefs of subclans.

       (1 Chr 7:4 TLB)  Their descendants, at the time of King David, 
       numbered 36,000 troops; for all five of them had several wives and 
       many sons.

       (1 Chr 7:5 TLB)  The total number of men available for military 
       service from all the clans of the tribe of Issachar numbered 87,000 
       stouthearted warriors, all included in the official genealogy.

       (1 Chr 7:6 TLB)  The sons of Benjamin were: Bela, Becher, Jediael.

       (1 Chr 7:7 TLB)  The sons of Bela: Ezbon, Uzzi, Uzziel, Jerimoth, Iri. 
       These five mighty warriors were chiefs of subclans and were the 
       leaders of 22,034 troops (all of whom were recorded in the official 
       genealogies).

       (1 Chr 7:8 TLB)  The sons of Becher were: Zemirah, Joash, Eliezer, 
       Elioenai, Omri, Jeremoth, Abijah, Anathoth, Alemeth.

       (1 Chr 7:9 TLB)  At the time of David there were 20,200 mighty 
       warriors among their descendants; and they were led by their clan 
       chiefs.

       (1 Chr 7:10 TLB)  The son of Jediael was Bilhan. The sons of Bilhan 
       were: Jeush, Benjamin, Ehud, Chenaanah, Zethan, Tarshish, Ahishahar.

       (1 Chr 7:11 TLB)  They were the chiefs of the subclans of Jediael, and 
       their descendants included 17,200 warriors at the time of King David.

       (1 Chr 7:12 TLB)  The sons of Ir were Shuppim and Huppim. Hushim was 
       one of the sons of Aher.

       (1 Chr 7:13 TLB)  The sons of Naphtali (descendants of Jacob's wife 
       Bilhah) were: Jahziel, Guni, Jezer, Shallum.

       (1 Chr 7:14 TLB)  The sons of Manasseh, born to his Aramaean 
       concubine, were Asriel and Machir (who became the father of Gilead).

       (1 Chr 7:15 TLB)  It was Machir who found wives for Huppim and 
       Shuppim. Machir's sister was Maacah. Another descendant was 
       Zelophehad, who had only daughters.

       (1 Chr 7:16 TLB)  Machir's wife, also named Maacah, bore him a son 
       whom she named Peresh; his brother's name was Sheresh, and he had sons 
       named Ulam and Rakem.

       (1 Chr 7:17 TLB)  Ulam's son was Bedan. So these were the sons of 
       Gilead, the grandsons of Machir, and the great-grandsons of Manasseh.

       (1 Chr 7:18 TLB)  Hammolecheth, Machir's sister, bore Ishhod, Abiezer, 
       and Mahlah.






       (1 Chr 7:19 TLB)  The sons of Shemida were Ahian, Shechem, Likhi, and 
       Aniam.

       (1 Chr 7:20 TLB)  The sons of Ephraim: Shuthelah, Bered, Tahath, 
       Eleadah, Tahath,

       (1 Chr 7:21 TLB)  Zabad, Shuthelah, Ezer, Elead. Elead and Ezer 
       attempted to rustle cattle at Gath, but they were killed by the local 
       farmers.

       (1 Chr 7:22 TLB)  Their father Ephraim mourned for them a long time, 
       and his brothers tried to comfort him.

       (1 Chr 7:23 TLB)  Afterwards his wife conceived and bore a son whom he 
       called Beriah (meaning "a tragedy") because of what had happened.

       (1 Chr 7:24 TLB)  Ephraim's daughter's name was Sheerah. She built 
       Lower and Upper Beth-horon and Uzzen-sheerah.

       (1 Chr 7:25 TLB)  This is Ephraim's line of descent: Rephah, the 
       father of Resheph, the father of Telah, the father of Tahan, the 
       father of

       (1 Chr 7:26 TLB)  Ladan, the father of Ammihud, the father of 
       Elishama, the father of

       (1 Chr 7:27 TLB)  Nun, the father of Joshua.

       (1 Chr 7:28 TLB)  They lived in an area bounded on one side by Bethel 
       and its surrounding towns, on the east by Naaran, on the west by Gezer 
       and its villages, and finally by Shechem and its surrounding villages 
       as far as Ayyah and its towns.

       (1 Chr 7:29 TLB)  The tribe of Manasseh, descendants of Joseph the son 
       of Israel, controlled the following cities and their surrounding 
       areas: Beth-shean, Taanach, Megiddo, and Dor.

       (1 Chr 7:30 TLB)  The children of Asher: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah, 
       Serah (their sister).

       (1 Chr 7:31 TLB)  The sons of Beriah were: Heber, Malchiel (the father 
       of Birzaith).

       (1 Chr 7:32 TLB)  Heber's children were: Japhlet, Shomer, Hotham, Shua 
       (their sister).

       (1 Chr 7:33 TLB)  Japhlet's sons were: Pasach, Bimhal, Ashvath.

       (1 Chr 7:34 TLB)  His brother Shomer's sons were: Rohgah, Jehubbah, 
       Aram.

       (1 Chr 7:35 TLB)  The sons of his brother Hotham were: Zophah, Imna, 
       Shelesh, Amal.

       (1 Chr 7:36 TLB)  The sons of Zophah were Suah, Harnepher, Shual, 





       Beri, Imrah, Bezer, Hod, Shamma, Shilshah, Ithran, Beera.

       (1 Chr 7:37 TLB)  

       (1 Chr 7:38 TLB)  The sons of Ithran were: Jephunneh, Pispa, Ara.

       (1 Chr 7:39 TLB)  The sons of Ulla were: Arah, Hanniel, Rizia.

       (1 Chr 7:40 TLB)  These descendants of Asher were heads of subclans 
       and were all skilled warriors and chiefs. Their descendants in the 
       official genealogy numbered 36,000 men of war.

       (1 Chr 8:1 TLB)  The sons of Benjamin, according to age, were: Bela, 
       the first, Ashbel, the second, Aharah, the third, Nohah, the fourth, 
       Rapha, the fifth.

       (1 Chr 8:2 TLB)  

       (1 Chr 8:3 TLB)  The sons of Bela were: Addar, Gera, Abihud, Abishua, 
       Naaman, Ahoah, Gera, Shephuphan, Huram.

       (1 Chr 8:4 TLB)  

       (1 Chr 8:5 TLB)  

       (1 Chr 8:6 TLB)  The sons of Ehud, chiefs of the subclans living at 
       Geba, were captured in war and exiled to Manahath. They were: Naaman, 
       Ahijah, Gera (also called Heglam), the father of Uzza and Ahihud.

       (1 Chr 8:7 TLB)  

       (1 Chr 8:8 TLB)  Shaharaim divorced his wives Hushim and Baara, but he 
       had children in the land of Moab

       (1 Chr 8:9 TLB)  by Hodesh, his new wife: Jobab, Zibia, Mesha, Malcam,

       (1 Chr 8:10 TLB)  Jeuz, Sachia, Mirmah. These sons all became chiefs 
       of subclans.

       (1 Chr 8:11 TLB)  His wife Hushim had borne him Abitub and Elpaal.

       (1 Chr 8:12 TLB)  The sons of Elpaal were: Eber, Misham, Shemed (who 
       built Ono and Lod and their surrounding villages).

       (1 Chr 8:13 TLB)  His other sons were Beriah and Shema, chiefs of 
       subclans living in Aijalon; they chased out the inhabitants of Gath.

       (1 Chr 8:14 TLB)  Elpaal's sons also included: Ahio, Shashak, 
       Jeremoth.

       (1 Chr 8:15 TLB)  The sons of Beriah were: Zebadiah, Arad, Eder, 
       Michael, Ishpah, Joha.

       (1 Chr 8:16 TLB)  

       (1 Chr 8:17 TLB)  The sons of Elpaal also included: Zebadiah, 





       Meshullam, Hizki, Heber, Ishmerai, Izliah, Jobab.

       (1 Chr 8:18 TLB)  

       (1 Chr 8:19 TLB)  The sons of Shimei were: Jakim, Zichri, Zabdi, 
       Elienai, Zillethai, Eliel, Adaiah, Beraiah, Shimrath.

       (1 Chr 8:20 TLB)  

       (1 Chr 8:21 TLB)  

       (1 Chr 8:22 TLB)  The sons of Shashak were: Ishpan, Eber, Eliel, 
       Abdon, Zichri, Hanan, Hananiah, Elam, Anthothijah, Iphdeiah, Penuel.

       (1 Chr 8:23 TLB)  

       (1 Chr 8:24 TLB)  

       (1 Chr 8:25 TLB)  

       (1 Chr 8:26 TLB)  The sons of Jeroham were: Shamsherai, Shehariah, 
       Athaliah, Jaareshiah, Elijah, Zichri.

       (1 Chr 8:27 TLB)  

       (1 Chr 8:28 TLB)  These were the chiefs of the subclans living at 
       Jerusalem.

       (1 Chr 8:29 TLB)  Jeiel, the father of Gibeon, lived at Gibeon; and 
       his wife's name was Maacah.

       (1 Chr 8:30 TLB)  His oldest son was named Abdon, followed by: Zur, 
       Kish, Baal, Nadab,

       (1 Chr 8:31 TLB)  Gedor, Ahio, Zecher,

       (1 Chr 8:32 TLB)  Mikloth who was the father of Shimeah. All of these 
       families lived together near Jerusalem.

       (1 Chr 8:33 TLB)  Ner was the father of Kish, and Kish was the father 
       of Saul; Saul's sons included: Jonathan, Malchi-shua, Abinadab, 
       Eshbaal.

       (1 Chr 8:34 TLB)  The son of Jonathan was Mephibosheth; The son of 
       Mephibosheth was Micah.

       (1 Chr 8:35 TLB)  The sons of Micah: Pithon, Melech, Tarea, Ahaz.

       (1 Chr 8:36 TLB)  Ahaz was the father of Jehoaddah, Jehoaddah was the 
       father of: Alemeth, Azmaveth, Zimri. Zimri's son was Moza.

       (1 Chr 8:37 TLB)  Moza was the father of Binea, whose sons were: 
       Raphah, Eleasah, Azel.

       (1 Chr 8:38 TLB)  Azel had six sons: Azrikam, Bocheru, Ishmael, 
       Sheariah, Obadiah, Hanan.






       (1 Chr 8:39 TLB)  Azel's brother Eshek had three sons: Ulam, the 
       first, Jeush, the second, Eliphelet, the third.

       (1 Chr 8:40 TLB)  Ulam's sons were prominent warriors who were expert 
       marksmen with their bows. These men had 150 sons and grandsons, and 
       they were all from the tribe of Benjamin.

       (1 Chr 9:1 TLB)  The family tree of every person in Israel was 
       carefully recorded in The Annals of the Kings of Israel. Judah was 
       exiled to Babylon because the people worshiped idols.

       (1 Chr 9:2 TLB)  The first to return and live again in their former 
       cities were families from the tribes of Israel and also the priests, 
       the Levites, and the Temple assistants.

       (1 Chr 9:3 TLB)  Then some families from the tribes OFJUDAH, Benjamin, 
       Ephraim, and Manasseh arrived in Jerusalem:

       (1 Chr 9:4 TLB)  One family was that of Uthai (the son of Ammihud, son 
       of Omri, son of Imri, son of Bani) of the clan of Perez (son of 
       Judah).

       (1 Chr 9:5 TLB)  The Shilonites were another family to return, 
       including Asaiah (Shilon's oldest son) and his sons;

       (1 Chr 9:6 TLB)  there were also the sons of Zerah, including Jeuel 
       and his relatives: 690 in all.

       (1 Chr 9:7 TLB)  Among the members of the tribe of Benjamin who 
       returned were these: Sallu (the son of Meshullam, the son of Hodaviah, 
       the son of Hassenuah);

       (1 Chr 9:8 TLB)  Ibneiah (the son of Jeroham); Elah (the son of Uzzi, 
       the son of Michri); Meshullam (the son of Shephatiah, the son of 
       Reuel, the son of Ibnijah).

       (1 Chr 9:9 TLB)  These men were all chiefs of subclans. A total of 956 
       Benjaminites returned.

       (1 Chr 9:10 TLB)  The priests who returned were: Jedaiah, Jehoiarib, 
       Jachin,

       (1 Chr 9:11 TLB)  Azariah (the son of Hilkiah, son of Meshullam, son 
       of Zadok, son of Meraioth, son of Ahitub). He was the chief custodian 
       of the Temple.

       (1 Chr 9:12 TLB)  Another of the returning priests was Adaiah (son of 
       Jeroham, son of Pashhur, son of Malchijah). Another priest was Maasai 
       (son of Adiel, son of Jahzerah, son of Meshullam, son of Meshillemith, 
       son of Immer).

       (1 Chr 9:13 TLB)  In all, 1,760 priests returned.

       (1 Chr 9:14 TLB)  Among the Levites who returned was Shemaiah (son of 
       Hasshub, son of Azrikam, son of Hashabiah, who was a descendant of 





       Merari).

       (1 Chr 9:15 TLB)  Other Levites who returned included: Bakbakkar, 
       Heresh, Galal, Mattaniah (the son of Mica, who was the son of Zichri, 
       who was the son of Asaph),

       (1 Chr 9:16 TLB)  Obadiah (the son of Shemaiah, son of Galal, son of 
       Jeduthun), Berechiah (the son of Asa, son of Elkanah, who lived in the 
       area of the Netophathites).

       (1 Chr 9:17 TLB)  The gatekeepers were Shallum (the chief gatekeeper), 
       Akkub, Talmon, and Ahiman--all Levites. They are still responsible for 
       the eastern royal gate.

       (1 Chr 9:18 TLB)  

       (1 Chr 9:19 TLB)  Shallum's ancestry went back through Kore and 
       Ebiasaph to Korah. He and his close relatives the Korahites were in 
       charge of the sacrifices and the protection of the sanctuary, just as 
       their ancestors had supervised and guarded the Tabernacle.

       (1 Chr 9:20 TLB)  Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, was the first director 
       of this division in ancient times. And the Lord was with him.

       (1 Chr 9:21 TLB)  At that time Zechariah, the son OFMESHELEMIAH, had 
       been responsible for the protection of the entrance to the Tabernacle.

       (1 Chr 9:22 TLB)  There were 212 doorkeepers in those days. They were 
       chosen from their villages on the basis of their genealogies, and they 
       were appointed by David and Samuel because of their reliability.

       (1 Chr 9:23 TLB)  They and their descendants were in charge of the 
       Lord's Tabernacle.

       (1 Chr 9:24 TLB)  They were assigned to each of the four sides: east, 
       west, north, and south.

       (1 Chr 9:25 TLB)  And their relatives in the villages were assigned to 
       help them from time to time, for seven days at a time.

       (1 Chr 9:26 TLB)  The four head gatekeepers, all Levites, were in an 
       office of great trust, for they were responsible for the rooms and 
       treasuries in the Tabernacle of God.

       (1 Chr 9:27 TLB)  Because of their important positions, they lived 
       near the Tabernacle, and they opened the gates each morning.

       (1 Chr 9:28 TLB)  Some of them were assigned to care for the various 
       vessels used in the sacrifices and worship; they checked them in and 
       out to avoid loss.

       (1 Chr 9:29 TLB)  Others were responsible for the furniture, the items 
       in the sanctuary, and the supplies such as fine flour, wine, incense, 
       and spices.

       (1 Chr 9:30 TLB)  Other priests prepared the spices and incense.






       (1 Chr 9:31 TLB)  And Mattithiah (a Levite and the oldest son of 
       Shallum the Korahite) was entrusted with making the flat cakes for 
       grain offerings.

       (1 Chr 9:32 TLB)  Some members of the Kohath clan were in charge of 
       the preparation of the special bread each Sabbath.

       (1 Chr 9:33 TLB)  The cantors were all prominent Levites. They lived 
       in Jerusalem at the Temple and were on duty at all hours.

       (1 Chr 9:34 TLB)  They were free from other responsibilities and were 
       selected by their genealogies.

       (1 Chr 9:35 TLB)  Jeiel (whose wife was Maacah) lived in Gibeon. He 
       had many sons, including: Gibeon, Abdon (the oldest), Zur, Kish, Baal, 
       Ner, Nadab, Gedor, Ahio, Zechariah, Mikloth.

       (1 Chr 9:36 TLB)  

       (1 Chr 9:37 TLB)  

       (1 Chr 9:38 TLB)  Mikloth lived with his son Shimeam in Jerusalem near 
       his relatives.

       (1 Chr 9:39 TLB)  Ner was the father of Kish, Kish was the father of 
       Saul, Saul was the father of Jonathan, Malchi-shua, Abinadab, and 
       Eshbaal.

       (1 Chr 9:40 TLB)  Jonathan was the father of Mephibosheth; 
       Mephibosheth was the father of Micah;

       (1 Chr 9:41 TLB)  Micah was the father of Pithon, Melech, Tahrea, and 
       Ahaz;

       (1 Chr 9:42 TLB)  Ahaz was the father of Jarah; Jarah was the father 
       of Alemeth, Azmaveth, and Zimri; Zimri was the father of Moza.

       (1 Chr 9:43 TLB)  Moza was the father of Binea, Rephaiah, Eleasah, and 
       Azel.

       (1 Chr 9:44 TLB)  Azel had six sons: Azrikam, Bocheru, Ishmael, 
       Sheariah, Obadiah, Hanan.

       (1 Chr 10:1 TLB)  The Philistines attacked and defeated the Israeli 
       troops, who turned and fled and were slaughtered on the slopes of 
       Mount Gilboa.

       (1 Chr 10:2 TLB)  They caught up with Saul and his three sons, 
       Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchi-shua, and killed them all.

       (1 Chr 10:3 TLB)  Saul had been hard pressed with heavy fighting all 
       around him, when the Philistine archers shot and wounded him.

       (1 Chr 10:4 TLB)  He cried out to his bodyguard, "Quick, kill me with 
       your sword before these uncircumcised heathen capture and torture me." 





       But the man was afraid to do it, so Saul took his own sword and fell 
       against its point; and it pierced his body.

       (1 Chr 10:5 TLB)  Then his bodyguard, seeing that Saul was dead, 
       killed himself in the same way.

       (1 Chr 10:6 TLB)  So Saul and his three sons died together; the entire 
       family was wiped out in one day.

       (1 Chr 10:7 TLB)  When the Israelis in the valley below the mountain 
       heard that their troops had been routed and that Saul and his sons 
       were dead, they abandoned their cities and fled. And the Philistines 
       came and lived in them.

       (1 Chr 10:8 TLB)  When the Philistines went back the next day to strip 
       the bodies of the men killed in action and to gather the booty from 
       the battlefield, they found the bodies of Saul and his sons.

       (1 Chr 10:9 TLB)  So they stripped off Saul's armor and cut off his 
       head; then they displayed them throughout the nation and celebrated 
       the wonderful news before their idols.

       (1 Chr 10:10 TLB)  They fastened his armor to the walls of the Temple 
       of the Gods and nailed his head to the wall of Dagon's temple.

       (1 Chr 10:11 TLB)  But when the people of Jabesh-gilead heard what the 
       Philistines had done to Saul,

       (1 Chr 10:12 TLB)  their heroic warriors went out to the battlefield 
       and brought back his body and the bodies of his three sons. Then they 
       buried them beneath the oak tree at Jabesh and mourned and fasted for 
       seven days.

       (1 Chr 10:13 TLB)  Saul died for his disobedience to the Lord and 
       because he had consulted a medium,

       (1 Chr 10:14 TLB)  and did not ask the Lord for guidance. So the Lord 
       killed him and gave the kingdom to David, the son of Jesse.

       (1 Chr 11:1 TLB)  Then the leaders of Israel went to David at Hebron 
       and told him, "We are your relatives,

       (1 Chr 11:2 TLB)  and even when Saul was king, you were the one who 
       led our armies to battle and brought them safely back again. And the 
       Lord your God has told you, 'You shall be the shepherd of my people 
       Israel. You shall be their king.'"

       (1 Chr 11:3 TLB)  So David made a contract with them before the Lord, 
       and they anointed him as king of Israel, just as the Lord had told 
       Samuel.

       (1 Chr 11:4 TLB)  Then David and the leaders went to Jerusalem (or 
       Jebus, as it used to be called) where the Jebusites--the original 
       inhabitants of the land--lived.

       (1 Chr 11:5 TLB)  But the people of Jebus refused to let them enter 





       the city.

       (1 Chr 11:6 TLB)  So David captured the fortress of Zion, later called 
       the City of David, and said to his men, "The first man to kill a 
       Jebusite shall be made commander-in-chief!" Joab, the son of Zeruiah, 
       was the first, so he became the general of David's army.

       (1 Chr 11:7 TLB)  David lived in the fortress and that is why that 
       area of Jerusalem is called the City of David.

       (1 Chr 11:8 TLB)  He extended the city out around the fortress while 
       Joab rebuilt the rest of Jerusalem.

       (1 Chr 11:9 TLB)  And David became more and more famous and powerful, 
       for the Lord of the heavens was with him.

       (1 Chr 11:10 TLB)  These are the names of some of the bravest of 
       David's warriors (who also encouraged the leaders of Israel to make 
       David their king, as the Lord had said would happen):

       (1 Chr 11:11 TLB)  Jashobeam (the son of a man from Hachmon) was the 
       leader of The Top Three--the three greatest heroes among David's men. 
       He once killed 300 men with his spear.

       (1 Chr 11:12 TLB)  The second of The Top Three was Eleazar, the son of 
       Dodo, a member of the subclan of Ahoh.

       (1 Chr 11:13 TLB)  He was with David in the battle against the 
       Philistines at Pasdammim. The Israeli army was in a barley field and 
       had begun to run away,

       (1 Chr 11:14 TLB)  but he held his ground in the middle of the field, 
       and recovered it and slaughtered the Philistines; and the Lord saved 
       them with a great victory.

       (1 Chr 11:15 TLB)  Another time, three of The Thirty went to David 
       while he was hiding in the cave of Adullam. The Philistines were 
       camped in the Valley of Rephaim,

       (1 Chr 11:16 TLB)  and David was in the stronghold at the time; an 
       outpost of the Philistines had occupied Bethlehem.

       (1 Chr 11:17 TLB)  David wanted a drink from the Bethlehem well beside 
       the gate, and when he mentioned this to his men,

       (1 Chr 11:18 TLB)  these three broke through to the Philistine camp, 
       drew some water from the well, and brought it back to David.

       (1 Chr 11:19 TLB)  But he refused to drink it! Instead he poured it 
       out as an offering to the Lord and said, "God forbid that I should 
       drink it! It is the very blood of these men who risked their lives to 
       get it."

       (1 Chr 11:20 TLB)  Abishai, Joab's brother, was commander of The 
       Thirty. He had gained his place among The Thirty by killing 300 men at 
       one time with his spear.






       (1 Chr 11:21 TLB)  He was the chief and the most famous of The Thirty, 
       but he was not as great as The Three.

       (1 Chr 11:22 TLB)  Benaiah, whose father was a mighty warrior from 
       Kabzeel, killed the two famous giants from Moab. He also killed a lion 
       in a slippery pit when there was snow on the ground.

       (1 Chr 11:23 TLB)  Once he killed an Egyptian who was seven and a half 
       feet tall, whose spear was as thick as a weaver's beam. But Benaiah 
       went up to him with only a club in his hand, and pulled the spear away 
       from him and used it to kill him.

       (1 Chr 11:24 TLB)  He was nearly as great as The Three, and he was 
       very famous among The Thirty. David made him captain of his bodyguard.

       (1 Chr 11:25 TLB)  

       (1 Chr 11:26 TLB)  Other famous warriors among David's men were: 
       Asahel (Joab's brother); Elhanan, the son of Dodo from Bethlehem;

       (1 Chr 11:27 TLB)  Shammoth from Harod; Helez from Pelon;

       (1 Chr 11:28 TLB)  Ira (son of Ikkesh) from Tekoa; Abiezer from 
       Anathoth;

       (1 Chr 11:29 TLB)  Sibbecai from Hushath; Ilai from Ahoh;

       (1 Chr 11:30 TLB)  Maharai from Netophah; Heled (son of Baanah) from 
       Netophah;

       (1 Chr 11:31 TLB)  Ithai (son of Ribai) a Benjaminite from Gibeah; 
       Benaiah from Pirathon;

       (1 Chr 11:32 TLB)  Hurai from near the brooks of Gaash; Abiel from 
       Arbath;

       (1 Chr 11:33 TLB)  Azmaveth from Baharum; Eliahba from Shaalbon;

       (1 Chr 11:34 TLB)  The sons of Hashem from Gizon; Jonathan (son of 
       Shagee) from Harar;

       (1 Chr 11:35 TLB)  Ahiam (son of Sacher) from Harar; Eliphal (son of 
       Ur);

       (1 Chr 11:36 TLB)  Hepher from Mecherath; Ahijah from Pelon;

       (1 Chr 11:37 TLB)  Hezro from Carmel; Naarai (son of Ezbai);

       (1 Chr 11:38 TLB)  Joel (brother of Nathan); Mibhar (son of Hagri);

       (1 Chr 11:39 TLB)  Zelek from Ammon; Naharai from Beeroth--he was 
       General Joab's armorbearer;

       (1 Chr 11:40 TLB)  Ira from Ithra; Gareb from Ithra;





       (1 Chr 11:41 TLB)  Uriah the Hittite; Zabad (son of Ahlai);

       (1 Chr 11:42 TLB)  Adina (son of Shiza) from the tribe of Reuben--he 
       was among the thirty-one leaders of the tribe of Reuben; Hanan (son of 
       Maacah);

       (1 Chr 11:43 TLB)  Joshaphat from Mithna; Uzzia from Ashterath;

       (1 Chr 11:44 TLB)  Shama and Jeiel (sons of Hotham) from Aroer; 
       Jediael (son of Shimri);

       (1 Chr 11:45 TLB)  Joha (his brother) from Tiza; Eliel from Mahavi;

       (1 Chr 11:46 TLB)  Jeribai and Joshaviah (sons of Elnaam); Ithmah from 
       Moab;

       (1 Chr 11:47 TLB)  Eliel; Obed; Jaasiel from Mezoba.

       (1 Chr 12:1 TLB)  These are the names of the famous warriors who 
       joined David at Ziklag while he was hiding from King Saul.

       (1 Chr 12:2 TLB)  All of them were expert archers and slingers, and 
       they could use their left hands as readily as their right! Like King 
       Saul, they were all of the tribe of Benjamin.

       (1 Chr 12:3 TLB)  Their chief was Ahiezer, son of Shemaah from Gibeah. 
       The others were: His brother Joash; Jeziel and Pelet, sons of 
       Azmaveth; Beracah; Jehu from Anathoth;

       (1 Chr 12:4 TLB)  Ishmaiah from Gibeon (a brave warrior rated as high 
       or higher than The Thirty); Jeremiah; Jahaziel; Johanan; Jozabad from 
       Gederah;

       (1 Chr 12:5 TLB)  Eluzai; Jerimoth; Bealiah; Shemariah; Shephatiah 
       from Haruph;

       (1 Chr 12:6 TLB)  Elkanah, Isshiah, Azarel, Joezer, Jashobeam--all 
       Korahites;

       (1 Chr 12:7 TLB)  Joelah and Zebadiah (sons of Jeroham from Gedor).

       (1 Chr 12:8 TLB)  Great and brave warriors from the tribe of Gad also 
       went to David in the wilderness. They were experts with both shield 
       and spear and were "lion-faced men, swift as deer upon the mountains."

       (1 Chr 12:9 TLB)  Ezer was the chief; Obadiah was second in command; 
       Eliab was third in command;

       (1 Chr 12:10 TLB)  Mishmannah was fourth in command; Jeremiah was 
       fifth in command;

       (1 Chr 12:11 TLB)  Attai was sixth in command; Eliel was seventh in 
       command;

       (1 Chr 12:12 TLB)  Johanan was eighth in command; Elzabad was ninth in 
       command;






       (1 Chr 12:13 TLB)  Jeremiah was tenth in command; Machbannai was 
       eleventh in command.

       (1 Chr 12:14 TLB)  These men were army officers; the weakest was worth 
       a hundred normal troops, and the greatest was worth a thousand!

       (1 Chr 12:15 TLB)  They crossed the Jordan River during its seasonal 
       flooding and conquered the lowlands on both the east and west banks.

       (1 Chr 12:16 TLB)  Others came to David from Benjamin and Judah.

       (1 Chr 12:17 TLB)  David went out to meet them and said, "If you have 
       come to help me, we are friends; but if you have come to betray me to 
       my enemies when I am innocent, then may the God of our fathers see and 
       judge you."

       (1 Chr 12:18 TLB)  Then the Holy Spirit came upon them, and Amasai, a 
       leader of The Thirty, replied, "We are yours, David; We are on your 
       side, son of Jesse. Peace, peace be unto you, And peace to all who aid 
       you; For your God is with you." So David let them join him, and he 
       made them captains of his army.

       (1 Chr 12:19 TLB)  Some men from Manasseh deserted the Israeli army 
       and joined David just as he was going into battle with the Philistines 
       against King Saul. But as it turned out, the Philistine generals 
       refused to let David and his men go with them. After much discussion 
       they sent them back, for they were afraid that David and his men would 
       imperil them by deserting to King Saul.

       (1 Chr 12:20 TLB)  Here is a list of the men from Manasseh who 
       deserted to David as he was en route to Ziklag: Adnah, Jozabad, 
       Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, Zillethai. Each was a high-ranking 
       officer of Manasseh's troops.

       (1 Chr 12:21 TLB)  They were brave and able warriors, and they 
       assisted David when he fought against the Amalek raiders at Ziklag.

       (1 Chr 12:22 TLB)  More men joined David almost every day until he had 
       a tremendous army--the army of God.

       (1 Chr 12:23 TLB)  Here is the registry of recruits who joined David 
       at Hebron. They were all anxious to see David become king instead of 
       Saul, just as the Lord had said would happen.

       (1 Chr 12:24 TLB)  From Judah, 6,800 troops armed with shields and 
       spears.

       (1 Chr 12:25 TLB)  From the tribe of Simeon, 7,100 outstanding 
       warriors.

       (1 Chr 12:26 TLB)  From the Levites, 4,600.

       (1 Chr 12:27 TLB)  From the priests--descendants of Aaron--there were 
       3,700 troops under the command of Zadok, a young man of unusual 
       courage,






       (1 Chr 12:28 TLB)  and Jehoiada. (He and twenty-two members of his 
       family were officers of the fighting priests.)

       (1 Chr 12:29 TLB)  From the tribe of Benjamin, the same tribe Saul was 
       from, there were 3,000. (Most of that tribe retained its allegiance to 
       Saul.)

       (1 Chr 12:30 TLB)  From the tribe of Ephraim, 20,800 mighty warriors, 
       each famous in his respective clan.

       (1 Chr 12:31 TLB)  From the half-tribe of Manasseh, 18,000 were sent 
       for the express purpose of helping David become king.

       (1 Chr 12:32 TLB)  From the tribe of Issachar there were 200 leaders 
       of the tribe with their relatives--all men who understood the temper 
       of the times and knew the best course for Israel to take.

       (1 Chr 12:33 TLB)  From the tribe of Zebulun there were 50,000 trained 
       warriors; they were fully armed and totally loyal to David.

       (1 Chr 12:34 TLB)  From Naphtali there were 1,000 officers and 37,000 
       troops equipped with shields and spears.

       (1 Chr 12:35 TLB)  From the tribe of Dan there were 28,600 troops, all 
       of them prepared for war.

       (1 Chr 12:36 TLB)  From the tribe of Asher, there were 40,000 trained 
       and ready troops.

       (1 Chr 12:37 TLB)  From the other side of the Jordan River--where the 
       tribes of Reuben and Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh lived--there 
       were 120,000 troops equipped with every kind of weapon.

       (1 Chr 12:38 TLB)  All these men came in battle array to Hebron with 
       the single purpose of making David the king of Israel. In fact, all of 
       Israel was ready for this change.

       (1 Chr 12:39 TLB)  They feasted and drank with David for three days, 
       for preparations had been made for their arrival.

       (1 Chr 12:40 TLB)  People from nearby and from as far away as 
       Issachar, Zebulun, and Naphtali brought food on donkeys, camels, 
       mules, and oxen. Vast supplies of flour, fig cakes, raisins, wine, 
       oil, cattle, and sheep were brought to the celebration, for joy had 
       spread throughout the land.

       (1 Chr 13:1 TLB)  After David had consulted with all of his army 
       officers,

       (1 Chr 13:2 TLB)  he addressed the assembled men of Israel as follows: 
       "Since you think that I should be your king, and since the Lord our 
       God has given his approval, let us send messages to our brothers 
       throughout the land of Israel, including the priests and Levites, 
       inviting them to come and join us.





       (1 Chr 13:3 TLB)  And let us bring back the Ark of our God, for we 
       have been neglecting it ever since Saul became king."

       (1 Chr 13:4 TLB)  There was unanimous consent, for everyone agreed 
       with him.

       (1 Chr 13:5 TLB)  So David summoned the people of Israel from all 
       across the nation so that they could be present when the Ark of God 
       was brought from Kiriath-jearim.

       (1 Chr 13:6 TLB)  Then David and all Israel went to Baalah (i. e., 
       Kiriath-jearim) in Judah to bring back the Ark of the Lord God 
       enthroned above the angels.

       (1 Chr 13:7 TLB)  It was taken from the house of Abinadab on a new 
       cart. Uzza and Ahio drove the oxen.

       (1 Chr 13:8 TLB)  Then David and all the people danced before the Lord 
       with great enthusiasm, accompanied by singing and by zithers, harps, 
       tambourines, cymbals, and trumpets.

       (1 Chr 13:9 TLB)  But as they arrived at the threshing-floor of 
       Chidon, the oxen stumbled and Uzza reached out his hand to steady the 
       Ark.

       (1 Chr 13:10 TLB)  Then the anger of the Lord blazed out against Uzza, 
       and killed him because he had touched the Ark. And so he died there 
       before God.

       (1 Chr 13:11 TLB)  David was angry at the Lord for what he had done to 
       Uzza and he named the place "The Outbreak Against Uzza." And it is 
       still called that today.

       (1 Chr 13:12 TLB)  Now David was afraid of God and asked, "How shall I 
       ever get the Ark of God home?"

       (1 Chr 13:13 TLB)  Finally he decided to take it to the home of 
       Obed-edom the Gittite instead of bringing it to the City of David.

       (1 Chr 13:14 TLB)  The Ark remained there with the family of Obed-edom 
       for three months, and the Lord blessed him and his family.

       (1 Chr 14:1 TLB)  King Hiram of Tyre sent masons and carpenters to 
       help build David's palace and he supplied him with much cedar lumber.

       (1 Chr 14:2 TLB)  David now realized why the Lord had made him king 
       and why he had made his kingdom so great; it was for a special 
       reason--to give joy to God's people!

       (1 Chr 14:3 TLB)  After David moved to Jerusalem, he married 
       additional wives and became the father of many sons and daughters.

       (1 Chr 14:4 TLB)  These are the names of the sons born to him in 
       Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, Ibhar, Elishua, Elpelet, 
       Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, Elishama, Beeliada, Eliphelet.





       (1 Chr 14:5 TLB)  

       (1 Chr 14:6 TLB)  

       (1 Chr 14:7 TLB)  

       (1 Chr 14:8 TLB)  When the Philistines heard that David was Israel's 
       new king, they mobilized their forces to capture him. But David 
       learned that they were on the way, so he called together his army.

       (1 Chr 14:9 TLB)  The Philistines were raiding the Valley of Rephaim,

       (1 Chr 14:10 TLB)  and David asked the Lord, "If I go out and fight 
       them, will you give me the victory?" And the Lord replied, "Yes, I 
       will."

       (1 Chr 14:11 TLB)  So he attacked them at Baal-perazim and wiped them 
       out. He exulted, "God has used me to sweep away my enemies like water 
       bursting through a dam!" That is why the place has been known as 
       Baal-perazim ever since (meaning, "The Place of Breaking Through").

       (1 Chr 14:12 TLB)  After the battle the Israelis picked up many idols 
       left by the Philistines, but David ordered them burned.

       (1 Chr 14:13 TLB)  Later the Philistines raided the valley again,

       (1 Chr 14:14 TLB)  and again David asked God what to do. The Lord 
       replied, "Go around by the mulberry trees and attack from there.

       (1 Chr 14:15 TLB)  When you hear a sound like marching in the tops of 
       the mulberry trees, that is your signal to attack, for God will go 
       before you and destroy the enemy."

       (1 Chr 14:16 TLB)  So David did as the Lord commanded him; and he cut 
       down the army of the Philistines all the way from Gibeon to Gezer.

       (1 Chr 14:17 TLB)  David's fame spread everywhere, and the Lord caused 
       all the nations to fear him.

       (1 Chr 15:1 TLB)  David now built several palaces for himself in 
       Jerusalem, and he also built a new Tabernacle to house the Ark of God,

       (1 Chr 15:2 TLB)  and issued these instructions: "(When we transfer 
       the Ark to its new home), no one except the Levites may carry it, for 
       God has chosen them for this purpose; they are to minister to him 
       forever."

       (1 Chr 15:3 TLB)  Then David summoned all Israel to Jerusalem to 
       celebrate the bringing of the Ark into the new Tabernacle.

       (1 Chr 15:4 TLB)  These were the priests and Levites present:

       (1 Chr 15:5 TLB)  120 from the clan of Kohath; with Uriel as their 
       leader;

       (1 Chr 15:6 TLB)  220 from the clan of Merari; with Asaiah as their 





       leader;

       (1 Chr 15:7 TLB)  130 from the clan of Gershom; with Joel as their 
       leader;

       (1 Chr 15:8 TLB)  200 from the subclan of Elizaphan; with Shemaiah as 
       their leader;

       (1 Chr 15:9 TLB)  80 from the subclan of Hebron; with Eliel as their 
       leader;

       (1 Chr 15:10 TLB)  112 from the subclan of Uzziel; with Amminadab as 
       their leader.

       (1 Chr 15:11 TLB)  Then David called for Zadok and Abiathar, the High 
       Priests, and for the Levite leaders: Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, 
       Eliel, and Amminadab.

       (1 Chr 15:12 TLB)  "You are the leaders of the clans of the Levites," 
       he told them. "Now sanctify yourselves with all your brothers so that 
       you may bring the Ark of Jehovah, the God of Israel, to the place I 
       have prepared for it.

       (1 Chr 15:13 TLB)  The Lord destroyed us before because we handled the 
       matter improperly--you were not carrying it."

       (1 Chr 15:14 TLB)  So the priests and the Levites underwent the 
       ceremonies of sanctification in preparation for bringing home the Ark 
       of Jehovah, the God of Israel.

       (1 Chr 15:15 TLB)  Then the Levites carried the Ark on their shoulders 
       with its carrying poles, just as the Lord had instructed Moses.

       (1 Chr 15:16 TLB)  King David also ordered the Levite leaders to 
       organize the singers into an orchestra, and they played loudly and 
       joyously upon psaltries, harps, and cymbals.

       (1 Chr 15:17 TLB)  Heman (son of Joel), Asaph (son of Berechiah), and 
       Ethan (son of Kushaiah) from the clan of Merari were the heads of the 
       musicians.

       (1 Chr 15:18 TLB)  The following men were chosen as their assistants: 
       Zechariah, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, 
       Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-edom and Jeiel, the 
       doorkeepers.

       (1 Chr 15:19 TLB)  Heman, Asaph, and Ethan were chosen to sound the 
       bronze cymbals;

       (1 Chr 15:20 TLB)  and Zechariah, Aziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, 
       Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah comprised an octet accompanied by harps.

       (1 Chr 15:21 TLB)  Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-edom, Jeiel, 
       and Azaziah were the harpists.

       (1 Chr 15:22 TLB)  The song leader was Chenaniah, the chief of the 





       Levites, who was selected for his skill.

       (1 Chr 15:23 TLB)  Berechiah and Elkanah were guards for the Ark.

       (1 Chr 15:24 TLB)  Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, 
       Benaiah, and Eliezer--all of whom were priests--formed a bugle corps 
       to march at the head of the procession. And Obed-edom and Jehiah 
       guarded the Ark.

       (1 Chr 15:25 TLB)  Then David and the elders of Israel and the high 
       officers of the army went with great joy to the home of Obed-edom to 
       take the Ark to Jerusalem.

       (1 Chr 15:26 TLB)  And because God didn't destroy the Levites who were 
       carrying the Ark, they sacrificed seven bulls and seven lambs.

       (1 Chr 15:27 TLB)  David, the Levites carrying the Ark, the singers, 
       and Chenaniah the song leader were all dressed in linen robes. David 
       also wore a linen ephod.

       (1 Chr 15:28 TLB)  So the leaders of Israel took the Ark to Jerusalem 
       with shouts of joy, the blowing of horns and trumpets, the crashing of 
       cymbals, and loud playing on the harps and zithers.

       (1 Chr 15:29 TLB)  (But as the Ark arrived in Jerusalem, David's wife 
       Michal, the daughter of King Saul, felt a deep disgust for David as 
       she watched from the window and saw him dancing like a madman.)

       (1 Chr 16:1 TLB)  So they brought the Ark of God into the special tent 
       that David had prepared for it, and the leaders of Israel sacrificed 
       burnt offerings and peace offerings before God.

       (1 Chr 16:2 TLB)  At the conclusion of these offerings David blessed 
       the people in the name of the Lord;

       (1 Chr 16:3 TLB)  then he gave every person present (men and women 
       alike) a loaf of bread, some wine, and a cake of raisins.

       (1 Chr 16:4 TLB)  He appointed certain of the Levites to minister 
       before the Ark by giving constant praise and thanks to the Lord God of 
       Israel and by asking for his blessings upon his people. These are the 
       names of those given this assignment:

       (1 Chr 16:5 TLB)  Asaph, the leader of this detail, sounded the 
       cymbals. His associates were Zechariah, Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, 
       Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-edom, and Jeiel; they played the 
       harps and zithers.

       (1 Chr 16:6 TLB)  The priests Benaiah and Jahaziel played their 
       trumpets regularly before the Ark.

       (1 Chr 16:7 TLB)  At that time David began the custom of using choirs 
       in the Tabernacle to sing thanksgiving to the Lord. Asaph was the 
       director of this choral group of priests.

       (1 Chr 16:8 TLB)  "Oh, give thanks to the Lord and pray to him," they 





       sang. "Tell the peoples of the world About his mighty doings.

       (1 Chr 16:9 TLB)  Sing to him; yes, sing his praises And tell of his 
       marvelous works.

       (1 Chr 16:10 TLB)  Glory in his holy name; Let all rejoice who seek 
       the Lord.

       (1 Chr 16:11 TLB)  Seek the Lord; yes, seek his strength And seek his 
       face untiringly.

       (1 Chr 16:12 TLB)  O descendants of his servant Abraham, O chosen sons 
       of Jacob,

       (1 Chr 16:13 TLB)  Remember his mighty miracles And his marvelous 
       miracles And his authority:

       (1 Chr 16:14 TLB)  He is the Lord our God! His authority is seen 
       throughout the earth.

       (1 Chr 16:15 TLB)  Remember his covenant forever-- The words he 
       commanded To a thousand generations:

       (1 Chr 16:16 TLB)  His agreement with Abraham, And his oath to Isaac,

       (1 Chr 16:17 TLB)  And his confirmation to Jacob. He promised Israel 
       With an everlasting promise:

       (1 Chr 16:18 TLB)  'I will give you the land of Canaan As your 
       inheritance.'

       (1 Chr 16:19 TLB)  When Israel was few in number--oh, so few-- And 
       merely strangers in the Promised Land;

       (1 Chr 16:20 TLB)  When they wandered from country to country, From 
       one kingdom to another--

       (1 Chr 16:21 TLB)  God didn't let anyone harm them. Even kings were 
       killed who sought to hurt them.

       (1 Chr 16:22 TLB)  'Don't harm my chosen people,' he declared. 'These 
       are my prophets--touch them not.'

       (1 Chr 16:23 TLB)  Sing to the Lord, O earth, Declare each day that he 
       is the one who saves!

       (1 Chr 16:24 TLB)  Show his glory to the nations! Tell everyone about 
       his miracles.

       (1 Chr 16:25 TLB)  For the Lord is great and should be highly praised; 
       He is to be held in awe above all gods.

       (1 Chr 16:26 TLB)  The other so-called gods are demons, But the Lord 
       made the heavens.

       (1 Chr 16:27 TLB)  Majesty and honor march before him, Strength and 





       gladness walk beside him.

       (1 Chr 16:28 TLB)  O people of all nations of the earth, Ascribe great 
       strength and glory to his name!

       (1 Chr 16:29 TLB)  Yes, ascribe to the Lord The glory due his name! 
       Bring an offering and come before him; Worship the Lord when clothed 
       with holiness!

       (1 Chr 16:30 TLB)  Tremble before him, all the earth! The world stands 
       unmoved.

       (1 Chr 16:31 TLB)  Let the heavens be glad, the earth rejoice; Let all 
       the nations say, 'It is the Lord who reigns.'

       (1 Chr 16:32 TLB)  Let the vast seas roar, Let the countryside and 
       everything in it rejoice!

       (1 Chr 16:33 TLB)  Let the trees in the woods sing for joy before the 
       Lord, For he comes to judge the earth.

       (1 Chr 16:34 TLB)  Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; His 
       love and his kindness go on forever.

       (1 Chr 16:35 TLB)  Cry out to him, 'Oh, save us, God of our salvation; 
       Bring us safely back from among the nations. Then we will thank your 
       holy name, And triumph in your praise.'

       (1 Chr 16:36 TLB)  Blessed be Jehovah, God of Israel, Forever and 
       forevermore." And all the people shouted "Amen!" and praised the Lord.

       (1 Chr 16:37 TLB)  David arranged for Asaph and his fellow Levites to 
       minister regularly at the Tabernacle, doing each day whatever needed 
       to be done.

       (1 Chr 16:38 TLB)  This group included Obed-edom (the son of 
       Jeduthun), Hosah and sixty-eight of their colleagues as guards.

       (1 Chr 16:39 TLB)  Meanwhile the old Tabernacle of the Lord on the 
       hill of Gibeon continued to be active. David left Zadok the priest and 
       his fellow-priests to minister to the Lord there.

       (1 Chr 16:40 TLB)  They sacrificed burnt offerings to the Lord each 
       morning and evening upon the altar set aside for that purpose, just as 
       the Lord had commanded Israel.

       (1 Chr 16:41 TLB)  David also appointed Heman, Jeduthun, and several 
       others who were chosen by name to give thanks to the Lord for his 
       constant love and mercy.

       (1 Chr 16:42 TLB)  They used their trumpets and cymbals to accompany 
       the singers with loud praises to God. And Jeduthun's sons were 
       appointed as guards.

       (1 Chr 16:43 TLB)  At last the celebration ended and the people 
       returned to their homes, and David returned to bless his own 





       household.

       (1 Chr 17:1 TLB)  After David had been living in his new palace for 
       some time he said to Nathan the prophet, "Look! I'm living here in a 
       cedar-paneled home while the Ark of the Covenant of God is out there 
       in a tent!"

       (1 Chr 17:2 TLB)  And Nathan replied, "Carry out your plan in every 
       detail, for it is the will of the Lord."

       (1 Chr 17:3 TLB)  But that same night God said to Nathan,

       (1 Chr 17:4 TLB)  "Go and give my servant David this message: 'You are 
       not to build my temple!

       (1 Chr 17:5 TLB)  I've gone from tent to tent as my home from the time 
       I brought Israel out of Egypt.

       (1 Chr 17:6 TLB)  In all that time I never suggested to any of the 
       leaders of Israel--the shepherds I appointed to care for my 
       people--that they should build me a cedar-lined temple.'

       (1 Chr 17:7 TLB)  "Tell my servant David, 'The Lord of heaven says to 
       you, I took you from being a shepherd and made you the king of my 
       people.

       (1 Chr 17:8 TLB)  And I have been with you everywhere you've gone; I 
       have destroyed your enemies, and I will make your name as great as the 
       greatest of the earth.

       (1 Chr 17:9 TLB)  And I will give a permanent home to my people Israel 
       and will plant them in their land. They will not be disturbed again; 
       the wicked nations won't conquer them as they did before

       (1 Chr 17:10 TLB)  when the judges ruled them. I will subdue all of 
       your enemies. And I now declare that I will cause your descendants to 
       be kings of Israel just as you are.

       (1 Chr 17:11 TLB)  "'When your time here on earth is over and you die, 
       I will place one of your sons upon your throne; and I will make his 
       kingdom strong.

       (1 Chr 17:12 TLB)  He is the one who shall build me a temple, and I 
       will establish his royal line of descent forever.

       (1 Chr 17:13 TLB)  I will be his father, and he shall be my son; I 
       will never remove my mercy and love from him as I did from Saul.

       (1 Chr 17:14 TLB)  I will place him over my people and over the 
       kingdom of Israel forever--and his descendants will always be kings.'"

       (1 Chr 17:15 TLB)  So Nathan told King David everything the Lord had 
       said.

       (1 Chr 17:16 TLB)  Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and 
       said, "Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my family that you have given 





       me all this?

       (1 Chr 17:17 TLB)  For all the great things you have already done for 
       me are nothing in comparison to what you have promised to do in the 
       future! For now, O Lord God, you are speaking of future generations of 
       my children being kings too! You speak as though I were someone very 
       great.

       (1 Chr 17:18 TLB)  What else can I say? You know that I am but a dog, 
       yet you have decided to honor me!

       (1 Chr 17:19 TLB)  O Lord, you have given me these wonderful promises 
       just because you want to be kind to me, because of your own great 
       heart.

       (1 Chr 17:20 TLB)  O Lord, there is no one like you--there is no other 
       God. In fact, we have never even heard of another god like you!

       (1 Chr 17:21 TLB)  "And what other nation in all the earth is like 
       Israel? You have made a unique nation and have redeemed it from Egypt 
       so that the people could be your people. And you made a great name for 
       yourself when you did glorious miracles in driving out the nations 
       from before your people.

       (1 Chr 17:22 TLB)  You have declared that your people Israel belong to 
       you forever, and you have become their God.

       (1 Chr 17:23 TLB)  "And now I accept your promise, Lord, that I and my 
       children will always rule this nation.

       (1 Chr 17:24 TLB)  And may this bring eternal honor to your name as 
       everyone realizes that you always do what you say. They will exclaim, 
       'The Lord of heaven is indeed the God of Israel!' And Israel shall 
       always be ruled by my children and their posterity!

       (1 Chr 17:25 TLB)  Now I have the courage to pray to you, for you have 
       revealed this to me.

       (1 Chr 17:26 TLB)  God himself has promised this good thing to me!

       (1 Chr 17:27 TLB)  May this blessing rest upon my children forever, 
       for when you grant a blessing, Lord, it is an eternal blessing!"

       (1 Chr 18:1 TLB)  David finally subdued the Philistines and conquered 
       Gath and its surrounding towns.

       (1 Chr 18:2 TLB)  He also conquered Moab and required its people to 
       send him a large sum of money every year.

       (1 Chr 18:3 TLB)  He conquered the dominion of King Hadadezer of Zobah 
       (as far as Hamath) at the time Hadadezer went to tighten his grip 
       along the Euphrates River.

       (1 Chr 18:4 TLB)  David captured a thousand of his chariots, seven 
       thousand cavalry, and twenty thousand troops. He crippled all the 
       chariot teams except a hundred that he kept for his own use.






       (1 Chr 18:5 TLB)  When the Syrians arrived from Damascus to help King 
       Hadadezer, David killed twenty-two thousand of them;

       (1 Chr 18:6 TLB)  then he placed a garrison of his troops in Damascus, 
       the Syrian capital. So the Syrians, too, were forced to send him large 
       amounts of money every year. And the Lord gave David victory 
       everywhere he went.

       (1 Chr 18:7 TLB)  He brought the gold shields of King Hadadezer's 
       officers to Jerusalem,

       (1 Chr 18:8 TLB)  as well as a great amount of bronze from Hadadezer's 
       cities of Tibhath and Cun. (King Solomon later melted the bronze and 
       used it for the Temple. He molded it into the bronze tank, the 
       pillars, and the instruments used in offering sacrifices on the 
       altar.)

       (1 Chr 18:9 TLB)  When King Tou of Hamath learned that King David had 
       destroyed Hadadezer's army,

       (1 Chr 18:10 TLB)  he sent his son Hadoram to greet and congratulate 
       King David on his success and to present him with many gifts of gold, 
       silver, and bronze, seeking an alliance. For Hadadezer and Tou had 
       been enemies and there had been many wars between them.

       (1 Chr 18:11 TLB)  King David dedicated these gifts to the Lord, as he 
       did the silver and gold he took from the nations of Edom, Moab, Ammon, 
       Amalek, and the Philistines.

       (1 Chr 18:12 TLB)  Abishai (son of Zeruiah) then destroyed eighteen 
       thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt.

       (1 Chr 18:13 TLB)  He put garrisons in Edom and forced the Edomites to 
       pay large sums of money annually to David. This is just another 
       example of how the Lord gave David victory after victory.

       (1 Chr 18:14 TLB)  David reigned over all of Israel and was a just 
       ruler.

       (1 Chr 18:15 TLB)  Joab (son of Zeruiah) was commander-in-chief of the 
       army; Jehoshaphat (son of Ahilud) was the historian;

       (1 Chr 18:16 TLB)  Zadok (son of Ahitub) and Ahimelech (son of 
       Abiathar) were the head priests; Shavsha was the king's special 
       assistant;

       (1 Chr 18:17 TLB)  Benaiah (son of Jehoiada) was in charge of the 
       king's bodyguard--the Cherethites and Pelethites--and David's sons 
       were his chief aides.

       (1 Chr 19:1 TLB)  When King Nahash of Ammon died, his son Hanun became 
       the new king.

       (1 Chr 19:2 TLB)  Then David declared, "I am going to show friendship 
       to Hanun because of all the kind things his father did for me." So 





       David sent a message of sympathy to Hanun for the death of his father. 
       But when David's ambassadors arrived,

       (1 Chr 19:3 TLB)  King Hanun's counselors warned him, "Don't fool 
       yourself that David has sent these men to honor your father! They are 
       here to spy out the land so that they can come in and conquer it!"

       (1 Chr 19:4 TLB)  So King Hanun insulted King David's ambassadors by 
       shaving their beards and cutting their robes off at the middle to 
       expose their buttocks; then he sent them back to David in shame.

       (1 Chr 19:5 TLB)  When David heard what had happened, he sent a 
       message to his embarrassed emissaries, telling them to stay at Jericho 
       until their beards had grown out again.

       (1 Chr 19:6 TLB)  When King Hanun realized his mistake he sent 
       $2,000,000 to enlist mercenary troops, chariots, and cavalry from 
       Mesopotamia, Aram-maacah, and Zobah.

       (1 Chr 19:7 TLB)  He hired thirty-two thousand chariots, as well as 
       the support of the king of Maacah and his entire army. These forces 
       camped at Medeba where they were joined by the troops King Hanun had 
       recruited from his cities.

       (1 Chr 19:8 TLB)  When David learned of this, he sent Joab and the 
       mightiest warriors of Israel.

       (1 Chr 19:9 TLB)  The army of Ammon went out to meet them and began 
       the battle at the gates of the city of Medeba. Meanwhile, the 
       mercenary forces were out in the field.

       (1 Chr 19:10 TLB)  When Joab realized that the enemy forces were both 
       in front and behind him, he divided his army and sent one group to 
       engage the Syrians.

       (1 Chr 19:11 TLB)  The other group, under the command of his brother 
       Abishai, moved against the Ammonites.

       (1 Chr 19:12 TLB)  "If the Syrians are too strong for me, come and 
       help me," Joab told his brother; "and if the Ammonites are too strong 
       for you, I'll come and help you.

       (1 Chr 19:13 TLB)  Be courageous and let us act like men to save our 
       people and the cities of our God. And may the Lord do what is best."

       (1 Chr 19:14 TLB)  So Joab and his troops attacked the Syrians, and 
       the Syrians turned and fled.

       (1 Chr 19:15 TLB)  When the Ammonites, under attack by Abishai's 
       troops, saw that the Syrians were retreating, they fled into the city. 
       Then Joab returned to Jerusalem.

       (1 Chr 19:16 TLB)  After their defeat, the Syrians summoned additional 
       troops from east of the Euphrates River, led personally by Shophach, 
       King Hadadezer's commander-in-chief.





       (1 Chr 19:17 TLB)  When this news reached David, he mobilized all 
       Israel, crossed the Jordan River, and engaged the enemy troops in 
       battle.

       (1 Chr 19:18 TLB)  But the Syrians again fled from David, and he 
       killed seven thousand charioteers and forty thousand of their troops. 
       He also killed Shophach, the commander-in-chief of the Syrian army.

       (1 Chr 19:19 TLB)  Then King Hadadezer's troops surrendered to King 
       David and became his subjects. And never again did the Syrians aid the 
       Ammonites in their battles.

       (1 Chr 20:1 TLB)  The following spring (spring was the season when 
       wars usually began) Joab led the Israeli army in successful attacks 
       against the cities and villages of the people of Ammon. After 
       destroying them, he laid siege to Rabbah and conquered it. Meanwhile, 
       David had stayed in Jerusalem.

       (1 Chr 20:2 TLB)  When David arrived on the scene, he removed the 
       crown from the head of King Milcom of Rabbah and placed it upon his 
       own head. It was made of gold inlaid with gems and weighed 
       seventy-five pounds! David also took great amounts of plunder from the 
       city.

       (1 Chr 20:3 TLB)  He drove the people from the city and set them to 
       work with saws, iron picks, and axes, as was his custom with all the 
       conquered Ammonite peoples. Then David and all his army returned to 
       Jerusalem.

       (1 Chr 20:4 TLB)  The next war was against the Philistines again, at 
       Gezer. But Sibbecai, a man from Hushath, killed one of the sons of the 
       giant, Sippai, and so the Philistines surrendered.

       (1 Chr 20:5 TLB)  During another war with the Philistines, Elhanan 
       (the son of Jair) killed Lahmi, the brother of Goliath the giant; the 
       handle of his spear was like a weaver's beam!

       (1 Chr 20:6 TLB)  During another battle, at Gath, a giant with six 
       fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot (his father was also a 
       giant) defied

       (1 Chr 20:7 TLB)  and taunted Israel; but he was killed by David's 
       nephew Jonathan, the son of David's brother Shimea.

       (1 Chr 20:8 TLB)  These giants were descendants of the giants of Gath, 
       and they were killed by David and his soldiers.

       (1 Chr 21:1 TLB)  Then Satan brought disaster upon Israel, for he made 
       David decide to take a census.

       (1 Chr 21:2 TLB)  "Take a complete census throughout the land and 
       bring me the totals," he told Joab and the other leaders.

       (1 Chr 21:3 TLB)  But Joab objected. "If the Lord were to multiply his 
       people a hundred times, would they not all be yours? So why are you 
       asking us to do this? Why must you cause Israel to sin?"






       (1 Chr 21:4 TLB)  But the king won the argument, and Joab did as he 
       was told; he traveled all through Israel and returned to Jerusalem.

       (1 Chr 21:5 TLB)  The total population figure which he gave came to 
       1,100,000 men of military age in Israel and 470,000 in Judah.

       (1 Chr 21:6 TLB)  But he didn't include the tribes of Levi and 
       Benjamin in his figures because he was so distressed at what the king 
       had made him do.

       (1 Chr 21:7 TLB)  And God, too, was displeased with the census and 
       punished Israel for it.

       (1 Chr 21:8 TLB)  But David said to God, "I am the one who has sinned. 
       Please forgive me, for I realize now how wrong I was to do this."

       (1 Chr 21:9 TLB)  Then the Lord said to Gad, David's personal prophet,

       (1 Chr 21:10 TLB)  "Go and tell David, 'The Lord has offered you three 
       choices. Which will you choose?

       (1 Chr 21:11 TLB)  

       (1 Chr 21:12 TLB)  You may have three years of famine, or three months 
       of destruction by the enemies of Israel, or three days of deadly 
       plague as the angel of the Lord brings destruction to the land. Think 
       it over and let me know what answer to return to the one who sent 
       me.'"

       (1 Chr 21:13 TLB)  "This is a terrible decision to make," David 
       replied, "but let me fall into the hands of the Lord rather than into 
       the power of men, for God's mercies are very great."

       (1 Chr 21:14 TLB)  So the Lord sent a plague upon Israel and 70,000 
       men died as a result.

       (1 Chr 21:15 TLB)  During the plague God sent an angel to destroy 
       Jerusalem; but then he felt such compassion that he changed his mind 
       and commanded the destroying angel, "Stop! It is enough!" (The angel 
       of the Lord was standing at the time by the threshing-floor of Ornan 
       the Jebusite.)

       (1 Chr 21:16 TLB)  When David saw the angel of the Lord standing 
       between heaven and earth with his sword drawn, pointing toward 
       Jerusalem, he and the elders of Israel clothed themselves in sackcloth 
       and fell to the ground before the Lord.

       (1 Chr 21:17 TLB)  And David said to God, "I am the one who sinned by 
       ordering the census. But what have these sheep done? O Lord my God, 
       destroy me and my family, but do not destroy your people."

       (1 Chr 21:18 TLB)  Then the angel of the Lord told Gad to instruct 
       David to build an altar to the Lord at the threshing-floor of Ornan 
       the Jebusite.





       (1 Chr 21:19 TLB)  So David went to see Ornan, who was threshing wheat 
       at the time. Ornan saw the angel as he turned, and his four sons ran 
       and hid.

       (1 Chr 21:20 TLB)  

       (1 Chr 21:21 TLB)  Then Ornan saw the king approaching. So he left the 
       threshing-floor and bowed to the ground before King David.

       (1 Chr 21:22 TLB)  David said to Ornan, "Let me buy this 
       threshing-floor from you at its full price; then I will build an altar 
       to the Lord and the plague will stop."

       (1 Chr 21:23 TLB)  "Take it, my lord, and use it as you wish," Ornan 
       said to David. "Take the oxen, too, for burnt offerings; use the 
       threshing instruments for wood for the fire and use the wheat for the 
       grain offering. I give it all to you."

       (1 Chr 21:24 TLB)  "No," the king replied, "I will buy it for the full 
       price; I cannot take what is yours and give it to the Lord. I will not 
       offer a burnt offering that has cost me nothing!"

       (1 Chr 21:25 TLB)  So David paid Ornan $4,300 in gold

       (1 Chr 21:26 TLB)  and built an altar to the Lord there, and 
       sacrificed burnt offerings and peace offerings upon it; and he called 
       out to the Lord, who answered by sending down fire from heaven to burn 
       up the offering on the altar.

       (1 Chr 21:27 TLB)  Then the Lord commanded the angel to put back his 
       sword into its sheath;

       (1 Chr 21:28 TLB)  and when David saw that the Lord had answered his 
       plea, he sacrificed to him again.

       (1 Chr 21:29 TLB)  The Tabernacle and altar made by Moses in the 
       wilderness were on the hill of Gibeon,

       (1 Chr 21:30 TLB)  but David didn't have time to go there to plead 
       before the Lord, for he was terrified by the drawn sword of the angel 
       of Jehovah.

       (1 Chr 22:1 TLB)  Then David said, "Right here at Ornan's 
       threshing-floor is the place where I'll build the Temple of the Lord 
       and construct the altar for Israel's burnt offering!"

       (1 Chr 22:2 TLB)  David now drafted all the resident aliens in Israel 
       to prepare blocks of squared stone for the Temple.

       (1 Chr 22:3 TLB)  They also manufactured iron into the great quantity 
       of nails needed for the doors in the gates and for the clamps; and 
       they smelted so much bronze that it was too much to weigh.

       (1 Chr 22:4 TLB)  The men of Tyre and Sidon brought great rafts of 
       cedar logs to David.





       (1 Chr 22:5 TLB)  "Solomon my son is young and tender," David said, 
       "and the Temple of the Lord must be a marvelous structure, famous and 
       glorious throughout the world; so I will begin the preparations for it 
       now." So David collected the construction materials before his death.

       (1 Chr 22:6 TLB)  He now commanded his son Solomon to build a temple 
       for the Lord God of Israel.

       (1 Chr 22:7 TLB)  "I wanted to build it myself," David told him,

       (1 Chr 22:8 TLB)  "but the Lord said not to do it. 'You have killed 
       too many men in great wars,' he told me. 'You have reddened the ground 
       before me with blood: so you are not to build my Temple.

       (1 Chr 22:9 TLB)  But I will give you a son,' he told me, 'who will be 
       a man of peace, for I will give him peace with his enemies in the 
       surrounding lands. His name shall be Solomon (meaning "Peaceful"), and 
       I will give peace and quietness to Israel during his reign.

       (1 Chr 22:10 TLB)  He shall build my Temple, and he shall be as my own 
       son and I will be his father; and I will cause his sons and his 
       descendants to reign over every generation of Israel.'

       (1 Chr 22:11 TLB)  "So now, my son, may the Lord be with you and 
       prosper you as you do what he told you to do and build the Temple of 
       the Lord.

       (1 Chr 22:12 TLB)  And may the Lord give you the good judgment to 
       follow all his laws when he makes you king of Israel.

       (1 Chr 22:13 TLB)  For if you carefully obey the rules and regulations 
       that he gave to Israel through Moses, you will prosper. Be strong and 
       courageous, fearless and enthusiastic!

       (1 Chr 22:14 TLB)  "By hard work I have collected several billion 
       dollars worth of gold bullion, millions in silver, and so much iron 
       and bronze that I haven't even weighed it; I have also gathered timber 
       and stone for the walls. This is at least a beginning, something with 
       which to start.

       (1 Chr 22:15 TLB)  And you have many skilled stonemasons and 
       carpenters and craftsmen of every kind.

       (1 Chr 22:16 TLB)  They are expert gold and silver smiths and bronze 
       and iron workers. So get to work, and may the Lord be with you!"

       (1 Chr 22:17 TLB)  Then David ordered all the leaders of Israel to 
       assist his son in this project.

       (1 Chr 22:18 TLB)  "The Lord your God is with you," he declared. "He 
       has given you peace with the surrounding nations, for I have conquered 
       them in the name of the Lord and for his people.

       (1 Chr 22:19 TLB)  Now try with every fiber of your being to obey the 
       Lord your God, and you will soon be bringing the Ark and the other 
       holy articles of worship into the Temple of the Lord!"






       (1 Chr 23:1 TLB)  By this time David was an old, old man, so he 
       stepped down from the throne and appointed his son Solomon as the new 
       king of Israel.

       (1 Chr 23:2 TLB)  He summoned all the political and religious leaders 
       of Israel for the coronation ceremony.

       (1 Chr 23:3 TLB)  At this time a census was taken of the men of the 
       tribe of Levi who were thirty years or older. The total came to 
       38,000.

       (1 Chr 23:4 TLB)  "Twenty-four thousand of them will supervise the 
       work at the Temple," David instructed, "6,000 are to be bailiffs and 
       judges,

       (1 Chr 23:5 TLB)  4,000 will be temple guards, and 4,000 will praise 
       the Lord with the musical instruments I have made."

       (1 Chr 23:6 TLB)  Then David divided them into three main divisions 
       named after the sons of Levi--the Gershom division, the Kohath 
       division, and the Merari division.

       (1 Chr 23:7 TLB)  Subdivisions of the Gershom corps were named after 
       his sons Ladan and Shimei.

       (1 Chr 23:8 TLB)  These subdivisions were still further divided into 
       six groups named after the sons of Ladan: Jehiel the leader, Zetham, 
       Joel;

       (1 Chr 23:9 TLB)  and the sons of Shimei--Shelomoth, Haziel, and 
       Haran.

       (1 Chr 23:10 TLB)  The subclans of Shimei were named after his four 
       sons:

       (1 Chr 23:11 TLB)  Jahath was greatest, Zizah was next, and Jeush and 
       Beriah were combined into a single subclan because neither had many 
       sons.

       (1 Chr 23:12 TLB)  The division of Kohath was subdivided into four 
       groups named after his sons Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.

       (1 Chr 23:13 TLB)  Amram was the ancestor of Aaron and Moses. Aaron 
       and his sons were set apart for the holy service of sacrificing the 
       people's offerings to the Lord. He served the Lord constantly and 
       pronounced blessings in his name at all times.

       (1 Chr 23:14 TLB)  As for Moses, the man of God, his sons, Gershom and 
       Eliezer, were included with the tribe of Levi.

       (1 Chr 23:15 TLB)  

       (1 Chr 23:16 TLB)  Gershom's sons were led by Shebuel,

       (1 Chr 23:17 TLB)  and Eliezer's only son, Rehabiah, was the leader of 





       his clan, for he had many children.

       (1 Chr 23:18 TLB)  The sons of Izhar were led by Shelomith.

       (1 Chr 23:19 TLB)  The sons of Hebron were led by Jeriah. Amariah was 
       second in command, Jahaziel was third, and Jekameam was fourth.

       (1 Chr 23:20 TLB)  The sons of Uzziel were led by Micah, and Isshiah 
       was the second in command.

       (1 Chr 23:21 TLB)  The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. The sons 
       of Mahli were Eleazar and Kish.

       (1 Chr 23:22 TLB)  Eleazar died without any sons, and his daughters 
       were married to their cousins, the sons of Kish.

       (1 Chr 23:23 TLB)  Mushi's sons were Mahli, Eder, and Jeremoth.

       (1 Chr 23:24 TLB)  In the census, all the men of Levi who were twenty 
       years old or older were classified under the names of these clans and 
       subclans; and they were all assigned to the ministry at the Temple.

       (1 Chr 23:25 TLB)  For David said, "The Lord God of Israel has given 
       us peace, and he will always live in Jerusalem.

       (1 Chr 23:26 TLB)  Now the Levites will no longer need to carry the 
       Tabernacle and its instruments from place to place."

       (1 Chr 23:27 TLB)  (This census of the tribe of Levi was one of the 
       last things David did before his death.)

       (1 Chr 23:28 TLB)  The work of the Levites was to assist the 
       priests--the descendants of Aaron--in the sacrifices at the Temple; 
       they also did the custodial work and helped perform the ceremonies of 
       purification.

       (1 Chr 23:29 TLB)  They provided the Bread of the Presence, the flour 
       for the grain offerings, and the wafers made without yeast (either 
       fried or mixed with olive oil); they also checked all the weights and 
       measures.

       (1 Chr 23:30 TLB)  Each morning and evening they stood before the Lord 
       to sing thanks and praise to him.

       (1 Chr 23:31 TLB)  They assisted in the special sacrifices of burnt 
       offerings, the Sabbath sacrifices, the new moon celebrations, and at 
       all the festivals. There were always as many Levites present as were 
       required for the occasion.

       (1 Chr 23:32 TLB)  And they took care of the Tabernacle and the Temple 
       and assisted the priests in whatever way they were needed.

       (1 Chr 24:1 TLB)  The priests (the descendants of Aaron) were placed 
       into two divisions named after Aaron's sons, Eleazar and Ithamar.

       (1 Chr 24:2 TLB)  Nadab and Abihu were also sons of Aaron, but they 





       died before their father did and had no children; so only Eleazar and 
       Ithamar were left to carry on.

       (1 Chr 24:3 TLB)  David consulted with Zadok, who represented the 
       Eleazar clan, and with Ahimelech, who represented the Ithamar clan; 
       then he divided Aaron's descendants into many groups to serve at 
       various times.

       (1 Chr 24:4 TLB)  Eleazar's descendants were divided into sixteen 
       groups and Ithamar's into eight (for there was more leadership ability 
       among the descendants of Eleazar).

       (1 Chr 24:5 TLB)  All tasks were assigned to the various groups by 
       coin-toss so that there would be no preference, for there were many 
       famous men and high officials of the Temple in each division.

       (1 Chr 24:6 TLB)  Shemaiah, a Levite and the son of Nethanel, acted as 
       recording secretary and wrote down the names and assignments in the 
       presence of the king and of these leaders: Zadok the priest, Ahimelech 
       the son of Abiathar, and the heads of the priests and Levites. Two 
       groups from the division of Eleazar and one from the division of 
       Ithamar were assigned to each task.

       (1 Chr 24:7 TLB)  The work was assigned (by coin-toss) in this order: 
       First, the group led by Jehoiarib; Second, the group led by Jedaiah;

       (1 Chr 24:8 TLB)  Third, the group led by Harim; Fourth, the group led 
       by Seorim;

       (1 Chr 24:9 TLB)  Fifth, the group led by Malchijah; Sixth, the group 
       led by Mijamin;

       (1 Chr 24:10 TLB)  Seventh, the group led by Hakkoz; Eighth, the group 
       led by Ahijah;

       (1 Chr 24:11 TLB)  Ninth, the group led by Jeshua; Tenth, the group 
       led by Shecaniah;

       (1 Chr 24:12 TLB)  Eleventh, the group led by Eliashib; Twelfth, the 
       group led by Jakim;

       (1 Chr 24:13 TLB)  Thirteenth, the group led by Huppah; Fourteenth, 
       the group led by Jeshebeab;

       (1 Chr 24:14 TLB)  Fifteenth, the group led by Bilgah; Sixteenth, the 
       group led by Immer;

       (1 Chr 24:15 TLB)  Seventeenth, the group led by Hezir; Eighteenth, 
       the group led by Happizzez;

       (1 Chr 24:16 TLB)  Nineteenth, the group led by Pethahiah; Twentieth, 
       the group led by Jehezkel;

       (1 Chr 24:17 TLB)  Twenty-first, the group led by Jachin; 
       Twenty-second, the group led by Gamul;





       (1 Chr 24:18 TLB)  Twenty-third, the group led by Delaiah; 
       Twenty-fourth, the group led by Maaziah.

       (1 Chr 24:19 TLB)  Each group carried out the Temple duties as 
       originally assigned by God through their ancestor Aaron.

       (1 Chr 24:20 TLB)  These were the other descendants of Levi: Amram; 
       his descendant Shubael; and Shubael's descendant Jehdeiah;

       (1 Chr 24:21 TLB)  the Rehabiah group, led by his oldest son Isshiah;

       (1 Chr 24:22 TLB)  the Izhar group, consisting of Shelamoth and his 
       descendant Jahath.

       (1 Chr 24:23 TLB)  The Hebron group: Jeriah, Hebron's oldest son; 
       Amariah, his second son; Jahaziel, his third son; Jekameam, his fourth 
       son.

       (1 Chr 24:24 TLB)  The Uzziel group was led by his son Micah and his 
       grandsons Shamir and Isshiah, and by Isshiah's son Zechariah.

       (1 Chr 24:25 TLB)  

       (1 Chr 24:26 TLB)  The Merari group was led by his sons: Mahli and 
       Mushi. (Jaaziah's group, led by his son Beno, included his brothers 
       Shoham, Zaccur, and Ibri.)

       (1 Chr 24:27 TLB)  

       (1 Chr 24:28 TLB)  Mahli's descendants were Eleazar, who had no sons,

       (1 Chr 24:29 TLB)  and Kish, among whose sons was Jerahmeel.

       (1 Chr 24:30 TLB)  The sons of Mushi were Mahli, Eder, and Jerimoth. 
       These were the descendants of Levi in their various clans.

       (1 Chr 24:31 TLB)  Like the descendants of Aaron, they were assigned 
       to their duties by coin-toss without distinction as to age or rank. It 
       was done in the presence of King David, Zadok, Ahimelech, and the 
       leaders of the priests and the Levites.

       (1 Chr 25:1 TLB)  David and the officials of the Tabernacle then 
       appointed men to prophesy to the accompaniment of zithers, harps, and 
       cymbals. These men were from the groups of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun. 
       Here is a list of their names and their work:

       (1 Chr 25:2 TLB)  Under the leadership of Asaph, the king's private 
       prophet, were his sons Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah, and Asharelah.

       (1 Chr 25:3 TLB)  Under Jeduthun, who led in giving thanks and 
       praising the Lord (while accompanied by the zither), were his six 
       sons: Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah.

       (1 Chr 25:4 TLB)  Under the direction of Heman, the king's private 
       chaplain, were his sons: Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shebuel, 
       Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Geddalti, Romamti-ezer, 





       Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, and Mahazioth.

       (1 Chr 25:5 TLB)  (For God had honored him with fourteen sons and 
       three daughters.)

       (1 Chr 25:6 TLB)  Their music ministry included the playing of 
       cymbals, harps, and zithers; all were under the direction of their 
       father as they performed this ministry in the Tabernacle. Asaph, 
       Jeduthun, and Heman reported directly to the king.

       (1 Chr 25:7 TLB)  They and their families were all trained in singing 
       praises to the Lord; each one--288 of them in all--was a master 
       musician.

       (1 Chr 25:8 TLB)  The singers were appointed to their particular term 
       of service by coin-toss, without regard to age or reputation.

       (1 Chr 25:9 TLB)  The first toss indicated Joseph of the Asaph clan; 
       The second, Gedaliah, along with twelve of his sons and brothers;

       (1 Chr 25:10 TLB)  The third, Zaccur and twelve of his sons and 
       brothers;

       (1 Chr 25:11 TLB)  The fourth, Izri and twelve of his sons and 
       brothers;

       (1 Chr 25:12 TLB)  Fifth, Nethaniah and twelve of his sons and 
       brothers;

       (1 Chr 25:13 TLB)  Sixth, Bukkiah and twelve of his sons and brothers;

       (1 Chr 25:14 TLB)  Seventh, Jesharelah and twelve of his sons and 
       brothers;

       (1 Chr 25:15 TLB)  Eighth, Jeshaiah and twelve of his sons and 
       brothers;

       (1 Chr 25:16 TLB)  Ninth, Mattaniah and twelve of his sons and 
       brothers;

       (1 Chr 25:17 TLB)  Tenth, Shimei and twelve of his sons and brothers;

       (1 Chr 25:18 TLB)  Eleventh, Azarel and twelve of his sons and 
       brothers;

       (1 Chr 25:19 TLB)  Twelfth, Hashabiah and twelve of his sons and 
       brothers;

       (1 Chr 25:20 TLB)  Thirteenth, Shubael and twelve of his sons and 
       brothers;

       (1 Chr 25:21 TLB)  Fourteenth, Mattithiah and twelve of his sons and 
       brothers;

       (1 Chr 25:22 TLB)  Fifteenth, Jeremoth and twelve of his sons and 
       brothers;






       (1 Chr 25:23 TLB)  Sixteenth, Hananiah and twelve of his sons and 
       brothers;

       (1 Chr 25:24 TLB)  Seventeenth, Joshbekasha and twelve of his sons and 
       brothers;

       (1 Chr 25:25 TLB)  Eighteenth, Hanani and twelve of his sons and 
       brothers;

       (1 Chr 25:26 TLB)  Nineteenth, Mallothi and twelve of his sons and 
       brothers;

       (1 Chr 25:27 TLB)  Twentieth, Eliathah and twelve of his sons and 
       brothers;

       (1 Chr 25:28 TLB)  Twenty-first, Hothir and twelve of his sons and 
       brothers;

       (1 Chr 25:29 TLB)  Twenty-second, Giddalti and twelve of his sons and 
       brothers;

       (1 Chr 25:30 TLB)  Twenty-third, Mahazioth and twelve of his sons and 
       brothers;

       (1 Chr 25:31 TLB)  Twenty-fourth, Romamti-ezer and twelve of his sons 
       and brothers.

       (1 Chr 26:1 TLB)  The temple guards were from the Asaph division of 
       the Korah clan. The captain of the guard was Meshelemiah, the son of 
       Kore.

       (1 Chr 26:2 TLB)  His sergeants were his sons: Zechariah (the oldest), 
       Jediael (the second), Zebadiah (the third), Jathniel (the fourth),

       (1 Chr 26:3 TLB)  Elam (the fifth), Jehohanan (the sixth), Eliehoenai 
       (the seventh).

       (1 Chr 26:4 TLB)  The sons of Obed-edom were also appointed as Temple 
       guards: Shemaiah (the oldest), Jehozabad (the second), Joah (the 
       third), Sacar (the fourth), Nethanel (the fifth),

       (1 Chr 26:5 TLB)  Ammiel (the sixth), Issachar (the seventh), 
       Peullethai (the eighth). What a blessing God gave him with all those 
       sons!

       (1 Chr 26:6 TLB)  Shemaiah's sons were all outstanding men and had 
       positions of great authority in their clan.

       (1 Chr 26:7 TLB)  Their names were: Othni, Rephael, Obed, Elzabad. 
       Their brave brothers, Elihu and Semachiah, were also very able men.

       (1 Chr 26:8 TLB)  All of these sons and grandsons of Obed-edom--all 
       sixty-two of them--were outstanding men who were particularly well 
       qualified for their work.





       (1 Chr 26:9 TLB)  Meshelemiah's eighteen sons and brothers, too, were 
       real leaders.

       (1 Chr 26:10 TLB)  Hosah, one of the Merari group, appointed Shimri as 
       the leader among his sons, though he was not the oldest.

       (1 Chr 26:11 TLB)  The names of some of his other sons were: Hilkiah, 
       the second; Tebaliah, the third; Zechariah, the fourth. Hosah's sons 
       and brothers numbered thirteen in all.

       (1 Chr 26:12 TLB)  The divisions of the Temple guards were named after 
       the leaders. Like the other Levites, they were responsible to minister 
       at the Temple.

       (1 Chr 26:13 TLB)  They were assigned guard duty at the various gates 
       without regard to the reputation of their families, for it was all 
       done by coin-toss.

       (1 Chr 26:14 TLB)  The responsibility of the east gate went to 
       Shelemiah and his group; of the north gate to his son Zechariah, a man 
       of unusual wisdom;

       (1 Chr 26:15 TLB)  of the south gate to Obed-edom and his group (his 
       sons were given charge of the storehouses);

       (1 Chr 26:16 TLB)  of the west gate and the Shallecheth Gate on the 
       upper road, to Shuppim and Hosah.

       (1 Chr 26:17 TLB)  Six guards were assigned daily to the east gate, 
       four to the north gate, four to the south gate, and two to each of the 
       storehouses.

       (1 Chr 26:18 TLB)  Six guards were assigned each day to the west gate, 
       four to the upper road, and two to the nearby areas.

       (1 Chr 26:19 TLB)  The Temple guards were chosen from the clans of 
       Korah and Merari.

       (1 Chr 26:20 TLB)  Other Levites, led by Ahijah, were given the care 
       of the gifts brought to the Lord and placed in the Temple treasury.

       (1 Chr 26:21 TLB)  These men of the Ladan subclan from the clan of 
       Gershom included

       (1 Chr 26:22 TLB)  Zetham and Joel, the sons of Jehieli.

       (1 Chr 26:23 TLB)  Shebuel, son of Gershom and grandson of Moses, was 
       the chief officer of the treasury. He was in charge of the divisions 
       named after Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.

       (1 Chr 26:24 TLB)  

       (1 Chr 26:25 TLB)  The line of descendants from Eliezer went through 
       Rehabiah, Jeshaiah, Joram, Zichri, and Shelomoth.

       (1 Chr 26:26 TLB)  Shelomoth and his brothers were appointed to care 





       for the gifts given to the Lord by King David and the other leaders of 
       the nation such as the officers and generals of the army.

       (1 Chr 26:27 TLB)  For these men dedicated their war loot to support 
       the operating expenses of the Temple.

       (1 Chr 26:28 TLB)  Shelomoth and his brothers were also responsible 
       for the care of the items dedicated to the Lord by Samuel the prophet, 
       Saul the son of Kish, Abner the son of Ner, Joab the son of Zeruiah, 
       and anyone else of distinction who brought gifts to the Lord.

       (1 Chr 26:29 TLB)  Chenaniah and his sons (from the subclan of Izhar) 
       were appointed public administrators and judges.

       (1 Chr 26:30 TLB)  Hashabiah and 1,700 of his clansmen from Hebron, 
       all outstanding men, were placed in charge of the territory of Israel 
       west of the Jordan River; they were responsible for the religious 
       affairs and public administration of that area.

       (1 Chr 26:31 TLB)  Twenty-seven hundred outstanding men of the clan of 
       the Hebronites, under the supervision of Jerijah, were appointed to 
       control the religious and public affairs of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, 
       and the half-tribe of Manasseh.

       (1 Chr 26:32 TLB)  These men, all of whom had excellent 
       qualifications, were appointed on the basis of their ancestry and 
       ability at Jazer in Gilead in the fortieth year of King David's reign.

       (1 Chr 27:1 TLB)  The Israeli army was divided into twelve regiments, 
       each with 24,000 troops, including officers and administrative staff. 
       These units were called up for active duty one month each year. Here 
       is the list of the units and their regimental commanders:

       (1 Chr 27:2 TLB)  The commander of the First Division was Jashobeam. 
       He had charge of 24,000 troops who were on duty the first month of 
       each year.

       (1 Chr 27:3 TLB)  

       (1 Chr 27:4 TLB)  The commander of the Second Division was Dodai (a 
       descendant of Ahohi). He had charge of 24,000 troops who were on duty 
       the second month of each year. Mikloth was his executive officer.

       (1 Chr 27:5 TLB)  The commander of the Third Division was Benaiah. His 
       24,000 men were on duty the third month of each year.

       (1 Chr 27:6 TLB)  (He was the son of Jehoiada the High Priest and was 
       the chief of the thirty highest-ranking officers in David's army.) His 
       son Ammizabad succeeded him as division commander.

       (1 Chr 27:7 TLB)  The commander of the Fourth Division was Asahel (the 
       brother of Joab), who was later replaced by his son Zebadiah. He had 
       24,000 men on duty the fourth month of each year.

       (1 Chr 27:8 TLB)  The commander of the Fifth Division was Shamuth from 
       Izrah, with 24,000 men on duty the fifth month of each year.






       (1 Chr 27:9 TLB)  The commander of the Sixth Division was Ira, the son 
       of Ikkesh from Tekoa; he had 24,000 men on duty the sixth month of 
       each year.

       (1 Chr 27:10 TLB)  The commander of the Seventh Division was Helez 
       from Pelona in Ephraim, with 24,000 men on duty the seventh month of 
       each year.

       (1 Chr 27:11 TLB)  The commander of the Eighth Division was Sibbecai 
       of the Hushite subclan from Zerah, who had 24,000 men on duty the 
       eighth month of each year.

       (1 Chr 27:12 TLB)  The commander of the Ninth Division was Abiezer 
       (from Anathoth in the tribe of Benjamin), who commanded 24,000 troops 
       during the ninth month of each year.

       (1 Chr 27:13 TLB)  The commander of the Tenth Division was Maharai 
       from Netophah in Zerah, with 24,000 men on duty the tenth month of 
       each year.

       (1 Chr 27:14 TLB)  The commander of the Eleventh Division was Benaiah 
       from Pirathon in Ephraim, with 24,000 men on duty during the eleventh 
       month of each year.

       (1 Chr 27:15 TLB)  The commander of the Twelfth Division was Heldai 
       from Netophah in the area of Othniel, who commanded 24,000 men on duty 
       during the twelfth month of each year.

       (1 Chr 27:16 TLB)  The top political officers of the tribes of Israel 
       were as follows: Over Reuben, Eliezer (son of Zichri); Over Simeon, 
       Shephatiah (son of Maacah);

       (1 Chr 27:17 TLB)  Over Levi, Hashabiah (son of Kemuel); Over the 
       descendants of Aaron, Zadok;

       (1 Chr 27:18 TLB)  Over Judah, Elihu (a brother of King David); Over 
       Issachar, Omri (son of Michael);

       (1 Chr 27:19 TLB)  Over Zebulun, Ishmaiah (son of Obadiah); Over 
       Naphtali, Jeremoth (son of Azriel);

       (1 Chr 27:20 TLB)  Over Ephraim, Hoshea (son of Azaziah); Over the 
       half-tribe of Manasseh, Joel (son of Pedaiah);

       (1 Chr 27:21 TLB)  Over the other half of Manasseh, in Gilead, Iddo 
       (son of Zechariah); Over Benjamin, Jaasiel (son of Abner);

       (1 Chr 27:22 TLB)  Over Dan, Azarel (son of Jeroham).

       (1 Chr 27:23 TLB)  When David took his census, he didn't include the 
       twenty-year-olds or those younger, for the Lord had promised a 
       population explosion for his people.

       (1 Chr 27:24 TLB)  Joab began the census, but he never finished it, 
       for the anger of God broke out upon Israel; the final total was never 





       put into the annals of King David.

       (1 Chr 27:25 TLB)  Azmaveth (son of Adiel) was the chief financial 
       officer in charge of the palace treasuries, and Jonathan (son of 
       Uzziah) was chief of the regional treasuries throughout the cities, 
       villages, and fortresses of Israel.

       (1 Chr 27:26 TLB)  Ezri (son of Chelub) was manager of the laborers on 
       the king's estates.

       (1 Chr 27:27 TLB)  And Shimei from Ramath had the oversight of the 
       king's vineyards; and Zabdi from Shiphma was responsible for his wine 
       production and storage.

       (1 Chr 27:28 TLB)  Baal-hanan from Gedera was responsible for the 
       king's olive yards and sycamore trees in the lowlands bordering 
       Philistine territory, while Joash had charge of the supplies of olive 
       oil.

       (1 Chr 27:29 TLB)  Shitrai from Sharon was in charge of the cattle on 
       the Plains of Sharon, and Shaphat (son of Adlai) had charge of those 
       in the valleys.

       (1 Chr 27:30 TLB)  Obil, from the territory of Ishmael, had charge of 
       the camels, and Jehdeiah from Meronoth had charge of the donkeys.

       (1 Chr 27:31 TLB)  The sheep were under the care of Jaziz the Hagrite. 
       These men were King David's overseers.

       (1 Chr 27:32 TLB)  The attendant to the king's sons was Jonathan, 
       David's uncle, a wise counselor and an educated man. Jehiel (the son 
       of Hachmoni) was their tutor.

       (1 Chr 27:33 TLB)  Ahithophel was the king's official counselor, and 
       Hushai the Archite was his personal advisor.

       (1 Chr 27:34 TLB)  Ahithophel was assisted by Jehoiada (the son of 
       Benaiah) and by Abiathar. Joab was commander-in-chief of the Israeli 
       army.

       (1 Chr 28:1 TLB)  David now summoned all of his officials to 
       Jerusalem--the political leaders, the commanders of the twelve army 
       divisions, the other army officers, those in charge of his property 
       and livestock, and all the other men of authority in his kingdom.

       (1 Chr 28:2 TLB)  He rose and stood before them and addressed them as 
       follows: "My brothers and my people! It was my desire to build a 
       temple in which the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord could rest--a 
       place for our God to live in. I have now collected everything that is 
       necessary for the building,

       (1 Chr 28:3 TLB)  but God has told me, 'You are not to build my 
       temple, for you are a warrior and have shed much blood.'

       (1 Chr 28:4 TLB)  "Nevertheless, the Lord God of Israel has chosen me 
       from among all my father's family to begin a dynasty that will rule 





       Israel forever; he has chosen the tribe of Judah, and from among the 
       families of Judah, my father's family; and from among his sons, the 
       Lord took pleasure in me and has made me king over all Israel.

       (1 Chr 28:5 TLB)  And from among my sons--the Lord has given me many 
       children--he has chosen Solomon to succeed me on the throne of his 
       Kingdom of Israel.

       (1 Chr 28:6 TLB)  He has told me, 'Your son Solomon shall build my 
       Temple; for I have chosen him as my son and I will be his father.

       (1 Chr 28:7 TLB)  And if he continues to obey my commandments and 
       instructions as he has until now, I will make his kingdom last 
       forever.'"

       (1 Chr 28:8 TLB)  Then David turned to Solomon and said: "Here before 
       the leaders of Israel, the people of God, and in the sight of our God, 
       I am instructing you to search out every commandment of the Lord so 
       that you may continue to rule this good land and leave it to your 
       children to rule forever.

       (1 Chr 28:9 TLB)  Solomon, my son, get to know the God of your 
       fathers. Worship and serve him with a clean heart and a willing mind, 
       for the Lord sees every heart and understands and knows every thought. 
       If you seek him, you will find him; but if you forsake him, he will 
       permanently throw you aside.

       (1 Chr 28:10 TLB)  So be very careful, for the Lord has chosen you to 
       build his holy Temple. Be strong and do as he commands."

       (1 Chr 28:11 TLB)  Then David gave Solomon the blueprint of the Temple 
       and its surroundings--the treasuries, the upstairs rooms, the inside 
       rooms, and the sanctuary for the place of mercy.

       (1 Chr 28:12 TLB)  He also gave Solomon his plans for the outer court, 
       the outside rooms, the Temple storage areas, and the treasuries for 
       the gifts dedicated by famous persons. For the Holy Spirit had given 
       David all these plans.

       (1 Chr 28:13 TLB)  The king also passed on to Solomon the instructions 
       concerning the work of the various groups of priests and Levites; and 
       he gave specifications for each item in the Temple which was to be 
       used for worship and sacrifice.

       (1 Chr 28:14 TLB)  David weighed out enough gold and silver to make 
       these various items,

       (1 Chr 28:15 TLB)  as well as the specific amount of gold needed for 
       the lampstands and lamps. He also weighed out enough silver for the 
       silver candlesticks and lamps, each according to its use.

       (1 Chr 28:16 TLB)  He weighed out the gold for the table on which the 
       Bread of the Presence would be placed and for the other gold tables, 
       and he weighed the silver for the silver tables.

       (1 Chr 28:17 TLB)  Then he weighed out the gold for the solid gold 





       hooks used in handling the sacrificial meat and for the basins, cups, 
       and bowls of gold and silver.

       (1 Chr 28:18 TLB)  Finally, he weighed out the refined gold for the 
       altar of incense and for the gold angels whose wings were stretched 
       over the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord.

       (1 Chr 28:19 TLB)  "Every part of this blueprint," David told Solomon, 
       "was given to me in writing from the hand of the Lord."

       (1 Chr 28:20 TLB)  Then he continued, "Be strong and courageous and 
       get to work. Don't be frightened by the size of the task, for the Lord 
       my God is with you; he will not forsake you. He will see to it that 
       everything is finished correctly.

       (1 Chr 28:21 TLB)  And these various groups of priests and Levites 
       will serve in the Temple. Others with skills of every kind will 
       volunteer, and the army and the entire nation are at your command."

       (1 Chr 29:1 TLB)  Then King David turned to the entire assembly and 
       said: "My son Solomon, whom God has chosen to be the next king of 
       Israel, is still young and inexperienced, and the work ahead of him is 
       enormous; for the temple he will build is not just another 
       building--it is for the Lord God himself!

       (1 Chr 29:2 TLB)  Using every resource at my command, I have gathered 
       as much as I could for building it--enough gold, silver, bronze, iron, 
       wood, and great quantities of onyx, other precious stones, costly 
       jewels, and marble.

       (1 Chr 29:3 TLB)  And now, because of my devotion to the Temple of 
       God, I am giving all of my own private treasures to aid in the 
       construction. This is in addition to the building materials I have 
       already collected.

       (1 Chr 29:4 TLB)  These personal contributions consist of millions of 
       dollars of gold from Ophir and huge amounts of silver to be used for 
       overlaying the walls of the buildings.

       (1 Chr 29:5 TLB)  It will also be used for the articles made of gold 
       and silver and for the artistic decorations. Now then, who will follow 
       my example? Who will give himself and all that he has to the Lord?"

       (1 Chr 29:6 TLB)  Then the clan leaders, the heads of the tribes, the 
       army officers, and the administrative officers of the king pledged

       (1 Chr 29:7 TLB)  huge sums of gold, silver and foreign currency, also 
       675 tons of bronze and 3,750 tons of iron.

       (1 Chr 29:8 TLB)  They also contributed great amounts of jewelry, 
       which were deposited at the Temple treasury with Jehiel (a descendant 
       of Gershom).

       (1 Chr 29:9 TLB)  Everyone was excited and happy for this opportunity 
       of service, and King David was moved with deep joy.





       (1 Chr 29:10 TLB)  While still in the presence of the whole assembly, 
       David expressed his praises to the Lord: "O Lord God of our father 
       Israel, praise your name for ever and ever!

       (1 Chr 29:11 TLB)  Yours is the mighty power and glory and victory and 
       majesty. Everything in the heavens and earth is yours, O Lord, and 
       this is your kingdom. We adore you as being in control of everything.

       (1 Chr 29:12 TLB)  Riches and honor come from you alone, and you are 
       the Ruler of all mankind; your hand controls power and might, and it 
       is at your discretion that men are made great and given strength.

       (1 Chr 29:13 TLB)  O our God, we thank you and praise your glorious 
       name,

       (1 Chr 29:14 TLB)  but who am I and who are my people that we should 
       be permitted to give anything to you? Everything we have has come from 
       you, and we only give you what is yours already!

       (1 Chr 29:15 TLB)  For we are here for but a moment, strangers in the 
       land as our fathers were before us; our days on earth are like a 
       shadow, gone so soon, without a trace.

       (1 Chr 29:16 TLB)  O Lord our God, all of this material that we have 
       gathered to build a temple for your holy name comes from you! It all 
       belongs to you!

       (1 Chr 29:17 TLB)  I know, my God, that you test men to see if they 
       are good; for you enjoy good men. I have done all this with good 
       motives, and I have watched your people offer their gifts willingly 
       and joyously.

       (1 Chr 29:18 TLB)  "O Lord, God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac, and 
       Israel! Make your people always want to obey you, and see to it that 
       their love for you never changes.

       (1 Chr 29:19 TLB)  Give my son Solomon a good heart toward God, so 
       that he will want to obey you in the smallest detail and will look 
       forward eagerly to finishing the building of your temple, for which I 
       have made all of these preparations."

       (1 Chr 29:20 TLB)  Then David said to all the people, "Give praise to 
       the Lord your God!" And they did, bowing low before the Lord and the 
       king.

       (1 Chr 29:21 TLB)  The next day they brought a thousand young bulls, a 
       thousand rams, and a thousand lambs as burnt offerings to the Lord; 
       they also offered drink offerings and many other sacrifices on behalf 
       of all Israel.

       (1 Chr 29:22 TLB)  Then they feasted and drank before the Lord with 
       great joy. And again they crowned King David's son Solomon as their 
       king. They anointed him before the Lord as their leader, and they 
       anointed Zadok as their priest.

       (1 Chr 29:23 TLB)  So God appointed Solomon to take the throne of his 





       father David; and he prospered greatly, and all Israel obeyed him.

       (1 Chr 29:24 TLB)  The national leaders, the army officers, and his 
       brothers all pledged their allegiance to King Solomon.

       (1 Chr 29:25 TLB)  And the Lord gave him great popularity with all the 
       people of Israel, and he amassed even greater wealth and honor than 
       his father.

       (1 Chr 29:26 TLB)  David was king of the land of Israel for forty 
       years; seven of them during his reign in Hebron and thirty-three in 
       Jerusalem.

       (1 Chr 29:27 TLB)  

       (1 Chr 29:28 TLB)  He died at an old age, wealthy and honored; and his 
       son Solomon reigned in his place.

       (1 Chr 29:29 TLB)  Detailed biographies of King David have been 
       written in the history of Samuel the prophet, the history written by 
       Nathan the prophet, and in the history written by the prophet Gad.

       (1 Chr 29:30 TLB)  These accounts tell of his reign and of his might 
       and all that happened to him and to Israel and to the kings of the 
       nearby nations.

       (2 Chr 1:1 TLB)  King David's son Solomon was now the undisputed ruler 
       of Israel, for the Lord his God had made him a powerful monarch.

       (2 Chr 1:2 TLB)  He summoned all the army officers and judges to 
       Gibeon as well as all the political and religious leaders of Israel.

       (2 Chr 1:3 TLB)  He led them up to the hill to the old Tabernacle 
       constructed by Moses, the Lord's assistant, while he was in the 
       wilderness.

       (2 Chr 1:4 TLB)  (There was a later Tabernacle in Jerusalem, built by 
       King David for the Ark of God when he removed it from Kiriath-jearim.)

       (2 Chr 1:5 TLB)  The bronze altar made by Bezalel (son of Uri, son of 
       Hur) still stood in front of the old Tabernacle,

       (2 Chr 1:6 TLB)  and now Solomon and those he had invited assembled 
       themselves before it, as he sacrificed upon it 1,000 burnt offerings 
       to the Lord.

       (2 Chr 1:7 TLB)  That night God appeared to Solomon and told him, "Ask 
       me for anything, and I will give it to you!"

       (2 Chr 1:8 TLB)  Solomon replied, "O God, you have been so kind and 
       good to my father David, and now you have given me the kingdom--

       (2 Chr 1:9 TLB)  this is all I want! For you have fulfilled your 
       promise to David my father and have made me king over a nation as full 
       of people as the earth is full of dust!





       (2 Chr 1:10 TLB)  Now give me wisdom and knowledge to rule them 
       properly, for who is able to govern by himself such a great nation as 
       this one of yours?"

       (2 Chr 1:11 TLB)  God replied, "Because your greatest desire is to 
       help your people, and you haven't asked for personal wealth and honor, 
       and you haven't asked me to curse your enemies, and you haven't asked 
       for a long life, but for wisdom and knowledge to properly guide my 
       people--

       (2 Chr 1:12 TLB)  yes, I am giving you the wisdom and knowledge you 
       asked for! And I am also giving you riches, wealth, and honor such as 
       no other king has ever had before you! And there will never again be 
       so great a king in all the world!"

       (2 Chr 1:13 TLB)  Solomon then left the Tabernacle, returned down the 
       hill, and went back to Jerusalem to rule Israel.

       (2 Chr 1:14 TLB)  He built up a huge force of 1,400 chariots and 
       recruited 12,000 cavalry to guard the cities where the chariots were 
       garaged, though some, of course, were stationed at Jerusalem near the 
       king.

       (2 Chr 1:15 TLB)  During Solomon's reign, silver and gold were as 
       plentiful in Jerusalem as rocks on the road! And expensive cedar 
       lumber was used like common sycamore!

       (2 Chr 1:16 TLB)  Solomon sent horse-traders to Egypt to purchase 
       entire herds at wholesale prices.

       (2 Chr 1:17 TLB)  At that time Egyptian chariots sold for $400 each 
       and horses for $100, delivered at Jerusalem. Many of these were then 
       resold to the kings of the Hittites and Syria.

       (2 Chr 2:1 TLB)  Solomon now decided that the time had come to build a 
       temple for the Lord and a palace for himself.

       (2 Chr 2:2 TLB)  This required a force of 70,000 laborers, 80,000 
       stonecutters in the hills, and 3,600 foremen.

       (2 Chr 2:3 TLB)  Solomon sent an ambassador to King Hiram at Tyre, 
       requesting shipments of cedar lumber such as Hiram had supplied to 
       David when he was building his palace.

       (2 Chr 2:4 TLB)  "I am about to build a temple for the Lord my God," 
       Solomon told Hiram. "It will be a place where I can burn incense and 
       sweet spices before God, and display the special sacrificial bread, 
       and sacrifice burnt offerings each morning and evening, and on the 
       Sabbaths, and at the new moon celebration and other regular festivals 
       of the Lord our God. For God wants Israel always to celebrate these 
       special occasions.

       (2 Chr 2:5 TLB)  It is going to be a wonderful temple because he is a 
       great God, greater than any other.

       (2 Chr 2:6 TLB)  But who can ever build him a worthy home? Not even 





       the highest heaven would be beautiful enough! And who am I to be 
       allowed to build a temple for God? But it will be a place to worship 
       him.

       (2 Chr 2:7 TLB)  "So send me skilled craftsmen--goldsmiths and 
       silversmiths, brass and iron workers; and send me weavers to make 
       purple, crimson, and blue cloth; and skilled engravers to work beside 
       the craftsmen of Judah and Jerusalem who were selected by my father 
       David.

       (2 Chr 2:8 TLB)  Also send me cedar trees, fir trees, and algum trees 
       from the Forests of Lebanon, for your men are without equal as 
       lumbermen, and I will send my men to help them.

       (2 Chr 2:9 TLB)  An immense amount of lumber will be needed, for the 
       temple I am going to build will be large and incredibly beautiful.

       (2 Chr 2:10 TLB)  As to the financial arrangements, I will pay your 
       men 20,000 sacks of crushed wheat, 20,000 barrels of barley, 20,000 
       barrels of wine, and 20,000 barrels of olive oil."

       (2 Chr 2:11 TLB)  King Hiram replied to King Solomon: "It is because 
       the Lord loves his people that he has made you their king!

       (2 Chr 2:12 TLB)  Blessed be the Lord God of Israel who made the 
       heavens and the earth and who has given to David such a wise, 
       intelligent, and understanding son to build God's Temple and a royal 
       palace for himself.

       (2 Chr 2:13 TLB)  "I am sending you a master craftsman--my famous 
       Huramabi! He is a brilliant man,

       (2 Chr 2:14 TLB)  the son of a Jewish woman from Dan in Israel; his 
       father is from here in Tyre. He is a skillful goldsmith and 
       silversmith, and also does exquisite work with brass and iron and 
       knows all about stonework, carpentry, and weaving; and he is an expert 
       in the dyeing of purple and blue linen and crimson cloth. He is an 
       engraver besides, and an inventor! He will work with your craftsmen 
       and those appointed by my lord David, your father.

       (2 Chr 2:15 TLB)  So send along the wheat, barley, olive oil, and wine 
       you mentioned,

       (2 Chr 2:16 TLB)  and we will begin cutting wood from the Lebanon 
       mountains, as much as you need, and bring it to you in log floats 
       across the sea to Joppa, and from there you can take them inland to 
       Jerusalem."

       (2 Chr 2:17 TLB)  Solomon now took a census of all foreigners in the 
       country (just as his father David had done) and found that there were 
       153,600 of them.

       (2 Chr 2:18 TLB)  He indentured 70,000 as common laborers, 80,000 as 
       loggers, and 3,600 as foremen.

       (2 Chr 3:1 TLB)  Finally the actual construction of the Temple began. 





       Its location was in Jerusalem at the top of Mount Moriah, where the 
       Lord had appeared to Solomon's father, King David, and where the 
       threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite had been. David had selected it 
       as the site for the Temple.

       (2 Chr 3:2 TLB)  The actual construction began on the seventeenth day 
       of April in the fourth year of King Solomon's reign.

       (2 Chr 3:3 TLB)  The foundation was ninety feet long and thirty feet 
       wide.

       (2 Chr 3:4 TLB)  A covered porch ran along the entire thirty-foot 
       width of the Temple, with the inner walls and ceiling overlaid with 
       pure gold! The roof was 180 feet high.

       (2 Chr 3:5 TLB)  The main part of the Temple was paneled with cypress 
       wood, plated with pure gold, and engraved with palm trees and chains.

       (2 Chr 3:6 TLB)  Beautiful jewels were inlaid into the walls to add to 
       the beauty; the gold, by the way, was of the best, from Parvaim.

       (2 Chr 3:7 TLB)  All the walls, beams, doors, and thresholds 
       throughout the Temple were plated with gold, with angels engraved on 
       the walls.

       (2 Chr 3:8 TLB)  Within the Temple, at one end, was the most sacred 
       room--the Holy of Holies--thirty feet square. This too was overlaid 
       with the finest gold, valued at millions of dollars.

       (2 Chr 3:9 TLB)  Twenty-six-ounce gold nails were used. The upper 
       rooms were also plated with pure gold.

       (2 Chr 3:10 TLB)  Within the innermost room, the Holy of Holies, 
       Solomon placed two sculptured statues of angels and plated them with 
       gold.

       (2 Chr 3:11 TLB)  They stood on the floor facing the outer room, with 
       wings stretched wingtip to wingtip across the room, from wall to wall.

       (2 Chr 3:12 TLB)  

       (2 Chr 3:13 TLB)  

       (2 Chr 3:14 TLB)  Across the entrance to this room he placed a veil of 
       blue and crimson finespun linen, decorated with angels.

       (2 Chr 3:15 TLB)  At the front of the Temple were two pillars 52 1/ 2 
       feet high, topped by a 7 1/ 2-foot capital flaring out to the roof.

       (2 Chr 3:16 TLB)  He made chains and placed them on top of the 
       pillars, with 100 pomegranates attached to the chains.

       (2 Chr 3:17 TLB)  Then he set up the pillars at the front of the 
       Temple, one on the right and the other on the left. And he gave them 
       names: Jachin (the one on the right), and Boaz (the one on the left).





       (2 Chr 4:1 TLB)  He also made a bronze altar 30 feet long, 30 feet 
       wide, and 15 feet high.

       (2 Chr 4:2 TLB)  Then he forged a huge round tank 15 feet across from 
       rim to rim. The rim stood 7 1/ 2 feet above the floor, and was 45 feet 
       around.

       (2 Chr 4:3 TLB)  The tank was encircled at its base by two rows of 
       gourd designs, cast as part of the tank.

       (2 Chr 4:4 TLB)  The tank stood on twelve metal oxen facing outward; 
       three faced north, three faced west, three faced south, and three 
       faced east.

       (2 Chr 4:5 TLB)  The walls of the tank were five inches thick, flaring 
       out like the cup of a lily. It held 3,000 barrels of water.

       (2 Chr 4:6 TLB)  He also constructed ten vats for water to wash the 
       offerings, five to the right of the huge tank and five to the left. 
       The priests used the tank, and not the vats, for their own washing.

       (2 Chr 4:7 TLB)  Carefully following God's instructions, he then cast 
       ten gold lampstands and placed them in the Temple, five against each 
       wall;

       (2 Chr 4:8 TLB)  he also built ten tables and placed five against each 
       wall on the right and left. And he molded 100 solid gold bowls.

       (2 Chr 4:9 TLB)  Then he constructed a court for the priests, also the 
       public court, and overlaid the doors of these courts with bronze.

       (2 Chr 4:10 TLB)  The huge tank was in the southeast corner of the 
       outer room of the Temple.

       (2 Chr 4:11 TLB)  Huramabi also made the necessary pots, shovels, and 
       basins for use in connection with the sacrifices. So at last he 
       completed the work assigned to him by King Solomon:

       (2 Chr 4:12 TLB)  The construction of the two pillars, The two flared 
       capitals on the tops of the pillars, The two sets of chains on the 
       capitals,

       (2 Chr 4:13 TLB)  The 400 pomegranates hanging from the two sets of 
       chains on the capitals,

       (2 Chr 4:14 TLB)  The bases for the vats and the vats themselves,

       (2 Chr 4:15 TLB)  The huge tank and the twelve oxen under it,

       (2 Chr 4:16 TLB)  The pots, shovels, and fleshhooks. This skillful 
       craftsman, Huramabi, made all of the above-mentioned items for King 
       Solomon using polished bronze.

       (2 Chr 4:17 TLB)  The king did the casting at the claybanks of the 
       Jordan valley between Succoth and Zeredah. Great quantities of bronze 
       were used, too heavy to weigh.






       (2 Chr 4:18 TLB)  

       (2 Chr 4:19 TLB)  Solomon commanded that all of the furnishings of the 
       Temple--the utensils, the altar, and the table for the Bread of the 
       Presence must be made of gold;

       (2 Chr 4:20 TLB)  also the lamps and lampstands,

       (2 Chr 4:21 TLB)  the floral decorations, tongs,

       (2 Chr 4:22 TLB)  lamp snuffers, basins, spoons, and firepans--all 
       were made of solid gold. Even the doorway of the Temple, the main 
       door, and the inner doors to the Holy of Holies were overlaid with 
       gold.

       (2 Chr 5:1 TLB)  So the Temple was finally finished. Then Solomon 
       brought in the gifts dedicated to the Lord by his father, King David. 
       They were stored in the Temple treasuries.

       (2 Chr 5:2 TLB)  Solomon now summoned to Jerusalem all of the leaders 
       of Israel--the heads of the tribes and clans--for the ceremony of 
       transferring the Ark from the (Tabernacle in the) City of David, also 
       known as Zion, (to its new home in the Temple).

       (2 Chr 5:3 TLB)  This celebration took place in October at the annual 
       Festival of Tabernacles.

       (2 Chr 5:4 TLB)  As the leaders of Israel watched, the Levites lifted 
       the Ark and carried it out of the Tabernacle, along with all the other 
       sacred vessels.

       (2 Chr 5:5 TLB)  

       (2 Chr 5:6 TLB)  King Solomon and the others sacrificed sheep and oxen 
       before the Ark in such numbers that no one tried to keep count!

       (2 Chr 5:7 TLB)  Then the priests carried the Ark into the inner room 
       of the Temple--the Holy of Holies--and placed it beneath the angels' 
       wings; their wings spread over the Ark and its carrying poles.

       (2 Chr 5:8 TLB)  

       (2 Chr 5:9 TLB)  These carrying poles were so long that their ends 
       could be seen from the outer room, but not from the outside doorway. 
       The Ark is still there at the time of this writing.

       (2 Chr 5:10 TLB)  Nothing was in the Ark except the two stone tablets 
       that Moses had put there at Mount Horeb, when the Lord made a covenant 
       with the people of Israel as they were leaving Egypt.

       (2 Chr 5:11 TLB)  When the priests had undergone the purification 
       rites for themselves, they all took part in the ceremonies without 
       regard to their normal duties. And how the Levites were praising the 
       Lord as the priests came out of the Holy of Holies!





       (2 Chr 5:12 TLB)  The singers were Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, and all 
       their sons and brothers, dressed in finespun linen robes and standing 
       at the east side of the altar. The choir was accompanied by 120 
       priests who were trumpeters, while others played the cymbals, lyres, 
       and harps.

       (2 Chr 5:13 TLB)  The band and chorus united as one to praise and 
       thank the Lord; their selections were interspersed with trumpet 
       obbligatos, the clashing of cymbals, and the loud playing of other 
       musical instruments--all praising and thanking the Lord. Their theme 
       was "He is so good! His loving-kindness lasts forever!"

       (2 Chr 5:14 TLB)  And at that moment the glory of the Lord, coming as 
       a bright cloud, filled the Temple so that the priests could not 
       continue their work.

       (2 Chr 6:1 TLB)  This is the prayer prayed by Solomon on that 
       occasion: "The Lord has said that he would live in the thick darkness,

       (2 Chr 6:2 TLB)  But I have made a Temple for you, O Lord, to live in 
       forever!"

       (2 Chr 6:3 TLB)  Then the king turned around to the people and they 
       stood to receive his blessing:

       (2 Chr 6:4 TLB)  "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel," he said to them, 
       "the God who talked personally to my father David and has now 
       fulfilled the promise he made to him. For he told him,

       (2 Chr 6:5 TLB)  'I have never before, since bringing my people from 
       the land of Egypt, chosen a city anywhere in Israel as the location of 
       my Temple where my name will be glorified; and never before have I 
       chosen a king for my people Israel.

       (2 Chr 6:6 TLB)  But now I have chosen Jerusalem as that city, and 
       David as that king.'

       (2 Chr 6:7 TLB)  "My father David wanted to build this Temple,

       (2 Chr 6:8 TLB)  but the Lord said not to. It was good to have the 
       desire, the Lord told him,

       (2 Chr 6:9 TLB)  but he was not the one to build it: his son was 
       chosen for that task.

       (2 Chr 6:10 TLB)  And now the Lord has done what he promised, for I 
       have become king in my father's place, and I have built the Temple for 
       the Name of the Lord God of Israel

       (2 Chr 6:11 TLB)  and placed the Ark there. And in the Ark is the 
       Covenant between the Lord and his people Israel."

       (2 Chr 6:12 TLB)  As he spoke, Solomon was standing before the people 
       on a platform in the center of the outer court, in front of the altar 
       of the Lord.





       (2 Chr 6:13 TLB)  The platform was made of bronze, 7 1/ 2 feet square 
       and 4 1/ 2 feet high. Now, as all the people watched, he knelt down, 
       reached out his arms toward heaven, and prayed this prayer:

       (2 Chr 6:14 TLB)  "O Lord God of Israel, there is no God like you in 
       all of heaven and earth. You are the God who keeps his kind promises 
       to all those who obey you and who are anxious to do your will.

       (2 Chr 6:15 TLB)  And you have kept your promise to my father David, 
       as is evident today.

       (2 Chr 6:16 TLB)  And now, O God of Israel, carry out your further 
       promise to him that 'your descendants shall always reign over Israel 
       if they will obey my laws as you have.'

       (2 Chr 6:17 TLB)  Yes, Lord God of Israel, please fulfill this promise 
       too.

       (2 Chr 6:18 TLB)  But will God really live upon the earth with men? 
       Why, even the heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain you--how 
       much less this Temple I have built!

       (2 Chr 6:19 TLB)  "How I pray that you will heed my prayers, O Lord my 
       God! Listen to my prayer that I am praying to you now!

       (2 Chr 6:20 TLB)  Look down with favor day and night upon this 
       Temple--upon this place where you have said that you would put your 
       name. May you always hear and answer the prayers I will pray to you as 
       I face toward this place.

       (2 Chr 6:21 TLB)  Listen to my prayers and to those of your people 
       Israel when they pray toward this Temple; yes, hear us from heaven, 
       and when you hear, forgive.

       (2 Chr 6:22 TLB)  "Whenever someone commits a crime and is required to 
       swear to his innocence before this altar,

       (2 Chr 6:23 TLB)  then hear from heaven and punish him if he is lying, 
       or else declare him innocent.

       (2 Chr 6:24 TLB)  "If your people Israel are destroyed before their 
       enemies because they have sinned against you, and if they turn to you 
       and call themselves your people, and pray to you here in this Temple,

       (2 Chr 6:25 TLB)  then listen to them from heaven and forgive their 
       sins and give them back this land you gave to their fathers.

       (2 Chr 6:26 TLB)  "When the skies are shut and there is no rain 
       because of our sins, and then we pray toward this Temple and claim you 
       as our God, and turn from our sins because you have punished us,

       (2 Chr 6:27 TLB)  then listen from heaven and forgive the sins of your 
       people, and teach them what is right; and send rain upon this land 
       that you have given to your people as their own property.

       (2 Chr 6:28 TLB)  "If there is a famine in the land, or plagues, or 





       crop disease, or attacks of locusts or caterpillars, or if your 
       people's enemies are in the land besieging our cities--whatever the 
       trouble is--

       (2 Chr 6:29 TLB)  listen to every individual's prayer concerning his 
       private sorrow, as well as all the public prayers.

       (2 Chr 6:30 TLB)  Hear from heaven where you live and forgive, and 
       give each one whatever he deserves, for you know the hearts of all 
       mankind.

       (2 Chr 6:31 TLB)  Then they will reverence you forever and will 
       continually walk where you tell them to go.

       (2 Chr 6:32 TLB)  "And when foreigners hear of your power, and come 
       from distant lands to worship your great name, and to pray toward this 
       Temple,

       (2 Chr 6:33 TLB)  hear them from heaven where you live, and do what 
       they request of you. Then all the peoples of the earth will hear of 
       your fame and will reverence you, just as your people Israel do; and 
       they too will know that this Temple I have built is truly yours.

       (2 Chr 6:34 TLB)  "If your people go out at your command to fight 
       their enemies, and they pray toward this city of Jerusalem that you 
       have chosen, and this Temple that I have built for your name,

       (2 Chr 6:35 TLB)  then hear their prayers from heaven and give them 
       success.

       (2 Chr 6:36 TLB)  "If they sin against you (and who has never sinned?) 
       and you become angry with them, and you let their enemies defeat them 
       and take them away as captives to some foreign nation near or far;

       (2 Chr 6:37 TLB)  and if in that land of exile they turn to you again,

       (2 Chr 6:38 TLB)  and face toward this land you gave their fathers and 
       this city and your Temple I have built, and plead with you with all 
       their hearts to forgive them,

       (2 Chr 6:39 TLB)  then hear from heaven where you live and help them, 
       and forgive your people who have sinned against you.

       (2 Chr 6:40 TLB)  "Yes, O my God, be wide awake and attentive to all 
       the prayers made to you in this place.

       (2 Chr 6:41 TLB)  And now, O Lord God, arise and enter this resting 
       place of yours where the Ark of your strength has been placed. Let 
       your priests, O Lord God, be clothed with salvation, and let your 
       people rejoice in your kind deeds.

       (2 Chr 6:42 TLB)  O Lord God, do not ignore me--do not turn your face 
       away from me, your anointed one. Oh, remember your love for David and 
       your kindness to him."

       (2 Chr 7:1 TLB)  As Solomon finished praying, fire flashed down from 





       heaven and burned up the sacrifices! And the glory of the Lord filled 
       the Temple, so that the priests couldn't enter!

       (2 Chr 7:2 TLB)  

       (2 Chr 7:3 TLB)  All the people had been watching, and now they fell 
       flat on the pavement and worshiped and thanked the Lord. "How good he 
       is!" they exclaimed. "He is always so loving and kind."

       (2 Chr 7:4 TLB)  Then the king and all the people dedicated the Temple 
       by sacrificing burnt offerings to the Lord. King Solomon's 
       contribution for this purpose was 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep.

       (2 Chr 7:5 TLB)  

       (2 Chr 7:6 TLB)  The priests were standing at their posts of duty, and 
       the Levites were playing their thanksgiving song, "His Loving-kindness 
       Is Forever," using the musical instruments King David himself had made 
       and had used to praise the Lord. Then, when the priests blew the 
       trumpets, all the people stood again.

       (2 Chr 7:7 TLB)  Solomon consecrated the inner court of the Temple for 
       use that day as a place of sacrifice because there were too many 
       sacrifices for the bronze altar to accommodate.

       (2 Chr 7:8 TLB)  For the next seven days they celebrated the 
       Tabernacle Festival, with large crowds coming in from all over Israel; 
       they arrived from as far away as Hamath at one end of the country to 
       the brook of Egypt at the other.

       (2 Chr 7:9 TLB)  A final religious service was held on the eighth day.

       (2 Chr 7:10 TLB)  Then on October 7 he sent the people home, joyful 
       and happy because the Lord had been so good to David and Solomon and 
       to his people Israel.

       (2 Chr 7:11 TLB)  So Solomon finished building the Temple as well as 
       his own palace. He completed what he had planned to do.

       (2 Chr 7:12 TLB)  One night the Lord appeared to Solomon and told him, 
       "I have heard your prayer and have chosen this Temple as the place 
       where I want you to sacrifice to me.

       (2 Chr 7:13 TLB)  If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, 
       or if I command the locust swarms to eat up all of your crops, or if I 
       send an epidemic among you,

       (2 Chr 7:14 TLB)  then if my people will humble themselves and pray, 
       and search for me, and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear them 
       from heaven and forgive their sins and heal their land.

       (2 Chr 7:15 TLB)  I will listen, wide awake, to every prayer made in 
       this place.

       (2 Chr 7:16 TLB)  For I have chosen this Temple and sanctified it to 
       be my home forever; my eyes and my heart shall always be here.






       (2 Chr 7:17 TLB)  "As for yourself, if you follow me as your father 
       David did,

       (2 Chr 7:18 TLB)  then I will see to it that you and your descendants 
       will always be the kings of Israel;

       (2 Chr 7:19 TLB)  but if you don't follow me, if you refuse the laws I 
       have given you and worship idols,

       (2 Chr 7:20 TLB)  then I will destroy my people from this land of mine 
       that I have given them, and this Temple shall be destroyed even though 
       I have sanctified it for myself. Instead, I will make it a public 
       horror and disgrace.

       (2 Chr 7:21 TLB)  Instead of its being famous, all who pass by will be 
       incredulous. "'Why has the Lord done such a terrible thing to this 
       land and to this Temple?' they will ask.

       (2 Chr 7:22 TLB)  "And the answer will be, 'Because his people 
       abandoned the Lord God of their fathers, the God who brought them out 
       of the land of Egypt, and they worshiped other gods instead. That is 
       why he has done all this to them.'"

       (2 Chr 8:1 TLB)  It was now twenty years since Solomon had become 
       king, and the great building projects of the Lord's Temple and his own 
       royal palace were completed.

       (2 Chr 8:2 TLB)  He now turned his energies to rebuilding the cities 
       that King Hiram of Tyre had given to him, and he relocated some of the 
       people of Israel into them.

       (2 Chr 8:3 TLB)  It was at this time, too, that Solomon fought against 
       the city of Hamath-zobah and conquered it.

       (2 Chr 8:4 TLB)  He built Tadmor in the desert and built cities in 
       Hamath as supply centers.

       (2 Chr 8:5 TLB)  He fortified the cities of upper Beth-horon and lower 
       Beth-horon, both being supply centers, building their walls and 
       installing barred gates.

       (2 Chr 8:6 TLB)  He also built Baalath and other supply centers at 
       this time and constructed cities where his chariots and horses were 
       kept. He built to his heart's desire in Jerusalem and Lebanon and 
       throughout the entire realm.

       (2 Chr 8:7 TLB)  He began the practice that still continues of 
       conscripting as slave laborers the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, 
       Hivites, and Jebusites--

       (2 Chr 8:8 TLB)  the descendants of those nations that the Israelis 
       had not completely wiped out.

       (2 Chr 8:9 TLB)  However, he didn't make slaves of any of the Israeli 
       citizens, but used them as soldiers, officers, charioteers, and 





       cavalrymen;

       (2 Chr 8:10 TLB)  also, 250 of them were government officials who 
       administered all public affairs.

       (2 Chr 8:11 TLB)  Solomon now moved his wife (she was Pharaoh's 
       daughter) from the City of David sector of Jerusalem to the new palace 
       he had built for her. For he said, "She must not live in King David's 
       palace for the Ark of the Lord was there, and it is holy ground."

       (2 Chr 8:12 TLB)  Then Solomon sacrificed burnt offerings to the Lord 
       on the altar he had built in front of the porch of the Temple.

       (2 Chr 8:13 TLB)  The number of sacrifices differed from day to day in 
       accordance with the instructions Moses had given; there were extra 
       sacrifices on the Sabbaths, on new moon festivals, and at the three 
       annual festivals--the Passover celebration, the Festival of Weeks, and 
       the Festival of Tabernacles.

       (2 Chr 8:14 TLB)  In assigning the priests to their posts of duty he 
       followed the organizational chart prepared by his father David; he 
       also assigned the Levites to their work of praise and of helping the 
       priests in each day's duties; and he assigned the gatekeepers to their 
       gates.

       (2 Chr 8:15 TLB)  Solomon did not deviate in any way from David's 
       instructions concerning these matters and concerning the treasury 
       personnel.

       (2 Chr 8:16 TLB)  Thus Solomon successfully completed the construction 
       of the Temple.

       (2 Chr 8:17 TLB)  Then he went to the seaport towns of Ezion-geber and 
       Eloth, in Edom,

       (2 Chr 8:18 TLB)  to launch a fleet presented to him by King Hiram. 
       These ships, with King Hiram's experienced crews working alongside 
       Solomon's men, went to Ophir and brought back to him several million 
       dollars worth of gold on each trip!

       (2 Chr 9:1 TLB)  When the queen of Sheba heard of Solomon's fabled 
       wisdom, she came to Jerusalem to test him with hard questions. A very 
       great retinue of aides and servants accompanied her, including 
       camel-loads of spices, gold, and jewels.

       (2 Chr 9:2 TLB)  And Solomon answered all her problems. Nothing was 
       hidden from him; he could explain everything to her.

       (2 Chr 9:3 TLB)  When she discovered how wise he really was, and how 
       breathtaking the beauty of his palace,

       (2 Chr 9:4 TLB)  and how wonderful the food at his tables, and how 
       many servants and aides he had, and when she saw their spectacular 
       uniforms and his stewards in full regalia, and saw the size of the men 
       in his bodyguard, she could scarcely believe it!





       (2 Chr 9:5 TLB)  Finally she exclaimed to the king, "Everything I 
       heard about you in my own country is true!

       (2 Chr 9:6 TLB)  I didn't believe it until I got here and saw it with 
       my own eyes. Your wisdom is far greater than I could ever have 
       imagined.

       (2 Chr 9:7 TLB)  What a privilege for these men of yours to stand here 
       and listen to you talk!

       (2 Chr 9:8 TLB)  Blessed be the Lord your God! How he must love Israel 
       to give them a just king like you! He wants them to be a great, strong 
       nation forever."

       (2 Chr 9:9 TLB)  She gave the king a gift of over a million dollars in 
       gold, and great quantities of spices of incomparable quality, and 
       many, many jewels.

       (2 Chr 9:10 TLB)  King Hiram's and King Solomon's crews brought gold 
       from Ophir, also sandalwood and jewels.

       (2 Chr 9:11 TLB)  The king used the sandalwood to make terraced steps 
       for the Temple and the palace and to construct harps and lyres for the 
       choir. Never before had there been such beautiful instruments in all 
       the land of Judah.

       (2 Chr 9:12 TLB)  King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba gifts of the 
       same value as she had brought to him, plus everything else she asked 
       for! Then she and her retinue returned to their own land.

       (2 Chr 9:13 TLB)  Solomon received a quarter of a billion dollars 
       worth of gold each year from the kings of Arabia

       (2 Chr 9:14 TLB)  and many other lands that paid annual tribute to 
       him. In addition, there was a trade balance from the exports of his 
       merchants.

       (2 Chr 9:15 TLB)  He used some of the gold to make 200 large shields, 
       each worth $100,000,

       (2 Chr 9:16 TLB)  and 300 smaller shields, each worth $50,000. The 
       king placed these in the Forest of Lebanon Room in his palace.

       (2 Chr 9:17 TLB)  He also made a huge ivory throne overlaid with pure 
       gold.

       (2 Chr 9:18 TLB)  It had six gold steps and a footstool of gold; also 
       gold armrests, each flanked by a gold lion.

       (2 Chr 9:19 TLB)  Gold lions also stood at each side of each step. No 
       other throne in all the world could be compared with it!

       (2 Chr 9:20 TLB)  All of King Solomon's cups were solid gold, as were 
       all the furnishings in the Forest of Lebanon Room. Silver was too 
       cheap to count for much in those days!





       (2 Chr 9:21 TLB)  Every three years the king sent his ships to 
       Tarshish, using sailors supplied by King Hiram, to bring back gold, 
       silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.

       (2 Chr 9:22 TLB)  So King Solomon was richer and wiser than any other 
       king in all the earth.

       (2 Chr 9:23 TLB)  Kings from every nation came to visit him and to 
       hear the wisdom God had put into his heart.

       (2 Chr 9:24 TLB)  Each brought him annual tribute of silver and gold 
       bowls, clothing, armor, spices, horses, and mules.

       (2 Chr 9:25 TLB)  In addition, Solomon had 4,000 stalls of horses and 
       chariots, and 12,000 cavalrymen stationed in the chariot cities as 
       well as in Jerusalem to protect the king.

       (2 Chr 9:26 TLB)  He ruled over all kings and kingdoms from the 
       Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines and as far away as the 
       border of Egypt.

       (2 Chr 9:27 TLB)  He made silver become as plentiful in Jerusalem as 
       stones in the road! And cedar was used as though it were common 
       sycamore.

       (2 Chr 9:28 TLB)  Horses were brought to him from Egypt and other 
       countries.

       (2 Chr 9:29 TLB)  The rest of Solomon's biography is written in the 
       history of Nathan the prophet and in the prophecy of Ahijah the 
       Shilonite, and also in the visions of Iddo the seer concerning 
       Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

       (2 Chr 9:30 TLB)  So Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all of Israel 
       for forty years.

       (2 Chr 9:31 TLB)  Then he died and was buried in Jerusalem, and his 
       son Rehoboam became the new king.

       (2 Chr 10:1 TLB)  All the leaders of Israel came to Shechem for 
       Rehoboam's coronation.

       (2 Chr 10:2 TLB)  Meanwhile, friends of Jeroboam (son of Nebat) sent 
       word to him of Solomon's death.

       (2 Chr 10:3 TLB)  He was in Egypt at the time, where he had gone to 
       escape from King Solomon. He now quickly returned, and was present at 
       the coronation, and led the people's demands on Rehoboam:

       (2 Chr 10:4 TLB)  "Your father was a hard master," they said. "Be 
       easier on us than he was, and we will let you be our king!"

       (2 Chr 10:5 TLB)  Rehoboam told them to return in three days for his 
       decision.

       (2 Chr 10:6 TLB)  He discussed their demand with the old men who had 





       counseled his father Solomon. "What shall I tell them?" he asked.

       (2 Chr 10:7 TLB)  "If you want to be their king," they replied, "you 
       will have to give them a favorable reply and treat them with 
       kindness."

       (2 Chr 10:8 TLB)  But he rejected their advice and asked the opinion 
       of the young men who had grown up with him.

       (2 Chr 10:9 TLB)  "What do you fellows think I should do?" he asked. 
       "Shall I be easier on them than my father was?"

       (2 Chr 10:10 TLB)  "No!" they replied. "Tell them, 'If you think my 
       father was hard on you, just wait and see what I'll be like!' Tell 
       them, 'My little finger is thicker than my father's loins!

       (2 Chr 10:11 TLB)  I am going to be tougher on you, not easier! My 
       father used whips on you, but I'll use scorpions!'"

       (2 Chr 10:12 TLB)  So when Jeroboam and the people returned in three 
       days to hear King Rehoboam's decision,

       (2 Chr 10:13 TLB)  he spoke roughly to them; for he refused the advice 
       of the old men

       (2 Chr 10:14 TLB)  and followed the counsel of the younger ones. "My 
       father gave you heavy burdens, but I will give you heavier!" he told 
       them. "My father punished you with whips, but I will punish you with 
       scorpions!"

       (2 Chr 10:15 TLB)  So the king turned down the people's demands. (God 
       caused him to do it in order to fulfill his prediction spoken to 
       Jeroboam by Ahijah the Shilonite.)

       (2 Chr 10:16 TLB)  When the people realized what the king was saying, 
       they turned their backs and deserted him. "Forget David and his 
       dynasty!" they shouted angrily. "We'll get someone else to be our 
       king. Let Rehoboam rule his own tribe of Judah! Let's go home!" So 
       they did.

       (2 Chr 10:17 TLB)  The people of the tribe of Judah, however, remained 
       loyal to Rehoboam.

       (2 Chr 10:18 TLB)  Afterwards, when King Rehoboam sent Hadoram to 
       draft forced labor from the other tribes of Israel, the people stoned 
       him to death. When this news reached King Rehoboam, he jumped into his 
       chariot and fled to Jerusalem.

       (2 Chr 10:19 TLB)  And Israel has refused to be ruled by a descendant 
       of David to this day.

       (2 Chr 11:1 TLB)  Upon arrival at Jerusalem, Rehoboam mobilized the 
       armies of Judah and Benjamin, 180,000 strong, and declared war against 
       the rest of Israel in an attempt to reunite the kingdom.

       (2 Chr 11:2 TLB)  But the Lord told Shemaiah the prophet,






       (2 Chr 11:3 TLB)  "Go and say to King Rehoboam of Judah, Solomon's 
       son, and to the people of Judah and of Benjamin:

       (2 Chr 11:4 TLB)  "'The Lord says, Do not fight against your brothers. 
       Go home, for I am behind their rebellion.'" So they obeyed the Lord 
       and refused to fight against Jeroboam.

       (2 Chr 11:5 TLB)  Rehoboam stayed in Jerusalem and fortified these 
       cities of Judah with walls and gates to protect himself:

       (2 Chr 11:6 TLB)  Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa,

       (2 Chr 11:7 TLB)  Beth-zur, Soco, Adullam,

       (2 Chr 11:8 TLB)  Gath, Mareshah, Ziph,

       (2 Chr 11:9 TLB)  Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah,

       (2 Chr 11:10 TLB)  Zorah, Aijalon, and Hebron.

       (2 Chr 11:11 TLB)  He also rebuilt and strengthened the forts, and 
       manned them with companies of soldiers under their officers, and 
       stored them with food, olive oil, and wine.

       (2 Chr 11:12 TLB)  Shields and spears were placed in armories in every 
       city as a further safety measure. For only Judah and Benjamin remained 
       loyal to him.

       (2 Chr 11:13 TLB)  However, the priests and Levites from the other 
       tribes now abandoned their homes and moved to Judah and Jerusalem, for 
       King Jeroboam had fired them, telling them to stop being priests of 
       the Lord.

       (2 Chr 11:14 TLB)  

       (2 Chr 11:15 TLB)  He had appointed other priests instead who 
       encouraged the people to worship idols instead of God and to sacrifice 
       to carved statues of goats and calves, which he placed on the hills.

       (2 Chr 11:16 TLB)  Laymen, too, from all over Israel began moving to 
       Jerusalem where they could freely worship the Lord God of their 
       fathers and sacrifice to him.

       (2 Chr 11:17 TLB)  This strengthened the kingdom of Judah, so King 
       Rehoboam survived for three years without difficulty; for during those 
       years there was an earnest effort to obey the Lord as King David and 
       King Solomon had done.

       (2 Chr 11:18 TLB)  Rehoboam married his cousin Mahalath. She was the 
       daughter of David's son Jerimoth and of Abihail, the daughter of 
       David's brother Eliab.

       (2 Chr 11:19 TLB)  Three sons were born from this marriage--Jeush, 
       Shemariah, and Zaham.





       (2 Chr 11:20 TLB)  Later he married Maacah, the daughter of Absalom. 
       The children she bore him were Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith.

       (2 Chr 11:21 TLB)  He loved Maacah more than any of his other wives 
       and concubines (he had eighteen wives and sixty concubines--with 
       twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters).

       (2 Chr 11:22 TLB)  Maacah's son Abijah was his favorite, and he 
       intended to make him the next king.

       (2 Chr 11:23 TLB)  He very wisely scattered his other sons in the 
       fortified cities throughout the land of Judah and Benjamin, and gave 
       them large allowances and arranged for them to have several wives 
       apiece.

       (2 Chr 12:1 TLB)  But just when Rehoboam was at the height of his 
       popularity and power he abandoned the Lord, and the people followed 
       him in this sin.

       (2 Chr 12:2 TLB)  As a result, King Shishak of Egypt attacked 
       Jerusalem in the fifth year of King Rehoboam's reign

       (2 Chr 12:3 TLB)  with 1,200 chariots, 60,000 cavalrymen and an 
       unnumbered host of infantrymen--Egyptians, Libyans, Sukkiim, and 
       Ethiopians.

       (2 Chr 12:4 TLB)  He quickly conquered Judah's fortified cities and 
       soon arrived at Jerusalem.

       (2 Chr 12:5 TLB)  The prophet Shemaiah now met with Rehoboam and the 
       Judean leaders from every part of the nation (they had fled to 
       Jerusalem for safety) and told them, "The Lord says, 'You have 
       forsaken me, so I have forsaken you and abandoned you to Shishak.'"

       (2 Chr 12:6 TLB)  Then the king and the leaders of Israel confessed 
       their sins and exclaimed, "The Lord is right in doing this to us!"

       (2 Chr 12:7 TLB)  And when the Lord saw them humble themselves, he 
       sent Shemaiah to tell them, "Because you have humbled yourselves, I 
       will not completely destroy you; some will escape. I will not use 
       Shishak to pour out my anger upon Jerusalem.

       (2 Chr 12:8 TLB)  But you must pay annual tribute to him. Then you 
       will realize how much better it is to serve me than to serve him!"

       (2 Chr 12:9 TLB)  So King Shishak of Egypt conquered Jerusalem and 
       took away all the treasures of the Temple and of the palace, also all 
       of Solomon's gold shields.

       (2 Chr 12:10 TLB)  King Rehoboam replaced them with bronze shields and 
       committed them to the care of the captain of his bodyguard.

       (2 Chr 12:11 TLB)  Whenever the king went to the Temple, the guards 
       would carry them and afterwards return them to the armory.

       (2 Chr 12:12 TLB)  When the king humbled himself, the Lord's anger was 





       turned aside and he didn't send total destruction; in fact, even after 
       Shishak's invasion, the economy of Judah remained strong.

       (2 Chr 12:13 TLB)  King Rehoboam reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, 
       the city God had chosen as his residence after considering all the 
       other cities of Israel. He had become king at the age of forty-one, 
       and his mother's name was Naamah the Ammonitess.

       (2 Chr 12:14 TLB)  But he was an evil king, for he never did decide 
       really to please the Lord.

       (2 Chr 12:15 TLB)  The complete biography of Rehoboam is recorded in 
       the histories written by Shemaiah the prophet and by Iddo the seer and 
       in The Genealogical Register. There were continual wars between 
       Rehoboam and Jeroboam.

       (2 Chr 12:16 TLB)  When Rehoboam died he was buried in Jerusalem, and 
       his son Abijah became the new king.

       (2 Chr 13:1 TLB)  Abijah became the new king of Judah in Jerusalem in 
       the eighteenth year of the reign of King Jeroboam of Israel.

       (2 Chr 13:2 TLB)  He lasted three years. His mother's name was Micaiah 
       (daughter of Uriel of Gibeah). Early in his reign war broke out 
       between Judah and Israel.

       (2 Chr 13:3 TLB)  Judah, led by King Abijah, fielded 400,000 seasoned 
       warriors against twice as many Israeli troops--strong, courageous men 
       led by King Jeroboam.

       (2 Chr 13:4 TLB)  When the army of Judah arrived at Mount Zemaraim, in 
       the hill country of Ephraim, King Abijah shouted to King Jeroboam and 
       the Israeli army:

       (2 Chr 13:5 TLB)  "Listen! Don't you realize that the Lord God of 
       Israel swore that David's descendants would always be the kings of 
       Israel?

       (2 Chr 13:6 TLB)  Your King Jeroboam is a mere servant of David's son 
       and was a traitor to his master.

       (2 Chr 13:7 TLB)  Then a whole gang of worthless rebels joined him, 
       defying Solomon's son Rehoboam, for he was young and frightened and 
       couldn't stand up to them.

       (2 Chr 13:8 TLB)  Do you really think you can defeat the kingdom of 
       the Lord that is led by a descendant of David? Your army is twice as 
       large as mine, but you are cursed with those gold calves you have with 
       you that Jeroboam made for you--he calls them your gods!

       (2 Chr 13:9 TLB)  And you have driven away the priests of the Lord and 
       the Levites and have appointed heathen priests instead. Just like the 
       people of other lands, you accept as priests anybody who comes along 
       with a young bullock and seven rams for consecration. Anyone at all 
       can be a priest of these no-gods of yours!





       (2 Chr 13:10 TLB)  "But as for us, the Lord is our God and we have not 
       forsaken him. Only the descendants of Aaron are our priests, and the 
       Levites alone may help them in their work.

       (2 Chr 13:11 TLB)  They burn sacrifices to the Lord every morning and 
       evening--burnt offerings and sweet incense; and they place the Bread 
       of the Presence upon the holy table. The gold lampstand is lighted 
       every night, for we are careful to follow the instructions of the Lord 
       our God; but you have forsaken him.

       (2 Chr 13:12 TLB)  So you see, God is with us; he is our Leader. His 
       priests, trumpeting as they go, will lead us into battle against you. 
       O people of Israel, do not fight against the Lord God of your fathers, 
       for you will not succeed!"

       (2 Chr 13:13 TLB)  Meanwhile, Jeroboam had secretly sent part of his 
       army around behind the men of Judah to ambush them;

       (2 Chr 13:14 TLB)  so Judah was surrounded, with the enemy before and 
       behind them. Then they cried out to the Lord for mercy, and the 
       priests blew the trumpets.

       (2 Chr 13:15 TLB)  The men of Judah began to shout. And as they 
       shouted, God used King Abijah and the men of Judah to turn the tide of 
       battle against King Jeroboam and the army of Israel,

       (2 Chr 13:16 TLB)  

       (2 Chr 13:17 TLB)  and they slaughtered 500,000 elite troops of Israel 
       that day.

       (2 Chr 13:18 TLB)  So Judah, depending upon the Lord God of their 
       fathers, defeated Israel,

       (2 Chr 13:19 TLB)  and chased King Jeroboam's troops, and captured 
       some of his cities--Bethel, Jeshanah, Ephron, and their suburbs.

       (2 Chr 13:20 TLB)  King Jeroboam of Israel never regained his power 
       during Abijah's lifetime, and eventually the Lord struck him and he 
       died.

       (2 Chr 13:21 TLB)  Meanwhile, King Abijah of Judah became very strong. 
       He married fourteen wives and had twenty-two sons and sixteen 
       daughters.

       (2 Chr 13:22 TLB)  His complete biography and speeches are recorded in 
       the prophet Iddo's History of Judah.

       (2 Chr 14:1 TLB)  King Abijah was buried in Jerusalem. Then his son 
       Asa became the new king of Judah, and there was peace in the land for 
       the first ten years of his reign,

       (2 Chr 14:2 TLB)  for Asa was careful to obey the Lord his God.

       (2 Chr 14:3 TLB)  He demolished the heathen altars on the hills, and 
       broke down the obelisks, and chopped down the shameful Asherim-idols,






       (2 Chr 14:4 TLB)  and demanded that the entire nation obey the 
       commandments of the Lord God of their ancestors.

       (2 Chr 14:5 TLB)  Also, he removed the sun-images from the hills and 
       the incense altars from every one of Judah's cities. That is why God 
       gave his kingdom peace.

       (2 Chr 14:6 TLB)  This made it possible for him to build walled cities 
       throughout Judah.

       (2 Chr 14:7 TLB)  "Now is the time to do it, while the Lord is 
       blessing us with peace because of our obedience to him," he told his 
       people. "Let us build and fortify cities now, with walls, towers, 
       gates, and bars." So they went ahead with these projects very 
       successfully.

       (2 Chr 14:8 TLB)  King Asa's Judean army was 300,000 strong, equipped 
       with light shields and spears. His army of Benjaminites numbered 
       280,000, armed with large shields and bows. Both armies were composed 
       of well-trained, brave men.

       (2 Chr 14:9 TLB)  But now he was attacked by an army of 1,000,000 
       troops from Ethiopia with 300 chariots, under the leadership of 
       General Zerah.

       (2 Chr 14:10 TLB)  They advanced to the city of Mareshah, in the 
       valley of Zephathah, and King Asa sent his troops to battle with them 
       there.

       (2 Chr 14:11 TLB)  "O Lord," he cried out to God, "no one else can 
       help us! Here we are, powerless against this mighty army. Oh, help us, 
       Lord our God! For we trust in you alone to rescue us, and in your name 
       we attack this vast horde. Don't let mere men defeat you!"

       (2 Chr 14:12 TLB)  Then the Lord defeated the Ethiopians, and Asa and 
       the army of Judah triumphed as the Ethiopians fled.

       (2 Chr 14:13 TLB)  They chased them as far as Gerar, and the entire 
       Ethiopian army was wiped out so that not one man remained; for the 
       Lord and his army destroyed them all. Then the army of Judah carried 
       off vast quantities of plunder.

       (2 Chr 14:14 TLB)  While they were at Gerar they attacked all the 
       cities in that area, and terror from the Lord came upon the residents. 
       As a result, additional vast quantities of plunder were collected from 
       these cities too.

       (2 Chr 14:15 TLB)  They not only plundered the cities but destroyed 
       the cattle tents and captured great herds of sheep and camels before 
       finally returning to Jerusalem.

       (2 Chr 15:1 TLB)  Then the Spirit of God came upon Azariah (son of 
       Oded),

       (2 Chr 15:2 TLB)  and he went out to meet King Asa as he was returning 





       from the battle. "Listen to me, Asa! Listen, armies of Judah and 
       Benjamin!" he shouted. "The Lord will stay with you as long as you 
       stay with him! Whenever you look for him, you will find him. But if 
       you forsake him, he will forsake you.

       (2 Chr 15:3 TLB)  For a long time now, over in Israel, the people 
       haven't worshiped the true God and have not had a true priest to teach 
       them. They have lived without God's laws.

       (2 Chr 15:4 TLB)  But whenever they have turned again to the Lord God 
       of Israel in their distress and searched for him he has helped them.

       (2 Chr 15:5 TLB)  In their times of rebellion against God there was no 
       peace. Problems troubled the nation on every hand. Crime was on the 
       increase everywhere.

       (2 Chr 15:6 TLB)  There were external wars and internal fighting of 
       city against city, for God was plaguing them with all sorts of 
       trouble.

       (2 Chr 15:7 TLB)  But you men of Judah, keep up the good work and 
       don't get discouraged, for you will be rewarded."

       (2 Chr 15:8 TLB)  When King Asa heard this message from God, he took 
       courage and destroyed all the idols in the land of Judah and Benjamin 
       and in the cities he had captured in the hill country of Ephraim, and 
       he rebuilt the altar of the Lord in front of the Temple.

       (2 Chr 15:9 TLB)  Then he summoned all the people of Judah and 
       Benjamin and the immigrants from Israel (for many had come from the 
       territories of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon in Israel when they saw 
       that the Lord God was with King Asa).

       (2 Chr 15:10 TLB)  They all came to Jerusalem in June of the fifteenth 
       year of King Asa's reign

       (2 Chr 15:11 TLB)  and sacrificed to the Lord seven hundred oxen and 
       seven thousand sheep--it was part of the plunder they had captured in 
       the battle.

       (2 Chr 15:12 TLB)  Then they entered into a contract to worship only 
       the Lord God of their fathers

       (2 Chr 15:13 TLB)  and agreed that anyone who refused to do this must 
       die--whether old or young, man or woman.

       (2 Chr 15:14 TLB)  They shouted out their oath of loyalty to God with 
       trumpets blaring and horns sounding.

       (2 Chr 15:15 TLB)  All were happy for this covenant with God, for they 
       had entered into it with all their hearts and wills and wanted him 
       above everything else, and they found him! And he gave them peace 
       throughout the nation.

       (2 Chr 15:16 TLB)  King Asa even removed his mother Maacah from being 
       the queen mother because she made an Asherah-idol; he cut down the 





       idol and crushed and burned it at Kidron Brook.

       (2 Chr 15:17 TLB)  Over in Israel the idol-temples were not removed. 
       But here in Judah and Benjamin the heart of King Asa was perfect 
       before God throughout his lifetime.

       (2 Chr 15:18 TLB)  He brought back into the Temple the silver and gold 
       bowls that he and his father had dedicated to the Lord.

       (2 Chr 15:19 TLB)  So there was no more war until the thirty-fifth 
       year of King Asa's reign.

       (2 Chr 16:1 TLB)  In the thirty-sixth year of King Asa's reign, King 
       Baasha of Israel declared war on him and built the fortress of Ramah 
       in order to control the road to Judah.

       (2 Chr 16:2 TLB)  Asa's response was to take the silver and gold from 
       the Temple and from the palace, and to send it to King Ben-hadad of 
       Syria at Damascus with this message:

       (2 Chr 16:3 TLB)  "Let us renew the mutual security pact that there 
       was between your father and my father. See, here is silver and gold to 
       induce you to break your alliance with King Baasha of Israel, so that 
       he will leave me alone."

       (2 Chr 16:4 TLB)  Ben-hadad agreed to King Asa's request and mobilized 
       his armies to attack Israel. They destroyed the cities of Ijon, Dan, 
       Abel-maim and all of the supply centers in Naphtali.

       (2 Chr 16:5 TLB)  As soon as King Baasha of Israel heard what was 
       happening, he discontinued building Ramah and gave up his plan to 
       attack Judah.

       (2 Chr 16:6 TLB)  Then King Asa and the people of Judah went out to 
       Ramah and carried away the building stones and timbers and used them 
       to build Geba and Mizpah instead.

       (2 Chr 16:7 TLB)  About that time the prophet Hanani came to King Asa 
       and told him, "Because you have put your trust in the king of Syria 
       instead of in the Lord your God, the army of the king of Syria has 
       escaped from you.

       (2 Chr 16:8 TLB)  Don't you remember what happened to the Ethiopians 
       and Libyans and their vast army, with all of their chariots and 
       cavalrymen? But you relied then on the Lord, and he delivered them all 
       into your hand.

       (2 Chr 16:9 TLB)  For the eyes of the Lord search back and forth 
       across the whole earth, looking for people whose hearts are perfect 
       toward him, so that he can show his great power in helping them. What 
       a fool you have been! From now on you shall have wars."

       (2 Chr 16:10 TLB)  Asa was so angry with the prophet for saying this 
       that he threw him into jail. And Asa oppressed all the people at that 
       time.





       (2 Chr 16:11 TLB)  The rest of the biography of Asa is written in The 
       Annals of the Kings of Israel and Judah.

       (2 Chr 16:12 TLB)  In the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa became 
       seriously diseased in his feet, but he didn't go to the Lord with the 
       problem but to the doctors.

       (2 Chr 16:13 TLB)  So he died in the forty-first year of his reign

       (2 Chr 16:14 TLB)  and was buried in his own vault that he had hewn 
       out for himself in Jerusalem. He was laid on a bed perfumed with sweet 
       spices and ointments, and his people made a very great burning of 
       incense for him at his funeral.

       (2 Chr 17:1 TLB)  Then his son Jehoshaphat became the king and 
       mobilized for war against Israel.

       (2 Chr 17:2 TLB)  He placed garrisons in all of the fortified cities 
       of Judah, in various other places throughout the country, and in the 
       cities of Ephraim that his father had conquered.

       (2 Chr 17:3 TLB)  The Lord was with Jehoshaphat because he followed in 
       the good footsteps of his father's early years and did not worship 
       idols.

       (2 Chr 17:4 TLB)  He obeyed the commandments of his father's 
       God--quite unlike the people across the border in the land of Israel.

       (2 Chr 17:5 TLB)  So the Lord strengthened his position as king of 
       Judah. All the people of Judah cooperated by paying their taxes, so he 
       became very wealthy as well as being very popular.

       (2 Chr 17:6 TLB)  He boldly followed the paths of God--even knocking 
       down the heathen altars on the hills and destroying the Asherim idols.

       (2 Chr 17:7 TLB)  In the third year of his reign he began a nationwide 
       religious education program. He sent out top government officials as 
       teachers in all the cities of Judah. These men included Ben-hail, 
       Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah.

       (2 Chr 17:8 TLB)  He also used the Levites for this purpose, including 
       Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, 
       Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tobadonijah; also the priests, Elishama and 
       Jehoram.

       (2 Chr 17:9 TLB)  They took copies of The Book of the Law of the Lord 
       to all the cities of Judah to teach the Scriptures to the people.

       (2 Chr 17:10 TLB)  Then the fear of the Lord fell upon all the 
       surrounding kingdoms so that none of them declared war on King 
       Jehoshaphat.

       (2 Chr 17:11 TLB)  Even some of the Philistines brought him presents 
       and annual tribute, and the Arabs donated 7,700 rams and 7,700 male 
       goats.





       (2 Chr 17:12 TLB)  So Jehoshaphat became very strong and built 
       fortresses and supply cities throughout Judah.

       (2 Chr 17:13 TLB)  His public works program was also extensive, and he 
       had a huge army stationed at Jerusalem, his capital.

       (2 Chr 17:14 TLB)  Three hundred thousand Judean troops were there 
       under General Adnah. Next in command was Jehohanan with an army of 
       280,000 men.

       (2 Chr 17:15 TLB)  

       (2 Chr 17:16 TLB)  Next was Amasiah (son of Zichri), a man of unusual 
       piety, with 200,000 troops.

       (2 Chr 17:17 TLB)  Benjamin supplied 200,000 men equipped with bows 
       and shields under the command of Eliada, a great general.

       (2 Chr 17:18 TLB)  His second in command was Jehozabad, with 180,000 
       trained men.

       (2 Chr 17:19 TLB)  These were the troops in Jerusalem in addition to 
       those placed by the king in the fortified cities throughout the 
       nation.

       (2 Chr 18:1 TLB)  But rich, popular King Jehoshaphat of Judah made a 
       marriage alliance (for his son) with (the daughter of) King Ahab of 
       Israel.

       (2 Chr 18:2 TLB)  A few years later he went down to Samaria to visit 
       King Ahab, and King Ahab gave a great party for him and his aides, 
       butchering great numbers of sheep and oxen for the feast. Then he 
       asked King Jehoshaphat to join forces with him against Ramoth-gilead.

       (2 Chr 18:3 TLB)  "Why, of course!" King Jehoshaphat replied. "I'm 
       with you all the way. My troops are at your command!

       (2 Chr 18:4 TLB)  However, let's check with the Lord first."

       (2 Chr 18:5 TLB)  So King Ahab summoned 400 of his heathen prophets 
       and asked them, "Shall we go to war with Ramoth-gilead or not?" And 
       they replied, "Go ahead, for God will give you a great victory!"

       (2 Chr 18:6 TLB)  But Jehoshaphat wasn't satisfied. "Isn't there some 
       prophet of the Lord around here too?" he asked. "I'd like to ask him 
       the same question."

       (2 Chr 18:7 TLB)  "Well," Ahab told him, "there is one, but I hate 
       him, for he never prophesies anything but evil! His name is Micaiah 
       (son of Imlah)." "Oh, come now, don't talk like that!" Jehoshaphat 
       exclaimed. "Let's hear what he has to say."

       (2 Chr 18:8 TLB)  So the king of Israel called one of his aides. 
       "Quick! Go and get Micaiah (son of Imlah)," he ordered.

       (2 Chr 18:9 TLB)  The two kings were sitting on thrones in full 





       regalia at an open place near the Samaria gate, and all the "prophets" 
       were prophesying before them.

       (2 Chr 18:10 TLB)  One of them, Zedekiah (son of Chenaanah), made some 
       iron horns for the occasion and proclaimed, "The Lord says you will 
       gore the Syrians to death with these!"

       (2 Chr 18:11 TLB)  And all the others agreed. "Yes," they chorused, 
       "go up to Ramoth-gilead and prosper, for the Lord will cause you to 
       conquer."

       (2 Chr 18:12 TLB)  The man who went to get Micaiah told him what was 
       happening and what all the prophets were saying--that the war would 
       end in triumph for the king. "I hope you will agree with them and give 
       the king a favorable reading," the man ventured.

       (2 Chr 18:13 TLB)  But Micaiah replied, "I vow by God that whatever 
       God says is what I will say."

       (2 Chr 18:14 TLB)  When he arrived before the king, the king asked 
       him, "Micaiah, shall we go to war against Ramoth-gilead or not?" And 
       Micaiah replied, "Sure, go ahead! It will be a glorious victory!"

       (2 Chr 18:15 TLB)  "Look here," the king said sharply, "how many times 
       must I tell you to speak nothing except what the Lord tells you to?"

       (2 Chr 18:16 TLB)  Then Micaiah told him, "In my vision I saw all 
       Israel scattered upon the mountain as sheep without a shepherd. And 
       the Lord said, 'Their master has been killed. Send them home.'"

       (2 Chr 18:17 TLB)  "Didn't I tell you?" the king of Israel exclaimed 
       to Jehoshaphat. "He does it every time. He never prophesies anything 
       but evil against me."

       (2 Chr 18:18 TLB)  "Listen to what else the Lord has told me," Micaiah 
       continued. "I saw him upon his throne surrounded by vast throngs of 
       angels.

       (2 Chr 18:19 TLB)  "And the Lord said, 'Who can get King Ahab to go to 
       battle against Ramoth-gilead and be killed there?' "There were many 
       suggestions,

       (2 Chr 18:20 TLB)  but finally a spirit stepped forward before the 
       Lord and said, 'I can do it!' "'How?' the Lord asked him.

       (2 Chr 18:21 TLB)  "He replied, 'I will be a lying spirit in the 
       mouths of all of the king's prophets!' "'It will work,' the Lord said; 
       'go and do it.'

       (2 Chr 18:22 TLB)  "So you see, the Lord has put a lying spirit in the 
       mouths of these prophets of yours, when actually he has determined 
       just the opposite of what they are telling you!"

       (2 Chr 18:23 TLB)  Then Zedekiah (son of Chenaanah) walked up to 
       Micaiah and slapped him across the face. "You liar!" he yelled. "When 
       did the Spirit of the Lord leave me and enter you?"






       (2 Chr 18:24 TLB)  "You'll find out soon enough," Micaiah replied, 
       "when you are hiding in an inner room!"

       (2 Chr 18:25 TLB)  "Arrest this man and take him back to Governor Amon 
       and to my son Joash," the king of Israel ordered.

       (2 Chr 18:26 TLB)  "Tell them, 'The king says to put this fellow in 
       prison and feed him with bread and water until I return safely from 
       the battle!'"

       (2 Chr 18:27 TLB)  Micaiah replied, "If you return safely, the Lord 
       has not spoken through me." Then, turning to those around them, he 
       remarked, "Take note of what I have said."

       (2 Chr 18:28 TLB)  So the king of Israel and the king of Judah led 
       their armies to Ramoth-gilead.

       (2 Chr 18:29 TLB)  The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "I'll 
       disguise myself so that no one will recognize me, but you put on your 
       royal robes!" So that is what they did.

       (2 Chr 18:30 TLB)  Now the king of Syria had issued these instructions 
       to his charioteers: "Ignore everyone but the king of Israel!"

       (2 Chr 18:31 TLB)  So when the Syrian charioteers saw King Jehoshaphat 
       of Judah in his royal robes, they went for him, supposing that he was 
       the man they were after. But Jehoshaphat cried out to the Lord to save 
       him, and the Lord made the charioteers see their mistake and leave 
       him.

       (2 Chr 18:32 TLB)  For as soon as they realized he was not the king of 
       Israel, they stopped chasing him.

       (2 Chr 18:33 TLB)  But one of the Syrian soldiers shot an arrow 
       haphazardly at the Israeli troops, and it struck the king of Israel at 
       the opening where the lower armor and the breastplate meet. "Get me 
       out of here," he groaned to the driver of his chariot, "for I am badly 
       wounded."

       (2 Chr 18:34 TLB)  The battle grew hotter and hotter all that day, and 
       King Ahab went back in, propped up in his chariot, to fight the 
       Syrians, but just as the sun sank into the western skies, he died.

       (2 Chr 19:1 TLB)  As King Jehoshaphat of Judah returned home, 
       uninjured,

       (2 Chr 19:2 TLB)  the prophet Jehu (son of Hanani) went out to meet 
       him. "Should you be helping the wicked, and loving those who hate the 
       Lord?" he asked him. "Because of what you have done, God's wrath is 
       upon you.

       (2 Chr 19:3 TLB)  But there are some good things about you in that you 
       got rid of the shame-idols throughout the land, and you have tried to 
       be faithful to God."





       (2 Chr 19:4 TLB)  So Jehoshaphat made no more trips to Israel after 
       that but remained quietly at Jerusalem. Later he went out again among 
       the people, traveling from Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim to 
       encourage them to worship the God of their ancestors.

       (2 Chr 19:5 TLB)  He appointed judges throughout the nation in all the 
       larger cities,

       (2 Chr 19:6 TLB)  and instructed them: "Watch your step--I have not 
       appointed you--God has; and he will stand beside you and help you give 
       justice in each case that comes before you.

       (2 Chr 19:7 TLB)  Be very much afraid to give any other decision than 
       what God tells you to. For there must be no injustice among God's 
       judges, no partiality, no taking of bribes."

       (2 Chr 19:8 TLB)  Jehoshaphat set up courts in Jerusalem, too, with 
       the Levites and priests and clan leaders and judges.

       (2 Chr 19:9 TLB)  These were his instructions to them: "You are to act 
       always in the fear of God, with honest hearts.

       (2 Chr 19:10 TLB)  Whenever a case is referred to you by the judges 
       out in the provinces, whether murder cases or other violations of the 
       laws and ordinances of God, you are to clarify the evidence for them 
       and help them to decide justly, lest the wrath of God come down upon 
       you and them; if you do this, you will discharge your responsibility."

       (2 Chr 19:11 TLB)  Then he appointed Amariah the High Priest to be the 
       court of final appeal in cases involving violation of sacred affairs; 
       and Zebadiah (son of Ishmael), a ruler in Judah, as the court of final 
       appeal in all civil cases; with the Levites as their assistants. "Be 
       fearless in your stand for truth and honesty. And may God use you to 
       defend the innocent," was his final word to them.

       (2 Chr 20:1 TLB)  Later on the armies of the kings of Moab, Ammon, and 
       of the Meunites declared war on Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah.

       (2 Chr 20:2 TLB)  Word reached Jehoshaphat that "a vast army is 
       marching against you from beyond the Dead Sea from Syria. It is 
       already at Hazazon-tamar" (also called Engedi).

       (2 Chr 20:3 TLB)  Jehoshaphat was badly shaken by this news and 
       determined to beg for help from the Lord; so he announced that all the 
       people of Judah should go without food for a time, in penitence and 
       intercession before God.

       (2 Chr 20:4 TLB)  People from all across the nation came to Jerusalem 
       to plead unitedly with him.

       (2 Chr 20:5 TLB)  Jehoshaphat stood among them as they gathered at the 
       new court of the Temple and prayed this prayer:

       (2 Chr 20:6 TLB)  "O Lord God of our fathers--the only God in all the 
       heavens, the Ruler of all the kingdoms of the earth--you are so 
       powerful, so mighty. Who can stand against you?






       (2 Chr 20:7 TLB)  O our God, didn't you drive out the heathen who 
       lived in this land when your people arrived? And didn't you give this 
       land forever to the descendants of your friend Abraham?

       (2 Chr 20:8 TLB)  Your people settled here and built this Temple for 
       you,

       (2 Chr 20:9 TLB)  truly believing that in a time like this--whenever 
       we are faced with any calamity such as war, disease, or famine--we can 
       stand here before this Temple and before you--for you are here in this 
       Temple--and cry out to you to save us; and that you will hear us and 
       rescue us.

       (2 Chr 20:10 TLB)  "And now see what the armies of Ammon, Moab, and 
       Mount Seir are doing. You wouldn't let our ancestors invade those 
       nations when Israel left Egypt, so we went around and didn't destroy 
       them.

       (2 Chr 20:11 TLB)  Now see how they reward us! For they have come to 
       throw us out of your land which you have given us.

       (2 Chr 20:12 TLB)  O our God, won't you stop them? We have no way to 
       protect ourselves against this mighty army. We don't know what to do, 
       but we are looking to you."

       (2 Chr 20:13 TLB)  As the people from every part of Judah stood before 
       the Lord with their little ones, wives, and children,

       (2 Chr 20:14 TLB)  the Spirit of the Lord came upon one of the men 
       standing there--Jahaziel (son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of 
       Jeiel, son of Mattaniah the Levite, who was one of the sons of Asaph).

       (2 Chr 20:15 TLB)  "Listen to me, all you people of Judah and 
       Jerusalem, and you, O king Jehoshaphat!" he exclaimed. "The Lord says, 
       'Don't be afraid! Don't be paralyzed by this mighty army! For the 
       battle is not yours, but God's!

       (2 Chr 20:16 TLB)  Tomorrow, go down and attack them! You will find 
       them coming up the slopes of Ziz at the end of the valley that opens 
       into the wilderness of Jeruel.

       (2 Chr 20:17 TLB)  But you will not need to fight! Take your places; 
       stand quietly and see the incredible rescue operation God will perform 
       for you, O people of Judah and Jerusalem! Don't be afraid or 
       discouraged! Go out there tomorrow, for the Lord is with you!'"

       (2 Chr 20:18 TLB)  Then King Jehoshaphat fell to the ground with his 
       face to the earth, and all the people of Judah and the people of 
       Jerusalem did the same, worshiping the Lord.

       (2 Chr 20:19 TLB)  Then the Levites of the Kohath clan and the Korah 
       clan stood to praise the Lord God of Israel with songs of praise that 
       rang out strong and clear.

       (2 Chr 20:20 TLB)  Early the next morning the army of Judah went out 





       into the wilderness of Tekoa. On the way Jehoshaphat stopped and 
       called them to attention. "Listen to me, O people of Judah and 
       Jerusalem," he said. "Believe in the Lord your God and you shall have 
       success! Believe his prophets and everything will be all right!"

       (2 Chr 20:21 TLB)  After consultation with the leaders of the people, 
       he determined that there should be a choir leading the march, clothed 
       in sanctified garments and singing the song "His Loving-kindness Is 
       Forever" as they walked along praising and thanking the Lord!

       (2 Chr 20:22 TLB)  And at the moment they began to sing and to praise, 
       the Lord caused the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir to begin 
       fighting among themselves, and they destroyed each other!

       (2 Chr 20:23 TLB)  For the Ammonites and Moabites turned against their 
       allies from Mount Seir and killed every one of them. And when they had 
       finished that job, they turned against each other!

       (2 Chr 20:24 TLB)  So, when the army of Judah arrived at the 
       watchtower that looks out over the wilderness, as far as they could 
       look there were dead bodies lying on the ground--not a single one of 
       the enemy had escaped.

       (2 Chr 20:25 TLB)  King Jehoshaphat and his people went out to plunder 
       the bodies and came away loaded with money, garments, and jewels 
       stripped from the corpses--so much that it took them three days to 
       cart it all away!

       (2 Chr 20:26 TLB)  On the fourth day they gathered in the Valley of 
       Blessing, as it is called today, and how they praised the Lord!

       (2 Chr 20:27 TLB)  Then they returned to Jerusalem, with Jehoshaphat 
       leading them, full of joy that the Lord had given them this marvelous 
       rescue from their enemies.

       (2 Chr 20:28 TLB)  They marched into Jerusalem accompanied by a band 
       of harps, lyres, and trumpets and proceeded to the Temple.

       (2 Chr 20:29 TLB)  And as had happened before, when the surrounding 
       kingdoms heard that the Lord himself had fought against the enemies of 
       Israel, the fear of God fell upon them.

       (2 Chr 20:30 TLB)  So Jehoshaphat's kingdom was quiet, for his God had 
       given him rest.

       (2 Chr 20:31 TLB)  A thumbnail sketch of King Jehoshaphat: He became 
       king of Judah when he was thirty-five years old and reigned 
       twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Azubah, the 
       daughter of Shilhi.

       (2 Chr 20:32 TLB)  He was a good king, just as his father Asa was. He 
       continually tried to follow the Lord

       (2 Chr 20:33 TLB)  with the exception that he did not destroy the idol 
       shrines on the hills, nor had the people as yet really decided to 
       follow the God of their ancestors.






       (2 Chr 20:34 TLB)  The details of Jehoshaphat's reign from first to 
       last are written in the history of Jehu the son of Hanani, which is 
       inserted in The Annals of the Kings of Israel.

       (2 Chr 20:35 TLB)  But at the close of his life, Jehoshaphat, king of 
       Judah, went into partnership with Ahaziah, king of Israel, who was a 
       very wicked man.

       (2 Chr 20:36 TLB)  They made ships in Ezion-geber to sail to Tarshish.

       (2 Chr 20:37 TLB)  Then Eliezer, son of Dodavahu from Mareshah, 
       prophesied against Jehoshaphat, telling him, "Because you have allied 
       yourself with King Ahaziah, the Lord has destroyed your work." So the 
       ships met disaster and never arrived at Tarshish.

       (2 Chr 21:1 TLB)  When Jehoshaphat died, he was buried in the cemetery 
       of the kings in Jerusalem, and his son Jehoram became the new ruler of 
       Judah.

       (2 Chr 21:2 TLB)  His brothers--other sons of Jehoshaphat--were 
       Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariah, Michael, and Shephatiah.

       (2 Chr 21:3 TLB)  Their father had given each of them valuable gifts 
       of money and jewels, also the ownership of some of the fortified 
       cities of Judah. However, he gave the kingship to Jehoram because he 
       was the oldest.

       (2 Chr 21:4 TLB)  But when Jehoram had become solidly established as 
       king, he killed all of his brothers and many other leaders of Israel.

       (2 Chr 21:5 TLB)  He was thirty-two years old when he began to reign, 
       and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem.

       (2 Chr 21:6 TLB)  But he was as wicked as the kings who were over in 
       Israel. Yes, as wicked as Ahab, for Jehoram had married one of the 
       daughters of Ahab, and his whole life was one constant binge of doing 
       evil.

       (2 Chr 21:7 TLB)  However, the Lord was unwilling to end the dynasty 
       of David, for he had made a covenant with David always to have one of 
       his descendants upon the throne.

       (2 Chr 21:8 TLB)  At that time the king of Edom revolted, declaring 
       his independence of Judah.

       (2 Chr 21:9 TLB)  Jehoram attacked him with his full army and with all 
       of his chariots, marching by night, and almost managed to subdue him.

       (2 Chr 21:10 TLB)  But to this day Edom has been successful in 
       throwing off the yoke of Judah. Libnah revolted too because Jehoram 
       had turned away from the Lord God of his fathers.

       (2 Chr 21:11 TLB)  What's more, Jehoram constructed idol shrines in 
       the mountains of Judah and led the people of Jerusalem in worshiping 
       idols; in fact, he compelled his people to worship them.






       (2 Chr 21:12 TLB)  Then Elijah the prophet wrote him this letter: "The 
       Lord God of your ancestor David says that because you have not 
       followed in the good ways of your father Jehoshaphat, nor the good 
       ways of King Asa,

       (2 Chr 21:13 TLB)  but you have been as evil as the kings over in 
       Israel and have made the people of Jerusalem and Judah worship idols 
       just as in the times of King Ahab, and because you have killed your 
       brothers who were better than you,

       (2 Chr 21:14 TLB)  now the Lord will destroy your nation with a great 
       plague. You, your children, your wives, and all that you have will be 
       struck down.

       (2 Chr 21:15 TLB)  You will be stricken with an intestinal disease and 
       your bowels will rot away."

       (2 Chr 21:16 TLB)  Then the Lord stirred up the Philistines and the 
       Arabs living next to the Ethiopians to attack Jehoram.

       (2 Chr 21:17 TLB)  They marched against Judah, broke across the 
       border, and carried away everything of value in the king's palace, 
       including his sons and his wives; only his youngest son, Jehoahaz, 
       escaped.

       (2 Chr 21:18 TLB)  It was after this that Jehovah struck him down with 
       the incurable bowel disease.

       (2 Chr 21:19 TLB)  In the process of time, at the end of two years, 
       his intestines came out, and he died in terrible suffering. (The 
       customary pomp and ceremony was omitted at his funeral.)

       (2 Chr 21:20 TLB)  He was thirty-two years old when he began to reign, 
       and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years and died unmourned. He was 
       buried in Jerusalem, but not in the royal cemetery.

       (2 Chr 22:1 TLB)  Then the people of Jerusalem chose Ahaziah, his 
       youngest son, as their new king (for the marauding bands of Arabs had 
       killed his older sons).

       (2 Chr 22:2 TLB)  Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he began to 
       reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother's name was 
       Athaliah, granddaughter of Omri.

       (2 Chr 22:3 TLB)  He, too, walked in the evil ways of Ahab, for his 
       mother encouraged him in doing wrong.

       (2 Chr 22:4 TLB)  Yes, he was as evil as Ahab, for Ahab's family 
       became his advisors after his father's death, and they led him on to 
       ruin.

       (2 Chr 22:5 TLB)  Following their evil advice, Ahaziah made an 
       alliance with King Joram of Israel (the son of Ahab), who was at war 
       with King Hazael of Syria at Ramoth-gilead. Ahaziah led his army there 
       to join the battle. King Joram of Israel was wounded






       (2 Chr 22:6 TLB)  and returned to Jezreel to recover. Ahaziah went to 
       visit him,

       (2 Chr 22:7 TLB)  but this turned out to be a fatal mistake; for God 
       had decided to punish Ahaziah for his alliance with Joram. It was 
       during this visit that Ahaziah went out with Joram to challenge Jehu 
       (son of Nimshi), whom the Lord had appointed to end the dynasty of 
       Ahab.

       (2 Chr 22:8 TLB)  While Jehu was hunting down and killing the family 
       and friends of Ahab, he met King Ahaziah's nephews, the princes of 
       Judah, and killed them.

       (2 Chr 22:9 TLB)  As he and his men were searching for Ahaziah, they 
       found him hiding in the city of Samaria and brought him to Jehu, who 
       killed him. Even so, Ahaziah was given a royal burial because he was 
       the grandson of King Jehoshaphat--a man who enthusiastically served 
       the Lord. None of his sons, however, except for Joash, lived to 
       succeed him as king,

       (2 Chr 22:10 TLB)  for their grandmother Athaliah killed them when she 
       heard the news of her son Ahaziah's death.

       (2 Chr 22:11 TLB)  Joash was rescued by his Aunt Jehoshabeath, who was 
       King Ahaziah's sister, and was hidden away in a storage room in the 
       Temple. She was a daughter of King Jehoram and the wife of Jehoiada 
       the priest.

       (2 Chr 22:12 TLB)  Joash remained hidden in the Temple for six years 
       while Athaliah reigned as queen. He was cared for by his nurse and by 
       his aunt and uncle.

       (2 Chr 23:1 TLB)  In the seventh year of the reign of Queen Athaliah, 
       Jehoiada the priest got up his courage and took some of the army 
       officers into his confidence: Azariah (son of Jeroham), Ishmael (son 
       of Jehohanan), Azariah (son of Obed), Maaseiah (son of Adaiah), and 
       Elishaphat (son of Zichri).

       (2 Chr 23:2 TLB)  These men traveled out across the nation secretly to 
       tell the Levites and clan leaders about his plans and to summon them 
       to Jerusalem.

       (2 Chr 23:3 TLB)  On arrival they swore allegiance to the young king, 
       who was still in hiding at the Temple. "At last the time has come for 
       the king's son to reign!" Jehoiada exclaimed. "The Lord's 
       promise--that a descendant of King David shall be our king--will be 
       true again.

       (2 Chr 23:4 TLB)  This is how we'll proceed: A third of you priests 
       and Levites who come off duty on the Sabbath will stay at the entrance 
       as guards.

       (2 Chr 23:5 TLB)  Another third will go over to the palace, and a 
       third will be at the Lower Gate. Everyone else must stay in the outer 
       courts of the Temple, as required by God's laws.






       (2 Chr 23:6 TLB)  For only the priests and Levites on duty may enter 
       the Temple itself, for they are sanctified.

       (2 Chr 23:7 TLB)  You Levites, form a bodyguard for the king, weapons 
       in hand, and kill any unauthorized person entering the Temple. Stay 
       right beside the king."

       (2 Chr 23:8 TLB)  So all the arrangements were made. Each of the three 
       leaders led a third of the priests arriving for duty that Sabbath, and 
       a third of those whose week's work was done and were going off 
       duty--for Jehoiada the chief priest didn't release them to go home.

       (2 Chr 23:9 TLB)  Then Jehoiada issued spears and shields to all the 
       army officers. These had once belonged to King David and were stored 
       in the Temple.

       (2 Chr 23:10 TLB)  These officers, fully armed, formed a line from one 
       side to the other in front of the Temple and around the altar in the 
       outer court.

       (2 Chr 23:11 TLB)  Then they brought out the little prince and placed 
       the crown upon his head, and handed him a copy of the law of God, and 
       proclaimed him king. A great shout went up, "Long live the king!" as 
       Jehoiada and his sons anointed him.

       (2 Chr 23:12 TLB)  When Queen Athaliah heard all the noise and 
       commotion and the shouts of praise to the king, she rushed over to the 
       Temple to see what was going on--and there stood the king by his 
       pillar at the entrance, with the army officers and the trumpeters 
       surrounding him, and people from all over the land rejoicing and 
       blowing trumpets, and the singers singing, accompanied by an orchestra 
       leading the people in a great psalm of praise. Athaliah ripped her 
       clothes and screamed, "Treason! Treason!"

       (2 Chr 23:13 TLB)  "Take her out and kill her," Jehoiada the priest 
       shouted to the army officers. "Don't do it here at the Temple. And 
       kill anyone who tries to help her."

       (2 Chr 23:14 TLB)  

       (2 Chr 23:15 TLB)  So the crowd opened up for them to take her out, 
       and they killed her at the palace stables.

       (2 Chr 23:16 TLB)  Then Jehoiada made a solemn contract that he and 
       the king and the people would be the Lord's.

       (2 Chr 23:17 TLB)  And all the people rushed over to the temple of 
       Baal and knocked it down, and broke up the altars, and knocked down 
       the idols, and killed Mattan the priest of Baal before his altar.

       (2 Chr 23:18 TLB)  Jehoiada now appointed the Levite priests as 
       guards, and to sacrifice the burnt offering to the Lord as prescribed 
       in the law of Moses. He made the identical assignments of the Levite 
       clans that King David had. They sang with joy as they worked.





       (2 Chr 23:19 TLB)  The guards at the Temple gates kept out everything 
       that was not consecrated and all unauthorized personnel.

       (2 Chr 23:20 TLB)  Then the army officers, nobles, governors, and all 
       the people escorted the king from the Temple, wending their way from 
       the Upper Gate to the palace, and seated the king upon his throne.

       (2 Chr 23:21 TLB)  So all the people of the land rejoiced, and the 
       city was quiet and peaceful because Queen Athaliah was dead.

       (2 Chr 24:1 TLB)  Joash was seven years old when he became king, and 
       he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Zibiah, 
       from Beersheba.

       (2 Chr 24:2 TLB)  Joash tried hard to please the Lord all during the 
       lifetime of Jehoiada the priest.

       (2 Chr 24:3 TLB)  Jehoiada arranged two marriages for him, and he had 
       sons and daughters.

       (2 Chr 24:4 TLB)  Later on Joash decided to repair and recondition the 
       Temple.

       (2 Chr 24:5 TLB)  He summoned the priests and Levites and gave them 
       these instructions: "Go to all the cities of Judah and collect 
       offerings for the building fund so that we can maintain the Temple in 
       good repair. Get at it right away. Don't delay." But the Levites took 
       their time.

       (2 Chr 24:6 TLB)  So the king called for Jehoiada the High Priest and 
       asked him, "Why haven't you demanded that the Levites go out and 
       collect the Temple taxes from the cities of Judah and from Jerusalem? 
       The tax law enacted by Moses the servant of the Lord must be enforced 
       so that the Temple can be repaired."

       (2 Chr 24:7 TLB)  (The followers of wicked Athaliah had ravaged the 
       Temple, and everything dedicated to the worship of God had been 
       removed to the temple of Baalim.)

       (2 Chr 24:8 TLB)  So now the king instructed that a chest be made and 
       set outside the Temple gate.

       (2 Chr 24:9 TLB)  Then a proclamation was sent to all the cities of 
       Judah and throughout Jerusalem telling the people to bring to the Lord 
       the tax that Moses the servant of God had assessed upon Israel.

       (2 Chr 24:10 TLB)  And all the leaders and the people were glad, and 
       brought the money and placed it in the chest until it was full.

       (2 Chr 24:11 TLB)  Then the Levites carried the chest to the king's 
       accounting office, where the recording secretary and the 
       representative of the High Priest counted the money and took the chest 
       back to the Temple again. This went on day after day, and money 
       continued to pour in.

       (2 Chr 24:12 TLB)  The king and Jehoiada gave the money to the 





       building superintendents, who hired masons and carpenters to restore 
       the Temple, and to foundrymen, who made articles of iron and brass.

       (2 Chr 24:13 TLB)  So the work went forward, and finally the Temple 
       was in much better condition than before.

       (2 Chr 24:14 TLB)  When all was finished, the remaining money was 
       brought to the king and Jehoiada, and it was agreed to use it for 
       making the gold and silver spoons and bowls used for incense, and for 
       making the instruments used in the sacrifices and offerings. Burnt 
       offerings were sacrificed continually during the lifetime of Jehoiada 
       the priest.

       (2 Chr 24:15 TLB)  He lived to a very old age, finally dying at 130.

       (2 Chr 24:16 TLB)  He was buried in the City of David among the kings 
       because he had done so much good for Israel, for God, and for the 
       Temple.

       (2 Chr 24:17 TLB)  But after his death, the leaders of Judah came to 
       King Joash and induced him

       (2 Chr 24:18 TLB)  to abandon the Temple of the God of their ancestors 
       and to worship shame-idols instead! So the wrath of God came down upon 
       Judah and Jerusalem again.

       (2 Chr 24:19 TLB)  God sent prophets to bring them back to the Lord, 
       but the people wouldn't listen.

       (2 Chr 24:20 TLB)  Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah, 
       Jehoiada's son. He called a meeting of all the people. Standing before 
       them upon a platform, he said to them, "God wants to know why you are 
       disobeying his commandments. For when you do, everything you try 
       fails. You have forsaken the Lord, and now he has forsaken you."

       (2 Chr 24:21 TLB)  Then the leaders plotted to kill Zechariah, and 
       finally King Joash himself ordered him executed in the court of the 
       Temple.

       (2 Chr 24:22 TLB)  That was how King Joash repaid Jehoiada for his 
       love and loyalty--by killing his son. Zechariah's last words as he 
       died were, "Lord, see what they are doing and pay them back."

       (2 Chr 24:23 TLB)  A few months later the Syrian army arrived and 
       conquered Judah and Jerusalem, killing all the leaders of the nation 
       and sending back great quantities of booty to the king of Damascus.

       (2 Chr 24:24 TLB)  It was a great triumph for the tiny Syrian army, 
       but the Lord let the great army of Judah be conquered by them because 
       they had forsaken the Lord God of their ancestors. In that way God 
       executed judgment upon Joash.

       (2 Chr 24:25 TLB)  When the Syrians left--leaving Joash severely 
       wounded--his own officials decided to kill him for murdering the son 
       of Jehoiada the priest. They assassinated him as he lay in bed, and 
       buried him in the City of David, but not in the cemetery of the kings.






       (2 Chr 24:26 TLB)  The conspirators were Zabad, whose mother was 
       Shimeath, a woman from Ammon; and Jehozabad, whose mother was 
       Shimrith, a woman from Moab.

       (2 Chr 24:27 TLB)  If you want to read about the sons of Joash and the 
       curses laid upon Joash, and about the restoration of the Temple, see 
       The Annals of the Kings. When Joash died, his son Amaziah became the 
       new king.

       (2 Chr 25:1 TLB)  Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he became 
       king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name 
       was Jehoaddan, a native of Jerusalem.

       (2 Chr 25:2 TLB)  He did what was right, but sometimes resented it!

       (2 Chr 25:3 TLB)  When he was well established as the new king, he 
       executed the men who had assassinated his father.

       (2 Chr 25:4 TLB)  However, he didn't kill their children but followed 
       the command of the Lord written in the law of Moses, that the fathers 
       shall not die for the children's sins, nor the children for the 
       father's sins. No, everyone must pay for his own sins.

       (2 Chr 25:5 TLB)  Another thing Amaziah did was to organize the army, 
       assigning leaders to each clan from Judah and Benjamin. Then he took a 
       census and found that he had an army of 300,000 men twenty years old 
       and older, all trained and highly skilled in the use of spear and 
       sword.

       (2 Chr 25:6 TLB)  He also paid $200,000 to hire 100,000 experienced 
       mercenaries from Israel.

       (2 Chr 25:7 TLB)  But a prophet arrived with this message from the 
       Lord: "Sir, do not hire troops from Israel, for the Lord is not with 
       them.

       (2 Chr 25:8 TLB)  If you let them go with your troops to battle, you 
       will be defeated no matter how well you fight; for God has power to 
       help or to frustrate."

       (2 Chr 25:9 TLB)  "But the money!" Amaziah whined. "What shall I do 
       about that?" And the prophet replied, "The Lord is able to give you 
       much more than this!"

       (2 Chr 25:10 TLB)  So Amaziah sent them home again to Ephraim, which 
       made them very angry and insulted.

       (2 Chr 25:11 TLB)  Then Amaziah took courage and led his army to the 
       Valley of Salt and there killed 10,000 men from Seir.

       (2 Chr 25:12 TLB)  Another 10,000 were taken alive to the top of a 
       cliff and thrown over so that they were crushed upon the rocks below.

       (2 Chr 25:13 TLB)  Meanwhile, the army of Israel that had been sent 
       home raided several of the cities of Judah in the vicinity of 





       Beth-horon toward Samaria, killing 3,000 people and carrying off great 
       quantities of booty.

       (2 Chr 25:14 TLB)  When King Amaziah returned from this slaughter of 
       the Edomites, he brought with him idols taken from the people of Seir, 
       set them up as gods, bowed before them, and burned incense to them!

       (2 Chr 25:15 TLB)  This made the Lord very angry, and he sent a 
       prophet to demand, "Why have you worshiped gods who couldn't even save 
       their own people from you?"

       (2 Chr 25:16 TLB)  "Since when have I asked your advice?" the king 
       retorted. "Be quiet now before I have you killed." The prophet left 
       with this parting warning: "I know that God has determined to destroy 
       you because you have worshiped these idols and have not accepted my 
       counsel."

       (2 Chr 25:17 TLB)  King Amaziah of Judah now took the advice of his 
       counselors and declared war on King Joash of Israel (son of Jehoahaz, 
       grandson of Jehu).

       (2 Chr 25:18 TLB)  King Joash replied with this parable: "Out in the 
       Lebanon mountains a thistle demanded of a cedar tree, 'Give your 
       daughter in marriage to my son.' Just then a wild animal came by and 
       stepped on the thistle, crushing it!

       (2 Chr 25:19 TLB)  You are very proud about your conquest of Edom, but 
       my advice is to stay home and don't meddle with me, lest you and all 
       Judah get badly hurt."

       (2 Chr 25:20 TLB)  But Amaziah wouldn't listen for God was arranging 
       to destroy him for worshiping the gods of Edom.

       (2 Chr 25:21 TLB)  The armies met at Beth-shemesh in Judah,

       (2 Chr 25:22 TLB)  and Judah was defeated and its army fled home.

       (2 Chr 25:23 TLB)  King Joash of Israel captured the defeated King 
       Amaziah of Judah and took him as a prisoner to Jerusalem. Then King 
       Joash ordered 200 yards of the walls of Jerusalem dismantled, from the 
       gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate.

       (2 Chr 25:24 TLB)  He carried off all the treasures and gold bowls 
       from the Temple, as well as the treasures from the palace; and he took 
       hostages, including Obed-edom, and returned to Samaria.

       (2 Chr 25:25 TLB)  However, King Amaziah of Judah lived on for fifteen 
       years after the death of King Joash of Israel.

       (2 Chr 25:26 TLB)  The complete biography of King Amaziah is written 
       in The Annals of the Kings of Judah and Israel.

       (2 Chr 25:27 TLB)  This account includes a report of Amaziah's turning 
       away from God, how his people conspired against him in Jerusalem, and 
       how he fled to Lachish--but they went after him and killed him there.





       (2 Chr 25:28 TLB)  And they brought him back on horses to Jerusalem 
       and buried him in the royal cemetery.

       (2 Chr 26:1 TLB)  The people of Judah now crowned sixteen-year-old 
       Uzziah as their new king.

       (2 Chr 26:2 TLB)  After his father's death, he rebuilt the city of 
       Eloth and restored it to Judah.

       (2 Chr 26:3 TLB)  In all, he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His 
       mother's name was Jecoliah, from Jerusalem.

       (2 Chr 26:4 TLB)  He followed in the footsteps of his father Amaziah 
       and was, in general, a good king in the Lord's sight.

       (2 Chr 26:5 TLB)  While Zechariah was alive Uzziah was always eager to 
       please God. Zechariah was a man who had special revelations from God. 
       And as long as the king followed the paths of God, he prospered, for 
       God blessed him.

       (2 Chr 26:6 TLB)  He declared war on the Philistines and captured the 
       city of Gath and broke down its walls, also those of Jabneh and 
       Ashdod. Then he built new cities in the Ashdod area and in other parts 
       of the Philistine country.

       (2 Chr 26:7 TLB)  God helped him not only with his wars against the 
       Philistines but also in his battles with the Arabs of Gur-baal and in 
       his wars with the Meunites.

       (2 Chr 26:8 TLB)  The Ammonites paid annual tribute to him, and his 
       fame spread even to Egypt, for he was very powerful.

       (2 Chr 26:9 TLB)  He built fortified towers in Jerusalem at the Corner 
       Gate, and the Valley Gate, and at the turning of the wall.

       (2 Chr 26:10 TLB)  He also constructed forts in the Negeb and made 
       many water reservoirs, for he had great herds of cattle out in the 
       valleys and on the plains. He was a man who loved the soil and had 
       many farms and vineyards, both on the hillsides and in the fertile 
       valleys.

       (2 Chr 26:11 TLB)  He organized his army into regiments to which men 
       were drafted under quotas set by Jeiel, the secretary of the army, and 
       his assistant, Maaseiah. The commander-in-chief was General Hananiah.

       (2 Chr 26:12 TLB)  Twenty-six hundred brave clan leaders commanded 
       these regiments.

       (2 Chr 26:13 TLB)  The army consisted of 307,500 men, all elite 
       troops.

       (2 Chr 26:14 TLB)  Uzziah issued to them shields, spears, helmets, 
       coats of mail, bows, and slingstones.

       (2 Chr 26:15 TLB)  And he produced engines of war manufactured in 
       Jerusalem, invented by brilliant men to shoot arrows and huge stones 





       from the towers and battlements. So he became very famous, for the 
       Lord helped him wonderfully until he was very powerful.

       (2 Chr 26:16 TLB)  But at that point he became proud--and corrupt. He 
       sinned against the Lord his God by entering the forbidden sanctuary of 
       the Temple and personally burning incense upon the altar.

       (2 Chr 26:17 TLB)  Azariah the High Priest went in after him with 
       eighty other priests, all brave men, and demanded that he get out.

       (2 Chr 26:18 TLB)  "It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense," they 
       declared. "That is the work of the priests alone, the sons of Aaron 
       who are consecrated to this work. Get out, for you have trespassed, 
       and the Lord is not going to honor you for this!"

       (2 Chr 26:19 TLB)  Uzziah was furious and refused to set down the 
       incense burner he was holding. But look! Suddenly--leprosy appeared in 
       his forehead!

       (2 Chr 26:20 TLB)  When Azariah and the others saw it, they rushed him 
       out; in fact, he himself was as anxious to get out as they were to get 
       him out because the Lord had struck him.

       (2 Chr 26:21 TLB)  So King Uzziah was a leper until the day of his 
       death and lived in isolation, cut off from his people and from the 
       Temple. His son Jotham became vice-regent, in charge of the king's 
       affairs and of the judging of the people of the land.

       (2 Chr 26:22 TLB)  The other details of Uzziah's reign from first to 
       last are recorded by the prophet Isaiah (son of Amoz).

       (2 Chr 26:23 TLB)  When Uzziah died, he was buried in the royal 
       cemetery even though he was a leper, and his son Jotham became the new 
       king.

       (2 Chr 27:1 TLB)  Jotham was twenty-five years old at the time he 
       became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother was 
       Jerushah, daughter of Zadok.

       (2 Chr 27:2 TLB)  He followed the generally good example of his father 
       Uzziah--who had, however, sinned by invading the Temple--but even so 
       his people became very corrupt.

       (2 Chr 27:3 TLB)  He built the Upper Gate of the Temple and also did 
       extensive rebuilding of the walls on the hill where the Temple was 
       situated.

       (2 Chr 27:4 TLB)  And he built cities in the hill country of Judah and 
       erected fortresses and towers on the wooded hills.

       (2 Chr 27:5 TLB)  His war against the Ammonites was successful so that 
       for the next three years he received from them an annual tribute of 
       $200,000 in silver, 10,000 sacks of wheat, and 10,000 sacks of barley.

       (2 Chr 27:6 TLB)  King Jotham became powerful because he was careful 
       to follow the path of the Lord his God.






       (2 Chr 27:7 TLB)  The remainder of his history, including his wars and 
       other activities, is written in The Annals of the Kings of Israel and 
       Judah.

       (2 Chr 27:8 TLB)  In summary, then, he was twenty-five years old when 
       he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem.

       (2 Chr 27:9 TLB)  When he died, he was buried in Jerusalem, and his 
       son Ahaz became the new king.

       (2 Chr 28:1 TLB)  Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and 
       he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. But he was an evil king, unlike 
       his ancestor King David.

       (2 Chr 28:2 TLB)  For he followed the example of the kings over in 
       Israel and worshiped the idols of Baal.

       (2 Chr 28:3 TLB)  He even went out to the Valley of Hinnom, and it was 
       not just to burn incense to the idols, for he even sacrificed his own 
       children in the fire, just like the heathen nations that were thrown 
       out of the land by the Lord to make room for Israel.

       (2 Chr 28:4 TLB)  Yes, he sacrificed and burned incense at the idol 
       shrines on the hills and under every green tree.

       (2 Chr 28:5 TLB)  That is why the Lord God allowed the king of Syria 
       to defeat him and deport large numbers of his people to Damascus. The 
       armies from Israel also slaughtered great numbers of his troops.

       (2 Chr 28:6 TLB)  On a single day Pekah, the son of Remaliah, killed 
       120,000 of his bravest soldiers because they had turned away from the 
       Lord God of their fathers.

       (2 Chr 28:7 TLB)  Then Zichri, a great warrior from Ephraim, killed 
       the king's son Maaseiah, the king's administrator Azrikam, and the 
       king's second-in-command Elkanah.

       (2 Chr 28:8 TLB)  The armies from Israel also captured 200,000 Judean 
       women and children and tremendous amounts of booty, which they took to 
       Samaria.

       (2 Chr 28:9 TLB)  But Oded, a prophet of the Lord, was there in 
       Samaria, and he went out to meet the returning army. "Look!" he 
       exclaimed. "The Lord God of your fathers was angry with Judah and let 
       you capture them, but you have butchered them without mercy, and all 
       heaven is disturbed.

       (2 Chr 28:10 TLB)  And now are you going to make slaves of these 
       people from Judah and Jerusalem? What about your own sins against the 
       Lord your God?

       (2 Chr 28:11 TLB)  Listen to me and return these relatives of yours to 
       their homes, for now the fierce anger of the Lord is upon you."

       (2 Chr 28:12 TLB)  Some of the top leaders of Ephraim also added their 





       opposition. These men were Azariah the son of Johanan, Berechiah the 
       son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah the son of Shallum, and Amasa the son 
       of Hadlai.

       (2 Chr 28:13 TLB)  "You must not bring the captives here!" they 
       declared. "If you do, the Lord will be angry, and this sin will be 
       added to our many others. We are in enough trouble with God as it is."

       (2 Chr 28:14 TLB)  So the army officers turned over the captives and 
       booty to the political leaders to decide what to do.

       (2 Chr 28:15 TLB)  Then the four men already mentioned distributed 
       captured stores of clothing to the women and children who needed it 
       and gave them shoes, food, and wine, and put those who were sick and 
       old on donkeys, and took them back to their families in Jericho, the 
       City of Palm Trees. Then their escorts returned to Samaria.

       (2 Chr 28:16 TLB)  About that time King Ahaz of Judah asked the king 
       of Assyria to be his ally in his war against the armies of Edom. For 
       Edom was invading Judah and capturing many people as slaves.

       (2 Chr 28:17 TLB)  Meanwhile, the Philistines had invaded the lowland 
       cities and the Negeb and had already captured Beth-shemesh, Aijalon, 
       Gederoth, Soco, Timnah, and Gimzo with their surrounding villages, and 
       were living there.

       (2 Chr 28:18 TLB)  

       (2 Chr 28:19 TLB)  For the Lord brought Judah very low on account of 
       the evil deeds of King Ahaz of Israel, for he had destroyed the 
       spiritual fiber of Judah and had been faithless to the Lord.

       (2 Chr 28:20 TLB)  But when Tilgath-pilneser, king of Assyria, 
       arrived, he caused trouble for King Ahaz instead of helping him.

       (2 Chr 28:21 TLB)  So even though Ahaz had given him the Temple gold 
       and the palace treasures, it did no good.

       (2 Chr 28:22 TLB)  In this time of deep trial, King Ahaz collapsed 
       spiritually.

       (2 Chr 28:23 TLB)  He sacrificed to the gods of the people of Damascus 
       who had defeated him, for he felt that since these gods had helped the 
       kings of Syria, they would help him too if he sacrificed to them. But 
       instead, they were his ruin, and that of all his people.

       (2 Chr 28:24 TLB)  The king took the gold bowls from the Temple and 
       slashed them to pieces, and nailed the door of the Temple shut so that 
       no one could worship there, and made altars to the heathen gods in 
       every corner of Jerusalem.

       (2 Chr 28:25 TLB)  And he did the same in every city of Judah, thus 
       angering the Lord God of his fathers.

       (2 Chr 28:26 TLB)  The other details of his life and activities are 
       recorded in The Annals of the Kings of Judah and Israel.






       (2 Chr 28:27 TLB)  When King Ahaz died, he was buried in Jerusalem but 
       not in the royal tombs, and his son Hezekiah became the new king.

       (2 Chr 29:1 TLB)  Hezekiah was twenty-five years old when he became 
       the king of Judah, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His 
       mother's name was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah.

       (2 Chr 29:2 TLB)  His reign was generally good in the Lord's sight, 
       just as his ancestor David's had been.

       (2 Chr 29:3 TLB)  In the very first month of the first year of his 
       reign, he reopened the doors of the Temple and repaired them.

       (2 Chr 29:4 TLB)  He summoned the priests and Levites to meet him at 
       the open space east of the Temple

       (2 Chr 29:5 TLB)  and addressed them thus: "Listen to me, you Levites. 
       Sanctify yourselves and sanctify the Temple of the Lord God of your 
       ancestors--clean all the debris from the holy place.

       (2 Chr 29:6 TLB)  For our fathers have committed a deep sin before the 
       Lord our God; they abandoned the Lord and his Temple and turned their 
       backs on it.

       (2 Chr 29:7 TLB)  The doors have been shut tight, the perpetual flame 
       has been put out, and the incense and burnt offerings have not been 
       offered.

       (2 Chr 29:8 TLB)  Therefore, the wrath of the Lord has been upon Judah 
       and Jerusalem. He has caused us to be objects of horror, amazement, 
       and contempt, as you see us today.

       (2 Chr 29:9 TLB)  Our fathers have been killed in war, and our sons 
       and daughters and wives are in captivity because of this.

       (2 Chr 29:10 TLB)  "But now I want to make a covenant with the Lord 
       God of Israel so that his fierce anger will turn away from us.

       (2 Chr 29:11 TLB)  My children, don't neglect your duties any longer, 
       for the Lord has chosen you to minister to him and to burn incense."

       (2 Chr 29:12 TLB)  Then the Levites went into action: From the Kohath 
       clan, Mahath (son of Amasai) and Joel (son of Azariah); From the 
       Merari clan, Kish (son of Abdi) and Azariah (son of Jehallelel); From 
       the Gershon clan, Joah (son of Zimmah) and Eden (son of Joah).

       (2 Chr 29:13 TLB)  From the Elizaphan clan, Shimri and Jeuel; From the 
       Asaph clan, Zechariah and Mattaniah;

       (2 Chr 29:14 TLB)  From the Hemanite clan, Jehuel and Shimei; From the 
       Jeduthun clan, Shemaiah and Uzziel.

       (2 Chr 29:15 TLB)  They in turn summoned their fellow Levites and 
       sanctified themselves, and began to clean up and sanctify the Temple, 
       as the king (who was speaking for the Lord) had commanded them.






       (2 Chr 29:16 TLB)  The priests cleaned up the inner room of the Temple 
       and brought out into the court all the filth and decay they found 
       there. The Levites then carted it out to the brook Kidron.

       (2 Chr 29:17 TLB)  This all began on the first day of April, and by 
       the eighth day they had reached the outer court, which took eight days 
       to clean up, so the entire job was completed in sixteen days.

       (2 Chr 29:18 TLB)  Then they went back to the palace and reported to 
       King Hezekiah, "We have completed the cleansing of the Temple and of 
       the altar of burnt offerings and of its accessories, also the table of 
       the Bread of the Presence and its equipment.

       (2 Chr 29:19 TLB)  What's more, we have recovered and sanctified all 
       the utensils thrown away by King Ahaz when he closed the Temple. They 
       are beside the altar of the Lord."

       (2 Chr 29:20 TLB)  Early the next morning King Hezekiah went to the 
       Temple with the city officials,

       (2 Chr 29:21 TLB)  taking seven young bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, 
       and seven male goats for a sin offering for the nation and for the 
       Temple. He instructed the priests, the sons of Aaron, to sacrifice 
       them on the altar of the Lord.

       (2 Chr 29:22 TLB)  So they killed the young bulls, and the priests 
       took the blood and sprinkled it on the altar, and they killed the rams 
       and sprinkled their blood upon the altar, and did the same with the 
       lambs.

       (2 Chr 29:23 TLB)  The male goats for the sin offering were then 
       brought before the king and his officials, who laid their hands upon 
       them.

       (2 Chr 29:24 TLB)  Then the priests killed the animals and made a sin 
       offering with their blood upon the altar to make atonement for all 
       Israel, as the king had commanded--for the king had specified that the 
       burnt offering and sin offering must be sacrificed for the entire 
       nation.

       (2 Chr 29:25 TLB)  He organized Levites at the Temple into an 
       orchestral group, using cymbals, psalteries, and harps. This was in 
       accordance with the directions of David and the prophets Gad and 
       Nathan, who had received their instructions from the Lord.

       (2 Chr 29:26 TLB)  The priests formed a trumpet corps.

       (2 Chr 29:27 TLB)  Then Hezekiah ordered the burnt offering to be 
       placed upon the altar, and as the sacrifice began, the instruments of 
       music began to play the songs of the Lord, accompanied by the 
       trumpets.

       (2 Chr 29:28 TLB)  Throughout the entire ceremony everyone worshiped 
       the Lord as the singers sang and the trumpets blew.





       (2 Chr 29:29 TLB)  Afterwards the king and his aides bowed low before 
       the Lord in worship.

       (2 Chr 29:30 TLB)  Then King Hezekiah ordered the Levites to sing 
       before the Lord some of the psalms of David and of the prophet Asaph, 
       which they gladly did, and bowed their heads and worshiped.

       (2 Chr 29:31 TLB)  "The consecration ceremony is now ended," Hezekiah 
       said. "Now bring your sacrifices and thank offerings." So the people 
       from every part of the nation brought their sacrifices and thank 
       offerings, and those who wished to brought burnt offerings too.

       (2 Chr 29:32 TLB)  In all, there were 70 young bulls for burnt 
       offerings, 100 rams, and 200 lambs. In addition, 600 oxen and 3,000 
       sheep were brought as holy gifts.

       (2 Chr 29:33 TLB)  

       (2 Chr 29:34 TLB)  But there were too few priests to prepare the burnt 
       offerings, so their brothers the Levites helped them until the work 
       was finished--and until more priests had reported to work--for the 
       Levites were much more ready to sanctify themselves than the priests 
       were.

       (2 Chr 29:35 TLB)  There was an abundance of burnt offerings, and the 
       usual drink offering with each, and many peace offerings. So it was 
       that the Temple was restored to service, and the sacrifices offered 
       again.

       (2 Chr 29:36 TLB)  And Hezekiah and all the people were very happy 
       because of what God had accomplished so quickly.

       (2 Chr 30:1 TLB)  King Hezekiah now sent letters throughout all of 
       Israel, Judah, Ephraim, and Manasseh, inviting everyone to come to the 
       Temple at Jerusalem for the annual Passover celebration.

       (2 Chr 30:2 TLB)  The king, his aides, and all the assembly of 
       Jerusalem had voted to celebrate the Passover in May this time,

       (2 Chr 30:3 TLB)  rather than at the normal time in April, because not 
       enough priests were sanctified at the earlier date, and there wasn't 
       enough time to get notices out.

       (2 Chr 30:4 TLB)  The king and his advisors were in complete agreement 
       in this matter,

       (2 Chr 30:5 TLB)  so they sent a Passover proclamation throughout 
       Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, inviting everyone. They had not kept it 
       in great numbers as prescribed.

       (2 Chr 30:6 TLB)  "Come back to the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and 
       Israel," the king's letter said, "so that he will return to us who 
       have escaped from the power of the kings of Assyria.

       (2 Chr 30:7 TLB)  Do not be like your fathers and brothers who sinned 
       against the Lord God of their fathers and were destroyed.






       (2 Chr 30:8 TLB)  Do not be stubborn, as they were, but yield 
       yourselves to the Lord and come to his Temple which he has sanctified 
       forever, and worship the Lord your God so that his fierce anger will 
       turn away from you.

       (2 Chr 30:9 TLB)  For if you turn to the Lord again, your brothers and 
       your children will be treated mercifully by their captors, and they 
       will be able to return to this land. For the Lord your God is full of 
       kindness and mercy and will not continue to turn away his face from 
       you if you return to him."

       (2 Chr 30:10 TLB)  So the messengers went from city to city throughout 
       Ephraim and Manasseh and as far as Zebulun. But for the most part they 
       were received with laughter and scorn!

       (2 Chr 30:11 TLB)  However, some from the tribes of Asher, Manasseh, 
       and Zebulun turned to God and came to Jerusalem.

       (2 Chr 30:12 TLB)  But in Judah the entire nation felt a strong, 
       God-given desire to obey the Lord's direction as commanded by the king 
       and his officers.

       (2 Chr 30:13 TLB)  And so it was that a very large crowd assembled at 
       Jerusalem in the month of May for the Passover celebration.

       (2 Chr 30:14 TLB)  They set to work and destroyed the heathen altars 
       in Jerusalem, and knocked down all the incense altars, and threw them 
       into Kidron Brook.

       (2 Chr 30:15 TLB)  On the first day of May the people killed their 
       Passover lambs. Then the priests and Levites became ashamed of 
       themselves for not taking a more active part, so they sanctified 
       themselves and brought burnt offerings into the Temple.

       (2 Chr 30:16 TLB)  They stood at their posts as instructed by the law 
       of Moses the man of God; and the priests sprinkled the blood received 
       from the Levites.

       (2 Chr 30:17 TLB)  Since many of the people arriving from Ephraim, 
       Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun were ceremonially impure because they 
       had not undergone the purification rites, the Levites killed their 
       Passover lambs for them, to sanctify them.

       (2 Chr 30:18 TLB)  Then King Hezekiah prayed for them, and they were 
       permitted to eat the Passover anyway, even though this was contrary to 
       God's rules. But Hezekiah said, "May the good Lord pardon everyone

       (2 Chr 30:19 TLB)  who determines to follow the Lord God of his 
       fathers, even though he is not properly sanctified for the ceremony."

       (2 Chr 30:20 TLB)  And the Lord listened to Hezekiah's prayer and did 
       not destroy them.

       (2 Chr 30:21 TLB)  So the people of Israel celebrated the Passover at 
       Jerusalem for seven days with great joy. Meanwhile the Levites and 





       priests praised the Lord with music and cymbals day after day.

       (2 Chr 30:22 TLB)  (King Hezekiah spoke very appreciatively to the 
       Levites of their excellent music.) So for seven days the observance 
       continued, and peace offerings were sacrificed, and the people 
       confessed their sins to the Lord God of their fathers.

       (2 Chr 30:23 TLB)  The enthusiasm continued, so it was unanimously 
       decided to continue the observance for another seven days.

       (2 Chr 30:24 TLB)  King Hezekiah gave the people 1,000 young bulls for 
       offerings and 7,000 sheep; and the princes donated 1,000 young bulls 
       and 10,000 sheep. And at this time another large group of priests 
       stepped forward and sanctified themselves.

       (2 Chr 30:25 TLB)  Then the people of Judah, together with the 
       priests, the Levites, the foreign residents, and the visitors from 
       Israel, were filled with deep joy.

       (2 Chr 30:26 TLB)  For Jerusalem hadn't seen a celebration like this 
       one since the days of King David's son Solomon.

       (2 Chr 30:27 TLB)  Then the priests and Levites stood and blessed the 
       people, and the Lord heard their prayers from his holy temple in 
       heaven.

       (2 Chr 31:1 TLB)  Afterwards a massive campaign against idol worship 
       was begun. Those who were at Jerusalem for the Passover went out to 
       the cities of Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh and tore down the 
       idol altars, the obelisks, shame-images, and other heathen centers of 
       worship. Then the people who had come to the Passover from the 
       northern tribes returned again to their own homes.

       (2 Chr 31:2 TLB)  Hezekiah now organized the priests and Levites into 
       service corps to offer the burnt offerings and peace offerings, and to 
       worship and give thanks and praise to the Lord.

       (2 Chr 31:3 TLB)  He also made a personal contribution of animals for 
       the daily morning and evening burnt offerings, as well as for the 
       weekly Sabbath and monthly new moon festivals, and for the other 
       annual feasts as required in the law of God.

       (2 Chr 31:4 TLB)  In addition, he required the people in Jerusalem to 
       bring their tithes to the priests and Levites so that they wouldn't 
       need other employment but could apply themselves fully to their duties 
       as required in the law of God.

       (2 Chr 31:5 TLB)  The people responded immediately and generously with 
       the first of their crops and grain, new wine, olive oil, money, and 
       everything else--a tithe of all they owned, as required by law to be 
       given to the Lord their God.

       (2 Chr 31:6 TLB)  Everything was laid out in great piles. The people 
       who had moved to Judah from the northern tribes and the people of 
       Judah living in the provinces also brought in the tithes of their 
       cattle and sheep, and brought a tithe of the dedicated things to give 





       to the Lord, and piled them up in great heaps.

       (2 Chr 31:7 TLB)  The first of these tithes arrived in June, and the 
       piles continued to grow until October.

       (2 Chr 31:8 TLB)  When Hezekiah and his officials came and saw these 
       huge piles, how they blessed the Lord and praised his people!

       (2 Chr 31:9 TLB)  "Where did all this come from?" Hezekiah asked the 
       priests and Levites.

       (2 Chr 31:10 TLB)  And Azariah the High Priest from the clan of Zadok 
       replied, "These are tithes! We have been eating from these stores of 
       food for many weeks, but all this is left over, for the Lord has 
       blessed his people."

       (2 Chr 31:11 TLB)  Hezekiah decided to prepare storerooms in the 
       Temple.

       (2 Chr 31:12 TLB)  All the dedicated supplies were brought into the 
       Lord's house. Conaniah the Levite was put in charge, assisted by his 
       brother Shimei and the following aides:

       (2 Chr 31:13 TLB)  Jehiel, Azaziah, Nahath, Asahel, Jerimoth, Jozabad, 
       Eliel, Ismachiah, Mahath, Benaiah. These appointments were made by 
       King Hezekiah and Azariah the High Priest.

       (2 Chr 31:14 TLB)  Kore (son of Imnah, the Levite), who was the 
       gatekeeper at the East Gate, was put in charge of distributing the 
       offerings to the priests.

       (2 Chr 31:15 TLB)  His faithful assistants were Eden, Miniamin, 
       Jeshua, Shemaiah, Amariah, and Shecaniah. They distributed the gifts 
       to the clans of priests in their cities, dividing them to young and 
       old alike.

       (2 Chr 31:16 TLB)  However, the priests on duty at the Temple and 
       their families were supplied directly from there, so they were not 
       included in this distribution.

       (2 Chr 31:17 TLB)  The priests were listed in the genealogical 
       register by clans, and the Levites twenty years old and older were 
       listed under the names of their work corps.

       (2 Chr 31:18 TLB)  A regular food allotment was given to all families 
       of properly registered priests, for they had no other source of income 
       because their time and energies were devoted to the service of the 
       Temple.

       (2 Chr 31:19 TLB)  One of the priests was appointed in each of the 
       cities of the priests to issue food and other supplies to all priests 
       in the area and to all registered Levites.

       (2 Chr 31:20 TLB)  In this way King Hezekiah handled the distribution 
       throughout all Judah, doing what was just and fair in the sight of the 
       Lord his God.






       (2 Chr 31:21 TLB)  He worked very hard to encourage respect for the 
       Temple, the law, and godly living, and was very successful.

       (2 Chr 32:1 TLB)  Some time later after this good work of King 
       Hezekiah, King Sennacherib of Assyria invaded Judah and laid siege to 
       the fortified cities, planning to place them under tribute.

       (2 Chr 32:2 TLB)  When it was clear that Sennacherib was intending to 
       attack Jerusalem,

       (2 Chr 32:3 TLB)  Hezekiah summoned his princes and officers for a 
       council of war, and it was decided to plug the springs outside the 
       city.

       (2 Chr 32:4 TLB)  They organized a huge work crew to block them and to 
       cut off the brook running through the fields. "Why should the king of 
       Assyria come and find water?" they asked.

       (2 Chr 32:5 TLB)  Then Hezekiah further strengthened his defenses by 
       repairing the wall wherever it was broken down, and by adding to the 
       fortifications, and constructing a second wall outside it. He also 
       reinforced Fort Millo in the City of David and manufactured large 
       numbers of weapons and shields.

       (2 Chr 32:6 TLB)  He recruited an army and appointed officers, and 
       summoned them to the plains before the city, and encouraged them with 
       this address:

       (2 Chr 32:7 TLB)  "Be strong, be brave, and do not be afraid of the 
       king of Assyria or his mighty army, for there is someone with us who 
       is far greater than he is!

       (2 Chr 32:8 TLB)  He has a great army, but they are all mere men, 
       while we have the Lord our God to fight our battles for us!" This 
       greatly encouraged them.

       (2 Chr 32:9 TLB)  Then King Sennacherib of Assyria, while still 
       besieging the city of Lachish, sent ambassadors with this message to 
       King Hezekiah and the citizens of Jerusalem:

       (2 Chr 32:10 TLB)  "King Sennacherib of Assyria asks, 'Do you think 
       you can survive my siege of Jerusalem?

       (2 Chr 32:11 TLB)  King Hezekiah is trying to persuade you to commit 
       suicide by staying there--to die by famine and thirst--while he 
       promises that "the Lord our God will deliver us from the king of 
       Assyria"!

       (2 Chr 32:12 TLB)  Don't you realize that Hezekiah is the very person 
       who destroyed all the idols, and commanded Judah and Jerusalem to use 
       only the one altar at the Temple, and to burn incense upon it alone?

       (2 Chr 32:13 TLB)  Don't you realize that I and the other kings of 
       Assyria before me have never yet failed to conquer a nation we 
       attacked? The gods of those nations weren't able to do a thing to save 





       their lands!

       (2 Chr 32:14 TLB)  Name just one time when anyone, anywhere, was able 
       to resist us successfully. What makes you think your God can do any 
       better?

       (2 Chr 32:15 TLB)  Don't let Hezekiah fool you! Don't believe him. I 
       say it again--no god of any nation has ever yet been able to rescue 
       his people from me or my ancestors; how much less your God!'"

       (2 Chr 32:16 TLB)  Thus the ambassador mocked the Lord God and God's 
       servant Hezekiah, heaping up insults.

       (2 Chr 32:17 TLB)  King Sennacherib also sent letters scorning the 
       Lord God of Israel. "The gods of all the other nations failed to save 
       their people from my hand, and the God of Hezekiah will fail too," he 
       wrote.

       (2 Chr 32:18 TLB)  The messengers who brought the letters shouted 
       threats in the Jewish language to the people gathered on the walls of 
       the city, trying to frighten and dishearten them.

       (2 Chr 32:19 TLB)  These messengers talked about the God of Jerusalem 
       just as though he were one of the heathen gods--a handmade idol!

       (2 Chr 32:20 TLB)  Then King Hezekiah and Isaiah the prophet (son of 
       Amoz) cried out in prayer to God in heaven,

       (2 Chr 32:21 TLB)  and the Lord sent an angel who destroyed the 
       Assyrian army with all its officers and generals! So Sennacherib 
       returned home in deep shame to his own land. And when he arrived at 
       the temple of his god, some of his own sons killed him there.

       (2 Chr 32:22 TLB)  That is how the Lord saved Hezekiah and the people 
       of Jerusalem. And now there was peace at last throughout his realm.

       (2 Chr 32:23 TLB)  From then on King Hezekiah became immensely 
       respected among the surrounding nations, and many gifts for the Lord 
       arrived at Jerusalem, with valuable presents for King Hezekiah too.

       (2 Chr 32:24 TLB)  But about that time Hezekiah became deathly sick, 
       and he prayed to the Lord, and the Lord replied with a miracle.

       (2 Chr 32:25 TLB)  However, Hezekiah didn't respond with true 
       thanksgiving and praise for he had become proud, and so the anger of 
       God was upon him and upon Judah and Jerusalem.

       (2 Chr 32:26 TLB)  But finally Hezekiah and the residents of Jerusalem 
       humbled themselves, so the wrath of the Lord did not fall upon them 
       during Hezekiah's lifetime.

       (2 Chr 32:27 TLB)  So Hezekiah became very wealthy and was highly 
       honored. He had to construct special treasury buildings for his 
       silver, gold, precious stones, and spices, and for his shields and 
       gold bowls.





       (2 Chr 32:28 TLB)  He also built many storehouses for his grain, new 
       wine, and olive oil, with many stalls for his animals and folds for 
       the great flocks of sheep and goats he purchased;

       (2 Chr 32:29 TLB)  and he acquired many towns, for God had given him 
       great wealth.

       (2 Chr 32:30 TLB)  He dammed up the Upper Spring of Gihon and brought 
       the water down through an aqueduct to the west side of the City of 
       David sector in Jerusalem. He prospered in everything he did.

       (2 Chr 32:31 TLB)  However, when ambassadors arrived from Babylon to 
       find out about the miracle of his being healed, God left him to 
       himself in order to test him and to see what he was really like.

       (2 Chr 32:32 TLB)  The rest of the story of Hezekiah and all of the 
       good things he did are written in The Book of Isaiah (the prophet, the 
       son of Amoz), and in The Annals of the Kings of Judah and Israel .

       (2 Chr 32:33 TLB)  When Hezekiah died, he was buried in the royal 
       hillside cemetery among the other kings, and all Judah and Jerusalem 
       honored him at his death. Then his son Manasseh became the new king.

       (2 Chr 33:1 TLB)  Manasseh was only twelve years old when he became 
       king, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem.

       (2 Chr 33:2 TLB)  But it was an evil reign, for he encouraged his 
       people to worship the idols of the heathen nations destroyed by the 
       Lord when the people of Israel entered the land.

       (2 Chr 33:3 TLB)  He rebuilt the heathen altars his father Hezekiah 
       had destroyed--the altars of Baal, and of the shame-images, and of the 
       sun, moon, and stars.

       (2 Chr 33:4 TLB)  He even constructed heathen altars in both courts of 
       the Temple of the Lord for worshiping the sun, moon and stars--in the 
       very place where the Lord had said that he would be honored forever.

       (2 Chr 33:5 TLB)  

       (2 Chr 33:6 TLB)  And Manasseh sacrificed his own children as burnt 
       offerings in the Valley of Hinnom. He consulted spirit-mediums, too, 
       and fortune-tellers and sorcerers, and encouraged every sort of evil, 
       making the Lord very angry.

       (2 Chr 33:7 TLB)  Think of it! He placed an idol in the very Temple of 
       God, where God had told David and his son Solomon, "I will be honored 
       here in this Temple and in Jerusalem--the city I have chosen to be 
       honored forever above all the other cities of Israel.

       (2 Chr 33:8 TLB)  And if you will only obey my commands--all the laws 
       and instructions given to you by Moses--I won't ever again exile 
       Israel from this land which I gave your ancestors."

       (2 Chr 33:9 TLB)  But Manasseh encouraged the people of Judah and 
       Jerusalem to do even more evil than the nations the Lord destroyed 





       when Israel entered the land.

       (2 Chr 33:10 TLB)  Warnings from the Lord were ignored by both 
       Manasseh and his people.

       (2 Chr 33:11 TLB)  So God sent the Assyrian armies, and they seized 
       him with hooks and bound him with bronze chains and carted him away to 
       Babylon.

       (2 Chr 33:12 TLB)  Then at last he came to his senses and cried out 
       humbly to God for help.

       (2 Chr 33:13 TLB)  And the Lord listened and answered his plea by 
       returning him to Jerusalem and to his kingdom! At that point Manasseh 
       finally realized that the Lord was really God!

       (2 Chr 33:14 TLB)  It was after this that he rebuilt the outer wall of 
       the City of David and the wall from west of the Spring of Gihon in the 
       Kidron Valley, and then to the Fish Gate, and around Citadel Hill, 
       where it was built very high. And he stationed his army generals in 
       all of the fortified cities of Judah.

       (2 Chr 33:15 TLB)  He also removed the foreign gods from the hills and 
       took his idol from the Temple, and tore down the altars he had built 
       on the mountain, where the Temple stood, and the altars that were in 
       Jerusalem, and dumped them outside the city.

       (2 Chr 33:16 TLB)  Then he rebuilt the altar of the Lord and offered 
       sacrifices upon it--peace offerings and thanksgiving offerings--and 
       demanded that the people of Judah worship the Lord God of Israel.

       (2 Chr 33:17 TLB)  However, the people still sacrificed upon the 
       altars on the hills, but only to the Lord their God.

       (2 Chr 33:18 TLB)  The rest of Manasseh's deeds, and his prayer to 
       God, and God's reply through the prophets--this is all written in The 
       Annals of the Kings of Israel.

       (2 Chr 33:19 TLB)  His prayer, and the way God answered, and a frank 
       account of his sins and errors, including a list of the locations 
       where he built idols on the hills and set up shame-idols and graven 
       images (this of course was before the great change in his attitude) 
       are recorded in The Annals of the Prophets.

       (2 Chr 33:20 TLB)  When Manasseh died, he was buried beneath his own 
       palace, and his son Amon became the new king.

       (2 Chr 33:21 TLB)  Amon was twenty-two years old when he began to 
       reign in Jerusalem, but he lasted for only two years.

       (2 Chr 33:22 TLB)  It was an evil reign like the early years of his 
       father Manasseh; for Amon sacrificed to all the idols just as his 
       father had.

       (2 Chr 33:23 TLB)  But he didn't change as his father did; instead he 
       sinned more and more.






       (2 Chr 33:24 TLB)  At last his own officers assassinated him in his 
       palace.

       (2 Chr 33:25 TLB)  But some public-spirited citizens killed all of 
       those who assassinated him and declared his son Josiah to be the new 
       king.

       (2 Chr 34:1 TLB)  Josiah was only eight years old when he became king. 
       He reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem.

       (2 Chr 34:2 TLB)  His was a good reign, as he carefully followed the 
       good example of his ancestor King David.

       (2 Chr 34:3 TLB)  For when he was sixteen years old, in the eighth 
       year of his reign, he began to search for the God of his ancestor 
       David; and four years later he began to clean up Judah and Jerusalem, 
       destroying the heathen altars and the shame-idols on the hills.

       (2 Chr 34:4 TLB)  He went out personally to watch as the altars of 
       Baal were knocked apart, the obelisks above the altars chopped down, 
       and the shame-idols ground into dust and scattered over the graves of 
       those who had sacrificed to them.

       (2 Chr 34:5 TLB)  Then he burned the bones of the heathen priests upon 
       their own altars, feeling that this action would clear the people of 
       Judah and Jerusalem from the guilt of their sin of idol-worship.

       (2 Chr 34:6 TLB)  Then he went to the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, and 
       Simeon, even to distant Naphtali, and did the same thing there.

       (2 Chr 34:7 TLB)  He broke down the heathen altars, ground to powder 
       the shame-idols, and chopped down the obelisks. He did this everywhere 
       throughout the whole land of Israel before returning to Jerusalem.

       (2 Chr 34:8 TLB)  During the eighteenth year of his reign, after he 
       had purged the land and cleaned up the situation at the Temple, he 
       appointed Shaphan (son of Azaliah) and Maaseiah, governor of 
       Jerusalem, and Joah (son of Joahaz), the city treasurer, to repair the 
       Temple.

       (2 Chr 34:9 TLB)  They set up a collection system for gifts for the 
       Temple. The money was collected at the Temple gates by the Levites on 
       guard duty there. Gifts were brought by the people coming from 
       Manasseh, Ephraim, and other parts of the remnant of Israel, as well 
       as from the people of Jerusalem. The money was taken to Hilkiah the 
       High Priest for accounting,

       (2 Chr 34:10 TLB)  and then used by the Levites to pay the carpenters 
       and stonemasons and to purchase building materials--

       (2 Chr 34:11 TLB)  stone building blocks, timber, lumber, and beams. 
       He now rebuilt what earlier kings of Judah had torn down.

       (2 Chr 34:12 TLB)  The workmen were energetic under the leadership of 
       Jahath and Obadiah, Levites of the subclan of Merari. Zechariah and 





       Meshullam, of the subclan of Kohath, were the building 
       superintendents. The Levites who were skilled musicians played 
       background music while the work progressed.

       (2 Chr 34:13 TLB)  Other Levites superintended the unskilled laborers 
       who carried in the materials to the workmen. Still others assisted as 
       accountants, supervisors, and carriers.

       (2 Chr 34:14 TLB)  One day when Hilkiah the High Priest was at the 
       Temple recording the money collected at the gates, he found an old 
       scroll that turned out to be the laws of God as given to Moses!

       (2 Chr 34:15 TLB)  "Look!" Hilkiah exclaimed to Shaphan, the king's 
       secretary. "See what I have found in the Temple! These are the laws of 
       God!" Hilkiah gave the scroll to Shaphan,

       (2 Chr 34:16 TLB)  and Shaphan took it to the king, along with his 
       report that there was good progress being made in the reconstruction 
       of the Temple.

       (2 Chr 34:17 TLB)  "The money chests have been opened and counted, and 
       the money has been put into the hand of the overseers and workmen," he 
       said to the king.

       (2 Chr 34:18 TLB)  Then he mentioned the scroll and how Hilkiah had 
       discovered it. So he read it to the king.

       (2 Chr 34:19 TLB)  When the king heard what these laws required of 
       God's people, he ripped his clothing in despair

       (2 Chr 34:20 TLB)  and summoned Hilkiah, Ahikam (son of Shaphan), 
       Abdon (son of Micah), Shaphan the treasurer, and Asaiah, the king's 
       personal aide.

       (2 Chr 34:21 TLB)  "Go to the Temple and plead with the Lord for me!" 
       the king told them. "Pray for all the remnant of Israel and Judah! For 
       this scroll says that the reason the Lord's great anger has been 
       poured out upon us is that our ancestors have not obeyed these laws 
       that are written here."

       (2 Chr 34:22 TLB)  So the men went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife 
       of Shallum (son of Tokhath, son of Hasrah). (Shallum was the king's 
       tailor, living in the second ward.) When they told her of the king's 
       trouble,

       (2 Chr 34:23 TLB)  she replied, "The Lord God of Israel says, Tell the 
       man who sent you,

       (2 Chr 34:24 TLB)  "'Yes, the Lord will destroy this city and its 
       people. All the curses written in the scroll will come true.

       (2 Chr 34:25 TLB)  For my people have forsaken me and have worshiped 
       heathen gods, and I am very angry with them for their deeds. 
       Therefore, my unquenchable wrath is poured out upon this place.'

       (2 Chr 34:26 TLB)  "But the Lord also says this to the king of Judah 





       who sent you to ask me about this: Tell him, the Lord God of Israel 
       says,

       (2 Chr 34:27 TLB)  'Because you are sorry and have humbled yourself 
       before God when you heard my words against this city and its people, 
       and have ripped your clothing in despair and wept before me--I have 
       heard you, says the Lord,

       (2 Chr 34:28 TLB)  and I will not send the promised evil upon this 
       city and its people until after your death.'" So they brought back to 
       the king this word from the Lord.

       (2 Chr 34:29 TLB)  Then the king summoned all the elders of Judah and 
       Jerusalem,

       (2 Chr 34:30 TLB)  and the priests and Levites and all the people 
       great and small, to accompany him to the Temple. There the king read 
       the scroll to them--the covenant of God that was found in the Temple.

       (2 Chr 34:31 TLB)  As the king stood before them, he made a pledge to 
       the Lord to follow his commandments with all his heart and soul and to 
       do what was written in the scroll.

       (2 Chr 34:32 TLB)  And he required everyone in Jerusalem and Benjamin 
       to subscribe to this pact with God, and all of them did.

       (2 Chr 34:33 TLB)  So Josiah removed all idols from the areas occupied 
       by the Jews and required all of them to worship Jehovah their God. And 
       throughout the remainder of his lifetime they continued serving 
       Jehovah, the God of their ancestors.

       (2 Chr 35:1 TLB)  Then Josiah announced that the Passover would be 
       celebrated on the first day of April in Jerusalem. The Passover lambs 
       were slain that evening.

       (2 Chr 35:2 TLB)  He also reestablished the priests in their duties 
       and encouraged them to begin their work at the Temple again.

       (2 Chr 35:3 TLB)  He issued this order to the sanctified Levites, the 
       religious teachers in Israel: "Since the Ark is now in Solomon's 
       Temple and you don't need to carry it back and forth upon your 
       shoulders, spend your time ministering to the Lord and to his people.

       (2 Chr 35:4 TLB)  Form yourselves into the traditional service corps 
       of your ancestors, as first organized by King David of Israel and by 
       his son Solomon.

       (2 Chr 35:5 TLB)  Each corps will assist particular clans of the 
       people who bring in their offerings to the Temple.

       (2 Chr 35:6 TLB)  Kill the Passover lambs and sanctify yourselves and 
       prepare to assist the people who come. Follow all of the instructions 
       of the Lord through Moses."

       (2 Chr 35:7 TLB)  Then the king contributed 30,000 lambs and young 
       goats for the people's Passover offerings and 3,000 young bulls.






       (2 Chr 35:8 TLB)  The king's officials made willing contributions to 
       the priests and Levites. Hilkiah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, the overseers 
       of the Temple, gave the priests 2,600 sheep and goats and 300 oxen as 
       Passover offerings.

       (2 Chr 35:9 TLB)  The Levite leaders--Conaniah, Shemaiah, and 
       Nethanel, and his brothers Hashabiah, Jeiel, and Jozabad--gave 5,000 
       sheep and goats and 500 oxen to the Levites for their Passover 
       offerings.

       (2 Chr 35:10 TLB)  When everything was organized and the priests were 
       standing in their places, and the Levites were formed into service 
       corps as the king had instructed,

       (2 Chr 35:11 TLB)  then the Levites killed the Passover lambs and 
       presented the blood to the priests, who sprinkled it upon the altar as 
       the Levites removed the skins.

       (2 Chr 35:12 TLB)  They piled up the carcasses for each tribe to 
       present its own burnt sacrifices to the Lord, as it is written in the 
       law of Moses. They did the same with the oxen.

       (2 Chr 35:13 TLB)  Then, as directed by the laws of Moses, they 
       roasted the Passover lambs and boiled the holy offerings in pots, 
       kettles, and pans, and hurried them out to the people to eat.

       (2 Chr 35:14 TLB)  Afterwards the Levites prepared a meal for 
       themselves and for the priests, for they had been busy from morning 
       till night offering the fat of the burnt offerings.

       (2 Chr 35:15 TLB)  The singers (the sons of Asaph) were in their 
       places, following directions issued centuries earlier by King David, 
       Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun the king's prophet. The gatekeepers guarded 
       the gates and didn't need to leave their posts of duty, for their 
       meals were brought to them by their Levite brothers.

       (2 Chr 35:16 TLB)  The entire Passover ceremony was completed in that 
       one day. All the burnt offerings were sacrificed upon the altar of the 
       Lord, as Josiah had instructed.

       (2 Chr 35:17 TLB)  Everyone present in Jerusalem took part in the 
       Passover observance, and this was followed by the Feast of Unleavened 
       Bread for the next seven days.

       (2 Chr 35:18 TLB)  Never since the time of Samuel the prophet had 
       there been such a Passover--not one of the kings of Israel could vie 
       with King Josiah in this respect, involving so many of the priests, 
       Levites, and people from Jerusalem and from all parts of Judah, and 
       from over in Israel.

       (2 Chr 35:19 TLB)  This all happened in the eighteenth year of the 
       reign of Josiah.

       (2 Chr 35:20 TLB)  Afterwards King Neco of Egypt led his army to 
       Carchemish on the Euphrates River, and Josiah declared war on him.






       (2 Chr 35:21 TLB)  But King Neco sent ambassadors to Josiah with this 
       message: "I don't want a fight with you, O king of Judah! I have come 
       only to fight the power with which I am at war. Leave me alone! God 
       has told me to hurry! Don't meddle with God or he will destroy you, 
       for he is with me."

       (2 Chr 35:22 TLB)  But Josiah refused to turn back. Instead he led his 
       army into the battle at the Valley of Megiddo. (He laid aside his 
       royal robes so that the enemy wouldn't recognize him.) Josiah refused 
       to believe that Neco's message was from God.

       (2 Chr 35:23 TLB)  The enemy archers struck King Josiah with their 
       arrows and fatally wounded him. "Take me out of the battle," he 
       exclaimed to his aides.

       (2 Chr 35:24 TLB)  So they lifted him out of his chariot and placed 
       him in his second chariot and brought him back to Jerusalem where he 
       died. He was buried there in the royal cemetery.

       (2 Chr 35:25 TLB)  And all Judah and Jerusalem, including even 
       Jeremiah the prophet, mourned for him, as did the Temple choirs. To 
       this day they still sing sad songs about his death, for these songs of 
       sorrow were recorded among the official lamentations.

       (2 Chr 35:26 TLB)  The other activities of Josiah, and his good deeds, 
       and how he followed the laws of the Lord,

       (2 Chr 35:27 TLB)  all are written in The Annals of the Kings of 
       Israel and Judah.

       (2 Chr 36:1 TLB)  Josiah's son Jehoahaz was selected as the new king.

       (2 Chr 36:2 TLB)  He was twenty-three years old when he began to 
       reign, but lasted only three months.

       (2 Chr 36:3 TLB)  Then he was deposed by the king of Egypt, who 
       demanded an annual tribute from Judah of $230,000.

       (2 Chr 36:4 TLB)  The king of Egypt now appointed Eliakim, the brother 
       of Jehoahaz, as the new king of Judah. (Eliakim's name was changed to 
       Jehoiakim.) Jehoahaz was taken to Egypt as a prisoner.

       (2 Chr 36:5 TLB)  Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became 
       king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem; but his reign was an 
       evil one.

       (2 Chr 36:6 TLB)  Finally Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon conquered 
       Jerusalem and took away the king in chains to Babylon.

       (2 Chr 36:7 TLB)  Nebuchadnezzar also took some of the gold bowls and 
       other items from the Temple, placing them in his own temple in 
       Babylon.

       (2 Chr 36:8 TLB)  The rest of the deeds of Jehoiakim and all the evil 
       he did are written in The Annals of the Kings of Judah ; and his son 





       Jehoiachin became the new king.

       (2 Chr 36:9 TLB)  Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he ascended 
       the throne. But he lasted only three months and ten days, and it was 
       an evil reign as far as the Lord was concerned.

       (2 Chr 36:10 TLB)  The following spring he was summoned to Babylon by 
       King Nebuchadnezzar. Many treasures from the Temple were taken away to 
       Babylon at that time, and King Nebuchadnezzar appointed Jehoiachin's 
       brother Zedekiah as the new king of Judah and Jerusalem.

       (2 Chr 36:11 TLB)  Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became 
       king and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem.

       (2 Chr 36:12 TLB)  His reign, too, was evil so far as the Lord was 
       concerned, for he refused to take the counsel of Jeremiah the prophet, 
       who gave him messages from the Lord.

       (2 Chr 36:13 TLB)  He rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, even 
       though he had taken an oath of loyalty. Zedekiah was a hard and 
       stubborn man so far as obeying the Lord God of Israel was concerned, 
       for he refused to follow him.

       (2 Chr 36:14 TLB)  All the important people of the nation, including 
       the High Priests, worshiped the heathen idols of the surrounding 
       nations, thus polluting the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem.

       (2 Chr 36:15 TLB)  Jehovah the God of their fathers sent his prophets 
       again and again to warn them, for he had compassion on his people and 
       on his Temple.

       (2 Chr 36:16 TLB)  But the people mocked these messengers of God and 
       despised their words, scoffing at the prophets until the anger of the 
       Lord could no longer be restrained, and there was no longer any 
       remedy.

       (2 Chr 36:17 TLB)  Then the Lord brought the king of Babylon against 
       them and killed their young men, even going after them right into the 
       Temple, and had no pity upon them, killing even young girls and old 
       men. The Lord used the king of Babylon to destroy them completely.

       (2 Chr 36:18 TLB)  He also took home with him all the items, great and 
       small, used in the Temple, and treasures from both the Temple and the 
       palace, and took with him all the royal princes.

       (2 Chr 36:19 TLB)  Then his army burned the Temple and broke down the 
       walls of Jerusalem and burned all the palaces and destroyed all the 
       valuable Temple utensils.

       (2 Chr 36:20 TLB)  Those who survived were taken away to Babylon as 
       slaves to the king and his sons until the kingdom of Persia conquered 
       Babylon.

       (2 Chr 36:21 TLB)  Thus the word of the Lord spoken through Jeremiah 
       came true, that the land must rest for seventy years to make up for 
       the years when the people refused to observe the Sabbath.






       (2 Chr 36:22 TLB)  But in the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, the 
       Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus to make this proclamation 
       throughout his kingdom, putting it into writing:

       (2 Chr 36:23 TLB)  "All the kingdoms of the earth have been given to 
       me by the Lord God of heaven, and he has instructed me to build him a 
       Temple in Jerusalem, in the land of Judah. All among you who are the 
       Lord's people return to Israel for this task, and the Lord be with 
       you." This also fulfilled the prediction of Jeremiah the prophet.

       (Ezra 1:1 TLB)  During the first year of the reign of King Cyrus of 
       Persia, the Lord fulfilled Jeremiah's prophecy by giving King Cyrus 
       the desire to send this proclamation throughout his empire (he also 
       put it into the permanent records of the realm):

       (Ezra 1:2 TLB)  "Cyrus, king of Persia, hereby announces that Jehovah, 
       the God of heaven who gave me my vast empire, has now given me the 
       responsibility of building him a Temple in Jerusalem, in the land of 
       Judah.

       (Ezra 1:3 TLB)  All Jews throughout the kingdom may now return to 
       Jerusalem to rebuild this Temple of Jehovah, who is the God of Israel 
       and of Jerusalem. May his blessings rest upon you.

       (Ezra 1:4 TLB)  Those Jews who do not go should contribute toward the 
       expenses of those who do and also supply them with clothing, 
       transportation, supplies for the journey, and a freewill offering for 
       the Temple."

       (Ezra 1:5 TLB)  Then God gave a great desire to the leaders of the 
       tribes of Judah and Benjamin, and to the priests and Levites, to 
       return to Jerusalem at once to rebuild the Temple.

       (Ezra 1:6 TLB)  And all the Jewish exiles who chose to remain in 
       Persia gave them whatever assistance they could, as well as gifts for 
       the Temple.

       (Ezra 1:7 TLB)  King Cyrus himself donated the gold bowls and other 
       valuable items, which King Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the Temple at 
       Jerusalem and had placed in the temple of his own gods.

       (Ezra 1:8 TLB)  He instructed Mithredath, the treasurer of Persia, to 
       present these gifts to Sheshbazzar, the leader of the exiles returning 
       to Judah.

       (Ezra 1:9 TLB)  The items Cyrus donated included: 1,000 gold trays, 
       1,000 silver trays, 29 censers, 30 bowls of solid gold, 2,410 silver 
       bowls (of various designs), 1,000 miscellaneous items.

       (Ezra 1:10 TLB)  

       (Ezra 1:11 TLB)  In all there were 5,469 gold and silver items turned 
       over to Sheshbazzar to take back to Jerusalem.

       (Ezra 2:1 TLB)  Here is the list of the Jewish exiles who now returned 





       to Jerusalem and to the other cities of Judah, from which their 
       parents had been deported to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar.

       (Ezra 2:2 TLB)  The leaders were: Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, 
       Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, Baanah. 
       Here is a census of those who returned (listed by subclans):

       (Ezra 2:3 TLB)  From the subclan of Parosh, 2,172;

       (Ezra 2:4 TLB)  From the subclan of Shephatiah, 372;

       (Ezra 2:5 TLB)  From the subclan of Arah, 775;

       (Ezra 2:6 TLB)  From the subclan of Pahath-moab (the descendants of 
       Jeshua and Joab), 2,812;

       (Ezra 2:7 TLB)  From the subclan of Elam, 1,254;

       (Ezra 2:8 TLB)  From the subclan of Zattu, 945;

       (Ezra 2:9 TLB)  From the subclan of Zaccai, 760;

       (Ezra 2:10 TLB)  From the subclan of Bani, 642;

       (Ezra 2:11 TLB)  From the subclan of Bebai, 623;

       (Ezra 2:12 TLB)  From the subclan of Azgad, 1,222;

       (Ezra 2:13 TLB)  From the subclan of Adonikam, 666;

       (Ezra 2:14 TLB)  From the subclan of Bigvai, 2,056;

       (Ezra 2:15 TLB)  From the subclan of Adin, 454;

       (Ezra 2:16 TLB)  From the subclan of Ater (the descendants of 
       Hezekiah), 98;

       (Ezra 2:17 TLB)  From the subclan of Bezai, 323;

       (Ezra 2:18 TLB)  From the subclan of Jorah, 112;

       (Ezra 2:19 TLB)  From the subclan of Hashum, 223;

       (Ezra 2:20 TLB)  From the subclan of Gibbar, 95;

       (Ezra 2:21 TLB)  From the subclan of Bethlehem, 123;

       (Ezra 2:22 TLB)  From the subclan of Netophah, 56;

       (Ezra 2:23 TLB)  From the subclan of Anathoth, 128;

       (Ezra 2:24 TLB)  From the subclan of Azmaveth, 42;

       (Ezra 2:25 TLB)  From the subclans of Kiriath-arim, Chephirah, and 
       Beeroth, 743;





       (Ezra 2:26 TLB)  From the subclans of Ramah and Geba, 621;

       (Ezra 2:27 TLB)  From the subclan of Michmas, 122;

       (Ezra 2:28 TLB)  From the subclans of Bethel and Ai, 223;

       (Ezra 2:29 TLB)  From the subclan of Nebo, 52;

       (Ezra 2:30 TLB)  From the subclan of Magbish, 156;

       (Ezra 2:31 TLB)  From the subclan of Elam, 1,254;

       (Ezra 2:32 TLB)  From the subclan of Harim, 320;

       (Ezra 2:33 TLB)  From the subclans of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, 725;

       (Ezra 2:34 TLB)  From the subclan of Jericho, 345;

       (Ezra 2:35 TLB)  From the subclan of Senaah, 3,630.

       (Ezra 2:36 TLB)  Here are the statistics concerning the returning 
       priests: From the families of Jedaiah of the subclan of Jeshua, 973;

       (Ezra 2:37 TLB)  From the subclan of Immer, 1,052;

       (Ezra 2:38 TLB)  From the subclan of Pashhur, 1,247;

       (Ezra 2:39 TLB)  From the subclan of Harim, 1,017.

       (Ezra 2:40 TLB)  Here are the statistics concerning the Levites who 
       returned: From the families of Jeshua and Kadmiel of the subclan of 
       Hodaviah, 74;

       (Ezra 2:41 TLB)  The choir members from the clan of Asaph, 128;

       (Ezra 2:42 TLB)  From the descendants of the gatekeepers (the families 
       of Shallum, Ater, Talmon, Akkub, Hatita, and Shobai), 139.

       (Ezra 2:43 TLB)  The following families of the Temple assistants were 
       represented: Ziha, Hasupha, Tabbaoth,

       (Ezra 2:44 TLB)  Keros, Siaha, Padon,

       (Ezra 2:45 TLB)  Lebanah, Hagabah, Akkub,

       (Ezra 2:46 TLB)  Hagab, Shamlai, Hanan,

       (Ezra 2:47 TLB)  Giddel, Gahar, Reaiah,

       (Ezra 2:48 TLB)  Rezin, Nekoda, Gazzam,

       (Ezra 2:49 TLB)  Uzza, Paseah, Besai,

       (Ezra 2:50 TLB)  Asnah, Meunim, Nephisim,

       (Ezra 2:51 TLB)  Bakbuk, Hakupha, Harhur,






       (Ezra 2:52 TLB)  Bazluth, Mehida, Harsha,

       (Ezra 2:53 TLB)  Barkos, Sisera, Temah,

       (Ezra 2:54 TLB)  Neziah, Hatipha.

       (Ezra 2:55 TLB)  Those who made the trip also included the descendants 
       of King Solomon's officials: Sotai, Hassophereth, Peruda,

       (Ezra 2:56 TLB)  Jaalah, Darkon, Giddel,

       (Ezra 2:57 TLB)  Shephatiah, Hattil, Pochereth-hazzebaim, Ami.

       (Ezra 2:58 TLB)  The Temple assistants and the descendants of 
       Solomon's officers numbered 392.

       (Ezra 2:59 TLB)  Another group returned to Jerusalem at this time from 
       the Persian cities of Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addan, and Immer. 
       However, they had lost their genealogies and could not prove that they 
       were really Israelites.

       (Ezra 2:60 TLB)  This group included the subclans of Delaiah, Tobiah, 
       and Nekoda--a total of 652.

       (Ezra 2:61 TLB)  Three subclans of priests--Habaiah, Hakkoz, and 
       Barzillai (he married one of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite 
       and took her family name)--also returned to Jerusalem.

       (Ezra 2:62 TLB)  But they too had lost their genealogies, so the 
       leaders refused to allow them to continue as priests;

       (Ezra 2:63 TLB)  they would not even allow them to eat the priests' 
       share of food from the sacrifices until the Urim and Thummim could be 
       consulted to find out from God whether they actually were descendants 
       of priests or not.

       (Ezra 2:64 TLB)  So a total of 42,360 persons returned to Judah; in 
       addition to 7,337 slaves and 200 choir members, both men and women.

       (Ezra 2:65 TLB)  

       (Ezra 2:66 TLB)  They took with them 736 horses, 245 mules, 435 
       camels, and 6,720 donkeys.

       (Ezra 2:67 TLB)  

       (Ezra 2:68 TLB)  Some of the leaders were able to give generously 
       toward the rebuilding of the Temple,

       (Ezra 2:69 TLB)  and each gave as much as he could. The total value of 
       their gifts amounted to $300,000 of gold, $170,000 of silver, and 100 
       robes for the priests.

       (Ezra 2:70 TLB)  So the priests and Levites and some of the common 
       people settled in Jerusalem and its nearby villages; and the singers, 





       the gatekeepers, the Temple workers, and the rest of the people 
       returned to the other cities of Judah from which they had come.

       (Ezra 3:1 TLB)  During the month of September everyone who had 
       returned to Judah came to Jerusalem from their homes in the other 
       towns.

       (Ezra 3:2 TLB)  Then Jeshua (son of Jozadak) with his fellow priests, 
       and Zerubbabel (son of Shealtiel) and his clan, rebuilt the altar of 
       the God of Israel and sacrificed burnt offerings upon it, as 
       instructed in the laws of Moses, the man of God.

       (Ezra 3:3 TLB)  The altar was rebuilt on its old site, and it was used 
       immediately to sacrifice morning and evening burnt offerings to the 
       Lord; for the people were fearful of attack.

       (Ezra 3:4 TLB)  And they celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles as 
       prescribed in the laws of Moses, sacrificing the burnt offerings 
       specified for each day of the feast.

       (Ezra 3:5 TLB)  They also offered the special sacrifices required for 
       the Sabbaths, the new moon celebrations, and the other regular annual 
       feasts of the Lord. Voluntary offerings of the people were also 
       sacrificed.

       (Ezra 3:6 TLB)  It was on the fifteenth day of September that the 
       priests began sacrificing the burnt offerings to the Lord. (This was 
       before they began building the foundation of the Temple.)

       (Ezra 3:7 TLB)  Then they hired masons and carpenters and bought cedar 
       logs from the people of Tyre and Sidon, paying for them with food, 
       wine, and olive oil. The logs were brought down from the Lebanon 
       mountains and floated along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea to 
       Joppa, for King Cyrus had included this provision in his grant.

       (Ezra 3:8 TLB)  The actual construction of the Temple began in June of 
       the second year of their arrival at Jerusalem. The work force was made 
       up of all those who had returned, and they were under the direction of 
       Zerubbabel (son of Shealtiel), Jeshua (son of Jozadak), and their 
       fellow priests and the Levites. The Levites who were twenty years old 
       or older were appointed to supervise the workmen.

       (Ezra 3:9 TLB)  The supervision of the entire project was given to 
       Jeshua, Kadmiel, Henadad, and their sons and relatives, all of whom 
       were Levites.

       (Ezra 3:10 TLB)  When the builders completed the foundation of the 
       Temple, the priests put on their official robes and blew their 
       trumpets; and the descendants of Asaph crashed their cymbals to praise 
       the Lord in the manner ordained by King David.

       (Ezra 3:11 TLB)  They sang rounds of praise and thanks to God, singing 
       this song: "He is good, and his love and mercy toward Israel will last 
       forever." Then all the people gave a great shout, praising God because 
       the foundation of the Temple had been laid.





       (Ezra 3:12 TLB)  But many of the priests and Levites and other 
       leaders--the old men who remembered Solomon's beautiful Temple--wept 
       aloud, while others were shouting for joy!

       (Ezra 3:13 TLB)  So the shouting and the weeping mingled together in a 
       loud commotion that could be heard far away!

       (Ezra 4:1 TLB)  When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the 
       exiles had returned and were rebuilding the Temple,

       (Ezra 4:2 TLB)  they approached Zerubbabel and the other leaders and 
       suggested, "Let us work with you, for we are just as interested in 
       your God as you are; we have sacrificed to him ever since King 
       Esar-haddon of Assyria brought us here."

       (Ezra 4:3 TLB)  But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the other Jewish leaders 
       replied, "No, you may have no part in this work. The Temple of the God 
       of Israel must be built by the Israelis, just as King Cyrus has 
       commanded."

       (Ezra 4:4 TLB)  Then the local residents tried to discourage and 
       frighten them by

       (Ezra 4:5 TLB)  sending agents to tell lies about them to King Cyrus. 
       This went on during his entire reign and lasted until King Darius took 
       the throne.

       (Ezra 4:6 TLB)  And afterwards, when King Ahasuerus began to reign, 
       they wrote him a letter of accusation against the people of Judah and 
       Jerusalem

       (Ezra 4:7 TLB)  and did the same thing during the reign of Artaxerxes. 
       Bishlam, Mithredath, and Tabeel and their associates wrote a letter to 
       him in the Aramaic language, and it was translated to him.

       (Ezra 4:8 TLB)  Others who participated were Governor Rehum, Shimshai 
       (a scribe), several judges and other local leaders, the Persians, the 
       Babylonians, the men of Erech and Susa,

       (Ezra 4:9 TLB)  

       (Ezra 4:10 TLB)  and men from several other nations. (They had been 
       taken from their own lands by the great and noble Osnappar and 
       relocated in Jerusalem, Samaria, and throughout the neighboring lands 
       west of the Euphrates River.)

       (Ezra 4:11 TLB)  Here is the text of the letter they sent to King 
       Artaxerxes: "Sir: Greetings from your loyal subjects west of the 
       Euphrates River.

       (Ezra 4:12 TLB)  Please be informed that the Jews sent to Jerusalem 
       from Babylon are rebuilding this historically rebellious and evil 
       city; they have already rebuilt its walls and have repaired the 
       foundations of the Temple.

       (Ezra 4:13 TLB)  But we wish you to know that if this city is rebuilt, 





       it will be much to your disadvantage, for the Jews will then refuse to 
       pay their taxes to you.

       (Ezra 4:14 TLB)  "Since we are grateful to you as our patron, and we 
       do not want to see you taken advantage of and dishonored in this way, 
       we have decided to send you this information.

       (Ezra 4:15 TLB)  We suggest that you search the ancient records to 
       discover what a rebellious city this has been in the past; in fact, it 
       was destroyed because of its long history of sedition against the 
       kings and countries who attempted to control it.

       (Ezra 4:16 TLB)  We wish to declare that if this city is rebuilt and 
       the walls finished, you might as well forget about this part of your 
       empire beyond the Euphrates, for it will be lost to you."

       (Ezra 4:17 TLB)  Then the king made this reply to Governor Rehum and 
       Shimshai the scribe, and to their companions living in Samaria and 
       throughout the area west of the Euphrates River:

       (Ezra 4:18 TLB)  "Gentlemen: Greetings! The letter you sent has been 
       translated and read to me.

       (Ezra 4:19 TLB)  I have ordered a search made of the records and have 
       indeed found that Jerusalem has in times past been a hotbed of 
       insurrection against many kings; in fact, rebellion and sedition are 
       normal there!

       (Ezra 4:20 TLB)  I find, moreover, that there have been some very 
       great kings in Jerusalem who have ruled the entire land beyond the 
       Euphrates River and have received vast tribute, custom, and toll.

       (Ezra 4:21 TLB)  Therefore, I command that these men must stop their 
       work until I have investigated the matter more thoroughly.

       (Ezra 4:22 TLB)  Do not delay, for we must not permit the situation to 
       get out of control!"

       (Ezra 4:23 TLB)  When this letter from King Artaxerxes was read to 
       Rehum and Shimshai, they hurried to Jerusalem and forced the Jews to 
       stop building.

       (Ezra 4:24 TLB)  So the work ended until the second year of the reign 
       of King Darius of Persia.

       (Ezra 5:1 TLB)  But there were prophets in Jerusalem and Judah at that 
       time--Haggai, and Zechariah (the son of Iddo)--who brought messages 
       from the God of Israel to

       (Ezra 5:2 TLB)  Zerubbabel (son of Shealtiel) and Jeshua (son of 
       Jozadak), encouraging them to begin building again! So they did and 
       the prophets helped them.

       (Ezra 5:3 TLB)  But Tattenai, the governor of the lands west of the 
       Euphrates, and Shethar-bozenai, and their companions soon arrived in 
       Jerusalem and demanded, "Who gave you permission to rebuild this 





       Temple and finish these walls?"

       (Ezra 5:4 TLB)  They also asked for a list of the names of all the men 
       who were working on the Temple.

       (Ezra 5:5 TLB)  But because the Lord was overseeing the entire 
       situation, our enemies did not force us to stop building, but let us 
       continue while King Darius looked into the matter and returned his 
       decision.

       (Ezra 5:6 TLB)  Following is the letter which Governors Tattenai and 
       Shethar-bozenai and the other officials sent to King Darius:

       (Ezra 5:7 TLB)  "To King Darius: "Greetings!

       (Ezra 5:8 TLB)  "We wish to inform you that we went to the 
       construction site of the Temple of the great God of Judah. It is being 
       built with huge stones, and timber is being laid in the city walls. 
       The work is going forward with great energy and success.

       (Ezra 5:9 TLB)  We asked the leaders, 'Who has given you permission to 
       do this?'

       (Ezra 5:10 TLB)  And we demanded their names so that we could notify 
       you.

       (Ezra 5:11 TLB)  Their answer was, 'We are the servants of the God of 
       heaven and earth and we are rebuilding the Temple that was constructed 
       here many centuries ago by a great king of Israel.

       (Ezra 5:12 TLB)  But afterwards our ancestors angered the God of 
       heaven, and he abandoned them and let King Nebuchadnezzar destroy this 
       Temple and exile the people to Babylonia.'

       (Ezra 5:13 TLB)  "But they insist that King Cyrus of Babylon, during 
       the first year of his reign, issued a decree that the Temple should be 
       rebuilt,

       (Ezra 5:14 TLB)  and they say King Cyrus returned the gold and silver 
       bowls which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the Temple in Jerusalem and 
       had placed in the temple of Babylon. They say these items were 
       delivered into the safekeeping of a man named Sheshbazzar, whom King 
       Cyrus appointed as governor of Judah.

       (Ezra 5:15 TLB)  The king instructed him to return the bowls to 
       Jerusalem and to let the Temple of God be built there as before.

       (Ezra 5:16 TLB)  So Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundations of the 
       Temple at Jerusalem; and the people have been working on it ever 
       since, though it is not yet completed.

       (Ezra 5:17 TLB)  We request that you search in the royal library of 
       Babylon to discover whether King Cyrus ever made such a decree; and 
       then let us know your pleasure in this matter."

       (Ezra 6:1 TLB)  So King Darius issued orders that a search be made in 





       the Babylonian archives, where documents were stored.

       (Ezra 6:2 TLB)  Eventually the record was found in the palace at 
       Ecbatana, in the province of Media. This is what it said:

       (Ezra 6:3 TLB)  "In this first year of the reign of King Cyrus, a 
       decree has been sent out concerning the Temple of God at Jerusalem 
       where the Jews offer sacrifices. It is to be rebuilt, and the 
       foundations are to be strongly laid. The height will be ninety feet 
       and the width will be ninety feet.

       (Ezra 6:4 TLB)  There will be three layers of huge stones in the 
       foundation, topped with a layer of new timber. All expenses will be 
       paid by the king.

       (Ezra 6:5 TLB)  And the gold and silver bowls, which were taken from 
       the Temple of God by Nebuchadnezzar, shall be taken back to Jerusalem 
       and put into the Temple as they were before."

       (Ezra 6:6 TLB)  So King Darius II sent this message to Governor 
       Shethar-bozenai and the other officials west of the Euphrates: "Do not 
       disturb the construction of the Temple. Let it be rebuilt on its 
       former site,

       (Ezra 6:7 TLB)  and don't molest the governor of Judah and the other 
       leaders in their work.

       (Ezra 6:8 TLB)  Moreover, I decree that you are to pay the full 
       construction costs without delay from my taxes collected in your 
       territory.

       (Ezra 6:9 TLB)  Give the priests in Jerusalem young bulls, rams, and 
       lambs for burnt offerings to the God of heaven; and give them wheat, 
       wine, salt, and olive oil each day without fail.

       (Ezra 6:10 TLB)  Then they will be able to offer acceptable sacrifices 
       to the God of heaven and pray for me and my sons.

       (Ezra 6:11 TLB)  Anyone who attempts to change this message in any way 
       shall have the beams pulled from his house and built into a gallows on 
       which he will be hanged; and his house shall be reduced to a pile of 
       rubble.

       (Ezra 6:12 TLB)  The God who has chosen the city of Jerusalem will 
       destroy any king and any nation that alters this commandment and 
       destroys this Temple. I, Darius, have issued this decree; let it be 
       obeyed with all diligence."

       (Ezra 6:13 TLB)  Governors Tattenai and Shethar-bozenai, and their 
       companions complied at once with the command of King Darius.

       (Ezra 6:14 TLB)  So the Jewish leaders continued in their work, and 
       they were greatly encouraged by the preaching of the prophets Haggai 
       and Zechariah (son of Iddo). The Temple was finally finished, as had 
       been commanded by God and decreed by Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes, 
       the kings of Persia.






       (Ezra 6:15 TLB)  The completion date was February 18 in the sixth year 
       ofthe reign of King Darius II.

       (Ezra 6:16 TLB)  The Temple was then dedicated with great joy by the 
       priests, the Levites, and all the people.

       (Ezra 6:17 TLB)  During the dedication celebration 100 young bulls, 
       200 rams, and 400 lambs were sacrificed; and twelve male goats were 
       presented as a sin offering for the twelve tribes of Israel.

       (Ezra 6:18 TLB)  Then the priests and Levites were divided into their 
       various service corps to do the work of God as instructed in the laws 
       of Moses.

       (Ezra 6:19 TLB)  The Passover was celebrated on the first day of 
       April.

       (Ezra 6:20 TLB)  For by that time many of the priests and Levites had 
       consecrated themselves.

       (Ezra 6:21 TLB)  And some of the heathen people who had been relocated 
       in Judah turned from their immoral customs and joined the Israelis in 
       worshiping the Lord God.

       (Ezra 6:22 TLB)  hey, with the entire nation, ate the Passover feast 
       and celebrated the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days. There was 
       great joy throughout the land because the Lord had caused the king of 
       Assyria to be generous to Israel and to assist in the construction of 
       the Temple.

       (Ezra 7:1 TLB)  Here is the genealogy of Ezra, who traveled from 
       Babylon to Jerusalem during the reign of King Artaxerxes of Persia: 
       Ezra was the son of Seriah; Seriah was the son of Azariah; Azariah was 
       the son of Hilkiah;

       (Ezra 7:2 TLB)  Hilkiah was the son of Shallum; Shallum was the son of 
       Zadok; Zadok was the son of Ahitub;

       (Ezra 7:3 TLB)  Ahitub was the son of Amariah; Amariah was the son of 
       Meraioth;

       (Ezra 7:4 TLB)  Meraioth was the son of Zerahiah; Zerahiah was the son 
       of Uzzi; Uzzi was the son of Bukki;

       (Ezra 7:5 TLB)  Bukki was the son of Abishua; Abishua was the son of 
       Phinehas; Phinehas was the son of Eleazar; Eleazar was the son of 
       Aaron, the chief priest.

       (Ezra 7:6 TLB)  As a Jewish religious leader, Ezra was well versed in 
       Jehovah's laws, which Moses had given to the people of Israel. He 
       asked to be allowed to return to Jerusalem, and the king granted his 
       request; for the Lord his God was blessing him.

       (Ezra 7:7 TLB)  Many ordinary people as well as priests, Levites, 
       singers, gatekeepers, and Temple workers traveled with him.






       (Ezra 7:8 TLB)  They left Babylon in the middle of March in the 
       seventh year of the reign of Artaxerxes

       (Ezra 7:9 TLB)  and arrived at Jerusalem in the month of August; for 
       the Lord gave them a good trip.

       (Ezra 7:10 TLB)  This was because Ezra had determined to study and 
       obey the laws of the Lord and to become a Bible teacher, teaching 
       those laws to the people of Israel.

       (Ezra 7:11 TLB)  King Artaxerxes presented this letter to Ezra the 
       priest, the student of God's commands:

       (Ezra 7:12 TLB)  "From: Artaxerxes, the king of kings. "To: Ezra the 
       priest, the teacher of the laws of the God of heaven.

       (Ezra 7:13 TLB)  "I decree that any Jew in my realm, including the 
       priests and Levites, may return to Jerusalem with you.

       (Ezra 7:14 TLB)  I and my Council of Seven hereby instruct you to take 
       a copy of God's laws to Judah and Jerusalem and to send back a report 
       of the religious progress being made there.

       (Ezra 7:15 TLB)  We also commission you to take with you to Jerusalem 
       the silver and gold, which we are presenting as an offering to the God 
       of Israel.

       (Ezra 7:16 TLB)  "Moreover, you are to collect voluntary Temple 
       offerings of silver and gold from the Jews and their priests in all of 
       the provinces of Babylon.

       (Ezra 7:17 TLB)  These funds are to be used primarily for the purchase 
       of oxen, rams, lambs, grain offerings, and drink offerings, all of 
       which will be offered upon the altar of your Temple when you arrive in 
       Jerusalem.

       (Ezra 7:18 TLB)  The money that is left over may be used in whatever 
       way you and your brothers feel is the will of your God.

       (Ezra 7:19 TLB)  And take with you the gold bowls and other items we 
       are giving you for the Temple of your God at Jerusalem.

       (Ezra 7:20 TLB)  If you run short of money for the construction of the 
       Temple or for any similar needs, you may requisition funds from the 
       royal treasury.

       (Ezra 7:21 TLB)  "I, Artaxerxes the king, send this decree to all the 
       treasurers in the provinces west of the Euphrates River: 'You are to 
       give Ezra whatever he requests of you (for he is a priest and teacher 
       of the laws of the God of heaven),

       (Ezra 7:22 TLB)  up to $200,000 in silver; 1,225 bushels of wheat; 990 
       gallons of wine; any amount of salt;

       (Ezra 7:23 TLB)  and whatever else the God of heaven demands for his 





       Temple; for why should we risk God's wrath against the king and his 
       sons?

       (Ezra 7:24 TLB)  I also decree that no priest, Levite, choir member, 
       gatekeeper, Temple attendant, or other worker in the Temple shall be 
       required to pay taxes of any kind.'

       (Ezra 7:25 TLB)  "And you, Ezra, are to use the wisdom God has given 
       you to select and appoint judges and other officials to govern all the 
       people west of the Euphrates River; if they are not familiar with the 
       laws of your God, you are to teach them.

       (Ezra 7:26 TLB)  Anyone refusing to obey the law of your God and the 
       law of the king shall be punished immediately by death, banishment, 
       confiscation of goods, or imprisonment."

       (Ezra 7:27 TLB)  Well, praise the Lord God of our ancestors, who made 
       the king want to beautify the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem!

       (Ezra 7:28 TLB)  And praise God for demonstrating such loving-kindness 
       to me by honoring me before the king and his Council of Seven and 
       before all of his mighty princes! I was given great status because the 
       Lord my God was with me; and I persuaded some of the leaders of Israel 
       to return with me to Jerusalem.

       (Ezra 8:1 TLB)  These are the names and genealogies of the leaders who 
       accompanied me from Babylon during the reign of King Artaxerxes:

       (Ezra 8:2 TLB)  From the clan of Phinehas--Gershom; From the clan of 
       Ithamar--Daniel; From the subclan of David of the clan of 
       Shecaniah--Hattush;

       (Ezra 8:3 TLB)  From the clan of Parosh--Zechariah, and 150 other men;

       (Ezra 8:4 TLB)  From the clan of Pahath-moab--Eliehoenai (son of 
       Zerahiah), and 200 other men;

       (Ezra 8:5 TLB)  From the clan of Shecaniah--the son of Jahaziel, and 
       300 other men;

       (Ezra 8:6 TLB)  From the clan of Adin--Ebed (son of Jonathan), and 50 
       other men;

       (Ezra 8:7 TLB)  From the clan of Elam--Jeshaiah (son of Athaliah), and 
       70 other men;

       (Ezra 8:8 TLB)  From the clan of Shephatiah--Zebadiah (son of 
       Michael), and 80 other men;

       (Ezra 8:9 TLB)  From the clan of Joab--Obadiah (son of Jehiel), and 
       218 other men;

       (Ezra 8:10 TLB)  From the clan of Bani--Shelomith (son of Josiphiah), 
       and 160 other men;

       (Ezra 8:11 TLB)  From the clan of Bebai--Zechariah (son of Bebai), and 





       28 other men;

       (Ezra 8:12 TLB)  From the clan of Azgad--Johanan (son of Hakkatan), 
       and 110 other men;

       (Ezra 8:13 TLB)  From the clan of Adonikam--Eliphelet, Jeuel, 
       Shemaiah, and 60 other men (they arrived at a later time);

       (Ezra 8:14 TLB)  From the clan of Bigvai--Uthai, Zaccur, and 70 other 
       men.

       (Ezra 8:15 TLB)  We assembled at the Ahava River and camped there for 
       three days while I went over the lists of the people and the priests 
       who had arrived; and I found that not one Levite had volunteered!

       (Ezra 8:16 TLB)  So I sent for Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, 
       Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam, the Levite leaders; 
       I also sent for Joiarib and Elnathan, who were very wise men.

       (Ezra 8:17 TLB)  I sent them to Iddo, the leader of the Jews at 
       Casiphia, to ask him and his brothers and the Temple attendants to 
       send us priests for the Temple of God at Jerusalem.

       (Ezra 8:18 TLB)  And God was good! He sent us an outstanding man named 
       Sherebiah, along with eighteen of his sons and brothers; he was a very 
       astute man and a descendant of Mahli, the son of Levi and grandson of 
       Israel.

       (Ezra 8:19 TLB)  God also sent Hashabiah; and Jeshaiah (the son of 
       Merari), with twenty of his sons and brothers;

       (Ezra 8:20 TLB)  and 220 Temple attendants. (The Temple attendants 
       were assistants to the Levites--a job classification of Temple 
       employees first instituted by King David.) These 220 men were all 
       listed by name.

       (Ezra 8:21 TLB)  Then I declared a fast while we were at the Ahava 
       River so that we would humble ourselves before our God; and we prayed 
       that he would give us a good journey and protect us, our children, and 
       our goods as we traveled.

       (Ezra 8:22 TLB)  For I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and 
       cavalry to accompany us and protect us from the enemies along the way. 
       After all, we had told the king that our God would protect all those 
       who worshiped him, and that disaster could come only to those who had 
       forsaken him!

       (Ezra 8:23 TLB)  So we fasted and begged God to take care of us. And 
       he did.

       (Ezra 8:24 TLB)  I appointed twelve leaders of the priests--Sherebiah, 
       Hashabiah, and ten other priests--

       (Ezra 8:25 TLB)  to be in charge of transporting the silver, gold, the 
       gold bowls, and the other items that the king and his council and the 
       leaders and people of Israel had presented to the Temple of God.






       (Ezra 8:26 TLB)  I weighed the money as I gave it to them and found it 
       to total $1,300,000 in silver; $200,000 in silver utensils; many 
       millions in gold;

       (Ezra 8:27 TLB)  and twenty gold bowls worth a total of $100,000. 
       There were also two beautiful pieces of brass that were as precious as 
       gold.

       (Ezra 8:28 TLB)  I consecrated these men to the Lord and then 
       consecrated the treasures--the equipment and money and bowls that had 
       been given as free-will offerings to the Lord God of our fathers.

       (Ezra 8:29 TLB)  "Guard these treasures well!" I told them; "present 
       them without a penny lost to the priests and the Levite leaders and 
       the elders of Israel at Jerusalem, where they are to be placed in the 
       treasury of the Temple."

       (Ezra 8:30 TLB)  So the priests and the Levites accepted the 
       responsibility of taking them to God's Temple in Jerusalem.

       (Ezra 8:31 TLB)  We broke camp at the Ahava River at the end of March 
       and started off to Jerusalem; and God protected us and saved us from 
       enemies and bandits along the way.

       (Ezra 8:32 TLB)  So at last we arrived safely at Jerusalem.

       (Ezra 8:33 TLB)  On the fourth day after our arrival, the silver, 
       gold, and other valuables were weighed in the Temple by Meremoth (the 
       son of Uriah the priest), Eleazar (son of Phinehas), Jozabad (son of 
       Jeshua), and Noadiah (son of Binnui)--all of whom were Levites.

       (Ezra 8:34 TLB)  A receipt was given for each item, and the weight of 
       the gold and silver was noted.

       (Ezra 8:35 TLB)  Then everyone in our party sacrificed burnt offerings 
       to the God of Israel--twelve oxen for the nation of Israel; ninety-six 
       rams; seventy-seven lambs; and twelve goats as a sin offering.

       (Ezra 8:36 TLB)  The king's decrees were delivered to his lieutenants 
       and the governors of all the provinces west of the Euphrates River, 
       and of course they then cooperated in the rebuilding of the Temple of 
       God.

       (Ezra 9:1 TLB)  But then the Jewish leaders came to tell me that many 
       of the Jewish people and even some of the priests and Levites had 
       taken up the horrible customs of the heathen people who lived in the 
       land--the Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, 
       Moabites, Egyptians, and Amorites.

       (Ezra 9:2 TLB)  The men of Israel had married girls from these heathen 
       nations and had taken them as wives for their sons. So the holy people 
       of God were being polluted by these mixed marriages, and the political 
       leaders were some of the worst offenders.

       (Ezra 9:3 TLB)  When I heard this, I tore my clothing and pulled hair 





       from my head and beard and sat down utterly baffled.

       (Ezra 9:4 TLB)  Then many who feared the God of Israel because of this 
       sin of his people came and sat with me until the time of the evening 
       burnt offering.

       (Ezra 9:5 TLB)  Finally I stood before the Lord in great 
       embarrassment; then I fell to my knees and lifted my hands to the 
       Lord,

       (Ezra 9:6 TLB)  and cried out, "O my God, I am ashamed; I blush to 
       lift up my face to you, for our sins are piled higher than our heads 
       and our guilt is as boundless as the heavens.

       (Ezra 9:7 TLB)  Our whole history has been one of sin; that is why we 
       and our kings and our priests were slain by the heathen kings--we were 
       captured, robbed, and disgraced, just as we are today.

       (Ezra 9:8 TLB)  But now we have been given a moment of peace, for you 
       have permitted a few of us to return to Jerusalem from our exile. You 
       have given us a moment of joy and new life in our slavery.

       (Ezra 9:9 TLB)  For we were slaves, but in your love and mercy you did 
       not abandon us to slavery; instead, you caused the kings of Persia to 
       be favorable to us. They have even given us their assistance in 
       rebuilding the Temple of our God and in giving us Jerusalem as a 
       walled city in Judah.

       (Ezra 9:10 TLB)  "And now, O God, what can we say after all of this? 
       For once again we have abandoned you and broken your laws!

       (Ezra 9:11 TLB)  The prophets warned us that the land we would possess 
       was totally defiled by the horrible practices of the people living 
       there. From one end to the other it is filled with corruption.

       (Ezra 9:12 TLB)  You told us not to let our daughters marry their 
       sons, and not to let our sons marry their daughters, and not to help 
       those nations in any way. You warned us that only if we followed this 
       rule could we become a prosperous nation and forever leave that 
       prosperity to our children as an inheritance.

       (Ezra 9:13 TLB)  And now, even after our punishment in exile because 
       of our wickedness (and we have been punished far less than we 
       deserved), and even though you have let some of us return,

       (Ezra 9:14 TLB)  we have broken your commandments again and 
       intermarried with people who do these awful things. Surely your anger 
       will destroy us now until not even this little remnant escapes.

       (Ezra 9:15 TLB)  O Lord God of Israel, you are a just God; what hope 
       can we have if you give us justice as we stand here before you in our 
       wickedness?"

       (Ezra 10:1 TLB)  As I lay on the ground in front of the Temple, 
       weeping and praying and making this confession, a large crowd of men, 
       women, and children gathered around and cried with me.






       (Ezra 10:2 TLB)  Then Shecaniah (the son of Jehiel of the clan of 
       Elam) said to me, "We acknowledge our sin against our God, for we have 
       married these heathen women. But there is hope for Israel in spite of 
       this.

       (Ezra 10:3 TLB)  For we agree before our God to divorce our heathen 
       wives and to send them away with our children; we will follow your 
       commands and the commands of the others who fear our God. We will obey 
       the laws of God.

       (Ezra 10:4 TLB)  Take courage and tell us how to proceed in setting 
       things straight, and we will fully cooperate."

       (Ezra 10:5 TLB)  So I stood up and demanded that the leaders of the 
       priests and the Levites and all the people of Israel swear that they 
       would do as Shecaniah had said; and they all agreed.

       (Ezra 10:6 TLB)  Then I went into the room of Jehohanan in the Temple 
       and refused all food and drink, for I was mourning because of the sin 
       of the returned exiles.

       (Ezra 10:7 TLB)  Then a proclamation was made throughout Judah and 
       Jerusalem that everyone should appear at Jerusalem within three days 
       and that the leaders and elders had decided that

       (Ezra 10:8 TLB)  anyone who refused to come would be disinherited and 
       excommunicated from Israel.

       (Ezra 10:9 TLB)  Within three days, on the fifth day of December, all 
       the men of Judah and Benjamin had arrived and were sitting in the open 
       space before the Temple; and they were trembling because of the 
       seriousness of the matter and because of the heavy rainfall.

       (Ezra 10:10 TLB)  Then I, Ezra the priest, arose and addressed them: 
       "You have sinned, for you have married heathen women; now we are even 
       more deeply under God's condemnation than we were before.

       (Ezra 10:11 TLB)  Confess your sin to the Lord God of your fathers and 
       do what he demands: separate yourselves from the heathen people about 
       you and from these women."

       (Ezra 10:12 TLB)  Then all the men spoke up and said, "We will do what 
       you have said.

       (Ezra 10:13 TLB)  But this isn't something that can be done in a day 
       or two, for there are many of us involved in this sinful affair. And 
       it is raining so hard that we can't stay out here much longer.

       (Ezra 10:14 TLB)  Let our leaders arrange trials for us. Everyone who 
       has a heathen wife will come at the scheduled time with the elders and 
       judges of his city; then each case will be decided and the situation 
       will be cleared up, and the fierce wrath of our God will be turned 
       away from us."

       (Ezra 10:15 TLB)  Only Jonathan (son of Asahel), Jahzeiah (son of 





       Tikvah), Meshullam, and Shabbethai the Levite opposed this course of 
       action.

       (Ezra 10:16 TLB)  So this was the plan that was followed: Some of the 
       clan leaders and I were designated as judges; we began our work on 
       December 15

       (Ezra 10:17 TLB)  and finished by March 15.

       (Ezra 10:18 TLB)  Following is the list of priests who had married 
       heathen wives

       (Ezra 10:19 TLB)  (they vowed to divorce their wives and acknowledged 
       their guilt by offering rams as sacrifices): Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, 
       Gedaliah.

       (Ezra 10:20 TLB)  The sons of Immer: Hanani, Zebadiah.

       (Ezra 10:21 TLB)  The sons of Harim: Maaseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, 
       Jehiel, Uzziah.

       (Ezra 10:22 TLB)  The sons of Pashhur: Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, 
       Nethanel, Jozabad, Elasah.

       (Ezra 10:23 TLB)  The Levites who were guilty: Jozabad, Shimei, 
       Kelaiah (also called Kelita), Pethahaiah, Judah, Eliezer.

       (Ezra 10:24 TLB)  Of the singers, there was Eliashib. Of the 
       gatekeepers, Shallum, Telem, and Uri.

       (Ezra 10:25 TLB)  Here is the list of ordinary citizens who were 
       declared guilty: From the clan of Parosh: Ramiah, Izziah, Malchijah, 
       Mijamin, Eleazar, Hashabiah, Benaiah.

       (Ezra 10:26 TLB)  From the clan of Elam: Mattaniah, Zechariah, Jehiel, 
       Abdi, Jeremoth, Elijah.

       (Ezra 10:27 TLB)  From the clan of Zattu: Elioenai, Eliashib, 
       Mattaniah, Jeremoth, Zabad, Aziza.

       (Ezra 10:28 TLB)  From the clan of Bebai: Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, 
       Athlai.

       (Ezra 10:29 TLB)  From the clan of Bani: Meshullam, Malluch, Adaiah, 
       Jashub, Sheal, Jeremoth.

       (Ezra 10:30 TLB)  From the clan of Pahath-moab: Adna, Chelal, Benaiah, 
       Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnui, Manasseh.

       (Ezra 10:31 TLB)  From the clan of Harim: Eliezer, Isshijah, 
       Malchijah, Shemaiah, Shimeon, Benjamin, Malluch, Shemariah.

       (Ezra 10:32 TLB)  

       (Ezra 10:33 TLB)  From the clan of Hashum: Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, 
       Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, Shimei.






       (Ezra 10:34 TLB)  From the clan of Bani: Maadai, Amram, Uel,

       (Ezra 10:35 TLB)  Banaiah, Bedeiah, Cheluhi,

       (Ezra 10:36 TLB)  Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib,

       (Ezra 10:37 TLB)  Mattaniah, Mattenai, Jaasu, Bani,

       (Ezra 10:38 TLB)  Binnui, Shimei,

       (Ezra 10:39 TLB)  Shelemiah, Nathan, Adaiah,

       (Ezra 10:40 TLB)  Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai,

       (Ezra 10:41 TLB)  Azarel, Shelemiah, Shemariah,

       (Ezra 10:42 TLB)  Shallum, Amariah, Joseph.

       (Ezra 10:43 TLB)  From the clan of Nebo: Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, 
       Zebina, Jaddai, Joel, Benaiah.

       (Ezra 10:44 TLB)  Each of these men had heathen wives, and many had 
       children by these wives.

       (Neh 1:1 TLB)  The autobiography of Nehemiah, the son of Hecaliah: In 
       December of the twentieth year of the reign of King Artaxerxes of 
       Persia, when I was at the palace at Shushan,

       (Neh 1:2 TLB)  one of my fellow Jews named Hanani came to visit me 
       with some men who had arrived from Judah. I took the opportunity to 
       inquire about how things were going in Jerusalem. "How are they 
       getting along--," I asked, "the Jews who returned to Jerusalem from 
       their exile here?"

       (Neh 1:3 TLB)  "Well," they replied, "things are not good; the wall of 
       Jerusalem is still torn down, and the gates are burned."

       (Neh 1:4 TLB)  When I heard this, I sat down and cried. In fact, I 
       refused to eat for several days, for I spent the time in prayer to the 
       God of heaven.

       (Neh 1:5 TLB)  "O Lord God," I cried out; "O great and awesome God who 
       keeps his promises and is so loving and kind to those who love and 
       obey him! Hear my prayer!

       (Neh 1:6 TLB)  Listen carefully to what I say! Look down and see me 
       praying night and day for your people Israel. I confess that we have 
       sinned against you;

       (Neh 1:7 TLB)  yes, I and my people have committed the horrible sin of 
       not obeying the commandments you gave us through your servant Moses.

       (Neh 1:8 TLB)  Oh, please remember what you told Moses! You said, "'If 
       you sin, I will scatter you among the nations;





       (Neh 1:9 TLB)  but if you return to me and obey my laws, even though 
       you are exiled to the farthest corners of the universe, I will bring 
       you back to Jerusalem. For Jerusalem is the place in which I have 
       chosen to live.'

       (Neh 1:10 TLB)  "We are your servants, the people you rescued by your 
       great power.

       (Neh 1:11 TLB)  O Lord, please hear my prayer! Heed the prayers of 
       those of us who delight to honor you. Please help me now as I go in 
       and ask the king for a great favor--put it into his heart to be kind 
       to me." (I was the king's cupbearer.)

       (Neh 2:1 TLB)  One day in April, four months later, as I was serving 
       the king his wine he asked me,

       (Neh 2:2 TLB)  "Why so sad? You aren't sick, are you? You look like a 
       man with deep troubles." (For until then I had always been cheerful 
       when I was with him.) I was badly frightened,

       (Neh 2:3 TLB)  but I replied, "Sir, why shouldn't I be sad? For the 
       city where my ancestors are buried is in ruins, and the gates have 
       been burned down."

       (Neh 2:4 TLB)  "Well, what should be done?" the king asked. With a 
       quick prayer to the God of heaven, I replied, "If it please Your 
       Majesty and if you look upon me with your royal favor, send me to 
       Judah to rebuild the city of my fathers!"

       (Neh 2:5 TLB)  The king replied, with the queen sitting beside him, 
       "How long will you be gone? When will you return?" So it was agreed! 
       And I set a time for my departure!

       (Neh 2:6 TLB)  

       (Neh 2:7 TLB)  Then I added this to my request: "If it please the 
       king, give me letters to the governors west of the Euphrates River 
       instructing them to let me travel through their countries on my way to 
       Judah;

       (Neh 2:8 TLB)  also a letter to Asaph, the manager of the king's 
       forest, instructing him to give me timber for the beams and for the 
       gates of the fortress near the Temple, and for the city walls, and for 
       a house for myself." And the king granted these requests, for God was 
       being gracious to me.

       (Neh 2:9 TLB)  When I arrived in the provinces west of the Euphrates 
       River, I delivered the king's letters to the governors there. (The 
       king, I should add, had sent along army officers and troops to protect 
       me!)

       (Neh 2:10 TLB)  But when Sanballat (the Horonite) and Tobiah (an 
       Ammonite who was a government official) heard of my arrival, they were 
       very angry that anyone was interested in helping Israel.

       (Neh 2:11 TLB)  Three days after my arrival at Jerusalem I stole out 





       during the night,

       (Neh 2:12 TLB)  taking only a few men with me; for I hadn't told a 
       soul about the plans for Jerusalem that God had put into my heart. I 
       was mounted on my donkey and the others were on foot,

       (Neh 2:13 TLB)  and we went out through the Valley Gate toward the 
       Jackal's Well and over to the Dung Gate to see the broken walls and 
       burned gates.

       (Neh 2:14 TLB)  Then we went to the Fountain Gate and to the King's 
       Pool, but my donkey couldn't get through the rubble.

       (Neh 2:15 TLB)  So we circled the city, and I followed the brook, 
       inspecting the wall, and entered again at the Valley Gate.

       (Neh 2:16 TLB)  The city officials did not know I had been out there 
       or why, for as yet I had said nothing to anyone about my plans--not to 
       the political or religious leaders, or even to those who would be 
       doing the work.

       (Neh 2:17 TLB)  But now I told them, "You know full well the tragedy 
       of our city; it lies in ruins and its gates are burned. Let us rebuild 
       the wall of Jerusalem and rid ourselves of this disgrace!"

       (Neh 2:18 TLB)  Then I told them about the desire God had put into my 
       heart, and of my conversation with the king, and the plan to which he 
       had agreed. They replied at once, "Good! Let's rebuild the wall!" And 
       so the work began.

       (Neh 2:19 TLB)  But when Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem the Arab heard 
       of our plan, they scoffed and said, "What are you doing, rebelling 
       against the king like this?"

       (Neh 2:20 TLB)  But I replied, "The God of heaven will help us, and 
       we, his servants, will rebuild this wall; but you may have no part in 
       this affair."

       (Neh 3:1 TLB)  Then Eliashib the High Priest and the other priests 
       rebuilt the wall as far as the Tower of the Hundred and the Tower of 
       Hananel; then they rebuilt the Sheep Gate, hung its doors, and 
       dedicated it.

       (Neh 3:2 TLB)  Men from the city of Jericho worked next to them, and 
       beyond them was the work crew led by Zaccur (son of Imri).

       (Neh 3:3 TLB)  The Fish Gate was built by the sons of Hassenaah; they 
       did the whole thing--cut the beams, hung the doors, and made the bolts 
       and bars.

       (Neh 3:4 TLB)  Meremoth (son of Uriah, son of Hakkoz) repaired the 
       next section of wall, and beyond him were Meshullam (son of Berechiah, 
       son of Meshezabel) and Zadok (son of Baana).

       (Neh 3:5 TLB)  Next were the men from Tekoa, but their leaders were 
       lazy and didn't help.






       (Neh 3:6 TLB)  The Old Gate was repaired by Joiada (son of Paseah) and 
       Meshullam (son of Besodeiah). They laid the beams, set up the doors, 
       and installed the bolts and bars.

       (Neh 3:7 TLB)  Next to them were Melatiah from Gibeon; Jadon from 
       Meronoth; and men from Gibeon and Mizpah, who were citizens of the 
       province.

       (Neh 3:8 TLB)  Uzziel (son of Harhaiah) was a goldsmith by trade, but 
       he too worked on the wall. Beyond him was Hananiah, a manufacturer of 
       perfumes. Repairs were not needed from there to the Broad Wall.

       (Neh 3:9 TLB)  Rephaiah (son of Hur), the mayor of half of Jerusalem, 
       was next down the wall from them.

       (Neh 3:10 TLB)  Jedaiah (son of Harumaph) repaired the wall beside his 
       own house, and next to him was Hattush (son of Hashabneiah).

       (Neh 3:11 TLB)  Then came Malchijah (son of Harim) and Hasshub (son of 
       Pahath-moab), who repaired the Furnace Tower in addition to a section 
       of the wall.

       (Neh 3:12 TLB)  Shallum (son of Hallohesh) and his daughters repaired 
       the next section. He was the mayor of the other half of Jerusalem.

       (Neh 3:13 TLB)  The people from Zanoah, led by Hanun, built the Valley 
       Gate, hung the doors, and installed the bolts and bars; then they 
       repaired the 1,500 feet of wall to the Dung Gate.

       (Neh 3:14 TLB)  The Dung Gate was repaired by Malchijah (son of 
       Rechab), the mayor of the Beth-haccherem area; and after building it, 
       he hung the doors and installed the bolts and bars.

       (Neh 3:15 TLB)  Shallum (son of Col-hozeh), the mayor of the Mizpah 
       district, repaired the Fountain Gate. He rebuilt it, roofed it, hung 
       its doors, and installed its locks and bars. Then he repaired the wall 
       from the Pool of Siloam to the king's garden and the stairs that 
       descend from the City OFDAVID section of Jerusalem.

       (Neh 3:16 TLB)  Next to him was Nehemiah (son of Azbuk), the mayor of 
       half the Beth-zur district; he built as far as the royal cemetery, the 
       water reservoir, and the old Officers' Club building.

       (Neh 3:17 TLB)  Next was a group of Levites working under the 
       supervision of Rehum (son of Bani). Then came Hashabiah, the mayor of 
       half the Keilah district, who supervised the building of the wall in 
       his own district.

       (Neh 3:18 TLB)  Next down the line were his clan brothers led by 
       Bavvai (son of Henadad), the mayor of the other half of the Keilah 
       district.

       (Neh 3:19 TLB)  Next to them the workers were led by Ezer (son of 
       Jeshua), the mayor of another part of Mizpah; they also worked on the 
       section of wall across from the Armory where the wall turns.






       (Neh 3:20 TLB)  Next to him was Baruch (son of Zabbai), who built from 
       the turn in the wall to the home of Eliashib the High Priest.

       (Neh 3:21 TLB)  Meremoth (son of Uriah, son of Hakkoz) built a section 
       of the wall extending from a point opposite the door of Eliashib's 
       house to the side of the house.

       (Neh 3:22 TLB)  Then came the priests from the plains outside the 
       city.

       (Neh 3:23 TLB)  Benjamin, Hasshub, and Azariah (son of Maaseiah, son 
       of Ananiah) repaired the sections next to their own houses.

       (Neh 3:24 TLB)  Next was Binnui (son of Henadad), who built the 
       portion of the wall from Azariah's house to the corner.

       (Neh 3:25 TLB)  Palal (son of Uzai) carried on the work from the 
       corner to the foundations of the upper tower of the king's castle 
       beside the prison yard. Next was Pedaiah (son of Parosh).

       (Neh 3:26 TLB)  The Temple attendants living in Ophel repaired the 
       wall as far as the East Water Gate and the Projecting Tower.

       (Neh 3:27 TLB)  Then came the Tekoites, who repaired the section 
       opposite the Castle Tower and over to the wall of Ophel.

       (Neh 3:28 TLB)  The priests repaired the wall beyond the Horse Gate, 
       each one doing the section immediately opposite his own house.

       (Neh 3:29 TLB)  Zadok (son of Immer) also rebuilt the wall next to his 
       own house, and beyond him was Shemaiah (son of Shecaniah), the 
       gatekeeper of the East Gate.

       (Neh 3:30 TLB)  Next was Hananiah (son of Shelemiah); Hanun (the sixth 
       son of Zalaph); and Meshullam (son of Berechiah), who built next to 
       his own house.

       (Neh 3:31 TLB)  Malchijah, one of the goldsmiths, repaired as far as 
       the Temple attendants' and merchants' Guild Hall, opposite the Muster 
       Gate; then to the upper room at the corner.

       (Neh 3:32 TLB)  The other goldsmiths and merchants completed the wall 
       from that corner to the Sheep Gate.

       (Neh 4:1 TLB)  Sanballat was very angry when he learned that we were 
       rebuilding the wall. He flew into a rage, and insulted and mocked us 
       and laughed at us, and so did his friends and the Samaritan army 
       officers.

       (Neh 4:2 TLB)  "What does this bunch of poor, feeble Jews think they 
       are doing?" he scoffed. "Do they think they can build the wall in a 
       day if they offer enough sacrifices? And look at those charred stones 
       they are pulling out of the rubbish and using again!"

       (Neh 4:3 TLB)  Tobiah, who was standing beside him, remarked, "If even 





       a fox walked along the top of their wall, it would collapse!"

       (Neh 4:4 TLB)  Then I prayed, "Hear us, O Lord God, for we are being 
       mocked. May their scoffing fall back upon their own heads, and may 
       they themselves become captives in a foreign land!

       (Neh 4:5 TLB)  Do not ignore their sin. Do not blot it out, for they 
       have despised you in despising us who are building your wall."

       (Neh 4:6 TLB)  At last the wall was completed to half its original 
       height around the entire city--for the workers worked hard.

       (Neh 4:7 TLB)  But when Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabians, 
       Ammonites, and Ashdodites heard that the work was going right ahead 
       and that the breaks in the wall were being repaired, they became 
       furious.

       (Neh 4:8 TLB)  They plotted to lead an army against Jerusalem to bring 
       about riots and confusion.

       (Neh 4:9 TLB)  But we prayed to our God and guarded the city day and 
       night to protect ourselves.

       (Neh 4:10 TLB)  Then some of the leaders began complaining that the 
       workmen were becoming tired; and there was so much rubble to be 
       removed that we could never get it done by ourselves.

       (Neh 4:11 TLB)  Meanwhile, our enemies were planning to swoop down 
       upon us and kill us, thus ending our work.

       (Neh 4:12 TLB)  And whenever the workers who lived in the nearby 
       cities went home for a visit, our enemies tried to talk them out of 
       returning to Jerusalem.

       (Neh 4:13 TLB)  So I placed armed guards from each family in the 
       cleared spaces behind the walls.

       (Neh 4:14 TLB)  Then as I looked over the situation, I called together 
       the leaders and the people and said to them, "Don't be afraid! 
       Remember the Lord who is great and glorious; fight for your friends, 
       your families, and your homes!"

       (Neh 4:15 TLB)  Our enemies learned that we knew of their plot, and 
       that God had exposed and frustrated their plan. Now we all returned to 
       our work on the wall;

       (Neh 4:16 TLB)  but from then on, only half worked while the other 
       half stood guard behind them.

       (Neh 4:17 TLB)  And the masons and laborers worked with weapons within 
       easy reach beside them

       (Neh 4:18 TLB)  or with swords belted to their sides. The trumpeter 
       stayed with me to sound the alarm.

       (Neh 4:19 TLB)  "The work is so spread out," I explained to them, "and 





       we are separated so widely from each other, that when you hear the 
       trumpet blow, you must rush to where I am; and God will fight for us."

       (Neh 4:20 TLB)  We worked early and late, from sunrise to sunset; and 
       half the men were always on guard.

       (Neh 4:21 TLB)  

       (Neh 4:22 TLB)  I told everyone living outside the walls to move into 
       Jerusalem so that their servants could go on guard duty as well as 
       work during the day.

       (Neh 4:23 TLB)  During this period none of us--I, nor my brothers, nor 
       the servants, nor the guards who were with me--ever took off our 
       clothes except for washing. And we carried our weapons with us at all 
       times.

       (Neh 5:1 TLB)  About this time there was a great outcry of protest 
       from parents against some of the rich Jews who were profiteering on 
       them.

       (Neh 5:2 TLB)  What was happening was that families who ran out of 
       money for food had to sell their children

       (Neh 5:3 TLB)  or mortgage their fields, vineyards, and homes to these 
       rich men;

       (Neh 5:4 TLB)  and some couldn't even do that, for they already had 
       borrowed to the limit to pay their taxes.

       (Neh 5:5 TLB)  "We are their brothers, and our children are just like 
       theirs," the people protested. "Yet we must sell our children into 
       slavery to get enough money to live. We have already sold some of our 
       daughters, and we are helpless to redeem them, for our fields, too, 
       are mortgaged to these men."

       (Neh 5:6 TLB)  I was very angry when I heard this;

       (Neh 5:7 TLB)  so after thinking about it I spoke out against these 
       rich government officials. "What is this you are doing?" I demanded. 
       "How dare you demand a mortgage as a condition for helping another 
       Israelite!" Then I called a public trial to deal with them.

       (Neh 5:8 TLB)  At the trial I shouted at them, "The rest of us are 
       doing all we can to help our Jewish brothers who have returned from 
       exile as slaves in distant lands, but you are forcing them right back 
       into slavery again. How often must we redeem them?" And they had 
       nothing to say in their own defense.

       (Neh 5:9 TLB)  Then I pressed further. "What you are doing is very 
       evil," I exclaimed. "Should you not walk in the fear of our God? Don't 
       we have enough enemies among the nations around us who are trying to 
       destroy us?

       (Neh 5:10 TLB)  The rest of us are lending money and grain to our 
       fellow-Jews without any interest. I beg you, gentlemen, stop this 





       business of usury.

       (Neh 5:11 TLB)  Restore their fields, vineyards, oliveyards, and homes 
       to them this very day and drop your claims against them."

       (Neh 5:12 TLB)  So they agreed to do it and said that they would 
       assist their brothers without requiring them to mortgage their lands 
       and sell them their children. Then I summoned the priests and made 
       these men formally vow to carry out their promises.

       (Neh 5:13 TLB)  And I invoked the curse of God upon any of them who 
       refused. "May God destroy your homes and livelihood if you fail to 
       keep this promise," I declared. And all the people shouted, "Amen," 
       and praised the Lord. And the rich men did as they had promised.

       (Neh 5:14 TLB)  I would like to mention that for the entire twelve 
       years that I was governor of Judah--from the twentieth until the 
       thirty-second year of the reign of King Artaxerxes--my aides and I 
       accepted no salaries or other assistance from the people of Israel.

       (Neh 5:15 TLB)  This was quite a contrast to the former governors who 
       had demanded food and wine and $100 a day in cash, and had put the 
       population at the mercy of their aides who tyrannized them; but I 
       obeyed God and did not act that way.

       (Neh 5:16 TLB)  I stayed at work on the wall and refused to speculate 
       in land; I also required my officials to spend time on the wall.

       (Neh 5:17 TLB)  All this despite the fact that I regularly fed 150 
       Jewish officials at my table, besides visitors from other countries!

       (Neh 5:18 TLB)  The provisions required for each day were one ox, six 
       fat sheep, and a large number of domestic fowls; and we needed a huge 
       supply of all kinds of wines every ten days. Yet I refused to make a 
       special levy against the people, for they were already having a 
       difficult time.

       (Neh 5:19 TLB)  O my God, please keep in mind all that I've done for 
       these people and bless me for it.

       (Neh 6:1 TLB)  When Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest 
       of our enemies found out that we had almost completed the rebuilding 
       of the wall--though we had not yet hung all the doors of the gates--

       (Neh 6:2 TLB)  they sent me a message asking me to meet them in one of 
       the villages in the Plain of Ono. But I realized they were plotting to 
       kill me,

       (Neh 6:3 TLB)  so I replied by sending back this message to them: "I 
       am doing a great work! Why should I stop to come and visit with you?"

       (Neh 6:4 TLB)  Four times they sent the same message, and each time I 
       gave the same reply.

       (Neh 6:5 TLB)  The fifth time, Sanballat's servant came with an open 
       letter in his hand, and this is what it said:






       (Neh 6:6 TLB)  "Geshem tells me that everywhere he goes he hears that 
       the Jews are planning to rebel, and that is why you are building the 
       wall. He claims you plan to be their king--that is what is being said.

       (Neh 6:7 TLB)  He also reports that you have appointed prophets to 
       campaign for you at Jerusalem by saying, 'Look! Nehemiah is just the 
       man we need!' "You can be very sure that I am going to pass along 
       these interesting comments to King Artaxerxes! I suggest that you come 
       and talk it over with me--for that is the only way you can save 
       yourself!"

       (Neh 6:8 TLB)  My reply was, "You know you are lying. There isn't one 
       bit of truth to the whole story.

       (Neh 6:9 TLB)  You're just trying to scare us into stopping our work." 
       (O Lord God, please strengthen me!)

       (Neh 6:10 TLB)  A few days later I went to visit Shemaiah (son of 
       Delaiah, who was the son of Mehetabel), for he said he was receiving a 
       message from God. "Let us hide in the Temple and bolt the door," he 
       exclaimed, "for they are coming tonight to kill you."

       (Neh 6:11 TLB)  But I replied, "Should I, the governor, run away from 
       danger? And if I go into the Temple, not being a priest, I would 
       forfeit my life. No, I won't do it!"

       (Neh 6:12 TLB)  Then I realized that God had not spoken to him, but 
       Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him to scare me and make me sin by 
       fleeing to the Temple; and then they would be able to accuse me.

       (Neh 6:13 TLB)  

       (Neh 6:14 TLB)  "O my God," I prayed, "don't forget all the evil of 
       Tobiah, Sanballat, Noadiah the prophetess, and all the other prophets 
       who have tried to discourage me."

       (Neh 6:15 TLB)  The wall was finally finished in early September--just 
       fifty-two days after we had begun!

       (Neh 6:16 TLB)  When our enemies and the surrounding nations heard 
       about it, they were frightened and humiliated, and they realized that 
       the work had been done with the help of our God.

       (Neh 6:17 TLB)  During those fifty-two days many letters went back and 
       forth between Tobiah and the wealthy politicians of Judah.

       (Neh 6:18 TLB)  For many in Judah had sworn allegiance to him because 
       his father-in-law was Shecaniah (son of Arah) and because his son 
       Jehohanan was married to the daughter of Meshullam (son of Berechiah).

       (Neh 6:19 TLB)  They all told me what a wonderful man Tobiah was, and 
       then they told him everything I had said; and Tobiah sent many 
       threatening letters to frighten me.

       (Neh 7:1 TLB)  After the wall was finished and we had hung the doors 





       in the gates and had appointed the gatekeepers, singers, and Levites,

       (Neh 7:2 TLB)  I gave the responsibility of governing Jerusalem to my 
       brother Hanani and to Hananiah, the commander of the fortress--a very 
       faithful man who revered God more than most people do.

       (Neh 7:3 TLB)  I issued instructions to them not to open the Jerusalem 
       gates until well after sunrise, and to close and lock them while the 
       guards were still on duty. I also directed that the guards be 
       residents of Jerusalem, and that they must be on duty at regular 
       times, and that each homeowner who lived near the wall must guard the 
       section of wall next to his own home.

       (Neh 7:4 TLB)  For the city was large, but the population was small; 
       and only a few houses were scattered throughout the city.

       (Neh 7:5 TLB)  Then the Lord told me to call together all the leaders 
       of the city, along with the ordinary citizens, for registration. For I 
       had found the record of the genealogies of those who had returned to 
       Judah before, and this is what was written in it:

       (Neh 7:6 TLB)  "The following is a list of the names of the Jews who 
       returned to Judah after being exiled by King Nebuchadnezzar of 
       Babylon.

       (Neh 7:7 TLB)  "Their leaders were: Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, 
       Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, 
       Nehum, Baanah. "The others who returned at that time were:

       (Neh 7:8 TLB)  From the subclan of Parosh, 2,172;

       (Neh 7:9 TLB)  From the subclan of Shephatiah, 372;

       (Neh 7:10 TLB)  From the subclan of Arah, 652;

       (Neh 7:11 TLB)  From the families of Jeshua and Joab of the subclan of 
       Pahath-moab, 2,818;

       (Neh 7:12 TLB)  From the subclan of Elam, 1,254;

       (Neh 7:13 TLB)  From the subclan of Zattu, 845;

       (Neh 7:14 TLB)  From the subclan of Zaccai, 760;

       (Neh 7:15 TLB)  From the subclan of Binnui, 648;

       (Neh 7:16 TLB)  From the subclan of Bebai, 628;

       (Neh 7:17 TLB)  From the subclan of Azgad, 2,322;

       (Neh 7:18 TLB)  From the subclan of Adonikam, 667;

       (Neh 7:19 TLB)  From the subclan of Bigvai, 2,067;

       (Neh 7:20 TLB)  From the subclan of Adin, 655;





       (Neh 7:21 TLB)  From the family of Hezekiah of the subclan of Ater, 
       98;

       (Neh 7:22 TLB)  From the subclan of Hashum, 328;

       (Neh 7:23 TLB)  From the subclan of Bezai, 324;

       (Neh 7:24 TLB)  From the subclan of Hariph, 112;

       (Neh 7:25 TLB)  From the subclan of Gibeon, 95;

       (Neh 7:26 TLB)  From the subclans of Bethlehem and Netophah, 188;

       (Neh 7:27 TLB)  From the subclan of Anathoth, 128;

       (Neh 7:28 TLB)  From the subclan of Beth-azmaveth, 42;

       (Neh 7:29 TLB)  From the subclans of Kiriath-jearim, Chephirah, and 
       Beeroth, 743;

       (Neh 7:30 TLB)  From the subclans of Ramah and Geba, 621;

       (Neh 7:31 TLB)  From the subclan of Michmas, 122;

       (Neh 7:32 TLB)  From the subclans of Bethel and Ai, 123;

       (Neh 7:33 TLB)  From the subclan of Nebo, 52;

       (Neh 7:34 TLB)  From the subclan of Elam, 1,254;

       (Neh 7:35 TLB)  From the subclan of Harim, 320;

       (Neh 7:36 TLB)  From the subclan of Jericho, 345;

       (Neh 7:37 TLB)  From the subclans of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, 721;

       (Neh 7:38 TLB)  From the subclan of Senaah, 3,930.

       (Neh 7:39 TLB)  "Here are the statistics concerning the returning 
       priests: From the family of Jeshua of the subclan of Jedaiah, 973;

       (Neh 7:40 TLB)  From the subclan of Immer, 1,052;

       (Neh 7:41 TLB)  From the subclan of Pashhur, 1,247;

       (Neh 7:42 TLB)  From the subclan of Harim, 1,017.

       (Neh 7:43 TLB)  "Here are the statistics concerning the Levites: From 
       the family of Kadmiel of the subclan of Hodevah of the clan of Jeshua, 
       74;

       (Neh 7:44 TLB)  The choir members from the clan of Asaph, 148;

       (Neh 7:45 TLB)  From the clans of Shallum, (all of whom were 
       gatekeepers), 138.





       (Neh 7:46 TLB)  "Of the Temple assistants, the following subclans were 
       represented: Ziha, Hasupha, Tabbaoth,

       (Neh 7:47 TLB)  Keros, Sia, Padon,

       (Neh 7:48 TLB)  Lebana, Hagaba, Shalmai,

       (Neh 7:49 TLB)  Hanan, Giddel, Gahar,

       (Neh 7:50 TLB)  Reaiah, Rezin, Nekoda,

       (Neh 7:51 TLB)  Gazzam, Uzza, Paseah,

       (Neh 7:52 TLB)  Besai, Asnah, Meunim, Nephushesim,

       (Neh 7:53 TLB)  Bakbuk, Hakupha, Harhur,

       (Neh 7:54 TLB)  Bazlith, Mehida, Harsha,

       (Neh 7:55 TLB)  Barkos, Sisera, Temah,

       (Neh 7:56 TLB)  Neziah, Hatipha.

       (Neh 7:57 TLB)  "Following is a list of the descendants of Solomon's 
       officials who returned to Judah: Sotai, Sophereth, Perida,

       (Neh 7:58 TLB)  Jaala, Darkon, Giddel,

       (Neh 7:59 TLB)  Shephatiah, Hattil, Pochereth-hazzebaim, Amon.

       (Neh 7:60 TLB)  "In all, the Temple assistants and the descendants of 
       Solomon's officers numbered 392."

       (Neh 7:61 TLB)  Another group returned to Jerusalem at that time from 
       the Persian cities of Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer. 
       But they had lost their genealogies and could not prove their Jewish 
       ancestry;

       (Neh 7:62 TLB)  these were the subclans of Delaiah, Tobiah, and 
       Nekoda--a total of 642.

       (Neh 7:63 TLB)  There were also several subclans of priests named 
       after Hobaiah. Hakkoz, and Barzillai (he married one of the daughters 
       of Barzillai the Gileadite and took her family name),

       (Neh 7:64 TLB)  whose genealogies had been lost. So they were not 
       allowed to continue as priests

       (Neh 7:65 TLB)  or even to receive the priests' share of food from the 
       sacrifices until the Urim and Thummim had been consulted to find out 
       from God whether or not they actually were descendants of priests.

       (Neh 7:66 TLB)  There was a total of 42,360 citizens who returned to 
       Judah at that time;

       (Neh 7:67 TLB)  also, 7,337 slaves and 245 choir members, both men and 





       women.

       (Neh 7:68 TLB)  They took with them 736 horses, 245 mules, 435 camels, 
       and 6,720 donkeys.

       (Neh 7:69 TLB)  

       (Neh 7:70 TLB)  Some of their leaders gave gifts for the work. The 
       governor gave $5,000 in gold, 50 gold bowls, and 530 sets of clothing 
       for the priests.

       (Neh 7:71 TLB)  The other leaders gave a total of $100,000 in gold and 
       $77,000 in silver;

       (Neh 7:72 TLB)  and the common people gave $100,000 in gold, $70,000 
       in silver, and sixty-seven sets of clothing for the priests.

       (Neh 7:73 TLB)  The priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the choir 
       members, the Temple attendants, and the rest of the people now 
       returned home to their own towns and villages throughout Judah. But 
       during the month of September, they came back to Jerusalem.

       (Neh 8:1 TLB)  Now, in mid-September, all the people assembled at the 
       plaza in front of the Water Gate and requested Ezra, their religious 
       leader, to read to them the law of God, which he had given to Moses.

       (Neh 8:2 TLB)  So Ezra the priest brought out to them the scroll of 
       Moses' laws. He stood on a wooden stand made especially for the 
       occasion so that everyone could see him as he read.

       (Neh 8:3 TLB)  He faced the square in front of the Water Gate and read 
       from early morning until noon.

       (Neh 8:4 TLB)  Everyone stood up as he opened the scroll. And all who 
       were old enough to understand paid close attention.

       (Neh 8:5 TLB)  To his right stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, 
       Hilkiah, and Maaseiah. To his left were Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, 
       Hashum, Hash-baddenah, Zechariah, and Meshullam.

       (Neh 8:6 TLB)  Then Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the 
       people said, "Amen," and lifted their hands toward heaven; then they 
       bowed and worshiped the Lord with their faces toward the ground.

       (Neh 8:7 TLB)  As Ezra read from the scroll, Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, 
       Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, 
       Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites went among the people

       (Neh 8:8 TLB)  and explained the meaning of the passage that was being 
       read.

       (Neh 8:9 TLB)  All the people began sobbing when they heard the 
       commands of the law. Then Ezra the priest, and I as governor, and the 
       Levites who were assisting me, said to them, "Don't cry on such a day 
       as this! For today is a sacred day before the Lord your God--





       (Neh 8:10 TLB)  it is a time to celebrate with a hearty meal and to 
       send presents to those in need, for the joy of the Lord is your 
       strength. You must not be dejected and sad!"

       (Neh 8:11 TLB)  And the Levites, too, quieted the people, telling 
       them, "That's right! Don't weep! For this is a day of holy joy, not of 
       sadness."

       (Neh 8:12 TLB)  So the people went away to eat a festive meal and to 
       send presents; it was a time of great and joyful celebration because 
       they could hear and understand God's words.

       (Neh 8:13 TLB)  The next day the clan leaders and the priests and 
       Levites met with Ezra to go over the law in greater detail.

       (Neh 8:14 TLB)  As they studied it, they noted that Jehovah had told 
       Moses that the people of Israel should live in tents during the 
       Festival of Tabernacles to be held that month.

       (Neh 8:15 TLB)  He had said also that a proclamation should be made 
       throughout the cities of the land, especially in Jerusalem, telling 
       the people to go to the hills to get branches from olive, myrtle, 
       palm, and fig trees and to make huts in which to live for the duration 
       of the feast.

       (Neh 8:16 TLB)  So the people went out and cut branches and used them 
       to build huts on the roofs of their houses, or in their courtyards, or 
       in the court of the Temple, or on the plaza beside the Water Gate, or 
       at the Ephraim Gate Plaza.

       (Neh 8:17 TLB)  They lived in these huts for the seven days of the 
       feast, and everyone was filled with joy! (This procedure had not been 
       carried out since the days of Joshua.)

       (Neh 8:18 TLB)  Ezra read from the scroll on each of the seven days of 
       the feast, and on the eighth day there was a solemn closing service as 
       required by the laws of Moses.

       (Neh 9:1 TLB)  On October 10 the people returned for another 
       observance; this time they fasted and clothed themselves with 
       sackcloth and sprinkled dirt in their hair.

       (Neh 9:2 TLB)  And the Israelis separated themselves from all 
       foreigners.

       (Neh 9:3 TLB)  The laws of God were read aloud to them for two or 
       three hours, and for several more hours they took turns confessing 
       their own sins and those of their ancestors. And everyone worshiped 
       the Lord their God.

       (Neh 9:4 TLB)  Some of the Levites were on the platform praising the 
       Lord God with songs of joy. These men were Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, 
       Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani.

       (Neh 9:5 TLB)  Then the Levite leaders called out to the people, 
       "Stand up and praise the Lord your God, for he lives from everlasting 





       to everlasting. Praise his glorious name! It is far greater than we 
       can think or say." The leaders in this part of the service were 
       Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and 
       Pethahiah.

       (Neh 9:6 TLB)  Then Ezra prayed, "You alone are God. You have made the 
       skies and the heavens, the earth and the seas, and everything in them. 
       You preserve it all; and all the angels of heaven worship you.

       (Neh 9:7 TLB)  "You are the Lord God who chose Abram and brought him 
       from Ur of the Chaldeans and renamed him Abraham.

       (Neh 9:8 TLB)  When he was faithful to you, you made a contract with 
       him to forever give him and his descendants the land of the 
       Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Jebusites, and 
       Girgashites; and now you have done what you promised, for you are 
       always true to your word.

       (Neh 9:9 TLB)  "You saw the troubles and sorrows of our ancestors in 
       Egypt, and you heard their cries from beside the Red Sea.

       (Neh 9:10 TLB)  You displayed great miracles against Pharaoh and his 
       people, for you knew how brutally the Egyptians were treating them; 
       you have a glorious reputation because of those never-to-be-forgotten 
       deeds.

       (Neh 9:11 TLB)  You divided the sea for your people so they could go 
       through on dry land! And then you destroyed their enemies in the 
       depths of the sea; they sank like stones beneath the mighty waters.

       (Neh 9:12 TLB)  You led our ancestors by a pillar of cloud during the 
       day and a pillar of fire at night so that they could find their way.

       (Neh 9:13 TLB)  "You came down upon Mount Sinai and spoke with them 
       from heaven and gave them good laws and true commandments,

       (Neh 9:14 TLB)  including the laws about the holy Sabbath; and you 
       commanded them, through Moses your servant, to obey them all.

       (Neh 9:15 TLB)  "You gave them bread from heaven when they were hungry 
       and water from the rock when they were thirsty. You commanded them to 
       go in and conquer the land you had sworn to give them;

       (Neh 9:16 TLB)  but our ancestors were a proud and stubborn lot, and 
       they refused to listen to your commandments.

       (Neh 9:17 TLB)  "They refused to obey and didn't pay any attention to 
       the miracles you did for them; instead, they rebelled and appointed a 
       leader to take them back into slavery in Egypt! But you are a God of 
       forgiveness, always ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to 
       become angry, and full of love and mercy; you didn't abandon them,

       (Neh 9:18 TLB)  even though they made a calf-idol and proclaimed, 
       'This is our God! He brought us out of Egypt!' They sinned in so many 
       ways,





       (Neh 9:19 TLB)  but in your great mercy you didn't abandon them to die 
       in the wilderness! The pillar of cloud led them forward day by day, 
       and the pillar of fire showed them the way through the night.

       (Neh 9:20 TLB)  You sent your good Spirit to instruct them, and you 
       did not stop giving them bread from heaven or water for their thirst.

       (Neh 9:21 TLB)  For forty years you sustained them in the wilderness; 
       they lacked nothing in all that time. Their clothes didn't wear out, 
       and their feet didn't swell!

       (Neh 9:22 TLB)  "Then you helped them conquer great kingdoms and many 
       nations, and you placed your people in every corner of the land; they 
       completely took over the land of King Sihon of Heshbon and King Og of 
       Bashan.

       (Neh 9:23 TLB)  You caused a population explosion among the Israelis 
       and brought them into the land you had promised to their ancestors.

       (Neh 9:24 TLB)  You subdued whole nations before them--even the kings 
       and the people of the Canaanites were powerless!

       (Neh 9:25 TLB)  Your people captured fortified cities and fertile 
       land; they took over houses full of good things, with cisterns and 
       vineyards and oliveyards and many, many fruit trees; so they ate and 
       were full and enjoyed themselves in all your blessings.

       (Neh 9:26 TLB)  "But despite all this, they were disobedient and 
       rebelled against you. They threw away your law, killed the prophets 
       who told them to return to you, and they did many other terrible 
       things.

       (Neh 9:27 TLB)  So you gave them to their enemies. But in their time 
       of trouble they cried to you, and you heard them from heaven, and in 
       great mercy you sent them saviors who delivered them from their 
       enemies.

       (Neh 9:28 TLB)  But when all was going well, your people turned to sin 
       again, and once more you let their enemies conquer them. Yet whenever 
       your people returned to you and cried to you for help, once more you 
       listened from heaven, and in your wonderful mercy delivered them!

       (Neh 9:29 TLB)  You punished them in order to turn them toward your 
       laws; but even though they should have obeyed them, they were proud 
       and wouldn't listen, and continued to sin.

       (Neh 9:30 TLB)  You were patient with them for many years. You sent 
       your prophets to warn them about their sins, but still they wouldn't 
       listen. So once again you allowed the heathen nations to conquer them.

       (Neh 9:31 TLB)  But in your great mercy you did not destroy them 
       completely or abandon them forever. What a gracious and merciful God 
       you are!

       (Neh 9:32 TLB)  "And now, O great and awesome God, you who keep your 
       promises of love and kindness--do not let all the hardships we have 





       gone through become as nothing to you. Great trouble has come upon us 
       and upon our kings and princes and priests and prophets and ancestors 
       from the days when the kings of Assyria first triumphed over us until 
       now.

       (Neh 9:33 TLB)  Every time you punished us you were being perfectly 
       fair; we have sinned so greatly that you gave us only what we 
       deserved.

       (Neh 9:34 TLB)  Our kings, princes, priests, and ancestors didn't obey 
       your laws or listen to your warnings.

       (Neh 9:35 TLB)  They did not worship you despite the wonderful things 
       you did for them and the great goodness you showered upon them. You 
       gave them a large, fat land, but they refused to turn from their 
       wickedness.

       (Neh 9:36 TLB)  "So now we are slaves here in the land of plenty that 
       you gave to our ancestors! Slaves among all this abundance!

       (Neh 9:37 TLB)  The lush yield of this land passes into the hands of 
       the kings whom you have allowed to conquer us because of our sins. 
       They have power over our bodies and our cattle, and we serve them at 
       their pleasure and are in great misery.

       (Neh 9:38 TLB)  Because of all this, we again promise to serve the 
       Lord! And we and our princes and Levites and priests put our names to 
       this covenant."

       (Neh 10:1 TLB)  I, Nehemiah the governor, signed the covenant. The 
       others who signed it were: Zedekiah,

       (Neh 10:2 TLB)  Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah,

       (Neh 10:3 TLB)  Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah,

       (Neh 10:4 TLB)  Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch,

       (Neh 10:5 TLB)  Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah,

       (Neh 10:6 TLB)  Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch,

       (Neh 10:7 TLB)  Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin,

       (Neh 10:8 TLB)  Maaziah, Bilgai, Shemaiah. (All those listed above 
       were priests.)

       (Neh 10:9 TLB)  These were the Levites who signed: Jeshua (son of 
       Azaniah), Binnui (son of Henadad), Kadmiel,

       (Neh 10:10 TLB)  Shebaniah, Hodiah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan,

       (Neh 10:11 TLB)  Mica, Rehob, Hashabiah,

       (Neh 10:12 TLB)  Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah,





       (Neh 10:13 TLB)  Hodiah, Bani, Beninu.

       (Neh 10:14 TLB)  The political leaders who signed: Parosh, 
       Pahath-moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani,

       (Neh 10:15 TLB)  Bunni, Azgad, Bebai,

       (Neh 10:16 TLB)  Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin,

       (Neh 10:17 TLB)  Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur,

       (Neh 10:18 TLB)  Hodiah, Hashum, Bezai,

       (Neh 10:19 TLB)  Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai,

       (Neh 10:20 TLB)  Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir,

       (Neh 10:21 TLB)  Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua,

       (Neh 10:22 TLB)  Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah,

       (Neh 10:23 TLB)  Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasshub,

       (Neh 10:24 TLB)  Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek,

       (Neh 10:25 TLB)  Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah,

       (Neh 10:26 TLB)  Ahiah, Hanan, Anan,

       (Neh 10:27 TLB)  Malluch, Harim, Baanah.

       (Neh 10:28 TLB)  These men signed on behalf of the entire nation--for 
       the common people, the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the 
       choir members, the Temple servants, and all the rest who, with their 
       wives and sons and daughters who were old enough to understand, had 
       separated themselves from the heathen people of the land in order to 
       serve God.

       (Neh 10:29 TLB)  For we all heartily agreed to this oath and vowed to 
       accept the curse of God unless we obeyed God's laws as issued by his 
       servant Moses.

       (Neh 10:30 TLB)  We also agreed not to let our daughters marry 
       non-Jewish men and not to let our sons marry non-Jewish girls.

       (Neh 10:31 TLB)  We further agreed that if the heathen people in the 
       land should bring any grain or other produce to be sold on the Sabbath 
       or on any other holy day, we would refuse to buy it. And we agreed not 
       to do any work every seventh year and to forgive and cancel the debts 
       of our brother Jews.

       (Neh 10:32 TLB)  We also agreed to charge ourselves annually with a 
       Temple tax so that there would be enough money to care for the Temple 
       of our God;

       (Neh 10:33 TLB)  for we needed supplies of the special Bread of the 





       Presence, as well as grain offerings and burnt offerings for the 
       Sabbaths, the new moon feasts, and the annual feasts. We also needed 
       to purchase the other items necessary for the work of the Temple and 
       for the atonement of Israel.

       (Neh 10:34 TLB)  Then we tossed a coin to determine when--at regular 
       times each year--the families of the priests, Levites, and leaders 
       should supply the wood for the burnt offerings at the Temple as 
       required in the law.

       (Neh 10:35 TLB)  We also agreed always to bring the first part of 
       every crop to the Temple--whether it be a ground crop or from our 
       fruit and olive trees.

       (Neh 10:36 TLB)  We agreed to give to God our oldest sons and the 
       firstborn of all our cattle, herds, and flocks, just as the law 
       requires; we presented them to the priests who minister in the Temple 
       of our God.

       (Neh 10:37 TLB)  They stored the produce in the Temple of our God--the 
       best of our grain crops, and other contributions, the first of our 
       fruit, and the first of the new wine and olive oil. And we promised to 
       bring to the Levites a tenth of everything our land produced, for the 
       Levites were responsible to collect the tithes in all our rural towns.

       (Neh 10:38 TLB)  A priest--a descendant of Aaron--would be with the 
       Levites as they received these tithes, and a tenth of all that was 
       collected as tithes was delivered to the Temple and placed in the 
       storage areas.

       (Neh 10:39 TLB)  The people and the Levites were required by law to 
       bring these offerings of grain, new wine, and olive oil to the Temple 
       and place them in the sacred containers for use by the ministering 
       priests, the gatekeepers, and the choir singers. So we agreed together 
       not to neglect the Temple of our God.

       (Neh 11:1 TLB)  The Israeli officials were living in Jerusalem, the 
       Holy City, at this time; but now a tenth of the people from the other 
       cities and towns of Judah and Benjamin were selected by lot to live 
       there too.

       (Neh 11:2 TLB)  Some who moved to Jerusalem at this time were 
       volunteers, and they were highly honored.

       (Neh 11:3 TLB)  Following is a list of the names of the provincial 
       officials who came to Jerusalem (though most of the leaders, the 
       priests, the Levites, the Temple assistants, and the descendants of 
       Solomon's servants continued to live in their own homes in the various 
       cities of Judah).

       (Neh 11:4 TLB)  Leaders from the tribe of Judah: Athaiah (son of 
       Uzziah, son of Zechariah, son of Amariah, son of Shephatiah, son of 
       Mahalalel, a descendant of Perez);

       (Neh 11:5 TLB)  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 TLB)  These were the 468 stalwart descendants of Perez who 
       lived in Jerusalem.

       (Neh 11:7 TLB)  Leaders from the tribe of Benjamin: Sallu (son of 
       Meshullam, son of Joed, son of Pedaiah, son of Kolaiah, son of 
       Maaseiah, son of Ithiel, son of Jeshaiah).

       (Neh 11:8 TLB)  The 968 descendants of Gabbai and Sallai.

       (Neh 11:9 TLB)  Their chief was Joel, son of Zichri, who was assisted 
       by Judah, son of Hassenuah.

       (Neh 11:10 TLB)  Leaders from among the priests: Jedaiah (son of 
       Joiarib); Jachin;

       (Neh 11:11 TLB)  Seraiah (son of Hilkiah, son of Meshullam, son of 
       Zadok, son of Meraioth, son of Ahitub the chief priest).

       (Neh 11:12 TLB)  In all, there were 822 priests doing the work at the 
       Temple under the leadership of these men.

       (Neh 11:13 TLB)  And there were 242 priests under the leadership of 
       Adaiah (son of Jeroham, son of Pelaliah, son of Amzi, son of 
       Zechariah, son of Pashhur, son of Malchijah).

       (Neh 11:14 TLB)  There were also 128 stalwart men under the leadership 
       of Amashsai (son of Azarel, son of Ahzai, son of Meshillemoth, son of 
       Immer); who was assisted by Zabdiel (son of Haggedolim).

       (Neh 11:15 TLB)  Levite leaders: Shemaiah (son of Hasshub, son of 
       Azrikam, son of Hashabiah, son of Bunni);

       (Neh 11:16 TLB)  Shabbethai and Jozabad, who were in charge of the 
       work outside the Temple;

       (Neh 11:17 TLB)  Mattaniah (son of Mica, son of Zabdi, son of Asaph) 
       was the one who began the thanksgiving services with prayer; Bakbukiah 
       and Abda (son of Shammua, son of Galal, son of Jeduthun) were his 
       assistants.

       (Neh 11:18 TLB)  In all, there were 284 Levites in Jerusalem.

       (Neh 11:19 TLB)  There were also 172 gatekeepers, led by Akkub, 
       Talmon, and others of their clan.

       (Neh 11:20 TLB)  The other priests, Levites, and people lived wherever 
       their family inheritance was located.

       (Neh 11:21 TLB)  However, the Temple workers (whose leaders were Ziha 
       and Gishpa) all lived in Ophel.

       (Neh 11:22 TLB)  The supervisor of the Levites in Jerusalem and of 
       those serving at the Temple was Uzzi (son of Bani, son of Hashabiah, 
       son of Mattaniah, son of Mica), a descendant of Asaph, whose clan 





       became the Tabernacle singers.

       (Neh 11:23 TLB)  He was appointed by King David, who also set the pay 
       scale of the singers.

       (Neh 11:24 TLB)  Pethahiah (son of Meshezabel, a descendant of Zerah, 
       a son of Judah) assisted in all matters of public administration.

       (Neh 11:25 TLB)  Some of the towns where the people of Judah lived 
       were: Kiriath-arba, Dibon, Jekabzeel (and their surrounding villages),

       (Neh 11:26 TLB)  Jeshua, Moladah, Beth-pelet,

       (Neh 11:27 TLB)  Hazar-shual, Beersheba (and its surrounding 
       villages),

       (Neh 11:28 TLB)  Ziklag, Meconah and its villages,

       (Neh 11:29 TLB)  En-rimmon, Zorah, Jarmuth,

       (Neh 11:30 TLB)  Zanoah, Adullam (and their surrounding villages), 
       Lachish and its nearby fields, Azekah and its towns. So the people 
       spread from Beersheba to the valley of Hinnom.

       (Neh 11:31 TLB)  The people of the tribe of Benjamin lived at: Geba, 
       Michmash, Aija, Bethel (and its surrounding villages),

       (Neh 11:32 TLB)  Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah,

       (Neh 11:33 TLB)  Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim,

       (Neh 11:34 TLB)  Hadid, Zeboim, Neballat,

       (Neh 11:35 TLB)  Lod, Ono (the Valley of the Craftsmen).

       (Neh 11:36 TLB)  Some of the Levites who lived in Judah were sent to 
       live with the tribe of Benjamin.

       (Neh 12:1 TLB)  Here is a list of the priests who accompanied 
       Zerubbabel (son of Shealtiel) and Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra,

       (Neh 12:2 TLB)  Amariah, Malluch, Hattush,

       (Neh 12:3 TLB)  Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth,

       (Neh 12:4 TLB)  Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah,

       (Neh 12:5 TLB)  Mijamin, Maadiah, Bilgah,

       (Neh 12:6 TLB)  Shemaiah, Joiarib, Jedaiah,

       (Neh 12:7 TLB)  Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, Jedaiah.

       (Neh 12:8 TLB)  The Levites who went with them were: Jeshua, Binnui, 
       Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, Mattaniah--who was the one in charge of the 
       thanksgiving service.






       (Neh 12:9 TLB)  Bakbukiah and Unni, their fellow clansmen, helped them 
       during the service.

       (Neh 12:10 TLB)  Jeshua was the father of Joiakim; Joiakim was the 
       father of Eliashib; Eliashib was the father of Joiada;

       (Neh 12:11 TLB)  Joiada was the father of Jonathan; Jonathan was the 
       father of Jaddua.

       (Neh 12:12 TLB)  The following were the clan leaders of the priests 
       who served under the High Priest Joiakim: Meraiah, leader of the 
       Seraiah clan; Hananiah, leader of the Jeremiah clan;

       (Neh 12:13 TLB)  Meshullam, leader of the Ezra clan; Jehohanan, leader 
       of the Amariah clan;

       (Neh 12:14 TLB)  Jonathan, leader of the Malluchi clan; Joseph, leader 
       of the Shebaniah clan;

       (Neh 12:15 TLB)  Adna, leader of the Harim clan; Helkai, leader of the 
       Meraioth clan;

       (Neh 12:16 TLB)  Zechariah, leader of the Iddo clan; Meshullam, leader 
       of the Ginnethon clan;

       (Neh 12:17 TLB)  Zichri, leader of the Abijah clan; Piltai, leader of 
       the Moadiah and Miniamin clans;

       (Neh 12:18 TLB)  Shammua, leader of the Bilgah clan; Jehonathan, 
       leader of the Shemaiah clan;

       (Neh 12:19 TLB)  Mattenai, leader of the Joiarib clan; Uzzi, leader of 
       the Jedaiah clan;

       (Neh 12:20 TLB)  Kallai, leader of the Sallai clan; Eber, leader of 
       the Amok clan;

       (Neh 12:21 TLB)  Hashabiah, leader of the Hilkiah clan; Nethanel, 
       leader of the Jedaiah clan.

       (Neh 12:22 TLB)  A genealogical record of the heads of the clans of 
       the priests and Levites was compiled during the reign of King Darius 
       of Persia, in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan, and Jaddua--all 
       of whom were Levites.

       (Neh 12:23 TLB)  In The Book of the Chronicles the Levite names were 
       recorded down to the days of Johanan, the son of Eliashib.

       (Neh 12:24 TLB)  These were the chiefs of the Levites at that time: 
       Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua (son of Kadmiel). Their 
       fellow-clansmen helped them during the ceremonies of praise and 
       thanksgiving, just as commanded by David, the man of God.

       (Neh 12:25 TLB)  The gatekeepers who had charge of the collection 
       centers at the gates were: Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, 





       Talmon, Akkub.

       (Neh 12:26 TLB)  These were the men who were active in the time of 
       Joiakim (son of Jeshua, son of Jozadak), and when I was the governor, 
       and when Ezra was the priest and teacher of religion.

       (Neh 12:27 TLB)  During the dedication of the new Jerusalem wall, all 
       the Levites throughout the land came to Jerusalem to assist in the 
       ceremonies and to take part in the joyous occasion with their 
       thanksgiving, cymbals, psaltries, and harps.

       (Neh 12:28 TLB)  The choir members also came to Jerusalem from the 
       surrounding villages and from the villages of the Netophathites;

       (Neh 12:29 TLB)  they also came from Beth-gilgal and the area of Geba 
       and Azmaveth, for the singers had built their own villages as suburbs 
       of Jerusalem.

       (Neh 12:30 TLB)  The priests and Levites first dedicated themselves, 
       then the people, the gates, and the wall.

       (Neh 12:31 TLB)  I led the Judean leaders to the top of the wall and 
       divided them into two long lines to walk in opposite directions along 
       the top of the wall, giving thanks as they went.

       (Neh 12:32 TLB)  The group which went to the right toward the Dung 
       Gate consisted of half of the leaders of Judah,

       (Neh 12:33 TLB)  including Hoshaiah, Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam,

       (Neh 12:34 TLB)  Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, and Jeremiah.

       (Neh 12:35 TLB)  The priests who played the trumpets were Zechariah 
       (son of Jonathan, son of Shemaiah, son of Mattaniah, son of Micaiah, 
       son of Zaccur, son of Asaph),

       (Neh 12:36 TLB)  Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, 
       Judah, and Hanani. (They used the original musical instruments of King 
       David.) Ezra the priest led this procession.

       (Neh 12:37 TLB)  When they arrived at the Fountain Gate they went 
       straight ahead and climbed the stairs that go up beside the castle to 
       the old City of David; then they went to the Water Gate on the east.

       (Neh 12:38 TLB)  The other group, of which I was a member, went around 
       the other way to meet them. We walked from the Tower of Furnaces to 
       the Broad Wall,

       (Neh 12:39 TLB)  then from the Ephraim Gate to the Old Gate, passed 
       the Fish Gate and the Tower of Hananel, and went on to the gate of the 
       Tower of the Hundred; then we continued on to the Sheep Gate and 
       stopped at the Prison Gate.

       (Neh 12:40 TLB)  Both choirs then proceeded to the Temple. Those with 
       me were joined by





       (Neh 12:41 TLB)  the trumpet-playing priests--Eliakim, Maaseiah, 
       Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah,

       (Neh 12:42 TLB)  and by the singers--Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, 
       Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malchijah, Elam, and Ezer. They sang loudly and 
       clearly under the direction of Jezrahiah the choirmaster.

       (Neh 12:43 TLB)  Many sacrifices were offered on that joyous day, for 
       God had given us cause for great joy. The women and children rejoiced, 
       too, and the joy of the people of Jerusalem was heard far away!

       (Neh 12:44 TLB)  On that day men were appointed to be in charge of the 
       treasuries, the wave offerings, the tithes, and first-of-the-harvest 
       offerings, and to collect these from the farms as decreed by the laws 
       of Moses. These offerings were assigned to the priests and Levites, 
       for the people of Judah appreciated the priests and Levites and their 
       ministry.

       (Neh 12:45 TLB)  They also appreciated the work of the singers and 
       gatekeepers, who assisted them in worshiping God and performing the 
       purification ceremonies as required by the laws of David and his son 
       Solomon.

       (Neh 12:46 TLB)  (It was in the days of David and Asaph that the 
       custom began of having choir directors to lead the choirs in hymns of 
       praise and thanks to God.)

       (Neh 12:47 TLB)  So now, in the days of Zerubbabel and Nehemiah, the 
       people brought a daily supply of food for the members of the choir, 
       the gatekeepers, and the Levites. The Levites, in turn, gave a portion 
       of what they received to the priests.

       (Neh 13:1 TLB)  On that same day, as the laws of Moses were being 
       read, the people found a statement which said that the Ammonites and 
       Moabites should never be permitted to worship at the Temple.

       (Neh 13:2 TLB)  For they had not been friendly to the people of 
       Israel. Instead, they had hired Balaam to curse them--although God 
       turned the curse into a blessing.

       (Neh 13:3 TLB)  When this rule was read, all the foreigners were 
       immediately expelled from the assembly.

       (Neh 13:4 TLB)  Before this had happened, Eliashib the priest, who had 
       been appointed as custodian of the Temple storerooms and who was also 
       a good friend of Tobiah,

       (Neh 13:5 TLB)  had converted a storage room into a beautiful guest 
       room for Tobiah. The room had previously been used for storing the 
       grain offerings, frankincense, bowls, and tithes of grain, new wine, 
       and olive oil. Moses had decreed that these offerings belonged to the 
       priests, Levites, the members of the choir, and the gatekeepers.

       (Neh 13:6 TLB)  I was not in Jerusalem at the time, for I had returned 
       to Babylon in the thirty-second year of the reign of King Artaxerxes 
       (though I later received his permission to go back again to 





       Jerusalem).

       (Neh 13:7 TLB)  When I arrived back in Jerusalem and learned of this 
       evil deed of Eliashib--that he had prepared a guest room in the Temple 
       for Tobiah--

       (Neh 13:8 TLB)  I was very upset and threw out all of his belongings 
       from the room.

       (Neh 13:9 TLB)  Then I demanded that the room be thoroughly cleaned, 
       and I brought back the Temple bowls, the grain offerings, and 
       frankincense.

       (Neh 13:10 TLB)  I also learned that the Levites had not been given 
       what was due them, so they and the choir singers who were supposed to 
       conduct the worship services had returned to their farms.

       (Neh 13:11 TLB)  I immediately confronted the leaders and demanded, 
       "Why has the Temple been forsaken?" Then I called all the Levites back 
       again and restored them to their proper duties.

       (Neh 13:12 TLB)  And once more all the people of Judah began bringing 
       their tithes of grain, new wine, and olive oil to the Temple treasury.

       (Neh 13:13 TLB)  I put Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, and 
       Pedaiah the Levite in charge of the administration of the storehouses; 
       and I appointed Hanan (son of Zaccur, son of Mattaniah) as their 
       assistant. These men had an excellent reputation, and their job was to 
       make an honest distribution to their fellow-Levites.

       (Neh 13:14 TLB)  O my God, remember this good deed and do not forget 
       all that I have done for the Temple.

       (Neh 13:15 TLB)  One day I was on a farm and saw some men treading 
       winepresses on the Sabbath, hauling in sheaves, and loading their 
       donkeys with wine, grapes, figs, and all sorts of produce, which they 
       took that day into Jerusalem. So I opposed them publicly.

       (Neh 13:16 TLB)  There were also some men from Tyre bringing in fish 
       and all sorts of wares and selling them on the Sabbath to the people 
       of Jerusalem.

       (Neh 13:17 TLB)  Then I asked the leaders of Judah, "Why are you 
       profaning the Sabbath?

       (Neh 13:18 TLB)  Wasn't it enough that your fathers did this sort of 
       thing and brought the present evil days upon us and upon our city? And 
       now you are bringing more wrath upon the people of Israel by 
       permitting the Sabbath to be desecrated in this way."

       (Neh 13:19 TLB)  So from then on I commanded that the gates of the 
       city be shut as darkness fell on Friday evenings and not be opened 
       until the Sabbath had ended; and I sent some of my servants to guard 
       the gates so that no merchandise could be brought in on the Sabbath 
       day.





       (Neh 13:20 TLB)  The merchants and tradesmen camped outside Jerusalem 
       once or twice,

       (Neh 13:21 TLB)  but I spoke sharply to them and said, "What are you 
       doing out here, camping around the wall? If you do this again, I will 
       arrest you." And that was the last time they came on the Sabbath.

       (Neh 13:22 TLB)  Then I commanded the Levites to purify themselves and 
       to guard the gates in order to preserve the sanctity of the Sabbath. 
       Remember this good deed, O my God! Have compassion upon me in 
       accordance with your great goodness.

       (Neh 13:23 TLB)  About the same time I realized that some of the Jews 
       had married women from Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab,

       (Neh 13:24 TLB)  and that many of their children spoke in the language 
       of Ashdod and couldn't speak the language of Judah at all.

       (Neh 13:25 TLB)  So I confronted these parents and cursed them and 
       punched a few of them and knocked them around and pulled out their 
       hair; and they vowed before God that they would not let their children 
       intermarry with non-Jews.

       (Neh 13:26 TLB)  "Wasn't this exactly King Solomon's problem?" I 
       demanded. "There was no king who could compare with him, and God loved 
       him and made him the king over all Israel; but even so he was led into 
       idolatry by foreign women.

       (Neh 13:27 TLB)  Do you think that we will let you get away with this 
       sinful deed?"

       (Neh 13:28 TLB)  One of the sons of Jehoiada (the son of Eliashib the 
       High Priest) was a son-in-law of Sanballat the Horonite, so I chased 
       him out of the Temple.

       (Neh 13:29 TLB)  Remember them, O my God, for they have defiled the 
       priesthood and the promises and vows of the priests and Levites.

       (Neh 13:30 TLB)  So I purged out the foreigners and assigned tasks to 
       the priests and Levites, making certain that each knew his work.

       (Neh 13:31 TLB)  They supplied wood for the altar at the proper times 
       and cared for the sacrifices and the first offerings of every harvest. 
       Remember me, my God, with your kindness.

       (Est 1:1 TLB)  It was the third year of the reign of King Ahasuerus, 
       emperor of vast Media-Persia, with its 127 provinces stretching from 
       India to Ethiopia.

       (Est 1:2 TLB)  This was the year of the great celebration at Shushan 
       Palace, to which the emperor invited all his governors, aides, and 
       army officers, bringing them in from every part of Media-Persia for 
       the occasion.

       (Est 1:3 TLB)  





       (Est 1:4 TLB)  The celebration lasted six months, a tremendous display 
       of the wealth and glory of his empire.

       (Est 1:5 TLB)  When it was all over, the king gave a special party for 
       the palace servants and officials--janitors and cabinet officials 
       alike--for seven days of revelry, held in the courtyard of the palace 
       garden.

       (Est 1:6 TLB)  The decorations were green, white, and blue, fastened 
       with purple ribbons tied to silver rings imbedded in marble pillars. 
       Gold and silver benches stood on pavements of black, red, white, and 
       yellow marble.

       (Est 1:7 TLB)  Drinks were served in gold goblets of many designs, and 
       there was an abundance of royal wine, for the king was feeling very 
       generous.

       (Est 1:8 TLB)  The only restriction on the drinking was that no one 
       should be compelled to take more than he wanted, but those who wished 
       could have as much as they pleased. For the king had instructed his 
       officers to let everyone decide this matter for himself.

       (Est 1:9 TLB)  Queen Vashti gave a party for the women of the palace 
       at the same time.

       (Est 1:10 TLB)  On the final day when the king was feeling high, half 
       drunk from wine, he told the seven eunuchs who were his personal 
       aides--Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carkas--

       (Est 1:11 TLB)  to bring Queen Vashti to him with the royal crown upon 
       her head so that all the men could gaze upon her beauty--for she was a 
       very beautiful woman.

       (Est 1:12 TLB)  But when they conveyed the emperor's order to Queen 
       Vashti, she refused to come. The king was furious

       (Est 1:13 TLB)  but first consulted his lawyers, for he did nothing 
       without their advice. They were men of wisdom who knew the temper of 
       the times as well as Persian law and justice, and the king trusted 
       their judgment.

       (Est 1:14 TLB)  These men were Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, 
       Meres, Marsena, and Memucan--seven high officials of Media-Persia. 
       They were his personal friends as well as being the chief officers of 
       the government.

       (Est 1:15 TLB)  "What shall we do about this situation?" he asked 
       them. "What penalty does the law provide for a queen who refuses to 
       obey the king's orders, properly sent through his aides?"

       (Est 1:16 TLB)  Memucan answered for the others, "Queen Vashti has 
       wronged not only the king but every official and citizen of your 
       empire.

       (Est 1:17 TLB)  For women everywhere will begin to disobey their 
       husbands when they learn what Queen Vashti has done.






       (Est 1:18 TLB)  And before this day is out, the wife of every one of 
       us officials throughout your empire will hear what the queen did and 
       will start talking to us husbands the same way, and there will be 
       contempt and anger throughout your realm.

       (Est 1:19 TLB)  We suggest that, subject to your agreement, you issue 
       a royal edict, a law of the Medes and Persians that can never be 
       changed, that Queen Vashti be forever banished from your presence and 
       that you choose another queen more worthy than she.

       (Est 1:20 TLB)  When this decree is published throughout your great 
       kingdom, husbands everywhere, whatever their rank, will be respected 
       by their wives!"

       (Est 1:21 TLB)  The king and all his aides thought this made good 
       sense, so he followed Memucan's counsel

       (Est 1:22 TLB)  and sent letters to all of his provinces, in all the 
       local languages, stressing that every man should rule his home and 
       should assert his authority.

       (Est 2:1 TLB)  But after King Ahasuerus' anger had cooled, he began 
       brooding over the loss of Vashti, realizing that he would never see 
       her again.

       (Est 2:2 TLB)  So his aides suggested, "Let us go and find the most 
       beautiful girls in the empire and bring them to the king for his 
       pleasure.

       (Est 2:3 TLB)  We will appoint agents in each province to select young 
       lovelies for the royal harem. Hegai, the eunuch in charge, will see 
       that they are given beauty treatments,

       (Est 2:4 TLB)  and after that, the girl who pleases you most shall be 
       the queen instead of Vashti." This suggestion naturally pleased the 
       king very much, and he put the plan into immediate effect.

       (Est 2:5 TLB)  Now there was a certain Jew at the palace named 
       Mordecai (son of Jair, son of Shimei, son of Kish, a Benjaminite).

       (Est 2:6 TLB)  He had been captured when Jerusalem was destroyed by 
       King Nebuchadnezzar and had been exiled to Babylon along with King 
       Jeconiah of Judah and many others.

       (Est 2:7 TLB)  This man had a beautiful and lovely young cousin, 
       Hadassah (also called Esther), whose father and mother were dead, and 
       whom he had adopted into his family and raised as his own daughter.

       (Est 2:8 TLB)  So now, as a result of the king's decree, Esther was 
       brought to the king's harem at Shushan Palace along with many other 
       young girls.

       (Est 2:9 TLB)  Hegai, who was responsible for the harem, was very much 
       impressed with her and did his best to make her happy; he ordered a 
       special menu for her, favored her for the beauty treatments, gave her 





       seven girls from the palace as her maids, and gave her the most 
       luxurious apartment in the harem.

       (Est 2:10 TLB)  Esther hadn't told anyone that she was a Jewess, for 
       Mordecai had said not to.

       (Est 2:11 TLB)  He came daily to the court of the harem to ask about 
       Esther and to find out what was happening to her.

       (Est 2:12 TLB)  The instructions concerning these girls were that 
       before being taken to the king's bed, each would be given six months 
       of beauty treatments with oil of myrrh, followed by six months with 
       special perfumes and ointments.

       (Est 2:13 TLB)  Then, as each girl's turn came for spending the night 
       with King Ahasuerus, she was given her choice of clothing or jewelry 
       she wished, to enhance her beauty.

       (Est 2:14 TLB)  She was taken to the king's apartment in the evening 
       and the next morning returned to the second harem where the king's 
       wives lived. There she was under the care of Shaashgaz, another of the 
       king's eunuchs and lived there the rest of her life, never seeing the 
       king again unless he had especially enjoyed her and called for her by 
       name.

       (Est 2:15 TLB)  When it was Esther's turn to go to the king, she 
       accepted the advice of Hegai, the eunuch in charge of the harem, 
       dressing according to his instructions. And all the other girls 
       exclaimed with delight when they saw her.

       (Est 2:16 TLB)  So Esther was taken to the palace of the king in 
       January of the seventh year of his reign.

       (Est 2:17 TLB)  Well, the king loved Esther more than any of the other 
       girls. He was so delighted with her that he set the royal crown on her 
       head and declared her queen instead of Vashti.

       (Est 2:18 TLB)  To celebrate the occasion, he threw another big party 
       for all his officials and servants, giving generous gifts to everyone 
       and making grants to the provinces in the form of remission of taxes.

       (Est 2:19 TLB)  Later the king demanded a second bevy of beautiful 
       girls. By that time Mordecai had become a government official.

       (Est 2:20 TLB)  Esther still hadn't told anyone she was a Jewess, for 
       she was still following Mordecai's orders, just as she had in his 
       home.

       (Est 2:21 TLB)  One day as Mordecai was on duty at the palace, two of 
       the king's eunuchs, Bigthan and Teresh--who were guards at the palace 
       gate--became angry at the king and plotted to assassinate him.

       (Est 2:22 TLB)  Mordecai heard about it and passed on the information 
       to Queen Esther, who told the king, crediting Mordecai with the 
       information.





       (Est 2:23 TLB)  An investigation was made, the two men found guilty, 
       and impaled alive. This was all duly recorded in the book of the 
       history of King Ahasuerus' reign.

       (Est 3:1 TLB)  Soon afterwards King Ahasuerus appointed Haman (son of 
       Hammedatha the Agagite) as prime minister. He was the most powerful 
       official in the empire next to the king himself.

       (Est 3:2 TLB)  Now all the king's officials bowed before him in deep 
       reverence whenever he passed by, for so the king had commanded. But 
       Mordecai refused to bow.

       (Est 3:3 TLB)  "Why are you disobeying the king's commandment?" the 
       others demanded

       (Est 3:4 TLB)  day after day, but he still refused. Finally they spoke 
       to Haman about it to see whether Mordecai could get away with it 
       because of his being a Jew, which was the excuse he had given them.

       (Est 3:5 TLB)  Haman was furious

       (Est 3:6 TLB)  but decided not to lay hands on Mordecai alone, but to 
       move against all of Mordecai's people, the Jews, and destroy all of 
       them throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus.

       (Est 3:7 TLB)  The most propitious time for this action was determined 
       by throwing dice. This was done in April of the twelfth year of the 
       reign of Ahasuerus, and February of the following year was the date 
       indicated.

       (Est 3:8 TLB)  Haman now approached the king about the matter. "There 
       is a certain race of people scattered through all the provinces of 
       your kingdom," he began, "and their laws are different from those of 
       any other nation, and they refuse to obey the king's laws; therefore, 
       it is not in the king's interest to let them live.

       (Est 3:9 TLB)  If it please the king, issue a decree that they be 
       destroyed, and I will pay $20,000,000 into the royal treasury for the 
       expenses involved in this purge."

       (Est 3:10 TLB)  The king agreed, confirming his decision by removing 
       his ring from his finger and giving it to Haman, telling him,

       (Est 3:11 TLB)  "Keep the money, but go ahead and do as you like with 
       these people--whatever you think best."

       (Est 3:12 TLB)  Two or three weeks later, Haman called in the king's 
       secretaries and dictated letters to the governors and officials 
       throughout the empire, to each province in its own languages and 
       dialects; these letters were signed in the name of King Ahasuerus and 
       sealed with his ring.

       (Est 3:13 TLB)  They were then sent by messengers into all the 
       provinces of the empire, decreeing that the Jews--young and old, women 
       and children--must all be killed on the 28 th day of February of the 
       following year and their property given to those who killed them.






       (Est 3:14 TLB)  "A copy of this edict," the letter stated, "must be 
       proclaimed as law in every province and made known to all your people, 
       so that they will be ready to do their duty on the appointed day."

       (Est 3:15 TLB)  The edict went out by the king's speediest couriers, 
       after being first proclaimed in the city of Shushan. Then the king and 
       Haman sat down for a drinking spree as the city fell into confusion 
       and panic.

       (Est 4:1 TLB)  When Mordecai learned what had been done, he tore his 
       clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the city, 
       crying with a loud and bitter wail.

       (Est 4:2 TLB)  Then he stood outside the gate of the palace, for no 
       one was permitted to enter in mourning clothes.

       (Est 4:3 TLB)  And throughout all the provinces there was great 
       mourning among the Jews, fasting, weeping, and despair at the king's 
       decree; and many lay in sackcloth and ashes.

       (Est 4:4 TLB)  When Esther's maids and eunuchs came and told her about 
       Mordecai, she was deeply distressed and sent clothing to him to 
       replace the sackcloth, but he refused it.

       (Est 4:5 TLB)  Then Esther sent for Hathach, one of the king's eunuchs 
       who had been appointed as her attendant, and told him to go out to 
       Mordecai and find out what the trouble was and why he was acting like 
       that.

       (Est 4:6 TLB)  So Hathach went out to the city square and found 
       Mordecai just outside the palace gates,

       (Est 4:7 TLB)  and heard the whole story from him, and about the 
       $20,000,000 Haman had promised to pay into the king's treasury for the 
       destruction of the Jews.

       (Est 4:8 TLB)  Mordecai also gave Hathach a copy of the king's decree 
       dooming all Jews, and told him to show it to Esther and to tell her 
       what was happening and that she should go to the king to plead for her 
       people.

       (Est 4:9 TLB)  So Hathach returned to Esther with Mordecai's message.

       (Est 4:10 TLB)  Esther told Hathach to go back and say to Mordecai,

       (Est 4:11 TLB)  "All the world knows that anyone, whether man or 
       woman, who goes into the king's inner court without his summons is 
       doomed to die unless the king holds out his gold scepter; and the king 
       has not called for me to come to him in more than a month."

       (Est 4:12 TLB)  So Hathach gave Esther's message to Mordecai.

       (Est 4:13 TLB)  This was Mordecai's reply to Esther: "Do you think you 
       will escape there in the palace when all other Jews are killed?





       (Est 4:14 TLB)  If you keep quiet at a time like this, God will 
       deliver the Jews from some other source, but you and your relatives 
       will die; what's more, who can say but that God has brought you into 
       the palace for just such a time as this?"

       (Est 4:15 TLB)  Then Esther said to tell Mordecai:

       (Est 4:16 TLB)  "Go and gather together all the Jews of Shushan and 
       fast for me; do not eat or drink for three days, night or day; and I 
       and my maids will do the same; and then, though it is strictly 
       forbidden, I will go in to see the king; and if I perish, I perish."

       (Est 4:17 TLB)  So Mordecai did as Esther told him to.

       (Est 5:1 TLB)  Three days later Esther put on her royal robes and 
       entered the inner court just beyond the royal hall of the palace, 
       where the king was sitting upon his royal throne.

       (Est 5:2 TLB)  And when he saw Queen Esther standing there in the 
       inner court, he welcomed her, holding out the golden scepter to her. 
       So Esther approached and touched its tip.

       (Est 5:3 TLB)  Then the king asked her, "What do you wish, Queen 
       Esther? What is your request? I will give it to you, even if it is 
       half the kingdom!"

       (Est 5:4 TLB)  And Esther replied, "If it please Your Majesty, I want 
       you and Haman to come to a banquet I have prepared for you today."

       (Est 5:5 TLB)  The king turned to his aides. "Tell Haman to hurry!" he 
       said. So the king and Haman came to Esther's banquet.

       (Est 5:6 TLB)  During the wine course the king said to Esther, "Now 
       tell me what you really want, and I will give it to you, even if it is 
       half of the kingdom!"

       (Est 5:7 TLB)  Esther replied, "My request, my deepest wish, is

       (Est 5:8 TLB)  that if Your Majesty loves me and wants to grant my 
       request, that you come again with Haman tomorrow to the banquet I 
       shall prepare for you. And tomorrow I will explain what this is all 
       about."

       (Est 5:9 TLB)  What a happy man was Haman as he left the banquet! But 
       when he saw Mordecai there at the gate, not standing up or trembling 
       before him, he was furious.

       (Est 5:10 TLB)  However, he restrained himself, went on home, and 
       gathered together his friends and Zeresh, his wife,

       (Est 5:11 TLB)  and boasted to them about his wealth, his many 
       children, and promotions the king had given him, and how he had become 
       the greatest man in the kingdom next to the king himself.

       (Est 5:12 TLB)  Then he delivered his punch line: "Yes, and Esther the 
       queen invited only me and the king himself to the banquet she prepared 





       for us; and tomorrow we are invited again!

       (Est 5:13 TLB)  But yet," he added, "all this is nothing when I see 
       Mordecai the Jew just sitting there in front of the king's gate, 
       refusing to bow to me."

       (Est 5:14 TLB)  "Well," suggested Zeresh, his wife, and all his 
       friends, "get ready a 75-foot-high gallows, and in the morning ask the 
       king to let you hang Mordecai on it; and when this is done you can go 
       on your merry way with the king to the banquet." This pleased Haman 
       immensely, and he ordered the gallows built.

       (Est 6:1 TLB)  That night the king had trouble sleeping and decided to 
       read awhile. He ordered the historical records of his kingdom from the 
       library,

       (Est 6:2 TLB)  and in them he came across the item telling how 
       Mordecai had exposed the plot of Bigthana and Teresh, two of the 
       king's eunuchs, watchmen at the palace gates, who had plotted to 
       assassinate him.

       (Est 6:3 TLB)  "What reward did we ever give Mordecai for this?" the 
       king asked. His courtiers replied, "Nothing!"

       (Est 6:4 TLB)  "Who is on duty in the outer court?" the king inquired. 
       Now, as it happened, Haman had just arrived in the outer court of the 
       palace to ask the king to hang Mordecai from the gallows he was 
       building.

       (Est 6:5 TLB)  So the courtiers replied to the king, "Haman is out 
       there." "Bring him in," the king ordered.

       (Est 6:6 TLB)  So Haman came in, and the king said to him, "What 
       should I do to honor a man who truly pleases me?" Haman thought to 
       himself, "Whom would he want to honor more than me?"

       (Est 6:7 TLB)  So he replied, "Bring out some of the royal robes the 
       king himself has worn, and the king's own horse, and the royal crown,

       (Est 6:8 TLB)  

       (Est 6:9 TLB)  and instruct one of the king's most noble princes to 
       robe the man and to lead him through the streets on the king's own 
       horse, shouting before him, 'This is the way the king honors those who 
       truly please him!'"

       (Est 6:10 TLB)  "Excellent!" the king said to Haman. "Hurry and take 
       these robes and my horse, and do just as you have said--to Mordecai 
       the Jew, who works at the Chancellery. Follow every detail you have 
       suggested."

       (Est 6:11 TLB)  So Haman took the robes and put them on Mordecai, and 
       mounted him on the king's own steed, and led him through the streets 
       of the city, shouting, "This is the way the king honors those he 
       delights in."





       (Est 6:12 TLB)  Afterwards Mordecai returned to his job, but Haman 
       hurried home utterly humiliated.

       (Est 6:13 TLB)  When Haman told Zeresh his wife and all his friends 
       what had happened, they said, "If Mordecai is a Jew, you will never 
       succeed in your plans against him; to continue to oppose him will be 
       fatal."

       (Est 6:14 TLB)  While they were still discussing it with him, the 
       king's messengers arrived to conduct Haman quickly to the banquet 
       Esther had prepared.

       (Est 7:1 TLB)  So the king and Haman came to Esther's banquet.

       (Est 7:2 TLB)  Again, during the wine course, the king asked her, 
       "What is your petition, Queen Esther? What do you wish? Whatever it 
       is, I will give it to you, even if it is half of my kingdom!"

       (Est 7:3 TLB)  And at last Queen Esther replied, "If I have won your 
       favor, O king, and if it please Your Majesty, save my life and the 
       lives of my people.

       (Est 7:4 TLB)  For I and my people have been sold to those who will 
       destroy us. We are doomed to destruction and slaughter. If we were 
       only to be sold as slaves, perhaps I could remain quiet, though even 
       then there would be incalculable damage to the king that no amount of 
       money could begin to cover."

       (Est 7:5 TLB)  "What are you talking about?" King Ahasuerus demanded. 
       "Who would dare touch you?"

       (Est 7:6 TLB)  Esther replied, "This wicked Haman is our enemy." Then 
       Haman grew pale with fright before the king and queen.

       (Est 7:7 TLB)  The king jumped to his feet and went out into the 
       palace garden as Haman stood up to plead for his life to Queen Esther, 
       for he knew that he was doomed.

       (Est 7:8 TLB)  In despair he fell upon the couch where Queen Esther 
       was reclining, just as the king returned from the palace garden. "Will 
       he even rape the queen right here in the palace, before my very eyes?" 
       the king roared. Instantly the death veil was placed over Haman's 
       face.

       (Est 7:9 TLB)  Then Harbona, one of the king's aides, said, "Sir, 
       Haman has just ordered a 75-foot gallows constructed, to hang 
       Mordecai, the man who saved the king from assassination! It stands in 
       Haman's courtyard." "Hang Haman on it," the king ordered.

       (Est 7:10 TLB)  So they did, and the king's wrath was pacified.

       (Est 8:1 TLB)  On that same day King Ahasuerus gave the estate of 
       Haman, the Jews' enemy, to Queen Esther. Then Mordecai was brought 
       before the king, for Esther had told the king that he was her cousin 
       and foster father.





       (Est 8:2 TLB)  The king took off his ring--which he had taken back 
       from Haman--and gave it to Mordecai (appointing him Prime Minister); 
       and Esther appointed Mordecai to be in charge of Haman's estate.

       (Est 8:3 TLB)  And now once more Esther came before the king, falling 
       down at his feet and begging him with tears to stop Haman's plot 
       against the Jews.

       (Est 8:4 TLB)  And again the king held out the golden scepter to 
       Esther. So she arose and stood before him,

       (Est 8:5 TLB)  and said, "If it please Your Majesty, and if you love 
       me, send out a decree reversing Haman's order to destroy the Jews 
       throughout the king's provinces.

       (Est 8:6 TLB)  For how can I endure it, to see my people butchered and 
       destroyed?"

       (Est 8:7 TLB)  Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther and Mordecai 
       the Jew, "I have given Esther the palace of Haman, and he has been 
       hanged upon the gallows because he tried to destroy you.

       (Est 8:8 TLB)  Now go ahead and send a message to the Jews, telling 
       them whatever you want to in the king's name, and seal it with the 
       king's ring so that it can never be reversed."

       (Est 8:9 TLB)  Immediately the king's secretaries were called in--it 
       was now the 23 rd day of the month of July--and they wrote as Mordecai 
       dictated--a decree to the Jews and to the officials, governors, and 
       princes of all the provinces from India to Ethiopia, 127 in all: the 
       decree was translated into the languages and dialects of all the 
       people of the kingdom.

       (Est 8:10 TLB)  Mordecai wrote in the name of King Ahasuerus and 
       sealed the message with the king's ring and sent the letters by swift 
       carriers--riders on camels, mules, and young dromedaries used in the 
       king's service.

       (Est 8:11 TLB)  This decree gave the Jews everywhere permission to 
       unite in the defense of their lives and their families, to destroy all 
       the forces opposed to them, and to take their property.

       (Est 8:12 TLB)  The day chosen for this throughout all the provinces 
       of King Ahasuerus was the 28 th day of February!

       (Est 8:13 TLB)  It further stated that a copy of this decree, which 
       must be recognized everywhere as law, must be broadcast to all the 
       people so that the Jews would be ready and prepared to overcome their 
       enemies.

       (Est 8:14 TLB)  So the mail went out swiftly, carried by the king's 
       couriers and speeded by the king's commandment. The same decree was 
       also issued at Shushan Palace.

       (Est 8:15 TLB)  Then Mordecai put on the royal robes of blue and white 
       and the great crown of gold, with an outer cloak of fine linen and 





       purple, and went out from the presence of the king through the city 
       streets filled with shouting people.

       (Est 8:16 TLB)  And the Jews had joy and gladness and were honored 
       everywhere.

       (Est 8:17 TLB)  And in every city and province, as the king's decree 
       arrived, the Jews were filled with joy and had a great celebration and 
       declared a holiday. And many of the people of the land pretended to be 
       Jews, for they feared what the Jews might do to them.

       (Est 9:1 TLB)  So on the 28 th day of February, the day the two 
       decrees of the king were to be put into effect--the day the Jews' 
       enemies had hoped to vanquish them, though it turned out quite to the 
       contrary--

       (Est 9:2 TLB)  the Jews gathered in their cities throughout all the 
       king's provinces to defend themselves against any who might try to 
       harm them; but no one tried, for they were greatly feared.

       (Est 9:3 TLB)  And all the rulers of the provinces--the governors, 
       officials, and aides--helped the Jews for fear of Mordecai;

       (Est 9:4 TLB)  for Mordecai was a mighty name in the king's palace and 
       his fame was known throughout all the provinces, for he had become 
       more and more powerful.

       (Est 9:5 TLB)  But the Jews went ahead on that appointed day and 
       slaughtered their enemies.

       (Est 9:6 TLB)  They even killed 500 men in Shushan.

       (Est 9:7 TLB)  They also killed the ten sons of Haman (son of 
       Hammedatha), the Jews' enemy--Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha, Poratha, 
       Adalia, Aridatha, Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai, and Vaizatha. But they 
       did not try to take Haman's property.

       (Est 9:8 TLB)  

       (Est 9:9 TLB)  

       (Est 9:10 TLB)  

       (Est 9:11 TLB)  Late that evening, when the king was informed of the 
       number of those slain in Shushan,

       (Est 9:12 TLB)  he called for Queen Esther. "The Jews have killed 500 
       men in Shushan alone," he exclaimed, "and also Haman's ten sons. If 
       they have done that here, I wonder what has happened in the rest of 
       the provinces! But now, what more do you want? It will be granted to 
       you. Tell me and I will do it."

       (Est 9:13 TLB)  And Esther said, "If it please Your Majesty, let the 
       Jews who are here at Shushan do again tomorrow as they have done 
       today, and let Haman's ten sons be hanged upon the gallows."





       (Est 9:14 TLB)  So the king agreed, and the decree was announced at 
       Shushan, and they hung up the bodies of Haman's ten sons.

       (Est 9:15 TLB)  Then the Jews at Shushan gathered together the next 
       day also and killed 300 more men, though again they took no property.

       (Est 9:16 TLB)  Meanwhile the other Jews throughout the king's 
       provinces had gathered together and stood for their lives and 
       destroyed all their enemies, killing 75,000 of those who hated them; 
       but they did not take their goods.

       (Est 9:17 TLB)  Throughout the provinces this was done on the 28 th 
       day of February, and the next day they rested, celebrating their 
       victory with feasting and gladness.

       (Est 9:18 TLB)  But the Jews at Shushan went on killing their enemies 
       the second day also and rested the next day, with feasting and 
       gladness.

       (Est 9:19 TLB)  And so it is that the Jews in the unwalled villages 
       throughout Israel to this day have an annual celebration on the second 
       day when they rejoice and send gifts to each other.

       (Est 9:20 TLB)  Mordecai wrote a history of all these events and sent 
       letters to the Jews near and far, throughout all the king's provinces,

       (Est 9:21 TLB)  encouraging them to declare an annual holiday on the 
       last two days of the month,

       (Est 9:22 TLB)  to celebrate with feasting, gladness, and the giving 
       of gifts these historic days when the Jews were saved from their 
       enemies, when their sorrow was turned to gladness and their mourning 
       into happiness.

       (Est 9:23 TLB)  So the Jews adopted Mordecai's suggestion and began 
       this annual custom

       (Est 9:24 TLB)  as a reminder of the time when Haman (son of 
       Hammedatha the Agagite), the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted to 
       destroy them at the time determined by a throw of the dice;

       (Est 9:25 TLB)  and to remind them that when the matter came before 
       the king, he issued a decree causing Haman's plot to boomerang, and he 
       and his sons were hanged on the gallows.

       (Est 9:26 TLB)  That is why this celebration is called "Purim" because 
       the word for "throwing dice" in Persian is pur.

       (Est 9:27 TLB)  All the Jews throughout the realm agreed to inaugurate 
       this tradition and to pass it on to their descendants and to all who 
       became Jews; they declared they would never fail to celebrate these 
       two days at the appointed time each year.

       (Est 9:28 TLB)  It would be an annual event from generation to 
       generation, celebrated by every family throughout the countryside and 
       cities of the empire, so that the memory of what had happened would 





       never perish from the Jewish race.

       (Est 9:29 TLB)  Meanwhile Queen Esther (daughter of Abihail and later 
       adopted by Mordecai the Jew) had written a letter throwing her full 
       support behind Mordecai's letter inaugurating his annual Feast of 
       Purim.

       (Est 9:30 TLB)  In addition, letters were sent to all the Jews 
       throughout the 127 provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus with messages 
       of good will and encouragement

       (Est 9:31 TLB)  to confirm these two days annually as the Feast of 
       Purim, decreed by both Mordecai the Jew and by Queen Esther; indeed, 
       the Jews themselves had decided upon this tradition as a remembrance 
       of the time of their national fasting and prayer.

       (Est 9:32 TLB)  So the commandment of Esther confirmed these dates, 
       and it was recorded as law.

       (Est 10:1 TLB)  King Ahasuerus not only laid tribute upon the mainland 
       but even on the islands of the sea.

       (Est 10:2 TLB)  His great deeds, and also the full account of the 
       greatness of Mordecai and the honors given him by the king, are 
       written in The Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Media and 
       Persia.

       (Est 10:3 TLB)  Mordecai the Jew was the Prime Minister, with 
       authority next to that of King Ahasuerus himself. He was, of course, 
       very great among the Jews and respected by all his countrymen because 
       he did his best for his people and was a friend at court for all of 
       them.

       (Job 1:1 TLB)  There lived in the land of Uz a man named Job--a good 
       man who feared God and stayed away from evil.

       (Job 1:2 TLB)  He had a large family of seven sons and three daughters

       (Job 1:3 TLB)  and was immensely wealthy, for he owned 7,000 sheep, 
       3,000 camels, 500 teams of oxen, 500 female donkeys, and employed many 
       servants. He was, in fact, the richest cattleman in that entire area.

       (Job 1:4 TLB)  Every year when Job's sons had birthdays, they invited 
       their brothers and sisters to their homes for a celebration. On these 
       occasions they would eat and drink with great merriment.

       (Job 1:5 TLB)  When these birthday parties ended--and sometimes they 
       lasted several days--Job would summon his children to him and sanctify 
       them, getting up early in the morning and offering a burnt offering 
       for each of them. For Job said, "Perhaps my sons have sinned and 
       turned away from God in their hearts." This was Job's regular 
       practice.

       (Job 1:6 TLB)  One day as the angels came to present themselves before 
       the Lord, Satan, the Accuser, came with them.





       (Job 1:7 TLB)  "Where have you come from?" the Lord asked Satan. And 
       Satan replied, "From Earth, where I've been watching everything that's 
       going on."

       (Job 1:8 TLB)  Then the Lord asked Satan, "Have you noticed my servant 
       Job? He is the finest man in all the earth--a good man who fears God 
       and will have nothing to do with evil."

       (Job 1:9 TLB)  "Why shouldn't he when you pay him so well?" Satan 
       scoffed.

       (Job 1:10 TLB)  "You have always protected him and his home and his 
       property from all harm. You have prospered everything he does--look 
       how rich he is! No wonder he 'worships' you!

       (Job 1:11 TLB)  But just take away his wealth, and you'll see him 
       curse you to your face!"

       (Job 1:12 TLB)  And the Lord replied to Satan, "You may do anything 
       you like with his wealth, but don't harm him physically." So Satan 
       went away;

       (Job 1:13 TLB)  and sure enough, not long afterwards when Job's sons 
       and daughters were dining at the oldest brother's house, tragedy 
       struck.

       (Job 1:14 TLB)  A messenger rushed to Job's home with this news: "Your 
       oxen were plowing, with the donkeys feeding beside them,

       (Job 1:15 TLB)  when the Sabeans raided us, drove away the animals, 
       and killed all the farmhands except me. I am the only one left."

       (Job 1:16 TLB)  While this messenger was still speaking, another 
       arrived with more bad news: "The fire of God has fallen from heaven 
       and burned up your sheep and all the herdsmen, and I alone have 
       escaped to tell you."

       (Job 1:17 TLB)  Before this man finished, still another messenger 
       rushed in: "Three bands of Chaldeans have driven off your camels and 
       killed your servants, and I alone have escaped to tell you."

       (Job 1:18 TLB)  As he was still speaking, another arrived to say, 
       "Your sons and daughters were feasting in their oldest brother's home,

       (Job 1:19 TLB)  when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert 
       and engulfed the house so that the roof fell in on them and all are 
       dead; and I alone escaped to tell you."

       (Job 1:20 TLB)  Then Job stood up and tore his robe in grief and fell 
       down upon the ground before God.

       (Job 1:21 TLB)  "I came naked from my mother's womb," he said, "and I 
       shall have nothing when I die. The Lord gave me everything I had, and 
       they were his to take away. Blessed be the name of the Lord."

       (Job 1:22 TLB)  In all of this Job did not sin or revile God.






       (Job 2:1 TLB)  Now the angels came again to present themselves before 
       the Lord, and Satan with them.

       (Job 2:2 TLB)  "Where have you come from?" the Lord asked Satan. "From 
       Earth, where I've been watching everything that's going on," Satan 
       replied.

       (Job 2:3 TLB)  "Well, have you noticed my servant Job?" the Lord 
       asked. "He is the finest man in all the earth--a good man who fears 
       God and turns away from all evil. And he has kept his faith in me 
       despite the fact that you persuaded me to let you harm him without any 
       cause."

       (Job 2:4 TLB)  "Skin for skin," Satan replied. "A man will give 
       anything to save his life. Touch his body with sickness, and he will 
       curse you to your face!"

       (Job 2:5 TLB)  

       (Job 2:6 TLB)  "Do with him as you please," the Lord replied; "only 
       spare his life."

       (Job 2:7 TLB)  So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and 
       struck Job with a terrible case of boils from head to foot.

       (Job 2:8 TLB)  Then Job took a broken piece of pottery to scrape 
       himself and sat among the ashes.

       (Job 2:9 TLB)  His wife said to him, "Are you still trying to be godly 
       when God has done all this to you? Curse him and die."

       (Job 2:10 TLB)  But he replied, "You talk like some heathen woman. 
       What? Shall we receive only pleasant things from the hand of God and 
       never anything unpleasant?" So in all this Job said nothing wrong.

       (Job 2:11 TLB)  When three of Job's friends heard of all the tragedy 
       that had befallen him, they got in touch with each other and traveled 
       from their homes to comfort and console him. Their names were Eliphaz 
       the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite.

       (Job 2:12 TLB)  Job was so changed that they could scarcely recognize 
       him. Wailing loudly in despair, they tore their robes and threw dust 
       into the air and put earth on their heads to demonstrate their sorrow.

       (Job 2:13 TLB)  Then they sat upon the ground with him silently for 
       seven days and nights, no one speaking a word; for they saw that his 
       suffering was too great for words.

       (Job 3:1 TLB)  At last Job spoke and cursed the day of his birth.

       (Job 3:2 TLB)  "Let the day of my birth be cursed," he said, "and the 
       night when I was conceived.

       (Job 3:3 TLB)  





       (Job 3:4 TLB)  Let that day be forever forgotten. Let it be lost even 
       to God, shrouded in eternal darkness.

       (Job 3:5 TLB)  Yes, let the darkness claim it for its own, and may a 
       black cloud overshadow it.

       (Job 3:6 TLB)  May it be blotted off the calendar, never again to be 
       counted among the days of the month of that year.

       (Job 3:7 TLB)  Let that night be bleak and joyless.

       (Job 3:8 TLB)  Let those who are experts at cursing curse it.

       (Job 3:9 TLB)  Let the stars of the night disappear. Let it long for 
       light but never see it, never see the morning light.

       (Job 3:10 TLB)  Curse it for its failure to shut my mother's womb, for 
       letting me be born to come to all this trouble.

       (Job 3:11 TLB)  "Why didn't I die at birth?

       (Job 3:12 TLB)  Why did the midwife let me live? Why did she nurse me 
       at her breasts?

       (Job 3:13 TLB)  For if only I had died at birth, then I would be quiet 
       now, asleep and at rest,

       (Job 3:14 TLB)  along with prime ministers and kings with all their 
       pomp, and wealthy princes whose castles are full of rich treasures.

       (Job 3:15 TLB)  

       (Job 3:16 TLB)  Oh, to have been stillborn!--to have never breathed or 
       seen the light.

       (Job 3:17 TLB)  For there in death the wicked cease from troubling, 
       and there the weary are at rest.

       (Job 3:18 TLB)  There even prisoners are at ease, with no brutal 
       jailer to curse them.

       (Job 3:19 TLB)  Both rich and poor alike are there, and the slave is 
       free at last from his master.

       (Job 3:20 TLB)  "Oh, why should light and life be given to those in 
       misery and bitterness, who long for death, and it won't come; who 
       search for death as others search for food or money?

       (Job 3:21 TLB)  

       (Job 3:22 TLB)  What blessed relief when at last they die!

       (Job 3:23 TLB)  Why is a man allowed to be born if God is only going 
       to give him a hopeless life of uselessness and frustration?

       (Job 3:24 TLB)  I cannot eat for sighing; my groans pour out like 





       water.

       (Job 3:25 TLB)  What I always feared has happened to me.

       (Job 3:26 TLB)  I was not fat and lazy, yet trouble struck me down."

       (Job 4:1 TLB)  A reply to Job from Eliphaz the Temanite:

       (Job 4:2 TLB)  "Will you let me say a word? For who could keep from 
       speaking out?

       (Job 4:3 TLB)  In the past you have told many a troubled soul to trust 
       in God

       (Job 4:4 TLB)  and have encouraged those who are weak or falling, or 
       lie crushed upon the ground or are tempted to despair.

       (Job 4:5 TLB)  But now when trouble strikes, you faint and are broken.

       (Job 4:6 TLB)  "At such a time as this should not trust in God still 
       be your confidence? Shouldn't you believe that God will care for those 
       who are good?

       (Job 4:7 TLB)  Stop and think! Have you ever known a truly good and 
       innocent person who was punished? Experience teaches that it is those 
       who sow sin and trouble who harvest the same.

       (Job 4:8 TLB)  

       (Job 4:9 TLB)  They die beneath the hand of God.

       (Job 4:10 TLB)  Though they are fierce as young lions, they shall all 
       be broken and destroyed.

       (Job 4:11 TLB)  Like aged, helpless lions they shall starve, and all 
       their children shall be scattered.

       (Job 4:12 TLB)  "This truth was given me in secret, as though 
       whispered in my ear.

       (Job 4:13 TLB)  It came in a nighttime vision as others slept.

       (Job 4:14 TLB)  Suddenly, fear gripped me; I trembled and shook with 
       terror,

       (Job 4:15 TLB)  as a spirit passed before my face--my hair stood up on 
       end.

       (Job 4:16 TLB)  I felt the spirit's presence, but couldn't see it 
       standing there. Then out of the dreadful silence came this voice:

       (Job 4:17 TLB)  "'Is mere man more just than God? More pure than his 
       Creator?'

       (Job 4:18 TLB)  "If God cannot trust his own messengers (for even 
       angels make mistakes), how much less men made of dust, who are crushed 





       to death as easily as moths!

       (Job 4:19 TLB)  

       (Job 4:20 TLB)  They are alive in the morning, but by evening they are 
       dead, gone forever with hardly a thought from anyone.

       (Job 4:21 TLB)  Their candle of life is snuffed out. They die and no 
       one cares.

       (Job 5:1 TLB)  "They cry for help but no one listens; they turn to 
       their gods, but none gives them aid.

       (Job 5:2 TLB)  They die in helpless frustration, overcome by their own 
       anger.

       (Job 5:3 TLB)  Those who turn from God may be successful for the 
       moment, but then comes sudden disaster.

       (Job 5:4 TLB)  Their children are cheated, with no one to defend them.

       (Job 5:5 TLB)  Their harvests are stolen, and their wealth slakes the 
       thirst of many others, not themselves!

       (Job 5:6 TLB)  Misery comes upon them to punish them for sowing seeds 
       of sin.

       (Job 5:7 TLB)  Mankind heads for sin and misery as predictably as 
       flames shoot upwards from a fire.

       (Job 5:8 TLB)  "My advice to you is this: Go to God and confess your 
       sins to him.

       (Job 5:9 TLB)  For he does wonderful miracles, marvels without number.

       (Job 5:10 TLB)  He sends the rain upon the earth to water the fields,

       (Job 5:11 TLB)  and gives prosperity to the poor and humble, and takes 
       sufferers to safety.

       (Job 5:12 TLB)  "He frustrates the plans of crafty men.

       (Job 5:13 TLB)  They are caught in their own traps; he thwarts their 
       schemes.

       (Job 5:14 TLB)  They grope like blind men in the daylight; they see no 
       better in the daytime than at night.

       (Job 5:15 TLB)  "God saves the fatherless and the poor from the grasp 
       of these oppressors.

       (Job 5:16 TLB)  And so at last the poor have hope, and the fangs of 
       the wicked are broken.

       (Job 5:17 TLB)  "How enviable the man whom God corrects! Oh, do not 
       despise the chastening of the Lord when you sin.






       (Job 5:18 TLB)  For though he wounds, he binds and heals again.

       (Job 5:19 TLB)  He will deliver you again and again so that no evil 
       can touch you.

       (Job 5:20 TLB)  "He will keep you from death in famine and from the 
       power of the sword in time of war.

       (Job 5:21 TLB)  "You will be safe from slander; no need to fear the 
       future.

       (Job 5:22 TLB)  "You shall laugh at war and famine; wild animals will 
       leave you alone.

       (Job 5:23 TLB)  Dangerous animals will be at peace with you.

       (Job 5:24 TLB)  "You need not worry about your home while you are 
       gone; nothing shall be stolen from your barns.

       (Job 5:25 TLB)  "Your sons shall become important men; your 
       descendants shall be as numerous as grass!

       (Job 5:26 TLB)  You shall live a long, good life; like standing grain, 
       you'll not be harvested until it's time!

       (Job 5:27 TLB)  I have found from experience that all of this is true. 
       For your own good, listen to my counsel."

       (Job 6:1 TLB)  Job's reply:

       (Job 6:2 TLB)  "Oh, that my sadness and troubles were weighed.

       (Job 6:3 TLB)  For they are heavier than the sand of a thousand 
       seashores. That is why I spoke so rashly.

       (Job 6:4 TLB)  For the Lord has struck me down with his arrows; he has 
       sent his poisoned arrows deep within my heart. All God's terrors are 
       arrayed against me.

       (Job 6:5 TLB)  When wild donkeys bray, it is because their grass is 
       gone; oxen do not low when they have food;

       (Job 6:6 TLB)  a man complains when there is no salt in his food. And 
       how tasteless is the uncooked white of an egg--

       (Job 6:7 TLB)  my appetite is gone when I look at it; I gag at the 
       thought of eating it!

       (Job 6:8 TLB)  "Oh, that God would grant the thing I long for most--to 
       die beneath his hand and be freed from his painful grip.

       (Job 6:9 TLB)  

       (Job 6:10 TLB)  This, at least, gives me comfort despite all the 
       pain--that I have not denied the words of the holy God.






       (Job 6:11 TLB)  Oh, why does my strength sustain me? How can I be 
       patient till I die?

       (Job 6:12 TLB)  Am I unfeeling, like stone? Is my flesh made of brass?

       (Job 6:13 TLB)  For I am utterly helpless, without any hope.

       (Job 6:14 TLB)  "One should be kind to a fainting friend, but you have 
       accused me without the slightest fear of God.

       (Job 6:15 TLB)  My brother, you have proved as unreliable as a brook;

       (Job 6:16 TLB)  it floods when there is ice and snow,

       (Job 6:17 TLB)  but in hot weather, disappears.

       (Job 6:18 TLB)  The caravans turn aside to be refreshed, but there is 
       nothing there to drink, and so they perish.

       (Job 6:19 TLB)  When caravans from Tema and from Sheba stop for water 
       there, their hopes are dashed. And so my hopes in you are dashed--you 
       turn away from me in terror and refuse to help.

       (Job 6:20 TLB)  

       (Job 6:21 TLB)  

       (Job 6:22 TLB)  But why? Have I ever asked you for one slightest 
       thing? Have I begged you for a present?

       (Job 6:23 TLB)  Have I ever asked your help?

       (Job 6:24 TLB)  All I want is a reasonable answer--then I will keep 
       quiet. Tell me, what have I done wrong?

       (Job 6:25 TLB)  "It is wonderful to speak the truth, but your 
       criticisms are not based on fact. Are you going to condemn me just 
       because I impulsively cried out in desperation?

       (Job 6:26 TLB)  

       (Job 6:27 TLB)  That would be like injuring a helpless orphan, or 
       selling a friend.

       (Job 6:28 TLB)  Look at me! Would I lie to your face?

       (Job 6:29 TLB)  Stop assuming my guilt, for I am righteous. Don't be 
       so unjust.

       (Job 6:30 TLB)  Don't I know the difference between right and wrong? 
       Would I not admit it if I had sinned?

       (Job 7:1 TLB)  "How mankind must struggle. A man's life is long and 
       hard, like that of a slave.





       (Job 7:2 TLB)  How he longs for the day to end. How he grinds on to 
       the end of the week and his wages.

       (Job 7:3 TLB)  And so to me also have been allotted months of 
       frustration, these long and weary nights.

       (Job 7:4 TLB)  When I go to bed I think, 'Oh, that it were morning,' 
       and then I toss till dawn.

       (Job 7:5 TLB)  "My skin is filled with worms and blackness. My flesh 
       breaks open, full of pus.

       (Job 7:6 TLB)  My life drags by--day after hopeless day.

       (Job 7:7 TLB)  My life is but a breath, and nothing good is left.

       (Job 7:8 TLB)  You see me now, but not for long. Soon you'll look upon 
       me dead.

       (Job 7:9 TLB)  As a cloud disperses and vanishes, so those who die 
       shall go away forever--

       (Job 7:10 TLB)  gone forever from their family and their home--never 
       to be seen again.

       (Job 7:11 TLB)  Ah, let me express my anguish. Let me be free to speak 
       out of the bitterness of my soul.

       (Job 7:12 TLB)  "O God, am I some monster that you never let me alone?

       (Job 7:13 TLB)  Even when I try to forget my misery in sleep, you 
       terrify with nightmares.

       (Job 7:14 TLB)  

       (Job 7:15 TLB)  I would rather die of strangulation than go on and on 
       like this.

       (Job 7:16 TLB)  I hate my life. Oh, let me alone for these few 
       remaining days.

       (Job 7:17 TLB)  What is mere man that you should spend your time 
       persecuting him?

       (Job 7:18 TLB)  Must you be his inquisitor every morning and test him 
       every moment of the day?

       (Job 7:19 TLB)  Why won't you let me alone--even long enough to spit?

       (Job 7:20 TLB)  "Has my sin harmed you, O God, Watcher of mankind? Why 
       have you made me your target, and made my life so heavy a burden to 
       me?

       (Job 7:21 TLB)  Why not just pardon my sin and take it all away? For 
       all too soon I'll lie down in the dust and die, and when you look for 
       me, I shall be gone."






       (Job 8:1 TLB)  Bildad the Shuhite replies to Job:

       (Job 8:2 TLB)  "How long will you go on like this, Job, blowing words 
       around like wind?

       (Job 8:3 TLB)  Does God twist justice?

       (Job 8:4 TLB)  If your children sinned against him, and he punished 
       them,

       (Job 8:5 TLB)  and you begged Almighty God for them--

       (Job 8:6 TLB)  if you were pure and good, he would hear your prayer 
       and answer you and bless you with a happy home.

       (Job 8:7 TLB)  And though you started with little, you would end with 
       much.

       (Job 8:8 TLB)  "Read the history books and see--

       (Job 8:9 TLB)  for we were born but yesterday and know so little; our 
       days here on earth are as transient as shadows.

       (Job 8:10 TLB)  But the wisdom of the past will teach you. The 
       experience of others will speak to you, reminding you that

       (Job 8:11 TLB)  those who forget God have no hope. They are like 
       rushes without any mire to grow in; or grass without water to keep it 
       alive. Suddenly it begins to wither, even before it is cut.

       (Job 8:12 TLB)  

       (Job 8:13 TLB)  

       (Job 8:14 TLB)  A man without God is trusting in a spider's web. 
       Everything he counts on will collapse.

       (Job 8:15 TLB)  If he counts on his home for security, it won't last.

       (Job 8:16 TLB)  At dawn he seems so strong and virile, like a green 
       plant; his branches spread across the garden.

       (Job 8:17 TLB)  His roots are in the stream, down among the stones.

       (Job 8:18 TLB)  But when he disappears, he isn't even missed!

       (Job 8:19 TLB)  That is all he can look forward to! And others spring 
       up from the earth to replace him!

       (Job 8:20 TLB)  "But look! God will not cast away a good man, nor 
       prosper evildoers.

       (Job 8:21 TLB)  He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your 
       lips with shouts of joy.





       (Job 8:22 TLB)  Those who hate you shall be clothed with shame, and 
       the wicked destroyed."

       (Job 9:1 TLB)  Job's reply:

       (Job 9:2 TLB)  "Yes, I know all that. You're not telling me anything 
       new. But how can a man be truly good in the eyes of God?

       (Job 9:3 TLB)  If God decides to argue with him, can a man answer even 
       one question of a thousand he asks?

       (Job 9:4 TLB)  For God is so wise and so mighty. Who has ever opposed 
       him successfully?

       (Job 9:5 TLB)  "Suddenly he moves the mountains, overturning them in 
       his anger.

       (Job 9:6 TLB)  He shakes the earth to its foundations.

       (Job 9:7 TLB)  The sun won't rise, the stars won't shine, if he 
       commands it so!

       (Job 9:8 TLB)  Only he has stretched the heavens out and stalked along 
       the seas.

       (Job 9:9 TLB)  He made the Bear, Orion and the Pleiades, and the 
       constellations of the southern Zodiac.

       (Job 9:10 TLB)  "He does incredible miracles, too many to count.

       (Job 9:11 TLB)  He passes by, invisible; he moves along, but I don't 
       see him go.

       (Job 9:12 TLB)  When he sends death to snatch a man away, who can stop 
       him? Who dares to ask him, 'What are you doing?'

       (Job 9:13 TLB)  "And God does not abate his anger. The pride of man 
       collapses before him.

       (Job 9:14 TLB)  And who am I that I should try to argue with Almighty 
       God, or even reason with him?

       (Job 9:15 TLB)  Even if I were sinless, I wouldn't say a word. I would 
       only plead for mercy.

       (Job 9:16 TLB)  And even if my prayers were answered, I could scarce 
       believe that he had heard my cry.

       (Job 9:17 TLB)  For he is the one who destroys, and multiplies my 
       wounds without a cause.

       (Job 9:18 TLB)  He will not let me breathe, but fills me with bitter 
       sorrows.

       (Job 9:19 TLB)  He alone is strong and just.





       (Job 9:20 TLB)  "But I? Am I righteous? My own mouth says no. Even if 
       I were perfect, God would prove me wicked.

       (Job 9:21 TLB)  And even if I am utterly innocent, I dare not think of 
       it. I despise what I am.

       (Job 9:22 TLB)  Innocent or evil, it is all the same to him, for he 
       destroys both kinds.

       (Job 9:23 TLB)  He will laugh when calamity crushes the innocent.

       (Job 9:24 TLB)  The whole earth is in the hands of the wicked. God 
       blinds the eyes of the judges and lets them be unfair. If not he, then 
       who?

       (Job 9:25 TLB)  "My life passes swiftly away, filled with tragedy.

       (Job 9:26 TLB)  My years disappear like swift ships, like the eagle 
       that swoops upon its prey.

       (Job 9:27 TLB)  "If I decided to forget my complaints against God, to 
       end my sadness and be cheerful,

       (Job 9:28 TLB)  then he would pour even greater sorrows upon me. For I 
       know that you will not hold me innocent, O God,

       (Job 9:29 TLB)  but will condemn me. So what's the use of trying?

       (Job 9:30 TLB)  Even if I were to wash myself with purest water and 
       cleanse my hands with lye to make them utterly clean,

       (Job 9:31 TLB)  even so you would plunge me into the ditch and mud; 
       and even my clothing would be less filthy than you consider me to be!

       (Job 9:32 TLB)  "And I cannot defend myself, for you are no mere man 
       as I am. If you were, then we could discuss it fairly,

       (Job 9:33 TLB)  but there is no umpire between us, no middle man, no 
       mediator to bring us together.

       (Job 9:34 TLB)  Oh, let him stop beating me, so that I need no longer 
       live in terror of his punishment.

       (Job 9:35 TLB)  Then I could speak without fear to him and tell him 
       boldly that I am not guilty.

       (Job 10:1 TLB)  "I am weary of living. Let me complain freely. I will 
       speak in my sorrow and bitterness.

       (Job 10:2 TLB)  I will say to God, 'Don't just condemn me--tell me why 
       you are doing it.

       (Job 10:3 TLB)  Does it really seem right to you to oppress and 
       despise me, a man you have made; and to send joy and prosperity to the 
       wicked?





       (Job 10:4 TLB)  Are you unjust like men?

       (Job 10:5 TLB)  Is your life so short

       (Job 10:6 TLB)  that you must hound me for sins

       (Job 10:7 TLB)  you know full well I've not committed? Is it because 
       you know no one can save me from your hand?

       (Job 10:8 TLB)  "'You have made me, and yet you destroy me.

       (Job 10:9 TLB)  Oh, please remember that I'm made of dust--will you 
       change me back again to dust so soon?

       (Job 10:10 TLB)  You have already poured me from bottle to bottle like 
       milk and curdled me like cheese.

       (Job 10:11 TLB)  You gave me skin and flesh and knit together bones 
       and sinews.

       (Job 10:12 TLB)  You gave me life and were so kind and loving to me, 
       and I was preserved by your care.

       (Job 10:13 TLB)  "'Yet all the time your real motive in making me was 
       to destroy me if I sinned, and to refuse to forgive my iniquity.

       (Job 10:14 TLB)  

       (Job 10:15 TLB)  Just the slightest wickedness, and I am done for. And 
       if I'm good, that doesn't count. I am filled with frustration.

       (Job 10:16 TLB)  If I start to get up off the ground, you leap upon me 
       like a lion and quickly finish me off.

       (Job 10:17 TLB)  Again and again you witness against me and pour out 
       an ever-increasing volume of wrath upon me and bring fresh armies 
       against me.

       (Job 10:18 TLB)  "'Why then did you even let me be born? Why didn't 
       you let me die at birth?

       (Job 10:19 TLB)  Then I would have been spared this miserable 
       existence. I would have gone directly from the womb to the grave.

       (Job 10:20 TLB)  Can't you see how little time I have left? Oh, let me 
       alone that I may have a little moment of comfort

       (Job 10:21 TLB)  before I leave for the land of darkness and the 
       shadow of death, never to return--

       (Job 10:22 TLB)  a land as dark as midnight, a land of the shadow of 
       death where only confusion reigns and where the brightest light is 
       dark as midnight.'"

       (Job 11:1 TLB)  Zophar the Naamathite replies to Job:





       (Job 11:2 TLB)  "Shouldn't someone stem this torrent of words? Is a 
       man proved right by all this talk?

       (Job 11:3 TLB)  Should I remain silent while you boast? When you mock 
       God, shouldn't someone make you ashamed?

       (Job 11:4 TLB)  You claim you are pure in the eyes of God!

       (Job 11:5 TLB)  Oh, that God would speak and tell you what he thinks!

       (Job 11:6 TLB)  Oh, that he would make you truly see yourself, for he 
       knows everything you've done. Listen! God is doubtless punishing you 
       far less than you deserve!

       (Job 11:7 TLB)  "Do you know the mind and purposes of God? Will long 
       searching make them known to you? Are you qualified to judge the 
       Almighty?

       (Job 11:8 TLB)  He is as faultless as heaven is high--but who are you? 
       His mind is fathomless--what can you know in comparison?

       (Job 11:9 TLB)  His Spirit is broader than the earth and wider than 
       the sea.

       (Job 11:10 TLB)  If he rushes in and makes an arrest, and calls the 
       court to order, who is going to stop him?

       (Job 11:11 TLB)  For he knows perfectly all the faults and sins of 
       mankind; he sees all sin without searching.

       (Job 11:12 TLB)  "Mere man is as likely to be wise as a wild donkey's 
       colt is likely to be born a man!

       (Job 11:13 TLB)  "Before you turn to God and stretch out your hands to 
       him, get rid of your sins and leave all iniquity behind you.

       (Job 11:14 TLB)  

       (Job 11:15 TLB)  Only then, without the spots of sin to defile you, 
       can you walk steadily forward to God without fear.

       (Job 11:16 TLB)  Only then can you forget your misery. It will all be 
       in the past.

       (Job 11:17 TLB)  And your life will be cloudless; any darkness will be 
       as bright as morning!

       (Job 11:18 TLB)  "You will have courage because you will have hope. 
       You will take your time and rest in safety.

       (Job 11:19 TLB)  You will lie down unafraid, and many will look to you 
       for help.

       (Job 11:20 TLB)  But the wicked shall find no way to escape; their 
       only hope is death."





       (Job 12:1 TLB)  Job's reply:

       (Job 12:2 TLB)  "Yes, I realize you know everything! All wisdom will 
       die with you!

       (Job 12:3 TLB)  Well, I know a few things myself--you are no better 
       than I am. And who doesn't know these things you've been saying?

       (Job 12:4 TLB)  I, the man who begged God for help, and God answered 
       him, have become a laughingstock to my neighbors. Yes, I, a righteous 
       man, am now the man they scoff at.

       (Job 12:5 TLB)  Meanwhile, the rich mock those in trouble and are 
       quick to despise all those in need.

       (Job 12:6 TLB)  For robbers prosper. Go ahead and provoke God--it 
       makes no difference! He will supply your every need anyway!

       (Job 12:7 TLB)  "Who doesn't know that the Lord does things like that?

       (Job 12:8 TLB)  Ask the dumbest beast--he knows that it is so; ask the 
       birds--they will tell you;

       (Job 12:9 TLB)  or let the earth teach you, or the fish of the sea.

       (Job 12:10 TLB)  For the soul of every living thing is in the hand of 
       God, and the breath of all mankind.

       (Job 12:11 TLB)  Just as my mouth can taste good food, so my mind 
       tastes truth when I hear it.

       (Job 12:12 TLB)  And as you say, older men like me are wise. They 
       understand.

       (Job 12:13 TLB)  But true wisdom and power are God's. He alone knows 
       what we should do; he understands.

       (Job 12:14 TLB)  "And how great is his might! What he destroys can't 
       be rebuilt. When he closes in on a man, there is no escape.

       (Job 12:15 TLB)  He withholds the rain, and the earth becomes a 
       desert; he sends the storms and floods the ground.

       (Job 12:16 TLB)  Yes, with him is strength and wisdom. Deceivers and 
       deceived are both his slaves.

       (Job 12:17 TLB)  "He makes fools of counselors and judges.

       (Job 12:18 TLB)  He reduces kings to slaves and frees their servants.

       (Job 12:19 TLB)  Priests are led away as slaves. He overthrows the 
       mighty.

       (Job 12:20 TLB)  He takes away the voice of orators and the insight of 
       the elders.





       (Job 12:21 TLB)  He pours contempt upon princes and weakens the 
       strong.

       (Job 12:22 TLB)  He floods the darkness with light, even the dark 
       shadow of death.

       (Job 12:23 TLB)  He raises up a nation and then destroys it. He makes 
       it great, and then reduces it to nothing.

       (Job 12:24 TLB)  He takes away the understanding of presidents and 
       kings, and leaves them wandering, lost and groping, without a guiding 
       light.

       (Job 12:25 TLB)  

       (Job 13:1 TLB)  "Look, I have seen many instances such as you 
       describe. I understand what you are saying.

       (Job 13:2 TLB)  I know as much as you do. I'm not stupid.

       (Job 13:3 TLB)  Oh, how I long to speak directly to the Almighty. I 
       want to talk this over with God himself.

       (Job 13:4 TLB)  For you are misinterpreting the whole thing. You are 
       doctors who don't know what they are doing.

       (Job 13:5 TLB)  Oh, please be quiet! That would be your highest 
       wisdom.

       (Job 13:6 TLB)  "Listen to me now, to my reasons for what I think and 
       to my pleadings.

       (Job 13:7 TLB)  "Must you go on 'speaking for God' when he never once 
       has said the things that you are putting in his mouth?

       (Job 13:8 TLB)  Does God want your help if you are going to twist the 
       truth for him?

       (Job 13:9 TLB)  Be careful that he doesn't find out what you are 
       doing! Or do you think you can fool God as well as men?

       (Job 13:10 TLB)  No, you will be in serious trouble with him if you 
       use lies to try to help him out.

       (Job 13:11 TLB)  Doesn't his majesty strike terror to your heart? How 
       can you do this thing?

       (Job 13:12 TLB)  These tremendous statements you have made have about 
       as much value as ashes. Your defense of God is as fragile as a clay 
       vase!

       (Job 13:13 TLB)  "Be silent now and let me alone, that I may 
       speak--and I am willing to face the consequences.

       (Job 13:14 TLB)  Yes, I will take my life in my hand and say what I 
       really think.






       (Job 13:15 TLB)  God may kill me for saying this--in fact, I expect 
       him to. Nevertheless, I am going to argue my case with him.

       (Job 13:16 TLB)  This at least will be in my favor, that I am not 
       godless, to be rejected instantly from his presence.

       (Job 13:17 TLB)  Listen closely to what I am about to say. Hear me 
       out.

       (Job 13:18 TLB)  "This is my case: I know that I am righteous.

       (Job 13:19 TLB)  Who can argue with me over this? If you could prove 
       me wrong, I would stop defending myself and die.

       (Job 13:20 TLB)  "O God, there are two things I beg you not to do to 
       me; only then will I be able to face you.

       (Job 13:21 TLB)  Don't abandon me. And don't terrify me with your 
       awesome presence.

       (Job 13:22 TLB)  Call to me to come--how quickly I will answer! Or let 
       me speak to you, and you reply.

       (Job 13:23 TLB)  Tell me, what have I done wrong? Help me! Point out 
       my sin to me.

       (Job 13:24 TLB)  Why do you turn away from me? Why hand me over to my 
       enemy?

       (Job 13:25 TLB)  Would you blame a leaf that is blown about by the 
       wind? Will you chase dry, useless straws?

       (Job 13:26 TLB)  "You write bitter things against me and bring up all 
       the follies of my youth.

       (Job 13:27 TLB)  You send me to prison and shut me in on every side. I 
       am like a fallen, rotten tree, like a moth-eaten coat.

       (Job 13:28 TLB)  

       (Job 14:1 TLB)  "How frail is man, how few his days, how full of 
       trouble!

       (Job 14:2 TLB)  He blossoms for a moment like a flower--and withers; 
       as the shadow of a passing cloud, he quickly disappears.

       (Job 14:3 TLB)  Must you be so harsh with frail men and demand an 
       accounting from them?

       (Job 14:4 TLB)  How can you demand purity in one born impure?

       (Job 14:5 TLB)  You have set mankind so brief a span of life--months 
       is all you give him! Not one bit longer may he live.

       (Job 14:6 TLB)  So give him a little rest, won't you? Turn away your 





       angry gaze and let him have a few moments of relief before he dies.

       (Job 14:7 TLB)  "For there is hope for a tree--if it's cut down, it 
       sprouts again and grows tender, new branches.

       (Job 14:8 TLB)  Though its roots have grown old in the earth, and its 
       stump decays, it may sprout and bud again at the touch of water, like 
       a new seedling.

       (Job 14:9 TLB)  

       (Job 14:10 TLB)  But when a man dies and is buried, where does his 
       spirit go?

       (Job 14:11 TLB)  As water evaporates from a lake, as a river 
       disappears in drought,

       (Job 14:12 TLB)  so a man lies down for the last time and does not 
       rise again until the heavens are no more; he shall not awaken, nor be 
       roused from his sleep.

       (Job 14:13 TLB)  Oh, that you would hide me with the dead and forget 
       me there until your anger ends; but mark your calendar to think of me 
       again!

       (Job 14:14 TLB)  "If a man dies, shall he live again? This thought 
       gives me hope, so that in all my anguish I eagerly await sweet death!

       (Job 14:15 TLB)  You would call and I would come, and you would reward 
       all I do.

       (Job 14:16 TLB)  But now, instead, you give me so few steps upon the 
       stage of life and notice every mistake I make.

       (Job 14:17 TLB)  You bundle them all together as evidence against me.

       (Job 14:18 TLB)  "Mountains wear away and disappear. Water grinds the 
       stones to sand. Torrents tear away the soil. So every hope of man is 
       worn away.

       (Job 14:19 TLB)  

       (Job 14:20 TLB)  Always you are against him, and then he passes off 
       the scene. You make him old and wrinkled, then send him away.

       (Job 14:21 TLB)  He never knows it if his sons are honored; or they 
       may fail and face disaster, but he knows it not.

       (Job 14:22 TLB)  For him there is only sorrow and pain."

       (Job 15:1 TLB)  The answer of Eliphaz the Temanite:

       (Job 15:2 TLB)  "You are supposed to be a wise man, and yet you give 
       us all this foolish talk. You are nothing but a windbag.

       (Job 15:3 TLB)  It isn't right to speak so foolishly. What good do 





       such words do?

       (Job 15:4 TLB)  Have you no fear of God? No reverence for him? Your 
       sins are telling your mouth what to say! Your words are based on 
       clever deception,

       (Job 15:5 TLB)  

       (Job 15:6 TLB)  but why should I condemn you? Your own mouth does!

       (Job 15:7 TLB)  "Are you the wisest man alive? Were you born before 
       the hills were made?

       (Job 15:8 TLB)  Have you heard the secret counsel of God? Are you 
       called into his counsel room? Do you have a monopoly on wisdom?

       (Job 15:9 TLB)  What do you know more than we do? What do you 
       understand that we don't?

       (Job 15:10 TLB)  On our side are aged men much older than your father!

       (Job 15:11 TLB)  Is God's comfort too little for you? Is his 
       gentleness too rough?

       (Job 15:12 TLB)  "What is this you are doing, getting carried away by 
       your anger, with flashing eyes?

       (Job 15:13 TLB)  And you turn against God and say all these evil 
       things against him.

       (Job 15:14 TLB)  What man in all the earth can be as pure and 
       righteous as you claim to be?

       (Job 15:15 TLB)  Why, God doesn't even trust the angels! Even the 
       heavens can't be absolutely pure compared with him!

       (Job 15:16 TLB)  How much less someone like you, who is corrupt and 
       sinful, drinking in sin as a sponge soaks up water!

       (Job 15:17 TLB)  "Listen, and I will answer you from my own 
       experience,

       (Job 15:18 TLB)  confirmed by the experience of wise men who have been 
       told this same thing from their fathers--our ancestors

       (Job 15:19 TLB)  to whom alone the land was given--and they have 
       passed this wisdom to us:

       (Job 15:20 TLB)  "A wicked man is always in trouble throughout his 
       life.

       (Job 15:21 TLB)  He is surrounded by terrors, and if there are good 
       days, they will soon be gone.

       (Job 15:22 TLB)  He dares not go out into the darkness lest he be 
       murdered.






       (Job 15:23 TLB)  He wanders around begging for food. He lives in fear, 
       distress, and anguish. His enemies conquer him as a king defeats his 
       foes.

       (Job 15:24 TLB)  

       (Job 15:25 TLB)  Armed with his tin shield, he clenches his fist 
       against God, defying the Almighty, stubbornly assaulting him.

       (Job 15:26 TLB)  

       (Job 15:27 TLB)  "This wicked man is fat and rich, and has lived in 
       conquered cities after killing off their citizens.

       (Job 15:28 TLB)  

       (Job 15:29 TLB)  But he will not continue to be rich, or to extend his 
       possessions.

       (Job 15:30 TLB)  No, darkness shall overtake him forever; the breath 
       of God shall destroy him; the flames shall burn up all he has.

       (Job 15:31 TLB)  "Let him no longer trust in foolish riches; let him 
       no longer deceive himself, for the money he trusts in will be his only 
       reward.

       (Job 15:32 TLB)  Before he dies, all this futility will become evident 
       to him. For all he counted on will disappear

       (Job 15:33 TLB)  and fall to the ground like a withered grape. How 
       little will come of his hopes!

       (Job 15:34 TLB)  For the godless are barren: they can produce nothing 
       truly good. God's fire consumes them with all their possessions.

       (Job 15:35 TLB)  The only thing they can 'conceive' is sin, and their 
       hearts give birth only to wickedness."

       (Job 16:1 TLB)  Job's reply:

       (Job 16:2 TLB)  "I have heard all this before. What miserable 
       comforters all of you are.

       (Job 16:3 TLB)  Won't you ever stop your flow of foolish words? What 
       have I said that makes you speak so endlessly?

       (Job 16:4 TLB)  But perhaps I'd sermonize the same as you--if you were 
       I and I were you. I would spout off my criticisms against you and 
       shake my head at you.

       (Job 16:5 TLB)  But no! I would speak in such a way that it would help 
       you. I would try to take away your grief.

       (Job 16:6 TLB)  "But now my grief remains no matter how I defend 
       myself; nor does it help if I refuse to speak.






       (Job 16:7 TLB)  For God has ground me down and taken away my family.

       (Job 16:8 TLB)  O God, you have turned me to skin and bones--as a 
       proof, they say, of my sins.

       (Job 16:9 TLB)  God hates me and angrily tears at my flesh; he has 
       gnashed upon me with his teeth and watched to snuff out any sign of 
       life.

       (Job 16:10 TLB)  These 'comforters' have gaping jaws to swallow me; 
       they slap my cheek. My enemies gather themselves against me.

       (Job 16:11 TLB)  And God has delivered me over to sinners, into the 
       hands of the wicked.

       (Job 16:12 TLB)  "I was living quietly until he broke me apart. He has 
       taken me by the neck and dashed me to pieces, then hung me up as his 
       target.

       (Job 16:13 TLB)  His archers surround me, letting fly their arrows, so 
       that the ground is wet from my blood.

       (Job 16:14 TLB)  Again and again he attacks me, running upon me like a 
       giant.

       (Job 16:15 TLB)  Here I sit in sackcloth; and have laid all hope in 
       the dust.

       (Job 16:16 TLB)  My eyes are red with weeping, and on my eyelids is 
       the shadow of death.

       (Job 16:17 TLB)  "Yet I am innocent, and my prayer is pure.

       (Job 16:18 TLB)  O earth, do not conceal my blood. Let it protest on 
       my behalf.

       (Job 16:19 TLB)  "Yet even now the Witness to my innocence is there in 
       heaven; my Advocate is there on high.

       (Job 16:20 TLB)  My friends scoff at me, but I pour out my tears to 
       God,

       (Job 16:21 TLB)  pleading that he will listen as a man would listen to 
       his neighbor.

       (Job 16:22 TLB)  For all too soon I must go down that road from which 
       I shall never return.

       (Job 17:1 TLB)  "I am sick and near to death; the grave is ready to 
       receive me.

       (Job 17:2 TLB)  I am surrounded by mockers. I see them everywhere.

       (Job 17:3 TLB)  Will no one anywhere confirm my innocence? But you, O 
       God, have kept them back from understanding this. Oh, do not let them 





       triumph.

       (Job 17:4 TLB)  

       (Job 17:5 TLB)  If they accept bribes to denounce their friends, their 
       children shall go blind.

       (Job 17:6 TLB)  "He has made me a mockery among the people; they spit 
       in my face.

       (Job 17:7 TLB)  My eyes are dim with weeping and I am but a shadow of 
       my former self.

       (Job 17:8 TLB)  Fair-minded men are astonished when they see me. "Yet, 
       finally, the innocent shall come out on top, above the godless;

       (Job 17:9 TLB)  the righteous shall move onward and forward; those 
       with pure hearts shall become stronger and stronger.

       (Job 17:10 TLB)  "As for you--all of you please go away; for I do not 
       find a wise man among you.

       (Job 17:11 TLB)  My good days are in the past. My hopes have 
       disappeared. My heart's desires are broken.

       (Job 17:12 TLB)  They say that night is day and day is night; how they 
       pervert the truth!

       (Job 17:13 TLB)  "If I die, I go out into darkness, and call the grave 
       my father, and the worm my mother and my sister.

       (Job 17:14 TLB)  

       (Job 17:15 TLB)  Where then is my hope? Can anyone find any?

       (Job 17:16 TLB)  No, my hope will go down with me to the grave. We 
       shall rest together in the dust!"

       (Job 18:1 TLB)  The further reply of Bildad the Shuhite:

       (Job 18:2 TLB)  "Who are you trying to fool? Speak some sense if you 
       want us to answer!

       (Job 18:3 TLB)  Have we become like animals to you, stupid and dumb?

       (Job 18:4 TLB)  Just because you tear your clothes in anger, is this 
       going to start an earthquake? Shall we all go and hide?

       (Job 18:5 TLB)  "The truth remains that if you do not prosper, it is 
       because you are wicked. And your bright flame shall be put out.

       (Job 18:6 TLB)  There will be darkness in every home where there is 
       wickedness.

       (Job 18:7 TLB)  "The confident stride of the wicked man will be 
       shortened; he will realize his failing strength.






       (Job 18:8 TLB)  He walks into traps, and robbers will ambush him.

       (Job 18:9 TLB)  

       (Job 18:10 TLB)  There is a booby trap in every path he takes.

       (Job 18:11 TLB)  He has good cause for fear--his enemy is close behind 
       him!

       (Job 18:12 TLB)  "His vigor is depleted by hunger; calamity stands 
       ready to pounce upon him.

       (Job 18:13 TLB)  His skin is eaten by disease. Death shall devour him.

       (Job 18:14 TLB)  The wealth he trusted in shall reject him, and he 
       shall be brought down to the King of Terrors.

       (Job 18:15 TLB)  His home shall disappear beneath a fiery barrage of 
       brimstone.

       (Job 18:16 TLB)  He shall die from the roots up, and all his branches 
       will be lopped off.

       (Job 18:17 TLB)  "All memory of his existence will perish from the 
       earth; no one will remember him.

       (Job 18:18 TLB)  He will be driven out from the kingdom of light into 
       darkness and chased out of the world.

       (Job 18:19 TLB)  He will have neither son nor grandson left, nor any 
       other relatives.

       (Job 18:20 TLB)  Old and young alike will be horrified by his fate.

       (Job 18:21 TLB)  Yes, that is what happens to sinners, to those 
       rejecting God."

       (Job 19:1 TLB)  The reply of Job:

       (Job 19:2 TLB)  "How long are you going to trouble me, and try to 
       break me with your words?

       (Job 19:3 TLB)  Ten times now you have declared I am a sinner. Why 
       aren't you ashamed to deal with me so harshly?

       (Job 19:4 TLB)  And if indeed I was wrong, you have yet to prove it.

       (Job 19:5 TLB)  You think yourselves so great? Then prove my guilt!

       (Job 19:6 TLB)  "The fact of the matter is that God has overthrown me 
       and caught me in his net.

       (Job 19:7 TLB)  I scream for help and no one hears me. I shriek, but 
       get no justice.





       (Job 19:8 TLB)  God has blocked my path and turned my light to 
       darkness.

       (Job 19:9 TLB)  He has stripped me of my glory and removed the crown 
       from my head.

       (Job 19:10 TLB)  He has broken me down on every side, and I am done 
       for. He has destroyed all hope.

       (Job 19:11 TLB)  His fury burns against me; he counts me as an enemy.

       (Job 19:12 TLB)  He sends his troops to surround my tent.

       (Job 19:13 TLB)  "He has sent away my brothers and my friends.

       (Job 19:14 TLB)  My relatives have failed me; my friends have all 
       forsaken me.

       (Job 19:15 TLB)  Those living in my home, even my servants, regard me 
       as a stranger. I am like a foreigner to them.

       (Job 19:16 TLB)  I call my servant, but he doesn't come; I even beg 
       him!

       (Job 19:17 TLB)  My own wife and brothers refuse to recognize me.

       (Job 19:18 TLB)  Even young children despise me. When I stand to 
       speak, they mock.

       (Job 19:19 TLB)  "My best friends abhor me. Those I loved have turned 
       against me.

       (Job 19:20 TLB)  I am skin and bones and have escaped death by the 
       skin of my teeth.

       (Job 19:21 TLB)  "Oh, my friends, pity me, for the angry hand of God 
       has touched me.

       (Job 19:22 TLB)  Why must you persecute me as God does? Why aren't you 
       satisfied with my anguish?

       (Job 19:23 TLB)  Oh, that I could write my plea with an iron pen in 
       the rock forever.

       (Job 19:24 TLB)  

       (Job 19:25 TLB)  "But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and 
       that he will stand upon the earth at last.

       (Job 19:26 TLB)  And I know that after this body has decayed, this 
       body shall see God!

       (Job 19:27 TLB)  Then he will be on my side! Yes, I shall see him, not 
       as a stranger, but as a friend! What a glorious hope!

       (Job 19:28 TLB)  "How dare you go on persecuting me, as though I were 





       proven guilty?

       (Job 19:29 TLB)  I warn you, you yourselves are in danger of 
       punishment for your attitude."

       (Job 20:1 TLB)  The speech of Zophar the Naamathite:

       (Job 20:2 TLB)  "I hasten to reply, for I have the answer for you.

       (Job 20:3 TLB)  You have tried to make me feel ashamed of myself for 
       calling you a sinner, but my spirit won't let me stop.

       (Job 20:4 TLB)  "Don't you realize that ever since man was first 
       placed upon the earth,

       (Job 20:5 TLB)  the triumph of the wicked has been short-lived, and 
       the joy of the godless but for a moment?

       (Job 20:6 TLB)  Though the godless be proud as the heavens and walk 
       with his nose in the air,

       (Job 20:7 TLB)  yet he shall perish forever, cast away like his own 
       dung. Those who knew him will wonder where he is gone.

       (Job 20:8 TLB)  He will fade like a dream.

       (Job 20:9 TLB)  Neither his friends nor his family will ever see him 
       again.

       (Job 20:10 TLB)  "His children shall beg from the poor, their hard 
       labor shall repay his debts.

       (Job 20:11 TLB)  Though still a young man, his bones shall lie in the 
       dust.

       (Job 20:12 TLB)  "He enjoyed the taste of his wickedness, letting it 
       melt in his mouth,

       (Job 20:13 TLB)  sipping it slowly, lest it disappear.

       (Job 20:14 TLB)  "But suddenly the food he has eaten turns sour within 
       him.

       (Job 20:15 TLB)  He will vomit the plunder he gorged. God won't let 
       him keep it down.

       (Job 20:16 TLB)  It is like poison and death to him.

       (Job 20:17 TLB)  He shall not enjoy the goods he stole; they will not 
       be butter and honey to him after all.

       (Job 20:18 TLB)  His labors shall not be rewarded; wealth will give 
       him no joy.

       (Job 20:19 TLB)  For he has oppressed the poor and foreclosed their 
       homes; he will never recover.






       (Job 20:20 TLB)  Though he was always greedy, now he has nothing; of 
       all the things he dreamed of--none remain.

       (Job 20:21 TLB)  Because he stole at every opportunity, his prosperity 
       shall not continue.

       (Job 20:22 TLB)  "He shall run into trouble at the peak of his powers; 
       all the wicked shall destroy him.

       (Job 20:23 TLB)  Just as he is about to fill his belly, God will rain 
       down wrath upon him.

       (Job 20:24 TLB)  He will be chased and struck down.

       (Job 20:25 TLB)  The arrow is pulled from his body--and the glittering 
       point comes out from his gall. The terrors of death are upon him.

       (Job 20:26 TLB)  "His treasures will be lost in deepest darkness. A 
       raging fire will devour his goods, consuming all he has left.

       (Job 20:27 TLB)  The heavens will reveal his sins, and the earth will 
       give testimony against him.

       (Job 20:28 TLB)  His wealth will disappear beneath the wrath of God.

       (Job 20:29 TLB)  This is what awaits the wicked man, for God prepares 
       it for him."

       (Job 21:1 TLB)  Job's reply:

       (Job 21:2 TLB)  "Listen to me; let me speak, and afterwards, mock on.

       (Job 21:3 TLB)  

       (Job 21:4 TLB)  "I am complaining about God, not man; no wonder my 
       spirit is so troubled.

       (Job 21:5 TLB)  Look at me in horror, and lay your hand upon your 
       mouth.

       (Job 21:6 TLB)  Even I am frightened when I see myself. Horror takes 
       hold upon me and I shudder.

       (Job 21:7 TLB)  "The truth is that the wicked live on to a good old 
       age and become great and powerful.

       (Job 21:8 TLB)  They live to see their children grow to maturity 
       around them, and their grandchildren too.

       (Job 21:9 TLB)  Their homes are safe from every fear, and God does not 
       punish them.

       (Job 21:10 TLB)  Their cattle are productive,

       (Job 21:11 TLB)  they have many happy children,






       (Job 21:12 TLB)  they spend their time singing and dancing. They are 
       wealthy and need deny themselves nothing; they are prosperous to the 
       end.

       (Job 21:13 TLB)  

       (Job 21:14 TLB)  All this despite the fact that they ordered God away 
       and wanted no part of him and his ways.

       (Job 21:15 TLB)  "'Who is Almighty God?' they scoff. 'Why should we 
       obey him? What good will it do us?'

       (Job 21:16 TLB)  "Look, everything the wicked touch has turned to 
       gold! But I refuse even to deal with people like that.

       (Job 21:17 TLB)  Yet the wicked get away with it every time. They 
       never have trouble, and God skips them when he distributes his sorrows 
       and anger.

       (Job 21:18 TLB)  Are they driven before the wind like straw? Are they 
       carried away by the storm? Not at all!

       (Job 21:19 TLB)  "'Well,' you say, 'at least God will punish their 
       children!' But I say that God should punish the man who sins, not his 
       children! Let him feel the penalty himself.

       (Job 21:20 TLB)  Yes, let him be destroyed for his iniquity. Let him 
       drink deeply of the anger of the Almighty.

       (Job 21:21 TLB)  For when he is dead, then he will never again be able 
       to enjoy his family.

       (Job 21:22 TLB)  "But who can rebuke God, the supreme Judge?

       (Job 21:23 TLB)  He destroys those who are healthy, wealthy, fat, and 
       prosperous;

       (Job 21:24 TLB)  

       (Job 21:25 TLB)  God also destroys those in deep and grinding poverty 
       who have never known anything good.

       (Job 21:26 TLB)  Both alike are buried in the same dust, both eaten by 
       the same worms.

       (Job 21:27 TLB)  "I know what you are going to say--

       (Job 21:28 TLB)  you will tell me of rich and wicked men who came to 
       disaster because of their sins.

       (Job 21:29 TLB)  But I reply, Ask anyone who has been around and he 
       can tell you the truth,

       (Job 21:30 TLB)  that the evil man is usually spared in the day of 
       calamity and allowed to escape.






       (Job 21:31 TLB)  No one rebukes him openly. No one repays him for what 
       he has done.

       (Job 21:32 TLB)  And an honor guard keeps watch at his grave.

       (Job 21:33 TLB)  A great funeral procession precedes and follows him 
       as the soft earth covers him.

       (Job 21:34 TLB)  How can you comfort me when your whole premise is so 
       wrong?"

       (Job 22:1 TLB)  Another address from Eliphaz:

       (Job 22:2 TLB)  "Is mere man of any worth to God? Even the wisest is 
       of value only to himself!

       (Job 22:3 TLB)  Is it any pleasure to the Almighty if you are 
       righteous? Would it be any gain to him if you were perfect?

       (Job 22:4 TLB)  Is it because you are good that he is punishing you?

       (Job 22:5 TLB)  Not at all! It is because of your wickedness! Your 
       sins are endless!

       (Job 22:6 TLB)  "For instance, you must have refused to loan money to 
       needy friends unless they gave you all their clothing as a 
       pledge--yes, you must have stripped them to the bone.

       (Job 22:7 TLB)  You must have refused water to the thirsty and bread 
       to the starving.

       (Job 22:8 TLB)  But no doubt you gave men of importance anything they 
       wanted and let the wealthy live wherever they chose.

       (Job 22:9 TLB)  You sent widows away without helping them and broke 
       the arms of orphans.

       (Job 22:10 TLB)  That is why you are now surrounded by traps and 
       sudden fears, and darkness and waves of horror.

       (Job 22:11 TLB)  

       (Job 22:12 TLB)  "God is so great--higher than the heavens, higher 
       than the stars.

       (Job 22:13 TLB)  But you reply, 'That is why he can't see what I am 
       doing! How can he judge through the thick darkness?

       (Job 22:14 TLB)  For thick clouds swirl about him so that he cannot 
       see us. He is way up there, walking on the vault of heaven.'

       (Job 22:15 TLB)  "Don't you realize that those treading the ancient 
       paths of sin are snatched away in youth, and the foundations of their 
       lives washed out forever?





       (Job 22:16 TLB)  

       (Job 22:17 TLB)  For they said to God, 'Go away, God! What can you do 
       for us?'

       (Job 22:18 TLB)  (God forbid that I should say a thing like that.) Yet 
       they forgot that he had filled their homes with good things.

       (Job 22:19 TLB)  And now the righteous shall see them destroyed; the 
       innocent shall laugh the wicked to scorn.

       (Job 22:20 TLB)  'See,' they will say, 'the last of our enemies have 
       been destroyed in the fire.'

       (Job 22:21 TLB)  "Quit quarreling with God! Agree with him and you 
       will have peace at last! His favor will surround you if you will only 
       admit that you were wrong.

       (Job 22:22 TLB)  Listen to his instructions and store them in your 
       heart.

       (Job 22:23 TLB)  If you return to God and put right all the wrong in 
       your home, then you will be restored.

       (Job 22:24 TLB)  If you give up your lust for money and throw your 
       gold away,

       (Job 22:25 TLB)  then the Almighty himself shall be your treasure; he 
       will be your precious silver!

       (Job 22:26 TLB)  "Then you will delight yourself in the Lord and look 
       up to God.

       (Job 22:27 TLB)  You will pray to him, and he will hear you, and you 
       will fulfill all your promises to him.

       (Job 22:28 TLB)  Whatever you wish will happen! And the light of 
       heaven will shine upon the road ahead of you.

       (Job 22:29 TLB)  If you are attacked and knocked down, you will know 
       that there is someone who will lift you up again. Yes, he will save 
       the humble

       (Job 22:30 TLB)  and help even sinners by your pure hands."

       (Job 23:1 TLB)  The reply of Job:

       (Job 23:2 TLB)  "My complaint today is still a bitter one, and my 
       punishment far more severe than my fault deserves.

       (Job 23:3 TLB)  Oh, that I knew where to find God--that I could go to 
       his throne and talk with him there.

       (Job 23:4 TLB)  I would tell him all about my side of this argument, 
       and listen to his reply, and understand what he wants.





       (Job 23:5 TLB)  

       (Job 23:6 TLB)  Would he merely overpower me with his greatness? No, 
       he would listen with sympathy.

       (Job 23:7 TLB)  Fair and honest men could reason with him and be 
       acquitted by my Judge.

       (Job 23:8 TLB)  "But I search in vain. I seek him here, I seek him 
       there and cannot find him.

       (Job 23:9 TLB)  I seek him in his workshop in the North but cannot 
       find him there; nor can I find him in the South; there, too, he hides 
       himself.

       (Job 23:10 TLB)  But he knows every detail of what is happening to me; 
       and when he has examined me, he will pronounce me completely 
       innocent--as pure as solid gold!

       (Job 23:11 TLB)  "I have stayed in God's paths, following his steps. I 
       have not turned aside.

       (Job 23:12 TLB)  I have not refused his commandments but have enjoyed 
       them more than my daily food.

       (Job 23:13 TLB)  Nevertheless, his mind concerning me remains 
       unchanged, and who can turn him from his purposes? Whatever he wants 
       to do, he does.

       (Job 23:14 TLB)  So he will do to me all he has planned, and there is 
       more ahead.

       (Job 23:15 TLB)  "No wonder I am so terrified in his presence. When I 
       think of it, terror grips me.

       (Job 23:16 TLB)  God has given me a fainting heart; he, the Almighty, 
       has terrified me with darkness all around me, thick, impenetrable 
       darkness everywhere.

       (Job 23:17 TLB)  

       (Job 24:1 TLB)  "Why doesn't God open the court and listen to my case? 
       Why must the godly wait for him in vain?

       (Job 24:2 TLB)  For a crime wave has engulfed us--landmarks are moved, 
       flocks of sheep are stolen,

       (Job 24:3 TLB)  and even the donkeys of the poor and fatherless are 
       taken. Poor widows must surrender the little they have as a pledge to 
       get a loan.

       (Job 24:4 TLB)  The needy are kicked aside; they must get out of the 
       way.

       (Job 24:5 TLB)  Like the wild donkeys in the desert, the poor must 
       spend all their time just getting barely enough to keep soul and body 





       together. They are sent into the desert to search for food for their 
       children.

       (Job 24:6 TLB)  They eat what they find that grows wild and must even 
       glean the vineyards of the wicked.

       (Job 24:7 TLB)  All night they lie naked in the cold, without clothing 
       or covering.

       (Job 24:8 TLB)  They are wet with the showers of the mountains and 
       live in caves for want of a home.

       (Job 24:9 TLB)  "The wicked snatch fatherless children from their 
       mother's breasts, and take a poor man's baby as a pledge before they 
       will loan him any money or grain.

       (Job 24:10 TLB)  That is why they must go about naked, without 
       clothing, and are forced to carry food while they are starving.

       (Job 24:11 TLB)  They are forced to press out the olive oil without 
       tasting it and to tread out the grape juice as they suffer from 
       thirst.

       (Job 24:12 TLB)  The bones of the dying cry from the city; the wounded 
       cry for help; yet God does not respond to their moaning.

       (Job 24:13 TLB)  "The wicked rebel against the light and are not 
       acquainted with the right and the good.

       (Job 24:14 TLB)  They are murderers who rise in the early dawn to kill 
       the poor and needy; at night they are thieves and adulterers,

       (Job 24:15 TLB)  waiting for the twilight 'when no one will see me,' 
       they say. They mask their faces so no one will know them.

       (Job 24:16 TLB)  They break into houses at night and sleep in the 
       daytime--they are not acquainted with the light.

       (Job 24:17 TLB)  The black night is their morning; they ally 
       themselves with the terrors of the darkness.

       (Job 24:18 TLB)  "But how quickly they disappear from the face of the 
       earth. Everything they own is cursed. They leave no property for their 
       children.

       (Job 24:19 TLB)  Death consumes sinners as drought and heat consume 
       snow.

       (Job 24:20 TLB)  Even the sinner's own mother shall forget him. Worms 
       shall feed sweetly on him. No one will remember him any more. For 
       wicked men are broken like a tree in the storm.

       (Job 24:21 TLB)  For they have taken advantage of the childless who 
       have no protecting sons. They refuse to help the needy widows.

       (Job 24:22 TLB)  "Yet sometimes it seems as though God preserves the 





       rich by his power and restores them to life when anyone else would 
       die.

       (Job 24:23 TLB)  God gives them confidence and strength, and helps 
       them in many ways.

       (Job 24:24 TLB)  But though they are very great now, yet in a moment 
       they shall be gone like all others, cut off like heads of grain.

       (Job 24:25 TLB)  Can anyone claim otherwise? Who can prove me a liar 
       and claim that I am wrong?"

       (Job 25:1 TLB)  The further reply of Bildad the Shuhite:

       (Job 25:2 TLB)  "God is powerful and dreadful. He enforces peace in 
       heaven.

       (Job 25:3 TLB)  Who is able to number his hosts of angels? And his 
       light shines down on all the earth.

       (Job 25:4 TLB)  How can mere man stand before God and claim to be 
       righteous? Who in all the earth can boast that he is clean?

       (Job 25:5 TLB)  God is so glorious that even the moon and stars are 
       less than nothing as compared to him.

       (Job 25:6 TLB)  How much less is man, who is but a worm in his sight?"

       (Job 26:1 TLB)  Job's reply:

       (Job 26:2 TLB)  "What wonderful helpers you all are! And how you have 
       encouraged me in my great need!

       (Job 26:3 TLB)  How you have enlightened my stupidity! What wise 
       things you have said!

       (Job 26:4 TLB)  How did you ever think of all these brilliant 
       comments?

       (Job 26:5 TLB)  "The dead stand naked, trembling before God in the 
       place where they go.

       (Job 26:6 TLB)  

       (Job 26:7 TLB)  God stretches out heaven over empty space and hangs 
       the earth upon nothing.

       (Job 26:8 TLB)  He wraps the rain in his thick clouds and the clouds, 
       are not split by the weight.

       (Job 26:9 TLB)  He shrouds his throne with his clouds.

       (Job 26:10 TLB)  He sets a boundary for the ocean, yes, and a boundary 
       for the day and for the night.

       (Job 26:11 TLB)  The pillars of heaven tremble at his rebuke.






       (Job 26:12 TLB)  And by his power the sea grows calm; he is skilled at 
       crushing its pride!

       (Job 26:13 TLB)  The heavens are made beautiful by his Spirit; he 
       pierces the swiftly gliding serpent.

       (Job 26:14 TLB)  "These are some of the minor things he does, merely a 
       whisper of his power. Who then can withstand his thunder?"

       (Job 27:1 TLB)  Job's final defense:

       (Job 27:2 TLB)  "I vow by the living God, who has taken away my 
       rights, even the Almighty God who has embittered my soul,

       (Job 27:3 TLB)  that as long as I live, while I have breath from God,

       (Job 27:4 TLB)  my lips shall speak no evil, my tongue shall speak no 
       lies.

       (Job 27:5 TLB)  I will never, never agree that you are right; until I 
       die I will vow my innocence.

       (Job 27:6 TLB)  I am not a sinner--I repeat it again and again. My 
       conscience is clear for as long as I live.

       (Job 27:7 TLB)  Those who declare otherwise are my wicked enemies. 
       They are evil men.

       (Job 27:8 TLB)  "But what hope has the godless when God cuts him off 
       and takes away his life?

       (Job 27:9 TLB)  Will God listen to his cry when trouble comes upon 
       him?

       (Job 27:10 TLB)  For he does not delight himself in the Almighty or 
       pay any attention to God except in times of crisis.

       (Job 27:11 TLB)  "I will teach you about God--

       (Job 27:12 TLB)  but really, I don't need to, for you yourselves know 
       as much about him as I do; yet you are saying all these useless things 
       to me.

       (Job 27:13 TLB)  "This is the fate awaiting the wicked from the hand 
       of the Almighty:

       (Job 27:14 TLB)  If he has a multitude of children, it is so that they 
       will die in war or starve to death.

       (Job 27:15 TLB)  Those who survive shall be brought down to the grave 
       by disease and plague, with no one to mourn them, not even their 
       wives.

       (Job 27:16 TLB)  "The evil man may accumulate money like dust, with 
       closets jammed full of clothing--






       (Job 27:17 TLB)  yes, he may order them made by his tailor, but the 
       innocent shall wear that clothing and shall divide his silver among 
       them.

       (Job 27:18 TLB)  Every house built by the wicked is as fragile as a 
       spider web, as full of cracks as a leafy booth!

       (Job 27:19 TLB)  "He goes to bed rich but wakes up to find that all 
       his wealth is gone.

       (Job 27:20 TLB)  Terror overwhelms him, and he is blown away in the 
       storms of the night.

       (Job 27:21 TLB)  The east wind carries him away, and he is gone. It 
       sweeps him into eternity.

       (Job 27:22 TLB)  For God shall hurl at him unsparingly. He longs to 
       flee from God.

       (Job 27:23 TLB)  Everyone will cheer at his death and boo him into 
       eternity.

       (Job 28:1 TLB)  "Men know how to mine silver and refine gold,

       (Job 28:2 TLB)  to dig iron from the earth and melt copper from stone.

       (Job 28:3 TLB)  Men know how to put light into darkness so that a mine 
       shaft can be sunk into the earth, and the earth searched and its deep 
       secrets explored.

       (Job 28:4 TLB)  Into the black rock, shadowed by death, men descend on 
       ropes, swinging back and forth.

       (Job 28:5 TLB)  "Men know how to obtain food from the surface of the 
       earth, while underneath there is fire.

       (Job 28:6 TLB)  "They know how to find sapphires and gold dust--

       (Job 28:7 TLB)  treasures that no bird of prey can see, no eagle's eye 
       observe--

       (Job 28:8 TLB)  for they are deep within the mines. No wild animal has 
       ever walked upon those treasures; no lion has set his paw there.

       (Job 28:9 TLB)  Men know how to tear apart flinty rocks and how to 
       overturn the roots of mountains.

       (Job 28:10 TLB)  They drill tunnels in the rocks and lay bare precious 
       stones.

       (Job 28:11 TLB)  They dam up streams of water and pan the gold.

       (Job 28:12 TLB)  "But though men can do all these things, they don't 
       know where to find wisdom and understanding.





       (Job 28:13 TLB)  They not only don't know how to get it, but, in fact, 
       it is not to be found among the living.

       (Job 28:14 TLB)  "'It's not here,' the oceans say; and the seas reply, 
       'Nor is it here.'

       (Job 28:15 TLB)  "It cannot be bought for gold or silver,

       (Job 28:16 TLB)  nor for all the gold of Ophir or precious onyx stones 
       or sapphires.

       (Job 28:17 TLB)  Wisdom is far more valuable than gold and glass. It 
       cannot be bought for jewels mounted in fine gold.

       (Job 28:18 TLB)  Coral or crystal is worthless in trying to get it; 
       its price is far above rubies.

       (Job 28:19 TLB)  Topaz from Ethiopia cannot purchase it, nor even the 
       purest gold.

       (Job 28:20 TLB)  "Then where can we get it? Where can it be found?

       (Job 28:21 TLB)  For it is hid from the eyes of all mankind; even the 
       sharp-eyed birds in the sky cannot discover it.

       (Job 28:22 TLB)  "But Destruction and Death speak of knowing something 
       about it!

       (Job 28:23 TLB)  And God surely knows where it is to be found, for he 
       looks throughout the whole earth, under all the heavens.

       (Job 28:24 TLB)  

       (Job 28:25 TLB)  He makes the winds blow and sets the boundaries of 
       the oceans.

       (Job 28:26 TLB)  He makes the laws of the rain and a path for the 
       lightning.

       (Job 28:27 TLB)  He knows where wisdom is and declares it to all who 
       will listen. He established it and examined it thoroughly.

       (Job 28:28 TLB)  And this is what he says to all mankind: 'Look, to 
       fear the Lord is true wisdom; to forsake evil is real understanding.'"

       (Job 29:1 TLB)  Job continues:

       (Job 29:2 TLB)  "Oh, for the years gone by when God took care of me,

       (Job 29:3 TLB)  when he lighted the way before me and I walked safely 
       through the darkness;

       (Job 29:4 TLB)  yes, in my early years, when the friendship of God was 
       felt in my home;

       (Job 29:5 TLB)  when the Almighty was still with me and my children 





       were around me;

       (Job 29:6 TLB)  when my projects prospered and even the rock poured 
       out streams of olive oil to me!

       (Job 29:7 TLB)  "Those were the days when I went out to the city gate 
       and took my place among the honored elders.

       (Job 29:8 TLB)  The young saw me and stepped aside, and even the aged 
       rose and stood up in respect at my coming.

       (Job 29:9 TLB)  The princes stood in silence and laid their hands upon 
       their mouths.

       (Job 29:10 TLB)  The highest officials of the city stood in quietness.

       (Job 29:11 TLB)  All rejoiced in what I said. All who saw me spoke 
       well of me.

       (Job 29:12 TLB)  "For I, as an honest judge, helped the poor in their 
       need and the fatherless who had no one to help them.

       (Job 29:13 TLB)  I helped those who were ready to perish, and they 
       blessed me. And I caused the widows' hearts to sing for joy.

       (Job 29:14 TLB)  All I did was just and honest, for righteousness was 
       my clothing!

       (Job 29:15 TLB)  I served as eyes for the blind and feet for the lame.

       (Job 29:16 TLB)  I was as a father to the poor and saw to it that even 
       strangers received a fair trial.

       (Job 29:17 TLB)  I knocked out the fangs of the godless oppressors and 
       made them drop their victims.

       (Job 29:18 TLB)  "I thought, 'Surely I shall die quietly in my nest 
       after a long, good life.'

       (Job 29:19 TLB)  For everything I did prospered; the dew lay all night 
       upon my fields and watered them.

       (Job 29:20 TLB)  Fresh honors were constantly given me, and my 
       abilities were constantly refreshed and renewed.

       (Job 29:21 TLB)  Everyone listened to me and valued my advice, and 
       were silent until I spoke.

       (Job 29:22 TLB)  And after I spoke, they spoke no more, for my counsel 
       satisfied them.

       (Job 29:23 TLB)  They longed for me to speak as those in drought-time 
       long for rain. They waited eagerly with open mouths.

       (Job 29:24 TLB)  When they were discouraged, I smiled and that 
       encouraged them and lightened their spirits.






       (Job 29:25 TLB)  I told them what they should do and corrected them as 
       their chief, or as a king instructs his army, and as one who comforts 
       those who mourn.

       (Job 30:1 TLB)  "But now those younger than I deride me--young men 
       whose fathers are less than my dogs.

       (Job 30:2 TLB)  Oh, they have strong backs all right, but they are 
       useless, stupid fools.

       (Job 30:3 TLB)  They are gaunt with famine and have been cast out into 
       deserts and the wastelands, desolate and gloomy.

       (Job 30:4 TLB)  They eat roots and leaves,

       (Job 30:5 TLB)  having been driven from civilization. Men shouted 
       after them as after thieves.

       (Job 30:6 TLB)  So now they live in frightening ravines, and in caves, 
       and among the rocks.

       (Job 30:7 TLB)  They sound like animals among the bushes, huddling 
       together for shelter beneath the nettles.

       (Job 30:8 TLB)  These sons of theirs have also turned out to be fools, 
       yes, children of no name, outcasts of civilization.

       (Job 30:9 TLB)  "And now I have become the subject of their ribald 
       song! I am a joke among them!

       (Job 30:10 TLB)  They despise me and won't come near me, and don't 
       mind spitting in my face.

       (Job 30:11 TLB)  For God has placed my life in jeopardy. These young 
       men, having humbled me, now cast off all restraint before me.

       (Job 30:12 TLB)  This rabble trip me and lay traps in my path.

       (Job 30:13 TLB)  They block my road and do everything they can to 
       hasten my calamity, knowing full well that I have no one to help me.

       (Job 30:14 TLB)  They come at me from all directions. They rush upon 
       me when I am down.

       (Job 30:15 TLB)  "I live in terror now. They hold me in contempt, and 
       my prosperity has vanished as a cloud before a strong wind.

       (Job 30:16 TLB)  My heart is broken. Depression haunts my days.

       (Job 30:17 TLB)  My weary nights are filled with pain as though 
       something were relentlessly gnawing at my bones.

       (Job 30:18 TLB)  All night long I toss and turn, and my garments bind 
       about me.





       (Job 30:19 TLB)  God has thrown me into the mud. I have become as dust 
       and ashes.

       (Job 30:20 TLB)  "I cry to you, O God, but you don't answer me. I 
       stand before you and you don't bother to look.

       (Job 30:21 TLB)  You have become cruel toward me and persecute me with 
       great power and effect.

       (Job 30:22 TLB)  You throw me into the whirlwind and dissolve me in 
       the storm.

       (Job 30:23 TLB)  And I know that your purpose for me is death.

       (Job 30:24 TLB)  I expected my fall to be broken, just as one who 
       falls stretches out his hand or cries for help in his calamity.

       (Job 30:25 TLB)  "And did I not weep for those in trouble? Wasn't I 
       deeply grieved for the needy?

       (Job 30:26 TLB)  I therefore looked for good to come. Evil came 
       instead. I waited for the light. Darkness came.

       (Job 30:27 TLB)  My heart is troubled and restless. Waves of 
       affliction have come upon me.

       (Job 30:28 TLB)  I am black but not from sunburn. I stand up and cry 
       to the assembly for help. (But I might as well save my breath,)

       (Job 30:29 TLB)  for I am considered a brother to jackals and a 
       companion to ostriches.

       (Job 30:30 TLB)  My skin is black and peeling. My bones burn with 
       fever.

       (Job 30:31 TLB)  The voice of joy and gladness has turned to mourning.

       (Job 31:1 TLB)  "I made a covenant with my eyes not to look with lust 
       upon a girl.

       (Job 31:2 TLB)  I know full well that Almighty God above sends 
       calamity on those who do.

       (Job 31:3 TLB)  

       (Job 31:4 TLB)  He sees everything I do and every step I take.

       (Job 31:5 TLB)  "If I have lied and deceived--

       (Job 31:6 TLB)  but God knows that I am innocent--

       (Job 31:7 TLB)  or if I have stepped off God's pathway, or if my heart 
       has lusted for what my eyes have seen, or if I am guilty of any other 
       sin,

       (Job 31:8 TLB)  then let someone else reap the crops I have sown and 





       let all that I have planted be rooted out.

       (Job 31:9 TLB)  "Or if I have longed for another man's wife,

       (Job 31:10 TLB)  then may I die, and may my wife be in another man's 
       home and someone else become her husband.

       (Job 31:11 TLB)  For lust is a shameful sin, a crime that should be 
       punished.

       (Job 31:12 TLB)  It is a devastating fire that destroys to hell and 
       would root out all I have planted.

       (Job 31:13 TLB)  "If I have been unfair to my servants,

       (Job 31:14 TLB)  how could I face God? What could I say when he 
       questioned me about it?

       (Job 31:15 TLB)  For God made me and made my servant too. He created 
       us both.

       (Job 31:16 TLB)  "If I have hurt the poor, or caused widows to weep,

       (Job 31:17 TLB)  or refused food to hungry orphans--

       (Job 31:18 TLB)  (but we have always cared for orphans in our home, 
       treating them as our own children)--

       (Job 31:19 TLB)  or if I have seen anyone freezing and not given him 
       clothing or fleece from my sheep to keep him warm,

       (Job 31:20 TLB)  

       (Job 31:21 TLB)  or if I have taken advantage of an orphan because I 
       thought I could get away with it--

       (Job 31:22 TLB)  if I have done any of these things, then let my arm 
       be torn from its socket! Let my shoulder be wrenched out of place!

       (Job 31:23 TLB)  Rather that than face the judgment sent by God; that 
       I dread more than anything else. For if the majesty of God opposes me, 
       what hope is there?

       (Job 31:24 TLB)  "If I have put my trust in money,

       (Job 31:25 TLB)  if my happiness depends on wealth,

       (Job 31:26 TLB)  or if I have looked at the sun shining in the skies 
       or the moon walking down her silver pathway

       (Job 31:27 TLB)  and my heart has been secretly enticed, and I have 
       worshiped them by kissing my hand to them,

       (Job 31:28 TLB)  this, too, must be punished by the judges. For if I 
       had done such things, it would mean that I denied the God of heaven.





       (Job 31:29 TLB)  "If I have rejoiced at harm to an enemy--

       (Job 31:30 TLB)  (but actually I have never cursed anyone nor asked 
       for revenge)--

       (Job 31:31 TLB)  or if any of my servants have ever gone hungry--

       (Job 31:32 TLB)  (actually I have never turned away even a stranger 
       but have opened my doors to all)--

       (Job 31:33 TLB)  or if, like Adam, I have tried to hide my sins,

       (Job 31:34 TLB)  fearing the crowd and its contempt so that I refused 
       to acknowledge my sin and do not go out of my way to help others--

       (Job 31:35 TLB)  (oh, that there were someone who would listen to me 
       and try to see my side of this argument. Look, I will sign my 
       signature to my defense; now let the Almighty show me that I am wrong; 
       let him approve the indictments made against me by my enemies.

       (Job 31:36 TLB)  I would treasure it like a crown.

       (Job 31:37 TLB)  Then I would tell him exactly what I have done and 
       why, presenting my defense as one he listens to).

       (Job 31:38 TLB)  "Or if my land accuses me because I stole the fruit 
       it bears, or if I have murdered its owners to get their land for 
       myself,

       (Job 31:39 TLB)  

       (Job 31:40 TLB)  then let thistles grow on that land instead of wheat, 
       and weeds instead of barley." Job's words are ended.

       (Job 32:1 TLB)  The three men refused to reply further to Job because 
       he kept insisting on his innocence.

       (Job 32:2 TLB)  Then Elihu (son of Barachel, the Buzite, of the Clan 
       of Ram) became angry because Job refused to admit he had sinned and to 
       acknowledge that God had just cause for punishing him.

       (Job 32:3 TLB)  But he was also angry with Job's three friends because 
       they had been unable to answer Job's arguments and yet had condemned 
       him.

       (Job 32:4 TLB)  Elihu had waited until now to speak because the others 
       were older than he.

       (Job 32:5 TLB)  But when he saw that they had no further reply, he 
       spoke out angrily,

       (Job 32:6 TLB)  and said, "I am young and you are old, so I held back 
       and did not dare to tell you what I think,

       (Job 32:7 TLB)  for those who are older are said to be wiser;





       (Job 32:8 TLB)  but it is not mere age that makes men wise. Rather, it 
       is the spirit in a man, the breath of the Almighty that makes him 
       intelligent.

       (Job 32:9 TLB)  

       (Job 32:10 TLB)  So listen to me awhile and let me express my opinion.

       (Job 32:11 TLB)  "I have waited all this time, listening very 
       carefully to your arguments, but not one of them has convinced Job 
       that he is a sinner or has proved that he is.

       (Job 32:12 TLB)  

       (Job 32:13 TLB)  And don't give me that line about 'only God can 
       convince the sinner of his sin.'

       (Job 32:14 TLB)  If Job had been arguing with me, I would not answer 
       with that kind of logic!

       (Job 32:15 TLB)  "You sit there baffled, with no further replies.

       (Job 32:16 TLB)  Shall I then continue to wait when you are silent?

       (Job 32:17 TLB)  No, I will give my answer too.

       (Job 32:18 TLB)  For I am pent up and full of words, and the spirit 
       within me urges me on.

       (Job 32:19 TLB)  I am like a wine cask without a vent! My words are 
       ready to burst out!

       (Job 32:20 TLB)  I must speak to find relief, so let me give my 
       answers.

       (Job 32:21 TLB)  Don't insist that I be cautious lest I insult 
       someone, and don't make me flatter anyone. Let me be frank lest God 
       should strike me dead.

       (Job 32:22 TLB)  

       (Job 33:1 TLB)  "Please listen, Job, to what I have to say.

       (Job 33:2 TLB)  I have begun to speak; now let me continue.

       (Job 33:3 TLB)  I will speak the truth with all sincerity.

       (Job 33:4 TLB)  For the Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of 
       the Almighty gives me life.

       (Job 33:5 TLB)  Don't hesitate to answer me if you can.

       (Job 33:6 TLB)  "Look, I am the one you were wishing for, someone to 
       stand between you and God and to be both his representative and yours.

       (Job 33:7 TLB)  You need not be frightened of me. I am not some person 





       of renown to make you nervous and afraid. I, too, am made of common 
       clay.

       (Job 33:8 TLB)  "You have said it in my hearing, yes, you've said it 
       again and again--

       (Job 33:9 TLB)  'I am pure, I am innocent; I have not sinned.'

       (Job 33:10 TLB)  You say God is using a fine-toothed comb to try to 
       find a single fault, and so to count you as his enemy.

       (Job 33:11 TLB)  'And he puts my feet in the stocks,' you say, 'and 
       watches every move I make.'

       (Job 33:12 TLB)  "All right, here is my reply: In this very thing, you 
       have sinned by speaking of God that way. For God is greater than man.

       (Job 33:13 TLB)  Why should you fight against him just because he does 
       not give account to you of what he does?

       (Job 33:14 TLB)  "For God speaks again and again,

       (Job 33:15 TLB)  in dreams, in visions of the night when deep sleep 
       falls on men as they lie on their beds.

       (Job 33:16 TLB)  He opens their ears in times like that and gives them 
       wisdom and instruction,

       (Job 33:17 TLB)  causing them to change their minds, and keeping them 
       from pride, and warning them of the penalties of sin, and keeping them 
       from falling into some trap.

       (Job 33:18 TLB)  

       (Job 33:19 TLB)  "Or God sends sickness and pain, even though no bone 
       is broken,

       (Job 33:20 TLB)  so that a man loses all taste and appetite for food 
       and doesn't care for even the daintiest dessert.

       (Job 33:21 TLB)  He becomes thin, mere skin and bones,

       (Job 33:22 TLB)  and draws near to death.

       (Job 33:23 TLB)  "But if a messenger from heaven is there to intercede 
       for him as a friend, to show him what is right,

       (Job 33:24 TLB)  then God pities him and says, 'Set him free. Do not 
       make him die, for I have found a substitute.'

       (Job 33:25 TLB)  Then his body will become as healthy as a child's, 
       firm and youthful again.

       (Job 33:26 TLB)  And when he prays to God, God will hear and answer 
       and receive him with joy, and return him to his duties.





       (Job 33:27 TLB)  And he will declare to his friends, 'I sinned, but 
       God let me go.

       (Job 33:28 TLB)  He did not let me die. I will go on living in the 
       realm of light.'

       (Job 33:29 TLB)  "Yes, God often does these things for man--

       (Job 33:30 TLB)  brings back his soul from the pit, so that he may 
       live in the light of the living.

       (Job 33:31 TLB)  Mark this well, O Job. Listen to me, and let me say 
       more.

       (Job 33:32 TLB)  But if you have anything to say at this point, go 
       ahead. I want to hear it, for I am anxious to justify you.

       (Job 33:33 TLB)  But if not, then listen to me. Keep silence and I 
       will teach you wisdom!"

       (Job 34:1 TLB)  Elihu continued:

       (Job 34:2 TLB)  "Listen to me, you wise men.

       (Job 34:3 TLB)  We can choose the sounds we want to listen to; we can 
       choose the taste we want in food,

       (Job 34:4 TLB)  and we should choose to follow what is right. But 
       first of all we must define among ourselves what is good.

       (Job 34:5 TLB)  For Job has said, 'I am innocent, but God says I'm 
       not.

       (Job 34:6 TLB)  I am called a liar, even though I am innocent. I am 
       horribly punished, even though I have not sinned.'

       (Job 34:7 TLB)  "Who else is as arrogant as Job? He must have spent 
       much time with evil men,

       (Job 34:8 TLB)  

       (Job 34:9 TLB)  for he said, 'Why waste time trying to please God?'

       (Job 34:10 TLB)  "Listen to me, you with understanding. Surely 
       everyone knows that God doesn't sin!

       (Job 34:11 TLB)  Rather, he punishes the sinners.

       (Job 34:12 TLB)  There is no truer statement than this: God is never 
       wicked or unjust.

       (Job 34:13 TLB)  He alone has authority over the earth and dispenses 
       justice for the world.

       (Job 34:14 TLB)  If God were to withdraw his Spirit,





       (Job 34:15 TLB)  all life would disappear and mankind would turn again 
       to dust.

       (Job 34:16 TLB)  "Listen now and try to understand.

       (Job 34:17 TLB)  Could God govern if he hated justice? Are you going 
       to condemn the Almighty Judge?

       (Job 34:18 TLB)  Are you going to condemn this God who says to kings 
       and nobles, 'You are wicked and unjust'?

       (Job 34:19 TLB)  For he doesn't care how great a man may be, and 
       doesn't pay any more attention to the rich than to the poor. He made 
       them all.

       (Job 34:20 TLB)  In a moment they die, and at midnight great and small 
       shall suddenly pass away, removed by no human hand.

       (Job 34:21 TLB)  "For God carefully watches the goings on of all 
       mankind; he sees them all.

       (Job 34:22 TLB)  No darkness is thick enough to hide evil men from his 
       eyes,

       (Job 34:23 TLB)  so there is no need to wait for some great crime 
       before a man is called before God in judgment.

       (Job 34:24 TLB)  Without making a big issue over it, God simply 
       shatters the greatest of men and puts others in their places.

       (Job 34:25 TLB)  He watches what they do and in a single night he 
       overturns them, destroying them,

       (Job 34:26 TLB)  or openly strikes them down as wicked men.

       (Job 34:27 TLB)  For they turned aside from following him,

       (Job 34:28 TLB)  causing the cry of the poor to come to the attention 
       of God. Yes, he hears the cries of those being oppressed.

       (Job 34:29 TLB)  Yet when he chooses not to speak, who can criticize? 
       Again,

       (Job 34:30 TLB)  he may prevent a vile man from ruling, thus saving a 
       nation from ruin, and he can depose an entire nation just as easily.

       (Job 34:31 TLB)  "Why don't people exclaim to their God, 'We have 
       sinned, but we will stop'?

       (Job 34:32 TLB)  Or, 'We know not what evil we have done; only tell 
       us, and we will cease at once.'

       (Job 34:33 TLB)  "Must God tailor his justice to your demands? Must he 
       change the order of the universe to suit your whims? The answer must 
       be obvious even to you!





       (Job 34:34 TLB)  Anyone even half bright will agree with me that you, 
       Job, are speaking like a fool.

       (Job 34:35 TLB)  

       (Job 34:36 TLB)  You should be given the maximum penalty for the 
       wicked way you have talked about God.

       (Job 34:37 TLB)  For now you have added rebellion, arrogance, and 
       blasphemy to your other sins."

       (Job 35:1 TLB)  Elihu continued:

       (Job 35:2 TLB)  "Do you think it is right for you to claim, 'I haven't 
       sinned, but I'm no better off before God than if I had'?

       (Job 35:3 TLB)  

       (Job 35:4 TLB)  "I will answer you and all your friends too.

       (Job 35:5 TLB)  Look up there into the sky, high above you.

       (Job 35:6 TLB)  If you sin, does that shake the heavens and knock God 
       from his throne? Even if you sin again and again, what effect will it 
       have upon him?

       (Job 35:7 TLB)  Or if you are good, is this some great gift to him?

       (Job 35:8 TLB)  Your sins may hurt another man, or your good deeds may 
       profit him.

       (Job 35:9 TLB)  The oppressed may shriek beneath their wrongs and 
       groan beneath the power of the rich; yet none of them cry to God, 
       asking, 'Where is God my Maker who gives songs in the night

       (Job 35:10 TLB)  

       (Job 35:11 TLB)  and makes us a little wiser than the animals and 
       birds?'

       (Job 35:12 TLB)  "But when anyone does cry out this question to him, 
       he never replies by instant punishment of the tyrants.

       (Job 35:13 TLB)  But it is false to say he doesn't hear those cries;

       (Job 35:14 TLB)  and it is even more false to say that he doesn't see 
       what is going on. He does bring about justice at last if you will only 
       wait.

       (Job 35:15 TLB)  But do you cry out against him because he does not 
       instantly respond in anger?

       (Job 35:16 TLB)  Job, you have spoken like a fool."

       (Job 36:1 TLB)  Elihu continued:





       (Job 36:2 TLB)  "Let me go on and I will show you the truth of what I 
       am saying. For I have not finished defending God!

       (Job 36:3 TLB)  I will give you many illustrations of the 
       righteousness of my Maker.

       (Job 36:4 TLB)  I am telling you the honest truth, for I am a man of 
       well-rounded knowledge.

       (Job 36:5 TLB)  "God is almighty and yet does not despise anyone! And 
       he is perfect in his understanding.

       (Job 36:6 TLB)  He does not reward the wicked with his blessings, but 
       gives them their full share of punishment.

       (Job 36:7 TLB)  He does not ignore the good men but honors them by 
       placing them upon eternal, kingly thrones.

       (Job 36:8 TLB)  If troubles come upon them and they are enslaved and 
       afflicted,

       (Job 36:9 TLB)  then he takes the trouble to point out to them the 
       reason, what they have done that is wrong, or how they have behaved 
       proudly.

       (Job 36:10 TLB)  He helps them hear his instruction to turn away from 
       their sin.

       (Job 36:11 TLB)  "If they listen and obey him, then they will be 
       blessed with prosperity throughout their lives.

       (Job 36:12 TLB)  If they won't listen to him, they shall perish in 
       battle and die because of their lack of good sense.

       (Job 36:13 TLB)  But the godless reap his anger. They do not even 
       return to him when he punishes them.

       (Job 36:14 TLB)  They die young after lives of dissipation and 
       depravity.

       (Job 36:15 TLB)  He delivers by distress! This makes them listen to 
       him!

       (Job 36:16 TLB)  "How he wanted to lure you away from danger into a 
       wide and pleasant valley and to prosper you there.

       (Job 36:17 TLB)  But you are too preoccupied with your imagined 
       grievances against others.

       (Job 36:18 TLB)  Watch out! Don't let your anger at others lead you 
       into scoffing at God! Don't let your suffering embitter you at the 
       only one who can deliver you.

       (Job 36:19 TLB)  Do you really think that if you shout loudly enough 
       against God, he will be ashamed and repent? Will this put an end to 
       your chastisement?






       (Job 36:20 TLB)  "Do not desire the nighttime, with its opportunities 
       for crime.

       (Job 36:21 TLB)  Turn back from evil, for it was to prevent you from 
       getting into a life of evil that God sent this suffering.

       (Job 36:22 TLB)  "Look, God is all-powerful. Who is a teacher like 
       him?

       (Job 36:23 TLB)  Who can say that what he does is absurd or evil?

       (Job 36:24 TLB)  Instead, glorify him for his mighty works for which 
       he is so famous.

       (Job 36:25 TLB)  Everyone has seen these things from a distance.

       (Job 36:26 TLB)  "God is so great that we cannot begin to know him. No 
       one can begin to understand eternity.

       (Job 36:27 TLB)  He draws up the water vapor and then distills it into 
       rain,

       (Job 36:28 TLB)  which the skies pour down.

       (Job 36:29 TLB)  Can anyone really understand the spreading of the 
       clouds and the thunders within?

       (Job 36:30 TLB)  See how he spreads the lightning around him, and 
       blankets the tops of the mountains.

       (Job 36:31 TLB)  By his fantastic powers in nature he punishes or 
       blesses the people, giving them food in abundance.

       (Job 36:32 TLB)  He fills his hands with lightning bolts. He hurls 
       each at its target.

       (Job 36:33 TLB)  We feel his presence in the thunder. Even the cattle 
       know when a storm is coming.

       (Job 37:1 TLB)  "My heart trembles at this.

       (Job 37:2 TLB)  Listen, listen to the thunder of his voice.

       (Job 37:3 TLB)  It rolls across the heavens and his lightning flashes 
       out in every direction.

       (Job 37:4 TLB)  Afterwards comes the roaring of the thunder--the 
       tremendous voice of his majesty.

       (Job 37:5 TLB)  His voice is glorious in the thunder. We cannot 
       comprehend the greatness of his power.

       (Job 37:6 TLB)  For he directs the snow, the showers, and storm to 
       fall upon the earth.





       (Job 37:7 TLB)  Man's work stops at such a time so that all men 
       everywhere may recognize his power.

       (Job 37:8 TLB)  The wild animals hide in the rocks or in their dens.

       (Job 37:9 TLB)  "From the south comes the rain; from the north, the 
       cold.

       (Job 37:10 TLB)  God blows upon the rivers, and even the widest 
       torrents freeze.

       (Job 37:11 TLB)  He loads the clouds with moisture, and they send 
       forth his lightning.

       (Job 37:12 TLB)  The lightning bolts are directed by his hand and do 
       whatever he commands throughout the earth.

       (Job 37:13 TLB)  He sends the storms as punishment or, in his 
       loving-kindness, to encourage.

       (Job 37:14 TLB)  "Listen, O Job, stop and consider the wonderful 
       miracles of God.

       (Job 37:15 TLB)  Do you know how God controls all nature and causes 
       the lightning to flash forth from the clouds?

       (Job 37:16 TLB)  Do you understand the balancing of the clouds with 
       wonderful perfection and skill? Do you know why you become warm when 
       the south wind is blowing and everything is still?

       (Job 37:17 TLB)  

       (Job 37:18 TLB)  Can you spread out the gigantic mirror of the skies 
       as he does?

       (Job 37:19 TLB)  "You who think you know so much, teach the rest of us 
       how we should approach God. For we are too dull to know!

       (Job 37:20 TLB)  With your wisdom, would we then dare to approach him? 
       Well, does a man wish to be swallowed alive?

       (Job 37:21 TLB)  For as we cannot look at the sun for its brightness 
       when the winds have cleared away the clouds,

       (Job 37:22 TLB)  neither can we gaze at the terrible majesty of God 
       breaking forth upon us from heaven, clothed in dazzling splendor.

       (Job 37:23 TLB)  We cannot imagine the power of the Almighty, and yet 
       he is so just and merciful that he does not destroy us.

       (Job 37:24 TLB)  No wonder men everywhere fear him! For he is not 
       impressed by the world's wisest men!"

       (Job 38:1 TLB)  Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind:

       (Job 38:2 TLB)  "Why are you using your ignorance to deny my 





       providence?

       (Job 38:3 TLB)  Now get ready to fight, for I am going to demand some 
       answers from you, and you must reply.

       (Job 38:4 TLB)  "Where were you when I laid the foundations of the 
       earth? Tell me, if you know so much.

       (Job 38:5 TLB)  Do you know how its dimensions were determined, and 
       who did the surveying?

       (Job 38:6 TLB)  What supports its foundations, and who laid its 
       cornerstone as the morning stars sang together and all the angels 
       shouted for joy?

       (Job 38:7 TLB)  

       (Job 38:8 TLB)  "Who decreed the boundaries of the seas when they 
       gushed from the depths? Who clothed them with clouds and thick 
       darkness

       (Job 38:9 TLB)  

       (Job 38:10 TLB)  and barred them by limiting their shores,

       (Job 38:11 TLB)  and said, 'Thus far and no farther shall you come, 
       and here shall your proud waves stop!'?

       (Job 38:12 TLB)  "Have you ever once commanded the morning to appear 
       and caused the dawn to rise in the east?

       (Job 38:13 TLB)  Have you ever told the daylight to spread to the ends 
       of the earth, to end the night's wickedness?

       (Job 38:14 TLB)  Have you ever robed the dawn in red,

       (Job 38:15 TLB)  and disturbed the haunts of wicked men, and stopped 
       the arm raised to strike?

       (Job 38:16 TLB)  "Have you explored the springs from which the seas 
       come, or walked in the sources of their depths?

       (Job 38:17 TLB)  Has the location of the gates of Death been revealed 
       to you? Do you realize the extent of the earth? Tell me about it if 
       you know!

       (Job 38:18 TLB)  

       (Job 38:19 TLB)  Where does the light come from, and how do you get 
       there? Or tell me about the darkness. Where does it come from?

       (Job 38:20 TLB)  Can you find its boundaries, or go to its source?

       (Job 38:21 TLB)  But of course you know all this! For you were born 
       before it was all created, and you are so very experienced!





       (Job 38:22 TLB)  "Have you visited the treasuries of the snow, or seen 
       where hail is made and stored? For I have reserved it for the time 
       when I will need it in war.

       (Job 38:23 TLB)  

       (Job 38:24 TLB)  Where is the path to the distribution point of light? 
       Where is the home of the east wind?

       (Job 38:25 TLB)  Who dug the valleys for the torrents of rain? Who 
       laid out the path for the lightning,

       (Job 38:26 TLB)  causing the rain to fall upon the barren deserts,

       (Job 38:27 TLB)  so that the parched and barren ground is satisfied 
       with water and tender grass springs up?

       (Job 38:28 TLB)  "Has the rain a father? Where does dew come from?

       (Job 38:29 TLB)  Who is the mother of the ice and frost?

       (Job 38:30 TLB)  For the water changes and turns to ice as hard as 
       rock.

       (Job 38:31 TLB)  "Can you hold back the stars? Can you restrain Orion 
       or Pleiades?

       (Job 38:32 TLB)  Can you ensure the proper sequence of the seasons, or 
       guide the constellation of the Bear with her satellites across the 
       heavens?

       (Job 38:33 TLB)  Do you know the laws of the universe and how the 
       heavens influence the earth?

       (Job 38:34 TLB)  Can you shout to the clouds and make it rain?

       (Job 38:35 TLB)  Can you make lightning appear and cause it to strike 
       as you direct it?

       (Job 38:36 TLB)  "Who gives intuition and instinct?

       (Job 38:37 TLB)  Who is wise enough to number all the clouds? Who can 
       tilt the water jars of heaven, when everything is dust and clods?

       (Job 38:38 TLB)  

       (Job 38:39 TLB)  Can you stalk prey like a lioness, to satisfy the 
       young lions' appetites as they lie in their dens or lie in wait in the 
       jungle?

       (Job 38:40 TLB)  

       (Job 38:41 TLB)  Who provides for the ravens when their young cry out 
       to God as they try to struggle up from their nest in hunger?

       (Job 39:1 TLB)  "Do you know how mountain goats give birth? Have you 





       ever seen them giving birth to their young?

       (Job 39:2 TLB)  Do you know how many months of pregnancy they have 
       before they bow themselves to give birth to their young and carry 
       their burden no longer?

       (Job 39:3 TLB)  

       (Job 39:4 TLB)  Their young grow up in the open field, then leave 
       their parents and return to them no more.

       (Job 39:5 TLB)  "Who makes the wild donkeys wild?

       (Job 39:6 TLB)  I have placed them in the wilderness and given them 
       salt plains to live in.

       (Job 39:7 TLB)  For they hate the noise of the city and want no 
       drivers shouting at them!

       (Job 39:8 TLB)  The mountain ranges are their pastureland; there they 
       search for every blade of grass.

       (Job 39:9 TLB)  "Will the wild ox be your happy servant? Will he stay 
       beside your feeding crib?

       (Job 39:10 TLB)  Can you use a wild ox to plow with? Will he pull the 
       harrow for you?

       (Job 39:11 TLB)  Because he is so strong, will you trust him? Will you 
       let him decide where to work?

       (Job 39:12 TLB)  Can you send him out to bring in the grain from the 
       threshing-floor?

       (Job 39:13 TLB)  "The ostrich flaps her wings grandly but has no true 
       motherly love.

       (Job 39:14 TLB)  She lays her eggs on top of the earth, to warm them 
       in the dust.

       (Job 39:15 TLB)  She forgets that someone may step on them and crush 
       them, or the wild animals destroy them.

       (Job 39:16 TLB)  She ignores her young as though they weren't her own 
       and is unconcerned though they die,

       (Job 39:17 TLB)  for God has deprived her of wisdom.

       (Job 39:18 TLB)  But whenever she jumps up to run, she passes the 
       swiftest horse with its rider.

       (Job 39:19 TLB)  "Have you given the horse strength or clothed his 
       neck with a quivering mane?

       (Job 39:20 TLB)  Have you made him able to leap forward like a locust? 
       His majestic snorting is something to hear!






       (Job 39:21 TLB)  He paws the earth and rejoices in his strength, and 
       when he goes to war,

       (Job 39:22 TLB)  he is unafraid and does not run away

       (Job 39:23 TLB)  though the arrows rattle against him, or the flashing 
       spear and javelin.

       (Job 39:24 TLB)  Fiercely he paws the ground and rushes forward into 
       battle when the trumpet blows.

       (Job 39:25 TLB)  At the sound of the bugle he shouts, 'Aha!' He smells 
       the battle when far away. He rejoices at the shouts of battle and the 
       roar of the captain's commands.

       (Job 39:26 TLB)  "Do you know how a hawk soars and spreads her wings 
       to the south?

       (Job 39:27 TLB)  Is it at your command that the eagle rises high upon 
       the cliffs to make her nest?

       (Job 39:28 TLB)  She lives upon the cliffs, making her home in her 
       mountain fortress.

       (Job 39:29 TLB)  From there she spies her prey, from a very great 
       distance.

       (Job 39:30 TLB)  Her nestlings gulp down blood, for she goes wherever 
       the slain are."

       (Job 40:1 TLB)  The Lord went on:

       (Job 40:2 TLB)  "Do you still want to argue with the Almighty? Or will 
       you yield? Do you--God's critic--have the answers?"

       (Job 40:3 TLB)  Then Job replied to God:

       (Job 40:4 TLB)  "I am nothing--how could I ever find the answers? I 
       lay my hand upon my mouth in silence.

       (Job 40:5 TLB)  I have said too much already."

       (Job 40:6 TLB)  Then the Lord spoke to Job again from the whirlwind:

       (Job 40:7 TLB)  "Stand up like a man and brace yourself for battle. 
       Let me ask you a question, and give me the answer.

       (Job 40:8 TLB)  Are you going to discredit my justice and condemn me 
       so that you can say you are right?

       (Job 40:9 TLB)  Are you as strong as God, and can you shout as loudly 
       as he?

       (Job 40:10 TLB)  All right then, put on your robes of state, your 
       majesty and splendor.






       (Job 40:11 TLB)  Give vent to your anger. Let it overflow against the 
       proud.

       (Job 40:12 TLB)  Humiliate the haughty with a glance; tread down the 
       wicked where they stand.

       (Job 40:13 TLB)  Knock them into the dust, stone-faced in death.

       (Job 40:14 TLB)  If you can do that, then I'll agree with you that 
       your own strength can save you.

       (Job 40:15 TLB)  "Take a look at the hippopotamus! I made him, too, 
       just as I made you! He eats grass like an ox.

       (Job 40:16 TLB)  See his powerful loins and the muscles of his belly.

       (Job 40:17 TLB)  His tail is as straight as a cedar. The sinews of his 
       thighs are tightly knit together.

       (Job 40:18 TLB)  His vertebrae lie straight as a tube of brass. His 
       ribs are like iron bars.

       (Job 40:19 TLB)  How ferocious he is among all of God's creation, so 
       let whoever hopes to master him bring a sharp sword!

       (Job 40:20 TLB)  The mountains offer their best food to him--the other 
       wild animals on which he preys.

       (Job 40:21 TLB)  He lies down under the lotus plants, hidden by the 
       reeds,

       (Job 40:22 TLB)  covered by their shade among the willows there beside 
       the stream.

       (Job 40:23 TLB)  He is not disturbed by raging rivers, not even when 
       the swelling Jordan rushes down upon him.

       (Job 40:24 TLB)  No one can catch him off guard or put a ring in his 
       nose and lead him away.

       (Job 41:1 TLB)  "Can you catch a crocodile with a hook and line? Or 
       put a noose around his tongue?

       (Job 41:2 TLB)  Can you tie him with a rope through the nose, or 
       pierce his jaw with a spike?

       (Job 41:3 TLB)  Will he beg you to desist or try to flatter you from 
       your intentions?

       (Job 41:4 TLB)  Will he agree to let you make him your slave for life?

       (Job 41:5 TLB)  Can you make a pet of him like a bird, or give him to 
       your little girls to play with?

       (Job 41:6 TLB)  Do fishing partners sell him to the fishmongers?






       (Job 41:7 TLB)  Will his hide be hurt by darts, or his head with a 
       harpoon?

       (Job 41:8 TLB)  "If you lay your hands upon him, you will long 
       remember the battle that ensues and you will never try it again!

       (Job 41:9 TLB)  No, it's useless to try to capture him. It is 
       frightening even to think about it!

       (Job 41:10 TLB)  No one dares to stir him up, let alone try to conquer 
       him. And if no one can stand before him, who can stand before me?

       (Job 41:11 TLB)  I owe no one anything. Everything under the heaven is 
       mine.

       (Job 41:12 TLB)  "I should mention, too, the tremendous strength in 
       his limbs and throughout his enormous frame.

       (Job 41:13 TLB)  Who can penetrate his hide, or who dares come within 
       reach of his jaws?

       (Job 41:14 TLB)  For his teeth are terrible.

       (Job 41:15 TLB)  His overlapping scales are his pride, making a tight 
       seal so no air can get between them, and nothing can penetrate.

       (Job 41:16 TLB)  

       (Job 41:17 TLB)  

       (Job 41:18 TLB)  "When he sneezes, the sunlight sparkles like 
       lightning across the vapor droplets. His eyes glow like sparks.

       (Job 41:19 TLB)  Fire leaps from his mouth.

       (Job 41:20 TLB)  Smoke flows from his nostrils, like steam from a 
       boiling pot that is fired by dry rushes.

       (Job 41:21 TLB)  Yes, his breath would kindle coals--flames leap from 
       his mouth.

       (Job 41:22 TLB)  "The tremendous strength in his neck strikes terror 
       wherever he goes.

       (Job 41:23 TLB)  His flesh is hard and firm, not soft and fat.

       (Job 41:24 TLB)  His heart is hard as rock, just like a millstone.

       (Job 41:25 TLB)  When he stands up, the strongest are afraid. Terror 
       grips them.

       (Job 41:26 TLB)  No sword can stop him, nor spear nor dart nor pointed 
       shaft.

       (Job 41:27 TLB)  Iron is nothing but straw to him, and brass is rotten 





       wood. Arrows cannot make him flee. Slingstones are as ineffective as 
       straw.

       (Job 41:28 TLB)  

       (Job 41:29 TLB)  Clubs do no good, and he laughs at the javelins 
       hurled at him.

       (Job 41:30 TLB)  His belly is covered with scales as sharp as shards; 
       they tear up the ground as he drags through the mud.

       (Job 41:31 TLB)  "He makes the water boil with his commotion. He 
       churns the depths. He leaves a shining wake of froth behind him. One 
       would think the sea was made of frost!

       (Job 41:32 TLB)  

       (Job 41:33 TLB)  There is nothing else so fearless anywhere on earth.

       (Job 41:34 TLB)  Of all the beasts, he is the proudest--monarch of all 
       that he sees."

       (Job 42:1 TLB)  Then Job replied to God:

       (Job 42:2 TLB)  "I know that you can do anything and that no one can 
       stop you.

       (Job 42:3 TLB)  You ask who it is who has so foolishly denied your 
       providence. It is I. I was talking about things I knew nothing about 
       and did not understand, things far too wonderful for me.

       (Job 42:4 TLB)  "(You said,) 'Listen and I will speak! Let me put the 
       questions to you! See if you can answer them!'

       (Job 42:5 TLB)  "(But now I say,) 'I had heard about you before, but 
       now I have seen you,

       (Job 42:6 TLB)  and I loathe myself and repent in dust and ashes.'"

       (Job 42:7 TLB)  After the Lord had finished speaking with Job, he said 
       to Eliphaz the Temanite: "I am angry with you and with your two 
       friends, for you have not been right in what you have said about me, 
       as my servant Job was.

       (Job 42:8 TLB)  Now take seven young bulls and seven rams and go to my 
       servant Job and offer a burnt offering for yourselves; and my servant 
       Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer on your behalf, 
       and won't destroy you as I should because of your sin, your failure to 
       speak rightly concerning my servant Job."

       (Job 42:9 TLB)  So Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and 
       Zophar the Naamathite did as the Lord commanded them, and the Lord 
       accepted Job's prayer on their behalf.

       (Job 42:10 TLB)  Then, when Job prayed for his friends, the Lord 
       restored his wealth and happiness! In fact, the Lord gave him twice as 





       much as before!

       (Job 42:11 TLB)  Then all of his brothers, sisters, and former friends 
       arrived and feasted with him in his home, consoling him for all his 
       sorrow and comforting him because of all the trials the Lord had 
       brought upon him. And each of them brought him a gift of money and a 
       gold ring.

       (Job 42:12 TLB)  So the Lord blessed Job at the end of his life more 
       than at the beginning. For now he had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 
       1,000 teams of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys.

       (Job 42:13 TLB)  God also gave him seven more sons and three more 
       daughters.

       (Job 42:14 TLB)  These were the names of his daughters: Jemima, Kezia, 
       Keren.

       (Job 42:15 TLB)  And in all the land there were no other girls as 
       lovely as the daughters of Job; and their father put them into his 
       will along with their brothers.

       (Job 42:16 TLB)  Job lived 140 years after that, living to see his 
       grandchildren and great-grandchildren too.

       (Job 42:17 TLB)  Then at last he died, an old, old man, after living a 
       long, good life.

       (Psa 1:1 TLB)  Oh, the joys of those who do not follow evil men's 
       advice, who do not hang around with sinners, scoffing at the things of 
       God.

       (Psa 1:2 TLB)  But they delight in doing everything God wants them to, 
       and day and night are always meditating on his laws and thinking about 
       ways to follow him more closely.

       (Psa 1:3 TLB)  They are like trees along a riverbank bearing luscious 
       fruit each season without fail. Their leaves shall never wither, and 
       all they do shall prosper.

       (Psa 1:4 TLB)  But for sinners, what a different story! They blow away 
       like chaff before the wind.

       (Psa 1:5 TLB)  They are not safe on Judgment Day; they shall not stand 
       among the godly.

       (Psa 1:6 TLB)  For the Lord watches over all the plans and paths of 
       godly men, but the paths of the godless lead to doom.

       (Psa 2:1 TLB)  What fools the nations are to rage against the Lord! 
       How strange that men should try to outwit God!

       (Psa 2:2 TLB)  For a summit conference of the nations has been called 
       to plot against the Lord and his Messiah, Christ the King.

       (Psa 2:3 TLB)  "Come, let us break his chains," they say, "and free 





       ourselves from all this slavery to God."

       (Psa 2:4 TLB)  But God in heaven merely laughs! He is amused by all 
       their puny plans.

       (Psa 2:5 TLB)  And then in fierce fury he rebukes them and fills them 
       with fear.

       (Psa 2:6 TLB)  For the Lord declares, "This is the King of my choice, 
       and I have enthroned him in Jerusalem, my holy city."

       (Psa 2:7 TLB)  His chosen one replies, "I will reveal the everlasting 
       purposes of God, for the Lord has said to me, 'You are my Son. This is 
       your Coronation Day. Today I am giving you your glory.'"

       (Psa 2:8 TLB)  "Only ask and I will give you all the nations of the 
       world.

       (Psa 2:9 TLB)  Rule them with an iron rod; smash them like clay pots!"

       (Psa 2:10 TLB)  O kings and rulers of the earth, listen while there is 
       time.

       (Psa 2:11 TLB)  Serve the Lord with reverent fear; rejoice with 
       trembling.

       (Psa 2:12 TLB)  Fall down before his Son and kiss his feet before his 
       anger is roused and you perish. I am warning you--his wrath will soon 
       begin. But oh, the joys of those who put their trust in him!

       (Psa 3:1 TLB)  A Psalm of David when he fled from his son Absalom O 
       Lord, so many are against me. So many seek to harm me. I have so many 
       enemies.

       (Psa 3:2 TLB)  So many say that God will never help me.

       (Psa 3:3 TLB)  But Lord, you are my shield, my glory, and my only 
       hope. You alone can lift my head, now bowed in shame.

       (Psa 3:4 TLB)  I cried out to the Lord, and he heard me from his 
       Temple in Jerusalem.

       (Psa 3:5 TLB)  Then I lay down and slept in peace and woke up safely, 
       for the Lord was watching over me.

       (Psa 3:6 TLB)  And now, although ten thousand enemies surround me on 
       every side, I am not afraid.

       (Psa 3:7 TLB)  I will cry to him, "Arise, O Lord! Save me, O my God!" 
       And he will slap them in the face, insulting them and breaking off 
       their teeth.

       (Psa 3:8 TLB)  For salvation comes from God. What joys he gives to all 
       his people.

       (Psa 4:1 TLB)  O God, you have declared me perfect in your eyes; you 





       have always cared for me in my distress; now hear me as I call again. 
       Have mercy on me. Hear my prayer.

       (Psa 4:2 TLB)  The Lord God asks, "Sons of men, will you forever turn 
       my glory into shame by worshiping these silly idols, when every claim 
       that's made for them is false?"

       (Psa 4:3 TLB)  Mark this well: The Lord has set apart the redeemed for 
       himself. Therefore he will listen to me and answer when I call to him.

       (Psa 4:4 TLB)  Stand before the Lord in awe, and do not sin against 
       him. Lie quietly upon your bed in silent meditation.

       (Psa 4:5 TLB)  Put your trust in the Lord, and offer him pleasing 
       sacrifices.

       (Psa 4:6 TLB)  Many say that God will never help us. Prove them wrong, 
       O Lord, by letting the light of your face shine down upon us.

       (Psa 4:7 TLB)  Yes, the gladness you have given me is far greater than 
       their joys at harvest time as they gaze at their bountiful crops.

       (Psa 4:8 TLB)  I will lie down in peace and sleep, for though I am 
       alone, O Lord, you will keep me safe.

       (Psa 5:1 TLB)  O Lord, hear me praying; listen to my plea, O God my 
       King, for I will never pray to anyone but you.

       (Psa 5:2 TLB)  

       (Psa 5:3 TLB)  Each morning I will look to you in heaven and lay my 
       requests before you, praying earnestly.

       (Psa 5:4 TLB)  I know you get no pleasure from wickedness and cannot 
       tolerate the slightest sin.

       (Psa 5:5 TLB)  Therefore, proud sinners will not survive your 
       searching gaze, for how you hate their evil deeds.

       (Psa 5:6 TLB)  You will destroy them for their lies; how you abhor all 
       murder and deception.

       (Psa 5:7 TLB)  But as for me, I will come into your Temple protected 
       by your mercy and your love; I will worship you with deepest awe.

       (Psa 5:8 TLB)  Lord, lead me as you promised me you would; otherwise 
       my enemies will conquer me. Tell me clearly what to do, which way to 
       turn.

       (Psa 5:9 TLB)  For they cannot speak one truthful word. Their hearts 
       are filled to the brim with wickedness. Their suggestions are full of 
       the stench of sin and death. Their tongues are filled with flatteries 
       to gain their wicked ends.

       (Psa 5:10 TLB)  O God, hold them responsible. Catch them in their own 
       traps; let them fall beneath the weight of their own transgressions, 





       for they rebel against you.

       (Psa 5:11 TLB)  But make everyone rejoice who puts his trust in you. 
       Keep them shouting for joy because you are defending them. Fill all 
       who love you with your happiness.

       (Psa 5:12 TLB)  For you bless the godly man, O Lord; you protect him 
       with your shield of love.

       (Psa 6:1 TLB)  No, Lord! Don't punish me in the heat of your anger.

       (Psa 6:2 TLB)  Pity me, O Lord, for I am weak. Heal me, for my body is 
       sick,

       (Psa 6:3 TLB)  and I am upset and disturbed. My mind is filled with 
       apprehension and with gloom. Oh, restore me soon.

       (Psa 6:4 TLB)  Come, O Lord, and make me well. In your kindness save 
       me.

       (Psa 6:5 TLB)  For if I die, I cannot give you glory by praising you 
       before my friends.

       (Psa 6:6 TLB)  I am worn out with pain; every night my pillow is wet 
       with tears.

       (Psa 6:7 TLB)  My eyes are growing old and dim with grief because of 
       all my enemies.

       (Psa 6:8 TLB)  Go, leave me now, you men of evil deeds, for the Lord 
       has heard my weeping

       (Psa 6:9 TLB)  and my pleading. He will answer all my prayers.

       (Psa 6:10 TLB)  All my enemies shall be suddenly dishonored, 
       terror-stricken, and disgraced. God will turn them back in shame.

       (Psa 7:1 TLB)  I am depending on you, O Lord my God, to save me from 
       my persecutors.

       (Psa 7:2 TLB)  Don't let them pounce upon me as a lion would and maul 
       me and drag me away with no one to rescue me.

       (Psa 7:3 TLB)  It would be different, Lord, if I were doing evil 
       things--

       (Psa 7:4 TLB)  if I were paying back evil for good or unjustly 
       attacking those I dislike.

       (Psa 7:5 TLB)  Then it would be right for you to let my enemies 
       destroy me, crush me to the ground, and trample my life in the dust.

       (Psa 7:6 TLB)  But Lord! Arise in anger against the anger of my 
       enemies. Awake! Demand justice for me, Lord!

       (Psa 7:7 TLB)  Gather all peoples before you; sit high above them, 





       judging their sins. But justify me publicly; establish my honor and 
       truth before them all.

       (Psa 7:8 TLB)  

       (Psa 7:9 TLB)  End all wickedness, O Lord, and bless all who truly 
       worship God; for you, the righteous God, look deep within the hearts 
       of men and examine all their motives and their thoughts.

       (Psa 7:10 TLB)  God is my shield; he will defend me. He saves those 
       whose hearts and lives are true and right.

       (Psa 7:11 TLB)  God is a judge who is perfectly fair, and he is angry 
       with the wicked every day.

       (Psa 7:12 TLB)  Unless they repent, he will sharpen his sword and slay 
       them. He has bent and strung his bow

       (Psa 7:13 TLB)  and fitted it with deadly arrows made from shafts of 
       fire.

       (Psa 7:14 TLB)  The wicked man conceives an evil plot, labors with its 
       dark details, and brings to birth his treachery and lies;

       (Psa 7:15 TLB)  let him fall into his own trap.

       (Psa 7:16 TLB)  May the violence he plans for others boomerang upon 
       himself; let him die.

       (Psa 7:17 TLB)  Oh, how grateful and thankful I am to the Lord because 
       he is so good. I will sing praise to the name of the Lord who is above 
       all lords.

       (Psa 8:1 TLB)  O Lord our God, the majesty and glory of your name 
       fills all the earth and overflows the heavens.

       (Psa 8:2 TLB)  You have taught the little children to praise you 
       perfectly. May their example shame and silence your enemies!

       (Psa 8:3 TLB)  When I look up into the night skies and see the work of 
       your fingers--the moon and the stars you have made--

       (Psa 8:4 TLB)  I cannot understand how you can bother with mere puny 
       man, to pay any attention to him!

       (Psa 8:5 TLB)  And yet you have made him only a little lower than the 
       angels and placed a crown of glory and honor upon his head.

       (Psa 8:6 TLB)  You have put him in charge of everything you made; 
       everything is put under his authority:

       (Psa 8:7 TLB)  all sheep and oxen, and wild animals too,

       (Psa 8:8 TLB)  the birds and fish, and all the life in the sea.

       (Psa 8:9 TLB)  O Jehovah, our Lord, the majesty and glory of your name 





       fills the earth.

       (Psa 9:1 TLB)  O Lord, I will praise you with all my heart and tell 
       everyone about the marvelous things you do.

       (Psa 9:2 TLB)  I will be glad, yes, filled with joy because of you. I 
       will sing your praises, O Lord God above all gods.

       (Psa 9:3 TLB)  My enemies will fall back and perish in your presence;

       (Psa 9:4 TLB)  you have vindicated me; you have endorsed my work, 
       declaring from your throne that it is good.

       (Psa 9:5 TLB)  You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked, 
       blotting out their names forever and ever.

       (Psa 9:6 TLB)  O enemies of mine, you are doomed forever. The Lord 
       will destroy your cities; even the memory of them will disappear.

       (Psa 9:7 TLB)  But the Lord lives on forever; he sits upon his throne 
       to judge justly the nations of the world.

       (Psa 9:8 TLB)  

       (Psa 9:9 TLB)  All who are oppressed may come to him. He is a refuge 
       for them in their times of trouble.

       (Psa 9:10 TLB)  All those who know your mercy, Lord, will count on you 
       for help. For you have never yet forsaken those who trust in you.

       (Psa 9:11 TLB)  Oh, sing out your praises to the God who lives in 
       Jerusalem. Tell the world about his unforgettable deeds.

       (Psa 9:12 TLB)  He who avenges murder has an open ear to those who cry 
       to him for justice. He does not ignore the prayers of men in trouble 
       when they call to him for help.

       (Psa 9:13 TLB)  And now, O Lord, have mercy on me; see how I suffer at 
       the hands of those who hate me. Lord, snatch me back from the jaws of 
       death.

       (Psa 9:14 TLB)  Save me, so that I can praise you publicly before all 
       the people at Jerusalem's gates and rejoice that you have rescued me.

       (Psa 9:15 TLB)  The nations fall into the pitfalls they have dug for 
       others; the trap they set has snapped on them.

       (Psa 9:16 TLB)  The Lord is famous for the way he punishes the wicked 
       in their own snares!

       (Psa 9:17 TLB)  The wicked shall be sent away to hell; this is the 
       fate of all the nations forgetting the Lord.

       (Psa 9:18 TLB)  For the needs of the needy shall not be ignored 
       forever; the hopes of the poor shall not always be crushed.





       (Psa 9:19 TLB)  O Lord, arise and judge and punish the nations; don't 
       let them defy you!

       (Psa 9:20 TLB)  Make them tremble in fear; put the nations in their 
       place until at last they know they are but puny men.

       (Psa 10:1 TLB)  Lord, why are you standing aloof and far away? Why do 
       you hide when I need you the most?

       (Psa 10:2 TLB)  Come and deal with all these proud and wicked men who 
       viciously persecute the poor. Pour upon these men the evil they 
       planned for others!

       (Psa 10:3 TLB)  For these men brag of all their evil lusts; they 
       revile God and congratulate those the Lord abhors, whose only goal in 
       life is money.

       (Psa 10:4 TLB)  These wicked men, so proud and haughty, seem to think 
       that God is dead. They wouldn't think of looking for him!

       (Psa 10:5 TLB)  Yet there is success in everything they do, and their 
       enemies fall before them. They do not see your punishment awaiting 
       them.

       (Psa 10:6 TLB)  They boast that neither God nor man can ever keep them 
       down--somehow they'll find a way!

       (Psa 10:7 TLB)  Their mouths are full of profanity and lies and fraud. 
       They are always boasting of their evil plans.

       (Psa 10:8 TLB)  They lurk in dark alleys of the city and murder 
       passersby.

       (Psa 10:9 TLB)  Like lions they crouch silently, waiting to pounce 
       upon the poor. Like hunters they catch their victims in their traps.

       (Psa 10:10 TLB)  The unfortunate are overwhelmed by their superior 
       strength and fall beneath their blows.

       (Psa 10:11 TLB)  "God isn't watching," they say to themselves; "he'll 
       never know!"

       (Psa 10:12 TLB)  O Lord, arise! O God, crush them! Don't forget the 
       poor or anyone else in need.

       (Psa 10:13 TLB)  Why do you let the wicked get away with this contempt 
       for God? For they think that God will never call them to account.

       (Psa 10:14 TLB)  Lord, you see what they are doing. You have noted 
       each evil act. You know what trouble and grief they have caused. Now 
       punish them. O Lord, the poor man trusts himself to you; you are known 
       as the helper of the helpless.

       (Psa 10:15 TLB)  Break the arms of these wicked men. Go after them 
       until the last of them is destroyed.





       (Psa 10:16 TLB)  The Lord is King forever and forever. Those who 
       follow other gods shall be swept from his land.

       (Psa 10:17 TLB)  Lord, you know the hopes of humble people. Surely you 
       will hear their cries and comfort their hearts by helping them.

       (Psa 10:18 TLB)  You will be with the orphans and all who are 
       oppressed, so that mere earthly man will terrify them no longer.

       (Psa 11:1 TLB)  How dare you tell me, "Flee to the mountains for 
       safety," when I am trusting in the Lord?

       (Psa 11:2 TLB)  For the wicked have strung their bows, drawn their 
       arrows tight against the bowstrings, and aimed from ambush at the 
       people of God.

       (Psa 11:3 TLB)  "Law and order have collapsed," we are told. "What can 
       the righteous do but flee?"

       (Psa 11:4 TLB)  But the Lord is still in his holy temple; he still 
       rules from heaven. He closely watches everything that happens here on 
       earth.

       (Psa 11:5 TLB)  He puts the righteous and the wicked to the test; he 
       hates those loving violence.

       (Psa 11:6 TLB)  He will rain down fire and brimstone on the wicked and 
       scorch them with his burning wind.

       (Psa 11:7 TLB)  For God is good, and he loves goodness; the godly 
       shall see his face.

       (Psa 12:1 TLB)  Lord! Help! Godly men are fast disappearing. Where in 
       all the world can dependable men be found?

       (Psa 12:2 TLB)  Everyone deceives and flatters and lies. There is no 
       sincerity left.

       (Psa 12:3 TLB)  But the Lord will not deal gently with people who act 
       like that; he will destroy those proud liars who say, "We will lie to 
       our hearts' content. Our lips are our own; who can stop us?"

       (Psa 12:4 TLB)  

       (Psa 12:5 TLB)  The Lord replies, "I will arise and defend the 
       oppressed, the poor, the needy. I will rescue them as they have longed 
       for me to do."

       (Psa 12:6 TLB)  The Lord's promise is sure. He speaks no careless 
       word; all he says is purest truth, like silver seven times refined.

       (Psa 12:7 TLB)  O Lord, we know that you will forever preserve your 
       own from the reach of evil men,

       (Psa 12:8 TLB)  although they prowl on every side and vileness is 
       praised throughout the land.






       (Psa 13:1 TLB)  How long will you forget me, Lord? Forever? How long 
       will you look the other way when I am in need?

       (Psa 13:2 TLB)  How long must I be hiding daily anguish in my heart? 
       How long shall my enemy have the upper hand?

       (Psa 13:3 TLB)  Answer me, O Lord my God; give me light in my darkness 
       lest I die.

       (Psa 13:4 TLB)  Don't let my enemies say, "We have conquered him!" 
       Don't let them gloat that I am down.

       (Psa 13:5 TLB)  But I will always trust in you and in your mercy and 
       shall rejoice in your salvation.

       (Psa 13:6 TLB)  I will sing to the Lord because he has blessed me so 
       richly.

       (Psa 14:1 TLB)  That man is a fool who says to himself, "There is no 
       God!" Anyone who talks like that is warped and evil and cannot really 
       be a good person at all.

       (Psa 14:2 TLB)  The Lord looks down from heaven on all mankind to see 
       if there are any who are wise, who want to please God.

       (Psa 14:3 TLB)  But no, all have strayed away; all are rotten with 
       sin. Not one is good, not one!

       (Psa 14:4 TLB)  They eat my people like bread and wouldn't think of 
       praying! Don't they really know any better?

       (Psa 14:5 TLB)  Terror shall grip them, for God is with those who love 
       him.

       (Psa 14:6 TLB)  He is the refuge of the poor and humble when evildoers 
       are oppressing them.

       (Psa 14:7 TLB)  Oh, that the time of their rescue were already here, 
       that God would come from Zion now to save his people. What gladness 
       when the Lord has rescued Israel!

       (Psa 15:1 TLB)  Lord, who may go and find refuge and shelter in your 
       tabernacle up on your holy hill?

       (Psa 15:2 TLB)  Anyone who leads a blameless life and is truly 
       sincere.

       (Psa 15:3 TLB)  Anyone who refuses to slander others, does not listen 
       to gossip, never harms his neighbor,

       (Psa 15:4 TLB)  speaks out against sin, criticizes those committing 
       it, commends the faithful followers of the Lord, keeps a promise even 
       if it ruins him,

       (Psa 15:5 TLB)  does not crush his debtors with high interest rates, 





       and refuses to testify against the innocent despite the bribes offered 
       him--such a man shall stand firm forever.

       (Psa 16:1 TLB)  Save me, O God, because I have come to you for refuge.

       (Psa 16:2 TLB)  I said to him, "You are my Lord; I have no other help 
       but yours."

       (Psa 16:3 TLB)  I want the company of the godly men and women in the 
       land; they are the true nobility.

       (Psa 16:4 TLB)  Those choosing other gods shall all be filled with 
       sorrow; I will not offer the sacrifices they do or even speak the 
       names of their gods.

       (Psa 16:5 TLB)  The Lord himself is my inheritance, my prize. He is my 
       food and drink, my highest joy! He guards all that is mine.

       (Psa 16:6 TLB)  He sees that I am given pleasant brooks and meadows as 
       my share! What a wonderful inheritance!

       (Psa 16:7 TLB)  I will bless the Lord who counsels me; he gives me 
       wisdom in the night. He tells me what to do.

       (Psa 16:8 TLB)  I am always thinking of the Lord; and because he is so 
       near, I never need to stumble or to fall.

       (Psa 16:9 TLB)  Heart, body, and soul are filled with joy.

       (Psa 16:10 TLB)  For you will not leave me among the dead; you will 
       not allow your beloved one to rot in the grave.

       (Psa 16:11 TLB)  You have let me experience the joys of life and the 
       exquisite pleasures of your own eternal presence.

       (Psa 17:1 TLB)  I am pleading for your help, O Lord; for I have been 
       honest and have done what is right, and you must listen to my earnest 
       cry!

       (Psa 17:2 TLB)  Publicly acquit me, Lord, for you are always fair.

       (Psa 17:3 TLB)  You have tested me and seen that I am good. You have 
       come even in the night and found nothing amiss and know that I have 
       told the truth.

       (Psa 17:4 TLB)  I have followed your commands and have not gone along 
       with cruel and evil men.

       (Psa 17:5 TLB)  My feet have not slipped from your paths.

       (Psa 17:6 TLB)  Why am I praying like this? Because I know you will 
       answer me, O God! Yes, listen as I pray.

       (Psa 17:7 TLB)  Show me your strong love in wonderful ways, O Savior 
       of all those seeking your help against their foes.





       (Psa 17:8 TLB)  Protect me as you would the pupil of your eye; hide me 
       in the shadow of your wings as you hover over me.

       (Psa 17:9 TLB)  My enemies encircle me with murder in their eyes.

       (Psa 17:10 TLB)  They are pitiless and arrogant. Listen to their 
       boasting.

       (Psa 17:11 TLB)  They close in upon me and are ready to throw me to 
       the ground.

       (Psa 17:12 TLB)  They are like lions eager to tear me apart, like 
       young lions hiding and waiting their chance.

       (Psa 17:13 TLB)  Lord, arise and stand against them. Push them back! 
       Come and save me

       (Psa 17:14 TLB)  from these men of the world whose only concern is 
       earthly gain--these men whom you have filled with your treasures so 
       that their children and grandchildren are rich and prosperous.

       (Psa 17:15 TLB)  But as for me, my contentment is not in wealth but in 
       seeing you and knowing all is well between us. And when I awake in 
       heaven, I will be fully satisfied, for I will see you face to face.

       (Psa 18:1 TLB)  This song of David was written at a time when the Lord 
       had delivered him from his many enemies, including Saul. Lord, how I 
       love you! For you have done such tremendous things for me.

       (Psa 18:2 TLB)  The Lord is my fort where I can enter and be safe; no 
       one can follow me in and slay me. He is a rugged mountain where I 
       hide; he is my Savior, a rock where none can reach me, and a tower of 
       safety. He is my shield. He is like the strong horn of a mighty 
       fighting bull.

       (Psa 18:3 TLB)  All I need to do is cry to him--oh, praise the 
       Lord--and I am saved from all my enemies!

       (Psa 18:4 TLB)  Death bound me with chains, and the floods of 
       ungodliness mounted a massive attack against me.

       (Psa 18:5 TLB)  Trapped and helpless, I struggled against the ropes 
       that drew me on to death.

       (Psa 18:6 TLB)  In my distress I screamed to the Lord for his help. 
       And he heard me from heaven; my cry reached his ears.

       (Psa 18:7 TLB)  Then the earth rocked and reeled, and mountains shook 
       and trembled. How they quaked! For he was angry.

       (Psa 18:8 TLB)  Fierce flames leaped from his mouth, setting fire to 
       the earth; smoke blew from his nostrils.

       (Psa 18:9 TLB)  He bent the heavens down and came to my defense; thick 
       darkness was beneath his feet.





       (Psa 18:10 TLB)  Mounted on a mighty angel, he sped swiftly to my aid 
       with wings of wind.

       (Psa 18:11 TLB)  He enshrouded himself with darkness, veiling his 
       approach with dense clouds dark as murky waters.

       (Psa 18:12 TLB)  Suddenly the brilliance of his presence broke through 
       the clouds with lightning and a mighty storm of hail.

       (Psa 18:13 TLB)  The Lord thundered in the heavens; the God above all 
       gods has spoken--oh, the hailstones; oh, the fire!

       (Psa 18:14 TLB)  He flashed his fearful arrows of lightning and routed 
       all my enemies. See how they run!

       (Psa 18:15 TLB)  Then at your command, O Lord, the sea receded from 
       the shore. At the blast of your breath the depths were laid bare.

       (Psa 18:16 TLB)  He reached down from heaven and took me and drew me 
       out of my great trials. He rescued me from deep waters.

       (Psa 18:17 TLB)  He delivered me from my strong enemy, from those who 
       hated me--I who was helpless in their hands.

       (Psa 18:18 TLB)  On the day when I was weakest, they attacked. But the 
       Lord held me steady.

       (Psa 18:19 TLB)  He led me to a place of safety, for he delights in 
       me.

       (Psa 18:20 TLB)  The Lord rewarded me for doing right and being pure.

       (Psa 18:21 TLB)  For I have followed his commands and have not sinned 
       by turning back from following him.

       (Psa 18:22 TLB)  I kept close watch on all his laws; I did not refuse 
       a single one.

       (Psa 18:23 TLB)  I did my best to keep them all, holding myself back 
       from doing wrong.

       (Psa 18:24 TLB)  And so the Lord has paid me with his blessings, for I 
       have done what is right, and I am pure of heart. This he knows, for he 
       watches my every step.

       (Psa 18:25 TLB)  Lord, how merciful you are to those who are merciful. 
       And you do not punish those who run from evil.

       (Psa 18:26 TLB)  You give blessings to the pure but pain to those who 
       leave your paths.

       (Psa 18:27 TLB)  You deliver the humble but condemn the proud and 
       haughty ones.

       (Psa 18:28 TLB)  You have turned on my light! The Lord my God has made 
       my darkness turn to light.






       (Psa 18:29 TLB)  Now in your strength I can scale any wall, attack any 
       troop.

       (Psa 18:30 TLB)  What a God he is! How perfect in every way! All his 
       promises prove true. He is a shield for everyone who hides behind him.

       (Psa 18:31 TLB)  For who is God except our Lord? Who but he is as a 
       rock?

       (Psa 18:32 TLB)  He fills me with strength and protects me wherever I 
       go.

       (Psa 18:33 TLB)  He gives me the surefootedness of a mountain goat 
       upon the crags. He leads me safely along the top of the cliffs.

       (Psa 18:34 TLB)  He prepares me for battle and gives me strength to 
       draw an iron bow!

       (Psa 18:35 TLB)  You have given me your salvation as my shield. Your 
       right hand, O Lord, supports me; your gentleness has made me great.

       (Psa 18:36 TLB)  You have made wide steps beneath my feet so that I 
       need never slip.

       (Psa 18:37 TLB)  I chased my enemies; I caught up with them and did 
       not turn back until all were conquered.

       (Psa 18:38 TLB)  I pinned them to the ground; all were helpless before 
       me. I placed my feet upon their necks.

       (Psa 18:39 TLB)  For you have armed me with strong armor for the 
       battle. My enemies quail before me and fall defeated at my feet.

       (Psa 18:40 TLB)  You made them turn and run; I destroyed all who hated 
       me.

       (Psa 18:41 TLB)  They shouted for help, but no one dared to rescue 
       them; they cried to the Lord, but he refused to answer them.

       (Psa 18:42 TLB)  So I crushed them fine as dust and cast them to the 
       wind. I threw them away like sweepings from the floor.

       (Psa 18:43 TLB)  You gave me victory in every battle. The nations came 
       and served me. Even those I didn't know before come now and bow before 
       me.

       (Psa 18:44 TLB)  Foreigners who have never seen me submit instantly.

       (Psa 18:45 TLB)  They come trembling from their strongholds.

       (Psa 18:46 TLB)  God is alive! Praise him who is the great rock of 
       protection.

       (Psa 18:47 TLB)  He is the God who pays back those who harm me and 
       subdues the nations before me.






       (Psa 18:48 TLB)  He rescues me from my enemies; he holds me safely out 
       of their reach and saves me from these powerful opponents.

       (Psa 18:49 TLB)  For this, O Lord, I will praise you among the 
       nations.

       (Psa 18:50 TLB)  Many times you have miraculously rescued me, the king 
       you appointed. You have been loving and kind to me and will be to my 
       descendants.

       (Psa 19:1 TLB)  The heavens are telling the glory of God; they are a 
       marvelous display of his craftsmanship.

       (Psa 19:2 TLB)  Day and night they keep on telling about God.

       (Psa 19:3 TLB)  Without a sound or word, silent in the skies, their 
       message reaches out to all the world. The sun lives in the heavens 
       where God placed it

       (Psa 19:4 TLB)  

       (Psa 19:5 TLB)  and moves out across the skies as radiant as a 
       bridegroom going to his wedding, or as joyous as an athlete looking 
       forward to a race!

       (Psa 19:6 TLB)  The sun crosses the heavens from end to end, and 
       nothing can hide from its heat.

       (Psa 19:7 TLB)  God's laws are perfect. They protect us, make us wise, 
       and give us joy and light.

       (Psa 19:8 TLB)  

       (Psa 19:9 TLB)  God's laws are pure, eternal, just.

       (Psa 19:10 TLB)  They are more desirable than gold. They are sweeter 
       than honey dripping from a honeycomb.

       (Psa 19:11 TLB)  For they warn us away from harm and give success to 
       those who obey them.

       (Psa 19:12 TLB)  But how can I ever know what sins are lurking in my 
       heart? Cleanse me from these hidden faults.

       (Psa 19:13 TLB)  And keep me from deliberate wrongs; help me to stop 
       doing them. Only then can I be free of guilt and innocent of some 
       great crime.

       (Psa 19:14 TLB)  May my spoken words and unspoken thoughts be pleasing 
       even to you, O Lord my Rock and my Redeemer.

       (Psa 20:1 TLB)  In your day of trouble, may the Lord be with you! May 
       the God of Jacob keep you from all harm.

       (Psa 20:2 TLB)  May he send you aid from his sanctuary in Zion.






       (Psa 20:3 TLB)  May he remember with pleasure the gifts you have given 
       him, your sacrifices and burnt offerings.

       (Psa 20:4 TLB)  May he grant you your heart's desire and fulfill all 
       your plans.

       (Psa 20:5 TLB)  May there be shouts of joy when we hear the news of 
       your victory, flags flying with praise to God for all that he has done 
       for you. May he answer all your prayers!

       (Psa 20:6 TLB)  "God save the king"--I know he does! He hears me from 
       highest heaven and sends great victories.

       (Psa 20:7 TLB)  Some nations boast of armies and of weaponry, but our 
       boast is in the Lord our God.

       (Psa 20:8 TLB)  Those nations will collapse and perish; we will arise 
       to stand firm and sure!

       (Psa 20:9 TLB)  Give victory to our king, O Lord; oh, hear our prayer.

       (Psa 21:1 TLB)  How the king rejoices in your strength, O Lord! How he 
       exults in your salvation.

       (Psa 21:2 TLB)  For you have given him his heart's desire, everything 
       he asks you for!

       (Psa 21:3 TLB)  You welcomed him to the throne with success and 
       prosperity. You set a royal crown of solid gold upon his head.

       (Psa 21:4 TLB)  He asked for a long, good life, and you have granted 
       his request; the days of his life stretch on and on forever.

       (Psa 21:5 TLB)  You have given him fame and honor. You have clothed 
       him with splendor and majesty.

       (Psa 21:6 TLB)  You have endowed him with eternal happiness. You have 
       given him the unquenchable joy of your presence.

       (Psa 21:7 TLB)  And because the king trusts in the Lord, he will never 
       stumble, never fall; for he depends upon the steadfast love of the God 
       who is above all gods.

       (Psa 21:8 TLB)  Your hand, O Lord, will find your enemies, all who 
       hate you.

       (Psa 21:9 TLB)  When you appear, they will be destroyed in the fierce 
       fire of your presence. The Lord will destroy them and their children.

       (Psa 21:10 TLB)  

       (Psa 21:11 TLB)  For these men plot against you, Lord, but they cannot 
       possibly succeed.

       (Psa 21:12 TLB)  They will turn and flee when they see your arrows 





       aimed straight at them.

       (Psa 21:13 TLB)  Accept our praise, O Lord, for all your glorious 
       power. We will write songs to celebrate your mighty acts!

       (Psa 22:1 TLB)  My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why do you 
       refuse to help me or even to listen to my groans?

       (Psa 22:2 TLB)  Day and night I keep on weeping, crying for your help, 
       but there is no reply--

       (Psa 22:3 TLB)  for you are holy. The praises of our fathers 
       surrounded your throne; they trusted you and you delivered them.

       (Psa 22:4 TLB)  

       (Psa 22:5 TLB)  You heard their cries for help and saved them; they 
       were never disappointed when they sought your aid.

       (Psa 22:6 TLB)  But I am a worm, not a man, scorned and despised by my 
       own people and by all mankind.

       (Psa 22:7 TLB)  Everyone who sees me mocks and sneers and shrugs.

       (Psa 22:8 TLB)  "Is this the one who rolled his burden on the Lord?" 
       they laugh. "Is this the one who claims the Lord delights in him? 
       We'll believe it when we see God rescue him!"

       (Psa 22:9 TLB)  Lord, how you have helped me before!

       (Psa 22:10 TLB)  You took me safely from my mother's womb and brought 
       me through the years of infancy.

       (Psa 22:11 TLB)  I have depended upon you since birth; you have always 
       been my God. Don't leave me now, for trouble is near and no one else 
       can possibly help.

       (Psa 22:12 TLB)  I am surrounded by fearsome enemies, strong as the 
       giant bulls from Bashan.

       (Psa 22:13 TLB)  They come at me with open jaws, like roaring lions 
       attacking their prey.

       (Psa 22:14 TLB)  My strength has drained away like water, and all my 
       bones are out of joint. My heart melts like wax;

       (Psa 22:15 TLB)  my strength has dried up like sun-baked clay; my 
       tongue sticks to my mouth, for you have laid me in the dust of death.

       (Psa 22:16 TLB)  The enemy, this gang of evil men, circles me like a 
       pack of dogs; they have pierced my hands and feet.

       (Psa 22:17 TLB)  I can count every bone in my body. See these men of 
       evil gloat and stare;

       (Psa 22:18 TLB)  they divide my clothes among themselves by a toss of 





       the dice.

       (Psa 22:19 TLB)  O Lord, don't stay away. O God my Strength, hurry to 
       my aid.

       (Psa 22:20 TLB)  Rescue me from death; spare my precious life from all 
       these evil men.

       (Psa 22:21 TLB)  Save me from these lions' jaws and from the horns of 
       these wild oxen. Yes, God will answer me and rescue me.

       (Psa 22:22 TLB)  I will praise you to all my brothers; I will stand up 
       before the congregation and testify of the wonderful things you have 
       done.

       (Psa 22:23 TLB)  "Praise the Lord, each one of you who fears him," I 
       will say. "Each of you must fear and reverence his name. Let all 
       Israel sing his praises,

       (Psa 22:24 TLB)  for he has not despised my cries of deep despair; he 
       has not turned and walked away. When I cried to him, he heard and 
       came."

       (Psa 22:25 TLB)  Yes, I will stand and praise you before all the 
       people. I will publicly fulfill my vows in the presence of all who 
       reverence your name.

       (Psa 22:26 TLB)  The poor shall eat and be satisfied; all who seek the 
       Lord shall find him and shall praise his name. Their hearts shall 
       rejoice with everlasting joy.

       (Psa 22:27 TLB)  The whole earth shall see it and return to the Lord; 
       the people of every nation shall worship him.

       (Psa 22:28 TLB)  For the Lord is King and rules the nations.

       (Psa 22:29 TLB)  Both proud and humble together, all who are 
       mortal--born to die--shall worship him.

       (Psa 22:30 TLB)  Our children too shall serve him, for they shall hear 
       from us about the wonders of the Lord;

       (Psa 22:31 TLB)  generations yet unborn shall hear of all the miracles 
       he did for us.

       (Psa 23:1 TLB)  Because the Lord is my Shepherd, I have everything I 
       need!

       (Psa 23:2 TLB)  He lets me rest in the meadow grass and leads me 
       beside the quiet streams. He gives me new strength. He helps me do 
       what honors him the most.

       (Psa 23:3 TLB)  

       (Psa 23:4 TLB)  Even when walking through the dark valley of death I 
       will not be afraid, for you are close beside me, guarding, guiding all 





       the way.

       (Psa 23:5 TLB)  You provide delicious food for me in the presence of 
       my enemies. You have welcomed me as your guest; blessings overflow!

       (Psa 23:6 TLB)  Your goodness and unfailing kindness shall be with me 
       all of my life, and afterwards I will live with you forever in your 
       home.

       (Psa 24:1 TLB)  The earth belongs to God! Everything in all the world 
       is his!

       (Psa 24:2 TLB)  He is the one who pushed the oceans back to let dry 
       land appear.

       (Psa 24:3 TLB)  Who may climb the mountain of the Lord and enter where 
       he lives? Who may stand before the Lord?

       (Psa 24:4 TLB)  Only those with pure hands and hearts, who do not 
       practice dishonesty and lying.

       (Psa 24:5 TLB)  They will receive God's own goodness as their blessing 
       from him, planted in their lives by God himself, their Savior.

       (Psa 24:6 TLB)  These are the ones who are allowed to stand before the 
       Lord and worship the God of Jacob.

       (Psa 24:7 TLB)  Open up, O ancient gates, and let the King of Glory 
       in.

       (Psa 24:8 TLB)  Who is this King of Glory? The Lord, strong and 
       mighty, invincible in battle.

       (Psa 24:9 TLB)  Yes, open wide the gates and let the King of Glory in.

       (Psa 24:10 TLB)  Who is this King of Glory? The Commander of all of 
       heaven's armies!

       (Psa 25:1 TLB)  To you, O Lord, I pray.

       (Psa 25:2 TLB)  Don't fail me, Lord, for I am trusting you. Don't let 
       my enemies succeed. Don't give them victory over me.

       (Psa 25:3 TLB)  None of those who have faith in God will ever be 
       disgraced for trusting him. But all who harm the innocent shall be 
       defeated.

       (Psa 25:4 TLB)  Show me the path where I should go, O Lord; point out 
       the right road for me to walk.

       (Psa 25:5 TLB)  Lead me; teach me; for you are the God who gives me 
       salvation. I have no hope except in you.

       (Psa 25:6 TLB)  Overlook my youthful sins, O Lord! Look at me instead 
       through eyes of mercy and forgiveness, through eyes of everlasting 
       love and kindness.






       (Psa 25:7 TLB)  

       (Psa 25:8 TLB)  The Lord is good and glad to teach the proper path to 
       all who go astray;

       (Psa 25:9 TLB)  he will teach the ways that are right and best to 
       those who humbly turn to him.

       (Psa 25:10 TLB)  And when we obey him, every path he guides us on is 
       fragrant with his loving-kindness and his truth.

       (Psa 25:11 TLB)  But Lord, my sins! How many they are. Oh, pardon them 
       for the honor of your name.

       (Psa 25:12 TLB)  Where is the man who fears the Lord? God will teach 
       him how to choose the best.

       (Psa 25:13 TLB)  He shall live within God's circle of blessing, and 
       his children shall inherit the earth.

       (Psa 25:14 TLB)  Friendship with God is reserved for those who 
       reverence him. With them alone he shares the secrets of his promises.

       (Psa 25:15 TLB)  My eyes are ever looking to the Lord for help, for he 
       alone can rescue me.

       (Psa 25:16 TLB)  Come, Lord, and show me your mercy, for I am 
       helpless, overwhelmed, in deep distress;

       (Psa 25:17 TLB)  my problems go from bad to worse. Oh, save me from 
       them all!

       (Psa 25:18 TLB)  See my sorrows; feel my pain; forgive my sins.

       (Psa 25:19 TLB)  See how many enemies I have and how viciously they 
       hate me!

       (Psa 25:20 TLB)  Save me from them! Deliver my life from their power! 
       Oh, let it never be said that I trusted you in vain!

       (Psa 25:21 TLB)  Assign me Godliness and Integrity as my bodyguards, 
       for I expect you to protect me

       (Psa 25:22 TLB)  and to ransom Israel from all her troubles.

       (Psa 26:1 TLB)  Dismiss all the charges against me, Lord, for I have 
       tried to keep your laws and have trusted you without wavering.

       (Psa 26:2 TLB)  Cross-examine me, O Lord, and see that this is so; 
       test my motives and affections too.

       (Psa 26:3 TLB)  For I have taken your loving-kindness and your truth 
       as my ideals.

       (Psa 26:4 TLB)  I do not have fellowship with tricky, two-faced men; 





       they are false and hypocritical.

       (Psa 26:5 TLB)  I hate the sinners' hangouts and refuse to enter them.

       (Psa 26:6 TLB)  I wash my hands to prove my innocence and come before 
       your altar,

       (Psa 26:7 TLB)  singing a song of thanksgiving and telling about your 
       miracles.

       (Psa 26:8 TLB)  Lord, I love your home, this shrine where the 
       brilliant, dazzling splendor of your presence lives.

       (Psa 26:9 TLB)  Don't treat me as a common sinner or murderer who 
       plots against the innocent and demands bribes.

       (Psa 26:10 TLB)  

       (Psa 26:11 TLB)  No, I am not like that, O Lord; I try to walk a 
       straight and narrow path of doing what is right; therefore in mercy 
       save me.

       (Psa 26:12 TLB)  I publicly praise the Lord for keeping me from 
       slipping and falling.

       (Psa 27:1 TLB)  The Lord is my light and my salvation; he protects me 
       from danger--whom shall I fear?

       (Psa 27:2 TLB)  When evil men come to destroy me, they will stumble 
       and fall!

       (Psa 27:3 TLB)  Yes, though a mighty army marches against me, my heart 
       shall know no fear! I am confident that God will save me.

       (Psa 27:4 TLB)  The one thing I want from God, the thing I seek most 
       of all, is the privilege of meditating in his Temple, living in his 
       presence every day of my life, delighting in his incomparable 
       perfections and glory.

       (Psa 27:5 TLB)  There I'll be when troubles come. He will hide me. He 
       will set me on a high rock

       (Psa 27:6 TLB)  out of reach of all my enemies. Then I will bring him 
       sacrifices and sing his praises with much joy.

       (Psa 27:7 TLB)  Listen to my pleading, Lord! Be merciful and send the 
       help I need.

       (Psa 27:8 TLB)  My heart has heard you say, "Come and talk with me, O 
       my people." And my heart responds, "Lord, I am coming."

       (Psa 27:9 TLB)  Oh, do not hide yourself when I am trying to find you. 
       Do not angrily reject your servant. You have been my help in all my 
       trials before; don't leave me now. Don't forsake me, O God of my 
       salvation.





       (Psa 27:10 TLB)  For if my father and mother should abandon me, you 
       would welcome and comfort me.

       (Psa 27:11 TLB)  Tell me what to do, O Lord, and make it plain because 
       I am surrounded by waiting enemies.

       (Psa 27:12 TLB)  Don't let them get me, Lord! Don't let me fall into 
       their hands! For they accuse me of things I never did, and all the 
       while are plotting cruelty.

       (Psa 27:13 TLB)  I am expecting the Lord to rescue me again, so that 
       once again I will see his goodness to me here in the land of the 
       living.

       (Psa 27:14 TLB)  Don't be impatient. Wait for the Lord, and he will 
       come and save you! Be brave, stouthearted, and courageous. Yes, wait 
       and he will help you.

       (Psa 28:1 TLB)  I plead with you to help me, Lord, for you are my Rock 
       of safety. If you refuse to answer me, I might as well give up and 
       die.

       (Psa 28:2 TLB)  Lord, I lift my hands to heaven and implore your help. 
       Oh, listen to my cry.

       (Psa 28:3 TLB)  Don't punish me with all the wicked ones who speak so 
       sweetly to their neighbors while planning to murder them.

       (Psa 28:4 TLB)  Give them the punishment they so richly deserve! 
       Measure it out to them in proportion to their wickedness; paythem back 
       for all their evil deeds.

       (Psa 28:5 TLB)  They care nothing for God or what he has done or what 
       he has made; therefore God will dismantle them like old buildings, 
       never to be rebuilt again.

       (Psa 28:6 TLB)  Oh, praise the Lord, for he has listened to my 
       pleadings!

       (Psa 28:7 TLB)  He is my strength, my shield from every danger. I 
       trusted in him, and he helped me. Joy rises in my heart until I burst 
       out in songs of praise to him.

       (Psa 28:8 TLB)  The Lord protects his people and gives victory to his 
       anointed king.

       (Psa 28:9 TLB)  Defend your people, Lord; defend and bless your chosen 
       ones. Lead them like a shepherd and carry them forever in your arms.

       (Psa 29:1 TLB)  Praise the Lord, you angels of his; praise his glory 
       and his strength.

       (Psa 29:2 TLB)  Praise him for his majestic glory, the glory of his 
       name. Come before him clothed in sacred garments.

       (Psa 29:3 TLB)  The voice of the Lord echoes from the clouds. The God 





       of glory thunders through the skies.

       (Psa 29:4 TLB)  So powerful is his voice; so full of majesty.

       (Psa 29:5 TLB)  It breaks down the cedars. It splits the giant trees 
       of Lebanon. It shakes Mount Lebanon and Mount Sirion. They leap and 
       skip before him like young calves!

       (Psa 29:6 TLB)  

       (Psa 29:7 TLB)  The voice of the Lord thunders through the lightning.

       (Psa 29:8 TLB)  It resounds through the deserts and shakes the 
       wilderness of Kadesh.

       (Psa 29:9 TLB)  The voice of the Lord spins and topples the mighty 
       oaks. It strips the forests bare. They whirl and sway beneath the 
       blast. But in his temple all are praising, "Glory, glory to the Lord."

       (Psa 29:10 TLB)  At the Flood the Lord showed his control of all 
       creation. Now he continues to unveil his power.

       (Psa 29:11 TLB)  He will give his people strength. He will bless them 
       with peace.

       (Psa 30:1 TLB)  I will praise you, Lord, for you have saved me from my 
       enemies. You refuse to let them triumph over me.

       (Psa 30:2 TLB)  O Lord my God, I pleaded with you, and you gave me my 
       health again.

       (Psa 30:3 TLB)  You brought me back from the brink of the grave, from 
       death itself, and here I am alive!

       (Psa 30:4 TLB)  Oh, sing to him you saints of his; give thanks to his 
       holy name.

       (Psa 30:5 TLB)  His anger lasts a moment; his favor lasts for life! 
       Weeping may go on all night, but in the morning there is joy.

       (Psa 30:6 TLB)  In my prosperity I said, "This is forever; nothing can 
       stop me now!

       (Psa 30:7 TLB)  The Lord has shown me his favor. He has made me steady 
       as a mountain." Then, Lord, you turned your face away from me and cut 
       off your river of blessings. Suddenly my courage was gone; I was 
       terrified and panic-stricken.

       (Psa 30:8 TLB)  I cried to you, O Lord; oh, how I pled:

       (Psa 30:9 TLB)  "What will you gain, O Lord, from killing me? How can 
       I praise you then to all my friends? How can my dust in the grave 
       speak out and tell the world about your faithfulness?

       (Psa 30:10 TLB)  Hear me, Lord; oh, have pity and help me."





       (Psa 30:11 TLB)  Then he turned my sorrow into joy! He took away my 
       clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy

       (Psa 30:12 TLB)  so that I might sing glad praises to the Lord instead 
       of lying in silence in the grave. O Lord my God, I will keep on 
       thanking you forever!

       (Psa 31:1 TLB)  Lord, I trust in you alone. Don't let my enemies 
       defeat me. Rescue me because you are the God who always does what is 
       right.

       (Psa 31:2 TLB)  Answer quickly when I cry to you; bend low and hear my 
       whispered plea. Be for me a great Rock of safety from my foes.

       (Psa 31:3 TLB)  Yes, you are my Rock and my fortress; honor your name 
       by leading me out of this peril.

       (Psa 31:4 TLB)  Pull me from the trap my enemies have set for me. For 
       you alone are strong enough.

       (Psa 31:5 TLB)  Into your hand I commit my spirit. You have rescued 
       me, O God who keeps his promises. I worship only you; how you hate all 
       those who worship idols, those imitation gods.

       (Psa 31:6 TLB)  

       (Psa 31:7 TLB)  I am radiant with joy because of your mercy, for you 
       have listened to my troubles and have seen the crisis in my soul.

       (Psa 31:8 TLB)  You have not handed me over to my enemy but have given 
       me open ground in which to maneuver.

       (Psa 31:9 TLB)  O Lord, have mercy on me in my anguish. My eyes are 
       red from weeping; my health is broken from sorrow. I am pining away 
       with grief;

       (Psa 31:10 TLB)  my years are shortened, drained away because of 
       sadness. My sins have sapped my strength; I stoop with sorrow and with 
       shame.

       (Psa 31:11 TLB)  I am scorned by all my enemies and even more by my 
       neighbors and friends. They dread meeting me and look the other way 
       when I go by.

       (Psa 31:12 TLB)  I am forgotten like a dead man, like a broken and 
       discarded pot.

       (Psa 31:13 TLB)  I heard the lies about me, the slanders of my 
       enemies. Everywhere I looked I was afraid, for they were plotting 
       against my life.

       (Psa 31:14 TLB)  But I am trusting you, O Lord. I said, "You alone are 
       my God; my times are in your hands. Rescue me from those who hunt me 
       down relentlessly.

       (Psa 31:15 TLB)  






       (Psa 31:16 TLB)  Let your favor shine again upon your servant; save me 
       just because you are so kind!

       (Psa 31:17 TLB)  Don't disgrace me, Lord, by not replying when I call 
       to you for aid. But let the wicked be shamed by what they trust in; 
       let them lie silently in their graves,

       (Psa 31:18 TLB)  their lying lips quieted at last--the lips of these 
       arrogant men who are accusing honest men of evil deeds."

       (Psa 31:19 TLB)  Oh, how great is your goodness to those who publicly 
       declare that you will rescue them. For you have stored up great 
       blessings for those who trust and reverence you.

       (Psa 31:20 TLB)  Hide your loved ones in the shelter of your presence, 
       safe beneath your hand, safe from all conspiring men.

       (Psa 31:21 TLB)  Blessed is the Lord, for he has shown me that his 
       never-failing love protects me like the walls of a fort!

       (Psa 31:22 TLB)  I spoke too hastily when I said, "The Lord has 
       deserted me," for you listened to my plea and answered me.

       (Psa 31:23 TLB)  Oh, love the Lord, all of you who are his people; for 
       the Lord protects those who are loyal to him, but harshly punishes all 
       who haughtily reject him.

       (Psa 31:24 TLB)  So cheer up! Take courage if you are depending on the 
       Lord.

       (Psa 32:1 TLB)  What happiness for those whose guilt has been 
       forgiven! What joys when sins are covered over! What relief for those 
       who have confessed their sins and God has cleared their record.

       (Psa 32:2 TLB)  

       (Psa 32:3 TLB)  There was a time when I wouldn't admit what a sinner I 
       was. But my dishonesty made me miserable and filled my days with 
       frustration.

       (Psa 32:4 TLB)  All day and all night your hand was heavy on me. My 
       strength evaporated like water on a sunny day

       (Psa 32:5 TLB)  until I finally admitted all my sins to you and 
       stopped trying to hide them. I said to myself, "I will confess them to 
       the Lord." And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.

       (Psa 32:6 TLB)  Now I say that each believer should confess his sins 
       to God when he is aware of them, while there is time to be forgiven. 
       Judgment will not touch him if he does.

       (Psa 32:7 TLB)  You are my hiding place from every storm of life; you 
       even keep me from getting into trouble! You surround me with songs of 
       victory.





       (Psa 32:8 TLB)  I will instruct you (says the Lord) and guide you 
       along the best pathway for your life; I will advise you and watch your 
       progress.

       (Psa 32:9 TLB)  Don't be like a senseless horse or mule that has to 
       have a bit in its mouth to keep it in line!

       (Psa 32:10 TLB)  Many sorrows come to the wicked, but abiding love 
       surrounds those who trust in the Lord.

       (Psa 32:11 TLB)  So rejoice in him, all those who are his, and shout 
       for joy, all those who try to obey him.

       (Psa 33:1 TLB)  Let all the joys of the godly well up in praise to the 
       Lord, for it is right to praise him.

       (Psa 33:2 TLB)  Play joyous melodies of praise upon the lyre and on 
       the harp.

       (Psa 33:3 TLB)  Compose new songs of praise to him, accompanied 
       skillfully on the harp; sing joyfully.

       (Psa 33:4 TLB)  For all God's words are right, and everything he does 
       is worthy of our trust.

       (Psa 33:5 TLB)  He loves whatever is just and good; the earth is 
       filled with his tender love.

       (Psa 33:6 TLB)  He merely spoke, and the heavens were formed and all 
       the galaxies of stars.

       (Psa 33:7 TLB)  He made the oceans, pouring them into his vast 
       reservoirs.

       (Psa 33:8 TLB)  Let everyone in all the world--men, women and 
       children--fear the Lord and stand in awe of him.

       (Psa 33:9 TLB)  For when he but spoke, the world began! It appeared at 
       his command!

       (Psa 33:10 TLB)  And with a breath he can scatter the plans of all the 
       nations who oppose him,

       (Psa 33:11 TLB)  but his own plan stands forever. His intentions are 
       the same for every generation.

       (Psa 33:12 TLB)  Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, whose 
       people he has chosen as his own.

       (Psa 33:13 TLB)  The Lord gazes down upon mankind from heaven where he 
       lives. He has made their hearts and closely watches everything they 
       do.

       (Psa 33:14 TLB)  

       (Psa 33:15 TLB)  






       (Psa 33:16 TLB)  The best-equipped army cannot save a king--for great 
       strength is not enough to save anyone. A war horse is a poor risk for 
       winning victories--it is strong, but it cannot save.

       (Psa 33:17 TLB)  

       (Psa 33:18 TLB)  But the eyes of the Lord are watching over those who 
       fear him, who rely upon his steady love. He will keep them from death 
       even in times of famine!

       (Psa 33:19 TLB)  

       (Psa 33:20 TLB)  We depend upon the Lord alone to save us. Only he can 
       help us; he protects us like a shield.

       (Psa 33:21 TLB)  No wonder we are happy in the Lord! For we are 
       trusting him. We trust his holy name.

       (Psa 33:22 TLB)  Yes, Lord, let your constant love surround us, for 
       our hopes are in you alone.

       (Psa 34:1 TLB)  I will praise the Lord no matter what happens. I will 
       constantly speak of his glories and grace.

       (Psa 34:2 TLB)  I will boast of all his kindness to me. Let all who 
       are discouraged take heart.

       (Psa 34:3 TLB)  Let us praise the Lord together and exalt his name.

       (Psa 34:4 TLB)  For I cried to him and he answered me! He freed me 
       from all my fears.

       (Psa 34:5 TLB)  Others too were radiant at what he did for them. 
       Theirs was no downcast look of rejection!

       (Psa 34:6 TLB)  This poor man cried to the Lord--and the Lord heard 
       him and saved him out of his troubles.

       (Psa 34:7 TLB)  For the Angel of the Lord guards and rescues all who 
       reverence him.

       (Psa 34:8 TLB)  Oh, put God to the test and see how kind he is! See 
       for yourself the way his mercies shower down on all who trust in him.

       (Psa 34:9 TLB)  If you belong to the Lord, reverence him; for everyone 
       who does this has everything he needs.

       (Psa 34:10 TLB)  Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry, but 
       those of us who reverence the Lord will never lack any good thing.

       (Psa 34:11 TLB)  Sons and daughters, come and listen and let me teach 
       you the importance of trusting and fearing the Lord.

       (Psa 34:12 TLB)  Do you want a long, good life?





       (Psa 34:13 TLB)  Then watch your tongue! Keep your lips from lying.

       (Psa 34:14 TLB)  Turn from all known sin and spend your time in doing 
       good. Try to live in peace with everyone; work hard at it.

       (Psa 34:15 TLB)  For the eyes of the Lord are intently watching all 
       who live good lives, and he gives attention when they cry to him.

       (Psa 34:16 TLB)  But the Lord has made up his mind to wipe out even 
       the memory of evil men from the earth.

       (Psa 34:17 TLB)  Yes, the Lord hears the good man when he calls to him 
       for help and saves him out of all his troubles.

       (Psa 34:18 TLB)  The Lord is close to those whose hearts are breaking; 
       he rescues those who are humbly sorry for their sins.

       (Psa 34:19 TLB)  The good man does not escape all troubles--he has 
       them too. But the Lord helps him in each and every one.

       (Psa 34:20 TLB)  Not one of his bones is broken.

       (Psa 34:21 TLB)  Calamity will surely overtake the wicked; heavy 
       penalties are meted out to those who hate the good.

       (Psa 34:22 TLB)  But as for those who serve the Lord, he will redeem 
       them; everyone who takes refuge in him will be freely pardoned.

       (Psa 35:1 TLB)  O Lord, fight those fighting me; declare war on them 
       for their attacks on me.

       (Psa 35:2 TLB)  Put on your armor, take your shield and protect me by 
       standing in front.

       (Psa 35:3 TLB)  Lift your spear in my defense, for my pursuers are 
       getting very close. Let me hear you say that you will save me from 
       them.

       (Psa 35:4 TLB)  Dishonor those who are trying to kill me. Turn them 
       back and confuse them.

       (Psa 35:5 TLB)  Blow them away like chaff in the wind--wind sent by 
       the Angel of the Lord.

       (Psa 35:6 TLB)  Make their path dark and slippery before them, with 
       the Angel of the Lord pursuing them.

       (Psa 35:7 TLB)  For though I did them no wrong, yet they laid a trap 
       for me and dug a pitfall in my path.

       (Psa 35:8 TLB)  Let them be overtaken by sudden ruin, caught in their 
       own net and destroyed.

       (Psa 35:9 TLB)  But I will rejoice in the Lord. He shall rescue me!

       (Psa 35:10 TLB)  From the bottom of my heart praise rises to him. 





       Where is his equal in all of heaven and earth? Who else protects the 
       weak and helpless from the strong, and the poor and needy from those 
       who would rob them?

       (Psa 35:11 TLB)  These evil men swear to a lie. They accuse me of 
       things I have never even heard about.

       (Psa 35:12 TLB)  I do them good, but they return me harm. I am sinking 
       down to death.

       (Psa 35:13 TLB)  When they were ill, I mourned before the Lord in 
       sackcloth, asking him to make them well; I refused to eat; I prayed 
       for them with utmost earnestness, but God did not listen.

       (Psa 35:14 TLB)  I went about sadly as though it were my mother, 
       friend, or brother who was sick and nearing death.

       (Psa 35:15 TLB)  But now that I am in trouble they are glad; they come 
       together in meetings filled with slander against me--I didn't even 
       know some of those who were there.

       (Psa 35:16 TLB)  For they gather with the worthless fellows of the 
       town and spend their time cursing me.

       (Psa 35:17 TLB)  Lord, how long will you stand there, doing nothing? 
       Act now and rescue me, for I have but one life and these young lions 
       are out to get it.

       (Psa 35:18 TLB)  Save me, and I will thank you publicly before the 
       entire congregation, before the largest crowd I can find.

       (Psa 35:19 TLB)  Don't give victory to those who fight me without any 
       reason! Don't let them rejoice at my fall--let them die.

       (Psa 35:20 TLB)  They don't talk of peace and doing good, but of plots 
       against innocent men who are minding their own business.

       (Psa 35:21 TLB)  They shout that they have seen me doing wrong! "Aha!" 
       they say. "With our own eyes we saw him do it."

       (Psa 35:22 TLB)  Lord, you know all about it. Don't stay silent! Don't 
       desert me now!

       (Psa 35:23 TLB)  Rise up, O Lord my God; vindicate me.

       (Psa 35:24 TLB)  Declare me "not guilty," for you are just. Don't let 
       my enemies rejoice over me in my troubles.

       (Psa 35:25 TLB)  Don't let them say, "Aha! Our dearest wish against 
       him will soon be fulfilled!" and, "At last we have him!"

       (Psa 35:26 TLB)  Shame them; let these who boast against me and who 
       rejoice at my troubles be themselves overcome by misfortune that 
       strips them bare of everything they own. Bare them to dishonor.

       (Psa 35:27 TLB)  But give great joy to all who wish me well. Let them 





       shout with delight, "Great is the Lord who enjoys helping his child!"

       (Psa 35:28 TLB)  And I will tell everyone how great and good you are; 
       I will praise you all day long.

       (Psa 36:1 TLB)  Sin lurks deep in the hearts of the wicked, forever 
       urging them on to evil deeds. They have no fear of God to hold them 
       back.

       (Psa 36:2 TLB)  Instead, in their conceit, they think they can hide 
       their evil deeds and not get caught.

       (Psa 36:3 TLB)  Everything they say is crooked and deceitful; they are 
       no longer wise and good.

       (Psa 36:4 TLB)  They lie awake at night to hatch their evil plots 
       instead of planning how to keep away from wrong.

       (Psa 36:5 TLB)  Your steadfast love, O Lord, is as great as all the 
       heavens. Your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds.

       (Psa 36:6 TLB)  Your justice is as solid as God's mountains. Your 
       decisions are as full of wisdom as the oceans are with water. You are 
       concerned for men and animals alike.

       (Psa 36:7 TLB)  How precious is your constant love, O God! All 
       humanity takes refuge in the shadow of your wings.

       (Psa 36:8 TLB)  You feed them with blessings from your own table and 
       let them drink from your rivers of delight.

       (Psa 36:9 TLB)  For you are the Fountain of life; our light is from 
       your light.

       (Psa 36:10 TLB)  Pour out your unfailing love on those who know you! 
       Never stop giving your blessings to those who long to do your will.

       (Psa 36:11 TLB)  Don't let these proud men trample me. Don't let their 
       wicked hands push me around.

       (Psa 36:12 TLB)  Look! They have fallen. They are thrown down and will 
       not rise again.

       (Psa 37:1 TLB)  Never envy the wicked!

       (Psa 37:2 TLB)  Soon they fade away like grass and disappear.

       (Psa 37:3 TLB)  Trust in the Lord instead. Be kind and good to others; 
       then you will live safely here in the land and prosper, feeding in 
       safety.

       (Psa 37:4 TLB)  Be delighted with the Lord. Then he will give you all 
       your heart's desires.

       (Psa 37:5 TLB)  Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him to 
       help you do it, and he will.






       (Psa 37:6 TLB)  Your innocence will be clear to everyone. He will 
       vindicate you with the blazing light of justice shining down as from 
       the noonday sun.

       (Psa 37:7 TLB)  Rest in the Lord; wait patiently for him to act. Don't 
       be envious of evil men who prosper.

       (Psa 37:8 TLB)  Stop your anger! Turn off your wrath. Don't fret and 
       worry--it only leads to harm.

       (Psa 37:9 TLB)  For the wicked shall be destroyed, but those who trust 
       the Lord shall be given every blessing.

       (Psa 37:10 TLB)  Only a little while and the wicked shall disappear. 
       You will look for them in vain.

       (Psa 37:11 TLB)  But all who humble themselves before the Lord shall 
       be given every blessing and shall have wonderful peace.

       (Psa 37:12 TLB)  The Lord is laughing at those who plot against the 
       godly, for he knows their judgment day is coming.

       (Psa 37:13 TLB)  

       (Psa 37:14 TLB)  Evil men take aim to slay the poor; they are ready to 
       butcher those who do right.

       (Psa 37:15 TLB)  But their swords will be plunged into their own 
       hearts, and all their weapons will be broken.

       (Psa 37:16 TLB)  It is better to have little and be godly than to own 
       an evil man's wealth;

       (Psa 37:17 TLB)  for the strength of evil men shall be broken, but the 
       Lord takes care of those he has forgiven.

       (Psa 37:18 TLB)  Day by day the Lord observes the good deeds done by 
       godly men, and gives them eternal rewards.

       (Psa 37:19 TLB)  He cares for them when times are hard; even in 
       famine, they will have enough.

       (Psa 37:20 TLB)  But evil men shall perish. These enemies of God will 
       wither like grass and disappear like smoke.

       (Psa 37:21 TLB)  Evil men borrow and "cannot pay it back"! But the 
       good man returns what he owes with some extra besides.

       (Psa 37:22 TLB)  Those blessed by the Lord shall inherit the earth, 
       but those cursed by him shall die.

       (Psa 37:23 TLB)  The steps of good men are directed by the Lord. He 
       delights in each step they take.

       (Psa 37:24 TLB)  If they fall it isn't fatal, for the Lord holds them 





       with his hand.

       (Psa 37:25 TLB)  I have been young and now I am old. And in all my 
       years I have never seen the Lord forsake a man who loves him; nor have 
       I seen the children of the godly go hungry.

       (Psa 37:26 TLB)  Instead, the godly are able to be generous with their 
       gifts and loans to others, and their children are a blessing.

       (Psa 37:27 TLB)  So if you want an eternal home, leave your evil, 
       low-down ways and live good lives.

       (Psa 37:28 TLB)  For the Lord loves justice and fairness; he will 
       never abandon his people. They will be kept safe forever; but all who 
       love wickedness shall perish.

       (Psa 37:29 TLB)  The godly shall be firmly planted in the land and 
       live there forever.

       (Psa 37:30 TLB)  The godly man is a good counselor because he is just 
       and fair and knows right from wrong.

       (Psa 37:31 TLB)  

       (Psa 37:32 TLB)  Evil men spy on the godly, waiting for an excuse to 
       accuse them and then demanding their death.

       (Psa 37:33 TLB)  But the Lord will not let these evil men succeed, nor 
       let the godly be condemned when they are brought before the judge.

       (Psa 37:34 TLB)  Don't be impatient for the Lord to act! Keep 
       traveling steadily along his pathway and in due season he will honor 
       you with every blessing, and you will see the wicked destroyed.

       (Psa 37:35 TLB)  I myself have seen it happen: a proud and evil man, 
       towering like a cedar of Lebanon, but when I looked again, he was 
       gone! I searched but could not find him!

       (Psa 37:36 TLB)  

       (Psa 37:37 TLB)  But the good man--what a different story! For the 
       good man--the blameless, the upright, the man of peace--he has a 
       wonderful future ahead of him. For him there is a happy ending.

       (Psa 37:38 TLB)  But evil men shall be destroyed, and their posterity 
       shall be cut off.

       (Psa 37:39 TLB)  The Lord saves the godly! He is their salvation and 
       their refuge when trouble comes.

       (Psa 37:40 TLB)  Because they trust in him, he helps them and delivers 
       them from the plots of evil men.

       (Psa 38:1 TLB)  O Lord, don't punish me while you are angry!

       (Psa 38:2 TLB)  Your arrows have struck deep; your blows are crushing 





       me.

       (Psa 38:3 TLB)  Because of your anger, my body is sick, my health is 
       broken beneath my sins. They are like a flood, higher than my head; 
       they are a burden too heavy to bear.

       (Psa 38:4 TLB)  

       (Psa 38:5 TLB)  My wounds are festering and full of pus. Because of my 
       sins, I am bent and racked with pain. My days are filled with anguish.

       (Psa 38:6 TLB)  

       (Psa 38:7 TLB)  My loins burn with inflammation, and my whole body is 
       diseased.

       (Psa 38:8 TLB)  I am exhausted and crushed; I groan in despair.

       (Psa 38:9 TLB)  Lord, you know how I long for my health once more. You 
       hear my every sigh.

       (Psa 38:10 TLB)  My heart beats wildly, my strength fails, and I am 
       going blind.

       (Psa 38:11 TLB)  My loved ones and friends stay away, fearing my 
       disease. Even my own family stands at a distance.

       (Psa 38:12 TLB)  Meanwhile my enemies are trying to kill me. They plot 
       my ruin and spend all their waking hours planning treachery.

       (Psa 38:13 TLB)  But I am deaf to all their threats; I am silent 
       before them as a man who cannot speak. I have nothing to say.

       (Psa 38:14 TLB)  

       (Psa 38:15 TLB)  For I am waiting for you, O Lord my God. Come and 
       protect me.

       (Psa 38:16 TLB)  Put an end to their arrogance, these who gloat when I 
       am cast down!

       (Psa 38:17 TLB)  How constantly I find myself upon the verge of sin; 
       this source of sorrow always stares me in the face.

       (Psa 38:18 TLB)  I confess my sins; I am sorry for what I have done.

       (Psa 38:19 TLB)  But my enemies persecute with vigor and continue to 
       hate me--though I have done nothing against them to deserve it.

       (Psa 38:20 TLB)  They repay me evil for good and hate me for standing 
       for the right.

       (Psa 38:21 TLB)  Don't leave me, Lord; don't go away!

       (Psa 38:22 TLB)  Come quickly! Help me, O my Savior.





       (Psa 39:1 TLB)  I said to myself, I'm going to quit complaining! I'll 
       keep quiet, especially when the ungodly are around me.

       (Psa 39:2 TLB)  But as I stood there silently the turmoil within me 
       grew to the bursting point. The more I mused, the hotter the fires 
       inside. Then at last I spoke and pled with God:

       (Psa 39:3 TLB)  

       (Psa 39:4 TLB)  Lord, help me to realize how brief my time on earth 
       will be. Help me to know that I am here for but a moment more.

       (Psa 39:5 TLB)  My life is no longer than my hand! My whole lifetime 
       is but a moment to you. Proud man! Frail as breath! A shadow! And all 
       his busy rushing ends in nothing. He heaps up riches for someone else 
       to spend.

       (Psa 39:6 TLB)  

       (Psa 39:7 TLB)  And so, Lord, my only hope is in you.

       (Psa 39:8 TLB)  Save me from being overpowered by my sins, for even 
       fools will mock me then.

       (Psa 39:9 TLB)  Lord, I am speechless before you. I will not open my 
       mouth to speak one word of complaint, for my punishment is from you.

       (Psa 39:10 TLB)  Lord, don't hit me anymore--I am exhausted beneath 
       your hand.

       (Psa 39:11 TLB)  When you punish a man for his sins, he is destroyed, 
       for he is as fragile as a moth-infested cloth; yes, man is frail as 
       breath.

       (Psa 39:12 TLB)  Hear my prayer, O Lord; listen to my cry! Don't sit 
       back, unmindful of my tears. For I am your guest. I am a traveler 
       passing through the earth, as all my fathers were.

       (Psa 39:13 TLB)  Spare me, Lord! Let me recover and be filled with 
       happiness again before my death.

       (Psa 40:1 TLB)  I waited patiently for God to help me; then he 
       listened and heard my cry.

       (Psa 40:2 TLB)  He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out from the 
       bog and the mire, and set my feet on a hard, firm path, and steadied 
       me as I walked along.

       (Psa 40:3 TLB)  He has given me a new song to sing, of praises to our 
       God. Now many will hear of the glorious things he did for me, and 
       stand in awe before the Lord, and put their trust in him.

       (Psa 40:4 TLB)  Many blessings are given to those who trust the Lord 
       and have no confidence in those who are proud or who trust in idols.

       (Psa 40:5 TLB)  O Lord my God, many and many a time you have done 





       great miracles for us, and we are ever in your thoughts. Who else can 
       do such glorious things? No one else can be compared with you. There 
       isn't time to tell of all your wonderful deeds.

       (Psa 40:6 TLB)  It isn't sacrifices and offerings that you really want 
       from your people. Burnt animals bring no special joy to your heart. 
       But you have accepted the offer of my life-long service.

       (Psa 40:7 TLB)  Then I said, "See, I have come, just as all the 
       prophets foretold.

       (Psa 40:8 TLB)  And I delight to do your will, my God, for your law is 
       written upon my heart!"

       (Psa 40:9 TLB)  I have told everyone the good news that you forgive 
       people's sins. I have not been timid about it, as you well know, O 
       Lord.

       (Psa 40:10 TLB)  I have not kept this good news hidden in my heart, 
       but have proclaimed your loving-kindness and truth to all the 
       congregation.

       (Psa 40:11 TLB)  O Lord, don't hold back your tender mercies from me! 
       My only hope is in your love and faithfulness.

       (Psa 40:12 TLB)  Otherwise I perish, for problems far too big for me 
       to solve are piled higher than my head. Meanwhile my sins, too many to 
       count, have all caught up with me, and I am ashamed to look up. My 
       heart quails within me.

       (Psa 40:13 TLB)  Please, Lord, rescue me! Quick! Come and help me!

       (Psa 40:14 TLB)  Confuse them! Turn them around and send them 
       sprawling--all these who are trying to destroy me. Disgrace these 
       scoffers with their utter failure!

       (Psa 40:15 TLB)  

       (Psa 40:16 TLB)  But may the joy of the Lord be given to everyone who 
       loves him and his salvation. May they constantly exclaim, "How great 
       God is!"

       (Psa 40:17 TLB)  I am poor and weak, yet the Lord is thinking about me 
       right now! O my God, you are my helper. You are my Savior; come 
       quickly, and save me. Please don't delay!

       (Psa 41:1 TLB)  God blesses those who are kind to the poor. He helps 
       them out of their troubles.

       (Psa 41:2 TLB)  He protects them and keeps them alive; he publicly 
       honors them and destroys the power of their enemies.

       (Psa 41:3 TLB)  He nurses them when they are sick and soothes their 
       pains and worries.

       (Psa 41:4 TLB)  "O Lord," I prayed, "be kind and heal me, for I have 





       confessed my sins."

       (Psa 41:5 TLB)  But my enemies say, "May he soon die and be 
       forgotten!"

       (Psa 41:6 TLB)  They act so friendly when they come to visit me while 
       I am sick; but all the time they hate me and are glad that I am lying 
       there upon my bed of pain. And when they leave, they laugh and mock.

       (Psa 41:7 TLB)  They whisper together about what they will do when I 
       am dead.

       (Psa 41:8 TLB)  "It's fatal, whatever it is," they say. "He'll never 
       get out of that bed!"

       (Psa 41:9 TLB)  Even my best friend has turned against me--a man I 
       completely trusted; how often we ate together.

       (Psa 41:10 TLB)  Lord, don't you desert me! Be gracious, Lord, and 
       make me well again so I can pay them back!

       (Psa 41:11 TLB)  I know you are pleased with me because you haven't 
       let my enemies triumph over me.

       (Psa 41:12 TLB)  You have preserved me because I was honest; you have 
       admitted me forever to your presence.

       (Psa 41:13 TLB)  Bless the Lord, the God of Israel, who exists from 
       everlasting ages past--and on into everlasting eternity ahead. Amen 
       and amen!

       (Psa 42:1 TLB)  As the deer pants for water, so I long for you, O God.

       (Psa 42:2 TLB)  I thirst for God, the living God. Where can I find him 
       to come and stand before him?

       (Psa 42:3 TLB)  Day and night I weep for his help, and all the while 
       my enemies taunt me. "Where is this God of yours?" they scoff.

       (Psa 42:4 TLB)  Take courage, my soul! Do you remember those times 
       (but how could you ever forget them!) when you led a great procession 
       to the Temple on festival days, singing with joy, praising the Lord?

       (Psa 42:5 TLB)  Why then be downcast? Why be discouraged and sad? Hope 
       in God! I shall yet praise him again. Yes, I shall again praise him 
       for his help.

       (Psa 42:6 TLB)  Yet I am standing here depressed and gloomy, but I 
       will meditate upon your kindness to this lovely land where the Jordan 
       River flows and where Mount Hermon and Mount Mizar stand.

       (Psa 42:7 TLB)  All your waves and billows have gone over me, and 
       floods of sorrow pour upon me like a thundering cataract.

       (Psa 42:8 TLB)  Yet day by day the Lord also pours out his steadfast 
       love upon me, and through the night I sing his songs and pray to God 





       who gives me life.

       (Psa 42:9 TLB)  "O God my Rock," I cry, "why have you forsaken me? Why 
       must I suffer these attacks from my enemies?"

       (Psa 42:10 TLB)  Their taunts pierce me like a fatal wound; again and 
       again they scoff, "Where is that God of yours?"

       (Psa 42:11 TLB)  But, O my soul, don't be discouraged. Don't be upset. 
       Expect God to act! For I know that I shall again have plenty of reason 
       to praise him for all that he will do. He is my help! He is my God!

       (Psa 43:1 TLB)  O God, defend me from the charges of these merciless, 
       deceitful men.

       (Psa 43:2 TLB)  For you are God, my only place of refuge. Why have you 
       tossed me aside? Why must I mourn at the oppression of my enemies?

       (Psa 43:3 TLB)  Oh, send out your light and your truth--let them lead 
       me. Let them lead me to your Temple on your holy mountain, Zion.

       (Psa 43:4 TLB)  There I will go to the altar of God, my exceeding joy, 
       and praise him with my harp. O God--my God!

       (Psa 43:5 TLB)  O my soul, why be so gloomy and discouraged? Trust in 
       God! I shall again praise him for his wondrous help; he will make me 
       smile again, for he is my God!

       (Psa 44:1 TLB)  O God, we have heard of the glorious miracles you did 
       in the days of long ago. Our forefathers have told us how you drove 
       the heathen nations from this land and gave it all to us, spreading 
       Israel from one end of the country to the other.

       (Psa 44:2 TLB)  

       (Psa 44:3 TLB)  They did not conquer by their own strength and skill, 
       but by your mighty power and because you smiled upon them and favored 
       them.

       (Psa 44:4 TLB)  You are my King and my God. Decree victories for your 
       people.

       (Psa 44:5 TLB)  For it is only by your power and through your name 
       that we tread down our enemies;

       (Psa 44:6 TLB)  I do not trust my weapons. They could never save me.

       (Psa 44:7 TLB)  Only you can give us the victory over those who hate 
       us.

       (Psa 44:8 TLB)  My constant boast is God. I can never thank you 
       enough!

       (Psa 44:9 TLB)  And yet for a time, O Lord, you have tossed us aside 
       in dishonor and have not helped us in our battles.





       (Psa 44:10 TLB)  You have actually fought against us and defeated us 
       before our foes. Our enemies have invaded our land and pillaged the 
       countryside.

       (Psa 44:11 TLB)  You have treated us like sheep in a slaughter pen and 
       scattered us among the nations.

       (Psa 44:12 TLB)  You sold us for a pittance. You valued us at nothing 
       at all.

       (Psa 44:13 TLB)  The neighboring nations laugh and mock at us because 
       of all the evil you have sent.

       (Psa 44:14 TLB)  You have made the word Jew a byword of contempt and 
       shame among the nations, disliked by all.

       (Psa 44:15 TLB)  I am constantly despised, mocked, taunted, and cursed 
       by my vengeful enemies.

       (Psa 44:16 TLB)  

       (Psa 44:17 TLB)  And all this has happened, Lord, despite our loyalty 
       to you. We have not violated your covenant.

       (Psa 44:18 TLB)  Our hearts have not deserted you! We have not left 
       your path by a single step.

       (Psa 44:19 TLB)  If we had, we could understand your punishing us in 
       the barren wilderness and sending us into darkness and death.

       (Psa 44:20 TLB)  If we had turned away from worshiping our God and 
       were worshiping idols,

       (Psa 44:21 TLB)  would God not know it? Yes, he knows the secrets of 
       every heart.

       (Psa 44:22 TLB)  But that is not our case. For we are facing death 
       threats constantly because of serving you! We are like sheep awaiting 
       slaughter.

       (Psa 44:23 TLB)  Waken! Rouse yourself! Don't sleep, O Lord! Are we 
       cast off forever?

       (Psa 44:24 TLB)  Why do you look the other way? Why do you ignore our 
       sorrows and oppression?

       (Psa 44:25 TLB)  We lie face downward in the dust.

       (Psa 44:26 TLB)  Rise up, O Lord, and come and help us. Save us by 
       your constant love.

       (Psa 45:1 TLB)  My heart is overflowing with a beautiful thought! I 
       will write a lovely poem to the King, for I am as full of words as the 
       speediest writer pouring out his story.

       (Psa 45:2 TLB)  You are the fairest of all; Your words are filled with 





       grace; God himself is blessing you forever.

       (Psa 45:3 TLB)  Arm yourself, O Mighty One, So glorious, so majestic!

       (Psa 45:4 TLB)  And in your majesty Go on to victory, Defending truth, 
       humility, and justice. Go forth to awe-inspiring deeds!

       (Psa 45:5 TLB)  Your arrows are sharp In your enemies' hearts; They 
       fall before you.

       (Psa 45:6 TLB)  Your throne, O God, endures forever. Justice is your 
       royal scepter.

       (Psa 45:7 TLB)  You love what is good And hate what is wrong. 
       Therefore God, your God, Has given you more gladness Than anyone else.

       (Psa 45:8 TLB)  Your robes are perfumed with myrrh, aloes, and cassia. 
       In your palaces of inlaid ivory, lovely music is being played for your 
       enjoyment.

       (Psa 45:9 TLB)  Kings' daughters are among your concubines. Standing 
       beside you is the queen, wearing jewelry of finest gold from Ophir.

       (Psa 45:10 TLB)  "I advise you, O daughter, not to fret about your 
       parents in your homeland far away. Your royal husband delights in your 
       beauty. Reverence him, for he is your lord.

       (Psa 45:11 TLB)  

       (Psa 45:12 TLB)  The people of Tyre, the richest people of our day, 
       will shower you with gifts and entreat your favors."

       (Psa 45:13 TLB)  The bride, a princess, waits within her chamber, 
       robed in beautiful clothing woven with gold.

       (Psa 45:14 TLB)  Lovely she is, led beside her maids of honor to the 
       king!

       (Psa 45:15 TLB)  What a joyful, glad procession as they enter in the 
       palace gates!

       (Psa 45:16 TLB)  "Your sons will some day be kings like their father. 
       They shall sit on thrones around the world!

       (Psa 45:17 TLB)  "I will cause your name to be honored in all 
       generations; the nations of the earth will praise you forever."

       (Psa 46:1 TLB)  God is our refuge and strength, a tested help in times 
       of trouble.

       (Psa 46:2 TLB)  And so we need not fear even if the world blows up and 
       the mountains crumble into the sea.

       (Psa 46:3 TLB)  Let the oceans roar and foam; let the mountains 
       tremble!





       (Psa 46:4 TLB)  There is a river of joy flowing through the city of 
       our God--the sacred home of the God above all gods.

       (Psa 46:5 TLB)  God himself is living in that city; therefore it 
       stands unmoved despite the turmoil everywhere. He will not delay his 
       help.

       (Psa 46:6 TLB)  The nations rant and rave in anger--but when God 
       speaks, the earth melts in submission and kingdoms totter into ruin.

       (Psa 46:7 TLB)  The Commander of the armies of heaven is here among 
       us. He, the God of Jacob, has come to rescue us.

       (Psa 46:8 TLB)  Come, see the glorious things that our God does, how 
       he brings ruin upon the world

       (Psa 46:9 TLB)  and causes wars to end throughout the earth, breaking 
       and burning every weapon.

       (Psa 46:10 TLB)  "Stand silent! Know that I am God! I will be honored 
       by every nation in the world!"

       (Psa 46:11 TLB)  The Commander of the heavenly armies is here among 
       us! He, the God of Jacob, has come to rescue us!

       (Psa 47:1 TLB)  Come, everyone, and clap for joy! Shout triumphant 
       praises to the Lord!

       (Psa 47:2 TLB)  For the Lord, the God above all gods, is awesome 
       beyond words; he is the great King of all the earth.

       (Psa 47:3 TLB)  He subdues the nations before us

       (Psa 47:4 TLB)  and will personally select his choicest blessings for 
       his Jewish people--the very best for those he loves.

       (Psa 47:5 TLB)  God has ascended with a mighty shout, with trumpets 
       blaring.

       (Psa 47:6 TLB)  Sing out your praises to our God, our King. Yes, sing 
       your highest praises to our King, the King of all the earth. Sing 
       thoughtful praises!

       (Psa 47:7 TLB)  

       (Psa 47:8 TLB)  He reigns above the nations, sitting on his holy 
       throne.

       (Psa 47:9 TLB)  The Gentile rulers of the world have joined with us in 
       praising him--praising the God of Abraham--for the battle shields of 
       all the armies of the world are his trophies. He is highly honored 
       everywhere.

       (Psa 48:1 TLB)  How great is the Lord! How much we should praise him. 
       He lives upon Mount Zion in Jerusalem.





       (Psa 48:2 TLB)  What a glorious sight! See Mount Zion rising north of 
       the city high above the plains for all to see--Mount Zion, joy of all 
       the earth, the residence of the great King.

       (Psa 48:3 TLB)  God himself is the defender of Jerusalem.

       (Psa 48:4 TLB)  The kings of the earth have arrived together to 
       inspect the city.

       (Psa 48:5 TLB)  They marvel at the sight and hurry home again,

       (Psa 48:6 TLB)  afraid of what they have seen; they are filled with 
       panic like a woman in travail!

       (Psa 48:7 TLB)  For God destroys the mightiest warships with a breath 
       of wind.

       (Psa 48:8 TLB)  We have heard of the city's glory--the city of our 
       God, the Commander of the armies of heaven. And now we see it for 
       ourselves! God has established Jerusalem forever.

       (Psa 48:9 TLB)  Lord, here in your Temple we meditate upon your 
       kindness and your love.

       (Psa 48:10 TLB)  Your name is known throughout the earth, O God. You 
       are praised everywhere for the salvation you have scattered throughout 
       the world.

       (Psa 48:11 TLB)  O Jerusalem, rejoice! O people of Judah, rejoice! For 
       God will see to it that you are finally treated fairly.

       (Psa 48:12 TLB)  Go, inspect the city! Walk around and count her many 
       towers!

       (Psa 48:13 TLB)  Note her walls and tour her palaces so that you can 
       tell your children.

       (Psa 48:14 TLB)  For this great God is our God forever and ever. He 
       will be our guide until we die.

       (Psa 49:1 TLB)  Listen, everyone! High and low, rich and poor, all 
       around the world--listen to my words,

       (Psa 49:2 TLB)  

       (Psa 49:3 TLB)  for they are wise and filled with insight.

       (Psa 49:4 TLB)  I will tell in song accompanied by harps the answer to 
       one of life's most perplexing problems:

       (Psa 49:5 TLB)  There is no need to fear when times of trouble come, 
       even though surrounded by enemies!

       (Psa 49:6 TLB)  They trust in their wealth and boast about how rich 
       they are,





       (Psa 49:7 TLB)  yet not one of them, though rich as kings, can ransom 
       his own brother from the penalty of sin! For God's forgiveness does 
       not come that way.

       (Psa 49:8 TLB)  For a soul is far too precious to be ransomed by mere 
       earthly wealth. There is not enough of it in all the earth to buy 
       eternal life for just one soul, to keep it out of hell.

       (Psa 49:9 TLB)  

       (Psa 49:10 TLB)  Rich man! Proud man! Wise man! You must die like all 
       the rest! You have no greater lease on life than foolish, stupid men. 
       You must leave your wealth to others.

       (Psa 49:11 TLB)  You name your estates after yourselves as though your 
       lands could be forever yours and you could live on them eternally.

       (Psa 49:12 TLB)  But man with all his pomp must die like any animal.

       (Psa 49:13 TLB)  Such is the folly of these men, though after they die 
       they will be quoted as having great wisdom.

       (Psa 49:14 TLB)  Death is the shepherd of all mankind. And "in the 
       morning" those who are evil will be the slaves of those who are good. 
       For the power of their wealth is gone when they die, they cannot take 
       it with them.

       (Psa 49:15 TLB)  But as for me, God will redeem my soul from the power 
       of death, for he will receive me.

       (Psa 49:16 TLB)  So do not be dismayed when evil men grow rich and 
       build their lovely homes.

       (Psa 49:17 TLB)  For when they die, they carry nothing with them! 
       Their honors will not follow them.

       (Psa 49:18 TLB)  Though a man calls himself happy all through his 
       life--and the world loudly applauds success--

       (Psa 49:19 TLB)  yet in the end he dies like everyone else and enters 
       eternal darkness.

       (Psa 49:20 TLB)  For man with all his pomp must die like any animal.

       (Psa 50:1 TLB)  The mighty God, the Lord, has summoned all mankind 
       from east to west!

       (Psa 50:2 TLB)  God's glory-light shines from the beautiful Temple on 
       Mount Zion.

       (Psa 50:3 TLB)  He comes with the noise of thunder, surrounded by 
       devastating fire; a great storm rages round about him.

       (Psa 50:4 TLB)  He has come to judge his people. To heaven and earth 
       he shouts,





       (Psa 50:5 TLB)  "Gather together my own people who by their sacrifice 
       upon my altar have promised to obey me."

       (Psa 50:6 TLB)  God will judge them with complete fairness, for all 
       heaven declares that he is just.

       (Psa 50:7 TLB)  O my people, listen! For I am your God. Listen! Here 
       are my charges against you:

       (Psa 50:8 TLB)  I have no complaint about the sacrifices you bring to 
       my altar, for you bring them regularly.

       (Psa 50:9 TLB)  But it isn't sacrificial bullocks and goats that I 
       really want from you.

       (Psa 50:10 TLB)  For all the animals of field and forest are mine! The 
       cattle on a thousand hills! And all the birds upon the mountains!

       (Psa 50:11 TLB)  

       (Psa 50:12 TLB)  If I were hungry, I would not mention it to you--for 
       all the world is mine and everything in it.

       (Psa 50:13 TLB)  No, I don't need your sacrifices of flesh and blood.

       (Psa 50:14 TLB)  What I want from you is your true thanks; I want your 
       promises fulfilled. I want you to trust me in your times of trouble, 
       so I can rescue you and you can give me glory.

       (Psa 50:15 TLB)  

       (Psa 50:16 TLB)  But God says to evil men: Recite my laws no longer 
       and stop claiming my promises,

       (Psa 50:17 TLB)  for you have refused my discipline, disregarding my 
       laws.

       (Psa 50:18 TLB)  You see a thief and help him, and spend your time 
       with evil and immoral men.

       (Psa 50:19 TLB)  You curse and lie, and vile language streams from 
       your mouths.

       (Psa 50:20 TLB)  You slander your own brother.

       (Psa 50:21 TLB)  I remained silent--you thought I didn't care--but now 
       your time of punishment has come, and I list all the above charges 
       against you.

       (Psa 50:22 TLB)  This is the last chance for all of you who have 
       forgotten God, before I tear you apart--and no one can help you then.

       (Psa 50:23 TLB)  But true praise is a worthy sacrifice; this really 
       honors me. Those who walk my paths will receive salvation from the 
       Lord.





       (Psa 51:1 TLB)  Written after Nathan the prophet had come to inform 
       David of God's judgment against him because of his adultery with 
       Bathsheba, and his murder of Uriah, her husband. O loving and kind 
       God, have mercy. Have pity upon me and take away the awful stain of my 
       transgressions.

       (Psa 51:2 TLB)  Oh, wash me, cleanse me from this guilt. Let me be 
       pure again.

       (Psa 51:3 TLB)  For I admit my shameful deed--it haunts me day and 
       night.

       (Psa 51:4 TLB)  It is against you and you alone I sinned and did this 
       terrible thing. You saw it all, and your sentence against me is just.

       (Psa 51:5 TLB)  But I was born a sinner, yes, from the moment my 
       mother conceived me.

       (Psa 51:6 TLB)  You deserve honesty from the heart; yes, utter 
       sincerity and truthfulness. Oh, give me this wisdom.

       (Psa 51:7 TLB)  Sprinkle me with the cleansing blood and I shall be 
       clean again. Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow.

       (Psa 51:8 TLB)  And after you have punished me, give me back my joy 
       again.

       (Psa 51:9 TLB)  Don't keep looking at my sins--erase them from your 
       sight.

       (Psa 51:10 TLB)  Create in me a new, clean heart, O God, filled with 
       clean thoughts and right desires.

       (Psa 51:11 TLB)  Don't toss me aside, banished forever from your 
       presence. Don't take your Holy Spirit from me.

       (Psa 51:12 TLB)  Restore to me again the joy of your salvation, and 
       make me willing to obey you.

       (Psa 51:13 TLB)  Then I will teach your ways to other sinners, and 
       they--guilty like me--will repent and return to you.

       (Psa 51:14 TLB)  Don't sentence me to death. O my God, you alone can 
       rescue me. Then I will sing of your forgiveness, for my lips will be 
       unsealed--oh, how I will praise you.

       (Psa 51:15 TLB)  

       (Psa 51:16 TLB)  You don't want penance; if you did, how gladly I 
       would do it! You aren't interested in offerings burned before you on 
       the altar.

       (Psa 51:17 TLB)  It is a broken spirit you want--remorse and 
       penitence. A broken and a contrite heart, O God, you will not ignore.

       (Psa 51:18 TLB)  And Lord, don't punish Israel for my sins--help your 





       people and protect Jerusalem.

       (Psa 51:19 TLB)  And when my heart is right, then you will rejoice in 
       the good that I do and in the bullocks I bring to sacrifice upon your 
       altar.

       (Psa 52:1 TLB)  Written by David to protest against his enemy Doeg (1 
       Samuel 22), who later slaughtered eighty-five priests and their 
       families. You call yourself a hero, do you? You boast about this evil 
       deed of yours against God's people.

       (Psa 52:2 TLB)  You are sharp as a tack in plotting your evil tricks.

       (Psa 52:3 TLB)  How you love wickedness--far more than good! And lying 
       more than truth!

       (Psa 52:4 TLB)  You love to slander--you love to say anything that 
       will do harm, O man with the lying tongue.

       (Psa 52:5 TLB)  But God will strike you down, pull you from your home, 
       and drag you away from the land of the living.

       (Psa 52:6 TLB)  The followers of God will see it happen. They will 
       watch in awe. Then they will laugh and say,

       (Psa 52:7 TLB)  "See what happens to those who despise God and trust 
       in their wealth, and become ever more bold in their wickedness."

       (Psa 52:8 TLB)  But I am like a sheltered olive tree protected by the 
       Lord himself. I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever.

       (Psa 52:9 TLB)  O Lord, I will praise you forever and ever for your 
       punishment. And I will wait for your mercies--for everyone knows what 
       a merciful God you are.

       (Psa 53:1 TLB)  Only a fool would say to himself, "There is no God." 
       And why does he say it? Because of his wicked heart, his dark and evil 
       deeds. His life is corroded with sin.

       (Psa 53:2 TLB)  God looks down from heaven, searching among all 
       mankind to see if there is a single one who does right and really 
       seeks for God.

       (Psa 53:3 TLB)  But all have turned their backs on him; they are 
       filthy with sin--corrupt and rotten through and through. Not one is 
       good, not one!

       (Psa 53:4 TLB)  How can this be? Can't they understand anything? For 
       they devour my people like bread and refuse to come to God.

       (Psa 53:5 TLB)  But soon unheard-of terror will fall on them. God will 
       scatter the bones of these, your enemies. They are doomed, for God has 
       rejected them.

       (Psa 53:6 TLB)  Oh, that God would come from Zion now and save Israel! 
       Only when the Lord himself restores them can they ever be really happy 





       again.

       (Psa 54:1 TLB)  Written by David at the time the men of Ziph tried to 
       betray him to Saul. Come with great power, O God, and save me! Defend 
       me with your might!

       (Psa 54:2 TLB)  Oh, listen to my prayer.

       (Psa 54:3 TLB)  For violent men have risen against me--ruthless men 
       who care nothing for God are seeking my life.

       (Psa 54:4 TLB)  But God is my helper. He is a friend of mine!

       (Psa 54:5 TLB)  He will cause the evil deeds of my enemies to 
       boomerang upon them. Do as you promised and put an end to these wicked 
       men, O God.

       (Psa 54:6 TLB)  Gladly I bring my sacrifices to you; I will praise 
       your name, O Lord, for it is good.

       (Psa 54:7 TLB)  God has rescued me from all my trouble, and triumphed 
       over my enemies.

       (Psa 55:1 TLB)  Listen to my prayer, O God; don't hide yourself when I 
       cry to you.

       (Psa 55:2 TLB)  Hear me, Lord! Listen to me! For I groan and weep 
       beneath my burden of woe.

       (Psa 55:3 TLB)  My enemies shout against me and threaten me with 
       death. They surround me with terror and plot to kill me. Their fury 
       and hatred rise to engulf me.

       (Psa 55:4 TLB)  My heart is in anguish within me. Stark fear 
       overpowers me.

       (Psa 55:5 TLB)  Trembling and horror overwhelm me.

       (Psa 55:6 TLB)  Oh, for wings like a dove, to fly away and rest!

       (Psa 55:7 TLB)  I would fly to the far-off deserts and stay there.

       (Psa 55:8 TLB)  I would flee to some refuge from all this storm.

       (Psa 55:9 TLB)  O Lord, make these enemies begin to quarrel among 
       themselves--destroy them with their own violence and strife.

       (Psa 55:10 TLB)  Though they patrol their walls night and day against 
       invaders, their real problem is internal--wickedness and dishonesty 
       are entrenched in the heart of the city.

       (Psa 55:11 TLB)  There is murder and robbery there, and cheating in 
       the markets and wherever you look.

       (Psa 55:12 TLB)  It was not an enemy who taunted me--then I could have 
       borne it; I could have hidden and escaped.






       (Psa 55:13 TLB)  But it was you, a man like myself, my companion and 
       my friend.

       (Psa 55:14 TLB)  What fellowship we had, what wonderful discussions as 
       we walked together to the Temple of the Lord on holy days.

       (Psa 55:15 TLB)  Let death seize them and cut them down in their 
       prime, for there is sin in their homes, and they are polluted to the 
       depths of their souls.

       (Psa 55:16 TLB)  But I will call upon the Lord to save me--and he 
       will.

       (Psa 55:17 TLB)  I will pray morning, noon, and night, pleading aloud 
       with God; and he will hear and answer.

       (Psa 55:18 TLB)  Though the tide of battle runs strongly against me, 
       for so many are fighting me, yet he will rescue me.

       (Psa 55:19 TLB)  God himself--God from everlasting ages past--will 
       answer them! For they refuse to fear him or even honor his commands.

       (Psa 55:20 TLB)  This friend of mine betrayed me--I who was at peace 
       with him. He broke his promises.

       (Psa 55:21 TLB)  His words were oily smooth, but in his heart was war. 
       His words were sweet, but underneath were daggers.

       (Psa 55:22 TLB)  Give your burdens to the Lord. He will carry them. He 
       will not permit the godly to slip or fall.

       (Psa 55:23 TLB)  He will send my enemies to the pit of destruction. 
       Murderers and liars will not live out half their days. But I am 
       trusting you to save me.

       (Psa 56:1 TLB)  Lord, have mercy on me; all day long the enemy troops 
       press in. So many are proud to fight against me; how they long to 
       conquer me.

       (Psa 56:2 TLB)  

       (Psa 56:3 TLB)  But when I am afraid, I will put my confidence in you. 
       Yes, I will trust the promises of God. And since I am trusting him, 
       what can mere man do to me?

       (Psa 56:4 TLB)  

       (Psa 56:5 TLB)  They are always twisting what I say. All their 
       thoughts are how to harm me.

       (Psa 56:6 TLB)  They meet together to perfect their plans; they hide 
       beside the trail, listening for my steps, waiting to kill me.

       (Psa 56:7 TLB)  They expect to get away with it. Don't let them, Lord. 
       In anger cast them to the ground.






       (Psa 56:8 TLB)  You have seen me tossing and turning through the 
       night. You have collected all my tears and preserved them in your 
       bottle! You have recorded every one in your book.

       (Psa 56:9 TLB)  The very day I call for help, the tide of battle 
       turns. My enemies flee! This one thing I know: God is for me!

       (Psa 56:10 TLB)  I am trusting God--oh, praise his promises! I am not 
       afraid of anything mere man can do to me! Yes, praise his promises.

       (Psa 56:11 TLB)  

       (Psa 56:12 TLB)  I will surely do what I have promised, Lord, and 
       thank you for your help.

       (Psa 56:13 TLB)  For you have saved me from death and my feet from 
       slipping, so that I can walk before the Lord in the land of the 
       living.

       (Psa 57:1 TLB)  O God, have pity, for I am trusting you! I will hide 
       beneath the shadow of your wings until this storm is past.

       (Psa 57:2 TLB)  I will cry to the God of heaven who does such wonders 
       for me.

       (Psa 57:3 TLB)  He will send down help from heaven to save me because 
       of his love and his faithfulness. He will rescue me from these liars 
       who are so intent upon destroying me.

       (Psa 57:4 TLB)  I am surrounded by fierce lions--hotheads whose teeth 
       are sharp as spears and arrows. Their tongues are like swords.

       (Psa 57:5 TLB)  Lord, be exalted above the highest heavens! Show your 
       glory high above the earth.

       (Psa 57:6 TLB)  My enemies have set a trap for me. Frantic fear grips 
       me. They have dug a pitfall in my path. But look! They themselves have 
       fallen into it!

       (Psa 57:7 TLB)  O God, my heart is quiet and confident. No wonder I 
       can sing your praises!

       (Psa 57:8 TLB)  Rouse yourself, my soul! Arise, O harp and lyre! Let 
       us greet the dawn with song!

       (Psa 57:9 TLB)  I will thank you publicly throughout the land. I will 
       sing your praises among the nations.

       (Psa 57:10 TLB)  Your kindness and love are as vast as the heavens. 
       Your faithfulness is higher than the skies.

       (Psa 57:11 TLB)  Yes, be exalted, O God, above the heavens. May your 
       glory shine throughout the earth.

       (Psa 58:1 TLB)  Justice? You high and mighty politicians don't even 





       know the meaning of the word!

       (Psa 58:2 TLB)  Fairness? Which of you has any left? Not one! All your 
       dealings are crooked: you give "justice" in exchange for bribes.

       (Psa 58:3 TLB)  These men are born sinners, lying from their earliest 
       words!

       (Psa 58:4 TLB)  They are poisonous as deadly snakes, cobras that close 
       their ears to the most expert of charmers.

       (Psa 58:5 TLB)  

       (Psa 58:6 TLB)  O God, break off their fangs. Tear out the teeth of 
       these young lions, Lord.

       (Psa 58:7 TLB)  Let them disappear like water into thirsty ground. 
       Make their weapons useless in their hands.

       (Psa 58:8 TLB)  Let them be as snails that dissolve into slime and as 
       those who die at birth, who never see the sun.

       (Psa 58:9 TLB)  God will sweep away both old and young. He will 
       destroy them more quickly than a cooking pot can feel the blazing fire 
       of thorns beneath it.

       (Psa 58:10 TLB)  The godly shall rejoice in the triumph of right; they 
       shall walk the blood-stained fields of slaughtered, wicked men.

       (Psa 58:11 TLB)  Then at last everyone will know that good is 
       rewarded, and that there is a God who judges justly here on earth.

       (Psa 59:1 TLB)  Written by David at the time King Saul set guards at 
       his home to capture and kill him. (1 Samuel 19: 11) O my God, save me 
       from my enemies. Protect me from these who have come to destroy me.

       (Psa 59:2 TLB)  Preserve me from these criminals, these murderers.

       (Psa 59:3 TLB)  They lurk in ambush for my life. Strong men are out 
       there waiting. And not, O Lord, because I've done them wrong.

       (Psa 59:4 TLB)  Yet they prepare to kill me. Lord, waken! See what is 
       happening! Help me!

       (Psa 59:5 TLB)  (And O Jehovah, God of heaven's armies, God of Israel, 
       arise and punish the heathen nations surrounding us.) Do not spare 
       these evil, treacherous men.

       (Psa 59:6 TLB)  At evening they come to spy, slinking around like dogs 
       that prowl the city.

       (Psa 59:7 TLB)  I hear them shouting insults and cursing God, for "No 
       one will hear us," they think.

       (Psa 59:8 TLB)  Lord, laugh at them! (And scoff at these surrounding 
       nations too.)






       (Psa 59:9 TLB)  O God my Strength! I will sing your praises, for you 
       are my place of safety.

       (Psa 59:10 TLB)  My God is changeless in his love for me, and he will 
       come and help me. He will let me see my wish come true upon my 
       enemies.

       (Psa 59:11 TLB)  Don't kill them--for my people soon forget such 
       lessons--but stagger them with your power and bring them to their 
       knees. Bring them to the dust, O Lord our shield.

       (Psa 59:12 TLB)  They are proud, cursing liars. Angrily destroy them. 
       Wipe them out. (And let the nations find out, too, that God rules in 
       Israel and will reign throughout the world.)

       (Psa 59:13 TLB)  

       (Psa 59:14 TLB)  Let these evil men slink back at evening and prowl 
       the city all night before they are satisfied, howling like dogs and 
       searching for food.

       (Psa 59:15 TLB)  

       (Psa 59:16 TLB)  But as for me, I will sing each morning about your 
       power and mercy. For you have been my high tower of refuge, a place of 
       safety in the day of my distress.

       (Psa 59:17 TLB)  O my Strength, to you I sing my praises; for you are 
       my high tower of safety, my God of mercy.

       (Psa 60:1 TLB)  Written by David at the time he was at war with Syria, 
       with the outcome still uncertain; this was when Joab, captain of his 
       forces, slaughtered twelve thousand men of Edom in the Valley of Salt. 
       O God, you have rejected us and broken our defenses; you have become 
       angry and deserted us. Lord, restore us again to your favor.

       (Psa 60:2 TLB)  You have caused this nation to tremble in fear; you 
       have torn it apart. Lord, heal it now, for it is shaken to its depths.

       (Psa 60:3 TLB)  You have been very hard on us and made us reel beneath 
       your blows.

       (Psa 60:4 TLB)  But you have given us a banner to rally to; all who 
       love truth will rally to it; then you can deliver your beloved people. 
       Use your strong right arm to rescue us.

       (Psa 60:5 TLB)  

       (Psa 60:6 TLB)  God has promised to help us. He has vowed it by his 
       holiness! No wonder I exult!

       (Psa 60:7 TLB)  "Shechem, Succoth, Gilead, Manasseh--still are mine!" 
       he says. "Judah shall continue to produce kings, and Ephraim great 
       warriors.





       (Psa 60:8 TLB)  Moab shall become my lowly servant, and Edom my slave. 
       And I will shout in triumph over the Philistines."

       (Psa 60:9 TLB)  Who will bring me in triumph into Edom's strong 
       cities? God will! He who cast us off! He who abandoned us to our foes!

       (Psa 60:10 TLB)  

       (Psa 60:11 TLB)  Yes, Lord, help us against our enemies, for man's 
       help is useless.

       (Psa 60:12 TLB)  With God's help we shall do mighty things, for he 
       will trample down our foes.

       (Psa 61:1 TLB)  O God, listen to me! Hear my prayer!

       (Psa 61:2 TLB)  For wherever I am, though far away at the ends of the 
       earth, I will cry to you for help. When my heart is faint and 
       overwhelmed, lead me to the mighty, towering Rock of safety.

       (Psa 61:3 TLB)  For you are my refuge, a high tower where my enemies 
       can never reach me.

       (Psa 61:4 TLB)  I shall live forever in your tabernacle; oh, to be 
       safe beneath the shelter of your wings!

       (Psa 61:5 TLB)  For you have heard my vows, O God, to praise you every 
       day, and you have given me the blessings you reserve for those who 
       reverence your name.

       (Psa 61:6 TLB)  You will give me added years of life, as rich and full 
       as those of many generations, all packed into one.

       (Psa 61:7 TLB)  And I shall live before the Lord forever. Oh, send 
       your loving-kindness and truth to guard and watch over me,

       (Psa 61:8 TLB)  and I will praise your name continually, fulfilling my 
       vow of praising you each day.

       (Psa 62:1 TLB)  I stand silently before the Lord, waiting for him to 
       rescue me. For salvation comes from him alone.

       (Psa 62:2 TLB)  Yes, he alone is my Rock, my rescuer, defense and 
       fortress. Why then should I be tense with fear when troubles come?

       (Psa 62:3 TLB)  But what is this? They pick on me at a time when my 
       throne is tottering;

       (Psa 62:4 TLB)  they plot my death and use lies and deceit to try to 
       force me from the throne. They are so friendly to my face while 
       cursing in their hearts!

       (Psa 62:5 TLB)  But I stand silently before the Lord, waiting for him 
       to rescue me. For salvation comes from him alone.

       (Psa 62:6 TLB)  Yes, he alone is my Rock, my rescuer, defense, and 





       fortress--why then should I be tense with fear when troubles come?

       (Psa 62:7 TLB)  My protection and success come from God alone. He is 
       my refuge, a Rock where no enemy can reach me.

       (Psa 62:8 TLB)  O my people, trust him all the time. Pour out your 
       longings before him, for he can help!

       (Psa 62:9 TLB)  The greatest of men or the lowest--both alike are 
       nothing in his sight. They weigh less than air on scales.

       (Psa 62:10 TLB)  Don't become rich by extortion and robbery; if your 
       riches increase, don't be proud.

       (Psa 62:11 TLB)  God has said it many times, that power belongs to him 
       (and also, O Lord, steadfast love belongs to you). He rewards each one 
       of us according to what our works deserve.

       (Psa 62:12 TLB)  

       (Psa 63:1 TLB)  A Psalm of David when he was hiding in the wilderness 
       of Judea. O God, my God! How I search for you! How I thirst for you in 
       this parched and weary land where there is no water. How I long to 
       find you!

       (Psa 63:2 TLB)  How I wish I could go into your sanctuary to see your 
       strength and glory,

       (Psa 63:3 TLB)  for your love and kindness are better to me than life 
       itself. How I praise you!

       (Psa 63:4 TLB)  I will bless you as long as I live, lifting up my 
       hands to you in prayer.

       (Psa 63:5 TLB)  At last I shall be fully satisfied; I will praise you 
       with great joy.

       (Psa 63:6 TLB)  I lie awake at night thinking of you--

       (Psa 63:7 TLB)  of how much you have helped me--and how I rejoice 
       through the night beneath the protecting shadow of your wings.

       (Psa 63:8 TLB)  I follow close behind you, protected by your strong 
       right arm.

       (Psa 63:9 TLB)  But those plotting to destroy me shall go down to the 
       depths of hell.

       (Psa 63:10 TLB)  They are doomed to die by the sword, to become the 
       food of jackals.

       (Psa 63:11 TLB)  But I will rejoice in God. All who trust in him 
       exult, while liars shall be silenced.

       (Psa 64:1 TLB)  Lord, listen to my complaint: Oh, preserve my life 
       from the conspiracy of these wicked men, these gangs of criminals.






       (Psa 64:2 TLB)  

       (Psa 64:3 TLB)  They cut me down with sharpened tongues; they aim 
       their bitter words like arrows straight at my heart.

       (Psa 64:4 TLB)  They shoot from ambush at the innocent. Suddenly the 
       deed is done, yet they are not afraid.

       (Psa 64:5 TLB)  They encourage each other to do evil. They meet in 
       secret to set their traps. "He will never notice them here," they say.

       (Psa 64:6 TLB)  They keep a sharp lookout for opportunities of crime. 
       They spend long hours with all their endless evil thoughts and plans.

       (Psa 64:7 TLB)  But God himself will shoot them down. Suddenly his 
       arrow will pierce them.

       (Psa 64:8 TLB)  They will stagger backward, destroyed by those they 
       spoke against. All who see it happening will scoff at them.

       (Psa 64:9 TLB)  Then everyone shall stand in awe and confess the 
       greatness of the miracles of God; at last they will realize what 
       amazing things he does.

       (Psa 64:10 TLB)  And the godly shall rejoice in the Lord, and trust 
       and praise him.

       (Psa 65:1 TLB)  O God in Zion, we wait before you in silent praise, 
       and thus fulfill our vow. And because you answer prayer, all mankind 
       will come to you with their requests.

       (Psa 65:2 TLB)  

       (Psa 65:3 TLB)  Though sins fill our hearts, you forgive them all.

       (Psa 65:4 TLB)  How greatly to be envied are those you have chosen to 
       come and live with you within the holy tabernacle courts! What joys 
       await us among all the good things there.

       (Psa 65:5 TLB)  With dread deeds and awesome power you will defend us 
       from our enemies, O God who saves us. You are the only hope of all 
       mankind throughout the world and far away upon the sea.

       (Psa 65:6 TLB)  He formed the mountains by his mighty strength.

       (Psa 65:7 TLB)  He quiets the raging oceans and all the world's 
       clamor.

       (Psa 65:8 TLB)  In the farthest corners of the earth the glorious acts 
       of God shall startle everyone. The dawn and sunset shout for joy!

       (Psa 65:9 TLB)  He waters the earth to make it fertile. The rivers of 
       God will not run dry! He prepares the earth for his people and sends 
       them rich harvests of grain.





       (Psa 65:10 TLB)  He waters the furrows with abundant rain. Showers 
       soften the earth, melting the clods and causing seeds to sprout across 
       the land.

       (Psa 65:11 TLB)  Then he crowns it all with green, lush pastures in 
       the wilderness; hillsides blossom with joy.

       (Psa 65:12 TLB)  

       (Psa 65:13 TLB)  The pastures are filled with flocks of sheep, and the 
       valleys are carpeted with grain. All the world shouts with joy and 
       sings.

       (Psa 66:1 TLB)  Sing to the Lord, all the earth!

       (Psa 66:2 TLB)  Sing of his glorious name! Tell the world how 
       wonderful he is.

       (Psa 66:3 TLB)  How awe-inspiring are your deeds, O God! How great 
       your power! No wonder your enemies surrender!

       (Psa 66:4 TLB)  All the earth shall worship you and sing of your 
       glories.

       (Psa 66:5 TLB)  Come, see the glorious things God has done. What 
       marvelous miracles happen to his people!

       (Psa 66:6 TLB)  He made a dry road through the sea for them. They went 
       across on foot. What excitement and joy there was that day!

       (Psa 66:7 TLB)  Because of his great power he rules forever. He 
       watches every movement of the nations. O rebel lands, he will deflate 
       your pride.

       (Psa 66:8 TLB)  Let everyone bless God and sing his praises;

       (Psa 66:9 TLB)  for he holds our lives in his hands, and he holds our 
       feet to the path.

       (Psa 66:10 TLB)  You have purified us with fire, O Lord, like silver 
       in a crucible.

       (Psa 66:11 TLB)  You captured us in your net and laid great burdens on 
       our backs.

       (Psa 66:12 TLB)  You sent troops to ride across our broken bodies. We 
       went through fire and flood. But in the end, you brought us into 
       wealth and great abundance.

       (Psa 66:13 TLB)  Now I have come to your Temple with burnt offerings 
       to pay my vows.

       (Psa 66:14 TLB)  For when I was in trouble, I promised you many 
       offerings.

       (Psa 66:15 TLB)  That is why I am bringing you these fat male goats, 





       rams, and calves. The smoke of their sacrifice shall rise before you.

       (Psa 66:16 TLB)  Come and hear, all of you who reverence the Lord, and 
       I will tell you what he did for me:

       (Psa 66:17 TLB)  For I cried to him for help with praises ready on my 
       tongue.

       (Psa 66:18 TLB)  He would not have listened if I had not confessed my 
       sins.

       (Psa 66:19 TLB)  But he listened! He heard my prayer! He paid 
       attention to it!

       (Psa 66:20 TLB)  Blessed be God, who didn't turn away when I was 
       praying and didn't refuse me his kindness and love.

       (Psa 67:1 TLB)  O God, in mercy bless us; let your face beam with joy 
       as you look down at us.

       (Psa 67:2 TLB)  Send us around the world with the news of your saving 
       power and your eternal plan for all mankind.

       (Psa 67:3 TLB)  How everyone throughout the earth will praise the 
       Lord!

       (Psa 67:4 TLB)  How glad the nations will be, singing for joy because 
       you are their King and will give true justice to their people!

       (Psa 67:5 TLB)  Praise God, O world! May all the peoples of the earth 
       give thanks to you.

       (Psa 67:6 TLB)  For the earth has yielded abundant harvests. God, even 
       our own God, will bless us. And peoples from remotest lands will 
       worship him.

       (Psa 67:7 TLB)  

       (Psa 68:1 TLB)  Arise, O God, and scatter all your enemies! Chase them 
       away!

       (Psa 68:2 TLB)  Drive them off like smoke before the wind; melt them 
       like wax in fire! So let the wicked perish at the presence of God.

       (Psa 68:3 TLB)  But may the godly man exult. May he rejoice and be 
       merry.

       (Psa 68:4 TLB)  Sing praises to the Lord! Raise your voice in song to 
       him who rides upon the clouds! Jehovah is his name--oh, rejoice in his 
       presence.

       (Psa 68:5 TLB)  He is a father to the fatherless; he gives justice to 
       the widows, for he is holy.

       (Psa 68:6 TLB)  He gives families to the lonely, and releases 
       prisoners from jail, singing with joy! But for rebels there is famine 





       and distress.

       (Psa 68:7 TLB)  O God, when you led your people through the 
       wilderness,

       (Psa 68:8 TLB)  the earth trembled and the heavens shook. Mount Sinai 
       quailed before you--the God of Israel.

       (Psa 68:9 TLB)  You sent abundant rain upon your land, O God, to 
       refresh it in its weariness! There your people lived, for you gave 
       them this home when they were destitute.

       (Psa 68:10 TLB)  

       (Psa 68:11 TLB)  The Lord speaks. The enemy flees. The women at home 
       cry out the happy news:

       (Psa 68:12 TLB)  "The armies that came to destroy us have fled!" Now 
       all the women of Israel are dividing the booty.

       (Psa 68:13 TLB)  See them sparkle with jewels of silver and gold, 
       covered all over as wings cover doves!

       (Psa 68:14 TLB)  God scattered their enemies like snowflakes melting 
       in the forests of Zalmon.

       (Psa 68:15 TLB)  O mighty mountains in Bashan! O splendid many-peaked 
       ranges! Well may you look with envy at Mount Zion, the mount where God 
       has chosen to live forever.

       (Psa 68:16 TLB)  

       (Psa 68:17 TLB)  Surrounded by unnumbered chariots, the Lord moves on 
       from Mount Sinai and comes to his holy temple high upon Mount Zion.

       (Psa 68:18 TLB)  He ascends the heights, leading many captives in his 
       train. He receives gifts for men, even those who once were rebels. God 
       will live among us here.

       (Psa 68:19 TLB)  What a glorious Lord! He who daily bears our burdens 
       also gives us our salvation.

       (Psa 68:20 TLB)  He frees us! He rescues us from death.

       (Psa 68:21 TLB)  But he will crush his enemies, for they refuse to 
       leave their guilty, stubborn ways.

       (Psa 68:22 TLB)  The Lord says, "Come," to all his people's enemies; 
       they are hiding on Mount Hermon's highest slopes and deep within the 
       sea!

       (Psa 68:23 TLB)  His people must destroy them. Cover your feet with 
       their blood; dogs will eat them.

       (Psa 68:24 TLB)  The procession of God my King moves onward to the 
       sanctuary--






       (Psa 68:25 TLB)  singers in front, musicians behind, girls playing the 
       timbrels in between.

       (Psa 68:26 TLB)  Let all the people of Israel praise the Lord, who is 
       Israel's fountain.

       (Psa 68:27 TLB)  The little tribe of Benjamin leads the way. The 
       princes and elders of Judah, and the princes of Zebulun and Naphtali 
       are right behind.

       (Psa 68:28 TLB)  Summon your might; display your strength, O God, for 
       you have done such mighty things for us.

       (Psa 68:29 TLB)  The kings of the earth are bringing their gifts to 
       your temple in Jerusalem.

       (Psa 68:30 TLB)  Rebuke our enemies, O Lord. Bring them--submissive, 
       tax in hand. Scatter all who delight in war.

       (Psa 68:31 TLB)  Egypt will send gifts of precious metals. Ethiopia 
       will stretch out her hands to God in adoration.

       (Psa 68:32 TLB)  Sing to the Lord, O kingdoms of the earth--sing 
       praises to the Lord,

       (Psa 68:33 TLB)  to him who rides upon the ancient heavens, whose 
       mighty voice thunders from the sky.

       (Psa 68:34 TLB)  Power belongs to God! His majesty shines down on 
       Israel; his strength is mighty in the heavens.

       (Psa 68:35 TLB)  What awe we feel, kneeling here before him in the 
       sanctuary. The God of Israel gives strength and mighty power to his 
       people. Blessed be God!

       (Psa 69:1 TLB)  Save me, O my God. The floods have risen. Deeper and 
       deeper I sink in the mire; the waters rise around me.

       (Psa 69:2 TLB)  

       (Psa 69:3 TLB)  I have wept until I am exhausted; my throat is dry and 
       hoarse; my eyes are swollen with weeping, waiting for my God to act.

       (Psa 69:4 TLB)  I cannot even count all those who hate me without 
       cause. They are influential men, these who plot to kill me though I am 
       innocent. They demand that I be punished for what I didn't do.

       (Psa 69:5 TLB)  O God, you know so well how stupid I am, and you know 
       all my sins.

       (Psa 69:6 TLB)  O Lord God of the armies of heaven, don't let me be a 
       stumbling block to those who trust in you. O God of Israel, don't let 
       me cause them to be confused,

       (Psa 69:7 TLB)  though I am mocked and cursed and shamed for your 





       sake.

       (Psa 69:8 TLB)  Even my own brothers pretend they don't know me!

       (Psa 69:9 TLB)  My zeal for God and his work burns hot within me. And 
       because I advocate your cause, your enemies insult me even as they 
       insult you.

       (Psa 69:10 TLB)  How they scoff and mock me when I mourn and fast 
       before the Lord!

       (Psa 69:11 TLB)  How they talk about me when I wear sackcloth to show 
       my humiliation and sorrow for my sins!

       (Psa 69:12 TLB)  I am the talk of the town and the song ofthe 
       drunkards.

       (Psa 69:13 TLB)  But I keep right on praying to you, Lord. For now is 
       the time--you are bending down to hear! You are ready with a plentiful 
       supply of love and kindness. Now answer my prayer and rescue me as you 
       promised.

       (Psa 69:14 TLB)  Pull me out of this mire. Don't let me sink in. 
       Rescue me from those who hate me, and from these deep waters I am in.

       (Psa 69:15 TLB)  Don't let the floods overwhelm me or the ocean 
       swallow me; save me from the pit that threatens me.

       (Psa 69:16 TLB)  O Jehovah, answer my prayers, for your 
       loving-kindness is wonderful; your mercy is so plentiful, so tender 
       and so kind.

       (Psa 69:17 TLB)  Don't hide from me, for I am in deep trouble. Quick! 
       Come and save me.

       (Psa 69:18 TLB)  Come, Lord, and rescue me. Ransom me from all my 
       enemies.

       (Psa 69:19 TLB)  You know how they talk about me, and how they so 
       shamefully dishonor me. You see them all and know what each has said.

       (Psa 69:20 TLB)  Their contempt has broken my heart; my spirit is 
       heavy within me. If even one would showsome pity, if even one would 
       comfort me!

       (Psa 69:21 TLB)  For food they gave me gall; for my awful thirst they 
       offered vinegar.

       (Psa 69:22 TLB)  Let their joys turn to ashes and their peace 
       disappear;

       (Psa 69:23 TLB)  let darkness, blindness, and great feebleness be 
       theirs.

       (Psa 69:24 TLB)  Pour out your fury upon them; consume them with the 
       fierceness of your anger.






       (Psa 69:25 TLB)  Let their homes be desolate and abandoned.

       (Psa 69:26 TLB)  For they persecute the one you have smitten and scoff 
       at the pain of the one you have pierced.

       (Psa 69:27 TLB)  Pile their sins high and do not overlook them.

       (Psa 69:28 TLB)  Let these men be blotted from the list of the living; 
       do not give them the joys of life with the righteous.

       (Psa 69:29 TLB)  But rescue me, O God, from my poverty and pain.

       (Psa 69:30 TLB)  Then I will praise God with my singing! My thanks 
       will be his praise--

       (Psa 69:31 TLB)  that will please him more than sacrificing a bullock 
       or an ox.

       (Psa 69:32 TLB)  The humble shall see their God at work for them. No 
       wonder they will be so glad! All who seek for God shall live in joy.

       (Psa 69:33 TLB)  For Jehovah hears the cries of his needy ones and 
       does not look the other way.

       (Psa 69:34 TLB)  Praise him, all heaven and earth! Praise him, all the 
       seas and everything in them!

       (Psa 69:35 TLB)  For God will save Jerusalem; he rebuilds the cities 
       of Judah. His people shall live in them and not be dispossessed.

       (Psa 69:36 TLB)  Their children shall inherit the land; all who love 
       his name shall live there safely.

       (Psa 70:1 TLB)  Rescue me, O God! Lord, hurry to my aid!

       (Psa 70:2 TLB)  They are after my life and delight in hurting me. 
       Confuse them! Shame them! Stop them! Don't let them keep on mocking 
       me!

       (Psa 70:3 TLB)  

       (Psa 70:4 TLB)  But fill the followers of God with joy. Let those who 
       love your salvation exclaim, "What a wonderful God he is!"

       (Psa 70:5 TLB)  But I am in deep trouble. Rush to my aid, for only you 
       can help and save me. O Lord, don't delay.

       (Psa 71:1 TLB)  Lord, you are my refuge! Don't let me down!

       (Psa 71:2 TLB)  Save me from my enemies, for you are just! Rescue me! 
       Bend down your ear and listen to my plea and save me.

       (Psa 71:3 TLB)  Be to me a great protecting Rock, where I am always 
       welcome, safe from all attacks. For you have issued the order to save 
       me.






       (Psa 71:4 TLB)  Rescue me, O God, from these unjust and cruel men.

       (Psa 71:5 TLB)  O Lord, you alone are my hope; I've trusted you from 
       childhood.

       (Psa 71:6 TLB)  Yes, you have been with me from birth and have helped 
       me constantly--no wonder I am always praising you!

       (Psa 71:7 TLB)  My success--at which so many stand amazed--is because 
       you are my mighty protector.

       (Psa 71:8 TLB)  All day long I'll praise and honor you, O God, for all 
       that you have done for me.

       (Psa 71:9 TLB)  And now, in my old age, don't set me aside. Don't 
       forsake me now when my strength is failing.

       (Psa 71:10 TLB)  My enemies are whispering,

       (Psa 71:11 TLB)  "God has forsaken him! Now we can get him. There is 
       no one to help him now!"

       (Psa 71:12 TLB)  O God, don't stay away! Come quickly! Help!

       (Psa 71:13 TLB)  Destroy them! Cover them with failure and 
       disgrace--these enemies of mine.

       (Psa 71:14 TLB)  I will keep on expecting you to help me. I praise you 
       more and more.

       (Psa 71:15 TLB)  I cannot count the times when you have faithfully 
       rescued me from danger. I will tell everyone how good you are, and of 
       your constant, daily care.

       (Psa 71:16 TLB)  I walk in the strength of the Lord God. I tell 
       everyone that you alone are just and good.

       (Psa 71:17 TLB)  O God, you have helped me from my earliest 
       childhood--and I have constantly testified to others of the wonderful 
       things you do.

       (Psa 71:18 TLB)  And now that I am old and gray, don't forsake me. 
       Give me time to tell this new generation (and their children too) 
       about all your mighty miracles.

       (Psa 71:19 TLB)  Your power and goodness, Lord, reach to the highest 
       heavens. You have done such wonderful things. Where is there another 
       God like you?

       (Psa 71:20 TLB)  You have let me sink down deep in desperate problems. 
       But you will bring me back to life again, up from the depths of the 
       earth.

       (Psa 71:21 TLB)  You will give me greater honor than before and turn 
       again and comfort me.






       (Psa 71:22 TLB)  I will praise you with music, telling of your 
       faithfulness to all your promises, O Holy One of Israel.

       (Psa 71:23 TLB)  I will shout and sing your praises for redeeming me.

       (Psa 71:24 TLB)  I will talk to others all day long about your justice 
       and your goodness. For all who tried to hurt me have been disgraced 
       and dishonored.

       (Psa 72:1 TLB)  O God, help the king to judge as you would, and help 
       his son to walk in godliness.

       (Psa 72:2 TLB)  Help him to give justice to your people, even to the 
       poor.

       (Psa 72:3 TLB)  May the mountains and hills flourish in prosperity 
       because of his good reign.

       (Psa 72:4 TLB)  Help him to defend the poor and needy and to crush 
       their oppressors.

       (Psa 72:5 TLB)  May the poor and needy revere you constantly, as long 
       as sun and moon continue in the skies! Yes, forever!

       (Psa 72:6 TLB)  May the reign of this son of mine be as gentle and 
       fruitful as the springtime rains upon the grass--like showers that 
       water the earth!

       (Psa 72:7 TLB)  May all good men flourish in his reign with abundance 
       of peace to the end of time.

       (Psa 72:8 TLB)  Let him reign from sea to sea and from the Euphrates 
       River to the ends of the earth.

       (Psa 72:9 TLB)  The desert nomads shall bow before him; his enemies 
       shall fall face downward in the dust.

       (Psa 72:10 TLB)  Kings along the Mediterranean coast--the kings of 
       Tarshish and the islands--and those from Sheba and from Seba--all will 
       bring their gifts.

       (Psa 72:11 TLB)  Yes, kings from everywhere! All will bow before him! 
       All will serve him!

       (Psa 72:12 TLB)  He will take care of the helpless and poor when they 
       cry to him; for they have no one else to defend them.

       (Psa 72:13 TLB)  He feels pity for the weak and needy and will rescue 
       them.

       (Psa 72:14 TLB)  He will save them from oppression and from violence, 
       for their lives are precious to him.

       (Psa 72:15 TLB)  And he shall live; and to him will be given the gold 
       of Sheba, and there will be constant praise for him. His people will 





       bless him all day long.

       (Psa 72:16 TLB)  Bless us with abundant crops throughout the land, 
       even on the highland plains; may there be fruit like that of Lebanon; 
       may the cities be as full of people as the fields are of grass.

       (Psa 72:17 TLB)  His name will be honored forever; it will continue as 
       the sun; and all will be blessed in him; all nations will praise him.

       (Psa 72:18 TLB)  Blessed be Jehovah God, the God of Israel, who only 
       does wonderful things!

       (Psa 72:19 TLB)  Blessed be his glorious name forever! Let the whole 
       earth be filled with his glory. Amen and amen!

       (Psa 72:20 TLB)  (This ends the psalms of David, son of Jesse.)

       (Psa 73:1 TLB)  How good God is to Israel--to those whose hearts are 
       pure.

       (Psa 73:2 TLB)  But as for me, I came so close to the edge of the 
       cliff! My feet were slipping and I was almost gone.

       (Psa 73:3 TLB)  For I was envious of the prosperity of the proud and 
       wicked.

       (Psa 73:4 TLB)  Yes, all through life their road is smooth! They grow 
       sleek and fat.

       (Psa 73:5 TLB)  They aren't always in trouble and plagued with 
       problems like everyone else,

       (Psa 73:6 TLB)  so their pride sparkles like a jeweled necklace, and 
       their clothing is woven of cruelty!

       (Psa 73:7 TLB)  These fat cats have everything their hearts could ever 
       wish for!

       (Psa 73:8 TLB)  They scoff at God and threaten his people. How proudly 
       they speak!

       (Psa 73:9 TLB)  They boast against the very heavens, and their words 
       strut through the earth.

       (Psa 73:10 TLB)  And so God's people are dismayed and confused and 
       drink it all in.

       (Psa 73:11 TLB)  "Does God realize what is going on?" they ask.

       (Psa 73:12 TLB)  "Look at these men of arrogance; they never have to 
       lift a finger--theirs is a life of ease; and all the time their riches 
       multiply."

       (Psa 73:13 TLB)  Have I been wasting my time? Why take the trouble to 
       be pure?





       (Psa 73:14 TLB)  All I get out of it is trouble and woe--every day and 
       all day long!

       (Psa 73:15 TLB)  If I had really said that, I would have been a 
       traitor to your people.

       (Psa 73:16 TLB)  Yet it is so hard to explain it--this prosperity of 
       those who hate the Lord.

       (Psa 73:17 TLB)  Then one day I went into God's sanctuary to meditate 
       and thought about the future of these evil men.

       (Psa 73:18 TLB)  What a slippery path they are on--suddenly God will 
       send them sliding over the edge of the cliff and down to their 
       destruction:

       (Psa 73:19 TLB)  an instant end to all their happiness, an eternity of 
       terror.

       (Psa 73:20 TLB)  Their present life is only a dream! They will awaken 
       to the truth as one awakens from a dream of things that never really 
       were!

       (Psa 73:21 TLB)  When I saw this, what turmoil filled my heart!

       (Psa 73:22 TLB)  I saw myself so stupid and so ignorant; I must seem 
       like an animal to you, O God.

       (Psa 73:23 TLB)  But even so, you love me! You are holding my right 
       hand!

       (Psa 73:24 TLB)  You will keep on guiding me all my life with your 
       wisdom and counsel, and afterwards receive me into the glories of 
       heaven!

       (Psa 73:25 TLB)  Whom have I in heaven but you? And I desire no one on 
       earth as much as you!

       (Psa 73:26 TLB)  My health fails; my spirits droop, yet God remains! 
       He is the strength of my heart; he is mine forever!

       (Psa 73:27 TLB)  But those refusing to worship God will perish, for he 
       destroys those serving other gods.

       (Psa 73:28 TLB)  But as for me, I get as close to him as I can! I have 
       chosen him, and I will tell everyone about the wonderful ways he 
       rescues me.

       (Psa 74:1 TLB)  O God, why have you cast us away forever? Why is your 
       anger hot against us--the sheep of your own pasture?

       (Psa 74:2 TLB)  Remember that we are your people--the ones you chose 
       in ancient times from slavery and made the choicest of your 
       possessions. You chose Jerusalem as your home on earth!

       (Psa 74:3 TLB)  Walk through the awful ruins of the city and see what 





       the enemy has done to your sanctuary.

       (Psa 74:4 TLB)  There they shouted their battle cry and erected their 
       idols to flaunt their victory.

       (Psa 74:5 TLB)  Everything lies in shambles like a forest chopped to 
       the ground. They came with their axes and sledgehammers and smashed 
       and chopped the carved paneling;

       (Psa 74:6 TLB)  

       (Psa 74:7 TLB)  they set the sanctuary on fire, and razed it to the 
       ground--your sanctuary, Lord.

       (Psa 74:8 TLB)  "Let's wipe out every trace of God," they said, and 
       went through the entire country burning down the assembly places where 
       we worshiped you.

       (Psa 74:9 TLB)  There is nothing left to show that we are your people. 
       The prophets are gone, and who can say when it all will end? How long, 
       O God, will you allow our enemies to dishonor your name? Will you let 
       them get away with this forever?

       (Psa 74:10 TLB)  

       (Psa 74:11 TLB)  Why do you delay? Why hold back your power? Unleash 
       your fist and give them a final blow.

       (Psa 74:12 TLB)  God is my King from ages past; you have been actively 
       helping me everywhere throughout the land.

       (Psa 74:13 TLB)  You divided the Red Sea with your strength; you 
       crushed the sea-god's heads! You gave him to the desert tribes to eat!

       (Psa 74:14 TLB)  

       (Psa 74:15 TLB)  At your command the springs burst forth to give your 
       people water; and then you dried a path for them across the 
       ever-flowing Jordan.

       (Psa 74:16 TLB)  Day and night alike belong to you; you made the 
       starlight and the sun.

       (Psa 74:17 TLB)  All nature is within your hands; you make the summer 
       and the winter too.

       (Psa 74:18 TLB)  Lord, see how these enemies scoff at you. O Jehovah, 
       an arrogant nation has blasphemed your name.

       (Psa 74:19 TLB)  O Lord, save me! Protect your turtledove from the 
       hawks. Save your beloved people from these beasts.

       (Psa 74:20 TLB)  Remember your promise! For the land is full of 
       darkness and cruel men.

       (Psa 74:21 TLB)  O Lord, don't let your downtrodden people be 





       constantly insulted. Give cause for these poor and needy ones to 
       praise your name!

       (Psa 74:22 TLB)  Arise, O God, and state your case against our 
       enemies. Remember the insults these rebels have hurled against you all 
       day long.

       (Psa 74:23 TLB)  Don't overlook the cursing of these enemies of yours; 
       it grows louder and louder.

       (Psa 75:1 TLB)  How we thank you, Lord! Your mighty miracles give 
       proof that you care.

       (Psa 75:2 TLB)  "Yes," the Lord replies, "and when I am ready, I will 
       punish the wicked!

       (Psa 75:3 TLB)  Though the earth shakes and all its people live in 
       turmoil, yet its pillars are firm, for I have set them in place!"

       (Psa 75:4 TLB)  I warned the proud to cease their arrogance! I told 
       the wicked to lower their insolent gaze

       (Psa 75:5 TLB)  and to stop being stubborn and proud.

       (Psa 75:6 TLB)  For promotion and power come from nowhere on earth, 
       but only from God. He promotes one and deposes another.

       (Psa 75:7 TLB)  

       (Psa 75:8 TLB)  In Jehovah's hand there is a cup of pale and sparkling 
       wine. It is his judgment, poured out upon the wicked of the earth. 
       They must drain that cup to the dregs.

       (Psa 75:9 TLB)  But as for me, I shall forever declare the praises of 
       the God of Jacob.

       (Psa 75:10 TLB)  "I will cut off the strength of evil men," says the 
       Lord, "and increase the power of good men in their place."

       (Psa 76:1 TLB)  God's reputation is very great in Judah and in Israel.

       (Psa 76:2 TLB)  His home is in Jerusalem. He lives upon Mount Zion.

       (Psa 76:3 TLB)  There he breaks the weapons of our enemies.

       (Psa 76:4 TLB)  The everlasting mountains cannot compare with you in 
       glory!

       (Psa 76:5 TLB)  The mightiest of our enemies are conquered. They lie 
       before us in the sleep of death; not one can lift a hand against us.

       (Psa 76:6 TLB)  When you rebuked them, God of Jacob, steeds and riders 
       fell.

       (Psa 76:7 TLB)  No wonder you are greatly feared! Who can stand before 
       an angry God?






       (Psa 76:8 TLB)  You pronounce sentence on them from heaven; the earth 
       trembles and stands silently before you.

       (Psa 76:9 TLB)  You stand up to punish the evil-doers and to defend 
       the meek of the earth.

       (Psa 76:10 TLB)  Man's futile wrath will bring you glory. You will use 
       it as an ornament!

       (Psa 76:11 TLB)  Fulfill all your vows that you have made to Jehovah 
       your God. Let everyone bring him presents. He should be reverenced and 
       feared,

       (Psa 76:12 TLB)  for he cuts down princes and does awesome things to 
       the kings of the earth.

       (Psa 77:1 TLB)  I cry to the Lord; I call and call to him. Oh, that he 
       would listen.

       (Psa 77:2 TLB)  I am in deep trouble and I need his help so much. All 
       night long I pray, lifting my hands to heaven, pleading. There can be 
       no joy for me until he acts.

       (Psa 77:3 TLB)  I think of God and moan, overwhelmed with longing for 
       his help.

       (Psa 77:4 TLB)  I cannot sleep until you act. I am too distressed even 
       to pray!

       (Psa 77:5 TLB)  I keep thinking of the good old days of the past, long 
       since ended.

       (Psa 77:6 TLB)  Then my nights were filled with joyous songs. I search 
       my soul and meditate upon the difference now.

       (Psa 77:7 TLB)  Has the Lord rejected me forever? Will he never again 
       be favorable?

       (Psa 77:8 TLB)  Is his loving-kindness gone forever? Has his promise 
       failed?

       (Psa 77:9 TLB)  Has he forgotten to be kind to one so undeserving? Has 
       he slammed the door in anger on his love?

       (Psa 77:10 TLB)  And I said: This is my fate, that the blessings of 
       God have changed to hate.

       (Psa 77:11 TLB)  I recall the many miracles he did for me so long ago.

       (Psa 77:12 TLB)  Those wonderful deeds are constantly in my thoughts. 
       I cannot stop thinking about them.

       (Psa 77:13 TLB)  O God, your ways are holy. Where is there any other 
       as mighty as you?





       (Psa 77:14 TLB)  You are the God of miracles and wonders! You still 
       demonstrate your awesome power.

       (Psa 77:15 TLB)  You have redeemed us who are the sons of Jacob and of 
       Joseph by your might.

       (Psa 77:16 TLB)  When the Red Sea saw you, how it feared! It trembled 
       to its depths!

       (Psa 77:17 TLB)  The clouds poured down their rain, the thunder rolled 
       and crackled in the sky. Your lightning flashed.

       (Psa 77:18 TLB)  There was thunder in the whirlwind; the lightning 
       lighted up the world! The earth trembled and shook.

       (Psa 77:19 TLB)  Your road led by a pathway through the sea--a pathway 
       no one knew was there!

       (Psa 77:20 TLB)  You led your people along that road like a flock of 
       sheep, with Moses and Aaron as their shepherds.

       (Psa 78:1 TLB)  O my people, listen to my teaching. Open your ears to 
       what I am saying.

       (Psa 78:2 TLB)  For I will show you lessons from our history, stories 
       handed down to us from former generations.

       (Psa 78:3 TLB)  

       (Psa 78:4 TLB)  I will reveal these truths to you so that you can 
       describe these glorious deeds of Jehovah to your children and tell 
       them about the mighty miracles he did.

       (Psa 78:5 TLB)  For he gave his laws to Israel and commanded our 
       fathers to teach them to their children,

       (Psa 78:6 TLB)  so that they in turn could teach their children too. 
       Thus his laws pass down from generation to generation.

       (Psa 78:7 TLB)  In this way each generation has been able to obey his 
       laws and to set its hope anew on God and not forget his glorious 
       miracles.

       (Psa 78:8 TLB)  Thus they did not need to be as their fathers 
       were--stubborn, rebellious, unfaithful, refusing to give their hearts 
       to God.

       (Psa 78:9 TLB)  The people of Ephraim, though fully armed, turned 
       their backs and fled when the day of battle came

       (Psa 78:10 TLB)  because they didn't obey his laws. They refused to 
       follow his ways.

       (Psa 78:11 TLB)  And they forgot about the wonderful miracles God had 
       done for them and for their fathers in Egypt.





       (Psa 78:12 TLB)  

       (Psa 78:13 TLB)  For he divided the sea before them and led them 
       through! The water stood banked up along both sides of them!

       (Psa 78:14 TLB)  In the daytime he led them by a cloud, and at night 
       by a pillar of fire.

       (Psa 78:15 TLB)  He split open the rocks in the wilderness to give 
       them plenty of water, as though gushing from a spring.

       (Psa 78:16 TLB)  Streams poured from the rock, flowing like a river!

       (Psa 78:17 TLB)  Yet they kept on with their rebellion, sinning 
       against the God who is above all gods.

       (Psa 78:18 TLB)  They murmured and complained, demanding other food 
       than God was giving them.

       (Psa 78:19 TLB)  They even spoke against God himself. "Why can't he 
       give us decent food as well as water?" they grumbled.

       (Psa 78:20 TLB)  

       (Psa 78:21 TLB)  Jehovah heard them and was angry; the fire of his 
       wrath burned against Israel

       (Psa 78:22 TLB)  because they didn't believe in God or trust in him to 
       care for them,

       (Psa 78:23 TLB)  even though he commanded the skies to open--he opened 
       the windows of heaven--

       (Psa 78:24 TLB)  and rained down manna for their food. He gave them 
       bread from heaven!

       (Psa 78:25 TLB)  They ate angels' food! He gave them all they could 
       hold.

       (Psa 78:26 TLB)  And he led forth the east wind and guided the south 
       wind by his mighty power.

       (Psa 78:27 TLB)  He rained down birds as thick as dust, clouds of them 
       like sands along the shore!

       (Psa 78:28 TLB)  He caused the birds to fall to the ground among the 
       tents.

       (Psa 78:29 TLB)  The people ate their fill. He gave them what they 
       asked for.

       (Psa 78:30 TLB)  But they had hardly finished eating, and the meat was 
       yet in their mouths,

       (Psa 78:31 TLB)  when the anger of the Lord rose against them and 
       killed the finest of Israel's young men.






       (Psa 78:32 TLB)  Yet even so the people kept on sinning and refused to 
       believe in miracles.

       (Psa 78:33 TLB)  So he cut their lives short and gave them years of 
       terror and disaster.

       (Psa 78:34 TLB)  Then at last, when he had ruined them, they walked 
       awhile behind him; how earnestly they turned around and followed him!

       (Psa 78:35 TLB)  Then they remembered that God was their Rock--that 
       their Savior was the God above all gods.

       (Psa 78:36 TLB)  But it was only with their words they followed him, 
       not with their hearts;

       (Psa 78:37 TLB)  their hearts were far away. They did not keep their 
       promises.

       (Psa 78:38 TLB)  Yet he was merciful and forgave their sins and didn't 
       destroy them all. Many and many a time he held back his anger.

       (Psa 78:39 TLB)  For he remembered that they were merely mortal men, 
       gone in a moment like a breath of wind.

       (Psa 78:40 TLB)  Oh, how often they rebelled against him in those 
       desert years and grieved his heart.

       (Psa 78:41 TLB)  Again and again they turned away and tempted God to 
       kill them, and limited the Holy One of Israel from giving them his 
       blessings.

       (Psa 78:42 TLB)  They forgot his power and love and how he had rescued 
       them from their enemies;

       (Psa 78:43 TLB)  they forgot the plagues he sent upon the Egyptians in 
       Tanis--

       (Psa 78:44 TLB)  how he turned their rivers into blood so that no one 
       could drink,

       (Psa 78:45 TLB)  how he sent vast swarms of flies to fill the land, 
       and how the frogs had covered all of Egypt!

       (Psa 78:46 TLB)  He gave their crops to caterpillars. Their harvest 
       was consumed by locusts.

       (Psa 78:47 TLB)  He destroyed their grapevines and their sycamores 
       with hail.

       (Psa 78:48 TLB)  Their cattle died in the fields, mortally wounded by 
       huge hailstones from heaven. Their sheep were killed by lightning.

       (Psa 78:49 TLB)  He loosed on them the fierceness of his anger, 
       sending sorrow and trouble. He dispatched against them a band of 
       destroying angels.






       (Psa 78:50 TLB)  He gave free course to his anger and did not spare 
       the Egyptians' lives, but handed them over to plagues and sickness.

       (Psa 78:51 TLB)  Then he killed the eldest son in each Egyptian 
       family--he who was the beginning of its strength and joy.

       (Psa 78:52 TLB)  But he led forth his own people like a flock, guiding 
       them safely through the wilderness.

       (Psa 78:53 TLB)  He kept them safe, so they were not afraid. But the 
       sea closed in upon their enemies and overwhelmed them.

       (Psa 78:54 TLB)  He brought them to the border of his land of 
       blessing, to this land of hills he made for them.

       (Psa 78:55 TLB)  He drove out the nations occupying the land and gave 
       each tribe of Israel its apportioned place as its home.

       (Psa 78:56 TLB)  Yet though he did all this for them, they still 
       rebelled against the God above all gods and refused to follow his 
       commands.

       (Psa 78:57 TLB)  They turned back from entering the Promised Land and 
       disobeyed as their fathers had. Like a crooked arrow, they missed the 
       target of God's will.

       (Psa 78:58 TLB)  They made him angry by erecting idols and altars to 
       other gods.

       (Psa 78:59 TLB)  When God saw their deeds, his wrath was strong and he 
       despised his people.

       (Psa 78:60 TLB)  Then he abandoned his Tabernacle at Shiloh, where he 
       had lived among mankind,

       (Psa 78:61 TLB)  and allowed his Ark to be captured; he surrendered 
       his glory into enemy hands.

       (Psa 78:62 TLB)  He caused his people to be butchered because his 
       anger was intense.

       (Psa 78:63 TLB)  Their young men were killed by fire, and their girls 
       died before they were old enough to sing their wedding songs.

       (Psa 78:64 TLB)  The priests were slaughtered, and their widows died 
       before they could even begin their lament.

       (Psa 78:65 TLB)  Then the Lord rose up as though awakening from sleep, 
       and like a mighty man aroused by wine,

       (Psa 78:66 TLB)  he routed his enemies; he drove them back and sent 
       them to eternal shame.

       (Psa 78:67 TLB)  But he rejected Joseph's family, the tribe of 
       Ephraim,






       (Psa 78:68 TLB)  and chose the tribe of Judah--and Mount Zion, which 
       he loved.

       (Psa 78:69 TLB)  There he built his towering temple, solid and 
       enduring as the heavens and the earth.

       (Psa 78:70 TLB)  He chose his servant David, taking him from feeding 
       sheep

       (Psa 78:71 TLB)  and from following the ewes with lambs; God presented 
       David to his people as their shepherd,

       (Psa 78:72 TLB)  and he cared for them with a true heart and skillful 
       hands.

       (Psa 79:1 TLB)  O God, your land has been conquered by the heathen 
       nations. Your Temple is defiled, and Jerusalem is a heap of ruins.

       (Psa 79:2 TLB)  The bodies of your people lie exposed--food for birds 
       and animals.

       (Psa 79:3 TLB)  The enemy has butchered the entire population of 
       Jerusalem; blood has flowed like water. No one is left even to bury 
       them.

       (Psa 79:4 TLB)  The nations all around us scoff. They heap contempt on 
       us.

       (Psa 79:5 TLB)  O Jehovah, how long will you be angry with us? 
       Forever? Will your jealousy burn till every hope is gone?

       (Psa 79:6 TLB)  Pour out your wrath upon the godless nations--not on 
       us--on kingdoms that refuse to pray, that will not call upon your 
       name!

       (Psa 79:7 TLB)  For they have destroyed your people Israel, invading 
       every home.

       (Psa 79:8 TLB)  Oh, do not hold us guilty for our former sins! Let 
       your tenderhearted mercies meet our needs, for we are brought low to 
       the dust.

       (Psa 79:9 TLB)  Help us, God of our salvation! Help us for the honor 
       of your name. Oh, save us and forgive our sins.

       (Psa 79:10 TLB)  Why should the heathen nations be allowed to scoff, 
       "Where is their God?" Publicly avenge this slaughter of your people!

       (Psa 79:11 TLB)  Listen to the sighing of the prisoners and those 
       condemned to die. Demonstrate the greatness of your power by saving 
       them.

       (Psa 79:12 TLB)  O Lord, take sevenfold vengeance on these nations 
       scorning you.





       (Psa 79:13 TLB)  Then we your people, the sheep of your pasture, will 
       thank you forever and forever, praising your greatness from generation 
       to generation.

       (Psa 80:1 TLB)  O Shepherd of Israel who leads Israel like a flock; O 
       God enthroned above the Guardian Angels, bend down your ear and listen 
       as I plead. Display your power and radiant glory.

       (Psa 80:2 TLB)  Let Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh see you rouse 
       yourself and use your mighty power to rescue us.

       (Psa 80:3 TLB)  Turn us again to yourself, O God. Look down on us in 
       joy and love; only then shall we be saved.

       (Psa 80:4 TLB)  O Jehovah, God of heaven's armies, how long will you 
       be angry and reject our prayers?

       (Psa 80:5 TLB)  You have fed us with sorrow and tears

       (Psa 80:6 TLB)  and have made us the scorn of the neighboring nations. 
       They laugh among themselves.

       (Psa 80:7 TLB)  Turn us again to yourself, O God of Hosts. Look down 
       on us in joy and love; only then shall we be saved.

       (Psa 80:8 TLB)  You brought us from Egypt as though we were a tender 
       vine and drove away the heathen from your land and planted us.

       (Psa 80:9 TLB)  You cleared the ground and tilled the soil, and we 
       took root and filled the land.

       (Psa 80:10 TLB)  The mountains were covered with our shadow; we were 
       like the mighty cedar trees,

       (Psa 80:11 TLB)  covering the entire land from the Mediterranean Sea 
       to the Euphrates River.

       (Psa 80:12 TLB)  But now you have broken down our walls, leaving us 
       without protection.

       (Psa 80:13 TLB)  The boar from the forest roots around us, and the 
       wild animals feed on us.

       (Psa 80:14 TLB)  Come back, we beg of you, O God of the armies of 
       heaven, and bless us. Look down from heaven and see our plight and 
       care for this your vine!

       (Psa 80:15 TLB)  Protect what you yourself have planted, this son you 
       have raised for yourself.

       (Psa 80:16 TLB)  For we are chopped and burned by our enemies. May 
       they perish at your frown.

       (Psa 80:17 TLB)  Strengthen the man you love, the son of your choice,

       (Psa 80:18 TLB)  and we will never forsake you again. Revive us to 





       trust in you.

       (Psa 80:19 TLB)  Turn us again to yourself, O God of the armies of 
       heaven. Look down on us, your face aglow with joy and love--only then 
       shall we be saved.

       (Psa 81:1 TLB)  The Lord makes us strong! Sing praises! Sing to 
       Israel's God!

       (Psa 81:2 TLB)  Sing, accompanied by drums; pluck the sweet lyre and 
       harp.

       (Psa 81:3 TLB)  Sound the trumpet! Come to the joyous celebrations at 
       full moon, new moon, and all the other holidays.

       (Psa 81:4 TLB)  For God has given us these times of joy; they are 
       scheduled in the laws of Israel.

       (Psa 81:5 TLB)  He gave them as reminders of his war against Egypt 
       where we were slaves on foreign soil. I heard an unknown voice that 
       said,

       (Psa 81:6 TLB)  "Now I will relieve your shoulder of its burden; I 
       will free your hands from their heavy tasks."

       (Psa 81:7 TLB)  He said, "You cried to me in trouble, and I saved you; 
       I answered from Mount Sinai where the thunder hides. I tested your 
       faith at Meribah, when you complained there was no water.

       (Psa 81:8 TLB)  Listen to me, O my people, while I give you stern 
       warnings. O Israel, if you will only listen!

       (Psa 81:9 TLB)  You must never worship any other god nor ever have an 
       idol in your home.

       (Psa 81:10 TLB)  For it was I, Jehovah your God, who brought you out 
       of the land of Egypt. Only test me! Open your mouth wide and see if I 
       won't fill it. You will receive every blessing you can use!

       (Psa 81:11 TLB)  "But no, my people won't listen. Israel doesn't want 
       me around.

       (Psa 81:12 TLB)  So I am letting them go their blind and stubborn way, 
       living according to their own desires.

       (Psa 81:13 TLB)  "But oh, that my people would listen to me! Oh, that 
       Israel would follow me, walking in my paths!

       (Psa 81:14 TLB)  How quickly then I would subdue her enemies! How soon 
       my hands would be upon her foes!

       (Psa 81:15 TLB)  Those who hate the Lord would cringe before him; 
       their desolation would last forever.

       (Psa 81:16 TLB)  But he would feed you with the choicest foods. He 
       would satisfy you with honey for the taking."






       (Psa 82:1 TLB)  God stands up to open heaven's court. He pronounces 
       judgment on the judges.

       (Psa 82:2 TLB)  How long will you judges refuse to listen to the 
       evidence? How long will you shower special favors on the wicked?

       (Psa 82:3 TLB)  Give fair judgment to the poor man, the afflicted, the 
       fatherless, the destitute.

       (Psa 82:4 TLB)  Rescue the poor and helpless from the grasp of evil 
       men.

       (Psa 82:5 TLB)  But you are so foolish and so ignorant! Because you 
       are in darkness, all the foundations of society are shaken to the 
       core.

       (Psa 82:6 TLB)  I have called you all "gods" and "sons of the Most 
       High."

       (Psa 82:7 TLB)  But in death you are mere men. You will fall as any 
       prince--for all must die.

       (Psa 82:8 TLB)  Stand up, O God, and judge the earth. For all of it 
       belongs to you. All nations are in your hands.

       (Psa 83:1 TLB)  O God, don't sit idly by, silent and inactive when we 
       pray. Answer us! Deliver us!

       (Psa 83:2 TLB)  Don't you hear the tumult and commotion of your 
       enemies? Don't you see what they are doing, these proud men who hate 
       the Lord?

       (Psa 83:3 TLB)  They are full of craftiness and plot against your 
       people, laying plans to slay your precious ones.

       (Psa 83:4 TLB)  "Come," they say, "and let us wipe out Israel as a 
       nation--we will destroy the very memory of her existence."

       (Psa 83:5 TLB)  This was their unanimous decision at their summit 
       conference--they signed a treaty to ally themselves against Almighty 
       God--

       (Psa 83:6 TLB)  these Ishmaelites and Edomites and Moabites and 
       Hagrites;

       (Psa 83:7 TLB)  people from the lands of Gebal, Ammon, Amalek, 
       Philistia and Tyre;

       (Psa 83:8 TLB)  Assyria has joined them too, and is allied with the 
       descendants of Lot.

       (Psa 83:9 TLB)  Do to them as once you did to Midian, or as you did to 
       Sisera and Jabin at the river Kishon,

       (Psa 83:10 TLB)  and as you did to your enemies at Endor, whose 





       decaying corpses fertilized the soil.

       (Psa 83:11 TLB)  Make their mighty nobles die as Oreb did, and Zeeb; 
       let all their princes die like Zebah and Zalmunna,

       (Psa 83:12 TLB)  who said, "Let us seize for our own use these 
       pasturelands of God!"

       (Psa 83:13 TLB)  O my God, blow them away like dust; like chaff before 
       the wind--

       (Psa 83:14 TLB)  as a forest fire that roars across a mountain.

       (Psa 83:15 TLB)  Chase them with your fiery storms, tempests, and 
       tornados.

       (Psa 83:16 TLB)  Utterly disgrace them until they recognize your power 
       and name, O Lord.

       (Psa 83:17 TLB)  Make them failures in everything they do; let them be 
       ashamed and terrified

       (Psa 83:18 TLB)  until they learn that you alone, Jehovah, are the God 
       above all gods in supreme charge of all the earth.

       (Psa 84:1 TLB)  How lovely is your Temple, O Lord of the armies of 
       heaven.

       (Psa 84:2 TLB)  I long, yes, faint with longing to be able to enter 
       your courtyard and come near to the Living God.

       (Psa 84:3 TLB)  Even the sparrows and swallows are welcome to come and 
       nest among your altars and there have their young, O Lord of heaven's 
       armies, my King and my God!

       (Psa 84:4 TLB)  How happy are those who can live in your Temple, 
       singing your praises.

       (Psa 84:5 TLB)  Happy are those who are strong in the Lord, who want 
       above all else to follow your steps.

       (Psa 84:6 TLB)  When they walk through the Valley of Weeping, it will 
       become a place of springs where pools of blessing and refreshment 
       collect after rains!

       (Psa 84:7 TLB)  They will grow constantly in strength, and each of 
       them is invited to meet with the Lord in Zion.

       (Psa 84:8 TLB)  O Jehovah, God of the heavenly armies, hear my prayer! 
       Listen, God of Israel.

       (Psa 84:9 TLB)  O God, our Defender and our Shield, have mercy on the 
       one you have anointed as your king.

       (Psa 84:10 TLB)  A single day spent in your Temple is better than a 
       thousand anywhere else! I would rather be a doorman of the Temple of 





       my God than live in palaces of wickedness.

       (Psa 84:11 TLB)  For Jehovah God is our Light and our Protector. He 
       gives us grace and glory. No good thing will he withhold from those 
       who walk along his paths.

       (Psa 84:12 TLB)  O Lord of the armies of heaven, blessed are those who 
       trust in you.

       (Psa 85:1 TLB)  Lord, you have poured out amazing blessings on this 
       land! You have restored the fortunes of Israel,

       (Psa 85:2 TLB)  and forgiven the sins of your people--yes, covered 
       over each one,

       (Psa 85:3 TLB)  so that all your wrath, your blazing anger, is now 
       ended.

       (Psa 85:4 TLB)  Now bring us back to loving you, O Lord, so that your 
       anger will never need rise against us again.

       (Psa 85:5 TLB)  (Or will you be always angry--on and on to distant 
       generations?)

       (Psa 85:6 TLB)  Oh, revive us! Then your people can rejoice in you 
       again.

       (Psa 85:7 TLB)  Pour out your love and kindness on us, Lord, and grant 
       us your salvation.

       (Psa 85:8 TLB)  I am listening carefully to all the Lord is 
       saying--for he speaks peace to his people, his saints, if they will 
       only stop their sinning.

       (Psa 85:9 TLB)  Surely his salvation is near to those who reverence 
       him; our land will be filled with his glory.

       (Psa 85:10 TLB)  Mercy and truth have met together. Grim justice and 
       peace have kissed!

       (Psa 85:11 TLB)  Truth rises from the earth, and righteousness smiles 
       down from heaven.

       (Psa 85:12 TLB)  Yes, the Lord pours down his blessings on the land, 
       and it yields its bountiful crops.

       (Psa 85:13 TLB)  Justice goes before him to make a pathway for his 
       steps.

       (Psa 86:1 TLB)  Bend down and hear my prayer, O Lord, and answer me, 
       for I am deep in trouble.

       (Psa 86:2 TLB)  Protect me from death, for I try to follow all your 
       laws. Save me, for I am serving you and trusting you.

       (Psa 86:3 TLB)  Be merciful, O Lord, for I am looking up to you in 





       constant hope.

       (Psa 86:4 TLB)  Give me happiness, O Lord, for I worship only you.

       (Psa 86:5 TLB)  O Lord, you are so good and kind, so ready to forgive, 
       so full of mercy for all who ask your aid.

       (Psa 86:6 TLB)  Listen closely to my prayer, O God. Hear my urgent 
       cry.

       (Psa 86:7 TLB)  I will call to you whenever trouble strikes, and you 
       will help me.

       (Psa 86:8 TLB)  Where among the heathen gods is there a god like you? 
       Where are their miracles?

       (Psa 86:9 TLB)  All the nations--and you made each one--will come and 
       bow before you, Lord, and praise your great and holy name.

       (Psa 86:10 TLB)  For you are great and do great miracles. You alone 
       are God.

       (Psa 86:11 TLB)  Tell me where you want me to go and I will go there. 
       May every fiber of my being unite in reverence to your name.

       (Psa 86:12 TLB)  With all my heart I will praise you. I will give 
       glory to your name forever,

       (Psa 86:13 TLB)  for you love me so much! You are constantly so kind! 
       You have rescued me from deepest hell.

       (Psa 86:14 TLB)  O God, proud and insolent men defy me; violent, 
       godless men are trying to kill me.

       (Psa 86:15 TLB)  But you are merciful and gentle, Lord, slow in 
       getting angry, full of constant loving-kindness and of truth;

       (Psa 86:16 TLB)  so look down in pity and grant strength to your 
       servant and save me.

       (Psa 86:17 TLB)  Send me a sign of your favor. When those who hate me 
       see it, they will lose face because you help and comfort me.

       (Psa 87:1 TLB)  High on his holy mountain stands Jerusalem, the city 
       of God, the city he loves more than any other!

       (Psa 87:2 TLB)  

       (Psa 87:3 TLB)  O city of God, what wondrous tales are told of you!

       (Psa 87:4 TLB)  Nowadays when I mention among my friends the names of 
       Egypt and Babylonia, Philistia and Tyre, or even distant Ethiopia, 
       someone boasts that he was born in one or another of those countries.

       (Psa 87:5 TLB)  But someday the highest honor will be to be a native 
       of Jerusalem! For the God above all gods will personally bless this 





       city.

       (Psa 87:6 TLB)  When he registers her citizens, he will place a 
       checkmark beside the names of those who were born here.

       (Psa 87:7 TLB)  And in the festivals they'll sing, "All my heart is in 
       Jerusalem."

       (Psa 88:1 TLB)  O Jehovah, God of my salvation, I have wept before you 
       day and night.

       (Psa 88:2 TLB)  Now hear my prayers; oh, listen to my cry,

       (Psa 88:3 TLB)  for my life is full of troubles, and death draws near.

       (Psa 88:4 TLB)  They say my life is ebbing out--a hopeless case.

       (Psa 88:5 TLB)  They have left me here to die, like those slain on 
       battlefields from whom your mercies are removed.

       (Psa 88:6 TLB)  You have thrust me down to the darkest depths.

       (Psa 88:7 TLB)  Your wrath lies heavy on me; wave after wave engulfs 
       me.

       (Psa 88:8 TLB)  You have made my friends to loathe me, and they have 
       gone away. I am in a trap with no way out.

       (Psa 88:9 TLB)  My eyes grow dim with weeping. Each day I beg your 
       help; O Lord, I reach my pleading hands to you for mercy.

       (Psa 88:10 TLB)  Soon it will be too late! Of what use are your 
       miracles when I am in the grave? How can I praise you then?

       (Psa 88:11 TLB)  Can those in the grave declare your loving-kindness? 
       Can they proclaim your faithfulness?

       (Psa 88:12 TLB)  Can the darkness speak of your miracles? Can anyone 
       in the Land of Forgetfulness talk about your help?

       (Psa 88:13 TLB)  O Lord, I plead for my life and will keep on pleading 
       day by day.

       (Psa 88:14 TLB)  O Jehovah, why have you thrown my life away? Why are 
       you turning your face from me and looking the other way?

       (Psa 88:15 TLB)  From my youth I have been sickly and ready to die. I 
       stand helpless before your terrors.

       (Psa 88:16 TLB)  Your fierce wrath has overwhelmed me. Your terrors 
       have cut me off.

       (Psa 88:17 TLB)  They flow around me all day long.

       (Psa 88:18 TLB)  Lover, friend, acquaintance--all are gone. There is 
       only darkness everywhere.






       (Psa 89:1 TLB)  Forever and ever I will sing about the tender kindness 
       of the Lord! Young and old shall hear about your blessings.

       (Psa 89:2 TLB)  Your love and kindness are forever; your truth is as 
       enduring as the heavens.

       (Psa 89:3 TLB)  The Lord God says, "I have made a solemn agreement 
       with my chosen servant David.

       (Psa 89:4 TLB)  I have taken an oath to establish his descendants as 
       kings forever on his throne, from now until eternity!"

       (Psa 89:5 TLB)  All heaven shall praise your miracles, O Lord; myriads 
       of angels will praise you for your faithfulness.

       (Psa 89:6 TLB)  For who in all of heaven can be compared with God? 
       What mightiest angel is anything like him?

       (Psa 89:7 TLB)  The highest of angelic powers stand in dread and awe 
       of him. Who is as revered as he by those surrounding him?

       (Psa 89:8 TLB)  O Jehovah, Commander of the heavenly armies, where is 
       there any other Mighty One like you? Faithfulness is your very 
       character.

       (Psa 89:9 TLB)  You rule the oceans when their waves arise in fearful 
       storms; you speak, and they lie still.

       (Psa 89:10 TLB)  You have cut haughty Egypt to pieces. Your enemies 
       are scattered by your awesome power.

       (Psa 89:11 TLB)  The heavens are yours, the world, everything--for you 
       created them all.

       (Psa 89:12 TLB)  You created north and south! Mount Tabor and Mount 
       Hermon rejoice to be signed by your name as their maker!

       (Psa 89:13 TLB)  Strong is your arm! Strong is your hand! Your right 
       hand is lifted high in glorious strength.

       (Psa 89:14 TLB)  Your throne is founded on two strong pillars--the one 
       is Justice and the other Righteousness. Mercy and Truth walk before 
       you as your attendants.

       (Psa 89:15 TLB)  Blessed are those who hear the joyful blast of the 
       trumpet, for they shall walk in the light of your presence.

       (Psa 89:16 TLB)  They rejoice all day long in your wonderful 
       reputation and in your perfect righteousness.

       (Psa 89:17 TLB)  You are their strength. What glory! Our power is 
       based on your favor!

       (Psa 89:18 TLB)  Yes, our protection is from the Lord himself and he, 
       the Holy One of Israel, has given us our king.






       (Psa 89:19 TLB)  In a vision you spoke to your prophet and said, "I 
       have chosen a splendid young man from the common people to be the 
       king--

       (Psa 89:20 TLB)  he is my servant David! I have anointed him with my 
       holy oil.

       (Psa 89:21 TLB)  I will steady him and make him strong.

       (Psa 89:22 TLB)  His enemies shall not outwit him, nor shall the 
       wicked overpower him.

       (Psa 89:23 TLB)  I will beat down his adversaries before him and 
       destroy those who hate him.

       (Psa 89:24 TLB)  I will protect and bless him constantly and surround 
       him with my love; he will be great because of me.

       (Psa 89:25 TLB)  He will hold sway from the Euphrates River to the 
       Mediterranean Sea.

       (Psa 89:26 TLB)  And he will cry to me, 'You are my Father, my God, 
       and my Rock of Salvation.'

       (Psa 89:27 TLB)  "I will treat him as my firstborn son and make him 
       the mightiest king in all the earth.

       (Psa 89:28 TLB)  I will love him forever and be kind to him always; my 
       covenant with him will never end.

       (Psa 89:29 TLB)  He will always have an heir; his throne will be as 
       endless as the days of heaven.

       (Psa 89:30 TLB)  If his children forsake my laws and don't obey them, 
       then I will punish them,

       (Psa 89:31 TLB)  

       (Psa 89:32 TLB)  

       (Psa 89:33 TLB)  but I will never completely take away my 
       loving-kindness from them, nor let my promise fail.

       (Psa 89:34 TLB)  No, I will not break my covenant; I will not take 
       back one word of what I said.

       (Psa 89:35 TLB)  For I have sworn to David (and a holy God can never 
       lie) that his dynasty will go on forever, and his throne will continue 
       to the end of time.

       (Psa 89:36 TLB)  

       (Psa 89:37 TLB)  It shall be eternal as the moon, my faithful witness 
       in the sky!"





       (Psa 89:38 TLB)  Then why cast me off, rejected? Why be so angry with 
       the one you chose as king?

       (Psa 89:39 TLB)  Have you renounced your covenant with him? For you 
       have thrown his crown in the dust.

       (Psa 89:40 TLB)  You have broken down the walls protecting him and 
       laid in ruins every fort defending him.

       (Psa 89:41 TLB)  Everyone who comes along has robbed him while his 
       neighbors mock.

       (Psa 89:42 TLB)  You have strengthened his enemies against him and 
       made them rejoice.

       (Psa 89:43 TLB)  You have struck down his sword and refused to help 
       him in battle.

       (Psa 89:44 TLB)  You have ended his splendor and overturned his 
       throne.

       (Psa 89:45 TLB)  You have made him old before his time and publicly 
       disgraced him.

       (Psa 89:46 TLB)  O Jehovah, how long will this go on? Will you hide 
       yourself from me forever? How long will your wrath burn like fire?

       (Psa 89:47 TLB)  Oh, remember how short you have made man's lifespan. 
       Is it an empty, futile life you give the sons of men?

       (Psa 89:48 TLB)  No man can live forever. All will die. Who can rescue 
       his life from the power of the grave?

       (Psa 89:49 TLB)  Lord, where is the love you used to have for me? 
       Where is your kindness that you promised to David with a faithful 
       pledge?

       (Psa 89:50 TLB)  Lord, see how all the people are despising me.

       (Psa 89:51 TLB)  Your enemies joke about me, the one you anointed as 
       their king.

       (Psa 89:52 TLB)  And yet--blessed be the Lord forever! Amen and amen!

       (Psa 90:1 TLB)  A prayer of Moses, the man of God. Lord, through all 
       the generations you have been our home!

       (Psa 90:2 TLB)  Before the mountains were created, before the earth 
       was formed, you are God without beginning or end.

       (Psa 90:3 TLB)  You speak, and man turns back to dust.

       (Psa 90:4 TLB)  A thousand years are but as yesterday to you! They are 
       like a single hour!

       (Psa 90:5 TLB)  We glide along the tides of time as swiftly as a 





       racing river and vanish as quickly as a dream. We are like grass that 
       is green in the morning but mowed down and withered before the evening 
       shadows fall.

       (Psa 90:6 TLB)  

       (Psa 90:7 TLB)  We die beneath your anger; we are overwhelmed by your 
       wrath.

       (Psa 90:8 TLB)  You spread out our sins before you--our secret 
       sins--and see them all.

       (Psa 90:9 TLB)  No wonder the years are long and heavy here beneath 
       your wrath. All our days are filled with sighing.

       (Psa 90:10 TLB)  Seventy years are given us! And some may even live to 
       eighty. But even the best of these years are often emptiness and pain; 
       soon they disappear, and we are gone.

       (Psa 90:11 TLB)  Who can realize the terrors of your anger? Which of 
       us can fear you as he should?

       (Psa 90:12 TLB)  Teach us to number our days and recognize how few 
       they are; help us to spend them as we should.

       (Psa 90:13 TLB)  O Jehovah, come and bless us! How long will you 
       delay? Turn away your anger from us.

       (Psa 90:14 TLB)  Satisfy us in our earliest youth with your 
       loving-kindness, giving us constant joy to the end of our lives.

       (Psa 90:15 TLB)  Give us gladness in proportion to our former misery! 
       Replace the evil years with good.

       (Psa 90:16 TLB)  Let us see your miracles again; let our children see 
       glorious things, the kind you used to do,

       (Psa 90:17 TLB)  and let the Lord our God favor us and give us 
       success. May he give permanence to all we do.

       (Psa 91:1 TLB)  We live within the shadow of the Almighty, sheltered 
       by the God who is above all gods.

       (Psa 91:2 TLB)  This I declare, that he alone is my refuge, my place 
       of safety; he is my God, and I am trusting him.

       (Psa 91:3 TLB)  For he rescues you from every trap and protects you 
       from the fatal plague.

       (Psa 91:4 TLB)  He will shield you with his wings! They will shelter 
       you. His faithful promises are your armor.

       (Psa 91:5 TLB)  Now you don't need to be afraid of the dark any more, 
       nor fear the dangers of the day;

       (Psa 91:6 TLB)  nor dread the plagues of darkness, nor disasters in 





       the morning.

       (Psa 91:7 TLB)  Though a thousand fall at my side, though ten thousand 
       are dying around me, the evil will not touch me.

       (Psa 91:8 TLB)  I will see how the wicked are punished, but I will not 
       share it.

       (Psa 91:9 TLB)  For Jehovah is my refuge! I choose the God above all 
       gods to shelter me.

       (Psa 91:10 TLB)  How then can evil overtake me or any plague come 
       near?

       (Psa 91:11 TLB)  For he orders his angels to protect you wherever you 
       go.

       (Psa 91:12 TLB)  They will steady you with their hands to keep you 
       from stumbling against the rocks on the trail.

       (Psa 91:13 TLB)  You can safely meet a lion or step on poisonous 
       snakes, yes, even trample them beneath your feet!

       (Psa 91:14 TLB)  For the Lord says, "Because he loves me, I will 
       rescue him; I will make him great because he trusts in my name.

       (Psa 91:15 TLB)  When he calls on me, I will answer; I will be with 
       him in trouble and rescue him and honor him.

       (Psa 91:16 TLB)  I will satisfy him with a full life and give him my 
       salvation."

       (Psa 92:1 TLB)  A song to sing on the Lord's Day. It is good to say 
       thank you to the Lord, to sing praises to the God who is above all 
       gods.

       (Psa 92:2 TLB)  Every morning tell him, "Thank you for your kindness," 
       and every evening rejoice in all his faithfulness.

       (Psa 92:3 TLB)  Sing his praises, accompanied by music from the harp 
       and lute and lyre.

       (Psa 92:4 TLB)  You have done so much for me, O Lord. No wonder I am 
       glad! I sing for joy.

       (Psa 92:5 TLB)  O Lord, what miracles you do! And how deep are your 
       thoughts!

       (Psa 92:6 TLB)  Unthinking people do not understand them! No fool can 
       comprehend this:

       (Psa 92:7 TLB)  that although the wicked flourish like weeds, there is 
       only eternal destruction ahead of them.

       (Psa 92:8 TLB)  But the Lord continues forever, exalted in the 
       heavens,






       (Psa 92:9 TLB)  while his enemies--all evil-doers--shall be scattered.

       (Psa 92:10 TLB)  But you have made me as strong as a wild bull. How 
       refreshed I am by your blessings!

       (Psa 92:11 TLB)  I have heard the doom of my enemies announced and 
       seen them destroyed.

       (Psa 92:12 TLB)  But the godly shall flourish like palm trees and grow 
       tall as the cedars of Lebanon.

       (Psa 92:13 TLB)  For they are transplanted into the Lord's own garden 
       and are under his personal care.

       (Psa 92:14 TLB)  Even in old age they will still produce fruit and be 
       vital and green.

       (Psa 92:15 TLB)  This honors the Lord and exhibits his faithful care. 
       He is my shelter. There is nothing but goodness in him!

       (Psa 93:1 TLB)  Jehovah is King! He is robed in majesty and strength. 
       The world is his throne.

       (Psa 93:2 TLB)  O Lord, you have reigned from prehistoric times, from 
       the everlasting past.

       (Psa 93:3 TLB)  The mighty oceans thunder your praise.

       (Psa 93:4 TLB)  You are mightier than all the breakers pounding on the 
       seashores of the world!

       (Psa 93:5 TLB)  Your royal decrees cannot be changed. Holiness is 
       forever the keynote of your reign.

       (Psa 94:1 TLB)  Lord God, to whom vengeance belongs, let your glory 
       shine out. Arise and judge the earth; sentence the proud to the 
       penalties they deserve.

       (Psa 94:2 TLB)  

       (Psa 94:3 TLB)  Lord, how long shall the wicked be allowed to triumph 
       and exult?

       (Psa 94:4 TLB)  Hear their insolence! See their arrogance! How these 
       men of evil boast!

       (Psa 94:5 TLB)  See them oppressing your people, O Lord, afflicting 
       those you love.

       (Psa 94:6 TLB)  They murder widows, immigrants, and orphans, for "The 
       Lord isn't looking," they say, "and besides, he doesn't care."

       (Psa 94:7 TLB)  

       (Psa 94:8 TLB)  Fools!






       (Psa 94:9 TLB)  Is God deaf and blind--he who makes ears and eyes?

       (Psa 94:10 TLB)  He punishes the nations--won't he also punish you? He 
       knows everything--doesn't he also know what you are doing?

       (Psa 94:11 TLB)  The Lord is fully aware of how limited and futile the 
       thoughts of mankind are,

       (Psa 94:12 TLB)  so he helps us by punishing us. This makes us follow 
       his paths and gives us respite from our enemies while God traps them 
       and destroys them.

       (Psa 94:13 TLB)  

       (Psa 94:14 TLB)  The Lord will not forsake his people, for they are 
       his prize.

       (Psa 94:15 TLB)  Judgment will again be just, and all the upright will 
       rejoice.

       (Psa 94:16 TLB)  Who will protect me from the wicked? Who will be my 
       shield?

       (Psa 94:17 TLB)  I would have died unless the Lord had helped me.

       (Psa 94:18 TLB)  I screamed, "I'm slipping, Lord!" and he was kind and 
       saved me.

       (Psa 94:19 TLB)  Lord, when doubts fill my mind, when my heart is in 
       turmoil, quiet me and give me renewed hope and cheer.

       (Psa 94:20 TLB)  Will you permit a corrupt government to rule under 
       your protection--a government permitting wrong to defeat right?

       (Psa 94:21 TLB)  Do you approve of those who condemn the innocent to 
       death? No! The Lord my God is my fortress--the mighty Rock where I can 
       hide.

       (Psa 94:22 TLB)  

       (Psa 94:23 TLB)  God has made the sins of evil men to boomerang upon 
       them! He will destroy them by their own plans. Jehovah our God will 
       cut them off.

       (Psa 95:1 TLB)  Oh, come, let us sing to the Lord! Give a joyous shout 
       in honor of the Rock of our salvation!

       (Psa 95:2 TLB)  Come before him with thankful hearts. Let us sing him 
       psalms of praise.

       (Psa 95:3 TLB)  For the Lord is a great God, the great King of all 
       gods.

       (Psa 95:4 TLB)  He controls the formation of the depths of the earth 
       and the mightiest mountains; all are his.






       (Psa 95:5 TLB)  He made the sea and formed the land; they too are his.

       (Psa 95:6 TLB)  Come, kneel before the Lord our Maker,

       (Psa 95:7 TLB)  for he is our God. We are his sheep, and he is our 
       Shepherd. Oh, that you would hear him calling you today and come to 
       him!

       (Psa 95:8 TLB)  Don't harden your hearts as Israel did in the 
       wilderness at Meribah and Massah.

       (Psa 95:9 TLB)  For there your fathers doubted me, though they had 
       seen so many of my miracles before. My patience was severely tried by 
       their complaints.

       (Psa 95:10 TLB)  "For forty years I watched them in disgust," the Lord 
       God says. "They were a nation whose thoughts and heart were far away 
       from me. They refused to accept my laws.

       (Psa 95:11 TLB)  Therefore, in mighty wrath I swore that they would 
       never enter the Promised Land, the place of rest I planned for them."

       (Psa 96:1 TLB)  Sing a new song to the Lord! Sing it everywhere around 
       the world!

       (Psa 96:2 TLB)  Sing out his praises! Bless his name. Each day tell 
       someone that he saves.

       (Psa 96:3 TLB)  Publish his glorious acts throughout the earth. Tell 
       everyone about the amazing things he does.

       (Psa 96:4 TLB)  For the Lord is great beyond description and greatly 
       to be praised. Worship only him among the gods!

       (Psa 96:5 TLB)  For the gods of other nations are merely idols, but 
       our God made the heavens!

       (Psa 96:6 TLB)  Honor and majesty surround him; strength and beauty 
       are in his Temple.

       (Psa 96:7 TLB)  O nations of the world, confess that God alone is 
       glorious and strong.

       (Psa 96:8 TLB)  Give him the glory he deserves! Bring your offering 
       and come to worship him.

       (Psa 96:9 TLB)  Worship the Lord with the beauty of holy lives. Let 
       the earth tremble before him.

       (Psa 96:10 TLB)  Tell the nations that Jehovah reigns! He rules the 
       world. His power can never be overthrown. He will judge all nations 
       fairly.

       (Psa 96:11 TLB)  Let the heavens be glad, the earth rejoice; let the 
       vastness of the roaring seas demonstrate his glory.






       (Psa 96:12 TLB)  Praise him for the growing fields, for they display 
       his greatness. Let the trees of the forest rustle with praise.

       (Psa 96:13 TLB)  For the Lord is coming to judge the earth; he will 
       judge the nations fairly and with truth!

       (Psa 97:1 TLB)  Jehovah is King! Let all the earth rejoice! Tell the 
       farthest islands to be glad.

       (Psa 97:2 TLB)  Clouds and darkness surround him. Righteousness and 
       justice are the foundation of his throne.

       (Psa 97:3 TLB)  Fire goes forth before him and burns up all his foes.

       (Psa 97:4 TLB)  His lightning flashes out across the world. The earth 
       sees and trembles.

       (Psa 97:5 TLB)  The mountains melt like wax before the Lord of all the 
       earth.

       (Psa 97:6 TLB)  The heavens declare his perfect righteousness; every 
       nation sees his glory.

       (Psa 97:7 TLB)  Let those who worship idols be disgraced--all who brag 
       about their worthless gods--for every god must bow to him!

       (Psa 97:8 TLB)  Jerusalem and all the cities of Judah have heard of 
       your justice, Lord, and are glad that you reign in majesty over the 
       entire earth and are far greater than these other gods.

       (Psa 97:9 TLB)  

       (Psa 97:10 TLB)  The Lord loves those who hate evil; he protects the 
       lives of his people and rescues them from the wicked.

       (Psa 97:11 TLB)  Light is sown for the godly and joy for the good.

       (Psa 97:12 TLB)  May all who are godly be happy in the Lord and crown 
       him, our holy God.

       (Psa 98:1 TLB)  Sing a new song to the Lord telling about his mighty 
       deeds! For he has won a mighty victory by his power and holiness.

       (Psa 98:2 TLB)  He has announced this victory and revealed it to every 
       nation by fulfilling his promise to be kind to Israel. The whole earth 
       has seen God's salvation of his people.

       (Psa 98:3 TLB)  

       (Psa 98:4 TLB)  That is why the earth breaks out in praise to God and 
       sings for utter joy!

       (Psa 98:5 TLB)  Sing your praise accompanied by music from the harp.

       (Psa 98:6 TLB)  Let the cornets and trumpets shout! Make a joyful 





       symphony before the Lord, the King!

       (Psa 98:7 TLB)  Let the sea in all its vastness roar with praise! Let 
       the earth and all those living on it shout, "Glory to the Lord."

       (Psa 98:8 TLB)  Let the waves clap their hands in glee and the hills 
       sing out their songs of joy before the Lord, for he is coming to judge 
       the world with perfect justice.

       (Psa 98:9 TLB)  

       (Psa 99:1 TLB)  Jehovah is King! Let the nations tremble! He is 
       enthroned between the Guardian Angels. Let the whole earth shake.

       (Psa 99:2 TLB)  Jehovah sits in majesty in Zion, supreme above all 
       rulers of the earth.

       (Psa 99:3 TLB)  Let them reverence your great and holy name.

       (Psa 99:4 TLB)  This mighty King is determined to give justice. 
       Fairness is the touchstone of everything he does. He gives justice 
       throughout Israel.

       (Psa 99:5 TLB)  Exalt the Lord our holy God! Bow low before his feet.

       (Psa 99:6 TLB)  When Moses and Aaron and Samuel, his prophet, cried to 
       him for help, he answered them.

       (Psa 99:7 TLB)  He spoke to them from the pillar of cloud, and they 
       followed his instructions.

       (Psa 99:8 TLB)  O Jehovah our God! You answered them and forgave their 
       sins, yet punished them when they went wrong.

       (Psa 99:9 TLB)  Exalt the Lord our God and worship at his holy 
       mountain in Jerusalem, for he is holy.

       (Psa 100:1 TLB)  Shout with joy before the Lord, O earth!

       (Psa 100:2 TLB)  Obey him gladly; come before him, singing with joy.

       (Psa 100:3 TLB)  Try to realize what this means--the Lord is God! He 
       made us--we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

       (Psa 100:4 TLB)  Go through his open gates with great thanksgiving; 
       enter his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and bless his name.

       (Psa 100:5 TLB)  For the Lord is always good. He is always loving and 
       kind, and his faithfulness goes on and on to each succeeding 
       generation.

       (Psa 101:1 TLB)  I will sing about your loving-kindness and your 
       justice, Lord. I will sing your praises!

       (Psa 101:2 TLB)  I will try to walk a blameless path, but how I need 
       your help, especially in my own home, where I long to act as I should.






       (Psa 101:3 TLB)  Help me to refuse the low and vulgar things; help me 
       to abhor all crooked deals of every kind, to have no part in them.

       (Psa 101:4 TLB)  I will reject all selfishness and stay away from 
       every evil.

       (Psa 101:5 TLB)  I will not tolerate anyone who secretly slanders his 
       neighbors; I will not permit conceit and pride.

       (Psa 101:6 TLB)  I will make the godly of the land my heroes and 
       invite them to my home. Only those who are truly good shall be my 
       servants.

       (Psa 101:7 TLB)  But I will not allow those who deceive and lie to 
       stay in my house.

       (Psa 101:8 TLB)  My daily task will be to ferret out criminals and 
       free the city of God from their grip.

       (Psa 102:1 TLB)  A prayer when overwhelmed with trouble. Lord, hear my 
       prayer! Listen to my plea!

       (Psa 102:2 TLB)  Don't turn away from me in this time of my distress. 
       Bend down your ear and give me speedy answers,

       (Psa 102:3 TLB)  for my days disappear like smoke. My health is 
       broken, and my heart is sick; it is trampled like grass and is 
       withered. My food is tasteless, and I have lost my appetite.

       (Psa 102:4 TLB)  

       (Psa 102:5 TLB)  I am reduced to skin and bones because of all my 
       groaning and despair.

       (Psa 102:6 TLB)  I am like a vulture in a far-off wilderness or like 
       an owl alone in the desert.

       (Psa 102:7 TLB)  I lie awake, lonely as a solitary sparrow on the 
       roof.

       (Psa 102:8 TLB)  My enemies taunt me day after day and curse at me.

       (Psa 102:9 TLB)  I eat ashes instead of bread. My tears run down into 
       my drink because of your anger against me, because of your wrath. For 
       you have rejected me and thrown me out.

       (Psa 102:10 TLB)  

       (Psa 102:11 TLB)  My life is passing swiftly as the evening shadows. I 
       am withering like grass,

       (Psa 102:12 TLB)  while you, Lord, are a famous King forever. Your 
       fame will endure to every generation.

       (Psa 102:13 TLB)  I know that you will come and have mercy on 





       Jerusalem--and now is the time to pity her--the time you promised 
       help.

       (Psa 102:14 TLB)  For your people love every stone in her walls and 
       feel sympathy for every grain of dust in her streets.

       (Psa 102:15 TLB)  Now let the nations and their rulers tremble before 
       the Lord, before his glory.

       (Psa 102:16 TLB)  For Jehovah will rebuild Jerusalem! He will appear 
       in his glory!

       (Psa 102:17 TLB)  He will listen to the prayers of the destitute, for 
       he is never too busy to heed their requests.

       (Psa 102:18 TLB)  I am recording this so that future generations will 
       also praise the Lord for all that he has done. And a people that shall 
       be created shall praise the Lord.

       (Psa 102:19 TLB)  Tell them that God looked down from his temple in 
       heaven

       (Psa 102:20 TLB)  and heard the groans of his people in slavery--they 
       were children of death--and released them,

       (Psa 102:21 TLB)  so that multitudes would stream to the Temple in 
       Jerusalem to praise him, and his praises were sung throughout the 
       city; and many rulers throughout the earth came to worship him.

       (Psa 102:22 TLB)  

       (Psa 102:23 TLB)  He has cut me down in middle life, shortening my 
       days.

       (Psa 102:24 TLB)  But I cried to him, "O God, you live forever and 
       forever! Don't let me die half through my years!

       (Psa 102:25 TLB)  In ages past you laid the foundations of the earth 
       and made the heavens with your hands!

       (Psa 102:26 TLB)  They shall perish, but you go on forever. They will 
       grow old like worn-out clothing, and you will change them like a man 
       putting on a new shirt and throwing away the old one!

       (Psa 102:27 TLB)  But you yourself never grow old. You are forever, 
       and your years never end.

       (Psa 102:28 TLB)  "But our families will continue; generation after 
       generation will be preserved by your protection."

       (Psa 103:1 TLB)  I bless the holy name of God with all my heart.

       (Psa 103:2 TLB)  Yes, I will bless the Lord and not forget the 
       glorious things he does for me.

       (Psa 103:3 TLB)  He forgives all my sins. He heals me.






       (Psa 103:4 TLB)  He ransoms me from hell. He surrounds me with 
       loving-kindness and tender mercies.

       (Psa 103:5 TLB)  He fills my life with good things! My youth is 
       renewed like the eagle's!

       (Psa 103:6 TLB)  He gives justice to all who are treated unfairly.

       (Psa 103:7 TLB)  He revealed his will and nature to Moses and the 
       people of Israel.

       (Psa 103:8 TLB)  He is merciful and tender toward those who don't 
       deserve it; he is slow to get angry and full of kindness and love.

       (Psa 103:9 TLB)  He never bears a grudge, nor remains angry forever.

       (Psa 103:10 TLB)  He has not punished us as we deserve for all our 
       sins,

       (Psa 103:11 TLB)  for his mercy toward those who fear and honor him is 
       as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.

       (Psa 103:12 TLB)  He has removed our sins as far away from us as the 
       east is from the west.

       (Psa 103:13 TLB)  He is like a father to us, tender and sympathetic to 
       those who reverence him.

       (Psa 103:14 TLB)  For he knows we are but dust

       (Psa 103:15 TLB)  and that our days are few and brief, like grass, 
       like flowers,

       (Psa 103:16 TLB)  blown by the wind and gone forever.

       (Psa 103:17 TLB)  But the loving-kindness of the Lord is from 
       everlasting to everlasting to those who reverence him;

       (Psa 103:18 TLB)  his salvation is to children's children of those who 
       are faithful to his covenant and remember to obey him!

       (Psa 103:19 TLB)  The Lord has made the heavens his throne; from there 
       he rules over everything there is.

       (Psa 103:20 TLB)  Bless the Lord, you mighty angels of his who carry 
       out his orders, listening for each of his commands.

       (Psa 103:21 TLB)  Yes, bless the Lord, you armies of his angels who 
       serve him constantly.

       (Psa 103:22 TLB)  Let everything everywhere bless the Lord. And how I 
       bless him too!

       (Psa 104:1 TLB)  I bless the Lord: O Lord my God, how great you are! 
       You are robed with honor and with majesty and light! You stretched out 





       the starry curtain of the heavens,

       (Psa 104:2 TLB)  

       (Psa 104:3 TLB)  and hollowed out the surface of the earth to form the 
       seas. The clouds are his chariots. He rides upon the wings of the 
       wind.

       (Psa 104:4 TLB)  The angels are his messengers--his servants of fire!

       (Psa 104:5 TLB)  You bound the world together so that it would never 
       fall apart.

       (Psa 104:6 TLB)  You clothed the earth with floods of waters covering 
       up the mountains.

       (Psa 104:7 TLB)  You spoke, and at the sound of your shout the water 
       collected into its vast ocean beds, and mountains rose and valleys 
       sank to the levels you decreed.

       (Psa 104:8 TLB)  

       (Psa 104:9 TLB)  And then you set a boundary for the seas so that they 
       would never again cover the earth.

       (Psa 104:10 TLB)  He placed springs in the valleys and streams that 
       gush from the mountains.

       (Psa 104:11 TLB)  They give water for all the animals to drink. There 
       the wild donkeys quench their thirst,

       (Psa 104:12 TLB)  and the birds nest beside the streams and sing among 
       the branches of the trees.

       (Psa 104:13 TLB)  He sends rain upon the mountains and fills the earth 
       with fruit.

       (Psa 104:14 TLB)  The tender grass grows up at his command to feed the 
       cattle, and there are fruit trees, vegetables, and grain for man to 
       cultivate,

       (Psa 104:15 TLB)  and wine to make him glad, and olive oil as lotion 
       for his skin, and bread to give him strength.

       (Psa 104:16 TLB)  The Lord planted the cedars of Lebanon. They are 
       tall and flourishing.

       (Psa 104:17 TLB)  There the birds make their nests, the storks in the 
       firs.

       (Psa 104:18 TLB)  High in the mountains are pastures for the wild 
       goats, and rock-badgers burrow in among the rocks and find protection 
       there.

       (Psa 104:19 TLB)  He assigned the moon to mark the months and the sun 
       to mark the days.






       (Psa 104:20 TLB)  He sends the night and darkness, when all the forest 
       folk come out.

       (Psa 104:21 TLB)  Then the young lions roar for their food, but they 
       are dependent on the Lord.

       (Psa 104:22 TLB)  At dawn they slink back into their dens to rest,

       (Psa 104:23 TLB)  and men go off to work until the evening shadows 
       fall again.

       (Psa 104:24 TLB)  O Lord, what a variety you have made! And in wisdom 
       you have made them all! The earth is full of your riches.

       (Psa 104:25 TLB)  There before me lies the mighty ocean, teeming with 
       life of every kind, both great and small.

       (Psa 104:26 TLB)  And look! See the ships! And over there, the whale 
       you made to play in the sea.

       (Psa 104:27 TLB)  Every one of these depends on you to give them daily 
       food.

       (Psa 104:28 TLB)  You supply it, and they gather it. You open wide 
       your hand to feed them, and they are satisfied with all your bountiful 
       provision.

       (Psa 104:29 TLB)  But if you turn away from them, then all is lost. 
       And when you gather up their breath, they die and turn again to dust.

       (Psa 104:30 TLB)  Then you send your Spirit, and new life is born to 
       replenish all the living of the earth.

       (Psa 104:31 TLB)  Praise God forever! How he must rejoice in all his 
       work!

       (Psa 104:32 TLB)  The earth trembles at his glance; the mountains 
       burst into flame at his touch.

       (Psa 104:33 TLB)  I will sing to the Lord as long as I live. I will 
       praise God to my last breath!

       (Psa 104:34 TLB)  May he be pleased by all these thoughts about him, 
       for he is the source of all my joy.

       (Psa 104:35 TLB)  Let all sinners perish--all who refuse to praise 
       him. But I will praise him. Hallelujah!

       (Psa 105:1 TLB)  Thank the Lord for all the glorious things he does; 
       proclaim them to the nations.

       (Psa 105:2 TLB)  Sing his praises and tell everyone about his 
       miracles.

       (Psa 105:3 TLB)  Glory in the Lord; O worshipers of God, rejoice.






       (Psa 105:4 TLB)  Search for him and for his strength, and keep on 
       searching!

       (Psa 105:5 TLB)  Think of the mighty deeds he did for us, his chosen 
       ones--descendants of God's servant Abraham, and of Jacob. Remember how 
       he destroyed our enemies.

       (Psa 105:6 TLB)  

       (Psa 105:7 TLB)  He is the Lord our God. His goodness is seen 
       everywhere throughout the land.

       (Psa 105:8 TLB)  Though a thousand generations pass he never forgets 
       his promise, his covenant with Abraham and Isaac

       (Psa 105:9 TLB)  

       (Psa 105:10 TLB)  and confirmed with Jacob. This is his never-ending 
       treaty with the people of Israel: "I will give you the land of Canaan 
       as your inheritance."

       (Psa 105:11 TLB)  

       (Psa 105:12 TLB)  He said this when they were but few in number, very 
       few, and were only visitors in Canaan.

       (Psa 105:13 TLB)  Later they were dispersed among the nations and were 
       driven from one kingdom to another;

       (Psa 105:14 TLB)  but through it all he would not let one thing be 
       done to them apart from his decision. He destroyed many a king who 
       tried!

       (Psa 105:15 TLB)  "Touch not these chosen ones of mine," he warned, 
       "and do not hurt my prophets."

       (Psa 105:16 TLB)  He called for a famine on the land of Canaan, 
       cutting off its food supply.

       (Psa 105:17 TLB)  Then he sent Joseph as a slave to Egypt to save his 
       people from starvation.

       (Psa 105:18 TLB)  There in prison they hurt his feet with fetters and 
       placed his neck in an iron collar

       (Psa 105:19 TLB)  until God's time finally came--how God tested his 
       patience!

       (Psa 105:20 TLB)  Then the king sent for him and set him free.

       (Psa 105:21 TLB)  He was put in charge of all the king's possessions.

       (Psa 105:22 TLB)  At his pleasure he could imprison the king's aides 
       and teach the king's advisors.





       (Psa 105:23 TLB)  Then Jacob (Israel) arrived in Egypt and lived there 
       with his sons.

       (Psa 105:24 TLB)  In the years that followed, the people of Israel 
       multiplied explosively until they were a greater nation than their 
       rulers.

       (Psa 105:25 TLB)  At that point God turned the Egyptians against the 
       Israelis; they hated and enslaved them.

       (Psa 105:26 TLB)  But God sent Moses as his representative, and Aaron 
       with him,

       (Psa 105:27 TLB)  to call down miracles of terror upon the land of 
       Egypt.

       (Psa 105:28 TLB)  They followed his instructions. He sent thick 
       darkness through the land

       (Psa 105:29 TLB)  and turned the nation's water into blood, poisoning 
       the fish.

       (Psa 105:30 TLB)  Then frogs invaded in enormous numbers; they were 
       found even in the king's private rooms.

       (Psa 105:31 TLB)  When Moses spoke, the flies and other insects 
       swarmed in vast clouds from one end of Egypt to the other.

       (Psa 105:32 TLB)  Instead of rain he sent down murderous hail, and 
       lightning flashes overwhelmed the nation.

       (Psa 105:33 TLB)  Their grape vines and fig trees were ruined; all the 
       trees lay broken on the ground.

       (Psa 105:34 TLB)  He spoke, and hordes of locusts came

       (Psa 105:35 TLB)  and ate up everything green, destroying all the 
       crops.

       (Psa 105:36 TLB)  Then he killed the oldest child in each Egyptian 
       home, their pride and joy--

       (Psa 105:37 TLB)  and brought his people safely out from Egypt, loaded 
       with silver and gold; there were no sick and feeble folk among them 
       then.

       (Psa 105:38 TLB)  Egypt was glad when they were gone, for the dread of 
       them was great.

       (Psa 105:39 TLB)  He spread out a cloud above them to shield them from 
       the burning sun and gave them a pillar of flame at night to give them 
       light.

       (Psa 105:40 TLB)  They asked for meat, and he sent them quail and gave 
       them manna--bread from heaven.





       (Psa 105:41 TLB)  He opened up a rock, and water gushed out to form a 
       river through the dry and barren land;

       (Psa 105:42 TLB)  for he remembered his sacred promises to Abraham his 
       servant.

       (Psa 105:43 TLB)  So he brought his chosen ones singing into the 
       Promised Land.

       (Psa 105:44 TLB)  He gave them the lands of the Gentiles, complete 
       with their growing crops; they ate what others planted.

       (Psa 105:45 TLB)  This was done to make them faithful and obedient to 
       his laws. Hallelujah!

       (Psa 106:1 TLB)  Hallelujah! Thank you, Lord! How good you are! Your 
       love for us continues on forever.

       (Psa 106:2 TLB)  Who can ever list the glorious miracles of God? Who 
       can ever praise him half enough?

       (Psa 106:3 TLB)  Happiness comes to those who are fair to others and 
       are always just and good.

       (Psa 106:4 TLB)  Remember me too, O Lord, while you are blessing and 
       saving your people.

       (Psa 106:5 TLB)  Let me share in your chosen ones' prosperity and 
       rejoice in all their joys, and receive the glory you give to them.

       (Psa 106:6 TLB)  Both we and our fathers have sinned so much.

       (Psa 106:7 TLB)  They weren't impressed by the wonder of your miracles 
       in Egypt and soon forgot your many acts of kindness to them. Instead 
       they rebelled against you at the Red Sea.

       (Psa 106:8 TLB)  Even so you saved them--to defend the honor of your 
       name and demonstrate your power to all the world.

       (Psa 106:9 TLB)  You commanded the Red Sea to divide, forming a dry 
       road across its bottom. Yes, as dry as any desert!

       (Psa 106:10 TLB)  Thus you rescued them from their enemies.

       (Psa 106:11 TLB)  Then the water returned and covered the road and 
       drowned their foes; not one survived.

       (Psa 106:12 TLB)  Then at last his people believed him. Then they 
       finally sang his praise.

       (Psa 106:13 TLB)  Yet how quickly they forgot again! They wouldn't 
       wait for him to act

       (Psa 106:14 TLB)  but demanded better food, testing God's patience to 
       the breaking point.





       (Psa 106:15 TLB)  So he gave them their demands but sent them leanness 
       in their souls.

       (Psa 106:16 TLB)  They were envious of Moses, yes, and Aaron too, the 
       man anointed by God as his priest.

       (Psa 106:17 TLB)  Because of this, the earth opened and swallowed 
       Dathan, Abiram, and his friends;

       (Psa 106:18 TLB)  and fire fell from heaven to consume these wicked 
       men.

       (Psa 106:19 TLB)  For they preferred a statue of an ox that eats grass 
       to the glorious presence of God himself.

       (Psa 106:20 TLB)  

       (Psa 106:21 TLB)  Thus they despised their Savior who had done such 
       mighty miracles in Egypt and at the Sea.

       (Psa 106:22 TLB)  

       (Psa 106:23 TLB)  So the Lord declared he would destroy them. But 
       Moses, his chosen one, stepped into the breach between the people and 
       their God and begged him to turn from his wrath and not destroy them.

       (Psa 106:24 TLB)  They refused to enter the Promised Land, for they 
       wouldn't believe his solemn oath to care for them.

       (Psa 106:25 TLB)  Instead, they pouted in their tents and mourned and 
       despised his command.

       (Psa 106:26 TLB)  Therefore he swore that he would kill them in the 
       wilderness

       (Psa 106:27 TLB)  and send their children away to distant lands as 
       exiles.

       (Psa 106:28 TLB)  Then our fathers joined the worshipers of Baal at 
       Peor and even offered sacrifices to the dead!

       (Psa 106:29 TLB)  With all these things they angered him--and so a 
       plague broke out upon them

       (Psa 106:30 TLB)  and continued until Phineas executed those whose 
       sins had caused the plague to start.

       (Psa 106:31 TLB)  (For this good deed Phineas will be remembered 
       forever.)

       (Psa 106:32 TLB)  At Meribah, too, Israel angered God, causing Moses 
       serious trouble,

       (Psa 106:33 TLB)  for he became angry and spoke foolishly.

       (Psa 106:34 TLB)  Nor did Israel destroy the nations in the land as 





       God had told them to,

       (Psa 106:35 TLB)  but mingled in among the heathen and learned their 
       evil ways,

       (Psa 106:36 TLB)  sacrificing to their idols, and were led away from 
       God.

       (Psa 106:37 TLB)  They even sacrificed their little children to the 
       demons--the idols of Canaan--shedding innocent blood and polluting the 
       land with murder.

       (Psa 106:38 TLB)  

       (Psa 106:39 TLB)  Their evil deeds defiled them, for their love of 
       idols was adultery in the sight of God.

       (Psa 106:40 TLB)  That is why Jehovah's anger burned against his 
       people, and he abhorred them.

       (Psa 106:41 TLB)  That is why he let the heathen nations crush them. 
       They were ruled by those who hated them and oppressed by their 
       enemies.

       (Psa 106:42 TLB)  

       (Psa 106:43 TLB)  Again and again he delivered them from their 
       slavery, but they continued to rebel against him and were finally 
       destroyed by their sin.

       (Psa 106:44 TLB)  Yet, even so, he listened to their cries and heeded 
       their distress;

       (Psa 106:45 TLB)  he remembered his promises to them and relented 
       because of his great love,

       (Psa 106:46 TLB)  and caused even their enemies who captured them to 
       pity them.

       (Psa 106:47 TLB)  O Lord God, save us! Regather us from the nations so 
       we can thank your holy name and rejoice and praise you.

       (Psa 106:48 TLB)  Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, from 
       everlasting to everlasting. Let all the people say, "Amen!" 
       Hallelujah!

       (Psa 107:1 TLB)  Say thank you to the Lord for being so good, for 
       always being so loving and kind.

       (Psa 107:2 TLB)  Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out! Tell 
       others he has saved you from your enemies.

       (Psa 107:3 TLB)  He brought the exiles back from the farthest corners 
       of the earth.

       (Psa 107:4 TLB)  They were wandering homeless in the desert,






       (Psa 107:5 TLB)  hungry and thirsty and faint.

       (Psa 107:6 TLB)  "Lord, help!" they cried, and he did!

       (Psa 107:7 TLB)  He led them straight to safety and a place to live.

       (Psa 107:8 TLB)  Oh, that these men would praise the Lord for his 
       loving-kindness, and for all of his wonderful deeds!

       (Psa 107:9 TLB)  For he satisfies the thirsty soul and fills the 
       hungry soul with good.

       (Psa 107:10 TLB)  Who are these who sit in darkness, in the shadow of 
       death, crushed by misery and slavery?

       (Psa 107:11 TLB)  They rebelled against the Lord, scorning him who is 
       the God above all gods.

       (Psa 107:12 TLB)  That is why he broke them with hard labor; they fell 
       and none could help them rise again.

       (Psa 107:13 TLB)  Then they cried to the Lord in their troubles, and 
       he rescued them!

       (Psa 107:14 TLB)  He led them from the darkness and shadow of death 
       and snapped their chains.

       (Psa 107:15 TLB)  Oh, that these men would praise the Lord for his 
       loving-kindness and for all of his wonderful deeds!

       (Psa 107:16 TLB)  For he broke down their prison gates of brass and 
       cut apart their iron bars.

       (Psa 107:17 TLB)  Others, the fools, were ill because of their sinful 
       ways.

       (Psa 107:18 TLB)  Their appetites were gone, and death was near.

       (Psa 107:19 TLB)  Then they cried to the Lord in their troubles, and 
       he helped them and delivered them.

       (Psa 107:20 TLB)  He spoke, and they were healed--snatched from the 
       door of death.

       (Psa 107:21 TLB)  Oh, that these men would praise the Lord for his 
       loving-kindness and for all of his wonderful deeds!

       (Psa 107:22 TLB)  Let them tell him thank you as their sacrifice and 
       sing about his glorious deeds.

       (Psa 107:23 TLB)  And then there are the sailors sailing the seven 
       seas, plying the trade routes of the world.

       (Psa 107:24 TLB)  They, too, observe the power of God in action.





       (Psa 107:25 TLB)  He calls to the storm winds; the waves rise high.

       (Psa 107:26 TLB)  Their ships are tossed to the heavens and sink again 
       to the depths; the sailors cringe in terror.

       (Psa 107:27 TLB)  They reel and stagger like drunkards and are at 
       their wit's end.

       (Psa 107:28 TLB)  Then they cry to the Lord in their trouble, and he 
       saves them.

       (Psa 107:29 TLB)  He calms the storm and stills the waves.

       (Psa 107:30 TLB)  What a blessing is that stillness as he brings them 
       safely into harbor!

       (Psa 107:31 TLB)  Oh, that these men would praise the Lord for his 
       loving-kindness and for all of his wonderful deeds!

       (Psa 107:32 TLB)  Let them praise him publicly before the congregation 
       and before the leaders of the nation.

       (Psa 107:33 TLB)  He dries up rivers

       (Psa 107:34 TLB)  and turns the good land of the wicked into deserts 
       of salt.

       (Psa 107:35 TLB)  Again, he turns deserts into fertile, watered 
       valleys.

       (Psa 107:36 TLB)  He brings the hungry to settle there and build their 
       cities,

       (Psa 107:37 TLB)  to sow their fields and plant their vineyards, and 
       reap their bumper crops!

       (Psa 107:38 TLB)  How he blesses them! They raise big families there 
       and many cattle.

       (Psa 107:39 TLB)  But others become poor through oppression, trouble, 
       and sorrow.

       (Psa 107:40 TLB)  For God pours contempt upon the haughty and causes 
       princes to wander among ruins;

       (Psa 107:41 TLB)  but he rescues the poor who are godly and gives them 
       many children and much prosperity.

       (Psa 107:42 TLB)  Good men everywhere will see it and be glad, while 
       evil men are stricken silent.

       (Psa 107:43 TLB)  Listen, if you are wise, to what I am saying. Think 
       about the loving-kindness of the Lord!

       (Psa 108:1 TLB)  O God, my heart is ready to praise you! I will sing 
       and rejoice before you.






       (Psa 108:2 TLB)  Wake up, O harp and lyre! We will meet the dawn with 
       song.

       (Psa 108:3 TLB)  I will praise you everywhere around the world, in 
       every nation.

       (Psa 108:4 TLB)  For your loving-kindness is great beyond measure, 
       high as the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches the skies.

       (Psa 108:5 TLB)  His glory is far more vast than the heavens. It 
       towers above the earth.

       (Psa 108:6 TLB)  Hear the cry of your beloved child--come with mighty 
       power and rescue me.

       (Psa 108:7 TLB)  God has given sacred promises; no wonder I exult! He 
       has promised to give us all the land of Shechem and also Succoth 
       Valley.

       (Psa 108:8 TLB)  "Gilead is mine to give to you," he says, "and 
       Manasseh as well; the land of Ephraim is the helmet on my head. Judah 
       is my scepter.

       (Psa 108:9 TLB)  But Moab and Edom are despised; and I will shout in 
       triumph over the Philistines."

       (Psa 108:10 TLB)  Who but God can give me strength to conquer these 
       fortified cities? Who else can lead me into Edom?

       (Psa 108:11 TLB)  Lord, have you thrown us away? Have you deserted our 
       army?

       (Psa 108:12 TLB)  Oh, help us fight against our enemies, for men are 
       useless allies.

       (Psa 108:13 TLB)  But with the help of God we shall do mighty acts of 
       valor. For he treads down our foes.

       (Psa 109:1 TLB)  O God of my praise, don't stand silent and aloof

       (Psa 109:2 TLB)  while the wicked slander me and tell their lies.

       (Psa 109:3 TLB)  They have no reason to hate and fight me, yet they 
       do!

       (Psa 109:4 TLB)  I love them, but even while I am praying for them, 
       they are trying to destroy me.

       (Psa 109:5 TLB)  They return evil for good, and hatred for love.

       (Psa 109:6 TLB)  Show him how it feels! Let lies be told about him, 
       and bring him to court before an unfair judge.

       (Psa 109:7 TLB)  When his case is called for judgment, let him be 
       pronounced guilty. Count his prayers as sins.






       (Psa 109:8 TLB)  Let his years be few and brief; let others step 
       forward to replace him.

       (Psa 109:9 TLB)  May his children become fatherless and his wife a 
       widow; may they be evicted from the ruins of their home.

       (Psa 109:10 TLB)  

       (Psa 109:11 TLB)  May creditors seize his entire estate and strangers 
       take all he has earned.

       (Psa 109:12 TLB)  Let no one be kind to him; let no one pity his 
       fatherless children. May they die. May his family name be blotted out 
       in a single generation.

       (Psa 109:13 TLB)  

       (Psa 109:14 TLB)  Punish the sins of his father and mother. Don't 
       overlook them.

       (Psa 109:15 TLB)  Think constantly about the evil things he has done, 
       and cut off his name from the memory of man.

       (Psa 109:16 TLB)  For he refused all kindness to others, and 
       persecuted those in need, and hounded brokenhearted ones to death.

       (Psa 109:17 TLB)  He loved to curse others; now you curse him. He 
       never blessed others; now don't you bless him.

       (Psa 109:18 TLB)  Cursing is as much a part of him as his clothing, or 
       as the water he drinks, or the rich food he eats.

       (Psa 109:19 TLB)  Now may those curses return and cling to him like 
       his clothing or his belt.

       (Psa 109:20 TLB)  This is the Lord's punishment upon my enemies who 
       tell lies about me and threaten me with death.

       (Psa 109:21 TLB)  But as for me, O Lord, deal with me as your child, 
       as one who bears your name! Because you are so kind, O Lord, deliver 
       me.

       (Psa 109:22 TLB)  I am slipping down the hill to death; I am shaken 
       off from life as easily as a man brushes a grasshopper from his arm.

       (Psa 109:23 TLB)  

       (Psa 109:24 TLB)  My knees are weak from fasting, and I am skin and 
       bones.

       (Psa 109:25 TLB)  I am a symbol of failure to all mankind; when they 
       see me they shake their heads.

       (Psa 109:26 TLB)  Help me, O Lord my God! Save me because you are 
       loving and kind.






       (Psa 109:27 TLB)  Do it publicly, so all will see that you yourself 
       have done it.

       (Psa 109:28 TLB)  Then let them curse me if they like--I won't mind 
       that if you are blessing me! For then all their efforts to destroy me 
       will fail, and I shall go right on rejoicing!

       (Psa 109:29 TLB)  Make them fail in everything they do. Clothe them 
       with disgrace.

       (Psa 109:30 TLB)  But I will give repeated thanks to the Lord, 
       praising him to everyone.

       (Psa 109:31 TLB)  For he stands beside the poor and hungry to save 
       them from their enemies.

       (Psa 110:1 TLB)  Jehovah said to my Lord the Messiah, "Rule as my 
       regent--I will subdue your enemies and make them bow low before you."

       (Psa 110:2 TLB)  Jehovah has established your throne in Jerusalem to 
       rule over your enemies.

       (Psa 110:3 TLB)  In that day of your power your people shall come to 
       you willingly, dressed in holy altar robes. And your strength shall be 
       renewed day by day like morning dew.

       (Psa 110:4 TLB)  Jehovah has taken oath and will not rescind his vow 
       that you are a priest forever like Melchizedek.

       (Psa 110:5 TLB)  God stands beside you to protect you. He will strike 
       down many kings in the day of his anger.

       (Psa 110:6 TLB)  He will punish the nations and fill them with their 
       dead. He will crush many heads.

       (Psa 110:7 TLB)  But he himself shall be refreshed from springs along 
       the way.

       (Psa 111:1 TLB)  Hallelujah! I want to express publicly before his 
       people my heartfelt thanks to God for his mighty miracles. All who are 
       thankful should ponder them with me.

       (Psa 111:2 TLB)  

       (Psa 111:3 TLB)  For his miracles demonstrate his honor, majesty, and 
       eternal goodness.

       (Psa 111:4 TLB)  Who can forget the wonders he performs--deeds of 
       mercy and of grace?

       (Psa 111:5 TLB)  He gives food to those who trust him; he never 
       forgets his promises.

       (Psa 111:6 TLB)  He has shown his great power to his people by giving 
       them the land of Israel, though it was the home of many nations living 





       there.

       (Psa 111:7 TLB)  All he does is just and good, and all his laws are 
       right,

       (Psa 111:8 TLB)  for they are formed from truth and goodness and stand 
       firm forever.

       (Psa 111:9 TLB)  He has paid a full ransom for his people; now they 
       are always free to come to Jehovah (what a holy, awe-inspiring name 
       that is).

       (Psa 111:10 TLB)  How can men be wise? The only way to begin is by 
       reverence for God. For growth in wisdom comes from obeying his laws. 
       Praise his name forever.

       (Psa 112:1 TLB)  Praise the Lord! For all who fear God and trust in 
       him are blessed beyond expression. Yes, happy is the man who delights 
       in doing his commands.

       (Psa 112:2 TLB)  His children shall be honored everywhere, for good 
       men's sons have a special heritage.

       (Psa 112:3 TLB)  He himself shall be wealthy, and his good deeds will 
       never be forgotten.

       (Psa 112:4 TLB)  When darkness overtakes him, light will come bursting 
       in. He is kind and merciful--

       (Psa 112:5 TLB)  and all goes well for the generous man who conducts 
       his business fairly.

       (Psa 112:6 TLB)  Such a man will not be overthrown by evil 
       circumstances. God's constant care of him will make a deep impression 
       on all who see it.

       (Psa 112:7 TLB)  He does not fear bad news, nor live in dread of what 
       may happen. For he is settled in his mind that Jehovah will take care 
       of him.

       (Psa 112:8 TLB)  That is why he is not afraid but can calmly face his 
       foes.

       (Psa 112:9 TLB)  He gives generously to those in need. His deeds will 
       never be forgotten. He shall have influence and honor.

       (Psa 112:10 TLB)  Evil-minded men will be infuriated when they see all 
       this; they will gnash their teeth in anger and slink away, their hopes 
       thwarted.

       (Psa 113:1 TLB)  Hallelujah! O servants of Jehovah, praise his name.

       (Psa 113:2 TLB)  Blessed is his name forever and forever.

       (Psa 113:3 TLB)  Praise him from sunrise to sunset!





       (Psa 113:4 TLB)  For he is high above the nations; his glory is far 
       greater than the heavens.

       (Psa 113:5 TLB)  Who can be compared with God enthroned on high?

       (Psa 113:6 TLB)  Far below him are the heavens and the earth; he 
       stoops to look,

       (Psa 113:7 TLB)  and lifts the poor from the dirt and the hungry from 
       the garbage dump,

       (Psa 113:8 TLB)  and sets them among princes!

       (Psa 113:9 TLB)  He gives children to the childless wife, so that she 
       becomes a happy mother. Hallelujah! Praise the Lord.

       (Psa 114:1 TLB)  Long ago when the Israelis escaped from Egypt, from 
       that land of foreign tongue,

       (Psa 114:2 TLB)  then the lands of Judah and of Israel became God's 
       new home and kingdom.

       (Psa 114:3 TLB)  The Red Sea saw them coming and quickly broke apart 
       before them. The Jordan River opened up a path for them to cross.

       (Psa 114:4 TLB)  The mountains skipped like rams, the little hills 
       like lambs!

       (Psa 114:5 TLB)  What's wrong, Red Sea, that made you cut yourself in 
       two? What happened, Jordan River, to your waters? Why were they held 
       back?

       (Psa 114:6 TLB)  Why, mountains, did you skip like rams? Why, little 
       hills, like lambs?

       (Psa 114:7 TLB)  Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, the 
       God of Jacob.

       (Psa 114:8 TLB)  For he caused gushing streams to burst from flinty 
       rock.

       (Psa 115:1 TLB)  Glorify your name, not ours, O Lord! Cause everyone 
       to praise your loving-kindness and your truth.

       (Psa 115:2 TLB)  Why let the nations say, "Their God is dead!"

       (Psa 115:3 TLB)  For he is in the heavens and does as he wishes.

       (Psa 115:4 TLB)  Their gods are merely manmade things of silver and of 
       gold.

       (Psa 115:5 TLB)  They can't talk or see, despite their eyes and 
       mouths!

       (Psa 115:6 TLB)  Nor can they hear, nor smell,





       (Psa 115:7 TLB)  nor use their hands or feet, nor speak!

       (Psa 115:8 TLB)  And those who make and worship them are just as 
       foolish as their idols are.

       (Psa 115:9 TLB)  O Israel, trust the Lord! He is your helper. He is 
       your shield.

       (Psa 115:10 TLB)  O priests of Aaron, trust the Lord! He is your 
       helper; he is your shield.

       (Psa 115:11 TLB)  All of you, his people, trust in him. He is your 
       helper; he is your shield.

       (Psa 115:12 TLB)  Jehovah is constantly thinking about us, and he will 
       surely bless us. He will bless the people of Israel and the priests of 
       Aaron,

       (Psa 115:13 TLB)  and all, both great and small, who reverence him.

       (Psa 115:14 TLB)  May the Lord richly bless both you and your 
       children.

       (Psa 115:15 TLB)  Yes, Jehovah who made heaven and earth will 
       personally bless you!

       (Psa 115:16 TLB)  The heavens belong to the Lord, but he has given the 
       earth to all mankind.

       (Psa 115:17 TLB)  The dead cannot sing praises to Jehovah here on 
       earth,

       (Psa 115:18 TLB)  but we can! We praise him forever! Hallelujah! 
       Praise the Lord!

       (Psa 116:1 TLB)  I love the Lord because he hears my prayers and 
       answers them.

       (Psa 116:2 TLB)  Because he bends down and listens, I will pray as 
       long as I breathe!

       (Psa 116:3 TLB)  Death stared me in the face--I was frightened and 
       sad.

       (Psa 116:4 TLB)  Then I cried, "Lord, save me!"

       (Psa 116:5 TLB)  How kind he is! How good he is! So merciful, this God 
       of ours!

       (Psa 116:6 TLB)  The Lord protects the simple and the childlike; I was 
       facing death, and then he saved me.

       (Psa 116:7 TLB)  Now I can relax. For the Lord has done this wonderful 
       miracle for me.

       (Psa 116:8 TLB)  He has saved me from death, my eyes from tears, my 





       feet from stumbling.

       (Psa 116:9 TLB)  I shall live! Yes, in his presence--here on earth!

       (Psa 116:10 TLB)  In my discouragement I thought, "They are lying when 
       they say I will recover."

       (Psa 116:11 TLB)  

       (Psa 116:12 TLB)  But now what can I offer Jehovah for all he has done 
       for me?

       (Psa 116:13 TLB)  I will bring him an offering of wine and praise his 
       name for saving me.

       (Psa 116:14 TLB)  I will publicly bring him the sacrifice I vowed I 
       would.

       (Psa 116:15 TLB)  His loved ones are very precious to him, and he does 
       not lightly let them die.

       (Psa 116:16 TLB)  O Lord, you have freed me from my bonds, and I will 
       serve you forever.

       (Psa 116:17 TLB)  I will worship you and offer you a sacrifice of 
       thanksgiving.

       (Psa 116:18 TLB)  Here in the courts of the Temple in Jerusalem, 
       before all the people, I will pay everything I vowed to the Lord. 
       Praise the Lord.

       (Psa 116:19 TLB)  

       (Psa 117:1 TLB)  Praise the Lord, all nations everywhere. Praise him, 
       all the peoples of the earth.

       (Psa 117:2 TLB)  For he loves us very dearly, and his truth endures. 
       Praise the Lord.

       (Psa 118:1 TLB)  Oh, thank the Lord, for he's so good! His 
       loving-kindness is forever.

       (Psa 118:2 TLB)  Let the congregation of Israel praise him with these 
       same words: "His loving-kindness is forever."

       (Psa 118:3 TLB)  And let the priests of Aaron chant, "His 
       loving-kindness is forever."

       (Psa 118:4 TLB)  Let the Gentile converts chant, "His loving-kindness 
       is forever."

       (Psa 118:5 TLB)  In my distress I prayed to the Lord, and he answered 
       me and rescued me.

       (Psa 118:6 TLB)  He is for me! How can I be afraid? What can mere man 
       do to me?






       (Psa 118:7 TLB)  The Lord is on my side; he will help me. Let those 
       who hate me beware.

       (Psa 118:8 TLB)  It is better to trust the Lord than to put confidence 
       in men.

       (Psa 118:9 TLB)  It is better to take refuge in him than in the 
       mightiest king!

       (Psa 118:10 TLB)  Though all the nations of the world attack me, I 
       will march out behind his banner and destroy them.

       (Psa 118:11 TLB)  Yes, they surround and attack me; but with his flag 
       flying above me I will cut them off.

       (Psa 118:12 TLB)  They swarm around me like bees; they blaze against 
       me like a roaring flame. Yet beneath his flag I shall destroy them.

       (Psa 118:13 TLB)  You did your best to kill me, O my enemy, but the 
       Lord helped me.

       (Psa 118:14 TLB)  He is my strength and song in the heat of battle, 
       and now he has given me the victory.

       (Psa 118:15 TLB)  Songs of joy at the news of our rescue are sung in 
       the homes of the godly. The strong arm of the Lord has done glorious 
       things!

       (Psa 118:16 TLB)  

       (Psa 118:17 TLB)  I shall not die but live to tell of all his deeds.

       (Psa 118:18 TLB)  The Lord has punished me but not handed me over to 
       death.

       (Psa 118:19 TLB)  Open the gates of the Temple--I will go in and give 
       him my thanks.

       (Psa 118:20 TLB)  Those gates are the way into the presence of the 
       Lord, and the godly enter there.

       (Psa 118:21 TLB)  O Lord, thank you so much for answering my prayer 
       and saving me.

       (Psa 118:22 TLB)  The stone rejected by the builders has now become 
       the capstone of the arch!

       (Psa 118:23 TLB)  This is the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous to 
       see!

       (Psa 118:24 TLB)  This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice 
       and be glad in it.

       (Psa 118:25 TLB)  O Lord, please help us. Save us. Give us success.





       (Psa 118:26 TLB)  Blessed is the one who is coming, the one sent by 
       the Lord. We bless you from the Temple.

       (Psa 118:27 TLB)  Jehovah God is our light. I present to him my 
       sacrifice upon the altar, for you are my God, and I shall give you 
       this thanks and this praise.

       (Psa 118:28 TLB)  

       (Psa 118:29 TLB)  Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for he is so good! For 
       his loving-kindness is forever.

       (Psa 119:1 TLB)  Happy are all who perfectly follow the laws of God.

       (Psa 119:2 TLB)  Happy are all who search for God and always do his 
       will,

       (Psa 119:3 TLB)  rejecting compromise with evil and walking only in 
       his paths.

       (Psa 119:4 TLB)  You have given us your laws to obey--

       (Psa 119:5 TLB)  oh, how I want to follow them consistently.

       (Psa 119:6 TLB)  Then I will not be disgraced, for I will have a clean 
       record.

       (Psa 119:7 TLB)  After you have corrected me, I will thank you by 
       living as I should!

       (Psa 119:8 TLB)  I will obey! Oh, don't forsake me and let me slip 
       back into sin again.

       (Psa 119:9 TLB)  How can a young man stay pure? By reading your Word 
       and following its rules.

       (Psa 119:10 TLB)  I have tried my best to find you--don't let me 
       wander off from your instructions.

       (Psa 119:11 TLB)  I have thought much about your words and stored them 
       in my heart so that they would hold me back from sin.

       (Psa 119:12 TLB)  Blessed Lord, teach me your rules.

       (Psa 119:13 TLB)  I have recited your laws

       (Psa 119:14 TLB)  and rejoiced in them more than in riches.

       (Psa 119:15 TLB)  I will meditate upon them and give them my full 
       respect.

       (Psa 119:16 TLB)  I will delight in them and not forget them.

       (Psa 119:17 TLB)  Bless me with life so that I can continue to obey 
       you.





       (Psa 119:18 TLB)  Open my eyes to see wonderful things in your Word.

       (Psa 119:19 TLB)  I am but a pilgrim here on earth: how I need a 
       map--and your commands are my chart and guide.

       (Psa 119:20 TLB)  I long for your instructions more than I can tell.

       (Psa 119:21 TLB)  You rebuke those cursed proud ones who refuse your 
       commands--

       (Psa 119:22 TLB)  don't let them scorn me for obeying you.

       (Psa 119:23 TLB)  For even princes sit and talk against me, but I will 
       continue in your plans.

       (Psa 119:24 TLB)  Your laws are both my light and my counselors.

       (Psa 119:25 TLB)  I am completely discouraged--I lie in the dust. 
       Revive me by your Word.

       (Psa 119:26 TLB)  I told you my plans and you replied. Now give me 
       your instructions.

       (Psa 119:27 TLB)  Make me understand what you want; for then I shall 
       see your miracles.

       (Psa 119:28 TLB)  I weep with grief; my heart is heavy with sorrow; 
       encourage and cheer me with your words.

       (Psa 119:29 TLB)  Keep me far from every wrong; help me, undeserving 
       as I am, to obey your laws, for I have chosen to do right.

       (Psa 119:30 TLB)  

       (Psa 119:31 TLB)  I cling to your commands and follow them as closely 
       as I can. Lord, don't let me make a mess of things.

       (Psa 119:32 TLB)  If you will only help me to want your will, then I 
       will follow your laws even more closely.

       (Psa 119:33 TLB)  Just tell me what to do and I will do it, Lord. As 
       long as I live I'll wholeheartedly obey.

       (Psa 119:34 TLB)  

       (Psa 119:35 TLB)  Make me walk along the right paths, for I know how 
       delightful they really are.

       (Psa 119:36 TLB)  Help me to prefer obedience to making money!

       (Psa 119:37 TLB)  Turn me away from wanting any other plan than yours. 
       Revive my heart toward you.

       (Psa 119:38 TLB)  Reassure me that your promises are for me, for I 
       trust and revere you.





       (Psa 119:39 TLB)  How I dread being mocked for obeying, for your laws 
       are right and good.

       (Psa 119:40 TLB)  I long to obey them!

       (Psa 119:41 TLB)  Therefore in fairness renew my life, for this was 
       your promise--yes, Lord, to save me! Now spare me by your kindness and 
       your love.

       (Psa 119:42 TLB)  Then I will have an answer for those who taunt me, 
       for I trust your promises.

       (Psa 119:43 TLB)  May I never forget your words, for they are my only 
       hope.

       (Psa 119:44 TLB)  Therefore I will keep on obeying you forever and 
       forever, free within the limits of your laws. I will speak to kings 
       about their value, and they will listen with interest and respect.

       (Psa 119:45 TLB)  

       (Psa 119:46 TLB)  

       (Psa 119:47 TLB)  How I love your laws! How I enjoy your commands!

       (Psa 119:48 TLB)  "Come, come to me," I call to them, for I love them 
       and will let them fill my life.

       (Psa 119:49 TLB)  Never forget your promises to me your servant, for 
       they are my only hope. They give me strength in all my troubles; how 
       they refresh and revive me!

       (Psa 119:50 TLB)  

       (Psa 119:51 TLB)  Proud men hold me in contempt for obedience to God, 
       but I stand unmoved.

       (Psa 119:52 TLB)  From my earliest youth I have tried to obey you; 
       your Word has been my comfort.

       (Psa 119:53 TLB)  I am very angry with those who spurn your commands.

       (Psa 119:54 TLB)  For these laws of yours have been my source of joy 
       and singing through all these years of my earthly pilgrimage.

       (Psa 119:55 TLB)  I obey them even at night and keep my thoughts, O 
       Lord, on you.

       (Psa 119:56 TLB)  What a blessing this has been to me--to constantly 
       obey.

       (Psa 119:57 TLB)  Jehovah is mine! And I promise to obey!

       (Psa 119:58 TLB)  With all my heart I want your blessings. Be merciful 
       just as you promised.





       (Psa 119:59 TLB)  I thought about the wrong direction in which I was 
       headed, and turned around and came running back to you.

       (Psa 119:60 TLB)  

       (Psa 119:61 TLB)  Evil men have tried to drag me into sin, but I am 
       firmly anchored to your laws.

       (Psa 119:62 TLB)  At midnight I will rise to give my thanks to you for 
       your good laws.

       (Psa 119:63 TLB)  Anyone is my brother who fears and trusts the Lord 
       and obeys him.

       (Psa 119:64 TLB)  O Lord, the earth is full of your loving-kindness! 
       Teach me your good paths.

       (Psa 119:65 TLB)  Lord, I am overflowing with your blessings, just as 
       you promised.

       (Psa 119:66 TLB)  Now teach me good judgment as well as knowledge. For 
       your laws are my guide.

       (Psa 119:67 TLB)  I used to wander off until you punished me; now I 
       closely follow all you say.

       (Psa 119:68 TLB)  You are good and do only good; make me follow your 
       lead.

       (Psa 119:69 TLB)  Proud men have made up lies about me, but the truth 
       is that I obey your laws with all my heart.

       (Psa 119:70 TLB)  Their minds are dull and stupid, but I have sense 
       enough to follow you.

       (Psa 119:71 TLB)  The punishment you gave me was the best thing that 
       could have happened to me,

       (Psa 119:72 TLB)  for it taught me to pay attention to your laws. They 
       are more valuable to me than millions in silver and gold!

       (Psa 119:73 TLB)  You made my body, Lord; now give me sense to heed 
       your laws.

       (Psa 119:74 TLB)  All those who fear and trust in you will welcome me 
       because I too am trusting in your Word.

       (Psa 119:75 TLB)  I know, O Lord, that your decisions are right and 
       that your punishment was right and did me good.

       (Psa 119:76 TLB)  Now let your loving-kindness comfort me, just as you 
       promised.

       (Psa 119:77 TLB)  Surround me with your tender mercies that I may 
       live. For your law is my delight.





       (Psa 119:78 TLB)  Let the proud be disgraced, for they have cut me 
       down with all their lies. But I will concentrate my thoughts upon your 
       laws.

       (Psa 119:79 TLB)  Let all others join me who trust and fear you, and 
       we will discuss your laws.

       (Psa 119:80 TLB)  Help me to love your every wish; then I will never 
       have to be ashamed of myself.

       (Psa 119:81 TLB)  I faint for your salvation; but I expect your help, 
       for you have promised it.

       (Psa 119:82 TLB)  My eyes are straining to see your promises come 
       true. When will you comfort me with your help?

       (Psa 119:83 TLB)  I am shriveled like a wineskin in the smoke, 
       exhausted with waiting. But still I cling to your laws and obey them.

       (Psa 119:84 TLB)  How long must I wait before you punish those who 
       persecute me?

       (Psa 119:85 TLB)  These proud men who hate your truth and laws have 
       dug deep pits for me to fall in. Their lies have brought me into deep 
       trouble. Help me, for you love only truth.

       (Psa 119:86 TLB)  

       (Psa 119:87 TLB)  They had almost finished me off, yet I refused to 
       yield and disobey your laws.

       (Psa 119:88 TLB)  In your kindness, spare my life; then I can continue 
       to obey you.

       (Psa 119:89 TLB)  Forever, O Lord, your Word stands firm in heaven.

       (Psa 119:90 TLB)  Your faithfulness extends to every generation, like 
       the earth you created; it endures by your decree, for everything 
       serves your plans.

       (Psa 119:91 TLB)  

       (Psa 119:92 TLB)  I would have despaired and perished unless your laws 
       had been my deepest delight.

       (Psa 119:93 TLB)  I will never lay aside your laws, for you have used 
       them to restore my joy and health.

       (Psa 119:94 TLB)  I am yours! Save me! For I have tried to live 
       according to your desires.

       (Psa 119:95 TLB)  Though the wicked hide along the way to kill me, I 
       will quietly keep my mind upon your promises.

       (Psa 119:96 TLB)  Nothing is perfect except your words.





       (Psa 119:97 TLB)  Oh, how I love them. I think about them all day 
       long.

       (Psa 119:98 TLB)  They make me wiser than my enemies because they are 
       my constant guide.

       (Psa 119:99 TLB)  Yes, wiser than my teachers, for I am ever thinking 
       of your rules.

       (Psa 119:100 TLB)  They make me even wiser than the aged.

       (Psa 119:101 TLB)  I have refused to walk the paths of evil, for I 
       will remain obedient to your Word.

       (Psa 119:102 TLB)  No, I haven't turned away from what you taught me; 
       your words are sweeter than honey.

       (Psa 119:103 TLB)  

       (Psa 119:104 TLB)  And since only your rules can give me wisdom and 
       understanding, no wonder I hate every false teaching.

       (Psa 119:105 TLB)  Your words are a flashlight to light the path ahead 
       of me and keep me from stumbling.

       (Psa 119:106 TLB)  I've said it once and I'll say it again and again: 
       I will obey these wonderful laws of yours.

       (Psa 119:107 TLB)  I am close to death at the hands of my enemies; oh, 
       give me back my life again, just as you promised me.

       (Psa 119:108 TLB)  Accept my grateful thanks and teach me your 
       desires.

       (Psa 119:109 TLB)  My life hangs in the balance, but I will not give 
       up obedience to your laws.

       (Psa 119:110 TLB)  The wicked have set their traps for me along your 
       path, but I will not turn aside.

       (Psa 119:111 TLB)  Your laws are my joyous treasure forever.

       (Psa 119:112 TLB)  I am determined to obey you until I die.

       (Psa 119:113 TLB)  I hate those who are undecided whether or not to 
       obey you; but my choice is clear--I love your law.

       (Psa 119:114 TLB)  You are my refuge and my shield, and your promises 
       are my only source of hope.

       (Psa 119:115 TLB)  Begone, you evil-minded men! Don't try to stop me 
       from obeying God's commands.

       (Psa 119:116 TLB)  Lord, you promised to let me live! Never let it be 
       said that God failed me.





       (Psa 119:117 TLB)  Hold me safe above the heads of all my enemies; 
       then I can continue to obey your laws.

       (Psa 119:118 TLB)  But you have rejected all who reject your laws. 
       They are only fooling themselves.

       (Psa 119:119 TLB)  The wicked are the scum you skim off and throw 
       away; no wonder I love to obey your laws!

       (Psa 119:120 TLB)  I tremble in fear of you; I fear your punishments.

       (Psa 119:121 TLB)  Don't leave me to the mercy of my enemies, for I 
       have done what is right; I've been perfectly fair.

       (Psa 119:122 TLB)  Commit yourself to bless me! Don't let the proud 
       oppress me!

       (Psa 119:123 TLB)  My eyes grow dim with longing for you to fulfill 
       your wonderful promise to rescue me.

       (Psa 119:124 TLB)  Lord, deal with me in loving-kindness, and teach 
       me, your servant, to obey;

       (Psa 119:125 TLB)  for I am your servant; therefore give me common 
       sense to apply your rules to everything I do.

       (Psa 119:126 TLB)  Lord, it is time for you to act. For these evil men 
       have violated your laws,

       (Psa 119:127 TLB)  while I love your commandments more than the finest 
       gold.

       (Psa 119:128 TLB)  Every law of God is right, whatever it concerns. I 
       hate every other way.

       (Psa 119:129 TLB)  Your laws are wonderful; no wonder I obey them.

       (Psa 119:130 TLB)  As your plan unfolds, even the simple can 
       understand it.

       (Psa 119:131 TLB)  No wonder I wait expectantly for each of your 
       commands.

       (Psa 119:132 TLB)  Come and have mercy on me as is your way with those 
       who love you.

       (Psa 119:133 TLB)  Guide me with your laws so that I will not be 
       overcome by evil.

       (Psa 119:134 TLB)  Rescue me from the oppression of evil men; then I 
       can obey you.

       (Psa 119:135 TLB)  Look down in love upon me and teach me all your 
       laws.

       (Psa 119:136 TLB)  I weep because your laws are disobeyed.






       (Psa 119:137 TLB)  O Lord, you are just and your punishments are fair.

       (Psa 119:138 TLB)  Your demands are just and right.

       (Psa 119:139 TLB)  I am indignant and angry because of the way my 
       enemies have disregarded your laws.

       (Psa 119:140 TLB)  I have thoroughly tested your promises, and that is 
       why I love them so much.

       (Psa 119:141 TLB)  I am worthless and despised, but I don't despise 
       your laws.

       (Psa 119:142 TLB)  Your justice is eternal for your laws are perfectly 
       fair.

       (Psa 119:143 TLB)  In my distress and anguish your commandments 
       comfort me.

       (Psa 119:144 TLB)  Your laws are always fair; help me to understand 
       them, and I shall live.

       (Psa 119:145 TLB)  I am praying with great earnestness; answer me, O 
       Lord, and I will obey your laws.

       (Psa 119:146 TLB)  "Save me," I cry, "for I am obeying."

       (Psa 119:147 TLB)  Early in the morning before the sun is up, I am 
       praying and pointing out how much I trust in you.

       (Psa 119:148 TLB)  I stay awake through the night to think about your 
       promises.

       (Psa 119:149 TLB)  Because you are so loving and kind, listen to me 
       and make me well again.

       (Psa 119:150 TLB)  Here come these lawless men to attack me,

       (Psa 119:151 TLB)  but you are near, O Lord; all your commandments are 
       based on truth.

       (Psa 119:152 TLB)  I have known from earliest days that your will 
       never changes.

       (Psa 119:153 TLB)  Look down upon my sorrows and rescue me, for I am 
       obeying your commands.

       (Psa 119:154 TLB)  Yes, rescue me and give me back my life again just 
       as you have promised.

       (Psa 119:155 TLB)  The wicked are far from salvation, for they do not 
       care for your laws.

       (Psa 119:156 TLB)  Lord, how great is your mercy; oh, give me back my 
       life again.






       (Psa 119:157 TLB)  My enemies are so many. They try to make me 
       disobey, but I have not swerved from your will.

       (Psa 119:158 TLB)  I loathed these traitors because they care nothing 
       for your laws.

       (Psa 119:159 TLB)  Lord, see how much I really love your demands. Now 
       give me back my life and health because you are so kind.

       (Psa 119:160 TLB)  There is utter truth in all your laws; your decrees 
       are eternal.

       (Psa 119:161 TLB)  Great men have persecuted me, though they have no 
       reason to, but I stand in awe of only your words.

       (Psa 119:162 TLB)  I rejoice in your laws like one who finds a great 
       treasure.

       (Psa 119:163 TLB)  How I hate all falsehood, but how I love your laws.

       (Psa 119:164 TLB)  I will praise you seven times a day because of your 
       wonderful laws.

       (Psa 119:165 TLB)  Those who love your laws have great peace of heart 
       and mind and do not stumble.

       (Psa 119:166 TLB)  I long for your salvation, Lord, and so I have 
       obeyed your laws.

       (Psa 119:167 TLB)  I have looked for your commandments, and I love 
       them very much;

       (Psa 119:168 TLB)  yes, I have searched for them. You know this 
       because everything I do is known to you.

       (Psa 119:169 TLB)  O Lord, listen to my prayers; give me the common 
       sense you promised.

       (Psa 119:170 TLB)  Hear my prayers; rescue me as you said you would.

       (Psa 119:171 TLB)  I praise you for letting me learn your laws.

       (Psa 119:172 TLB)  I will sing about their wonder, for each of them is 
       just.

       (Psa 119:173 TLB)  Stand ready to help me because I have chosen to 
       follow your will.

       (Psa 119:174 TLB)  O Lord, I have longed for your salvation, and your 
       law is my delight.

       (Psa 119:175 TLB)  If you will let me live, I will praise you; let 
       your laws assist me.

       (Psa 119:176 TLB)  I have wandered away like a lost sheep; come and 





       find me, for I have not turned away from your commandments.

       (Psa 120:1 TLB)  In my troubles I pled with God to help me and he did!

       (Psa 120:2 TLB)  Deliver me, O Lord, from liars.

       (Psa 120:3 TLB)  O lying tongue, what shall be your fate?

       (Psa 120:4 TLB)  You shall be pierced with sharp arrows and burned 
       with glowing coals.

       (Psa 120:5 TLB)  My troubles pile high among these haters of the Lord, 
       these men of Meshech and Kedar. I am tired of being here among these 
       men who hate peace.

       (Psa 120:6 TLB)  

       (Psa 120:7 TLB)  I am for peace, but they are for war, and my voice 
       goes unheeded in their councils.

       (Psa 121:1 TLB)  Shall I look to the mountain gods for help?

       (Psa 121:2 TLB)  No! My help is from Jehovah who made the mountains! 
       And the heavens too!

       (Psa 121:3 TLB)  He will never let me stumble, slip, or fall. For he 
       is always watching, never sleeping.

       (Psa 121:4 TLB)  

       (Psa 121:5 TLB)  Jehovah himself is caring for you! He is your 
       defender.

       (Psa 121:6 TLB)  He protects you day and night.

       (Psa 121:7 TLB)  He keeps you from all evil and preserves your life.

       (Psa 121:8 TLB)  He keeps his eye upon you as you come and go and 
       always guards you.

       (Psa 122:1 TLB)  I was glad for the suggestion of going to Jerusalem, 
       to the Temple of the Lord.

       (Psa 122:2 TLB)  Now we are standing here inside the crowded city.

       (Psa 122:3 TLB)  

       (Psa 122:4 TLB)  All Israel--Jehovah's people--have come to worship as 
       the law requires, to thank and praise the Lord.

       (Psa 122:5 TLB)  Look! There are the judges holding court beside the 
       city gates, deciding all the people's arguments.

       (Psa 122:6 TLB)  Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. May all who love 
       this city prosper.





       (Psa 122:7 TLB)  O Jerusalem, may there be peace within your walls and 
       prosperity in your palaces.

       (Psa 122:8 TLB)  This I ask for the sake of all my brothers and my 
       friends who live here;

       (Psa 122:9 TLB)  and may there be peace as a protection to the Temple 
       of the Lord.

       (Psa 123:1 TLB)  O God enthroned in heaven, I lift my eyes to you.

       (Psa 123:2 TLB)  We look to Jehovah our God for his mercy and kindness 
       just as a servant keeps his eyes upon his master or a slave girl 
       watches her mistress for the slightest signal.

       (Psa 123:3 TLB)  Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy. For we have had 
       our fill of contempt and of the scoffing of the rich and proud.

       (Psa 123:4 TLB)  

       (Psa 124:1 TLB)  If the Lord had not been on our side (let all Israel 
       admit it), if the Lord had not been on our side,

       (Psa 124:2 TLB)  we would have been swallowed alive by our enemies, 
       destroyed by their anger.

       (Psa 124:3 TLB)  

       (Psa 124:4 TLB)  We would have drowned beneath the flood of these 
       men's fury and pride.

       (Psa 124:5 TLB)  

       (Psa 124:6 TLB)  Blessed be Jehovah who has not let them devour us.

       (Psa 124:7 TLB)  We have escaped with our lives as a bird from a 
       hunter's snare. The snare is broken and we are free!

       (Psa 124:8 TLB)  Our help is from the Lord who made heaven and earth.

       (Psa 125:1 TLB)  Those who trust in the Lord are steady as Mount Zion, 
       unmoved by any circumstance.

       (Psa 125:2 TLB)  Just as the mountains surround and protect Jerusalem, 
       so the Lord surrounds and protects his people.

       (Psa 125:3 TLB)  For the wicked shall not rule the godly, lest the 
       godly be forced to do wrong.

       (Psa 125:4 TLB)  O Lord, do good to those who are good, whose hearts 
       are right with the Lord;

       (Psa 125:5 TLB)  but lead evil men to execution. And let Israel have 
       quietness and peace.

       (Psa 126:1 TLB)  When Jehovah brought back his exiles to Jerusalem, it 





       was like a dream!

       (Psa 126:2 TLB)  How we laughed and sang for joy. And the other 
       nations said, "What amazing things the Lord has done for them."

       (Psa 126:3 TLB)  Yes, glorious things! What wonder! What joy!

       (Psa 126:4 TLB)  May we be refreshed as by streams in the desert.

       (Psa 126:5 TLB)  Those who sow tears shall reap joy.

       (Psa 126:6 TLB)  Yes, they go out weeping, carrying seed for sowing, 
       and return singing, carrying their sheaves.

       (Psa 127:1 TLB)  Unless the Lord builds a house, the builders' work is 
       useless. Unless the Lord protects a city, sentries do no good.

       (Psa 127:2 TLB)  It is senseless for you to work so hard from early 
       morning until late at night, fearing you will starve to death; for God 
       wants his loved ones to get their proper rest.

       (Psa 127:3 TLB)  Children are a gift from God; they are his reward.

       (Psa 127:4 TLB)  Children born to a young man are like sharp arrows to 
       defend him.

       (Psa 127:5 TLB)  Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them. 
       That man shall have the help he needs when arguing with his enemies.

       (Psa 128:1 TLB)  Blessings on all who reverence and trust the Lord--on 
       all who obey him!

       (Psa 128:2 TLB)  Their reward shall be prosperity and happiness.

       (Psa 128:3 TLB)  Your wife shall be contented in your home. And look 
       at all those children! There they sit around the dinner table as 
       vigorous and healthy as young olive trees.

       (Psa 128:4 TLB)  That is God's reward to those who reverence and trust 
       him.

       (Psa 128:5 TLB)  May the Lord continually bless you with heaven's 
       blessings as well as with human joys.

       (Psa 128:6 TLB)  May you live to enjoy your grandchildren! And may God 
       bless Israel!

       (Psa 129:1 TLB)  Persecuted from my earliest youth (Israel is 
       speaking),

       (Psa 129:2 TLB)  and faced with never-ending discrimination--but not 
       destroyed! My enemies have never been able to finish me off!

       (Psa 129:3 TLB)  Though my back is cut to ribbons with their whips, 
       the Lord is good. For he has snapped the chains that evil men had 
       bound me with.






       (Psa 129:4 TLB)  

       (Psa 129:5 TLB)  May all who hate the Jews be brought to ignominious 
       defeat.

       (Psa 129:6 TLB)  May they be as grass in shallow soil, turning sere 
       and yellow when half grown, ignored by the reaper, despised by the 
       binder.

       (Psa 129:7 TLB)  

       (Psa 129:8 TLB)  And may those passing by refuse to bless them by 
       saying, "Jehovah's blessings be upon you; we bless you in Jehovah's 
       name."

       (Psa 130:1 TLB)  O Lord, from the depths of despair I cry for your 
       help:

       (Psa 130:2 TLB)  "Hear me! Answer! Help me!"

       (Psa 130:3 TLB)  Lord, if you keep in mind our sins, then who can ever 
       get an answer to his prayers? But you forgive! What an awesome thing 
       this is!

       (Psa 130:4 TLB)  

       (Psa 130:5 TLB)  That is why I wait expectantly, trusting God to help, 
       for he has promised.

       (Psa 130:6 TLB)  I long for him more than sentinels long for the dawn.

       (Psa 130:7 TLB)  O Israel, hope in the Lord; for he is loving and kind 
       and comes to us with armloads of salvation.

       (Psa 130:8 TLB)  He himself shall ransom Israel from her slavery to 
       sin.

       (Psa 131:1 TLB)  Lord, I am not proud and haughty. I don't think 
       myself better than others. I don't pretend to "know it all."

       (Psa 131:2 TLB)  I am quiet now before the Lord, just as a child who 
       is weaned from the breast. Yes, my begging has been stilled.

       (Psa 131:3 TLB)  O Israel, you too should quietly trust in the 
       Lord--now, and always.

       (Psa 132:1 TLB)  Lord, do you remember that time when my heart was so 
       filled with turmoil?

       (Psa 132:2 TLB)  I couldn't rest, I couldn't sleep,

       (Psa 132:3 TLB)  

       (Psa 132:4 TLB)  thinking how I ought to build a permanent home for 
       the Ark of the Lord, a Temple for the mighty one of Israel.






       (Psa 132:5 TLB)  Then I vowed that I would do it; I made a solemn 
       promise to the Lord.

       (Psa 132:6 TLB)  First the Ark was in Ephrathah, then in the distant 
       countryside of Jaar.

       (Psa 132:7 TLB)  But now it will be settled in the Temple, in God's 
       permanent home here on earth. That is where we will go to worship him.

       (Psa 132:8 TLB)  Arise, O Lord, and enter your Temple with the Ark, 
       the symbol of your power.

       (Psa 132:9 TLB)  We will clothe the priests in white, the symbol of 
       all purity. May our nation shout for joy.

       (Psa 132:10 TLB)  Do not reject your servant David--the king you chose 
       for your people.

       (Psa 132:11 TLB)  For you promised me that my son would sit on my 
       throne and succeed me. And surely you will never go back on a promise!

       (Psa 132:12 TLB)  You also promised that if my descendants will obey 
       the terms of your contract with me, then the dynasty of David shall 
       never end.

       (Psa 132:13 TLB)  O Lord, you have chosen Jerusalem as your home:

       (Psa 132:14 TLB)  "This is my permanent home where I shall live," you 
       said, "for I have always wanted it this way.

       (Psa 132:15 TLB)  I will make this city prosperous and satisfy her 
       poor with food.

       (Psa 132:16 TLB)  I will clothe her priests with salvation; her saints 
       shall shout for joy.

       (Psa 132:17 TLB)  David's power shall grow, for I have decreed for him 
       a mighty Son.

       (Psa 132:18 TLB)  I'll clothe his enemies with shame, but he shall be 
       a glorious King."

       (Psa 133:1 TLB)  How wonderful it is, how pleasant, when brothers live 
       in harmony!

       (Psa 133:2 TLB)  For harmony is as precious as the fragrant anointing 
       oil that was poured over Aaron's head and ran down onto his beard and 
       onto the border of his robe.

       (Psa 133:3 TLB)  Harmony is as refreshing as the dew on Mount Hermon, 
       on the mountains of Israel. And God has pronounced this eternal 
       blessing on Jerusalem, even life forevermore.

       (Psa 134:1 TLB)  Oh, bless the Lord, you who serve him as watchmen in 
       the Temple every night.






       (Psa 134:2 TLB)  Lift your hands in holiness and bless the Lord.

       (Psa 134:3 TLB)  The Lord bless you from Zion--the Lord who made 
       heaven and earth.

       (Psa 135:1 TLB)  Hallelujah!

       (Psa 135:2 TLB)  Yes, let his people praise him as they stand in his 
       Temple courts.

       (Psa 135:3 TLB)  Praise the Lord because he is so good; sing to his 
       wonderful name.

       (Psa 135:4 TLB)  For the Lord has chosen Israel as his personal 
       possession.

       (Psa 135:5 TLB)  I know the greatness of the Lord--that he is greater 
       far than any other god.

       (Psa 135:6 TLB)  He does whatever pleases him throughout all of heaven 
       and earth and in the deepest seas.

       (Psa 135:7 TLB)  He makes mists rise throughout the earth; he sends 
       the lightning to bring down the rain and sends the winds from his 
       treasuries.

       (Psa 135:8 TLB)  He destroyed the eldest child in each Egyptian home, 
       along with the firstborn of the flocks.

       (Psa 135:9 TLB)  He did great miracles in Egypt before Pharaoh and all 
       his people.

       (Psa 135:10 TLB)  He smote great nations, slaying mighty kings--

       (Psa 135:11 TLB)  Sihon, king of Amorites; and Og, the king of Bashan; 
       and the kings of Canaan--

       (Psa 135:12 TLB)  and gave their land as an eternal gift to his people 
       Israel.

       (Psa 135:13 TLB)  O Jehovah, your name endures forever; your fame is 
       known to every generation.

       (Psa 135:14 TLB)  For Jehovah will vindicate his people and have 
       compassion on his servants.

       (Psa 135:15 TLB)  The heathen worship idols of gold and silver made by 
       men--

       (Psa 135:16 TLB)  idols with speechless mouths, sightless eyes,

       (Psa 135:17 TLB)  and ears that cannot hear; they cannot even breathe.

       (Psa 135:18 TLB)  Those who make them become like them! And so do all 
       who trust in them!






       (Psa 135:19 TLB)  O Israel, bless Jehovah! High priests of Aaron, 
       bless his name.

       (Psa 135:20 TLB)  O Levite priests, bless the Lord Jehovah! Oh, bless 
       his name, all of you who trust and reverence him.

       (Psa 135:21 TLB)  All people of Jerusalem, praise the Lord, for he 
       lives here in Jerusalem. Hallelujah!

       (Psa 136:1 TLB)  Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his 
       loving-kindness continues forever.

       (Psa 136:2 TLB)  Give thanks to the God of gods, for his 
       loving-kindness continues forever.

       (Psa 136:3 TLB)  Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his 
       loving-kindness continues forever.

       (Psa 136:4 TLB)  Praise him who alone does mighty miracles, for his 
       loving-kindness continues forever.

       (Psa 136:5 TLB)  Praise him who made the heavens, for his 
       loving-kindness continues forever.

       (Psa 136:6 TLB)  Praise him who planted the water within the earth, 
       for his loving-kindness continues forever.

       (Psa 136:7 TLB)  Praise him who made the heavenly lights, for his 
       loving-kindness continues forever:

       (Psa 136:8 TLB)  the sun to rule the day, for his loving-kindness 
       continues forever;

       (Psa 136:9 TLB)  and the moon and stars at night, for his 
       loving-kindness continues forever.

       (Psa 136:10 TLB)  Praise the God who smote the firstborn of Egypt, for 
       his loving-kindness to Israel continues forever.

       (Psa 136:11 TLB)  He brought them out with mighty power and upraised 
       fist to strike their enemies, for his loving-kindness to Israel 
       continues forever.

       (Psa 136:12 TLB)  

       (Psa 136:13 TLB)  Praise the Lord who opened the Red Sea to make a 
       path before them, for his loving-kindness continues forever,

       (Psa 136:14 TLB)  and led them safely through, for his loving-kindness 
       continues forever--

       (Psa 136:15 TLB)  but drowned Pharaoh's army in the sea, for his 
       loving-kindness to Israel continues forever.

       (Psa 136:16 TLB)  Praise him who led his people through the 





       wilderness, for his loving-kindness continues forever.

       (Psa 136:17 TLB)  Praise him who saved his people from the power of 
       mighty kings, for his loving-kindness continues forever,

       (Psa 136:18 TLB)  and killed famous kings who were their enemies, for 
       his loving-kindness to Israel continues forever:

       (Psa 136:19 TLB)  Sihon, king of Amorites--for God's loving-kindness 
       to Israel continues forever--

       (Psa 136:20 TLB)  and Og, king of Bashan--for his loving-kindness to 
       Israel continues forever.

       (Psa 136:21 TLB)  God gave the land of these kings to Israel as a gift 
       forever, for his loving-kindness to Israel continues forever;

       (Psa 136:22 TLB)  yes, a permanent gift to his servant Israel, for his 
       loving-kindness continues forever.

       (Psa 136:23 TLB)  He remembered our utter weakness, for his 
       loving-kindness continues forever.

       (Psa 136:24 TLB)  And saved us from our foes, for his loving-kindness 
       continues forever.

       (Psa 136:25 TLB)  He gives food to every living thing, for his 
       loving-kindness continues forever.

       (Psa 136:26 TLB)  Oh, give thanks to the God of heaven, for his 
       loving-kindness continues forever.

       (Psa 137:1 TLB)  Weeping, we sat beside the rivers of Babylon thinking 
       of Jerusalem.

       (Psa 137:2 TLB)  We have put away our lyres, hanging them upon the 
       branches of the willow trees,

       (Psa 137:3 TLB)  for how can we sing? Yet our captors, our tormentors, 
       demand that we sing for them the happy songs of Zion!

       (Psa 137:4 TLB)  

       (Psa 137:5 TLB)  If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand 
       forget its skill upon the harp. If I fail to love her more than my 
       highest joy, let me never sing again.

       (Psa 137:6 TLB)  

       (Psa 137:7 TLB)  O Jehovah, do not forget what these Edomites did on 
       that day when the armies of Babylon captured Jerusalem. "Raze her to 
       the ground!" they yelled.

       (Psa 137:8 TLB)  O Babylon, evil beast, you shall be destroyed. 
       Blessed is the man who destroys you as you have destroyed us.





       (Psa 137:9 TLB)  Blessed is the man who takes your babies and smashes 
       them against the rocks!

       (Psa 138:1 TLB)  Lord, with all my heart I thank you. I will sing your 
       praises before the armies of angels.

       (Psa 138:2 TLB)  I face your Temple as I worship, giving thanks to you 
       for all your loving-kindness and your faithfulness, for your promises 
       are backed by all the honor of your name.

       (Psa 138:3 TLB)  When I pray, you answer me and encourage me by giving 
       me the strength I need.

       (Psa 138:4 TLB)  Every king in all the earth shall give you thanks, O 
       Lord, for all of them shall hear your voice.

       (Psa 138:5 TLB)  Yes, they shall sing about Jehovah's glorious ways, 
       for his glory is very great.

       (Psa 138:6 TLB)  Yet though he is so great, he respects the humble, 
       but proud men must keep their distance.

       (Psa 138:7 TLB)  Though I am surrounded by troubles, you will bring me 
       safely through them. You will clench your fist against my angry 
       enemies! Your power will save me.

       (Psa 138:8 TLB)  The Lord will work out his plans for my life--for 
       your loving-kindness, Lord, continues forever. Don't abandon me--for 
       you made me.

       (Psa 139:1 TLB)  O Lord, you have examined my heart and know 
       everything about me.

       (Psa 139:2 TLB)  You know when I sit or stand. When far away you know 
       my every thought.

       (Psa 139:3 TLB)  You chart the path ahead of me and tell me where to 
       stop and rest. Every moment you know where I am.

       (Psa 139:4 TLB)  You know what I am going to say before I even say it.

       (Psa 139:5 TLB)  You both precede and follow me and place your hand of 
       blessing on my head.

       (Psa 139:6 TLB)  This is too glorious, too wonderful to believe!

       (Psa 139:7 TLB)  I can never be lost to your Spirit! I can never get 
       away from my God!

       (Psa 139:8 TLB)  If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to 
       the place of the dead, you are there.

       (Psa 139:9 TLB)  If I ride the morning winds to the farthest oceans,

       (Psa 139:10 TLB)  even there your hand will guide me, your strength 
       will support me.






       (Psa 139:11 TLB)  If I try to hide in the darkness, the night becomes 
       light around me.

       (Psa 139:12 TLB)  For even darkness cannot hide from God; to you the 
       night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are both alike to 
       you.

       (Psa 139:13 TLB)  You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body 
       and knit them together in my mother's womb.

       (Psa 139:14 TLB)  Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! It 
       is amazing to think about. Your workmanship is marvelous--and how well 
       I know it.

       (Psa 139:15 TLB)  You were there while I was being formed in utter 
       seclusion!

       (Psa 139:16 TLB)  You saw me before I was born and scheduled each day 
       of my life before I began to breathe. Every day was recorded in your 
       book!

       (Psa 139:17 TLB)  How precious it is, Lord, to realize that you are 
       thinking about me constantly!

       (Psa 139:18 TLB)  I can't even count how many times a day your 
       thoughts turn toward me. And when I waken in the morning, you are 
       still thinking of me!

       (Psa 139:19 TLB)  Surely you will slay the wicked, Lord! Away, 
       bloodthirsty men! Begone!

       (Psa 139:20 TLB)  They blaspheme your name and stand in arrogance 
       against you--how silly can they be?

       (Psa 139:21 TLB)  O Lord, shouldn't I hate those who hate you? 
       Shouldn't I be grieved with them?

       (Psa 139:22 TLB)  Yes, I hate them, for your enemies are my enemies 
       too.

       (Psa 139:23 TLB)  Search me, O God, and know my heart; test my 
       thoughts.

       (Psa 139:24 TLB)  Point out anything you find in me that makes you 
       sad, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.

       (Psa 140:1 TLB)  O Lord, deliver me from evil men. Preserve me from 
       the violent,

       (Psa 140:2 TLB)  who plot and stir up trouble all day long.

       (Psa 140:3 TLB)  Their words sting like poisonous snakes.

       (Psa 140:4 TLB)  Keep me out of their power. Preserve me from their 
       violence, for they are plotting against me.






       (Psa 140:5 TLB)  These proud men have set a trap to catch me, a noose 
       to yank me up and leave me dangling in the air; they wait in ambush 
       with a net to throw over and hold me helpless in its meshes.

       (Psa 140:6 TLB)  O Jehovah, my Lord and Savior, my God and my 
       shield--hear me as I pray! Don't let these wicked men succeed; don't 
       let them prosper and be proud.

       (Psa 140:7 TLB)  

       (Psa 140:8 TLB)  

       (Psa 140:9 TLB)  Let their plots boomerang! Let them be destroyed by 
       the very evil they have planned for me.

       (Psa 140:10 TLB)  Let burning coals fall down upon their heads, or 
       throw them into the fire or into deep pits from which they can't 
       escape.

       (Psa 140:11 TLB)  Don't let liars prosper here in our land; quickly 
       punish them.

       (Psa 140:12 TLB)  But the Lord will surely help those they persecute; 
       he will maintain the rights of the poor.

       (Psa 140:13 TLB)  Surely the godly are thanking you, for they shall 
       live in your presence.

       (Psa 141:1 TLB)  Quick, Lord, answer me--for I have prayed. Listen 
       when I cry to you for help!

       (Psa 141:2 TLB)  Regard my prayer as my evening sacrifice and as 
       incense wafting up to you.

       (Psa 141:3 TLB)  Help me, Lord, to keep my mouth shut and my lips 
       sealed.

       (Psa 141:4 TLB)  Take away my lust for evil things; don't let me want 
       to be with sinners, doing what they do, sharing their delicacies.

       (Psa 141:5 TLB)  Let the godly smite me! It will be a kindness! If 
       they reprove me, it is medicine! Don't let me refuse it. But I am in 
       constant prayer against the wicked and their deeds.

       (Psa 141:6 TLB)  When their leaders are condemned, and their bones are 
       strewn across the ground, then these men will finally listen to me and 
       know that I am trying to help them.

       (Psa 141:7 TLB)  

       (Psa 141:8 TLB)  I look to you for help, O Lord God. You are my 
       refuge. Don't let them slay me.

       (Psa 141:9 TLB)  Keep me out of their traps.





       (Psa 141:10 TLB)  Let them fall into their own snares, while I escape.

       (Psa 142:1 TLB)  How I plead with God, how I implore his mercy, 
       pouring out my troubles before him.

       (Psa 142:2 TLB)  

       (Psa 142:3 TLB)  For I am overwhelmed and desperate, and you alone 
       know which way I ought to turn to miss the traps my enemies have set 
       for me.

       (Psa 142:4 TLB)  (There's one--just over there to the right!) No one 
       gives me a passing thought. No one will help me; no one cares a bit 
       what happens to me.

       (Psa 142:5 TLB)  Then I prayed to Jehovah. "Lord," I pled, "you are my 
       only place of refuge. Only you can keep me safe.

       (Psa 142:6 TLB)  "Hear my cry, for I am very low. Rescue me from my 
       persecutors, for they are too strong for me.

       (Psa 142:7 TLB)  Bring me out of prison so that I can thank you. The 
       godly will rejoice with me for all your help."

       (Psa 143:1 TLB)  Hear my prayer, O Lord; answer my plea because you 
       are faithful to your promises.

       (Psa 143:2 TLB)  Don't bring me to trial! For as compared with you, no 
       one is perfect.

       (Psa 143:3 TLB)  My enemies chased and caught me. They have knocked me 
       to the ground. They force me to live in the darkness like those in the 
       grave.

       (Psa 143:4 TLB)  I am losing all hope; I am paralyzed with fear.

       (Psa 143:5 TLB)  I remember the glorious miracles you did in days of 
       long ago.

       (Psa 143:6 TLB)  I reach out for you. I thirst for you as parched land 
       thirsts for rain.

       (Psa 143:7 TLB)  Come quickly, Lord, and answer me, for my depression 
       deepens; don't turn away from me or I shall die.

       (Psa 143:8 TLB)  Let me see your kindness to me in the morning, for I 
       am trusting you. Show me where to walk, for my prayer is sincere.

       (Psa 143:9 TLB)  Save me from my enemies. O Lord, I run to you to hide 
       me.

       (Psa 143:10 TLB)  Help me to do your will, for you are my God. Lead me 
       in good paths, for your Spirit is good.

       (Psa 143:11 TLB)  Lord, saving me will bring glory to your name. Bring 
       me out of all this trouble because you are true to your promises.






       (Psa 143:12 TLB)  And because you are loving and kind to me, cut off 
       all my enemies and destroy those who are trying to harm me; for I am 
       your servant.

       (Psa 144:1 TLB)  Bless the Lord who is my immovable Rock. He gives me 
       strength and skill in battle.

       (Psa 144:2 TLB)  He is always kind and loving to me; he is my 
       fortress, my tower of strength and safety, my deliverer. He stands 
       before me as a shield. He subdues my people under me.

       (Psa 144:3 TLB)  O Lord, what is man that you even notice him? Why 
       bother at all with the human race?

       (Psa 144:4 TLB)  For man is but a breath; his days are like a passing 
       shadow.

       (Psa 144:5 TLB)  Bend down the heavens, Lord, and come. The mountains 
       smoke beneath your touch.

       (Psa 144:6 TLB)  Let loose your lightning bolts, your arrows, Lord, 
       upon your enemies, and scatter them.

       (Psa 144:7 TLB)  Reach down from heaven and rescue me; deliver me from 
       deep waters, from the power of my enemies.

       (Psa 144:8 TLB)  Their mouths are filled with lies; they swear to the 
       truth of what is false.

       (Psa 144:9 TLB)  I will sing you a new song, O God, with a 
       ten-stringed harp.

       (Psa 144:10 TLB)  For you grant victory to kings! You are the one who 
       will rescue your servant David from the fatal sword.

       (Psa 144:11 TLB)  Save me! Deliver me from these enemies, these liars, 
       these treacherous men.

       (Psa 144:12 TLB)  Here is my description of a truly happy land where 
       Jehovah is God: Sons vigorous and tall as growing plants. Daughters of 
       graceful beauty like the pillars of a palace wall.

       (Psa 144:13 TLB)  Barns full to the brim with crops of every kind. 
       Sheep by the thousands out in our fields.

       (Psa 144:14 TLB)  Oxen loaded down with produce. No enemy attacking 
       the walls, but peace everywhere. No crime in our streets.

       (Psa 144:15 TLB)  Yes, happy are those whose God is Jehovah.

       (Psa 145:1 TLB)  I will praise you, my God and King, and bless your 
       name each day and forever.

       (Psa 145:2 TLB)  





       (Psa 145:3 TLB)  Great is Jehovah! Greatly praise him! His greatness 
       is beyond discovery!

       (Psa 145:4 TLB)  Let each generation tell its children what glorious 
       things he does.

       (Psa 145:5 TLB)  I will meditate about your glory, splendor, majesty, 
       and miracles.

       (Psa 145:6 TLB)  Your awe-inspiring deeds shall be on every tongue; I 
       will proclaim your greatness.

       (Psa 145:7 TLB)  Everyone will tell about how good you are and sing 
       about your righteousness.

       (Psa 145:8 TLB)  Jehovah is kind and merciful, slow to get angry, full 
       of love.

       (Psa 145:9 TLB)  He is good to everyone, and his compassion is 
       intertwined with everything he does.

       (Psa 145:10 TLB)  All living things shall thank you, Lord, and your 
       people will bless you.

       (Psa 145:11 TLB)  They will talk together about the glory of your 
       kingdom and mention examples of your power.

       (Psa 145:12 TLB)  They will tell about your miracles and about the 
       majesty and glory of your reign.

       (Psa 145:13 TLB)  For your kingdom never ends. You rule generation 
       after generation.

       (Psa 145:14 TLB)  The Lord lifts the fallen and those bent beneath 
       their loads.

       (Psa 145:15 TLB)  The eyes of all mankind look up to you for help; you 
       give them their food as they need it.

       (Psa 145:16 TLB)  You constantly satisfy the hunger and thirst of 
       every living thing.

       (Psa 145:17 TLB)  The Lord is fair in everything he does and full of 
       kindness.

       (Psa 145:18 TLB)  He is close to all who call on him sincerely.

       (Psa 145:19 TLB)  He fulfills the desires of those who reverence and 
       trust him; he hears their cries for help and rescues them.

       (Psa 145:20 TLB)  He protects all those who love him, but destroys the 
       wicked.

       (Psa 145:21 TLB)  I will praise the Lord and call on all men 
       everywhere to bless his holy name forever and forever.





       (Psa 146:1 TLB)  Praise the Lord! Yes, really praise him!

       (Psa 146:2 TLB)  I will praise him as long as I live, yes, even with 
       my dying breath.

       (Psa 146:3 TLB)  Don't look to men for help; their greatest leaders 
       fail;

       (Psa 146:4 TLB)  for every man must die. His breathing stops, life 
       ends, and in a moment all he planned for himself is ended.

       (Psa 146:5 TLB)  But happy is the man who has the God of Jacob as his 
       helper, whose hope is in the Lord his God--

       (Psa 146:6 TLB)  the God who made both earth and heaven, the seas and 
       everything in them. He is the God who keeps every promise,

       (Psa 146:7 TLB)  who gives justice to the poor and oppressed and food 
       to the hungry. He frees the prisoners

       (Psa 146:8 TLB)  and opens the eyes of the blind; he lifts the burdens 
       from those bent down beneath their loads. For the Lord loves good men.

       (Psa 146:9 TLB)  He protects the immigrants and cares for the orphans 
       and widows. But he turns topsy-turvy the plans of the wicked.

       (Psa 146:10 TLB)  The Lord will reign forever. O Jerusalem, your God 
       is King in every generation! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!

       (Psa 147:1 TLB)  Hallelujah! Yes, praise the Lord! How good it is to 
       sing his praises! How delightful, and how right!

       (Psa 147:2 TLB)  He is rebuilding Jerusalem and bringing back the 
       exiles.

       (Psa 147:3 TLB)  He heals the brokenhearted, binding up their wounds.

       (Psa 147:4 TLB)  He counts the stars and calls them all by name.

       (Psa 147:5 TLB)  How great he is! His power is absolute! His 
       understanding is unlimited.

       (Psa 147:6 TLB)  The Lord supports the humble, but brings the wicked 
       into the dust.

       (Psa 147:7 TLB)  Sing out your thanks to him; sing praises to our God, 
       accompanied by harps.

       (Psa 147:8 TLB)  He covers the heavens with clouds, sends down the 
       showers, and makes the green grass grow in mountain pastures.

       (Psa 147:9 TLB)  He feeds the wild animals, and the young ravens cry 
       to him for food.

       (Psa 147:10 TLB)  The speed of a horse is nothing to him. How puny in 
       his sight is the strength of a man.






       (Psa 147:11 TLB)  But his joy is in those who reverence him, those who 
       expect him to be loving and kind.

       (Psa 147:12 TLB)  Praise him, O Jerusalem! Praise your God, O Zion!

       (Psa 147:13 TLB)  For he has fortified your gates against all enemies 
       and blessed your children.

       (Psa 147:14 TLB)  He sends peace across your nation and fills your 
       barns with plenty of the finest wheat.

       (Psa 147:15 TLB)  He sends his orders to the world. How swiftly his 
       word flies.

       (Psa 147:16 TLB)  He sends the snow in all its lovely whiteness, 
       scatters the frost upon the ground,

       (Psa 147:17 TLB)  and hurls the hail upon the earth. Who can stand 
       before his freezing cold?

       (Psa 147:18 TLB)  But then he calls for warmer weather, and the spring 
       winds blow and all the river ice is broken.

       (Psa 147:19 TLB)  He has made known his laws and ceremonies of worship 
       to Israel--

       (Psa 147:20 TLB)  something he has not done with any other nation; 
       they have not known his commands. Hallelujah! Yes, praise the Lord!

       (Psa 148:1 TLB)  Praise the Lord, O heavens! Praise him from the 
       skies!

       (Psa 148:2 TLB)  Praise him, all his angels, all the armies of heaven.

       (Psa 148:3 TLB)  Praise him, sun and moon and all you twinkling stars.

       (Psa 148:4 TLB)  Praise him, skies above. Praise him, vapors high 
       above the clouds.

       (Psa 148:5 TLB)  Let everything he has made give praise to him. For he 
       issued his command, and they came into being;

       (Psa 148:6 TLB)  he established them forever and forever. His orders 
       will never be revoked.

       (Psa 148:7 TLB)  And praise him down here on earth, you creatures of 
       the ocean depths.

       (Psa 148:8 TLB)  Let fire and hail, snow, rain, wind, and weather, all 
       obey.

       (Psa 148:9 TLB)  Let the mountains and hills, the fruit trees and 
       cedars,

       (Psa 148:10 TLB)  the wild animals and cattle, the snakes and birds,






       (Psa 148:11 TLB)  the kings and all the people with their rulers and 
       their judges,

       (Psa 148:12 TLB)  young men and maidens, old men and children--

       (Psa 148:13 TLB)  all praise the Lord together. For he alone is 
       worthy. His glory is far greater than all of earth and heaven.

       (Psa 148:14 TLB)  He has made his people strong, honoring his godly 
       ones--the people of Israel, the people closest to him. Hallelujah! 
       Yes, praise the Lord!

       (Psa 149:1 TLB)  Hallelujah! Yes, praise the Lord! Sing him a new 
       song. Sing his praises, all his people.

       (Psa 149:2 TLB)  O Israel, rejoice in your Maker. O people of 
       Jerusalem, exult in your King.

       (Psa 149:3 TLB)  Praise his name with dancing, accompanied by drums 
       and lyre.

       (Psa 149:4 TLB)  For Jehovah enjoys his people; he will save the 
       humble. Let his people rejoice in this honor. Let them sing for joy as 
       they lie upon their beds.

       (Psa 149:5 TLB)  

       (Psa 149:6 TLB)  Adore him, O his people! And take a double-edged 
       sword to execute his punishment upon the nations.

       (Psa 149:7 TLB)  

       (Psa 149:8 TLB)  Bind their kings and leaders with iron chains,

       (Psa 149:9 TLB)  and execute their sentences. He is the glory of his 
       people. Hallelujah! Praise him!

       (Psa 150:1 TLB)  Hallelujah! Yes, praise the Lord! Praise him in his 
       Temple and in the heavens he made with mighty power.

       (Psa 150:2 TLB)  Praise him for his mighty works. Praise his unequaled 
       greatness.

       (Psa 150:3 TLB)  Praise him with the trumpet and with lute and harp.

       (Psa 150:4 TLB)  Praise him with the drums and dancing. Praise him 
       with stringed instruments and horns.

       (Psa 150:5 TLB)  Praise him with the cymbals, yes, loud clanging 
       cymbals.

       (Psa 150:6 TLB)  Let everything alive give praises to the Lord! You 
       praise him! Hallelujah!

       (Prov 1:1 TLB)  These are the proverbs of King Solomon of Israel, 





       David's son:

       (Prov 1:2 TLB)  He wrote them to teach his people how to live--how to 
       act in every circumstance,

       (Prov 1:3 TLB)  for he wanted them to be understanding, just and fair 
       in everything they did.

       (Prov 1:4 TLB)  "I want to make the simpleminded wise!" he said. "I 
       want to warn young men about some problems they will face.

       (Prov 1:5 TLB)  I want those already wise to become the wiser and 
       become leaders by exploring the depths of meaning in these nuggets of 
       truth."

       (Prov 1:6 TLB)  

       (Prov 1:7 TLB)  How does a man become wise? The first step is to trust 
       and reverence the Lord! Only fools refuse to be taught.

       (Prov 1:8 TLB)  Listen to your father and mother. What you learn from 
       them

       (Prov 1:9 TLB)  will stand you in good stead; it will gain you many 
       honors.

       (Prov 1:10 TLB)  If young toughs tell you, "Come and join us"--turn 
       your back on them!

       (Prov 1:11 TLB)  "We'll hide and rob and kill," they say.

       (Prov 1:12 TLB)  "Good or bad, we'll treat them all alike.

       (Prov 1:13 TLB)  And the loot we'll get! All kinds of stuff!

       (Prov 1:14 TLB)  Come on, throw in your lot with us; we'll split with 
       you in equal shares."

       (Prov 1:15 TLB)  Don't do it, son! Stay far from men like that,

       (Prov 1:16 TLB)  for crime is their way of life, and murder is their 
       specialty.

       (Prov 1:17 TLB)  When a bird sees a trap being set, it stays away,

       (Prov 1:18 TLB)  but not these men; they trap themselves! They lay a 
       booby trap for their own lives.

       (Prov 1:19 TLB)  Such is the fate of all who live by violence and 
       murder. They will die a violent death.

       (Prov 1:20 TLB)  Wisdom shouts in the streets for a hearing.

       (Prov 1:21 TLB)  She calls out to the crowds along Main Street, and to 
       the judges in their courts, and to everyone in all the land:





       (Prov 1:22 TLB)  "You simpletons!" she cries. "How long will you go on 
       being fools? How long will you scoff at wisdom and fight the facts?

       (Prov 1:23 TLB)  Come here and listen to me! I'll pour out the spirit 
       of wisdom upon you and make you wise.

       (Prov 1:24 TLB)  I have called you so often, but still you won't come. 
       I have pleaded, but all in vain.

       (Prov 1:25 TLB)  For you have spurned my counsel and reproof.

       (Prov 1:26 TLB)  Some day you'll be in trouble, and I'll laugh! Mock 
       me, will you?--I'll mock you!

       (Prov 1:27 TLB)  When a storm of terror surrounds you, and when you 
       are engulfed by anguish and distress,

       (Prov 1:28 TLB)  then I will not answer your cry for help. It will be 
       too late though you search for me ever so anxiously.

       (Prov 1:29 TLB)  "For you closed your eyes to the facts and did not 
       choose to reverence and trust the Lord,

       (Prov 1:30 TLB)  and you turned your back on me, spurning my advice.

       (Prov 1:31 TLB)  That is why you must eat the bitter fruit of having 
       your own way and experience the full terrors of the pathway you have 
       chosen.

       (Prov 1:32 TLB)  For you turned away from me--to death; your own 
       complacency will kill you. Fools!

       (Prov 1:33 TLB)  But all who listen to me shall live in peace and 
       safety, unafraid."

       (Prov 2:1 TLB)  Every young man who listens to me and obeys my 
       instructions will be given wisdom and good sense.

       (Prov 2:2 TLB)  

       (Prov 2:3 TLB)  Yes, if you want better insight and discernment,

       (Prov 2:4 TLB)  and are searching for them as you would for lost money 
       or hidden treasure, then wisdom will be given you and knowledge of God 
       himself;

       (Prov 2:5 TLB)  you will soon learn the importance of reverence for 
       the Lord and of trusting him.

       (Prov 2:6 TLB)  For the Lord grants wisdom! His every word is a 
       treasure of knowledge and understanding.

       (Prov 2:7 TLB)  He grants good sense to the godly--his saints. He is 
       their shield, protecting them and guarding their pathway.

       (Prov 2:8 TLB)  






       (Prov 2:9 TLB)  He shows how to distinguish right from wrong, how to 
       find the right decision every time.

       (Prov 2:10 TLB)  For wisdom and truth will enter the very center of 
       your being, filling your life with joy.

       (Prov 2:11 TLB)  You will be given the sense to stay away from evil 
       men who want you to be their partners in crime--men who turn from 
       God's ways to walk down dark and evil paths

       (Prov 2:12 TLB)  

       (Prov 2:13 TLB)  

       (Prov 2:14 TLB)  and exult in doing wrong, for they thoroughly enjoy 
       their sins.

       (Prov 2:15 TLB)  Everything they do is crooked and wrong.

       (Prov 2:16 TLB)  Only wisdom from the Lord can save a man from the 
       flattery of prostitutes; these girls have abandoned their husbands and 
       flouted the laws of God.

       (Prov 2:17 TLB)  

       (Prov 2:18 TLB)  Their houses lie along the road to death and hell.

       (Prov 2:19 TLB)  The men who enter them are doomed. None of these men 
       will ever be the same again.

       (Prov 2:20 TLB)  Follow the steps of the godly instead, and stay on 
       the right path,

       (Prov 2:21 TLB)  for only good men enjoy life to the full;

       (Prov 2:22 TLB)  evil men lose the good things they might have had, 
       and they themselves shall be destroyed.

       (Prov 3:1 TLB)  My son, never forget the things I've taught you. If 
       you want a long and satisfying life, closely follow my instructions.

       (Prov 3:2 TLB)  

       (Prov 3:3 TLB)  Never tire of loyalty and kindness. Hold these virtues 
       tightly. Write them deep within your heart.

       (Prov 3:4 TLB)  If you want favor with both God and man, and a 
       reputation for good judgment and common sense, then trust the Lord 
       completely; don't ever trust yourself.

       (Prov 3:5 TLB)  

       (Prov 3:6 TLB)  In everything you do, put God first, and he will 
       direct you and crown your efforts with success.





       (Prov 3:7 TLB)  Don't be conceited, sure of your own wisdom. Instead, 
       trust and reverence the Lord, and turn your back on evil; when you do 
       that, then you will be given renewed health and vitality.

       (Prov 3:8 TLB)  

       (Prov 3:9 TLB)  Honor the Lord by giving him the first part of all 
       your income, and he will fill your barns with wheat and barley and 
       overflow your wine vats with the finest wines.

       (Prov 3:10 TLB)  

       (Prov 3:11 TLB)  Young man, do not resent it when God chastens and 
       corrects you, for his punishment is proof of his love.

       (Prov 3:12 TLB)  Just as a father punishes a son he delights in to 
       make him better, so the Lord corrects you.

       (Prov 3:13 TLB)  The man who knows right from wrong and has good 
       judgment and common sense

       (Prov 3:14 TLB)  is happier than the man who is immensely rich!

       (Prov 3:15 TLB)  For such wisdom is far more valuable than precious 
       jewels. Nothing else compares with it.

       (Prov 3:16 TLB)  Wisdom gives: a long, good life, riches, honor, 
       pleasure, peace.

       (Prov 3:17 TLB)  

       (Prov 3:18 TLB)  Wisdom is a tree of life to those who eat her fruit; 
       happy is the man who keeps on eating it.

       (Prov 3:19 TLB)  The Lord's wisdom founded the earth; his 
       understanding established all the universe and space.

       (Prov 3:20 TLB)  The deep fountains of the earth were broken open by 
       his knowledge, and the skies poured down rain.

       (Prov 3:21 TLB)  Have two goals: wisdom--that is, knowing and doing 
       right--and common sense. Don't let them slip away,

       (Prov 3:22 TLB)  for they fill you with living energy and bring you 
       honor and respect.

       (Prov 3:23 TLB)  They keep you safe from defeat and disaster and from 
       stumbling off the trail.

       (Prov 3:24 TLB)  With them on guard you can sleep without fear; you 
       need not be afraid of disaster or the plots of wicked men, for the 
       Lord is with you; he protects you.

       (Prov 3:25 TLB)  

       (Prov 3:26 TLB)  






       (Prov 3:27 TLB)  Don't withhold repayment of your debts. Don't say 
       "some other time," if you can pay now.

       (Prov 3:28 TLB)  

       (Prov 3:29 TLB)  Don't plot against your neighbor; he is trusting you.

       (Prov 3:30 TLB)  Don't get into needless fights.

       (Prov 3:31 TLB)  Don't envy violent men. Don't copy their ways.

       (Prov 3:32 TLB)  For such men are an abomination to the Lord, but he 
       gives his friendship to the godly.

       (Prov 3:33 TLB)  The curse of God is on the wicked, but his blessing 
       is on the upright.

       (Prov 3:34 TLB)  The Lord mocks at mockers, but helps the humble.

       (Prov 3:35 TLB)  The wise are promoted to honor, but fools are 
       promoted to shame!

       (Prov 4:1 TLB)  Young men, listen to me as you would to your father. 
       Listen, and grow wise, for I speak the truth--don't turn away.

       (Prov 4:2 TLB)  

       (Prov 4:3 TLB)  For I, too, was once a son, tenderly loved by my 
       mother as an only child, and the companion of my father.

       (Prov 4:4 TLB)  He told me never to forget his words. "If you follow 
       them," he said, "you will have a long and happy life.

       (Prov 4:5 TLB)  Learn to be wise," he said, "and develop good judgment 
       and common sense! I cannot overemphasize this point."

       (Prov 4:6 TLB)  Cling to wisdom--she will protect you. Love her--she 
       will guard you.

       (Prov 4:7 TLB)  Getting wisdom is the most important thing you can do! 
       And with your wisdom, develop common sense and good judgment.

       (Prov 4:8 TLB)  If you exalt wisdom, she will exalt you. Hold her 
       fast, and she will lead you to great honor; she will place a beautiful 
       crown upon your head.

       (Prov 4:9 TLB)  

       (Prov 4:10 TLB)  My son, listen to me and do as I say, and you will 
       have a long, good life.

       (Prov 4:11 TLB)  I would have you learn this great fact: that a life 
       of doing right is the wisest life there is.

       (Prov 4:12 TLB)  If you live that kind of life, you'll not limp or 





       stumble as you run.

       (Prov 4:13 TLB)  Carry out my instructions; don't forget them, for 
       they will lead you to real living.

       (Prov 4:14 TLB)  Don't do as the wicked do.

       (Prov 4:15 TLB)  Avoid their haunts--turn away, go somewhere else,

       (Prov 4:16 TLB)  for evil men can't sleep until they've done their 
       evil deed for the day. They can't rest unless they cause someone to 
       stumble and fall.

       (Prov 4:17 TLB)  They eat and drink wickedness and violence!

       (Prov 4:18 TLB)  But the good man walks along in the ever-brightening 
       light of God's favor; the dawn gives way to morning splendor,

       (Prov 4:19 TLB)  while the evil man gropes and stumbles in the dark.

       (Prov 4:20 TLB)  Listen, son of mine, to what I say. Listen carefully.

       (Prov 4:21 TLB)  Keep these thoughts ever in mind; let them penetrate 
       deep within your heart,

       (Prov 4:22 TLB)  for they will mean real life for you and radiant 
       health.

       (Prov 4:23 TLB)  Above all else, guard your affections. For they 
       influence everything else in your life.

       (Prov 4:24 TLB)  Spurn the careless kiss of a prostitute. Stay far 
       from her.

       (Prov 4:25 TLB)  Look straight ahead; don't even turn your head to 
       look.

       (Prov 4:26 TLB)  Watch your step. Stick to the path and be safe.

       (Prov 4:27 TLB)  Don't sidetrack; pull back your foot from danger.

       (Prov 5:1 TLB)  Listen to me, my son! I know what I am saying; listen!

       (Prov 5:2 TLB)  Watch yourself, lest you be indiscreet and betray some 
       vital information.

       (Prov 5:3 TLB)  For the lips of a prostitute are as sweet as honey, 
       and smooth flattery is her stock in trade.

       (Prov 5:4 TLB)  But afterwards only a bitter conscience is left to 
       you, sharp as a double-edged sword.

       (Prov 5:5 TLB)  She leads you down to death and hell.

       (Prov 5:6 TLB)  For she does not know the path to life. She staggers 
       down a crooked trail and doesn't even realize where it leads.






       (Prov 5:7 TLB)  Young men, listen to me, and never forget what I'm 
       about to say:

       (Prov 5:8 TLB)  Run from her! Don't go near her house,

       (Prov 5:9 TLB)  lest you fall to her temptation and lose your honor, 
       and give the remainder of your life to the cruel and merciless;

       (Prov 5:10 TLB)  lest strangers obtain your wealth, and you become a 
       slave of foreigners.

       (Prov 5:11 TLB)  Lest afterwards you groan in anguish and in shame 
       when syphilis consumes your body,

       (Prov 5:12 TLB)  and you say, "Oh, if only I had listened! If only I 
       had not demanded my own way!

       (Prov 5:13 TLB)  Oh, why wouldn't I take advice? Why was I so stupid?

       (Prov 5:14 TLB)  For now I must face public disgrace."

       (Prov 5:15 TLB)  Drink from your own well, my son--be faithful and 
       true to your wife.

       (Prov 5:16 TLB)  Why should you beget children with women of the 
       street?

       (Prov 5:17 TLB)  Why share your children with those outside your home?

       (Prov 5:18 TLB)  Be happy, yes, rejoice in the wife of your youth.

       (Prov 5:19 TLB)  Let her breasts and tender embrace satisfy you. Let 
       her love alone fill you with delight.

       (Prov 5:20 TLB)  Why delight yourself with prostitutes, embracing what 
       isn't yours?

       (Prov 5:21 TLB)  For God is closely watching you, and he weighs 
       carefully everything you do.

       (Prov 5:22 TLB)  The wicked man is doomed by his own sins; they are 
       ropes that catch and hold him.

       (Prov 5:23 TLB)  He shall die because he will not listen to the truth; 
       he has let himself be led away into incredible folly.

       (Prov 6:1 TLB)  Son, if you endorse a note for someone you hardly 
       know, guaranteeing his debt, you are in serious trouble.

       (Prov 6:2 TLB)  You may have trapped yourself by your agreement.

       (Prov 6:3 TLB)  Quick! Get out of it if you possibly can! Swallow your 
       pride; don't let embarrassment stand in the way. Go and beg to have 
       your name erased.





       (Prov 6:4 TLB)  Don't put it off. Do it now. Don't rest until you do.

       (Prov 6:5 TLB)  If you can get out of this trap you have saved 
       yourself like a deer that escapes from a hunter or a bird from the 
       net.

       (Prov 6:6 TLB)  Take a lesson from the ants, you lazy fellow. Learn 
       from their ways and be wise!

       (Prov 6:7 TLB)  For though they have no king to make them work,

       (Prov 6:8 TLB)  yet they labor hard all summer, gathering food for the 
       winter.

       (Prov 6:9 TLB)  But you--all you do is sleep. When will you wake up?

       (Prov 6:10 TLB)  "Let me sleep a little longer!" Sure, just a little 
       more!

       (Prov 6:11 TLB)  And as you sleep, poverty creeps upon you like a 
       robber and destroys you; want attacks you in full armor.

       (Prov 6:12 TLB)  Let me describe for you a worthless and a wicked man; 
       first, he is a constant liar; he signals his true intentions to his 
       friends with eyes and feet and fingers.

       (Prov 6:13 TLB)  

       (Prov 6:14 TLB)  He is always thinking up new schemes to swindle 
       people. He stirs up trouble everywhere.

       (Prov 6:15 TLB)  But he will be destroyed suddenly, broken beyond hope 
       of healing.

       (Prov 6:16 TLB)  For there are six things the Lord hates--no, seven: 
       haughtiness, lying, murdering, plotting evil, eagerness to do wrong, a 
       false witness, sowing discord among brothers.

       (Prov 6:17 TLB)  

       (Prov 6:18 TLB)  

       (Prov 6:19 TLB)  

       (Prov 6:20 TLB)  Young man, obey your father and your mother.

       (Prov 6:21 TLB)  Take to heart all of their advice; keep in mind 
       everything they tell you.

       (Prov 6:22 TLB)  Every day and all night long their counsel will lead 
       you and save you from harm; when you wake up in the morning, let their 
       instructions guide you into the new day.

       (Prov 6:23 TLB)  For their advice is a beam of light directed into the 
       dark corners of your mind to warn you of danger and to give you a good 
       life.






       (Prov 6:24 TLB)  Their counsel will keep you far away from 
       prostitutes, with all their flatteries, and unfaithful wives of other 
       men.

       (Prov 6:25 TLB)  Don't lust for their beauty. Don't let their coyness 
       seduce you.

       (Prov 6:26 TLB)  For a prostitute will bring a man to poverty, and an 
       adulteress may cost him his very life.

       (Prov 6:27 TLB)  Can a man hold fire against his chest and not be 
       burned?

       (Prov 6:28 TLB)  Can he walk on hot coals and not blister his feet?

       (Prov 6:29 TLB)  So it is with the man who commits adultery with 
       another's wife. He shall not go unpunished for this sin.

       (Prov 6:30 TLB)  Excuses might even be found for a thief if he steals 
       when he is starving!

       (Prov 6:31 TLB)  But even so, he is fined seven times as much as he 
       stole, though it may mean selling everything in his house to pay it 
       back.

       (Prov 6:32 TLB)  But the man who commits adultery is an utter fool, 
       for he destroys his own soul.

       (Prov 6:33 TLB)  Wounds and constant disgrace are his lot,

       (Prov 6:34 TLB)  for the woman's husband will be furious in his 
       jealousy, and he will have no mercy on you in his day of vengeance.

       (Prov 6:35 TLB)  You won't be able to buy him off no matter what you 
       offer.

       (Prov 7:1 TLB)  Follow my advice, my son; always keep it in mind and 
       stick to it.

       (Prov 7:2 TLB)  Obey me and live! Guard my words as your most precious 
       possession.

       (Prov 7:3 TLB)  Write them down, and also keep them deep within your 
       heart.

       (Prov 7:4 TLB)  Love wisdom like a sweetheart; make her a beloved 
       member of your family.

       (Prov 7:5 TLB)  Let her hold you back from affairs with other 
       women--from listening to their flattery.

       (Prov 7:6 TLB)  I was looking out the window of my house one day

       (Prov 7:7 TLB)  and saw a simple-minded lad, a young man lacking 
       common sense,






       (Prov 7:8 TLB)  walking at twilight down the street to the house of 
       this wayward girl, a prostitute.

       (Prov 7:9 TLB)  

       (Prov 7:10 TLB)  She approached him, saucy and pert, and dressed 
       seductively.

       (Prov 7:11 TLB)  She was the brash, coarse type, seen often in the 
       streets and markets, soliciting at every corner for men to be her 
       lovers.

       (Prov 7:12 TLB)  

       (Prov 7:13 TLB)  She put her arms around him and kissed him, and with 
       a saucy look she said, "I was just coming to look for you and here you 
       are!

       (Prov 7:14 TLB)  Come home with me, and I'll fix you a wonderful 
       dinner, and after that--

       (Prov 7:15 TLB)  

       (Prov 7:16 TLB)  well, my bed is spread with lovely, colored sheets of 
       finest linen imported from Egypt,

       (Prov 7:17 TLB)  perfumed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.

       (Prov 7:18 TLB)  Come on, let's take our fill of love until morning,

       (Prov 7:19 TLB)  for my husband is away on a long trip.

       (Prov 7:20 TLB)  He has taken a wallet full of money with him and 
       won't return for several days."

       (Prov 7:21 TLB)  So she seduced him with her pretty speech, her 
       coaxing and her wheedling, until he yielded to her. He couldn't resist 
       her flattery.

       (Prov 7:22 TLB)  He followed her as an ox going to the butcher or as a 
       stag that is trapped,

       (Prov 7:23 TLB)  waiting to be killed with an arrow through its heart. 
       He was as a bird flying into a snare, not knowing the fate awaiting it 
       there.

       (Prov 7:24 TLB)  Listen to me, young men, and not only listen but 
       obey;

       (Prov 7:25 TLB)  don't let your desires get out of hand; don't let 
       yourself think about her. Don't go near her; stay away from where she 
       walks, lest she tempt you and seduce you.

       (Prov 7:26 TLB)  For she has been the ruin of multitudes--a vast host 
       of men have been her victims.






       (Prov 7:27 TLB)  If you want to find the road to hell, look for her 
       house.

       (Prov 8:1 TLB)  Can't you hear the voice of wisdom? She is standing at 
       the city gates and at every fork in the road, and at the door of every 
       house. Listen to what she says:

       (Prov 8:2 TLB)  

       (Prov 8:3 TLB)  

       (Prov 8:4 TLB)  "Listen, men!" she calls. "How foolish and naive you 
       are! Let me give you understanding. O foolish ones, let me show you 
       common sense!

       (Prov 8:5 TLB)  

       (Prov 8:6 TLB)  Listen to me! For I have important information for 
       you. Everything I say is right and true, for I hate lies and every 
       kind of deception.

       (Prov 8:7 TLB)  

       (Prov 8:8 TLB)  My advice is wholesome and good. There is nothing of 
       evil in it.

       (Prov 8:9 TLB)  My words are plain and clear to anyone with half a 
       mind--if it is only open!

       (Prov 8:10 TLB)  My instruction is far more valuable than silver or 
       gold."

       (Prov 8:11 TLB)  For the value of wisdom is far above rubies; nothing 
       can be compared with it.

       (Prov 8:12 TLB)  Wisdom and good judgment live together, for wisdom 
       knows where to discover knowledge and understanding.

       (Prov 8:13 TLB)  If anyone respects and fears God, he will hate evil. 
       For wisdom hates pride, arrogance, corruption, and deceit of every 
       kind.

       (Prov 8:14 TLB)  "I, Wisdom, give good advice and common sense. 
       Because of my strength, kings reign in power, and rulers make just 
       laws.

       (Prov 8:15 TLB)  

       (Prov 8:16 TLB)  

       (Prov 8:17 TLB)  I love all who love me. Those who search for me shall 
       surely find me.

       (Prov 8:18 TLB)  Unending riches, honor, justice, and righteousness 
       are mine to distribute.






       (Prov 8:19 TLB)  My gifts are better than the purest gold or sterling 
       silver!

       (Prov 8:20 TLB)  My paths are those of justice and right.

       (Prov 8:21 TLB)  Those who love and follow me are indeed wealthy. I 
       fill their treasuries.

       (Prov 8:22 TLB)  The Lord formed me in the beginning, before he 
       created anything else.

       (Prov 8:23 TLB)  From ages past, I am. I existed before the earth 
       began.

       (Prov 8:24 TLB)  I lived before the oceans were created, before the 
       springs bubbled forth their waters onto the earth,

       (Prov 8:25 TLB)  before the mountains and the hills were made.

       (Prov 8:26 TLB)  Yes, I was born before God made the earth and fields 
       and the first handfuls of soil.

       (Prov 8:27 TLB)  "I was there when he established the heavens and 
       formed the great springs in the depths of the oceans.

       (Prov 8:28 TLB)  

       (Prov 8:29 TLB)  I was there when he set the limits of the seas and 
       gave them his instructions not to spread beyond their boundaries. I 
       was there when he made the blueprint for the earth and oceans.

       (Prov 8:30 TLB)  I was the craftsman at his side. I was his constant 
       delight, rejoicing always in his presence.

       (Prov 8:31 TLB)  And how happy I was with what he created--his wide 
       world and all his family of mankind!

       (Prov 8:32 TLB)  And so, young men, listen to me, for how happy are 
       all who follow my instructions.

       (Prov 8:33 TLB)  "Listen to my counsel--oh, don't refuse it--and be 
       wise.

       (Prov 8:34 TLB)  Happy is the man who is so anxious to be with me that 
       he watches for me daily at my gates, or waits for me outside my home!

       (Prov 8:35 TLB)  For whoever finds me finds life and wins approval 
       from the Lord.

       (Prov 8:36 TLB)  But the one who misses me has injured himself 
       irreparably. Those who refuse me show that they love death."

       (Prov 9:1 TLB)  Wisdom has built a palace supported on seven pillars,

       (Prov 9:2 TLB)  and has prepared a great banquet, and mixed the wines,






       (Prov 9:3 TLB)  and sent out her maidens inviting all to come. She 
       calls from the busiest intersections in the city,

       (Prov 9:4 TLB)  "Come, you simple ones without good judgment;

       (Prov 9:5 TLB)  come to wisdom's banquet and drink the wines that I 
       have mixed.

       (Prov 9:6 TLB)  Leave behind your foolishness and begin to live; learn 
       how to be wise."

       (Prov 9:7 TLB)  If you rebuke a mocker, you will only get a smart 
       retort; yes, he will snarl at you.

       (Prov 9:8 TLB)  So don't bother with him; he will only hate you for 
       trying to help him. But a wise man, when rebuked, will love you all 
       the more.

       (Prov 9:9 TLB)  Teach a wise man, and he will be the wiser; teach a 
       good man, and he will learn more.

       (Prov 9:10 TLB)  For the reverence and fear of God are basic to all 
       wisdom. Knowing God results in every other kind of understanding.

       (Prov 9:11 TLB)  "I, Wisdom, will make the hours of your day more 
       profitable and the years of your life more fruitful."

       (Prov 9:12 TLB)  Wisdom is its own reward, and if you scorn her, you 
       hurt only yourself.

       (Prov 9:13 TLB)  A prostitute is loud and brash and never has enough 
       of lust and shame.

       (Prov 9:14 TLB)  She sits at the door of her house or stands at the 
       street corners of the city,

       (Prov 9:15 TLB)  whispering to men going by and to those minding their 
       own business.

       (Prov 9:16 TLB)  "Come home with me," she urges simpletons.

       (Prov 9:17 TLB)  "Stolen melons are the sweetest; stolen apples taste 
       the best!"

       (Prov 9:18 TLB)  But they don't realize that her former guests are now 
       citizens of hell.

       (Prov 10:1 TLB)  Happy is the man with a level-headed son; sad the 
       mother of a rebel.

       (Prov 10:2 TLB)  Ill-gotten gain brings no lasting happiness; right 
       living does.

       (Prov 10:3 TLB)  The Lord will not let a good man starve to death, nor 
       will he let the wicked man's riches continue forever.






       (Prov 10:4 TLB)  Lazy men are soon poor; hard workers get rich.

       (Prov 10:5 TLB)  A wise youth makes hay while the sun shines, but what 
       a shame to see a lad who sleeps away his hour of opportunity.

       (Prov 10:6 TLB)  The good man is covered with blessings from head to 
       foot, but an evil man inwardly curses his luck.

       (Prov 10:7 TLB)  We all have happy memories of good men gone to their 
       reward, but the names of wicked men stink after them.

       (Prov 10:8 TLB)  The wise man is glad to be instructed, but a 
       self-sufficient fool falls flat on his face.

       (Prov 10:9 TLB)  A good man has firm footing, but a crook will slip 
       and fall.

       (Prov 10:10 TLB)  Winking at sin leads to sorrow; bold reproof leads 
       to peace.

       (Prov 10:11 TLB)  There is living truth in what a good man says, but 
       the mouth of the evil man is filled with curses.

       (Prov 10:12 TLB)  Hatred stirs old quarrels, but love overlooks 
       insults.

       (Prov 10:13 TLB)  Men with common sense are admired as counselors; 
       those without it are beaten as servants.

       (Prov 10:14 TLB)  A wise man holds his tongue. Only a fool blurts out 
       everything he knows; that only leads to sorrow and trouble.

       (Prov 10:15 TLB)  The rich man's wealth is his only strength. The poor 
       man's poverty is his only curse.

       (Prov 10:16 TLB)  The good man's earnings advance the cause of 
       righteousness. The evil man squanders his on sin.

       (Prov 10:17 TLB)  Anyone willing to be corrected is on the pathway to 
       life. Anyone refusing has lost his chance.

       (Prov 10:18 TLB)  To hide hatred is to be a liar; to slander is to be 
       a fool.

       (Prov 10:19 TLB)  Don't talk so much. You keep putting your foot in 
       your mouth. Be sensible and turn off the flow!

       (Prov 10:20 TLB)  When a good man speaks, he is worth listening to, 
       but the words of fools are a dime a dozen.

       (Prov 10:21 TLB)  A godly man gives good advice, but a rebel is 
       destroyed by lack of common sense.

       (Prov 10:22 TLB)  The Lord's blessing is our greatest wealth. All our 
       work adds nothing to it!






       (Prov 10:23 TLB)  A fool's fun is being bad; a wise man's fun is being 
       wise!

       (Prov 10:24 TLB)  The wicked man's fears will all come true and so 
       will the good man's hopes.

       (Prov 10:25 TLB)  Disaster strikes like a cyclone and the wicked are 
       whirled away. But the good man has a strong anchor.

       (Prov 10:26 TLB)  A lazy fellow is a pain to his employers--like smoke 
       in their eyes or vinegar that sets the teeth on edge.

       (Prov 10:27 TLB)  Reverence for God adds hours to each day; so how can 
       the wicked expect a long, good life?

       (Prov 10:28 TLB)  The hope of good men is eternal happiness; the hopes 
       of evil men are all in vain.

       (Prov 10:29 TLB)  God protects the upright but destroys the wicked.

       (Prov 10:30 TLB)  The good shall never lose God's blessings, but the 
       wicked shall lose everything.

       (Prov 10:31 TLB)  The good man gives wise advice, but the liar's 
       counsel is shunned.

       (Prov 10:32 TLB)  The upright speak what is helpful; the wicked speak 
       rebellion.

       (Prov 11:1 TLB)  The Lord hates cheating and delights in honesty.

       (Prov 11:2 TLB)  Proud men end in shame, but the meek become wise.

       (Prov 11:3 TLB)  A good man is guided by his honesty; the evil man is 
       destroyed by his dishonesty.

       (Prov 11:4 TLB)  Your riches won't help you on Judgment Day; only 
       righteousness counts then.

       (Prov 11:5 TLB)  Good people are directed by their honesty; the wicked 
       shall fall beneath their load of sins.

       (Prov 11:6 TLB)  The good man's goodness delivers him; the evil man's 
       treachery is his undoing.

       (Prov 11:7 TLB)  When an evil man dies, his hopes all perish, for they 
       are based upon this earthly life.

       (Prov 11:8 TLB)  God rescues good men from danger while letting the 
       wicked fall into it.

       (Prov 11:9 TLB)  Evil words destroy; godly skill rebuilds.

       (Prov 11:10 TLB)  The whole city celebrates a good man's success--and 
       also the godless man's death.






       (Prov 11:11 TLB)  The good influence of godly citizens causes a city 
       to prosper, but the moral decay of the wicked drives it downhill.

       (Prov 11:12 TLB)  To quarrel with a neighbor is foolish; a man with 
       good sense holds his tongue.

       (Prov 11:13 TLB)  A gossip goes around spreading rumors, while a 
       trustworthy man tries to quiet them.

       (Prov 11:14 TLB)  Without wise leadership, a nation is in trouble; but 
       with good counselors there is safety.

       (Prov 11:15 TLB)  Be sure you know a person well before you vouch for 
       his credit! Better refuse than suffer later.

       (Prov 11:16 TLB)  Honor goes to kind and gracious women, mere money to 
       cruel men.

       (Prov 11:17 TLB)  Your own soul is nourished when you are kind; it is 
       destroyed when you are cruel.

       (Prov 11:18 TLB)  The evil man gets rich for the moment, but the good 
       man's reward lasts forever.

       (Prov 11:19 TLB)  The good man finds life; the evil man, death.

       (Prov 11:20 TLB)  The Lord hates the stubborn but delights in those 
       who are good.

       (Prov 11:21 TLB)  You can be very sure the evil man will not go 
       unpunished forever. And you can also be very sure God will rescue the 
       children of the godly.

       (Prov 11:22 TLB)  A beautiful woman lacking discretion and modesty is 
       like a fine gold ring in a pig's snout.

       (Prov 11:23 TLB)  The good man can look forward to happiness, while 
       the wicked can expect only wrath.

       (Prov 11:24 TLB)  It is possible to give away and become richer! It is 
       also possible to hold on too tightly and lose everything.

       (Prov 11:25 TLB)  Yes, the liberal man shall be rich! By watering 
       others, he waters himself.

       (Prov 11:26 TLB)  People curse the man who holds his grain for higher 
       prices, but they bless the man who sells it to them in their time of 
       need.

       (Prov 11:27 TLB)  If you search for good, you will find God's favor; 
       if you search for evil, you will find his curse.

       (Prov 11:28 TLB)  Trust in your money and down you go! Trust in God 
       and flourish as a tree!





       (Prov 11:29 TLB)  The fool who provokes his family to anger and 
       resentment will finally have nothing worthwhile left. He shall be the 
       servant of a wiser man.

       (Prov 11:30 TLB)  Godly men are growing a tree that bears life-giving 
       fruit, and all who win souls are wise.

       (Prov 11:31 TLB)  Even the godly shall be rewarded here on earth; how 
       much more the wicked!

       (Prov 12:1 TLB)  To learn, you must want to be taught. To refuse 
       reproof is stupid.

       (Prov 12:2 TLB)  The Lord blesses good men and condemns the wicked.

       (Prov 12:3 TLB)  Wickedness never brings real success; only the godly 
       have that.

       (Prov 12:4 TLB)  A worthy wife is her husband's joy and crown; the 
       other kind corrodes his strength and tears down everything he does.

       (Prov 12:5 TLB)  A good man's mind is filled with honest thoughts; an 
       evil man's mind is crammed with lies.

       (Prov 12:6 TLB)  The wicked accuse; the godly defend.

       (Prov 12:7 TLB)  The wicked shall perish; the godly shall stand.

       (Prov 12:8 TLB)  Everyone admires a man with good sense, but a man 
       with a warped mind is despised.

       (Prov 12:9 TLB)  It is better to get your hands dirty--and eat, than 
       to be too proud to work--and starve.

       (Prov 12:10 TLB)  A good man is concerned for the welfare of his 
       animals, but even the kindness of godless men is cruel.

       (Prov 12:11 TLB)  Hard work means prosperity; only a fool idles away 
       his time.

       (Prov 12:12 TLB)  Crooks are jealous of each other's loot, while good 
       men long to help each other.

       (Prov 12:13 TLB)  Lies will get any man into trouble, but honesty is 
       its own defense.

       (Prov 12:14 TLB)  Telling the truth gives a man great satisfaction, 
       and hard work returns many blessings to him.

       (Prov 12:15 TLB)  A fool thinks he needs no advice, but a wise man 
       listens to others.

       (Prov 12:16 TLB)  A fool is quick-tempered; a wise man stays cool when 
       insulted.

       (Prov 12:17 TLB)  A good man is known by his truthfulness; a false man 





       by deceit and lies.

       (Prov 12:18 TLB)  Some people like to make cutting remarks, but the 
       words of the wise soothe and heal.

       (Prov 12:19 TLB)  Truth stands the test of time; lies are soon 
       exposed.

       (Prov 12:20 TLB)  Deceit fills hearts that are plotting for evil; joy 
       fills hearts that are planning for good!

       (Prov 12:21 TLB)  No real harm befalls the good, but there is constant 
       trouble for the wicked.

       (Prov 12:22 TLB)  God delights in those who keep their promises and 
       abhors those who don't.

       (Prov 12:23 TLB)  A wise man doesn't display his knowledge, but a fool 
       displays his foolishness.

       (Prov 12:24 TLB)  Work hard and become a leader; be lazy and never 
       succeed.

       (Prov 12:25 TLB)  Anxious hearts are very heavy, but a word of 
       encouragement does wonders!

       (Prov 12:26 TLB)  The good man asks advice from friends; the wicked 
       plunge ahead--and fall.

       (Prov 12:27 TLB)  A lazy man won't even dress the game he gets while 
       hunting, but the diligent man makes good use of everything he finds.

       (Prov 12:28 TLB)  The path of the godly leads to life. So why fear 
       death?

       (Prov 13:1 TLB)  A wise youth accepts his father's rebuke; a young 
       mocker doesn't.

       (Prov 13:2 TLB)  The good man wins his case by careful argument; the 
       evil-minded only wants to fight.

       (Prov 13:3 TLB)  Self-control means controlling the tongue! A quick 
       retort can ruin everything.

       (Prov 13:4 TLB)  Lazy people want much but get little, while the 
       diligent are prospering.

       (Prov 13:5 TLB)  A good man hates lies; wicked men lie constantly and 
       come to shame.

       (Prov 13:6 TLB)  A man's goodness helps him all through life, while 
       evil men are being destroyed by their wickedness.

       (Prov 13:7 TLB)  Some rich people are poor, and some poor people have 
       great wealth!





       (Prov 13:8 TLB)  Being kidnapped and held for ransom never worries the 
       poor man!

       (Prov 13:9 TLB)  The good man's life is full of light. The sinner's 
       road is dark and gloomy.

       (Prov 13:10 TLB)  Pride leads to arguments; be humble, take advice, 
       and become wise.

       (Prov 13:11 TLB)  Wealth from gambling quickly disappears; wealth from 
       hard work grows.

       (Prov 13:12 TLB)  Hope deferred makes the heart sick; but when dreams 
       come true at last, there is life and joy.

       (Prov 13:13 TLB)  Despise God's Word and find yourself in trouble. 
       Obey it and succeed.

       (Prov 13:14 TLB)  The advice of a wise man refreshes like water from a 
       mountain spring. Those accepting it become aware of the pitfalls on 
       ahead.

       (Prov 13:15 TLB)  A man with good sense is appreciated. A treacherous 
       man must walk a rocky road.

       (Prov 13:16 TLB)  A wise man thinks ahead; a fool doesn't and even 
       brags about it!

       (Prov 13:17 TLB)  An unreliable messenger can cause a lot of trouble. 
       Reliable communication permits progress.

       (Prov 13:18 TLB)  If you refuse criticism, you will end in poverty and 
       disgrace; if you accept criticism, you are on the road to fame.

       (Prov 13:19 TLB)  It is pleasant to see plans develop. That is why 
       fools refuse to give them up even when they are wrong.

       (Prov 13:20 TLB)  Be with wise men and become wise. Be with evil men 
       and become evil.

       (Prov 13:21 TLB)  Curses chase sinners, while blessings chase the 
       righteous!

       (Prov 13:22 TLB)  When a good man dies, he leaves an inheritance to 
       his grandchildren; but when a sinner dies, his wealth is stored up for 
       the godly.

       (Prov 13:23 TLB)  A poor man's farm may have good soil, but injustice 
       robs him of its riches.

       (Prov 13:24 TLB)  If you refuse to discipline your son, it proves you 
       don't love him; for if you love him, you will be prompt to punish him.

       (Prov 13:25 TLB)  The good man eats to live, while the evil man lives 
       to eat.





       (Prov 14:1 TLB)  A wise woman builds her house, while a foolish woman 
       tears hers down by her own efforts.

       (Prov 14:2 TLB)  To do right honors God; to sin is to despise him.

       (Prov 14:3 TLB)  A rebel's foolish talk should prick his own pride! 
       But the wise man's speech is respected.

       (Prov 14:4 TLB)  An empty stable stays clean--but there is no income 
       from an empty stable.

       (Prov 14:5 TLB)  A truthful witness never lies; a false witness always 
       lies.

       (Prov 14:6 TLB)  A mocker never finds the wisdom he claims he is 
       looking for, yet it comes easily to the man with common sense.

       (Prov 14:7 TLB)  If you are looking for advice, stay away from fools.

       (Prov 14:8 TLB)  The wise man looks ahead. The fool attempts to fool 
       himself and won't face facts.

       (Prov 14:9 TLB)  The common bond of rebels is their guilt. The common 
       bond of godly people is good will.

       (Prov 14:10 TLB)  Only the person involved can know his own bitterness 
       or joy--no one else can really share it.

       (Prov 14:11 TLB)  The work of the wicked will perish; the work of the 
       godly will flourish.

       (Prov 14:12 TLB)  Before every man there lies a wide and pleasant road 
       that seems right but ends in death.

       (Prov 14:13 TLB)  Laughter cannot mask a heavy heart. When the 
       laughter ends, the grief remains.

       (Prov 14:14 TLB)  The backslider gets bored with himself; the godly 
       man's life is exciting.

       (Prov 14:15 TLB)  Only a simpleton believes everything he's told! A 
       prudent man understands the need for proof.

       (Prov 14:16 TLB)  A wise man is cautious and avoids danger; a fool 
       plunges ahead with great confidence.

       (Prov 14:17 TLB)  A short-tempered man is a fool. He hates the man who 
       is patient.

       (Prov 14:18 TLB)  The simpleton is crowned with folly; the wise man is 
       crowned with knowledge.

       (Prov 14:19 TLB)  Evil men shall bow before the godly.

       (Prov 14:20 TLB)  Even his own neighbors despise the poor man, while 
       the rich have many "friends." But to despise the poor is to sin. 





       Blessed are those who help them.

       (Prov 14:21 TLB)  

       (Prov 14:22 TLB)  Those who plot evil shall wander away and be lost, 
       but those who plan good shall be granted mercy and quietness.

       (Prov 14:23 TLB)  Work brings profit; talk brings poverty!

       (Prov 14:24 TLB)  Wise men are praised for their wisdom; fools are 
       despised for their folly.

       (Prov 14:25 TLB)  A witness who tells the truth saves good men from 
       being sentenced to death, but a false witness is a traitor.

       (Prov 14:26 TLB)  Reverence for God gives a man deep strength; his 
       children have a place of refuge and security.

       (Prov 14:27 TLB)  Reverence for the Lord is a fountain of life; its 
       waters keep a man from death.

       (Prov 14:28 TLB)  A growing population is a king's glory; a dwindling 
       nation is his doom.

       (Prov 14:29 TLB)  A wise man controls his temper. He knows that anger 
       causes mistakes.

       (Prov 14:30 TLB)  A relaxed attitude lengthens a man's life; jealousy 
       rots it away.

       (Prov 14:31 TLB)  Anyone who oppresses the poor is insulting God who 
       made them. To help the poor is to honor God.

       (Prov 14:32 TLB)  The godly have a refuge when they die, but the 
       wicked are crushed by their sins.

       (Prov 14:33 TLB)  Wisdom is enshrined in the hearts of men of common 
       sense, but it must shout loudly before fools will hear it.

       (Prov 14:34 TLB)  Godliness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to 
       any people.

       (Prov 14:35 TLB)  A king rejoices in servants who know what they are 
       doing; he is angry with those who cause trouble.

       (Prov 15:1 TLB)  A gentle answer turns away wrath, but harsh words 
       cause quarrels.

       (Prov 15:2 TLB)  A wise teacher makes learning a joy; a rebellious 
       teacher spouts foolishness.

       (Prov 15:3 TLB)  The Lord is watching everywhere and keeps his eye on 
       both the evil and the good.

       (Prov 15:4 TLB)  Gentle words cause life and health; griping brings 
       discouragement.






       (Prov 15:5 TLB)  Only a fool despises his father's advice; a wise son 
       considers each suggestion.

       (Prov 15:6 TLB)  There is treasure in being good, but trouble dogs the 
       wicked.

       (Prov 15:7 TLB)  Only the good can give good advice. Rebels can't.

       (Prov 15:8 TLB)  The Lord hates the gifts of the wicked but delights 
       in the prayers of his people.

       (Prov 15:9 TLB)  The Lord despises the deeds of the wicked but loves 
       those who try to be good.

       (Prov 15:10 TLB)  If they stop trying, the Lord will punish them; if 
       they rebel against that punishment, they will die.

       (Prov 15:11 TLB)  The depths of hell are open to God's knowledge. How 
       much more the hearts of all mankind!

       (Prov 15:12 TLB)  A mocker stays away from wise men because he hates 
       to be scolded.

       (Prov 15:13 TLB)  A happy face means a glad heart; a sad face means a 
       breaking heart.

       (Prov 15:14 TLB)  A wise man is hungry for truth, while the mocker 
       feeds on trash.

       (Prov 15:15 TLB)  When a man is gloomy, everything seems to go wrong; 
       when he is cheerful, everything seems right!

       (Prov 15:16 TLB)  Better a little with reverence for God than great 
       treasure and trouble with it.

       (Prov 15:17 TLB)  It is better to eat soup with someone you love than 
       steak with someone you hate.

       (Prov 15:18 TLB)  A quick-tempered man starts fights; a cool-tempered 
       man tries to stop them.

       (Prov 15:19 TLB)  A lazy fellow has trouble all through life; the good 
       man's path is easy!

       (Prov 15:20 TLB)  A sensible son gladdens his father. A rebellious son 
       saddens his mother.

       (Prov 15:21 TLB)  If a man enjoys folly, something is wrong! The 
       sensible stay on the pathways of right.

       (Prov 15:22 TLB)  Plans go wrong with too few counselors; many 
       counselors bring success.

       (Prov 15:23 TLB)  Everyone enjoys giving good advice, and how 
       wonderful it is to be able to say the right thing at the right time!






       (Prov 15:24 TLB)  The road of the godly leads upward, leaving hell 
       behind.

       (Prov 15:25 TLB)  The Lord destroys the possessions of the proud but 
       cares for widows.

       (Prov 15:26 TLB)  The Lord hates the thoughts of the wicked but 
       delights in kind words.

       (Prov 15:27 TLB)  Dishonest money brings grief to all the family, but 
       hating bribes brings happiness.

       (Prov 15:28 TLB)  A good man thinks before he speaks; the evil man 
       pours out his evil words without a thought.

       (Prov 15:29 TLB)  The Lord is far from the wicked, but he hears the 
       prayers of the righteous.

       (Prov 15:30 TLB)  Pleasant sights and good reports give happiness and 
       health.

       (Prov 15:31 TLB)  If you profit from constructive criticism, you will 
       be elected to the wise men's hall of fame. But to reject criticism is 
       to harm yourself and your own best interests.

       (Prov 15:32 TLB)  

       (Prov 15:33 TLB)  Humility and reverence for the Lord will make you 
       both wise and honored.

       (Prov 16:1 TLB)  We can make our plans, but the final outcome is in 
       God's hands.

       (Prov 16:2 TLB)  We can always "prove" that we are right, but is the 
       Lord convinced?

       (Prov 16:3 TLB)  Commit your work to the Lord, then it will succeed.

       (Prov 16:4 TLB)  The Lord has made everything for his own 
       purposes--even the wicked, for punishment.

       (Prov 16:5 TLB)  Pride disgusts the Lord. Take my word for it --proud 
       men shall be punished.

       (Prov 16:6 TLB)  Iniquity is atoned for by mercy and truth; evil is 
       avoided by reverence for God.

       (Prov 16:7 TLB)  When a man is trying to please God, God makes even 
       his worst enemies to be at peace with him.

       (Prov 16:8 TLB)  A little gained honestly is better than great wealth 
       gotten by dishonest means.

       (Prov 16:9 TLB)  We should make plans--counting on God to direct us.





       (Prov 16:10 TLB)  God will help the king to judge the people fairly; 
       there need be no mistakes.

       (Prov 16:11 TLB)  The Lord demands fairness in every business deal. He 
       established this principle.

       (Prov 16:12 TLB)  It is a horrible thing for a king to do evil. His 
       right to rule depends upon his fairness.

       (Prov 16:13 TLB)  The king rejoices when his people are truthful and 
       fair.

       (Prov 16:14 TLB)  The anger of the king is a messenger of death, and a 
       wise man will appease it.

       (Prov 16:15 TLB)  Many favors are showered on those who please the 
       king.

       (Prov 16:16 TLB)  How much better is wisdom than gold, and 
       understanding than silver!

       (Prov 16:17 TLB)  The path of the godly leads away from evil; he who 
       follows that path is safe.

       (Prov 16:18 TLB)  Pride goes before destruction and haughtiness before 
       a fall.

       (Prov 16:19 TLB)  Better poor and humble than proud and rich.

       (Prov 16:20 TLB)  God blesses those who obey him; happy the man who 
       puts his trust in the Lord.

       (Prov 16:21 TLB)  The wise man is known by his common sense, and a 
       pleasant teacher is the best.

       (Prov 16:22 TLB)  Wisdom is a fountain of life to those possessing it, 
       but a fool's burden is his folly.

       (Prov 16:23 TLB)  From a wise mind comes careful and persuasive 
       speech.

       (Prov 16:24 TLB)  Kind words are like honey--enjoyable and healthful.

       (Prov 16:25 TLB)  Before every man there lies a wide and pleasant road 
       he thinks is right, but it ends in death.

       (Prov 16:26 TLB)  Hunger is good--if it makes you work to satisfy it!

       (Prov 16:27 TLB)  Idle hands are the devil's workshop; idle lips are 
       his mouthpiece.

       (Prov 16:28 TLB)  An evil man sows strife; gossip separates the best 
       of friends.

       (Prov 16:29 TLB)  Wickedness loves company--and leads others into sin.





       (Prov 16:30 TLB)  The wicked man stares into space with pursed lips, 
       deep in thought, planning his evil deeds.

       (Prov 16:31 TLB)  White hair is a crown of glory and is seen most 
       among the godly.

       (Prov 16:32 TLB)  It is better to be slow-tempered than famous; it is 
       better to have self-control than to control an army.

       (Prov 16:33 TLB)  We toss the coin, but it is the Lord who controls 
       its decision.

       (Prov 17:1 TLB)  A dry crust eaten in peace is better than steak every 
       day along with argument and strife.

       (Prov 17:2 TLB)  A wise slave will rule his master's wicked sons and 
       share their estate.

       (Prov 17:3 TLB)  Silver and gold are purified by fire, but God 
       purifies hearts.

       (Prov 17:4 TLB)  The wicked enjoy fellowship with others who are 
       wicked; liars enjoy liars.

       (Prov 17:5 TLB)  Mocking the poor is mocking the God who made them. He 
       will punish those who rejoice at others' misfortunes.

       (Prov 17:6 TLB)  An old man's grandchildren are his crowning glory. A 
       child's glory is his father.

       (Prov 17:7 TLB)  Truth from a rebel or lies from a king are both 
       unexpected.

       (Prov 17:8 TLB)  A bribe works like magic. Whoever uses it will 
       prosper!

       (Prov 17:9 TLB)  Love forgets mistakes; nagging about them parts the 
       best of friends.

       (Prov 17:10 TLB)  A rebuke to a man of common sense is more effective 
       than a hundred lashes on the back of a rebel.

       (Prov 17:11 TLB)  The wicked live for rebellion; they shall be 
       severely punished.

       (Prov 17:12 TLB)  It is safer to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a 
       fool caught in his folly.

       (Prov 17:13 TLB)  If you repay evil for good, a curse is upon your 
       home.

       (Prov 17:14 TLB)  It is hard to stop a quarrel once it starts, so 
       don't let it begin.

       (Prov 17:15 TLB)  The Lord despises those who say that bad is good and 
       good is bad.






       (Prov 17:16 TLB)  It is senseless to pay tuition to educate a rebel 
       who has no heart for truth.

       (Prov 17:17 TLB)  A true friend is always loyal, and a brother is born 
       to help in time of need.

       (Prov 17:18 TLB)  It is poor judgment to countersign another's note, 
       to become responsible for his debts.

       (Prov 17:19 TLB)  Sinners love to fight; boasting is looking for 
       trouble.

       (Prov 17:20 TLB)  An evil man is suspicious of everyone and tumbles 
       into constant trouble.

       (Prov 17:21 TLB)  It's no fun to be a rebel's father.

       (Prov 17:22 TLB)  A cheerful heart does good like medicine, but a 
       broken spirit makes one sick.

       (Prov 17:23 TLB)  It is wrong to accept a bribe to twist justice.

       (Prov 17:24 TLB)  Wisdom is the main pursuit of sensible men, but a 
       fool's goals are at the ends of the earth!

       (Prov 17:25 TLB)  A rebellious son is a grief to his father and a 
       bitter blow to his mother.

       (Prov 17:26 TLB)  How shortsighted to fine the godly for being good! 
       And to punish nobles for being honest!

       (Prov 17:27 TLB)  The man of few words and settled mind is wise; 
       therefore, even a fool is thought to be wise when he is silent. It 
       pays him to keep his mouth shut.

       (Prov 17:28 TLB)  

       (Prov 18:1 TLB)  The selfish man quarrels against every sound 
       principle of conduct by demanding his own way.

       (Prov 18:2 TLB)  A rebel doesn't care about the facts. All he wants to 
       do is yell.

       (Prov 18:3 TLB)  Sin brings disgrace.

       (Prov 18:4 TLB)  A wise man's words express deep streams of thought.

       (Prov 18:5 TLB)  It is wrong for a judge to favor the wicked and 
       condemn the innocent.

       (Prov 18:6 TLB)  A fool gets into constant fights. His mouth is his 
       undoing! His words endanger him.

       (Prov 18:7 TLB)  





       (Prov 18:8 TLB)  What dainty morsels rumors are. They are eaten with 
       great relish!

       (Prov 18:9 TLB)  A lazy man is brother to the saboteur.

       (Prov 18:10 TLB)  The Lord is a strong fortress. The godly run to him 
       and are safe.

       (Prov 18:11 TLB)  The rich man thinks of his wealth as an impregnable 
       defense, a high wall of safety. What a dreamer!

       (Prov 18:12 TLB)  Pride ends in destruction; humility ends in honor.

       (Prov 18:13 TLB)  What a shame--yes, how stupid!--to decide before 
       knowing the facts!

       (Prov 18:14 TLB)  A man's courage can sustain his broken body, but 
       when courage dies, what hope is left?

       (Prov 18:15 TLB)  The intelligent man is always open to new ideas. In 
       fact, he looks for them.

       (Prov 18:16 TLB)  A gift does wonders; it will bring you before men of 
       importance!

       (Prov 18:17 TLB)  Any story sounds true until someone tells the other 
       side and sets the record straight.

       (Prov 18:18 TLB)  A coin toss ends arguments and settles disputes 
       between powerful opponents.

       (Prov 18:19 TLB)  It is harder to win back the friendship of an 
       offended brother than to capture a fortified city. His anger shuts you 
       out like iron bars.

       (Prov 18:20 TLB)  Ability to give wise advice satisfies like a good 
       meal!

       (Prov 18:21 TLB)  Those who love to talk will suffer the consequences. 
       Men have died for saying the wrong thing!

       (Prov 18:22 TLB)  The man who finds a wife finds a good thing; she is 
       a blessing to him from the Lord.

       (Prov 18:23 TLB)  The poor man pleads, and the rich man answers with 
       insults.

       (Prov 18:24 TLB)  There are "friends" who pretend to be friends, but 
       there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

       (Prov 19:1 TLB)  Better be poor and honest than rich and dishonest.

       (Prov 19:2 TLB)  It is dangerous and sinful to rush into the unknown.

       (Prov 19:3 TLB)  A man may ruin his chances by his own foolishness and 
       then blame it on the Lord!






       (Prov 19:4 TLB)  A wealthy man has many "friends"; the poor man has 
       none left.

       (Prov 19:5 TLB)  Punish false witnesses. Track down liars.

       (Prov 19:6 TLB)  Many beg favors from a man who is generous; everyone 
       is his friend!

       (Prov 19:7 TLB)  A poor man's own brothers turn away from him in 
       embarrassment; how much more his friends! He calls after them, but 
       they are gone.

       (Prov 19:8 TLB)  He who loves wisdom loves his own best interest and 
       will be a success.

       (Prov 19:9 TLB)  A false witness shall be punished, and a liar shall 
       be caught.

       (Prov 19:10 TLB)  It doesn't seem right for a fool to succeed or for a 
       slave to rule over princes!

       (Prov 19:11 TLB)  A wise man restrains his anger and overlooks 
       insults. This is to his credit.

       (Prov 19:12 TLB)  The king's anger is as dangerous as a lion's. But 
       his approval is as refreshing as the dew on grass.

       (Prov 19:13 TLB)  A rebellious son is a calamity to his father, and a 
       nagging wife annoys like constant dripping.

       (Prov 19:14 TLB)  A father can give his sons homes and riches, but 
       only the Lord can give them understanding wives.

       (Prov 19:15 TLB)  A lazy man sleeps soundly--and he goes hungry!

       (Prov 19:16 TLB)  Keep the commandments and keep your life; despising 
       them means death.

       (Prov 19:17 TLB)  When you help the poor you are lending to the 
       Lord--and he pays wonderful interest on your loan!

       (Prov 19:18 TLB)  Discipline your son in his early years while there 
       is hope. If you don't you will ruin his life.

       (Prov 19:19 TLB)  A short-tempered man must bear his own penalty; you 
       can't do much to help him. If you try once you must try a dozen times!

       (Prov 19:20 TLB)  Get all the advice you can and be wise the rest of 
       your life.

       (Prov 19:21 TLB)  Man proposes, but God disposes.

       (Prov 19:22 TLB)  Kindness makes a man attractive. And it is better to 
       be poor than dishonest.





       (Prov 19:23 TLB)  Reverence for God gives life, happiness, and 
       protection from harm.

       (Prov 19:24 TLB)  Some men are so lazy they won't even feed 
       themselves!

       (Prov 19:25 TLB)  Punish a mocker and others will learn from his 
       example. Reprove a wise man, and he will be the wiser.

       (Prov 19:26 TLB)  A son who mistreats his father or mother is a public 
       disgrace.

       (Prov 19:27 TLB)  Stop listening to teaching that contradicts what you 
       know is right.

       (Prov 19:28 TLB)  A worthless witness cares nothing for truth--he 
       enjoys his sinning too much.

       (Prov 19:29 TLB)  Mockers and rebels shall be severely punished.

       (Prov 20:1 TLB)  Wine gives false courage; hard liquor leads to 
       brawls; what fools men are to let it master them, making them reel 
       drunkenly down the street!

       (Prov 20:2 TLB)  The king's fury is like that of a roaring lion; to 
       rouse his anger is to risk your life.

       (Prov 20:3 TLB)  It is an honor for a man to stay out of a fight. Only 
       fools insist on quarreling.

       (Prov 20:4 TLB)  If you won't plow in the cold, you won't eat at the 
       harvest.

       (Prov 20:5 TLB)  Though good advice lies deep within a counselor's 
       heart, the wise man will draw it out.

       (Prov 20:6 TLB)  Most people will tell you what loyal friends they 
       are, but are they telling the truth?

       (Prov 20:7 TLB)  It is a wonderful heritage to have an honest father.

       (Prov 20:8 TLB)  A king sitting as judge weighs all the evidence 
       carefully, distinguishing the true from false.

       (Prov 20:9 TLB)  Who can ever say, "I have cleansed my heart; I am 
       sinless"?

       (Prov 20:10 TLB)  The Lord despises every kind of cheating.

       (Prov 20:11 TLB)  The character of even a child can be known by the 
       way he acts--whether what he does is pure and right.

       (Prov 20:12 TLB)  If you have good eyesight and good hearing, thank 
       God who gave them to you.

       (Prov 20:13 TLB)  If you love sleep, you will end in poverty. Stay 





       awake, work hard, and there will be plenty to eat!

       (Prov 20:14 TLB)  "Utterly worthless!" says the buyer as he haggles 
       over the price. But afterwards he brags about his bargain!

       (Prov 20:15 TLB)  Good sense is far more valuable than gold or 
       precious jewels.

       (Prov 20:16 TLB)  It is risky to make loans to strangers!

       (Prov 20:17 TLB)  Some men enjoy cheating, but the cake they buy with 
       such ill-gotten gain will turn to gravel in their mouths.

       (Prov 20:18 TLB)  Don't go ahead with your plans without the advice of 
       others; don't go to war until they agree.

       (Prov 20:19 TLB)  Don't tell your secrets to a gossip unless you want 
       them broadcast to the world.

       (Prov 20:20 TLB)  God puts out the light of the man who curses his 
       father or mother.

       (Prov 20:21 TLB)  Quick wealth is not a blessing in the end.

       (Prov 20:22 TLB)  Don't repay evil for evil. Wait for the Lord to 
       handle the matter.

       (Prov 20:23 TLB)  The Lord loathes all cheating and dishonesty.

       (Prov 20:24 TLB)  Since the Lord is directing our steps, why try to 
       understand everything that happens along the way?

       (Prov 20:25 TLB)  It is foolish and rash to make a promise to the Lord 
       before counting the cost.

       (Prov 20:26 TLB)  A wise king stamps out crime by severe punishment.

       (Prov 20:27 TLB)  A man's conscience is the Lord's searchlight 
       exposing his hidden motives.

       (Prov 20:28 TLB)  If a king is kind, honest, and fair, his kingdom 
       stands secure.

       (Prov 20:29 TLB)  The glory of young men is their strength; of old 
       men, their experience.

       (Prov 20:30 TLB)  Punishment that hurts chases evil from the heart.

       (Prov 21:1 TLB)  Just as water is turned into irrigation ditches, so 
       the Lord directs the king's thoughts. He turns them wherever he wants 
       to.

       (Prov 21:2 TLB)  We can justify our every deed, but God looks at our 
       motives.

       (Prov 21:3 TLB)  God is more pleased when we are just and fair than 





       when we give him gifts.

       (Prov 21:4 TLB)  Pride, lust, and evil actions are all sin.

       (Prov 21:5 TLB)  Steady plodding brings prosperity; hasty speculation 
       brings poverty.

       (Prov 21:6 TLB)  Dishonest gain will never last, so why take the risk?

       (Prov 21:7 TLB)  Because the wicked are unfair, their violence 
       boomerangs and destroys them.

       (Prov 21:8 TLB)  A man is known by his actions. An evil man lives an 
       evil life; a good man lives a godly life.

       (Prov 21:9 TLB)  It is better to live in the corner of an attic than 
       with a crabby woman in a lovely home.

       (Prov 21:10 TLB)  An evil man loves to harm others; being a good 
       neighbor is out of his line.

       (Prov 21:11 TLB)  The wise man learns by listening; the simpleton can 
       learn only by seeing scorners punished.

       (Prov 21:12 TLB)  God, the Righteous One, knows what is going on in 
       the homes of the wicked and will bring the wicked to judgment.

       (Prov 21:13 TLB)  He who shuts his ears to the cries of the poor will 
       be ignored in his own time of need.

       (Prov 21:14 TLB)  An angry man is silenced by giving him a gift!

       (Prov 21:15 TLB)  A good man loves justice, but it is a calamity to 
       evil-doers.

       (Prov 21:16 TLB)  The man who strays away from common sense will end 
       up dead!

       (Prov 21:17 TLB)  A man who loves pleasure becomes poor; wine and 
       luxury are not the way to riches!

       (Prov 21:18 TLB)  The wicked will finally lose; the righteous will 
       finally win.

       (Prov 21:19 TLB)  Better to live in the desert than with a 
       quarrelsome, complaining woman.

       (Prov 21:20 TLB)  The wise man saves for the future, but the foolish 
       man spends whatever he gets.

       (Prov 21:21 TLB)  The man who tries to be good, loving, and kind finds 
       life, righteousness, and honor.

       (Prov 21:22 TLB)  The wise man conquers the strong man and levels his 
       defenses.





       (Prov 21:23 TLB)  Keep your mouth closed and you'll stay out of 
       trouble.

       (Prov 21:24 TLB)  Mockers are proud, haughty, and arrogant.

       (Prov 21:25 TLB)  The lazy man longs for many things, but his hands 
       refuse to work. He is greedy to get, while the godly love to give!

       (Prov 21:26 TLB)  

       (Prov 21:27 TLB)  God loathes the gifts of evil men, especially if 
       they are trying to bribe him!

       (Prov 21:28 TLB)  No one believes a liar, but everyone respects the 
       words of an honest man.

       (Prov 21:29 TLB)  An evil man is stubborn, but a godly man will 
       reconsider.

       (Prov 21:30 TLB)  No one, regardless of how shrewd or well-advised he 
       is, can stand against the Lord.

       (Prov 21:31 TLB)  Go ahead and prepare for the conflict, but victory 
       comes from God.

       (Prov 22:1 TLB)  If you must choose, take a good name rather than 
       great riches; for to be held in loving esteem is better than silver 
       and gold.

       (Prov 22:2 TLB)  The rich and the poor are alike before the Lord who 
       made them all.

       (Prov 22:3 TLB)  A prudent man foresees the difficulties ahead and 
       prepares for them; the simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the 
       consequences.

       (Prov 22:4 TLB)  True humility and respect for the Lord lead a man to 
       riches, honor, and long life.

       (Prov 22:5 TLB)  The rebel walks a thorny, treacherous road; the man 
       who values his soul will stay away.

       (Prov 22:6 TLB)  Teach a child to choose the right path, and when he 
       is older, he will remain upon it.

       (Prov 22:7 TLB)  Just as the rich rule the poor, so the borrower is 
       servant to the lender.

       (Prov 22:8 TLB)  The unjust tyrant will reap disaster, and his reign 
       of terror shall end.

       (Prov 22:9 TLB)  Happy is the generous man, the one who feeds the 
       poor.

       (Prov 22:10 TLB)  Throw out the mocker, and you will be rid of 
       tension, fighting, and quarrels.






       (Prov 22:11 TLB)  He who values grace and truth is the king's friend.

       (Prov 22:12 TLB)  The Lord preserves the upright but ruins the plans 
       of the wicked.

       (Prov 22:13 TLB)  The lazy man is full of excuses. "I can't go to 
       work!" he says. "If I go outside, I might meet a lion in the street 
       and be killed!"

       (Prov 22:14 TLB)  A prostitute is a dangerous trap; those cursed of 
       God are caught in it.

       (Prov 22:15 TLB)  A youngster's heart is filled with rebellion, but 
       punishment will drive it out of him.

       (Prov 22:16 TLB)  He who gains by oppressing the poor or by bribing 
       the rich shall end in poverty.

       (Prov 22:17 TLB)  Listen to this wise advice; follow it closely, for 
       it will do you good, and you can pass it on to others: Trust in the 
       Lord.

       (Prov 22:18 TLB)  

       (Prov 22:19 TLB)  

       (Prov 22:20 TLB)  In the past, haven't I been right? Then believe what 
       I am telling you now and share it with others.

       (Prov 22:21 TLB)  

       (Prov 22:22 TLB)  Don't rob the poor and sick! For the Lord is their 
       defender. If you injure them, he will punish you.

       (Prov 22:23 TLB)  

       (Prov 22:24 TLB)  Keep away from angry, short-tempered men, lest you 
       learn to be like them and endanger your soul.

       (Prov 22:25 TLB)  

       (Prov 22:26 TLB)  Unless you have the extra cash on hand, don't 
       countersign a note. Why risk everything you own? They'll even take 
       your bed!

       (Prov 22:27 TLB)  

       (Prov 22:28 TLB)  Do not move the ancient boundary marks. That is 
       stealing.

       (Prov 22:29 TLB)  Do you know a hard-working man? He shall be 
       successful and stand before kings!

       (Prov 23:1 TLB)  When dining with a rich man, be on your guard





       (Prov 23:2 TLB)  and don't stuff yourself, though it all tastes so 
       good; for he is trying to bribe you, and no good is going to come of 
       his invitation.

       (Prov 23:3 TLB)  

       (Prov 23:4 TLB)  Don't weary yourself trying to get rich. Why waste 
       your time? For riches can disappear as though they had the wings of a 
       bird!

       (Prov 23:5 TLB)  

       (Prov 23:6 TLB)  Don't associate with evil men; don't long for their 
       favors and gifts.

       (Prov 23:7 TLB)  Their kindness is a trick; they want to use you as 
       their pawn.

       (Prov 23:8 TLB)  The delicious food they serve will turn sour in your 
       stomach, and you will vomit it and have to take back your words of 
       appreciation for their "kindness."

       (Prov 23:9 TLB)  Don't waste your breath on a rebel. He will despise 
       the wisest advice.

       (Prov 23:10 TLB)  Don't steal the land of defenseless orphans by 
       moving their ancient boundary marks, for their Redeemer is strong; he 
       himself will accuse you.

       (Prov 23:11 TLB)  

       (Prov 23:12 TLB)  Don't refuse to accept criticism; get all the help 
       you can.

       (Prov 23:13 TLB)  Don't fail to correct your children; discipline 
       won't hurt them! They won't die if you use a stick on them! Punishment 
       will keep them out of hell.

       (Prov 23:14 TLB)  

       (Prov 23:15 TLB)  My son, how I will rejoice if you become a man of 
       common sense. Yes, my heart will thrill to your thoughtful, wise 
       words.

       (Prov 23:16 TLB)  

       (Prov 23:17 TLB)  Don't envy evil men but continue to reverence the 
       Lord all the time, for surely you have a wonderful future ahead of 
       you. There is hope for you yet!

       (Prov 23:18 TLB)  

       (Prov 23:19 TLB)  O my son, be wise and stay in God's paths;

       (Prov 23:20 TLB)  don't carouse with drunkards and gluttons,





       (Prov 23:21 TLB)  for they are on their way to poverty. And remember 
       that too much sleep clothes a man with rags.

       (Prov 23:22 TLB)  Listen to your father's advice and don't despise an 
       old mother's experience.

       (Prov 23:23 TLB)  Get the facts at any price, and hold on tightly to 
       all the good sense you can get.

       (Prov 23:24 TLB)  The father of a godly man has cause for joy--what 
       pleasure a wise son is! So give your parents joy!

       (Prov 23:25 TLB)  

       (Prov 23:26 TLB)  O my son, trust my advice--stay away from 
       prostitutes.

       (Prov 23:27 TLB)  For a prostitute is a deep and narrow grave.

       (Prov 23:28 TLB)  Like a robber, she waits for her victims as one 
       after another become unfaithful to their wives.

       (Prov 23:29 TLB)  Whose heart is filled with anguish and sorrow? Who 
       is always fighting and quarreling? Who is the man with bloodshot eyes 
       and many wounds?

       (Prov 23:30 TLB)  It is the one who spends long hours in the taverns, 
       trying out new mixtures.

       (Prov 23:31 TLB)  Don't let the sparkle and the smooth taste of strong 
       wine deceive you.

       (Prov 23:32 TLB)  For in the end it bites like a poisonous serpent; it 
       stings like an adder.

       (Prov 23:33 TLB)  You will see hallucinations and have delirium 
       tremens, and you will say foolish, silly things that would embarrass 
       you no end when sober.

       (Prov 23:34 TLB)  You will stagger like a sailor tossed at sea, 
       clinging to a swaying mast.

       (Prov 23:35 TLB)  And afterwards you will say, "I didn't even know it 
       when they beat me up. . . . Let's go and have another drink!"

       (Prov 24:1 TLB)  Don't envy godless men; don't even enjoy their 
       company.

       (Prov 24:2 TLB)  For they spend their days plotting violence and 
       cheating.

       (Prov 24:3 TLB)  Any enterprise is built by wise planning, becomes 
       strong through common sense, and profits wonderfully by keeping 
       abreast of the facts.

       (Prov 24:4 TLB)  






       (Prov 24:5 TLB)  A wise man is mightier than a strong man. Wisdom is 
       mightier than strength.

       (Prov 24:6 TLB)  Don't go to war without wise guidance; there is 
       safety in many counselors.

       (Prov 24:7 TLB)  Wisdom is too much for a rebel. He'll not be chosen 
       as a counselor!

       (Prov 24:8 TLB)  To plan evil is as wrong as doing it.

       (Prov 24:9 TLB)  The rebel's schemes are sinful, and the mocker is the 
       scourge of all mankind.

       (Prov 24:10 TLB)  You are a poor specimen if you can't stand the 
       pressure of adversity.

       (Prov 24:11 TLB)  Rescue those who are unjustly sentenced to death; 
       don't stand back and let them die.

       (Prov 24:12 TLB)  Don't try to disclaim responsibility by saying you 
       didn't know about it. For God, who knows all hearts, knows yours, and 
       he knows you knew! And he will reward everyone according to his deeds.

       (Prov 24:13 TLB)  My son, honey whets the appetite and so does wisdom! 
       When you enjoy becoming wise, there is hope for you! A bright future 
       lies ahead!

       (Prov 24:14 TLB)  

       (Prov 24:15 TLB)  O evil man, leave the upright man alone and quit 
       trying to cheat him out of his rights.

       (Prov 24:16 TLB)  Don't you know that this good man, though you trip 
       him up seven times, will each time rise again? But one calamity is 
       enough to lay you low.

       (Prov 24:17 TLB)  Do not rejoice when your enemy meets trouble. Let 
       there be no gladness when he falls--

       (Prov 24:18 TLB)  for the Lord may be displeased with you and stop 
       punishing him!

       (Prov 24:19 TLB)  Don't envy the wicked. Don't covet his riches. For 
       the evil man has no future; his light will be snuffed out.

       (Prov 24:20 TLB)  

       (Prov 24:21 TLB)  My son, watch your step before the Lord and the 
       king, and don't associate with radicals. For you will go down with 
       them to sudden disaster, and who knows where it all will end?

       (Prov 24:22 TLB)  

       (Prov 24:23 TLB)  It is wrong to sentence the poor and let the rich go 





       free.

       (Prov 24:24 TLB)  He who says to the wicked, "You are innocent," shall 
       be cursed by many people of many nations;

       (Prov 24:25 TLB)  but blessings shall be showered on those who rebuke 
       sin fearlessly.

       (Prov 24:26 TLB)  It is an honor to receive a frank reply.

       (Prov 24:27 TLB)  Develop your business first before building your 
       house.

       (Prov 24:28 TLB)  Don't testify spitefully against an innocent 
       neighbor. Why lie about him? Don't say, "Now I can pay him back for 
       all his meanness to me!"

       (Prov 24:29 TLB)  

       (Prov 24:30 TLB)  I walked by the field of a certain lazy fellow and 
       saw that it was overgrown with thorns; it was covered with weeds, and 
       its walls were broken down.

       (Prov 24:31 TLB)  

       (Prov 24:32 TLB)  Then, as I looked, I learned this lesson:

       (Prov 24:33 TLB)  "A little extra sleep, A little more slumber, A 
       little folding of the hands to rest"

       (Prov 24:34 TLB)  means that poverty will break in upon you suddenly 
       like a robber and violently like a bandit.

       (Prov 25:1 TLB)  These proverbs of Solomon were discovered and copied 
       by the aides of King Hezekiah of Judah:

       (Prov 25:2 TLB)  It is God's privilege to conceal things, and the 
       king's privilege to discover and invent.

       (Prov 25:3 TLB)  You cannot understand the height of heaven, the size 
       of the earth, or all that goes on in the king's mind!

       (Prov 25:4 TLB)  When you remove dross from silver, you have sterling 
       ready for the silversmith. When you remove corrupt men from the king's 
       court, his reign will be just and fair.

       (Prov 25:5 TLB)  

       (Prov 25:6 TLB)  Don't demand an audience with the king as though you 
       were some powerful prince.

       (Prov 25:7 TLB)  It is better to wait for an invitation rather than to 
       be sent back to the end of the line, publicly disgraced!

       (Prov 25:8 TLB)  Don't be hot-headed and rush to court! You may start 
       something you can't finish






       (Prov 25:9 TLB)  and go down before your neighbor in shameful defeat. 
       So discuss the matter with him privately.

       (Prov 25:10 TLB)  Don't tell anyone else, lest he accuse you of 
       slander and you can't withdraw what you said.

       (Prov 25:11 TLB)  Timely advice is as lovely as gold apples in a 
       silver basket.

       (Prov 25:12 TLB)  It is a badge of honor to accept valid criticism.

       (Prov 25:13 TLB)  A faithful employee is as refreshing as a cool day 
       in the hot summertime.

       (Prov 25:14 TLB)  One who doesn't give the gift he promised is like a 
       cloud blowing over a desert without dropping any rain.

       (Prov 25:15 TLB)  Be patient and you will finally win, for a soft 
       tongue can break hard bones.

       (Prov 25:16 TLB)  Do you like honey? Don't eat too much of it, or it 
       will make you sick!

       (Prov 25:17 TLB)  Don't visit your neighbor too often, or you will 
       outwear your welcome!

       (Prov 25:18 TLB)  Telling lies about someone is as harmful as hitting 
       him with an axe, or wounding him with a sword, or shooting him with a 
       sharp arrow.

       (Prov 25:19 TLB)  Putting confidence in an unreliable man is like 
       chewing with a sore tooth, or trying to run on a broken foot.

       (Prov 25:20 TLB)  Being happy-go-lucky around a person whose heart is 
       heavy is as bad as stealing his jacket in cold weather or rubbing salt 
       in his wounds.

       (Prov 25:21 TLB)  If your enemy is hungry, give him food! If he is 
       thirsty, give him something to drink! This will make him feel ashamed 
       of himself, and God will reward you.

       (Prov 25:22 TLB)  

       (Prov 25:23 TLB)  As surely as a wind from the north brings cold, just 
       as surely a retort causes anger!

       (Prov 25:24 TLB)  It is better to live in a corner of an attic than in 
       a beautiful home with a cranky, quarrelsome woman.

       (Prov 25:25 TLB)  Good news from far away is like cold water to the 
       thirsty.

       (Prov 25:26 TLB)  If a godly man compromises with the wicked, it is 
       like polluting a fountain or muddying a spring.





       (Prov 25:27 TLB)  Just as it is harmful to eat too much honey, so also 
       it is bad for men to think about all the honors they deserve!

       (Prov 25:28 TLB)  A man without self-control is as defenseless as a 
       city with broken-down walls.

       (Prov 26:1 TLB)  Honor doesn't go with fools any more than snow with 
       summertime or rain with harvesttime!

       (Prov 26:2 TLB)  An undeserved curse has no effect. Its intended 
       victim will be no more harmed by it than by a sparrow or swallow 
       flitting through the sky.

       (Prov 26:3 TLB)  Guide a horse with a whip, a donkey with a bridle, 
       and a rebel with a rod to his back!

       (Prov 26:4 TLB)  When arguing with a rebel, don't use foolish 
       arguments as he does, or you will become as foolish as he is!

       (Prov 26:5 TLB)  Prick his conceit with silly replies!

       (Prov 26:6 TLB)  To trust a rebel to convey a message is as foolish as 
       cutting off your feet and drinking poison!

       (Prov 26:7 TLB)  In the mouth of a fool a proverb becomes as useless 
       as a paralyzed leg.

       (Prov 26:8 TLB)  Honoring a rebel will backfire like a stone tied to a 
       slingshot!

       (Prov 26:9 TLB)  A rebel will misapply an illustration so that its 
       point will no more be felt than a thorn in the hand of a drunkard.

       (Prov 26:10 TLB)  The master may get better work from an untrained 
       apprentice than from a skilled rebel!

       (Prov 26:11 TLB)  As a dog returns to his vomit, so a fool repeats his 
       folly.

       (Prov 26:12 TLB)  There is one thing worse than a fool, and that is a 
       man who is conceited.

       (Prov 26:13 TLB)  The lazy man won't go out and work. "There might be 
       a lion outside!" he says.

       (Prov 26:14 TLB)  He sticks to his bed like a door to its hinges!

       (Prov 26:15 TLB)  He is too tired even to lift his food from his dish 
       to his mouth!

       (Prov 26:16 TLB)  Yet in his own opinion he is smarter than seven wise 
       men.

       (Prov 26:17 TLB)  Yanking a dog's ears is no more foolish than 
       interfering in an argument that isn't any of your business.





       (Prov 26:18 TLB)  A man who is caught lying to his neighbor and says, 
       "I was just fooling," is like a madman throwing around firebrands, 
       arrows, and death!

       (Prov 26:19 TLB)  

       (Prov 26:20 TLB)  Fire goes out for lack of fuel, and tensions 
       disappear when gossip stops.

       (Prov 26:21 TLB)  A quarrelsome man starts fights as easily as a match 
       sets fire to paper.

       (Prov 26:22 TLB)  Gossip is a dainty morsel eaten with great relish.

       (Prov 26:23 TLB)  Pretty words may hide a wicked heart, just as a 
       pretty glaze covers a common clay pot.

       (Prov 26:24 TLB)  A man with hate in his heart may sound pleasant 
       enough, but don't believe him; for he is cursing you in his heart.

       (Prov 26:25 TLB)  Though he pretends to be so kind,

       (Prov 26:26 TLB)  his hatred will finally come to light for all to 
       see.

       (Prov 26:27 TLB)  The man who sets a trap for others will get caught 
       in it himself. Roll a boulder down on someone, and it will roll back 
       and crush you.

       (Prov 26:28 TLB)  Flattery is a form of hatred and wounds cruelly.

       (Prov 27:1 TLB)  Don't brag about your plans for tomorrow--wait and 
       see what happens.

       (Prov 27:2 TLB)  Don't praise yourself; let others do it!

       (Prov 27:3 TLB)  A rebel's frustrations are heavier than sand and 
       rocks.

       (Prov 27:4 TLB)  Jealousy is more dangerous and cruel than anger.

       (Prov 27:5 TLB)  Open rebuke is better than hidden love!

       (Prov 27:6 TLB)  Wounds from a friend are better than kisses from an 
       enemy!

       (Prov 27:7 TLB)  Even honey seems tasteless to a man who is full; but 
       if he is hungry, he'll eat anything!

       (Prov 27:8 TLB)  A man who strays from home is like a bird that 
       wanders from its nest.

       (Prov 27:9 TLB)  Friendly suggestions are as pleasant as perfume.

       (Prov 27:10 TLB)  Never abandon a friend--either yours or your 
       father's. Then you won't need to go to a distant relative for help in 





       your time of need.

       (Prov 27:11 TLB)  My son, how happy I will be if you turn out to be 
       sensible! It will be a public honor to me.

       (Prov 27:12 TLB)  A sensible man watches for problems ahead and 
       prepares to meet them. The simpleton never looks and suffers the 
       consequences.

       (Prov 27:13 TLB)  The world's poorest credit risk is the man who 
       agrees to pay a stranger's debts.

       (Prov 27:14 TLB)  If you shout a pleasant greeting to a friend too 
       early in the morning, he will count it as a curse!

       (Prov 27:15 TLB)  A constant dripping on a rainy day and a cranky 
       woman are much alike!

       (Prov 27:16 TLB)  You can no more stop her complaints than you can 
       stop the wind or hold onto anything with oil-slick hands.

       (Prov 27:17 TLB)  A friendly discussion is as stimulating as the 
       sparks that fly when iron strikes iron.

       (Prov 27:18 TLB)  A workman may eat from the orchard he tends; anyone 
       should be rewarded who protects another's interests.

       (Prov 27:19 TLB)  A mirror reflects a man's face, but what he is 
       really like is shown by the kind of friends he chooses.

       (Prov 27:20 TLB)  Ambition and death are alike in this: neither is 
       ever satisfied.

       (Prov 27:21 TLB)  The purity of silver and gold can be tested in a 
       crucible, but a man is tested by his reaction to men's praise.

       (Prov 27:22 TLB)  You can't separate a rebel from his foolishness 
       though you crush him to powder.

       (Prov 27:23 TLB)  Riches can disappear fast. And the king's crown 
       doesn't stay in his family forever--

       (Prov 27:24 TLB)  so watch your business interests closely. Know the 
       state of your flocks and your herds;

       (Prov 27:25 TLB)  then there will be lambs' wool enough for clothing

       (Prov 27:26 TLB)  and goats' milk enough for food for all your 
       household

       (Prov 27:27 TLB)  after the hay is harvested, and the new crop 
       appears, and the mountain grasses are gathered in.

       (Prov 28:1 TLB)  The wicked flee when no one is chasing them! But the 
       godly are bold as lions!





       (Prov 28:2 TLB)  When there is moral rot within a nation, its 
       government topples easily; but with honest, sensible leaders there is 
       stability.

       (Prov 28:3 TLB)  When a poor man oppresses those even poorer, he is 
       like an unexpected flood sweeping away their last hope.

       (Prov 28:4 TLB)  To complain about the law is to praise wickedness. To 
       obey the law is to fight evil.

       (Prov 28:5 TLB)  Evil men don't understand the importance of justice, 
       but those who follow the Lord are much concerned about it.

       (Prov 28:6 TLB)  Better to be poor and honest than rich and a cheater.

       (Prov 28:7 TLB)  Young men who are wise obey the law; a son who is a 
       member of a lawless gang is a shame to his father.

       (Prov 28:8 TLB)  Income from exploiting the poor will end up in the 
       hands of someone who pities them.

       (Prov 28:9 TLB)  God doesn't listen to the prayers of those who flout 
       the law.

       (Prov 28:10 TLB)  A curse on those who lead astray the godly. But men 
       who encourage the upright to do good shall be given a worthwhile 
       reward.

       (Prov 28:11 TLB)  Rich men are conceited, but their real poverty is 
       evident to the poor.

       (Prov 28:12 TLB)  When the godly are successful, everyone is glad. 
       When the wicked succeed, everyone is sad.

       (Prov 28:13 TLB)  A man who refuses to admit his mistakes can never be 
       successful. But if he confesses and forsakes them, he gets another 
       chance.

       (Prov 28:14 TLB)  Blessed is the man who reveres God, but the man who 
       doesn't care is headed for serious trouble.

       (Prov 28:15 TLB)  A wicked ruler is as dangerous to the poor as a lion 
       or bear attacking them.

       (Prov 28:16 TLB)  Only a stupid prince will oppress his people, but a 
       king will have a long reign if he hates dishonesty and bribes.

       (Prov 28:17 TLB)  A murderer's conscience will drive him into hell. 
       Don't stop him!

       (Prov 28:18 TLB)  Good men will be rescued from harm, but cheaters 
       will be destroyed.

       (Prov 28:19 TLB)  Hard work brings prosperity; playing around brings 
       poverty.





       (Prov 28:20 TLB)  The man who wants to do right will get a rich 
       reward. But the man who wants to get rich quick will quickly fail.

       (Prov 28:21 TLB)  Giving preferred treatment to rich people is a clear 
       case of selling one's soul for a piece of bread.

       (Prov 28:22 TLB)  Trying to get rich quick is evil and leads to 
       poverty.

       (Prov 28:23 TLB)  In the end, people appreciate frankness more than 
       flattery.

       (Prov 28:24 TLB)  A man who robs his parents and says, "What's wrong 
       with that?" is no better than a murderer.

       (Prov 28:25 TLB)  Greed causes fighting; trusting God leads to 
       prosperity.

       (Prov 28:26 TLB)  A man is a fool to trust himself! But those who use 
       God's wisdom are safe.

       (Prov 28:27 TLB)  If you give to the poor, your needs will be 
       supplied! But a curse upon those who close their eyes to poverty.

       (Prov 28:28 TLB)  When the wicked prosper, good men go away; when the 
       wicked meet disaster, good men return.

       (Prov 29:1 TLB)  The man who is often reproved but refuses to accept 
       criticism will suddenly be broken and never have another chance.

       (Prov 29:2 TLB)  With good men in authority, the people rejoice; but 
       with the wicked in power, they groan.

       (Prov 29:3 TLB)  A wise son makes his father happy, but a lad who 
       hangs around with prostitutes disgraces him.

       (Prov 29:4 TLB)  A just king gives stability to his nation, but one 
       who demands bribes destroys it.

       (Prov 29:5 TLB)  Flattery is a trap; evil men are caught in it, but 
       good men stay away and sing for joy.

       (Prov 29:6 TLB)  

       (Prov 29:7 TLB)  The good man knows the poor man's rights; the godless 
       don't care.

       (Prov 29:8 TLB)  Fools start fights everywhere while wise men try to 
       keep peace.

       (Prov 29:9 TLB)  There's no use arguing with a fool. He only rages and 
       scoffs, and tempers flare.

       (Prov 29:10 TLB)  The godly pray for those who long to kill them.

       (Prov 29:11 TLB)  A rebel shouts in anger; a wise man holds his temper 





       in and cools it.

       (Prov 29:12 TLB)  A wicked ruler will have wicked aides on his staff.

       (Prov 29:13 TLB)  Rich and poor are alike in this: each depends on God 
       for light.

       (Prov 29:14 TLB)  A king who is fair to the poor shall have a long 
       reign.

       (Prov 29:15 TLB)  Scolding and spanking a child helps him to learn. 
       Left to himself, he brings shame to his mother.

       (Prov 29:16 TLB)  When rulers are wicked, their people are too; but 
       good men will live to see the tyrant's downfall.

       (Prov 29:17 TLB)  Discipline your son and he will give you happiness 
       and peace of mind.

       (Prov 29:18 TLB)  Where there is ignorance of God, crime runs wild; 
       but what a wonderful thing it is for a nation to know and keep his 
       laws.

       (Prov 29:19 TLB)  Sometimes mere words are not enough--discipline is 
       needed. For the words may not be heeded.

       (Prov 29:20 TLB)  There is more hope for a fool than for a man of 
       quick temper.

       (Prov 29:21 TLB)  Pamper a servant from childhood, and he will expect 
       you to treat him as a son!

       (Prov 29:22 TLB)  A hot-tempered man starts fights and gets into all 
       kinds of trouble.

       (Prov 29:23 TLB)  Pride ends in a fall, while humility brings honor.

       (Prov 29:24 TLB)  A man who assists a thief must really hate himself! 
       For he knows the consequence but does it anyway.

       (Prov 29:25 TLB)  Fear of man is a dangerous trap, but to trust in God 
       means safety.

       (Prov 29:26 TLB)  Do you want justice? Don't fawn on the judge, but 
       ask the Lord for it!

       (Prov 29:27 TLB)  The good hate the badness of the wicked. The wicked 
       hate the goodness of the good.

       (Prov 30:1 TLB)  These are the messages of Agur, son of Jakeh, 
       addressed to Ithiel and Ucal:

       (Prov 30:2 TLB)  I am tired out, O God, and ready to die. I am too 
       stupid even to call myself a human being!

       (Prov 30:3 TLB)  I cannot understand man, let alone God.






       (Prov 30:4 TLB)  Who else but God goes back and forth to heaven? Who 
       else holds the wind in his fists and wraps up the oceans in his cloak? 
       Who but God has created the world? If there is any other, what is his 
       name--and his Son's name--if you know it?

       (Prov 30:5 TLB)  Every word of God proves true. He defends all who 
       come to him for protection.

       (Prov 30:6 TLB)  Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke you, and you 
       be found a liar.

       (Prov 30:7 TLB)  O God, I beg two favors from you before I die:

       (Prov 30:8 TLB)  First, help me never to tell a lie. Second, give me 
       neither poverty nor riches! Give me just enough to satisfy my needs!

       (Prov 30:9 TLB)  For if I grow rich, I may become content without God. 
       And if I am too poor, I may steal and thus insult God's holy name.

       (Prov 30:10 TLB)  Never falsely accuse a man to his employer, lest he 
       curse you for your sin.

       (Prov 30:11 TLB)  There are those who curse their father and mother 
       and feel themselves faultless despite their many sins.

       (Prov 30:12 TLB)  

       (Prov 30:13 TLB)  They are proud beyond description, arrogant, 
       disdainful. They devour the poor with teeth as sharp as knives!

       (Prov 30:14 TLB)  

       (Prov 30:15 TLB)  There are two things never satisfied, like a leech 
       forever craving more: no, three things! no, four! Hell, the barren 
       womb, a barren desert, fire.

       (Prov 30:16 TLB)  

       (Prov 30:17 TLB)  A man who mocks his father and despises his mother 
       shall have his eye plucked out by ravens and eaten by vultures.

       (Prov 30:18 TLB)  There are three things too wonderful for me to 
       understand--no, four!

       (Prov 30:19 TLB)  How an eagle glides through the sky. How a serpent 
       crawls upon a rock. How a ship finds its way across the heaving ocean. 
       The growth of love between a man and a girl.

       (Prov 30:20 TLB)  There is another thing too: how a prostitute can sin 
       and then say, "What's wrong with that?"

       (Prov 30:21 TLB)  There are three things that make the earth 
       tremble--no, four it cannot stand:

       (Prov 30:22 TLB)  A slave who becomes a king. A rebel who prospers.






       (Prov 30:23 TLB)  A bitter woman when she finally marries. A servant 
       girl who marries her mistress' husband.

       (Prov 30:24 TLB)  There are four things that are small but unusually 
       wise:

       (Prov 30:25 TLB)  Ants: they aren't strong, but store up food for the 
       winter.

       (Prov 30:26 TLB)  Cliff badgers: delicate little animals who protect 
       themselves by living among the rocks.

       (Prov 30:27 TLB)  The locusts: though they have no leader, they stay 
       together in swarms.

       (Prov 30:28 TLB)  The lizards: they are easy to catch and kill, yet 
       are found even in king's palaces!

       (Prov 30:29 TLB)  There are three stately monarchs in the earth--no, 
       four:

       (Prov 30:30 TLB)  The lion, king of the animals. He won't turn aside 
       for anyone.

       (Prov 30:31 TLB)  The peacock. The male goat. A king as he leads his 
       army.

       (Prov 30:32 TLB)  If you have been a fool by being proud or plotting 
       evil, don't brag about it--cover your mouth with your hand in shame.

       (Prov 30:33 TLB)  As the churning of cream yields butter, and a blow 
       to the nose causes bleeding, so anger causes quarrels.

       (Prov 31:1 TLB)  These are the wise sayings of King Lemuel of Massa, 
       taught to him at his mother's knee:

       (Prov 31:2 TLB)  O my son, whom I have dedicated to the Lord,

       (Prov 31:3 TLB)  do not spend your time with women--the royal pathway 
       to destruction.

       (Prov 31:4 TLB)  And it is not for kings, O Lemuel, to drink wine and 
       whiskey.

       (Prov 31:5 TLB)  For if they drink they may forget their duties and be 
       unable to give justice to those who are oppressed.

       (Prov 31:6 TLB)  Hard liquor is for sick men at the brink of death, 
       and wine for those in deep depression. Let them drink to forget their 
       poverty and misery.

       (Prov 31:7 TLB)  

       (Prov 31:8 TLB)  You should defend those who cannot help themselves.





       (Prov 31:9 TLB)  Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that 
       they get justice.

       (Prov 31:10 TLB)  If you can find a truly good wife, she is worth more 
       than precious gems!

       (Prov 31:11 TLB)  Her husband can trust her, and she will richly 
       satisfy his needs.

       (Prov 31:12 TLB)  She will not hinder him but help him all her life.

       (Prov 31:13 TLB)  She finds wool and flax and busily spins it.

       (Prov 31:14 TLB)  She buys imported foods brought by ship from distant 
       ports.

       (Prov 31:15 TLB)  She gets up before dawn to prepare breakfast for her 
       household and plans the day's work for her servant girls.

       (Prov 31:16 TLB)  She goes out to inspect a field and buys it; with 
       her own hands she plants a vineyard.

       (Prov 31:17 TLB)  She is energetic, a hard worker,

       (Prov 31:18 TLB)  and watches for bargains. She works far into the 
       night!

       (Prov 31:19 TLB)  She sews for the poor and generously helps those in 
       need.

       (Prov 31:20 TLB)  

       (Prov 31:21 TLB)  She has no fear of winter for her household, for she 
       has made warm clothes for all of them.

       (Prov 31:22 TLB)  She also upholsters with finest tapestry; her own 
       clothing is beautifully made--a purple gown of pure linen.

       (Prov 31:23 TLB)  Her husband is well known, for he sits in the 
       council chamber with the other civic leaders.

       (Prov 31:24 TLB)  She makes belted linen garments to sell to the 
       merchants.

       (Prov 31:25 TLB)  She is a woman of strength and dignity and has no 
       fear of old age.

       (Prov 31:26 TLB)  When she speaks, her words are wise, and kindness is 
       the rule for everything she says.

       (Prov 31:27 TLB)  She watches carefully all that goes on throughout 
       her household and is never lazy.

       (Prov 31:28 TLB)  Her children stand and bless her; so does her 
       husband. He praises her with these words:





       (Prov 31:29 TLB)  "There are many fine women in the world, but you are 
       the best of them all!"

       (Prov 31:30 TLB)  Charm can be deceptive and beauty doesn't last, but 
       a woman who fears and reverences God shall be greatly praised.

       (Prov 31:31 TLB)  Praise her for the many fine things she does. These 
       good deeds of hers shall bring her honor and recognition from people 
       of importance.

       (Eccl 1:1 TLB)  The author: Solomon of Jerusalem, King David's son, 
       "The Preacher."

       (Eccl 1:2 TLB)  In my opinion, nothing is worthwhile; everything is 
       futile.

       (Eccl 1:3 TLB)  For what does a man get for all his hard work?

       (Eccl 1:4 TLB)  Generations come and go, but it makes no difference.

       (Eccl 1:5 TLB)  The sun rises and sets and hurries around to rise 
       again.

       (Eccl 1:6 TLB)  The wind blows south and north, here and there, 
       twisting back and forth, getting nowhere.

       (Eccl 1:7 TLB)  The rivers run into the sea, but the sea is never 
       full, and the water returns again to the rivers and flows again to the 
       sea.. .

       (Eccl 1:8 TLB)  everything is unutterably weary and tiresome. No 
       matter how much we see, we are never satisfied; no matter how much we 
       hear, we are not content.

       (Eccl 1:9 TLB)  History merely repeats itself. Nothing is truly new; 
       it has all been done or said before.

       (Eccl 1:10 TLB)  What can you point to that is new? How do you know it 
       didn't exist long ages ago?

       (Eccl 1:11 TLB)  We don't remember what happened in those former 
       times, and in the future generations no one will remember what we have 
       done back here.

       (Eccl 1:12 TLB)  I, the Preacher, was king of Israel, living in 
       Jerusalem.

       (Eccl 1:13 TLB)  And I applied myself to search for understanding 
       about everything in the universe. I discovered that the lot of man, 
       which God has dealt to him, is not a happy one.

       (Eccl 1:14 TLB)  It is all foolishness, chasing the wind.

       (Eccl 1:15 TLB)  What is wrong cannot be righted; it is water over the 
       dam; and there is no use thinking of what might have been.





       (Eccl 1:16 TLB)  I said to myself, "Look, I am better educated than 
       any of the kings before me in Jerusalem. I have greater wisdom and 
       knowledge."

       (Eccl 1:17 TLB)  So I worked hard to be wise instead of foolish--but 
       now I realize that even this was like chasing the wind.

       (Eccl 1:18 TLB)  For the more my wisdom, the more my grief; to 
       increase knowledge only increases distress.

       (Eccl 2:1 TLB)  I said to myself, "Come now, be merry; enjoy yourself 
       to the full." But I found that this, too, was futile. For it is silly 
       to be laughing all the time; what good does it do?

       (Eccl 2:2 TLB)  

       (Eccl 2:3 TLB)  So after a lot of thinking, I decided to try the road 
       of drink, while still holding steadily to my course of seeking wisdom. 
       Next I changed my course again and followed the path of folly, so that 
       I could experience the only happiness most men have throughout their 
       lives.

       (Eccl 2:4 TLB)  Then I tried to find fulfillment by inaugurating a 
       great public works program: homes, vineyards,

       (Eccl 2:5 TLB)  gardens, parks, and orchards for myself,

       (Eccl 2:6 TLB)  and reservoirs to hold the water to irrigate my 
       plantations.

       (Eccl 2:7 TLB)  Next I bought slaves, both men and women, and others 
       were born within my household. I also bred great herds and flocks, 
       more than any of the kings before me.

       (Eccl 2:8 TLB)  I collected silver and gold as taxes from many kings 
       and provinces. In the cultural arts, I organized men's and women's 
       choirs and orchestras. And then there were my many beautiful 
       concubines.

       (Eccl 2:9 TLB)  So I became greater than any of the kings in Jerusalem 
       before me, and with it all I remained clear-eyed, so that I could 
       evaluate all these things.

       (Eccl 2:10 TLB)  Anything I wanted I took and did not restrain myself 
       from any joy. I even found great pleasure in hard work. This pleasure 
       was, indeed, my only reward for all my labors.

       (Eccl 2:11 TLB)  But as I looked at everything I had tried, it was all 
       so useless, a chasing of the wind, and there was nothing really 
       worthwhile anywhere.

       (Eccl 2:12 TLB)  Now I began a study of the comparative virtues of 
       wisdom and folly, and anyone else would come to the same conclusion I 
       did--

       (Eccl 2:13 TLB)  that wisdom is of more value than foolishness, just 





       as light is better than darkness; for the wise man sees, while the 
       fool is blind. And yet I noticed that there was one thing that 
       happened to wise and foolish alike--

       (Eccl 2:14 TLB)  

       (Eccl 2:15 TLB)  just as the fool will die, so will I. So of what 
       value is all my wisdom? Then I realized that even wisdom is futile.

       (Eccl 2:16 TLB)  For the wise and fool both die, and in the days to 
       come both will be long forgotten.

       (Eccl 2:17 TLB)  So now I hate life because it is all so irrational; 
       all is foolishness, chasing the wind.

       (Eccl 2:18 TLB)  And I am disgusted about this--that I must leave the 
       fruits of all my hard work to others.

       (Eccl 2:19 TLB)  And who can tell whether my son will be a wise man or 
       a fool? And yet all I have will be given to him--how discouraging!

       (Eccl 2:20 TLB)  So I turned in despair from hard work as the answer 
       to my search for satisfaction.

       (Eccl 2:21 TLB)  For though I spend my life searching for wisdom, 
       knowledge, and skill, I must leave all of it to someone who hasn't 
       done a day's work in his life; he inherits all my efforts, free of 
       charge. This is not only foolish but unfair.

       (Eccl 2:22 TLB)  So what does a man get for all his hard work?

       (Eccl 2:23 TLB)  Days full of sorrow and grief, and restless, bitter 
       nights. It is all utterly ridiculous.

       (Eccl 2:24 TLB)  So I decided that there was nothing better for a man 
       to do than to enjoy his food and drink and his job. Then I realized 
       that even this pleasure is from the hand of God.

       (Eccl 2:25 TLB)  For who can eat or enjoy apart from him?

       (Eccl 2:26 TLB)  For God gives those who please him wisdom, knowledge, 
       and joy; but if a sinner becomes wealthy, God takes the wealth away 
       from him and gives it to those who please him. So here, too, we see an 
       example of foolishly chasing the wind.

       (Eccl 3:1 TLB)  There is a right time for everything:

       (Eccl 3:2 TLB)  A time to be born; A time to die; A time to plant; A 
       time to harvest;

       (Eccl 3:3 TLB)  A time to kill; A time to heal; A time to destroy; A 
       time to rebuild;

       (Eccl 3:4 TLB)  A time to cry; A time to laugh; A time to grieve; A 
       time to dance;





       (Eccl 3:5 TLB)  A time for scattering stones; A time for gathering 
       stones; A time to hug; A time not to hug;

       (Eccl 3:6 TLB)  A time to find; A time to lose; A time for keeping; A 
       time for throwing away;

       (Eccl 3:7 TLB)  A time to tear; A time to repair; A time to be quiet; 
       A time to speak up;

       (Eccl 3:8 TLB)  A time for loving; A time for hating; A time for war; 
       A time for peace.

       (Eccl 3:9 TLB)  What does one really get from hard work?

       (Eccl 3:10 TLB)  I have thought about this in connection with all the 
       various kinds of work God has given to mankind.

       (Eccl 3:11 TLB)  Everything is appropriate in its own time. But though 
       God has planted eternity in the hearts of men, even so, many cannot 
       see the whole scope of God's work from beginning to end.

       (Eccl 3:12 TLB)  So I conclude that, first, there is nothing better 
       for a man than to be happy and to enjoy himself as long as he can;

       (Eccl 3:13 TLB)  and second, that he should eat and drink and enjoy 
       the fruits of his labors, for these are gifts from God.

       (Eccl 3:14 TLB)  And I know this, that whatever God does is 
       final--nothing can be added or taken from it; God's purpose in this is 
       that man should fear the all-powerful God.

       (Eccl 3:15 TLB)  Whatever is has been long ago; and whatever is going 
       to be has been before; God brings to pass again what was in the 
       distant past and disappeared.

       (Eccl 3:16 TLB)  Moreover, I notice that throughout the earth justice 
       is giving way to crime, and even the police courts are corrupt.

       (Eccl 3:17 TLB)  I said to myself, "In due season God will judge 
       everything man does, both good and bad."

       (Eccl 3:18 TLB)  And then I realized that God is letting the world go 
       on its sinful way so that he can test mankind, and so that men 
       themselves will see that they are no better than beasts.

       (Eccl 3:19 TLB)  For men and animals both breathe the same air, and 
       both die. So mankind has no real advantage over the beasts; what an 
       absurdity!

       (Eccl 3:20 TLB)  All go to one place--the dust from which they came 
       and to which they must return.

       (Eccl 3:21 TLB)  For who can prove that the spirit of man goes upward 
       and the spirit of animals goes downward into dust?

       (Eccl 3:22 TLB)  So I saw that there is nothing better for men than 





       that they should be happy in their work, for that is what they are 
       here for, and no one can bring them back to life to enjoy what will be 
       in the future, so let them enjoy it now.

       (Eccl 4:1 TLB)  Next I observed all the oppression and sadness 
       throughout the earth--the tears of the oppressed, and no one helping 
       them, while on the side of their oppressors were powerful allies.

       (Eccl 4:2 TLB)  So I felt that the dead were better off than the 
       living.

       (Eccl 4:3 TLB)  And most fortunate of all are those who have never 
       been born and have never seen all the evil and crime throughout the 
       earth.

       (Eccl 4:4 TLB)  Then I observed that the basic motive for success is 
       the driving force of envy and jealousy! But this, too, is foolishness, 
       chasing the wind.

       (Eccl 4:5 TLB)  The fool won't work and almost starves but feels that 
       it is better to be lazy and barely get by, than to work hard, when in 
       the long run it is all so futile.

       (Eccl 4:6 TLB)  

       (Eccl 4:7 TLB)  I also observed another piece of foolishness around 
       the earth.

       (Eccl 4:8 TLB)  This is the case of a man who is quite alone, without 
       a son or brother, yet he works hard to keep gaining more riches. And 
       to whom will he leave it all, and why is he giving up so much now? It 
       is all so pointless and depressing.

       (Eccl 4:9 TLB)  Two can accomplish more than twice as much as one, for 
       the results can be much better.

       (Eccl 4:10 TLB)  If one falls, the other pulls him up; but if a man 
       falls when he is alone, he's in trouble.

       (Eccl 4:11 TLB)  Also, on a cold night, two under the same blanket 
       gain warmth from each other, but how can one be warm alone?

       (Eccl 4:12 TLB)  And one standing alone can be attacked and defeated, 
       but two can stand back-to-back and conquer; three is even better, for 
       a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.

       (Eccl 4:13 TLB)  It is better to be a poor but wise youth than to be 
       an old and foolish king who refuses all advice.

       (Eccl 4:14 TLB)  Such a lad could come from prison and succeed. He 
       might even become king though born in poverty.

       (Eccl 4:15 TLB)  Everyone is eager to help a youth like that, even to 
       help him usurp the throne.

       (Eccl 4:16 TLB)  He can become the leader of millions of people and be 





       very popular. But, then, the younger generation grows up around him 
       and rejects him! So again, it is all foolishness, chasing the wind.

       (Eccl 5:1 TLB)  As you enter the Temple, keep your ears open and your 
       mouth shut!

       (Eccl 5:2 TLB)  Don't be a fool who doesn't even realize it is sinful 
       to make rash promises to God, for he is in heaven and you are only 
       here on earth, so let your words be few.

       (Eccl 5:3 TLB)  Just as being too busy gives you nightmares, so being 
       a fool makes you a blabbermouth.

       (Eccl 5:4 TLB)  So when you talk to God and vow to him that you will 
       do something, don't delay in doing it, for God has no pleasure in 
       fools. Keep your promise to him.

       (Eccl 5:5 TLB)  It is far better not to say you'll do something than 
       to say you will and then not do it.

       (Eccl 5:6 TLB)  In that case, your mouth is making you sin. Don't try 
       to defend yourself by telling the messenger from God that it was all a 
       mistake (to make the vow). That would make God very angry; and he 
       might destroy your prosperity.

       (Eccl 5:7 TLB)  Dreaming instead of doing is foolishness, and there is 
       ruin in a flood of empty words; fear God instead.

       (Eccl 5:8 TLB)  If you see some poor man being oppressed by the rich, 
       with miscarriage of justice anywhere throughout the land, don't be 
       surprised! For every official is under orders from higher up, and the 
       higher officials look up to their superiors. And so the matter is lost 
       in red tape and bureaucracy.

       (Eccl 5:9 TLB)  And over them all is the king. Oh, for a king who is 
       devoted to his country! Only he can bring order from this chaos.

       (Eccl 5:10 TLB)  He who loves money shall never have enough. The 
       foolishness of thinking that wealth brings happiness!

       (Eccl 5:11 TLB)  The more you have, the more you spend, right up to 
       the limits of your income. So what is the advantage of wealth--except 
       perhaps to watch it as it runs through your fingers!

       (Eccl 5:12 TLB)  The man who works hard sleeps well whether he eats 
       little or much, but the rich must worry and suffer insomnia.

       (Eccl 5:13 TLB)  There is another serious problem I have seen 
       everywhere--savings are put into risky investments that turn sour, and 
       soon there is nothing left to pass on to one's son.

       (Eccl 5:14 TLB)  

       (Eccl 5:15 TLB)  The man who speculates is soon back to where he 
       began--with nothing.





       (Eccl 5:16 TLB)  This, as I said, is a very serious problem, for all 
       his hard work has been for nothing; he has been working for the wind. 
       It is all swept away.

       (Eccl 5:17 TLB)  All the rest of his life he is under a cloud--gloomy, 
       discouraged, frustrated, and angry.

       (Eccl 5:18 TLB)  Well, one thing, at least, is good: It is for a man 
       to eat well, drink a good glass of wine, accept his position in life, 
       and enjoy his work whatever his job may be, for however long the Lord 
       may let him live.

       (Eccl 5:19 TLB)  And, of course, it is very good if a man has received 
       wealth from the Lord and the good health to enjoy it.

       (Eccl 5:20 TLB)  To enjoy your work and to accept your lot in 
       life--that is indeed a gift from God. The person who does that will 
       not need to look back with sorrow on his past, for God gives him joy.

       (Eccl 6:1 TLB)  Yes, but there is a very serious evil which I have 
       seen everywhere--

       (Eccl 6:2 TLB)  God has given to some men very great wealth and honor 
       so that they can have everything they want, but he doesn't give them 
       the health to enjoy it, and they die and others get it all! This is 
       absurd, a hollow mockery, and a serious fault.

       (Eccl 6:3 TLB)  Even if a man has a hundred sons and as many daughters 
       and lives to be very old, but leaves so little money at his death that 
       his children can't even give him a decent burial--I say that he would 
       be better off born dead.

       (Eccl 6:4 TLB)  For though his birth would then be futile and end in 
       darkness, without even a name,

       (Eccl 6:5 TLB)  never seeing the sun or even knowing its existence, 
       yet that is better than to be an old, unhappy man.

       (Eccl 6:6 TLB)  Though a man lives a thousand years twice over but 
       doesn't find contentment--well, what's the use?

       (Eccl 6:7 TLB)  Wise men and fools alike spend their lives scratching 
       for food and never seem to get enough. Both have the same problem, yet 
       the poor man who is wise lives a far better life.

       (Eccl 6:8 TLB)  

       (Eccl 6:9 TLB)  A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush; mere 
       dreaming of nice things is foolish; it's chasing the wind.

       (Eccl 6:10 TLB)  All things are decided by fate; it was known long ago 
       what each man would be. So there's no use arguing with God about your 
       destiny.

       (Eccl 6:11 TLB)  The more words you speak, the less they mean, so why 
       bother to speak at all?






       (Eccl 6:12 TLB)  In these few days of our empty lifetimes, who can say 
       how one's days can best be spent? Who can know what will prove best 
       for the future after he is gone? For who knows the future?

       (Eccl 7:1 TLB)  A good reputation is more valuable than the most 
       expensive perfume. The day one dies is better than the day he is born!

       (Eccl 7:2 TLB)  It is better to spend your time at funerals than at 
       festivals. For you are going to die, and it is a good thing to think 
       about it while there is still time.

       (Eccl 7:3 TLB)  Sorrow is better than laughter, for sadness has a 
       refining influence on us.

       (Eccl 7:4 TLB)  Yes, a wise man thinks much of death, while the fool 
       thinks only of having a good time now.

       (Eccl 7:5 TLB)  It is better to be criticized by a wise man than to be 
       praised by a fool!

       (Eccl 7:6 TLB)  For a fool's compliment is as quickly gone as paper in 
       fire, and it is silly to be impressed by it.

       (Eccl 7:7 TLB)  The wise man is turned into a fool by a bribe; it 
       destroys his understanding.

       (Eccl 7:8 TLB)  Finishing is better than starting! Patience is better 
       than pride!

       (Eccl 7:9 TLB)  Don't be quick-tempered--that is being a fool.

       (Eccl 7:10 TLB)  Don't long for "the good old days," for you don't 
       know whether they were any better than these!

       (Eccl 7:11 TLB)  To be wise is as good as being rich; in fact, it is 
       better.

       (Eccl 7:12 TLB)  You can get anything by either wisdom or money, but 
       being wise has many advantages.

       (Eccl 7:13 TLB)  (See the way God does things and fall into line. 
       Don't fight the facts of nature.) Who can straighten what he has made 
       crooked?

       (Eccl 7:14 TLB)  Enjoy prosperity whenever you can, and when hard 
       times strike, realize that God gives one as well as the other--so that 
       everyone will realize that nothing is certain in this life.

       (Eccl 7:15 TLB)  In this silly life I have seen everything, including 
       the fact that some of the good die young and some of the wicked live 
       on and on. So don't be too good or too wise! Why destroy yourself? On 
       the other hand, don't be too wicked either--don't be a fool! Why 
       should you die before your time?

       (Eccl 7:16 TLB)  






       (Eccl 7:17 TLB)  

       (Eccl 7:18 TLB)  Tackle every task that comes along, and if you fear 
       God you can expect his blessing.

       (Eccl 7:19 TLB)  A wise man is stronger than the mayors of ten big 
       cities!

       (Eccl 7:20 TLB)  And there is not a single man in all the earth who is 
       always good and never sins.

       (Eccl 7:21 TLB)  Don't eavesdrop! You may hear your servant cursing 
       you! For you know how often you yourself curse others!

       (Eccl 7:22 TLB)  

       (Eccl 7:23 TLB)  I have tried my best to be wise. I declared, "I will 
       be wise," but it didn't work.

       (Eccl 7:24 TLB)  Wisdom is far away and very difficult to find.

       (Eccl 7:25 TLB)  I searched everywhere, determined to find wisdom and 
       the reason for things, . . . to prove to myself the wickedness of 
       folly and that foolishness is madness.

       (Eccl 7:26 TLB)  A prostitute is more bitter than death. May it please 
       God that you escape from her, but sinners don't evade her snares.

       (Eccl 7:27 TLB)  This is my conclusion, says the Preacher. Step by 
       step I came to this result after researching in every direction: One 
       tenth of one percent of the men I interviewed could be said to be 
       wise, but not one woman!

       (Eccl 7:28 TLB)  

       (Eccl 7:29 TLB)  And I found that though God has made men upright, 
       each has turned away to follow his own downward road.

       (Eccl 8:1 TLB)  How wonderful to be wise, to understand things, to be 
       able to analyze them and interpret them. Wisdom lights up a man's 
       face, softening its hardness.

       (Eccl 8:2 TLB)  Obey the king as you have vowed to do. Don't always be 
       trying to get out of doing your duty, even when it's unpleasant. For 
       the king punishes those who disobey.

       (Eccl 8:3 TLB)  

       (Eccl 8:4 TLB)  The king's command is backed by great power, and no 
       one can withstand it or question it.

       (Eccl 8:5 TLB)  Those who obey him will not be punished. The wise man 
       will find a time and a way to do what he says.

       (Eccl 8:6 TLB)  Yes, there is a time and a way for everything, though 





       man's trouble lies heavy upon him; for how can he avoid what he 
       doesn't know is going to happen?

       (Eccl 8:7 TLB)  

       (Eccl 8:8 TLB)  No one can hold back his spirit from departing; no one 
       has the power to prevent his day of death, for there is no discharge 
       from that obligation and that dark battle. Certainly a man's 
       wickedness is not going to help him then.

       (Eccl 8:9 TLB)  I have thought deeply about all that goes on here in 
       the world, where people have the power of injuring each other.

       (Eccl 8:10 TLB)  I have seen wicked men buried, and as their friends 
       returned from the cemetery, having forgotten all the dead man's evil 
       deeds, these men were praised in the very city where they had 
       committed their many crimes! How odd!

       (Eccl 8:11 TLB)  Because God does not punish sinners instantly, people 
       feel it is safe to do wrong.

       (Eccl 8:12 TLB)  But though a man sins a hundred times and still 
       lives, I know very well that those who fear God will be better off,

       (Eccl 8:13 TLB)  unlike the wicked, who will not live long, good 
       lives--their days shall pass away as quickly as shadows because they 
       don't fear God.

       (Eccl 8:14 TLB)  There is a strange thing happening here upon the 
       earth: Providence seems to treat some good men as though they were 
       wicked, and some wicked men as though they were good. This is all very 
       vexing and troublesome!

       (Eccl 8:15 TLB)  Then I decided to spend my time having fun because I 
       felt that there was nothing better in all the earth than that a man 
       should eat, drink, and be merry, with the hope that this happiness 
       would stick with him in all the hard work that God gives to mankind 
       everywhere.

       (Eccl 8:16 TLB)  In my search for wisdom I observed all that was going 
       on everywhere across the earth--ceaseless activity, day and night. (Of 
       course, only God can see everything, and even the wisest man who says 
       he knows everything, doesn't!)

       (Eccl 8:17 TLB)  

       (Eccl 9:1 TLB)  This, too, I carefully explored--that godly and wise 
       men are in God's will; no one knows whether he will favor them or not. 
       All is chance!

       (Eccl 9:2 TLB)  The same providence confronts everyone, whether good 
       or bad, religious or irreligious, profane or godly. It seems so unfair 
       that one fate comes to all.

       (Eccl 9:3 TLB)  That is why men are not more careful to be good but 
       instead choose their own mad course, for they have no hope--there is 





       nothing but death ahead anyway.

       (Eccl 9:4 TLB)  There is hope only for the living. "It is better to be 
       a live dog than a dead lion!"

       (Eccl 9:5 TLB)  For the living at least know that they will die! But 
       the dead know nothing; they don't even have their memories.

       (Eccl 9:6 TLB)  Whatever they did in their lifetimes--loving, hating, 
       envying--is long gone, and they have no part in anything here on earth 
       any more.

       (Eccl 9:7 TLB)  So go ahead, eat, drink, and be merry, for it makes no 
       difference to God!

       (Eccl 9:8 TLB)  Wear fine clothes--with a dash of cologne!

       (Eccl 9:9 TLB)  Live happily with the woman you love through the 
       fleeting days of life, for the wife God gives you is your best reward 
       down here for all your earthly toil.

       (Eccl 9:10 TLB)  Whatever you do, do well, for in death, where you are 
       going, there is no working or planning, or knowing, or understanding.

       (Eccl 9:11 TLB)  Again I looked throughout the earth and saw that the 
       swiftest person does not always win the race, nor the strongest man 
       the battle, and that wise men are often poor, and skillful men are not 
       necessarily famous; but it is all by chance, by happening to be at the 
       right place at the right time.

       (Eccl 9:12 TLB)  A man never knows when he is going to run into bad 
       luck. He is like a fish caught in a net, or a bird caught in a snare.

       (Eccl 9:13 TLB)  Here is another thing that has made a deep impression 
       on me as I have watched human affairs:

       (Eccl 9:14 TLB)  There was a small city with only a few people living 
       in it, and a great king came with his army and besieged it.

       (Eccl 9:15 TLB)  There was in the city a wise man, very poor, and he 
       knew what to do to save the city, and so it was rescued. But 
       afterwards no one thought any more about him.

       (Eccl 9:16 TLB)  Then I realized that though wisdom is better than 
       strength, nevertheless, if the wise man is poor, he will be despised, 
       and what he says will not be appreciated.

       (Eccl 9:17 TLB)  But even so, the quiet words of a wise man are better 
       than the shout of a king of fools.

       (Eccl 9:18 TLB)  Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one rotten 
       apple can spoil a barrelful.

       (Eccl 10:1 TLB)  Dead flies will cause even a bottle of perfume to 
       stink! Yes, a small mistake can outweigh much wisdom and honor.





       (Eccl 10:2 TLB)  A wise man's heart leads him to do right, and a 
       fool's heart leads him to do evil.

       (Eccl 10:3 TLB)  You can identify a fool just by the way he walks down 
       the street!

       (Eccl 10:4 TLB)  If the boss is angry with you, don't quit! A quiet 
       spirit will quiet his bad temper.

       (Eccl 10:5 TLB)  There is another evil I have seen as I have watched 
       the world go by, a sad situation concerning kings and rulers:

       (Eccl 10:6 TLB)  For I have seen foolish men given great authority and 
       rich men not given their rightful place of dignity!

       (Eccl 10:7 TLB)  I have even seen servants riding, while princes walk 
       like servants!

       (Eccl 10:8 TLB)  Dig a well--and fall into it! Demolish an old 
       wall--and be bitten by a snake! When working in a quarry, stones will 
       fall and crush you! There is risk in each stroke of your axe!

       (Eccl 10:9 TLB)  

       (Eccl 10:10 TLB)  A dull axe requires great strength; be wise and 
       sharpen the blade.

       (Eccl 10:11 TLB)  When the horse is stolen, it is too late to lock the 
       barn.

       (Eccl 10:12 TLB)  It is pleasant to listen to wise words, but a fool's 
       speech brings him to ruin. Since he begins with a foolish premise, his 
       conclusion is sheer madness.

       (Eccl 10:13 TLB)  

       (Eccl 10:14 TLB)  A fool knows all about the future and tells everyone 
       in detail! But who can really know what is going to happen?

       (Eccl 10:15 TLB)  A fool is so upset by a little work that he has no 
       strength for the simplest matter.

       (Eccl 10:16 TLB)  Woe to the land whose king is a child and whose 
       leaders are already drunk in the morning. Happy the land whose king is 
       a nobleman and whose leaders work hard before they feast and drink, 
       and then only to strengthen themselves for the tasks ahead!

       (Eccl 10:17 TLB)  

       (Eccl 10:18 TLB)  Laziness lets the roof leak, and soon the rafters 
       begin to rot.

       (Eccl 10:19 TLB)  A party gives laughter, and wine gives happiness, 
       and money gives everything!

       (Eccl 10:20 TLB)  Never curse the king, not even in your thoughts, nor 





       the rich man, either; for a little bird will tell them what you've 
       said.

       (Eccl 11:1 TLB)  Give generously, for your gifts will return to you 
       later.

       (Eccl 11:2 TLB)  Divide your gifts among many, for in the days ahead 
       you yourself may need much help.

       (Eccl 11:3 TLB)  When the clouds are heavy, the rains come down; when 
       a tree falls, whether south or north, the die is cast, for there it 
       lies.

       (Eccl 11:4 TLB)  If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never 
       get anything done.

       (Eccl 11:5 TLB)  God's ways are as mysterious as the pathway of the 
       wind and as the manner in which a human spirit is infused into the 
       little body of a baby while it is yet in its mother's womb.

       (Eccl 11:6 TLB)  Keep on sowing your seed, for you never know which 
       will grow--perhaps it all will.

       (Eccl 11:7 TLB)  It is a wonderful thing to be alive!

       (Eccl 11:8 TLB)  If a person lives to be very old, let him rejoice in 
       every day of life, but let him also remember that eternity is far 
       longer and that everything down here is futile in comparison.

       (Eccl 11:9 TLB)  Young man, it's wonderful to be young! Enjoy every 
       minute of it! Do all you want to; take in everything, but realize that 
       you must account to God for everything you do.

       (Eccl 11:10 TLB)  So banish grief and pain, but remember that youth, 
       with a whole life before it, can make serious mistakes.

       (Eccl 12:1 TLB)  Don't let the excitement of being young cause you to 
       forget about your Creator. Honor him in your youth before the evil 
       years come--when you'll no longer enjoy living.

       (Eccl 12:2 TLB)  It will be too late then to try to remember him when 
       the sun and light and moon and stars are dim to your old eyes, and 
       there is no silver lining left among your clouds.

       (Eccl 12:3 TLB)  For there will come a time when your limbs will 
       tremble with age, your strong legs will become weak, and your teeth 
       will be too few to do their work, and there will be blindness too.

       (Eccl 12:4 TLB)  Then let your lips be tightly closed while eating 
       when your teeth are gone! And you will waken at dawn with the first 
       note of the birds; but you yourself will be deaf and tuneless, with 
       quavering voice.

       (Eccl 12:5 TLB)  You will be afraid of heights and of falling--a 
       white-haired, withered old man, dragging himself along: without sexual 
       desire, standing at death's door, and nearing his everlasting home as 





       the mourners go along the streets.

       (Eccl 12:6 TLB)  Yes, remember your Creator now while you are 
       young--before the silver cord of life snaps and the gold bowl is 
       broken; before the pitcher is broken at the fountain and the wheel is 
       broken at the cistern;

       (Eccl 12:7 TLB)  then the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the 
       spirit returns to God who gave it.

       (Eccl 12:8 TLB)  All is futile, says the Preacher; utterly futile.

       (Eccl 12:9 TLB)  But then, because the Preacher was wise, he went on 
       teaching the people all he knew; and he collected proverbs and 
       classified them.

       (Eccl 12:10 TLB)  For the Preacher was not only a wise man but a good 
       teacher; he not only taught what he knew to the people, but taught 
       them in an interesting manner.

       (Eccl 12:11 TLB)  The wise man's words are like goads that spur to 
       action. They nail down important truths. Students are wise who master 
       what their teachers tell them.

       (Eccl 12:12 TLB)  But, my son, be warned: there is no end of opinions 
       ready to be expressed. Studying them can go on forever and become very 
       exhausting!

       (Eccl 12:13 TLB)  Here is my final conclusion: fear God and obey his 
       commandments, for this is the entire duty of man.

       (Eccl 12:14 TLB)  For God will judge us for everything we do, 
       including every hidden thing, good or bad.

       (Song 1:1 TLB)  This song of songs, more wonderful than any other, was 
       composed by King Solomon:

       (Song 1:2 TLB)  The Girl: "Kiss me again and again, for your love is 
       sweeter than wine.

       (Song 1:3 TLB)  How fragrant your cologne, and how great your name! No 
       wonder all the young girls love you!

       (Song 1:4 TLB)  Take me with you; come, let's run!" The Girl: "The 
       king has brought me into his palace. How happy we will be! Your love 
       is better than wine. No wonder all the young girls love you!"

       (Song 1:5 TLB)  The Girl: "I am dark but beautiful, O girls of 
       Jerusalem, tanned as the dark tents of Kedar." King Solomon: "But 
       lovely as the silken tents of Solomon!"

       (Song 1:6 TLB)  The Girl: "Don't look down on me, you city girls, just 
       because my complexion is so dark--the sun has tanned me. My brothers 
       were angry with me and sent me out into the sun to tend the vineyards, 
       but see what it has done to me!"





       (Song 1:7 TLB)  The Girl: "Tell me, O one I love, where are you 
       leading your flock today? Where will you be at noon? For I will come 
       and join you there instead of wandering like a vagabond among the 
       flocks of your companions."

       (Song 1:8 TLB)  King Solomon: "If you don't know, O most beautiful 
       woman in all the world, follow the trail of my flock to the shepherds' 
       tents, and there feed your sheep and their lambs.

       (Song 1:9 TLB)  What a lovely filly you are, my love!

       (Song 1:10 TLB)  How lovely your cheeks are, with your hair falling 
       down upon them! How stately your neck with that long string of jewels.

       (Song 1:11 TLB)  We shall make you gold earrings and silver beads."

       (Song 1:12 TLB)  The Girl: "The king lies on his bed, enchanted by the 
       fragrance of my perfume.

       (Song 1:13 TLB)  My beloved one is a sachet of myrrh lying between my 
       breasts."

       (Song 1:14 TLB)  King Solomon: "My beloved is a bouquet of flowers in 
       the gardens of Engedi.

       (Song 1:15 TLB)  How beautiful you are, my love, how beautiful! Your 
       eyes are soft as doves'.

       (Song 1:16 TLB)  What a lovely, pleasant thing you are, lying here 
       upon the grass,

       (Song 1:17 TLB)  shaded by the cedar trees and firs."

       (Song 2:1 TLB)  The Girl: "I am the rose of Sharon, the lily of the 
       valley."

       (Song 2:2 TLB)  King Solomon: "Yes, a lily among thorns, so is my 
       beloved as compared with any other girls."

       (Song 2:3 TLB)  The Girl: "My lover is an apple tree, the finest in 
       the orchard as compared with any of the other youths. I am seated in 
       his much-desired shade and his fruit is lovely to eat.

       (Song 2:4 TLB)  He brings me to the banquet hall, and everyone can see 
       how much he loves me.

       (Song 2:5 TLB)  Oh, feed me with your love--your 'raisins' and your 
       'apples'--for I am utterly lovesick.

       (Song 2:6 TLB)  His left hand is under my head and with his right hand 
       he embraces me.

       (Song 2:7 TLB)  O girls of Jerusalem, I adjure you by the gazelles and 
       deer in the park, that you do not awaken my lover. Let him sleep!"

       (Song 2:8 TLB)  The Girl: "Ah, I hear him--my beloved! Here he comes, 





       leaping upon the mountains and bounding over the hills.

       (Song 2:9 TLB)  My beloved is like a gazelle or young deer. Look, 
       there he is behind the wall, now looking in at the windows.

       (Song 2:10 TLB)  "My beloved said to me, 'Rise up, my love, my fair 
       one, and come away.

       (Song 2:11 TLB)  For the winter is past, the rain is over and gone.

       (Song 2:12 TLB)  The flowers are springing up and the time of the 
       singing of birds has come. Yes, spring is here.

       (Song 2:13 TLB)  The leaves are coming out, and the grapevines are in 
       blossom. How delicious they smell! Arise, my love, my fair one, and 
       come away.'

       (Song 2:14 TLB)  "My dove is hiding behind some rocks, behind an 
       outcrop of the cliff. Call to me and let me hear your lovely voice and 
       see your handsome face.

       (Song 2:15 TLB)  "The little foxes are ruining the vineyards. Catch 
       them, for the grapes are all in blossom.

       (Song 2:16 TLB)  "My beloved is mine and I am his. He is feeding among 
       the lilies!

       (Song 2:17 TLB)  Before the dawn comes and the shadows flee away, come 
       to me, my beloved, and be like a gazelle or a young stag on the 
       mountains of spices."

       (Song 3:1 TLB)  The Girl: "One night my lover was missing from my bed. 
       I got up to look for him but couldn't find him.

       (Song 3:2 TLB)  I went out into the streets of the city and the roads 
       to seek him, but I searched in vain.

       (Song 3:3 TLB)  The police stopped me, and I said to them, 'Have you 
       seen him anywhere, this one I love so much?'

       (Song 3:4 TLB)  It was only a little while afterwards that I found him 
       and held him and would not let him go until I had brought him into my 
       childhood home, into my mother's old bedroom.

       (Song 3:5 TLB)  I adjure you, O women of Jerusalem, by the gazelles 
       and deer of the park, not to awake my lover. Let him sleep."

       (Song 3:6 TLB)  The Young Women of Jerusalem: "Who is this sweeping in 
       from the deserts like a cloud of smoke along the ground, smelling of 
       myrrh and frankincense and every other spice that can be bought?

       (Song 3:7 TLB)  Look, it is the chariot of Solomon with sixty of the 
       mightiest men of his army surrounding it.

       (Song 3:8 TLB)  They are all skilled swordsmen and experienced 
       bodyguards. Each one has his sword upon his thigh to defend his king 





       against any onslaught in the night.

       (Song 3:9 TLB)  For King Solomon made himself a chariot from the wood 
       of Lebanon.

       (Song 3:10 TLB)  Its posts are silver, its canopy gold, the seat is 
       purple; and the back is inlaid with these words: 'With love from the 
       girls of Jerusalem!'"

       (Song 3:11 TLB)  The Girl: "Go out and see King Solomon, O young women 
       of Zion; see the crown with which his mother crowned him on his 
       wedding day, his day of gladness."

       (Song 4:1 TLB)  King Solomon: "How beautiful you are, my love, how 
       beautiful! Your eyes are those of doves. Your hair falls across your 
       face like flocks of goats that frisk across the slopes of Gilead.

       (Song 4:2 TLB)  Your teeth are white as sheep's wool, newly shorn and 
       washed; perfectly matched, without one missing.

       (Song 4:3 TLB)  Your lips are like a thread of scarlet--and how 
       beautiful your mouth. Your cheeks are matched loveliness behind your 
       locks.

       (Song 4:4 TLB)  Your neck is stately as the tower of David, jeweled 
       with a thousand heroes' shields.

       (Song 4:5 TLB)  Your breasts are like twin fawns of a gazelle, feeding 
       among the lilies.

       (Song 4:6 TLB)  Until the morning dawns and the shadows flee away, I 
       will go to the mountain of myrrh and to the hill of frankincense.

       (Song 4:7 TLB)  You are so beautiful, my love, in every part of you.

       (Song 4:8 TLB)  "Come with me from Lebanon, my bride. We will look 
       down from the summit of the mountain, from the top of Mount Hermon, 
       where the lions have their dens and panthers prowl.

       (Song 4:9 TLB)  You have ravished my heart, my lovely one, my bride; I 
       am overcome by one glance of your eyes, by a single bead of your 
       necklace.

       (Song 4:10 TLB)  How sweet is your love, my darling, my bride. How 
       much better it is than mere wine. The perfume of your love is more 
       fragrant than all the richest spices.

       (Song 4:11 TLB)  Your lips, my dear, are made of honey. Yes, honey and 
       cream are under your tongue, and the scent of your garments is like 
       the scent of the mountains and cedars of Lebanon.

       (Song 4:12 TLB)  "My darling bride is like a private garden, a spring 
       that no one else can have, a fountain of my own.

       (Song 4:13 TLB)  You are like a lovely orchard bearing precious fruit, 
       with the rarest of perfumes;






       (Song 4:14 TLB)  nard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon, and perfume 
       from every other incense tree, as well as myrrh and aloes, and every 
       other lovely spice.

       (Song 4:15 TLB)  You are a garden fountain, a well of living water, 
       refreshing as the streams from the Lebanon mountains."

       (Song 4:16 TLB)  The Girl: "Come, north wind, awaken; come, south 
       wind, blow upon my garden and waft its lovely perfume to my beloved. 
       Let him come into his garden and eat its choicest fruits."

       (Song 5:1 TLB)  King Solomon: "I am here in my garden, my darling, my 
       bride! I gather my myrrh with my spices and eat my honeycomb with my 
       honey. I drink my wine with my milk." The Young Women of Jerusalem: 
       "Oh, lover and beloved, eat and drink! Yes, drink deeply!"

       (Song 5:2 TLB)  The Girl: "One night as I was sleeping, my heart 
       awakened in a dream. I heard the voice of my beloved; he was knocking 
       at my bedroom door. 'Open to me, my darling, my lover, my lovely 
       dove,' he said, 'for I have been out in the night and am covered with 
       dew.'

       (Song 5:3 TLB)  "But I said, 'I have disrobed. Shall I get dressed 
       again? I have washed my feet, and should I get them soiled?'

       (Song 5:4 TLB)  "My beloved tried to unlatch the door, and my heart 
       was thrilled within me.

       (Song 5:5 TLB)  I jumped up to open it, and my hands dripped with 
       perfume, my fingers with lovely myrrh as I pulled back the bolt.

       (Song 5:6 TLB)  I opened to my beloved, but he was gone. My heart 
       stopped. I searched for him but couldn't find him anywhere. I called 
       to him, but there was no reply.

       (Song 5:7 TLB)  The guards found me and struck and wounded me. The 
       watchman on the wall tore off my veil.

       (Song 5:8 TLB)  I adjure you, O women of Jerusalem, if you find my 
       beloved one, tell him that I am sick with love."

       (Song 5:9 TLB)  The Young Women of Jerusalem: "O woman of rare beauty, 
       what is it about your loved one that is better than any other, that 
       you command us this?"

       (Song 5:10 TLB)  The Girl: "My beloved one is tanned and handsome, 
       better than ten thousand others!

       (Song 5:11 TLB)  His head is purest gold, and he has wavy, raven hair.

       (Song 5:12 TLB)  His eyes are like doves beside the water brooks, deep 
       and quiet.

       (Song 5:13 TLB)  His cheeks are like sweetly scented beds of spices. 
       His lips are perfumed lilies, his breath like myrrh.






       (Song 5:14 TLB)  His arms are round bars of gold set with topaz; his 
       body is bright ivory encrusted with jewels.

       (Song 5:15 TLB)  His legs are as pillars of marble set in sockets of 
       finest gold, like cedars of Lebanon; none can rival him.

       (Song 5:16 TLB)  His mouth is altogether sweet, lovable in every way. 
       Such, O women of Jerusalem, is my beloved, my friend."

       (Song 6:1 TLB)  The Young Women of Jerusalem: "O rarest of beautiful 
       women, where has your loved one gone? We will help you find him."

       (Song 6:2 TLB)  The Girl: "He has gone down to his garden, to his 
       spice beds, to pasture his flock and to gather the lilies.

       (Song 6:3 TLB)  I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine. He pastures 
       his flock among the lilies!"

       (Song 6:4 TLB)  King Solomon: "O my beloved, you are as beautiful as 
       the lovely land of Tirzah, yes, beautiful as Jerusalem, and how you 
       capture my heart.

       (Song 6:5 TLB)  Look the other way, for your eyes have overcome me! 
       Your hair, as it falls across your face, is like a flock of goats 
       frisking down the slopes of Gilead.

       (Song 6:6 TLB)  Your teeth are white as freshly washed ewes, perfectly 
       matched and not one missing.

       (Song 6:7 TLB)  Your cheeks are matched loveliness behind your hair.

       (Song 6:8 TLB)  I have sixty other wives, all queens, and eighty 
       concubines, and unnumbered virgins available to me;

       (Song 6:9 TLB)  but you, my dove, my perfect one, are the only one 
       among them all, without an equal! The women of Jerusalem were 
       delighted when they saw you, and even the queens and concubines praise 
       you.

       (Song 6:10 TLB)  'Who is this,' they ask, 'arising as the dawn, fair 
       as the moon, pure as the sun, so utterly captivating?'"

       (Song 6:11 TLB)  The Girl: "I went down into the orchard of nuts and 
       out to the valley to see the springtime there, to see whether the 
       grapevines were budding or the pomegranates were blossoming yet.

       (Song 6:12 TLB)  Before I realized it, I was stricken with terrible 
       homesickness and wanted to be back among my own people."

       (Song 6:13 TLB)  The Young Women of Jerusalem: "Return, return to us, 
       O maid of Shulam. Come back, come back, that we may see you once 
       again." The Girl: "Why should you seek a mere Shulammite?" King 
       Solomon: "Because you dance so beautifully."

       (Song 7:1 TLB)  King Solomon: "How beautiful your tripping feet, O 





       queenly maiden. Your rounded thighs are like jewels, the work of the 
       most skilled of craftsmen.

       (Song 7:2 TLB)  Your navel is lovely as a goblet filled with wine. 
       Your waist is like a heap of wheat set about with lilies.

       (Song 7:3 TLB)  Your two breasts are like two fawns, yes, lovely 
       twins.

       (Song 7:4 TLB)  Your neck is stately as an ivory tower, your eyes as 
       limpid pools in Heshbon by the gate of Bath-rabbim. Your nose is 
       shapely like the tower of Lebanon overlooking Damascus.

       (Song 7:5 TLB)  "As Mount Carmel crowns the mountains, so your hair is 
       your crown. The king is held captive in your queenly tresses.

       (Song 7:6 TLB)  "Oh, how delightful you are; how pleasant, O love, for 
       utter delight!

       (Song 7:7 TLB)  You are tall and slim like a palm tree, and your 
       breasts are like its clusters of dates.

       (Song 7:8 TLB)  I said, I will climb up into the palm tree and take 
       hold of its branches. Now may your breasts be like grape clusters, the 
       scent of your breath like apples,

       (Song 7:9 TLB)  and your kisses as exciting as the best of wine, 
       smooth and sweet, causing the lips of those who are asleep to speak."

       (Song 7:10 TLB)  The Girl: "I am my beloved's and I am the one he 
       desires.

       (Song 7:11 TLB)  Come, my beloved, let us go out into the fields and 
       stay in the villages.

       (Song 7:12 TLB)  Let us get up early and go out to the vineyards and 
       see whether the vines have budded, whether the blossoms have opened, 
       and whether the pomegranates are in flower. And there I will give you 
       my love.

       (Song 7:13 TLB)  There the mandrakes give forth their fragrance, and 
       the rarest fruits are at our doors, the new as well as old, for I have 
       stored them up for my beloved."

       (Song 8:1 TLB)  The Girl: "Oh, if only you were my brother; then I 
       could kiss you no matter who was watching, and no one would laugh at 
       me.

       (Song 8:2 TLB)  I would bring you to my childhood home, and there you 
       would teach me. I would give you spiced wine to drink, sweet 
       pomegranate wine.

       (Song 8:3 TLB)  His left hand would be under my head and his right 
       hand would embrace me.

       (Song 8:4 TLB)  I adjure you, O women of Jerusalem, not to awaken him 





       until he please."

       (Song 8:5 TLB)  The Young Women of Jerusalem: "Who is this coming up 
       from the desert, leaning on her beloved?" King Solomon: "Under the 
       apple tree where your mother gave birth to you in her travail, there I 
       awakened your love."

       (Song 8:6 TLB)  The Girl: "Seal me in your heart with permanent 
       betrothal, for love is strong as death, and jealousy is as cruel as 
       Sheol. It flashes fire, the very flame of Jehovah.

       (Song 8:7 TLB)  Many waters cannot quench the flame of love, neither 
       can the floods drown it. If a man tried to buy it with everything he 
       owned, he couldn't do it."

       (Song 8:8 TLB)  The Girl's Brothers: "We have a little sister too 
       young for breasts. What shall we do if someone asks to marry her?"

       (Song 8:9 TLB)  King Solomon: "If she has no breasts, we will build 
       upon her a battlement of silver, and if she is a door, we will enclose 
       her with cedar boards."

       (Song 8:10 TLB)  The Girl: "I am slim, tall, and full-breasted, and I 
       have found favor in my lover's eyes.

       (Song 8:11 TLB)  Solomon had a vineyard at Baal-hamon, which he rented 
       out to some farmers there, the rent being one thousand pieces of 
       silver from each.

       (Song 8:12 TLB)  But as for my own vineyard, you, O Solomon, shall 
       have my thousand pieces of silver, and I will give two hundred pieces 
       to those who care for it.

       (Song 8:13 TLB)  O my beloved, living in the gardens, how wonderful 
       that your companions may listen to your voice; let me hear it too.

       (Song 8:14 TLB)  Come quickly, my beloved, and be like a gazelle or 
       young deer upon the mountains of spices."

       (Isa 1:1 TLB)  These are the messages that came to Isaiah, son of 
       Amoz, in the visions he saw during the reigns of King Uzziah, King 
       Jotham, King Ahaz, and King Hezekiah--all kings of Judah. In these 
       messages God showed him what was going to happen to Judah and 
       Jerusalem in the days ahead.

       (Isa 1:2 TLB)  Listen, O heaven and earth, to what the Lord is saying: 
       "The children I raised and cared for so long and tenderly have turned 
       against me.

       (Isa 1:3 TLB)  Even the animals--the donkey and the ox--know their 
       owner and appreciate his care for them, but not my people Israel. No 
       matter what I do for them, they still don't care."

       (Isa 1:4 TLB)  Oh, what a sinful nation they are! They walk 
       bent-backed beneath their load of guilt. Their fathers before them 
       were evil too. Born to be bad, they have turned their backs upon the 





       Lord and have despised the Holy One of Israel. They have cut 
       themselves off from his help.

       (Isa 1:5 TLB)  Oh, my people, haven't you had enough of punishment? 
       Why will you force me to whip you again and again? Must you forever 
       rebel?

       (Isa 1:6 TLB)  From head to foot you are sick and weak and faint, 
       covered with bruises and welts and infected wounds, unanointed and 
       unbound.

       (Isa 1:7 TLB)  Your country lies in ruins; your cities are burned; 
       while you watch, foreigners are destroying and plundering everything 
       they see.

       (Isa 1:8 TLB)  You stand there helpless and abandoned like a 
       watchman's shanty in the field when the harvesttime is over--or when 
       the crop is stripped and robbed.

       (Isa 1:9 TLB)  If the Lord Almighty had not stepped in to save a few 
       of us, we would have been wiped out as Sodom and Gomorrah were.

       (Isa 1:10 TLB)  An apt comparison! Listen, you leaders of Israel, you 
       men of Sodom and Gomorrah, as I call you now. Listen to the Lord. Hear 
       what he is telling you!

       (Isa 1:11 TLB)  "I am sick of your sacrifices. Don't bring me any more 
       of them. I don't want your fat rams; I don't want to see the blood 
       from your offerings.

       (Isa 1:12 TLB)  Who wants your sacrifices when you have no sorrow for 
       your sins? The incense you bring me is a stench in my nostrils. Your 
       holy celebrations of the new moon and the Sabbath, and your special 
       days for fasting--even your most pious meetings--all are frauds! I 
       want nothing more to do with them.

       (Isa 1:13 TLB)  

       (Isa 1:14 TLB)  I hate them all; I can't stand the sight of them.

       (Isa 1:15 TLB)  From now on, when you pray with your hands stretched 
       out to heaven, I won't look or listen. Even though you make many 
       prayers, I will not hear, for your hands are those of murderers; they 
       are covered with the blood of your innocent victims.

       (Isa 1:16 TLB)  "Oh, wash yourselves! Be clean! Let me no longer see 
       you doing all these wicked things; quit your evil ways.

       (Isa 1:17 TLB)  Learn to do good, to be fair and to help the poor, the 
       fatherless, and widows.

       (Isa 1:18 TLB)  "Come, let's talk this over!" says the Lord; "no 
       matter how deep the stain of your sins, I can take it out and make you 
       as clean as freshly fallen snow. Even if you are stained as red as 
       crimson, I can make you white as wool!





       (Isa 1:19 TLB)  If you will only let me help you, if you will only 
       obey, then I will make you rich!

       (Isa 1:20 TLB)  But if you keep on turning your backs and refusing to 
       listen to me, you will be killed by your enemies; I, the Lord, have 
       spoken."

       (Isa 1:21 TLB)  Jerusalem, once a faithful wife! And now a prostitute! 
       Running after other gods! Once "The City of Fair Play," but now a gang 
       of murderers.

       (Isa 1:22 TLB)  Once like sterling silver; now mixed with worthless 
       alloy! Once so pure, but now diluted like watered-down wine!

       (Isa 1:23 TLB)  Your leaders are rebels, companions of thieves; all of 
       them take bribes and won't defend the widows and orphans.

       (Isa 1:24 TLB)  Therefore the Lord, the Mighty One of Israel, says: "I 
       will pour out my anger on you, my enemies!

       (Isa 1:25 TLB)  I myself will melt you in a smelting pot and skim off 
       your slag.

       (Isa 1:26 TLB)  "And afterwards I will give you good judges and wise 
       counselors like those you used to have. Then your city shall again be 
       called 'The City of Justice' and 'The Faithful Town.'"

       (Isa 1:27 TLB)  Those who return to the Lord, who are just and good, 
       shall be redeemed.

       (Isa 1:28 TLB)  (But all sinners shall utterly perish, for they refuse 
       to come to me.)

       (Isa 1:29 TLB)  Shame will cover you, and you will blush to think of 
       all those times you sacrificed to idols in your groves of "sacred" 
       oaks.

       (Isa 1:30 TLB)  You will perish like a withered tree or a garden 
       without water.

       (Isa 1:31 TLB)  The strongest among you will disappear like burning 
       straw; your evil deeds are the spark that sets the straw on fire, and 
       no one will be able to put it out.

       (Isa 2:1 TLB)  This is another message to Isaiah from the Lord 
       concerning Judah and Jerusalem:

       (Isa 2:2 TLB)  In the last days Jerusalem and the Temple of the Lord 
       will become the world's greatest attraction, and people from many 
       lands will flow there to worship the Lord.

       (Isa 2:3 TLB)  "Come," everyone will say, "let us go up the mountain 
       of the Lord, to the Temple of the God of Israel; there he will teach 
       us his laws, and we will obey them." For in those days the world will 
       be ruled from Jerusalem.





       (Isa 2:4 TLB)  The Lord will settle international disputes; all the 
       nations will convert their weapons of war into implements of peace. 
       Then at the last all wars will stop and all military training will 
       end.

       (Isa 2:5 TLB)  O Israel, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord 
       and be obedient to his laws!

       (Isa 2:6 TLB)  The Lord has rejected you because you welcome 
       foreigners from the East who practice magic and communicate with evil 
       spirits, as the Philistines do.

       (Isa 2:7 TLB)  Israel has vast treasures of silver and gold, and great 
       numbers of horses and chariots

       (Isa 2:8 TLB)  and idols--the land is full of them! They are man-made, 
       and yet you worship them!

       (Isa 2:9 TLB)  Small and great, all bow before them; God will not 
       forgive you for this sin.

       (Isa 2:10 TLB)  Crawl into the caves in the rocks and hide in terror 
       from his glorious majesty,

       (Isa 2:11 TLB)  for the day is coming when your proud looks will be 
       brought low; the Lord alone will be exalted.

       (Isa 2:12 TLB)  On that day the Lord Almighty will move against the 
       proud and haughty and bring them to the dust.

       (Isa 2:13 TLB)  All the tall cedars of Lebanon and all the mighty oaks 
       of Bashan shall bend low,

       (Isa 2:14 TLB)  and all the high mountains and hills,

       (Isa 2:15 TLB)  and every high tower and wall,

       (Isa 2:16 TLB)  and all the proud ocean ships and trim harbor craft 
       --all shall be crushed before the Lord that day.

       (Isa 2:17 TLB)  All the glory of mankind will bow low; the pride of 
       men will lie in the dust, and the Lord alone will be exalted.

       (Isa 2:18 TLB)  And all idols will be utterly abolished and destroyed.

       (Isa 2:19 TLB)  When the Lord stands up from his throne to shake up 
       the earth, his enemies will crawl with fear into the holes in the 
       rocks and into the caves because of the glory of his majesty.

       (Isa 2:20 TLB)  Then at last they will abandon their gold and silver 
       idols to the moles and bats

       (Isa 2:21 TLB)  and crawl into the caverns to hide among the jagged 
       rocks at the tops of the cliffs, to try to get away from the terror of 
       the Lord and the glory of his majesty when he rises to terrify the 
       earth.






       (Isa 2:22 TLB)  Puny man! Frail as his breath! Don't ever put your 
       trust in him!

       (Isa 3:1 TLB)  The Lord will cut off Jerusalem's and Judah's food and 
       water supplies

       (Isa 3:2 TLB)  and kill her leaders; he will destroy her armies, 
       judges, prophets, elders,

       (Isa 3:3 TLB)  army officers, businessmen, lawyers, magicians, and 
       politicians.

       (Isa 3:4 TLB)  Israel's kings will be like babies, ruling childishly.

       (Isa 3:5 TLB)  And the worst sort of anarchy will prevail--everyone 
       stepping on someone else, neighbors fighting neighbors, youths 
       revolting against authority, criminals sneering at honorable men.

       (Isa 3:6 TLB)  In those days a man will say to his brother, "You have 
       some extra clothing, so you be our king and take care of this mess."

       (Isa 3:7 TLB)  "No!" he will reply. "I cannot be of any help! I have 
       no extra food or clothes. Don't get me involved!"

       (Isa 3:8 TLB)  Israel's civil government will be in utter ruin because 
       the Jews have spoken out against their Lord and will not worship him; 
       they offend his glory.

       (Isa 3:9 TLB)  The very look on their faces gives them away and shows 
       their guilt. And they boast that their sin is equal to the sin of 
       Sodom; they are not even ashamed. What a catastrophe! They have doomed 
       themselves.

       (Isa 3:10 TLB)  But all is well for the godly man. Tell him, "What a 
       reward you are going to get!"

       (Isa 3:11 TLB)  But say to the wicked, "Your doom is sure. You too 
       shall get your just deserts. Your well-earned punishment is on the 
       way."

       (Isa 3:12 TLB)  O my people! Can't you see what fools your rulers are? 
       Weak as women! Foolish as little children playing king. True leaders? 
       No, misleaders! Leading you down the garden path to destruction.

       (Isa 3:13 TLB)  The Lord stands up! He is the great Prosecuting 
       Attorney presenting his case against his people!

       (Isa 3:14 TLB)  First to feel his wrath will be the elders and the 
       princes, for they have defrauded the poor. They have filled their 
       barns with grain extorted from the helpless peasants.

       (Isa 3:15 TLB)  "How dare you grind my people in the dust like that?" 
       the Lord Almighty will demand of them.

       (Isa 3:16 TLB)  Next he will judge the haughty Jewish women, who mince 





       along, noses in the air, tinkling bracelets on their ankles, with 
       wanton eyes that rove among the crowds to catch the glances of the 
       men.

       (Isa 3:17 TLB)  The Lord will send a plague of scabs to ornament their 
       heads! He will expose their nakedness for all to see.

       (Isa 3:18 TLB)  No longer shall they tinkle with self-assurance as 
       they walk. For the Lord will strip away their artful beauty and their 
       ornaments,

       (Isa 3:19 TLB)  their necklaces and bracelets and veils of shimmering 
       gauze.

       (Isa 3:20 TLB)  Gone shall be their scarves and ankle chains, 
       headbands, earrings, and perfumes;

       (Isa 3:21 TLB)  their rings, jewels,

       (Isa 3:22 TLB)  party clothes, negligees, capes, ornate combs, and 
       purses;

       (Isa 3:23 TLB)  their mirrors, lovely lingerie, beautiful dresses, and 
       veils.

       (Isa 3:24 TLB)  Instead of smelling of sweet perfume, they'll stink; 
       for sashes they'll use ropes; their well-set hair will all fall out; 
       they'll wear sacks instead of robes. All their beauty will be gone; 
       all that will be left to them is shame and disgrace.

       (Isa 3:25 TLB)  Their husbands shall die in battle; the women, 
       ravaged, shall sit crying on the ground.

       (Isa 3:26 TLB)  

       (Isa 4:1 TLB)  At that time so few men will be left alive that seven 
       women will fight over each of them and say, "Let us all marry you! We 
       will furnish our own food and clothing; only let us be called by your 
       name so that we won't be mocked as old maids."

       (Isa 4:2 TLB)  Those whose names are written down to escape the 
       destruction of Jerusalem will be washed and rinsed of all their moral 
       filth by the horrors and the fire.

       (Isa 4:3 TLB)  

       (Isa 4:4 TLB)  They will be God's holy people. And the land will 
       produce for them its lushest bounty and its richest fruit.

       (Isa 4:5 TLB)  Then the Lord will provide shade on all Jerusalem--over 
       every home and all its public grounds--a canopy of smoke and cloud 
       throughout the day, and clouds of fire at night, covering the Glorious 
       Land,

       (Isa 4:6 TLB)  protecting it from daytime heat and from rains and 
       storms.






       (Isa 5:1 TLB)  Now I will sing a song about his vineyard to the one I 
       love. My Beloved has a vineyard on a very fertile hill.

       (Isa 5:2 TLB)  He plowed it and took out all the rocks and planted his 
       vineyard with the choicest vines. He built a watchtower and cut a 
       winepress in the rocks. Then he waited for the harvest, but the grapes 
       that grew were wild and sour and not at all the sweet ones he 
       expected.

       (Isa 5:3 TLB)  Now, men of Jerusalem and Judah, you have heard the 
       case! You be the judges!

       (Isa 5:4 TLB)  What more could I have done? Why did my vineyard give 
       me wild grapes instead of sweet?

       (Isa 5:5 TLB)  I will tear down the fences and let my vineyard go to 
       pasture to be trampled by cattle and sheep.

       (Isa 5:6 TLB)  I won't prune it or hoe it, but let it be overgrown 
       with briars and thorns. I will command the clouds not to rain on it 
       any more.

       (Isa 5:7 TLB)  I have given you the story of God's people. They are 
       the vineyard that I spoke about. Israel and Judah are his pleasant 
       acreage! He expected them to yield a crop of justice but found 
       bloodshed instead. He expected righteousness, but the cries of deep 
       oppression met his ears.

       (Isa 5:8 TLB)  You buy up property so others have no place to live. 
       Your homes are built on great estates so you can be alone in the midst 
       of the earth!

       (Isa 5:9 TLB)  But the Lord Almighty has sworn your awful fate--with 
       my own ears I heard him say, "Many a beautiful home will lie deserted, 
       their owners killed or gone.

       (Isa 5:10 TLB)  An acre of vineyard will not produce a gallon of 
       juice! Ten bushels of seed will yield a one-bushel crop!"

       (Isa 5:11 TLB)  Woe to you who get up early in the morning to go on 
       long drinking bouts that last till late at night--woe to you drunken 
       bums.

       (Isa 5:12 TLB)  You furnish lovely music at your grand parties; the 
       orchestras are superb! But for the Lord you have no thought or care.

       (Isa 5:13 TLB)  Therefore I will send you into exile far away because 
       you neither know nor care that I have done so much for you. Your great 
       and honored men will starve, and the common people will die of thirst.

       (Isa 5:14 TLB)  Hell is licking its chops in anticipation of this 
       delicious morsel, Jerusalem. Her great and small shall be swallowed 
       up, and all her drunken throngs.

       (Isa 5:15 TLB)  In that day the haughty shall be brought down to the 





       dust; the proud shall be humbled;

       (Isa 5:16 TLB)  but the Lord Almighty is exalted above all, for he 
       alone is holy, just, and good.

       (Isa 5:17 TLB)  In those days flocks will feed among the ruins. Lambs 
       and calves and kids will pasture there!

       (Isa 5:18 TLB)  Woe to those who drag their sins behind them like a 
       bullock on a rope.

       (Isa 5:19 TLB)  They even mock the Holy One of Israel and dare the 
       Lord to punish them. "Hurry up and punish us, O Lord," they say. "We 
       want to see what you can do!"

       (Isa 5:20 TLB)  They say that what is right is wrong and what is wrong 
       is right; that black is white and white is black; bitter is sweet and 
       sweet is bitter.

       (Isa 5:21 TLB)  Woe to those who are wise and shrewd in their own 
       eyes!

       (Isa 5:22 TLB)  Woe to those who are "heroes" when it comes to 
       drinking and boast about the liquor they can hold.

       (Isa 5:23 TLB)  They take bribes to pervert justice, letting the 
       wicked go free and putting innocent men in jail.

       (Isa 5:24 TLB)  Therefore God will deal with them and burn them. They 
       will disappear like straw on fire. Their roots will rot and their 
       flowers wither, for they have thrown away the laws of God and despised 
       the Word of the Holy One of Israel.

       (Isa 5:25 TLB)  That is why the anger of the Lord is hot against his 
       people; that is why he has reached out his hand to smash them. The 
       hills will tremble, and the rotting bodies of his people will be 
       thrown as refuse in the streets. But even so, his anger is not ended; 
       his hand is heavy on them still.

       (Isa 5:26 TLB)  He will send a signal to the nations far away, 
       whistling to those at the ends of the earth, and they will come racing 
       toward Jerusalem.

       (Isa 5:27 TLB)  They never weary, never stumble, never stop; their 
       belts are tight, their bootstraps strong; they run without stopping 
       for rest or for sleep.

       (Isa 5:28 TLB)  Their arrows are sharp; their bows are bent; sparks 
       fly from their horses' hoofs, and the wheels of their chariots spin 
       like the wind.

       (Isa 5:29 TLB)  They roar like lions and pounce upon the prey. They 
       seize my people and carry them off into captivity with none to rescue 
       them.

       (Isa 5:30 TLB)  They growl over their victims like the roaring of the 





       sea. Over all Israel lies a pall of darkness and sorrow, and the 
       heavens are black.

       (Isa 6:1 TLB)  The year King Uzziah died I saw the Lord! He was 
       sitting on a lofty throne, and the Temple was filled with his glory.

       (Isa 6:2 TLB)  Hovering about him were mighty, six-winged angels of 
       fire. With two of their wings they covered their faces with two others 
       they covered their feet, and with two they flew.

       (Isa 6:3 TLB)  In a great antiphonal chorus they sang, "Holy, holy, 
       holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is filled with his glory."

       (Isa 6:4 TLB)  Such singing it was! It shook the Temple to its 
       foundations, and suddenly the entire sanctuary was filled with smoke.

       (Isa 6:5 TLB)  Then I said, "My doom is sealed, for I am a 
       foul-mouthed sinner, a member of a sinful, foul-mouthed race; and I 
       have looked upon the King, the Lord of heaven's armies."

       (Isa 6:6 TLB)  Then one of the mighty angels flew over to the altar 
       and with a pair of tongs picked out a burning coal.

       (Isa 6:7 TLB)  He touched my lips with it and said, "Now you are 
       pronounced 'not guilty' because this coal has touched your lips. Your 
       sins are all forgiven."

       (Isa 6:8 TLB)  Then I heard the Lord asking, "Whom shall I send as a 
       messenger to my people? Who will go?" And I said, "Lord, I'll go! Send 
       me."

       (Isa 6:9 TLB)  And he said, "Yes, go. But tell my people this: 'Though 
       you hear my words repeatedly, you won't understand them. Though you 
       watch and watch as I perform my miracles, still you won't know what 
       they mean.'

       (Isa 6:10 TLB)  Dull their understanding, close their ears, and shut 
       their eyes. I don't want them to see or to hear or to understand, or 
       to turn to me to heal them."

       (Isa 6:11 TLB)  Then I said, "Lord, how long will it be before they 
       are ready to listen?" And he replied, "Not until their cities are 
       destroyed--without a person left--and the whole country is an utter 
       wasteland,

       (Isa 6:12 TLB)  and they are all taken away as slaves to other 
       countries far away, and all the land of Israel lies deserted!

       (Isa 6:13 TLB)  Yet a tenth--a remnant--will survive; and though 
       Israel is invaded again and again and destroyed, yet Israel will be 
       like a tree cut down, whose stump still lives to grow again."

       (Isa 7:1 TLB)  During the reign of Ahaz (the son of Jotham and 
       grandson of Uzziah), Jerusalem was attacked by King Rezin of Syria and 
       King Pekah of Israel (the son of Remaliah). But it was not taken; the 
       city stood.






       (Isa 7:2 TLB)  However, when the news came to the royal court, "Syria 
       is allied with Israel against us!" the hearts of the king and his 
       people trembled with fear as the trees of a forest shake in a storm.

       (Isa 7:3 TLB)  Then the Lord said to Isaiah, "Go out to meet King 
       Ahaz, you and Shear-jashub, your son. You will find him at the end of 
       the aqueduct that leads from Gihon Spring to the upper reservoir, near 
       the road that leads down to the bleaching field.

       (Isa 7:4 TLB)  Tell him to quit worrying. Tell him he needn't be 
       frightened by the fierce anger of those two has-beens, Rezin and 
       Pekah.

       (Isa 7:5 TLB)  Yes, the kings of Syria and Israel are coming against 
       you. "They say,

       (Isa 7:6 TLB)  'We will invade Judah and throw her people into panic. 
       Then we'll fight our way into Jerusalem and install the son of Tabeel 
       as their king.'

       (Isa 7:7 TLB)  "But the Lord God says, 'This plan will not succeed,

       (Isa 7:8 TLB)  for Damascus will remain the capital of Syria alone, 
       and King Rezin's kingdom will not increase its boundaries. And within 
       sixty-five years Ephraim, too, will be crushed and broken.

       (Isa 7:9 TLB)  Samaria is the capital of Ephraim alone, and King 
       Pekah's power will not increase. You don't believe me? If you want me 
       to protect you, you must learn to believe what I say.'

       (Isa 7:10 TLB)  Not long after this, the Lord sent this further 
       message to King Ahaz:

       (Isa 7:11 TLB)  "Ask me for a sign, Ahaz, to prove that I will indeed 
       crush your enemies as I have said. Ask anything you like, in heaven or 
       on earth."

       (Isa 7:12 TLB)  But the king refused. "No," he said, "I'll not bother 
       the Lord with anything like that."

       (Isa 7:13 TLB)  Then Isaiah said, "O House of David, you aren't 
       satisfied to exhaust my patience; you exhaust the Lord's as well!

       (Isa 7:14 TLB)  All right then, the Lord himself will choose the 
       sign--a child shall be born to a virgin! And she shall call him 
       Immanuel (meaning, 'God is with us').

       (Isa 7:15 TLB)  By the time this child is weaned and knows right from 
       wrong, the two kings you fear so much--the kings of Israel and Syria 
       --will both be dead.

       (Isa 7:16 TLB)  

       (Isa 7:17 TLB)  "But later on, the Lord will bring a terrible curse on 
       you and on your nation and your family. There will be terror such as 





       has not been known since the division of Solomon's empire into Israel 
       and Judah--the mighty king of Assyria will come with his great army!"

       (Isa 7:18 TLB)  At that time the Lord will whistle for the army of 
       Upper Egypt, and of Assyria too, to swarm down upon you like flies and 
       destroy you, like bees to sting and to kill.

       (Isa 7:19 TLB)  They will come in vast hordes, spreading across the 
       whole land, even into the desolate valleys, caves, and thorny parts, 
       as well as to all your fertile acres.

       (Isa 7:20 TLB)  In that day the Lord will take this "razor"--these 
       Assyrians you have hired to save you--and use it on you to shave off 
       everything you have: your land, your crops, your people.

       (Isa 7:21 TLB)  When they finally stop plundering, the whole nation 
       will be a pastureland; whole flocks and herds will be destroyed, and a 
       farmer will be fortunate to have a cow and two sheep left.

       (Isa 7:22 TLB)  But the abundant pastureland will yield plenty of 
       milk, and everyone left will live on curds and wild honey.

       (Isa 7:23 TLB)  At that time the lush vineyards will become patches of 
       briars.

       (Isa 7:24 TLB)  All the land will be one vast thornfield, a hunting 
       ground overrun by wildlife.

       (Isa 7:25 TLB)  No one will go to the fertile hillsides where once the 
       gardens grew, for thorns will cover them; cattle, sheep, and goats 
       will graze there.

       (Isa 8:1 TLB)  Again the Lord sent me a message: "Make a large 
       signboard and write on it the birth announcement of the son I am going 
       to give you. Use capital letters! His name will be 
       Maher-shalal-hash-baz, which means 'Your enemies will soon be 
       destroyed.'"

       (Isa 8:2 TLB)  I asked Uriah the priest and Zechariah the son of 
       Jeberechiah, both known as honest men, to watch me as I wrote so they 
       could testify that I had written it (before the child was even on the 
       way).

       (Isa 8:3 TLB)  Then I had sexual intercourse with my wife and she 
       conceived and bore me a son. And the Lord said, "Call him 
       Maher-shalal-hash-baz.

       (Isa 8:4 TLB)  This name prophesies that within a couple of years, 
       before this child is even old enough to say 'Daddy' or 'Mommy,' the 
       king of Assyria will invade both Damascus and Samaria and carry away 
       their riches."

       (Isa 8:5 TLB)  Then the Lord spoke to me again and said:

       (Isa 8:6 TLB)  "Since the people of Jerusalem are planning to refuse 
       my gentle care and are enthusiastic about asking King Rezin and King 





       Pekah to come and aid them,

       (Isa 8:7 TLB)  therefore I will overwhelm my people with Euphrates' 
       mighty flood; the king of Assyria and all his mighty armies will rage 
       against them. This flood will overflow all its channels

       (Isa 8:8 TLB)  and sweep into your land of Judah, O Immanuel, 
       submerging it from end to end."

       (Isa 8:9 TLB)  Do your worst, O Syria and Israel, our enemies, but you 
       will not succeed--you will be shattered. Listen to me, all you enemies 
       of ours: Prepare for war against us--and perish! Yes! Perish!

       (Isa 8:10 TLB)  Call your councils of war, develop your strategies, 
       prepare your plans of attacking us, and perish! For God is with us.

       (Isa 8:11 TLB)  The Lord has said in strongest terms: "Do not under 
       any circumstances go along with the plans of Judah to surrender to 
       Syria and Israel.

       (Isa 8:12 TLB)  Don't let people call you a traitor for staying true 
       to God. Don't you panic as so many of your neighbors are doing when 
       they think of Syria and Israel attacking you.

       (Isa 8:13 TLB)  Don't fear anything except the Lord of the armies of 
       heaven! If you fear him, you need fear nothing else.

       (Isa 8:14 TLB)  He will be your safety; but Israel and Judah have 
       refused his care and thereby stumbled against the Rock of their 
       salvation and lie fallen and crushed beneath it: God's presence among 
       them has endangered them!

       (Isa 8:15 TLB)  

       (Isa 8:16 TLB)  Write down all these things I am going to do," says 
       the Lord, "and seal them up for the future. Entrust them to some godly 
       man to pass on down to godly men of future generations."

       (Isa 8:17 TLB)  I will wait for the Lord to help us, though he is 
       hiding now. My only hope is in him.

       (Isa 8:18 TLB)  I and the children God has given me have symbolic 
       names that reveal the plans of the Lord of heaven's armies for his 
       people: Isaiah means "Jehovah will save (his people)," Shear-jashub 
       means "A remnant shall return," and Maher-shalal-hash-baz means "Your 
       enemies will soon be destroyed."

       (Isa 8:19 TLB)  So why are you trying to find out the future by 
       consulting witches and mediums? Don't listen to their whisperings and 
       mutterings. Can the living find out the future from the dead? Why not 
       ask your God?

       (Isa 8:20 TLB)  "Check these witches' words against the Word of God!" 
       he says. "If their messages are different than mine, it is because I 
       have not sent them; for they have no light or truth in them.





       (Isa 8:21 TLB)  My people will be led away captive, stumbling, weary 
       and hungry. And because they are hungry, they will rave and shake 
       their fists at heaven and curse their King and their God.

       (Isa 8:22 TLB)  Wherever they look there will be trouble and anguish 
       and dark despair. And they will be thrust out into the darkness."

       (Isa 9:1 TLB)  Nevertheless, that time of darkness and despair shall 
       not go on forever. Though soon the land of Zebulun and Naphtali will 
       be under God's contempt and judgment, yet in the future these very 
       lands, Galilee and Northern Transjordan, where lies the road to the 
       sea, will be filled with glory.

       (Isa 9:2 TLB)  The people who walk in darkness shall see a great 
       Light--a Light that will shine on all those who live in the land of 
       the shadow of death.

       (Isa 9:3 TLB)  For Israel will again be great, filled with joy like 
       that of reapers when the harvest time has come, and like that of men 
       dividing up the plunder they have won.

       (Isa 9:4 TLB)  For God will break the chains that bind his people and 
       the whip that scourges them, just as he did when he destroyed the vast 
       host of the Midianites by Gideon's little band.

       (Isa 9:5 TLB)  In that glorious day of peace there will no longer be 
       the issuing of battle gear; no more the blood-stained uniforms of war; 
       all such will be burned.

       (Isa 9:6 TLB)  For unto us a child is born; unto us a son is given; 
       and the government shall be upon his shoulder. These will be his royal 
       titles: "Wonderful," "Counselor," "The Mighty God," "The Everlasting 
       Father," "The Prince of Peace."

       (Isa 9:7 TLB)  His ever-expanding, peaceful government will never end. 
       He will rule with perfect fairness and justice from the throne of his 
       father David. He will bring true justice and peace to all the nations 
       of the world. This is going to happen because the Lord of heaven's 
       armies has dedicated himself to do it!

       (Isa 9:8 TLB)  The Lord has spoken out against that braggart Israel 
       who says that though our land lies in ruins now, we will rebuild it 
       better than before. The sycamore trees are cut down, but we will 
       replace them with cedars!

       (Isa 9:9 TLB)  

       (Isa 9:10 TLB)  

       (Isa 9:11 TLB)  The Lord's reply to your bragging is to bring your 
       enemies against you--

       (Isa 9:12 TLB)  the Syrians on the east and the Philistines on the 
       west. With bared fangs they will devour Israel. And even then the 
       Lord's anger against you will not be satisfied--his fist will still be 
       poised to smash you.






       (Isa 9:13 TLB)  For after all this punishment you will not repent and 
       turn to him, the Lord of heaven's armies.

       (Isa 9:14 TLB)  Therefore the Lord, in one day, will destroy the 
       leaders of Israel and the lying prophets.

       (Isa 9:15 TLB)  

       (Isa 9:16 TLB)  For the leaders of his people have led them down the 
       paths of ruin.

       (Isa 9:17 TLB)  That is why the Lord has no joy in their young men and 
       no mercy upon even the widows and orphans, for they are all 
       filthy-mouthed, wicked liars. That is why his anger is not yet 
       satisfied, but his fist is still poised to smash them all.

       (Isa 9:18 TLB)  He will burn up all this wickedness, these thorns and 
       briars; and the flames will consume the forests too, and send a vast 
       cloud of smoke billowing up from their burning.

       (Isa 9:19 TLB)  The land is blackened by that fire, by the wrath of 
       the Lord of heaven's armies. The people are fuel for the fire.

       (Isa 9:20 TLB)  Each fights against his brother to steal his food but 
       will never have enough. Finally they will even eat their own children!

       (Isa 9:21 TLB)  Manasseh against Ephraim and Ephraim against 
       Manasseh--and both against Judah. Yet even after all of this, God's 
       anger is not yet satisfied. His hand is still heavy upon them to crush 
       them.

       (Isa 10:1 TLB)  "Woe to unjust judges and to those who issue unfair 
       laws," says the Lord,

       (Isa 10:2 TLB)  "so that there is no justice for the poor, the widows, 
       and orphans. Yes, it is true that they even rob the widows and 
       fatherless children.

       (Isa 10:3 TLB)  "Oh, what will you do when I visit you in that day 
       when I send desolation upon you from a distant land? To whom will you 
       turn then for your help? Where will your treasures be safe?

       (Isa 10:4 TLB)  I will not help you; you will stumble along as 
       prisoners or lie among the slain. And even then my anger will not be 
       satisfied, but my fist will still be poised to strike you.

       (Isa 10:5 TLB)  Assyria is the whip of my anger; his military strength 
       is my weapon upon this godless nation, doomed and damned; he will 
       enslave them and plunder them and trample them like dirt beneath his 
       feet.

       (Isa 10:6 TLB)  

       (Isa 10:7 TLB)  But the king of Assyria will not know that it is I who 
       sent him. He will merely think he is attacking my people as part of 





       his plan to conquer the world.

       (Isa 10:8 TLB)  He will declare that every one of his princes will 
       soon be a king, ruling a conquered land.

       (Isa 10:9 TLB)  "'We will destroy Calno just as we did Carchemish,' he 
       will say, 'and Hamath will go down before us as Arpad did; and we will 
       destroy Samaria just as we did Damascus.

       (Isa 10:10 TLB)  Yes, we have finished off many a kingdom whose idols 
       were far greater than those in Jerusalem and Samaria,

       (Isa 10:11 TLB)  so when we have defeated Samaria and her idols, we 
       will destroy Jerusalem with hers.'"

       (Isa 10:12 TLB)  After the Lord has used the king of Assyria to 
       accomplish his purpose, then he will turn upon the Assyrians and 
       punish them too--for they are proud and haughty men.

       (Isa 10:13 TLB)  They boast, "We in our own power and wisdom have won 
       these wars. We are great and wise. By our own strength we broke down 
       the walls and destroyed the people and carried off their treasures.

       (Isa 10:14 TLB)  In our greatness we have robbed their nests of riches 
       and gathered up kingdoms as a farmer gathers eggs, and no one can move 
       a finger or open his mouth to peep against us!"

       (Isa 10:15 TLB)  But the Lord says, "Shall the axe boast greater power 
       than the man who uses it? Is the saw greater than the man who saws? 
       Can a rod strike unless a hand is moving it? Can a cane walk by 
       itself?"

       (Isa 10:16 TLB)  Because of all your evil boasting, O king of Assyria, 
       the Lord of Hosts will send a plague among your proud troops and 
       strike them down.

       (Isa 10:17 TLB)  God, the Light and Holy One of Israel, will be the 
       fire and flame that will destroy them. In a single night he will burn 
       those thorns and briars, the Assyrians who destroyed the land of 
       Israel.

       (Isa 10:18 TLB)  Assyria's vast army is like a glorious forest, yet it 
       will be destroyed. The Lord will destroy them, soul and body, as when 
       a sick man wastes away.

       (Isa 10:19 TLB)  Only a few from all that mighty army will be left; so 
       few a child could count them!

       (Isa 10:20 TLB)  Then at last those left in Israel and in Judah will 
       trust the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, instead of fearing the 
       Assyrians.

       (Isa 10:21 TLB)  A remnant of them will return to the mighty God.

       (Isa 10:22 TLB)  But though Israel be now as many as the sands along 
       the shore, yet only a few of them will be left to return at that time; 





       God has rightly decided to destroy his people.

       (Isa 10:23 TLB)  Yes, it has already been decided by the Lord God to 
       consume them.

       (Isa 10:24 TLB)  Therefore the Lord God says, "O my people in 
       Jerusalem, don't be afraid of the Assyrians when they oppress you just 
       as the Egyptians did long ago.

       (Isa 10:25 TLB)  It will not last very long; in a little while my 
       anger against you will end, and then it will rise against them to 
       destroy them."

       (Isa 10:26 TLB)  The Lord Almighty will send his angel to slay them in 
       a mighty slaughter like the time when Gideon triumphed over Midian at 
       the rock of Oreb or the time God drowned the Egyptian armies in the 
       sea.

       (Isa 10:27 TLB)  On that day God will end the bondage of his people. 
       He will break the slave-yoke off their necks and destroy it as 
       decreed.

       (Isa 10:28 TLB)  Look, the mighty armies of Assyria are coming! Now 
       they are at Aiath, now at Migron; they are storing some of their 
       equipment at Michmash

       (Isa 10:29 TLB)  and crossing over the pass; they are staying 
       overnight at Geba. Fear strikes the city of Ramah; all the people of 
       Gibeah--the city of Saul--are running for their lives.

       (Isa 10:30 TLB)  Well may you scream in terror, O people of Gallim. 
       Shout out a warning to Laish, for the mighty army comes. O poor 
       Anathoth, what a fate is yours!

       (Isa 10:31 TLB)  There go the people of Madmenah, all fleeing, and the 
       citizens of Gebim are preparing to run.

       (Isa 10:32 TLB)  But the enemy stops at Nob for the remainder of that 
       day. He shakes his fist at Jerusalem on Mount Zion.

       (Isa 10:33 TLB)  Then, look, look! The Lord, the Lord of the armies of 
       heaven, is chopping down the mighty tree! He is destroying all of that 
       vast army, great and small alike, both officers and men.

       (Isa 10:34 TLB)  He, the Mighty One, will cut down the enemy as a 
       woodsman's axe cuts down the forest trees in Lebanon.

       (Isa 11:1 TLB)  The royal line of David will be cut off, chopped down 
       like a tree; but from the stump will grow a Shoot--yes, a new Branch 
       from the old root.

       (Isa 11:2 TLB)  And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the 
       Spirit of wisdom, understanding, counsel, and might; the Spirit of 
       knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.

       (Isa 11:3 TLB)  His delight will be obedience to the Lord. He will not 





       judge by appearance, false evidence, or hearsay,

       (Isa 11:4 TLB)  but will defend the poor and the exploited. He will 
       rule against the wicked who oppress them.

       (Isa 11:5 TLB)  For he will be clothed with fairness and with truth.

       (Isa 11:6 TLB)  In that day the wolf and the lamb will lie down 
       together, and the leopard and goats will be at peace. Calves and fat 
       cattle will be safe among lions, and a little child shall lead them 
       all.

       (Isa 11:7 TLB)  The cows will graze among bears; cubs and calves will 
       lie down together, and lions will eat grass like the cows.

       (Isa 11:8 TLB)  Babies will crawl safely among poisonous snakes, and a 
       little child who puts his hand in a nest of deadly adders will pull it 
       out unharmed.

       (Isa 11:9 TLB)  Nothing will hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain, 
       for as the waters fill the sea, so shall the earth be full of the 
       knowledge of the Lord.

       (Isa 11:10 TLB)  In that day he who created the royal dynasty of David 
       will be a banner of salvation to all the world. The nations will rally 
       to him, for the land where he lives will be a glorious place.

       (Isa 11:11 TLB)  At that time the Lord will bring back a remnant of 
       his people for the second time, returning them to the land of Israel 
       from Assyria, Upper and Lower Egypt, Ethiopia, Elam, Babylonia, 
       Hamath, and all the distant coastal lands.

       (Isa 11:12 TLB)  He will raise a flag among the nations for them to 
       rally to; he will gather the scattered Israelites from the ends of the 
       earth.

       (Isa 11:13 TLB)  Then at last the jealousy between Israel and Judah 
       will end; they will not fight each other any more.

       (Isa 11:14 TLB)  Together they will fly against the nations possessing 
       their land on the east and on the west, uniting forces to destroy 
       them, and they will occupy the nations of Edom and Moab and Ammon.

       (Isa 11:15 TLB)  The Lord will dry a path through the Red Sea and wave 
       his hand over the Euphrates, sending a mighty wind to divide it into 
       seven streams that can easily be crossed.

       (Isa 11:16 TLB)  He will make a highway from Assyria for the remnant 
       there, just as he did for all of Israel long ago when they returned 
       from Egypt.

       (Isa 12:1 TLB)  On that day you will say, "Praise the Lord! He was 
       angry with me, but now he comforts me.

       (Isa 12:2 TLB)  See, God has come to save me! I will trust and not be 
       afraid, for the Lord is my strength and song; he is my salvation.






       (Isa 12:3 TLB)  Oh, the joy of drinking deeply from the Fountain of 
       Salvation!"

       (Isa 12:4 TLB)  In that wonderful day you will say, "Thank the Lord! 
       Praise his name! Tell the world about his wondrous love. How mighty he 
       is!"

       (Isa 12:5 TLB)  Sing to the Lord, for he has done wonderful things. 
       Make known his praise around the world.

       (Isa 12:6 TLB)  Let all the people of Jerusalem shout his praise with 
       joy. For great and mighty is the Holy One of Israel, who lives among 
       you.

       (Isa 13:1 TLB)  This is the vision God showed Isaiah (son of Amoz) 
       concerning Babylon's doom.

       (Isa 13:2 TLB)  See the flags waving as their enemy attacks. Shout to 
       them, O Israel, and wave them on as they march against Babylon to 
       destroy the palaces of the rich and mighty.

       (Isa 13:3 TLB)  I, the Lord, have set apart these armies for this 
       task; I have called those rejoicing in their strength to do this work, 
       to satisfy my anger.

       (Isa 13:4 TLB)  Hear the tumult on the mountains! Listen as the armies 
       march! It is the tumult and the shout of many nations. The Lord 
       Almighty has brought them here,

       (Isa 13:5 TLB)  from countries far away. They are his weapons against 
       you, O Babylon. They carry his anger with them and will destroy your 
       whole land.

       (Isa 13:6 TLB)  Scream in terror, for the Lord's time has come, the 
       time for the Almighty to crush you.

       (Isa 13:7 TLB)  Your arms lie paralyzed with fear; the strongest 
       hearts melt

       (Isa 13:8 TLB)  and are afraid. Fear grips you with terrible pangs, 
       like those of a woman in labor. You look at one another, helpless, as 
       the flames of the burning city reflect upon your pallid faces.

       (Isa 13:9 TLB)  For see, the day of the Lord is coming, the terrible 
       day of his wrath and fierce anger. The land shall be destroyed and all 
       the sinners with it.

       (Isa 13:10 TLB)  The heavens will be black above them. No light will 
       shine from stars or sun or moon.

       (Isa 13:11 TLB)  And I will punish the world for its evil, the wicked 
       for their sin; I will crush the arrogance of the proud man and the 
       haughtiness of the rich.

       (Isa 13:12 TLB)  Few will live when I have finished up my work. Men 





       will be as scarce as gold--of greater value than the gold of Ophir.

       (Isa 13:13 TLB)  For I will shake the heavens in my wrath and fierce 
       anger, and the earth will move from its place in the skies.

       (Isa 13:14 TLB)  The armies of Babylon will run until exhausted, 
       fleeing back to their own land like deer chased by dogs, wandering 
       like sheep deserted by their shepherd.

       (Isa 13:15 TLB)  Those who don't run will be butchered.

       (Isa 13:16 TLB)  Their little children will be dashed to death against 
       the pavement right before their eyes; their homes will be sacked and 
       their wives raped by the attacking hordes.

       (Isa 13:17 TLB)  For I will stir up the Medes against Babylon, and no 
       amount of silver or gold will buy them off.

       (Isa 13:18 TLB)  The attacking armies will have no mercy on the young 
       people of Babylon or the babies or the children.

       (Isa 13:19 TLB)  And so Babylon, the most glorious of kingdoms, the 
       flower of Chaldean culture, will be as utterly destroyed as Sodom and 
       Gomorrah were when God sent fire from heaven;

       (Isa 13:20 TLB)  Babylon will never rise again. Generation after 
       generation will come and go, but the land will never again be lived 
       in. The nomads will not even camp there. The shepherds won't let their 
       sheep stay overnight.

       (Isa 13:21 TLB)  The wild animals of the desert will make it their 
       home. The houses will be haunted by howling creatures. Ostriches will 
       live there, and the demons will come there to dance.

       (Isa 13:22 TLB)  Hyenas and jackals will den within the palaces. 
       Babylon's days are numbered; her time of doom will soon be here.

       (Isa 14:1 TLB)  But the Lord will have mercy on the Israelis; they are 
       still his special ones. He will bring them back to settle once again 
       in the land of Israel. And many nationalities will come and join them 
       there and be their loyal allies.

       (Isa 14:2 TLB)  The nations of the world will help them to return, and 
       those coming to live in their land will serve them. Those enslaving 
       Israel will be enslaved--Israel shall rule her enemies!

       (Isa 14:3 TLB)  In that wonderful day when the Lord gives his people 
       rest from sorrow and fear, from slavery and chains,

       (Isa 14:4 TLB)  you will jeer at the king of Babylon and say, "You 
       bully, you! At last you have what was coming to you!

       (Isa 14:5 TLB)  For the Lord has crushed your wicked power and broken 
       your evil rule."

       (Isa 14:6 TLB)  You persecuted my people with unceasing blows of rage 





       and held the nations in your angry grip. You were unrestrained in 
       tyranny.

       (Isa 14:7 TLB)  But at last the whole earth is at rest and is quiet! 
       All the world begins to sing!

       (Isa 14:8 TLB)  Even the trees of the woods--the fir trees and cedars 
       of Lebanon--sing out this joyous song: "Your power is broken; no one 
       will bother us now; at last we have peace."

       (Isa 14:9 TLB)  The denizens of hell crowd to meet you as you enter 
       their domain. World leaders and earth's mightiest kings, long dead, 
       are there to see you.

       (Isa 14:10 TLB)  With one voice they all cry out, "Now you are as weak 
       as we are!"

       (Isa 14:11 TLB)  Your might and power are gone; they are buried with 
       you. All the pleasant music in your palace has ceased; now maggots are 
       your sheet, worms your blanket!

       (Isa 14:12 TLB)  How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the 
       morning! How you are cut down to the ground--mighty though you were 
       against the nations of the world.

       (Isa 14:13 TLB)  For you said to yourself, "I will ascend to heaven 
       and rule the angels. I will take the highest throne. I will preside on 
       the Mount of Assembly far away in the north.

       (Isa 14:14 TLB)  I will climb to the highest heavens and be like the 
       Most High."

       (Isa 14:15 TLB)  But instead, you will be brought down to the pit of 
       hell, down to its lowest depths.

       (Isa 14:16 TLB)  Everyone there will stare at you and ask, "Can this 
       be the one who shook the earth and the kingdoms of the world?

       (Isa 14:17 TLB)  Can this be the one who destroyed the world and made 
       it into a shambles, who demolished its greatest cities and had no 
       mercy on his prisoners?"

       (Isa 14:18 TLB)  The kings of the nations lie in stately glory in 
       their graves,

       (Isa 14:19 TLB)  but your body is thrown out like a broken branch; it 
       lies in an open grave, covered with the dead bodies of those slain in 
       battle. It lies as a carcass in the road, trampled and mangled by 
       horses' hoofs.

       (Isa 14:20 TLB)  No monument will be given you, for you have destroyed 
       your nation and slain your people. Your son will not succeed you as 
       the king.

       (Isa 14:21 TLB)  Slay the children of this sinner. Do not let them 
       rise and conquer the land nor rebuild the cities of the world.






       (Isa 14:22 TLB)  "I, myself, have risen against him," says the Lord of 
       heaven's armies, "and will cut off his children and his children's 
       children from ever sitting on his throne.

       (Isa 14:23 TLB)  I will make Babylon into a desolate land of 
       porcupines, full of swamps and marshes. I will sweep the land with the 
       broom of destruction," says the Lord of the armies of heaven.

       (Isa 14:24 TLB)  He has taken an oath to do it! For this is his 
       purpose and plan.

       (Isa 14:25 TLB)  "I have decided to break the Assyrian army when they 
       are in Israel and to crush them on my mountains; my people shall no 
       longer be their slaves.

       (Isa 14:26 TLB)  This is my plan for the whole earth--I will do it by 
       my mighty power that reaches everywhere around the world.

       (Isa 14:27 TLB)  The Lord, the God of battle, has spoken--who can 
       change his plans? When his hand moves, who can stop him?"

       (Isa 14:28 TLB)  This is the message that came to me the year King 
       Ahaz died:

       (Isa 14:29 TLB)  Don't rejoice, Philistines, that the king who smote 
       you is dead. That rod is broken, yes; but his son will be a greater 
       scourge to you than his father ever was! From the snake will be born 
       an adder, a fiery serpent to destroy you!

       (Isa 14:30 TLB)  I will shepherd the poor of my people; they shall 
       graze in my pasture! The needy shall lie down in peace. But as for 
       you--I will wipe you out with famine and the sword.

       (Isa 14:31 TLB)  Weep, Philistine cities--you are doomed. All your 
       nation is doomed. For a perfectly trained army is coming down from the 
       north against you.

       (Isa 14:32 TLB)  What then shall we tell the reporters? Tell them that 
       the Lord has founded Jerusalem and is determined that the poor of his 
       people will find a refuge within her walls.

       (Isa 15:1 TLB)  Here is God's message to Moab: In one night your 
       cities of Ar and Kir will be destroyed.

       (Isa 15:2 TLB)  Your people in Dibon go mourning to their temples to 
       weep for the fate of Nebo and Medeba; they shave their heads in sorrow 
       and cut off their beards.

       (Isa 15:3 TLB)  They wear sackcloth through the streets, and from 
       every home comes the sound of weeping.

       (Isa 15:4 TLB)  The cries from the cities of Heshbon and Elealeh are 
       heard far away, even in Jahaz. The bravest warriors of Moab cry in 
       utter terror.





       (Isa 15:5 TLB)  My heart weeps for Moab! His people flee to Zoar and 
       Eglath. Weeping, they climb the upward road to Luhith, and their 
       crying will be heard all along the road to Horonaim.

       (Isa 15:6 TLB)  Even Nimrim River is desolate! The grassy banks are 
       dried up and the tender plants are gone.

       (Isa 15:7 TLB)  The desperate refugees take only the possessions they 
       can carry and flee across the Brook of Willows.

       (Isa 15:8 TLB)  The whole land of Moab is a land of weeping from one 
       end to the other.

       (Isa 15:9 TLB)  The stream near Dibon will run red with blood, but I 
       am not through with Dibon yet! Lions will hunt down the survivors, 
       both those who escape and those who remain.

       (Isa 16:1 TLB)  Moab's refugees at Sela send lambs as a token of 
       alliance with the king of Judah.

       (Isa 16:2 TLB)  The women of Moab are left at the fords of the Arnon 
       River like homeless birds.

       (Isa 16:3 TLB)  (The ambassadors, who accompany the gift to Jerusalem) 
       plead for advice and help. "Give us sanctuary. Protect us. Do not turn 
       us over to our foes.

       (Isa 16:4 TLB)  Let our outcasts stay among you; hide them from our 
       enemies! God will reward you for your kindness to us.

       (Isa 16:5 TLB)  If you let Moab's fugitives settle among you, then 
       when the terror is past, God will establish David's throne forever, 
       and on that throne he will place a just and righteous King."

       (Isa 16:6 TLB)  Is this proud Moab, concerning which we heard so much? 
       His arrogance and insolence are all gone now!

       (Isa 16:7 TLB)  Therefore all Moab weeps. Yes, Moab, you will mourn 
       for stricken Kir-hareseth,

       (Isa 16:8 TLB)  and for the abandoned farms of Heshbon and the 
       vineyards at Sibmah. The enemy warlords have cut down the best of the 
       grapevines; their armies spread out as far as Jazer in the deserts, 
       and even down to the sea.

       (Isa 16:9 TLB)  So I wail and lament for Jazer and the vineyards of 
       Sibmah. My tears shall flow for Heshbon and Elealeh, for destruction 
       has come upon their summer fruits and harvests.

       (Isa 16:10 TLB)  Gone now is the gladness, gone the joy of harvest. 
       The happy singing in the vineyards will be heard no more; the treading 
       out of the grapes in the wine presses has ceased forever. I have ended 
       all their harvest joys.

       (Isa 16:11 TLB)  I will weep, weep, weep, for Moab; and my sorrow for 
       Kir-hareseth will be very great.






       (Isa 16:12 TLB)  The people of Moab will pray in anguish to their 
       idols at the tops of the hills, but it will do no good; they will cry 
       to their gods in their idol temples, but none will come to save them.

       (Isa 16:13 TLB)  All this concerning Moab has been said before;

       (Isa 16:14 TLB)  but now the Lord says that within three years, 
       without fail, the glory of Moab shall be ended, and few of all its 
       people will be left alive.

       (Isa 17:1 TLB)  This is God's message to Damascus, capital of Syria: 
       "Look, Damascus is gone! It is no longer a city--it has become a heap 
       of ruins!

       (Isa 17:2 TLB)  The cities of Aroer are deserted. Sheep pasture there, 
       lying quiet and unafraid, with no one to chase them away.

       (Isa 17:3 TLB)  The strength of Israel and the power of Damascus will 
       end, and the remnant of Syria shall be destroyed. For as Israel's 
       glory departed, so theirs, too, will disappear," declares the Lord 
       Almighty.

       (Isa 17:4 TLB)  "Yes, the glory of Israel will be very dim when 
       poverty stalks the land.

       (Isa 17:5 TLB)  Israel will be as abandoned as the harvested grain 
       fields in the Valley of Rephaim.

       (Isa 17:6 TLB)  Oh, a very few of her people will be left, just as a 
       few stray olives are left on the trees when the harvest is ended, two 
       or three in the highest branches, four or five out on the tips of the 
       limbs. That is how it will be in Damascus and Israel--stripped bare of 
       people except for a few of the poor who remain."

       (Isa 17:7 TLB)  Then at last they will think of God their Creator and 
       have respect for the Holy One of Israel.

       (Isa 17:8 TLB)  They will no longer ask their idols for help in that 
       day, neither will they worship what their hands have made! They will 
       no longer have respect for the images of Ashtaroth and the sun-idols.

       (Isa 17:9 TLB)  Their largest cities will be as deserted as the 
       distant wooded hills and mountaintops and become like the abandoned 
       cities of the Amorites, deserted when the Israelites approached (so 
       long ago).

       (Isa 17:10 TLB)  Why? Because you have turned from the God who can 
       save you--the Rock who can hide you; therefore, even though you plant 
       a wonderful, rare crop of greatest value,

       (Isa 17:11 TLB)  and though it grows so well that it will blossom on 
       the very morning that you plant it, yet you will never harvest 
       it--your only harvest will be a pile of grief and incurable pain.

       (Isa 17:12 TLB)  Look, see the armies thundering toward God's land.






       (Isa 17:13 TLB)  But though they roar like breakers rolling upon a 
       beach, God will silence them. They will flee, scattered like chaff by 
       the wind, like whirling dust before a storm.

       (Isa 17:14 TLB)  In the evening Israel waits in terror, but by dawn 
       her enemies are dead. This is the just reward of those who plunder and 
       destroy the people of God.

       (Isa 18:1 TLB)  Ah, land beyond the upper reaches of the Nile, where 
       winged sailboats glide along the river!

       (Isa 18:2 TLB)  Land that sends ambassadors in fast boats down the 
       Nile! Let swift messengers return to you, O strong and supple nation 
       feared far and wide, a conquering, destroying nation whose land the 
       upper Nile divides. And this is the message sent to you:

       (Isa 18:3 TLB)  When I raise my battle flag upon the mountain, let all 
       the world take notice! When I blow the trumpet, listen!

       (Isa 18:4 TLB)  For the Lord has told me this: "Let your mighty army 
       now advance against the land of Israel. God will watch quietly from 
       his Temple in Jerusalem--serene as on a pleasant summer day or a 
       lovely autumn morning during harvesttime."

       (Isa 18:5 TLB)  But before you have begun the attack, and while your 
       plans are ripening like grapes, he will cut you off as though with 
       pruning shears. He will snip the spreading tendrils.

       (Isa 18:6 TLB)  Your mighty army will be left dead on the field for 
       the mountain birds and wild animals to eat; the vultures will tear 
       bodies all summer, and the wild animals will gnaw bones all winter.

       (Isa 18:7 TLB)  But the time will come when that strong and mighty 
       nation, a terror to all both far and near, that conquering, destroying 
       nation whose land the rivers divide, will bring gifts to the Lord 
       Almighty in Jerusalem, where he has placed his name.

       (Isa 19:1 TLB)  This is God's message concerning Egypt: Look, the Lord 
       is coming against Egypt, riding on a swift cloud; the idols of Egypt 
       tremble; the hearts of the Egyptians melt with fear.

       (Isa 19:2 TLB)  "I will set them to fighting against each 
       other--brother against brother, neighbor against neighbor, city 
       against city, province against province.

       (Isa 19:3 TLB)  Her wise counselors are all at their wits' end to know 
       what to do; they plead with their idols for wisdom and call upon 
       mediums, wizards, and witches to show them what to do.

       (Isa 19:4 TLB)  I will hand over Egypt to a hard, cruel master, to a 
       vicious king," says the Lord Almighty.

       (Isa 19:5 TLB)  And the waters of the Nile will fail to rise and flood 
       the fields; the ditches will be parched and dry,





       (Isa 19:6 TLB)  their channels fouled with rotting reeds.

       (Isa 19:7 TLB)  All green things along the riverbank will wither and 
       blow away. All crops will perish; everything will die.

       (Isa 19:8 TLB)  The fishermen will weep for lack of work; those who 
       fish with hooks and those who use the nets will all be unemployed.

       (Isa 19:9 TLB)  The weavers will have no flax or cotton, for the crops 
       will fail.

       (Isa 19:10 TLB)  Great men and small--all will be crushed and broken.

       (Isa 19:11 TLB)  What fools the counselors of Zoan are! Their best 
       counsel to the king of Egypt is utterly stupid and wrong. Will they 
       still boast of their wisdom? Will they dare tell Pharaoh about the 
       long line of wise men they have come from?

       (Isa 19:12 TLB)  What has happened to your "wise counselors," O 
       Pharaoh? Where has their wisdom gone? If they are wise, let them tell 
       you what the Lord is going to do to Egypt.

       (Isa 19:13 TLB)  The "wise men" from Zoan are also fools, and those 
       from Memphis are utterly deluded. They are the best you can find, but 
       they have ruined Egypt with their foolish counsel.

       (Isa 19:14 TLB)  The Lord has sent a spirit of foolishness on them, so 
       that all their suggestions are wrong; they make Egypt stagger like a 
       sick drunkard.

       (Isa 19:15 TLB)  Egypt cannot be saved by anything or anybody--no one 
       can show her the way.

       (Isa 19:16 TLB)  In that day the Egyptians will be as weak as women, 
       cowering in fear beneath the upraised fist of God.

       (Isa 19:17 TLB)  Just to speak the name of Israel will strike deep 
       terror in their hearts, for the Lord Almighty has laid his plans 
       against them.

       (Isa 19:18 TLB)  At that time five of the cities of Egypt will follow 
       the Lord Almighty and will begin to speak the Hebrew language. One of 
       these will be Heliopolis, "The City of the Sun."

       (Isa 19:19 TLB)  And there will be an altar to the Lord in the heart 
       of Egypt in those days and a monument to the Lord at its border.

       (Isa 19:20 TLB)  This will be for a sign of loyalty to the Lord 
       Almighty; then when they cry to the Lord for help against those who 
       oppress them, he will send them a Savior--and he shall deliver them.

       (Isa 19:21 TLB)  In that day the Lord will make himself known to the 
       Egyptians. Yes, they will know the Lord and give their sacrifices and 
       offerings to him; they will make promises to God and keep them.

       (Isa 19:22 TLB)  The Lord will smite Egypt and then restore her! For 





       the Egyptians will turn to the Lord and he will listen to their plea 
       and heal them.

       (Isa 19:23 TLB)  In that day Egypt and Iraq will be connected by a 
       highway, and the Egyptians and the Iraqi will move freely back and 
       forth between their lands, and they shall worship the same God.

       (Isa 19:24 TLB)  And Israel will be their ally; the three will be 
       together, and Israel will be a blessing to them.

       (Isa 19:25 TLB)  For the Lord will bless Egypt and Iraq because of 
       their friendship with Israel. He will say, "Blessed be Egypt, my 
       people; blessed be Iraq, the land I have made; blessed be Israel, my 
       inheritance!"

       (Isa 20:1 TLB)  In the year when Sargon, king of Assyria, sent the 
       commander-in-chief of his army against the Philistine city of Ashdod 
       and captured it,

       (Isa 20:2 TLB)  the Lord told Isaiah, the son of Amoz, to take off his 
       clothing, including his shoes, and to walk around naked and barefoot. 
       And Isaiah did as he was told.

       (Isa 20:3 TLB)  Then the Lord said, "My servant Isaiah, who has been 
       walking naked and barefoot for the last three years, is a symbol of 
       the terrible troubles I will bring upon Egypt and Ethiopia.

       (Isa 20:4 TLB)  For the king of Assyria will take away the Egyptians 
       and Ethiopians as prisoners, making them walk naked and barefoot, both 
       young and old, their buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt.

       (Isa 20:5 TLB)  Then how dismayed the Philistines will be, who counted 
       on 'Ethiopia's power' and their 'glorious ally,' Egypt! And they will 
       say, 'If this can happen to Egypt, what chance have we?'"

       (Isa 20:6 TLB)  

       (Isa 21:1 TLB)  This is God's message concerning Babylon: Disaster is 
       roaring down upon you from the terrible desert, like a whirlwind 
       sweeping from the Negeb.

       (Isa 21:2 TLB)  I see an awesome vision: oh, the horror of it all! God 
       is telling me what he is going to do. I see you plundered and 
       destroyed. Elamites and Medes will take part in the siege. Babylon 
       will fall, and the groaning of all the nations she enslaved will end.

       (Isa 21:3 TLB)  My stomach constricts and burns with pain; sharp pangs 
       of horror are upon me, like the pangs of a woman giving birth to a 
       child. I faint when I hear what God is planning; I am terrified, 
       blinded with dismay.

       (Isa 21:4 TLB)  My mind reels; my heart races; I am gripped by awful 
       fear. All rest at night--so pleasant once--is gone; I lie awake, 
       trembling.

       (Isa 21:5 TLB)  Look! They are preparing a great banquet! They load 





       the tables with food; they pull up their chairs to eat. . . . Quick, 
       quick, grab your shields and prepare for battle! You are being 
       attacked!

       (Isa 21:6 TLB)  Meanwhile (in my vision) the Lord had told me, "Put a 
       watchman on the city wall to shout out what he sees.

       (Isa 21:7 TLB)  When he sees riders in pairs on donkeys and camels, 
       tell him, 'This is it!'"

       (Isa 21:8 TLB)  So I put the watchman on the wall, and at last he 
       shouted, "Sir, day after day and night after night I have been here at 
       my post.

       (Isa 21:9 TLB)  Now at last--look! Here come riders in pairs!" Then I 
       heard a Voice shout out, "Babylon is fallen, is fallen; and all the 
       idols of Babylon lie broken on the ground."

       (Isa 21:10 TLB)  O my people, threshed and winnowed, I have told you 
       all that the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, has said.

       (Isa 21:11 TLB)  This is God's message to Edom: Someone from among you 
       keeps calling, calling to me: "Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, 
       what of the night? How much time is left?"

       (Isa 21:12 TLB)  The watchman replies, "Your judgment day is dawning 
       now. Turn again to God, so that I can give you better news. Seek for 
       him, then come and ask again!"

       (Isa 21:13 TLB)  This is God's message concerning Arabia: O caravans 
       from Dedan, you will hide in the deserts of Arabia.

       (Isa 21:14 TLB)  O people of Tema, bring food and water to these weary 
       fugitives!

       (Isa 21:15 TLB)  They have fled from drawn swords and sharp arrows and 
       the terrors of war!

       (Isa 21:16 TLB)  "But a long year from now," says the Lord, "the great 
       power of their enemy, the mighty tribe of Kedar, will end.

       (Isa 21:17 TLB)  Only a few of its stalwart archers will survive." The 
       Lord, the God of Israel, has spoken.

       (Isa 22:1 TLB)  This is God's message concerning Jerusalem: What is 
       happening? Where is everyone going? Why are they running to the 
       rooftops? What are they looking at?

       (Isa 22:2 TLB)  The whole city is in terrible uproar. What's the 
       trouble in this busy, happy city? Bodies! Lying everywhere, slain by 
       plague and not by sword.

       (Isa 22:3 TLB)  All your leaders flee; they surrender without 
       resistance. The people slip away but they are captured too.

       (Isa 22:4 TLB)  Let me alone to weep. Don't try to comfort me--let me 





       cry for my people as I watch them being destroyed.

       (Isa 22:5 TLB)  Oh, what a day of crushing trouble! What a day of 
       confusion and terror from the Lord God of heaven's armies! The walls 
       of Jerusalem are breached, and the cry of death echoes from the 
       mountainsides.

       (Isa 22:6 TLB)  Elamites are the archers; Syrians drive the chariots; 
       the men of Kir hold up the shields. They fill your choicest valleys 
       and crowd against your gates.

       (Isa 22:7 TLB)  

       (Isa 22:8 TLB)  God has removed his protecting care. You run to the 
       armory for your weapons!

       (Isa 22:9 TLB)  You inspect the walls of Jerusalem to see what needs 
       repair!

       (Isa 22:10 TLB)  You check over the houses and tear some down for 
       stone for fixing walls.

       (Isa 22:11 TLB)  Between the city walls, you build a reservoir for 
       water from the lower pool! But all your feverish plans will not avail, 
       for you never ask for help from God, who lets this come upon you. He 
       is the one who planned it long ago.

       (Isa 22:12 TLB)  The Lord God called you to repent, to weep and mourn, 
       to shave your heads in sorrow for your sins, and to wear clothes made 
       of sackcloth to show your remorse.

       (Isa 22:13 TLB)  But instead, you sing and dance and play, and feast 
       and drink. "Let us eat, drink, and be merry," you say: "What's the 
       difference, for tomorrow we die."

       (Isa 22:14 TLB)  The Lord Almighty has revealed to me that this sin 
       will never be forgiven you until the day you die.

       (Isa 22:15 TLB)  Furthermore, the same Lord God of the armies of 
       heaven has told me this: Go and say to Shebna, the palace 
       administrator:

       (Isa 22:16 TLB)  "And who do you think you are, building this 
       beautiful sepulchre in the rock for yourself?

       (Isa 22:17 TLB)  For the Lord who allowed you to be clothed so 
       gorgeously will hurl you away, sending you into captivity, O strong 
       man!

       (Isa 22:18 TLB)  He will wad you up in his hands like a ball and toss 
       you away into a distant, barren land; there you will die, O glorious 
       one--you who disgrace your nation!

       (Isa 22:19 TLB)  "Yes, I will drive you out of office," says the Lord, 
       "and pull you down from your high position.





       (Isa 22:20 TLB)  And then I will call my servant Eliakim, the son of 
       Hilkiah, to replace you.

       (Isa 22:21 TLB)  He shall have your uniform and title and authority, 
       and he will be a father to the people of Jerusalem and all Judah.

       (Isa 22:22 TLB)  I will give him responsibility over all my people; 
       whatever he says will be done; none will be able to stop him.

       (Isa 22:23 TLB)  I will make of him a strong and steady peg to support 
       my people; they will load him with responsibility, and he will be an 
       honor to his family name."

       (Isa 22:24 TLB)  

       (Isa 22:25 TLB)  But the Lord will pull out that other peg that seems 
       to be so firmly fastened to the wall! It will come out and fall to the 
       ground, and everything it supports will fall with it, for the Lord has 
       spoken.

       (Isa 23:1 TLB)  This is God's message to Tyre: Weep, O ships of Tyre, 
       returning home from distant lands! Weep for your harbor, for it is 
       gone! The rumors that you heard in Cyprus are all true.

       (Isa 23:2 TLB)  Deathly silence is everywhere. Stillness reigns where 
       once your hustling port was full of ships from Sidon, bringing 
       merchandise from far across the ocean, from Egypt and along the Nile. 
       You were the merchandise mart of the world.

       (Isa 23:3 TLB)  

       (Isa 23:4 TLB)  Be ashamed, O Sidon, stronghold of the sea. For you 
       are childless now!

       (Isa 23:5 TLB)  When Egypt hears the news, there will be great sorrow.

       (Isa 23:6 TLB)  Flee to Tarshish, men of Tyre, weeping as you go.

       (Isa 23:7 TLB)  This silent ruin is all that's left of your once 
       joyous land. What a history was yours! Think of all the colonists you 
       sent to distant lands!

       (Isa 23:8 TLB)  Who has brought this disaster on Tyre, empire builder 
       and top trader of the world?

       (Isa 23:9 TLB)  The Commander of the armies of heaven has done it to 
       destroy your pride and show his contempt for all the greatness of 
       mankind.

       (Isa 23:10 TLB)  Sail on, O ships of Tarshish, for your harbor is 
       gone.

       (Isa 23:11 TLB)  The Lord holds out his hand over the seas; he shakes 
       the kingdoms of the earth; he has spoken out against this great 
       merchant city, to destroy its strength.





       (Isa 23:12 TLB)  He says, "Never again, O dishonored virgin, daughter 
       of Sidon, will you rejoice, will you be strong. Even if you flee to 
       Cyprus, you will find no rest."

       (Isa 23:13 TLB)  It will be the Babylonians, not the Assyrians, who 
       consign Tyre to the wild beasts. They will lay siege to it, raze its 
       palaces, and make it a heap of ruins.

       (Isa 23:14 TLB)  Wail, you ships that ply the oceans, for your home 
       port is destroyed!

       (Isa 23:15 TLB)  For seventy years Tyre will be forgotten. Then, in 
       the days of another king, the city will come back to life again;

       (Isa 23:16 TLB)  she will sing sweet songs as a harlot sings who, long 
       absent from her lovers, walks the streets to look for them again and 
       is remembered.

       (Isa 23:17 TLB)  Yes, after seventy years, the Lord will revive Tyre, 
       but she will be no different than she was before; she will return 
       again to all her evil ways around the world.

       (Isa 23:18 TLB)  Yet (the distant time will come when) her businesses 
       will give their profits to the Lord! They will not be hoarded but used 
       for good food and fine clothes for the priests of the Lord!

       (Isa 24:1 TLB)  Look! The Lord is overturning the land of Judah and 
       making it a vast wasteland of destruction. See how he is emptying out 
       all its people and scattering them over the face of the earth.

       (Isa 24:2 TLB)  Priests and people, servants and masters, slave girls 
       and mistresses, buyers and sellers, lenders and borrowers, bankers and 
       debtors--none will be spared.

       (Isa 24:3 TLB)  The land will be completely emptied and looted. The 
       Lord has spoken.

       (Isa 24:4 TLB)  The land suffers for the sins of its people. The earth 
       languishes, the crops wither, the skies refuse their rain.

       (Isa 24:5 TLB)  The land is defiled by crime; the people have twisted 
       the laws of God and broken his everlasting commands.

       (Isa 24:6 TLB)  Therefore the curse of God is upon them; they are left 
       desolate, destroyed by the drought. Few will be left alive.

       (Isa 24:7 TLB)  All the joys of life will go: the grape harvest will 
       fail, the wine will be gone, the merrymakers will sigh and mourn.

       (Isa 24:8 TLB)  The melodious chords of the harp and timbrel are heard 
       no more; the happy days are ended.

       (Isa 24:9 TLB)  No more are the joys of wine and song; strong drink 
       turns bitter in the mouth.

       (Isa 24:10 TLB)  The city lies in chaos; every home and shop is locked 





       up tight to keep out looters.

       (Isa 24:11 TLB)  Mobs form in the streets, crying for wine; joy has 
       reached its lowest ebb; gladness has been banished from the land.

       (Isa 24:12 TLB)  The city is left in ruins; its gates are battered 
       down.

       (Isa 24:13 TLB)  Throughout the land the story is the same--only a 
       remnant is left.

       (Isa 24:14 TLB)  But all who are left will shout and sing for joy; 
       those in the west will praise the majesty of God,

       (Isa 24:15 TLB)  and those in the east will respond with praise. Hear 
       them singing to the Lord from the ends of the earth,

       (Isa 24:16 TLB)  singing glory to the Righteous One! But my heart is 
       heavy with grief, for evil still prevails and treachery is everywhere.

       (Isa 24:17 TLB)  Terror and the captivity of hell are still your lot, 
       O men of the world.

       (Isa 24:18 TLB)  When you flee in terror, you will fall into a pit, 
       and if you escape from the pit, you will step into a trap, for 
       destruction falls from the heavens upon you; the world is shaken 
       beneath you.

       (Isa 24:19 TLB)  The earth has broken down in utter collapse; 
       everything is lost, abandoned, and confused.

       (Isa 24:20 TLB)  The world staggers like a drunkard; it shakes like a 
       tent in a storm. It falls and will not rise again, for the sins of the 
       earth are very great.

       (Isa 24:21 TLB)  On that day the Lord will punish the fallen angels in 
       the heavens and the proud rulers of the nations on earth.

       (Isa 24:22 TLB)  They will be rounded up like prisoners and imprisoned 
       in a dungeon until they are tried and condemned.

       (Isa 24:23 TLB)  Then the Lord of heaven's armies will mount his 
       throne in Zion and rule gloriously in Jerusalem, in the sight of all 
       the elders of his people. Such glory there will be that all the 
       brightness of the sun and moon will seem to fade away.

       (Isa 25:1 TLB)  O Lord, I will honor and praise your name, for you are 
       my God; you do such wonderful things! You planned them long ago, and 
       now you have accomplished them, just as you said!

       (Isa 25:2 TLB)  You turn mighty cities into heaps of ruins. The 
       strongest forts are turned to rubble. Beautiful palaces in distant 
       lands disappear and will never be rebuilt.

       (Isa 25:3 TLB)  Therefore strong nations will shake with fear before 
       you; ruthless nations will obey and glorify your name.






       (Isa 25:4 TLB)  But to the poor, O Lord, you are a refuge from the 
       storm, a shadow from the heat, a shelter from merciless men who are 
       like a driving rain that melts down an earthen wall.

       (Isa 25:5 TLB)  As a hot, dry land is cooled by clouds, you will cool 
       the pride of ruthless nations.

       (Isa 25:6 TLB)  Here on Mount Zion in Jerusalem, the Lord Almighty 
       will spread a wondrous feast for everyone around the world--a 
       delicious feast of good food, with clear, well-aged wine and choice 
       beef.

       (Isa 25:7 TLB)  At that time he will remove the cloud of gloom, the 
       pall of death that hangs over the earth;

       (Isa 25:8 TLB)  he will swallow up death forever. The Lord God will 
       wipe away all tears and take away forever all insults and mockery 
       against his land and people. The Lord has spoken--he will surely do 
       it!

       (Isa 25:9 TLB)  In that day the people will proclaim, "This is our God 
       in whom we trust, for whom we waited. Now at last he is here." What a 
       day of rejoicing!

       (Isa 25:10 TLB)  For the Lord's good hand will rest upon Jerusalem, 
       and Moab will be crushed as straw beneath his feet and left to rot.

       (Isa 25:11 TLB)  God will push them down just as a swimmer pushes down 
       the water with his hands. He will end their pride and all their evil 
       works.

       (Isa 25:12 TLB)  The high walls of Moab will be demolished and brought 
       to dust.

       (Isa 26:1 TLB)  Listen to them singing! In that day the whole land of 
       Judah will sing this song: "Our city is strong! We are surrounded by 
       the walls of his salvation!"

       (Isa 26:2 TLB)  Open the gates to everyone, for all may enter in who 
       love the Lord.

       (Isa 26:3 TLB)  He will keep in perfect peace all those who trust in 
       him, whose thoughts turn often to the Lord!

       (Isa 26:4 TLB)  Trust in the Lord God always, for in the Lord Jehovah 
       is your everlasting strength.

       (Isa 26:5 TLB)  He humbles the proud and brings the haughty city to 
       the dust; its walls come crashing down.

       (Isa 26:6 TLB)  He presents it to the poor and needy for their use.

       (Isa 26:7 TLB)  But for good men the path is not uphill and rough! God 
       does not give them a rough and treacherous path, but smooths the road 
       before them.






       (Isa 26:8 TLB)  O Lord, we love to do your will! Our hearts' desire is 
       to glorify your name.

       (Isa 26:9 TLB)  All night long I search for you; earnestly I seek for 
       God; for only when you come in judgment on the earth to punish it will 
       people turn away from wickedness and do what is right.

       (Isa 26:10 TLB)  Your kindness to the wicked doesn't make them good; 
       they keep on doing wrong and take no notice of your majesty.

       (Isa 26:11 TLB)  They do not listen when you threaten; they will not 
       look to see your upraised fist. Show them how much you love your 
       people. Perhaps then they will be ashamed! Yes, let them be burned up 
       by the fire reserved for your enemies.

       (Isa 26:12 TLB)  Lord, grant us peace; for all we have and are has 
       come from you.

       (Isa 26:13 TLB)  O Lord our God, once we worshiped other gods; but now 
       we worship you alone.

       (Isa 26:14 TLB)  Those we served before are dead and gone; never again 
       will they return. You came against them and destroyed them, and they 
       are long forgotten.

       (Isa 26:15 TLB)  O praise the Lord! He has made our nation very great. 
       He has widened the boundaries of our land!

       (Isa 26:16 TLB)  Lord, in their distress they sought for you. When 
       your punishment was on them, they poured forth a whispered prayer.

       (Isa 26:17 TLB)  How we missed your presence, Lord! We suffered as a 
       woman giving birth who cries and writhes in pain.

       (Isa 26:18 TLB)  We too have writhed in agony, but all to no avail. No 
       deliverance has come from all our efforts.

       (Isa 26:19 TLB)  Yet we have this assurance: Those who belong to God 
       shall live again. Their bodies shall rise again! Those who dwell in 
       the dust shall awake and sing for joy! For God's light of life will 
       fall like dew upon them!

       (Isa 26:20 TLB)  Go home, my people, and lock the doors! Hide for a 
       little while until the Lord's wrath against your enemies has passed.

       (Isa 26:21 TLB)  Look! The Lord is coming from the heavens to punish 
       the people of the earth for their sins. The earth will no longer hide 
       the murderers. The guilty will be found.

       (Isa 27:1 TLB)  In that day the Lord will take his terrible, swift 
       sword and punish leviathan, the swiftly moving serpent, the coiling, 
       writhing serpent, the dragon of the sea.

       (Isa 27:2 TLB)  In that day (of Israel's freedom) let this anthem be 
       their song:






       (Isa 27:3 TLB)  "Israel is my vineyard; I, the Lord, will tend the 
       fruitful vines; every day I'll water them, and day and night I'll 
       watch to keep all enemies away.

       (Isa 27:4 TLB)  My anger against Israel is gone. If I find thorns and 
       briars bothering her, I will burn them up, unless these enemies of 
       mine surrender and beg for peace and my protection."

       (Isa 27:5 TLB)  

       (Isa 27:6 TLB)  The time will come when Israel will take root and bud 
       and blossom and fill the whole earth with her fruit!

       (Isa 27:7 TLB)  Has God punished Israel as much as he has punished her 
       enemies? No, for he has devastated her enemies,

       (Isa 27:8 TLB)  while he has punished Israel but a little, exiling her 
       far from her own land as though blown away in a storm from the east.

       (Isa 27:9 TLB)  And why did God do it? It was to purge away her sins, 
       to rid her of all her idol altars and her idols. They will never be 
       worshiped again.

       (Isa 27:10 TLB)  Her walled cities will be silent and empty, houses 
       abandoned, streets grown up with grass, cows grazing through the city 
       munching on twigs and branches.

       (Isa 27:11 TLB)  My people are like the dead branches of a tree, 
       broken off and used to burn beneath the pots. They are a foolish 
       nation, a witless, stupid people, for they turn away from God. 
       Therefore, he who made them will not have pity on them or show them 
       his mercy.

       (Isa 27:12 TLB)  Yet the time will come when the Lord will gather them 
       together one by one like handpicked grain, selecting them here and 
       there from his great threshing floor that reaches all the way from the 
       Euphrates River to the Egyptian boundary.

       (Isa 27:13 TLB)  In that day the great trumpet will be blown, and many 
       about to perish among their enemies, Assyria and Egypt, will be 
       rescued and brought back to Jerusalem to worship the Lord in his holy 
       mountain.

       (Isa 28:1 TLB)  Woe to the city of Samaria, surrounded by her rich 
       valley--Samaria, the pride and delight of the drunkards of Israel! Woe 
       to her fading beauty, the crowning glory of a nation of men lying 
       drunk in the streets!

       (Isa 28:2 TLB)  For the Lord will send a mighty army (the Assyrians) 
       against you; like a mighty hailstorm he will burst upon you and dash 
       you to the ground.

       (Isa 28:3 TLB)  The proud city of Samaria--yes, the joy and delight of 
       the drunkards of Israel--will be hurled to the ground and trampled 
       beneath the enemies' feet.






       (Isa 28:4 TLB)  Once glorious, her fading beauty surrounded by a 
       fertile valley will suddenly be gone, greedily snatched away as an 
       early fig is hungrily snatched and gobbled up!

       (Isa 28:5 TLB)  Then at last the Lord Almighty himself will be their 
       crowning glory, the diadem of beauty to his people who are left.

       (Isa 28:6 TLB)  He will give a longing for justice to your judges and 
       great courage to your soldiers who are battling to the last before 
       your gates.

       (Isa 28:7 TLB)  But Jerusalem is now led by drunks! Her priests and 
       prophets reel and stagger, making stupid errors and mistakes.

       (Isa 28:8 TLB)  Their tables are covered with vomit; filth is 
       everywhere.

       (Isa 28:9 TLB)  "Who does Isaiah think he is," the people say, "to 
       speak to us like this! Are we little children, barely old enough to 
       talk?

       (Isa 28:10 TLB)  He tells us everything over and over again, a line at 
       a time and in such simple words!"

       (Isa 28:11 TLB)  But they won't listen; the only language they can 
       understand is punishment! So God will punish them by sending against 
       them foreigners who speak strange gibberish! Only then will they 
       listen to him!

       (Isa 28:12 TLB)  They could have rest in their own land if they would 
       obey him, if they were kind and good. He told them that, but they 
       wouldn't listen to him.

       (Isa 28:13 TLB)  So the Lord will spell it out for them again, 
       repeating it over and over in simple words whenever he can; yet over 
       this simple, straightforward message they will stumble and fall and be 
       broken, trapped and captured.

       (Isa 28:14 TLB)  Therefore hear the word of the Lord, you scoffing 
       rulers in Jerusalem:

       (Isa 28:15 TLB)  You have struck a bargain with Death, you say, and 
       sold yourselves to the devil in exchange for his protection against 
       the Assyrians. "They can never touch us," you say, "for we are under 
       the care of one who will deceive and fool them."

       (Isa 28:16 TLB)  But the Lord God says, "See, I am placing a 
       Foundation Stone in Zion--a firm, tested, precious Cornerstone that is 
       safe to build on. He who believes need never run away again.

       (Isa 28:17 TLB)  I will take the line and plummet of justice to check 
       the foundation wall you built; it looks so fine, but it is so weak a 
       storm of hail will knock it down! The enemy will come like a flood and 
       sweep it away, and you will be drowned.





       (Isa 28:18 TLB)  I will cancel your agreement of compromise with Death 
       and the devil, so when the terrible enemy floods in, you will be 
       trampled into the ground.

       (Isa 28:19 TLB)  Again and again that flood will come and carry you 
       off, until at last the unmixed horror of the truth of my warnings will 
       finally dawn on you."

       (Isa 28:20 TLB)  The bed you have made is far too short to lie on; the 
       blankets are too narrow to cover you.

       (Isa 28:21 TLB)  The Lord will come suddenly and in anger, as at Mount 
       Perazim and Gibeon, to do a strange, unusual thing--to destroy his own 
       people!

       (Isa 28:22 TLB)  So scoff no more, lest your punishment be made even 
       greater, for the Lord God has plainly told me that he is determined to 
       crush you.

       (Isa 28:23 TLB)  Listen to me, listen as I plead: Does a farmer always 
       plow and never sow? Is he forever harrowing the soil and never 
       planting it?

       (Isa 28:24 TLB)  

       (Isa 28:25 TLB)  Does he not finally plant his many kinds of grain, 
       each in its own section of his land?

       (Isa 28:26 TLB)  He knows just what to do, for God has made him see 
       and understand.

       (Isa 28:27 TLB)  He doesn't thresh all grains the same. A sledge is 
       never used on dill, but it is beaten with a stick. A threshing wheel 
       is never rolled on cummin, but it is beaten softly with a flail.

       (Isa 28:28 TLB)  Bread grain is easily crushed, so he doesn't keep on 
       pounding it.

       (Isa 28:29 TLB)  The Lord Almighty is a wonderful teacher and gives 
       the farmer wisdom.

       (Isa 29:1 TLB)  Woe to Jerusalem, the city of David. Year after year 
       you make your many offerings,

       (Isa 29:2 TLB)  but I will send heavy judgment upon you, and there 
       will be weeping and sorrow. For Jerusalem shall become as her name 
       "Ariel" means--an altar covered with blood.

       (Isa 29:3 TLB)  I will be your enemy. I will surround Jerusalem and 
       lay siege against it, and build forts around it to destroy it.

       (Isa 29:4 TLB)  Your voice will whisper like a ghost from the earth 
       where you lie buried.

       (Isa 29:5 TLB)  But suddenly your ruthless enemies will be driven away 
       like chaff before the wind.






       (Isa 29:6 TLB)  In an instant, I, the Lord of Hosts, will come upon 
       them with thunder, earthquake, whirlwind, and fire.

       (Isa 29:7 TLB)  And all the nations fighting Jerusalem will vanish 
       like a dream!

       (Isa 29:8 TLB)  As a hungry man dreams of eating but is still hungry, 
       and as a thirsty man dreams of drinking but is still faint from thirst 
       when he wakes up, so your enemies will dream of victorious conquest, 
       but all to no avail.

       (Isa 29:9 TLB)  You are amazed, incredulous? You don't believe it? 
       Then go ahead and be blind if you must! You are stupid--and not from 
       drinking, either! Stagger, and not from wine!

       (Isa 29:10 TLB)  For the Lord has poured out upon you a spirit of deep 
       sleep. He has closed the eyes of your prophets and seers,

       (Isa 29:11 TLB)  so all of these future events are a sealed book to 
       them. When you give it to one who can read, he says, "I can't, for 
       it's sealed."

       (Isa 29:12 TLB)  When you give it to another, he says, "Sorry, I can't 
       read."

       (Isa 29:13 TLB)  And so the Lord says, "Since these people say they 
       are mine but they do not obey me, and since their worship amounts to 
       mere words learned by rote,

       (Isa 29:14 TLB)  therefore I will take awesome vengeance on these 
       hypocrites and make their wisest counselors as fools."

       (Isa 29:15 TLB)  Woe to those who try to hide their plans from God, 
       who try to keep him in the dark concerning what they do! "God can't 
       see us," they say to themselves. "He doesn't know what is going on!"

       (Isa 29:16 TLB)  How stupid can they be! Isn't he, the Potter, greater 
       than you, the jars he makes? Will you say to him, "He didn't make us"? 
       Does a machine call its inventor dumb?

       (Isa 29:17 TLB)  Soon--and it will not be very long--the wilderness of 
       Lebanon will be a fruitful field again, a lush and fertile forest.

       (Isa 29:18 TLB)  In that day the deaf will hear the words of a book, 
       and out of their gloom and darkness the blind will see my plans.

       (Isa 29:19 TLB)  The meek will be filled with fresh joy from the Lord, 
       and the poor shall exult in the Holy One of Israel.

       (Isa 29:20 TLB)  Bullies will vanish and scoffers will cease, and all 
       those plotting evil will be killed--

       (Isa 29:21 TLB)  the violent man who fights at the drop of a hat, the 
       man who waits in hiding to beat up the judge who sentenced him, and 
       the men who use any excuse to be unfair.






       (Isa 29:22 TLB)  That is why the Lord who redeemed Abraham says: "My 
       people will no longer pale with fear or be ashamed.

       (Isa 29:23 TLB)  For when they see the surging birth rate and the 
       expanding economy, then they will fear and rejoice in my name; they 
       will praise the Holy One of Israel and stand in awe of him.

       (Isa 29:24 TLB)  Those in error will believe the truth, and 
       complainers will be willing to be taught!

       (Isa 30:1 TLB)  "Woe to my rebellious children," says the Lord; "you 
       ask advice from everyone but me and decide to do what I don't want you 
       to do. You yoke yourselves with unbelievers, thus piling up your sins.

       (Isa 30:2 TLB)  For without consulting me you have gone down to Egypt 
       to find aid and have put your trust in Pharaoh for his protection.

       (Isa 30:3 TLB)  But in trusting Pharaoh, you will be disappointed, 
       humiliated and disgraced, for he can't deliver on his promises to save 
       you.

       (Isa 30:4 TLB)  For though his power extends to Zoan and Hanes,

       (Isa 30:5 TLB)  yet it will all turn out to your shame--he won't help 
       one little bit!"

       (Isa 30:6 TLB)  See them moving slowly across the terrible desert to 
       Egypt--donkeys and camels laden down with treasure to pay for Egypt's 
       aid. On through the badlands they go, where lions and swift venomous 
       snakes live--and Egypt will give you nothing in return!

       (Isa 30:7 TLB)  For Egypt's promises are worthless! "The Reluctant 
       Dragon," I call her!

       (Isa 30:8 TLB)  Now go and write down this word of mine concerning 
       Egypt, so that it will stand until the end of time, forever and 
       forever, as an indictment of Israel's unbelief.

       (Isa 30:9 TLB)  For if you don't write it, they will claim I never 
       warned them. "Oh no," they'll say, "you never told us that!" For they 
       are stubborn rebels.

       (Isa 30:10 TLB)  They tell my prophets, "Shut up--we don't want any 
       more of your reports!" Or they say, "Don't tell us the truth; tell us 
       nice things; tell us lies.

       (Isa 30:11 TLB)  Forget all this gloom; we've heard more than enough 
       about your 'Holy One of Israel' and all he says."

       (Isa 30:12 TLB)  This is the reply of the Holy One of Israel: "Because 
       you despise what I tell you and trust instead in frauds and lies and 
       won't repent,

       (Isa 30:13 TLB)  therefore calamity will come upon you suddenly, as 
       upon a bulging wall that bursts and falls; in one moment it comes 





       crashing down.

       (Isa 30:14 TLB)  God will smash you like a broken dish; he will not 
       act sparingly. Not a piece will be left large enough to use for 
       carrying coals from the hearth, or a little water from the well."

       (Isa 30:15 TLB)  For the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, says: "Only 
       in returning to me and waiting for me will you be saved; in quietness 
       and confidence is your strength"; but you'll have none of this.

       (Isa 30:16 TLB)  "No," you say. "We will get our help from Egypt; they 
       will give us swift horses for riding to battle." But the only 
       swiftness you are going to see is the swiftness of your enemies 
       chasing you!

       (Isa 30:17 TLB)  One of them will chase a thousand of you! Five of 
       them will scatter you until not two of you are left together. You will 
       be like lonely trees on the distant mountaintops.

       (Isa 30:18 TLB)  Yet the Lord still waits for you to come to him so he 
       can show you his love; he will conquer you to bless you, just as he 
       said. For the Lord is faithful to his promises. Blessed are all those 
       who wait for him to help them.

       (Isa 30:19 TLB)  O my people in Jerusalem, you shall weep no more, for 
       he will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry. He will 
       answer you.

       (Isa 30:20 TLB)  Though he give you the bread of adversity and water 
       of affliction, yet he will be with you to teach you--with your own 
       eyes you will see your Teacher.

       (Isa 30:21 TLB)  And if you leave God's paths and go astray, you will 
       hear a Voice behind you say, "No, this is the way; walk here."

       (Isa 30:22 TLB)  And you will destroy all your silver idols and gold 
       images and cast them out like filthy things you hate to touch. "Ugh!" 
       you'll say to them. "Be gone!"

       (Isa 30:23 TLB)  Then God will bless you with rain at planting time 
       and with wonderful harvests and with ample pastures for your cows.

       (Isa 30:24 TLB)  The oxen and young donkeys that till the ground will 
       eat grain, its chaff blown away by the wind.

       (Isa 30:25 TLB)  In that day when God steps in to destroy your 
       enemies, he will give you streams of water flowing down each mountain 
       and every hill.

       (Isa 30:26 TLB)  The moon will be as bright as the sun, and the 
       sunlight brighter than seven days! So it will be when the Lord begins 
       to heal his people and to cure the wounds he gave them.

       (Isa 30:27 TLB)  See, the Lord comes from afar, aflame with wrath, 
       surrounded by thick rising smoke. His lips are filled with fury; his 
       words consume like fire.






       (Isa 30:28 TLB)  His wrath pours out like floods upon them all, to 
       sweep them all away. He will sift out the proud nations and bridle 
       them and lead them off to their doom.

       (Isa 30:29 TLB)  But the people of God will sing a song of solemn joy, 
       like songs in the night when holy feasts are held; his people will 
       have gladness of heart, as when a flutist leads a pilgrim band to 
       Jerusalem to the Mountain of the Lord, the Rock of Israel.

       (Isa 30:30 TLB)  And the Lord shall cause his majestic voice to be 
       heard and shall crush down his mighty arm upon his enemies with angry 
       indignation and devouring flames, with tornados, terrible storms, and 
       huge hailstones.

       (Isa 30:31 TLB)  The voice of the Lord shall punish the Assyrians, who 
       had been his rod of punishment.

       (Isa 30:32 TLB)  And when the Lord smites them, his people will 
       rejoice with music and song.

       (Isa 30:33 TLB)  The funeral pyre has long been ready, prepared for 
       Molech, the Assyrian god; it is piled high with wood. The breath of 
       the Lord, like fire from a volcano, will set it all on fire.

       (Isa 31:1 TLB)  Woe to those who run to Egypt for help, trusting their 
       mighty cavalry and chariots instead of looking to the Holy One of 
       Israel and consulting him.

       (Isa 31:2 TLB)  In his wisdom, he will send great evil on his people 
       and will not change his mind. He will rise against them for the evil 
       they have done and crush their allies too.

       (Isa 31:3 TLB)  For these Egyptians are mere men, not God! Their 
       horses are puny flesh, not mighty spirits! When the Lord clenches his 
       fist against them, they will stumble and fall among those they are 
       trying to help. All will fail together.

       (Isa 31:4 TLB)  But the Lord has told me this: "When a lion, even a 
       young one, kills a sheep, he pays no attention to the shepherd's 
       shouts and noise. He goes right on and eats. In such manner the Lord 
       will come and fight upon Mount Zion. He will not be frightened away!

       (Isa 31:5 TLB)  He, the Lord Almighty, will hover over Jerusalem as 
       birds hover round their nests, and he will defend the city and deliver 
       it."

       (Isa 31:6 TLB)  Therefore, O my people, though you are such wicked 
       rebels, come, return to God.

       (Isa 31:7 TLB)  I know the glorious day will come when every one of 
       you will throw away his gold idols and silver images--which in your 
       sinfulness you have made.

       (Isa 31:8 TLB)  "The Assyrians will be destroyed, but not by swords of 
       men. The 'sword of God' will smite them. They will panic and flee, and 





       the strong young Assyrians will be taken away as slaves.

       (Isa 31:9 TLB)  Even their generals will quake with terror and flee 
       when they see the battle flags of Israel," says the Lord. For the 
       flame of God burns brightly in Jerusalem.

       (Isa 32:1 TLB)  Look, a righteous King is coming, with honest princes!

       (Isa 32:2 TLB)  He will shelter Israel from the storm and wind. He 
       will refresh her as a river in the desert and as the cooling shadow of 
       a mighty rock within a hot and weary land.

       (Isa 32:3 TLB)  Then at last the eyes of Israel will open wide to God; 
       his people will listen to his voice.

       (Isa 32:4 TLB)  Even the hotheads among them will be full of sense and 
       understanding, and those who stammer in uncertainty will speak out 
       plainly.

       (Isa 32:5 TLB)  In those days the ungodly, the atheists, will not be 
       heroes! Wealthy cheaters will not be spoken of as generous, 
       outstanding men!

       (Isa 32:6 TLB)  Everyone will recognize an evil man when he sees him, 
       and hypocrites will fool no one at all. Their lies about God and their 
       cheating of the hungry will be plain for all to see.

       (Isa 32:7 TLB)  The smooth tricks of evil men will be exposed, as will 
       all the lies they use to oppress the poor in the courts.

       (Isa 32:8 TLB)  But good men will be generous to others and will be 
       blessed of God for all they do.

       (Isa 32:9 TLB)  Listen, you women who loll around in lazy ease; listen 
       to me and I will tell you your reward:

       (Isa 32:10 TLB)  In a short time--in just a little more than a 
       year--suddenly you'll care, O careless ones. For the crops of fruit 
       will fail; the harvest will not take place.

       (Isa 32:11 TLB)  Tremble, O women of ease; throw off your unconcern. 
       Strip off your pretty clothes--wear sackcloth for your grief.

       (Isa 32:12 TLB)  Beat your breasts in sorrow for those bountiful farms 
       of yours that will soon be gone, and for those fruitful vines of other 
       years.

       (Isa 32:13 TLB)  For your lands will thrive with thorns and briars; 
       your joyous homes and happy cities will be gone.

       (Isa 32:14 TLB)  Palaces and mansions will all be deserted, the 
       crowded cities empty. Wild herds of donkeys and goats will graze upon 
       the mountains where the watchtowers are,

       (Isa 32:15 TLB)  until at last the Spirit is poured down on us from 
       heaven. Then once again enormous crops will come.






       (Isa 32:16 TLB)  Then justice will rule through all the land,

       (Isa 32:17 TLB)  and out of justice, peace. Quietness and confidence 
       will reign forever more.

       (Isa 32:18 TLB)  My people will live in safety, quietly at home,

       (Isa 32:19 TLB)  but the Assyrians will be destroyed and their cities 
       laid low.

       (Isa 32:20 TLB)  And God will greatly bless his people. Wherever they 
       plant, bountiful crops will spring up, and their flocks and herds will 
       graze in green pastures.

       (Isa 33:1 TLB)  Woe to you, Assyrians, who have destroyed everything 
       around you but have never felt destruction for yourselves. You expect 
       others to respect their promises to you, while you betray them! Now 
       you, too, will be betrayed and destroyed.

       (Isa 33:2 TLB)  But to us, O Lord, be merciful, for we have waited for 
       you. Be our strength each day and our salvation in the time of 
       trouble.

       (Isa 33:3 TLB)  The enemy runs at the sound of your voice. When you 
       stand up, the nations flee.

       (Isa 33:4 TLB)  Just as locusts strip the fields and vines, so 
       Jerusalem will strip the fallen army of Assyria!

       (Isa 33:5 TLB)  The Lord is very great and lives in heaven. He will 
       make Jerusalem the home of justice and goodness and righteousness.

       (Isa 33:6 TLB)  An abundance of salvation is stored up for Judah in a 
       safe place, along with wisdom and knowledge and reverence for God.

       (Isa 33:7 TLB)  But now your ambassadors weep in bitter 
       disappointment, for Assyria has refused their cry for peace.

       (Isa 33:8 TLB)  Your roads lie in ruins; travelers detour on back 
       roads. The Assyrians have broken their peace pact and care nothing for 
       the promises they made in the presence of witnesses--they have no 
       respect for anyone.

       (Isa 33:9 TLB)  All the land of Israel is in trouble; Lebanon has been 
       destroyed; Sharon has become a wilderness; Bashan and Carmel are 
       plundered.

       (Isa 33:10 TLB)  But the Lord says, "I will stand up and show my power 
       and might.

       (Isa 33:11 TLB)  You Assyrians will gain nothing by all your efforts. 
       Your own breath will turn to fire and kill you.

       (Isa 33:12 TLB)  Your armies will be burned to lime, like thorns cut 
       down and tossed in the fire.






       (Isa 33:13 TLB)  Listen to what I have done, O nations far away! And 
       you that are near, acknowledge my might!"

       (Isa 33:14 TLB)  The sinners among my people shake with fear. "Which 
       one of us," they cry, "can live here in the presence of this 
       all-consuming, Everlasting Fire?"

       (Isa 33:15 TLB)  I will tell you who can live here: All who are honest 
       and fair, who reject making profit by fraud, who hold back their hands 
       from taking bribes, who refuse to listen to those who plot murder, who 
       shut their eyes to all enticement to do wrong.

       (Isa 33:16 TLB)  Such as these shall dwell on high. The rocks of the 
       mountains will be their fortress of safety; food will be supplied to 
       them, and they will have all the water they need.

       (Isa 33:17 TLB)  Your eyes will see the King in his beauty and the 
       highlands of heaven far away.

       (Isa 33:18 TLB)  Your mind will think back to this time of terror when 
       the Assyrian officers outside your walls are counting your towers and 
       estimating how much they will get from your fallen city.

       (Isa 33:19 TLB)  But soon they will all be gone. These fierce, violent 
       people with a strange, jabbering language you can't understand will 
       disappear.

       (Isa 33:20 TLB)  Instead you will see Jerusalem at peace, a place 
       where God is worshiped, a city quiet and unmoved.

       (Isa 33:21 TLB)  The glorious Lord will be to us as a wide river of 
       protection, and no enemy can cross.

       (Isa 33:22 TLB)  For the Lord is our Judge, our Lawgiver and our King; 
       he will care for us and save us.

       (Isa 33:23 TLB)  The enemies' sails hang loose on broken masts with 
       useless tackle. Their treasure will be divided by the people of God; 
       even the lame will win their share.

       (Isa 33:24 TLB)  The people of Israel will no longer say, "We are sick 
       and helpless," for the Lord will forgive them their sins and bless 
       them.

       (Isa 34:1 TLB)  Come here and listen, O nations of the earth; let the 
       world and everything in it hear my words.

       (Isa 34:2 TLB)  For the Lord is enraged against the nations; his fury 
       is against their armies. He will utterly destroy them and deliver them 
       to slaughter.

       (Isa 34:3 TLB)  Their dead will be left unburied, and the stench of 
       rotting bodies will fill the land; the mountains will flow with their 
       blood.





       (Isa 34:4 TLB)  At that time the heavens above will melt away and 
       disappear just like a rolled-up scroll, and the stars will fall as 
       leaves, as ripe fruit from the trees.

       (Isa 34:5 TLB)  And when my sword has finished its work in the 
       heavens, then watch, for it will fall upon Edom, the people I have 
       doomed.

       (Isa 34:6 TLB)  The sword of the Lord is sated with blood; it is 
       gorged with flesh as though used for slaying lambs and goats for 
       sacrifice. For the Lord will slay a great sacrifice in Edom and make a 
       mighty slaughter there.

       (Isa 34:7 TLB)  The strongest will perish, young boys and veterans 
       too. The land will be soaked with blood, and the soil made rich with 
       fat.

       (Isa 34:8 TLB)  For it is the day of vengeance, the year of recompense 
       for what Edom has done to Israel.

       (Isa 34:9 TLB)  The streams of Edom will be filled with burning pitch, 
       and the ground will be covered with fire.

       (Isa 34:10 TLB)  This judgment on Edom will never end. Its smoke will 
       rise up forever. The land will lie deserted from generation to 
       generation; no one will live there anymore.

       (Isa 34:11 TLB)  There the hawks and porcupines will live, and owls 
       and ravens. For God will observe that land and find it worthy of 
       destruction. He will test its nobles and find them worthy of death.

       (Isa 34:12 TLB)  It will be called "The Land of Nothing," and its 
       princes soon will all be gone.

       (Isa 34:13 TLB)  Thorns will overrun the palaces, nettles will grow in 
       its forts, and it will become the haunt of jackals and a home for 
       ostriches.

       (Isa 34:14 TLB)  The wild animals of the desert will mingle there with 
       wolves and hyenas. Their howls will fill the night. There the 
       night-monsters will scream at each other, and the demons will come 
       there to rest.

       (Isa 34:15 TLB)  There the owl will make her nest and lay her eggs; 
       she will hatch her young and nestle them beneath her wings, and the 
       kites will come, each one with its mate.

       (Isa 34:16 TLB)  Search the book of the Lord and see all that he will 
       do; not one detail will he miss; not one kite will be there without a 
       mate, for the Lord has said it, and his Spirit will make it all come 
       true.

       (Isa 34:17 TLB)  He has surveyed and subdivided the land and deeded it 
       to those doleful creatures; they shall possess it forever, from 
       generation to generation.





       (Isa 35:1 TLB)  Even the wilderness and desert will rejoice in those 
       days; the desert will blossom with flowers.

       (Isa 35:2 TLB)  Yes, there will be an abundance of flowers and singing 
       and joy! The deserts will become as green as the Lebanon mountains, as 
       lovely as Mount Carmel's pastures and Sharon's meadows; for the Lord 
       will display his glory there, the excellency of our God.

       (Isa 35:3 TLB)  With this news bring cheer to all discouraged ones.

       (Isa 35:4 TLB)  Encourage those who are afraid. Tell them, "Be strong, 
       fear not, for your God is coming to destroy your enemies. He is coming 
       to save you."

       (Isa 35:5 TLB)  And when he comes, he will open the eyes of the blind 
       and unstop the ears of the deaf.

       (Isa 35:6 TLB)  The lame man will leap up like a deer, and those who 
       could not speak will shout and sing! Springs will burst forth in the 
       wilderness, and streams in the desert.

       (Isa 35:7 TLB)  The parched ground will become a pool, with springs of 
       water in the thirsty land. Where desert jackals lived, there will be 
       reeds and rushes!

       (Isa 35:8 TLB)  And a main road will go through that once-deserted 
       land; it will be named "The Holy Highway." No evil-hearted men may 
       walk upon it. God will walk there with you; even the most stupid 
       cannot miss the way.

       (Isa 35:9 TLB)  No lion will lurk along its course, nor will there be 
       any other dangers; only the redeemed will travel there.

       (Isa 35:10 TLB)  These, the ransomed of the Lord, will go home along 
       that road to Zion, singing the songs of everlasting joy. For them all 
       sorrow and all sighing will be gone forever; only joy and gladness 
       will be there.

       (Isa 36:1 TLB)  So in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah's reign, 
       Sennacherib, king of Assyria, came to fight against the walled cities 
       of Judah and conquered them.

       (Isa 36:2 TLB)  Then he sent his personal representative with a great 
       army from Lachish to confer with King Hezekiah in Jerusalem. He camped 
       near the outlet of the upper pool, along the road going past the field 
       where cloth is bleached.

       (Isa 36:3 TLB)  Then Eliakim, Hilkiah's son, who was the prime 
       minister of Israel, and Shebna, the king's scribe, and Joah, Asaph's 
       son, the royal secretary, formed a truce team and went out of the city 
       to meet with him.

       (Isa 36:4 TLB)  The Assyrian ambassador told them to go and say to 
       Hezekiah, "The mighty king of Assyria says you are a fool to think 
       that the king of Egypt will help you.





       (Isa 36:5 TLB)  What are the Pharaoh's promises worth? Mere words 
       won't substitute for strength, yet you rely on him for help and have 
       rebelled against me!

       (Isa 36:6 TLB)  Egypt is a dangerous ally. She is a sharpened stick 
       that will pierce your hand if you lean on it. That is the experience 
       of everyone who has ever looked to her for help.

       (Isa 36:7 TLB)  But perhaps you say, 'We are trusting in the Lord our 
       God!' Oh? Isn't he the one your king insulted, tearing down his 
       temples and altars in the hills and making everyone in Judah worship 
       only at the altars here in Jerusalem?

       (Isa 36:8 TLB)  My master, the king of Assyria, wants to make a little 
       bet with you!--that you don't have 2,000 men left in your entire army!

       (Isa 36:9 TLB)  If you do, he will give you 2,000 horses for them to 
       ride on! With that tiny army, how can you think of proceeding against 
       even the smallest and worst contingent of my master's troops? For 
       you'll get no help from Egypt.

       (Isa 36:10 TLB)  What's more, do you think I have come here without 
       the Lord's telling me to take this land? The Lord said to me, 'Go and 
       destroy it!'"

       (Isa 36:11 TLB)  Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said to him, "Please 
       talk to us in Aramaic, for we understand it quite well. Don't speak in 
       Hebrew, for the people on the wall will hear."

       (Isa 36:12 TLB)  But he replied, "My master wants everyone in 
       Jerusalem to hear this, not just you. He wants them to know that if 
       you don't surrender, this city will be put under siege until everyone 
       is so hungry and thirsty that he will eat his own dung and drink his 
       own urine."

       (Isa 36:13 TLB)  Then he shouted in Hebrew to the Jews listening on 
       the wall, "Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria:

       (Isa 36:14 TLB)  "Don't let Hezekiah fool you--nothing he can do will 
       save you.

       (Isa 36:15 TLB)  Don't let him talk you into trusting in the Lord by 
       telling you the Lord won't let you be conquered by the king of 
       Assyria.

       (Isa 36:16 TLB)  Don't listen to Hezekiah, for here is the king of 
       Assyria's offer to you: Give me a present as a token of surrender; 
       open the gates and come out, and I will let you each have your own 
       farm and garden and water,

       (Isa 36:17 TLB)  until I can arrange to take you to a country very 
       similar to this one--a country where there are bountiful harvests of 
       grain and grapes, a land of plenty.

       (Isa 36:18 TLB)  Don't let Hezekiah deprive you of all this by saying 
       the Lord will deliver you from my armies. Have any other nation's gods 





       ever gained victory over the armies of the king of Assyria?

       (Isa 36:19 TLB)  Don't you remember what I did to Hamath and Arpad? 
       Did their gods save them? And what about Sepharvaim and Samaria? Where 
       are their gods now?

       (Isa 36:20 TLB)  Of all the gods of these lands, which one has ever 
       delivered their people from my power? Name just one! And do you think 
       this God of yours can deliver Jerusalem from me? Don't be ridiculous!"

       (Isa 36:21 TLB)  But the people were silent and answered not a word, 
       for Hezekiah had told them to say nothing in reply.

       (Isa 36:22 TLB)  Then Eliakim (son of Hilkiah), the prime minister, 
       and Shebna, the royal scribe, and Joah (son of Asaph), the royal 
       secretary, went back to Hezekiah with clothes ripped to shreds as a 
       sign of their despair and told him all that had happened.

       (Isa 37:1 TLB)  When King Hezekiah heard the results of the meeting, 
       he tore his robes and wound himself in coarse cloth used for making 
       sacks, as a sign of humility and mourning, and went over to the Temple 
       to pray.

       (Isa 37:2 TLB)  Meanwhile he sent Eliakim his prime minister, and 
       Shebna his royal scribe, and the older priests--all dressed in 
       sackcloth--to Isaiah the prophet, son of Amoz.

       (Isa 37:3 TLB)  They brought him this message from Hezekiah: "This is 
       a day of trouble and frustration and blasphemy; it is a serious time, 
       as when a woman is in heavy labor trying to give birth and the child 
       does not come.

       (Isa 37:4 TLB)  But perhaps the Lord your God heard the blasphemy of 
       the king of Assyria's representative as he scoffed at the living God. 
       Surely God won't let him get away with this. Surely God will rebuke 
       him for those words. Oh, Isaiah, pray for us who are left!"

       (Isa 37:5 TLB)  So they took the king's message to Isaiah.

       (Isa 37:6 TLB)  Then Isaiah replied, "Tell King Hezekiah that the Lord 
       says, Don't be disturbed by this speech from the servant of the king 
       of Assyria and his blasphemy.

       (Isa 37:7 TLB)  For a report from Assyria will reach the king that he 
       is needed at home at once, and he will return to his own land, where I 
       will have him killed."

       (Isa 37:8 TLB)  Now the Assyrian envoy left Jerusalem and went to 
       consult his king, who had left Lachish and was besieging Libnah.

       (Isa 37:9 TLB)  But at this point the Assyrian king received word that 
       Tirhakah, crown prince of Ethiopia, was leading an army against him 
       (from the south). Upon hearing this, he sent messengers back to 
       Jerusalem to Hezekiah with this message:

       (Isa 37:10 TLB)  "Don't let this God you trust in fool you by 





       promising that Jerusalem will not be captured by the king of Assyria!

       (Isa 37:11 TLB)  Just remember what has happened wherever the kings of 
       Assyria have gone, for they have crushed everyone who has opposed 
       them. Do you think you will be any different?

       (Isa 37:12 TLB)  Did their gods save the cities of Gozan, Haran, or 
       Rezeph, or the people of Eden in Telassar? No, the Assyrian kings 
       completely destroyed them!

       (Isa 37:13 TLB)  And don't forget what happened to the king of Hamath, 
       to the king of Arpad, and to the kings of the cities of Sepharvaim, 
       Hena, and Ivvah."

       (Isa 37:14 TLB)  As soon as King Hezekiah had read this letter, he 
       went over to the Temple and spread it out before the Lord

       (Isa 37:15 TLB)  and prayed, saying,

       (Isa 37:16 TLB)  "O Lord, Almighty God of Israel enthroned between the 
       Guardian Angels, you alone are God of all the kingdoms of the earth. 
       You alone made heaven and earth.

       (Isa 37:17 TLB)  Listen as I plead; see me as I pray. Look at this 
       letter from King Sennacherib, for he has mocked the living God.

       (Isa 37:18 TLB)  It is true, O Lord, that the kings of Assyria have 
       destroyed all those nations, just as the letter says,

       (Isa 37:19 TLB)  and thrown their gods into the fire; for they weren't 
       gods at all but merely idols, carved by men from wood and stone. Of 
       course the Assyrians could destroy them.

       (Isa 37:20 TLB)  O Lord our God, save us so that all the kingdoms of 
       the earth will know that you are God, and you alone."

       (Isa 37:21 TLB)  Then Isaiah, the son of Amoz, sent this message to 
       King Hezekiah: "The Lord God of Israel says, 'This is my answer to 
       your prayer against Sennacherib, Assyria's king.

       (Isa 37:22 TLB)  "'The Lord says to him: My people--the helpless 
       virgin daughter of Zion--laughs at you and scoffs and shakes her head 
       at you in scorn.

       (Isa 37:23 TLB)  Who is it you scoffed against and mocked? Whom did 
       you revile? At whom did you direct your violence and pride? It was 
       against the Holy One of Israel!

       (Isa 37:24 TLB)  You have sent your messengers to mock the Lord. You 
       boast, "I came with my mighty army against the nations of the west. I 
       cut down the tallest cedars and choicest cypress trees. I conquered 
       their highest mountains and destroyed their thickest forests."

       (Isa 37:25 TLB)  "'You boast of wells you've dug in many a conquered 
       land, and Egypt with all its armies is no obstacle to you!





       (Isa 37:26 TLB)  But do you not yet know that it was I who decided all 
       this long ago? That it was I who gave you all this power from ancient 
       times? I have caused all this to happen as I planned--that you should 
       crush walled cities into ruined heaps.

       (Isa 37:27 TLB)  That's why their people had so little power and were 
       such easy prey for you. They were as helpless as the grass, as tender 
       plants you trample down beneath your feet, as grass upon the 
       housetops, burnt yellow by the sun.

       (Isa 37:28 TLB)  But I know you well--your comings and goings and all 
       you do--and the way you have raged against me.

       (Isa 37:29 TLB)  Because of your anger against the Lord--and I heard 
       it all!--I have put a hook in your nose and a bit in your mouth and 
       led you back to your own land by the same road you came.'"

       (Isa 37:30 TLB)  Then God said to Hezekiah, "Here is the proof that I 
       am the one who is delivering this city from the king of Assyria: This 
       year he will abandon his siege. Although it is too late now to plant 
       your crops, and you will have only volunteer grain this fall, still it 
       will give you enough seed for a small harvest next year, and two years 
       from now you will be living in luxury again.

       (Isa 37:31 TLB)  And you who are left in Judah will take root again in 
       your own soil and flourish and multiply.

       (Isa 37:32 TLB)  For a remnant shall go out from Jerusalem to 
       repopulate the land; the power of the Lord Almighty will cause all 
       this to come to pass.

       (Isa 37:33 TLB)  "As for the king of Assyria, his armies shall not 
       enter Jerusalem, nor shoot their arrows there, nor march outside its 
       gates, nor build up an earthen bank against its walls.

       (Isa 37:34 TLB)  He will return to his own country by the road he came 
       on and will not enter this city, says the Lord.

       (Isa 37:35 TLB)  For my own honor I will defend it and in memory of my 
       servant David."

       (Isa 37:36 TLB)  That night the Angel of the Lord went out to the camp 
       of the Assyrians and killed 185,000 soldiers; when the living wakened 
       the next morning, all these lay dead before them.

       (Isa 37:37 TLB)  Then Sennacherib, king of Assyria, returned to his 
       own country, to Nineveh.

       (Isa 37:38 TLB)  And one day while he was worshiping in the temple of 
       Nisroch his god, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer killed him with 
       their swords; then they escaped into the land of Ararat, and 
       Esar-haddon his son became king.

       (Isa 38:1 TLB)  It was just before all this that Hezekiah became 
       deathly sick, and Isaiah the prophet (Amoz' son) went to visit him and 
       gave him this message from the Lord: "Set your affairs in order, for 





       you are going to die; you will not recover from this illness."

       (Isa 38:2 TLB)  When Hezekiah heard this, he turned his face to the 
       wall and prayed:

       (Isa 38:3 TLB)  "O Lord, don't you remember how true I've been to you 
       and how I've always tried to obey you in everything you said?" Then he 
       broke down with great sobs.

       (Isa 38:4 TLB)  So the Lord sent another message to Isaiah:

       (Isa 38:5 TLB)  "Go and tell Hezekiah that the Lord God of your 
       forefather David hears you praying and sees your tears and will let 
       you live fifteen more years.

       (Isa 38:6 TLB)  He will deliver you and this city from the king of 
       Assyria. I will defend you, says the Lord,

       (Isa 38:7 TLB)  and here is my guarantee:

       (Isa 38:8 TLB)  I will send the sun backwards ten degrees as measured 
       on Ahaz' sundial!" So the sun retraced ten degrees that it had gone 
       down!

       (Isa 38:9 TLB)  When King Hezekiah was well again, he wrote this poem 
       about his experience:

       (Isa 38:10 TLB)  "My life is but half done and I must leave it all. I 
       am robbed of my normal years, and now I must enter the gates of Sheol.

       (Isa 38:11 TLB)  Never again will I see the Lord in the land of the 
       living. Never again will I see my friends in this world.

       (Isa 38:12 TLB)  My life is blown away like a shepherd's tent; it is 
       cut short as when a weaver stops his working at the loom. In one short 
       day my life hangs by a thread.

       (Isa 38:13 TLB)  "All night I moaned; it was like being torn apart by 
       lions.

       (Isa 38:14 TLB)  Delirious, I chattered like a swallow and mourned 
       like a dove; my eyes grew weary of looking up for help. 'O God,' I 
       cried, 'I am in trouble--help me.'

       (Isa 38:15 TLB)  But what can I say? For he himself has sent this 
       sickness. All my sleep has fled because of my soul's bitterness.

       (Isa 38:16 TLB)  O Lord, your discipline is good and leads to life and 
       health. Oh, heal me and make me live!

       (Isa 38:17 TLB)  "Yes, now I see it all--it was good for me to undergo 
       this bitterness, for you have lovingly delivered me from death; you 
       have forgiven all my sins.

       (Isa 38:18 TLB)  For dead men cannot praise you. They cannot be filled 
       with hope and joy.






       (Isa 38:19 TLB)  The living, only the living, can praise you as I do 
       today. One generation makes known your faithfulness to the next.

       (Isa 38:20 TLB)  Think of it! The Lord healed me! Every day of my life 
       from now on I will sing my songs of praise in the Temple, accompanied 
       by the orchestra."

       (Isa 38:21 TLB)  (For Isaiah had told Hezekiah's servants, "Make an 
       ointment of figs and spread it over the boil, and he will get well 
       again."

       (Isa 38:22 TLB)  And then Hezekiah had asked, "What sign will the Lord 
       give me to prove that he will heal me?")

       (Isa 39:1 TLB)  Soon afterwards, the king of Babylon 
       (Merodach-baladan, the son of Baladan) sent Hezekiah a present and his 
       best wishes, for he had heard that Hezekiah had been very sick and now 
       was well again.

       (Isa 39:2 TLB)  Hezekiah appreciated this and took the envoys from 
       Babylon on a tour of the palace, showing them his treasure house full 
       of silver, gold, spices, and perfumes. He took them into his jewel 
       rooms, too, and opened to them all his treasures--everything.

       (Isa 39:3 TLB)  Then Isaiah the prophet came to the king and said, 
       "What did they say? Where are they from?" "From far away in Babylon," 
       Hezekiah replied.

       (Isa 39:4 TLB)  "How much have they seen?" asked Isaiah. And Hezekiah 
       replied, "I showed them everything I own, all my priceless treasures."

       (Isa 39:5 TLB)  Then Isaiah said to him, "Listen to this message from 
       the Lord Almighty:

       (Isa 39:6 TLB)  "The time is coming when everything you have--all the 
       treasures stored up by your fathers--will be carried off to Babylon. 
       Nothing will be left.

       (Isa 39:7 TLB)  And some of your own sons will become slaves, yes, 
       eunuchs, in the palace of the king of Babylon."

       (Isa 39:8 TLB)  "All right," Hezekiah replied. "Whatever the Lord says 
       is good. At least there will be peace during my lifetime!"

       (Isa 40:1 TLB)  "Comfort, yes, comfort my people," says your God.

       (Isa 40:2 TLB)  "Speak tenderly to Jerusalem and tell her that her sad 
       days are gone. Her sins are pardoned, and I have punished her in full 
       for all her sins."

       (Isa 40:3 TLB)  Listen! I hear the voice of someone shouting, "Make a 
       road for the Lord through the wilderness; make him a straight, smooth 
       road through the desert.

       (Isa 40:4 TLB)  Fill the valleys; level the hills; straighten out the 





       crooked paths, and smooth off the rough spots in the road.

       (Isa 40:5 TLB)  The glory of the Lord will be seen by all mankind 
       together." The Lord has spoken--it shall be.

       (Isa 40:6 TLB)  The voice says, "Shout!" "What shall I shout?" I 
       asked. "Shout that man is like the grass that dies away, and all his 
       beauty fades like dying flowers.

       (Isa 40:7 TLB)  The grass withers, the flower fades beneath the breath 
       of God. And so it is with fragile man.

       (Isa 40:8 TLB)  The grass withers, the flowers fade, but the Word of 
       our God shall stand forever."

       (Isa 40:9 TLB)  O Crier of good news, shout to Jerusalem from the 
       mountaintops! Shout louder--don't be afraid--tell the cities of Judah, 
       "Your God is coming!"

       (Isa 40:10 TLB)  Yes, the Lord God is coming with mighty power; he 
       will rule with awesome strength. See, his reward is with him, to each 
       as he has done.

       (Isa 40:11 TLB)  He will feed his flock like a shepherd; he will carry 
       the lambs in his arms and gently lead the ewes with young.

       (Isa 40:12 TLB)  Who else has held the oceans in his hands and 
       measured off the heavens with his ruler? Who else knows the weight of 
       all the earth and weighs the mountains and the hills?

       (Isa 40:13 TLB)  Who can advise the Spirit of the Lord or be his 
       teacher or give him counsel?

       (Isa 40:14 TLB)  Has he ever needed anyone's advice? Did he need 
       instruction as to what is right and best?

       (Isa 40:15 TLB)  No, for all the peoples of the world are nothing in 
       comparison with him--they are but a drop in the bucket, dust on the 
       scales. He picks up the islands as though they had no weight at all.

       (Isa 40:16 TLB)  All of Lebanon's forests do not contain sufficient 
       fuel to consume a sacrifice large enough to honor him, nor are all its 
       animals enough to offer to our God.

       (Isa 40:17 TLB)  All the nations are as nothing to him; in his eyes 
       they are less than nothing--mere emptiness and froth.

       (Isa 40:18 TLB)  How can we describe God? With what can we compare 
       him?

       (Isa 40:19 TLB)  With an idol? An idol made from a mold, overlaid with 
       gold, and with silver chains around its neck?

       (Isa 40:20 TLB)  The man too poor to buy expensive gods like that will 
       find a tree free from rot and hire a man to carve a face on it, and 
       that's his god--a god that cannot even move!






       (Isa 40:21 TLB)  Are you so ignorant? Are you so deaf to the words of 
       God--the words he gave before the world began? Have you never heard 
       nor understood?

       (Isa 40:22 TLB)  It is God who sits above the circle of the earth. 
       (The people below must seem to him like grasshoppers!) He is the one 
       who stretches out the heavens like a curtain and makes his tent from 
       them.

       (Isa 40:23 TLB)  He dooms the great men of the world and brings them 
       all to naught.

       (Isa 40:24 TLB)  They hardly get started, barely take root, when he 
       blows on them and their work withers, and the wind carries them off 
       like straw.

       (Isa 40:25 TLB)  "With whom will you compare me? Who is my equal?" 
       asks the Holy One.

       (Isa 40:26 TLB)  Look up into the heavens! Who created all these 
       stars? As a shepherd leads his sheep, calling each by its pet name, 
       and counts them to see that none are lost or strayed, so God does with 
       stars and planets!

       (Isa 40:27 TLB)  O Jacob, O Israel, how can you say that the Lord 
       doesn't see your troubles and isn't being fair?

       (Isa 40:28 TLB)  Don't you yet understand? Don't you know by now that 
       the everlasting God, the Creator of the farthest parts of the earth, 
       never grows faint or weary? No one can fathom the depths of his 
       understanding.

       (Isa 40:29 TLB)  He gives power to the tired and worn out, and 
       strength to the weak.

       (Isa 40:30 TLB)  Even the youths shall be exhausted, and the young men 
       will all give up.

       (Isa 40:31 TLB)  But they that wait upon 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 TLB)  "Listen in silence before me, O lands beyond the sea. 
       Bring your strongest arguments. Come now and speak. The court is ready 
       for your case.

       (Isa 41:2 TLB)  "Who has stirred up this one from the east, whom 
       victory meets at every step? Who, indeed, but the Lord? God has given 
       him victory over many nations and permitted him to trample kings 
       underfoot and to put entire armies to the sword.

       (Isa 41:3 TLB)  He chases them away and goes on safely, though the 
       paths he treads are new.

       (Isa 41:4 TLB)  Who has done such mighty deeds, directing the affairs 





       of generations of mankind as they march by? It is I, the Lord, the 
       First and Last; I alone am he."

       (Isa 41:5 TLB)  The lands beyond the sea watch in fear and wait for 
       word of Cyrus' new campaigns. Remote lands tremble and mobilize for 
       war.

       (Isa 41:6 TLB)  The craftsmen encourage each other as they rush to 
       make new idols to protect them. The carver hurries the goldsmith, and 
       the molder helps at the anvil. "Good," they say. "It's coming along 
       fine. Now we can solder on the arms." Carefully they join the parts 
       together and then fasten the thing in place so it won't fall over!

       (Isa 41:7 TLB)  

       (Isa 41:8 TLB)  "But as for you, O Israel, you are mine, my chosen 
       ones; for you are Abraham's family, and he was my friend.

       (Isa 41:9 TLB)  I have called you back from the ends of the earth and 
       said that you must serve but me alone, for I have chosen you and will 
       not throw you away.

       (Isa 41:10 TLB)  Fear not, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed. I am 
       your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will uphold you 
       with my victorious right hand.

       (Isa 41:11 TLB)  "See, all your angry enemies lie confused and 
       shattered. Anyone opposing you will die.

       (Isa 41:12 TLB)  You will look for them in vain--they will all be 
       gone.

       (Isa 41:13 TLB)  I am holding you by your right hand--I, the Lord your 
       God--and I say to you, Don't be afraid; I am here to help you.

       (Isa 41:14 TLB)  Despised though you are, fear not, O Israel; for I 
       will help you. I am the Lord, your Redeemer; I am the Holy One of 
       Israel.

       (Isa 41:15 TLB)  You shall be a new and sharp-toothed threshing 
       instrument to tear all enemies apart, making chaff of mountains.

       (Isa 41:16 TLB)  You shall toss them in the air; the wind shall blow 
       them all away; whirlwinds shall scatter them. And the joy of the Lord 
       shall fill you full; you shall glory in the God of Israel.

       (Isa 41:17 TLB)  "When the poor and needy seek water and there is 
       none, and their tongues are parched from thirst, then I will answer 
       when they cry to me. I, Israel's God, will not ever forsake them.

       (Isa 41:18 TLB)  I will open up rivers for them on high plateaus! I 
       will give them fountains of water in the valleys! In the deserts will 
       be pools of water, and rivers fed by springs shall flow across the 
       dry, parched ground.

       (Isa 41:19 TLB)  I will plant trees--cedars, myrtle, olive trees, the 





       cypress, fir and pine--on barren land.

       (Isa 41:20 TLB)  Everyone will see this miracle and understand that it 
       is God who did it, Israel's Holy One.

       (Isa 41:21 TLB)  "Can your idols make such claims as these? Let them 
       come and show what they can do! says God, the King of Israel.

       (Isa 41:22 TLB)  Let them try to tell us what occurred in years gone 
       by or what the future holds.

       (Isa 41:23 TLB)  Yes, that's it! If you are gods, tell what will 
       happen in the days ahead! Or do some mighty miracle that makes us 
       stare, amazed.

       (Isa 41:24 TLB)  But no! You are less than nothing and can do nothing 
       at all. Anyone who chooses you needs to have his head examined!

       (Isa 41:25 TLB)  "But I have stirred up (Cyrus) from the north and 
       east; he will come against the nations and call on my name, and I will 
       give him victory over kings and princes. He will tread them as a 
       potter tramples clay.

       (Isa 41:26 TLB)  "Who but I have told you this would happen? Who else 
       predicted this, making you admit that he was right? No one else! None 
       other said one word!

       (Isa 41:27 TLB)  I was the first to tell Jerusalem, 'Look! Look! Help 
       is on the way!'

       (Isa 41:28 TLB)  Not one of your idols told you this. Not one gave any 
       answer when I asked.

       (Isa 41:29 TLB)  See, they are all foolish, worthless things; your 
       idols are all as empty as the wind.

       (Isa 42:1 TLB)  "See my servant, whom I uphold; my Chosen One in whom 
       I delight. I have put my Spirit upon him; he will reveal justice to 
       the nations of the world.

       (Isa 42:2 TLB)  He will be gentle--he will not shout nor quarrel in 
       the streets.

       (Isa 42:3 TLB)  He will not break the bruised reed, nor quench the 
       dimly burning flame. He will encourage the fainthearted, those tempted 
       to despair. He will see full justice given to all who have been 
       wronged.

       (Isa 42:4 TLB)  He won't be satisfied until truth and righteousness 
       prevail throughout the earth, nor until even distant lands beyond the 
       seas have put their trust in him."

       (Isa 42:5 TLB)  The Lord God who created the heavens and stretched 
       them out, who created the earth and everything in it, who gives life 
       and breath and spirit to everyone in all the world, he is the one who 
       says (to his Servant, the Messiah),






       (Isa 42:6 TLB)  "I the Lord have called you to demonstrate my 
       righteousness. I will guard and support you, for I have given you to 
       my people as the personal confirmation of my covenant with them. You 
       shall also be a light to guide the nations unto me.

       (Isa 42:7 TLB)  You will open the eyes of the blind and release those 
       who sit in prison darkness and despair.

       (Isa 42:8 TLB)  I am the Lord! That is my name, and I will not give my 
       glory to anyone else; I will not share my praise with carved idols.

       (Isa 42:9 TLB)  Everything I prophesied came true, and now I will 
       prophesy again. I will tell you the future before it happens."

       (Isa 42:10 TLB)  Sing a new song to the Lord; sing his praises, all 
       you who live in earth's remotest corners! Sing, O sea! Sing, all you 
       who live in distant lands beyond the sea!

       (Isa 42:11 TLB)  Join in the chorus, you desert cities--Kedar and 
       Sela! And you, too, dwellers in the mountaintops.

       (Isa 42:12 TLB)  Let the western coastlands glorify the Lord and sing 
       his mighty power.

       (Isa 42:13 TLB)  The Lord will be a mighty warrior, full of fury 
       toward his foes. He will give a great shout and prevail.

       (Isa 42:14 TLB)  Long has he been silent; he has restrained himself. 
       But now he will give full vent to his wrath; he will groan and cry 
       like a woman delivering her child.

       (Isa 42:15 TLB)  He will level the mountains and hills and blight 
       their greenery. He will dry up the rivers and pools.

       (Isa 42:16 TLB)  He will bring blind Israel along a path they have not 
       seen before. He will make the darkness bright before them and smooth 
       and straighten out the road ahead. He will not forsake them.

       (Isa 42:17 TLB)  But those who trust in idols and call them gods will 
       be greatly disappointed; they will be turned away.

       (Isa 42:18 TLB)  Oh, how blind and deaf you are toward God! Why won't 
       you listen? Why won't you see?

       (Isa 42:19 TLB)  Who in all the world is as blind as my own people, 
       who are designed to be my messengers of truth? Who is so blind as my 
       "dedicated one," the "servant of the Lord"?

       (Isa 42:20 TLB)  You see and understand what is right but won't heed 
       nor do it; you hear, but you won't listen.

       (Isa 42:21 TLB)  The Lord has magnified his law and made it truly 
       glorious. Through it he had planned to show the world that he is 
       righteous.





       (Isa 42:22 TLB)  But what a sight his people are--these who were to 
       demonstrate to all the world the glory of his law; for they are 
       robbed, enslaved, imprisoned, trapped, fair game for all, with no one 
       to protect them.

       (Isa 42:23 TLB)  Won't even one of you apply these lessons from the 
       past and see the ruin that awaits you up ahead?

       (Isa 42:24 TLB)  Who let Israel be robbed and hurt? Did not the Lord? 
       It is the Lord they sinned against, for they would not go where he 
       sent them nor listen to his laws.

       (Isa 42:25 TLB)  That is why God poured out such fury and wrath on his 
       people and destroyed them in battle. Yet, though set on fire and 
       burned, they will not understand the reason why--that it is God, 
       wanting them to repent.

       (Isa 43:1 TLB)  But now the Lord who created you, O Israel, says, 
       "Don't be afraid, for I have ransomed you; I have called you by name; 
       you are mine.

       (Isa 43:2 TLB)  When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I 
       will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will 
       not drown! When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not 
       be burned up--the flames will not consume you.

       (Isa 43:3 TLB)  For I am the Lord your God, your Savior, the Holy One 
       of Israel. I gave Egypt and Ethiopia and Seba (to Cyrus) in exchange 
       for your freedom, as your ransom.

       (Isa 43:4 TLB)  Others died that you might live; I traded their lives 
       for yours because you are precious to me and honored, and I love you.

       (Isa 43:5 TLB)  "Don't be afraid, for I am with you. I will gather you 
       from east and west,

       (Isa 43:6 TLB)  from north and south. I will bring my sons and 
       daughters back to Israel from the farthest corners of the earth.

       (Isa 43:7 TLB)  All who claim me as their God will come, for I have 
       made them for my glory; I created them.

       (Isa 43:8 TLB)  Bring them back to me--blind as they are and deaf when 
       I call (although they see and hear!)."

       (Isa 43:9 TLB)  Gather the nations together! Which of all their idols 
       ever has foretold such things? Which can predict a single day ahead? 
       Where are the witnesses of anything they said? If there are no 
       witnesses, then they must confess that only God can prophesy.

       (Isa 43:10 TLB)  "But I have witnesses, O Israel," says the Lord! "You 
       are my witnesses and my servants, chosen to know and to believe me and 
       to understand that I alone am God. There is no other God; there never 
       was and never will be.

       (Isa 43:11 TLB)  I am the Lord, and there is no other Savior.






       (Isa 43:12 TLB)  Whenever you have thrown away your idols, I have 
       shown you my power. With one word I have saved you. You have seen me 
       do it; you are my witnesses that it is true.

       (Isa 43:13 TLB)  From eternity to eternity I am God. No one can oppose 
       what I do."

       (Isa 43:14 TLB)  The Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, 
       says: "For your sakes I will send an invading army against Babylon 
       that will walk in, almost unscathed. The boasts of the Babylonians 
       will turn to cries of fear.

       (Isa 43:15 TLB)  I am the Lord, your Holy One, Israel's Creator and 
       King.

       (Isa 43:16 TLB)  I am the Lord, who opened a way through the waters, 
       making a path right through the sea.

       (Isa 43:17 TLB)  I called forth the mighty army of Egypt with all its 
       chariots and horses, to lie beneath the waves, dead, their lives 
       snuffed out like candlewicks.

       (Isa 43:18 TLB)  "But forget all that--it is nothing compared to what 
       I'm going to do!

       (Isa 43:19 TLB)  For I'm going to do a brand new thing. See, I have 
       already begun! Don't you see it? I will make a road through the 
       wilderness of the world for my people to go home, and create rivers 
       for them in the desert!

       (Isa 43:20 TLB)  The wild animals in the fields will thank me, the 
       jackals and ostriches too, for giving them water in the wilderness, 
       yes, springs in the desert, so that my people, my chosen ones, can be 
       refreshed.

       (Isa 43:21 TLB)  I have made Israel for myself, and these my people 
       will some day honor me before the world.

       (Isa 43:22 TLB)  "But O my people, you won't ask my help; you have 
       grown tired of me!

       (Isa 43:23 TLB)  You have not brought me the lambs for burnt 
       offerings; you have not honored me with sacrifices. Yet my requests 
       for offerings and incense have been very few! I have not treated you 
       as slaves.

       (Isa 43:24 TLB)  You have brought me no sweet-smelling incense nor 
       pleased me with the sacrificial fat. No, you have presented me only 
       with sins and wearied me with all your faults.

       (Isa 43:25 TLB)  "I, yes, I alone am he who blots away your sins for 
       my own sake and will never think of them again.

       (Isa 43:26 TLB)  Oh, remind me of this promise of forgiveness, for we 
       must talk about your sins. Plead your case for my forgiving you.






       (Isa 43:27 TLB)  From the very first your ancestors sinned against 
       me--all your forebears transgressed my law.

       (Isa 43:28 TLB)  That is why I have deposed your priests and destroyed 
       Israel, leaving her to shame.

       (Isa 44:1 TLB)  "Listen to me, O my servant Israel, O my chosen ones:

       (Isa 44:2 TLB)  "The Lord who made you, who will help you, says, O 
       servant of mine, don't be afraid. O Jerusalem, my chosen ones, don't 
       be afraid.

       (Isa 44:3 TLB)  For I will give you abundant water for your thirst and 
       for your parched fields. And I will pour out my Spirit and my 
       blessings on your children.

       (Isa 44:4 TLB)  They shall thrive like watered grass, like willows on 
       a riverbank.

       (Isa 44:5 TLB)  'I am the Lord's,' they'll proudly say, or, "I am a 
       Jew," and tattoo upon their hands the name of God or the honored name 
       of Israel.

       (Isa 44:6 TLB)  "The Lord, the King of Israel, says--yes, it is 
       Israel's Redeemer, the Lord Almighty, who says it--I am the First and 
       Last; there is no other God.

       (Isa 44:7 TLB)  Who else can tell you what is going to happen in the 
       days ahead? Let them tell you if they can and prove their power. Let 
       them do as I have done since ancient times.

       (Isa 44:8 TLB)  Don't, don't be afraid. Haven't I proclaimed from ages 
       past (that I would save you)? You are my witnesses--is there any other 
       God? No! None that I know about! There is no other Rock!"

       (Isa 44:9 TLB)  What fools they are who manufacture idols for their 
       gods. Their hopes remain unanswered. They themselves are witnesses 
       that this is so, for their idols neither see nor know. No wonder those 
       who worship them are so ashamed.

       (Isa 44:10 TLB)  Who but a fool would make his own god--an idol that 
       can help him not one whit!

       (Isa 44:11 TLB)  All that worship these will stand before the Lord in 
       shame, along with all these carpenters--mere men--who claim that they 
       have made a god. Together they will stand in terror.

       (Isa 44:12 TLB)  The metalsmith stands at his forge to make an axe, 
       pounding on it with all his might. He grows hungry and thirsty, weak 
       and faint.

       (Isa 44:13 TLB)  Then the woodcarver takes the axe and uses it to make 
       an idol. He measures and marks out a block of wood and carves the 
       figure of a man. Now he has a wonderful idol that can't so much as 
       move from where it is placed.






       (Isa 44:14 TLB)  He cuts down cedars, he selects the cypress and the 
       oak, he plants the ash in the forest to be nourished by the rain.

       (Isa 44:15 TLB)  And after his care, he uses part of the wood to make 
       a fire to warm himself and bake his bread, and then--he really 
       does--he takes the rest of it and makes himself a god--a god for men 
       to worship! An idol to fall down before and praise!

       (Isa 44:16 TLB)  Part of the tree he burns to roast his meat and to 
       keep him warm and fed and well content,

       (Isa 44:17 TLB)  and with what's left he makes his god: a carved idol! 
       He falls down before it and worships it and prays to it. "Deliver me," 
       he says. "You are my god!"

       (Isa 44:18 TLB)  Such stupidity and ignorance! God has shut their eyes 
       so that they cannot see and closed their minds from understanding.

       (Isa 44:19 TLB)  The man never stops to think or figure out, "Why, 
       it's just a block of wood! I've burned it for heat and used it to bake 
       my bread and roast my meat. How can the rest of it be a god? Should I 
       fall down before a chunk of wood?"

       (Isa 44:20 TLB)  The poor, deluded fool feeds on ashes; he is trusting 
       what can never give him any help at all. Yet he cannot bring himself 
       to ask, "Is this thing, this idol that I'm holding in my hand, a lie?"

       (Isa 44:21 TLB)  "Pay attention, Israel, for you are my servant; I 
       made you, and I will not forget to help you.

       (Isa 44:22 TLB)  I've blotted out your sins; they are gone like 
       morning mist at noon! Oh, return to me, for I have paid the price to 
       set you free."

       (Isa 44:23 TLB)  Sing, O heavens, for the Lord has done this wondrous 
       thing. Shout, O earth; break forth into song, O mountains and forests, 
       yes, and every tree; for the Lord redeemed Jacob and is glorified in 
       Israel!

       (Isa 44:24 TLB)  The Lord, your Redeemer who made you, says, "All 
       things were made by me; I alone stretched out the heavens. By myself I 
       made the earth and everything in it.

       (Isa 44:25 TLB)  "I am the one who shows what liars all false prophets 
       are, by causing something else to happen than the things they say. I 
       make wise men give opposite advice to what they should and make them 
       into fools.

       (Isa 44:26 TLB)  But what my prophets say, I do; when they say 
       Jerusalem will be delivered and the cities of Judah lived in once 
       again--it shall be done!

       (Isa 44:27 TLB)  When I speak to the rivers and say, 'Be dry!' they 
       shall be dry.





       (Isa 44:28 TLB)  When I say of Cyrus, 'He is my shepherd,' he will 
       certainly do as I say; and Jerusalem will be rebuilt and the Temple 
       restored, for I have spoken it."

       (Isa 45:1 TLB)  This is Jehovah's message to Cyrus, God's anointed, 
       whom he has chosen to conquer many lands. God shall empower his right 
       hand, and he shall crush the strength of mighty kings. God shall open 
       the gates of Babylon to him; the gates shall not be shut against him 
       any more.

       (Isa 45:2 TLB)  "I will go before you, Cyrus, and level the mountains 
       and smash down the city gates of brass and iron bars.

       (Isa 45:3 TLB)  And I will give you treasures hidden in the darkness, 
       secret riches; and you will know that I am doing this--I, the Lord, 
       the God of Israel, the one who calls you by your name.

       (Isa 45:4 TLB)  "And why have I named you for this work? For the sake 
       of Jacob, my servant--Israel, my chosen. I called you by name when you 
       didn't know me.

       (Isa 45:5 TLB)  I am Jehovah; there is no other God. I will strengthen 
       you and send you out to victory even though you don't know me,

       (Isa 45:6 TLB)  and all the world from east to west will know there is 
       no other God. I am Jehovah and there is no one else. I alone am God.

       (Isa 45:7 TLB)  I form the light and make the dark. I send good times 
       and bad. I, Jehovah, am he who does these things.

       (Isa 45:8 TLB)  Open up, O heavens. Let the skies pour out their 
       righteousness. Let salvation and righteousness sprout up together from 
       the earth. I, Jehovah, created them.

       (Isa 45:9 TLB)  "Woe to the man who fights with his Creator. Does the 
       pot argue with its maker? Does the clay dispute with him who forms it, 
       saying, 'Stop, you're doing it wrong!' or the pot exclaim, 'How clumsy 
       can you be!'?

       (Isa 45:10 TLB)  Woe to the baby just being born who squalls to his 
       father and mother, 'Why have you produced me? Can't you do anything 
       right at all?'"

       (Isa 45:11 TLB)  Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel, Israel's Creator, 
       says: "What right have you to question what I do? Who are you to 
       command me concerning the work of my hands?

       (Isa 45:12 TLB)  I have made the earth and created man upon it. With 
       my hands I have stretched out the heavens and commanded all the vast 
       myriads of stars.

       (Isa 45:13 TLB)  I have raised up Cyrus to fulfill my righteous 
       purpose, and I will direct all his paths. He shall restore my city and 
       free my captive people--and not for a reward!"

       (Isa 45:14 TLB)  Jehovah says: "The Egyptians, Ethiopians, and Sabeans 





       shall be subject to you. They shall come to you with all their 
       merchandise, and it shall all be yours. They shall follow you as 
       prisoners in chains and fall down on their knees before you and say, 
       'The only God there is, is your God!'"

       (Isa 45:15 TLB)  Truly, O God of Israel, Savior, you work in strange, 
       mysterious ways.

       (Isa 45:16 TLB)  All who worship idols shall be disappointed and 
       ashamed.

       (Isa 45:17 TLB)  But Israel shall be saved by Jehovah with eternal 
       salvation; they shall never be disappointed in their God through all 
       eternity.

       (Isa 45:18 TLB)  For Jehovah created the heavens and earth and put 
       everything in place, and he made the world to be lived in, not to be 
       an empty chaos. "I am Jehovah," he says, "and there is no other!

       (Isa 45:19 TLB)  I publicly proclaim bold promises; I do not whisper 
       obscurities in some dark corner so that no one can know what I mean. 
       And I didn't tell Israel to ask me for what I didn't plan to give! No, 
       for I, Jehovah, speak only truth and righteousness.

       (Isa 45:20 TLB)  "Gather together and come, you nations that escape 
       from Cyrus' hand. What fools they are who carry around the wooden 
       idols and pray to gods that cannot save!

       (Isa 45:21 TLB)  Consult together, argue your case and state your 
       proofs that idol-worship pays! Who but God has said that these things 
       concerning Cyrus would come true? What idol ever told you they would 
       happen? For there is no other God but me--a just God and a Savior--no, 
       not one!

       (Isa 45:22 TLB)  Let all the world look to me for salvation! For I am 
       God; there is no other.

       (Isa 45:23 TLB)  I have sworn by myself, and I will never go back on 
       my word, for it is true--that every knee in all the world shall bow to 
       me, and every tongue shall swear allegiance to my name."

       (Isa 45:24 TLB)  "In Jehovah is all my righteousness and strength," 
       the people shall declare. And all who were angry with him shall come 
       to him and be ashamed.

       (Isa 45:25 TLB)  In Jehovah all the generations of Israel shall be 
       justified, triumphant.

       (Isa 46:1 TLB)  The idols of Babylon, Bel and Nebo, are being hauled 
       away on ox carts! But look! The beasts are stumbling!

       (Isa 46:2 TLB)  The cart is turning over! The gods are falling out 
       onto the ground! Is that the best that they can do? If they cannot 
       even save themselves from such a fall, how can they save their 
       worshipers from Cyrus?





       (Isa 46:3 TLB)  "Listen to me, all Israel who are left; I have created 
       you and cared for you since you were born.

       (Isa 46:4 TLB)  I will be your God through all your lifetime, yes, 
       even when your hair is white with age. I made you and I will care for 
       you. I will carry you along and be your Savior.

       (Isa 46:5 TLB)  "With what in all of heaven and earth do I compare? 
       Whom can you find who equals me?

       (Isa 46:6 TLB)  Will you compare me with an idol made lavishly with 
       silver and with gold? They hire a goldsmith to take your wealth and 
       make a god from it! Then they fall down and worship it!

       (Isa 46:7 TLB)  They carry it around on their shoulders, and when they 
       set it down, it stays there, for it cannot move! And when someone 
       prays to it, there is no answer, for it cannot get him out of his 
       trouble.

       (Isa 46:8 TLB)  "Don't forget this, O guilty ones.

       (Isa 46:9 TLB)  And don't forget the many times I clearly told you 
       what was going to happen in the future. For I am God--I only--and 
       there is no other like me

       (Isa 46:10 TLB)  who can tell you what is going to happen. All I say 
       will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish.

       (Isa 46:11 TLB)  I will call that swift bird of prey from the 
       east--that man Cyrus from far away. And he will come and do my 
       bidding. I have said I would do it and I will.

       (Isa 46:12 TLB)  Listen to me, you stubborn, evil men!

       (Isa 46:13 TLB)  For I am offering you my deliverance; not in the 
       distant future, but right now! I am ready to save you, and I will 
       restore Jerusalem and Israel, who is my glory.

       (Isa 47:1 TLB)  "O Babylon, the unconquered, come sit in the dust; for 
       your days of glory, pomp, and honor are ended. O daughter of Chaldea, 
       never again will you be the lovely princess, tender and delicate.

       (Isa 47:2 TLB)  Take heavy millstones and grind the corn; remove your 
       veil; strip offyour robe; expose yourselfto public view.

       (Isa 47:3 TLB)  You shall be in nakedness and shame. I will take 
       vengeance upon you and will not repent."

       (Isa 47:4 TLB)  So speaks our Redeemer, who will save Israel from 
       Babylon's mighty power; the Lord Almighty is his name, the Holy One of 
       Israel.

       (Isa 47:5 TLB)  "Sit in darkness and silence, O Babylon; never again 
       will you be called 'The Queen of Kingdoms.'

       (Isa 47:6 TLB)  For I was angry with my people Israel and began to 





       punish them a little by letting them fall into your hands, O Babylon. 
       But you showed them no mercy. You have made even the old folks carry 
       heavy burdens.

       (Isa 47:7 TLB)  You thought your reign would never end, Queen Kingdom 
       of the world. You didn't care a whit about my people or think about 
       the fate of those who do them harm.

       (Isa 47:8 TLB)  "O pleasure-mad kingdom, living at ease, bragging as 
       the greatest in the world--listen to the sentence of my court upon 
       your sins. You say, 'I alone am God! I'll never be a widow; I'll never 
       lose my children.'

       (Isa 47:9 TLB)  Well, those two things shall come upon you in one 
       moment, in full measure in one day: widowhood and the loss of your 
       children, despite all your witchcraft and magic.

       (Isa 47:10 TLB)  "You felt secure in all your wickedness. 'No one sees 
       me,' you said. Your 'wisdom' and 'knowledge' have caused you to turn 
       away from me and claim that you yourself are Jehovah.

       (Isa 47:11 TLB)  That is why disaster shall overtake you suddenly--so 
       suddenly that you won't know where it comes from. And there will be no 
       atonement then to cleanse away your sins.

       (Isa 47:12 TLB)  "Call out the demon hordes you've worshiped all these 
       years. Call on them to help you strike deep terror into many hearts 
       again.

       (Isa 47:13 TLB)  You have advisors by the ton--your astrologers and 
       stargazers, who try to tell you what the future holds.

       (Isa 47:14 TLB)  But they are as useless as dried grass burning in the 
       fire. They cannot even deliver themselves! You'll get no help from 
       them at all. Theirs is no fire to sit beside to make you warm!

       (Isa 47:15 TLB)  And all your friends of childhood days shall slip 
       away and disappear, unable to help.

       (Isa 48:1 TLB)  "Hear me, my people: you swear allegiance to the Lord 
       without meaning a word of it when you boast of living in the Holy City 
       and brag about depending on the God of Israel.

       (Isa 48:2 TLB)  

       (Isa 48:3 TLB)  Time and again I told you what was going to happen in 
       the future. My words were scarcely spoken when suddenly I did just 
       what I said.

       (Isa 48:4 TLB)  I knew how hard and obstinate you are. Your necks are 
       as unbending as iron; you are as hardheaded as brass.

       (Isa 48:5 TLB)  That is why I told you ahead of time what I was going 
       to do, so that you could never say, 'My idol did it; my carved image 
       commanded it to happen!'





       (Isa 48:6 TLB)  You have heard my predictions and seen them fulfilled, 
       but you refuse to agree it is so. Now I will tell you new things I 
       haven't mentioned before, secrets you haven't heard.

       (Isa 48:7 TLB)  "Then you can't say, 'We knew that all the time!'

       (Isa 48:8 TLB)  "Yes, I'll tell you things entirely new, for I know so 
       well what traitors you are, rebels from earliest childhood, rotten 
       through and through.

       (Isa 48:9 TLB)  Yet for my own sake and for the honor of my name I 
       will hold back my anger and not wipe you out.

       (Isa 48:10 TLB)  I refined you in the furnace of affliction, but found 
       no silver there. You are worthless, with nothing good in you at all.

       (Isa 48:11 TLB)  Yet for my own sake--yes, for my own sake--I will 
       save you from my anger and not destroy you lest the heathen say their 
       gods have conquered me. I will not let them have my glory.

       (Isa 48:12 TLB)  "Listen to me, my people, my chosen ones! I alone am 
       God. I am the First; I am the Last.

       (Isa 48:13 TLB)  It was my hand that laid the foundations of the 
       earth; the palm of my right hand spread out the heavens above; I spoke 
       and they came into being.

       (Isa 48:14 TLB)  "Come, all of you, and listen. Among all your idols, 
       which one has ever told you this: 'The Lord loves Cyrus. He will use 
       him to put an end to the empire of Babylonia. He will utterly rout the 
       armies of the Chaldeans'?

       (Isa 48:15 TLB)  But I am saying it. I have called Cyrus; I have sent 
       him on this errand, and I will prosper him.

       (Isa 48:16 TLB)  "Come closer and listen. I have always told you 
       plainly what would happen, so that you could clearly understand." And 
       now the Lord God and his Spirit have sent me (with this message):

       (Isa 48:17 TLB)  The Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, 
       says, "I am the Lord your God, who punishes you for your own good and 
       leads you along the paths that you should follow.

       (Isa 48:18 TLB)  "Oh, that you had listened to my laws! Then you would 
       have had peace flowing like a gentle river, and great waves of 
       righteousness.

       (Isa 48:19 TLB)  Then you would have become as numerous as the sands 
       along the seashores of the world, too many to count, and there would 
       have been no need for your destruction."

       (Isa 48:20 TLB)  Yet even now, be free from your captivity! Leave 
       Babylon, singing as you go; shout to the ends of the earth that the 
       Lord has redeemed his servants, the Jews.

       (Isa 48:21 TLB)  They were not thirsty when he led them through the 





       deserts; he divided the rock, and water gushed out for them to drink.

       (Isa 48:22 TLB)  "But there is no peace," says the Lord, "for the 
       wicked."

       (Isa 49:1 TLB)  Listen to me, all of you in far-off lands: The Lord 
       called me before my birth. From within the womb he called me by my 
       name.

       (Isa 49:2 TLB)  God will make my words of judgment sharp as swords. He 
       has hidden me in the shadow of his hand; I am like a sharp arrow in 
       his quiver.

       (Isa 49:3 TLB)  He said to me: "You are my Servant, a Prince of Power 
       with God, and you shall bring me glory."

       (Isa 49:4 TLB)  I replied, "But my work for them seems all in vain; I 
       have spent my strength for them without response. Yet I leave it all 
       with God for my reward."

       (Isa 49:5 TLB)  "And now," said the Lord--the Lord who formed me from 
       my mother's womb to serve him who commissioned me to restore to him 
       his people Israel, who has given me the strength to perform this task 
       and honored me for doing it!--

       (Isa 49:6 TLB)  "you shall do more than restore Israel to me. I will 
       make you a Light to the nations of the world to bring my salvation to 
       them too."

       (Isa 49:7 TLB)  The Lord, the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel, says to 
       the One who is despised, rejected by mankind, and kept beneath the 
       heel of the world's rulers: "Kings shall stand at attention when you 
       pass by; princes shall bow low because the Lord has chosen you; he, 
       the faithful Lord, the Holy One of Israel, chooses you."

       (Isa 49:8 TLB)  The Lord says, "Your request has come at a favorable 
       time. I will keep you from harm and give you as a token and pledge to 
       Israel, proof that I will reestablish the land of Israel and reassign 
       it to its own people again.

       (Isa 49:9 TLB)  Through you I am saying to the prisoners of darkness, 
       'Come out! I am giving you your freedom!' They will be my sheep, 
       grazing in green pastures and on the grassy hills.

       (Isa 49:10 TLB)  They shall neither hunger nor thirst; the searing sun 
       and scorching desert winds will not reach them any more. For the Lord 
       in his mercy will lead them beside the cool waters.

       (Isa 49:11 TLB)  And I will make my mountains into level paths for 
       them; the highways shall be raised above the valleys.

       (Isa 49:12 TLB)  See, my people shall return from far away, from north 
       and west and south."

       (Isa 49:13 TLB)  Sing for joy, O heavens; shout, O earth. Break forth 
       with song, O mountains, for the Lord has comforted his people and will 





       have compassion upon them in their sorrow.

       (Isa 49:14 TLB)  Yet they say, "My Lord deserted us; he has forgotten 
       us."

       (Isa 49:15 TLB)  "Never! Can a mother forget her little child and not 
       have love for her own son? Yet even if that should be, I will not 
       forget you.

       (Isa 49:16 TLB)  See, I have tattooed your name upon my palm, and ever 
       before me is a picture of Jerusalem's walls in ruins.

       (Isa 49:17 TLB)  Soon your rebuilders shall come and chase away all 
       those destroying you.

       (Isa 49:18 TLB)  Look and see, for the Lord has vowed that all your 
       enemies shall come and be your slaves. They will be as jewels to 
       display, as bridal ornaments.

       (Isa 49:19 TLB)  "Even the most desolate parts of your abandoned land 
       shall soon be crowded with your people, and your enemies who enslaved 
       you shall be far away.

       (Isa 49:20 TLB)  The generations born in exile shall return and say, 
       'We need more room! It's crowded here!'

       (Isa 49:21 TLB)  Then you will think to yourself, 'Who has given me 
       all these? For most of my children were killed, and the rest were 
       carried away into exile, leaving me here alone. Who bore these? Who 
       raised them for me?'"

       (Isa 49:22 TLB)  The Lord God says, "See, I will give a signal to the 
       Gentiles, and they shall carry your little sons back to you in their 
       arms, and your daughters on their shoulders.

       (Isa 49:23 TLB)  Kings and queens shall serve you; they shall care for 
       all your needs. They shall bow to the earth before you and lick the 
       dust from off your feet; then you shall know I am the Lord. Those who 
       wait for me shall never be ashamed."

       (Isa 49:24 TLB)  Who can snatch the prey from the hands of a mighty 
       man? Who can demand that a tyrant let his captives go?

       (Isa 49:25 TLB)  But the Lord says, "Even the captives of the most 
       mighty and most terrible shall all be freed; for I will fight those 
       who fight you, and I will save your children.

       (Isa 49:26 TLB)  I will feed your enemies with their own flesh, and 
       they shall be drunk with rivers of their own blood. All the world 
       shall know that I, the Lord, am your Savior and Redeemer, the Mighty 
       One of Israel."

       (Isa 50:1 TLB)  The Lord asks, "Did I sell you to my creditors? Is 
       that why you aren't here? Is your mother gone because I divorced her 
       and sent her away? No, you went away as captives because of your sins. 
       And your mother, too, was taken in payment for your sins.






       (Isa 50:2 TLB)  Was I too weak to save you? Is that why the house is 
       silent and empty when I come home? Have I no longer power to deliver? 
       No, that is not the reason! For I can rebuke the sea and make it dry! 
       I can turn the rivers into deserts, covered with dying fish.

       (Isa 50:3 TLB)  I am the one who sends the darkness out across the 
       skies."

       (Isa 50:4 TLB)  The Lord God has given me his words of wisdom so that 
       I may know what I should say to all these weary ones. Morning by 
       morning he wakens me and opens my understanding to his will.

       (Isa 50:5 TLB)  The Lord God has spoken to me, and I have listened; I 
       do not rebel nor turn away.

       (Isa 50:6 TLB)  I give my back to the whip, and my cheeks to those who 
       pull out the beard. I do not hide from shame--they spit in my face.

       (Isa 50:7 TLB)  Because the Lord God helps me, I will not be dismayed; 
       therefore, I have set my face like flint to do his will, and I know 
       that I will triumph.

       (Isa 50:8 TLB)  He who gives me justice is near. Who will dare to 
       fight against me now? Where are my enemies? Let them appear!

       (Isa 50:9 TLB)  See, the Lord God is for me! Who shall declare me 
       guilty? All my enemies shall be destroyed like old clothes eaten up by 
       moths!

       (Isa 50:10 TLB)  Who among you fears the Lord and obeys his Servant? 
       If such men walk in darkness, without one ray of light, let them trust 
       the Lord, let them rely upon their God.

       (Isa 50:11 TLB)  But see here, you who live in your own light and warm 
       yourselves from your own fires and not from God's; you will live among 
       sorrows.

       (Isa 51:1 TLB)  "Listen to me, all who hope for deliverance, who seek 
       the Lord! Consider the quarry from which you were mined, the rock from 
       which you were cut!

       (Isa 51:2 TLB)  Yes, think about your ancestors Abraham and Sarah, 
       from whom you came. You worry at being so small and few, but Abraham 
       was only one when I called him. But when I blessed him, he became a 
       great nation."

       (Isa 51:3 TLB)  And the Lord will bless Israel again, and make her 
       deserts blossom; her barren wilderness will become as beautiful as the 
       Garden of Eden. Joy and gladness will be found there, thanksgiving and 
       lovely songs.

       (Isa 51:4 TLB)  Listen to me, my people; listen, O Israel, for I will 
       see that right prevails.

       (Isa 51:5 TLB)  My mercy and justice are coming soon; your salvation 





       is on the way. I will rule the nations; they shall wait for me and 
       long for me to come.

       (Isa 51:6 TLB)  Look high in the skies and watch the earth beneath, 
       for the skies shall disappear like smoke, the earth shall wear out 
       like a garment, and the people of the earth shall die like flies. But 
       my salvation lasts forever; my righteous rule will never die nor end.

       (Isa 51:7 TLB)  "Listen to me, you who know the right from wrong and 
       cherish my laws in your hearts: don't be afraid of people's scorn or 
       their slanderous talk.

       (Isa 51:8 TLB)  For the moth shall destroy them like garments; the 
       worm shall eat them like wool; but my justice and mercy shall last 
       forever, and my salvation from generation to generation."

       (Isa 51:9 TLB)  Awake, O Lord! Rise up and robe yourself with 
       strength. Rouse yourself as in the days of old when you slew Egypt, 
       the dragon of the Nile.

       (Isa 51:10 TLB)  Are you not the same today, the mighty God who dried 
       up the sea, making a path right through it for your ransomed ones?

       (Isa 51:11 TLB)  The time will come when God's redeemed will all come 
       home again. They shall come with singing to Jerusalem, filled with joy 
       and everlasting gladness; sorrow and mourning will all disappear.

       (Isa 51:12 TLB)  "I, even I, am he who comforts you and gives you all 
       this joy. So what right have you to fear mere mortal men, who wither 
       like the grass and disappear?

       (Isa 51:13 TLB)  And yet you have no fear of God, your Maker--you have 
       forgotten him, the one who spread the stars throughout the skies and 
       made the earth. Will you be in constant dread of men's oppression, and 
       fear their anger all day long?

       (Isa 51:14 TLB)  Soon, soon you slaves shall be released; dungeon, 
       starvation and death are not your fate.

       (Isa 51:15 TLB)  For I am the Lord your God, the Lord Almighty, who 
       dried a path for you right through the sea, between the roaring waves.

       (Isa 51:16 TLB)  And I have put my words in your mouth and hidden you 
       safe within my hand. I planted the stars in place and molded all the 
       earth. I am the one who says to Israel, 'You are mine.'"

       (Isa 51:17 TLB)  Wake up, wake up, Jerusalem! You have drunk enough 
       from the cup of the fury of the Lord. You have drunk to the dregs the 
       cup of terror and squeezed out the last drops.

       (Isa 51:18 TLB)  Not one of her sons is left alive to help or tell her 
       what to do.

       (Isa 51:19 TLB)  These two things have been your lot: desolation and 
       destruction. Yes, famine and the sword. And who is left to sympathize? 
       Who is left to comfort you?






       (Isa 51:20 TLB)  For your sons have fainted and lie in the streets, 
       helpless as wild goats caught in a net. The Lord has poured out his 
       fury and rebuke upon them.

       (Isa 51:21 TLB)  But listen now to this, afflicted ones--full of 
       troubles and in a stupor (but not from being drunk)--

       (Isa 51:22 TLB)  this is what the Lord says, the Lord your God who 
       cares for his people: "See, I take from your hands the terrible cup; 
       you shall drink no more of my fury; it is gone at last.

       (Isa 51:23 TLB)  But I will put that terrible cup into the hands of 
       those who tormented you and trampled your souls to the dust and walked 
       upon your backs."

       (Isa 52:1 TLB)  Wake up, wake up, Jerusalem, and clothe yourselves 
       with strength (from God). Put on your beautiful clothes, O Zion, Holy 
       City; for sinners--those who turn from God--will no longer enter your 
       gates.

       (Isa 52:2 TLB)  Rise from the dust, Jerusalem; take off the slave 
       bands from your neck, O captive daughter of Zion.

       (Isa 52:3 TLB)  For the Lord says, "When I sold you into exile, I 
       asked no fee from your oppressors; now I can take you back again and 
       owe them not a cent!

       (Isa 52:4 TLB)  My people were tyrannized without cause by Egypt and 
       Assyria, and I delivered them.

       (Isa 52:5 TLB)  "And now, what is this?" asks the Lord. "Why are my 
       people enslaved again and oppressed without excuse? Those who rule 
       them shout in exultation, and my name is constantly blasphemed day by 
       day.

       (Isa 52:6 TLB)  Therefore I will reveal my name to my people, and they 
       shall know the power in that name. Then at last they will recognize 
       that it is I, yes, I, who speaks to them."

       (Isa 52:7 TLB)  How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those 
       who bring the happy news of peace and salvation, the news that the God 
       of Israel reigns.

       (Isa 52:8 TLB)  The watchmen shout and sing with joy, for right before 
       their eyes they see the Lord God bring his people home again.

       (Isa 52:9 TLB)  Let the ruins of Jerusalem break into joyous song, for 
       the Lord has comforted his people; he has redeemed Jerusalem.

       (Isa 52:10 TLB)  The Lord has bared his holy arm before the eyes of 
       all the nations; the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our 
       God.

       (Isa 52:11 TLB)  Go now, leave your bonds and slavery. Put Babylon and 
       all it represents far behind you--it is unclean to you. You are the 





       holy people of the Lord; purify yourselves, all you who carry home the 
       vessels of the Lord.

       (Isa 52:12 TLB)  You shall not leave in haste, running for your lives; 
       for the Lord will go ahead of you, and he, the God of Israel, will 
       protect you from behind.

       (Isa 52:13 TLB)  See, my Servant shall prosper; he shall be highly 
       exalted.

       (Isa 52:14 TLB)  Yet many shall be amazed when they see him--yes, even 
       far-off foreign nations and their kings; they shall stand dumbfounded, 
       speechless in his presence. For they shall see and understand what 
       they had not been told before.

       (Isa 52:15 TLB)  They shall see my Servant beaten and bloodied, so 
       disfigured one would scarcely know it was a person standing there. So 
       shall he cleanse many nations.

       (Isa 53:1 TLB)  But, oh, how few believe it! Who will listen? To whom 
       will God reveal his saving power?

       (Isa 53:2 TLB)  In God's eyes he was like a tender green shoot, 
       sprouting from a root in dry and sterile ground. But in our eyes there 
       was no attractiveness at all, nothing to make us want him.

       (Isa 53:3 TLB)  We despised him and rejected him--a man of sorrows, 
       acquainted with bitterest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked 
       the other way when he went by. He was despised, and we didn't care.

       (Isa 53:4 TLB)  Yet it was our grief he bore, our sorrows that weighed 
       him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, for 
       his own sins!

       (Isa 53:5 TLB)  But he was wounded and bruised for our sins. He was 
       beaten that we might have peace; he was lashed--and we were healed!

       (Isa 53:6 TLB)  We--every one of us--have strayed away like sheep! We, 
       who left God's paths to follow our own. Yet God laid on him the guilt 
       and sins of every one of us!

       (Isa 53:7 TLB)  He was oppressed and he was afflicted, yet he never 
       said a word. He was brought as a lamb to the slaughter; and as a sheep 
       before her shearers is dumb, so he stood silent before the ones 
       condemning him.

       (Isa 53:8 TLB)  From prison and trial they led him away to his death. 
       But who among the people of that day realized it was their sins that 
       he was dying for--that he was suffering their punishment?

       (Isa 53:9 TLB)  He was buried like a criminal, but in a rich man's 
       grave; but he had done no wrong and had never spoken an evil word.

       (Isa 53:10 TLB)  But it was the Lord's good plan to bruise him and 
       fill him with grief. However, when his soul has been made an offering 
       for sin, then he shall have a multitude of children, many heirs. He 





       shall live again, and God's program shall prosper in his hands.

       (Isa 53:11 TLB)  And when he sees all that is accomplished by the 
       anguish of his soul, he shall be satisfied; and because of what he has 
       experienced, my righteous Servant shall make many to be counted 
       righteous before God, for he shall bear all their sins.

       (Isa 53:12 TLB)  Therefore, I will give him the honors of one who is 
       mighty and great because he has poured out his soul unto death. He was 
       counted as a sinner, and he bore the sins of many, and he pled with 
       God for sinners.

       (Isa 54:1 TLB)  "Sing, O childless woman! Break out into loud and 
       joyful song, Jerusalem, for she who was abandoned has more blessings 
       now than she whose husband stayed!

       (Isa 54:2 TLB)  Enlarge your house; build on additions; spread out 
       your home!

       (Isa 54:3 TLB)  For you will soon be bursting at the seams! And your 
       descendants will possess the cities left behind during the exile and 
       rule the nations that took their lands.

       (Isa 54:4 TLB)  Fear not; you will no longer live in shame. The shame 
       of your youth and the sorrows of widowhood will be remembered no more,

       (Isa 54:5 TLB)  for your Creator will be your "husband." The Lord 
       Almighty is his name; he is your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, the 
       God of all the earth.

       (Isa 54:6 TLB)  For the Lord has called you back from your grief--a 
       young wife abandoned by her husband.

       (Isa 54:7 TLB)  For a brief moment I abandoned you. But with great 
       compassion I will take you back.

       (Isa 54:8 TLB)  In a moment of anger I turned my face a little while; 
       but with everlasting love I will have pity on you," says the Lord, 
       your Redeemer.

       (Isa 54:9 TLB)  "Just as in the time of Noah I swore that I would 
       never again permit the waters of a flood to cover the earth and 
       destroy its life, so now I swear that I will never again pour out my 
       anger on you.

       (Isa 54:10 TLB)  For the mountains may depart and the hills disappear, 
       but my kindness shall not leave you. My promise of peace for you will 
       never be broken," says the Lord who has mercy upon you.

       (Isa 54:11 TLB)  "O my afflicted people, tempest-tossed and troubled, 
       I will rebuild you on a foundation of sapphires and make the walls of 
       your houses from precious jewels.

       (Isa 54:12 TLB)  I will make your towers of sparkling agate and your 
       gates and walls of shining gems.





       (Isa 54:13 TLB)  And all your citizens shall be taught by me, and 
       their prosperity shall be great.

       (Isa 54:14 TLB)  You will live under a government that is just and 
       fair. Your enemies will stay far away; you will live in peace. Terror 
       shall not come near.

       (Isa 54:15 TLB)  If any nation comes to fight you, it will not be sent 
       by me to punish you. Therefore, it will be routed, for I am on your 
       side.

       (Isa 54:16 TLB)  I have created the smith who blows the coals beneath 
       the forge and makes the weapons of destruction. And I have created the 
       armies that destroy.

       (Isa 54:17 TLB)  But in that coming day, no weapon turned against you 
       shall succeed, and you will have justice against every courtroom lie. 
       This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord. This is the blessing 
       I have given you," says the Lord.

       (Isa 55:1 TLB)  "Say there! Is anyone thirsty? Come and drink--even if 
       you have no money! Come, take your choice of wine and milk--it's all 
       free!

       (Isa 55:2 TLB)  Why spend your money on food that doesn't give you 
       strength? Why pay for groceries that do you no good? Listen and I'll 
       tell you where to get good food that fattens up the soul!

       (Isa 55:3 TLB)  "Come to me with your ears wide open. Listen, for the 
       life of your soul is at stake. I am ready to make an everlasting 
       covenant with you, to give you all the unfailing mercies and love that 
       I had for King David.

       (Isa 55:4 TLB)  He proved my power by conquering foreign nations.

       (Isa 55:5 TLB)  You also will command the nations, and they will come 
       running to obey, not because of your own power or virtue, but because 
       I, the Lord your God, have glorified you."

       (Isa 55:6 TLB)  Seek the Lord while you can find him. Call upon him 
       now while he is near.

       (Isa 55:7 TLB)  Let men cast off their wicked deeds; let them banish 
       from their minds the very thought of doing wrong! Let them turn to the 
       Lord that he may have mercy upon them, and to our God, for he will 
       abundantly pardon!

       (Isa 55:8 TLB)  "This plan of mine is not what you would work out, 
       neither are my thoughts the same as yours!

       (Isa 55:9 TLB)  For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so 
       are my ways higher than yours, and my thoughts than yours.

       (Isa 55:10 TLB)  "As the rain and snow come down from heaven and stay 
       upon the ground to water the earth, and cause the grain to grow and to 
       produce seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry,






       (Isa 55:11 TLB)  so also is my Word. I send it out, and it always 
       produces fruit. It shall accomplish all I want it to and prosper 
       everywhere I send it.

       (Isa 55:12 TLB)  You will live in joy and peace. The mountains and 
       hills, the trees of the field--all the world around you--will rejoice.

       (Isa 55:13 TLB)  Where once were thorns, fir trees will grow; where 
       briars grew, the myrtle trees will sprout up. This miracle will make 
       the Lord's name very great and be an everlasting sign (of God's power 
       and love).

       (Isa 56:1 TLB)  "Be just and fair to all," the Lord God says. "Do 
       what's right and good, for I am coming soon to rescue you.

       (Isa 56:2 TLB)  Blessed is the man who refuses to work during my 
       Sabbath days of rest, but honors them; and blessed is the man who 
       checks himself from doing wrong.

       (Isa 56:3 TLB)  "And my blessings are for Gentiles, too, when they 
       accept the Lord; don't let them think that I will make them 
       second-class citizens. And this is for the eunuchs too. They can be as 
       much mine as anyone.

       (Isa 56:4 TLB)  For I say this to the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths 
       holy, who choose the things that please me and obey my laws:

       (Isa 56:5 TLB)  I will give them--in my house, within my walls--a name 
       far greater than the honor they would receive from having sons and 
       daughters. For the name that I will give them is an everlasting one; 
       it will never disappear.

       (Isa 56:6 TLB)  "As for the Gentiles, the outsiders who join the 
       people of the Lord and serve him and love his name, who are his 
       servants and don't desecrate the Sabbath, and have accepted his 
       covenant and promises,

       (Isa 56:7 TLB)  I will bring them also to my holy mountain of 
       Jerusalem and make them full of joy within my House of Prayer. "I will 
       accept their sacrifices and offerings, for my Temple shall be called 
       'A House of Prayer for All People'!"

       (Isa 56:8 TLB)  For the Lord God who brings back the outcasts of 
       Israel says, "I will bring others too besides my people Israel."

       (Isa 56:9 TLB)  Come, wild animals of the field; come, tear apart the 
       sheep; come, wild animals of the forest, devour my people.

       (Isa 56:10 TLB)  For the leaders of my people--the Lord's watchmen, 
       his shepherds--are all blind to every danger. They are featherbrained 
       and give no warning when danger comes. They love to lie there, love to 
       sleep, to dream.

       (Isa 56:11 TLB)  And they are as greedy as dogs, never satisfied; they 
       are stupid shepherds who only look after their own interest, each 





       trying to get as much as he can for himself from every possible 
       source.

       (Isa 56:12 TLB)  "Come," they say. "We'll get some wine and have a 
       party; let's all get drunk. This is really living; let it go on and 
       on, and tomorrow will be even better!"

       (Isa 57:1 TLB)  The good men perish; the godly die before their time, 
       and no one seems to care or wonder why. No one seems to realize that 
       God is taking them away from evil days ahead.

       (Isa 57:2 TLB)  For the godly who die shall rest in peace.

       (Isa 57:3 TLB)  "But you--come here, you witches' sons, you offspring 
       of adulterers and harlots!

       (Isa 57:4 TLB)  Who is it you mock, making faces and sticking out your 
       tongues? You children of sinners and liars!

       (Isa 57:5 TLB)  You worship your idols with great zeal beneath the 
       shade of every tree and slay your children as human sacrifices down in 
       the valleys, under overhanging rocks.

       (Isa 57:6 TLB)  Your gods are the smooth stones in the valleys. You 
       worship them, and they, not I, are your inheritance. Does all this 
       make me happy?

       (Isa 57:7 TLB)  You have committed adultery on the tops of the 
       mountains, for you worship idols there, deserting me.

       (Isa 57:8 TLB)  Behind closed doors you set your idols up and worship 
       someone other than me. This is adultery, for you are giving these 
       idols your love instead of loving me.

       (Isa 57:9 TLB)  You have taken pleasant incense and perfume to Molech 
       as your gift. You have traveled far, even to hell itself, to find new 
       gods to love.

       (Isa 57:10 TLB)  You grew weary in your search, but you never gave up. 
       You strengthened yourself and went on.

       (Isa 57:11 TLB)  Why were you more afraid of them than of me? How is 
       it that you gave not even a second thought to me? Is it because I've 
       been too gentle that you have no fear of me?

       (Isa 57:12 TLB)  "And then there is your 'righteousness' and your 
       'good works'--none of which will save you.

       (Isa 57:13 TLB)  Let's see if the whole collection of your idols can 
       help you when you cry to them to save you! They are so weak that the 
       wind can carry them off! A breath can puff them away. But he who 
       trusts in me shall possess the land and inherit my Holy Mountain.

       (Isa 57:14 TLB)  I will say, 'Rebuild the road! Clear away the rocks 
       and stones. Prepare a glorious highway for my people's return from 
       captivity.'"






       (Isa 57:15 TLB)  "The high and lofty One who inhabits eternity, the 
       Holy One, says this: I live in that high and holy place where those 
       with contrite, humble spirits dwell; and I refresh the humble and give 
       new courage to those with repentant hearts.

       (Isa 57:16 TLB)  For I will not fight against you forever, nor always 
       show my wrath; if I did, all mankind would perish--the very souls that 
       I have made.

       (Isa 57:17 TLB)  I was angry and smote these greedy men. But they went 
       right on sinning, doing everything their evil hearts desired.

       (Isa 57:18 TLB)  I have seen what they do, but I will heal them 
       anyway! I will lead them and comfort them, helping them to mourn and 
       to confess their sins.

       (Isa 57:19 TLB)  Peace, peace to them, both near and far, for I will 
       heal them all.

       (Isa 57:20 TLB)  But those who still reject me are like the restless 
       sea, which is never still, but always churns up mire and dirt.

       (Isa 57:21 TLB)  There is no peace," says my God, "for them!

       (Isa 58:1 TLB)  "Shout with the voice of a trumpet blast; tell my 
       people of their sins!

       (Isa 58:2 TLB)  Yet they act so pious! They come to the Temple every 
       day and are so delighted to hear the reading of my laws--just as 
       though they would obey them--just as though they don't despise the 
       commandments of their God! How anxious they are to worship correctly; 
       oh, how they love the Temple services!

       (Isa 58:3 TLB)  "'We have fasted before you,' they say. 'Why aren't 
       you impressed? Why don't you see our sacrifices? Why don't you hear 
       our prayers? We have done much penance, and you don't even notice it!' 
       I'll tell you why! Because you are living in evil pleasure even while 
       you are fasting, and you keep right on oppressing your workers.

       (Isa 58:4 TLB)  Look, what good is fasting when you keep on fighting 
       and quarreling? This kind of fasting will never get you anywhere with 
       me.

       (Isa 58:5 TLB)  Is this what I want--this doing of penance and bowing 
       like reeds in the wind, putting on sackcloth and covering yourselves 
       with ashes? Is this what you call fasting?

       (Isa 58:6 TLB)  "No, the kind of fast I want is that you stop 
       oppressing those who work for you and treat them fairly and give them 
       what they earn.

       (Isa 58:7 TLB)  I want you to share your food with the hungry and 
       bring right into your own homes those who are helpless, poor, and 
       destitute. Clothe those who are cold, and don't hide from relatives 
       who need your help.






       (Isa 58:8 TLB)  "If you do these things, God will shed his own 
       glorious light upon you. He will heal you; your godliness will lead 
       you forward, goodness will be a shield before you, and the glory of 
       the Lord will protect you from behind.

       (Isa 58:9 TLB)  Then, when you call, the Lord will answer. 'Yes, I am 
       here,' he will quickly reply. All you need to do is to stop oppressing 
       the weak and stop making false accusations and spreading vicious 
       rumors!

       (Isa 58:10 TLB)  "Feed the hungry! Help those in trouble! Then your 
       light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you 
       shall be as bright as day.

       (Isa 58:11 TLB)  And the Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy 
       you with all good things, and keep you healthy too; and you will be 
       like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring.

       (Isa 58:12 TLB)  Your sons will rebuild the long-deserted ruins of 
       your cities, and you will be known as 'The People Who Rebuild Their 
       Walls and Cities.'

       (Isa 58:13 TLB)  "If you keep the Sabbath holy, not having your own 
       fun and business on that day, but enjoying the Sabbath, speaking of it 
       with delight as the Lord's holy day, and honoring the Lord in what you 
       do, not following your own desires and pleasure nor talking idly--

       (Isa 58:14 TLB)  then the Lord will be your delight, and I will see to 
       it that you ride high and get your full share of the blessings I 
       promised to Jacob, your father." The Lord has spoken.

       (Isa 59:1 TLB)  Listen now! The Lord isn't too weak to save you. And 
       he isn't getting deaf! He can hear you when you call!

       (Isa 59:2 TLB)  But the trouble is that your sins have cut you off 
       from God. Because of sin he has turned his face away from you and will 
       not listen anymore.

       (Isa 59:3 TLB)  For your hands are those of murderers and your fingers 
       are filthy with sin. You lie and grumble and oppose the good.

       (Isa 59:4 TLB)  No one cares about being fair and true. Your lawsuits 
       are based on lies; you spend your time plotting evil deeds and doing 
       them.

       (Isa 59:5 TLB)  You spend your time and energy in spinning evil plans 
       that end up in deadly actions.

       (Isa 59:6 TLB)  You cheat and shortchange everyone. Everything you do 
       is filled with sin; violence is your trademark.

       (Isa 59:7 TLB)  Your feet run to do evil and rush to murder; your 
       thoughts are only of sinning, and wherever you go you leave behind a 
       trail of misery and death.





       (Isa 59:8 TLB)  You don't know what true peace is, nor what it means 
       to be just and good; you continually do wrong and those who follow you 
       won't experience any peace either.

       (Isa 59:9 TLB)  It is because of all this evil that you aren't finding 
       God's blessings; that's why he doesn't punish those who injure you. No 
       wonder you are in darkness when you expected light. No wonder you are 
       walking in the gloom.

       (Isa 59:10 TLB)  No wonder you grope like blind men and stumble along 
       in broad daylight, yes, even at brightest noontime, as though it were 
       the darkest night! No wonder you are like corpses when compared with 
       vigorous young men!

       (Isa 59:11 TLB)  You roar like hungry bears; you moan with mournful 
       cries like doves. You look for God to keep you, but he doesn't. He has 
       turned away.

       (Isa 59:12 TLB)  For your sins keep piling up before the righteous God 
       and testify against you. Yes, we know what sinners we are.

       (Isa 59:13 TLB)  We know our disobedience; we have denied the Lord our 
       God. We know what rebels we are and how unfair we are, for we 
       carefully plan our lies.

       (Isa 59:14 TLB)  Our courts oppose the righteous man; fairness is 
       unknown. Truth falls dead in the streets, and justice is outlawed.

       (Isa 59:15 TLB)  Yes, truth is gone, and anyone who tries a better 
       life is soon attacked. The Lord saw all the evil and was displeased to 
       find no steps taken against sin.

       (Isa 59:16 TLB)  He saw no one was helping you and wondered that no 
       one intervened. Therefore he himself stepped in to save you through 
       his mighty power and justice.

       (Isa 59:17 TLB)  He put on righteousness as armor and the helmet of 
       salvation on his head. He clothed himself with robes of vengeance and 
       of godly fury.

       (Isa 59:18 TLB)  He will repay his enemies for their evil deeds--fury 
       for his foes in distant lands.

       (Isa 59:19 TLB)  Then at last they will reverence and glorify the name 
       of God from west to east. For he will come like a flood tide driven by 
       Jehovah's breath.

       (Isa 59:20 TLB)  He will come as a Redeemer to those in Zion who have 
       turned away from sin.

       (Isa 59:21 TLB)  "As for me, this is my promise to them," says the 
       Lord: "My Holy Spirit shall not leave them, and they shall want the 
       good and hate the wrong--they and their children and their children's 
       children forever.

       (Isa 60:1 TLB)  "Arise, my people! Let your light shine for all the 





       nations to see! For the glory of the Lord is streaming from you.

       (Isa 60:2 TLB)  Darkness as black as night shall cover all the peoples 
       of the earth, but the glory of the Lord will shine from you.

       (Isa 60:3 TLB)  All nations will come to your light; mighty kings will 
       come to see the glory of the Lord upon you.

       (Isa 60:4 TLB)  "Lift up your eyes and see! For your sons and 
       daughters are coming home to you from distant lands.

       (Isa 60:5 TLB)  Your eyes will shine with joy, your hearts will 
       thrill, for merchants from around the world will flow to you, bringing 
       you the wealth of many lands.

       (Isa 60:6 TLB)  Vast droves of camels will converge upon you, 
       dromedaries from Midian and Sheba and Ephah too, bringing gold and 
       incense to add to the praise of God.

       (Isa 60:7 TLB)  The flocks of Kedar shall be given you, and the rams 
       of Nabaioth for my altars, and I will glorify my glorious Temple in 
       that day.

       (Isa 60:8 TLB)  "And who are these who fly like a cloud to Israel, 
       like doves to their nests?

       (Isa 60:9 TLB)  I have reserved the ships of many lands, the very 
       best, to bring the sons of Israel home again from far away, bringing 
       their wealth with them. For the Holy One of Israel, known around the 
       world, has glorified you in the eyes of all.

       (Isa 60:10 TLB)  "Foreigners will come and build your cities. 
       Presidents and kings will send you aid. For though I destroyed you in 
       my anger, I will have mercy on you through my grace.

       (Isa 60:11 TLB)  Your gates will stay wide open around the clock to 
       receive the wealth of many lands. The kings of the world will cater to 
       you.

       (Isa 60:12 TLB)  For the nations refusing to be your allies will 
       perish; they shall be destroyed.

       (Isa 60:13 TLB)  The glory of Lebanon will be yours--the forests of 
       firs, pines, and box trees--to beautify my sanctuary. My Temple will 
       be glorious.

       (Isa 60:14 TLB)  "The sons of anti-Semites will come and bow before 
       you! They will kiss your feet! They will call Jerusalem 'The City of 
       the Lord' and 'The Glorious Mountain of the Holy One of Israel.'

       (Isa 60:15 TLB)  "Though once despised and hated and rebuffed by all, 
       you will be beautiful forever, a joy for all the generations of the 
       world, for I will make you so.

       (Isa 60:16 TLB)  Powerful kings and mighty nations shall provide you 
       with the choicest of their goods to satisfy your every need, and you 





       will know at last and really understand that I, the Lord, am your 
       Savior and Redeemer, the Mighty One of Israel.

       (Isa 60:17 TLB)  I will exchange your brass for gold, your iron for 
       silver, your wood for brass, your stones for iron. Peace and 
       righteousness shall be your taskmasters!

       (Isa 60:18 TLB)  Violence will disappear out of your land--all war 
       will end. Your walls will be 'Salvation' and your gates 'Praise.'

       (Isa 60:19 TLB)  "No longer will you need the sun or moon to give you 
       light, for the Lord your God will be your everlasting light, and he 
       will be your glory.

       (Isa 60:20 TLB)  Your sun shall never set; the moon shall not go 
       down--for the Lord will be your everlasting light; your days of 
       mourning all will end.

       (Isa 60:21 TLB)  All your people will be good. They will possess their 
       land forever, for I will plant them there with my own hands; this will 
       bring me glory.

       (Isa 60:22 TLB)  The smallest family shall multiply into a clan; the 
       tiny group shall be a mighty nation. I, the Lord, will bring it all to 
       pass when it is time."

       (Isa 61:1 TLB)  The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the 
       Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the suffering and 
       afflicted. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted, to announce 
       liberty to captives, and to open the eyes of the blind.

       (Isa 61:2 TLB)  He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time 
       of God's favor to them has come, and the day of his wrath to their 
       enemies.

       (Isa 61:3 TLB)  To all who mourn in Israel he will give: beauty for 
       ashes; joy instead of mourning; praise instead of heaviness. For God 
       has planted them like strong and graceful oaks for his own glory.

       (Isa 61:4 TLB)  And they shall rebuild the ancient ruins, repairing 
       cities long ago destroyed, reviving them though they have lain there 
       many generations.

       (Isa 61:5 TLB)  Foreigners shall be your servants; they shall feed 
       your flocks and plow your fields and tend your vineyards.

       (Isa 61:6 TLB)  You shall be called priests of the Lord, ministers of 
       our God. You shall be fed with the treasures of the nations and shall 
       glory in their riches.

       (Isa 61:7 TLB)  Instead of shame and dishonor, you shall have a double 
       portion of prosperity and everlasting joy.

       (Isa 61:8 TLB)  "For I, the Lord, love justice; I hate robbery and 
       wrong. I will faithfully reward my people for their suffering and make 
       an everlasting covenant with them.






       (Isa 61:9 TLB)  Their descendants shall be known and honored among the 
       nations; all shall realize that they are a people God has blessed."

       (Isa 61:10 TLB)  Let me tell you how happy God has made me! For he has 
       clothed me with garments of salvation and draped about me the robe of 
       righteousness. I am like a bridegroom in his wedding suit or a bride 
       with her jewels.

       (Isa 61:11 TLB)  The Lord will show the nations of the world his 
       justice; all will praise him. His righteousness shall be like a 
       budding tree, or like a garden in early spring, full of young plants 
       springing up everywhere.

       (Isa 62:1 TLB)  Because I love Zion, because my heart yearns for 
       Jerusalem, I will not cease to pray for her or to cry out to God on 
       her behalf until she shines forth in his righteousness and is glorious 
       in his salvation.

       (Isa 62:2 TLB)  The nations shall see your righteousness. Kings shall 
       be blinded by your glory; and God will confer on you a new name.

       (Isa 62:3 TLB)  He will hold you aloft in his hands for all to see--a 
       splendid crown for the King of kings.

       (Isa 62:4 TLB)  Never again shall you be called "The God-forsaken 
       Land" or the "Land That God Forgot." Your new name will be "The Land 
       of God's Delight" and "The Bride," for the Lord delights in you and 
       will claim you as his own.

       (Isa 62:5 TLB)  Your children will care for you, O Jerusalem, with joy 
       like that of a young man who marries a virgin; and God will rejoice 
       over you as a bridegroom with his bride.

       (Isa 62:6 TLB)  O Jerusalem, I have set intercessors on your walls who 
       shall cry to God all day and all night for the fulfillment of his 
       promises. Take no rest, all you who pray,

       (Isa 62:7 TLB)  and give God no rest until he establishes Jerusalem 
       and makes her respected and admired throughout the earth.

       (Isa 62:8 TLB)  The Lord has sworn to Jerusalem with all his 
       integrity: "I will never again give you to your enemies; never again 
       shall foreign soldiers come and take away your grain and wine.

       (Isa 62:9 TLB)  You raised it; you shall keep it, praising God. Within 
       the Temple courts you yourselves shall drink the wine you pressed."

       (Isa 62:10 TLB)  Go out! Go out! Prepare the roadway for my people to 
       return! Build the roads, pull out the boulders, raise the flag of 
       Israel.

       (Isa 62:11 TLB)  See, the Lord has sent his messengers to every land 
       and said, "Tell my people, I, the Lord your God, am coming to save you 
       and will bring you many gifts."





       (Isa 62:12 TLB)  And they shall be called "The Holy People" and "The 
       Lord's Redeemed," and Jerusalem shall be called "The Land of Desire" 
       and "The City God Has Blessed."

       (Isa 63:1 TLB)  Who is this who comes from Edom, from the city of 
       Bozrah, with his magnificent garments of crimson? Who is this in royal 
       robes, marching in the greatness of his strength? "It is I, the Lord, 
       announcing your salvation; I, the Lord, the one who is mighty to 
       save!"

       (Isa 63:2 TLB)  "Why are your clothes so red, as from treading out the 
       grapes?"

       (Isa 63:3 TLB)  "I have trodden the winepress alone. No one was there 
       to help me. In my wrath I have trodden my enemies like grapes. In my 
       fury I trampled my foes. It is their blood you see upon my clothes.

       (Isa 63:4 TLB)  For the time has come for me to avenge my people, to 
       redeem them from the hands of their oppressors.

       (Isa 63:5 TLB)  I looked but no one came to help them; I was amazed 
       and appalled. So I executed vengeance alone; unaided, I meted out 
       judgment.

       (Isa 63:6 TLB)  I crushed the heathen nations in my anger and made 
       them stagger and fall to the ground."

       (Isa 63:7 TLB)  I will tell of the loving-kindnesses of God. I will 
       praise him for all he has done; I will rejoice in his great goodness 
       to Israel, which he has granted in accordance with his mercy and love.

       (Isa 63:8 TLB)  He said, "They are my very own; surely they will not 
       be false again." And he became their Savior.

       (Isa 63:9 TLB)  In all their affliction he was afflicted, and he 
       personally saved them. In his love and pity he redeemed them and 
       lifted them up and carried them through all the years.

       (Isa 63:10 TLB)  But they rebelled against him and grieved his Holy 
       Spirit. That is why he became their enemy and personally fought 
       against them.

       (Isa 63:11 TLB)  Then they remembered those days of old when Moses, 
       God's servant, led his people out of Egypt, and they cried out, "Where 
       is the One who brought Israel through the sea, with Moses as their 
       shepherd? Where is the God who sent his Holy Spirit to be among his 
       people?

       (Isa 63:12 TLB)  Where is he whose mighty power divided the sea before 
       them when Moses lifted up his hand, and established his reputation 
       forever?

       (Isa 63:13 TLB)  Who led them through the bottom of the sea? Like fine 
       stallions racing through the desert, they never stumbled.

       (Isa 63:14 TLB)  Like cattle grazing in the valleys, so the Spirit of 





       the Lord gave them rest. Thus he gave himself a magnificent 
       reputation."

       (Isa 63:15 TLB)  O Lord, look down from heaven and see us from your 
       holy, glorious home; where is the love for us you used to show--your 
       power, your mercy, and your compassion? Where are they now?

       (Isa 63:16 TLB)  Surely you are still our Father! Even if Abraham and 
       Jacob would disown us, still you would be our Father, our Redeemer 
       from ages past.

       (Isa 63:17 TLB)  O Lord, why have you hardened our hearts and made us 
       sin and turn against you? Return and help us, for we who belong to you 
       need you so.

       (Isa 63:18 TLB)  How briefly we possessed Jerusalem! And now our 
       enemies have destroyed her.

       (Isa 63:19 TLB)  O God, why do you treat us as though we weren't your 
       people, as though we were a heathen nation that never called you 
       "Lord"?

       (Isa 64:1 TLB)  Oh, that you would burst forth from the skies and come 
       down! How the mountains would quake in your presence!

       (Isa 64:2 TLB)  The consuming fire of your glory would burn down the 
       forests and boil the oceans dry. The nations would tremble before you; 
       then your enemies would learn the reason for your fame!

       (Isa 64:3 TLB)  So it was before when you came down, for you did 
       awesome things beyond our highest expectations, and how the mountains 
       quaked!

       (Isa 64:4 TLB)  For since the world began no one has seen or heard of 
       such a God as ours, who works for those who wait for him!

       (Isa 64:5 TLB)  You welcome those who cheerfully do good, who follow 
       godly ways. But we are not godly; we are constant sinners and have 
       been all our lives. Therefore your wrath is heavy on us. How can such 
       as we be saved?

       (Isa 64:6 TLB)  We are all infected and impure with sin. When we put 
       on our prized robes of righteousness, we find they are but filthy 
       rags. Like autumn leaves we fade, wither and fall. And our sins, like 
       the wind, sweep us away.

       (Isa 64:7 TLB)  Yet no one calls upon your name or pleads with you for 
       mercy. Therefore, you have turned away from us and turned us over to 
       our sins.

       (Isa 64:8 TLB)  And yet, O Lord, you are our Father. We are the clay 
       and you are the Potter. We are all formed by your hand.

       (Isa 64:9 TLB)  Oh, be not so angry with us, Lord, nor forever 
       remember our sins. Oh, look and see that we are all your people.





       (Isa 64:10 TLB)  Your holy cities are destroyed; Jerusalem is a 
       desolate wilderness.

       (Isa 64:11 TLB)  Our holy, beautiful Temple where our fathers praised 
       you is burned down, and all the things of beauty are destroyed.

       (Isa 64:12 TLB)  After all of this, must you still refuse to help us, 
       Lord? Will you stand silent and still punish us?

       (Isa 65:1 TLB)  The Lord says, "People who never before inquired about 
       me are now seeking me out. Nations who never before searched for me 
       are finding me.

       (Isa 65:2 TLB)  "But my own people--though I have been spreading out 
       my arms to welcome them all day long--have rebelled; they follow their 
       own evil paths and thoughts.

       (Isa 65:3 TLB)  All day long they insult me to my face by worshiping 
       idols in many gardens and burning incense on the rooftops of their 
       homes.

       (Isa 65:4 TLB)  At night they go out among the graves and caves to 
       worship evil spirits, and they eat pork and other forbidden foods.

       (Isa 65:5 TLB)  Yet they say to one another, 'Don't come too close, 
       you'll defile me! For I am holier than you!' They stifle me. Day in 
       and day out they infuriate me.

       (Isa 65:6 TLB)  "See, here is my decree all written out before me: I 
       will not stand silent; I will repay. Yes, I will repay them--

       (Isa 65:7 TLB)  not only for their own sins but for those of their 
       fathers too,' says the Lord, 'for they also burned incense on the 
       mountains and insulted me upon the hills. I will pay them back in 
       full.

       (Isa 65:8 TLB)  "But I will not destroy them all," says the Lord; "for 
       just as good grapes are found among a cluster of bad ones (and someone 
       will say, 'Don't throw them all away--there are some good grapes 
       there!') so I will not destroy all Israel, for I have true servants 
       there.

       (Isa 65:9 TLB)  I will preserve a remnant of my people to possess the 
       land of Israel; those I select will inherit it and serve me there.

       (Isa 65:10 TLB)  As for my people who have sought me, the plains of 
       Sharon shall again be filled with flocks, and the valley of Achor 
       shall be a place to pasture herds.

       (Isa 65:11 TLB)  "But because the rest of you have forsaken the Lord 
       and his Temple and worship gods of 'Fate' and "'Destiny,'"

       (Isa 65:12 TLB)  therefore I will 'destine' you to the sword, and your 
       'fate' shall be a dark one; for when I called, you didn't answer; when 
       I spoke, you wouldn't listen. You deliberately sinned before my very 
       eyes, choosing to do what you know I despise."






       (Isa 65:13 TLB)  Therefore, the Lord God says, "You shall starve, but 
       my servants shall eat; you shall be thirsty while they drink; you 
       shall be sad and ashamed, but they shall rejoice.

       (Isa 65:14 TLB)  You shall cry in sorrow and vexation and despair, 
       while they sing for joy.

       (Isa 65:15 TLB)  Your name shall be a curse word among my people, for 
       the Lord God will slay you and call his true servants by another name.

       (Isa 65:16 TLB)  "And yet, the days will come when all who invoke a 
       blessing or take an oath shall swear by the God of Truth; for I will 
       put aside my anger and forget the evil that you did.

       (Isa 65:17 TLB)  For see, I am creating new heavens and a new 
       earth--so wonderful that no one will even think about the old ones 
       anymore.

       (Isa 65:18 TLB)  Be glad; rejoice forever in my creation. Look! I will 
       recreate Jerusalem as a place of happiness, and her people shall be a 
       joy!

       (Isa 65:19 TLB)  And I will rejoice in Jerusalem and in my people; and 
       the voice of weeping and crying shall not be heard there any more.

       (Isa 65:20 TLB)  "No longer will babies die when only a few days old; 
       no longer will men be considered old at 100! Only sinners will die 
       that young!

       (Isa 65:21 TLB)  In those days, when a man builds a house, he will 
       keep on living in it--it will not be destroyed by invading armies as 
       in the past. My people will plant vineyards and eat the fruit 
       themselves--

       (Isa 65:22 TLB)  their enemies will not confiscate it. For my people 
       will live as long as trees and will long enjoy their hard-won gains.

       (Isa 65:23 TLB)  Their harvests will not be eaten by their enemies; 
       their children will not be born to be cannon fodder. For they are the 
       children of those the Lord has blessed; and their children, too, shall 
       be blessed.

       (Isa 65:24 TLB)  I will answer them before they even call to me. While 
       they are still talking to me about their needs, I will go ahead and 
       answer their prayers!

       (Isa 65:25 TLB)  The wolf and lamb shall feed together, the lion shall 
       eat straw as the ox does, and poisonous snakes shall strike no more! 
       In those days nothing and no one shall be hurt or destroyed in all my 
       Holy Mountain," says the Lord.

       (Isa 66:1 TLB)  "Heaven is my throne and the earth is my footstool: 
       What Temple can you build for me as good as that?

       (Isa 66:2 TLB)  My hand has made both earth and skies, and they are 





       mine. Yet I will look with pity on the man who has a humble and a 
       contrite heart, who trembles at my word.

       (Isa 66:3 TLB)  "But those who choose their own ways, delighting in 
       their sins, are cursed. God will not accept their offerings. When such 
       men sacrifice an ox on the altar of God, it is no more acceptable to 
       him than human sacrifice. If they sacrifice a lamb or bring an 
       offering of grain, it is as loathsome to God as putting a dog or the 
       blood of a swine on his altar! When they burn incense to him, he 
       counts it the same as though they blessed an idol.

       (Isa 66:4 TLB)  I will send great troubles upon them--all the things 
       they feared, for when I called them, they refused to answer, and when 
       I spoke to them, they would not hear. Instead, they did wrong before 
       my eyes and chose what they knew I despised."

       (Isa 66:5 TLB)  Hear the words of God, all you who fear him, and 
       tremble at his words: "Your brethren hate you and cast you out for 
       being loyal to my name. 'Glory to God,' they scoff. 'Be happy in the 
       Lord!' But they shall be put to shame.

       (Isa 66:6 TLB)  "What is all the commotion in the city? What is that 
       terrible noise from the Temple? It is the voice of the Lord taking 
       vengeance upon his enemies.

       (Isa 66:7 TLB)  "Who has heard or seen anything as strange as this? 
       For in one day, suddenly, a nation, Israel, shall be born, even before 
       the birth pains come.

       (Isa 66:8 TLB)  In a moment, just as Israel's anguish starts, the baby 
       is born; the nation begins.

       (Isa 66:9 TLB)  Shall I bring to the point of birth and then not 
       deliver?" asks the Lord your God. "No! Never!

       (Isa 66:10 TLB)  "Rejoice with Jerusalem; be glad with her, all you 
       who love her, you who mourned for her.

       (Isa 66:11 TLB)  Delight in Jerusalem; drink deep of her glory even as 
       an infant at a mother's generous breasts.

       (Isa 66:12 TLB)  Prosperity shall overflow Jerusalem like a river," 
       says the Lord, "for I will send it; the riches of the Gentiles will 
       flow to her. Her children shall be nursed at her breasts, carried on 
       her hips and dandled on her knees.

       (Isa 66:13 TLB)  I will comfort you there as a little one is comforted 
       by its mother."

       (Isa 66:14 TLB)  When you see Jerusalem, your heart will rejoice; 
       vigorous health will be yours. All the world will see the good hand of 
       God upon his people and his wrath upon his enemies.

       (Isa 66:15 TLB)  For see, the Lord will come with fire and with swift 
       chariots of doom to pour out the fury of his anger and his hot rebuke 
       with flames of fire.






       (Isa 66:16 TLB)  For the Lord will punish the world by fire and by his 
       sword, and the slain of the Lord shall be many!

       (Isa 66:17 TLB)  "Those who worship idols that are hidden behind a 
       tree in the garden, feasting there on pork and mouse and all forbidden 
       meat--they will come to an evil end," says Jehovah.

       (Isa 66:18 TLB)  "I see full well what they are doing; I know what 
       they are thinking, so I will gather together all nations and people 
       against Jerusalem, where they shall see my glory.

       (Isa 66:19 TLB)  I will perform a mighty miracle against them, and I 
       will send those who escape, as missionaries to the nations--to 
       Tarshish, Put, Lud, Meshech, Rosh, Tubal, Javan, and to the lands 
       beyond the sea that have not heard my fame nor seen my glory. There 
       they shall declare my glory to the Gentiles.

       (Isa 66:20 TLB)  And they shall bring back all your brethren from 
       every nation as a gift to the Lord, transporting them gently on horses 
       and in chariots, and in litters, and on mules and camels, to my holy 
       mountain, to Jerusalem," says the Lord. "It will be like offerings 
       flowing into the Temple of the Lord at harvesttime, carried in vessels 
       consecrated to the Lord.

       (Isa 66:21 TLB)  And I will appoint some of those returning to be my 
       priests and Levites," says the Lord.

       (Isa 66:22 TLB)  "As surely as my new heavens and earth shall remain, 
       so surely shall you always be my people, with a name that shall never 
       disappear.

       (Isa 66:23 TLB)  All mankind shall come to worship me from week to 
       week and month to month.

       (Isa 66:24 TLB)  And they shall go out and look at the dead bodies of 
       those who have rebelled against me, for their worm shall never die; 
       their fire shall not be quenched; and they shall be a disgusting sight 
       to all mankind."

       (Jer 1:1 TLB)  These are God's messages to Jeremiah the priest (the 
       son of Hilkiah) who lived in the town of Anathoth in the land of 
       Benjamin.

       (Jer 1:2 TLB)  The first of these messages came to him in the 
       thirteenth year of the reign of Amon's son Josiah, king of Judah.

       (Jer 1:3 TLB)  Others came during the reign of Josiah's son Jehoiakim, 
       king of Judah, and at various other times until July of the eleventh 
       year of the reign of Josiah's son Zedekiah, king of Judah, when 
       Jerusalem was captured and the people were taken away as slaves.

       (Jer 1:4 TLB)  The Lord said to me,

       (Jer 1:5 TLB)  "I knew you before you were formed within your mother's 
       womb; before you were born I sanctified you and appointed you as my 





       spokesman to the world."

       (Jer 1:6 TLB)  "O Lord God," I said, "I can't do that! I'm far too 
       young! I'm only a youth!"

       (Jer 1:7 TLB)  "Don't say that," he replied, "for you will go wherever 
       I send you and speak whatever I tell you to.

       (Jer 1:8 TLB)  And don't be afraid of the people, for I, the Lord, 
       will be with you and see you through."

       (Jer 1:9 TLB)  Then he touched my mouth and said, "See, I have put my 
       words in your mouth!

       (Jer 1:10 TLB)  Today your work begins, to warn the nations and the 
       kingdoms of the world. In accord with my words spoken through your 
       mouth I will tear down some and destroy them, and plant others, 
       nurture them, and make them strong and great."

       (Jer 1:11 TLB)  Then the Lord said to me, "Look, Jeremiah! What do you 
       see?" And I replied, "I see a whip made from the branch of an almond 
       tree."

       (Jer 1:12 TLB)  And the Lord replied, "That's right, and it means that 
       I will surely carry out my threats of punishment."

       (Jer 1:13 TLB)  Then the Lord asked me, "What do you see now?" And I 
       replied, "I see a pot of boiling water, tipping southward, spilling 
       over Judah."

       (Jer 1:14 TLB)  "Yes," he said, "for terror from the north will boil 
       out upon all the people of this land.

       (Jer 1:15 TLB)  I am calling the armies of the kingdoms of the north 
       to come to Jerusalem and set their thrones at the gates of the city 
       and all along its walls, and in all the other cities of Judah.

       (Jer 1:16 TLB)  This is the way I will punish my people for deserting 
       me and for worshiping other gods--yes, idols they themselves have 
       made!

       (Jer 1:17 TLB)  Get up and dress and go out and tell them whatever I 
       tell you to say. Don't be afraid of them, or else I will make a fool 
       of you in front of them.

       (Jer 1:18 TLB)  For see, today I have made you impervious to their 
       attacks. They cannot harm you. You are strong like a fortified city 
       that cannot be captured, like an iron pillar and heavy gates of brass. 
       All the kings of Judah, its officers, priests, and people will not be 
       able to prevail against you.

       (Jer 1:19 TLB)  They will try, but they will fail. For I am with you," 
       says the Lord. "I will deliver you."

       (Jer 2:1 TLB)  Again the Lord spoke to me and said:





       (Jer 2:2 TLB)  "Go and shout this in Jerusalem's streets: The Lord 
       says, 'I remember how eager you were to please me as a young bride 
       long ago, how you loved me and followed me even through the barren 
       deserts.

       (Jer 2:3 TLB)  In those days Israel was a holy people, the first of my 
       children. All who harmed them were counted deeply guilty, and great 
       evil fell on anyone who touched them.'

       (Jer 2:4 TLB)  "O Israel," says the Lord, "why did your fathers desert 
       me? What sin did they find in me that turned them away and changed 
       them into fools who worship idols?

       (Jer 2:5 TLB)  

       (Jer 2:6 TLB)  They ignore the fact that it was I, the Lord, who 
       brought them safely out of Egypt and led them through the barren 
       wilderness, a land of deserts and rocks, of drought and death, where 
       no one lives or even travels.

       (Jer 2:7 TLB)  And I brought them into a fruitful land, to eat of its 
       bounty and goodness, but they made it into a land of sin and 
       corruption and turned my inheritance into an evil thing.

       (Jer 2:8 TLB)  Even their priests cared nothing for the Lord, and 
       their judges ignored me; their rulers turned against me, and their 
       prophets worshiped Baal and wasted their time on nonsense.

       (Jer 2:9 TLB)  "But I will not give you up--I will plead for you to 
       return to me and will keep on pleading; yes, even with your children's 
       children in the years to come!

       (Jer 2:10 TLB)  "Look around you and see if you can find another 
       nation anywhere that has traded in its old gods for new ones--even 
       though their gods are nothing.

       (Jer 2:11 TLB)  Send to the west to the island of Cyprus; send to the 
       east to the deserts of Kedar. See if anyone there has ever heard so 
       strange a thing as this. And yet my people have given up their 
       glorious God for silly idols!

       (Jer 2:12 TLB)  The heavens are shocked at such a thing and shrink 
       back in horror and dismay.

       (Jer 2:13 TLB)  For my people have done two evil things: They have 
       forsaken me, the Fountain of Life-giving Water; and they have built 
       for themselves broken cisterns that can't hold water!

       (Jer 2:14 TLB)  "Why has Israel become a nation of slaves? Why is she 
       captured and led far away?

       (Jer 2:15 TLB)  "I see great armies marching on Jerusalem with mighty 
       shouts to destroy her and leave her cities in ruins, burned and 
       desolate.

       (Jer 2:16 TLB)  I see the armies of Egypt rising against her, marching 





       from their cities of Memphis and Tahpanhes to utterly destroy Israel's 
       glory and power.

       (Jer 2:17 TLB)  And you have brought this on yourselves by rebelling 
       against the Lord your God when he wanted to lead you and show you the 
       way!

       (Jer 2:18 TLB)  "What have you gained by your alliances with Egypt and 
       with Assyria?

       (Jer 2:19 TLB)  Your own wickedness will punish you. You will see what 
       an evil, bitter thing it is to rebel against the Lord your God, 
       fearlessly forsaking him," says the Lord Almighty.

       (Jer 2:20 TLB)  "Long ago you shook off my yoke and broke away from my 
       ties. Defiant, you would not obey me. On every hill and under every 
       tree you've bowed low before idols.

       (Jer 2:21 TLB)  "How could this happen? How could this be? For when I 
       planted you, I chose my seed so carefully--the very best. Why have you 
       become this degenerate race of evil men?

       (Jer 2:22 TLB)  No amount of soap or lye can make you clean. You are 
       stained with guilt that cannot ever be washed away. I see it always 
       before me, the Lord God says.

       (Jer 2:23 TLB)  You say it isn't so, that you haven't worshiped idols? 
       How can you say a thing like that? Go and look in any valley in the 
       land! Face the awful sins that you have done, O restless female camel, 
       seeking for a male!

       (Jer 2:24 TLB)  You are a wild donkey, sniffing the wind at mating 
       time. (Who can restrain your lust?) Any jack wanting you need not 
       search, for you come running to him!

       (Jer 2:25 TLB)  Why don't you turn from all this weary running after 
       other gods? But you say, 'Don't waste your breath. I've fallen in love 
       with these strangers and I can't stop loving them now!'

       (Jer 2:26 TLB)  "Like a thief, the only shame that Israel knows is 
       getting caught. Kings, princes, priests, and prophets--all are alike 
       in this.

       (Jer 2:27 TLB)  They call a carved-up wooden post their father, and 
       for their mother they have an idol chiseled out from stone. Yet in 
       time of trouble they cry to me to save them!

       (Jer 2:28 TLB)  Why don't you call on these gods you have made? When 
       danger comes, let them go out and save you if they can! For you have 
       as many gods as there are cities in Judah.

       (Jer 2:29 TLB)  Don't come to me--you are all rebels, says the Lord.

       (Jer 2:30 TLB)  I have punished your children, but it did them no 
       good; they still will not obey. And you yourselves have killed my 
       prophets as a lion kills its prey.






       (Jer 2:31 TLB)  "O my people, listen to the words of God: Have I been 
       unjust to Israel? Have I been to them a land of darkness and of evil? 
       Why then do my people say, 'At last we are free from God; we won't 
       have anything to do with him again!'

       (Jer 2:32 TLB)  How can you disown your God like that? Can a girl 
       forget her jewels? What bride will seek to hide her wedding dress? Yet 
       for years on end my people have forgotten me--the most precious of 
       their treasures.

       (Jer 2:33 TLB)  "How you plot and scheme to win your lovers. The most 
       experienced harlot could learn a lot from you!

       (Jer 2:34 TLB)  Your clothing is stained with the blood of the 
       innocent and the poor. Brazenly you murder without a cause.

       (Jer 2:35 TLB)  And yet you say, 'I haven't done a thing to anger God. 
       I'm sure he isn't angry!' I will punish you severely because you say, 
       "I haven't sinned!"

       (Jer 2:36 TLB)  "First here, then there, you flit about, going from 
       one ally to another for their help; but it's all no good--your new 
       friends in Egypt will forsake you as Assyria did before.

       (Jer 2:37 TLB)  You will be left in despair and cover your face with 
       your hands, for the Lord has rejected the ones that you trust. You 
       will not succeed despite their aid.

       (Jer 3:1 TLB)  "There is a law that if a man divorces a woman who then 
       remarries, he is not to take her back again, for she has become 
       corrupted. But though you have left me and married many lovers, yet I 
       have invited you to come to me again," the Lord says.

       (Jer 3:2 TLB)  "Is there a single spot in all the land where you 
       haven't been defiled by your adulteries--your worshiping these other 
       gods? You sit like a prostitute beside the road waiting for a client! 
       You sit alone like a Bedouin in the desert. You have polluted the land 
       with your vile prostitution.

       (Jer 3:3 TLB)  That is why even the springtime rains have failed. For 
       you are a prostitute and completely unashamed.

       (Jer 3:4 TLB)  And yet you say to me, 'O Father, you have always been 
       my Friend;

       (Jer 3:5 TLB)  surely you won't be angry about such a little thing! 
       Surely you will just forget it?' So you talk and keep right on doing 
       all the evil that you can.

       (Jer 3:6 TLB)  This message from the Lord came to me during the reign 
       of King Josiah: "Have you seen what Israel does? Like a wanton wife 
       who gives herself to other men at every chance, so Israel has 
       worshiped other gods on every hill, beneath every shady tree.

       (Jer 3:7 TLB)  I thought that someday she would return to me and once 





       again be mine; but she didn't come back. And her faithless sister 
       Judah saw the continued rebellion of Israel.

       (Jer 3:8 TLB)  Yet she paid no attention, even though she saw that I 
       divorced faithless Israel. But now Judah too has left me and given 
       herself to prostitution, for she has gone to other gods to worship 
       them.

       (Jer 3:9 TLB)  She treated it all so lightly--to her it was nothing at 
       all that she should worship idols made of wood and stone. And so the 
       land was greatly polluted and defiled.

       (Jer 3:10 TLB)  Then, afterwards, this faithless one "returned" to me, 
       but her 'sorrow' was only faked" the Lord God says.

       (Jer 3:11 TLB)  "In fact, faithless Israel is less guilty than 
       treacherous Judah!

       (Jer 3:12 TLB)  "Therefore, go and say to Israel, 'O Israel, my sinful 
       people, come home to me again, for I am merciful; I will not be 
       forever angry with you.

       (Jer 3:13 TLB)  Only acknowledge your guilt; admit that you rebelled 
       against the Lord your God and committed adultery against him by 
       worshiping idols under every tree; confess that you refused to follow 
       me.'

       (Jer 3:14 TLB)  O sinful children, come home, for I am your Master, 
       and I will bring you again to the land of Israel--one from here and 
       two from there, wherever you are scattered.

       (Jer 3:15 TLB)  And I will give you leaders after my own heart, who 
       will guide you with wisdom and understanding.

       (Jer 3:16 TLB)  "Then, when your land is once more filled with 
       people," says the Lord, you will no longer wish for 'the good old days 
       of long ago' when you possessed the Ark of God's covenant. Those days 
       will not be missed or even thought about, and the Ark will not be 
       reconstructed, for the Lord himself will be among you.

       (Jer 3:17 TLB)  The whole city of Jerusalem will be known as the 
       throne of the Lord; all nations will come to him there and no longer 
       stubbornly follow their evil desires.

       (Jer 3:18 TLB)  At that time the people of Judah and of Israel will 
       return together from their exile in the north, to the land I gave 
       their fathers as an inheritance forever.

       (Jer 3:19 TLB)  And I thought how wonderful it would be for you to be 
       here among my children. I planned to give you part of this beautiful 
       land, the finest in the world. I looked forward to your calling me 
       'Father' and thought that you would never turn away from me again.

       (Jer 3:20 TLB)  But you have betrayed me; you have gone off and given 
       yourself to a host of foreign gods; you have been like a faithless 
       wife who leaves her husband."






       (Jer 3:21 TLB)  I hear a voice high upon the windswept mountains, 
       crying, crying. It is the sons of Israel who have turned their backs 
       on God and wandered far away.

       (Jer 3:22 TLB)  "O my rebellious children, come back to me again and I 
       will heal you from your sins." And they reply, "Yes, we will come, for 
       you are the Lord our God.

       (Jer 3:23 TLB)  We are weary of worshiping idols on the hills and of 
       having orgies on the mountains. It is all a farce. Only in the Lord 
       our God can Israel ever find her help and her salvation.

       (Jer 3:24 TLB)  From our childhood we have seen everything our fathers 
       had--flocks and herds and sons and daughters--squandered on priests 
       and idols.

       (Jer 3:25 TLB)  We lie in shame and in dishonor, for we and our 
       fathers have sinned from childhood against the Lord our God; we have 
       not obeyed him."

       (Jer 4:1 TLB)  "O Israel, if you will truly return to me and 
       absolutely discard your idols,

       (Jer 4:2 TLB)  and if you will swear by me alone, the living God, and 
       begin to live good, honest, clean lives, then you will be a testimony 
       to the nations of the world, and they will come to me and glorify my 
       name."

       (Jer 4:3 TLB)  The Lord is saying to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, 
       "Plow up the hardness of your hearts; otherwise the good seed will be 
       wasted among the thorns.

       (Jer 4:4 TLB)  Cleanse your minds and hearts, not just your bodies, or 
       else my anger will burn you to a crisp because of all your sins. And 
       no one will be able to put the fire out.

       (Jer 4:5 TLB)  "Shout to Jerusalem and to all Judea, telling them to 
       sound the alarm throughout the land. 'Run for your lives! Flee to the 
       fortified cities!'

       (Jer 4:6 TLB)  Send a signal from Jerusalem: 'Flee now, don't delay!' 
       For I the Lord am bringing vast destruction on you from the north."

       (Jer 4:7 TLB)  A lion--a destroyer of nations--stalks from his lair; 
       and he is headed for your land. Your cities will lie in ruin without 
       inhabitant.

       (Jer 4:8 TLB)  Put on clothes of mourning and weep with broken hearts, 
       for the fierce anger of the Lord has not stopped yet.

       (Jer 4:9 TLB)  "In that day," says the Lord, "the king and the princes 
       will tremble in fear; and the priests and the prophets will be 
       stricken with horror."

       (Jer 4:10 TLB)  (Then I said, "But Lord, the people have been deceived 





       by what you said, for you promised great blessings on Jerusalem. Yet 
       the sword is even now poised to strike them dead!")

       (Jer 4:11 TLB)  At that time he will send a burning wind from the 
       desert upon them--not in little gusts but in a roaring blast--and he 
       will pronounce their doom.

       (Jer 4:12 TLB)  

       (Jer 4:13 TLB)  The enemy shall roll down upon us like a storm wind; 
       his chariots are like a whirlwind; his steeds are swifter than eagles. 
       Woe, woe upon us, for we are doomed.

       (Jer 4:14 TLB)  O Jerusalem, cleanse your hearts while there is time. 
       You can yet be saved by casting out your evil thoughts.

       (Jer 4:15 TLB)  From Dan and from Mount Ephraim your doom has been 
       announced.

       (Jer 4:16 TLB)  Warn the other nations that the enemy is coming from a 
       distant land, and they shout against Jerusalem and the cities of 
       Judah.

       (Jer 4:17 TLB)  They surround Jerusalem like shepherds moving in on 
       some wild animal! For my people have rebelled against me, says the 
       Lord.

       (Jer 4:18 TLB)  Your ways have brought this down upon you; it is a 
       bitter dose of your own medicine, striking deep within your hearts.

       (Jer 4:19 TLB)  My heart, my heart--I writhe in pain; my heart pounds 
       within me. I cannot be still because I have heard, O my soul, the 
       blast of the enemies' trumpets and the enemies' battle cries.

       (Jer 4:20 TLB)  Wave upon wave of destruction rolls over the land, 
       until it lies in utter ruin; suddenly, in a moment, every house is 
       crushed.

       (Jer 4:21 TLB)  How long must this go on? How long must I see war and 
       death surrounding me?

       (Jer 4:22 TLB)  "Until my people leave their foolishness, for they 
       refuse to listen to me; they are dull, retarded children who have no 
       understanding. They are smart enough at doing wrong, but for doing 
       right they have no talent, none at all."

       (Jer 4:23 TLB)  I looked down upon their land, and as far as I could 
       see in all directions everything was ruins. And all the heavens were 
       dark.

       (Jer 4:24 TLB)  I looked at the mountains and saw that they trembled 
       and shook.

       (Jer 4:25 TLB)  I looked, and mankind was gone, and the birds of the 
       heavens had fled.





       (Jer 4:26 TLB)  The fertile valleys were wilderness, and all the 
       cities were broken down before the presence of the Lord, crushed by 
       his fierce anger.

       (Jer 4:27 TLB)  The Lord's decree of desolation covers all the land. 
       "Yet," he says, "there will be a little remnant of my people left.

       (Jer 4:28 TLB)  The earth shall mourn, the heavens shall be draped 
       with black, because of my decree against my people; I have made up my 
       mind and will not change it."

       (Jer 4:29 TLB)  All the cities flee in terror at the noise of marching 
       armies coming near. The people hide in the bushes and flee to the 
       mountains. All the cities are abandoned--all have fled in terror.

       (Jer 4:30 TLB)  Why do you put on your most beautiful clothing and 
       jewelry and brighten your eyes with mascara? It will do you no good! 
       Your allies despise you and will kill you.

       (Jer 4:31 TLB)  I have heard great crying like that of a woman giving 
       birth to her first child; it is the cry of my people gasping for 
       breath, pleading for help, prostrate before their murderers.

       (Jer 5:1 TLB)  "Run up and down through every street in all Jerusalem; 
       search high and low and see if you can find even one person who is 
       fair and honest! Search every square, and if you find just one, I'll 
       not destroy the city!

       (Jer 5:2 TLB)  Even under oath, they all lie."

       (Jer 5:3 TLB)  O Lord, you are looking for faithfulness. You have 
       tried to get them to be honest, for you have punished them, but they 
       won't change! You have destroyed them, but they refuse to turn from 
       their sins. They are determined, with faces hard as rock, not to 
       repent.

       (Jer 5:4 TLB)  Then I said, "But what can we expect from the poor and 
       ignorant? They don't know the ways of God. How can they obey him?"

       (Jer 5:5 TLB)  I will go now to their leaders, the men of importance, 
       and speak to them, for they know the ways of the Lord and the judgment 
       that follows sin. But they too had utterly rejected their God.

       (Jer 5:6 TLB)  So I will send upon them the wild fury of the "lion 
       from the forest"; the "desert wolves" shall pounce upon them, and a 
       "leopard" shall lurk around their cities so that all who go out shall 
       be torn apart. For their sins are very many; their rebellion against 
       me is great.

       (Jer 5:7 TLB)  "How can I pardon you? For even your children have 
       turned away and worship gods that are not gods at all. I fed my people 
       until they were fully satisfied, and their thanks was to commit 
       adultery wholesale and to gang up at the city's brothels.

       (Jer 5:8 TLB)  They are well-fed, lusty stallions, each neighing for 
       his neighbor's mate.






       (Jer 5:9 TLB)  Shall I not punish them for this? Shall I not send my 
       vengeance on such a nation as this?

       (Jer 5:10 TLB)  Go down the rows of the vineyards and destroy them! 
       But leave a scattered few to live. Strip the branches from each vine, 
       for they are not the Lord's.

       (Jer 5:11 TLB)  "For the people of Israel and Judah are full of 
       treachery against me," says the Lord.

       (Jer 5:12 TLB)  They have lied and said, "He won't bother us! No evil 
       will come upon us! There will be neither famine nor war!

       (Jer 5:13 TLB)  God's prophets," they say, "are windbags full of words 
       with no divine authority. Their claims of doom will fall upon 
       themselves, not us!"

       (Jer 5:14 TLB)  Therefore, this is what the Lord God of Hosts says to 
       his prophets: "Because of talk like this, I'll take your words and 
       prophecies and turn them into raging fire and burn up these people 
       like kindling wood.

       (Jer 5:15 TLB)  See, I will bring a distant nation against you, O 
       Israel," says the Lord. "It is a mighty nation, an ancient nation 
       whose language you don't understand.

       (Jer 5:16 TLB)  Their weapons are deadly; the men are all mighty.

       (Jer 5:17 TLB)  And they shall eat your harvest and your children's 
       bread, your flocks of sheep and herds of cattle, yes, and your grapes 
       and figs; and they shall sack your walled cities that you think are 
       safe.

       (Jer 5:18 TLB)  "But I will not completely blot you out." So says the 
       Lord.

       (Jer 5:19 TLB)  "And when your people ask, 'Why is it that the Lord is 
       doing this to us?' then you shall say, 'You rejected him and gave 
       yourselves to other gods while in your land; now you must be slaves to 
       foreigners in their lands.'

       (Jer 5:20 TLB)  "Make this announcement to Judah and to Israel:

       (Jer 5:21 TLB)  "'Listen, O foolish, senseless people--you with the 
       eyes that do not see and the ears that do not listen--

       (Jer 5:22 TLB)  have you no respect at all for me?' the Lord God asks. 
       'How can it be that you don't even tremble in my presence? I set the 
       shorelines of the world by perpetual decrees, so that the oceans, 
       though they toss and roar, can never pass those bounds. Isn't such a 
       God to be feared and worshiped?'

       (Jer 5:23 TLB)  "But my people have rebellious hearts; they have 
       turned against me and gone off into idolatry.





       (Jer 5:24 TLB)  Though I am the one who gives them rain each year in 
       spring and fall and sends the harvesttimes, yet they have no respect 
       or fear for me.

       (Jer 5:25 TLB)  And so I have taken away these wondrous blessings from 
       them. This sin has robbed them of all of these good things.

       (Jer 5:26 TLB)  "Among my people are wicked men who lurk for victims 
       like a hunter hiding in a blind. They set their traps for men.

       (Jer 5:27 TLB)  Like a coop full of chickens their homes are full of 
       evil plots. And the result? Now they are great and rich,

       (Jer 5:28 TLB)  they are well fed and well groomed, and there is no 
       limit to their wicked deeds. They refuse justice to orphans and the 
       rights of the poor.

       (Jer 5:29 TLB)  Should I sit back and act as though nothing is going 
       on?" the Lord God asks. "Shouldn't I punish a nation such as this?

       (Jer 5:30 TLB)  "A horrible thing has happened in this land--

       (Jer 5:31 TLB)  the priests are ruled by false prophets, and my people 
       like it so! But your doom is certain.

       (Jer 6:1 TLB)  "Run, people of Benjamin, run for your lives! Flee from 
       Jerusalem! Sound the alarm in Tekoa; send up a smoke signal at 
       Beth-haccherem; warn everyone that a powerful army is on the way from 
       the north, coming to destroy this nation!

       (Jer 6:2 TLB)  Helpless as a girl, you are beautiful and delicate--and 
       doomed.

       (Jer 6:3 TLB)  Evil shepherds shall surround you. They shall set up 
       camp around the city and divide your pastures for their flocks.

       (Jer 6:4 TLB)  See them prepare for battle. At noon it has begun. All 
       afternoon it rages until the evening shadows fall.

       (Jer 6:5 TLB)  'Come,' they say. 'Let us attack by night and destroy 
       her palaces!'"

       (Jer 6:6 TLB)  For the Lord Almighty has said to them, "Cut down her 
       trees for battering rams; smash down the walls of Jerusalem. This is 
       the city to be punished, for she is vile through and through.

       (Jer 6:7 TLB)  She spouts evil like a fountain! Her streets echo with 
       the sounds of violence; her sickness and wounds are ever before me.

       (Jer 6:8 TLB)  "This is your last warning, O Jerusalem. If you don't 
       listen, I will empty the land.

       (Jer 6:9 TLB)  Disaster on disaster shall befall you. Even the few who 
       remain in Israel shall be gleaned again," the Lord Almighty has said; 
       "for as a grape-gatherer checks each vine to pick what he has missed, 
       so the remnant of my people shall be destroyed again."






       (Jer 6:10 TLB)  But who will listen when I warn them? Their ears are 
       closed, and they refuse to hear. The word of God has angered them; 
       they don't want it at all.

       (Jer 6:11 TLB)  For all this I am full of the wrath of God against 
       them. I am weary of holding it in. "I will pour it out over Jerusalem, 
       even upon the children playing in the streets, upon the gatherings of 
       young men, and on husbands and wives and grandparents.

       (Jer 6:12 TLB)  Their enemies shall live in their homes and take their 
       fields and wives. For I will punish the people of this land," the Lord 
       has said.

       (Jer 6:13 TLB)  "They are swindlers and liars, from the least of them 
       right to the top! Yes, even my prophets and priests!

       (Jer 6:14 TLB)  You can't heal a wound by saying it's not there! Yet 
       the priests and prophets give assurances of peace when all is war.

       (Jer 6:15 TLB)  Were my people ashamed when they worshiped idols? No, 
       not at all--they didn't even blush. Therefore they shall lie among the 
       slain. They shall die beneath my anger."

       (Jer 6:16 TLB)  Yet the Lord pleads with you still: "Ask where the 
       good road is, the godly paths you used to walk in, in the days of long 
       ago. Travel there, and you will find rest for your souls. But you 
       reply, 'No, that is not the road we want!'

       (Jer 6:17 TLB)  I set watchmen over you who warned you: 'Listen for 
       the sound of the trumpet! It will let you know when trouble comes.' 
       But you said, 'No! We won't pay any attention!'

       (Jer 6:18 TLB)  "This, then, is my decree against my people: (Listen 
       to it, distant lands; listen to it, O my people in Jerusalem;

       (Jer 6:19 TLB)  listen to it, all the earth!) I will bring evil upon 
       this people; it will be the fruit of their own sin because they will 
       not listen to me. They reject my law.

       (Jer 6:20 TLB)  There is no use now in burning sweet incense from 
       Sheba before me! Keep your expensive perfumes! I cannot accept your 
       offerings; they have no sweet fragrance for me.

       (Jer 6:21 TLB)  I will make an obstacle course of the pathway of my 
       people; fathers and sons shall be frustrated; neighbors and friends 
       shall collapse together."

       (Jer 6:22 TLB)  The Lord God says, "See the armies marching from the 
       north--a great nation is rising against you.

       (Jer 6:23 TLB)  They are a cruel, merciless people, fully armed, 
       mounted for war. The noise of their army is like a roaring sea."

       (Jer 6:24 TLB)  We have heard the fame of their armies, and we are 
       weak with fright. Fright and pain have gripped us like that of women 





       in travail.

       (Jer 6:25 TLB)  Don't go out to the fields! Don't travel the roads! 
       For the enemy is everywhere, ready to kill; we are terrorized at every 
       turn.

       (Jer 6:26 TLB)  O Jerusalem, pride of my people, put on mourning 
       clothes and sit in ashes; weep bitterly as for an only son. For 
       suddenly the destroying armies will be upon you.

       (Jer 6:27 TLB)  "Jeremiah, I have made you an assayer of metals that 
       you may test this my people and determine their value. Listen to what 
       they are saying and watch what they are doing.

       (Jer 6:28 TLB)  Are they not the worst of rebels, full of evil talk 
       against the Lord? They are insolent as brass, hard and cruel as iron.

       (Jer 6:29 TLB)  The bellows blow fiercely; the refining fire grows 
       hotter, but it can never cleanse them, for there is no pureness in 
       them to bring out. Why continue the process longer? All is dross. No 
       matter how hot the fire, they continue in their wicked ways.

       (Jer 6:30 TLB)  I must label them 'Impure, Rejected Silver,' and I 
       have discarded them."

       (Jer 7:1 TLB)  Then the Lord said to Jeremiah:

       (Jer 7:2 TLB)  "Go over to the entrance of the Temple of the Lord and 
       give this message to the people: 'O Judah, listen to this message from 
       God. Listen to it, all of you who worship here.'"

       (Jer 7:3 TLB)  The Lord, the God of Israel says: "Even yet, if you 
       quit your evil ways, I will let you stay in your own land.

       (Jer 7:4 TLB)  But don't be fooled by those who lie to you and say 
       that since the Temple of the Lord is here, God will never let 
       Jerusalem be destroyed.

       (Jer 7:5 TLB)  You may remain under these conditions only: If you stop 
       your wicked thoughts and deeds and are fair to others;

       (Jer 7:6 TLB)  if you stop exploiting orphans, widows, and foreigners, 
       and stop your murdering; if you stop worshiping idols as you do now to 
       your hurt,

       (Jer 7:7 TLB)  then, and only then, will I let you stay in this land 
       that I gave to your fathers to keep forever.

       (Jer 7:8 TLB)  "You think that because the Temple is here, you will 
       never suffer? Don't fool yourselves!

       (Jer 7:9 TLB)  Do you really think that you can steal, murder, commit 
       adultery, lie, and worship Baal and all of those new gods of yours,

       (Jer 7:10 TLB)  and then come here and stand before me in my Temple 
       and chant, 'We are saved!'--only to go right back to all these evil 





       things again?

       (Jer 7:11 TLB)  Is my Temple but a den of robbers in your eyes? For I 
       see all the evil going on in there.

       (Jer 7:12 TLB)  "Go to Shiloh, the city I first honored with my name, 
       and see what I did to her because of all the wickedness of my people 
       Israel.

       (Jer 7:13 TLB)  And now," says the Lord, "I will do the same thing 
       here because of all this evil you have done. Again and again I spoke 
       to you about it, rising up early and calling, but you refused to hear 
       or answer.

       (Jer 7:14 TLB)  Yes, I will destroy this Temple, as I did in 
       Shiloh--this Temple called by my name, which you trust for help, and 
       this place I gave to you and to your fathers.

       (Jer 7:15 TLB)  And I will send you into exile, just as I did your 
       brothers, the people of Ephraim.

       (Jer 7:16 TLB)  "Pray no more for these people, Jeremiah. Neither weep 
       for them nor pray nor beg that I should help them, for I will not 
       listen.

       (Jer 7:17 TLB)  Don't you see what they are doing throughout the 
       cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?

       (Jer 7:18 TLB)  No wonder my anger is great! Watch how the children 
       gather wood and the fathers build fires, and the women knead dough and 
       make cakes to offer to The Queen of Heaven and to their other 
       idol-gods!

       (Jer 7:19 TLB)  Am I the one that they are hurting?" asks the Lord. 
       "Most of all they hurt themselves, to their own shame."

       (Jer 7:20 TLB)  So the Lord God says, "I will pour out my anger, yes, 
       my fury on this place--people, animals, trees, and plants will be 
       consumed by the unquenchable fire of my anger."

       (Jer 7:21 TLB)  The Lord, the God of Israel says, "Away with your 
       offerings and sacrifices!

       (Jer 7:22 TLB)  It wasn't offerings and sacrifices I wanted from your 
       fathers when I led them out of Egypt. That was not the point of my 
       command.

       (Jer 7:23 TLB)  But what I told them was: Obey me, and I will be your 
       God and you shall be my people; only do as I say, and all shall be 
       well!

       (Jer 7:24 TLB)  "But they wouldn't listen; they kept on doing whatever 
       they wanted to, following their own stubborn, evil thoughts. They went 
       backward instead of forward.

       (Jer 7:25 TLB)  Ever since the day your fathers left Egypt until now, 





       I have kept on sending them my prophets, day after day.

       (Jer 7:26 TLB)  But they wouldn't listen to them or even try to hear. 
       They are hard and stubborn and rebellious--worse even than their 
       fathers were.

       (Jer 7:27 TLB)  "Tell them everything that I will do to them, but 
       don't expect them to listen. Cry out your warnings, but don't expect 
       them to respond.

       (Jer 7:28 TLB)  Say to them: 'This is the nation that refuses to obey 
       the Lord its God and refuses to be taught. She continues to live a 
       lie.

       (Jer 7:29 TLB)  "'O Jerusalem, shave your head in shame and weep alone 
       upon the mountains; for the Lord has rejected and forsaken this people 
       of his wrath.'

       (Jer 7:30 TLB)  For the people of Judah have sinned before my very 
       eyes," says the Lord. "They have set up their idols right in my own 
       Temple, polluting it.

       (Jer 7:31 TLB)  They have built the altar called Topheth in the Valley 
       of Ben-hinnom, and there they burn to death their little sons and 
       daughters as sacrifices to their gods--a deed so horrible I've never 
       even thought of it, let alone commanded it to be done.

       (Jer 7:32 TLB)  The time is coming," says the Lord, "when that 
       valley's name will be changed from Topheth, or the Valley of 
       Ben-hinnom, to the Valley of Slaughter; for there will be so many 
       slain to bury that there won't be room enough for all the graves, and 
       they will dump the bodies in that valley.

       (Jer 7:33 TLB)  "The bodies of my people shall be food for the birds 
       and animals, and no one shall be left to scare them away.

       (Jer 7:34 TLB)  I will end the happy singing and laughter and the 
       joyous voices of the bridegrooms and brides in the streets of 
       Jerusalem and in the cities of Judah. For the land shall lie in 
       desolation.

       (Jer 8:1 TLB)  "Then," says the Lord, "the enemy shall break open the 
       graves of the kings of Judah and of the princes, and the graves of the 
       priests, prophets, and people,

       (Jer 8:2 TLB)  and dig out their bones and spread them out on the 
       ground before the sun and moon and stars--the gods of my people!--whom 
       they have loved and worshiped. Their bones shall not be gathered up 
       again nor buried but shall be scattered like dung upon the ground.

       (Jer 8:3 TLB)  And those of this evil nation who are still left alive 
       shall long to die rather than live where I will scatter them," says 
       the Lord Almighty.

       (Jer 8:4 TLB)  "Once again give them this message from the Lord: 'When 
       a person falls, he jumps up again; when he is on the wrong road and 





       discovers his mistake, he goes back to the fork where he made the 
       wrong turn.

       (Jer 8:5 TLB)  But these people keep on along their evil path, even 
       though I warn them.

       (Jer 8:6 TLB)  I listen to their conversation and what do I hear? Is 
       anyone sorry for sin? Does anyone say, "What a terrible thing I have 
       done?" No, all are rushing pell-mell down the path of sin as swiftly 
       as a horse rushing to the battle!

       (Jer 8:7 TLB)  The stork knows the time of her migration, as does the 
       turtledove, the crane, and the swallow. They all return at God's 
       appointed time each year; but not my people! They don't accept the 
       laws of God.

       (Jer 8:8 TLB)  "'How can you say, "We understand his laws," when your 
       teachers have twisted them up to mean a thing I never said?

       (Jer 8:9 TLB)  These wise teachers of yours will be shamed by exile 
       for this sin, for they have rejected the word of the Lord. Are they 
       then so wise?

       (Jer 8:10 TLB)  I will give their wives and their farms to others; for 
       all of them, great and small, prophet and priest, have one purpose in 
       mind--to get what isn't theirs.

       (Jer 8:11 TLB)  They give useless medicine for my people's grievous 
       wounds, for they assure them all is well when that isn't so at all!

       (Jer 8:12 TLB)  Are they ashamed because they worship idols? No, not 
       in the least; they don't even know how to blush! That is why I will 
       see to it that they lie among the fallen. I will visit them with 
       death.

       (Jer 8:13 TLB)  Their figs and grapes will disappear, their fruit 
       trees will die, and all the good things I prepared for them will soon 
       be gone.'"

       (Jer 8:14 TLB)  Then the people will say, "Why should we wait here to 
       die? Come, let us go to the walled cities and perish there. For the 
       Lord our God has decreed our doom and given us a cup of poison to 
       drink because of all our sins.

       (Jer 8:15 TLB)  We expected peace, but no peace came; we looked for 
       health, but there was only terror."

       (Jer 8:16 TLB)  The noise of war resounds from the northern border. 
       The whole land trembles at the approach of the terrible army, for the 
       enemy is coming and is devouring the land and everything in it--the 
       cities and people alike.

       (Jer 8:17 TLB)  "For I will send these enemy troops among you like 
       poisonous snakes that you cannot charm. No matter what you do, they 
       will bite you and you shall die."





       (Jer 8:18 TLB)  My grief is beyond healing; my heart is broken.

       (Jer 8:19 TLB)  Listen to the weeping of my people all across the 
       land. "Where is the Lord?" they ask. "Has God deserted us?" "Oh, why 
       have they angered me with their carved idols and strange evil rites?" 
       the Lord replies.

       (Jer 8:20 TLB)  "The harvest is finished; the summer is over, and we 
       are not saved."

       (Jer 8:21 TLB)  I weep for the hurt of my people; I stand amazed, 
       silent, dumb with grief.

       (Jer 8:22 TLB)  Is there no medicine in Gilead? Is there no physician 
       there? Why doesn't God do something? Why doesn't he help?

       (Jer 9:1 TLB)  Oh, that my eyes were a fountain of tears; I would weep 
       forever; I would sob day and night for the slain of my people!

       (Jer 9:2 TLB)  Oh, that I could go away and forget them and live in 
       some wayside shack in the desert, for they are all adulterous, 
       treacherous men.

       (Jer 9:3 TLB)  "They bend their tongues like bows to shoot their 
       arrows of untruth. They care nothing for right and go from bad to 
       worse; they care nothing for me," says the Lord.

       (Jer 9:4 TLB)  "Beware of your neighbor! Beware of your brother! All 
       take advantage of one another and spread their slanderous lies.

       (Jer 9:5 TLB)  With practiced tongues they fool and defraud each 
       other; they wear themselves out with all their sinning.

       (Jer 9:6 TLB)  "They pile evil upon evil, lie upon lie, and utterly 
       refuse to come to me," says the Lord.

       (Jer 9:7 TLB)  Therefore, the Lord Almighty says this: "See, I will 
       melt them in a crucible of affliction. I will refine them and test 
       them like metal. What else can I do with them?

       (Jer 9:8 TLB)  For their tongues aim lies like poisoned spears. They 
       speak cleverly to their neighbors while planning to kill them.

       (Jer 9:9 TLB)  Should not I punish them for such things as this?" asks 
       the Lord. "Shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?"

       (Jer 9:10 TLB)  Sobbing and weeping, I point to their mountains and 
       pastures, for now they are desolate, without a living soul. Gone is 
       the lowing of cattle, gone the birds and wild animals. All have fled.

       (Jer 9:11 TLB)  "And I will turn Jerusalem into heaps of ruined houses 
       where only jackals have their dens. The cities of Judah shall be ghost 
       towns, with no one living in them."

       (Jer 9:12 TLB)  Who is wise enough to understand all this? Where is 
       the Lord's messenger to explain it? Why is the land a wilderness so 





       that no one dares even to travel through?

       (Jer 9:13 TLB)  "Because," the Lord replies, "my people have forsaken 
       my commandments and not obeyed my laws.

       (Jer 9:14 TLB)  Instead, they have done whatever they pleased and 
       worshiped the idols of Baal, as their fathers told them to."

       (Jer 9:15 TLB)  Therefore, this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, 
       says: "Look! I will feed them with bitterness and give them poison to 
       drink.

       (Jer 9:16 TLB)  I will scatter them around the world, to be strangers 
       in distant lands; and even there the sword of destruction shall chase 
       them until I have utterly destroyed them."

       (Jer 9:17 TLB)  The Lord Almighty says: "Send for the mourners! Quick! 
       Begin your crying! Let the tears flow from your eyes.

       (Jer 9:18 TLB)  

       (Jer 9:19 TLB)  Hear Jerusalem weeping in despair. 'We are ruined! 
       Disaster has befallen us! We must leave our land and homes!'"

       (Jer 9:20 TLB)  Listen to the words of God, O women who wail. Teach 
       your daughters to wail and your neighbors too.

       (Jer 9:21 TLB)  For death has crept in through your windows into your 
       homes. He has killed off the flower of your youth. Children no longer 
       play in the streets; the young men gather no more in the squares.

       (Jer 9:22 TLB)  "Tell them this," says the Lord: "'Bodies shall be 
       scattered across the fields like manure, like sheaves after the mower, 
       and no one will bury them.'"

       (Jer 9:23 TLB)  The Lord says: "Let not the wise man bask in his 
       wisdom, nor the mighty man in his might, nor the rich man in his 
       riches.

       (Jer 9:24 TLB)  Let them boast in this alone: That they truly know me, 
       and understand that I am the Lord of justice and of righteousness 
       whose love is steadfast; and that I love to be this way.

       (Jer 9:25 TLB)  "A time is coming," says the Lord, "when I will punish 
       all those who are circumcised in body but not in spirit--

       (Jer 9:26 TLB)  the Egyptians, Edomites, Ammonites, Moabites, Arabs, 
       and yes, even you people of Judah. For all these pagan nations also 
       circumcise themselves. Unless you circumcise your hearts by loving me, 
       your circumcision is only a heathen rite like theirs, and nothing 
       more."

       (Jer 10:1 TLB)  Hear the word of the Lord, O Israel:

       (Jer 10:2 TLB)  "Don't act like the people who make horoscopes and try 
       to read their fate and future in the stars!






       (Jer 10:3 TLB)  Don't be frightened by predictions such as theirs, for 
       it is all a pack of lies. Their ways are futile and foolish. They cut 
       down a tree and carve an idol;

       (Jer 10:4 TLB)  they decorate it with gold and silver and fasten it 
       securely in place with hammer and nails so that it won't fall over.

       (Jer 10:5 TLB)  And there stands their god like a helpless scarecrow 
       in a garden! It cannot speak, and it must be carried, for it cannot 
       walk. Don't be afraid of such a god, for it can neither harm nor help 
       nor do you any good."

       (Jer 10:6 TLB)  O Lord, there is no other god like you. For you are 
       great, and your name is full of power.

       (Jer 10:7 TLB)  Who would not fear you, O King of nations? (And that 
       title belongs to you alone!) Among all the wise men of the earth and 
       in all the kingdoms of the world there isn't anyone like you.

       (Jer 10:8 TLB)  The wisest of men who worship idols are altogether 
       stupid and foolish.

       (Jer 10:9 TLB)  They bring beaten sheets of silver from Tarshish and 
       gold from Uphaz and give them to skillful goldsmiths who make their 
       idols; then they clothe these gods in royal purple robes that expert 
       tailors make.

       (Jer 10:10 TLB)  But the Lord is the only true God, the living God, 
       the everlasting King. The whole earth shall tremble at his anger; the 
       world shall hide before his displeasure.

       (Jer 10:11 TLB)  Say this to those who worship other gods: "Your 
       so-called gods, who have not made the heavens and earth, shall vanish 
       from the earth."

       (Jer 10:12 TLB)  But our God formed the earth by his power and wisdom, 
       and by his intelligence he hung the stars in space and stretched out 
       the heavens.

       (Jer 10:13 TLB)  It is his voice that echoes in the thunder of the 
       storm clouds. He causes mist to rise upon the earth; he sends the 
       lightning and brings the rain, and from his treasuries he brings the 
       wind.

       (Jer 10:14 TLB)  But foolish men without knowledge of God bow before 
       their idols. It is a shameful business that these men are in, for what 
       they make are frauds, gods without life or power in them.

       (Jer 10:15 TLB)  All are worthless, silly; they will be crushed when 
       their makers perish.

       (Jer 10:16 TLB)  But the God of Jacob is not like these foolish idols. 
       He is the Creator of all, and Israel is his chosen nation. The Lord 
       Almighty is his name.





       (Jer 10:17 TLB)  Pack your bags, he says. Get ready now to leave; the 
       siege will soon begin.

       (Jer 10:18 TLB)  "For suddenly I'll fling you from this land and pour 
       great troubles down; at last you shall feel my wrath."

       (Jer 10:19 TLB)  Desperate is my wound. My grief is great. My sickness 
       is incurable, but I must bear it.

       (Jer 10:20 TLB)  My home is gone; my children have been taken away, 
       and I will never see them again. There is no one left to help me 
       rebuild my home.

       (Jer 10:21 TLB)  The shepherds of my people have lost their senses; 
       they no longer follow God nor ask his will. Therefore they perish, and 
       their flocks are scattered.

       (Jer 10:22 TLB)  Listen! Hear the terrible sound of great armies 
       coming from the north. The cities of Judah shall become dens of 
       jackals.

       (Jer 10:23 TLB)  O Lord, I know it is not within the power of man to 
       map his life and plan his course--

       (Jer 10:24 TLB)  so you correct me, Lord; but please be gentle. Don't 
       do it in your anger, for I would die.

       (Jer 10:25 TLB)  Pour out your fury on the nations who don't obey the 
       Lord, for they have destroyed Israel and made a wasteland of this 
       entire country.

       (Jer 11:1 TLB)  Then the Lord spoke to Jeremiah once again and said:

       (Jer 11:2 TLB)  "Remind the men of Judah and all the people of 
       Jerusalem that I made a contract with their fathers--and

       (Jer 11:3 TLB)  cursed is the man who does not heed it!

       (Jer 11:4 TLB)  For I told them at the time I brought them out of 
       slavery in Egypt that if they would obey me and do whatever I 
       commanded them, then they and all their children would be mine and I 
       would be their God.

       (Jer 11:5 TLB)  And now, Israel, obey me," says the Lord, "so that I 
       can do for you the wonderful things I swore I would if you obeyed. I 
       want to give you a land that 'flows with milk and honey,' as it is 
       today." Then I replied, "So be it, Lord!"

       (Jer 11:6 TLB)  Then the Lord said: "Broadcast this message in 
       Jerusalem's streets--go from city to city throughout the land and say, 
       Remember this agreement that your fathers made with God, and do all 
       the things they promised him they would.

       (Jer 11:7 TLB)  For I solemnly said to your fathers when I brought 
       them out of Egypt--and have kept on saying it over and over again 
       until this day: 'Obey my every command!'






       (Jer 11:8 TLB)  But your fathers didn't do it. They wouldn't even 
       listen. Each followed his own stubborn will and his proud heart. 
       Because they refused to obey, I did to them all the evils stated in 
       the contract."

       (Jer 11:9 TLB)  Again the Lord spoke to me and said: "I have 
       discovered a conspiracy against me among the men of Judah and 
       Jerusalem.

       (Jer 11:10 TLB)  They have returned to the sins of their fathers, 
       refusing to listen to me and worshiping idols. The agreement I made 
       with their fathers is broken and canceled."

       (Jer 11:11 TLB)  Therefore, the Lord says, "I am going to bring 
       calamity down upon them, and they shall not escape. Though they cry 
       for mercy, I will not listen to their pleas.

       (Jer 11:12 TLB)  Then they will pray to their idols and burn incense 
       before them, but that cannot save them from their time of anguish and 
       despair.

       (Jer 11:13 TLB)  O my people, you have as many gods as there are 
       cities, and your altars of shame (your altars to burn incense to Baal) 
       are along every street in Jerusalem.

       (Jer 11:14 TLB)  "Therefore, Jeremiah, pray no longer for this people, 
       neither weep nor plead for them; for I will not listen to them when 
       they are finally desperate enough to beg me for help.

       (Jer 11:15 TLB)  What right do my beloved people have to come any more 
       to my Temple? For you have been unfaithful and worshiped other gods. 
       Can promises and sacrifices now avert your doom and give you life and 
       joy again?"

       (Jer 11:16 TLB)  The Lord used to call you his green olive tree, 
       beautiful to see and full of good fruit; but now he has sent the fury 
       of your enemies to burn you up and leave you broken and charred.

       (Jer 11:17 TLB)  It is because of the wickedness of Israel and Judah 
       in offering incense to Baal that the Lord Almighty who planted the 
       tree has ordered it destroyed.

       (Jer 11:18 TLB)  Then the Lord told me all about their plans and 
       showed me their evil plots.

       (Jer 11:19 TLB)  I had been as unsuspecting as a lamb or ox on the way 
       to slaughter. I didn't know that they were planning to kill me! "Let's 
       destroy this man and all his messages," they said. "Let's kill him so 
       that his name will be forever forgotten."

       (Jer 11:20 TLB)  O Lord Almighty, you are just. See the hearts and 
       motives of these men. Repay them for all that they have planned! I 
       look to you for justice.

       (Jer 11:21 TLB)  And the Lord replied, "The men of the city of 





       Anathoth shall be punished for planning to kill you. They will tell 
       you not to prophesy in God's name on pain of death.

       (Jer 11:22 TLB)  And so their young men shall die in battle; their 
       boys and girls shall starve.

       (Jer 11:23 TLB)  Not one of these plotters of Anathoth shall survive, 
       for I will bring a great disaster upon them. Their time has come."

       (Jer 12:1 TLB)  O Lord, you always give me justice when I bring a case 
       before you to decide. Now let me bring you this complaint: Why are the 
       wicked so prosperous? Why are evil men so happy?

       (Jer 12:2 TLB)  You plant them. They take root and their business 
       grows. Their profits multiply, and they are rich. They say, "Thank 
       God!" But in their hearts they give no credit to you.

       (Jer 12:3 TLB)  But as for me--Lord, you know my heart--you know how 
       much it longs for you. (And I am poor, O Lord!) Lord, drag them off 
       like helpless sheep to the slaughter. Judge them, O God!

       (Jer 12:4 TLB)  How long must this land of yours put up with all their 
       goings on? Even the grass of the field groans and weeps over their 
       wicked deeds! The wild animals and birds have moved away, leaving the 
       land deserted. Yet the people say, "God won't bring judgment on us. 
       We're perfectly safe!"

       (Jer 12:5 TLB)  The Lord replied to me: "If racing with mere 
       men--these men of Anathoth--has wearied you, how will you race against 
       horses, against the king, his court and all his evil priests? If you 
       stumble and fall on open ground, what will you do in Jordan's jungles?

       (Jer 12:6 TLB)  Even your own brothers, your own family, have turned 
       against you. They have plotted to call for a mob to lynch you. Don't 
       trust them, no matter how pleasantly they speak. Don't believe them."

       (Jer 12:7 TLB)  Then the Lord said: "I have abandoned my people, my 
       inheritance; I have surrendered my dearest ones to their enemies.

       (Jer 12:8 TLB)  My people have roared at me like a lion of the forest, 
       so I have treated them as though I hated them.

       (Jer 12:9 TLB)  My people have fallen. I will bring upon them swarms 
       of vultures and wild animals to pick the flesh from their corpses.

       (Jer 12:10 TLB)  "Many foreign rulers have ravaged my vineyard, 
       trampling down the vines, and turning all its beauty into barren 
       wilderness.

       (Jer 12:11 TLB)  They have made it desolate; I hear its mournful cry. 
       The whole land is desolate and no one cares.

       (Jer 12:12 TLB)  Destroying armies plunder the land; the sword of the 
       Lord devours from one end of the nation to the other; nothing shall 
       escape.





       (Jer 12:13 TLB)  My people have sown wheat but reaped thorns; they 
       have worked hard, but it does them no good. They shall harvest a crop 
       of shame, for the fierce anger of the Lord is upon them."

       (Jer 12:14 TLB)  And now the Lord says this to the evil nations, the 
       nations surrounding the land God gave his people Israel: "See, I will 
       force you from your land just as Judah will be forced from hers;

       (Jer 12:15 TLB)  but afterwards I will return and have compassion on 
       all of you and will bring you home to your own land again, each man to 
       his inheritance.

       (Jer 12:16 TLB)  And if these heathen nations quickly learn my 
       people's ways and claim me as their God instead of Baal (whom they 
       taught my people to worship), then they shall be strong among my 
       people.

       (Jer 12:17 TLB)  But any nation refusing to obey me will be expelled 
       again and finished," says the Lord.

       (Jer 13:1 TLB)  The Lord said to me, "Go and buy a linen loincloth and 
       wear it, but don't wash it--don't put it in water at all."

       (Jer 13:2 TLB)  So I bought the loincloth and put it on.

       (Jer 13:3 TLB)  Then the Lord's message came to me again. This time he 
       said,

       (Jer 13:4 TLB)  "Take the loincloth out to the Euphrates River and 
       hide it in a hole in the rocks."

       (Jer 13:5 TLB)  So I did; I hid it as the Lord had told me to.

       (Jer 13:6 TLB)  Then, a long time afterwards, the Lord said: "Go out 
       to the river again and get the loincloth."

       (Jer 13:7 TLB)  And I did; I dug it out of the hole where I had hidden 
       it. But now it was mildewed and falling apart. It was utterly useless!

       (Jer 13:8 TLB)  Then the Lord said: "This illustrates the way that I 
       will rot the pride of Judah and Jerusalem.

       (Jer 13:9 TLB)  

       (Jer 13:10 TLB)  This evil nation refuses to listen to me and follows 
       its own evil desires, and worships idols; therefore, it shall become 
       as this loincloth--good for nothing.

       (Jer 13:11 TLB)  Even as a loincloth clings to a man's loins, so I 
       made Judah and Israel to cling to me," says the Lord. "They were my 
       people, an honor to my name. But then they turned away.

       (Jer 13:12 TLB)  "Tell them this: 'The Lord God of Israel says, "All 
       your wine jugs will be full of wine."' And they will reply, 'Of 
       course, you don't need to tell us how prosperous we will be!'





       (Jer 13:13 TLB)  Then tell them: ' "That's not what I mean. I mean 
       that I will fill everyone living in this land with helpless 
       bewilderment--from the king sitting on David's throne, and the priests 
       and the prophets right on down to all the people.

       (Jer 13:14 TLB)  And I will smash fathers and sons against each 
       other," says the Lord. "I will not let pity nor mercy spare them from 
       utter destruction."'"

       (Jer 13:15 TLB)  Oh, that you were not so proud and stubborn! Then you 
       would listen to the Lord, for he has spoken.

       (Jer 13:16 TLB)  Give glory to the Lord your God before it is too 
       late, before he causes deep, impenetrable darkness to fall upon you so 
       that you stumble and fall upon the dark mountains; then, when you look 
       for light, you will find only terrible darkness.

       (Jer 13:17 TLB)  Do you still refuse to listen? Then in loneliness my 
       breaking heart shall mourn because of your pride. My eyes will 
       overflow with tears because the Lord's flock shall be carried away as 
       slaves.

       (Jer 13:18 TLB)  Say to the king and queen-mother, "Come down from 
       your thrones and sit in the dust, for your glorious crowns are removed 
       from your heads. They are no longer yours."

       (Jer 13:19 TLB)  The cities of the Negeb to the south OFJERUSALEM have 
       closed their gates against the enemy. They must defend themselves, for 
       Jerusalem cannot help; and all Judah shall be taken away as slaves.

       (Jer 13:20 TLB)  See the armies marching from the north! Where is your 
       flock, Jerusalem, your beautiful flock he gave you to take care of?

       (Jer 13:21 TLB)  How will you feel when he sets your allies over you 
       as your rulers? You will writhe in pain like a woman having a child.

       (Jer 13:22 TLB)  And if you ask yourself, "Why is all this happening 
       to me?" it is because of the grossness of your sins; that is why you 
       have been raped and destroyed by the invading army.

       (Jer 13:23 TLB)  Can the Ethiopian change the color of his skin? or a 
       leopard take away his spots? Nor can you who are so used to doing evil 
       now start being good.

       (Jer 13:24 TLB)  "Because you have put me out of your mind and put 
       your trust in false gods, I will scatter you as chaff is scattered by 
       the fierce winds off the desert.

       (Jer 13:25 TLB)  This then is your allotment, that which is due you, 
       which I have measured out especially for you.

       (Jer 13:26 TLB)  I myself will expose you to utter shame.

       (Jer 13:27 TLB)  I am keenly aware of your apostasy, your 
       faithlessness to me, and your abominable idol worship in the fields 
       and on the hills. Woe upon you, O Jerusalem! How long before you will 





       be pure?"

       (Jer 14:1 TLB)  This message came to Jeremiah from the Lord, 
       explaining why he was holding back the rain:

       (Jer 14:2 TLB)  "Judah mourns; business has ground to a halt; all the 
       people prostrate themselves to the earth, and a great cry rises from 
       Jerusalem.

       (Jer 14:3 TLB)  The nobles send servants for water from the wells, but 
       the wells are dry. The servants return, baffled and desperate, and 
       cover their heads in grief.

       (Jer 14:4 TLB)  The ground is parched and cracked for lack of rain; 
       the farmers are afraid.

       (Jer 14:5 TLB)  The deer deserts her fawn because there is no grass.

       (Jer 14:6 TLB)  The wild donkeys stand upon the bare hills panting 
       like thirsty jackals. They strain their eyes looking for grass to eat, 
       but there is none to be found."

       (Jer 14:7 TLB)  O Lord, we have sinned against you grievously, yet 
       help us for the sake of your own reputation!

       (Jer 14:8 TLB)  O Hope of Israel, our Savior in times of trouble, why 
       are you as a stranger to us, as one passing through the land who is 
       merely stopping for the night?

       (Jer 14:9 TLB)  Are you also baffled? Are you helpless to save us? O 
       Lord, you are right here among us, and we carry your name; we are 
       known as your people. O Lord, don't desert us now!

       (Jer 14:10 TLB)  But the Lord replies: "You have loved to wander far 
       from me and have not tried to follow in my paths. Now I will no longer 
       accept you as my people; now I will remember all the evil you have 
       done and punish your sins."

       (Jer 14:11 TLB)  The Lord told me again: "Don't ask me any more to 
       bless this people. Don't pray for them any more.

       (Jer 14:12 TLB)  When they fast, I will not pay any attention; when 
       they present their offerings and sacrifices to me, I will not accept 
       them. What I will give them in return is war and famine and disease."

       (Jer 14:13 TLB)  Then I said, "O Lord God, their prophets are telling 
       them that all is well--that no war or famine will come. They tell the 
       people you will surely send them peace, that you will bless them."

       (Jer 14:14 TLB)  Then the Lord said: "The prophets are telling lies in 
       my name. I didn't send them or tell them to speak or give them any 
       message. They prophesy of visions and revelations they have never seen 
       nor heard; they speak foolishness concocted out of their own lying 
       hearts.

       (Jer 14:15 TLB)  Therefore, the Lord says, I will punish these lying 





       prophets who have spoken in my name though I did not send them, who 
       say no war shall come nor famine. By war and famine they themselves 
       shall die!

       (Jer 14:16 TLB)  And the people to whom they prophesy--their bodies 
       shall be thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem, victims of famine 
       and war; there shall be no one to bury them. Husbands, wives, sons, 
       and daughters--all will be gone. For I will pour out terrible 
       punishment upon them for their sins.

       (Jer 14:17 TLB)  "Therefore, tell them this: 'Night and day my eyes 
       shall overflow with tears; I cannot stop my crying, for my people have 
       been run through with a sword and lie mortally wounded on the ground.

       (Jer 14:18 TLB)  If I go out in the fields, there lie the bodies of 
       those the sword has killed; and if I walk in the streets, there lie 
       those dead from starvation and disease. And yet the prophets and 
       priests alike have made it their business to travel through the whole 
       country, reassuring everyone that all is well, speaking of things they 
       know nothing about.'"

       (Jer 14:19 TLB)  "O Lord," the people will cry, "have you completely 
       rejected Judah? Do you abhor Jerusalem? Even after punishment, will 
       there be no peace? We thought, 'Now at last he will heal us and bind 
       our wounds.' But no peace has come, and there is only trouble and 
       terror everywhere.

       (Jer 14:20 TLB)  O Lord, we confess our wickedness, and that of our 
       fathers too.

       (Jer 14:21 TLB)  Do not hate us, Lord, for the sake of your own name. 
       Do not disgrace yourself and the throne of your glory by forsaking 
       your promise to bless us!

       (Jer 14:22 TLB)  What heathen god can give us rain? Who but you alone, 
       O Lord our God, can do such things as this? Therefore we will wait for 
       you to help us."

       (Jer 15:1 TLB)  Then the Lord said to me, "Even if Moses and Samuel 
       stood before me pleading for these people, even then I wouldn't help 
       them--away with them! Get them out of my sight!

       (Jer 15:2 TLB)  And if they say to you, 'But where can we go?' tell 
       them the Lord says: 'Those who are destined for death, to death; those 
       who must die by the sword, to the sword; those doomed to starvation, 
       to famine; and those for captivity, to captivity.'

       (Jer 15:3 TLB)  I will appoint over them four kinds of destroyers," 
       says the Lord: "the sword to kill, the dogs to tear, and the vultures 
       and wild animals to finish up what's left.

       (Jer 15:4 TLB)  Because of the wicked things Manasseh, son of 
       Hezekiah, king of Judah, did in Jerusalem, I will punish you so 
       severely that your fate will horrify the peoples of the world.

       (Jer 15:5 TLB)  "Who will feel sorry for you, Jerusalem? Who will weep 





       for you? Who will even bother to ask how you are?

       (Jer 15:6 TLB)  You have forsaken me and turned your backs upon me. 
       Therefore, I will clench my fists against you to destroy you. I am 
       tired of always giving you another chance.

       (Jer 15:7 TLB)  I will sift you at the gates of your cities and take 
       from you all that you hold dear, and I will destroy my own people 
       because they refuse to turn back to me from all their evil ways.

       (Jer 15:8 TLB)  There shall be countless widows; at noontime I will 
       bring death to the young men and sorrow to their mothers. I will cause 
       anguish and terror to fall upon them suddenly.

       (Jer 15:9 TLB)  The mother of seven sickens and faints, for all her 
       sons are dead. Her sun is gone down while it is yet day. She sits 
       childless now, disgraced, for all her children have been killed."

       (Jer 15:10 TLB)  Then Jeremiah said, "What sadness is mine, my mother; 
       oh, that I had died at birth. For I am hated everywhere I go. I am 
       neither a creditor soon to foreclose nor a debtor refusing to pay--yet 
       they all curse me.

       (Jer 15:11 TLB)  Well, let them curse! Lord, you know how I have pled 
       with you on their behalf--how I have begged you to spare these enemies 
       of mine."

       (Jer 15:12 TLB)  "Can a man break bars of northern iron or bronze?

       (Jer 15:13 TLB)  This people's stubborn will can't be broken either. 
       So, because of all your sins against me, I will deliver your wealth 
       and treasures as loot to the enemy.

       (Jer 15:14 TLB)  I will have your enemies take you as slaves to a land 
       where you have never been before, for my anger burns like fire, and it 
       shall consume you."

       (Jer 15:15 TLB)  Then Jeremiah replied, "Lord, you know it is for your 
       sake that I am suffering. They are persecuting me because I have 
       proclaimed your word to them. Don't let them kill me! Rescue me from 
       their clutches, and give them what they deserve!

       (Jer 15:16 TLB)  Your words are what sustain me; they are food to my 
       hungry soul. They bring joy to my sorrowing heart and delight me. How 
       proud I am to bear your name, O Lord.

       (Jer 15:17 TLB)  I have not joined the people in their merry feasts. I 
       sit alone beneath the hand of God. I burst with indignation at their 
       sins.

       (Jer 15:18 TLB)  Yet you have failed me in my time of need! You have 
       let them keep right on with all their persecutions. Will they never 
       stop hurting me? Your help is as uncertain as a seasonal mountain 
       brook--sometimes a flood, sometimes as dry as a bone."

       (Jer 15:19 TLB)  The Lord replied: "Stop this foolishness and talk 





       some sense! Only if you return to trusting me will I let you continue 
       as my spokesman. You are to influence them, not let them influence 
       you!

       (Jer 15:20 TLB)  They will fight against you like a besieging army 
       against a high city wall. But they will not conquer you, for I am with 
       you to protect and deliver you," says the Lord.

       (Jer 15:21 TLB)  "Yes, I will certainly deliver you from these wicked 
       men and rescue you from their ruthless hands."

       (Jer 16:1 TLB)  On yet another occasion God spoke to me, and said:

       (Jer 16:2 TLB)  "You must not marry and have children here.

       (Jer 16:3 TLB)  For the children born in this city and their mothers 
       and fathers

       (Jer 16:4 TLB)  shall die from terrible diseases. No one shall mourn 
       for them or bury them, but their bodies shall lie on the ground to rot 
       and fertilize the soil. They shall die from war and famine, and their 
       bodies shall be picked apart by vultures and wild animals.

       (Jer 16:5 TLB)  Do not mourn or weep for them, for I have removed my 
       protection and my peace from them--taken away my loving-kindness and 
       my mercies.

       (Jer 16:6 TLB)  Both great and small shall die in this land, unburied 
       and unmourned, and their friends shall not cut themselves nor shave 
       their heads as signs of sorrow (as is their heathen custom).

       (Jer 16:7 TLB)  No one shall comfort the mourners with a meal nor send 
       them a cup of wine expressing grief for their parents' death.

       (Jer 16:8 TLB)  "As a sign to them of these sad days ahead, don't you 
       join them any more in their feasts and parties--don't even eat a meal 
       with them."

       (Jer 16:9 TLB)  For the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: "In 
       your own lifetime, before your very eyes, I will end all laughter in 
       this land--the happy songs, the marriage feasts, the songs of 
       bridegrooms and of brides.

       (Jer 16:10 TLB)  "And when you tell the people all these things and 
       they ask, 'Why has the Lord decreed such terrible things against us? 
       What have we done to merit such treatment? What is our sin against the 
       Lord our God?'

       (Jer 16:11 TLB)  tell them the Lord's reply is this: 'Because your 
       fathers forsook me.' They worshiped other gods and served them; they 
       did not keep my laws,

       (Jer 16:12 TLB)  and you have been worse than your fathers were! You 
       follow evil to your hearts' content and refuse to listen to me.

       (Jer 16:13 TLB)  Therefore, I will throw you out of this land and 





       chase you into a foreign land where neither you nor your fathers have 
       been before, and there you can go ahead and worship your idols all you 
       like--and I will grant you no favors!

       (Jer 16:14 TLB)  "But there will come a glorious day," says the Lord, 
       "when the whole topic of conversation will be that God is bringing his 
       people home from a nation in the north, and from many other lands 
       where he had scattered them.

       (Jer 16:15 TLB)  You will look back no longer to the time when I 
       rescued you from your slavery in Egypt. That mighty miracle will 
       scarcely be mentioned any more. Yes, I will bring you back again," 
       says the Lord, "to this same land I gave your fathers.

       (Jer 16:16 TLB)  "Now I am sending for many fishermen to fish you from 
       the deeps where you are hiding from my wrath. I am sending for hunters 
       to chase you down like deer in the forests or mountain goats on 
       inaccessible crags. Wherever you run to escape my judgment, I will 
       find you and punish you.

       (Jer 16:17 TLB)  For I am closely watching you, and I see every sin. 
       You cannot hope to hide from me.

       (Jer 16:18 TLB)  "And I will punish you doubly for all your sins 
       because you have defiled my land with your detestable idols and filled 
       it up with all your evil deeds."

       (Jer 16:19 TLB)  O Lord, my Strength and Fortress, my Refuge in the 
       day of trouble, nations from around the world will come to you saying, 
       "Our fathers have been foolish, for they have worshiped worthless 
       idols!

       (Jer 16:20 TLB)  Can men make God? The gods they made are not real 
       gods at all."

       (Jer 16:21 TLB)  "And when they come in that spirit, I will show them 
       my power and might and make them understand at last that I alone am 
       God.

       (Jer 17:1 TLB)  "My people sin as though commanded to, as though their 
       evil were laws chiseled with an iron pen or diamond point upon their 
       stony hearts or on the corners of their altars.

       (Jer 17:2 TLB)  Their youths do not forget to sin, worshiping idols 
       beneath each tree, high in the mountains or in the open country down 
       below.

       (Jer 17:3 TLB)  And so I will give all your treasures to your enemies 
       as the price that you must pay for all your sins.

       (Jer 17:4 TLB)  And the wonderful heritage I reserved for you will 
       slip out of your hand, and I will send you away as slaves to your 
       enemies in distant lands. For you have kindled a fire of my anger that 
       shall burn forever."

       (Jer 17:5 TLB)  The Lord says: "Cursed is the man who puts his trust 





       in mortal man and turns his heart away from God.

       (Jer 17:6 TLB)  He is like a stunted shrub in the desert, with no hope 
       for the future; he lives on the salt-encrusted plains in the barren 
       wilderness; good times pass him by forever.

       (Jer 17:7 TLB)  "But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and has 
       made the Lord his hope and confidence.

       (Jer 17:8 TLB)  He is like a tree planted along a riverbank, with its 
       roots reaching deep into the water--a tree not bothered by the heat 
       nor worried by long months of drought. Its leaves stay green, and it 
       goes right on producing all its luscious fruit.

       (Jer 17:9 TLB)  "The heart is the most deceitful thing there is and 
       desperately wicked. No one can really know how bad it is!

       (Jer 17:10 TLB)  Only the Lord knows! He searches all hearts and 
       examines deepest motives so he can give to each person his right 
       reward, according to his deeds--how he has lived.

       (Jer 17:11 TLB)  "Like a bird that fills her nest with young she has 
       not hatched and which will soon desert her and fly away, so is the man 
       who gets his wealth by unjust means. Sooner or later he will lose his 
       riches and at the end of his life become a poor old fool."

       (Jer 17:12 TLB)  But our refuge is your throne, eternal, high and 
       glorious.

       (Jer 17:13 TLB)  O Lord, the Hope of Israel, all who turn away from 
       you shall be disgraced and shamed; they are registered for earth and 
       not for glory, for they have forsaken the Lord, the Fountain of living 
       waters.

       (Jer 17:14 TLB)  Lord, you alone can heal me, you alone can save, and 
       my praises are for you alone.

       (Jer 17:15 TLB)  Men scoff at me and say, "What is this word of the 
       Lord you keep talking about? If these threats of yours are really from 
       God, why don't they come true?"

       (Jer 17:16 TLB)  Lord, I don't want the people crushed by terrible 
       calamity. The plan is yours, not mine. It is your message I've given 
       them, not my own. I don't want them doomed!

       (Jer 17:17 TLB)  Lord, don't desert me now! You alone are my hope.

       (Jer 17:18 TLB)  Bring confusion and trouble on all who persecute me, 
       but give me peace. Yes, bring double destruction upon them!

       (Jer 17:19 TLB)  Then the Lord said to me, "Go and stand in the gates 
       of Jerusalem, first at the gate where the king goes out, and then at 
       each of the other gates,

       (Jer 17:20 TLB)  and say to all the people: 'Hear the word of the 
       Lord, kings of Judah and all the people of this nation, and all you 





       citizens of Jerusalem.

       (Jer 17:21 TLB)  The Lord says: Take warning and live; do no 
       unnecessary work on the Sabbath day, but make it a holy day. I gave 
       this commandment to your fathers,

       (Jer 17:22 TLB)  

       (Jer 17:23 TLB)  but they didn't listen or obey. They stubbornly 
       refused to pay attention and be taught.

       (Jer 17:24 TLB)  "'But if you obey me,' says the Lord, 'and refuse to 
       work on the Sabbath day and keep it separate, special and holy,

       (Jer 17:25 TLB)  then this nation shall continue forever. There shall 
       always be descendants of David sitting on the throne here in 
       Jerusalem; there shall always be kings and princes riding in pomp and 
       splendor among the people, and this city shall remain forever.

       (Jer 17:26 TLB)  And from all around Jerusalem and from the cities of 
       Judah and Benjamin, from the Negeb and from the lowlands west of 
       Judah, the people shall come with their burnt offerings and grain 
       offerings and incense, bringing their sacrifices to praise the Lord in 
       his Temple.

       (Jer 17:27 TLB)  "'But if you will not listen to me, if you refuse to 
       keep the Sabbath holy, if on the Sabbath you bring in loads of 
       merchandise through these gates of Jerusalem, just as on other days, 
       then I will set fire to these gates. The fire shall spread to the 
       palaces and utterly destroy them, and no one shall be able to put out 
       the raging flames.'"

       (Jer 18:1 TLB)  Here is another message to Jeremiah from the Lord:

       (Jer 18:2 TLB)  "Go down to the shop where clay pots and jars are 
       made, and I will talk to you there."

       (Jer 18:3 TLB)  I did as he told me and found the potter working at 
       his wheel.

       (Jer 18:4 TLB)  But the jar that he was forming didn't turn out as he 
       wished, so he kneaded it into a lump and started again.

       (Jer 18:5 TLB)  Then the Lord said:

       (Jer 18:6 TLB)  "O Israel, can't I do to you as this potter has done 
       to his clay? As the clay is in the potter's hand, so are you in my 
       hand.

       (Jer 18:7 TLB)  Whenever I announce that a certain nation or kingdom 
       is to be taken up and destroyed,

       (Jer 18:8 TLB)  then if that nation renounces its evil ways, I will 
       not destroy it as I had planned.

       (Jer 18:9 TLB)  And if I announce that I will make a certain nation 





       strong and great,

       (Jer 18:10 TLB)  but then that nation changes its mind, turns to evil, 
       and refuses to obey me, then I, too, will change my mind and not bless 
       that nation as I had said I would.

       (Jer 18:11 TLB)  "Therefore, go and warn all Judah and Jerusalem, 
       saying: 'Hear the word of the Lord. I am planning evil against you now 
       instead of good; turn back from your evil paths and do what is 
       right.'"

       (Jer 18:12 TLB)  But they replied, "Don't waste your breath. We have 
       no intention whatever of doing what God says. We will continue to live 
       as we want to, free from any restraint, full of stubbornness and 
       wickedness!"

       (Jer 18:13 TLB)  Then the Lord said: "Even among the heathen, no one 
       has ever heard of such a thing! My people have done something too 
       horrible to understand.

       (Jer 18:14 TLB)  The snow never melts high up in the Lebanon 
       mountains. The cold, flowing streams from the crags of Mount Hermon 
       never run dry.

       (Jer 18:15 TLB)  These can be counted on. But not my people! For they 
       have deserted me and turned to foolish idols. They have turned away 
       from the ancient highways of good and walk the muddy paths of sin.

       (Jer 18:16 TLB)  Therefore, their land shall become desolate, so that 
       all who pass by will gasp and shake their heads in amazement at its 
       utter desolation.

       (Jer 18:17 TLB)  I will scatter my people before their enemies as the 
       east wind scatters dust; and in all their trouble I will turn my back 
       on them and refuse to notice their distress."

       (Jer 18:18 TLB)  Then the people said, "Come, let's get rid of 
       Jeremiah. We have our own priests and wise men and prophets--we don't 
       need his advice. Let's silence him that he may speak no more against 
       us, nor bother us again."

       (Jer 18:19 TLB)  O Lord, help me! See what they are planning to do to 
       me!

       (Jer 18:20 TLB)  Should they repay evil for good? They have set a trap 
       to kill me, yet I spoke well of them to you and tried to defend them 
       from your anger.

       (Jer 18:21 TLB)  Now, Lord, let their children starve to death and let 
       the sword pour out their blood! Let their wives be widows and be 
       bereft of all their children! Let their men die in epidemics and their 
       youths die in battle!

       (Jer 18:22 TLB)  Let screaming be heard from their homes as troops of 
       soldiers come suddenly upon them, for they have dug a pit for me to 
       fall in, and they have hidden traps along my path.






       (Jer 18:23 TLB)  Lord, you know all their murderous plots against me. 
       Don't forgive them, don't blot out their sin, but let them perish 
       before you; deal with them in your anger.

       (Jer 19:1 TLB)  The Lord said, "Buy a clay jar and take it out into 
       the valley of Ben-hinnom by the east gate of the city.

       (Jer 19:2 TLB)  Take some of the elders of the people and some of the 
       older priests with you, and speak to them whatever words I give you."

       (Jer 19:3 TLB)  Then the Lord spoke to them and said: "Listen to the 
       word of the Lord, kings of Judah and citizens of Jerusalem! The Lord 
       Almighty, the God of Israel, says, 'I will bring terrible evil upon 
       this place, so terrible that the ears of those who hear it will 
       prickle.

       (Jer 19:4 TLB)  For Israel has forsaken me and turned this valley into 
       a place of shame and wickedness. The people burn incense to 
       idols--idols that neither this generation nor their forefathers nor 
       the kings of Judah have worshiped before--and they have filled this 
       place with the blood of innocent children.

       (Jer 19:5 TLB)  They have built high altars to Baal, and there they 
       burn their sons in sacrifice--a thing I never commanded them nor even 
       thought of!

       (Jer 19:6 TLB)  "'The day is coming, says the Lord, when this valley 
       shall no longer be called Topheth or Ben-hinnom Valley, but The Valley 
       of Slaughter.

       (Jer 19:7 TLB)  For I will upset the battle plans of Judah and 
       Jerusalem, and I will let invading armies kill you here and leave your 
       dead bodies for vultures and wild animals to feed upon.

       (Jer 19:8 TLB)  And I will wipe Jerusalem off the earth, so that 
       everyone going by will gasp with astonishment at all that I have done 
       to her.

       (Jer 19:9 TLB)  I will see to it that your enemies lay siege to the 
       city until all food is gone and those trapped inside begin to eat 
       their own children and friends.'

       (Jer 19:10 TLB)  "And now, Jeremiah, as these men watch, smash the jar 
       you brought with you,

       (Jer 19:11 TLB)  and say to them, 'This is the message to you from the 
       Lord Almighty: "As this jar lies shattered, so I will shatter the 
       people of Jerusalem; and as this jar cannot be mended, neither can 
       they. The slaughter shall be so great that there won't be room enough 
       for decent burial anywhere, and their bodies shall be heaped in this 
       valley.

       (Jer 19:12 TLB)  And as it will be in this valley, so it will be in 
       Jerusalem. For I will fill Jerusalem with dead bodies too.





       (Jer 19:13 TLB)  And I will defile all the homes in Jerusalem, 
       including the palace of the kings of Judah--wherever incense has been 
       burned upon the roofs to your stargods, and libations poured out to 
       them."'"

       (Jer 19:14 TLB)  As Jeremiah returned from Topheth where he had 
       delivered this message, he stopped in front of the Temple of the Lord 
       and said to all the people,

       (Jer 19:15 TLB)  "The Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: 'I will 
       bring upon this city and her surrounding towns all the evil I have 
       promised because you have stubbornly refused to listen to the Lord.'"

       (Jer 20:1 TLB)  Now when Pashhur (son of Immer), the priest in charge 
       of the Temple of the Lord, heard what Jeremiah was saying,

       (Jer 20:2 TLB)  he arrested Jeremiah and had him whipped and put in 
       the stocks at Benjamin Gate near the Temple.

       (Jer 20:3 TLB)  He left him there all night. The next day when Pashhur 
       finally released him, Jeremiah said, "Pashhur, the Lord has changed 
       your name. He says from now on to call you 'The Man Who Lives in 
       Terror.'

       (Jer 20:4 TLB)  For the Lord will send terror on you and all your 
       friends, and you will see them die by the swords of their enemies. 'I 
       will hand over Judah to the king of Babylon,' says the Lord, 'and he 
       shall take away these people as slaves to Babylon and kill them.

       (Jer 20:5 TLB)  And I will let your enemies loot Jerusalem. All the 
       famed treasures of the city, with the precious jewels and gold and 
       silver of your kings, shall be carried off to Babylon.

       (Jer 20:6 TLB)  And as for you, Pashhur, you and all your family and 
       household shall become slaves in Babylon and die there--you and those 
       to whom you lied when you prophesied that everything would be all 
       right.'"

       (Jer 20:7 TLB)  O Lord, you deceived me when you promised me your 
       help. I have to give them your messages because you are stronger than 
       I am, but now I am the laughingstock of the city, mocked by all.

       (Jer 20:8 TLB)  You have never once let me speak a word of kindness to 
       them; always it is disaster and horror and destruction. No wonder they 
       scoff and mock and make my name a household joke.

       (Jer 20:9 TLB)  And I can't quit! For if I say I'll never again 
       mention the Lord--never more speak in his name--then his word in my 
       heart is like fire that burns in my bones, and I can't hold it in any 
       longer.

       (Jer 20:10 TLB)  Yet on every side I hear their whispered threats and 
       am afraid. "We will report," they say. Even those who were my friends 
       are watching me, waiting for a fatal slip. "He will trap himself," 
       they say, "and then we will get our revenge on him."





       (Jer 20:11 TLB)  But the Lord stands beside me like a great warrior, 
       and before him, the Mighty, Terrible One, they shall stumble. They 
       cannot defeat me; they shall be shamed and thoroughly humiliated, and 
       they shall have a stigma upon them forever.

       (Jer 20:12 TLB)  O Lord Almighty, who knows those who are righteous 
       and examines the deepest thoughts of hearts and minds, let me see your 
       vengeance on them. For I have committed my cause to you.

       (Jer 20:13 TLB)  Therefore, I will sing out in thanks to the Lord! 
       Praise him! For he has delivered me, poor and needy, from my 
       oppressors.

       (Jer 20:14 TLB)  Yet, cursed be the day that I was born!

       (Jer 20:15 TLB)  Cursed be the man who brought my father the news that 
       a son was born.

       (Jer 20:16 TLB)  Let that messenger be destroyed like the cities of 
       old which God overthrew without mercy. Terrify him all day long with 
       battle shouts

       (Jer 20:17 TLB)  because he did not kill me at my birth! Oh, that I 
       had died within my mother's womb, that it had been my grave!

       (Jer 20:18 TLB)  Why was I ever born? For my life has been but trouble 
       and sorrow and shame.

       (Jer 21:1 TLB)  Then King Zedekiah sent Pashhur (son of Malchiah) and 
       Zephaniah the priest (son of Maaseiah) to Jeremiah and begged, "Ask 
       the Lord to help us, for Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, has declared 
       war on us!

       (Jer 21:2 TLB)  Perhaps the Lord will be gracious to us and do a 
       mighty miracle as in olden times and force Nebuchadnezzar to withdraw 
       his forces."

       (Jer 21:3 TLB)  Jeremiah replied, "Go back to King Zedekiah and tell 
       him

       (Jer 21:4 TLB)  the Lord God of Israel says, 'I will make all your 
       weapons useless against the king of Babylon and the Chaldeans 
       besieging you. In fact, I will bring your enemies right into the heart 
       of this city,

       (Jer 21:5 TLB)  and I myself will fight against you, for I am very 
       angry.

       (Jer 21:6 TLB)  And I will send a terrible plague on this city, and 
       both men and animals shall die.

       (Jer 21:7 TLB)  And finally I will deliver King Zedekiah himself and 
       all the remnant left in the city into the hands of King Nebuchadnezzar 
       of Babylon, to slaughter them without pity or mercy.'

       (Jer 21:8 TLB)  "Tell these people, 'The Lord says: "Take your choice 





       of life or death!

       (Jer 21:9 TLB)  Stay here in Jerusalem and die--slaughtered by your 
       enemies, killed by starvation and disease--or go out and surrender to 
       the Chaldean army and live.

       (Jer 21:10 TLB)  For I have set my face against this city; I will be 
       its enemy and not its friend," says the Lord. It shall be captured by 
       the king of Babylon and he shall reduce it to ashes.'

       (Jer 21:11 TLB)  "And to the king of Judah, the Lord says:

       (Jer 21:12 TLB)  'I am ready to judge you because of all the evil you 
       are doing. Quick! Give justice to these you judge! Begin doing what is 
       right before my burning fury flashes out upon you like a fire no man 
       can quench.

       (Jer 21:13 TLB)  I will fight against this city of Jerusalem, that 
       boasts, "We are safe; no one can touch us here!"

       (Jer 21:14 TLB)  And I myself will destroy you for your sinfulness, 
       says the Lord. I will light a fire in the forests that will burn up 
       everything in its path.'"

       (Jer 22:1 TLB)  Then the Lord said to me: "Go over and speak directly 
       to the king of Judah and say,

       (Jer 22:2 TLB)  'Listen to this message from God, O king of Judah, 
       sitting on David's throne; and let your servants and your people 
       listen too.

       (Jer 22:3 TLB)  "'The Lord says: "Be fair-minded. Do what is right! 
       Help those in need of justice! Quit your evil deeds! Protect the 
       rights of aliens and immigrants, orphans and widows; stop murdering 
       the innocent!

       (Jer 22:4 TLB)  If you put an end to all these terrible deeds you are 
       doing, then I will deliver this nation and once more give kings to sit 
       on David's throne, and there shall be prosperity for all.

       (Jer 22:5 TLB)  But if you refuse to pay attention to this warning, I 
       swear by my own name," says the Lord, "that this palace shall become a 
       shambles."'"

       (Jer 22:6 TLB)  For this is the Lord's message concerning the palace: 
       "You are as beloved to me as fruitful Gilead and the green forests of 
       Lebanon; but I will destroy you and leave you deserted and 
       uninhabited.

       (Jer 22:7 TLB)  I will call for a wrecking crew to bring out its tools 
       to dismantle you. They will tear out all of your fine cedar beams and 
       throw them on the fire.

       (Jer 22:8 TLB)  Men from many nations will pass by the ruins of this 
       city and say to one another, 'Why did the Lord do it? Why did he 
       destroy such a great city?'






       (Jer 22:9 TLB)  And the answer will be, 'Because the people living 
       here forgot the Lord their God and violated his agreement with them, 
       for they worshiped idols.'

       (Jer 22:10 TLB)  Don't weep for the dead! Instead weep for the 
       captives led away! For they will never return to see their native land 
       again.

       (Jer 22:11 TLB)  For the Lord says this about Jehoahaz who succeeded 
       his father King Josiah and was taken away as a captive:

       (Jer 22:12 TLB)  "He shall die in a distant land and never again see 
       his own country.

       (Jer 22:13 TLB)  "And woe to you, King Jehoiakim, for you are building 
       your great palace with forced labor. By not paying wages you are 
       building injustice into its walls and oppression into its doorframes 
       and ceilings.

       (Jer 22:14 TLB)  You say, 'I will build a magnificent palace with huge 
       rooms and many windows, paneled throughout with fragrant cedar and 
       painted a lovely red.'

       (Jer 22:15 TLB)  But a beautiful palace does not make a great king! 
       Why did your father Josiah reign so long? Because he was just and fair 
       in all his dealings. That is why God blessed him.

       (Jer 22:16 TLB)  He saw to it that justice and help were given the 
       poor and the needy and all went well for him. This is how a man lives 
       close to God.

       (Jer 22:17 TLB)  But you! You are full of selfish greed and all 
       dishonesty! You murder the innocent, oppress the poor, and reign with 
       ruthlessness.'

       (Jer 22:18 TLB)  Therefore this is God's decree of punishment against 
       King Jehoiakim, who succeeded his father Josiah on the throne: "His 
       family will not weep for him when he dies. His subjects will not even 
       care that he is dead.

       (Jer 22:19 TLB)  He shall be buried like a dead donkey--dragged out of 
       Jerusalem and thrown on the garbage dump beyond the gate!

       (Jer 22:20 TLB)  Weep, for your allies are gone. Search for them in 
       Lebanon; shout for them at Bashan; seek them at the fording points of 
       Jordan. See, they are all destroyed. Not one is left to help you!

       (Jer 22:21 TLB)  When you were prosperous I warned you, but you 
       replied, 'Don't bother me.' Since childhood you have been that 
       way--you just won't listen!

       (Jer 22:22 TLB)  And now all your allies have disappeared with a puff 
       of wind; all your friends are taken off as slaves. Surely at last you 
       will see your wickedness and be ashamed.





       (Jer 22:23 TLB)  It's very nice to live graciously in a beautiful 
       palace among the cedars of Lebanon, but soon you will cry and groan in 
       anguish--anguish as of a woman in labor.

       (Jer 22:24 TLB)  "And as for you, Coniah, son of Jehoiakim king of 
       Judah--even if you were the signet ring on my right hand, I would pull 
       you off

       (Jer 22:25 TLB)  and give you to those who seek to kill you, of whom 
       you are so desperately afraid--to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and 
       his mighty army.

       (Jer 22:26 TLB)  I will throw you and your mother out of this country, 
       and you shall die in a foreign land.

       (Jer 22:27 TLB)  You will never again return to the land of your 
       desire.

       (Jer 22:28 TLB)  This man Coniah is like a discarded, broken dish. He 
       and his children will be exiled to distant lands.

       (Jer 22:29 TLB)  "O earth, earth, earth! Hear the word of the Lord!

       (Jer 22:30 TLB)  The Lord says: 'Record this man Coniah as childless, 
       for none of his children shall ever sit upon the throne of David or 
       rule in Judah. His life will amount to nothing.'"

       (Jer 23:1 TLB)  The Lord declares: "I will send disaster upon the 
       leaders of my people--the shepherds of my sheep--for they have 
       destroyed and scattered the very ones they were to care for.

       (Jer 23:2 TLB)  Instead of leading my flock to safety, you have 
       deserted them and driven them to destruction. And now I will pour out 
       judgment upon you for the evil you have done to them.

       (Jer 23:3 TLB)  And I will gather together the remnant of my flock 
       from wherever I have sent them and bring them back into their own 
       fold, and they shall be fruitful and increase.

       (Jer 23:4 TLB)  And I will appoint responsible shepherds to care for 
       them, and they shall not need to be afraid again; all of them shall be 
       accounted for continually.

       (Jer 23:5 TLB)  "For the time is coming," says the Lord, "when I will 
       place a righteous Branch upon King David's throne.

       (Jer 23:6 TLB)  He shall be a King who shall rule with wisdom and 
       justice and cause righteousness to prevail everywhere throughout the 
       earth. And this is his name: The Lord Our Righteousness. At that time 
       Judah will be saved and Israel will live in peace.

       (Jer 23:7 TLB)  "In that day people will no longer say when taking an 
       oath, 'As the Lord lives who rescued the people of Israel from the 
       land of Egypt,'

       (Jer 23:8 TLB)  but they will say, 'As the Lord lives who brought the 





       Jews back to their own land of Israel from the countries to which he 
       had exiled them.'

       (Jer 23:9 TLB)  My heart is broken for the false prophets, full of 
       deceit. I awake with fear and stagger as a drunkard does from wine 
       because of the awful fate awaiting them, for God has decreed holy 
       words of judgment against them.

       (Jer 23:10 TLB)  For the land is full of adultery, and the curse of 
       God is on it. The land itself is mourning--the pastures are dried 
       up--for the prophets do evil, and their power is used wrongly.

       (Jer 23:11 TLB)  "The priests are like the prophets, all ungodly, 
       wicked men. I have seen their despicable acts right here in my own 
       Temple," says the Lord.

       (Jer 23:12 TLB)  "Therefore, their paths will be dark and slippery; 
       they will be chased down dark and treacherous trails and fall. For I 
       will bring evil upon them and see to it, when their time has come, 
       that they pay their penalty in full for all their sins.

       (Jer 23:13 TLB)  "I knew the prophets of Samaria were unbelievably 
       evil, for they prophesied by Baal and led my people Israel into sin;

       (Jer 23:14 TLB)  but the prophets of Jerusalem are even worse! The 
       things they do are horrible; they commit adultery and love dishonesty. 
       They encourage and compliment those who are doing evil instead of 
       turning them back from their sins. These prophets are as thoroughly 
       depraved as the men of Sodom and Gomorrah were."

       (Jer 23:15 TLB)  Therefore the Lord Almighty says: "I will feed them 
       with bitterness and give them poison to drink. For it is because of 
       them that wickedness fills this land.

       (Jer 23:16 TLB)  This is my warning to my people," says the Lord 
       Almighty. "Don't listen to these false prophets when they prophesy to 
       you, filling you with futile hopes. They are making up everything they 
       say. They do not speak for me!

       (Jer 23:17 TLB)  They keep saying to these rebels who despise me, 
       'Don't worry! All is well!'; and to those who live the way they want 
       to, 'The Lord has said you shall have peace!'

       (Jer 23:18 TLB)  "But can you name even one of these prophets who 
       lives close enough to God to hear what he is saying? Has even one of 
       them cared enough to listen?

       (Jer 23:19 TLB)  See, the Lord is sending a furious whirlwind to sweep 
       away these wicked men.

       (Jer 23:20 TLB)  The terrible anger of the Lord will not abate until 
       it has carried out the full penalty he decrees against them. Later, 
       when Jerusalem has fallen, you will see what I mean.

       (Jer 23:21 TLB)  "I have not sent these prophets, yet they claim to 
       speak for me; I gave them no message, yet they say their words are 





       mine.

       (Jer 23:22 TLB)  If they were mine, they would try to turn my people 
       from their evil ways.

       (Jer 23:23 TLB)  Am I a God who is only in one place and cannot see 
       what they are doing?

       (Jer 23:24 TLB)  Can anyone hide from me? Am I not everywhere in all 
       of heaven and earth?

       (Jer 23:25 TLB)  "'Listen to the dream I had from God last night,'" 
       they say. And then they proceed to lie in my name.

       (Jer 23:26 TLB)  How long will this continue? If they are 'prophets,' 
       they are prophets of deceit, inventing everything they say.

       (Jer 23:27 TLB)  By telling these false dreams they are trying to get 
       my people to forget me in the same way as their fathers did, who 
       turned away to the idols of Baal.

       (Jer 23:28 TLB)  Let these false prophets tell their dreams and let my 
       true messengers faithfully proclaim my every word. There is a 
       difference between chaff and wheat!

       (Jer 23:29 TLB)  Does not my word burn like fire?" asks the Lord. "Is 
       it not like a mighty hammer that smashed the rock to pieces?

       (Jer 23:30 TLB)  So I stand against these 'prophets' who get their 
       messages from each other--these smooth-tongued 'prophets' who say, 
       'This message is from God!'

       (Jer 23:31 TLB)  

       (Jer 23:32 TLB)  Their made-up dreams are flagrant lies that lead my 
       people into sin. I did not send them, and they have no message at all 
       for my people," says the Lord.

       (Jer 23:33 TLB)  "When one of the people or one of their 'prophets' or 
       priests asks you, 'Well, Jeremiah, what is the sad news from the Lord 
       today?' you shall reply, 'What sad news? You are the sad news, for the 
       Lord has cast you away!'

       (Jer 23:34 TLB)  And as for the false prophets and priests and people 
       who joke about 'today's sad news from God,' I will punish them and 
       their families for saying this.

       (Jer 23:35 TLB)  You can ask each other, 'What is God's message? What 
       is he saying?'

       (Jer 23:36 TLB)  But stop using this term, 'God's sad news.' For what 
       is sad is you and your lying. You are twisting my words and inventing 
       'messages from God' that I didn't speak.

       (Jer 23:37 TLB)  You may respectfully ask Jeremiah, 'What is the 
       Lord's message? What has he said to you?'






       (Jer 23:38 TLB)  But if you ask him about 'today's sad news from God,' 
       when I have warned you not to mock like that,

       (Jer 23:39 TLB)  then I, the Lord God, will unburden myself of the 
       burden you are to me. I will cast you out of my presence, you and this 
       city I gave to you and your fathers.

       (Jer 23:40 TLB)  And I will bring reproach upon you and your name 
       shall be infamous through the ages."

       (Jer 24:1 TLB)  After Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, had captured 
       and enslaved Jeconiah (son of Jehoiakim), king of Judah, and exiled 
       him to Babylon along with the princes of Judah and the skilled 
       tradesmen--the carpenters and blacksmiths--the Lord gave me this 
       vision.

       (Jer 24:2 TLB)  I saw two baskets of figs placed in front of the 
       Temple in Jerusalem. In one basket there were fresh, just-ripened 
       figs, but in the other the figs were spoiled and moldy--too rotten to 
       eat.

       (Jer 24:3 TLB)  Then the Lord said to me, "What do you see, Jeremiah?" 
       I replied, "Figs, some very good and some very bad."

       (Jer 24:4 TLB)  Then the Lord said: "The good figs represent the 
       exiles sent to Babylon. I have done it for their good.

       (Jer 24:5 TLB)  

       (Jer 24:6 TLB)  I will see that they are well treated, and I will 
       bring them back here again. I will help them and not hurt them; I will 
       plant them and not pull them up.

       (Jer 24:7 TLB)  I will give them hearts that respond to me. They shall 
       be my people and I will be their God, for they shall return to me with 
       great joy.

       (Jer 24:8 TLB)  "But the rotten figs represent Zedekiah, king of 
       Judah, his officials, and all the others of Jerusalem left here in 
       this land; those too who live in Egypt. I will treat them like spoiled 
       figs, too bad to use.

       (Jer 24:9 TLB)  I will make them repulsive to every nation of the 
       earth, and they shall be mocked and taunted and cursed wherever I 
       compel them to go.

       (Jer 24:10 TLB)  And I will send massacre and famine and disease among 
       them until they are destroyed from the land of Israel, which I gave to 
       them and to their fathers."

       (Jer 25:1 TLB)  This message for all the people of Judah came from the 
       Lord to Jeremiah during the fourth year of the reign of King Jehoiakim 
       of Judah (son OFJOSIAH). This was the year Nebuchadnezzar, king of 
       Babylon, began his reign.





       (Jer 25:2 TLB)  "For the past twenty-three years," Jeremiah said, 
       "from the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah (son of Amon) king of 
       Judah, until now, God has been sending me his messages. I have 
       faithfully passed them on to you, but you haven't listened.

       (Jer 25:3 TLB)  

       (Jer 25:4 TLB)  Again and again down through the years, God has sent 
       you his prophets, but you have refused to hear.

       (Jer 25:5 TLB)  Each time the message was this: 'Turn from the evil 
       road you are traveling and from the evil things you are doing. Only 
       then can you continue to live here in this land which the Lord gave to 
       you and to your ancestors forever.

       (Jer 25:6 TLB)  Don't anger me by worshiping idols; but if you are 
       true to me, then I'll not harm you.

       (Jer 25:7 TLB)  But you won't listen; you have gone ahead and made me 
       furious with your idols. So you have brought upon yourselves all the 
       evil that has come your way.'

       (Jer 25:8 TLB)  And now the Lord God says, "Because you have not 
       listened to me,

       (Jer 25:9 TLB)  I will gather together all the armies of the north 
       under Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon (I have appointed him as my 
       deputy), and I will bring them all against this land and its people 
       and against the other nations near you, and I will utterly destroy you 
       and make you a byword of contempt forever.

       (Jer 25:10 TLB)  I will take away your joy, your gladness, and your 
       wedding feasts; your businesses shall fail, and all your homes shall 
       lie in silent darkness.

       (Jer 25:11 TLB)  This entire land shall become a desolate wasteland; 
       all the world will be shocked at the disaster that befalls you. Israel 
       and her neighboring lands shall serve the king of Babylon for seventy 
       years.

       (Jer 25:12 TLB)  "Then, after these years of slavery are ended, I will 
       punish the king of Babylon and his people for their sins; I will make 
       the land of Chaldea an everlasting waste.

       (Jer 25:13 TLB)  I will bring upon them all the terrors I have 
       promised in this book--all the penalties announced by Jeremiah against 
       the nations.

       (Jer 25:14 TLB)  For many nations and great kings shall enslave the 
       Chaldeans, just as they enslaved my people; I will punish them in 
       proportion to their treatment of my people."

       (Jer 25:15 TLB)  For the Lord God said to me: "Take from my hand this 
       wine cup filled to the brim with my fury, and make all the nations to 
       whom I send you drink from it.





       (Jer 25:16 TLB)  They shall drink from it and reel, crazed by the 
       death blows I rain upon them."

       (Jer 25:17 TLB)  So I took the cup of fury from the Lord and made all 
       the nations drink from it--every nation God had sent me to;

       (Jer 25:18 TLB)  I went to Jerusalem and to the cities of Judah, and 
       their kings and princes drank of the cup so that from that day until 
       this they have been desolate, hated and cursed, just as they are 
       today.

       (Jer 25:19 TLB)  I went to Egypt, and Pharaoh, his servants, the 
       princes, and the people--they too drank from that terrible cup,

       (Jer 25:20 TLB)  along with all the foreign population living in his 
       land. So did all the kings of the land of Uz and the kings of the 
       Philistine cities: Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and what remains of Ashdod,

       (Jer 25:21 TLB)  and I visited the nations of Edom, Moab, and Ammon;

       (Jer 25:22 TLB)  and all the kings of Tyre and Sidon, and the kings of 
       the regions across the sea;

       (Jer 25:23 TLB)  Dedan, Tema, and Buz, and the other heathen there;

       (Jer 25:24 TLB)  and all the kings of Arabia and of the nomadic tribes 
       of the desert;

       (Jer 25:25 TLB)  and all the kings of Zimri, Elam, and Media;

       (Jer 25:26 TLB)  and all the kings of the northern countries, far and 
       near, one after the other; and all the kingdoms of the world. And 
       finally, the king of Babylon himself drank from this cup of God's 
       wrath.

       (Jer 25:27 TLB)  "Tell them, 'The Lord of heaven's armies, the God of 
       Israel, says, "Drink from this cup of my wrath until you are drunk and 
       vomit and fall to rise no more, for I am sending terrible wars upon 
       you."'

       (Jer 25:28 TLB)  And if they refuse to accept the cup, tell them, 'The 
       Lord of heaven's armies says you must drink it! You cannot escape!

       (Jer 25:29 TLB)  I have begun to punish my own people, so should you 
       go free? No, you shall not evade punishment. I will call for war 
       against all the peoples of the earth.'

       (Jer 25:30 TLB)  "Therefore prophesy against them. Tell them the Lord 
       will shout against his own from his holy temple in heaven and against 
       all those living on the earth. He will shout as the harvesters do who 
       tread the juice from the grapes.

       (Jer 25:31 TLB)  That cry of judgment will reach the farthest ends of 
       the earth, for the Lord has a case against all the nations--all 
       mankind. He will slaughter all the wicked.





       (Jer 25:32 TLB)  'See,' declares the Lord Almighty, 'the punishment 
       shall go from nation to nation--a great whirlwind of wrath shall rise 
       against the farthest corners of the earth.'

       (Jer 25:33 TLB)  On that day those the Lord has slain shall fill the 
       earth from one end to the other. No one shall mourn for them nor 
       gather up the bodies to bury them; they shall fertilize the earth."

       (Jer 25:34 TLB)  Weep and moan, O evil shepherds; let the leaders of 
       mankind beat their heads upon the stones, for their time has come to 
       be slaughtered and scattered; they shall fall like fragile women.

       (Jer 25:35 TLB)  And you will find no place to hide, no way to escape.

       (Jer 25:36 TLB)  Listen to the frantic cries of the shepherds and to 
       the leaders shouting in despair, for the Lord has spoiled their 
       pastures.

       (Jer 25:37 TLB)  People now living undisturbed will be cut down by the 
       fierceness of the anger of the Lord.

       (Jer 25:38 TLB)  He has left his lair like a lion seeking prey; their 
       land has been laid waste by warring armies--because of the fierce 
       anger of the Lord.

       (Jer 26:1 TLB)  This message came to Jeremiah from the Lord during the 
       first year of the reign of Jehoiakim (son of Josiah), king of Judah:

       (Jer 26:2 TLB)  "Stand out in front of the Temple of the Lord and make 
       an announcement to all the people who have come there to worship from 
       many parts of Judah. Give them the entire message; don't leave out one 
       word of all I have for them to hear.

       (Jer 26:3 TLB)  For perhaps they will listen and turn from their evil 
       ways, and then I can withhold all the punishment I am ready to pour 
       out upon them because of their evil deeds.

       (Jer 26:4 TLB)  Tell them the Lord says: 'If you will not listen to me 
       and obey the laws I have given you,

       (Jer 26:5 TLB)  and if you will not listen to my servants, the 
       prophets--for I sent them again and again to warn you, but you would 
       not listen to them--

       (Jer 26:6 TLB)  then I will destroy this Temple as I destroyed the 
       Tabernacle at Shiloh, and I will make Jerusalem a curse word in every 
       nation of the earth.'"

       (Jer 26:7 TLB)  When Jeremiah had finished his message, saying 
       everything the Lord had told him to, the priests and false prophets 
       and all the people in the Temple mobbed him, shouting, "Kill him! Kill 
       him!

       (Jer 26:8 TLB)  

       (Jer 26:9 TLB)  What right do you have to say the Lord will destroy 





       this Temple like the one at Shiloh?" they yelled. "What do you 
       mean--Jerusalem destroyed and not one survivor?"

       (Jer 26:10 TLB)  When the high officials of Judah heard what was going 
       on, they rushed over from the palace and sat down at the door of the 
       Temple to hold court.

       (Jer 26:11 TLB)  Then the priests and the false prophets presented 
       their accusations to the officials and the people. "This man should 
       die!" they said. "You have heard with your own ears what a traitor he 
       is, for he has prophesied against this city."

       (Jer 26:12 TLB)  Then Jeremiah spoke in his defense. "The Lord sent 
       me," he said, "to prophesy against this Temple and this city. He gave 
       me every word of all that I have spoken.

       (Jer 26:13 TLB)  But if you stop your sinning and begin obeying the 
       Lord your God, he will cancel all the punishment he has announced 
       against you.

       (Jer 26:14 TLB)  As for me, I am helpless and in your power--do with 
       me as you think best.

       (Jer 26:15 TLB)  But there is one thing sure, if you kill me, you will 
       be killing an innocent man, and the responsibility will lie upon you 
       and upon this city and upon every person living in it; for it is 
       absolutely true that the Lord sent me to speak every word that you 
       have heard from me."

       (Jer 26:16 TLB)  Then the officials and people said to the priests and 
       false prophets, "This man does not deserve the death sentence, for he 
       has spoken to us in the name of the Lord our God."

       (Jer 26:17 TLB)  Then some of the wise old men stood and spoke to all 
       the people standing around and said:

       (Jer 26:18 TLB)  "The decision is right; for back in the days when 
       Micah the Morasthite prophesied in the days of King Hezekiah of Judah, 
       he told the people that God said: 'This hill shall be plowed like an 
       open field and this city of Jerusalem razed into heaps of stone, and a 
       forest shall grow at the top where the great Temple now stands!'

       (Jer 26:19 TLB)  But did King Hezekiah and the people kill him for 
       saying this? No, they turned from their wickedness and worshiped the 
       Lord and begged the Lord to have mercy upon them; and the Lord held 
       back the terrible punishment he had pronounced against them. If we 
       kill Jeremiah for giving us the messages of God, who knows what God 
       will do to us!"

       (Jer 26:20 TLB)  Another true prophet of the Lord, Uriah (son of 
       Shemaiah) from Kiriathjearim, was also denouncing the city and the 
       nation at the same time as Jeremiah was.

       (Jer 26:21 TLB)  But when King Jehoiakim and the army officers and 
       officials heard what he was saying, the king sent to kill him. Uriah 
       heard about it and fled to Egypt.






       (Jer 26:22 TLB)  Then King Jehoiakim sent Elnathan (son of Achbor) to 
       Egypt along with several other men to capture Uriah.

       (Jer 26:23 TLB)  They took him prisoner and brought him back to King 
       Jehoiakim, who butchered him with a sword and had him buried in an 
       unmarked grave.

       (Jer 26:24 TLB)  But Ahikam (son of Shaphan), the royal secretary, 
       stood with Jeremiah and persuaded the court not to turn him over to 
       the mob to kill him.

       (Jer 27:1 TLB)  This message came to Jeremiah from the Lord at the 
       beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim (son of Josiah), king of Judah:

       (Jer 27:2 TLB)  "Make a yoke and fasten it on your neck with leather 
       thongs as you would strap a yoke on a plow-ox.

       (Jer 27:3 TLB)  Then send messages to the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon, 
       Tyre, and Sidon, through their ambassadors in Jerusalem,

       (Jer 27:4 TLB)  saying, 'Tell your masters that the Lord, the God of 
       Israel, sends you this message:

       (Jer 27:5 TLB)  "' "By my great power I have made the earth and all 
       mankind and every animal; and I give these things of mine to anyone I 
       want to.

       (Jer 27:6 TLB)  So now I have given all your countries to King 
       Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, who is my deputy. And I have handed over to 
       him all your cattle for his use.

       (Jer 27:7 TLB)  All the nations shall serve him and his son and his 
       grandson until his time is up, and then many nations and great kings 
       shall conquer Babylon and make him their slave.

       (Jer 27:8 TLB)  Submit to him and serve him--put your neck under 
       Babylon's yoke! I will punish any nation refusing to be his slave; I 
       will send war, famine, and disease upon that nation until he has 
       conquered it.

       (Jer 27:9 TLB)  "' "Do not listen to your false prophets, 
       fortune-tellers, dreamers, mediums, and magicians who say the king of 
       Babylon will not enslave you.

       (Jer 27:10 TLB)  For they are all liars, and if you follow their 
       advice and refuse to submit to the king of Babylon, I will drive you 
       out of your land and send you far away to perish.

       (Jer 27:11 TLB)  But the people of any nation submitting to the king 
       of Babylon will be permitted to stay in their own country and farm the 
       land as usual."'"

       (Jer 27:12 TLB)  Jeremiah repeated all these prophecies to Zedekiah, 
       king of Judah. "If you want to live, submit to the king of Babylon," 
       he said.






       (Jer 27:13 TLB)  "Why do you insist on dying--you and your people? Why 
       should you choose war and famine and disease, which the Lord has 
       promised to every nation that will not submit to Babylon's king?

       (Jer 27:14 TLB)  Don't listen to the false prophets who keep telling 
       you the king of Babylon will not conquer you, for they are liars.

       (Jer 27:15 TLB)  'I have not sent them,' says the Lord, 'and they are 
       telling you lies in my name. If you insist on heeding them, I must 
       drive you from this land to die--you and all these "prophets" too.'"

       (Jer 27:16 TLB)  I spoke again and again to the priests and all the 
       people and told them: "The Lord says, 'Don't listen to your prophets 
       who are telling you that soon the gold dishes taken from the Temple 
       will be returned from Babylon. It is all a lie.

       (Jer 27:17 TLB)  Don't listen to them. Surrender to the king of 
       Babylon and live, for otherwise this whole city will be destroyed.

       (Jer 27:18 TLB)  If they are really God's prophets, then let them pray 
       to the Lord Almighty that the gold dishes still here in the Temple, 
       left from before; and that those in the palace of the king of Judah 
       and in the palaces in Jerusalem will not be carried away with you to 
       Babylon!'

       (Jer 27:19 TLB)  "For the Lord Almighty says, 'The pillars of bronze 
       standing before the Temple, the great bronze basin in the Temple 
       court, the metal stands, and all the other ceremonial articles left 
       here

       (Jer 27:20 TLB)  by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, when he exiled 
       all the important people of Judah and Jerusalem to Babylon, along with 
       Jeconiah (son of Jehoiakim), king of Judah,

       (Jer 27:21 TLB)  

       (Jer 27:22 TLB)  will all yet be carried away to Babylon and will stay 
       there until I send for them. Then I will bring them all back to 
       Jerusalem again.'"

       (Jer 28:1 TLB)  On a December day in that same year--the fourth year 
       of the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah--Hananiah (son of Azzur), a 
       false prophet from Gibeon, addressed me publicly in the Temple while 
       all the priests and people listened. He said:

       (Jer 28:2 TLB)  "The Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, declares: 'I 
       have removed the yoke of the king of Babylon from your necks.

       (Jer 28:3 TLB)  Within two years I will bring back all the Temple 
       treasures that Nebuchadnezzar carried off to Babylon,

       (Jer 28:4 TLB)  and I will bring back King Jeconiah, son of Jehoiakim, 
       king of Judah, and all the other captives exiled to Babylon,' says the 
       Lord. 'I will surely remove the yoke put on your necks by the king of 
       Babylon.'"






       (Jer 28:5 TLB)  Then Jeremiah said to Hananiah, in front of all the 
       priests and people,

       (Jer 28:6 TLB)  "Amen! May your prophecies come true! I hope the Lord 
       will do everything you say and bring back from Babylon the treasures 
       of this Temple, with all our loved ones.

       (Jer 28:7 TLB)  But listen now to the solemn words I speak to you in 
       the presence of all these people.

       (Jer 28:8 TLB)  The ancient prophets who preceded you and me spoke 
       against many nations, always warning of war, famine, and plague.

       (Jer 28:9 TLB)  So a prophet who foretells peace has the burden of 
       proof on him to prove that God has really sent him. Only when his 
       message comes true can it be known that he really is from God."

       (Jer 28:10 TLB)  Then Hananiah, the false prophet, took the yoke off 
       Jeremiah's neck and broke it.

       (Jer 28:11 TLB)  And Hananiah said again to the crowd that had 
       gathered, "The Lord has promised that within two years he will release 
       all the nations now in slavery to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon." At 
       that point Jeremiah walked out.

       (Jer 28:12 TLB)  Soon afterwards the Lord gave this message to 
       Jeremiah:

       (Jer 28:13 TLB)  "Go and tell Hananiah that the Lord says, 'You have 
       broken a wooden yoke, but these people have yokes of iron on their 
       necks.'

       (Jer 28:14 TLB)  The Lord, the God of Israel, says: 'I have put a yoke 
       of iron on the necks of all these nations, forcing them into slavery 
       to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. And nothing will change this 
       decree, for I have even given him all your flocks and herds.'"

       (Jer 28:15 TLB)  Then Jeremiah said to Hananiah, the false prophet, 
       "Listen, Hananiah, the Lord has not sent you, and the people are 
       believing your lies.

       (Jer 28:16 TLB)  Therefore the Lord says you must die. This very year 
       your life will end because you have rebelled against the Lord."

       (Jer 28:17 TLB)  And sure enough, two months later Hananiah died.

       (Jer 29:1 TLB)  After Jeconiah the king, the queen-mother, the court 
       officials, the tribal officers, and craftsmen had been deported to 
       Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar,

       (Jer 29:2 TLB)  Jeremiah wrote them a letter from Jerusalem, 
       addressing it to the Jewish elders, priests, prophets, and to all the 
       people.

       (Jer 29:3 TLB)  He sent the letter with Elasah (son of Shaphan) and 





       Gemariah (son of Hilkiah) when they went to Babylon as King Zedekiah's 
       ambassadors to Nebuchadnezzar. And this is what the letter said:

       (Jer 29:4 TLB)  The Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, sends this 
       message to all the captives he has exiled to Babylon from Jerusalem:

       (Jer 29:5 TLB)  "Build homes and plan to stay; plant vineyards, for 
       you will be there many years.

       (Jer 29:6 TLB)  Marry and have children, and then find mates for them 
       and have many grandchildren. Multiply! Don't dwindle away!

       (Jer 29:7 TLB)  And work for the peace and prosperity of Babylon. Pray 
       for her, for if Babylon has peace, so will you."

       (Jer 29:8 TLB)  The Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: "Don't let 
       the false prophets and mediums who are there among you fool you. Don't 
       listen to the dreams that they invent,

       (Jer 29:9 TLB)  for they prophesy lies in my name. I have not sent 
       them," says the Lord.

       (Jer 29:10 TLB)  "The truth is this: You will be in Babylon for 
       seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things 
       I have promised and bring you home again.

       (Jer 29:11 TLB)  For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. 
       "They are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a 
       hope.

       (Jer 29:12 TLB)  In those days when you pray, I will listen.

       (Jer 29:13 TLB)  You will find me when you seek me, if you look for me 
       in earnest.

       (Jer 29:14 TLB)  "Yes," says the Lord, "I will be found by you, and I 
       will end your slavery and restore your fortunes; I will gather you out 
       of the nations where I sent you and bring you back home again to your 
       own land.

       (Jer 29:15 TLB)  "But now, because you accept the false prophets among 
       you and say the Lord has sent them,

       (Jer 29:16 TLB)  I will send war, famine, and plague upon the people 
       left here in Jerusalem--on your relatives who were not exiled to 
       Babylon, and on the king who sits on David's throne--and make them 
       like rotting figs, too bad to eat.

       (Jer 29:17 TLB)  

       (Jer 29:18 TLB)  And I will scatter them around the world. And in 
       every nation where I place them they will be cursed and hissed and 
       mocked,

       (Jer 29:19 TLB)  for they refuse to listen to me though I spoke to 
       them again and again through my prophets."






       (Jer 29:20 TLB)  Therefore listen to the word of God, all you Jewish 
       captives over there in Babylon.

       (Jer 29:21 TLB)  The Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says this about 
       your false prophets, Ahab (son of Kolaiah) and Zedekiah (son of 
       Maaseiah), who are declaring lies to you in my name: "Look, I am 
       turning them over to Nebuchadnezzar to execute publicly.

       (Jer 29:22 TLB)  Their fate shall become proverbial of all evil, so 
       that whenever anyone wants to curse someone he will say, 'The Lord 
       make you like Zedekiah and Ahab whom the king of Babylon burned 
       alive!'

       (Jer 29:23 TLB)  For these men have done a terrible thing among my 
       people. They have committed adultery with their neighbors' wives and 
       have lied in my name. I know, for I have seen everything they do," 
       says the Lord.

       (Jer 29:24 TLB)  And say this to Shemaiah the dreamer:

       (Jer 29:25 TLB)  "The Lord, the God of Israel, says: 'You have written 
       a letter to Zephaniah (son of Maaseiah) the priest, and sent copies to 
       all the other priests and to everyone in Jerusalem.

       (Jer 29:26 TLB)  And in this letter you have said to Zephaniah, "The 
       Lord has appointed you to replace Jehoiada as priest in Jerusalem. And 
       it is your responsibility to arrest any madman who claims to be a 
       prophet and to put him in the stocks and collar.

       (Jer 29:27 TLB)  Why haven't you done something about this false 
       prophet Jeremiah of Anathoth?

       (Jer 29:28 TLB)  For he has written to us here in Babylon saying that 
       our captivity will be long; that we should build permanent homes and 
       plan to stay many years; that we should plant fruit trees, for we will 
       be here to eat the fruit from them for a long time to come."'"

       (Jer 29:29 TLB)  Zephaniah took the letter over to Jeremiah and read 
       it to him!

       (Jer 29:30 TLB)  Then the Lord gave this message to Jeremiah:

       (Jer 29:31 TLB)  "Send an open letter to all the exiles in Babylon and 
       tell them this: 'The Lord says that because Shemaiah the Nehelamite 
       has "prophesied" to you when I didn't send him and has fooled you into 
       believing his lies,

       (Jer 29:32 TLB)  I will punish him and his family. None of his 
       descendants shall see the good I have waiting for my people, for he 
       has taught you to rebel against the Lord.'"

       (Jer 30:1 TLB)  This is another of the Lord's messages to Jeremiah:

       (Jer 30:2 TLB)  "The Lord God of Israel says, 'Write down for the 
       record all that I have said to you.






       (Jer 30:3 TLB)  For the time is coming when I will restore the 
       fortunes of my people, Israel and Judah, and I will bring them home to 
       this land that I gave to their fathers; they shall possess it and live 
       here again.'

       (Jer 30:4 TLB)  "And write this also concerning Israel and Judah:

       (Jer 30:5 TLB)  "'Where shall we find peace?' they cry. There is only 
       fear and trembling.

       (Jer 30:6 TLB)  Do men give birth? Then why do they stand there, 
       ashen-faced, hands pressed against their sides like women in labor?

       (Jer 30:7 TLB)  "Alas, in all history when has there ever been a time 
       of terror such as in that coming day? It is a time of trouble for my 
       people--for Jacob--such as they have never known before. Yet God will 
       rescue them!

       (Jer 30:8 TLB)  For on that day," says the Lord Almighty, "I will 
       break the yoke from their necks and snap their chains, and foreigners 
       shall no longer be their masters!

       (Jer 30:9 TLB)  For they shall serve the Lord their God, and David 
       their King, whom I will raise up for them," says the Lord.

       (Jer 30:10 TLB)  "So don't be afraid, O Jacob my servant; don't be 
       dismayed, O Israel; for I will bring you home again from distant 
       lands, and your children from their exile. They shall have rest and 
       quiet in their own land, and no one shall make them afraid.

       (Jer 30:11 TLB)  For I am with you and I will save you," says the 
       Lord. "Even if I utterly destroy the nations where I scatter you, I 
       will not exterminate you; I will punish you, yes--you will not go 
       unpunished.

       (Jer 30:12 TLB)  "For your sin is an incurable bruise, a terrible 
       wound.

       (Jer 30:13 TLB)  There is no one to help you or to bind up your wound, 
       and no medicine does any good.

       (Jer 30:14 TLB)  All your lovers have left you and don't care anything 
       about you any more; for I have wounded you cruelly, as though I were 
       your enemy; mercilessly, as though I were an implacable foe; for your 
       sins are so many, your guilt is so great.

       (Jer 30:15 TLB)  "Why do you protest your punishment? Your sin is so 
       scandalous that your sorrow should never end! It is because your guilt 
       is great that I have had to punish you so much.

       (Jer 30:16 TLB)  "But in that coming day, all who are destroying you 
       shall be destroyed, and all your enemies shall be slaves. Those who 
       rob you shall be robbed; and those attacking you shall be attacked.

       (Jer 30:17 TLB)  I will give you back your health again and heal your 





       wounds. Now you are called 'The Outcast' and 'Jerusalem, the Place 
       Nobody Wants.'

       (Jer 30:18 TLB)  "But," says the Lord, "when I bring you home again 
       from your captivity and restore your fortunes, Jerusalem will be 
       rebuilt upon her ruins; the palace will be reconstructed as it was 
       before.

       (Jer 30:19 TLB)  The cities will be filled with joy and great 
       thanksgiving, and I will multiply my people and make of them a great 
       and honored nation.

       (Jer 30:20 TLB)  Their children shall prosper as in David's reign; 
       their nations shall be established before me, and I will punish anyone 
       who hurts them.

       (Jer 30:21 TLB)  They will have their own ruler again. He will not be 
       a foreigner. And I will invite him to be a priest at my altars, and he 
       shall approach me, for who would dare to come unless invited.

       (Jer 30:22 TLB)  And you shall be my people, and I will be your God."

       (Jer 30:23 TLB)  Suddenly the devastating whirlwind of the Lord roars 
       with fury; it shall burst upon the heads of the wicked.

       (Jer 30:24 TLB)  The Lord will not call off the fierceness of his 
       wrath until it has finished all the terrible destruction he has 
       planned. Later on you will understand what I am telling you.

       (Jer 31:1 TLB)  "At that time," says the Lord, "all the families of 
       Israel shall recognize me as the Lord; they shall act like my people.

       (Jer 31:2 TLB)  I will care for them as I did those who escaped from 
       Egypt, to whom I showed my mercies in the wilderness, when Israel 
       sought for rest."

       (Jer 31:3 TLB)  For long ago the Lord had said to Israel: "I have 
       loved you, O my people, with an everlasting love; with loving-kindness 
       I have drawn you to me.

       (Jer 31:4 TLB)  I will rebuild your nation, O virgin of Israel. You 
       will again be happy and dance merrily with the timbrels.

       (Jer 31:5 TLB)  Again you will plant your vineyards upon the mountains 
       of Samaria and eat from your own gardens there.

       (Jer 31:6 TLB)  "The day shall come when watchmen on the hills of 
       Ephraim will call out and say, 'Arise, and let us go up to Zion to the 
       Lord our God.'"

       (Jer 31:7 TLB)  For the Lord says, "Sing with joy for all that I will 
       do for Israel, the greatest of the nations! Shout out with praise and 
       joy: 'The Lord has saved his people, the remnant of Israel.'

       (Jer 31:8 TLB)  For I will bring them from the north and from earth's 
       farthest ends, not forgetting their blind and lame, young mothers with 





       their little ones, those ready to give birth. It will be a great 
       company who comes.

       (Jer 31:9 TLB)  Tears of joy shall stream down their faces, and I will 
       lead them home with great care. They shall walk beside the quiet 
       streams and not stumble. For I am a Father to Israel, and Ephraim is 
       my oldest child."

       (Jer 31:10 TLB)  Listen to this message from the Lord, you nations of 
       the world, and publish it abroad: "The Lord who scattered his people 
       will gather them back together again and watch over them as a shepherd 
       does his flock.

       (Jer 31:11 TLB)  He will save Israel from those who are too strong for 
       them!

       (Jer 31:12 TLB)  They shall come home and sing songs of joy upon the 
       hills of Zion and shall be radiant over the goodness of the Lord--the 
       good crops, the wheat, the wine, and the oil, and the healthy flocks 
       and herds. Their life shall be like a watered garden, and all their 
       sorrows shall be gone.

       (Jer 31:13 TLB)  The young girls will dance for joy, and menfolk--old 
       and young--will take their part in all the fun; for I will turn their 
       mourning into joy, and I will comfort them and make them rejoice, for 
       their captivity with all its sorrows will be behind them.

       (Jer 31:14 TLB)  I will feast the priests with the abundance of 
       offerings brought to them at the Temple; I will satisfy my people with 
       my bounty, says the Lord."

       (Jer 31:15 TLB)  The Lord spoke to me again, saying: "In Ramah there 
       is bitter weeping--Rachel weeping for her children and cannot be 
       comforted, for they are gone."

       (Jer 31:16 TLB)  But the Lord says: "Don't cry any longer, for I have 
       heard your prayers and you will see them again; they will come back to 
       you from the distant land of the enemy.

       (Jer 31:17 TLB)  There is hope for your future," says the Lord, "and 
       your children will come again to their own land.

       (Jer 31:18 TLB)  "I have heard Ephraim's groans: 'You have punished me 
       greatly; but I needed it all, as a calf must be trained for the yoke. 
       Turn me again to you and restore me, for you alone are the Lord, my 
       God.

       (Jer 31:19 TLB)  I turned away from God, but I was sorry afterwards. I 
       kicked myself for my stupidity. I was thoroughly ashamed of all I did 
       in younger days.'"

       (Jer 31:20 TLB)  And the Lord replies: "Ephraim is still my son, my 
       darling child. I had to punish him, but I still love him. I long for 
       him and surely will have mercy on him.

       (Jer 31:21 TLB)  "As you travel into exile, set up road signs pointing 





       back to Israel. Mark your pathway well. For you shall return again, O 
       virgin Israel, to your cities here.

       (Jer 31:22 TLB)  How long will you vacillate, O wayward daughter? For 
       the Lord will cause something new and different to happen--Israel will 
       search for God."

       (Jer 31:23 TLB)  The Lord, the God of Israel, says: "When I bring them 
       back again, they shall say in Judah and her cities, 'The Lord bless 
       you, O center of righteousness, O holy hill!'

       (Jer 31:24 TLB)  And city dwellers and farmers and shepherds alike 
       shall live together in peace and happiness.

       (Jer 31:25 TLB)  For I have given rest to the weary and joy to all the 
       sorrowing."

       (Jer 31:26 TLB)  (Then Jeremiah wakened. "Such sleep is very sweet!" 
       he said.)

       (Jer 31:27 TLB)  The Lord says: "The time will come when I will 
       greatly increase the population and multiply the number of cattle here 
       in Israel.

       (Jer 31:28 TLB)  In the past I painstakingly destroyed the nation, but 
       now I will carefully build it up.

       (Jer 31:29 TLB)  The people shall no longer quote this proverb--' 
       Children pay for their fathers' sins.'

       (Jer 31:30 TLB)  For everyone shall die for his own sins--the person 
       eating sour grapes is the one whose teeth are set on edge.

       (Jer 31:31 TLB)  "The day will come," says the Lord, "when I will make 
       a new contract with the people of Israel and Judah.

       (Jer 31:32 TLB)  It won't be like the one I made with their fathers 
       when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt--a 
       contract they broke, forcing me to reject them," says the Lord.

       (Jer 31:33 TLB)  "But this is the new contract I will make with them: 
       I will inscribe my laws upon their hearts, so that they shall want to 
       honor me; then they shall truly be my people and I will be their God.

       (Jer 31:34 TLB)  At that time it will no longer be necessary to 
       admonish one another to know the Lord. For everyone, both great and 
       small, shall really know me then," says the Lord, "and I will forgive 
       and forget their sins.

       (Jer 31:35 TLB)  The Lord who gives us sunlight in the daytime and the 
       moon and stars to light the night, and who stirs the sea to make the 
       roaring waves--his name is Lord Almighty--says this:

       (Jer 31:36 TLB)  "I am as likely to reject my people Israel as I am to 
       do away with these laws of nature!





       (Jer 31:37 TLB)  Not until the heavens can be measured and the 
       foundations of the earth explored, will I consider casting them away 
       forever for their sins!

       (Jer 31:38 TLB)  "For the time is coming," says the Lord, "when all 
       Jerusalem shall be rebuilt for the Lord, from the Tower of Hananel at 
       the northeast corner,

       (Jer 31:39 TLB)  to the Corner Gate at the northwest; and from the 
       Hill of Gareb at the southwest, across to Goah on the southeast.

       (Jer 31:40 TLB)  And the entire city, including the graveyard and ash 
       dump in the valley, and all the fields out to the brook of Kidron, and 
       from there to the Horse Gate on the east side of the city, all shall 
       be holy to the Lord; it shall never again be captured or destroyed."

       (Jer 32:1 TLB)  The following message came to Jeremiah from the Lord 
       in the tenth year of the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah (which was 
       the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign).

       (Jer 32:2 TLB)  At this time Jeremiah was imprisoned in the dungeon 
       beneath the palace, while the Babylonian army was besieging Jerusalem.

       (Jer 32:3 TLB)  King Zedekiah had put him there for continuing to 
       prophesy that the city would be conquered by the king of Babylon,

       (Jer 32:4 TLB)  and that King Zedekiah would be caught and taken as a 
       prisoner before the king of Babylon for trial and sentencing.

       (Jer 32:5 TLB)  "He shall take you to Babylon and imprison you there 
       for many years until you die. Why fight the facts? You can't win! 
       Surrender now!" Jeremiah had told him again and again.

       (Jer 32:6 TLB)  Then this message from the Lord came to Jeremiah:

       (Jer 32:7 TLB)  "Your cousin Hanamel (son of Shallum) will soon arrive 
       to ask you to buy the farm he owns in Anathoth, for by law you have a 
       chance to buy before it is offered to anyone else."

       (Jer 32:8 TLB)  So Hanamel came, as the Lord had said he would, and 
       visited me in the prison. "Buy my field in Anathoth, in the land of 
       Benjamin," he said, "for the law gives you the first right to purchase 
       it." Then I knew for sure that the message I had heard was really from 
       the Lord.

       (Jer 32:9 TLB)  So I bought the field, paying Hanamel seventeen pieces 
       of silver.

       (Jer 32:10 TLB)  I signed and sealed the deed of purchase before 
       witnesses, weighed out the silver, and paid him.

       (Jer 32:11 TLB)  Then I took the sealed deed containing the terms and 
       conditions and also the unsealed copy,

       (Jer 32:12 TLB)  and publicly, in the presence of my cousin Hanamel 
       and the witnesses who had signed the deed, and as the prison guards 





       watched, I handed the papers to Baruch (son of Neriah, who was the son 
       of Mahseiah).

       (Jer 32:13 TLB)  And I said to him as they all listened:

       (Jer 32:14 TLB)  "The Lord, God of Israel, says: 'Take both this 
       sealed deed and the copy and put them into a pottery jar to preserve 
       them for a long time.'

       (Jer 32:15 TLB)  For the Lord, God of Israel, says, 'In the future 
       these papers will be valuable. Someday people will again own property 
       here in this country and will be buying and selling houses and 
       vineyards and fields.'"

       (Jer 32:16 TLB)  Then after I had given the papers to Baruch I prayed:

       (Jer 32:17 TLB)  "O Lord God! You have made the heavens and earth by 
       your great power; nothing is too hard for you!

       (Jer 32:18 TLB)  You are loving and kind to thousands, yet children 
       suffer for their fathers' sins; you are the great and mighty God, the 
       Lord Almighty.

       (Jer 32:19 TLB)  You have all wisdom and do great and mighty miracles; 
       for your eyes are open to all the ways of men, and you reward everyone 
       according to his life and deeds.

       (Jer 32:20 TLB)  You have done incredible things in the land of 
       Egypt--things still remembered to this day. And you have continued to 
       do great miracles in Israel and all around the world. You have made 
       your name very great, as it is today.

       (Jer 32:21 TLB)  "You brought Israel out of Egypt with mighty miracles 
       and great power and terror.

       (Jer 32:22 TLB)  You gave Israel this land that you promised their 
       fathers long ago--a wonderful land that 'flows with milk and honey.'

       (Jer 32:23 TLB)  Our fathers came and conquered it and lived in it, 
       but they refused to obey you or to follow your laws; they have hardly 
       done one thing you told them to. That is why you have sent all this 
       terrible evil upon them.

       (Jer 32:24 TLB)  See how the siege mounds have been built against the 
       city walls, and the Babylonians shall conquer the city by sword, 
       famine, and disease. Everything has happened just as you said--as you 
       determined it should!

       (Jer 32:25 TLB)  And yet you say to buy the field--paying good money 
       for it before these witnesses--even though the city will belong to our 
       enemies."

       (Jer 32:26 TLB)  Then this message came to Jeremiah:

       (Jer 32:27 TLB)  "I am the Lord, the God of all mankind; is there 
       anything too hard for me?






       (Jer 32:28 TLB)  Yes, I will give this city to the Babylonians and to 
       Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon; he shall conquer it.

       (Jer 32:29 TLB)  And the Babylonians outside the walls shall come in 
       and set fire to the city and burn down all these houses, where the 
       roofs have been used to offer incense to Baal and to pour out 
       libations to other gods, causing my fury to rise!

       (Jer 32:30 TLB)  For Israel and Judah have done nothing but wrong 
       since their earliest days; they have infuriated me with all their evil 
       deeds.

       (Jer 32:31 TLB)  From the time this city was built until now it has 
       done nothing but anger me; so I am determined to be rid of it.

       (Jer 32:32 TLB)  "The sins of Israel and Judah--the sins of the 
       people, of their kings, officers, priests and prophets--stir me up.

       (Jer 32:33 TLB)  They have turned their backs upon me and refused to 
       return; day after day, year after year, I taught them right from 
       wrong, but they would not listen or obey.

       (Jer 32:34 TLB)  They have even defiled my own Temple by worshiping 
       their abominable idols there.

       (Jer 32:35 TLB)  And they have built high altars to Baal in the Valley 
       of Hinnom. There they have burnt their children as sacrifices to 
       Molech--something I never commanded and cannot imagine suggesting. 
       What an incredible evil, causing Judah to sin so greatly!

       (Jer 32:36 TLB)  "Now therefore the Lord God of Israel says concerning 
       this city that it will fall to the king of Babylon through warfare, 
       famine, and disease,

       (Jer 32:37 TLB)  but I will bring my people back again from all the 
       countries where in my fury I will scatter them. I will bring them back 
       to this very city and make them live in peace and safety.

       (Jer 32:38 TLB)  And they shall be my people, and I will be their God.

       (Jer 32:39 TLB)  And I will give them one heart and mind to worship me 
       forever, for their own good and for the good of all their descendants.

       (Jer 32:40 TLB)  "And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, 
       promising never again to desert them but only to do them good. I will 
       put a desire into their hearts to worship me, and they shall never 
       leave me.

       (Jer 32:41 TLB)  I will rejoice to do them good and will replant them 
       in this land with great joy.

       (Jer 32:42 TLB)  Just as I have sent all these terrors and evils upon 
       them, so will I do all the good I have promised them.

       (Jer 32:43 TLB)  "Fields will again be bought and sold in this land 





       now ravaged by the Babylonians, where men and animals alike have 
       disappeared.

       (Jer 32:44 TLB)  Yes, fields shall once again be bought and 
       sold--deeds signed and sealed and witnessed--in the country of 
       Benjamin and here in Jerusalem, in the cities of Judah and in the hill 
       country, in the Philistine plain and in the Negeb too, for some day I 
       will restore prosperity to them."

       (Jer 33:1 TLB)  While Jeremiah was still in jail, the Lord sent him 
       this second message:

       (Jer 33:2 TLB)  "The Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth--Jehovah is 
       his name--says this:

       (Jer 33:3 TLB)  'Ask me and I will tell you some remarkable secrets 
       about what is going to happen here.

       (Jer 33:4 TLB)  For though you have torn down the houses of this city, 
       and the king's palace too, for materials to strengthen the walls 
       against the siege weapons of the enemy,

       (Jer 33:5 TLB)  yet the Babylonians will enter, and the men of this 
       city are already as good as dead, for I have determined to destroy 
       them in my furious anger. I have abandoned them because of all their 
       wickedness, and I will not pity them when they cry for help.'

       (Jer 33:6 TLB)  "Nevertheless the time will come when I will heal 
       Jerusalem's damage and give her prosperity and peace.

       (Jer 33:7 TLB)  I will rebuild the cities of both Judah and Israel and 
       restore their fortunes.

       (Jer 33:8 TLB)  And I will cleanse away all their sins against me and 
       pardon them.

       (Jer 33:9 TLB)  Then this city will be an honor to me, and it will 
       give me joy and be a source of praise and glory to me before all the 
       nations of the earth! The people of the world will see the good I do 
       for my people and will tremble with awe!

       (Jer 33:10 TLB)  "The Lord declares that the happy voices of 
       bridegrooms and of brides and the joyous song of those bringing 
       thanksgiving offerings to the Lord will be heard again in this doomed 
       land. The people will sing: 'Praise the Lord! For he is good and his 
       mercy endures forever!' For I will make this land happier and more 
       prosperous than it has ever been before.

       (Jer 33:11 TLB)  

       (Jer 33:12 TLB)  This land--though every man and animal and city is 
       doomed--will once more see shepherds leading sheep and lambs.

       (Jer 33:13 TLB)  Once again their flocks will prosper in the mountain 
       villages and in the cities east of the Philistine plain, in all the 
       cities of the Negeb, in the land of Benjamin, in the vicinity of 





       Jerusalem, and in all the cities of Judah.

       (Jer 33:14 TLB)  Yes, the day will come," says the Lord, "when I will 
       do for Israel and Judah all the good I promised them.

       (Jer 33:15 TLB)  "At that time I will bring to the throne the true Son 
       of David, and he shall rule justly.

       (Jer 33:16 TLB)  In that day the people of Judah and Jerusalem shall 
       live in safety and their motto will be, 'The Lord is our 
       righteousness!'

       (Jer 33:17 TLB)  For the Lord declares that from then on, David shall 
       forever have an heir sitting on the throne of Israel.

       (Jer 33:18 TLB)  And there shall always be Levites to offer burnt 
       offerings and meal offerings and sacrifices to the Lord."

       (Jer 33:19 TLB)  Then this message came to Jeremiah from the Lord:

       (Jer 33:20 TLB)  "If you can break my covenant with the day and with 
       the night so that day and night don't come on their usual schedule,

       (Jer 33:21 TLB)  only then will my covenant with David, my servant, be 
       broken so that he shall not have a son to reign upon his throne; and 
       my covenant with the Levite priests, my ministers, is noncancelable.

       (Jer 33:22 TLB)  And as the stars cannot be counted nor the sand upon 
       the seashores measured, so the descendants of David my servant and the 
       line of the Levites who minister to me will be multiplied."

       (Jer 33:23 TLB)  The Lord spoke to Jeremiah again and said:

       (Jer 33:24 TLB)  "Have you heard what people are saying?--that the 
       Lord chose Judah and Israel and then abandoned them! They are sneering 
       and saying that Israel isn't worthy to be counted as a nation.

       (Jer 33:25 TLB)  But this is the Lord's reply: 'I would no more reject 
       my people than I would change my laws of night and day, of earth and 
       sky.

       (Jer 33:26 TLB)  I will never abandon the Jews, or David my servant, 
       or change the plan that his child will someday rule these descendants 
       of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Instead I will restore their prosperity 
       and have mercy on them.'"

       (Jer 34:1 TLB)  This is the message that came to Jeremiah from the 
       Lord when Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and all his armies from all 
       the kingdoms he ruled, came and fought against Jerusalem and the 
       cities of Judah:

       (Jer 34:2 TLB)  "Go tell Zedekiah, king of Judah, that the Lord says 
       this: 'I will give this city to the king of Babylon and he shall burn 
       it.

       (Jer 34:3 TLB)  You shall not escape; you shall be captured and taken 





       before the king of Babylon; he shall pronounce sentence against you 
       and you shall be exiled to Babylon.

       (Jer 34:4 TLB)  But listen to this, O Zedekiah, king of Judah: God 
       says you won't be killed in war and carnage

       (Jer 34:5 TLB)  but that you will die quietly among your people, and 
       they will burn incense in your memory, just as they did for your 
       fathers. They will weep for you and say, "Alas, our king is dead!" 
       This I have decreed, says the Lord.'"

       (Jer 34:6 TLB)  So Jeremiah delivered the message to King Zedekiah.

       (Jer 34:7 TLB)  At this time the Babylonian army was besieging 
       Jerusalem, Lachish, and Azekah--the only walled cities of Judah still 
       standing.

       (Jer 34:8 TLB)  This is the message that came to Jeremiah from the 
       Lord after King Zedekiah of Judah had freed all the slaves in 
       Jerusalem--

       (Jer 34:9 TLB)  (for King Zedekiah had ordered everyone to free his 
       Hebrew slaves, both men and women. He had said that no Jew should be 
       the master of another Jew for all were brothers.

       (Jer 34:10 TLB)  The princes and all the people had obeyed the king's 
       command and freed their slaves, but the action was only temporary.

       (Jer 34:11 TLB)  They changed their minds and made their servants 
       slaves again.

       (Jer 34:12 TLB)  That is why the Lord gave the following message to 
       Jerusalem.)

       (Jer 34:13 TLB)  The Lord, the God of Israel, says: "I made a covenant 
       with your fathers long ago when I brought them from their slavery in 
       Egypt.

       (Jer 34:14 TLB)  I told them that every Hebrew slave must be freed 
       after serving six years. But this was not done.

       (Jer 34:15 TLB)  Recently you began doing what was right, as I 
       commanded you, and freed your slaves. You had solemnly promised me in 
       my Temple that you would do it.

       (Jer 34:16 TLB)  But now you refuse and have defiled my name by 
       shrugging off your oath and have made them slaves again.

       (Jer 34:17 TLB)  "Therefore," says the Lord, "because you will not 
       listen to me and release them, I will release you to the power of 
       death by war and famine and disease. And I will scatter you over all 
       the world as exiles.

       (Jer 34:18 TLB)  Because you have refused the terms of our contract, I 
       will cut you apart just as you cut apart the calf when you walked 
       between its halves to solemnize your vows.






       (Jer 34:19 TLB)  Yes, I will butcher you, whether you are princes, 
       court officials, priests, or people--for you have broken your oath.

       (Jer 34:20 TLB)  I will give you to your enemies, and they shall kill 
       you. I will feed your dead bodies to the vultures and wild animals.

       (Jer 34:21 TLB)  And I will surrender Zedekiah, king of Judah, and his 
       officials to the army of the king of Babylon, though he has departed 
       from the city for a little while.

       (Jer 34:22 TLB)  I will summon the Babylonian armies back again, and 
       they will fight against it and capture this city and burn it. And I 
       will see to it that the cities of Judah are completely destroyed and 
       left desolate without a living soul."

       (Jer 35:1 TLB)  This is the message the Lord gave Jeremiah when 
       Jehoiakim (son of Josiah) was the king of Judah:

       (Jer 35:2 TLB)  "Go to the settlement where the families of the 
       Rechabites live and invite them to the Temple. Take them into one of 
       the inner rooms and offer them a drink of wine."

       (Jer 35:3 TLB)  So I went over to see Jaazaniah (son of Jeremiah, who 
       was the son of Habazziniah) and brought him and all his brothers and 
       sons--representing all the Rechab families--

       (Jer 35:4 TLB)  to the Temple, into the room assigned for the use of 
       the sons of Hanan the prophet (the son of Igdaliah). This room was 
       located next to the one used by the palace official, directly above 
       the room of Maaseiah (son of Shallum), who was the temple doorman.

       (Jer 35:5 TLB)  I set cups and jugs of wine before them and invited 
       them to have a drink,

       (Jer 35:6 TLB)  but they refused. "No," they said. "We don't drink, 
       for Jonadab our father (son of Rechab) commanded that none of us 
       should ever drink, neither we nor our children forever.

       (Jer 35:7 TLB)  He also told us not to build houses or plant crops or 
       vineyards and not to own farms, but always to live in tents; and that 
       if we obeyed, we would live long, good lives in our own land.

       (Jer 35:8 TLB)  And we have obeyed him in all these things. We have 
       never had a drink of wine since then, nor have our wives or our sons 
       or daughters either.

       (Jer 35:9 TLB)  We haven't built houses or owned farms or planted 
       crops.

       (Jer 35:10 TLB)  We have lived in tents and have fully obeyed 
       everything that Jonadab our father commanded us.

       (Jer 35:11 TLB)  But when Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, arrived in 
       this country, we were afraid and decided to move to Jerusalem. That's 
       why we are here."






       (Jer 35:12 TLB)  Then the Lord gave this message to Jeremiah:

       (Jer 35:13 TLB)  "The Lord, the God of Israel, says: 'Go and say to 
       Judah and Jerusalem, Won't you learn a lesson from the families of 
       Rechab?

       (Jer 35:14 TLB)  They don't drink because their father told them not 
       to. But I have spoken to you again and again, and you won't listen or 
       obey.

       (Jer 35:15 TLB)  I have sent you prophet after prophet to tell you to 
       turn back from your wicked ways and to stop worshiping other gods, and 
       that if you obeyed, then I would let you live in peace here in the 
       land I gave to you and your fathers. But you wouldn't listen or obey.

       (Jer 35:16 TLB)  The families of Rechab have obeyed their father 
       completely, but you have refused to listen to me.'

       (Jer 35:17 TLB)  Therefore, the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, 
       says: "Because you refuse to listen or answer when I call, I will send 
       upon Judah and Jerusalem all the evil I have ever threatened.'"

       (Jer 35:18 TLB)  Then Jeremiah turned to the Rechabites and said: "The 
       Lord, the God of Israel, says that because you have obeyed your father 
       in every respect, he shall always have descendants who will worship 
       me."

       (Jer 35:19 TLB)  

       (Jer 36:1 TLB)  In the fourth year of the reign of King Jehoiakim of 
       Judah (son of Josiah) the Lord gave this message to Jeremiah:

       (Jer 36:2 TLB)  "Get a scroll and write down all my messages against 
       Israel, Judah, and the other nations. Begin with the first message 
       back in the days of Josiah, and write down every one of them.

       (Jer 36:3 TLB)  Perhaps when the people of Judah see in writing all 
       the terrible things I will do to them, they will repent. And then I 
       can forgive them."

       (Jer 36:4 TLB)  So Jeremiah sent for Baruch (son of Neriah), and as 
       Jeremiah dictated, Baruch wrote down all the prophecies.

       (Jer 36:5 TLB)  When all was finished, Jeremiah said to Baruch, "Since 
       I am a prisoner here,

       (Jer 36:6 TLB)  you read the scroll in the Temple on the next day of 
       fasting, for on that day people will be there from all over Judah.

       (Jer 36:7 TLB)  Perhaps even yet they will turn from their evil ways 
       and ask the Lord to forgive them before it is too late, even though 
       these curses of God have been pronounced upon them."

       (Jer 36:8 TLB)  Baruch did as Jeremiah told him to and read all these 
       messages to the people at the Temple.






       (Jer 36:9 TLB)  This occurred on the day of fasting held in December 
       of the fifth year of the reign of King Jehoiakim (son of Josiah). 
       People came from all over Judah to attend the services at the Temple 
       that day.

       (Jer 36:10 TLB)  Baruch went to the office of Gemariah the Scribe (son 
       of Shaphan) to read the scroll. (This room was just off the upper 
       assembly hall of the Temple, near the door of the New Gate.)

       (Jer 36:11 TLB)  When Micaiah (son of Gemariah, son of Shaphan) heard 
       the messages from God,

       (Jer 36:12 TLB)  he went down to the palace to the conference room 
       where the administrative officials were meeting. Elishama (the scribe) 
       was there, as well as Delaiah (son of Shamaiah), Elnathan (son of 
       Achbor), Gemariah (son of Shaphan), Zedekiah (son of Hananiah), and 
       all the others with similar responsibilities.

       (Jer 36:13 TLB)  When Micaiah told them about the messages Baruch was 
       reading to the people,

       (Jer 36:14 TLB)  the officials sent Jehudi (son of Nethaniah, son of 
       Shelemiah, son of Cushi) to ask Baruch to come and read the messages 
       to them too, and Baruch did.

       (Jer 36:15 TLB)  

       (Jer 36:16 TLB)  By the time he finished they were badly frightened. 
       "We must tell the king," they said.

       (Jer 36:17 TLB)  "But first, tell us how you got these messages. Did 
       Jeremiah himself dictate them to you?"

       (Jer 36:18 TLB)  So Baruch explained that Jeremiah had dictated them 
       to him word by word, and he had written them down in ink upon the 
       scroll.

       (Jer 36:19 TLB)  "You and Jeremiah both hide," the officials said to 
       Baruch. "Don't tell a soul where you are!"

       (Jer 36:20 TLB)  Then the officials hid the scroll in the room of 
       Elishama the scribe and went to tell the king.

       (Jer 36:21 TLB)  The king sent Jehudi to get the scroll. Jehudi 
       brought it from Elishama the scribe and read it to the king as all his 
       officials stood by.

       (Jer 36:22 TLB)  The king was in a winterized part of the palace at 
       the time, sitting in front of a fireplace, for it was December and 
       cold.

       (Jer 36:23 TLB)  And whenever Jehudi finished reading three or four 
       columns, the king would take his knife, slit off the section, and 
       throw it into the fire, until the whole scroll was destroyed.





       (Jer 36:24 TLB)  And no one protested except Elnathan, Delaiah, and 
       Gemariah. They pled with the king not to burn the scroll, but he 
       wouldn't listen to them. Not another of the king's officials showed 
       any signs of fear or anger at what he had done.

       (Jer 36:25 TLB)  

       (Jer 36:26 TLB)  Then the king commanded Jerahmeel (a member of the 
       royal family) and Seraiah (son of Azriel) and Shelemiah (son of 
       Abdeel) to arrest Baruch and Jeremiah. But the Lord hid them!

       (Jer 36:27 TLB)  After the king had burned the scroll, the Lord said 
       to Jeremiah:

       (Jer 36:28 TLB)  "Get another scroll and write everything again just 
       as you did before,

       (Jer 36:29 TLB)  and say this to the king: 'The Lord says, You burned 
       the scroll because it said the king of Babylon would destroy this 
       country and everything in it.

       (Jer 36:30 TLB)  And now the Lord adds this concerning you, Jehoiakim, 
       king of Judah: He shall have no one to sit upon the throne of David. 
       His dead body shall be thrown out to the hot sun and frosty nights,

       (Jer 36:31 TLB)  and I will punish him and his family and his 
       officials because of their sins. I will pour out upon them all the 
       evil I promised--upon them and upon all the people of Judah and 
       Jerusalem, for they wouldn't listen to my warnings.'"

       (Jer 36:32 TLB)  Then Jeremiah took another scroll and dictated again 
       to Baruch all he had written before, only this time the Lord added a 
       lot more!

       (Jer 37:1 TLB)  Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, did not appoint 
       Coniah (King Jehoiakim's son) to be the new king of Judah. Instead he 
       chose Zedekiah (son of Josiah).

       (Jer 37:2 TLB)  But neither King Zedekiah nor his officials nor the 
       people who were left in the land listened to what the Lord said 
       through Jeremiah.

       (Jer 37:3 TLB)  Nevertheless, King Zedekiah sent Jehucal (son of 
       Shelemiah) and Zephaniah the priest (son of Maaseiah) to ask Jeremiah 
       to pray for them.

       (Jer 37:4 TLB)  (Jeremiah had not been imprisoned yet, so he could 
       come and go as he pleased.)

       (Jer 37:5 TLB)  When the army of Pharaoh Hophra of Egypt appeared at 
       the southern border of Judah to relieve the besieged city of 
       Jerusalem, the Babylonian army withdrew from Jerusalem to fight the 
       Egyptians.

       (Jer 37:6 TLB)  Then the Lord sent this message to Jeremiah:





       (Jer 37:7 TLB)  "The Lord, the God of Israel, says: 'Tell the king of 
       Judah, who sent you to ask me what is going to happen, that Pharaoh's 
       army, though it came here to help you, is about to return in flight to 
       Egypt! The Babylonians shall defeat them and send them scurrying home.

       (Jer 37:8 TLB)  These Babylonians shall capture this city and burn it 
       to the ground.

       (Jer 37:9 TLB)  Don't fool yourselves that the Babylonians are gone 
       for good. They aren't!

       (Jer 37:10 TLB)  Even if you destroyed the entire Babylonian army 
       until there was only a handful of survivors and they lay wounded in 
       their tents, yet they would stagger out and defeat you and put this 
       city to the torch!'"

       (Jer 37:11 TLB)  When the Babylonian army set out from Jerusalem to 
       engage Pharaoh's army in battle,

       (Jer 37:12 TLB)  Jeremiah started to leave the city to go to the land 
       of Benjamin, to see the property he had bought.

       (Jer 37:13 TLB)  But as he was walking through the Benjamin Gate, a 
       sentry arrested him as a traitor, claiming he was defecting to the 
       Babylonians. The guard making the arrest was Irijah (son of Shelemiah, 
       grandson of Hananiah).

       (Jer 37:14 TLB)  "That's not true," Jeremiah said. "I have no 
       intention whatever of doing any such thing!" But Irijah wouldn't 
       listen; he took Jeremiah before the city officials.

       (Jer 37:15 TLB)  They were incensed with Jeremiah and had him flogged 
       and put into the dungeon under the house of Jonathan the scribe, which 
       had been converted into a prison.

       (Jer 37:16 TLB)  Jeremiah was kept there for several days,

       (Jer 37:17 TLB)  but eventually King Zedekiah sent for him to come to 
       the palace secretly. The king asked him if there was any recent 
       message from the Lord. "Yes," said Jeremiah, "there is! You shall be 
       defeated by the king of Babylon!"

       (Jer 37:18 TLB)  Then Jeremiah broached the subject of his 
       imprisonment. "What have I ever done to deserve this?" he asked the 
       king. "What crime have I committed? Tell me what I have done against 
       you or your officials or the people?

       (Jer 37:19 TLB)  Where are those prophets now who told you that the 
       king of Babylon would not come?

       (Jer 37:20 TLB)  Listen, O my lord the king: I beg you, don't send me 
       back to that dungeon, for I'll die there."

       (Jer 37:21 TLB)  Then King Zedekiah commanded that Jeremiah not be 
       returned to the dungeon but be placed in the palace prison instead, 
       and that he be given a small loaf of fresh bread every day as long as 





       there was any left in the city. So Jeremiah was kept in the palace 
       prison.

       (Jer 38:1 TLB)  But when Shephatiah (son of Mattan) and Gedaliah (son 
       of Pashhur) and Jucal (son of Shelemiah) and Pashhur (son of Malchiah) 
       heard what Jeremiah had been telling the people--

       (Jer 38:2 TLB)  that everyone remaining in Jerusalem would die by 
       sword, starvation, or disease, but anyone surrendering to the 
       Babylonians would live,

       (Jer 38:3 TLB)  and that the city of Jerusalem would surely be 
       captured by the king of Babylon--

       (Jer 38:4 TLB)  they went to the king and said: "Sir, this fellow must 
       die. That kind of talk will undermine the morale of the few soldiers 
       we have left, and of all the people too. This man is a traitor."

       (Jer 38:5 TLB)  So King Zedekiah agreed. "All right," he said. "Do as 
       you like--I can't stop you."

       (Jer 38:6 TLB)  They took Jeremiah from his cell and lowered him by 
       ropes into an empty cistern in the prison yard. (It belonged to 
       Malchiah, a member of the royal family.) There was no water in it, but 
       there was a thick layer of mire at the bottom, and Jeremiah sank down 
       into it.

       (Jer 38:7 TLB)  When Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, an important palace 
       official, heard that Jeremiah was in the cistern,

       (Jer 38:8 TLB)  he rushed out to the Gate of Benjamin where the king 
       was holding court.

       (Jer 38:9 TLB)  "My lord the king," he said, "these men have done a 
       very evil thing in putting Jeremiah into the cistern. He will die of 
       hunger, for almost all the bread in the city is gone."

       (Jer 38:10 TLB)  Then the king commanded Ebed-melech to take thirty 
       men with him and pull Jeremiah out before he died.

       (Jer 38:11 TLB)  So Ebed-melech took thirty men and went to a palace 
       depot for discarded supplies where used clothing was kept. There he 
       found some old rags and discarded garments which he took to the 
       cistern and lowered to Jeremiah on a rope.

       (Jer 38:12 TLB)  Ebed-melech called down to Jeremiah, "Use these rags 
       under your armpits to protect you from the ropes." Then, when Jeremiah 
       was ready,

       (Jer 38:13 TLB)  they pulled him out and returned him to the palace 
       prison, where he remained.

       (Jer 38:14 TLB)  One day King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah to meet him 
       at the side entrance of the Temple. "I want to ask you something," the 
       king said, "and don't try to hide the truth."





       (Jer 38:15 TLB)  Jeremiah said, "If I tell you the truth, you will 
       kill me. And you won't listen to me anyway."

       (Jer 38:16 TLB)  So King Zedekiah swore before Almighty God his 
       Creator that he would not kill Jeremiah or give him to the men who 
       were after his life.

       (Jer 38:17 TLB)  Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, "The Almighty Lord, 
       the God of Israel, says: 'If you will surrender to Babylon, you and 
       your family shall live and the city will not be burned.

       (Jer 38:18 TLB)  If you refuse to surrender, this city shall be set 
       afire by the Babylonian army and you will not escape.'"

       (Jer 38:19 TLB)  "But I am afraid to surrender," the king said, "for 
       the Babylonians will hand me over to the Jews who have defected to 
       them, and who knows what they will do to me?"

       (Jer 38:20 TLB)  Jeremiah replied, "You won't get into their hands if 
       only you will obey the Lord; your life will be spared, and all will go 
       well for you.

       (Jer 38:21 TLB)  But if you refuse to surrender, the Lord has said

       (Jer 38:22 TLB)  that all the women left in your palace will be 
       brought out and given to the officers of the Babylonian army; and 
       these women will taunt you with bitterness. 'Fine friends you have,' 
       they'll say, 'those Egyptians. They have betrayed you and left you to 
       your fate!'

       (Jer 38:23 TLB)  All your wives and children will be led out to the 
       Babylonians, and you will not escape. You will be seized by the king 
       of Babylon, and this city will be burned."

       (Jer 38:24 TLB)  Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, "On pain of death, 
       don't tell anyone you told me this!

       (Jer 38:25 TLB)  And if my officials hear that I talked with you and 
       they threaten you with death unless you tell them what we discussed,

       (Jer 38:26 TLB)  just say that you begged me not to send you back to 
       the dungeon in Jonathan's house, for you would die there."

       (Jer 38:27 TLB)  And sure enough, it wasn't long before all the city 
       officials came to Jeremiah and asked him why the king had called for 
       him. So he said what the king had told him to, and they left without 
       finding out the truth, for the conversation had not been overheard by 
       anyone.

       (Jer 38:28 TLB)  And Jeremiah remained confined to the prison yard 
       until the day Jerusalem was captured.

       (Jer 39:1 TLB)  It was in January of the ninth year of the reign of 
       King Zedekiah of Judah that King Nebuchadnezzar and all his army came 
       against Jerusalem again and besieged it.





       (Jer 39:2 TLB)  Two years later, in the month of July, they breached 
       the wall, and the city fell,

       (Jer 39:3 TLB)  and all the officers of the Babylonian army came in 
       and sat in triumph at the middle gate. Nergal-sharezer was there, 
       Samgar-nebo, Sarsechim, Nergal-sharezer the king's chief assistant, 
       and many others.

       (Jer 39:4 TLB)  When King Zedekiah and his soldiers realized that the 
       city was lost, they fled during the night, going out through the gate 
       between the two walls back of the palace garden and across the fields 
       toward the Jordan valley.

       (Jer 39:5 TLB)  But the Babylonians chased the king and caught him on 
       the plains of Jericho and brought him to Nebuchadnezzar, king of 
       Babylon who was at Riblah, in the land of Hamath, where he pronounced 
       judgment upon him.

       (Jer 39:6 TLB)  The king of Babylon made Zedekiah watch as they killed 
       his children and all the nobles of Judah.

       (Jer 39:7 TLB)  Then he gouged out Zedekiah's eyes and bound him in 
       chains to send him away to Babylon as a slave.

       (Jer 39:8 TLB)  Meanwhile the army burned Jerusalem, including the 
       palace, and tore down the walls of the city.

       (Jer 39:9 TLB)  Then Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, and his 
       men sent the remnant of the population and all those who had defected 
       to him to Babylon.

       (Jer 39:10 TLB)  But throughout the land of Judah he left a few 
       people, the very poor, and gave them fields and vineyards.

       (Jer 39:11 TLB)  Meanwhile King Nebuchadnezzar had told Nebuzaradan to 
       find Jeremiah.

       (Jer 39:12 TLB)  "See that he isn't hurt," he said. "Look after him 
       well and give him anything he wants."

       (Jer 39:13 TLB)  So Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, and 
       Nebushazban, the chief of the eunuchs, and Nergal-sharezer, the king's 
       advisor, and all the officials took steps to do as the king had 
       commanded.

       (Jer 39:14 TLB)  They sent soldiers to bring Jeremiah out of the 
       prison, and put him into the care of Gedaliah (son of Ahikam, son of 
       Shaphan), to take him back to his home. And Jeremiah lived there among 
       his people who were left in the land.

       (Jer 39:15 TLB)  The Lord gave the following message to Jeremiah 
       before the Babylonians arrived, while he was still in prison:

       (Jer 39:16 TLB)  "Send this word to Ebed-melech the Ethiopian: 'The 
       Lord, the God of Israel, says: I will do to this city everything I 
       threatened; I will destroy it before your eyes,






       (Jer 39:17 TLB)  but I will deliver you. You shall not be killed by 
       those you fear so much.

       (Jer 39:18 TLB)  As a reward for trusting me, I will preserve your 
       life and keep you safe.'"

       (Jer 40:1 TLB)  Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, took Jeremiah to 
       Ramah along with all the exiled people of Jerusalem and Judah who were 
       being sent to Babylon, but then released him.

       (Jer 40:2 TLB)  The captain called for Jeremiah and said, "The Lord 
       your God has brought this disaster on this land,

       (Jer 40:3 TLB)  just as he said he would. For these people have sinned 
       against the Lord. That is why it happened.

       (Jer 40:4 TLB)  Now I am going to take off your chains and let you go. 
       If you want to come with me to Babylon, fine; I will see that you are 
       well cared for. But if you don't want to come, don't. The world is 
       before you--go where you like.

       (Jer 40:5 TLB)  If you decide to stay, then return to Gedaliah, who 
       has been appointed as governor of Judah by the king of Babylon, and 
       stay with the remnant he rules. But it's up to you; go where you 
       like." Then Nebuzaradan gave Jeremiah some food and money and let him 
       go.

       (Jer 40:6 TLB)  So Jeremiah returned to Gedaliah and lived in Judah 
       with the people left in the land.

       (Jer 40:7 TLB)  Now when the leaders of the Jewish guerrilla bands in 
       the countryside heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah 
       as governor over the poor of the land who were left behind, and had 
       not exiled everyone to Babylon,

       (Jer 40:8 TLB)  they came to see Gedaliah at Mizpah, where his 
       headquarters were. These are the names of the leaders who came: 
       Ishmael (son of Nethaniah), Johanan and Jonathan (sons of Kareah), 
       Seraiah (son of Tanhumeth), the sons of Ephai (the Netophathite), 
       Jezaniah (son of a Maacathite), and their men.

       (Jer 40:9 TLB)  And Gedaliah assured them that it would be safe to 
       surrender to the Babylonians. "Stay here and serve the king of 
       Babylon," he said, "and all will go well for you.

       (Jer 40:10 TLB)  As for me, I will stay at Mizpah and intercede for 
       you with the Babylonians who will come here to oversee my 
       administration. Settle in any city you wish and live off the land. 
       Harvest the grapes and summer fruits and olives and store them away."

       (Jer 40:11 TLB)  When the Jews in Moab and among the Ammonites and in 
       Edom and the other nearby countries heard that a few people were still 
       left in Judah, and that the king of Babylon had not taken them all 
       away, and that Gedaliah was the governor,





       (Jer 40:12 TLB)  they all began to return to Judah from the many 
       places to which they had fled. They stopped at Mizpah to discuss their 
       plans with Gedaliah and then went out to the deserted farms and 
       gathered a great harvest of wine grapes and other crops.

       (Jer 40:13 TLB)  But soon afterwards Johanan (son of Kareah) and the 
       other guerrilla leaders came to Mizpah to warn Gedaliah

       (Jer 40:14 TLB)  that Baalis, king of the Ammonites, had sent Ishmael 
       (son of Nethaniah) to assassinate him. But Gedaliah wouldn't believe 
       them.

       (Jer 40:15 TLB)  Then Johanan had a private conference with Gedaliah. 
       Johanan volunteered to kill Ishmael secretly. "Why should we let him 
       come and murder you?" Johanan asked. "What will happen then to the 
       Jews who have returned? Why should this remnant be scattered and 
       lost?"

       (Jer 40:16 TLB)  But Gedaliah said, "I forbid you to do any such 
       thing, for you are lying about Ishmael."

       (Jer 41:1 TLB)  But in October, Ishmael (son of Nethaniah, son of 
       Elishama), who was a member of the royal family and one of the king's 
       top officials, arrived in Mizpah, accompanied by ten men. Gedaliah 
       invited them to dinner.

       (Jer 41:2 TLB)  While they were eating, Ishmael and the ten men in 
       league with him suddenly jumped up, pulled out their swords, and 
       killed Gedaliah.

       (Jer 41:3 TLB)  Then they went out and slaughtered all the Jewish 
       officials and Babylonian soldiers who were in Mizpah with Gedaliah.

       (Jer 41:4 TLB)  The next day, before the outside world knew what had 
       happened,

       (Jer 41:5 TLB)  eighty men approached Mizpah from Shechem, Shiloh, and 
       Samaria, to worship at the Temple of the Lord. They had shaved off 
       their beards, torn their clothes, and cut themselves, and were 
       bringing offerings and incense.

       (Jer 41:6 TLB)  Ishmael went out from the city to meet them, crying as 
       he went. When he faced them he said, "Oh, come and see what has 
       happened to Gedaliah!"

       (Jer 41:7 TLB)  Then, when they were all inside the city, Ishmael and 
       his men killed all but ten of them and threw their bodies into a 
       cistern.

       (Jer 41:8 TLB)  The ten had talked Ishmael into letting them go by 
       promising to bring him their treasures of wheat, barley, oil, and 
       honey they had hidden away.

       (Jer 41:9 TLB)  The cistern where Ishmael dumped the bodies of the men 
       he murdered was the large one constructed by King Asa when he 
       fortified Mizpah to protect himself against Baasha, king of Israel.






       (Jer 41:10 TLB)  Ishmael made captives of the king's daughters and of 
       the people who had been left under Gedaliah's care in Mizpah by 
       Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard. Soon after, he took them with him 
       when he headed toward the country of the Ammonites.

       (Jer 41:11 TLB)  But when Johanan (son of Kareah) and the rest of the 
       guerrilla leaders heard what Ishmael had done,

       (Jer 41:12 TLB)  they took all their men and set out to stop him. They 
       caught up with him at the pool near Gibeon.

       (Jer 41:13 TLB)  The people with Ishmael shouted for joy when they saw 
       Johanan and his men and ran to meet them.

       (Jer 41:14 TLB)  

       (Jer 41:15 TLB)  Meanwhile Ishmael escaped with eight of his men into 
       the land of the Ammonites.

       (Jer 41:16 TLB)  Then Johanan and his men went to the village of 
       Geruth Chimham, near Bethlehem, taking with them all those they had 
       rescued--soldiers, women, children, and eunuchs, to prepare to leave 
       for Egypt.

       (Jer 41:17 TLB)  

       (Jer 41:18 TLB)  For they were afraid of what the Babylonians would do 
       when the news reached them that Ishmael had killed Gedaliah the 
       governor, for he had been chosen and appointed by the Babylonian 
       emperor.

       (Jer 42:1 TLB)  Then Johanan and the army captains and all the people, 
       great and small, came to Jeremiah

       (Jer 42:2 TLB)  and said, "Please pray for us to the Lord your God, 
       for as you know so well, we are only a tiny remnant of what we were 
       before.

       (Jer 42:3 TLB)  Beg the Lord your God to show us what to do and where 
       to go."

       (Jer 42:4 TLB)  "All right," Jeremiah replied. "I will ask him and I 
       will tell you what he says. I will hide nothing from you."

       (Jer 42:5 TLB)  Then they said to Jeremiah, "May the curse of God be 
       on us if we refuse to obey whatever he says we should do!

       (Jer 42:6 TLB)  Whether we like it or not, we will obey the Lord our 
       God, to whom we send you with our plea. For if we obey him, everything 
       will turn out well for us."

       (Jer 42:7 TLB)  Ten days later the Lord gave his reply to Jeremiah.

       (Jer 42:8 TLB)  So he called for Johanan and the captains of his 
       forces, and for all the people, great and small,






       (Jer 42:9 TLB)  and said to them: "You sent me to the Lord, the God of 
       Israel, with your request, and this is his reply:

       (Jer 42:10 TLB)  "'Stay here in this land. If you do, I will bless 
       you, and no one will harm you. For I am sorry for all the punishment I 
       have had to give to you.

       (Jer 42:11 TLB)  Don't fear the king of Babylon any more, for I am 
       with you to save you and to deliver you from his hand.

       (Jer 42:12 TLB)  And I will be merciful to you by making him kind so 
       that he will not kill you or make slaves of you but will let you stay 
       here in your land.'

       (Jer 42:13 TLB)  "But if you refuse to obey the Lord and say, 'We will 
       not stay here,'--and insist on going to Egypt where you think you will 
       be free from war and hunger and alarms,

       (Jer 42:14 TLB)  

       (Jer 42:15 TLB)  then this is what the Lord replies, O remnant of 
       Judah: 'The Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: If you insist on 
       going to Egypt,

       (Jer 42:16 TLB)  the war and famine you fear will follow close behind 
       you, and you will perish there.

       (Jer 42:17 TLB)  That is the fate awaiting every one of you who 
       insists on going to live in Egypt. Yes, you will die from sword, 
       famine, and disease. None of you will escape from the evil I will 
       bring upon you there.'

       (Jer 42:18 TLB)  "For the Lord, the God of Israel, says: 'Just as my 
       anger and fury were poured out upon the people of Jerusalem, so it 
       will be poured out on you when you enter Egypt. You will be received 
       with disgust and with hatred--you will be cursed and reviled. And you 
       will never again see your own land.'

       (Jer 42:19 TLB)  For the Lord has said: 'O remnant of Judah, do not go 
       to Egypt!'" Jeremiah concluded: "Never forget the warning I have given 
       you today.

       (Jer 42:20 TLB)  If you go, it will be at the cost of your lives. For 
       you were deceitful when you sent me to pray for you and said, 'Just 
       tell us what God says and we will do it!'

       (Jer 42:21 TLB)  And today I have told you exactly what he said, but 
       you will not obey any more now than you did the other times.

       (Jer 42:22 TLB)  Therefore know for a certainty that you will die by 
       sword, famine, and disease in Egypt, where you insist on going."

       (Jer 43:1 TLB)  When Jeremiah had finished giving this message from 
       God to all the people,





       (Jer 43:2 TLB)  Azariah (son of Hoshaiah) and Johanan (son of Kareah) 
       and all the other proud men, said to Jeremiah, "You lie! The Lord our 
       God hasn't told you to tell us not to go to Egypt!

       (Jer 43:3 TLB)  Baruch (son of Neriah) has plotted against us and told 
       you to say this so that we will stay here and be killed by the 
       Babylonians or carried off to Babylon as slaves."

       (Jer 43:4 TLB)  So Johanan and all the guerrilla leaders and all the 
       people refused to obey the Lord and stay in Judah.

       (Jer 43:5 TLB)  All of them, including all those who had returned from 
       the nearby countries where they had fled, now started off for Egypt 
       with Johanan and the other captains in command.

       (Jer 43:6 TLB)  In the crowd were men, women and children, the king's 
       daughters, and all those whom Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, 
       had left with Gedaliah. They even forced Jeremiah and Baruch to go 
       with them too.

       (Jer 43:7 TLB)  And so they arrived in Egypt at the city of Tahpanhes, 
       for they would not obey the Lord.

       (Jer 43:8 TLB)  Then at Tahpanhes, the Lord spoke to Jeremiah again 
       and said:

       (Jer 43:9 TLB)  "Call together the men of Judah and, as they watch 
       you, bury large rocks between the pavement stones at the entrance of 
       Pharaoh's palace here in Tahpanhes,

       (Jer 43:10 TLB)  and tell the men of Judah this: 'The Lord Almighty, 
       the God of Israel, says: I will surely bring Nebuchadnezzar, king of 
       Babylon, here to Egypt, for he is my servant. I will set his throne 
       upon these stones that I have hidden. He shall spread his royal canopy 
       over them.

       (Jer 43:11 TLB)  And when he comes, he shall destroy the land of 
       Egypt, killing all those I want killed and capturing those I want 
       captured, and many shall die of plague.

       (Jer 43:12 TLB)  He will set fire to the temples of the gods of Egypt 
       and burn the idols and carry off the people as his captives. And he 
       shall plunder the land of Egypt as a shepherd picks fleas from his 
       cloak! And he himself shall leave unharmed.

       (Jer 43:13 TLB)  And he shall break down the obelisks standing in the 
       city of Heliopolis and burn down the temples of the gods of Egypt.'"

       (Jer 44:1 TLB)  This is the message God gave to Jeremiah concerning 
       all the Jews who were living in the north of Egypt in the cities of 
       Migdol, Tahpanhes, and Memphis, and throughout southern Egypt as well:

       (Jer 44:2 TLB)  "The Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: 'You saw 
       what I did to Jerusalem and to all the cities of Judah.

       (Jer 44:3 TLB)  Because of all their wickedness they lie in heaps and 





       ashes, without a living soul. For my anger rose high against them for 
       worshiping other gods-- "gods" that neither they nor you nor any of 
       your fathers have ever known.

       (Jer 44:4 TLB)  "'I sent my servants, the prophets, to protest over 
       and over again and to plead with them not to do this horrible thing I 
       hate,

       (Jer 44:5 TLB)  but they wouldn't listen and wouldn't turn back from 
       their wicked ways; they have kept right on with their sacrifices to 
       these "gods."

       (Jer 44:6 TLB)  And so my fury and anger boiled over and fell as fire 
       upon the cities of Judah and into the streets of Jerusalem, and there 
       is desolation until this day.'

       (Jer 44:7 TLB)  "And now the Lord, the Lord Almighty, the God of 
       Israel, asks you: 'Why are you destroying yourselves? For not one of 
       you shall live--not a man, woman or child among you who has come here 
       from Judah, not even the babies in arms.

       (Jer 44:8 TLB)  For you are rousing my anger with the idols you have 
       made and worshiped here in Egypt, burning incense to them, and causing 
       me to destroy you completely and to make you a curse and a stench in 
       the nostrils of all the nations of the earth.

       (Jer 44:9 TLB)  Have you forgotten the sins of your fathers, the sins 
       of the kings and queens of Judah, your own sins, and the sins of your 
       wives in Judah and Jerusalem?

       (Jer 44:10 TLB)  And even until this very hour there has been no 
       apology; no one has wanted to return to me or follow the laws I gave 
       you and your fathers before you.'

       (Jer 44:11 TLB)  "Therefore the Lord, the God of Israel, says: 'There 
       is fury in my face and I will destroy every one of you!

       (Jer 44:12 TLB)  I will take this remnant of Judah that insisted on 
       coming here to Egypt, and I will consume them. They shall fall here in 
       Egypt, killed by famine and sword; all shall die, from the least 
       important to the greatest. They shall be despised and loathed, cursed 
       and hated.

       (Jer 44:13 TLB)  I will punish them in Egypt just as I punished them 
       in Jerusalem, by sword, famine, and disease.

       (Jer 44:14 TLB)  Not one of them shall escape from my wrath except 
       those who repent of their coming and escape from the others by 
       returning again to their own land.'"

       (Jer 44:15 TLB)  Then all the women present and all the men who knew 
       that their wives had burned incense to idols (it was a great crowd of 
       all the Jews in southern Egypt) answered Jeremiah:

       (Jer 44:16 TLB)  "We will not listen to your false 'Messages from 
       God'!






       (Jer 44:17 TLB)  We will do whatever we want to. We will burn incense 
       to the Queen of Heaven and sacrifice to her just as much as we 
       like--just as we and our fathers before us, and our kings and princes 
       have always done in the cities of Judah and in the streets of 
       Jerusalem; for in those days we had plenty to eat, and we were well 
       off and happy!

       (Jer 44:18 TLB)  But ever since we quit burning incense to the Queen 
       of Heaven and stopped worshiping her, we have been in great trouble 
       and have been destroyed by sword and famine."

       (Jer 44:19 TLB)  "And," the women added, "do you suppose that we were 
       worshiping the Queen of Heaven and pouring out our libations to her 
       and making cakes for her with her image on them, without our husbands 
       knowing it and helping us? Of course not!"

       (Jer 44:20 TLB)  Then Jeremiah said to all of them, men and women 
       alike, who had given him that answer:

       (Jer 44:21 TLB)  "Do you think the Lord didn't know that you and your 
       fathers, your kings and princes, and all the people were burning 
       incense to idols in the cities of Judah and in the streets of 
       Jerusalem?

       (Jer 44:22 TLB)  It was because he could no longer bear all the evil 
       things you were doing that he made your land desolate, an incredible 
       ruin, cursed, without an inhabitant, as it is today.

       (Jer 44:23 TLB)  The very reason all these terrible things have 
       befallen you is because you have burned incense and sinned against the 
       Lord and refused to obey him."

       (Jer 44:24 TLB)  Then Jeremiah said to them all, including the women: 
       "Listen to the word of the Lord, all you citizens of Judah who are 
       here in Egypt!

       (Jer 44:25 TLB)  The Lord, the God of Israel, says: 'Both you and your 
       wives have said that you will never give up your devotion and 
       sacrifices to the Queen of Heaven, and you have proved it by your 
       actions. Then go ahead and carry out your promises and vows to her!'

       (Jer 44:26 TLB)  But listen to the word of the Lord, all you Jews who 
       are living in the land of Egypt: 'I have sworn by my great name,' says 
       the Lord, 'that it will do you no good to seek my help and blessing 
       any more, saying, "O Lord our God, help us!"

       (Jer 44:27 TLB)  For I will watch over you, but not for good! I will 
       see to it that evil befalls you, and you shall be destroyed by war and 
       famine until all of you are dead.

       (Jer 44:28 TLB)  "'Only those who return to Judah (it will be but a 
       tiny remnant) shall escape my wrath, but all who refuse to go 
       back--who insist on living in Egypt--shall find out who tells the 
       truth, I or they!





       (Jer 44:29 TLB)  And this is the proof I give you that all I have 
       threatened will happen to you and that I will punish you here:

       (Jer 44:30 TLB)  I will turn Pharaoh Hophra, king of Egypt, over to 
       those who seek his life, just as I turned Zedekiah, king of Judah, 
       over to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon.'"

       (Jer 45:1 TLB)  This is the message Jeremiah gave to Baruch in the 
       fourth year of the reign of King Jehoiakim (son of Josiah), after 
       Baruch had written down all God's messages as Jeremiah was dictating 
       them to him:

       (Jer 45:2 TLB)  "O Baruch, the Lord God of Israel says this to you:

       (Jer 45:3 TLB)  'You have said, "Woe is me! Don't I have troubles 
       enough already? And now the Lord has added more! I am weary of my own 
       sighing and I find no rest."'

       (Jer 45:4 TLB)  But tell Baruch this, 'The Lord says: "I will destroy 
       this nation that I built; I will wipe out what I established.

       (Jer 45:5 TLB)  Are you seeking great things for yourself? Don't do 
       it! For though I will bring great evil upon all these people, I will 
       protect you wherever you go, as your reward."'"

       (Jer 46:1 TLB)  Here are the messages given to Jeremiah concerning 
       foreign nations: The Egyptians

       (Jer 46:2 TLB)  This message was given against Egypt at the occasion 
       of the battle of Carchemish when Pharaoh Necho, king of Egypt, and his 
       army were defeated beside the Euphrates River by Nebuchadnezzar, king 
       of Babylon, in the fourth year of the reign of Jehoiakim (son of 
       Josiah), king of Judah:

       (Jer 46:3 TLB)  "Buckle on your armor, you Egyptians and advance to 
       battle!

       (Jer 46:4 TLB)  Harness the horses and prepare to mount them--don your 
       helmets, sharpen your spears, put on your armor.

       (Jer 46:5 TLB)  But look! The Egyptian army flees in terror; the 
       mightiest of its soldiers run without a backward glance. Yes, terror 
       shall surround them on every side," says the Lord.

       (Jer 46:6 TLB)  "The swift will not escape, nor the mightiest of 
       warriors. In the north, by the river Euphrates, they have stumbled and 
       fallen.

       (Jer 46:7 TLB)  "What is this mighty army, rising like the Nile at 
       flood time, overflowing all the land?

       (Jer 46:8 TLB)  It is the Egyptian army, boasting that it will cover 
       the earth like a flood, destroying every foe.

       (Jer 46:9 TLB)  Then come, O horses and chariots and mighty soldiers 
       of Egypt! Come, all of you from Cush and Put and Lud who handle the 





       shield and bend the bow!

       (Jer 46:10 TLB)  For this is the day of the Lord, the Lord Almighty, a 
       day of vengeance upon his enemies. The sword shall devour until it is 
       sated, yes, drunk with your blood, for the Lord, the Lord Almighty 
       will receive a sacrifice today in the north country beside the river 
       Euphrates!

       (Jer 46:11 TLB)  Go up to Gilead for medicine, O virgin daughter of 
       Egypt! Yet there is no cure for your wounds. Though you have used many 
       medicines, there is no healing for you.

       (Jer 46:12 TLB)  The nations have heard of your shame. The earth is 
       filled with your cry of despair and defeat; your mightiest soldiers 
       will stumble across each other and fall together."

       (Jer 46:13 TLB)  Then God gave Jeremiah this message concerning the 
       coming of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, to attack Egypt:

       (Jer 46:14 TLB)  "Shout it out in Egypt; publish it in the cities of 
       Migdol, Memphis, and Tahpanhes! Mobilize for battle, for the sword of 
       destruction shall devour all around you.

       (Jer 46:15 TLB)  Why has Apis, your bull god, fled in terror? Because 
       the Lord knocked him down before your enemies.

       (Jer 46:16 TLB)  Vast multitudes fall in heaps. (Then the remnant of 
       the Jews will say, 'Come, let us return again to Judah where we were 
       born and get away from all this slaughter here!')

       (Jer 46:17 TLB)  "Rename Pharaoh Hophra and call him 'The Man with No 
       Power But with Plenty of Noise!'

       (Jer 46:18 TLB)  "As I live," says the King, the Lord of Hosts, "one 
       is coming against Egypt who is as tall as Mount Tabor or Mount Carmel 
       by the sea!

       (Jer 46:19 TLB)  Pack up; get ready to leave for exile, you citizens 
       of Egypt, for the city of Memphis shall be utterly destroyed and left 
       without a soul alive.

       (Jer 46:20 TLB)  Egypt is sleek as a heifer, but a gadfly sends her 
       running--a gadfly from the north!

       (Jer 46:21 TLB)  Even her famed mercenaries have become like 
       frightened calves. They turn and run, for it is the day of great 
       calamity for Egypt, a time of great punishment.

       (Jer 46:22 TLB)  Silent as a serpent gliding away, Egypt flees; the 
       invading army marches in. The numberless soldiers cut down your people 
       like woodsmen who clear a forest of its trees.

       (Jer 46:23 TLB)  

       (Jer 46:24 TLB)  Egypt is as helpless as a girl before these men from 
       the north."






       (Jer 46:25 TLB)  The Lord, the God of Israel, says: "I will punish 
       Amon, god of Thebes, and all the other gods of Egypt. I will punish 
       Pharaoh too, and all who trust in him.

       (Jer 46:26 TLB)  I will deliver them into the hands of those who want 
       them killed--into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and 
       his army. But afterwards the land shall recover from the ravages of 
       war.

       (Jer 46:27 TLB)  "But don't you be afraid, O my people who return to 
       your own land, don't be dismayed; for I will save you from far away 
       and bring your children from a distant land. Yes, Israel shall return 
       and be at rest, and nothing shall make her afraid.

       (Jer 46:28 TLB)  Fear not, O Jacob, my servant," says the Lord, "for I 
       am with you. I will destroy all the nations to which I have exiled 
       you, but I will not destroy you. I will punish you, but only enough to 
       correct you."

       (Jer 47:1 TLB)  The Philistines This is God's message to Jeremiah 
       concerning the Philistines of Gaza, before the city was captured by 
       the Egyptian army:

       (Jer 47:2 TLB)  "The Lord says: 'A flood is coming from the north to 
       overflow the land of the Philistines; it will destroy their cities and 
       everything in them. Strong men will scream in terror, and all the land 
       will weep.

       (Jer 47:3 TLB)  Hear the clattering hoofs and rumbling wheels as the 
       chariots go rushing by; fathers flee without a backward glance at 
       their helpless children,

       (Jer 47:4 TLB)  for the time has come when all the Philistines and 
       their allies from Tyre and Sidon will be destroyed. For the Lord is 
       destroying the Philistines, those colonists from Caphtor.

       (Jer 47:5 TLB)  The cities of Gaza and Ashkelon will be razed to the 
       ground and lie in ruins. O descendants of the Anakim, how you will 
       lament and mourn!

       (Jer 47:6 TLB)  "'O sword of the Lord, when will you be at rest again? 
       Go back into your scabbard; rest and be still!

       (Jer 47:7 TLB)  But how can it be still when the Lord has sent it on 
       an errand? For the city of Ashkelon and those living along the sea 
       must be destroyed.'"

       (Jer 48:1 TLB)  The Moabites This is the message of the Lord of Hosts, 
       the God of Israel, against Moab: "Woe to the city of Nebo, for it 
       shall lie in ruins. The city of Kiriathaim and its forts are 
       overwhelmed and captured.

       (Jer 48:2 TLB)  No one will ever brag about Moab any more, for there 
       is a plot against her life. In Heshbon plans have been completed to 
       destroy her. 'Come,' they say, 'we will cut her off from being a 





       nation.' In Madmen all is silent.

       (Jer 48:3 TLB)  And then the roar of battle will surge against 
       Horonaim,

       (Jer 48:4 TLB)  for all Moab is being destroyed. Her crying will be 
       heard as far away as Zoar.

       (Jer 48:5 TLB)  Her refugees will climb the hills of Luhith, weeping 
       bitterly, while cries of terror rise from the city below.

       (Jer 48:6 TLB)  Flee for your lives; hide in the wilderness!

       (Jer 48:7 TLB)  For you trusted in your wealth and skill; therefore, 
       you shall perish. Your god Chemosh, with his priests and princes, 
       shall be taken away to distant lands!

       (Jer 48:8 TLB)  "All the villages and cities, whether they be on the 
       plateaus or in the valleys, shall be destroyed, for the Lord has said 
       it.

       (Jer 48:9 TLB)  Oh, for wings for Moab that she could fly away, for 
       her cities shall be left without a living soul.

       (Jer 48:10 TLB)  Cursed be those withholding their swords from your 
       blood, refusing to do the work that God has given them!

       (Jer 48:11 TLB)  "From her earliest history Moab has lived there 
       undisturbed from all invasions. She is like wine that has not been 
       poured from flask to flask and is fragrant and smooth. But now she 
       shall have the pouring out of exile!

       (Jer 48:12 TLB)  The time is coming soon," the Lord has said, "when he 
       will send troublemakers to spill her out from jar to jar and then 
       shatter the jars!

       (Jer 48:13 TLB)  Then at last Moab shall be ashamed of her idol 
       Chemosh, as Israel was of her calf-idol at Bethel.

       (Jer 48:14 TLB)  "Do you remember that boast of yours: 'We are heroes, 
       mighty men of war'?

       (Jer 48:15 TLB)  But now Moab is to be destroyed; her destroyer is on 
       the way; her choicest youth are doomed to slaughter," says the King, 
       the Lord Almighty.

       (Jer 48:16 TLB)  "Calamity is coming fast to Moab.

       (Jer 48:17 TLB)  "O friends of Moab, weep for her and cry! See how the 
       strong, the beautiful is shattered!

       (Jer 48:18 TLB)  Come down from your glory and sit in the dust, O 
       people of Dibon, for those destroying Moab shall shatter Dibon too, 
       and tear down all her towers.

       (Jer 48:19 TLB)  Those in Aroer stand anxiously beside the road to 





       watch, and shout to those who flee from Moab, 'What has happened 
       there?'

       (Jer 48:20 TLB)  "And they reply, 'Moab lies in ruins; weep and wail. 
       Tell it by the banks of the Arnon, that Moab is destroyed.'

       (Jer 48:21 TLB)  "All the cities of the tableland lie in ruins too, 
       for God's judgment has been poured out upon them all--on Holon and 
       Jahzah and Mephaath,

       (Jer 48:22 TLB)  and Dibon and Nebo and Beth-diblathaim,

       (Jer 48:23 TLB)  and Kiriathaim and Beth-gamul and Beth-meon,

       (Jer 48:24 TLB)  and Kerioth and Bozrah--and all the cities of the 
       land of Moab, far and near.

       (Jer 48:25 TLB)  "The strength of Moab is ended--her horns are cut 
       off; her arms are broken.

       (Jer 48:26 TLB)  Let her stagger and fall like a drunkard, for she has 
       rebelled against the Lord. Moab shall wallow in her vomit, scorned by 
       all.

       (Jer 48:27 TLB)  For you scorned Israel and robbed her and were happy 
       at her fall.

       (Jer 48:28 TLB)  "O people of Moab, flee from your cities and live in 
       the caves like doves that nest in the clefts of the rocks.

       (Jer 48:29 TLB)  We have all heard of the pride of Moab, for it is 
       very great. We know your loftiness, your arrogance, and your haughty 
       heart.

       (Jer 48:30 TLB)  I know her insolence," the Lord has said, "but her 
       boasts are false--her helplessness is great.

       (Jer 48:31 TLB)  Yes, I wail for Moab, my heart is broken for the men 
       of Kir-heres.

       (Jer 48:32 TLB)  "O men of Sibmah, rich in vineyards, I weep for you 
       even more than for Jazer. For the destroyer has cut off your spreading 
       tendrils and harvested your grapes and summer fruits. He has plucked 
       you bare!

       (Jer 48:33 TLB)  Joy and gladness are gone from fruitful Moab. The 
       presses yield no wine; no one treads the grapes with shouts of joy. 
       There is shouting, yes, but not the shouting of joy.

       (Jer 48:34 TLB)  Instead the awful cries of terror and pain rise from 
       all over the land--from Heshbon clear across to Elealeh and to Jahaz; 
       from Zoar to Horonaim and to Eglath-shelishiyah. The pastures of 
       Nimrim are deserted now."

       (Jer 48:35 TLB)  For the Lord says: "I have put a stop to Moab's 
       worshiping false gods and burning incense to idols.






       (Jer 48:36 TLB)  Sad sings my heart for Moab and Kir-heres, for all 
       their wealth has disappeared.

       (Jer 48:37 TLB)  They shave their heads and beards in anguish; they 
       slash their hands and put on clothes of sackcloth.

       (Jer 48:38 TLB)  Crying and sorrow will be in every Moabite home and 
       on the streets; for I have smashed and shattered Moab like an old, 
       unwanted bottle.

       (Jer 48:39 TLB)  How it is broken! Hear the wails! See the shame of 
       Moab! For she is a sign of horror and of scoffing to her neighbors 
       now.

       (Jer 48:40 TLB)  "A vulture circles ominously above the land of Moab," 
       says the Lord.

       (Jer 48:41 TLB)  "Her cities are fallen; her strongholds are seized. 
       The hearts of her mightiest warriors fail with fear like women in the 
       pains of giving birth.

       (Jer 48:42 TLB)  Moab shall no longer be a nation, for she has boasted 
       against the Lord.

       (Jer 48:43 TLB)  Fear and traps and treachery shall be your lot, O 
       Moab," says the Lord.

       (Jer 48:44 TLB)  "He who flees shall fall in a trap, and he who 
       escapes from the trap shall run into a snare. I will see to it that 
       you do not get away, for the time of your judgment has come.

       (Jer 48:45 TLB)  They flee to Heshbon, unable to go farther. But a 
       fire comes from Heshbon--Sihon's ancestral home--and devours the land 
       from end to end with all its rebellious people.

       (Jer 48:46 TLB)  "Woe to you, O Moab; the people of the god Chemosh 
       are destroyed, and your sons and daughters are taken away as slaves.

       (Jer 48:47 TLB)  But in the latter days," says the Lord, "I will 
       reestablish Moab." (Here the prophecy concerning Moab ends.)

       (Jer 49:1 TLB)  The Ammonites "What is this you are doing? Why are you 
       living in the cities of the Jews? Aren't there Jews enough to fill 
       them up? Didn't they inherit them from me? Why then have you, who 
       worship Milcom, taken over Gad and all its cities?

       (Jer 49:2 TLB)  I will punish you for this," the Lord declares, "by 
       destroying your city of Rabbah. It shall become a desolate heap, and 
       the neighboring towns shall be burned. Then Israel shall come and take 
       back her land from you again. She shall dispossess those who 
       dispossessed her," says the Lord.

       (Jer 49:3 TLB)  "Cry out, O Heshbon, for Ai is destroyed! Weep, 
       daughter of Rabbah! Put on garments of mourning; weep and wail, hiding 
       in the hedges, for your god Milcom shall be exiled along with his 





       princes and priests.

       (Jer 49:4 TLB)  You are proud of your fertile valleys, but they will 
       soon be ruined. O wicked daughter, you trusted in your wealth and 
       thought no one could ever harm you.

       (Jer 49:5 TLB)  But see, I will bring terror upon you," says the Lord, 
       the Lord Almighty. "For all your neighbors shall drive you from your 
       land and none shall help your exiles as they flee.

       (Jer 49:6 TLB)  But afterward I will restore the fortunes of the 
       Ammonites," says the Lord. The Edomites

       (Jer 49:7 TLB)  The Lord says: "Where are all your wise men of days 
       gone by? Is there not one left in all of Teman?

       (Jer 49:8 TLB)  Flee to the remotest parts of the desert, O people of 
       Dedan; for when I punish Edom, I will punish you!

       (Jer 49:9 TLB)  Those who gather grapes leave a few for the poor, and 
       even thieves don't take everything,

       (Jer 49:10 TLB)  but I will strip bare the land of Esau, and there 
       will be no place to hide. Her children, her brothers, her 
       neighbors--all will be destroyed--and she herself will perish too.

       (Jer 49:11 TLB)  (But I will preserve your fatherless children who 
       remain, and let your widows depend upon me.)"

       (Jer 49:12 TLB)  The Lord says to Edom: "If the innocent must suffer, 
       how much more must you! You shall not go unpunished! You must drink 
       this cup of judgment!

       (Jer 49:13 TLB)  For I have sworn by my own name," says the Lord, 
       "that Bozrah shall become heaps of ruins, cursed and mocked; and her 
       cities shall be eternal wastes."

       (Jer 49:14 TLB)  I have heard this message from the Lord: "I have sent 
       a messenger to call the nations to form a coalition against Edom and 
       destroy her.

       (Jer 49:15 TLB)  I will make her weak among the nations and despised 
       by all," says the Lord.

       (Jer 49:16 TLB)  "You have been fooled by your fame and your pride, 
       living there in the mountains of Petra, in the clefts of the rocks. 
       But though you live among the peaks with the eagles, I will bring you 
       down," says the Lord.

       (Jer 49:17 TLB)  "The fate of Edom will be horrible; all who go by 
       will be appalled and gasp at the sight.

       (Jer 49:18 TLB)  Your cities will become as silent as Sodom and 
       Gomorrah and their neighboring towns," says the Lord. "No one will 
       live there anymore.





       (Jer 49:19 TLB)  I will send against them one who will come like a 
       lion from the wilds of Jordan stalking the sheep in the fold. Suddenly 
       Edom shall be destroyed, and I will appoint over the Edomites the 
       person of my choice. For who is like me, and who can call me to 
       account? What shepherd can defy me?"

       (Jer 49:20 TLB)  Take note: The Lord will certainly do this to Edom 
       and also the people of Teman--even little children will be dragged 
       away as slaves! It will be a shocking thing to see.

       (Jer 49:21 TLB)  The earth shakes with the noise of Edom's fall; the 
       cry of the people is heard as far away as the Red Sea.

       (Jer 49:22 TLB)  The one who will come will fly as swift as a vulture 
       and will spread his wings against Bozrah. Then the courage of the 
       mightiest warriors will disappear like that of women in labor. 
       Damascus

       (Jer 49:23 TLB)  "The cities of Hamath and Arpad are stricken with 
       fear, for they have heard the news of their doom. Their hearts are 
       troubled like a wild sea in a raging storm.

       (Jer 49:24 TLB)  Damascus has become feeble, and all her people turn 
       to flee. Fear, anguish, and sorrow have gripped her as they do women 
       in labor.

       (Jer 49:25 TLB)  O famous city, city of joy, how you are forsaken now!

       (Jer 49:26 TLB)  Your young men lie dead in the streets; your entire 
       army shall be destroyed in one day," says the Lord Almighty.

       (Jer 49:27 TLB)  "And I will start a fire at the edge of Damascus that 
       shall burn up the palaces of Benhadad." Kedar and Hazor

       (Jer 49:28 TLB)  This prophecy is about Kedar and the kingdoms of 
       Hazor that are going to be destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, king of 
       Babylon, for the Lord will send him to destroy them:

       (Jer 49:29 TLB)  "Their flocks and their tents will be captured," says 
       the Lord, "with all their household goods. Their camels will be taken 
       away, and all around will be the shouts of panic, 'We are surrounded 
       and doomed!'

       (Jer 49:30 TLB)  Flee for your lives," says the Lord. "Go deep into 
       the deserts, O people of Hazor, for Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, 
       has plotted against you and is preparing to destroy you.

       (Jer 49:31 TLB)  "Go," said the Lord to King Nebuchadnezzar. "Attack 
       those wealthy Bedouin tribes living alone in the desert without a care 
       in the world, boasting that they are self-sufficient--that they need 
       neither walls nor gates.

       (Jer 49:32 TLB)  Their camels and cattle shall all be yours, and I 
       will scatter these heathen to the winds. From all directions I will 
       bring calamity upon them.





       (Jer 49:33 TLB)  "Hazor shall be a home for wild animals of the 
       desert. No one shall ever live there again. It shall be desolate 
       forever." Elam

       (Jer 49:34 TLB)  God's message against Elam came to Jeremiah in the 
       beginning of the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah:

       (Jer 49:35 TLB)  "The Lord says: 'I will destroy the army of Elam,

       (Jer 49:36 TLB)  and I will scatter the people of Elam to the four 
       winds; they shall be exiled to countries throughout the world.

       (Jer 49:37 TLB)  My fierce anger will bring great evil upon Elam,' 
       says the Lord, 'and I will cause her enemies to wipe her out.

       (Jer 49:38 TLB)  And I will set my throne in Elam,' says the Lord. 'I 
       will destroy her king and princes.

       (Jer 49:39 TLB)  But in the latter days I will bring the people back,' 
       says the Lord."

       (Jer 50:1 TLB)  Babylon This is the message from the Lord against 
       Babylon and the Chaldeans, spoken by Jeremiah the prophet:

       (Jer 50:2 TLB)  "Tell all the world that Babylon will be destroyed; 
       her god Marduk will be utterly disgraced!

       (Jer 50:3 TLB)  For a nation shall come down upon her from the north 
       with such destruction that no one shall live in her again; all shall 
       be gone--both men and animals shall flee.

       (Jer 50:4 TLB)  "Then the people of Israel and Judah shall join 
       together, weeping and seeking the Lord their God.

       (Jer 50:5 TLB)  They shall ask the way to Zion and start back home 
       again. 'Come,' they will say, 'let us be united to the Lord with an 
       eternal pledge that will never be broken again.'

       (Jer 50:6 TLB)  "My people have been lost sheep. Their shepherds led 
       them astray and then turned them loose in the mountains. They lost 
       their way and didn't remember how to get back to the fold.

       (Jer 50:7 TLB)  All who found them devoured them and said, 'We are 
       permitted to attack them freely, for they have sinned against the 
       Lord, the God of justice, the hope of their fathers.'

       (Jer 50:8 TLB)  "But now, flee from Babylon, the land of the 
       Chaldeans; lead my people home again.

       (Jer 50:9 TLB)  For see, I am raising up an army of great nations from 
       the north, and I will bring them against Babylon to attack her, and 
       she shall be destroyed. The enemies' arrows go straight to the mark; 
       they do not miss!

       (Jer 50:10 TLB)  And Babylon shall be sacked until everyone is sated 
       with loot," says the Lord.






       (Jer 50:11 TLB)  "Though you were glad, O Chaldeans, plunderers of my 
       people, and are fat as cows that feed in lush pastures, and neigh like 
       stallions,

       (Jer 50:12 TLB)  yet your mother shall be overwhelmed with shame, for 
       you shall become the least of the nations--a wilderness, a dry and 
       desert land.

       (Jer 50:13 TLB)  Because of the anger of the Lord, Babylon shall 
       become deserted wasteland, and all who pass by shall be appalled and 
       shall mock at her for all her wounds.

       (Jer 50:14 TLB)  "Yes, prepare to fight with Babylon, all you nations 
       round about; let the archers shoot at her; spare no arrows, for she 
       has sinned against the Lord.

       (Jer 50:15 TLB)  Shout against her from every side. Look! She 
       surrenders! Her walls have fallen. The Lord has taken vengeance. Do to 
       her as she has done!

       (Jer 50:16 TLB)  Let the farmhands all depart. Let them rush back to 
       their own lands as the enemies advance.

       (Jer 50:17 TLB)  "The Israelites are like sheep the lions chase. First 
       the king of Assyria ate them up; then Nebuchadnezzar, the king of 
       Babylon, crunched their bones."

       (Jer 50:18 TLB)  Therefore the Lord, the God of Israel, says: "Now I 
       will punish the king of Babylon and his land as I punished the king of 
       Assyria.

       (Jer 50:19 TLB)  And I will bring Israel home again to her own land, 
       to feed in the fields of Carmel and Bashan and to be happy once more 
       on Mount Ephraim and Mount Gilead.

       (Jer 50:20 TLB)  In those days," says the Lord, "no sin shall be found 
       in Israel or in Judah, for I will pardon the remnant I preserve.

       (Jer 50:21 TLB)  "Go up, O my warriors, against the land of Merathaim 
       and against the people of Pekod. Yes, march against Babylon, the land 
       of rebels, a land that I will judge! Annihilate them, as I have 
       commanded you.

       (Jer 50:22 TLB)  Let there be the shout of battle in the land, a shout 
       of great destruction.

       (Jer 50:23 TLB)  Babylon, the mightiest hammer in all the earth, lies 
       broken and shattered. Babylon is desolate among the nations!

       (Jer 50:24 TLB)  O Babylon, I have set a trap for you and you are 
       caught, for you have fought against the Lord.

       (Jer 50:25 TLB)  "The Lord has opened his armory and brought out 
       weapons to explode his wrath upon his enemies. The terror that befalls 
       Babylon will be the work of the Lord God.






       (Jer 50:26 TLB)  Yes, come against her from distant lands; break open 
       her granaries; knock down her walls and houses into heaps of ruins and 
       utterly destroy her; let nothing be left.

       (Jer 50:27 TLB)  Not even her cattle--woe to them too! Kill them all! 
       For the time has come for Babylon to be devastated.

       (Jer 50:28 TLB)  "But my people will flee; they will escape back to 
       their own country to tell how the Lord their God has broken forth in 
       fury upon those who destroyed his Temple.

       (Jer 50:29 TLB)  "Send out a call for archers to come to Babylon; 
       surround the city so that none can escape. Do to her as she has done 
       to others, for she has haughtily defied the Lord, the Holy One of 
       Israel.

       (Jer 50:30 TLB)  Her young men will fall in the streets and die; her 
       warriors will all be killed.

       (Jer 50:31 TLB)  For see, I am against you, O people so proud; and now 
       your day of reckoning has come.

       (Jer 50:32 TLB)  Land of pride, you will stumble and fall, and no one 
       will raise you up; for the Lord will light a fire in the cities of 
       Babylon that will burn everything around them."

       (Jer 50:33 TLB)  "The Lord says: The people of Israel and Judah have 
       been wronged. Their captors hold them and refuse to let them go.

       (Jer 50:34 TLB)  But their Redeemer is strong. His name is the Lord 
       Almighty. He will plead for them and see that they are freed to live 
       again in quietness in Israel. "As for the people of Babylon--there is 
       no rest for them!

       (Jer 50:35 TLB)  The sword of destruction shall smite the Chaldeans," 
       says the Lord. "It shall smite the people of Babylon--her princes and 
       wise men too.

       (Jer 50:36 TLB)  All her wise counselors shall become fools! Panic 
       shall seize her mightiest warriors!

       (Jer 50:37 TLB)  War shall devour her horses and chariots, and her 
       allies from other lands shall become as weak as women. Her treasures 
       shall all be robbed;

       (Jer 50:38 TLB)  even her water supply will fail. And why? Because the 
       whole land is full of images, and the people are madly in love with 
       their idols.

       (Jer 50:39 TLB)  "Therefore this city of Babylon shall become 
       inhabited by ostriches and jackals; it shall be a home for the wild 
       animals of the desert. Never again shall it be lived in by human 
       beings; it shall lie desolate forever.

       (Jer 50:40 TLB)  The Lord declares that he will destroy Babylon just 





       as he destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighboring towns. No one 
       has lived in them since, and no one will live again in Babylon.

       (Jer 50:41 TLB)  "See them coming! A great army from the north! It is 
       accompanied by many kings called by God from many lands.

       (Jer 50:42 TLB)  They are fully armed for slaughter; they are cruel 
       and show no mercy; their battle cry roars like the surf against the 
       shoreline. O Babylon, they ride against you fully ready for the 
       battle."

       (Jer 50:43 TLB)  When the king of Babylon received the dispatch, his 
       hands fell helpless at his sides; pangs of terror gripped him like the 
       pangs of a woman in labor.

       (Jer 50:44 TLB)  "I will send against them an invader who will come 
       upon them suddenly, like a lion from the jungles of Jordan that leaps 
       upon the grazing sheep. I will put her defenders to flight and appoint 
       over them whomsoever I please. For who is like me? What ruler can 
       oppose my will? Who can call me to account?"

       (Jer 50:45 TLB)  Listen to the plan of the Lord against Babylon, the 
       land of the Chaldeans. For even little children shall be dragged away 
       as slaves; oh, the horror; oh, the terror.

       (Jer 50:46 TLB)  The whole earth shall shake at Babylon's fall, and 
       her cry of despair shall be heard around the world.

       (Jer 51:1 TLB)  The Lord says: "I will stir up a destroyer against 
       Babylon, against that whole land of the Chaldeans, and destroy it.

       (Jer 51:2 TLB)  Winnowers shall come and winnow her and blow her away; 
       they shall come from every side to rise against her in her day of 
       trouble.

       (Jer 51:3 TLB)  The arrows of the enemy shall strike down the bowmen 
       of Babylon and pierce her warriors in their coats of mail. No one 
       shall be spared; both young and old alike shall be destroyed.

       (Jer 51:4 TLB)  They shall fall down slain in the land of the 
       Chaldeans, slashed to death in her streets.

       (Jer 51:5 TLB)  For the Lord Almighty has not forsaken Israel and 
       Judah. He is still their God, but the land of the Chaldeans is filled 
       with sin against the Holy One of Israel."

       (Jer 51:6 TLB)  Flee from Babylon! Save yourselves! Don't get trapped! 
       If you stay, you will be destroyed when God takes his vengeance on all 
       of Babylon's sins.

       (Jer 51:7 TLB)  Babylon has been as a gold cup in the Lord's hands, a 
       cup from which he made the whole earth drink and go mad.

       (Jer 51:8 TLB)  But now, suddenly Babylon too has fallen. Weep for 
       her; give her medicine; perhaps she can yet be healed.





       (Jer 51:9 TLB)  We would help her if we could, but nothing can save 
       her now. Let her go. Abandon her and return to your own land, for God 
       is judging her from heaven.

       (Jer 51:10 TLB)  The Lord has vindicated us. Come, let us declare in 
       Jerusalem all the Lord our God has done.

       (Jer 51:11 TLB)  Sharpen the arrows! Lift up the shields! For the Lord 
       has stirred up the spirit of the kings of the Medes to march on 
       Babylon and destroy her. This is his vengeance on those who wronged 
       his people and desecrated his Temple.

       (Jer 51:12 TLB)  Prepare your defenses, Babylon! Set many watchmen on 
       your walls; send out an ambush, for the Lord will do all he has said 
       he would concerning Babylon.

       (Jer 51:13 TLB)  O wealthy port, great center of commerce, your end 
       has come; the thread of your life is cut.

       (Jer 51:14 TLB)  The Lord Almighty has taken this vow and sworn to it 
       in his own name: "Your cities shall be filled with enemies, like 
       fields filled with locusts in a plague, and they shall lift to the 
       skies their mighty shouts of victory."

       (Jer 51:15 TLB)  God made the earth by his power and wisdom. He 
       stretched out the heavens by his understanding.

       (Jer 51:16 TLB)  When he speaks there is thunder in the heavens, and 
       he causes the vapors to rise around the world; he brings the lightning 
       with the rain and the winds from his treasuries.

       (Jer 51:17 TLB)  Compared to him, all men are stupid beasts. They have 
       no wisdom--none at all! The silversmith is dulled by the images he 
       makes, for in making them he lies; for he calls them gods when there 
       is not a breath of life in them at all!

       (Jer 51:18 TLB)  Idols are nothing! They are lies! And the time is 
       coming when God will come and see, and shall destroy them all.

       (Jer 51:19 TLB)  But the God of Israel is no idol! For he made 
       everything there is, and Israel is his nation; the Lord Almighty is 
       his name.

       (Jer 51:20 TLB)  "Cyrus is God's battleaxe and sword. I will use you," 
       says the Lord, "to break nations in pieces and to destroy many 
       kingdoms.

       (Jer 51:21 TLB)  With you I will crush armies, destroying the horse 
       and his rider, the chariot and the charioteer--

       (Jer 51:22 TLB)  yes, and the civilians too, both old and young, young 
       men and maidens,

       (Jer 51:23 TLB)  shepherds and flocks, farmers and oxen, captains and 
       rulers;





       (Jer 51:24 TLB)  before your eyes I will repay Babylon and all the 
       Chaldeans for all the evil they have done to my people," says the 
       Lord.

       (Jer 51:25 TLB)  "For see, I am against you, O mighty mountain, 
       Babylon, destroyer of the earth! I will lift my hand against you, roll 
       you down from your heights, and leave you, a burnt-out mountain.

       (Jer 51:26 TLB)  You shall be desolate forever; even your stones shall 
       never be used for building again. You shall be completely wiped out."

       (Jer 51:27 TLB)  Signal many nations to mobilize for war on Babylon. 
       Sound the battle cry; bring out the armies of Ararat, Minni, and 
       Ashkenaz. Appoint a leader; bring a multitude of horses!

       (Jer 51:28 TLB)  Bring against her the armies of the kings of the 
       Medes and their generals, and the armies of all the countries they 
       rule.

       (Jer 51:29 TLB)  Babylon trembles and writhes in pain, for all that 
       the Lord has planned against her stands unchanged. Babylon will be 
       left desolate without a living soul.

       (Jer 51:30 TLB)  Her mightiest soldiers no longer fight; they stay in 
       their barracks. Their courage is gone; they have become as women. The 
       invaders have burned the houses and broken down the city gates.

       (Jer 51:31 TLB)  Messengers from every side come running to the king 
       to tell him all is lost!

       (Jer 51:32 TLB)  All the escape routes are blocked; the fortifications 
       are burning, and the army is in panic.

       (Jer 51:33 TLB)  "For the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Babylon is 
       like the wheat upon a threshing floor; in just a little while the 
       flailing will begin."

       (Jer 51:34 TLB)  The Jews in Babylon say, "Nebuchadnezzar, king of 
       Babylon, has eaten and crushed us and emptied out our strength; he has 
       swallowed us like a great monster and filled his belly with our 
       riches; he has cast us out of our own country.

       (Jer 51:35 TLB)  May Babylon be repaid for all she did to us! May she 
       be paid in full for all our blood she spilled!"

       (Jer 51:36 TLB)  And the Lord replies: "I will be your lawyer; I will 
       plead your case; I will avenge you. I will dry up her river, her water 
       supply,

       (Jer 51:37 TLB)  and Babylon shall become a heap of ruins, haunted by 
       jackals, a land horrible to see, incredible, without a living soul.

       (Jer 51:38 TLB)  In their drunken feasts, the men of Babylon roar like 
       lions.

       (Jer 51:39 TLB)  And while they lie inflamed with all their wine, I 





       will prepare a different kind of feast for them and make them drink 
       until they fall unconscious to the floor, to sleep forever, never to 
       waken again," says the Lord.

       (Jer 51:40 TLB)  "I will bring them like lambs to the slaughter, like 
       rams and goats.

       (Jer 51:41 TLB)  "How Babylon is fallen--great Babylon, lauded by all 
       the earth! The world can scarcely believe its eyes at Babylon's fall!

       (Jer 51:42 TLB)  The sea has risen upon Babylon; she is covered by its 
       waves.

       (Jer 51:43 TLB)  Her cities lie in ruins--she is a dry wilderness 
       where no one lives nor even travelers pass by.

       (Jer 51:44 TLB)  And I will punish Bel, the god of Babylon, and pull 
       from his mouth what he has taken. The nations shall no longer come and 
       worship him; the wall of Babylon has fallen.

       (Jer 51:45 TLB)  "O my people, flee from Babylon; save yourselves from 
       the fierce anger of the Lord.

       (Jer 51:46 TLB)  But don't panic when you hear the first rumor of 
       approaching forces. For rumors will keep coming year by year. Then 
       there will be a time of civil war as the governors of Babylon fight 
       against each other.

       (Jer 51:47 TLB)  For the time is surely coming when I will punish this 
       great city and all her idols; her dead shall lie in the streets.

       (Jer 51:48 TLB)  Heaven and earth shall rejoice, for out of the north 
       shall come destroying armies against Babylon," says the Lord.

       (Jer 51:49 TLB)  "Just as Babylon killed the people of Israel, so must 
       she be killed.

       (Jer 51:50 TLB)  Go, you who escaped the sword! Don't stand and 
       watch--flee while you can! Remember the Lord and return to Jerusalem 
       far away!"

       (Jer 51:51 TLB)  "We are ashamed because the Temple of the Lord has 
       been defiled by foreigners from Babylon."

       (Jer 51:52 TLB)  "Yes," says the Lord. "But the time is coming for the 
       destruction of the idols of Babylon. All through the land will be 
       heard the groans of the wounded.

       (Jer 51:53 TLB)  Though Babylon be as powerful as heaven, though she 
       increase her strength immeasurably, she shall die," says the Lord.

       (Jer 51:54 TLB)  "Listen! Hear the cry of great destruction out of 
       Babylon, the land the Chaldeans rule!

       (Jer 51:55 TLB)  For the Lord is destroying Babylon; her mighty voice 
       is stilled as the waves roar in upon her.






       (Jer 51:56 TLB)  Destroying armies come and slay her mighty men; all 
       her weapons break in her hands, for the Lord God gives just punishment 
       and is giving Babylon all her due.

       (Jer 51:57 TLB)  I will make drunk her princes, wise men, rulers, 
       captains, warriors. They shall sleep and not wake up again!" So says 
       the King, the Lord Almighty.

       (Jer 51:58 TLB)  "For the wide walls of Babylon shall be leveled to 
       the ground, and her high gates shall be burned; the builders from many 
       lands have worked in vain--their work shall be destroyed by fire!"

       (Jer 51:59 TLB)  During the fourth year of Zedekiah's reign, this 
       message came to Jeremiah to give to Seraiah (son of Neriah, son of 
       Mahseiah), concerning Seraiah's capture and exile to Babylon along 
       with Zedekiah, king of Judah. (Seraiah was quartermaster of Zedekiah's 
       army.)

       (Jer 51:60 TLB)  Jeremiah wrote on a scroll all the terrible things 
       God had scheduled against Babylon--all the words written above--

       (Jer 51:61 TLB)  and gave the scroll to Seraiah and said to him, "When 
       you get to Babylon, read what I have written

       (Jer 51:62 TLB)  and say, 'Lord, you have said that you will destroy 
       Babylon so that not a living creature will remain, and it will be 
       abandoned forever.'

       (Jer 51:63 TLB)  Then, when you have finished reading the scroll, tie 
       a rock to it, and throw it into the Euphrates River,

       (Jer 51:64 TLB)  and say, 'So shall Babylon sink, never more to rise, 
       because of the evil I am bringing upon her.'" (This ends Jeremiah's 
       messages.)

       (Jer 52:1 TLB)  (Events told about in chapter 39.) Zedekiah was 
       twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years 
       in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Hamutal (daughter of Jeremiah of 
       Libnah).

       (Jer 52:2 TLB)  But he was a wicked king, just as Jehoiakim had been.

       (Jer 52:3 TLB)  Things became so bad at last that the Lord, in his 
       anger, saw to it that Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon 
       until he and the people of Israel were ejected from the Lord's 
       presence in Jerusalem and Judah, and were taken away as captives to 
       Babylon.

       (Jer 52:4 TLB)  In the ninth year of Zedekiah's reign, on the tenth 
       day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came with all 
       his army against Jerusalem and built forts around it,

       (Jer 52:5 TLB)  and laid siege to the city for two years.

       (Jer 52:6 TLB)  Then finally, on the ninth day of the fourth month, 





       when the famine in the city was very serious, with the last of the 
       food entirely gone,

       (Jer 52:7 TLB)  the people in the city tore a hole in the city wall 
       and all the soldiers fled from the city during the night, going out by 
       the gate between the two walls near the king's gardens (for the city 
       was surrounded by the Chaldeans), and made a dash for it across the 
       fields, toward Arabah.

       (Jer 52:8 TLB)  But the Chaldean soldiers chased them and caught King 
       Zedekiah in some fields near Jericho--for all his army was scattered 
       from him.

       (Jer 52:9 TLB)  They brought him to the king of Babylon who was 
       staying in the city of Riblah in the kingdom of Hamath, and there 
       judgment was passed upon him.

       (Jer 52:10 TLB)  He made Zedekiah watch while his sons and all the 
       princes of Judah were killed before his eyes.

       (Jer 52:11 TLB)  Then his eyes were gouged out, and he was taken in 
       chains to Babylon and put in prison for the rest of his life.

       (Jer 52:12 TLB)  On the tenth day of the fifth month during the 
       nineteenth year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, 
       Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, arrived in Jerusalem,

       (Jer 52:13 TLB)  and burned the Temple and the palace and all the 
       larger homes,

       (Jer 52:14 TLB)  and set the Chaldean army to work tearing down the 
       walls of the city.

       (Jer 52:15 TLB)  Then he took to Babylon, as captives, some of the 
       poorest of the people--along with those who survived the city's 
       destruction, and those who had deserted Zedekiah and had come over to 
       the Babylonian army, and the tradesmen who were left.

       (Jer 52:16 TLB)  But he left some of the poorest people to care for 
       the crops as vinedressers and plowmen.

       (Jer 52:17 TLB)  The Babylonians dismantled the two large bronze 
       pillars that stood at the entrance of the Temple, and the bronze laver 
       and bronze bulls on which it stood, and carted them off to Babylon.

       (Jer 52:18 TLB)  And he took along all the bronze pots and kettles, 
       the ash shovels used at the altar, the snuffers, spoons, bowls, and 
       all the other items used in the Temple.

       (Jer 52:19 TLB)  He also took the firepans, the solid gold and silver 
       candlesticks, and the cups and bowls.

       (Jer 52:20 TLB)  The weight of the two enormous pillars, the laver, 
       and twelve bulls was tremendous. They had no way of estimating it. 
       (They had been made in the days of King Solomon.)





       (Jer 52:21 TLB)  For the pillars were each 27 feet high and 18 feet in 
       circumference, hollow, with 3-inch walls.

       (Jer 52:22 TLB)  The top 7 1/ 2 feet of each column had bronze 
       carvings, a network of bronze pomegranates.

       (Jer 52:23 TLB)  There were 96 pomegranates on the sides, and on the 
       network round about there were a hundred more.

       (Jer 52:24 TLB)  The captain of the guard took along with him as his 
       prisoners: Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah his assistant, the 
       three chief Temple guards,

       (Jer 52:25 TLB)  one of the commanding officers of the army, seven of 
       the king's special counselors discovered in the city, the secretary of 
       the general-in-chief of the Jewish army (who was in charge of 
       recruitment), and sixty other men of importance found hiding.

       (Jer 52:26 TLB)  He took them to the king of Babylon at Riblah,

       (Jer 52:27 TLB)  where the king killed them all. So it was that 
       Judah's exile was accomplished.

       (Jer 52:28 TLB)  The number of captives taken to Babylon in the 
       seventh year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign was 3,023.

       (Jer 52:29 TLB)  Then, eleven years later, he took 832 more;

       (Jer 52:30 TLB)  five years after that he sent Nebuzaradan, his 
       captain of the guard, and took 745--a total of 4,600 captives in all.

       (Jer 52:31 TLB)  On February 25 of the thirty-seventh year of the 
       imprisonment in Babylon of Jehoiachin, king of Judah, Evil-merodach, 
       who became king of Babylon that year, was kind to King Jehoiachin and 
       brought him out of prison.

       (Jer 52:32 TLB)  He spoke pleasantly to him and gave him preference 
       over all the other kings in Babylon;

       (Jer 52:33 TLB)  he gave him new clothes and fed him from the king's 
       kitchen as long as he lived.

       (Jer 52:34 TLB)  And he was given a regular allowance to cover his 
       daily needs until the day of his death.

       (Lam 1:1 TLB)  Jerusalem's streets, once thronged with people, are 
       silent now. Like a widow broken with grief, she sits alone in her 
       mourning. She, once queen of nations, is now a slave.

       (Lam 1:2 TLB)  She sobs through the night; tears run down her cheeks. 
       Among all her lovers, there is none to help her. All her friends are 
       now her enemies.

       (Lam 1:3 TLB)  Why is Judah led away, a slave? Because of all the 
       wrong she did to others, making them her slaves. Now she sits in exile 
       far away. There is no rest, for those she persecuted have turned and 





       conquered her.

       (Lam 1:4 TLB)  The roads to Zion mourn, no longer filled with joyous 
       throngs who come to celebrate the Temple feasts; the city gates are 
       silent, her priests groan, her virgins have been dragged away. 
       Bitterly she weeps.

       (Lam 1:5 TLB)  Her enemies prosper, for the Lord has punished 
       Jerusalem for all her many sins; her young children are captured and 
       taken far away as slaves.

       (Lam 1:6 TLB)  All her beauty and her majesty are gone; her princes 
       are like starving deer that search for pasture--helpless game too weak 
       to keep on running from their foes.

       (Lam 1:7 TLB)  And now in the midst of all Jerusalem's sadness she 
       remembers happy bygone days. She thinks of all the precious joys she 
       had before her mocking enemy struck her down--and there was no one to 
       give her aid.

       (Lam 1:8 TLB)  For Jerusalem sinned so horribly; therefore, she is 
       tossed away like dirty rags. All who honored her despise her now, for 
       they have seen her stripped naked and humiliated. She groans and hides 
       her face.

       (Lam 1:9 TLB)  She indulged herself in immorality and refused to face 
       the fact that punishment was sure to come. Now she lies in the gutter 
       with no one left to lift her out. "O Lord," she cries, "see my plight. 
       The enemy has triumphed."

       (Lam 1:10 TLB)  Her enemies have plundered her completely, taking 
       everything precious she owns. She has seen foreign nations violate her 
       sacred Temple--foreigners you had forbidden even to enter.

       (Lam 1:11 TLB)  Her people groan and cry for bread; they have sold all 
       they have for food to give a little strength. "Look, O Lord," she 
       prays, "and see how I'm despised."

       (Lam 1:12 TLB)  Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by? Look and 
       see if there is any sorrow like my sorrow because of all the Lord has 
       done to me in the day of his fierce wrath.

       (Lam 1:13 TLB)  He has sent fire from heaven that burns within my 
       bones; he has placed a pitfall in my path and turned me back. He has 
       left me sick and desolate the whole day through.

       (Lam 1:14 TLB)  He wove my sins into ropes to hitch me to a yoke of 
       slavery. He sapped my strength and gave me to my enemies; I am 
       helpless in their hands.

       (Lam 1:15 TLB)  The Lord has trampled all my mighty men. A great army 
       has come at his command to crush the noblest youth. The Lord has 
       trampled his beloved city as grapes in a winepress.

       (Lam 1:16 TLB)  For all these things I weep; tears flow down my 
       cheeks. My Comforter is far away--he who alone could help me. My 





       children have no future; we are a conquered land.

       (Lam 1:17 TLB)  Jerusalem pleads for help, but no one comforts her. 
       For the Lord has spoken: "Let her neighbors be her foes! Let her be 
       thrown out like filthy rags!"

       (Lam 1:18 TLB)  And the Lord is right, for we rebelled. And yet, O 
       people everywhere, behold and see my anguish and despair, for my sons 
       and daughters are taken far away as slaves to distant lands.

       (Lam 1:19 TLB)  I begged my allies for their help. False hope--they 
       could not help at all. Nor could my priests and elders--they were 
       starving in the streets while searching through the garbage dumps for 
       bread.

       (Lam 1:20 TLB)  See, O Lord, my anguish; my heart is broken and my 
       soul despairs, for I have terribly rebelled. In the streets the sword 
       awaits me; at home, disease and death.

       (Lam 1:21 TLB)  Hear my groans! And there is no one anywhere to help. 
       All my enemies have heard my troubles, and they are glad to see what 
       you have done. And yet, O Lord, the time will surely come--for you 
       have promised it--when you will do to them as you have done to me.

       (Lam 1:22 TLB)  Look also on their sins, O Lord, and punish them as 
       you have punished me, for my sighs are many and my heart is faint.

       (Lam 2:1 TLB)  A cloud of anger from the Lord has overcast Jerusalem; 
       the fairest city of Israel lies in the dust of the earth, cast from 
       the heights of heaven at his command. In his day of awesome fury he 
       has shown no mercy even to his Temple.

       (Lam 2:2 TLB)  The Lord without mercy has destroyed every home in 
       Israel. In his wrath he has broken every fortress, every wall. He has 
       brought the kingdom to dust, with all its rulers.

       (Lam 2:3 TLB)  All the strength of Israel vanishes beneath his wrath. 
       He has withdrawn his protection as the enemy attacks. God burns across 
       the land of Israel like a raging fire.

       (Lam 2:4 TLB)  He bends his bow against his people as though he were 
       an enemy. His strength is used against them to kill their finest 
       youth. His fury is poured out like fire upon them.

       (Lam 2:5 TLB)  Yes, the Lord has vanquished Israel like an enemy. He 
       has destroyed her forts and palaces. Sorrows and tears are his portion 
       for Jerusalem.

       (Lam 2:6 TLB)  He has violently broken down his Temple as though it 
       were a booth of leaves and branches in a garden! No longer can the 
       people celebrate their holy feasts and Sabbaths. Kings and priests 
       together fall before his wrath.

       (Lam 2:7 TLB)  The Lord has rejected his own altar, for he despises 
       the false "worship" of his people; he has given their palaces to their 
       enemies, who carouse in the Temple as Israel used to do on days of 





       holy feasts!

       (Lam 2:8 TLB)  The Lord determined to destroy Jerusalem. He laid out 
       an unalterable line of destruction. Therefore the ramparts and walls 
       fell down before him.

       (Lam 2:9 TLB)  Jerusalem's gates are useless. All their locks and bars 
       are broken, for he has crushed them. Her kings and princes are 
       enslaved in far-off lands, without a temple, without a divine law to 
       govern them or prophetic vision to guide them.

       (Lam 2:10 TLB)  The elders of Jerusalem sit upon the ground in 
       silence, clothed in sackcloth; they throw dust upon their heads in 
       sorrow and despair. The virgins of Jerusalem hang their heads in 
       shame.

       (Lam 2:11 TLB)  I have cried until the tears no longer come; my heart 
       is broken, my spirit poured out, as I see what has happened to my 
       people; little children and tiny babies are fainting and dying in the 
       streets.

       (Lam 2:12 TLB)  "Mama, Mama, we want food," they cry, and then 
       collapse upon their mothers' shrunken breasts. Their lives ebb away 
       like those wounded in battle.

       (Lam 2:13 TLB)  In all the world has there ever been such sorrow? O 
       Jerusalem, what can I compare your anguish to? How can I comfort you? 
       For your wound is deep as the sea. Who can heal you?

       (Lam 2:14 TLB)  Your "prophets" have said so many foolish things, 
       false to the core. They have not tried to hold you back from slavery 
       by pointing out your sins. They lied and said that all was well.

       (Lam 2:15 TLB)  All who pass by scoff and shake their heads and say, 
       "Is this the city called 'Most Beautiful in All the World,' and 'Joy 
       of All the Earth'?"

       (Lam 2:16 TLB)  All your enemies deride you. They hiss and grind their 
       teeth and say, "We have destroyed her at last! Long have we waited for 
       this hour, and it is finally here! With our own eyes we've seen her 
       fall."

       (Lam 2:17 TLB)  But it is the Lord who did it, just as he had warned. 
       He has fulfilled the promises of doom he made so long ago. He has 
       destroyed Jerusalem without mercy and caused her enemies to rejoice 
       over her and boast of their power.

       (Lam 2:18 TLB)  Then the people wept before the Lord. O walls of 
       Jerusalem, let tears fall down upon you like a river; give yourselves 
       no rest from weeping day or night.

       (Lam 2:19 TLB)  Rise in the night and cry to your God. Pour out your 
       hearts like water to the Lord; lift up your hands to him; plead for 
       your children as they faint with hunger in the streets.

       (Lam 2:20 TLB)  O Lord, think! These are your own people to whom you 





       are doing this. Shall mothers eat their little children, those they 
       bounced upon their knees? Shall priests and prophets die within the 
       Temple of the Lord?

       (Lam 2:21 TLB)  See them lying in the streets--old and young, boys and 
       girls, killed by the enemies' swords. You have killed them, Lord, in 
       your anger; you have killed them without mercy.

       (Lam 2:22 TLB)  You have deliberately called for this destruction; in 
       the day of your anger none escaped or remained. All my little children 
       lie dead upon the streets before the enemy.

       (Lam 3:1 TLB)  I am the man who has seen the afflictions that come 
       from the rod of God's wrath.

       (Lam 3:2 TLB)  He has brought me into deepest darkness, shutting out 
       all light.

       (Lam 3:3 TLB)  He has turned against me. Day and night his hand is 
       heavy on me.

       (Lam 3:4 TLB)  He has made me old and has broken my bones.

       (Lam 3:5 TLB)  He has built forts against me and surrounded me with 
       anguish and distress.

       (Lam 3:6 TLB)  He buried me in dark places, like those long dead.

       (Lam 3:7 TLB)  He has walled me in; I cannot escape; he has fastened 
       me with heavy chains.

       (Lam 3:8 TLB)  And though I cry and shout, he will not hear my 
       prayers!

       (Lam 3:9 TLB)  He has shut me into a place of high, smooth walls; he 
       has filled my path with detours.

       (Lam 3:10 TLB)  He lurks like a bear, like a lion, waiting to attack 
       me.

       (Lam 3:11 TLB)  He has dragged me into the underbrush and torn me with 
       his claws, leaving me bleeding and desolate.

       (Lam 3:12 TLB)  He has bent his bow and aimed it squarely at me,

       (Lam 3:13 TLB)  and sent his arrows deep within my heart.

       (Lam 3:14 TLB)  My own people laugh at me; all day long they sing 
       their ribald songs.

       (Lam 3:15 TLB)  He has filled me with bitterness and given me a cup of 
       deepest sorrows to drink.

       (Lam 3:16 TLB)  He has made me eat gravel and broken my teeth; he has 
       rolled me in ashes and dirt.





       (Lam 3:17 TLB)  O Lord, all peace and all prosperity have long since 
       gone, for you have taken them away. I have forgotten what enjoyment 
       is.

       (Lam 3:18 TLB)  All hope is gone; my strength has turned to water, for 
       the Lord has left me.

       (Lam 3:19 TLB)  Oh, remember the bitterness and suffering you have 
       dealt to me!

       (Lam 3:20 TLB)  For I can never forget these awful years; always my 
       soul will live in utter shame.

       (Lam 3:21 TLB)  Yet there is one ray of hope:

       (Lam 3:22 TLB)  his compassion never ends. It is only the Lord's 
       mercies that have kept us from complete destruction.

       (Lam 3:23 TLB)  Great is his faithfulness; his loving-kindness begins 
       afresh each day.

       (Lam 3:24 TLB)  My soul claims the Lord as my inheritance; therefore I 
       will hope in him.

       (Lam 3:25 TLB)  The Lord is wonderfully good to those who wait for 
       him, to those who seek for him.

       (Lam 3:26 TLB)  It is good both to hope and wait quietly for the 
       salvation of the Lord.

       (Lam 3:27 TLB)  It is good for a young man to be under discipline,

       (Lam 3:28 TLB)  for it causes him to sit apart in silence beneath the 
       Lord's demands,

       (Lam 3:29 TLB)  to lie face downward in the dust; then at last there 
       is hope for him.

       (Lam 3:30 TLB)  Let him turn the other cheek to those who strike him 
       and accept their awful insults,

       (Lam 3:31 TLB)  for the Lord will not abandon him forever.

       (Lam 3:32 TLB)  Although God gives him grief, yet he will show 
       compassion too, according to the greatness of his loving-kindness.

       (Lam 3:33 TLB)  For he does not enjoy afflicting men and causing 
       sorrow.

       (Lam 3:34 TLB)  But you have trampled and crushed beneath your feet 
       the lowly of the world,

       (Lam 3:35 TLB)  and deprived men of their God-given rights,

       (Lam 3:36 TLB)  and refused them justice. No wonder the Lord has had 
       to deal with you!






       (Lam 3:37 TLB)  For who can act against you without the Lord's 
       permission?

       (Lam 3:38 TLB)  It is the Lord who helps one and harms another.

       (Lam 3:39 TLB)  Why then should we, mere humans as we are, murmur and 
       complain when punished for our sins?

       (Lam 3:40 TLB)  Let us examine ourselves instead, and let us repent 
       and turn again to the Lord.

       (Lam 3:41 TLB)  Let us lift our hearts and hands to him in heaven,

       (Lam 3:42 TLB)  for we have sinned; we have rebelled against the Lord, 
       and he has not forgotten it.

       (Lam 3:43 TLB)  You have engulfed us by your anger, Lord, and slain us 
       without mercy.

       (Lam 3:44 TLB)  You have veiled yourself as with a cloud so that our 
       prayers do not reach through.

       (Lam 3:45 TLB)  You have made us as refuse and garbage among the 
       nations.

       (Lam 3:46 TLB)  All our enemies have spoken out against us.

       (Lam 3:47 TLB)  We are filled with fear, for we are trapped and 
       desolate, destroyed.

       (Lam 3:48 TLB)  My eyes flow day and night with never-ending streams 
       of tears because of the destruction of my people.

       (Lam 3:49 TLB)  

       (Lam 3:50 TLB)  Oh, that the Lord might look down from heaven and 
       respond to my cry!

       (Lam 3:51 TLB)  My heart is breaking over what is happening to the 
       young girls of Jerusalem.

       (Lam 3:52 TLB)  My enemies, whom I have never harmed, chased me as 
       though I were a bird.

       (Lam 3:53 TLB)  They threw me in a well and capped it with a rock.

       (Lam 3:54 TLB)  The water flowed above my head. I thought, This is the 
       end!

       (Lam 3:55 TLB)  But I called upon your name, O Lord, from deep within 
       the well,

       (Lam 3:56 TLB)  and you heard me! You listened to my pleading; you 
       heard my weeping!





       (Lam 3:57 TLB)  Yes, you came at my despairing cry and told me not to 
       fear.

       (Lam 3:58 TLB)  O Lord, you are my lawyer! Plead my case! For you have 
       redeemed my life.

       (Lam 3:59 TLB)  You have seen the wrong they did to me; be my Judge, 
       to prove me right.

       (Lam 3:60 TLB)  You have seen the plots my foes have laid against me.

       (Lam 3:61 TLB)  You have heard the vile names they have called me,

       (Lam 3:62 TLB)  and all they say about me and their whispered plans.

       (Lam 3:63 TLB)  See how they laugh and sing with glee, preparing my 
       doom.

       (Lam 3:64 TLB)  O Lord, repay them well for all the evil they have 
       done.

       (Lam 3:65 TLB)  Harden their hearts and curse them, Lord.

       (Lam 3:66 TLB)  Go after them in fierce pursuit and wipe them off the 
       earth, beneath the heavens of the Lord.

       (Lam 4:1 TLB)  How the finest gold has lost its luster! For the inlaid 
       Temple walls are scattered in the streets!

       (Lam 4:2 TLB)  The cream of our youth--the finest of the gold--are 
       treated as earthenware pots.

       (Lam 4:3 TLB)  Even the jackals feed their young, but not my people, 
       Israel. They are like cruel desert ostriches, heedless of their 
       babies' cries.

       (Lam 4:4 TLB)  The children's tongues stick to the roofs of their 
       mouths for thirst, for there is not a drop of water left. Babies cry 
       for bread, but no one can give them any.

       (Lam 4:5 TLB)  Those who used to eat fastidiously are begging in the 
       streets for anything at all. Those brought up in palaces now scratch 
       in garbage pits for food.

       (Lam 4:6 TLB)  For the sin of my people is greater than that of Sodom, 
       where utter disaster struck in a moment without the hand of man.

       (Lam 4:7 TLB)  Our princes were lean and tanned, the finest specimens 
       of men;

       (Lam 4:8 TLB)  but now their faces are as black as soot. No one can 
       recognize them. Their skin sticks to their bones; it is dry and hard 
       and withered.

       (Lam 4:9 TLB)  Those killed by the sword are far better off than those 
       who die of slow starvation.






       (Lam 4:10 TLB)  Tenderhearted women have cooked and eaten their own 
       children; thus they survived the siege.

       (Lam 4:11 TLB)  But now at last the anger of the Lord is satisfied; 
       his fiercest anger has been poured out. He started a fire in Jerusalem 
       that burned it down to its foundations.

       (Lam 4:12 TLB)  Not a king in all the earth--no one in all the 
       world--would have believed an enemy could enter through Jerusalem's 
       gates!

       (Lam 4:13 TLB)  Yet God permitted it because of the sins of her 
       prophets and priests, who defiled the city by shedding innocent blood.

       (Lam 4:14 TLB)  Now these same men are blindly staggering through the 
       streets, covered with blood, defiling everything they touch.

       (Lam 4:15 TLB)  "Get away!" the people shout at them. "You are 
       defiled!" They flee to distant lands and wander there among the 
       foreigners; but none will let them stay.

       (Lam 4:16 TLB)  The Lord himself has dealt with them; he no longer 
       helps them, for they persecuted the priests and elders who stayed true 
       to God.

       (Lam 4:17 TLB)  We look for our allies to come and save us, but we 
       look in vain. The nation we expected most to help us makes no move at 
       all.

       (Lam 4:18 TLB)  We can't go into the streets without danger to our 
       lives. Our end is near--our days are numbered. We are doomed.

       (Lam 4:19 TLB)  Our enemies are swifter than the eagles; if we flee to 
       the mountains they find us. If we hide in the wilderness, they are 
       waiting for us there.

       (Lam 4:20 TLB)  Our king--the life of our life, the Lord's 
       anointed--was captured in their snares. Yes, even our mighty king, 
       about whom we had boasted that under his protection we could hold our 
       own against any nation on earth!

       (Lam 4:21 TLB)  Do you rejoice, O people of Edom, in the land of Uz? 
       But you, too, will feel the awful anger of the Lord.

       (Lam 4:22 TLB)  Israel's exile for her sins will end at last, but 
       Edom's never.

       (Lam 5:1 TLB)  O Lord, remember all that has befallen us; see what 
       sorrows we must bear!

       (Lam 5:2 TLB)  Our homes, our nation, now are filled with foreigners.

       (Lam 5:3 TLB)  We are orphans--our fathers dead, our mothers widowed.

       (Lam 5:4 TLB)  We must even pay for water to drink; our fuel is sold 





       to us at the highest of prices.

       (Lam 5:5 TLB)  We bow our necks beneath the victors' feet; unending 
       work is now our lot.

       (Lam 5:6 TLB)  We beg for bread from Egypt, and Assyria too.

       (Lam 5:7 TLB)  Our fathers sinned but died before the hand of judgment 
       fell. We have borne the blow that they deserved!

       (Lam 5:8 TLB)  Our former servants have become our masters; there is 
       no one left to save us.

       (Lam 5:9 TLB)  We went into the wilderness to hunt for food, risking 
       death from enemies.

       (Lam 5:10 TLB)  Our skin was black from famine.

       (Lam 5:11 TLB)  They rape the women of Jerusalem and the girls in 
       Judah's cities.

       (Lam 5:12 TLB)  Our princes are hanged by their thumbs. Even aged men 
       are treated with contempt.

       (Lam 5:13 TLB)  They take away the young men to grind their grain, and 
       the little children stagger beneath their heavy loads.

       (Lam 5:14 TLB)  The old men sit no longer in the city gates; the young 
       no longer dance and sing.

       (Lam 5:15 TLB)  The joy of our hearts has ended; our dance has turned 
       to death.

       (Lam 5:16 TLB)  Our glory is gone. The crown is fallen from our head. 
       Woe upon us for our sins.

       (Lam 5:17 TLB)  Our hearts are faint and weary; our eyes grow dim.

       (Lam 5:18 TLB)  Jerusalem and the Temple of the Lord are desolate, 
       deserted by all but wild animals lurking in the ruins.

       (Lam 5:19 TLB)  O Lord, forever you remain the same! Your throne 
       continues from generation to generation.

       (Lam 5:20 TLB)  Why do you forget us forever? Why do you forsake us 
       for so long?

       (Lam 5:21 TLB)  Turn us around and bring us back to you again! That is 
       our only hope! Give us back the joys we used to have!

       (Lam 5:22 TLB)  Or have you utterly rejected us? Are you angry with us 
       still?

       (Ezek 1:1 TLB)  Ezekiel was a priest (the son of Buzi) who lived with 
       the Jewish exiles beside the Chebar Canal in Babylon.





       (Ezek 1:2 TLB)  One day late in June, when I was thirty years old, the 
       heavens were suddenly opened to me and I saw visions from God.

       (Ezek 1:3 TLB)  

       (Ezek 1:4 TLB)  I saw, in this vision, a great storm coming toward me 
       from the north, driving before it a huge cloud glowing with fire, with 
       a mass of fire inside that flashed continually; and in the fire there 
       was something that shone like polished brass.

       (Ezek 1:5 TLB)  Then from the center of the cloud, four strange forms 
       appeared that looked like men,

       (Ezek 1:6 TLB)  except that each had four faces and two pairs of 
       wings!

       (Ezek 1:7 TLB)  Their legs were like those of men, but their feet were 
       cloven like calves' feet, and shone like burnished brass.

       (Ezek 1:8 TLB)  And beneath each of their wings I could see human 
       hands.

       (Ezek 1:9 TLB)  The four living beings were joined wing to wing, and 
       they flew straight forward without turning.

       (Ezek 1:10 TLB)  Each had the face of a man (in front), with a lion's 
       face on the right side (of his head), and the face of an ox on the 
       left side, and the face of an eagle at the back!

       (Ezek 1:11 TLB)  Each had two pairs of wings spreading out from the 
       middle of his back. One pair stretched out to attach to the wings of 
       the living beings on each side, and the other pair covered his body.

       (Ezek 1:12 TLB)  Wherever their spirit went they went, going straight 
       forward without turning.

       (Ezek 1:13 TLB)  Going up and down among them were other forms that 
       glowed like bright coals of fire or brilliant torches, and it was from 
       these the lightning flashed.

       (Ezek 1:14 TLB)  The living beings darted to and fro, swift as 
       lightning.

       (Ezek 1:15 TLB)  As I stared at all of this, I saw four wheels on the 
       ground beneath them, one wheel belonging to each.

       (Ezek 1:16 TLB)  The wheels looked as if they were made of polished 
       amber, and each wheel was constructed with a second wheel crosswise 
       inside.

       (Ezek 1:17 TLB)  They could go in any of the four directions without 
       having to face around.

       (Ezek 1:18 TLB)  The four wheels had rims and spokes, and the rims 
       were filled with eyes around their edges.





       (Ezek 1:19 TLB)  When the four living beings flew forward, the wheels 
       moved forward with them. When they flew upwards, the wheels went up 
       too.

       (Ezek 1:20 TLB)  When the living beings stopped, the wheels stopped. 
       For the spirit of the four living beings was in the wheels; so 
       wherever their spirit went, the wheels and the living beings went 
       there too.

       (Ezek 1:21 TLB)  

       (Ezek 1:22 TLB)  The sky spreading out above them looked as though it 
       were made of crystal; it was inexpressibly beautiful.

       (Ezek 1:23 TLB)  The wings of each stretched straight out to touch the 
       others' wings, and each had two wings covering his body.

       (Ezek 1:24 TLB)  And as they flew, their wings roared like waves 
       against the shore, or like the voice of God, or like the shouting of a 
       mighty army. When they stopped, they let down their wings.

       (Ezek 1:25 TLB)  And every time they stopped, there came a voice from 
       the crystal sky above them.

       (Ezek 1:26 TLB)  For high in the sky above them was what looked like a 
       throne made of beautiful blue sapphire stones, and upon it sat someone 
       who appeared to be a Man.

       (Ezek 1:27 TLB)  From his waist up, he seemed to be all glowing 
       bronze, dazzling like fire; and from his waist down he seemed to be 
       entirely flame, and there was a glowing halo

       (Ezek 1:28 TLB)  like a rainbow all around him. That was the way the 
       glory of the Lord appeared to me. And when I saw it, I fell face 
       downward on the ground and heard the voice of someone speaking to me:

       (Ezek 2:1 TLB)  And he said to me: "Stand up, son of dust, and I will 
       talk to you."

       (Ezek 2:2 TLB)  And the Spirit entered into me as he spoke, and set me 
       on my feet.

       (Ezek 2:3 TLB)  "Son of dust," he said, "I am sending you to the 
       nation of Israel, to a nation rebelling against me. They and their 
       fathers have kept on sinning against me until this very hour.

       (Ezek 2:4 TLB)  For they are a hardhearted, stiff-necked people. But I 
       am sending you to give them my messages--the messages of the Lord God.

       (Ezek 2:5 TLB)  And whether they listen or not (for remember, they are 
       rebels), they will at least know they have had a prophet among them.

       (Ezek 2:6 TLB)  "Son of dust, don't be afraid of them; don't be 
       frightened even though their threats are sharp and barbed and sting 
       like scorpions. Don't be dismayed by their dark scowls. For remember, 
       they are rebels!






       (Ezek 2:7 TLB)  You must give them my messages whether they listen or 
       not (but they won't, for they are utter rebels).

       (Ezek 2:8 TLB)  Listen, son of dust, to what I say to you. Don't you 
       be a rebel too! Open your mouth and eat what I give you."

       (Ezek 2:9 TLB)  Then I looked and saw a hand holding out to me a 
       scroll,

       (Ezek 2:10 TLB)  with writing on both sides. He unrolled it, and I saw 
       that it was full of warnings and sorrows and pronouncements of doom.

       (Ezek 3:1 TLB)  And he said to me: "Son of dust, eat what I am giving 
       you--eat this scroll! Then go and give its message to the people of 
       Israel."

       (Ezek 3:2 TLB)  So I took the scroll.

       (Ezek 3:3 TLB)  "Eat it all," he said. And when I ate it, it tasted 
       sweet as honey.

       (Ezek 3:4 TLB)  Then he said: "Son of dust, I am sending you to the 
       people of Israel with my messages.

       (Ezek 3:5 TLB)  I am not sending you to some far-off foreign land 
       where you can't understand the language--

       (Ezek 3:6 TLB)  no, not to tribes with strange, difficult tongues. (If 
       I did, they would listen!)

       (Ezek 3:7 TLB)  I am sending you to the people of Israel, and they 
       won't listen to you any more than they listen to me! For the whole lot 
       of them are hard, impudent, and stubborn.

       (Ezek 3:8 TLB)  But see, I have made you hard and stubborn too--as 
       tough as they are.

       (Ezek 3:9 TLB)  I have made your forehead as hard as rock. So don't be 
       afraid of them, or fear their sullen, angry looks, even though they 
       are such rebels."

       (Ezek 3:10 TLB)  Then he added: "Son of dust, let all my words sink 
       deep into your own heart first; listen to them carefully for yourself.

       (Ezek 3:11 TLB)  Then, afterward, go to your people in exile, and 
       whether or not they will listen, tell them: 'This is what the Lord God 
       says!'"

       (Ezek 3:12 TLB)  Then the Spirit lifted me up, and the glory of the 
       Lord began to move away, accompanied by the sound of a great 
       earthquake.

       (Ezek 3:13 TLB)  It was the noise of the wings of the living beings as 
       they touched against each other, and the sound of their wheels beside 
       them.






       (Ezek 3:14 TLB)  The Spirit lifted me up, and took me away to Tel 
       Abib, another colony of Jewish exiles beside the Chebar River. I went 
       in bitterness and anger, but the hand of the Lord was strong upon me. 
       And I sat among them, overwhelmed, for seven days.

       (Ezek 3:15 TLB)  

       (Ezek 3:16 TLB)  At the end of the seven days, the Lord said to me:

       (Ezek 3:17 TLB)  "Son of dust, I have appointed you as a watchman for 
       Israel; whenever I send my people a warning, pass it on to them at 
       once.

       (Ezek 3:18 TLB)  If you refuse to warn the wicked when I want you to 
       tell them, "You are under the penalty of death; therefore repent and 
       save your life," they will die in their sins, but I will punish you. I 
       will demand your blood for theirs.

       (Ezek 3:19 TLB)  But if you warn them, and they keep on sinning and 
       refuse to repent, they will die in their sins, but you are 
       blameless--you have done all you could.

       (Ezek 3:20 TLB)  And if a good man becomes bad, and you refuse to warn 
       him of the consequences, and the Lord destroys him, his previous good 
       deeds won't help him--he shall die in his sin. But I will hold you 
       responsible for his death and punish you.

       (Ezek 3:21 TLB)  But if you warn him and he repents, he shall live, 
       and you have saved your own life too."

       (Ezek 3:22 TLB)  I was helpless in the hand of God, and when he said 
       to me, "Go out into the valley and I will talk to you there"--

       (Ezek 3:23 TLB)  I arose and went, and oh, I saw the glory of the Lord 
       there, just as in my first vision! And I fell to the ground on my 
       face.

       (Ezek 3:24 TLB)  Then the Spirit entered into me and set me on my 
       feet. He talked to me and said: "Go, imprison yourself in your house,

       (Ezek 3:25 TLB)  and I will paralyze you so you can't leave;

       (Ezek 3:26 TLB)  and I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your 
       mouth so that you can't reprove them; for they are rebels.

       (Ezek 3:27 TLB)  But whenever I give you a message, then I will loosen 
       your tongue and let you speak, and you shall say to them: 'The Lord 
       God says.' Let anyone listen who wants to, and let anyone refuse who 
       wants to, for they are rebels.

       (Ezek 4:1 TLB)  "And now, son of dust, take a large brick and lay it 
       before you and draw a map of the city of Jerusalem on it.

       (Ezek 4:2 TLB)  Draw a picture of siege mounds being built against the 
       city, put enemy camps around it and battering rams surrounding the 





       walls.

       (Ezek 4:3 TLB)  And put an iron plate between you and the city, like a 
       wall of iron. Demonstrate how an enemy army will capture Jerusalem! 
       "There is special meaning in each detail of what I have told you to 
       do. For it is a warning to the people of Israel.

       (Ezek 4:4 TLB)  "Now lie on your left side for 390 days, to show that 
       Israel will be punished for 390 years by captivity and doom. Each day 
       you lie there represents a year of punishment ahead for Israel.

       (Ezek 4:5 TLB)  

       (Ezek 4:6 TLB)  Afterwards, turn over and lie on your right side for 
       forty days, to signify the years of Judah's punishment. Each day will 
       represent one year.

       (Ezek 4:7 TLB)  "Meanwhile continue your demonstration of the siege of 
       Jerusalem; lie there with your arm bared (to signify great strength 
       and power in the attack against her). This will prophesy her doom.

       (Ezek 4:8 TLB)  And I will paralyze you so that you can't turn over 
       from one side to the other until you have completed all the days of 
       your siege.

       (Ezek 4:9 TLB)  "During the first 390 days eat bread made of flour 
       mixed from wheat, barley, beans, lentils, and spelt. Mix the various 
       kinds of flour together in a jar.

       (Ezek 4:10 TLB)  You are to ration this out to yourself at the rate of 
       eight ounces at a time, one meal a day.

       (Ezek 4:11 TLB)  And use one quart of water a day; don't use more than 
       that.

       (Ezek 4:12 TLB)  Each day take flour from the barrel and prepare it as 
       you would barley cakes. While all the people are watching, bake it 
       over a fire, using dried human dung as fuel, and eat it.

       (Ezek 4:13 TLB)  For the Lord declares, Israel shall eat defiled bread 
       in the Gentile lands to which I exile them!"

       (Ezek 4:14 TLB)  Then I said, "O Lord God, must I be defiled by using 
       dung? For I have never been defiled before in all my life. From the 
       time I was a child until now I have never eaten any animal that died 
       of sickness or that I found injured or dead; and I have never eaten 
       any of the kinds of animals our law forbids."

       (Ezek 4:15 TLB)  Then the Lord said, "All right, you may use cow dung 
       instead of human dung."

       (Ezek 4:16 TLB)  Then he told me, "Son of dust, bread will be tightly 
       rationed in Jerusalem. It will be weighed out with great care and 
       eaten fearfully. And the water will be portioned out in driblets, and 
       the people will drink it with dismay.





       (Ezek 4:17 TLB)  I will cause the people to lack both bread and water; 
       they will look at one another in frantic terror and waste away beneath 
       their punishment.

       (Ezek 5:1 TLB)  "Son of dust, take a sharp sword and use it as a 
       barber's razor to shave your head and beard; use balances to weigh the 
       hair into three equal parts.

       (Ezek 5:2 TLB)  Place a third of it at the center of your map of 
       Jerusalem. After your siege, burn it there. Scatter another third 
       across your map and slash at it with a knife. Scatter the last third 
       to the wind, for I will chase my people with the sword.

       (Ezek 5:3 TLB)  Keep just a bit of the hair and tie it up in your 
       robe;

       (Ezek 5:4 TLB)  then take a few hairs out and throw them into the 
       fire, for a fire shall come from this remnant and destroy all Israel."

       (Ezek 5:5 TLB)  The Lord God says, "This illustrates what will happen 
       to Jerusalem, for she has turned away from my laws and has been even 
       more wicked than the nations surrounding her."

       (Ezek 5:6 TLB)  

       (Ezek 5:7 TLB)  

       (Ezek 5:8 TLB)  Therefore the Lord God says, I, even I, am against you 
       and will punish you publicly while all the nations watch.

       (Ezek 5:9 TLB)  Because of the terrible sins you have committed, I 
       will punish you more terribly than I have ever done before or ever 
       will again.

       (Ezek 5:10 TLB)  Fathers will eat their own sons, and sons will eat 
       their fathers; and those who survive will be scattered into all the 
       world.

       (Ezek 5:11 TLB)  "For I promise you: Because you have defiled my 
       Temple with idols and evil sacrifices, therefore I will not spare you 
       nor pity you at all.

       (Ezek 5:12 TLB)  One-third of you will die from famine and disease; 
       one-third will be slaughtered by the enemy; and one-third I will 
       scatter to the winds, sending the sword of the enemy chasing after 
       you.

       (Ezek 5:13 TLB)  Then at last my anger will be appeased. And all 
       Israel will know that what I threaten I do.

       (Ezek 5:14 TLB)  "So I will make a public example of you before all 
       the surrounding nations and before everyone traveling past the ruins 
       of your land.

       (Ezek 5:15 TLB)  You will become a laughingstock to the world and an 
       awesome example to everyone, for all to see what happens when the Lord 





       turns against an entire nation in furious rebuke. I, the Lord, have 
       spoken it!

       (Ezek 5:16 TLB)  "I will shower you with deadly arrows of famine to 
       destroy you. The famine will become more and more serious until every 
       bit of bread is gone.

       (Ezek 5:17 TLB)  And not only famine will come, but wild animals will 
       attack and kill you and your families; disease and war will stalk your 
       land, and the sword of the enemy will slay you; I, the Lord, have 
       spoken it!"

       (Ezek 6:1 TLB)  Again a message came from the Lord:

       (Ezek 6:2 TLB)  "Son of dust, look over toward the mountains of Israel 
       and prophesy against them.

       (Ezek 6:3 TLB)  Say to them, 'O mountains of Israel, hear the message 
       of the Lord God against you and against the rivers and valleys. I, 
       even I the Lord, will bring war upon you to destroy your idols.

       (Ezek 6:4 TLB)  All your cities will be smashed and burned, and the 
       idol altars abandoned. Your gods will be shattered;

       (Ezek 6:5 TLB)  

       (Ezek 6:6 TLB)  

       (Ezek 6:7 TLB)  the bones of their worshipers will lie scattered among 
       the altars. Then at last you will know I am the Lord.

       (Ezek 6:8 TLB)  "'But I will let a few of my people escape--to be 
       scattered among the nations of the world.

       (Ezek 6:9 TLB)  Then when they are exiled among the nations, they will 
       remember me, for I will take away their adulterous hearts--their love 
       of idols--and I will blind their lecherous eyes that long for other 
       gods. Then at last they will loathe themselves for all this 
       wickedness.

       (Ezek 6:10 TLB)  They will realize that I alone am God and that I 
       wasn't fooling when I told them that all this would happen to them.'"

       (Ezek 6:11 TLB)  The Lord God says: "Raise your hands in horror and 
       shake your head with deep remorse and say, 'Alas for all the evil we 
       have done!' For you are going to perish from war and famine and 
       disease.

       (Ezek 6:12 TLB)  Disease will strike down those in exile; war will 
       destroy those in the land of Israel; and any who remain will die by 
       famine and siege. So at last I will expend my fury on you.

       (Ezek 6:13 TLB)  When your slain lie scattered among your idols and 
       altars on every hill and mountain and under every green tree and great 
       oak where they offered incense to their gods--you will realize that I 
       alone am God.






       (Ezek 6:14 TLB)  I will crush you and make your cities desolate from 
       the wilderness in the south to Riblah in the north. Then you will know 
       I am the Lord.'"

       (Ezek 7:1 TLB)  This further message came to me from God:

       (Ezek 7:2 TLB)  "Tell Israel, 'Wherever you look--east, west, north or 
       south--your land is finished.

       (Ezek 7:3 TLB)  No hope remains, for I will loose my anger on you for 
       your worshiping of idols.

       (Ezek 7:4 TLB)  I will turn my eyes away and show no pity; I will 
       repay you in full, and you shall know I am the Lord.'"

       (Ezek 7:5 TLB)  The Lord God says: "With one blow after another I will 
       finish you. The end has come; your final doom is waiting.

       (Ezek 7:6 TLB)  

       (Ezek 7:7 TLB)  O Israel, the day of your damnation dawns; the time 
       has come; the day of trouble nears. It is a day of shouts of anguish, 
       not shouts of joy!

       (Ezek 7:8 TLB)  Soon I will pour out my fury and let it finish its 
       work of punishing you for all your evil deeds.

       (Ezek 7:9 TLB)  I will not spare nor pity you, and you will know that 
       I, the Lord, am doing it.

       (Ezek 7:10 TLB)  The day of judgment has come; the morning dawns,

       (Ezek 7:11 TLB)  for your wickedness and pride have run their course 
       and reached their climax--none of these rich and wicked men of pride 
       shall live. All your boasting will die away, and no one will be left 
       to bewail your fate.

       (Ezek 7:12 TLB)  "Yes, the time has come; the day draws near. There 
       will be nothing to buy or sell, for the wrath of God is on the land.

       (Ezek 7:13 TLB)  And even if a merchant lives, his business will be 
       gone, for God has spoken against all the people of Israel; all will be 
       destroyed. Not one of those whose lives are filled with sin will 
       recover.

       (Ezek 7:14 TLB)  "The trumpets shout to Israel's army, 'Mobilize!' but 
       no one listens, for my wrath is on them all.

       (Ezek 7:15 TLB)  If you go outside the walls, there stands the enemy 
       to kill you. If you stay inside, famine and disease will devour you.

       (Ezek 7:16 TLB)  Any who escape will be lonely as mourning doves 
       hiding on the mountains, each weeping for his sins.

       (Ezek 7:17 TLB)  All hands shall be feeble, and all knees as weak as 





       water.

       (Ezek 7:18 TLB)  You shall clothe yourselves with sackcloth, and 
       horror and shame shall cover you; you shall shave your heads in sorrow 
       and remorse.

       (Ezek 7:19 TLB)  "Throw away your money! Toss it out like worthless 
       rubbish, for it will have no value in that day of wrath. It will 
       neither satisfy nor feed you, for your love of money is the reason for 
       your sin.

       (Ezek 7:20 TLB)  I gave you gold to use in decorating the Temple, and 
       you used it instead to make idols! Therefore, I will take it all away 
       from you.

       (Ezek 7:21 TLB)  I will give it to foreigners and to wicked men as 
       booty. They shall defile my Temple.

       (Ezek 7:22 TLB)  I will not look when they defile it, nor will I stop 
       them. Like robbers, they will loot the treasures and leave the Temple 
       in ruins.

       (Ezek 7:23 TLB)  "Prepare chains for my people, for the land is full 
       of bloody crimes. Jerusalem is filled with violence, so I will enslave 
       her people.

       (Ezek 7:24 TLB)  I will crush your pride by bringing to Jerusalem the 
       worst of the nations to occupy your homes, break down your 
       fortifications you are so proud of, and defile your Temple.

       (Ezek 7:25 TLB)  For the time has come for the cutting off of Israel. 
       You will sue for peace, but you won't get it.

       (Ezek 7:26 TLB)  Calamity upon calamity will befall you; woe upon woe, 
       disaster upon disaster! You will long for a prophet to guide you, but 
       the priests and elders

       (Ezek 7:27 TLB)  and the kings and princes will stand helpless, 
       weeping in despair. The people will tremble with fear, for I will do 
       to them the evil they have done and give them all their just deserts. 
       They shall learn that I am the Lord."

       (Ezek 8:1 TLB)  Then, late in August of the sixth year of King 
       Jehoiachin's captivity, as I was talking with the elders of Judah in 
       my home, the power of the Lord God fell upon me.

       (Ezek 8:2 TLB)  I saw what appeared to be a Man; from his waist down, 
       he was made of fire; from his waist up, he was all amber-colored 
       brightness.

       (Ezek 8:3 TLB)  He put out what seemed to be a hand and took me by the 
       hair. And the Spirit lifted me up into the sky and seemed to transport 
       me to Jerusalem, to the entrance of the north gate, where the large 
       idol was that had made the Lord so angry.

       (Ezek 8:4 TLB)  Suddenly the glory of the God of Israel was there, 





       just as I had seen it before in the valley.

       (Ezek 8:5 TLB)  He said to me, "Son of dust, look toward the north." 
       So I looked and, sure enough, north of the altar gate in the entrance 
       stood the idol.

       (Ezek 8:6 TLB)  And he said: "Son of dust, do you see what they are 
       doing? Do you see what great sins the people of Israel are doing here, 
       to push me from my Temple? But come, and I will show you greater sins 
       than these!"

       (Ezek 8:7 TLB)  Then he brought me to the door of the Temple court, 
       where I could see an opening in the wall.

       (Ezek 8:8 TLB)  "Now dig into the wall," he said. I did and uncovered 
       a door to a hidden room.

       (Ezek 8:9 TLB)  "Go in," he said, "and see the wickedness going on in 
       there!"

       (Ezek 8:10 TLB)  So I went in. The walls were covered with pictures of 
       all kinds of snakes, lizards, and hideous creatures, besides all the 
       various idols worshiped by the people of Israel.

       (Ezek 8:11 TLB)  Seventy elders of Israel were standing there along 
       with Ja-azaniah (son of Shaphan) worshiping the pictures. Each of them 
       held a censer of burning incense, so there was a thick cloud of smoke 
       above their heads.

       (Ezek 8:12 TLB)  Then the Lord said to me: "Son of dust, have you seen 
       what the elders of Israel are doing in their minds? For they say, 'The 
       Lord doesn't see us; he has gone away!'"

       (Ezek 8:13 TLB)  Then he added, "Come, and I will show you greater 
       sins than these!"

       (Ezek 8:14 TLB)  He brought me to the north gate of the Temple, and 
       there sat women weeping for Tammuz, their god.

       (Ezek 8:15 TLB)  "Have you seen this?" he asked. "But I will show you 
       greater evils than these!"

       (Ezek 8:16 TLB)  Then he brought me into the inner court of the 
       Temple, and there at the door, between the porch and the bronze altar, 
       were about twenty-five men standing with their backs to the Temple of 
       the Lord, facing east, worshiping the sun!

       (Ezek 8:17 TLB)  "Have you seen this?" he asked. "Is it nothing to the 
       people of Judah that they commit these terrible sins, leading the 
       whole nation into idolatry, thumbing their noses at me and arousing my 
       fury against them?

       (Ezek 8:18 TLB)  Therefore, I will deal with them in fury. I will 
       neither pity nor spare. And though they scream for mercy, I will not 
       listen."





       (Ezek 9:1 TLB)  Then he thundered, "Call those to whom I have given 
       the city! Tell them to bring their weapons with them!"

       (Ezek 9:2 TLB)  Six men appeared at his call, coming from the upper 
       north gate, each one with his sword. One of them wore linen clothing 
       and carried a writer's case strapped to his side. They all went into 
       the Temple and stood beside the bronze altar.

       (Ezek 9:3 TLB)  And the glory of the God of Israel rose from between 
       the Guardian Angels where it had rested and stood above the entrance 
       to the Temple. And the Lord called to the man with the writer's case

       (Ezek 9:4 TLB)  and said to him, "Walk through the streets of 
       Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who weep and sigh 
       because of all the sins they see around them."

       (Ezek 9:5 TLB)  Then I heard the Lord tell the other men: "Follow him 
       through the city and kill everyone whose forehead isn't marked. Spare 
       not nor pity them--

       (Ezek 9:6 TLB)  kill them all--old and young, girls, women and little 
       children; but don't touch anyone with the mark. And begin right here 
       at the Temple." And so they began by killing the seventy elders.

       (Ezek 9:7 TLB)  And he said, "Defile the Temple! Fill its courts with 
       the bodies of those you kill! Go!" And they went out through the city 
       and did as they were told.

       (Ezek 9:8 TLB)  While they were fulfilling their orders, I was alone. 
       I fell to the ground on my face and cried out: "O Lord God! Will your 
       fury against Jerusalem wipe out everyone left in Israel?"

       (Ezek 9:9 TLB)  But he said to me, "The sins of the people of Israel 
       and Judah are very great and all the land is full of murder and 
       injustice, for they say, 'The Lord doesn't see it! He has gone away!'

       (Ezek 9:10 TLB)  And so I will not spare them nor have any pity on 
       them, and I will fully repay them for all that they have done."

       (Ezek 9:11 TLB)  Just then the man in linen clothing, carrying the 
       writer's case, reported back and said, "I have finished the work you 
       gave me to do."

       (Ezek 10:1 TLB)  Suddenly a throne of beautiful blue sapphire appeared 
       in the sky above the heads of the Guardian Angels.

       (Ezek 10:2 TLB)  Then the Lord spoke to the man in linen clothing and 
       said: "Go in between the whirling wheels beneath the Guardian Angels, 
       and take a handful of glowing coals and scatter them over the city." 
       He did so while I watched.

       (Ezek 10:3 TLB)  The Guardian Angels were standing at the south end of 
       the Temple when the man went in. And the cloud of glory filled the 
       inner court.

       (Ezek 10:4 TLB)  Then the glory of the Lord rose from above the 





       Guardian Angels and went over to the door of the Temple. The Temple 
       was filled with the cloud of glory, and the court of the Temple was 
       filled with the brightness of the glory of the Lord.

       (Ezek 10:5 TLB)  And the sound of the wings of the Guardian Angels was 
       as the voice of Almighty God when he speaks and could be heard clear 
       out in the outer court.

       (Ezek 10:6 TLB)  When the Lord told the man in linen clothing to go 
       between the Guardian Angels and take some burning coals from between 
       the wheels, the man went in and stood beside one of the wheels,

       (Ezek 10:7 TLB)  and one of the Guardian Angels reached out his hand 
       (for each of the mighty angels had, beneath his wings, what looked 
       like human hands) and took some live coals from the flames between the 
       Angels and put them into the hands of the man in linen clothes, who 
       took them and went out.

       (Ezek 10:8 TLB)  

       (Ezek 10:9 TLB)  Each of the four Guardian Angels had a wheel beside 
       him-- "The Whirl-Wheels," as I heard them called, for each one had a 
       second wheel crosswise within--sparkling like chrysolite, giving off a 
       greenish-yellow glow.

       (Ezek 10:10 TLB)  

       (Ezek 10:11 TLB)  

       (Ezek 10:12 TLB)  Because of the construction of these wheels, the 
       Angels could go straight forward in each of four directions; they did 
       not turn when they changed direction but could go in any of the four 
       ways their faces looked.

       (Ezek 10:13 TLB)  Each of the four wheels was covered with eyes, 
       including the rims and spokes.

       (Ezek 10:14 TLB)  Each of the four Guardian Angels had four faces--the 
       first was that of an ox; the second, a man's; the third, a lion's; and 
       the fourth, an eagle's.

       (Ezek 10:15 TLB)  These were the same beings I had seen beside the 
       Chebar Canal, and when they rose into the air, the wheels rose with 
       them and stayed beside them as they flew.

       (Ezek 10:16 TLB)  

       (Ezek 10:17 TLB)  When the Guardian Angels stood still, so did the 
       wheels, for the spirit of the Guardian Angels was in the wheels.

       (Ezek 10:18 TLB)  Then the glory of the Lord moved from the door of 
       the Temple and stood above the Guardian Angels.

       (Ezek 10:19 TLB)  And as I watched, the Guardian Angels flew with 
       their wheels beside them to the east gate of the Temple. And the glory 
       of the God of Israel was above them.






       (Ezek 10:20 TLB)  These were the living beings I had seen beneath the 
       God of Israel beside the Chebar Canal. I knew they were the same,

       (Ezek 10:21 TLB)  for each had four faces and four wings, with what 
       looked like human hands under their wings.

       (Ezek 10:22 TLB)  Their faces too were identical to the faces of those 
       I had seen at the Canal, and they traveled straight ahead, just as the 
       others did.

       (Ezek 11:1 TLB)  Then the Spirit lifted me and brought me over to the 
       east gate of the Temple, where I saw twenty-five of the most prominent 
       men of the city, including two officers, Jaazaniah (son of Azzur) and 
       Pelatiah (son of Benaiah).

       (Ezek 11:2 TLB)  Then the Spirit said to me, "Son of dust, these are 
       the men who are responsible for all of the wicked counsel being given 
       out in this city.

       (Ezek 11:3 TLB)  For they say to the people, 'It is time to rebuild 
       Jerusalem, for our city is an iron shield and will protect us from all 
       harm.'

       (Ezek 11:4 TLB)  Therefore, son of dust, prophesy against them loudly 
       and clearly."

       (Ezek 11:5 TLB)  Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon me and told me 
       to say: "The Lord says to the people of Israel: Is that what you are 
       saying? Yes, I know it is, for I know everything you think--every 
       thought that comes into your minds.

       (Ezek 11:6 TLB)  You have murdered endlessly and filled your streets 
       with the dead."

       (Ezek 11:7 TLB)  Therefore the Lord God says: "You think this city is 
       an iron shield? No, it isn't! It will not protect you. Your slain will 
       lie within it, but you will be dragged out and slaughtered.

       (Ezek 11:8 TLB)  I will expose you to the war you have so greatly 
       feared, says the Lord God,

       (Ezek 11:9 TLB)  and I will take you from Jerusalem and hand you over 
       to foreigners who will carry out my judgments against you.

       (Ezek 11:10 TLB)  You will be slaughtered all the way to the borders 
       of Israel, and you will know I am the Lord.

       (Ezek 11:11 TLB)  No, this city will not be an iron shield for you, 
       and you safe within. I will chase you even to the borders of Israel,

       (Ezek 11:12 TLB)  and you will know I am the Lord--you who have not 
       obeyed me but rather have copied the nations all around you."

       (Ezek 11:13 TLB)  While I was still speaking and telling them this, 
       Pelatiah (son of Benaiah) suddenly died. Then I fell to the ground on 





       my face and cried out: "O Lord God, are you going to kill everyone in 
       all Israel?"

       (Ezek 11:14 TLB)  Again a message came from the Lord:

       (Ezek 11:15 TLB)  "Son of dust, the remnant left in Jerusalem are 
       saying about your brother exiles: 'It is because they were so wicked 
       that the Lord has deported them. Now the Lord has given us their 
       land!'

       (Ezek 11:16 TLB)  "But tell the exiles that the Lord God says: 
       Although I have scattered you in the countries of the world, yet I 
       will be a sanctuary to you for the time that you are there,

       (Ezek 11:17 TLB)  and I will gather you back from the nations where 
       you are scattered and give you the land of Israel again.

       (Ezek 11:18 TLB)  And when you return, you will remove every trace of 
       all this idol worship.

       (Ezek 11:19 TLB)  I will give you one heart and a new spirit; I will 
       take from you your hearts of stone and give you tender hearts of love 
       for God,

       (Ezek 11:20 TLB)  so that you can obey my laws and be my people, and I 
       will be your God.

       (Ezek 11:21 TLB)  But as for those now in Jerusalem who long for 
       idols, I will repay them fully for their sins," the Lord God says.

       (Ezek 11:22 TLB)  Then the Guardian Angels lifted their wings and rose 
       into the air with their wheels beside them, and the glory of the God 
       of Israel stood above them.

       (Ezek 11:23 TLB)  Then the glory of the Lord rose from over the city 
       and stood above the mountain on the east side.

       (Ezek 11:24 TLB)  Afterwards the Spirit of God carried me back again 
       to Babylon, to the Jews in exile there. And so ended the vision of my 
       visit to Jerusalem.

       (Ezek 11:25 TLB)  And I told the exiles everything the Lord had shown 
       me.

       (Ezek 12:1 TLB)  Again a message came to me from the Lord:

       (Ezek 12:2 TLB)  "Son of dust," he said, "you live among rebels who 
       could know the truth if they wanted to, but they don't want to; they 
       could hear me if they would listen, but they won't,

       (Ezek 12:3 TLB)  for they are rebels. So now put on a demonstration to 
       show them what being exiled will be like. Pack whatever you can carry 
       on your back and leave your home--go somewhere else. Go in the 
       daylight so they can see, for perhaps even yet they will consider what 
       this means, even though they are such rebels.





       (Ezek 12:4 TLB)  Bring your baggage outside your house during the 
       daylight so they can watch. Then leave the house at night, just as 
       captives do when they begin their long march to distant lands.

       (Ezek 12:5 TLB)  Dig a tunnel through the city wall while they are 
       observing and carry your possessions out through the hole.

       (Ezek 12:6 TLB)  As they watch, lift your pack to your shoulders and 
       walk away into the night; muffle your face and don't gaze around. All 
       this is a sign to the people of Israel of the evil that will come upon 
       Jerusalem."

       (Ezek 12:7 TLB)  So I did as I was told. I brought my pack outside in 
       the daylight--all I could take into exile--and in the evening I dug 
       through the wall with my hands. I went out into the darkness with my 
       pack on my shoulder while the people looked on.

       (Ezek 12:8 TLB)  The next morning this message came to me from the 
       Lord:

       (Ezek 12:9 TLB)  "Son of dust, these rebels, the people of Israel, 
       have asked what all this means.

       (Ezek 12:10 TLB)  Tell them the Lord God says it is a message to King 
       Zedekiah in Jerusalem and to all the people of Israel.

       (Ezek 12:11 TLB)  Explain that what you did was a demonstration of 
       what is going to happen to them, for they shall be driven out of their 
       homes and sent away into exile.

       (Ezek 12:12 TLB)  "Even King Zedekiah shall go out at night through a 
       hole in the wall, taking only what he can carry with him, with muffled 
       face, for he won't be able to see.

       (Ezek 12:13 TLB)  I will capture him in my net and bring him to 
       Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans; but he shall not see it, and he 
       shall die there.

       (Ezek 12:14 TLB)  I will scatter his servants and guards to the four 
       winds and send the sword after them.

       (Ezek 12:15 TLB)  And when I scatter them among the nations, then they 
       shall know I am the Lord.

       (Ezek 12:16 TLB)  But I will spare a few of them from death by war and 
       famine and disease. I will save them to confess to the nations how 
       wicked they have been, and they shall know I am the Lord."

       (Ezek 12:17 TLB)  Then this message came to me from the Lord:

       (Ezek 12:18 TLB)  "Son of dust, tremble as you eat your meals; ration 
       out your water as though it were your last,

       (Ezek 12:19 TLB)  and say to the people, the Lord God says that the 
       people of Israel and Jerusalem shall ration their food with utmost 
       care and sip their tiny portions of water in utter despair because of 





       all their sins.

       (Ezek 12:20 TLB)  Your cities shall be destroyed and your farmlands 
       deserted, and you shall know I am the Lord."

       (Ezek 12:21 TLB)  Again a message came to me from the Lord:

       (Ezek 12:22 TLB)  "Son of dust, what is that proverb they quote in 
       Israel--' The days as they pass make liars out of every prophet.'

       (Ezek 12:23 TLB)  The Lord God says, I will put an end to this proverb 
       and they will soon stop saying it. Give them this one instead: 'The 
       time has come for all these prophecies to be fulfilled.'

       (Ezek 12:24 TLB)  "Then you will see what becomes of all the false 
       predictions of safety and security for Jerusalem.

       (Ezek 12:25 TLB)  For I am the Lord! What I threaten always happens. 
       There will be no more delays, O rebels of Israel! I will do it in your 
       own lifetime!" says the Lord God.

       (Ezek 12:26 TLB)  Then this message came:

       (Ezek 12:27 TLB)  "Son of dust, the people of Israel say, 'His visions 
       won't come true for a long, long time.'

       (Ezek 12:28 TLB)  Therefore say to them: 'The Lord God says, All delay 
       has ended! I will do it now!'"

       (Ezek 13:1 TLB)  Then this message came to me:

       (Ezek 13:2 TLB)  "Son of dust, prophesy against the false prophets of 
       Israel who are inventing their own visions and claiming to have 
       messages from me when I have never told them anything at all. Woe upon 
       them!

       (Ezek 13:3 TLB)  

       (Ezek 13:4 TLB)  "O Israel, these 'prophets' of yours are as useless 
       as foxes for rebuilding your walls!

       (Ezek 13:5 TLB)  O evil prophets, what have you ever done to 
       strengthen the walls of Israel against her enemies--by strengthening 
       Israel in the Lord?

       (Ezek 13:6 TLB)  Instead you have lied when you said, 'My message is 
       from God!' God did not send you. And yet you expect him to fulfill 
       your prophecies.

       (Ezek 13:7 TLB)  Can you deny that you have claimed to see 'visions' 
       you never saw, and that you have said, 'This message is from God,' 
       when I never spoke to you at all?"

       (Ezek 13:8 TLB)  Therefore the Lord God says: "I will destroy you for 
       these 'visions' and lies.





       (Ezek 13:9 TLB)  My hand shall be against you, and you shall be cut 
       off from among the leaders of Israel; I will blot out your names, and 
       you will never see your own country again. And you shall know I am the 
       Lord.

       (Ezek 13:10 TLB)  For these evil men deceive my people by saying, 'God 
       will send peace,' when that is not my plan at all! My people build a 
       flimsy wall, and these prophets praise them for it--and cover it with 
       whitewash!

       (Ezek 13:11 TLB)  "Tell these evil builders that their wall will fall. 
       A heavy rainstorm will undermine it; great hailstones and mighty winds 
       will knock it down.

       (Ezek 13:12 TLB)  And when the wall falls, the people will cry out, 
       'Why didn't you tell us that it wasn't good enough? Why did you 
       whitewash it and cover up its faults?'

       (Ezek 13:13 TLB)  Yes, it will surely fall." The Lord God says: "I 
       will sweep it away with a storm of indignation, with a great flood of 
       anger, and with hailstones of wrath.

       (Ezek 13:14 TLB)  I will break down your whitewashed wall; it will 
       fall on you and crush you, and you shall know I am the Lord.

       (Ezek 13:15 TLB)  Then at last my wrath against the wall will be 
       completed; and concerning those who praised it, I will say: The wall 
       and its builders both are gone.

       (Ezek 13:16 TLB)  For they were lying prophets, claiming Jerusalem 
       will have peace when there is no peace," says the Lord God.

       (Ezek 13:17 TLB)  "Son of dust, speak out against the women prophets 
       too who pretend the Lord has given them his messages.

       (Ezek 13:18 TLB)  Tell them, "The Lord God says: Woe to these women 
       who are damning the souls of my people, of both young and old alike, 
       by tying magic charms on their wrists, furnishing them with magic 
       veils, and selling them indulgences. They refuse to even offer help 
       unless they get a profit from it.

       (Ezek 13:19 TLB)  For the sake of a few paltry handfuls of barley or a 
       piece of bread will you turn away my people from me? You have led 
       those to death who should not die! And you have promised life to those 
       who should not live by lying to my people--and how they love it!'"

       (Ezek 13:20 TLB)  And so the Lord says: "I will crush you because you 
       hunt my people's souls with all your magic charms. I will tear off the 
       charms and set my people free like birds from cages.

       (Ezek 13:21 TLB)  I will tear off the magic veils and save my people 
       from you; they will no longer be your victims, and you shall know I am 
       the Lord.

       (Ezek 13:22 TLB)  Your lies have discouraged the righteous when I 
       didn't want it so. And you have encouraged the wicked by promising 





       life, though they continue in their sins.

       (Ezek 13:23 TLB)  But you will lie no more; no longer will you talk of 
       seeing 'visions' that you never saw nor practice your magic, for I 
       will deliver my people out of your hands by destroying you, and you 
       shall know I am the Lord."

       (Ezek 14:1 TLB)  Then some of the elders of Israel visited me to ask 
       me for a message from the Lord,

       (Ezek 14:2 TLB)  and this is the message that came to me to give to 
       them:

       (Ezek 14:3 TLB)  "Son of dust, these men worship idols in their 
       hearts--should I let them ask me anything?

       (Ezek 14:4 TLB)  Tell them, 'The Lord God says: I the Lord will 
       personally deal with anyone in Israel who worships idols and then 
       comes to ask my help.

       (Ezek 14:5 TLB)  For I will punish the minds and hearts of those who 
       turn from me to idols.'

       (Ezek 14:6 TLB)  "Therefore, warn them that the Lord God says: 'Repent 
       and destroy your idols, and stop worshiping them in your hearts.

       (Ezek 14:7 TLB)  I the Lord will personally punish everyone, whether 
       people of Israel or the foreigners living among you, who rejects me 
       for idols and then comes to a prophet to ask for my help and advice.

       (Ezek 14:8 TLB)  I will turn upon him and make a terrible example of 
       him, destroying him; and you shall know I am the Lord.

       (Ezek 14:9 TLB)  And if one of the false prophets gives him a message 
       anyway, it is a lie. His prophecy will not come true, and I will stand 
       against that 'prophet' and destroy him from among my people Israel.

       (Ezek 14:10 TLB)  False prophets and hypocrites--evil people who say 
       they want my words--all will be punished for their sins,

       (Ezek 14:11 TLB)  so that the people of Israel will learn not to 
       desert me and not to be polluted any longer with sin. They will be my 
       people and I their God.' So says the Lord."

       (Ezek 14:12 TLB)  Then this message of the Lord came to me:

       (Ezek 14:13 TLB)  "Son of dust, if the people of a land sin against 
       me, then I will crush them with my fist, break off their food supply, 
       and send famine to destroy both man and beast.

       (Ezek 14:14 TLB)  Even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, they alone 
       would be saved by their righteousness, and I would destroy the 
       remainder of Israel," says the Lord God.

       (Ezek 14:15 TLB)  "If I send an invasion of dangerous wild animals 
       into the land to devastate the land,






       (Ezek 14:16 TLB)  even if these three men were there, the Lord God 
       swears that it would do no good--it would not save the people from 
       their doom. Those three only would be saved, but the land would be 
       devastated.

       (Ezek 14:17 TLB)  "Or if I bring war against that land and tell the 
       armies of the enemy to come and destroy everything,

       (Ezek 14:18 TLB)  even if these three men were in the land, the Lord 
       God declares that they alone would be saved.

       (Ezek 14:19 TLB)  "And if I pour out my fury by sending an epidemic of 
       disease into the land, and the plague kills man and beast alike,

       (Ezek 14:20 TLB)  though Noah, Daniel, and Job were living there, the 
       Lord God says that only they would be saved because of their 
       righteousness."

       (Ezek 14:21 TLB)  And the Lord says: "Four great punishments await 
       Jerusalem to destroy all life: war, famine, ferocious beasts, plague.

       (Ezek 14:22 TLB)  If there are survivors and they come here to join 
       you as exiles in Babylon, you will see with your own eyes how wicked 
       they are, and you will know it was right for me to destroy Jerusalem.

       (Ezek 14:23 TLB)  You will agree, when you meet them, that it is not 
       without cause that all these things are being done to Israel."

       (Ezek 15:1 TLB)  Then this message came to me from the Lord:

       (Ezek 15:2 TLB)  "Son of dust, what good are vines from the forest? 
       Are they as useful as trees? Are they even as valuable as a single 
       branch?

       (Ezek 15:3 TLB)  No, for vines can't be used even for making pegs to 
       hang up pots and pans!

       (Ezek 15:4 TLB)  All they are good for is fuel--and even so, they burn 
       but poorly!

       (Ezek 15:5 TLB)  So they are useless both before and after being put 
       in the fire!

       (Ezek 15:6 TLB)  "This is what I mean," the Lord God says: "The people 
       of Jerusalem are like the vines of the forest--useless before being 
       burned and certainly useless afterwards!

       (Ezek 15:7 TLB)  And I will set myself against them to see to it that 
       if they escape from one fire, they will fall into another; and then 
       you shall know I am the Lord.

       (Ezek 15:8 TLB)  And I will make the land desolate because they 
       worship idols," says the Lord God.

       (Ezek 16:1 TLB)  Then again a message came to me from the Lord.






       (Ezek 16:2 TLB)  "Son of dust," he said, "speak to Jerusalem about her 
       loathsome sins.

       (Ezek 16:3 TLB)  Tell her, 'The Lord God says: You are no better than 
       the people of Canaan--your father must have been an Amorite and your 
       mother a Hittite!

       (Ezek 16:4 TLB)  When you were born, no one cared for you. When I 
       first saw you, your umbilical cord was uncut, and you had been neither 
       washed nor rubbed with salt nor clothed.

       (Ezek 16:5 TLB)  No one had the slightest interest in you; no one 
       pitied you or cared for you. On that day when you were born, you were 
       dumped out into a field and left to die, unwanted.

       (Ezek 16:6 TLB)  "'But I came by and saw you there, covered with your 
       own blood, and I said, 'Live!

       (Ezek 16:7 TLB)  Thrive like a plant in the field!' And you did! You 
       grew up and became tall, slender and supple, a jewel among jewels. And 
       when you reached the age of maidenhood, your breasts were full-formed 
       and your pubic hair had grown; yet you were naked.

       (Ezek 16:8 TLB)  "'Later, when I passed by and saw you again, you were 
       old enough for marriage; and I wrapped my cloak around you to legally 
       declare my marriage vow. I signed a covenant with you, and you became 
       mine.

       (Ezek 16:9 TLB)  Then, when the marriage had taken place, I gave you 
       beautiful clothes of linens and silk, embroidered, and sandals made of 
       dolphin hide.

       (Ezek 16:10 TLB)  

       (Ezek 16:11 TLB)  I gave you lovely ornaments, bracelets, and 
       beautiful necklaces,

       (Ezek 16:12 TLB)  a ring for your nose and two more for your ears, and 
       a lovely tiara for your head.

       (Ezek 16:13 TLB)  And so you were made beautiful with gold and silver, 
       and your clothes were silk and linen and beautifully embroidered. You 
       ate the finest foods and became more beautiful than ever. You looked 
       like a queen, and so you were!

       (Ezek 16:14 TLB)  Your reputation was great among the nations for your 
       beauty; it was perfect because of all the gifts I gave you,'" says the 
       Lord God.

       (Ezek 16:15 TLB)  "'But you thought you could get along without 
       me--you trusted in your beauty instead; and you gave yourself as a 
       prostitute to every man who came along. Your beauty was his for the 
       asking.

       (Ezek 16:16 TLB)  You used the lovely things I gave you for making 





       idol shrines and to decorate your bed of prostitution. Unbelievable! 
       There has never been anything like it before!

       (Ezek 16:17 TLB)  You took the very jewels and gold and silver 
       ornaments I gave to you and made statues of men and worshiped them, 
       which is adultery against me.

       (Ezek 16:18 TLB)  You used the beautifully embroidered clothes I gave 
       you--to cover your idols! And used my oil and incense to worship them!

       (Ezek 16:19 TLB)  You set before them as a lovely sacrifice--imagine 
       it--the fine flour and oil and honey I gave you!

       (Ezek 16:20 TLB)  And you took my sons and daughters you had borne to 
       me and sacrificed them to your gods; and they are gone. Wasn't it 
       enough that you should be a prostitute?

       (Ezek 16:21 TLB)  Must you also slay my children by sacrificing them 
       to idols?

       (Ezek 16:22 TLB)  "'And in all these years of adultery and sin you 
       have not thought of those days long ago when you were naked and 
       covered with blood.

       (Ezek 16:23 TLB)  "'And then, in addition to all your other 
       wickedness--woe, woe upon you, says the Lord God--

       (Ezek 16:24 TLB)  you built a spacious brothel for your lovers and 
       idol altars on every street,

       (Ezek 16:25 TLB)  and there you offered your beauty to every man who 
       came by, in an endless stream of prostitution.

       (Ezek 16:26 TLB)  And you added lustful Egypt to your prostitutions by 
       your alliance with her. My anger is great.

       (Ezek 16:27 TLB)  "'Therefore I have crushed you with my fist; I have 
       reduced your boundaries and delivered you into the hands of those who 
       hate you--the Philistines--and even they are ashamed of you.

       (Ezek 16:28 TLB)  "'You have committed adultery with the Assyrians too 
       (by making them your allies and worshiping their gods); it seems that 
       you can never find enough new gods. After your adultery there, you 
       still weren't satisfied,

       (Ezek 16:29 TLB)  so you worshiped the gods of that great merchant 
       land of Babylon--and you still weren't satisfied.

       (Ezek 16:30 TLB)  What a filthy heart you have, says the Lord God, to 
       do such things as these; you are a brazen prostitute,

       (Ezek 16:31 TLB)  building your idol altars, your brothels, on every 
       street. You have been worse than a prostitute, so eager for sin that 
       you have not even charged for your love!

       (Ezek 16:32 TLB)  Yes, you are an adulterous wife who lives with other 





       men instead of her own husband.

       (Ezek 16:33 TLB)  Prostitutes charge for their services--men pay with 
       many gifts. But not you, you give them gifts, bribing them to come to 
       you!

       (Ezek 16:34 TLB)  So you are different from other prostitutes. But you 
       had to pay them, for no one wanted you.

       (Ezek 16:35 TLB)  "'O prostitute, hear the word of the Lord:

       (Ezek 16:36 TLB)  The Lord God says: Because I see your filthy sins, 
       your adultery with your lovers--your worshiping of idols--and the 
       slaying of your children as sacrifices to your gods,

       (Ezek 16:37 TLB)  this is what I am going to do: I will gather 
       together all your allies--these lovers of yours you have sinned with, 
       both those you loved and those you hated--and I will make you naked 
       before them that they may see you.

       (Ezek 16:38 TLB)  I will punish you as a murderess is punished and as 
       a woman breaking wedlock living with other men.

       (Ezek 16:39 TLB)  I will give you to your lovers--these many 
       nations--to destroy, and they will knock down your brothels and idol 
       altars. They will strip you, take your beautiful jewels, and leave you 
       naked and ashamed.

       (Ezek 16:40 TLB)  They will burn your homes, punishing you before the 
       eyes of many women. And I will see to it that you stop your adulteries 
       with other gods and end your payments to your allies for their love.

       (Ezek 16:41 TLB)  

       (Ezek 16:42 TLB)  "'Then at last my fury against you will die away; my 
       jealousy against you will end, and I will be quiet and not be angry 
       with you anymore.

       (Ezek 16:43 TLB)  But first, because you have not remembered your 
       youth but have angered me by all these evil things you do, I will 
       fully repay you for all of your sins,'" says the Lord. "'For you are 
       thankless in addition to all your other faults.

       (Ezek 16:44 TLB)  "' "Like mother, like daughter"--that is what 
       everyone will say of you.

       (Ezek 16:45 TLB)  For your mother loathed her husband and her 
       children, and you do too. And you are exactly like your sisters, for 
       they despised their husbands and their children. Truly, your mother 
       must have been a Hittite and your father an Amorite.

       (Ezek 16:46 TLB)  "'Your older sister is Samaria, living with her 
       daughters north of you; your younger sister is Sodom and her 
       daughters, in the south.

       (Ezek 16:47 TLB)  You have not merely sinned as they do--no, that was 





       nothing to you; in a very short time you far surpassed them.

       (Ezek 16:48 TLB)  "'As I live, the Lord God says, Sodom and her 
       daughters have never been as wicked as you and your daughters.

       (Ezek 16:49 TLB)  Your sister Sodom's sins were pride, laziness, and 
       too much food, while the poor and needy suffered outside her door.

       (Ezek 16:50 TLB)  She insolently worshiped many idols as I watched. 
       Therefore I crushed her.

       (Ezek 16:51 TLB)  "'Even Samaria has not committed half your sins. You 
       have worshiped idols far more than your sisters have; they seem almost 
       righteous in comparison with you!

       (Ezek 16:52 TLB)  Don't be surprised then by the lighter punishment 
       they get. For your sins are so awful that in comparison with you, your 
       sisters seem innocent!

       (Ezek 16:53 TLB)  (But someday I will restore the fortunes of Sodom 
       and Samaria again, and those of Judah too.)

       (Ezek 16:54 TLB)  Your terrible punishment will be a consolation to 
       them, for it will be greater than theirs.

       (Ezek 16:55 TLB)  "'Yes, your sisters, Sodom and Samaria, and all 
       their people will be restored again, and Judah, too, will prosper in 
       that day.

       (Ezek 16:56 TLB)  In your proud days you held Sodom in unspeakable 
       contempt.

       (Ezek 16:57 TLB)  But now your greater wickedness has been exposed to 
       all the world, and you are the one who is scorned--by Edom and all her 
       neighbors and by all the Philistines.

       (Ezek 16:58 TLB)  This is part of your punishment for all your sins,'" 
       says the Lord.

       (Ezek 16:59 TLB)  For the Lord God says: "I will repay you for your 
       broken promises. You lightly broke your solemn vows to me,

       (Ezek 16:60 TLB)  yet I will keep the pledge I made to you when you 
       were young. I will establish an everlasting covenant with you forever,

       (Ezek 16:61 TLB)  and you will remember with shame all the evil you 
       have done; and you will be overcome by my favor when I take your 
       sisters, Samaria and Sodom, and make them your daughters, for you to 
       rule over. You will know you don't deserve this gracious act, for you 
       did not keep my covenant.

       (Ezek 16:62 TLB)  I will reaffirm my covenant with you, and you will 
       know I am the Lord.

       (Ezek 16:63 TLB)  Despite all you have done, I will be kind to you 
       again; you will cover your mouth in silence and in shame when I 





       forgive you all that you have done," says the Lord God.

       (Ezek 17:1 TLB)  Then this message came to me from the Lord:

       (Ezek 17:2 TLB)  "Son of dust, give this riddle to the people of 
       Israel:

       (Ezek 17:3 TLB)  "A great eagle with broad wings full of many-colored 
       feathers came to Lebanon

       (Ezek 17:4 TLB)  and plucked off the shoot at the top of the tallest 
       cedar tree and carried it into a city filled with merchants.

       (Ezek 17:5 TLB)  There he planted it in fertile ground beside a broad 
       river, where it would grow as quickly as a willow tree.

       (Ezek 17:6 TLB)  It took root and grew and became a low but spreading 
       vine that turned toward the eagle and produced strong branches and 
       luxuriant leaves.

       (Ezek 17:7 TLB)  But when another great, broad-winged, full-feathered 
       eagle came along, this tree sent its roots and branches out toward him 
       instead,

       (Ezek 17:8 TLB)  even though it was already in good soil with plenty 
       of water to become a splendid vine, producing leaves and fruit.

       (Ezek 17:9 TLB)  The Lord God asks: "Shall I let this tree grow and 
       prosper? No! I will pull it out, roots and all! I will cut off its 
       branches and let its leaves wither and die. It will pull out easily 
       enough--it won't take a big crew or a lot of equipment to do that.

       (Ezek 17:10 TLB)  Though the vine began so well, will it thrive? No, 
       it will wither away completely when the east wind touches it, dying in 
       the same choice soil where it had grown so well."

       (Ezek 17:11 TLB)  Then this message came to me from the Lord:

       (Ezek 17:12 TLB)  "Ask these rebels of Israel: Don't you understand 
       what this riddle of the eagles means? I will tell you. Nebuchadnezzar, 
       king of Babylon (the first of the two eagles), came to Jerusalem, took 
       away her king and princes (her topmost buds and shoots), and brought 
       them to Babylon.

       (Ezek 17:13 TLB)  Nebuchadnezzar made a covenant with a member of the 
       royal family (Zedekiah), and made him take an oath of loyalty. He took 
       a seedling and planted it in fertile ground beside a broad river. He 
       also exiled the top men of Israel's government,

       (Ezek 17:14 TLB)  so that Israel would not be strong again and revolt. 
       But by keeping her promises, Israel could be respected and maintain 
       her identity.

       (Ezek 17:15 TLB)  "Nevertheless, Zedekiah rebelled against Babylon, 
       sending ambassadors to Egypt to seek for a great army and many horses 
       to fight against Nebuchadnezzar. But will Israel prosper after 





       breaking all her promises like that? Will she succeed?

       (Ezek 17:16 TLB)  No! For as I live," says the Lord, "the king of 
       Israel shall die. (Nebuchadnezzar will pull out the tree, roots and 
       all!) Zedekiah shall die in Babylon, where the king lives who gave him 
       his power, and whose covenant he despised and broke.

       (Ezek 17:17 TLB)  Pharaoh and all his mighty army shall fail to help 
       Israel when the king of Babylon lays siege to Jerusalem again and 
       slaughters many lives.

       (Ezek 17:18 TLB)  For the king of Israel broke his promise after 
       swearing to obey; therefore he shall not escape."

       (Ezek 17:19 TLB)  The Lord God says: "As I live, surely I will punish 
       him for despising the solemn oath he made in my name.

       (Ezek 17:20 TLB)  I will throw my net over him, and he shall be 
       captured in my snare; I will bring him to Babylon and deal with him 
       there for this treason against me.

       (Ezek 17:21 TLB)  And all the best soldiers of Israel will be killed 
       by the sword, and those remaining in the city will be scattered to the 
       four winds. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken these 
       words."

       (Ezek 17:22 TLB)  The Lord God says: "I will take a tender sprout from 
       the top of a tall cedar, and I will plant it on the top of Israel's 
       highest mountain.

       (Ezek 17:23 TLB)  It shall become a noble cedar, bringing forth 
       branches and bearing seed. Animals of every sort will gather under it; 
       its branches will shelter every kind of bird.

       (Ezek 17:24 TLB)  And everyone shall know that it is I, the Lord, who 
       cuts down the high trees and exalts the low, that I make the green 
       tree wither and the dead tree grow. I, the Lord, have said that I 
       would do it, and I will."

       (Ezek 18:1 TLB)  Then the Lord's message came to me again.

       (Ezek 18:2 TLB)  "Why do people use this proverb about the land of 
       Israel: The children are punished for their fathers' sins?

       (Ezek 18:3 TLB)  As I live," says the Lord God, "you will not use this 
       proverb any more in Israel,

       (Ezek 18:4 TLB)  for all souls are mine to judge--fathers and sons 
       alike--and my rule is this: It is for a man's own sins that he will 
       die.

       (Ezek 18:5 TLB)  "But if a man is just and does what is lawful and 
       right,

       (Ezek 18:6 TLB)  and has not gone out to the mountains to feast before 
       the idols of Israel and worship them, and does not commit adultery nor 





       lie with any woman during the time of her menstruation;

       (Ezek 18:7 TLB)  if he is a merciful creditor, not holding onto the 
       items given to him in pledge by poor debtors, and is no robber but 
       gives food to the hungry and clothes to those in need;

       (Ezek 18:8 TLB)  and if he grants loans without interest, stays away 
       from sin, is honest and fair when judging others,

       (Ezek 18:9 TLB)  and obeys my laws--that man is just," says the Lord, 
       "and he shall surely live.

       (Ezek 18:10 TLB)  "But if that man has a son who is a robber or 
       murderer and who fulfills none of his responsibilities,

       (Ezek 18:11 TLB)  who refuses to obey the laws of God but worships 
       idols on the mountains and commits adultery,

       (Ezek 18:12 TLB)  oppresses the poor and helpless, robs his debtors by 
       refusing to let them redeem what they have given him in pledge, loves 
       idols and worships them,

       (Ezek 18:13 TLB)  and loans out his money at interest--shall that man 
       live? No! He shall surely die, and it is his own fault.

       (Ezek 18:14 TLB)  "But if this sinful man has, in turn, a son who sees 
       all his father's wickedness, so that he fears God and decides against 
       that kind of life;

       (Ezek 18:15 TLB)  he doesn't go up on the mountains to feast before 
       the idols and worship them and does not commit adultery;

       (Ezek 18:16 TLB)  he is fair to those who borrow from him and doesn't 
       rob them, but feeds the hungry, clothes the needy,

       (Ezek 18:17 TLB)  helps the poor, does not loan money at interest, and 
       obeys my laws--he shall not die because of his father's sins; he shall 
       surely live.

       (Ezek 18:18 TLB)  But his father shall die for his own sins because he 
       is cruel and robs and does wrong.

       (Ezek 18:19 TLB)  "'What?' you ask. 'Doesn't the son pay for his 
       father's sins?' No! For if the son does what is right and keeps my 
       laws, he shall surely live.

       (Ezek 18:20 TLB)  The one who sins is the one who dies. The son shall 
       not be punished for his father's sins, nor the father for his son's. 
       The righteous person will be rewarded for his own goodness and the 
       wicked person for his wickedness.

       (Ezek 18:21 TLB)  But if a wicked person turns away from all his sins 
       and begins to obey my laws and do what is just and right, he shall 
       surely live and not die.

       (Ezek 18:22 TLB)  All his past sins will be forgotten, and he shall 





       live because of his goodness.

       (Ezek 18:23 TLB)  "Do you think I like to see the wicked die?" asks 
       the Lord. "Of course not! I only want him to turn from his wicked ways 
       and live.

       (Ezek 18:24 TLB)  However, if a righteous person turns to sinning and 
       acts like any other sinner, should he be allowed to live? No, of 
       course not. All his previous goodness will be forgotten and he shall 
       die for his sins.

       (Ezek 18:25 TLB)  "Yet you say: 'The Lord isn't being fair!' Listen to 
       me, O people of Israel. Am I the one who is unfair, or is it you?

       (Ezek 18:26 TLB)  When a good man turns away from being good, begins 
       sinning, and dies in his sins, he dies for the evil he has done.

       (Ezek 18:27 TLB)  And if a wicked person turns away from his 
       wickedness and obeys the law and does right, he shall save his soul,

       (Ezek 18:28 TLB)  for he has thought it over and decided to turn from 
       his sins and live a good life. He shall surely live--he shall not die.

       (Ezek 18:29 TLB)  "And yet the people of Israel keep saying: 'The Lord 
       is unfair!' O people of Israel, it is you who are unfair, not I.

       (Ezek 18:30 TLB)  I will judge each of you, O Israel, and punish or 
       reward each according to his own actions. Oh, turn from your sins 
       while there is yet time.

       (Ezek 18:31 TLB)  Put them behind you and receive a new heart and a 
       new spirit. For why will you die, O Israel?

       (Ezek 18:32 TLB)  I do not enjoy seeing you die," the Lord God says. 
       "Turn, turn and live!

       (Ezek 19:1 TLB)  "Sing this death dirge for the leaders of Israel:

       (Ezek 19:2 TLB)  What a woman your mother was--like a lioness! Her 
       children were like lion's cubs!

       (Ezek 19:3 TLB)  One of her cubs (King Jehoahaz) grew into a strong 
       young lion and learned to catch prey and became a man-eater.

       (Ezek 19:4 TLB)  Then the nations called out their hunters; they 
       trapped him in a pit and brought him in chains to Egypt.

       (Ezek 19:5 TLB)  "When Israel, the mother lion, saw that all her hopes 
       for him were gone, she took another of her cubs (King Jehoiachin) and 
       taught him to be 'king of the beasts.'

       (Ezek 19:6 TLB)  He became a leader among the lions and learned to 
       catch prey, and he too became a man-eater.

       (Ezek 19:7 TLB)  He demolished the palaces of the surrounding nations 
       and ruined their cities; their farms were desolated, their crops 





       destroyed; everyone in the land shook with terror when they heard him 
       roar.

       (Ezek 19:8 TLB)  Then the armies of the nations surrounded him, coming 
       from every side, and trapped him in a pit and captured him.

       (Ezek 19:9 TLB)  They prodded him into a cage and brought him before 
       the king of Babylon. He was held in captivity so that his voice could 
       never again be heard upon the mountains of Israel.

       (Ezek 19:10 TLB)  "Your mother was like a vine beside an irrigation 
       ditch, with lush, green foliage because of all the water.

       (Ezek 19:11 TLB)  Its strongest branch became a ruler's scepter, and 
       it was very great, towering above the others and noticed from far 
       away.

       (Ezek 19:12 TLB)  But the vine was uprooted in fury and thrown down to 
       the ground. Its branches were broken and withered by a strong wind 
       from the east; the fruit was destroyed by fire.

       (Ezek 19:13 TLB)  Now the vine is planted in the wilderness where the 
       ground is hard and dry.

       (Ezek 19:14 TLB)  It is decaying from within; no strong branch 
       remains. The fulfillment of this sad prophecy has already begun, and 
       there is more ahead."

       (Ezek 20:1 TLB)  Late in July, six years after King Jeconiah was 
       captured, some of the elders of Israel came to ask instructions from 
       the Lord and sat before me awaiting his reply.

       (Ezek 20:2 TLB)  Then the Lord gave me this message:

       (Ezek 20:3 TLB)  "Son of dust, say to the elders of Israel, 'The Lord 
       God says: How dare you come to ask my help? I swear that I will tell 
       you nothing.'

       (Ezek 20:4 TLB)  Judge them, son of dust; condemn them; tell them of 
       all the sins of this nation from the times of their fathers until now.

       (Ezek 20:5 TLB)  Tell them, 'The Lord God says: When I chose Israel 
       and revealed myself to her in Egypt, I swore to her and her 
       descendants

       (Ezek 20:6 TLB)  that I would bring them out of Egypt to a land I had 
       discovered and explored for them--a good land, flowing as it were with 
       milk and honey, the best of all lands anywhere.'

       (Ezek 20:7 TLB)  "Then I said to them: 'Get rid of every idol; do not 
       defile yourselves with the Egyptian gods, for I am the Lord your God.'

       (Ezek 20:8 TLB)  But they rebelled against me and would not listen. 
       They didn't get rid of their idols nor forsake the gods of Egypt. Then 
       I thought, I will pour out my fury upon them and fulfill my anger 
       against them while they are still in Egypt.






       (Ezek 20:9 TLB)  "But I didn't do it, for I acted to protect the honor 
       of my name, lest the Egyptians laugh at Israel's God who couldn't keep 
       them back from harm.

       (Ezek 20:10 TLB)  So I brought my people out of Egypt right before the 
       Egyptians' eyes and led them into the wilderness.

       (Ezek 20:11 TLB)  There I gave them my laws so they could live by 
       keeping them. If anyone keeps them, he will live.

       (Ezek 20:12 TLB)  And I gave them the Sabbath--a day of rest every 
       seventh day--as a symbol between them and me, to remind them that it 
       is I, the Lord, who sanctifies them--that they are truly my people.

       (Ezek 20:13 TLB)  "But Israel rebelled against me. There in the 
       wilderness they refused my laws. They would not obey my rules even 
       though obeying them means life. And they misused my Sabbaths. Then I 
       thought, I will pour out my fury upon them and utterly consume them in 
       the desert.

       (Ezek 20:14 TLB)  "But again I refrained in order to protect the honor 
       of my name, lest the nations who saw me bring them out of Egypt would 
       say that it was because I couldn't care for them that I destroyed 
       them.

       (Ezek 20:15 TLB)  But I swore to them in the wilderness that I would 
       not bring them into the land I had given them, a land full of milk and 
       honey, the choicest spot on earth,

       (Ezek 20:16 TLB)  because they laughed at my laws, ignored my wishes, 
       and violated my Sabbaths--their hearts were with their idols!

       (Ezek 20:17 TLB)  Nevertheless, I spared them. I didn't finish them 
       off in the wilderness.

       (Ezek 20:18 TLB)  "Then I spoke to their children and said: 'Don't 
       follow your fathers' footsteps. Don't defile yourselves with their 
       idols,

       (Ezek 20:19 TLB)  for I am the Lord your God. Follow my laws; keep my 
       ordinances;

       (Ezek 20:20 TLB)  hallow my Sabbaths; for they are a symbol of the 
       contract between us to help you remember that I am the Lord your God.'

       (Ezek 20:21 TLB)  "But their children, too, rebelled against me. They 
       refused my laws--the laws that if a person keeps them, he will live. 
       And they defiled my Sabbaths. So then I said: 'Now at last I will pour 
       out my fury upon you in the wilderness.'

       (Ezek 20:22 TLB)  "Nevertheless, again I withdrew my judgment against 
       them to protect my name among the nations who had seen my power in 
       bringing them out of Egypt.

       (Ezek 20:23 TLB)  But I took a solemn oath against them while they 





       were in the wilderness that I would scatter them, dispersing them to 
       the ends of the earth

       (Ezek 20:24 TLB)  because they did not obey my laws but scorned them 
       and violated my Sabbaths and longed for their fathers' idols.

       (Ezek 20:25 TLB)  I let them adopt customs and laws which were 
       worthless. Through the keeping of them they could not attain life.

       (Ezek 20:26 TLB)  In the hope that they would draw back in horror and 
       know that I alone am God, I let them pollute themselves with the very 
       gifts I gave them. They burnt their firstborn children as offerings to 
       their gods!

       (Ezek 20:27 TLB)  "Son of dust, tell them that the Lord God says: 
       'Your fathers continued to blaspheme and betray me

       (Ezek 20:28 TLB)  when I brought them into the land I promised them, 
       for they offered sacrifices and incense on every high hill and under 
       every tree! They roused my fury as they offered up their sacrifices to 
       those "gods." They brought their perfumes and incense and poured out 
       their drink offerings to them!

       (Ezek 20:29 TLB)  I said to them: "What is this place of sacrifice 
       where you go?" And so it is still called 'The Place of 
       Sacrifice'--that is how it got its name.

       (Ezek 20:30 TLB)  "The Lord God wants to know whether you are going to 
       pollute yourselves just as your fathers did and keep on worshiping 
       idols.

       (Ezek 20:31 TLB)  For when you offer gifts to them and give your 
       little sons to be burned to ashes as you do even today, shall I listen 
       to you or help you, Israel? As I live," the Lord God says, "I will not 
       give you any message, though you have come to me to ask.

       (Ezek 20:32 TLB)  "What you have in mind will not be done--to be like 
       the nations all around you, serving gods of wood and stone.

       (Ezek 20:33 TLB)  I will rule you with an iron fist and in great anger 
       and with power.

       (Ezek 20:34 TLB)  With might and fury I will bring you out from the 
       lands where you are scattered,

       (Ezek 20:35 TLB)  and will bring you into my desert judgment hall. I 
       will judge you there and get rid of the rebels,

       (Ezek 20:36 TLB)  just as I did in the wilderness after I brought you 
       out of Egypt.

       (Ezek 20:37 TLB)  I will count you carefully and let only a small 
       quota return.

       (Ezek 20:38 TLB)  And the others--the rebels and all those who sin 
       against me--I will purge from among you. They shall not enter Israel, 





       but I will bring them out of the countries where they are in exile. 
       And when that happens, you will know I am the Lord.

       (Ezek 20:39 TLB)  "O Israel," the Lord God says: "If you insist on 
       worshiping your idols, go right ahead, but then don't bring your gifts 
       to me as well! Such desecration of my holy name must stop!

       (Ezek 20:40 TLB)  "For at Jerusalem in my holy mountain," says the 
       Lord, "all Israel shall worship me. There I will accept you and 
       require you to bring me your offerings and the finest of your gifts.

       (Ezek 20:41 TLB)  You will be to me as an offering of perfumed incense 
       when I bring you back from exile, and the nations will see the great 
       change in your hearts.

       (Ezek 20:42 TLB)  Then, when I have brought you home to the land I 
       promised your fathers, you will know I am the Lord.

       (Ezek 20:43 TLB)  Then you will look back at all your sins and loathe 
       yourselves because of the evil you have done.

       (Ezek 20:44 TLB)  And when I have honored my name by blessing you 
       despite your wickedness, then, O Israel, you will know I am the Lord."

       (Ezek 20:45 TLB)  Then this message came to me from the Lord:

       (Ezek 20:46 TLB)  "Son of dust, look toward Jerusalem and speak out 
       against it and the forest lands of the Negeb.

       (Ezek 20:47 TLB)  Prophesy to it and say: 'Hear the word of the Lord. 
       I will set you on fire, O forest, and every tree will die, green and 
       dry alike. The terrible flames will not be quenched, and they will 
       scorch the world.

       (Ezek 20:48 TLB)  And all the world will see that I, the Lord, have 
       set the fire. It shall not be put out.'"

       (Ezek 20:49 TLB)  Then I said, "O Lord God, they say of me, 'He only 
       talks in riddles!'"

       (Ezek 21:1 TLB)  Then this message came to me from the Lord:

       (Ezek 21:2 TLB)  "Son of dust, face toward Jerusalem and prophesy 
       against Israel and against my Temple!

       (Ezek 21:3 TLB)  For the Lord says: 'I am against you, Israel. I will 
       unsheath my sword and destroy your people, good and bad alike--

       (Ezek 21:4 TLB)  I will not spare even the righteous. I will make a 
       clean sweep throughout the land from the Negeb to your northern 
       borders.

       (Ezek 21:5 TLB)  All the world shall know that it is I, the Lord. His 
       sword is in his hand, and it will not return to its sheath again until 
       its work is finished.'





       (Ezek 21:6 TLB)  "Sigh and groan before the people, son of dust, in 
       your bitter anguish; sigh with grief and broken heart.

       (Ezek 21:7 TLB)  When they ask you why, tell them: 'Because of the 
       fearsome news that God has given me. When it comes true, the boldest 
       heart will melt with fear; all strength will disappear. Every spirit 
       will faint; strong knees will tremble and become as weak as water.' 
       And the Lord God says: 'Your doom is on the way; my judgments will be 
       fulfilled!'"

       (Ezek 21:8 TLB)  Then again this message came to me from God:

       (Ezek 21:9 TLB)  "Son of dust, tell them this: 'A sword is being 
       sharpened and polished

       (Ezek 21:10 TLB)  for terrible slaughter. Now will you laugh? For 
       those far stronger than you have perished beneath its power. It is 
       ready now to hand to the executioner.'

       (Ezek 21:11 TLB)  

       (Ezek 21:12 TLB)  Son of dust, with sobbing, beat upon your thigh, for 
       that sword shall slay my people and all their leaders. All alike shall 
       die.

       (Ezek 21:13 TLB)  It will put them all to the test--and what chance do 
       they have?" the Lord God asks.

       (Ezek 21:14 TLB)  "Prophesy to them in this way: Clap your hands 
       vigorously, then take a sword and brandish it twice, thrice, to 
       symbolize the great massacre they face!

       (Ezek 21:15 TLB)  Let their hearts melt with terror, for a sword 
       glitters at every gate; it flashes like lightning; it is razor-edged 
       for slaughter.

       (Ezek 21:16 TLB)  O sword, slash to the right and slash to the left, 
       wherever you will, wherever you want.

       (Ezek 21:17 TLB)  And you have prophesied with clapping hands that I, 
       the Lord, will smite Jerusalem and satisfy my fury."

       (Ezek 21:18 TLB)  Then this message came to me. The Lord said:

       (Ezek 21:19 TLB)  "Son of dust, make a map and on it trace two routes 
       for the king of Babylon to follow--

       (Ezek 21:20 TLB)  one to Jerusalem and the other to Rabbah in 
       Trans-Jordan. And put a signpost at the fork in the road from Babylon.

       (Ezek 21:21 TLB)  For the king of Babylon stands at a fork, uncertain 
       whether to attack Jerusalem or Rabbah. He will call his magicians to 
       use divination; they will cast lots by shaking arrows from the quiver; 
       they will sacrifice to idols and inspect the liver of their sacrifice.

       (Ezek 21:22 TLB)  They will decide to turn toward Jerusalem! With 





       battering rams they will go against the gates, shouting for the kill; 
       they will build siege towers and make a hill against the walls to 
       reach the top.

       (Ezek 21:23 TLB)  Jerusalem won't understand this treachery; how could 
       the diviners make this terrible mistake? For Babylon is Judah's ally 
       and has sworn to defend Jerusalem! But (the king of Babylon) will 
       think only of the times the people rebelled. He will attack and defeat 
       them.

       (Ezek 21:24 TLB)  The Lord God says: "Again and again your guilt cries 
       out against you, for your sins are open and unashamed. Wherever you 
       go, whatever you do, all is filled with sin. And now the time of 
       punishment has come.

       (Ezek 21:25 TLB)  "O King Zedekiah, evil prince of Israel, your final 
       day of reckoning is here.

       (Ezek 21:26 TLB)  Take off your jeweled crown," the Lord God says. 
       "The old order changes. Now the poor are exalted and the rich brought 
       very low.

       (Ezek 21:27 TLB)  I will overturn, overturn, overturn the kingdom, so 
       that even the new order that emerges will not succeed until the Man 
       appears who has a right to it. And I will give it all to him.

       (Ezek 21:28 TLB)  "Son of dust, prophesy to the Ammonites too, for 
       they mocked my people in their woe. Tell them this: "'Against you also 
       my glittering sword is drawn from its sheath; it is sharpened and 
       polished and flashed like lightning.

       (Ezek 21:29 TLB)  Your magicians and false prophets have told you lies 
       of safety and success--that your gods will save you from the king of 
       Babylon. Thus they have caused your death along with all the other 
       wicked, for when the day of final reckoning has come, you will be 
       wounded unto death.

       (Ezek 21:30 TLB)  Shall I return my sword to its sheath before I deal 
       with you? No, I will destroy you in your own country where you were 
       born.

       (Ezek 21:31 TLB)  I will pour out my fury upon you and blow upon the 
       fire of my wrath until it becomes a roaring conflagration, and I will 
       deliver you into the hands of cruel men skilled in destruction.

       (Ezek 21:32 TLB)  You are the fuel for the fire; your blood will be 
       spilled in your own country, and you will be utterly wiped out, your 
       memory lost in history. For I, the Lord, have spoken it.'"

       (Ezek 22:1 TLB)  Now another message came from the Lord. He said:

       (Ezek 22:2 TLB)  "Son of dust, indict Jerusalem as the City of Murder. 
       Publicly denounce her terrible deeds.

       (Ezek 22:3 TLB)  City of Murder, doomed and damned--City of Idols, 
       filthy and foul--






       (Ezek 22:4 TLB)  you are guilty both of murder and idolatry. Now comes 
       your day of doom. You have reached the limit of your years. I will 
       make you a laughingstock and a reproach to all the nations of the 
       world.

       (Ezek 22:5 TLB)  Near and far they will mock you, a city of infamous 
       rebels.

       (Ezek 22:6 TLB)  "Every leader in Israel who lives within your walls 
       is bent on murder.

       (Ezek 22:7 TLB)  Fathers and mothers are contemptuously ignored; 
       immigrants and visitors are forced to pay you for your 'protection'; 
       orphans and widows are wronged and oppressed.

       (Ezek 22:8 TLB)  The things of God are all despised; my Sabbaths are 
       ignored.

       (Ezek 22:9 TLB)  Prisoners are falsely accused and sent to their 
       death. Every mountaintop is filled with idols; lewdness is everywhere.

       (Ezek 22:10 TLB)  There are men who commit adultery with their 
       fathers' wives and lie with menstruous women.

       (Ezek 22:11 TLB)  Adultery with a neighbor's wife, a daughter-in-law, 
       a half sister--this is common.

       (Ezek 22:12 TLB)  Hired murderers, loan racketeers, and extortioners 
       are everywhere. You never even think of me and my commands," the Lord 
       God says.

       (Ezek 22:13 TLB)  "But now I snap my fingers and call a halt to your 
       dishonest gain and bloodshed.

       (Ezek 22:14 TLB)  How strong and courageous will you be then, in my 
       day of reckoning? For I, the Lord, have spoken, and I will do all that 
       I have said.

       (Ezek 22:15 TLB)  I will scatter you throughout the world and burn out 
       the wickedness within you.

       (Ezek 22:16 TLB)  You will be dishonored among the nations, and you 
       shall know I am the Lord."

       (Ezek 22:17 TLB)  Then the Lord said this:

       (Ezek 22:18 TLB)  "Son of dust, the people of Israel are the worthless 
       slag left when silver is smelted. They are the dross, compounded from 
       the brass, the tin, the iron and the lead.

       (Ezek 22:19 TLB)  Therefore the Lord God says: 'Because you are 
       worthless dross, I will bring you to my crucible in Jerusalem,

       (Ezek 22:20 TLB)  to smelt you with the heat of my wrath.





       (Ezek 22:21 TLB)  I will blow the fire of my wrath upon you,

       (Ezek 22:22 TLB)  and you will melt like silver in fierce heat, and 
       you will know that I, the Lord, have poured my wrath upon you.'"

       (Ezek 22:23 TLB)  Again the message of the Lord came to me, saying:

       (Ezek 22:24 TLB)  "Son of dust, say to the people of Israel: 'In the 
       day of my indignation you shall be like an uncleared wilderness or a 
       desert without rain.'

       (Ezek 22:25 TLB)  Your 'prophets' have plotted against you like lions 
       stalking prey. They devour many lives; they seize treasures and extort 
       wealth; they multiply the widows in the land.

       (Ezek 22:26 TLB)  Your priests have violated my laws and defiled my 
       Temple and my holiness. To them the things of God are no more 
       important than any daily task. They have not taught my people the 
       difference between right and wrong, and they disregard my Sabbaths, so 
       my holy name is greatly defiled among them.

       (Ezek 22:27 TLB)  Your leaders are like wolves, who tear apart their 
       victims, and they destroy lives for profit.

       (Ezek 22:28 TLB)  Your 'prophets' describe false visions and speak 
       false messages they claim are from God, when he hasn't spoken one word 
       to them at all. Thus they repair the walls with whitewash!

       (Ezek 22:29 TLB)  Even the common people oppress and rob the poor and 
       needy and cruelly extort from aliens.

       (Ezek 22:30 TLB)  "I looked in vain for anyone who would build again 
       the wall of righteousness that guards the land, who could stand in the 
       gap and defend you from my just attacks, but I found not one."

       (Ezek 22:31 TLB)  And so the Lord God says: "I will pour out my anger 
       upon you; I will consume you with the fire of my wrath. I have heaped 
       upon you the full penalty for all your sins."

       (Ezek 23:1 TLB)  The Lord's message came to me again, saying:

       (Ezek 23:2 TLB)  "Son of dust, there were two sisters who as young 
       girls became prostitutes in Egypt.

       (Ezek 23:3 TLB)  

       (Ezek 23:4 TLB)  "The older girl was named Oholah; her sister was 
       Oholibah. (I am speaking of Samaria and Jerusalem!) I married them, 
       and they bore me sons and daughters. But then Oholah turned to other 
       gods instead of me and gave her love to the Assyrians, her neighbors,

       (Ezek 23:5 TLB)  

       (Ezek 23:6 TLB)  for they were all attractive young men, captains and 
       commanders, in handsome blue, dashing about on their horses.





       (Ezek 23:7 TLB)  And so she sinned with them--the choicest men of 
       Assyria--worshiping their idols, defiling herself.

       (Ezek 23:8 TLB)  For when she left Egypt, she did not leave her spirit 
       of prostitution behind, but was still as lewd as in her youth when the 
       Egyptians poured out their lusts upon her and robbed her of her 
       virginity.

       (Ezek 23:9 TLB)  "And so I delivered her into the evil clutches of the 
       Assyrians whose gods she loved so much.

       (Ezek 23:10 TLB)  They stripped her and killed her and took away her 
       children as their slaves. Her name was known to every woman in the 
       land as a sinner who had received what she deserved.

       (Ezek 23:11 TLB)  "But when Oholibah (Jerusalem) saw what had happened 
       to her sister she went right ahead in the same way and sinned even 
       more than her sister.

       (Ezek 23:12 TLB)  She fawned over her Assyrian neighbors, those 
       handsome young men on fine steeds, those army officers in handsome 
       uniforms--all of them desirable.

       (Ezek 23:13 TLB)  I saw the way she was going, following right along 
       behind her older sister.

       (Ezek 23:14 TLB)  "She was in fact more debased than Samaria, for she 
       fell in love with pictures she saw painted on a wall! They were 
       pictures of Babylonian military officers, outfitted in striking red 
       uniforms,

       (Ezek 23:15 TLB)  with handsome belts, and flowing turbans on their 
       heads.

       (Ezek 23:16 TLB)  When she saw these paintings, she longed to give 
       herself to the men pictured, so she sent messengers to Chaldea to 
       invite them to come to her.

       (Ezek 23:17 TLB)  And they came and committed adultery with her, 
       defiling her in the bed of love, but afterward she hated them and 
       broke off all relations with them.

       (Ezek 23:18 TLB)  "And I despised her, just as I despised her sister, 
       because she flaunted herself before them and gave herself to their 
       lust.

       (Ezek 23:19 TLB)  But that didn't bother her. She turned to even 
       greater prostitution, sinning with the lustful men she remembered from 
       her youth when she was a prostitute in Egypt.

       (Ezek 23:20 TLB)  

       (Ezek 23:21 TLB)  And thus you celebrated those former days when as a 
       young girl you gave your virginity to those from Egypt.

       (Ezek 23:22 TLB)  "And now the Lord God says that he will raise 





       against you, O Oholibah (Jerusalem), those very nations from which you 
       turned away, disgusted.

       (Ezek 23:23 TLB)  For the Babylonians will come, and all the Chaldeans 
       from Pekod and Shoa and Koa; and all the Assyrians with them--handsome 
       young men of high rank, riding their steeds.

       (Ezek 23:24 TLB)  They will come against you from the north with 
       chariots, wagons, and a great army fully prepared for attack. They 
       will surround you on every side with armored men, and I will let them 
       at you, to do with you as they wish.

       (Ezek 23:25 TLB)  And I will send my jealousy against you and deal 
       furiously with you. They will cut off your nose and ears; your 
       survivors will be killed; your children will be taken away as slaves, 
       and everything left will be burned.

       (Ezek 23:26 TLB)  They will strip you of your beautiful clothes and 
       jewels.

       (Ezek 23:27 TLB)  "And so I will put a stop to your lewdness and 
       prostitution brought from the land of Egypt; you will no more long for 
       Egypt and her gods."

       (Ezek 23:28 TLB)  For the Lord God says: "I will surely deliver you 
       over to your enemies, to those you loathe.

       (Ezek 23:29 TLB)  They will deal with you in hatred and rob you of all 
       you own, leaving you naked and bare. And the shame of your 
       prostitution shall be exposed to all the world.

       (Ezek 23:30 TLB)  "You brought all this upon yourself by worshiping 
       the gods of other nations, defiling yourself with all their idols.

       (Ezek 23:31 TLB)  You have followed in your sister's footsteps, so I 
       will punish you with the same terrors that destroyed her.

       (Ezek 23:32 TLB)  Yes, the terrors that fell upon her will fall upon 
       you--and the cup from which she drank was full and large. And all the 
       world will mock you for your woe.

       (Ezek 23:33 TLB)  You will reel like a drunkard beneath the awful 
       blows of sorrow and distress, just as your sister Samaria did.

       (Ezek 23:34 TLB)  In deep anguish you will drain that cup of terror to 
       the very bottom and will lick the inside to get every drop. For I have 
       spoken," says the Lord.

       (Ezek 23:35 TLB)  "Because you have forgotten me and turned your backs 
       on me, therefore you must bear the consequence of all your sin.

       (Ezek 23:36 TLB)  "Son of dust, you must accuse Jerusalem and Samaria 
       of all their awful deeds.

       (Ezek 23:37 TLB)  For they have committed both adultery and murder; 
       they have worshiped idols and murdered my children whom they bore to 





       me, burning them as sacrifices on their altars.

       (Ezek 23:38 TLB)  On the same day they defiled my Temple and ignored 
       my Sabbaths,

       (Ezek 23:39 TLB)  for when they had murdered their children in front 
       of their idols, then even that same day they actually came into my 
       Temple to worship! That is how much regard they have for me!

       (Ezek 23:40 TLB)  "You even sent away to distant lands for priests to 
       come with other gods for you to serve, and they have come and been 
       welcomed! You bathed yourself, painted your eyelids, and put on your 
       finest jewels for them.

       (Ezek 23:41 TLB)  You sat together on a beautifully embroidered bed 
       and put my incense and my oil upon a table spread before you.

       (Ezek 23:42 TLB)  From your apartment came the sound of many men 
       carousing--lewd men and drunkards from the wilderness, who put 
       bracelets on your wrists and beautiful crowns upon your head.

       (Ezek 23:43 TLB)  Will they commit adultery with these who have become 
       old harlot hags?

       (Ezek 23:44 TLB)  Yet that is what they did. They went in to them--to 
       Samaria and Jerusalem, these shameless harlots--with all the zest of 
       lustful men who visit prostitutes.

       (Ezek 23:45 TLB)  But just persons everywhere will judge them for what 
       they really are--adulteresses and murderers. They will mete out to 
       them the sentences the law demands.

       (Ezek 23:46 TLB)  The Lord God says: "Bring an army against them and 
       hand them out to be crushed and despised.

       (Ezek 23:47 TLB)  For their enemies will stone them and kill them with 
       swords; they will butcher their sons and daughters and burn their 
       homes.

       (Ezek 23:48 TLB)  Thus will I make lewdness and idolatry to cease from 
       the land. My judgment will be a lesson against idolatry for all to 
       see.

       (Ezek 23:49 TLB)  For you will be fully repaid for all your harlotry, 
       your worshiping of idols. You will suffer the full penalty, and you 
       will know that I alone am God."

       (Ezek 24:1 TLB)  One day late in December of the ninth year (of King 
       Jehoiachin's captivity), another message came to me from the Lord.

       (Ezek 24:2 TLB)  "Son of dust," he said, "write down this date, for 
       today the king of Babylon has attacked Jerusalem.

       (Ezek 24:3 TLB)  And now give this parable to these rebels, Israel; 
       tell them, 'The Lord God says: Put a pot of water on the fire to boil.





       (Ezek 24:4 TLB)  Fill it with choicest mutton, the rump and shoulder 
       and all the most tender cuts.

       (Ezek 24:5 TLB)  Use only the best sheep from the flock, and heap fuel 
       on the fire beneath the pot. Boil the meat well, until the flesh falls 
       off the bones.'

       (Ezek 24:6 TLB)  For the Lord God says: "Woe to Jerusalem, City of 
       Murderers; you are a pot that is pitted with rust and with wickedness. 
       So take out the meat chunk by chunk in whatever order it comes--for 
       none is better than any other.

       (Ezek 24:7 TLB)  For her wickedness is evident to all--she boldly 
       murders, leaving blood upon the rocks in open view for all to see; she 
       does not even try to cover it.

       (Ezek 24:8 TLB)  And I have left it there, uncovered, to shout to me 
       against her and arouse my wrath and vengeance.

       (Ezek 24:9 TLB)  "Woe to Jerusalem, City of Murderers. I will pile on 
       the fuel beneath her.

       (Ezek 24:10 TLB)  Heap on the wood; let the fire roar and the pot 
       boil. Cook the meat well, and then empty the pot and burn the bones.

       (Ezek 24:11 TLB)  Now set it empty on the coals to scorch away the 
       rust and corruption.

       (Ezek 24:12 TLB)  But all for naught--it all remains despite the 
       hottest fire.

       (Ezek 24:13 TLB)  It is the rust and corruption of your filthy 
       lewdness, of worshiping your idols. And now, because I wanted to 
       cleanse you and you refused, remain filthy until my fury has 
       accomplished all its terrors upon you!

       (Ezek 24:14 TLB)  I, the Lord, have spoken it; it shall come to pass 
       and I will do it."

       (Ezek 24:15 TLB)  Again a message came to me from the Lord, saying:

       (Ezek 24:16 TLB)  "Son of dust, I am going to take away your lovely 
       wife. Suddenly, she will die. Yet you must show no sorrow. Do not 
       weep; let there be no tears.

       (Ezek 24:17 TLB)  You may sigh, but only quietly. Let there be no 
       wailing at her grave; don't bare your head nor feet, and don't accept 
       the food brought to you by consoling friends."

       (Ezek 24:18 TLB)  I proclaimed this to the people in the morning, and 
       in the evening my wife died. The next morning I did all the Lord had 
       told me to.

       (Ezek 24:19 TLB)  Then the people said: "What does all this mean? What 
       are you trying to tell us?"





       (Ezek 24:20 TLB)  And I answered, "The Lord told me to say to the 
       people of Israel:

       (Ezek 24:21 TLB)  'I will destroy my lovely, beautiful Temple, the 
       strength of your nation. And your sons and daughters in Judea will be 
       slaughtered by the sword.

       (Ezek 24:22 TLB)  And you will do as I have done; you may not mourn in 
       public or console yourself by eating the food brought to you by 
       sympathetic friends.

       (Ezek 24:23 TLB)  Your head and feet shall not be bared; you shall not 
       mourn or weep. But you will sorrow to one another for your sins and 
       mourn privately for all the evil you have done.

       (Ezek 24:24 TLB)  Ezekiel is an example to you,' the Lord God says. 
       'You will do as he has done. And when that time comes, then you will 
       know I am the Lord.'"

       (Ezek 24:25 TLB)  "Son of dust, on the day I finish taking from them 
       in Jerusalem the joy of their hearts and their glory and joys--their 
       wives and their sons and their daughters--

       (Ezek 24:26 TLB)  on that day a refugee from Jerusalem will start on a 
       journey to come to you in Babylon to tell you what has happened.

       (Ezek 24:27 TLB)  And on the day of his arrival, your voice will 
       suddenly return to you so that you can talk with him; and you will be 
       a symbol for these people, and they shall know I am the Lord."

       (Ezek 25:1 TLB)  Then the Lord's message came to me again. He said:

       (Ezek 25:2 TLB)  "Son of dust, look toward the land of Ammon and 
       prophesy against its people.

       (Ezek 25:3 TLB)  Tell them: 'Listen to what the Lord God says. Because 
       you scoffed when my Temple was destroyed, and mocked Israel in her 
       anguish, and laughed at Judah when she was marched away captive,

       (Ezek 25:4 TLB)  therefore I will let the Bedouins from the desert to 
       the east of you overrun your land. They will set up their encampments 
       among you. They will harvest all your fruit and steal your dairy 
       cattle.

       (Ezek 25:5 TLB)  And I will turn the city of Rabbah into a pasture for 
       camels and all the country of the Ammonites into a wasteland where 
       flocks of sheep can graze. Then you will know I am the Lord.'"

       (Ezek 25:6 TLB)  For the Lord God says: "Because you clapped and 
       stamped and cheered with glee at the destruction of my people,

       (Ezek 25:7 TLB)  therefore I will lay my hand heavily upon you, 
       delivering you to many nations for devastation. I will cut you off 
       from being a nation any more. I will destroy you; then you shall know 
       I am the Lord."





       (Ezek 25:8 TLB)  And the Lord God says: "Because the Moabites have 
       said that Judah is no better off than any other nation,

       (Ezek 25:9 TLB)  therefore I will open up the eastern flank of Moab, 
       wiping out her frontier cities, the glory of the 
       nation--Beth-jeshimoth, Baal-meon and Kiriathaim.

       (Ezek 25:10 TLB)  And Bedouin tribes from the desert to the east will 
       pour in upon her, just as they will upon Ammon. And Moab will no 
       longer be counted among the nations.

       (Ezek 25:11 TLB)  Thus I will bring down my judgment upon the 
       Moabites, and they shall know I am the Lord."

       (Ezek 25:12 TLB)  And the Lord God says: "Because the people of Edom 
       have sinned so greatly by avenging themselves upon the people of 
       Judah,

       (Ezek 25:13 TLB)  I will smash Edom with my fist and wipe out her 
       people, her cattle, and her flocks. The sword will destroy everything 
       from Teman to Dedan.

       (Ezek 25:14 TLB)  By the hand of my people, Israel, this shall be 
       done. They will carry out my furious vengeance."

       (Ezek 25:15 TLB)  And the Lord God says: "Because the Philistines have 
       acted against Judah out of revenge and long-standing hatred,

       (Ezek 25:16 TLB)  I will shake my fist over the land of the 
       Philistines, and I will wipe out the Cherithites and utterly destroy 
       those along the seacoast.

       (Ezek 25:17 TLB)  I will execute terrible vengeance upon them to 
       rebuke them for what they have done. And when all this happens, then 
       they shall know I am the Lord."

       (Ezek 26:1 TLB)  Another message came to me from the Lord on the first 
       day of the month, in the eleventh year (after King Jehoiachin was 
       taken away to captivity).

       (Ezek 26:2 TLB)  "Son of dust, Tyre has rejoiced over the fall of 
       Jerusalem, saying, 'Ha! She who controlled the lucrative north-south 
       trade routes along the coast and along the course of the Jordan River 
       has been broken, and I have fallen heir! Because she has been laid 
       waste, I shall become wealthy!'

       (Ezek 26:3 TLB)  Therefore the Lord God says: "I stand against you, 
       Tyre, and I will bring nations against you like ocean waves.

       (Ezek 26:4 TLB)  They will destroy the walls of Tyre and tear down her 
       towers. I will scrape away her soil and make her a bare rock!

       (Ezek 26:5 TLB)  Her island shall become uninhabited, a place for 
       fishermen to spread their nets, for I have spoken it," says the Lord 
       God. "Tyre shall become the prey of many nations,





       (Ezek 26:6 TLB)  and her mainland city shall perish by the sword. Then 
       they shall know I am the Lord."

       (Ezek 26:7 TLB)  For the Lord God says: "I will bring Nebuchadnezzar, 
       king of Babylon--the king of kings from the north--against Tyre with a 
       great army and cavalry and chariots.

       (Ezek 26:8 TLB)  First he will destroy your suburbs; then he will 
       attack your mainland city by building a siege wall and raising a roof 
       of shields against it.

       (Ezek 26:9 TLB)  He will set up battering rams against your walls and 
       with sledgehammers demolish your forts.

       (Ezek 26:10 TLB)  The hoofs of his cavalry will choke the city with 
       dust, and your walls will shake as the horses gallop through your 
       broken gates, pulling chariots behind them.

       (Ezek 26:11 TLB)  Horsemen will occupy every street in the city; they 
       will butcher your people, and your famous, huge pillars will topple.

       (Ezek 26:12 TLB)  "They will plunder all your riches and merchandise 
       and break down your walls. They will destroy your lovely homes and 
       dump your stones and timber and even your dust into the sea.

       (Ezek 26:13 TLB)  I will stop the music of your songs. No more will 
       there be the sound of harps among you.

       (Ezek 26:14 TLB)  I will make your island a bare rock, a place for 
       fishermen to spread their nets. You will never be rebuilt, for I, the 
       Lord, have spoken it." So says the Lord.

       (Ezek 26:15 TLB)  "The whole country will shake with your fall; the 
       wounded will scream as the slaughter goes on.

       (Ezek 26:16 TLB)  "Then all the seaport rulers shall come down from 
       their thrones and lay aside their robes and beautiful garments and sit 
       on the ground shaking with fear at what they have seen.

       (Ezek 26:17 TLB)  And they shall wail for you, singing this dirge: 'O 
       mighty island city, with your naval power that terrorized the 
       mainland, how you have vanished from the seas!

       (Ezek 26:18 TLB)  How the islands tremble at your fall! They watch 
       dismayed.'"

       (Ezek 26:19 TLB)  For the Lord God says: "I will destroy Tyre to the 
       ground. You will sink beneath the terrible waves of enemy attack. 
       Great seas shall swallow you.

       (Ezek 26:20 TLB)  I will send you to the pit of hell to lie there with 
       those of long ago. Your city will lie in ruins, dead, like the bodies 
       of those in the underworld who entered long ago the nether world of 
       the dead. Never again will you be inhabited or be given beauty here in 
       the land of those who live.





       (Ezek 26:21 TLB)  I will bring you to a dreadful end; no search will 
       be enough to find you," says the Lord.

       (Ezek 27:1 TLB)  Then this message came to me from the Lord. He said:

       (Ezek 27:2 TLB)  "Son of dust, sing this sad dirge for Tyre:

       (Ezek 27:3 TLB)  "'O mighty seaport city, merchant center of the 
       world, the Lord God speaks. You say, "I am the most beautiful city in 
       all the world."

       (Ezek 27:4 TLB)  You have extended your boundaries out into the sea; 
       your architects have made you glorious.

       (Ezek 27:5 TLB)  You are like a ship built of finest fir from Senir. 
       They took a cedar from Lebanon to make a mast for you.

       (Ezek 27:6 TLB)  They made your oars from oaks of Bashan. The walls of 
       your cabin are of cypress from the southern coast of Cyprus.

       (Ezek 27:7 TLB)  Your sails are made of Egypt's finest linens; you 
       stand beneath awnings bright with purple and scarlet dyes from eastern 
       Cyprus.

       (Ezek 27:8 TLB)  "'Your sailors come from Sidon and Arvad; your 
       helmsmen are skilled men from Zemer.

       (Ezek 27:9 TLB)  Wise old craftsmen from Gebal do the calking. Ships 
       come from every land with all their goods to barter for your trade.

       (Ezek 27:10 TLB)  "'Your army includes men from far-off Paras, Lud, 
       and Put. They serve you--it is a feather in your cap to have their 
       shields hang upon your walls; it is the ultimate of honor.

       (Ezek 27:11 TLB)  Men from Arvad and from Helech are the sentinels 
       upon your walls; your towers are manned by men from Gamad. Their 
       shields hang row on row upon the walls, perfecting your glory.

       (Ezek 27:12 TLB)  "'From Tarshish come all kinds of riches to your 
       markets--silver, iron, tin, and lead.

       (Ezek 27:13 TLB)  Merchants from Javan, Tubal, and Meshech bring 
       slaves and bronze dishes,

       (Ezek 27:14 TLB)  while from Togarmah come chariot horses, steeds, and 
       mules.

       (Ezek 27:15 TLB)  "'Merchants come to you from Rhodes, and many 
       coastlands are your captive markets, giving payment in ebony and 
       ivory.

       (Ezek 27:16 TLB)  Edom sends her traders to buy your many wares. They 
       bring emeralds, purple dyes, embroidery, fine linen, and jewelry of 
       coral and agate.

       (Ezek 27:17 TLB)  Judah and the cities in what was once the kingdom of 





       Israel send merchants with wheat from Minnith and Pannag, and with 
       honey, oil, and balm.

       (Ezek 27:18 TLB)  Damascus comes. She brings wines from Helbon and 
       white Syrian wool to trade for all the rich variety of goods you make.

       (Ezek 27:19 TLB)  Vedan and Javan bring Arabian yarn, wrought iron, 
       cassia, and calamus,

       (Ezek 27:20 TLB)  while Dedan brings expensive saddlecloths for 
       riding.

       (Ezek 27:21 TLB)  "'The Arabians and Kedar's wealthy merchant princes 
       bring you lambs and rams and goats.

       (Ezek 27:22 TLB)  The merchants of Sheba and Raamah come with all 
       kinds of spices, jewels, and gold.

       (Ezek 27:23 TLB)  Haran, Canneh, Eden, Asshur, and Chilmad all send 
       their wares.

       (Ezek 27:24 TLB)  They bring choice fabrics to trade--blue cloth, 
       embroidery, and many-colored carpets bound with cords and made secure.

       (Ezek 27:25 TLB)  The ships of Tarshish are your ocean caravans; your 
       island warehouse is filled to the brim!

       (Ezek 27:26 TLB)  "'But now your statesmen bring your ship of state 
       into a hurricane! Your mighty vessel flounders in the heavy eastern 
       gale, and you are wrecked in the heart of the seas!

       (Ezek 27:27 TLB)  Everything is lost. Your riches and wares, your 
       sailors and pilots, your shipwrights, merchants, and soldiers; and all 
       the people sink into the sea on the day of your vast ruin.

       (Ezek 27:28 TLB)  "'The surrounding cities quake at the sound as your 
       pilots scream with fright.

       (Ezek 27:29 TLB)  All your sailors out at sea come to land and watch 
       upon the mainland shore,

       (Ezek 27:30 TLB)  weeping bitterly and casting dust upon their heads 
       and wallowing in ashes.

       (Ezek 27:31 TLB)  They shave their heads in grief, put on sackcloth, 
       and weep for you with bitterness of heart and deep mourning.

       (Ezek 27:32 TLB)  "'And this is the song of their sorrow: "Where in 
       all the world was there ever such a wondrous city as Tyre, destroyed 
       in the midst of the sea?

       (Ezek 27:33 TLB)  Your merchandise satisfied the desires of many 
       nations. Kings at the ends of the earth rejoiced in the riches you 
       sent them.

       (Ezek 27:34 TLB)  Now you lie broken beneath the sea; all your 





       merchandise and all your crew have perished with you.

       (Ezek 27:35 TLB)  All who live along the coastlands watch, 
       incredulous. Their kings are horribly afraid and look on with twisted 
       faces.

       (Ezek 27:36 TLB)  The merchants of the nations shake their heads, for 
       your fate is dreadful; you have forever perished."'"

       (Ezek 28:1 TLB)  Here is another message given to me from the Lord:

       (Ezek 28:2 TLB)  "Son of dust, say to the prince of Tyre, 'The Lord 
       God says: You are so proud you think you are God, sitting on the 
       throne of a god on your island home in the midst of the seas. But you 
       are only a man and not a god, though you boast yourself to be like 
       God.

       (Ezek 28:3 TLB)  You are wiser than Daniel, for no secret is hidden 
       from you.

       (Ezek 28:4 TLB)  You have used your wisdom and understanding to get 
       great wealth--gold and silver and many treasures.

       (Ezek 28:5 TLB)  Yes, your wisdom has made you very rich and very 
       proud."

       (Ezek 28:6 TLB)  Therefore the Lord God says: "Because you claim that 
       you are as wise as God,

       (Ezek 28:7 TLB)  an enemy army, the terror of the nations, shall 
       suddenly draw their swords against your marvelous wisdom and defile 
       your splendor!

       (Ezek 28:8 TLB)  They will bring you to the pit of hell, and you shall 
       die as those pierced with many wounds, there on your island in the 
       heart of the seas.

       (Ezek 28:9 TLB)  Then will you boast as a god? At least to these 
       invaders you will be no god, but merely man!

       (Ezek 28:10 TLB)  You will die like an outcast at the hands of 
       foreigners. For I have spoken it," the Lord God says.

       (Ezek 28:11 TLB)  Then this further message came to me from the Lord:

       (Ezek 28:12 TLB)  "Son of dust, weep for the king of Tyre. Tell him, 
       'The Lord God says: You were the perfection of wisdom and beauty.

       (Ezek 28:13 TLB)  You were in Eden, the garden of God; your clothing 
       was bejeweled with every precious stone--ruby, topaz, diamond, 
       chrysolite, onyx, jasper, sapphire, carbuncle, and emerald--all in 
       beautiful settings of finest gold. They were given to you on the day 
       you were created.

       (Ezek 28:14 TLB)  I appointed you to be the anointed Guardian Angel. 
       You had access to the holy mountain of God. You walked among the 





       stones of fire.

       (Ezek 28:15 TLB)  "'You were perfect in all you did from the day you 
       were created until that time when wrong was found in you.

       (Ezek 28:16 TLB)  Your great wealth filled you with internal turmoil, 
       and you sinned. Therefore, I cast you out of the mountain of God like 
       a common sinner. I destroyed you, O Guardian Angel, from the midst of 
       the stones of fire.

       (Ezek 28:17 TLB)  Your heart was filled with pride because of all your 
       beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. 
       Therefore, I have cast you down to the ground and exposed you helpless 
       before the curious gaze of kings.

       (Ezek 28:18 TLB)  You defiled your holiness with lust for gain; 
       therefore, I brought forth fire from your own actions and let it burn 
       you to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all those watching you.

       (Ezek 28:19 TLB)  All who know you are appalled at your fate; you are 
       an example of horror; you are destroyed forever.'"

       (Ezek 28:20 TLB)  Then another message came to me from the Lord:

       (Ezek 28:21 TLB)  "Son of dust, look toward the city of Sidon and 
       prophesy against it. Say to it,

       (Ezek 28:22 TLB)  'The Lord God says: I am your enemy, O Sidon, and I 
       will reveal my power over you. When I destroy you and show forth my 
       holiness upon you, then all who see shall know I am the Lord.

       (Ezek 28:23 TLB)  I will send an epidemic of disease and an army to 
       destroy; the wounded shall be slain in your streets by troops on every 
       side. Then you will know I am the Lord.

       (Ezek 28:24 TLB)  No longer shall you and Israel's other neighbor 
       nations prick and tear at Israel like thorns and briars, though they 
       formerly despised her and treated her with great contempt.

       (Ezek 28:25 TLB)  "'The people of Israel will once more live in their 
       own land, the land I gave their father Jacob. For I will gather them 
       back again from distant lands where I have scattered them, and I will 
       show the nations of the world my holiness among my people.

       (Ezek 28:26 TLB)  They will live safely in Israel and build their 
       homes and plant their vineyards. When I punish all the bordering 
       nations that treated them with such contempt, then they shall know I 
       am the Lord their God.'"

       (Ezek 29:1 TLB)  Late in December of the tenth year (of the 
       imprisonment of King Jehoiachin), this message came to me from the 
       Lord:

       (Ezek 29:2 TLB)  "Son of dust, face toward Egypt and prophesy against 
       Pharaoh her king and all her people.





       (Ezek 29:3 TLB)  Tell them that the Lord God says: 'I am your enemy, 
       Pharaoh, king of Egypt--mighty dragon lying in the middle of your 
       rivers. For you have said, "The Nile is mine; I have made it for 
       myself!"

       (Ezek 29:4 TLB)  I will put hooks into your jaws and drag you out onto 
       the land with fish sticking to your scales.

       (Ezek 29:5 TLB)  And I will leave you and all the fish stranded in the 
       desert to die, and you won't be buried, for I have given you as food 
       to the wild animals and birds.

       (Ezek 29:6 TLB)  "'Because of the way your might collapsed when Israel 
       called on you for aid (instead of trusting me), all of you shall know 
       I am the Lord.

       (Ezek 29:7 TLB)  Israel leaned on you but, like a cracked staff, you 
       snapped beneath her hand and wrenched her shoulder out of joint and 
       made her stagger with the pain.

       (Ezek 29:8 TLB)  Therefore the Lord God says: I will bring an army 
       against you, O Egypt, and destroy both men and herds.

       (Ezek 29:9 TLB)  The land of Egypt shall become a desolate wasteland, 
       and the Egyptians will know that I, the Lord, have done it.

       (Ezek 29:10 TLB)  "'Because you said: "The Nile is mine! I made it!" 
       therefore I am against you and your river, and I will utterly destroy 
       the land of Egypt, from Migdol to Syene, as far south as the border of 
       Ethiopia.

       (Ezek 29:11 TLB)  For forty years not a soul will pass that way, 
       neither men nor animals. It will be completely uninhabited.

       (Ezek 29:12 TLB)  I will make Egypt desolate, surrounded by desolate 
       nations, and her cities will lie as wastelands for forty years. I will 
       exile the Egyptians to other lands.

       (Ezek 29:13 TLB)  "'But the Lord God says that at the end of the forty 
       years he will bring the Egyptians home again from the nations to which 
       they will be banished.

       (Ezek 29:14 TLB)  And I will restore the fortunes of Egypt and bring 
       her people back to the land of Pathros in southern Egypt where they 
       were born, but she will be an unimportant, minor kingdom.

       (Ezek 29:15 TLB)  She will be the lowliest of all the nations; never 
       again will she raise herself above the other nations; never again will 
       Egypt be great enough for that.

       (Ezek 29:16 TLB)  "'Israel will no longer expect any help from Egypt. 
       Whenever she thinks of asking for it, then she will remember her sin 
       in seeking it before. Then Israel will know that I alone am God.'"

       (Ezek 29:17 TLB)  In the twenty-seventh year of King Jehoiachin's 
       captivity, around the middle of March, this message came to me from 





       the Lord:

       (Ezek 29:18 TLB)  "Son of dust, the army of King Nebuchadnezzar of 
       Babylon fought hard against Tyre. The soldiers' heads were bald (from 
       carrying heavy basketfuls of earth); their shoulders were raw and 
       blistered (from burdens of stones for the siege). And Nebuchadnezzar 
       received no compensation and could not pay the army for all this 
       work."

       (Ezek 29:19 TLB)  Therefore, the Lord God says, "I will give the land 
       of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and he will carry off her 
       wealth, plundering everything she has, for his army.

       (Ezek 29:20 TLB)  Yes, I have given him the land of Egypt for his 
       salary because he was working for me during those thirteen years at 
       Tyre," says the Lord.

       (Ezek 29:21 TLB)  "And the day will come when I will cause the ancient 
       glory of Israel to revive, and then at last her words will be 
       respected, and Egypt shall know I am the Lord."

       (Ezek 30:1 TLB)  Another message from the Lord!

       (Ezek 30:2 TLB)  "Son of dust, prophesy and say: The Lord God says, 
       'Weep, for the terrible day is almost here;

       (Ezek 30:3 TLB)  A sword shall fall on Egypt; the slain shall cover 
       the ground. Her wealth is taken away, her foundations destroyed. The 
       land of Cush has been ravished.

       (Ezek 30:4 TLB)  

       (Ezek 30:5 TLB)  For Cush, Put, Lud, Arabia, and Libya, and all the 
       countries leagued with them shall perish in that war.'

       (Ezek 30:6 TLB)  For the Lord says: "All Egypt's allies shall fall, 
       and the pride of her power shall end. From Migdol to Syene they shall 
       perish by the sword.

       (Ezek 30:7 TLB)  She shall be desolate, surrounded by desolate 
       nations, and her cities shall be in ruins, surrounded by other ruined 
       cities.

       (Ezek 30:8 TLB)  And they will know I am the Lord when I have set 
       Egypt on fire and destroyed her allies.

       (Ezek 30:9 TLB)  At that time I will send swift messengers to bring 
       panic to the Ethiopians; great terror shall befall them at that time 
       of Egypt's doom. This will all come true.

       (Ezek 30:10 TLB)  For the Lord God says: "Nebuchadnezzar, king of 
       Babylon, will destroy the multitudes of Egypt.

       (Ezek 30:11 TLB)  He and his armies--the terror of the nations--are 
       sent to demolish the land. They shall war against Egypt and cover the 
       ground with the slain.






       (Ezek 30:12 TLB)  I will dry up the Nile and sell the whole land to 
       wicked men. I will destroy Egypt and everything in it, using 
       foreigners to do it. I, the Lord, have spoken it.

       (Ezek 30:13 TLB)  "And I will smash the idols of Egypt and the images 
       at Memphis, and there will be no king in Egypt; anarchy shall reign!

       (Ezek 30:14 TLB)  "The cities of Pathros (along the upper Nile), Zoan, 
       and Thebes shall lie in ruins by my hand.

       (Ezek 30:15 TLB)  And I will pour out my fury upon Pelusium, the 
       strongest fortress of Egypt, and I will stamp out the people of 
       Thebes.

       (Ezek 30:16 TLB)  Yes, I will set fire to Egypt; Pelusium will be 
       racked with pain. Thebes will be torn apart; Memphis will be in daily 
       terror.

       (Ezek 30:17 TLB)  The young men of Heliopolis and Bubastis shall die 
       by the sword, and the women will be taken away as slaves.

       (Ezek 30:18 TLB)  When I come to break the power of Egypt, it will be 
       a dark day for Tahpanhes too; a dark cloud will cover her, and her 
       daughters will be taken away as captives.

       (Ezek 30:19 TLB)  And so I will greatly punish Egypt and they shall 
       know I am the Lord."

       (Ezek 30:20 TLB)  A year later, around the middle of March of the 
       eleventh year of King Jehoiachin's captivity, this message came to me:

       (Ezek 30:21 TLB)  "Son of dust, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh, king 
       of Egypt, and it has not been set nor put into a cast to make it 
       strong enough to hold a sword again.

       (Ezek 30:22 TLB)  For the Lord God says, I am against Pharaoh, king of 
       Egypt, and I will break both his arms--the strong one and the one that 
       was broken before, and I will make his sword clatter to the ground.

       (Ezek 30:23 TLB)  And I will banish the Egyptians to many lands.

       (Ezek 30:24 TLB)  And I will strengthen the arms of the king of 
       Babylon and place my sword in his hand. But I will break the arms of 
       Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he shall groan before the king of Babylon 
       as one who has been wounded unto death.

       (Ezek 30:25 TLB)  I will strengthen the hands of the king of Babylon, 
       while the arms of Pharaoh fall useless to his sides. Yes, when I place 
       my sword into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he swings it over 
       the land of Egypt, Egypt shall know I am the Lord.

       (Ezek 30:26 TLB)  I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations; then 
       they shall know I am the Lord."

       (Ezek 31:1 TLB)  In mid-May of the eleventh year of King Jehoiachin's 





       captivity, this message came to me from the Lord:

       (Ezek 31:2 TLB)  "Son of dust, tell Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and all 
       his people: 'You are as Assyria was--a great and mighty nation--

       (Ezek 31:3 TLB)  like a cedar of Lebanon, full of thick branches and 
       forest shade, with its head high up among the clouds.

       (Ezek 31:4 TLB)  Its roots went deep into the moist earth. It grew 
       luxuriantly and gave streamlets of water to all the trees around.

       (Ezek 31:5 TLB)  It towered above all the other trees. It prospered 
       and grew long thick branches because of all the water at its roots.

       (Ezek 31:6 TLB)  The birds nested in its branches, and in its shade 
       the flocks and herds gave birth to young. All the great nations of the 
       world lived beneath its shadow.

       (Ezek 31:7 TLB)  It was strong and beautiful, for its roots went deep 
       to water.

       (Ezek 31:8 TLB)  This tree was taller than any other in the garden of 
       God; no cypress had branches equal to it; none had boughs to compare; 
       none equaled it in beauty.

       (Ezek 31:9 TLB)  Because of the magnificence that I gave it, it was 
       the envy of all the other trees of Eden.'

       (Ezek 31:10 TLB)  "But Egypt has become proud and arrogant", the Lord 
       God says. "Therefore because she has set herself so high above the 
       others, reaching to the clouds,

       (Ezek 31:11 TLB)  I will deliver her into the hands of a mighty 
       nation, to destroy her as her wickedness deserves. I, myself, will cut 
       her down.

       (Ezek 31:12 TLB)  A foreign army (from Babylon)--the terror of the 
       nations--will invade her land and cut her down and leave her fallen on 
       the ground. Her branches will be scattered across the mountains and 
       valleys and rivers of the land. All those who live beneath her shade 
       will go away and leave her lying there.

       (Ezek 31:13 TLB)  The birds will pluck off her twigs, and the wild 
       animals will lie among her branches;

       (Ezek 31:14 TLB)  let no other nation exult with pride for its own 
       prosperity, though it be higher than the clouds, for all are doomed, 
       and they will land in hell along with all the proud men of the world."

       (Ezek 31:15 TLB)  The Lord God says: "When she fell, I made the oceans 
       mourn for her and restrained their tides. I clothed Lebanon in black 
       and caused the trees of Lebanon to weep.

       (Ezek 31:16 TLB)  I made the nations shake with fear at the sound of 
       her fall, for I threw her down to hell with all the others like her. 
       And all the other proud trees of Eden, the choicest and the best of 





       Lebanon, the ones whose roots went deep into the water, are comforted 
       to find her there with them in hell.

       (Ezek 31:17 TLB)  Her allies, too, are all destroyed and perish with 
       her. They went down with her to the nether world--those nations that 
       had lived beneath her shade.

       (Ezek 31:18 TLB)  "O Egypt, you are great and glorious among the trees 
       of Eden--the nations of the world. And you will be brought down to the 
       pit of hell with all these other nations. You will be among the 
       nations you despise, killed by the sword. This is the fate of Pharaoh 
       and all his teeming masses," says the Lord.

       (Ezek 32:1 TLB)  In mid-February of the twelfth year of King 
       Jehoiachin's captivity, this message came to me from the Lord:

       (Ezek 32:2 TLB)  "Son of dust, mourn for Pharaoh, king of Egypt and 
       say to him: 'You think of yourself as a strong young lion among the 
       nations, but you are merely a crocodile along the banks of the Nile, 
       making bubbles and muddying the stream.'"

       (Ezek 32:3 TLB)  The Lord God says: "I will send a great army to catch 
       you with my net. I will haul you out

       (Ezek 32:4 TLB)  and leave you stranded on the land to die. And all 
       the birds of the heavens will light upon you, and the wild animals of 
       the whole earth will devour you until they are glutted and full.

       (Ezek 32:5 TLB)  And I will cover the hills with your flesh and fill 
       the valleys with your bones.

       (Ezek 32:6 TLB)  And I will drench the earth with your gushing blood, 
       filling the ravines to the tops of the mountains.

       (Ezek 32:7 TLB)  I will blot you out, and I will veil the heavens and 
       darken the stars. I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon 
       shall not give you her light.

       (Ezek 32:8 TLB)  Yes, darkness will be everywhere across your 
       land--even the bright stars will be dark above you.

       (Ezek 32:9 TLB)  "And when I destroy you, grief will be in many hearts 
       among the distant nations you have never seen.

       (Ezek 32:10 TLB)  Yes, terror shall strike in many lands, and their 
       kings shall be terribly afraid because of all I do to you. They shall 
       shudder with terror when I brandish my sword before them. They shall 
       greatly tremble for their lives on the day of your fall.

       (Ezek 32:11 TLB)  For the Lord God says: "The sword of the king of 
       Babylon shall come upon you.

       (Ezek 32:12 TLB)  I will destroy you with Babylon's mighty army--the 
       terror of the nations. It will smash the pride of Egypt and all her 
       people; all will perish.





       (Ezek 32:13 TLB)  I will destroy all your flocks and herds that graze 
       beside the streams, and neither man nor animal will disturb those 
       waters any more.

       (Ezek 32:14 TLB)  Therefore, the waters of Egypt will be as clear and 
       flow as smoothly as olive oil," the Lord God says.

       (Ezek 32:15 TLB)  "And when I destroy Egypt and wipe out everything 
       she has, then she shall know that I, the Lord, have done it.

       (Ezek 32:16 TLB)  Yes, cry for the sorrows of Egypt. Let all the 
       nations weep for her and for her people," says the Lord.

       (Ezek 32:17 TLB)  Two weeks later, another message came to me from the 
       Lord. He said:

       (Ezek 32:18 TLB)  "Son of dust, weep for the people of Egypt and for 
       the other mighty nations. Send them down to the nether world among the 
       denizens of death.

       (Ezek 32:19 TLB)  What nation is as beautiful as you, O Egypt? Yet 
       your doom is the pit; you will be laid beside the people you despise.

       (Ezek 32:20 TLB)  The Egyptians will die with the multitudes slain by 
       the sword, for the sword is drawn against the land of Egypt. She will 
       be drawn down to judgment.

       (Ezek 32:21 TLB)  The mighty warriors in the nether world will welcome 
       her as she arrives with all her friends, to lie there beside the 
       nations she despised, all victims of the sword.

       (Ezek 32:22 TLB)  "The princes of Assyria lie there surrounded by the 
       graves of all her people, those the sword has slain.

       (Ezek 32:23 TLB)  Their graves are in the depths of hell, surrounded 
       by their allies. All these mighty men who once struck terror into the 
       hearts of everyone are now dead at the hands of their foes.

       (Ezek 32:24 TLB)  "Great kings of Elam lie there with their people. 
       They scourged the nations while they lived, and now they lie undone in 
       hell; their fate is the same as that of ordinary men.

       (Ezek 32:25 TLB)  They have a resting place among the slain, 
       surrounded by the graves of all their people. Yes, they terrorized the 
       nations while they lived, but now they lie in shame in the pit, slain 
       by the sword.

       (Ezek 32:26 TLB)  "The princes of Meshech and Tubal are there, 
       surrounded by the graves of all their armies--all of them 
       idolaters--who once struck terror to the hearts of all; now they lie 
       dead.

       (Ezek 32:27 TLB)  They are buried in a common grave and not as the 
       fallen lords who are buried in great honor with their weapons beside 
       them, with their shields covering them and their swords beneath their 
       heads. They were a terror to all while they lived.






       (Ezek 32:28 TLB)  Now you will lie crushed and broken among the 
       idolaters, among those who are slain by the sword.

       (Ezek 32:29 TLB)  "Edom is there with her kings and her princes; 
       mighty as they were, they too lie among the others whom the sword has 
       slain, with the idolaters who have gone down to the pit.

       (Ezek 32:30 TLB)  All the princes of the north are there and the 
       Sidonians, all slain. Once a terror, now they lie in shame; they lie 
       in ignominy with all the other slain who go down to the pit.

       (Ezek 32:31 TLB)  "When Pharaoh arrives, he will be comforted to find 
       that he is not alone in having all his army slain," says the Lord God.

       (Ezek 32:32 TLB)  "For I have caused my terror to fall upon all the 
       living. And Pharaoh and his army shall lie among the idolaters who are 
       slain by the sword."

       (Ezek 33:1 TLB)  Once again a message came to me from the Lord. He 
       said:

       (Ezek 33:2 TLB)  "Son of dust, tell your people: 'When I bring an army 
       against a country, and the people of that land choose a watchman,

       (Ezek 33:3 TLB)  and when he sees the army coming and blows the alarm 
       to warn them,

       (Ezek 33:4 TLB)  then anyone who hears the alarm but refuses to heed 
       it--well, if he dies, the fault is his own.

       (Ezek 33:5 TLB)  For he heard the warning and wouldn't listen; the 
       fault is his. If he had heeded the warning, he would have saved his 
       life.

       (Ezek 33:6 TLB)  But if the watchman sees the enemy coming and doesn't 
       sound the alarm and warn the people, he is responsible for their 
       deaths. They will die in their sins, but I will charge the watchman 
       with their deaths.'

       (Ezek 33:7 TLB)  "So with you, son of dust. I have appointed you as a 
       watchman for the people of Israel; therefore, listen to what I say and 
       warn them for me.

       (Ezek 33:8 TLB)  When I say to the wicked, 'O wicked man, you will 
       die!' and you don't tell him what I say, so that he does not 
       repent--that wicked person will die in his sins, but I will hold you 
       responsible for his death.

       (Ezek 33:9 TLB)  But if you warn him to repent and he doesn't, he will 
       die in his sin, and you will not be responsible.

       (Ezek 33:10 TLB)  "O people of Israel, you are saying: 'Our sins are 
       heavy upon us; we pine away with guilt. How can we live?'

       (Ezek 33:11 TLB)  Tell them: 'As I live, says the Lord God, I have no 





       pleasure in the death of the wicked; I desire that the wicked turn 
       from his evil ways and live. Turn, turn from your wickedness, for why 
       will you die, O Israel?

       (Ezek 33:12 TLB)  For the good works of a righteous man will not save 
       him if he turns to sin; and the sins of an evil man will not destroy 
       him if he repents and turns from his sins.'

       (Ezek 33:13 TLB)  "I have said the good man will live. But if he sins, 
       expecting his past goodness to save him, then none of his good deeds 
       will be remembered. I will destroy him for his sins.

       (Ezek 33:14 TLB)  And when I tell the wicked he will die, and then he 
       turns from his sins and does what is fair and right--

       (Ezek 33:15 TLB)  if he gives back the borrower's pledge, returns what 
       he has stolen, and walks along the paths of right, not doing evil--he 
       shall surely live. He shall not die.

       (Ezek 33:16 TLB)  None of his past sins shall be brought up against 
       him, for he has turned to the good and shall surely live.

       (Ezek 33:17 TLB)  "And yet your people are saying the Lord isn't fair. 
       The trouble is they aren't fair.

       (Ezek 33:18 TLB)  For again I say, when the good man turns to evil, he 
       shall die.

       (Ezek 33:19 TLB)  But if the wicked turns from his wickedness and does 
       what's fair and just, he shall live.

       (Ezek 33:20 TLB)  Yet you are saying the Lord isn't fair. But I will 
       judge each of you in accordance with his deeds."

       (Ezek 33:21 TLB)  In the eleventh year of our exile, late in December, 
       one of those who escaped from Jerusalem arrived to tell me, "The city 
       has fallen!"

       (Ezek 33:22 TLB)  Now the hand of the Lord had been upon me the 
       previous evening, and he had healed me so that I could speak again by 
       the time the man arrived.

       (Ezek 33:23 TLB)  Then this message came to me:

       (Ezek 33:24 TLB)  "Son of dust, the scattered remnants of Judah living 
       among the ruined cities keep saying, 'Abraham was only one man and yet 
       he got possession of the whole country! We are many, so we should 
       certainly be able to get it back!'

       (Ezek 33:25 TLB)  But the Lord God says: 'You are powerless, for you 
       do evil! You eat meat with the blood, you worship idols, and murder. 
       Do you suppose I'll let you have the land?

       (Ezek 33:26 TLB)  Murderers! Idolators! Adulterers! Should you possess 
       the land?'





       (Ezek 33:27 TLB)  "Tell them, 'The Lord God says: As I live, surely 
       those living in the ruins shall die by the sword. Those living in the 
       open fields shall be eaten by wild animals, and those in the forts and 
       caves shall die of disease.

       (Ezek 33:28 TLB)  I will desolate the land and her pride, and her 
       power shall come to an end. And the mountain villages of Israel shall 
       be so ruined that no one will even travel through them.

       (Ezek 33:29 TLB)  When I have ruined the land because of their sins, 
       then they shall know I am the Lord.'

       (Ezek 33:30 TLB)  "Son of dust, your people are whispering behind your 
       back. They talk about you in their houses and whisper about you at the 
       doors, saying, 'Come on, let's have some fun! Let's go hear him tell 
       us what the Lord is saying!'

       (Ezek 33:31 TLB)  So they come as though they are sincere and sit 
       before you listening. But they have no intention of doing what I tell 
       them to; they talk very sweetly about loving the Lord, but with their 
       hearts they are loving their money.

       (Ezek 33:32 TLB)  You are very entertaining to them, like someone who 
       sings lovely songs with a beautiful voice or plays well on an 
       instrument. They hear what you say but don't pay any attention to it!

       (Ezek 33:33 TLB)  But when all these terrible things happen to 
       them--as they will--then they will know a prophet has been among 
       them."

       (Ezek 34:1 TLB)  Then this message came to me from the Lord:

       (Ezek 34:2 TLB)  "Son of dust, prophesy against the shepherds, the 
       leaders of Israel. Say to them, 'The Lord God says to you: Woe to the 
       shepherds who feed themselves instead of their flocks. Shouldn't 
       shepherds feed the sheep?

       (Ezek 34:3 TLB)  You eat the best food and wear the finest clothes, 
       but you let your flocks starve.

       (Ezek 34:4 TLB)  You haven't taken care of the weak, nor tended the 
       sick, nor bound up the broken bones, nor gone looking for those who 
       have wandered away and are lost. Instead, you have ruled them with 
       force and cruelty.

       (Ezek 34:5 TLB)  So they were scattered, without a shepherd. They have 
       become a prey to every animal that comes along.

       (Ezek 34:6 TLB)  My sheep wandered through the mountains and hills and 
       over the face of the earth, and there was no one to search for them or 
       care about them.

       (Ezek 34:7 TLB)  "'Therefore, O shepherds, hear the word of the Lord:

       (Ezek 34:8 TLB)  As I live, says the Lord God, you abandoned my flock, 
       leaving them to be attacked and destroyed, and you were no real 





       shepherds at all, for you didn't search for them. You fed yourselves 
       and let them starve;

       (Ezek 34:9 TLB)  therefore, I am against the shepherds, and I will 
       hold them responsible for what has happened to my flock. I will take 
       away their right to feed the flock--and take away their right to eat. 
       I will save my flock from being taken for their food.'"

       (Ezek 34:10 TLB)  

       (Ezek 34:11 TLB)  For the Lord God says: "I will search and find my 
       sheep.

       (Ezek 34:12 TLB)  I will be like a shepherd looking for his flock. I 
       will find my sheep and rescue them from all the places they were 
       scattered in that dark and cloudy day.

       (Ezek 34:13 TLB)  And I will bring them back from among the people and 
       nations where they were, back home to their own land of Israel, and I 
       will feed them upon the mountains of Israel and by the rivers where 
       the land is fertile and good.

       (Ezek 34:14 TLB)  Yes, I will give them good pasture on the high hills 
       of Israel. There they will lie down in peace and feed in luscious 
       mountain pastures.

       (Ezek 34:15 TLB)  I myself will be the Shepherd of my sheep and cause 
       them to lie down in peace," the Lord God says.

       (Ezek 34:16 TLB)  "I will seek my lost ones, those who strayed away, 
       and bring them safely home again. I will put splints and bandages upon 
       their broken limbs and heal the sick. And I will destroy the powerful, 
       fat shepherds; I will feed them, yes--feed them punishment!

       (Ezek 34:17 TLB)  "And as for you, O my flock--my people," the Lord 
       God says, "I will judge you and separate good from bad, sheep from 
       goats.

       (Ezek 34:18 TLB)  "Is it a small thing to you, O evil shepherds, that 
       you not only keep the best of the pastures for yourselves, but trample 
       down the rest? That you take the best water for yourselves and muddy 
       the rest with your feet?

       (Ezek 34:19 TLB)  All that's left for my flock is what you've trampled 
       down; all they have to drink is water that you've fouled."

       (Ezek 34:20 TLB)  Therefore the Lord God says: "I will surely judge 
       between these fat shepherds and their scrawny sheep.

       (Ezek 34:21 TLB)  For these shepherds push and butt and crowd my sick 
       and hungry flock until they're scattered far away.

       (Ezek 34:22 TLB)  So I myself will save my flock; no more will they be 
       picked on and destroyed. And I will notice which is plump and which is 
       thin, and why!





       (Ezek 34:23 TLB)  "And I will set one Shepherd over all my people, 
       even my Servant David. He shall feed them and be a Shepherd to them.

       (Ezek 34:24 TLB)  "And I, the Lord, will be their God, and my Servant 
       David shall be a Prince among my people. I, the Lord, have spoken it.

       (Ezek 34:25 TLB)  "I will make a peace pact with them and drive away 
       the dangerous animals from the land, so that my people can safely camp 
       in the wildest places and sleep safely in the woods.

       (Ezek 34:26 TLB)  I will make my people and their homes around my hill 
       a blessing. And there shall be showers, showers of blessing, for I 
       will not shut off the rains but send them in their seasons.

       (Ezek 34:27 TLB)  Their fruit trees and fields will yield bumper 
       crops, and everyone will live in safety. When I have broken off their 
       chains of slavery and delivered them from those who profiteered at 
       their expense, they shall know I am the Lord.

       (Ezek 34:28 TLB)  No more will other nations conquer them nor wild 
       animals attack. They shall live in safety and no one shall make them 
       afraid.

       (Ezek 34:29 TLB)  "And I will raise up a notable Vine (the Messiah), 
       in Israel so that my people will never again go hungry nor be shamed 
       by heathen conquest.

       (Ezek 34:30 TLB)  In this way they will know that I, the Lord their 
       God, am with them, and that they, the people of Israel, are my 
       people," says the Lord God.

       (Ezek 34:31 TLB)  "You are my flock, the sheep of my pasture. You are 
       my men and I am your God, so says the Lord."

       (Ezek 35:1 TLB)  Again a message came from the Lord. He said:

       (Ezek 35:2 TLB)  "Son of dust, face toward Mount Seir and prophesy 
       against the people saying,

       (Ezek 35:3 TLB)  'The Lord God says: I am against you, and I will 
       smash you with my fist and utterly destroy you.

       (Ezek 35:4 TLB)  Because you hate my people Israel, I will demolish 
       your cities and make you desolate, and then you shall know I am the 
       Lord.

       (Ezek 35:5 TLB)  You butchered my people when they were helpless, when 
       I had punished them for all their sins.

       (Ezek 35:6 TLB)  As I live, the Lord God says, since you enjoy blood 
       so much, I will give you a blood bath--your turn has come!

       (Ezek 35:7 TLB)  I will utterly wipe out the people of Mount Seir, 
       killing off all those who try to escape and all those who return.

       (Ezek 35:8 TLB)  I will fill your mountains with the dead--your hills, 





       your valleys, and your rivers will be filled with those the sword has 
       killed.

       (Ezek 35:9 TLB)  Never again will you revive. You will be abandoned 
       forever; your cities will never be rebuilt. Then you shall know I am 
       the Lord.

       (Ezek 35:10 TLB)  "'For you said, "Both Israel and Judah shall be 
       mine. We will take possession of them. What do we care that God is 
       there!"

       (Ezek 35:11 TLB)  Therefore as I live, the Lord God says, I will pay 
       back your angry deeds with mine--I will punish you for all your acts 
       of envy and of hate. And I will honor my name in Israel by what I do 
       to you.

       (Ezek 35:12 TLB)  And you shall know that I have heard each evil word 
       you spoke against the Lord, saying, "His people are helpless; they are 
       food for us to eat!"

       (Ezek 35:13 TLB)  Saying that, you boasted great words against the 
       Lord. And I have heard them all!

       (Ezek 35:14 TLB)  "'The whole world will rejoice when I make you 
       desolate.

       (Ezek 35:15 TLB)  You rejoiced at Israel's fearful fate. Now I will 
       rejoice at yours! You will be wiped out, O people of Mount Seir and 
       all who live in Edom! And then you will know I am the Lord!'

       (Ezek 36:1 TLB)  "Son of dust, prophesy to Israel's mountains. Tell 
       them: 'Listen to this message from the Lord.

       (Ezek 36:2 TLB)  "'Your enemies have sneered at you and claimed your 
       ancient heights as theirs;

       (Ezek 36:3 TLB)  they have destroyed you on every side and sent you 
       away as slaves to many lands. You are mocked and slandered.

       (Ezek 36:4 TLB)  Therefore, O mountains of Israel, hear the word of 
       the Lord God. He says to the hills and mountains, dales and valleys, 
       and to the ruined farms and the long-deserted cities, destroyed and 
       mocked by heathen nations all around:

       (Ezek 36:5 TLB)  My anger is afire against these nations, especially 
       Edom, for grabbing my land with relish, in utter contempt for me, to 
       take it for themselves.'

       (Ezek 36:6 TLB)  "Therefore prophesy and say to the hills and 
       mountains, dales and valleys of Israel: 'The Lord God says, I am full 
       of fury because you suffered shame before the surrounding nations.

       (Ezek 36:7 TLB)  Therefore, I have sworn with hand held high that 
       those nations are going to have their turn of being covered with 
       shame,





       (Ezek 36:8 TLB)  but for Israel good times will return. There will be 
       heavy crops of fruit to prepare for my people's return--and they will 
       be coming home again soon!

       (Ezek 36:9 TLB)  See, I am for you, and I will come and help you as 
       you prepare the ground and sow your crops.

       (Ezek 36:10 TLB)  I will greatly increase your population throughout 
       all Israel, and the ruined cities will be rebuilt and filled with 
       people.

       (Ezek 36:11 TLB)  Not only the people, but your flocks and herds will 
       also greatly multiply. O mountains of Israel, again you will be filled 
       with homes. I will do even more for you than I did before. Then you 
       shall know I am the Lord.

       (Ezek 36:12 TLB)  My people will walk upon you once again, and you 
       will belong to them again; and you will no longer be a place for 
       burning their children on idol altars.'"

       (Ezek 36:13 TLB)  The Lord God says: "Now the other nations taunt you, 
       saying, 'Israel is a land that devours her people!'

       (Ezek 36:14 TLB)  But they will not say this any more. Your birth rate 
       will rise, and your infant mortality rate will drop off sharply," says 
       the Lord.

       (Ezek 36:15 TLB)  "No longer will those heathen nations sneer, for you 
       will no longer be a nation of sinners," the Lord God says.

       (Ezek 36:16 TLB)  Then this further word came to me from the Lord:

       (Ezek 36:17 TLB)  "Son of dust, when the people of Israel were living 
       in their own country, they defiled it by their evil deeds; to me their 
       worship was as foul as filthy rags.

       (Ezek 36:18 TLB)  They polluted the land with murder and with the 
       worshiping of idols, so I poured out my fury upon them.

       (Ezek 36:19 TLB)  And I exiled them to many lands; that is how I 
       punished them for the evil way they lived.

       (Ezek 36:20 TLB)  But when they were scattered out among the nations, 
       then they were a blight upon my holy name because the nations said, 
       'These are the people of God and he couldn't protect them from harm!'

       (Ezek 36:21 TLB)  I am concerned about my reputation that was ruined 
       by my people throughout the world.

       (Ezek 36:22 TLB)  "Therefore say to the people of Israel, 'The Lord 
       God says: I am bringing you back again, but not because you deserve 
       it; I am doing it to protect my holy name, which you tarnished among 
       the nations.

       (Ezek 36:23 TLB)  I will honor my great name, that you defiled, and 
       the people of the world shall know I am the Lord. I will be honored 





       before their eyes by delivering you from exile among them.

       (Ezek 36:24 TLB)  For I will bring you back home again to the land of 
       Israel.

       (Ezek 36:25 TLB)  "'Then it will be as though I had sprinkled clean 
       water on you, for you will be clean--your filthiness will be washed 
       away, your idol worship gone.

       (Ezek 36:26 TLB)  And I will give you a new heart--I will give you new 
       and right desires--and put a new spirit within you. I will take out 
       your stony hearts of sin and give you new hearts of love.

       (Ezek 36:27 TLB)  And I will put my Spirit within you so that you will 
       obey my laws and do whatever I command.

       (Ezek 36:28 TLB)  "'And you shall live in Israel, the land which I 
       gave your fathers long ago. And you shall be my people, and I will be 
       your God.

       (Ezek 36:29 TLB)  I will cleanse away your sins. I will abolish crop 
       failures and famine.

       (Ezek 36:30 TLB)  I will give you huge harvests from your fruit trees 
       and fields, and never again will the surrounding nations be able to 
       scoff at your land for its famines.

       (Ezek 36:31 TLB)  Then you will remember your past sins and loathe 
       yourselves for all the evils you did.

       (Ezek 36:32 TLB)  But always remember this: It is not for your own 
       sakes that I will do this, but for mine. O my people Israel, be 
       utterly ashamed of all that you have done!'

       (Ezek 36:33 TLB)  The Lord God says: "When I cleanse you from your 
       sins, I will bring you home again to Israel, and rebuild the ruins.

       (Ezek 36:34 TLB)  Acreage will be cultivated again that through the 
       years of exile lay empty as a barren wilderness; all who passed by 
       were shocked to see the extent of ruin in your land.

       (Ezek 36:35 TLB)  But when I bring you back, they will say, 'This 
       God-forsaken land has become like Eden's garden! The ruined cities are 
       rebuilt and walled and filled with people!'

       (Ezek 36:36 TLB)  Then the nations all around--all those still 
       left--will know that I, the Lord, rebuilt the ruins and planted lush 
       crops in the wilderness. For I, the Lord, have promised it, and I will 
       do it."

       (Ezek 36:37 TLB)  The Lord God says: "I am ready to hear Israel's 
       prayers for these blessings and to grant them their requests. Let them 
       but ask,

       (Ezek 36:38 TLB)  and I will multiply them like the flocks that fill 
       Jerusalem's streets at time of sacrifice. The ruined cities will be 





       crowded once more, and everyone will know I am the Lord."

       (Ezek 37:1 TLB)  The power of the Lord was upon me and I was carried 
       away by the Spirit of the Lord to a valley full of old, dry bones that 
       were scattered everywhere across the ground. He led me around among 
       them,

       (Ezek 37:2 TLB)  

       (Ezek 37:3 TLB)  and then he said to me: "Son of dust, can these bones 
       become people again?" I replied, "Lord, you alone know the answer to 
       that."

       (Ezek 37:4 TLB)  Then he told me to speak to the bones and say: "O dry 
       bones, listen to the words of God,

       (Ezek 37:5 TLB)  for the Lord God says, 'See! I am going to make you 
       live and breathe again!

       (Ezek 37:6 TLB)  I will replace the flesh and muscles on you and cover 
       you with skin. I will put breath into you, and you shall live and know 
       I am the Lord.'"

       (Ezek 37:7 TLB)  So I spoke these words from God, just as he told me 
       to; and suddenly there was a rattling noise from all across the 
       valley, and the bones of each body came together and attached to each 
       other as they used to be.

       (Ezek 37:8 TLB)  Then, as I watched, the muscles and flesh formed over 
       the bones, and skin covered them, but the bodies had no breath.

       (Ezek 37:9 TLB)  Then he told me to call to the wind and say: "The 
       Lord God says: Come from the four winds, O Spirit, and breathe upon 
       these slain bodies, that they may live again."

       (Ezek 37:10 TLB)  So I spoke to the winds as he commanded me, and the 
       bodies began breathing; they lived and stood up--a very great army.

       (Ezek 37:11 TLB)  Then he told me what the vision meant: "These 
       bones," he said, "represent all the people of Israel. They say: 'We 
       have become a heap of dried-out bones--all hope is gone.'

       (Ezek 37:12 TLB)  But tell them, 'The Lord God says: My people, I will 
       open your graves of exile and cause you to rise again and return to 
       the land of Israel.

       (Ezek 37:13 TLB)  And, then at last, O my people, you will know I am 
       the Lord.

       (Ezek 37:14 TLB)  I will put my Spirit into you, and you shall live 
       and return home again to your own land. Then you will know that I, the 
       Lord, have done just what I promised you.'"

       (Ezek 37:15 TLB)  Again a message from the Lord came to me, saying:

       (Ezek 37:16 TLB)  "Take a stick and carve on it these words: 'This 





       stick represents Judah and her allied tribes.' Then take another stick 
       and carve these words on it: 'This stick represents all the other 
       tribes of Israel.'

       (Ezek 37:17 TLB)  Now hold them together in your hand as one stick.

       (Ezek 37:18 TLB)  Tell these people (holding the sticks so they can 
       see what you are doing), the Lord God says: 'I will take the tribes of 
       Israel and join them to Judah and make them one stick in my hand.'"

       (Ezek 37:19 TLB)  

       (Ezek 37:20 TLB)  

       (Ezek 37:21 TLB)  For the Lord God says: "I am gathering the people of 
       Israel from among the nations and bringing them home from around the 
       world to their own land,

       (Ezek 37:22 TLB)  to unify them into one nation. One king shall be 
       king of them all; no longer shall they be divided into two nations.

       (Ezek 37:23 TLB)  They shall stop polluting themselves with idols and 
       their other sins, for I will save them from all this foulness. Then 
       they shall truly be my people and I their God.

       (Ezek 37:24 TLB)  "And David, my Servant--the Messiah--shall be their 
       King, their only Shepherd; and they shall obey my laws and all my 
       wishes.

       (Ezek 37:25 TLB)  They shall live in the land of Israel where their 
       fathers lived, the land I gave my servant Jacob. They and their 
       children after them shall live there, and their grandchildren, for all 
       generations. And my Servant David, their Messiah, shall be their 
       Prince forever.

       (Ezek 37:26 TLB)  And I will make a covenant of peace with them, an 
       everlasting pact. I will bless them and multiply them and put my 
       Temple among them forever.

       (Ezek 37:27 TLB)  And I will make my home among them. Yes, I will be 
       their God, and they shall be my people.

       (Ezek 37:28 TLB)  And when my Temple remains among them forever, then 
       the nations will know that I, the Lord, have chosen Israel as my very 
       own."

       (Ezek 38:1 TLB)  Here is another message to me from the Lord:

       (Ezek 38:2 TLB)  "Son of dust, face northward toward the land of Magog 
       and prophesy against Gog king of Meshech and Tubal.

       (Ezek 38:3 TLB)  Tell him that the Lord God says: 'I am against you, 
       Gog.

       (Ezek 38:4 TLB)  I will put hooks into your jaws and pull you to your 
       doom. I will mobilize your troops and armored cavalry and make you a 





       mighty host, all fully armed.

       (Ezek 38:5 TLB)  Peras, Cush, Put shall join you too with all their 
       weaponry,

       (Ezek 38:6 TLB)  and so shall Gomer and all his hordes and the armies 
       of Togarmah from the distant north, as well as many others.

       (Ezek 38:7 TLB)  Be prepared! Stay mobilized. You are their leader, 
       Gog!

       (Ezek 38:8 TLB)  "'A long time from now you will be called to action. 
       In distant years you will swoop down onto the land of Israel that will 
       be lying in peace after the return of its people from many lands.

       (Ezek 38:9 TLB)  You and all your allies--a vast and awesome 
       army--will roll down upon them like a storm and cover the land like a 
       cloud.

       (Ezek 38:10 TLB)  For at that time an evil thought will have come to 
       your mind.

       (Ezek 38:11 TLB)  You will have said, "Israel is an unprotected land 
       of unwalled villages! I will march against her and destroy these 
       people living in such confidence!

       (Ezek 38:12 TLB)  I will go to those once-desolate cities that are now 
       filled with people again--those who have returned from all the 
       nations--and I will capture vast amounts of loot and many slaves. For 
       the people are rich with cattle now, and the whole earth revolves 
       around them!"

       (Ezek 38:13 TLB)  "But Sheba and Dedan and the merchant princes of 
       Tarshish with whom she trades will ask, 'Who are you to rob them of 
       silver and gold and drive away their cattle and seize their goods and 
       make them poor?'"

       (Ezek 38:14 TLB)  The Lord God says to Gog: "When my people are living 
       in peace in their land, then you will rouse yourself.

       (Ezek 38:15 TLB)  You will come from all over the north with your vast 
       host of cavalry and cover the land like a cloud.

       (Ezek 38:16 TLB)  This will happen in the distant future--in the 
       latter years of history. I will bring you against my land, and my 
       holiness will be vindicated in your terrible destruction before their 
       eyes, so that all the nations will know that I am God."

       (Ezek 38:17 TLB)  The Lord God says: "You are the one I spoke of long 
       ago through the prophets of Israel, saying that after many years had 
       passed, I would bring you against my people.

       (Ezek 38:18 TLB)  But when you come to destroy the land of Israel, my 
       fury will rise!

       (Ezek 38:19 TLB)  For in my jealousy and blazing wrath, I promise a 





       mighty shaking in the land of Israel on that day.

       (Ezek 38:20 TLB)  All living things shall quake in terror at my 
       presence; mountains shall be thrown down; cliffs shall tumble; walls 
       shall crumble to the earth.

       (Ezek 38:21 TLB)  I will summon every kind of terror against you," 
       says the Lord God, "and you will fight against yourselves in mortal 
       combat!

       (Ezek 38:22 TLB)  I will fight you with sword, disease, torrential 
       floods, great hailstones, fire, and brimstone!

       (Ezek 38:23 TLB)  Thus will I show my greatness and bring honor upon 
       my name, and all the nations of the world will hear what I have done 
       and know that I am God!

       (Ezek 39:1 TLB)  "Son of dust, prophesy this also against Gog. Tell 
       him: "'I stand against you, Gog, leader of Meshech and Tubal.

       (Ezek 39:2 TLB)  I will turn you and drive you toward the mountains of 
       Israel, bringing you from the distant north. And I will destroy 85 
       percent of your army in the mountains.

       (Ezek 39:3 TLB)  I will knock your weapons from your hands and leave 
       you helpless.

       (Ezek 39:4 TLB)  You and all your vast armies will die upon the 
       mountains. I will give you to the vultures and wild animals to devour 
       you.

       (Ezek 39:5 TLB)  You will never reach the cities--you will fall upon 
       the open fields; for I have spoken, the Lord God says.

       (Ezek 39:6 TLB)  And I will rain down fire on Magog and on all your 
       allies who live safely on the coasts, and they shall know I am the 
       Lord.

       (Ezek 39:7 TLB)  "'Thus I will make known my holy name among my people 
       Israel; I will not let it be mocked at anymore. And the nations, too, 
       shall know I am the Lord, the Holy One of Israel.

       (Ezek 39:8 TLB)  That day of judgment will come; everything will 
       happen just as I have declared it.

       (Ezek 39:9 TLB)  "'The people of the cities of Israel will go out and 
       pick up your shields and bucklers, bows and arrows, javelins and 
       spears, to use for fuel--enough to last them seven years.

       (Ezek 39:10 TLB)  For seven years they will need nothing else for 
       their fires. They won't cut wood from the fields or forests, for these 
       weapons will give them all they need. They will use the possessions of 
       those who abused them.

       (Ezek 39:11 TLB)  "'And I will make a vast graveyard for Gog and his 
       armies in the Valley of the Travelers, east of the Dead Sea. It will 





       block the path of the travelers. There Gog and all his armies will be 
       buried. And they will change the name of the place to 'The Valley of 
       Gog's Army.'

       (Ezek 39:12 TLB)  It will take seven months for the people of Israel 
       to bury the bodies.

       (Ezek 39:13 TLB)  Everyone in Israel will help, for it will be a 
       glorious victory for Israel on that day when I demonstrate my glory, 
       says the Lord.

       (Ezek 39:14 TLB)  At the end of the seven months, they will appoint 
       men to search the land systematically for any skeletons left and bury 
       them, so that the land will be cleansed.

       (Ezek 39:15 TLB)  Whenever anyone sees some bones, he will put up a 
       marker beside them so that the buriers will see them and take them to 
       the Valley of Gog's Army to bury them.

       (Ezek 39:16 TLB)  A city named "Multitude" is there! And so the land 
       will finally be cleansed.'

       (Ezek 39:17 TLB)  "And now, son of dust, call all the birds and 
       animals and say to them: 'Gather together for a mighty sacrificial 
       feast. Come from far and near to the mountains of Israel. Come, eat 
       the flesh and drink the blood!

       (Ezek 39:18 TLB)  Eat the flesh of mighty men and drink the blood of 
       princes--they are the rams, the lambs, the goats, and the fat young 
       bulls of Bashan for my feast!

       (Ezek 39:19 TLB)  Gorge yourselves with flesh until you are glutted, 
       drink blood until you are drunk; this is the sacrificial feast I have 
       prepared for you.

       (Ezek 39:20 TLB)  Feast at my banquet table--feast on horses, riders, 
       and valiant warriors, says the Lord God.'

       (Ezek 39:21 TLB)  "Thus I will demonstrate my glory among the nations; 
       all shall see the punishment of Gog and know that I have done it.

       (Ezek 39:22 TLB)  And from that time onward the people of Israel will 
       know I am the Lord their God.

       (Ezek 39:23 TLB)  And the nations will know why Israel was sent away 
       to exile--it was punishment for sin, for they acted in treachery 
       against their God. Therefore, I turned my face away from them and let 
       their enemies destroy them.

       (Ezek 39:24 TLB)  I turned my face away and punished them in 
       proportion to the vileness of their sins.

       (Ezek 39:25 TLB)  "But now," the Lord God says, "I will end the 
       captivity of my people and have mercy upon them and restore their 
       fortunes, for I am concerned about my reputation!





       (Ezek 39:26 TLB)  Their time of treachery and shame will all be in the 
       past; they will be home again, in peace and safety in their own land, 
       with no one bothering them or making them afraid.

       (Ezek 39:27 TLB)  I will bring them home from the lands of their 
       enemies--and my glory shall be evident to all the nations when I do 
       it. Through them I will vindicate my holiness before the nations.

       (Ezek 39:28 TLB)  Then my people will know I am the Lord their 
       God--responsible for sending them away to exile, and responsible for 
       bringing them home. I will leave none of them remaining among the 
       nations.

       (Ezek 39:29 TLB)  And I will never hide my face from them again, for I 
       will pour out my Spirit upon them," says the Lord God.

       (Ezek 40:1 TLB)  Early in April of the twenty-fifth year of our 
       exile--the fourteenth year after Jerusalem was captured--the hand of 
       the Lord was upon me,

       (Ezek 40:2 TLB)  and in a vision he took me to the land of Israel and 
       set me down on a high mountain where I saw what appeared to be a city 
       opposite me.

       (Ezek 40:3 TLB)  Going nearer, I saw a man whose face shone like 
       bronze, standing beside the Temple gate, holding in his hand a 
       measuring tape and a measuring stick.

       (Ezek 40:4 TLB)  He said to me: "Son of dust, watch and listen and 
       take to heart everything I show you, for you have been brought here so 
       I can show you many things; and then you are to return to the people 
       of Israel to tell them all you have seen."

       (Ezek 40:5 TLB)  The man began to measure the wall around the outside 
       of the Temple area with his measuring stick, which was 10 1/ 2 feet 
       long. He told me, "This wall is 10 1/ 2 feet high and 10 1/ 2 feet 
       wide."

       (Ezek 40:6 TLB)  Then he took me over to the passageway that goes 
       through the eastern wall. We climbed the seven steps into the 
       entrance, and he measured the entry hall of the passage; it was 10 1/ 
       2 feet wide.

       (Ezek 40:7 TLB)  Walking on through the passageway I saw that there 
       were three guardrooms on each side; each of these rooms was 10 1/ 2 
       feet square, with a distance of 8 3/ 4 feet along the wall between 
       them.

       (Ezek 40:8 TLB)  In front of these rooms was a low barrier

       (Ezek 40:9 TLB)  18 inches high and 18 inches wide.

       (Ezek 40:10 TLB)  Beyond the guardrooms was a 10 1/ 2-foot doorway 
       opening into a 14-foot hall with 3 1/ 2-foot columns.

       (Ezek 40:11 TLB)  






       (Ezek 40:12 TLB)  Beyond this hall, at the inner end of the 
       passageway, was a vestibule 22 3/ 4 feet wide and 17 1/ 2 feet long.

       (Ezek 40:13 TLB)  Then he measured the entire outside width of the 
       passageway, measuring across the roof from the outside doors of the 
       guardrooms; this distance was 43 3/ 4 feet.

       (Ezek 40:14 TLB)  Then he estimated the pillars on each side of the 
       porch to be about 100 feet high.

       (Ezek 40:15 TLB)  The full length of the entrance passage was 87 1/ 2 
       feet from one end to the other.

       (Ezek 40:16 TLB)  There were windows that narrowed inward through the 
       walls along both sides of the passageway and along the guardroom 
       walls. The windows were also in the exit and in the entrance halls. 
       The pillars were decorated with palm tree decorations.

       (Ezek 40:17 TLB)  And so we passed through the passageway to the court 
       inside. A stone pavement ran around the inside of the walls, and 
       thirty rooms were built against the walls, opening onto this pavement.

       (Ezek 40:18 TLB)  This was called "the lower pavement." It extended 
       out from the walls into the court the same distance as the passageway 
       did.

       (Ezek 40:19 TLB)  Then he measured across to the wall on the other 
       side of this court (which was called "the outer court" of the Temple) 
       and found that the distance was 175 feet.

       (Ezek 40:20 TLB)  As I followed, he left the eastern passageway and 
       went over to the passage through the northern wall and measured it.

       (Ezek 40:21 TLB)  Here, too, there were three guardrooms on each side, 
       and all the measurements were the same as for the east passageway--87 
       1/ 2 feet long and 43 3/ 4 feet from side to side across the top of 
       the guardrooms.

       (Ezek 40:22 TLB)  There were windows, an entry hall, and the palm tree 
       decorations just the same as on the east side. And there were seven 
       steps leading up to the doorway to the entry hall inside.

       (Ezek 40:23 TLB)  Here at the north entry, just as at the east, if one 
       walked through the passageway into the court and straight across it, 
       he came to an inner wall and a passageway through it to an inner 
       court. The distance between the two passageways was 175 feet.

       (Ezek 40:24 TLB)  Then he took me around to the south gate and 
       measured the various sections of its passageway and found they were 
       just the same as in the others.

       (Ezek 40:25 TLB)  It had windows along the walls as the others did, 
       and an entry hall. And like the others, it was 87 1/ 2 feet long and 
       43 3/ 4 feet wide.





       (Ezek 40:26 TLB)  It, too, had a stairway of seven steps leading up to 
       it, and there were palm tree decorations along the walls.

       (Ezek 40:27 TLB)  And here again, if one walked through the passageway 
       into the court and straight across it, he came to the inner wall and a 
       passageway through it to the inner court. And the distance between the 
       passageways was 175 feet.

       (Ezek 40:28 TLB)  Then he took me over to the inner wall and its south 
       passageway. He measured this passageway and found that it had the same 
       measurements as the passageways of the outer wall.

       (Ezek 40:29 TLB)  Its guardrooms, pillars, and entrance and exit hall 
       were identical to all the others, and so were the windows along its 
       walls and entry. And, like the others, it was 87 1/ 2 feet long by 43 
       3/ 4 feet wide.

       (Ezek 40:30 TLB)  

       (Ezek 40:31 TLB)  The only difference was that it had eight steps 
       leading up to it instead of seven. It had palm tree decorations on the 
       pillars, just as the others.

       (Ezek 40:32 TLB)  Then he took me along the court to the eastern 
       entrance of the inner wall, and measured it. It, too, had the same 
       measurements as the others.

       (Ezek 40:33 TLB)  Its guardrooms, pillars, and entrance hall were the 
       same size as those of the other passageways, and there were windows 
       along the walls and in the entry hall; and it was 87 1/ 2 feet long by 
       43 3/ 4 feet wide.

       (Ezek 40:34 TLB)  Its entry hall faced the outer court, and there were 
       palm tree decorations on its columns, but there were eight steps 
       instead of seven going up to the entrance.

       (Ezek 40:35 TLB)  Then he took me around to the north gate of the 
       inner wall, and the measurements there were just like the others:

       (Ezek 40:36 TLB)  The guardrooms, pillars, and entry hall of this 
       passageway were the same as the others, with a length of 87 1/ 2 feet 
       and a width of 43 3/ 4 feet.

       (Ezek 40:37 TLB)  Its entry hall faced toward the outer court; it had 
       palm tree decorations on the walls of each side of the passageway, and 
       there were eight steps leading up to the entrance.

       (Ezek 40:38 TLB)  But a door led from its entry hall into a side room 
       where the flesh of the sacrifices was washed before being taken to the 
       altar;

       (Ezek 40:39 TLB)  on each side of the entry hall of the passageway 
       there were two tables where the animals for sacrifice were slaughtered 
       for the burnt offerings, sin offerings, and guilt offerings to be 
       presented in the Temple.





       (Ezek 40:40 TLB)  Outside the entry hall, on each side of the stairs 
       going up to the north entrance, there were two more tables.

       (Ezek 40:41 TLB)  So, in all there were eight tables, four inside and 
       four outside, where the sacrifices were cut up and prepared.

       (Ezek 40:42 TLB)  There were also four stone tables where the 
       butchering knives and other implements were laid. These tables were 
       about 2 5/ 8 feet square and 1 3/ 4 feet high.

       (Ezek 40:43 TLB)  There were hooks, 3 or 4 inches long, fastened along 
       the walls of the entry hall, and on the tables the flesh of the 
       offering was to be laid.

       (Ezek 40:44 TLB)  In the inner court there were two one-room 
       buildings, one beside the northern entrance, facing south, and one 
       beside the southern entrance, facing north.

       (Ezek 40:45 TLB)  And he said to me: "The building beside the inner 
       northern gate is for the priests who supervise the maintenance.

       (Ezek 40:46 TLB)  The building beside the inner southern entrance is 
       for the priests in charge of the altar--the descendants of Zadok--for 
       they alone of all the Levites may come near to the Lord to minister to 
       him."

       (Ezek 40:47 TLB)  Then he measured the inner court (in front of the 
       Temple) and found it to be 175 feet square, and there was an altar in 
       the court, standing in front of the Temple.

       (Ezek 40:48 TLB)  Then he brought me to the entrance hall of the 
       Temple. Ten steps led up to it from the inner court. Its walls 
       extended up on either side to form two pillars, each of them 8 3/ 4 
       feet thick.

       (Ezek 40:49 TLB)  The entrance was 24 1/ 2 feet wide with 5 1/ 4-foot 
       walls. Thus the entry hall was 35 feet wide and 19 1/ 4 feet long.

       (Ezek 41:1 TLB)  Afterward he brought me into the nave, the large main 
       room of the Temple, and measured the pillars that formed its doorway. 
       They were 10 1/ 2 feet square.

       (Ezek 41:2 TLB)  The entrance hall was 17 1/ 2 feet wide and 8 3/ 4 
       feet deep. The nave itself was 70 feet long by 35 feet.

       (Ezek 41:3 TLB)  Then he went into the inner room at the end of the 
       nave and measured the columns at the entrance and found them to be 3 
       1/ 2 feet thick; its doorway was 10 1/ 2 feet wide, with a hallway 12 
       1/ 4 feet deep behind it.

       (Ezek 41:4 TLB)  The inner room was 35 feet square. "This," he told 
       me, "is the Most Holy Place."

       (Ezek 41:5 TLB)  Then he measured the wall of the Temple and found 
       that it was 10 1/ 2 feet thick, with a row of rooms along the outside. 
       Each room was 7 feet wide.






       (Ezek 41:6 TLB)  These rooms were in three tiers, one above the other, 
       with thirty rooms in each tier. The whole structure was supported by 
       girders and not attached to the Temple wall for support.

       (Ezek 41:7 TLB)  Each tier was wider than the one below it, 
       corresponding to the narrowing of the Temple wall as it rose higher. A 
       stairway at the side of the Temple led up from floor to floor.

       (Ezek 41:8 TLB)  I noticed that the Temple was built on a terrace and 
       that the bottom row of rooms extended out 10 1/ 2 feet onto the 
       terrace.

       (Ezek 41:9 TLB)  The outer wall of these rooms was 8 3/ 4 feet thick, 
       leaving a free space of 8 3/ 4 feet out to the edge of the terrace, 
       the same on both sides.

       (Ezek 41:10 TLB)  Thirty-five feet away from the terrace, on both 
       sides of the Temple, was another row of rooms down in the inner court.

       (Ezek 41:11 TLB)  Two doors opened from the tiers of rooms to the 
       terrace yard, which was 8 3/ 4 feet wide; one door faced north and the 
       other south.

       (Ezek 41:12 TLB)  A large building stood on the west, facing the 
       Temple yard, measuring 122 1/ 2 feet wide by 157 1/ 2 feet long. Its 
       walls were 8 3/ 4 feet thick.

       (Ezek 41:13 TLB)  Then he measured the Temple and its immediately 
       surrounding yards. The area was 175 feet square.

       (Ezek 41:14 TLB)  The inner court at the east of the Temple was also 
       175 feet wide,

       (Ezek 41:15 TLB)  and so was the building west of the Temple, 
       including its two walls.

       (Ezek 41:16 TLB)  The nave of the Temple and the Holy of Holies and 
       the entry hall were paneled, and all three had recessed windows. The 
       inner walls of the Temple were paneled with wood above and below the 
       windows.

       (Ezek 41:17 TLB)  The space above the door leading into the Holy of 
       Holies was also paneled. The walls were decorated

       (Ezek 41:18 TLB)  with carvings of Guardian Angels, each with two 
       faces, and of palm trees alternating with the Guardian Angels.

       (Ezek 41:19 TLB)  One face--that of a man--looked toward the palm tree 
       on one side, and the other face--that of a young lion--looked toward 
       the palm tree on the other side.

       (Ezek 41:20 TLB)  And so it was, all around the inner wall of the 
       Temple.

       (Ezek 41:21 TLB)  There were square doorposts at the doors of the 





       nave, and in front of the Holy of Holies was what appeared to be an 
       altar, but it was made of wood.

       (Ezek 41:22 TLB)  This altar was 3 1/ 2 feet square and 5 1/ 4 feet 
       high; its corners, base, and sides were all of wood. "This," he told 
       me, "is the Table of the Lord."

       (Ezek 41:23 TLB)  Both the nave and the Holy of Holies had double 
       doors,

       (Ezek 41:24 TLB)  each with two swinging sections.

       (Ezek 41:25 TLB)  The doors leading into the nave were decorated with 
       cherubim and palm trees, just as on the walls. And there was a wooden 
       canopy over the entry hall.

       (Ezek 41:26 TLB)  There were recessed windows and carved palm trees on 
       both sides of the entry hall, the hallways beside the Temple, and on 
       the canopy over the entrance.

       (Ezek 42:1 TLB)  Then he led me out of the Temple, back into the inner 
       court to the rooms north of the Temple yard, and to another building.

       (Ezek 42:2 TLB)  This group of structures was 175 feet long by 87 1/ 2 
       feet wide.

       (Ezek 42:3 TLB)  The rows of rooms behind this building were the inner 
       wall of the court. The rooms were in three tiers, overlooking the 
       outer court on one side, and having a 35-foot strip of inner court on 
       the other.

       (Ezek 42:4 TLB)  A 17 1/ 2-foot walk ran between the building and the 
       tiers of rooms, extending the entire length, with the doors of the 
       building facing north.

       (Ezek 42:5 TLB)  The upper two tiers of rooms were not as wide as the 
       lower one, because the upper tiers had wider walkways beside them.

       (Ezek 42:6 TLB)  And since the building was not built with girders as 
       those in the outer court were, the upper stories were set back from 
       the ground floor.

       (Ezek 42:7 TLB)  The north tiers, next to the outer court, were 87 1/ 
       2 feet long--only half as long as the inner wing that faced the Temple 
       court, which was 175 feet long. But a wall extended from the end of 
       the shorter wing, parallel to the longer wing.

       (Ezek 42:8 TLB)  

       (Ezek 42:9 TLB)  And there was an entrance from the outer court to 
       these rooms from the east.

       (Ezek 42:10 TLB)  On the opposite side of the Temple a similar 
       building composed of two units of tiers was on the south side of the 
       inner court, between the Temple and the outer court, arranged the same 
       as the other.






       (Ezek 42:11 TLB)  There was a walk between the two wings of the 
       building, the same as in the other building across the court--the same 
       length and width and the same exits and doors--they were identical 
       units.

       (Ezek 42:12 TLB)  And there was a door from the outer court at the 
       east.

       (Ezek 42:13 TLB)  Then he told me: "These north and south tiers of 
       rooms facing the Temple yard are holy; there the priests who offer up 
       the sacrifices to the Lord shall eat of the most holy offerings and 
       store them--the cereal offerings, sin offerings, and guilt offerings, 
       for these rooms are holy.

       (Ezek 42:14 TLB)  When the priests leave the Holy Place--the nave of 
       the Temple--they must change their clothes before going out to the 
       outer court. The special robes in which they have been ministering 
       must first be removed, for these robes are holy. They must put on 
       other clothes before entering the parts of the building open to the 
       public."

       (Ezek 42:15 TLB)  When he had finished making these measurements, he 
       led me out through the east passageway to measure the entire Temple 
       area.

       (Ezek 42:16 TLB)  He found that it was in the form of a square, 875 
       feet long on each side, with a wall all around it to separate the 
       restricted area from the public places.

       (Ezek 42:17 TLB)  

       (Ezek 42:18 TLB)  

       (Ezek 42:19 TLB)  

       (Ezek 42:20 TLB)  

       (Ezek 43:1 TLB)  Afterward he brought me out again to the passageway 
       through the outer wall leading to the east.

       (Ezek 43:2 TLB)  And suddenly the glory of the God of Israel appeared 
       from the east. The sound of his coming was like the roar of rushing 
       waters, and the whole landscape lighted up with his glory.

       (Ezek 43:3 TLB)  It was just as I had seen it in the other visions, 
       first by the Chebar Canal, and then later at Jerusalem when he came to 
       destroy the city. And I fell down before him with my face in the dust.

       (Ezek 43:4 TLB)  And the glory of the Lord came into the Temple 
       through the eastern passageway.

       (Ezek 43:5 TLB)  Then the Spirit took me up and brought me into the 
       inner court; and the glory of the Lord filled the Temple.

       (Ezek 43:6 TLB)  And I heard the Lord speaking to me from within the 





       Temple (the man who had been measuring was still standing beside me).

       (Ezek 43:7 TLB)  And the Lord said to me: "Son of dust, this is the 
       place of my throne and my footstool, where I shall remain, living 
       among the people of Israel forever. They and their kings will not 
       defile my holy name any longer through the adulterous worship of other 
       gods or by worshiping the totem poles erected by their kings.

       (Ezek 43:8 TLB)  They built their idol temples beside mine, with only 
       a wall between, and worshiped their idols. Because they sullied my 
       holy name by such wickedness, I consumed them in my anger.

       (Ezek 43:9 TLB)  Now let them put away their idols and the totem poles 
       erected by their kings, and I will live among them forever.

       (Ezek 43:10 TLB)  "Son of dust, describe the Temple I have shown you 
       to the people of Israel. Tell them its appearance and its plan so they 
       will be ashamed of all their sins.

       (Ezek 43:11 TLB)  And if they are truly ashamed of what they have 
       done, then explain to them the details of its construction--its doors 
       and entrances--and everything about it. Write out all the directions 
       and the rules for them to keep.

       (Ezek 43:12 TLB)  And this is the basic law of the Temple: Holiness! 
       The entire top of the hill where the Temple is built is holy. Yes, 
       this is the primary law concerning it.

       (Ezek 43:13 TLB)  "And these are the measurements of the altar: The 
       base is 21 inches high, with a 9 inch rim around its edge, and it 
       extends 21 inches beyond the altar on all sides.

       (Ezek 43:14 TLB)  The first stage of the altar is a stone platform 3 
       1/ 2 feet high. This platform is 21 inches narrower than the base 
       block on all sides. Rising from this is a narrower platform, 21 inches 
       narrower on all sides, and 7 feet high.

       (Ezek 43:15 TLB)  From it a still narrower platform rises 7 feet, and 
       this is the top of the altar, with four horns projecting 21 inches up 
       from the corners.

       (Ezek 43:16 TLB)  This top platform of the altar is 21 feet square.

       (Ezek 43:17 TLB)  The platform beneath it is 24 1/ 2 feet square with 
       a 10 1/ 2-inch curb around the edges. The entire platform extends out 
       from the top 21 inches on all sides. On the east side are steps to 
       climb the altar."

       (Ezek 43:18 TLB)  And he said to me: "Son of dust, the Lord God says: 
       These are the measurements of the altar to be made in the future, when 
       it is erected for the burning of offerings and the sprinkling of blood 
       upon it.

       (Ezek 43:19 TLB)  At that time the Zadok family of the Levite tribe, 
       who are my ministers, are to be given a bullock for a sin offering.





       (Ezek 43:20 TLB)  You shall take some of its blood and smear it on the 
       four horns of the altar and on the four corners of the top platform 
       and in the curb around it. This will cleanse and make atonement for 
       the altar.

       (Ezek 43:21 TLB)  Then take the bullock for the sin offering and burn 
       it at the appointed place outside the Temple area.

       (Ezek 43:22 TLB)  "The second day, sacrifice a young male goat without 
       any defects--without sickness, deformities, cuts or scars--for a sin 
       offering. Thus the altar shall be cleansed, as it was by the bullock.

       (Ezek 43:23 TLB)  When you have finished this cleansing ceremony, 
       offer another perfect bullock and a perfect ram from the flock.

       (Ezek 43:24 TLB)  Present them before the Lord, and the priests shall 
       sprinkle salt upon them as a burnt offering.

       (Ezek 43:25 TLB)  "Every day for seven days a male goat, a bullock and 
       a ram from the flock shall be sacrificed as a sin offering. None are 
       to have any defects or unhealthiness of any kind.

       (Ezek 43:26 TLB)  Do this each day for seven days to cleanse and make 
       atonement for the altar, thus consecrating it.

       (Ezek 43:27 TLB)  On the eighth day, and on each day afterward, the 
       priests will sacrifice on the altar the burnt offerings and thank 
       offerings of the people, and I will accept you, says the Lord God."

       (Ezek 44:1 TLB)  Then the Lord brought me back to the outer wall's 
       eastern passageway, but it was closed.

       (Ezek 44:2 TLB)  And he said to me: "This gate shall remain closed; it 
       shall never be opened. No man shall pass through it; for the Lord, the 
       God of Israel, entered here, and so it shall remain shut.

       (Ezek 44:3 TLB)  Only the prince--because he is the prince--may sit 
       inside the passageway to feast there before the Lord. But he shall go 
       and come only through the entry hall of the passage."

       (Ezek 44:4 TLB)  Then he brought me through the north passageway to 
       the front of the Temple. I looked and saw that the glory of the Lord 
       filled the Temple of the Lord, and I fell to the ground with my face 
       in the dust.

       (Ezek 44:5 TLB)  And the Lord said to me: "Son of dust, notice 
       carefully; use your eyes and ears. Listen to all I tell you about the 
       laws and rules of the Temple of the Lord. Note carefully who may be 
       admitted to the Temple and who is to be excluded from it.

       (Ezek 44:6 TLB)  And say to these rebels, the people of Israel, 'The 
       Lord God says: O Israel, you have sinned greatly

       (Ezek 44:7 TLB)  by letting the uncircumcised into my sanctuary--those 
       who have no heart for God--when you offer me my food, the fat and the 
       blood. Thus you have broken my covenant in addition to all your other 





       sins.

       (Ezek 44:8 TLB)  You have not kept the laws I gave you concerning 
       these holy affairs, for you have hired foreigners to take charge of my 
       sanctuary.'"

       (Ezek 44:9 TLB)  The Lord God says: "No foreigner of all the many 
       among you shall enter my sanctuary if he has not been circumcised and 
       does not love the Lord.

       (Ezek 44:10 TLB)  And the men of the tribe of Levi who abandoned me 
       when Israel strayed away from God to idols must be punished for their 
       unfaithfulness.

       (Ezek 44:11 TLB)  They may be Temple guards and gatemen; they may slay 
       the animals brought for burnt offerings and be present to help the 
       people.

       (Ezek 44:12 TLB)  But because they encouraged the people to worship 
       other gods, causing Israel to fall into deep sin, I have raised my 
       hand and taken oath," says the Lord God, "that they must be punished.

       (Ezek 44:13 TLB)  They shall not come near me to minister as priests; 
       they may not touch any of my holy things, for they must bear their 
       shame for all the sins they have committed.

       (Ezek 44:14 TLB)  They are the Temple caretakers, to do maintenance 
       work and to assist the people in a general way.

       (Ezek 44:15 TLB)  "However, the sons of Zadok, of the tribe of Levi, 
       continued as my priests in the Temple when Israel abandoned me for 
       idols. These men shall be my ministers; they shall stand before me to 
       offer the fat and blood of the sacrifices," says the Lord God.

       (Ezek 44:16 TLB)  "They shall enter my sanctuary and come to my Table 
       to minister to me; they shall fulfill my requirements.

       (Ezek 44:17 TLB)  "They must wear only linen clothing when they enter 
       the passageway to the inner court, for they must wear no wool while on 
       duty in the inner court or in the Temple.

       (Ezek 44:18 TLB)  They must wear linen turbans and linen trousers; 
       they must not wear anything that would cause them to perspire.

       (Ezek 44:19 TLB)  When they return to the outer court, they must take 
       off the clothes they wear while ministering to me, leaving them in the 
       sacred chambers, and put on other clothes lest they harm the people by 
       touching them with this clothing.

       (Ezek 44:20 TLB)  "They must not let their hair grow too long nor 
       shave it off. Regular, moderate haircuts are all they are allowed.

       (Ezek 44:21 TLB)  No priest may drink wine before coming to the inner 
       court.

       (Ezek 44:22 TLB)  He may marry only a Jewish maiden, or the widow of a 





       priest; he may not marry a divorced woman.

       (Ezek 44:23 TLB)  "He shall teach my people the difference between 
       what is holy and what is secular, what is right and what is wrong.

       (Ezek 44:24 TLB)  "They will serve as judges to resolve any 
       disagreements among my people. Their decisions must be based upon my 
       laws. And the priests themselves shall obey my rules and regulations 
       at all the sacred festivals, and they shall see to it that the Sabbath 
       is kept a sacred day.

       (Ezek 44:25 TLB)  "A priest must not defile himself by being in the 
       presence of a dead person, unless it is his father, mother, child, 
       brother, or unmarried sister. In such cases it is all right.

       (Ezek 44:26 TLB)  But afterward he must wait seven days before he is 
       cleansed and able to perform his Temple duties again.

       (Ezek 44:27 TLB)  The first day he returns to work and enters the 
       inner court and the sanctuary, he must offer a sin offering for 
       himself," the Lord God says.

       (Ezek 44:28 TLB)  "As to property, they shall not own any, for I am 
       their heritage! That is enough!

       (Ezek 44:29 TLB)  "Their food shall be the gifts and sacrifices 
       brought to the Temple by the people--the cereal offerings, the sin 
       offerings, and the guilt offerings. Whatever anyone gives to the Lord 
       shall be the priests'.

       (Ezek 44:30 TLB)  The first of the first-ripe fruits and all the gifts 
       for the Lord shall go to the priests. The first samples of each 
       harvest of grain shall be donated to the priests too, so that the Lord 
       will bless your homes.

       (Ezek 44:31 TLB)  Priests may never eat meat from any bird or animal 
       that dies a natural death or that dies after being attacked by other 
       animals.

       (Ezek 45:1 TLB)  "When you divide the land among the tribes of Israel, 
       you shall first give a section of it to the Lord as his holy portion. 
       This piece shall be 8 1/ 3 miles long and 6 2/ 3 miles wide. It shall 
       all be holy ground.

       (Ezek 45:2 TLB)  "A section of this land, 875 feet square, shall be 
       designated for the Temple. An additional 87 1/ 2-foot strip all around 
       is to be left empty.

       (Ezek 45:3 TLB)  The Temple shall be built within the area which is 8 
       1/ 3 miles long and 3 1/ 3 miles wide.

       (Ezek 45:4 TLB)  All this section shall be holy land; it will be used 
       by the priests, who minister in the sanctuary, for their homes and for 
       my Temple.

       (Ezek 45:5 TLB)  "The strip next to it, 8 1/ 3 miles long and 3 1/ 3 





       miles wide, shall be the residence area for the Levites who work at 
       the Temple.

       (Ezek 45:6 TLB)  Adjacent to the holy lands will be a section 8 1/ 3 
       miles by 1 2/ 3 miles for a city open to everyone in Israel.

       (Ezek 45:7 TLB)  "Two special sections of land shall be set apart for 
       the prince--one on each side of the holy lands and city; it is 
       contiguous with them in length, and its eastern and western boundaries 
       are the same as those of the tribal sections.

       (Ezek 45:8 TLB)  This shall be his allotment. My princes shall no 
       longer oppress and rob my people but shall assign all the remainder of 
       the land to the people, giving a portion to each tribe."

       (Ezek 45:9 TLB)  For the Sovereign Lord says to the rulers: "Quit 
       robbing and cheating my people out of their land and expelling them 
       from their homes. Always be fair and honest.

       (Ezek 45:10 TLB)  You must use honest scales, honest bushels, honest 
       gallons.

       (Ezek 45:11 TLB)  A homer (about five bushels) shall be your standard 
       unit of measurement for both liquid and dry measure. Smaller units 
       shall be the ephah (about one half bushel) for dry measure, and the 
       bath (about seventeen quarts) for liquid.

       (Ezek 45:12 TLB)  The unit of weight shall be the silver shekel (about 
       half an ounce); it must always be exchanged for twenty gerahs, no 
       less; five shekels shall be valued at five shekels, no less; and ten 
       shekels at ten shekels! Fifty shekels shall always equal one mina.

       (Ezek 45:13 TLB)  "This is the tax you must give to the prince: a 
       bushel of wheat or barley for every sixty you reap;

       (Ezek 45:14 TLB)  and one percent of your olive oil;

       (Ezek 45:15 TLB)  from each 200 sheep in all your flocks in Israel, 
       give him one sheep. These are the meal offerings, burnt offerings and 
       thank offerings to make atonement for those who bring them," says the 
       Lord God.

       (Ezek 45:16 TLB)  "All the people of Israel shall bring their 
       offerings to the prince.

       (Ezek 45:17 TLB)  "The prince shall be required to furnish the people 
       with sacrifices for public worship--sin offerings, burnt offerings, 
       meal offerings, drink offerings, and thank offerings--to make 
       reconciliation for the people of Israel. This shall be done at the 
       time of the religious feasts, the new moon ceremonies, the Sabbaths, 
       and all other similar occasions.

       (Ezek 45:18 TLB)  The Lord God says: "On each New Year's Day sacrifice 
       a young bull with no blemishes, to purify the Temple.

       (Ezek 45:19 TLB)  The priest shall take some of the blood of this sin 





       offering and put it on the door posts of the Temple, upon the four 
       corners of the base of the altar, and upon the walls at the entry of 
       the inner court.

       (Ezek 45:20 TLB)  Do this also on the seventh day of that month for 
       anyone who has sinned through error or ignorance, and so the Temple 
       will be cleansed.

       (Ezek 45:21 TLB)  "On the fourteenth day of the same month, you shall 
       celebrate the Passover. It will be a seven-day feast. Only bread 
       without yeast shall be eaten during those days.

       (Ezek 45:22 TLB)  On the day of Passover the prince shall provide a 
       young bull for a sin offering for himself and all the people of 
       Israel.

       (Ezek 45:23 TLB)  On each of the seven days of the feast he shall 
       prepare a burnt offering to the Lord. This daily offering will consist 
       of seven young bulls and seven rams without blemish. A male goat shall 
       also be given each day for a sin offering.

       (Ezek 45:24 TLB)  And the prince shall provide one half bushel of 
       grain with each bullock and ram for a meal offering, and three quarts 
       of olive oil.

       (Ezek 45:25 TLB)  "Early in October during each of the seven days of 
       the annual festival of shelters, he shall provide these same 
       sacrifices for the sin offering, burnt offering, meal offering, and 
       oil offering.

       (Ezek 46:1 TLB)  The Lord God says, "The inner wall's eastern entrance 
       shall be closed during the six work days but open on the Sabbath and 
       on the days of the new moon celebrations.

       (Ezek 46:2 TLB)  The prince shall enter the outside entry hall of the 
       passageway and proceed to the inner wall at the other end while the 
       priest offers his burnt offering and peace offering. He shall worship 
       inside the passageway and then return back to the entrance, which 
       shall not be closed until evening.

       (Ezek 46:3 TLB)  The people shall worship the Lord in front of this 
       passageway on the Sabbaths and on the days of the new moon 
       celebrations.

       (Ezek 46:4 TLB)  "The burnt offering that the prince sacrifices to the 
       Lord on the Sabbath days shall be six lambs and a ram, all 
       unblemished.

       (Ezek 46:5 TLB)  He shall present a meal offering of one half bushel 
       of flour to go with the ram and whatever amount he is willing for to 
       go with each lamb. And he shall bring three quarts of olive oil for 
       each half bushel of flour.

       (Ezek 46:6 TLB)  At the new moon celebration, he shall bring one young 
       bull in perfect condition, six lambs, and one ram, all without any 
       blemish.






       (Ezek 46:7 TLB)  With the young bull, he must bring one half bushel of 
       flour for a meal offering. With the ram he must bring one half bushel 
       of flour. With the lamb he is to bring whatever he is willing to give. 
       With each half bushel of grain he is to bring three quarts of olive 
       oil.

       (Ezek 46:8 TLB)  "The prince shall go in at the entry hall of the 
       passageway and out the same way;

       (Ezek 46:9 TLB)  but when the people come in through the north 
       passageway to sacrifice during the religious feasts, they must go out 
       through the south passageway. Those coming in from the south must go 
       out by the north. They must never go out the same way they come in, 
       but must always use the opposite passageway.

       (Ezek 46:10 TLB)  The prince shall enter and leave with the common 
       people on these occasions.

       (Ezek 46:11 TLB)  "To summarize: At the special feasts and sacred 
       festivals the meal offering shall be one half bushel with the young 
       bull; one half bushel with the ram; as much as the prince is willing 
       to give with each lamb; and three quarts of oil with each half bushel 
       of grain.

       (Ezek 46:12 TLB)  Whenever the prince offers an extra burnt offering 
       or peace offering to be sacrificed to the Lord, the inner eastern gate 
       shall be opened up for him to enter, and he shall offer his sacrifices 
       just as on the Sabbaths. Then he shall turn around and go out, and the 
       passage shall be shut behind him.

       (Ezek 46:13 TLB)  "Each morning a yearling lamb must be sacrificed as 
       a burnt offering to the Lord.

       (Ezek 46:14 TLB)  And there must be a meal offering each morning--five 
       pounds of flour with one quart of oil with which to mix it.

       (Ezek 46:15 TLB)  This is a permanent ordinance--the lamb, the grain 
       offering, and the olive oil shall be provided every morning for the 
       daily sacrifice.

       (Ezek 46:16 TLB)  The Sovereign Lord says: "If the prince gives a gift 
       of land to one of his sons, it will belong to him forever.

       (Ezek 46:17 TLB)  But if he gives a gift of land to one of his 
       servants, the servant may keep it only until the Year of Release 
       (every seventh year) when he is set free; then the land returns to the 
       prince. Only gifts to his sons are permanent.

       (Ezek 46:18 TLB)  And the prince may never take anyone's property by 
       force. If he gives property to his sons, it must be from his own land, 
       for I don't want my people losing their property and having to move 
       away."

       (Ezek 46:19 TLB)  After that, using the door through the wall at the 
       side of the main passageway, he led me through the entrance to the 





       block of sacred chambers that faced north. There, at the extreme west 
       end of these rooms, I saw a place where, m

       (Ezek 46:20 TLB)  my guide told me, the priests boil the meat of the 
       trespass offering and sin offering and bake the flour of the flour 
       offerings into bread. They do it here to avoid the necessity of 
       carrying the sacrifices through the outer court, in case they harm the 
       people.

       (Ezek 46:21 TLB)  Then he brought me out to the outer court again and 
       led me to each of the four corners of the court.

       (Ezek 46:22 TLB)  I saw that in each corner there was a room 70 feet 
       long by 52 1/ 2 feet wide, enclosed by walls.

       (Ezek 46:23 TLB)  Around the inside of these walls there ran a line of 
       brick boiling vats with ovens underneath.

       (Ezek 46:24 TLB)  He said these rooms were where the Temple 
       assistants--the Levites--boil the sacrifices the people offer.

       (Ezek 47:1 TLB)  Then he brought me back to the door of the Temple. I 
       saw a stream flowing eastward from beneath the Temple and passing to 
       the right of the altar, that is, on its south side.

       (Ezek 47:2 TLB)  Then he brought me outside the wall through the north 
       passageway and around to the eastern entrance, where I saw the stream 
       flowing along on the south side (of the eastern passageway).

       (Ezek 47:3 TLB)  Measuring as he went, he took me 1,500 feet east 
       along the stream and told me to go across. At that point the water was 
       up to my ankles.

       (Ezek 47:4 TLB)  He measured off another 1,500 feet and told me to 
       cross again. This time the water was up to my knees.

       (Ezek 47:5 TLB)  Fifteen hundred feet after that it was up to my 
       waist. Another 1,500 feet and it had become a river so deep I wouldn't 
       be able to get across unless I were to swim. It was too deep to cross 
       on foot.

       (Ezek 47:6 TLB)  He told me to keep in mind what I had seen, then led 
       me back along the bank.

       (Ezek 47:7 TLB)  And now, to my surprise, many trees were growing on 
       both sides of the river!

       (Ezek 47:8 TLB)  He told me: "This river flows east through the desert 
       and the Jordan Valley to the Dead Sea, where it will heal the salty 
       waters and make them fresh and pure.

       (Ezek 47:9 TLB)  Everything touching the water of this river shall 
       live. Fish will abound in the Dead Sea, for its waters will be healed. 
       Wherever this water flows, everything will live.

       (Ezek 47:10 TLB)  Fishermen will stand along the shores of the Dead 





       Sea, fishing all the way from Engedi to Eneglaim. The shores will be 
       filled with nets drying in the sun. Fish of every kind will fill the 
       Dead Sea just as they do the Mediterranean!

       (Ezek 47:11 TLB)  But the marshes and swamps will not be healed; they 
       will still be salty.

       (Ezek 47:12 TLB)  All kinds of fruit trees will grow along the 
       riverbanks. The leaves will never turn brown and fall, and there will 
       always be fruit. There will be a new crop every month--without fail! 
       For they are watered by the river flowing from the Temple. The fruit 
       will be for food and the leaves for medicine."

       (Ezek 47:13 TLB)  The Lord God says: "Here are the instructions for 
       dividing the land to the twelve tribes of Israel: The tribe of Joseph 
       (Ephraim and Manasseh) shall be given two sections.

       (Ezek 47:14 TLB)  Otherwise, each tribe will have an equal share. I 
       promised with hand raised in oath of truth to give the land to your 
       fathers, and you shall inherit it now.

       (Ezek 47:15 TLB)  "The northern boundary will run from the 
       Mediterranean toward Hethlon, then on through Labweh to Zedad;

       (Ezek 47:16 TLB)  then to Berothah and Sibraim, which are on the 
       border between Damascus and Hamath, and finally to Hazer-hatticon, on 
       the border of Hauran.

       (Ezek 47:17 TLB)  So the northern border will be from the 
       Mediterranean to Hazar-enan, on the border with Hamath to the north 
       and Damascus to the south.

       (Ezek 47:18 TLB)  "The eastern border will run south from Hazar-enan 
       to Mount Hauran, where it will bend westward to the Jordan at the 
       southern tip of the Sea of Galilee, and down along the Jordan River 
       separating Israel from Gilead, past the Dead Sea to Tamar.

       (Ezek 47:19 TLB)  "The southern border will go west from Tamar to the 
       springs at Meribath-kadesh and then follow the course of the Brook of 
       Egypt (Wadi el-Arish) to the Mediterranean.

       (Ezek 47:20 TLB)  "On the west side, the Mediterranean itself will be 
       your boundary, from the southern boundary to the point where the 
       northern boundary begins.

       (Ezek 47:21 TLB)  "Divide the land within these boundaries among the 
       tribes of Israel.

       (Ezek 47:22 TLB)  Distribute the land as an inheritance for yourselves 
       and for the foreigners who live among you with their families. All 
       children born in the land--whether or not their parents are 
       foreigners--are to be considered citizens and have the same rights 
       your own children have.

       (Ezek 47:23 TLB)  All these immigrants are to be given land according 
       to the tribe where they now live.






       (Ezek 48:1 TLB)  "Here is the list of the tribes and the territory 
       each is to get. For Dan: From the northwest boundary at the 
       Mediterranean, across to Hethlon, then to Labweh, and then on to 
       Hazar-enan on the border between Damascus to the south and Hamath to 
       the north. Those are the eastern and western limits of the land.

       (Ezek 48:2 TLB)  Asher's territory lies south of Dan's and has the 
       same east and west boundaries.

       (Ezek 48:3 TLB)  Naphtali's land lies south of Asher's, with the same 
       boundary lines on the east and the west.

       (Ezek 48:4 TLB)  Then comes Manasseh, south of Naphtali, with the same 
       eastern and western boundary lines.

       (Ezek 48:5 TLB)  Next, to the south, is Ephraim, and then Reuben and 
       then Judah, all with the same boundaries on the east and the west.

       (Ezek 48:6 TLB)  

       (Ezek 48:7 TLB)  

       (Ezek 48:8 TLB)  "South of Judah is the land set aside for the Temple. 
       It has the same eastern and western boundaries as the tribal units, 
       with the Temple in the center.

       (Ezek 48:9 TLB)  This Temple area will be 8 1/ 3 miles long and 6 2/ 3 
       miles wide.

       (Ezek 48:10 TLB)  "A strip of land measuring 8 1/ 3 miles long by 3 1/ 
       3 miles wide, north to south, surrounds the Temple.

       (Ezek 48:11 TLB)  It is for the priests, that is, the sons of Zadok 
       who obeyed me and didn't go into sin when the people of Israel and the 
       rest of their tribe of Levi did.

       (Ezek 48:12 TLB)  It is their special portion when the land is 
       distributed, the most sacred land of all. Next to it lies the area 
       where the other Levites will live.

       (Ezek 48:13 TLB)  It will be of the same size and shape as the first. 
       Together they measure 8 1/ 3 miles by 6 2/ 3 miles.

       (Ezek 48:14 TLB)  None of this special land shall ever be sold or 
       traded or used by others, for it belongs to the Lord; it is holy.

       (Ezek 48:15 TLB)  "The strip of land 8 1/ 3 miles long by 1 2/ 3 miles 
       wide, south of the Temple section, is for public use--homes, pasture, 
       and parks, with a city in the center.

       (Ezek 48:16 TLB)  The city itself is to be 1 1/ 2 miles square.

       (Ezek 48:17 TLB)  Open land for pastures shall surround the city for 
       approximately a tenth of a mile.





       (Ezek 48:18 TLB)  Outside the city, stretching east and west for three 
       miles alongside the holy grounds, is garden area belonging to the 
       city, for public use.

       (Ezek 48:19 TLB)  It is open to anyone working in the city, no matter 
       where he comes from in Israel.

       (Ezek 48:20 TLB)  "The entire area--including sacred lands and city 
       lands--is 8 1/ 3 miles square.

       (Ezek 48:21 TLB)  "The land on both sides of this area, extending 
       clear out to the eastern and western boundaries of Israel, shall 
       belong to the prince. This land, lying between the sections alloted to 
       Judah and Benjamin, is 8 1/ 3 miles square on each side of the sacred 
       and city lands.

       (Ezek 48:22 TLB)  

       (Ezek 48:23 TLB)  "The sections given to the remaining tribes are as 
       follows: Benjamin's section extends across the entire country of 
       Israel, from its eastern border clear across to the western border.

       (Ezek 48:24 TLB)  South of Benjamin's area lies that of Simeon, also 
       extending out to these same eastern and western borders.

       (Ezek 48:25 TLB)  Next is Issachar, with the same boundaries.

       (Ezek 48:26 TLB)  Then comes Zebulun, also extending all the way 
       across.

       (Ezek 48:27 TLB)  Then Gad, with the same borders on east and west,

       (Ezek 48:28 TLB)  while its south border runs from Tamar to the Spring 
       at Meribath-kadesh, and then follows the Brook of Egypt (Wadi 
       el-Arish) to the Mediterranean.

       (Ezek 48:29 TLB)  These are the allotments to be made to each tribe," 
       says the Lord God.

       (Ezek 48:30 TLB)  "Each city gate will be named in honor of one of the 
       tribes of Israel. On the north side, with its 1 1/ 2-mile wall, there 
       will be three gates, one named for Reuben, one for Judah, and one for 
       Levi.

       (Ezek 48:31 TLB)  

       (Ezek 48:32 TLB)  On the east side, with its 1 1/ 2-mile wall, the 
       gates will be named for Joseph, Benjamin, and Dan.

       (Ezek 48:33 TLB)  The south wall, also the same length, will have the 
       gates of Simeon, Issachar, and Zebulun;

       (Ezek 48:34 TLB)  on the 1 1/ 2 miles of the west side, they will be 
       named for Gad, Asher, and Naphtali.

       (Ezek 48:35 TLB)  "The entire circumference of the city is six miles. 





       And the name of the city will be 'The City of God.'"

       (Dan 1:1 TLB)  Three years after King Jehoiakim began to rule in 
       Judah, Babylon's King Nebuchadnezzar attacked Jerusalem with his 
       armies,

       (Dan 1:2 TLB)  and the Lord gave him victory over Jehoiakim. When he 
       returned to Babylon, he took along some of the sacred cups from the 
       Temple of God and placed them in the treasury of his god in the land 
       of Shinar.

       (Dan 1:3 TLB)  Then he ordered Ashpenaz, who was in charge of his 
       palace personnel, to select some of the Jewish youths brought back as 
       captives--young men of the royal family and nobility of Judah--

       (Dan 1:4 TLB)  and to teach them the Chaldean language and literature. 
       "Pick strong, healthy, good-looking lads," he said; "those who have 
       read widely in many fields, are well informed, alert and sensible, and 
       have enough poise to look good around the palace."

       (Dan 1:5 TLB)  The king assigned them the best of food and wine from 
       his own kitchen during their three-year training period, planning to 
       make them his counselors when they graduated.

       (Dan 1:6 TLB)  Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were four of the 
       young men chosen, all from the tribe of Judah.

       (Dan 1:7 TLB)  However, their superintendent gave them Babylonian 
       names, as follows: Daniel was called Belteshazzar; Hananiah was called 
       Shadrach; Mishael was called Meshach; Azariah was called Abednego.

       (Dan 1:8 TLB)  But Daniel made up his mind not to eat the food and 
       wine given to them by the king. He asked the superintendent for 
       permission to eat other things instead.

       (Dan 1:9 TLB)  Now as it happened, God had given the superintendent a 
       special appreciation for Daniel and sympathy for his predicament.

       (Dan 1:10 TLB)  But he was alarmed by Daniel's suggestion. "I'm afraid 
       you will become pale and thin compared with the other youths your 
       age," he said, "and then the king will behead me for neglecting my 
       responsibilities."

       (Dan 1:11 TLB)  Daniel talked it over with the steward who was 
       appointed by the superintendent to look after Daniel, Hananiah, 
       Mishael, and Azariah,

       (Dan 1:12 TLB)  and suggested a ten-day diet of only vegetables and 
       water;

       (Dan 1:13 TLB)  then, at the end of this trial period the steward 
       could see how they looked in comparison with the other fellows who ate 
       the king's rich food and decide whether or not to let them continue 
       their diet.

       (Dan 1:14 TLB)  The steward finally agreed to the test.






       (Dan 1:15 TLB)  Well, at the end of the ten days, Daniel and his three 
       friends looked healthier and better nourished than the youths who had 
       been eating the food supplied by the king!

       (Dan 1:16 TLB)  So after that the steward fed them only vegetables and 
       water, without the rich foods and wines!

       (Dan 1:17 TLB)  God gave these four youths great ability to learn, and 
       they soon mastered all the literature and science of the time; and God 
       gave to Daniel special ability in understanding the meanings of dreams 
       and visions.

       (Dan 1:18 TLB)  When the three-year training period was completed, the 
       superintendent brought all the young men to the king for oral exams, 
       as he had been ordered to do.

       (Dan 1:19 TLB)  King Nebuchadnezzar had long talks with each of them, 
       and none of them impressed him as much as Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, 
       and Azariah. So they were put on his regular staff of advisors.

       (Dan 1:20 TLB)  And in all matters requiring information and balanced 
       judgment, the king found these young men's advice ten times better 
       than that of all the skilled magicians and wise astrologers in his 
       realm.

       (Dan 1:21 TLB)  Daniel held this appointment as the king's counselor 
       until the first year of the reign of King Cyrus.

       (Dan 2:1 TLB)  One night in the second year of his reign, 
       Nebuchadnezzar had a terrifying nightmare and awoke trembling with 
       fear. And to make matters worse, he couldn't remember his dream!

       (Dan 2:2 TLB)  He immediately called in all his magicians, 
       incantationists, sorcerers, and astrologers, and demanded that they 
       tell him what his dream had been.

       (Dan 2:3 TLB)  "I've had a terrible nightmare," he said as they stood 
       before him, "and I can't remember what it was. Tell me, for I fear 
       some tragedy awaits me."

       (Dan 2:4 TLB)  Then the astrologers (speaking in Aramaic) said to the 
       king, "Sir, tell us the dream and then we can tell you what it means."

       (Dan 2:5 TLB)  But the king replied, "I tell you the dream is gone--I 
       can't remember it. And if you won't tell me what it was and what it 
       means, I'll have you torn limb from limb and your houses made into 
       heaps of rubble!

       (Dan 2:6 TLB)  But I will give you many wonderful gifts and honors if 
       you tell me what the dream was and what it means. So, begin!"

       (Dan 2:7 TLB)  They said again, "How can we tell you what the dream 
       means unless you tell us what it was?"

       (Dan 2:8 TLB)  The king retorted, "I can see your trick! You're trying 





       to stall for time until the calamity befalls me that the dream 
       foretells.

       (Dan 2:9 TLB)  But if you don't tell me the dream, you certainly can't 
       expect me to believe your interpretation!"

       (Dan 2:10 TLB)  The astrologers replied to the king, "There isn't a 
       man alive who can tell others what they have dreamed! And there isn't 
       a king in all the world who would ask such a thing!

       (Dan 2:11 TLB)  This is an impossible thing the king requires. No one 
       except the gods can tell you your dream, and they are not here to 
       help."

       (Dan 2:12 TLB)  Upon hearing this, the king was furious and sent out 
       orders to execute all the wise men of Babylon.

       (Dan 2:13 TLB)  And Daniel and his companions were rounded up with the 
       others to be killed.

       (Dan 2:14 TLB)  But when Arioch, the chief executioner, came to kill 
       them, Daniel handled the situation with great wisdom by asking,

       (Dan 2:15 TLB)  "Why is the king so angry? What is the matter?" Then 
       Arioch told him all that had happened.

       (Dan 2:16 TLB)  So Daniel went in to see the king. "Give me a little 
       time," he said, "and I will tell you the dream and what it means."

       (Dan 2:17 TLB)  Then he went home and told Hananiah, Mishael, and 
       Azariah, his companions.

       (Dan 2:18 TLB)  They asked the God of heaven to show them his mercy by 
       telling them the secret, so they would not die with the others.

       (Dan 2:19 TLB)  And that night in a vision God told Daniel what the 
       king had dreamed. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven,

       (Dan 2:20 TLB)  saying, "Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, 
       for he alone has all wisdom and all power.

       (Dan 2:21 TLB)  World events are under his control. He removes kings 
       and sets others on their thrones. He gives wise men their wisdom and 
       scholars their intelligence.

       (Dan 2:22 TLB)  He reveals profound mysteries beyond man's 
       understanding. He knows all hidden things, for he is light, and 
       darkness is no obstacle to him.

       (Dan 2:23 TLB)  I thank and praise you, O God of my fathers, for you 
       have given me wisdom and glowing health, and now even this vision of 
       the king's dream and the understanding of what it means."

       (Dan 2:24 TLB)  Then Daniel went in to see Arioch, who had been 
       ordered to execute the wise men of Babylon, and said, "Don't kill 
       them. Take me to the king, and I will tell him what he wants to know."






       (Dan 2:25 TLB)  Then Arioch hurried Daniel in to the king and said, 
       "I've found one of the Jewish captives who will tell you your dream!"

       (Dan 2:26 TLB)  The king said to Daniel, "Is this true? Can you tell 
       me what my dream was and what it means?"

       (Dan 2:27 TLB)  Daniel replied, "No wise man, astrologer, magician, or 
       wizard can tell the king such things,

       (Dan 2:28 TLB)  but there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and 
       he has told you in your dream what will happen in the future. This was 
       your dream:

       (Dan 2:29 TLB)  "You dreamed of coming events. He who reveals secrets 
       was speaking to you.

       (Dan 2:30 TLB)  (But remember, it's not because I am wiser than any 
       living person that I know this secret of your dream, for God showed it 
       to me for your benefit.)

       (Dan 2:31 TLB)  "O king, you saw a huge and powerful statue of a man, 
       shining brilliantly, frightening and terrible.

       (Dan 2:32 TLB)  The head of the statue was made of purest gold, its 
       chest and arms were of silver, its belly and thighs of brass,

       (Dan 2:33 TLB)  its legs of iron, its feet part iron and part clay.

       (Dan 2:34 TLB)  But as you watched, a Rock was cut from the 
       mountainside by supernatural means. It came hurtling toward the statue 
       and crushed the feet of iron and clay, smashing them to bits.

       (Dan 2:35 TLB)  Then the whole statue collapsed into a heap of iron, 
       clay, brass, silver, and gold; its pieces were crushed as small as 
       chaff, and the wind blew them all away. But the Rock that knocked the 
       statue down became a great mountain that covered the whole earth.

       (Dan 2:36 TLB)  "That was the dream; now for its meaning:

       (Dan 2:37 TLB)  "Your Majesty, you are a king over many kings, for the 
       God of heaven has given you your kingdom, power, strength, and glory.

       (Dan 2:38 TLB)  You rule the farthest provinces, and even animals and 
       birds are under your control, as God decreed. You are that head of 
       gold.

       (Dan 2:39 TLB)  "But after your kingdom has come to an end, another 
       world power will arise to take your place. This empire will be 
       inferior to yours. And after that kingdom has fallen, yet a third 
       great power --represented by the bronze belly of the statue--will rise 
       to rule the world.

       (Dan 2:40 TLB)  Following it, the fourth kingdom will be strong as 
       iron--smashing, bruising, and conquering.





       (Dan 2:41 TLB)  The feet and toes you saw--part iron and part 
       clay--show that later on, this kingdom will be divided.

       (Dan 2:42 TLB)  Some parts of it will be as strong as iron, and some 
       as weak as clay.

       (Dan 2:43 TLB)  This mixture of iron with clay also shows that these 
       kingdoms will try to strengthen themselves by forming alliances with 
       each other through intermarriage of their rulers; but this will not 
       succeed, for iron and clay don't mix.

       (Dan 2:44 TLB)  "During the reigns of those kings, the God of heaven 
       will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed; no one will ever 
       conquer it. It will shatter all these kingdoms into nothingness, but 
       it shall stand forever, indestructible.

       (Dan 2:45 TLB)  That is the meaning of the Rock cut from the mountain 
       without human hands--the Rock that crushed to powder all the iron and 
       brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold. "Thus the great God has 
       shown what will happen in the future, and this interpretation of your 
       dream is as sure and certain as my description of it."

       (Dan 2:46 TLB)  Then Nebuchadnezzar fell to the ground before Daniel 
       and worshiped him and commanded his people to offer sacrifices and 
       burn sweet incense before him.

       (Dan 2:47 TLB)  "Truly, O Daniel," the king said, "your God is the God 
       of gods, Ruler of kings, the Revealer of mysteries, because he has 
       told you this secret."

       (Dan 2:48 TLB)  Then the king made Daniel very great; he gave him many 
       valuable gifts and appointed him to be ruler over the whole province 
       of Babylon, as well as chief over all his wise men.

       (Dan 2:49 TLB)  Then, at Daniel's request, the king appointed 
       Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego as Daniel's assistants, to be in 
       charge of all the affairs of the province of Babylon; Daniel served as 
       chief magistrate in the king's court.

       (Dan 3:1 TLB)  King Nebuchadnezzar made a gold statue ninety feet high 
       and nine feet wide and set it up on the Plain of Dura, in the province 
       of Babylon;

       (Dan 3:2 TLB)  then he sent messages to all the princes, governors, 
       captains, judges, treasurers, counselors, sheriffs, and rulers of all 
       the provinces of his empire, to come to the dedication of his statue.

       (Dan 3:3 TLB)  When they had all arrived and were standing before the 
       monument,

       (Dan 3:4 TLB)  a herald shouted out, "O people of all nations and 
       languages, this is the king's command:

       (Dan 3:5 TLB)  "When the band strikes up, you are to fall flat on the 
       ground to worship King Nebuchadnezzar's gold statue;





       (Dan 3:6 TLB)  anyone who refuses to obey will immediately be thrown 
       into a flaming furnace."

       (Dan 3:7 TLB)  So when the band began to play, everyone--whatever his 
       nation, language, or religion --fell to the ground and worshiped the 
       statue.

       (Dan 3:8 TLB)  But some officials went to the king and accused some of 
       the Jews of refusing to worship!

       (Dan 3:9 TLB)  "Your Majesty," they said to him,

       (Dan 3:10 TLB)  "you made a law that everyone must fall down and 
       worship the gold statue when the band begins to play,

       (Dan 3:11 TLB)  and that anyone who refuses will be thrown into a 
       flaming furnace.

       (Dan 3:12 TLB)  But there are some Jews out there--Shadrach, Meshach, 
       and Abednego, whom you have put in charge of Babylonian affairs--who 
       have defied you, refusing to serve your gods or to worship the gold 
       statue you set up."

       (Dan 3:13 TLB)  Then Nebuchadnezzar, in a terrible rage, ordered 
       Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to be brought in before him.

       (Dan 3:14 TLB)  "Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego," he 
       demanded, "that you are refusing to serve my gods or to worship the 
       gold statue I set up?

       (Dan 3:15 TLB)  I'll give you one more chance. When the music plays, 
       if you fall down and worship the statue, all will be well. But if you 
       refuse, you will be thrown into a flaming furnace within the hour. And 
       what god can deliver you out of my hands then?"

       (Dan 3:16 TLB)  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, "O 
       Nebuchadnezzar, we are not worried about what will happen to us.

       (Dan 3:17 TLB)  If we are thrown into the flaming furnace, our God is 
       able to deliver us; and he will deliver us out of your hand, Your 
       Majesty.

       (Dan 3:18 TLB)  But if he doesn't, please understand, sir, that even 
       then we will never under any circumstance serve your gods or worship 
       the gold statue you have erected."

       (Dan 3:19 TLB)  Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with fury and his face 
       became dark with anger at Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He 
       commanded that the furnace be heated up seven times hotter than usual,

       (Dan 3:20 TLB)  and called for some of the strongest men of his army 
       to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and throw them into the fire.

       (Dan 3:21 TLB)  So they bound them tight with ropes and threw them 
       into the furnace, fully clothed.





       (Dan 3:22 TLB)  And because the king, in his anger, had demanded such 
       a hot fire in the furnace, the flames leaped out and killed the 
       soldiers as they threw them in!

       (Dan 3:23 TLB)  So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego fell down bound 
       into the roaring flames.

       (Dan 3:24 TLB)  But suddenly, as he was watching, Nebuchadnezzar 
       jumped up in amazement and exclaimed to his advisors, "Didn't we throw 
       three men into the furnace?" "Yes," they said, "we did indeed, Your 
       Majesty."

       (Dan 3:25 TLB)  "Well, look!" Nebuchadnezzar shouted. "I see four men, 
       unbound, walking around in the fire, and they aren't even hurt by the 
       flames! And the fourth looks like a god!"

       (Dan 3:26 TLB)  Then Nebuchadnezzar came as close as he could to the 
       open door of the flaming furnace and yelled: "Shadrach, Meshach, and 
       Abednego, servants of the Most High God! Come out! Come here!" So they 
       stepped out of the fire.

       (Dan 3:27 TLB)  Then the princes, governors, captains, and counselors 
       crowded around them and saw that the fire hadn't touched them--not a 
       hair of their heads was singed; their coats were unscorched, and they 
       didn't even smell of smoke!

       (Dan 3:28 TLB)  Then Nebuchadnezzar said, "Blessed be the God of 
       Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, for he sent his angel to deliver his 
       trusting servants when they defied the king's commandment and were 
       willing to die rather than serve or worship any god except their own.

       (Dan 3:29 TLB)  Therefore, I make this decree, that any person of any 
       nation, language, or religion who speaks a word against the God of 
       Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be torn limb from limb and his 
       house knocked into a heap of rubble. For no other God can do what this 
       one does."

       (Dan 3:30 TLB)  Then the king gave promotions to Shadrach, Meshach, 
       and Abednego, so that they prospered greatly there in the province of 
       Babylon.

       (Dan 4:1 TLB)  This is the proclamation of Nebuchadnezzar the king, 
       which he sent to people of every language in every nation of the 
       world: Greetings:

       (Dan 4:2 TLB)  I want you all to know about the strange thing that the 
       Most High God did to me.

       (Dan 4:3 TLB)  It was incredible--a mighty miracle! And now I know for 
       sure that his kingdom is everlasting; he reigns forever and ever.

       (Dan 4:4 TLB)  I, Nebuchadnezzar, was living in peace and prosperity,

       (Dan 4:5 TLB)  when one night I had a dream that greatly frightened 
       me.





       (Dan 4:6 TLB)  I called in all the wise men of Babylon to tell me the 
       meaning of my dream,

       (Dan 4:7 TLB)  but when they came--the magicians, astrologers, 
       fortune-tellers, and wizards--and I told them the dream, they couldn't 
       interpret it.

       (Dan 4:8 TLB)  At last Daniel came in--the man I named Belteshazzar 
       after my god--the man in whom is the spirit of the holy gods, and I 
       told him the dream.

       (Dan 4:9 TLB)  "O Belteshazzar, master magician," I said, "I know that 
       the spirit of the holy gods is in you and no mystery is too great for 
       you to solve. Tell me what my dream means:

       (Dan 4:10 TLB)  "I saw a very tall tree out in a field, growing higher 
       and higher into the sky until it could be seen by everyone in all the 
       world.

       (Dan 4:11 TLB)  

       (Dan 4:12 TLB)  Its leaves were fresh and green, and its branches were 
       weighted down with fruit, enough for everyone to eat. Wild animals 
       rested beneath its shade and birds sheltered in its branches, and all 
       the world was fed from it.

       (Dan 4:13 TLB)  Then as I lay there dreaming, I saw one of God's 
       angels coming down from heaven.

       (Dan 4:14 TLB)  "He shouted, 'Cut down the tree; lop off its branches; 
       shake off its leaves, and scatter its fruit. Get the animals out from 
       under it and the birds from its branches,

       (Dan 4:15 TLB)  but leave its stump and roots in the ground, banded 
       with a chain of iron and brass, surrounded by the tender grass. Let 
       the dew of heaven drench him and let him eat grass with the wild 
       animals!

       (Dan 4:16 TLB)  For seven years let him have the mind of an animal 
       instead of a man.

       (Dan 4:17 TLB)  For this has been decreed by the Watchers, demanded by 
       the Holy Ones. The purpose of this decree is that all the world may 
       understand that the Most High dominates the kingdoms of the world and 
       gives them to anyone he wants to, even the lowliest of men!'

       (Dan 4:18 TLB)  "O Belteshazzar, that was my dream; now tell me what 
       it means. For no one else can help me; all the wisest men of my 
       kingdom have failed me. But you can tell me, for the spirit of the 
       holy gods is in you."

       (Dan 4:19 TLB)  Then Daniel sat there stunned and silent for an hour, 
       aghast at the meaning of the dream. Finally the king said to him: 
       "Belteshazzar, don't be afraid to tell me what it means." Daniel 
       replied: "Oh, that the events foreshadowed in this dream would happen 
       to your enemies, my lord, and not to you!






       (Dan 4:20 TLB)  For the tree you saw growing so tall, reaching high 
       into the heavens for all the world to see,

       (Dan 4:21 TLB)  with its fresh green leaves, loaded with fruit for all 
       to eat, the wild animals living in its shade, with its branches full 
       of birds--

       (Dan 4:22 TLB)  that tree, Your Majesty, is you. For you have grown 
       strong and great; your greatness reaches up to heaven, and your rule 
       to the ends of the earth.

       (Dan 4:23 TLB)  "Then you saw God's angel coming down from heaven and 
       saying, 'Cut down the tree and destroy it, but leave the stump and the 
       roots in the earth surrounded by tender grass, banded with a chain of 
       iron and brass. Let him be wet with the dew of heaven. For seven years 
       let him eat grass with the animals of the field.'

       (Dan 4:24 TLB)  "Your Majesty, the Most High God has decreed--and it 
       will surely happen--

       (Dan 4:25 TLB)  that your people will chase you from your palace, and 
       you will live in the fields like an animal, eating grass like a cow, 
       your back wet with dew from heaven. For seven years this will be your 
       life, until you learn that the Most High God dominates the kingdoms of 
       men and gives power to anyone he chooses.

       (Dan 4:26 TLB)  But the stump and the roots were left in the ground! 
       This means that you will get your kingdom back again when you have 
       learned that heaven rules.

       (Dan 4:27 TLB)  "O King Nebuchadnezzar, listen to me--stop sinning; do 
       what you know is right; be merciful to the poor. Perhaps even yet God 
       will spare you."

       (Dan 4:28 TLB)  But all these things happened to Nebuchadnezzar.

       (Dan 4:29 TLB)  Twelve months after this dream, he was strolling on 
       the roof of the royal palace in Babylon,

       (Dan 4:30 TLB)  and saying, "I, by my own mighty power, have built 
       this beautiful city as my royal residence and as the capital of my 
       empire."

       (Dan 4:31 TLB)  While he was still speaking these words, a voice 
       called down from heaven, "O King Nebuchadnezzar, this message is for 
       you: You are no longer ruler of this kingdom.

       (Dan 4:32 TLB)  You will be forced out of the palace to live with the 
       animals in the fields and to eat grass like the cows for seven years, 
       until you finally realize that God parcels out the kingdoms of men and 
       gives them to anyone he chooses."

       (Dan 4:33 TLB)  That very same hour this prophecy was fulfilled. 
       Nebuchadnezzar was chased from his palace and ate grass like the cows, 
       and his body was wet with dew; his hair grew as long as eagles' 





       feathers, and his nails were like birds' claws.

       (Dan 4:34 TLB)  "At the end of seven years I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked 
       up to heaven, and my sanity returned, and I praised and worshiped the 
       Most High God and honored him who lives forever, whose rule is 
       everlasting, his kingdom evermore.

       (Dan 4:35 TLB)  All the people of the earth are nothing when compared 
       to him; he does whatever he thinks best among the angels of heaven, as 
       well as here on earth. No one can stop him or challenge him, saying, 
       'What do you mean by doing these things?'

       (Dan 4:36 TLB)  When my mind returned to me, so did my honor and glory 
       and kingdom. My counselors and officers came back to me, and I was 
       reestablished as head of my kingdom, with even greater honor than 
       before.

       (Dan 4:37 TLB)  "Now, I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and glorify and honor 
       the King of Heaven, the Judge of all, whose every act is right and 
       good; for he is able to take those who walk proudly and push them into 
       the dust!"

       (Dan 5:1 TLB)  Belshazzar the king invited a thousand of his officers 
       to a great feast where the wine flowed freely.

       (Dan 5:2 TLB)  While Belshazzar was drinking, he was reminded of the 
       gold and silver cups taken long before from the Temple in Jerusalem 
       during Nebuchadnezzar's reign and brought to Babylon. Belshazzar 
       ordered that these sacred cups be brought in to the feast,

       (Dan 5:3 TLB)  and when they arrived, he and his princes, wives, and 
       concubines drank toasts from them

       (Dan 5:4 TLB)  to their idols made of gold and silver, brass and iron, 
       wood and stone.

       (Dan 5:5 TLB)  Suddenly, as they were drinking from these cups, they 
       saw the fingers of a man's hand writing on the plaster of the wall 
       opposite the lampstand. The king himself saw the fingers as they 
       wrote.

       (Dan 5:6 TLB)  His face blanched with fear, and such terror gripped 
       him that his knees knocked together and his legs gave way beneath him.

       (Dan 5:7 TLB)  "Bring the magicians and astrologers!" he screamed. 
       "Bring the Chaldeans! Whoever reads that writing on the wall and tells 
       me what it means will be dressed in purple robes of royal honor, with 
       a gold chain around his neck, and he will become the third ruler in 
       the kingdom!"

       (Dan 5:8 TLB)  But when they came, none of them could understand the 
       writing or tell him what it meant.

       (Dan 5:9 TLB)  The king grew more and more hysterical; his face 
       reflected the terror he felt, and his officers too were shaken.





       (Dan 5:10 TLB)  But when the queen-mother heard what was happening, 
       she rushed to the banquet hall and said to Belshazzar, "Calm yourself, 
       Your Majesty, don't be so pale and frightened over this.

       (Dan 5:11 TLB)  For there is a man in your kingdom who has within him 
       the spirit of the holy gods. In the days of your father this man was 
       found to be as full of wisdom and understanding as though he were 
       himself a god. And in the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar, he was made 
       chief of all the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers of 
       Babylon.

       (Dan 5:12 TLB)  Call for this man, Daniel--or Belteshazzar, as the 
       king called him--for his mind is filled with divine knowledge and 
       understanding. He can interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve 
       knotty problems. He will tell you what the writing means."

       (Dan 5:13 TLB)  So Daniel was rushed in to see the king. The king 
       asked him, "Are you the Daniel brought from Israel as a captive by 
       King Nebuchadnezzar?

       (Dan 5:14 TLB)  I have heard that you have the spirit of the gods 
       within you and that you are filled with enlightenment and wisdom.

       (Dan 5:15 TLB)  My wise men and astrologers have tried to read that 
       writing on the wall and tell me what it means, but they can't.

       (Dan 5:16 TLB)  I am told you can solve all kinds of mysteries. If you 
       can tell me the meaning of those words, I will clothe you in purple 
       robes, with a gold chain around your neck, and make you the third 
       ruler in the kingdom."

       (Dan 5:17 TLB)  Daniel answered, "Keep your gifts or give them to 
       someone else, but I will tell you what the writing means.

       (Dan 5:18 TLB)  Your Majesty, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar, 
       who long ago preceded you, a kingdom and majesty and glory and honor.

       (Dan 5:19 TLB)  He gave him such majesty that all the nations of the 
       world trembled before him in fear. He killed any who offended him and 
       spared any he liked. At his whim they rose or fell.

       (Dan 5:20 TLB)  But when his heart and mind were hardened in pride, 
       God removed him from his royal throne and took away his glory.

       (Dan 5:21 TLB)  He was chased out of his palace into the fields. His 
       thoughts and feelings became those of an animal, and he lived among 
       the wild donkeys; he ate grass like the cows, and his body was wet 
       with the dew of heaven, until at last he knew that the Most High 
       overrules the kingdoms of men and appoints anyone he desires to reign 
       over them.

       (Dan 5:22 TLB)  "And you, his successor, O Belshazzar--you knew all 
       this, yet you have not been humble.

       (Dan 5:23 TLB)  For you have defied the Lord of Heaven and brought 
       here these cups from his Temple; and you and your officers and wives 





       and concubines have been drinking wine from them while praising gods 
       of silver, gold, brass, iron, wood, and stone--gods that neither see 
       nor hear nor know anything at all. But you have not praised the God 
       who gives you the breath of life and controls your destiny!

       (Dan 5:24 TLB)  And so God sent those fingers to write this message: 
       'Mene,' 'Mene,' 'Tekel,' 'Parsin.'

       (Dan 5:25 TLB)  

       (Dan 5:26 TLB)  "This is what it means: "Mene means 'numbered'--God 
       has numbered the days of your reign, and they are ended.

       (Dan 5:27 TLB)  "Tekel means 'weighed'--you have been weighed in God's 
       balances and have failed the test.

       (Dan 5:28 TLB)  "Parsin means 'divided'--your kingdom will be divided 
       and given to the Medes and Persians."

       (Dan 5:29 TLB)  Then at Belshazzar's command, Daniel was robed in 
       purple, a gold chain was hung around his neck, and he was proclaimed 
       third ruler in the kingdom.

       (Dan 5:30 TLB)  That very night Belshazzar, the Chaldean king, was 
       killed,

       (Dan 5:31 TLB)  and Darius the Mede entered the city and began 
       reigning at the age of sixty-two.

       (Dan 6:1 TLB)  Darius divided the kingdom into 120 provinces, each 
       under a governor.

       (Dan 6:2 TLB)  The governors were accountable to three presidents 
       (Daniel was one of them) so the king could administer the kingdom 
       efficiently.

       (Dan 6:3 TLB)  Daniel soon proved himself more capable than all the 
       other presidents and governors, for he had great ability, and the king 
       began to think of placing him over the entire empire as his 
       administrative officer.

       (Dan 6:4 TLB)  This made the other presidents and governors very 
       jealous, and they began searching for some fault in the way Daniel was 
       handling his affairs so that they could complain to the king about 
       him. But they couldn't find anything to criticize! He was faithful and 
       honest and made no mistakes.

       (Dan 6:5 TLB)  So they concluded, "Our only chance is his religion!"

       (Dan 6:6 TLB)  They decided to go to the king and say, "King Darius, 
       live forever!

       (Dan 6:7 TLB)  We presidents, governors, counselors, and deputies have 
       unanimously decided that you should make a law, irrevocable under any 
       circumstance, that for the next thirty days anyone who asks a favor of 
       God or man--except from you, Your Majesty--shall be thrown to the 





       lions.

       (Dan 6:8 TLB)  Your Majesty, we request your signature on this law; 
       sign it so that it cannot be canceled or changed; it will be a 'law of 
       the Medes and Persians' that cannot be revoked."

       (Dan 6:9 TLB)  So King Darius signed the law.

       (Dan 6:10 TLB)  But though Daniel knew about it, he went home and 
       knelt down as usual in his upstairs bedroom, with its windows open 
       toward Jerusalem, and prayed three times a day, just as he always had, 
       giving thanks to his God.

       (Dan 6:11 TLB)  Then the men thronged to Daniel's house and found him 
       praying there, asking favors of his God.

       (Dan 6:12 TLB)  They rushed back to the king and reminded him about 
       his law. "Haven't you signed a decree," they demanded, "that permits 
       no petitions to any God or man--except you--for thirty days? And 
       anyone disobeying will be thrown to the lions?" "Yes," the king 
       replied, "it is 'a law of the Medes and Persians,' that cannot be 
       altered or revoked."

       (Dan 6:13 TLB)  Then they told the king, "That fellow Daniel, one of 
       the Jewish captives, is paying no attention to you or your law. He is 
       asking favors of his God three times a day."

       (Dan 6:14 TLB)  Hearing this, the king was very angry with himself for 
       signing the law and determined to save Daniel. He spent the rest of 
       the day trying to think of some way to get Daniel out of this 
       predicament.

       (Dan 6:15 TLB)  In the evening the men came again to the king and 
       said, "Your Majesty, there is nothing you can do. You signed the law, 
       and it cannot be changed."

       (Dan 6:16 TLB)  So at last the king gave the order for Daniel's 
       arrest, and he was taken to the den of lions. The king said to him, 
       "May your God, whom you worship continually, deliver you." And then 
       they threw him in.

       (Dan 6:17 TLB)  A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the 
       den; and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with that of 
       his government, so that no one could rescue Daniel from the lions.

       (Dan 6:18 TLB)  Then the king returned to his palace and went to bed 
       without dinner. He refused his usual entertainment and didn't sleep 
       all night.

       (Dan 6:19 TLB)  Very early the next morning he hurried out to the 
       lions' den

       (Dan 6:20 TLB)  and called out in anguish, "O Daniel, servant of the 
       Living God, was your God, whom you worship continually, able to 
       deliver you from the lions?"





       (Dan 6:21 TLB)  Then he heard a voice! "Your Majesty, live forever!" 
       It was Daniel!

       (Dan 6:22 TLB)  "My God has sent his angel," he said, "to shut the 
       lions' mouths so that they can't touch me, for I am innocent before 
       God; nor, sir, have I wronged you."

       (Dan 6:23 TLB)  The king was beside himself with joy and ordered 
       Daniel lifted from the den. And not a scratch was found on him because 
       he believed in his God.

       (Dan 6:24 TLB)  Then the king issued a command to bring the men who 
       had accused Daniel and throw them into the den along with their 
       children and wives, and the lions leaped upon them and tore them apart 
       before they even hit the bottom of the den.

       (Dan 6:25 TLB)  Afterward King Darius wrote this message addressed to 
       everyone in his empire: "Greetings!

       (Dan 6:26 TLB)  I decree that everyone shall tremble and fear before 
       the God of Daniel in every part of my kingdom. For his God is the 
       living, unchanging God whose kingdom shall never be destroyed and 
       whose power shall never end.

       (Dan 6:27 TLB)  He delivers his people, preserving them from harm; he 
       does great miracles in heaven and earth; it is he who delivered Daniel 
       from the power of the lions."

       (Dan 6:28 TLB)  So Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius and in the 
       reign of Cyrus the Persian.

       (Dan 7:1 TLB)  One night during the first year of Belshazzar's reign 
       over the Babylonian Empire, Daniel had a dream and he wrote it down. 
       This is his description of what he saw:

       (Dan 7:2 TLB)  In my dream I saw a great storm on a mighty ocean, with 
       strong winds blowing from every direction.

       (Dan 7:3 TLB)  Then four huge animals came up out of the water, each 
       different from the other.

       (Dan 7:4 TLB)  The first was like a lion, but it had eagle's wings! 
       And as I watched, its wings were pulled off so that it could no longer 
       fly, and it was left standing on the ground, on two feet, like a man; 
       and a man's mind was given to it.

       (Dan 7:5 TLB)  The second animal looked like a bear with its paw 
       raised, ready to strike. It held three ribs between its teeth, and I 
       heard a voice saying to it, "Get up! Devour many people!"

       (Dan 7:6 TLB)  The third of these strange animals looked like a 
       leopard, but on its back it had wings like those of birds, and it had 
       four heads! And great power was given to it over all mankind.

       (Dan 7:7 TLB)  Then, as I watched in my dream, a fourth animal rose up 
       out of the ocean, too dreadful to describe and incredibly strong. It 





       devoured some of its victims by tearing them apart with its huge iron 
       teeth, and others it crushed beneath its feet. It was far more brutal 
       and vicious than any of the other animals, and it had ten horns.

       (Dan 7:8 TLB)  As I was looking at the horns, suddenly another small 
       horn appeared among them, and three of the first ones were yanked out, 
       roots and all, to give it room; this little horn had a man's eyes and 
       a bragging mouth.

       (Dan 7:9 TLB)  I watched as thrones were put in place and the Ancient 
       of Days--the Almighty God--sat down to judge. His clothing was as 
       white as snow, his hair like whitest wool. He sat upon a fiery throne 
       brought in on flaming wheels, and

       (Dan 7:10 TLB)  a river of fire flowed from before him. Millions of 
       angels ministered to him, and hundreds of millions of people stood 
       before him, waiting to be judged. Then the court began its session, 
       and the books were opened.

       (Dan 7:11 TLB)  As I watched, the brutal fourth animal was killed and 
       its body handed over to be burned because of its arrogance against 
       Almighty God and the boasting of its little horn.

       (Dan 7:12 TLB)  As for the other three animals, their kingdoms were 
       taken from them, but they were allowed to live a short time longer.

       (Dan 7:13 TLB)  Next I saw the arrival of a Man--or so he seemed to 
       be--brought there on clouds from heaven; he approached the Ancient of 
       Days and was presented to him.

       (Dan 7:14 TLB)  He was given the ruling power and glory over all the 
       nations of the world, so that all people of every language must obey 
       him. His power is eternal--it will never end; his government shall 
       never fall.

       (Dan 7:15 TLB)  I was confused and disturbed by all I had seen (Daniel 
       wrote in his report),

       (Dan 7:16 TLB)  so I approached one of those standing beside the 
       throne and asked him the meaning of all these things, and he explained 
       them to me.

       (Dan 7:17 TLB)  "These four huge animals," he said, "represent four 
       kings who will someday rule the earth.

       (Dan 7:18 TLB)  But in the end the people of the Most High God shall 
       rule the governments of the world forever and forever."

       (Dan 7:19 TLB)  Then I asked about the fourth animal, the one so 
       brutal and shocking, with its iron teeth and brass claws that tore men 
       apart and stamped others to death with its feet.

       (Dan 7:20 TLB)  I asked, too, about the ten horns and the little horn 
       that came up afterward and destroyed three of the others--the horn 
       with the eyes and the loud, bragging mouth, the one that was stronger 
       than the others.






       (Dan 7:21 TLB)  For I had seen this horn warring against God's people 
       and winning,

       (Dan 7:22 TLB)  until the Ancient of Days came and opened his court 
       and vindicated his people, giving them worldwide powers of government.

       (Dan 7:23 TLB)  "This fourth animal," he told me, "is the fourth world 
       power that will rule the earth. It will be more brutal than any of the 
       others; it will devour the whole world, destroying everything before 
       it.

       (Dan 7:24 TLB)  His ten horns are ten kings that will rise out of his 
       empire; then another king will arise, more brutal than the other ten, 
       and will destroy three of them.

       (Dan 7:25 TLB)  He will defy the Most High God and wear down the 
       saints with persecution, and he will try to change all laws, morals, 
       and customs. God's people will be helpless in his hands for three and 
       a half years.

       (Dan 7:26 TLB)  "But then the Ancient of Days will come and open his 
       court of justice and take all power from this vicious king, to consume 
       and destroy it until the end.

       (Dan 7:27 TLB)  Then all nations under heaven and their power shall be 
       given to the people of God; they shall rule all things forever, and 
       all rulers shall serve and obey them."

       (Dan 7:28 TLB)  That was the end of the dream. When I awoke, I was 
       greatly disturbed, and my face was pale with fright, but I told no one 
       what I had seen.

       (Dan 8:1 TLB)  In the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar, I 
       had another dream similar to the first.

       (Dan 8:2 TLB)  This time I was at Susa, the capital in the province of 
       Elam, standing beside the Ulai River.

       (Dan 8:3 TLB)  As I was looking around, I saw a ram with two long 
       horns standing on the riverbank; and as I watched, one of these horns 
       began to grow, so that it was longer than the other.

       (Dan 8:4 TLB)  The ram butted everything out of its way, and no one 
       could stand against it or help its victims. It did as it pleased and 
       became very great.

       (Dan 8:5 TLB)  While I was wondering what this could mean, suddenly a 
       buck goat appeared from the west so swiftly that it didn't even touch 
       the ground. This goat, which had one very large horn between its eyes,

       (Dan 8:6 TLB)  rushed furiously at the two-horned ram.

       (Dan 8:7 TLB)  And the closer he came, the angrier he was. He charged 
       into the ram and broke off both his horns. Now the ram was helpless, 
       and the buck goat knocked him down and trampled him, for there was no 





       one to rescue him.

       (Dan 8:8 TLB)  The victor became both proud and powerful, but 
       suddenly, at the height of his power, his horn was broken, and in its 
       place grew four good-sized horns pointing in four directions.

       (Dan 8:9 TLB)  One of these, growing slowly at first, soon became very 
       strong and attacked the south and east, and warred against the land of 
       Israel.

       (Dan 8:10 TLB)  He fought against the people of God and defeated some 
       of their leaders.

       (Dan 8:11 TLB)  He even challenged the Commander of the army of heaven 
       by canceling the daily sacrifices offered to him and by defiling his 
       Temple.

       (Dan 8:12 TLB)  But the army of heaven was restrained from destroying 
       him for this transgression. As a result, truth and righteousness 
       perished, and evil triumphed and prospered.

       (Dan 8:13 TLB)  Then I heard two of the holy angels talking to each 
       other. One of them said, "How long will it be until the daily 
       sacrifice is restored again? How long until the destruction of the 
       Temple is avenged and God's people triumph?"

       (Dan 8:14 TLB)  The other replied, "Twenty-three hundred days must 
       first go by."

       (Dan 8:15 TLB)  As I was trying to understand the meaning of this 
       vision, suddenly a man was standing in front of me--or at least he 
       looked like a man--

       (Dan 8:16 TLB)  and I heard a man's voice calling from across the 
       river, "Gabriel, tell Daniel the meaning of his dream."

       (Dan 8:17 TLB)  So Gabriel started toward me. But as he approached, I 
       was too frightened to stand and fell down with my face to the ground. 
       "Son of man," he said, "you must understand that the events you have 
       seen in your vision will not take place until the end times come."

       (Dan 8:18 TLB)  Then I fainted, lying face downward on the ground. But 
       he roused me with a touch and helped me to my feet.

       (Dan 8:19 TLB)  "I am here," he said, "to tell you what is going to 
       happen in the last days of the coming time of terror--for what you 
       have seen pertains to that final event in history.

       (Dan 8:20 TLB)  "The two horns of the ram you saw are the kings of 
       Media and Persia;

       (Dan 8:21 TLB)  the shaggy-haired goat is the nation of Greece, and 
       its long horn represents the first great king of that country.

       (Dan 8:22 TLB)  When you saw the horn break off and four smaller horns 
       replace it, this meant that the Grecian Empire will break into four 





       sections with four kings, none of them as great as the first.

       (Dan 8:23 TLB)  "Toward the end of their kingdoms, when they have 
       become morally rotten, an angry king shall rise to power with great 
       shrewdness and intelligence.

       (Dan 8:24 TLB)  His power shall be mighty, but it will be satanic 
       strength and not his own. Prospering wherever he turns, he will 
       destroy all who oppose him, though their armies be mighty, and he will 
       devastate God's people.

       (Dan 8:25 TLB)  "He will be a master of deception, defeating many by 
       catching them off guard as they bask in false security. Without 
       warning he will destroy them. So great will he fancy himself to be 
       that he will even take on the Prince of Princes in battle; but in so 
       doing he will seal his own doom, for he shall be broken by the hand of 
       God, though no human means could overpower him.

       (Dan 8:26 TLB)  "And then in your vision you heard about the 
       twenty-three hundred days to pass before the rights of worship are 
       restored. This number is literal, and means just that. But none of 
       these things will happen for a long time, so don't tell anyone about 
       them yet."

       (Dan 8:27 TLB)  Then I grew faint and was sick for several days. 
       Afterward I was up and around again and performed my duties for the 
       king, but I was greatly distressed by the dream and did not understand 
       it.

       (Dan 9:1 TLB)  It was now the first year of the reign of King Darius, 
       the son of Ahasuerus. (Darius was a Mede but became king of the 
       Chaldeans.)

       (Dan 9:2 TLB)  In that first year of his reign, I, Daniel, learned 
       from the book of Jeremiah the prophet, that Jerusalem must lie 
       desolate for seventy years.

       (Dan 9:3 TLB)  So I earnestly pleaded with the Lord God (to end our 
       captivity and send us back to our own land). As I prayed, I fasted and 
       wore rough sackcloth, and I sprinkled myself with ashes

       (Dan 9:4 TLB)  and confessed my sins and those of my people. "O Lord," 
       I prayed, "you are a great and awesome God; you always fulfill your 
       promises of mercy to those who love you and keep your laws.

       (Dan 9:5 TLB)  But we have sinned so much; we have rebelled against 
       you and scorned your commands.

       (Dan 9:6 TLB)  We have refused to listen to your servants the 
       prophets, whom you sent again and again down through the years, with 
       your messages to our kings and princes and to all the people.

       (Dan 9:7 TLB)  "O Lord, you are righteous; but as for us, we are 
       always shamefaced with sin, just as you see us now; yes, all of 
       us--the men of Judah, the people of Jerusalem, and all Israel, 
       scattered near and far wherever you have driven us because of our 





       disloyalty to you.

       (Dan 9:8 TLB)  O Lord, we and our kings and princes and fathers are 
       weighted down with shame because of all our sins.

       (Dan 9:9 TLB)  "But the Lord our God is merciful and pardons even 
       those who have rebelled against him.

       (Dan 9:10 TLB)  "O Lord our God, we have disobeyed you; we have 
       flouted all the laws you gave us through your servants, the prophets.

       (Dan 9:11 TLB)  All Israel has disobeyed; we have turned away from you 
       and haven't listened to your voice. And so the awesome curse of God 
       has crushed us--the curse written in the law of Moses your servant.

       (Dan 9:12 TLB)  And you have done exactly as you warned us you would 
       do, for never in all history has there been a disaster like what 
       happened at Jerusalem to us and our rulers.

       (Dan 9:13 TLB)  Every curse against us written in the law of Moses has 
       come true; all the evils he predicted--all have come. But even so we 
       still refuse to satisfy the Lord our God by turning from our sins and 
       doing right.

       (Dan 9:14 TLB)  "And so the Lord deliberately crushed us with the 
       calamity he prepared; he is fair in everything he does, but we would 
       not obey.

       (Dan 9:15 TLB)  O Lord our God, you brought lasting honor to your name 
       by removing your people from Egypt in a great display of power. Lord, 
       do it again! Though we have sinned so much and are full of wickedness,

       (Dan 9:16 TLB)  yet because of all your faithful mercies, Lord, please 
       turn away your furious anger from Jerusalem, your own city, your holy 
       mountain. For the heathen mock at you because your city lies in ruins 
       for our sins.

       (Dan 9:17 TLB)  "O our God, hear your servant's prayer! Listen as I 
       plead! Let your face shine again with peace and joy upon your desolate 
       sanctuary--for your own glory, Lord.

       (Dan 9:18 TLB)  "O my God, bend down your ear and listen to my plea. 
       Open your eyes and see our wretchedness, how your city lies in 
       ruins--for everyone knows that it is yours. We don't ask because we 
       merit help, but because you are so merciful despite our grievous sins.

       (Dan 9:19 TLB)  "O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, listen to me 
       and act! Don't delay--for your own sake, O my God, because your people 
       and your city bear your name."

       (Dan 9:20 TLB)  Even while I was praying and confessing my sin and the 
       sins of my people, desperately pleading with the Lord my God for 
       Jerusalem, his holy mountain,

       (Dan 9:21 TLB)  Gabriel, whom I had seen in the earlier vision, flew 
       swiftly to me at the time of the evening sacrifice






       (Dan 9:22 TLB)  and said to me, "Daniel, I am here to help you 
       understand God's plans.

       (Dan 9:23 TLB)  The moment you began praying a command was given. I am 
       here to tell you what it was, for God loves you very much. Listen and 
       try to understand the meaning of the vision that you saw!

       (Dan 9:24 TLB)  "The Lord has commanded 490 years of further 
       punishment upon Jerusalem and your people. Then at last they will 
       learn to stay away from sin, and their guilt will be cleansed; then 
       the kingdom of everlasting righteousness will begin, and the Most Holy 
       Place (in the Temple) will be rededicated, as the prophets have 
       declared.

       (Dan 9:25 TLB)  Now listen! It will be 49 years plus 434 years from 
       the time the command is given to rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed 
       One comes! Jerusalem's streets and walls will be rebuilt despite the 
       perilous times.

       (Dan 9:26 TLB)  "After this period of 434 years, the Anointed One will 
       be killed, his kingdom still unrealized. . . and a king will arise 
       whose armies will destroy the city and the Temple. They will be 
       overwhelmed as with a flood, and war and its miseries are decreed from 
       that time to the very end.

       (Dan 9:27 TLB)  This king will make a seven-year treaty with the 
       people, but after half that time, he will break his pledge and stop 
       the Jews from all their sacrifices and their offerings; then, as a 
       climax to all his terrible deeds, the Enemy shall utterly defile the 
       sanctuary of God. But in God's time and plan, his judgment will be 
       poured out upon this Evil One."

       (Dan 10:1 TLB)  In the third year of the reign of Cyrus, king of 
       Persia, Daniel (also called Belteshazzar) had another vision. It 
       concerned events certain to happen in the future: times of great 
       tribulation--wars and sorrows, and this time he understood what the 
       vision meant.

       (Dan 10:2 TLB)  When this vision came to me (Daniel said later), I had 
       been in mourning for three full weeks.

       (Dan 10:3 TLB)  All that time I tasted neither wine nor meat, and, of 
       course, I went without desserts. I neither washed nor shaved nor 
       combed my hair.

       (Dan 10:4 TLB)  Then one day early in April, as I was standing beside 
       the great Tigris River,

       (Dan 10:5 TLB)  I looked up, and suddenly there before me stood a 
       person robed in linen garments, with a belt of purest gold around his 
       waist

       (Dan 10:6 TLB)  and glowing, lustrous skin! From his face came 
       blinding flashes like lightning, and his eyes were pools of fire; his 
       arms and feet shone like polished brass, and his voice was like the 





       roaring of a vast multitude of people.

       (Dan 10:7 TLB)  I, Daniel, alone saw this great vision; the men with 
       me saw nothing, but they were suddenly filled with unreasoning terror 
       and ran to hide,

       (Dan 10:8 TLB)  so I was left alone. When I saw this frightening 
       vision, my strength left me, and I grew pale and weak with fright.

       (Dan 10:9 TLB)  Then he spoke to me, and I fell to the ground face 
       downward in a deep faint.

       (Dan 10:10 TLB)  But a hand touched me and lifted me, still trembling, 
       to my hands and knees.

       (Dan 10:11 TLB)  And I heard his voice-- "O Daniel, greatly beloved of 
       God," he said, "stand up and listen carefully to what I have to say to 
       you, for God has sent me to you." So I stood up, still trembling with 
       fear.

       (Dan 10:12 TLB)  Then he said, "Don't be frightened, Daniel, for your 
       request has been heard in heaven and was answered the very first day 
       you began to fast before the Lord and pray for understanding; that 
       very day I was sent here to meet you.

       (Dan 10:13 TLB)  But for twenty-one days the mighty Evil Spirit who 
       overrules the kingdom of Persia blocked my way. Then Michael, one of 
       the top officers of the heavenly army, came to help me, so that I was 
       able to break through these spirit rulers of Persia.

       (Dan 10:14 TLB)  Now I am here to tell you what will happen to your 
       people, the Jews, at the end times--for the fulfillment of this 
       prophecy is many years away."

       (Dan 10:15 TLB)  All this time I was looking down, unable to speak a 
       word.

       (Dan 10:16 TLB)  Then someone--he looked like a man--touched my lips 
       and I could talk again, and I said to the messenger from heaven, "Sir, 
       I am terrified by your appearance and have no strength.

       (Dan 10:17 TLB)  How can such a person as I even talk to you? For my 
       strength is gone, and I can hardly breathe."

       (Dan 10:18 TLB)  Then the one who seemed to be a man touched me again, 
       and I felt my strength returning.

       (Dan 10:19 TLB)  "God loves you very much," he said; "don't be afraid! 
       Calm yourself; be strong--yes, strong!" Suddenly, as he spoke these 
       words, I felt stronger and said to him, "Now you can go ahead and 
       speak, sir, for you have strengthened me."

       (Dan 10:20 TLB)  He replied, "Do you know why I have come? I am here 
       to tell you what is written in the 'Book of the Future.' Then, when I 
       leave, I will go again to fight my way back, past the prince of 
       Persia; and after him, the prince of Greece.






       (Dan 10:21 TLB)  Only Michael, the angel who guards your people 
       Israel, will be there to help me.

       (Dan 11:1 TLB)  "I was the one sent to strengthen and help Darius the 
       Mede in the first year of his reign.

       (Dan 11:2 TLB)  But now I will show you what the future holds. Three 
       more Persian kings will reign, to be succeeded by a fourth, far richer 
       than the others. Using his wealth for political advantage, he will 
       plan total war against Greece.

       (Dan 11:3 TLB)  "Then a mighty king will rise in Greece, a king who 
       will rule a vast kingdom and accomplish everything he sets out to do.

       (Dan 11:4 TLB)  But at the zenith of his power, his kingdom will break 
       apart and be divided into four weaker nations, not even ruled by his 
       sons. For his empire will be torn apart and given to others.

       (Dan 11:5 TLB)  One of them, the king of Egypt, will increase in 
       power, but this king's own officials will rebel against him and take 
       away his kingdom and make it still more powerful.

       (Dan 11:6 TLB)  "Several years later an alliance will be formed 
       between the king of Syria and the king of Egypt. The daughter of the 
       king of Egypt will be given in marriage to the king of Syria as a 
       gesture of peace, but she will lose her influence over him, and not 
       only will her hopes be blighted, but those of her father, the king of 
       Egypt, and of her ambassador and child.

       (Dan 11:7 TLB)  But when her brother takes over as king of Egypt, he 
       will raise an army against the king of Syria and march against him and 
       defeat him.

       (Dan 11:8 TLB)  When he returns again to Egypt, he will carry back 
       their idols with him, along with priceless gold and silver dishes; and 
       for many years afterward he will leave the Syrian king alone.

       (Dan 11:9 TLB)  "Meanwhile, the king of Syria will invade Egypt 
       briefly but will soon return again to his own land.

       (Dan 11:10 TLB)  However, the sons of this Syrian king will assemble a 
       mighty army that will overflow across Israel into Egypt, to a fortress 
       there.

       (Dan 11:11 TLB)  Then the king of Egypt, in great anger, will rally 
       against the vast forces of Syria and defeat them.

       (Dan 11:12 TLB)  Filled with pride after this great victory, he will 
       have many thousands of his enemies killed, but his success will be 
       short-lived.

       (Dan 11:13 TLB)  "A few years later the Syrian king will return with a 
       fully-equipped army far greater than the one he lost,

       (Dan 11:14 TLB)  and other nations will join him in a crusade against 





       Egypt. Insurgents among your own people, the Jews, will join them, 
       thus fulfilling prophecy, but they will not succeed.

       (Dan 11:15 TLB)  Then the Syrian king and his allies will come and lay 
       siege to a fortified city of Egypt and capture it, and the proud 
       armies of Egypt will go down to defeat.

       (Dan 11:16 TLB)  "The Syrian king will march onward unopposed; none 
       will be able to stop him. And he will also enter 'The Glorious Land' 
       of Israel and pillage it.

       (Dan 11:17 TLB)  This will be his plot for conquering all Egypt: he, 
       too, will form an alliance with the Egyptian king, giving him a 
       daughter in marriage, so that she can work for him from within. But 
       the plan will fail.

       (Dan 11:18 TLB)  "After this he will turn his attention to the coastal 
       cities and conquer many. But a general will stop him and cause him to 
       retreat in shame.

       (Dan 11:19 TLB)  He will turn homeward again but will have trouble on 
       the way and disappear.

       (Dan 11:20 TLB)  "His successor will be remembered as the king who 
       sent a tax collector into Israel, but after a very brief reign, he 
       will die mysteriously, though neither in battle nor in riot.

       (Dan 11:21 TLB)  "Next to come to power will be an evil man not 
       directly in line for royal succession. But during a crisis he will 
       take over the kingdom by flattery and intrigue.

       (Dan 11:22 TLB)  Then all opposition will be swept away before him, 
       including a leader of the priests.

       (Dan 11:23 TLB)  His promises will be worthless. From the first his 
       method will be deceit; with a mere handful of followers, he will 
       become strong.

       (Dan 11:24 TLB)  He will enter the richest areas of the land without 
       warning and do something never done before: he will take the property 
       and wealth of the rich and scatter it out among the people. With great 
       success he will besiege and capture powerful strongholds throughout 
       his dominions, but this will last for only a short while.

       (Dan 11:25 TLB)  Then he will stir up his courage and raise a great 
       army against Egypt; and Egypt, too, will raise a mighty army, but to 
       no avail, for plots against him will succeed.

       (Dan 11:26 TLB)  "Those of his own household will bring his downfall; 
       his army will desert, and many be killed.

       (Dan 11:27 TLB)  "Both these kings will be plotting against each other 
       at the conference table, attempting to deceive each other. But it will 
       make no difference, for neither can succeed until God's appointed time 
       has come.





       (Dan 11:28 TLB)  "The Syrian king will then return home with great 
       riches, first marching through Israel and destroying it.

       (Dan 11:29 TLB)  Then at the predestined time he will once again turn 
       his armies southward, as he had threatened, but now it will be a very 
       different story from those first two occasions.

       (Dan 11:30 TLB)  For Roman warships will scare him off, and he will 
       withdraw and return home. Angered by having to retreat, the Syrian 
       king will again pillage Jerusalem

       (Dan 11:31 TLB)  and pollute the sanctuary, putting a stop to the 
       daily sacrifices, and worshiping idols inside the Temple. He will 
       leave godless Jews in power when he leaves--men who have abandoned 
       their fathers' faith.

       (Dan 11:32 TLB)  He will flatter those who hate the things of God and 
       win them over to his side. But the people who know their God shall be 
       strong and do great things.

       (Dan 11:33 TLB)  "Those with spiritual understanding will have a wide 
       ministry of teaching in those days. But they will be in constant 
       danger, many of them dying by fire and sword, or being jailed and 
       robbed.

       (Dan 11:34 TLB)  Eventually these pressures will subside, and some 
       ungodly men will come, pretending to offer a helping hand, only to 
       take advantage of them.

       (Dan 11:35 TLB)  "And some who are most gifted in the things of God 
       will stumble in those days and fall, but this will only refine and 
       cleanse them and make them pure until the final end of all their 
       trials, at God's appointed time.

       (Dan 11:36 TLB)  "The king will do exactly as he pleases, claiming to 
       be greater than every god there is, even blaspheming the God of gods, 
       and prospering--until his time is up. For God's plans are unshakable.

       (Dan 11:37 TLB)  He will have no regard for the gods of his fathers, 
       nor for the god beloved of women, nor any other god, for he will boast 
       that he is greater than them all.

       (Dan 11:38 TLB)  Instead of these, he will worship the Fortress god--a 
       god his fathers never knew--and lavish on him costly gifts!

       (Dan 11:39 TLB)  Claiming this god's help, he will have great success 
       against the strongest fortresses. He will honor those who submit to 
       him, appointing them to positions of authority and dividing the land 
       to them as their reward.

       (Dan 11:40 TLB)  "Then at the time of the end, the king of the south 
       will attack him again, and the northern king will react with the 
       strength and fury of a whirlwind; his vast army and navy will rush out 
       to bury him with their might.

       (Dan 11:41 TLB)  He will invade various lands on the way, including 





       Israel, the Pleasant Land, and overthrow the governments of many 
       nations. Moab, Edom, and most of Ammon will escape,

       (Dan 11:42 TLB)  but Egypt and many other lands will be occupied.

       (Dan 11:43 TLB)  He will capture all the treasures of Egypt, and the 
       Libyans and Ethiopians shall be his servants.

       (Dan 11:44 TLB)  "But then news from the east and north will alarm 
       him, and he will return in great anger to destroy as he goes.

       (Dan 11:45 TLB)  He will halt between Jerusalem and the sea and there 
       pitch his royal tents, but while he is there his time will suddenly 
       run out, and there will be no one to help him.

       (Dan 12:1 TLB)  "At that time Michael, the mighty angelic prince who 
       stands guard over your nation, will stand up (and fight for you in 
       heaven against satanic forces), and there will be a time of anguish 
       for the Jews greater than any previous suffering in Jewish history. 
       And yet every one of your people whose names are written in the Book 
       will endure it.

       (Dan 12:2 TLB)  "And many of those whose bodies lie dead and buried 
       will rise up, some to everlasting life and some to shame and 
       everlasting contempt.

       (Dan 12:3 TLB)  "And those who are wise--the people of God--shall 
       shine as brightly as the sun's brilliance, and those who turn many to 
       righteousness will glitter like stars forever.

       (Dan 12:4 TLB)  "But Daniel, keep this prophecy a secret; seal it up 
       so that it will not be understood until the end times, when travel and 
       education shall be vastly increased!"

       (Dan 12:5 TLB)  Then I, Daniel, looked and saw two men on each bank of 
       a river.

       (Dan 12:6 TLB)  And one of them asked the man in linen robes who was 
       standing now above the river, "How long will it be until all these 
       terrors end?"

       (Dan 12:7 TLB)  He replied, with both hands lifted to heaven, taking 
       oath by him who lives forever and ever, that they will not end until 
       three and a half years after the power of God's people has been 
       crushed.

       (Dan 12:8 TLB)  I heard what he said, but I didn't understand what he 
       meant. So I said, "Sir, how will all this finally end?"

       (Dan 12:9 TLB)  But he said, "Go now, Daniel, for what I have said is 
       not to be understood until the time of the end.

       (Dan 12:10 TLB)  Many shall be purified by great trials and 
       persecutions. But the wicked shall continue in their wickedness, and 
       none of them will understand. Only those who are willing to learn will 
       know what it means.






       (Dan 12:11 TLB)  "From the time the daily sacrifice is taken away and 
       the Horrible Thing is set up to be worshiped, there will be 1,290 
       days.

       (Dan 12:12 TLB)  And blessed are those who wait and remain until the 
       1,335 th day!

       (Dan 12:13 TLB)  "But go on now to the end of your life and your rest; 
       for you will rise again and have your full share of those last days."

       (Hosea 1:1 TLB)  These are the messages from the Lord to Hosea, son of 
       Beeri, during the reigns of these four kings of Judah: Uzziah, Jotham, 
       Ahaz, and Hezekiah; and one of the kings of Israel, Jeroboam, son of 
       Joash.

       (Hosea 1:2 TLB)  Here is the first message: The Lord said to Hosea, 
       "Go and marry a girl who is a prostitute, so that some of her children 
       will be born to you from other men. This will illustrate the way my 
       people have been untrue to me, committing open adultery against me by 
       worshiping other gods."

       (Hosea 1:3 TLB)  So Hosea married Gomer, daughter of Diblaim, and she 
       conceived and bore him a son.

       (Hosea 1:4 TLB)  And the Lord said, "Name the child Jezreel, for in 
       the Valley of Jezreel I am about to punish King Jehu's dynasty to 
       avenge the murders he committed; in fact, I will put an end to Israel 
       as an independent kingdom,

       (Hosea 1:5 TLB)  breaking the power of the nation in the Valley of 
       Jezreel."

       (Hosea 1:6 TLB)  Soon Gomer had another child--this one a daughter. 
       And God said to Hosea, "Name her Lo-ruhamah (meaning 'No more mercy') 
       for I will have no more mercy upon Israel, to forgive her again.

       (Hosea 1:7 TLB)  But I will have mercy on the tribe of Judah. I will 
       personally free her from her enemies without any help from her armies 
       or her weapons."

       (Hosea 1:8 TLB)  After Gomer had weaned Lo-ruhamah, she again 
       conceived and this time gave birth to a son.

       (Hosea 1:9 TLB)  And God said, "Call him Lo-ammi (meaning 'Not mine'), 
       for Israel is not mine and I am not her God.

       (Hosea 1:10 TLB)  "Yet the time will come when Israel shall prosper 
       and become a great nation; in that day her people will be too numerous 
       to count--like sand along a seashore! Then, instead of saying to them, 
       'You are not my people,' I will tell them, 'You are my sons, children 
       of the Living God.'

       (Hosea 1:11 TLB)  Then the people of Judah and Israel will unite and 
       have one leader; they will return from exile together; what a day that 
       will be--the day when God will sow his people in the fertile soil of 





       their own land again.

       (Hosea 2:1 TLB)  "O Jezreel, rename your brother and sister. Call your 
       brother Ammi (which means "Now you are mine"); name your sister 
       Ruhamah ( "Pitied"), for now God will have mercy upon her!

       (Hosea 2:2 TLB)  "Plead with your mother, for she has become another 
       man's wife--I am no longer her husband. Beg her to stop her harlotry, 
       to quit giving herself to others.

       (Hosea 2:3 TLB)  If she doesn't, I will strip her as naked as the day 
       she was born and cause her to waste away and die of thirst as in a 
       land riddled with famine and drought.

       (Hosea 2:4 TLB)  And I will not give special favors to her children as 
       I would to my own, for they are not my children; they belong to other 
       men.

       (Hosea 2:5 TLB)  "For their mother has committed adultery. She did a 
       shameful thing when she said, 'I'll run after other men and sell 
       myself to them for food and drinks and clothes.'

       (Hosea 2:6 TLB)  "But I will fence her in with briars and thornbushes; 
       I'll block the road before her to make her lose her way, so that

       (Hosea 2:7 TLB)  when she runs after her lovers she will not catch up 
       with them. She will search for them but not find them. Then she will 
       think, 'I might as well return to my husband, for I was better off 
       with him than I am now.'

       (Hosea 2:8 TLB)  "She doesn't realize that all she has, has come from 
       me. It was I who gave her all the gold and silver she used in 
       worshiping Baal, her god!

       (Hosea 2:9 TLB)  "But now I will take back the wine and ripened corn I 
       constantly supplied, and the clothes I gave her to cover her 
       nakedness--I will no longer give her rich harvests of grain in its 
       season or wine at the time of the grape harvest.

       (Hosea 2:10 TLB)  Now I will expose her nakedness in public for all 
       her lovers to see, and no one will be able to rescue her from my hand.

       (Hosea 2:11 TLB)  "I will put an end to all her joys, her parties, 
       holidays, and feasts.

       (Hosea 2:12 TLB)  I will destroy her vineyards and her orchards--gifts 
       she claims her lovers gave her--and let them grow into a jungle; wild 
       animals will eat their fruit.

       (Hosea 2:13 TLB)  "For all the incense she burned to Baal her idol and 
       for the times when she put on her earrings and jewels and went out 
       looking for her lovers and deserted me--for all these things I will 
       punish her," says the Lord.

       (Hosea 2:14 TLB)  "But I will court her again and bring her into the 
       wilderness, and I will speak to her tenderly there.






       (Hosea 2:15 TLB)  There I will give back her vineyards to her and 
       transform her Valley of Troubles into a Door of Hope. She will respond 
       to me there, singing with joy as in days long ago in her youth after I 
       had freed her from captivity in Egypt.

       (Hosea 2:16 TLB)  "In that coming day," says the Lord, "she will call 
       me 'My Husband' instead of 'My Master.'

       (Hosea 2:17 TLB)  O Israel, I will cause you to forget your idols, and 
       their names will not be spoken anymore.

       (Hosea 2:18 TLB)  "At that time I will make a treaty between you and 
       the wild animals, birds, and snakes, not to fear each other any more; 
       and I will destroy all weapons, and all wars will end. "Then you will 
       lie down in peace and safety, unafraid;

       (Hosea 2:19 TLB)  and I will bind you to me forever with chains of 
       righteousness and justice and love and mercy.

       (Hosea 2:20 TLB)  I will betroth you to me in faithfulness and love, 
       and you will really know me then as you never have before.

       (Hosea 2:21 TLB)  "In that day," says the Lord, "I will answer the 
       pleading of the sky for clouds, to pour down water on the earth in 
       answer to its cry for rain.

       (Hosea 2:22 TLB)  Then the earth can answer the parched cry of the 
       grain, the grapes, and the olive trees for moisture and for dew--and 
       the whole grand chorus shall sing together that "God sows!" He has 
       given all!

       (Hosea 2:23 TLB)  "At that time I will sow a crop of Israelites and 
       raise them for myself! I will pity those who are 'not pitied,' and I 
       will say to those who are 'not my people,' 'Now you are my people'; 
       and they will reply, 'You are our God!'"

       (Hosea 3:1 TLB)  Then the Lord said to me, "Go, and get your wife 
       again and bring her back to you and love her, even though she loves 
       adultery. For the Lord still loves Israel though she has turned to 
       other gods and offered them choice gifts."

       (Hosea 3:2 TLB)  So I bought her (back from her slavery) for a couple 
       of dollars and eight bushels of barley,

       (Hosea 3:3 TLB)  and I said to her, "You must live alone for many 
       days; do not go out with other men nor be a prostitute, and I will 
       wait for you."

       (Hosea 3:4 TLB)  This illustrates the fact that Israel will be a long 
       time without a king or prince, and without an altar, temple, priests, 
       or even idols!

       (Hosea 3:5 TLB)  Afterward they will return to the Lord their God and 
       to the Messiah, their King, and they shall come trembling, submissive 
       to the Lord and to his blessings in the end times.






       (Hosea 4:1 TLB)  Hear the word of the Lord, O people of Israel. The 
       Lord has filed a lawsuit against you listing the following charges: 
       "There is no faithfulness, no kindness, no knowledge of God in your 
       land.

       (Hosea 4:2 TLB)  You swear and lie and kill and steal and commit 
       adultery. There is violence everywhere, with one murder after another.

       (Hosea 4:3 TLB)  "That is why your land is not producing; it is filled 
       with sadness, and all living things grow sick and die; the animals, 
       the birds, and even the fish begin to disappear.

       (Hosea 4:4 TLB)  "Don't point your finger at someone else and try to 
       pass the blame to him! Look, priest, I am pointing my finger at you.

       (Hosea 4:5 TLB)  As a sentence for your crimes, you priests will 
       stumble in broad daylight as well as in the night, and so will your 
       false 'prophets' too; and I will destroy your mother, Israel.

       (Hosea 4:6 TLB)  My people are destroyed because they don't know me, 
       and it is all your fault, you priests, for you yourselves refuse to 
       know me; therefore, I refuse to recognize you as my priests. Since you 
       have forgotten my laws, I will 'forget' to bless your children.

       (Hosea 4:7 TLB)  The more my people multiplied, the more they sinned 
       against me. They exchanged the glory of God for the disgrace of idols.

       (Hosea 4:8 TLB)  "The priests rejoice in the sins of the people; they 
       lap it up and lick their lips for more!

       (Hosea 4:9 TLB)  And thus it is: 'Like priests, like people'--because 
       the priests are wicked, the people are too. Therefore, I will punish 
       both priests and people for all their wicked deeds.

       (Hosea 4:10 TLB)  They will eat and still be hungry. Though they do a 
       big business as prostitutes, they shall have no children, for they 
       have deserted me and turned to other gods.

       (Hosea 4:11 TLB)  "Wine, women, and song have robbed my people of 
       their brains.

       (Hosea 4:12 TLB)  For they are asking a piece of wood to tell them 
       what to do. 'Divine Truth' comes to them through tea leaves! Longing 
       after idols has made them foolish. For they have played the harlot, 
       serving other gods, deserting me.

       (Hosea 4:13 TLB)  They sacrifice to idols on the tops of mountains; 
       they go up into the hills to burn incense in the pleasant shade of 
       oaks and poplars and sumac trees. "There your daughters turn to 
       prostitution and your brides commit adultery.

       (Hosea 4:14 TLB)  But why should I punish them? For you men are doing 
       the same thing, sinning with harlots and temple prostitutes. Fools! 
       Your doom is sealed, for you refuse to understand.





       (Hosea 4:15 TLB)  "But though Israel is a prostitute, may Judah stay 
       far from such a life. O Judah, do not join with those who insincerely 
       worship me at Gilgal and at Bethel. Their worship is mere pretense.

       (Hosea 4:16 TLB)  Don't be like Israel, stubborn as a heifer, 
       resisting the Lord's attempts to lead her in green pastures.

       (Hosea 4:17 TLB)  Stay away from her, for she is wedded to idolatry.

       (Hosea 4:18 TLB)  "The men of Israel finish up their drinking bouts, 
       and off they go to find some whores. Their love for shame is greater 
       than for honor.

       (Hosea 4:19 TLB)  "Therefore, a mighty wind shall sweep them away; 
       they shall die in shame because they sacrifice to idols.

       (Hosea 5:1 TLB)  "Listen to this, you priests and all of Israel's 
       leaders; listen, all you men of the royal family: You are doomed! For 
       you have deluded the people with idols at Mizpah and Tabor

       (Hosea 5:2 TLB)  and dug a deep pit to trap them at Acacia. But never 
       forget--I will settle up with all of you for what you've done.

       (Hosea 5:3 TLB)  I have seen your evil deeds: Israel, you have left me 
       as a prostitute leaves her husband; you are utterly defiled.

       (Hosea 5:4 TLB)  Your deeds won't let you come to God again, for the 
       spirit of adultery is deep within you, and you cannot know the Lord.

       (Hosea 5:5 TLB)  "The very arrogance of Israel testifies against her 
       in my court. She will stumble under her load of guilt, and Judah, too, 
       shall fall.

       (Hosea 5:6 TLB)  Then at last, they will come with their flocks and 
       herds to sacrifice to God, but it will be too late--they will not find 
       him. He has withdrawn from them and they are left alone.

       (Hosea 5:7 TLB)  "For they have betrayed the honor of the Lord, 
       bearing children that aren't his. Suddenly they and all their wealth 
       will disappear.

       (Hosea 5:8 TLB)  Sound the alarm! Warn with trumpet blasts in Gibeah 
       and Ramah, and on over to Beth-aven; tremble, land of Benjamin!

       (Hosea 5:9 TLB)  Hear this announcement, Israel: When your day of 
       punishment comes, you will become a heap of rubble.

       (Hosea 5:10 TLB)  "The leaders of Judah have become the lowest sort of 
       thieves. Therefore, I will pour my anger down upon them like a 
       waterfall,

       (Hosea 5:11 TLB)  and Ephraim will be crushed and broken by my 
       sentence because she is determined to follow idols.

       (Hosea 5:12 TLB)  I will destroy her as a moth does wool; I will sap 
       away the strength of Judah like dry rot.






       (Hosea 5:13 TLB)  "When Ephraim and Judah see how sick they are, 
       Ephraim will turn to Assyria, to the great king there, but he can 
       neither help nor cure.

       (Hosea 5:14 TLB)  "I will tear Ephraim and Judah as a lion rips apart 
       its prey; I will carry them off and chase all rescuers away.

       (Hosea 5:15 TLB)  "I will abandon them and return to my home until 
       they admit their guilt and look to me for help again, for as soon as 
       trouble comes, they will search for me and say:

       (Hosea 6:1 TLB)  "'Come, let us return to the Lord; it is he who has 
       torn us--he will heal us. He has wounded--he will bind us up.

       (Hosea 6:2 TLB)  In just a couple of days, or three at the most, he 
       will set us on our feet again to live in his kindness!

       (Hosea 6:3 TLB)  Oh, that we might know the Lord! Let us press on to 
       know him, and he will respond to us as surely as the coming of dawn or 
       the rain of early spring.'"

       (Hosea 6:4 TLB)  "O Ephraim and Judah, what shall I do with you? For 
       your love vanishes like morning clouds, and disappears like dew.

       (Hosea 6:5 TLB)  I sent my prophets to warn you of your doom; I have 
       slain you with the words of my mouth, threatening you with death. 
       Suddenly, without warning, my judgment will strike you as surely as 
       day follows night.

       (Hosea 6:6 TLB)  "I don't want your sacrifices--I want your love; I 
       don't want your offerings--I want you to know me.

       (Hosea 6:7 TLB)  "But like Adam, you broke my covenant; you refused my 
       love.

       (Hosea 6:8 TLB)  Gilead is a city of sinners, tracked with footprints 
       of blood.

       (Hosea 6:9 TLB)  Her citizens are gangs of robbers, lying in ambush 
       for their victims; packs of priests murder along the road to Shechem 
       and practice every kind of sin.

       (Hosea 6:10 TLB)  Yes, I have seen a horrible thing in Israel--Ephraim 
       chasing other gods, Israel utterly defiled.

       (Hosea 6:11 TLB)  O Judah, for you also there is a plentiful harvest 
       of punishment waiting--and I wanted so much to bless you!

       (Hosea 7:1 TLB)  "I wanted to forgive Israel, but her sins were far 
       too great--no one can even live in Samaria without being a liar, 
       thief, and bandit!

       (Hosea 7:2 TLB)  "Her people never seem to recognize that I am 
       watching them. Their sinful deeds give them away on every side; I see 
       them all.






       (Hosea 7:3 TLB)  The king is glad about their wickedness; the princes 
       laugh about their lies.

       (Hosea 7:4 TLB)  They are all adulterers; as a baker's oven is 
       constantly aflame--except after he kneads the dough and waits for it 
       to rise again--so are these people constantly aflame with lust.

       (Hosea 7:5 TLB)  "On the king's birthday, the princes get him drunk; 
       he makes a fool of himself and drinks with those who mock him.

       (Hosea 7:6 TLB)  Their hearts blaze like a furnace with intrigue. 
       Their plot smolders through the night, and in the morning it flames 
       forth like raging fire.

       (Hosea 7:7 TLB)  "They kill their kings one after another, and none 
       cries out to me for help.

       (Hosea 7:8 TLB)  "My people mingle with the heathen, picking up their 
       evil ways; thus they become as good-for-nothing as a half-baked cake!

       (Hosea 7:9 TLB)  "Worshiping foreign gods has sapped their strength, 
       but they don't know it. Ephraim's hair is turning gray, and he doesn't 
       even realize how weak and old he is.

       (Hosea 7:10 TLB)  His pride in other gods has openly condemned him; 
       yet he doesn't return to his God, nor even try to find him.

       (Hosea 7:11 TLB)  "Ephraim is a silly, witless dove, calling to Egypt, 
       flying to Assyria.

       (Hosea 7:12 TLB)  But as she flies, I throw my net over her and bring 
       her down like a bird from the sky; I will punish her for all her evil 
       ways.

       (Hosea 7:13 TLB)  "Woe to my people for deserting me; let them perish, 
       for they have sinned against me. I wanted to redeem them but their 
       hard hearts would not accept the truth.

       (Hosea 7:14 TLB)  They lie there sleepless with anxiety but won't ask 
       my help. Instead, they worship heathen gods, asking them for crops and 
       for prosperity.

       (Hosea 7:15 TLB)  "I have helped them and made them strong, yet now 
       they turn against me.

       (Hosea 7:16 TLB)  "They look everywhere except to heaven, to the Most 
       High God. They are like a crooked bow that always misses targets; 
       their leaders will perish by the sword of the enemy for their 
       insolence to me. And all Egypt will laugh at them.

       (Hosea 8:1 TLB)  "Sound the alarm! They are coming! Like a vulture, 
       the enemy descends upon the people of God because they have broken my 
       treaty and revolted against my laws.

       (Hosea 8:2 TLB)  "Now Israel pleads with me and says, 'Help us, for 





       you are our God!'

       (Hosea 8:3 TLB)  But it is too late! Israel has thrown away her chance 
       with contempt, and now her enemies will chase her.

       (Hosea 8:4 TLB)  She has appointed kings and princes, but not with my 
       consent. They have cut themselves off from my help by worshiping the 
       idols that they made from their silver and gold.

       (Hosea 8:5 TLB)  "O Samaria, I reject this calf--this idol you have 
       made. My fury burns against you. How long will it be before one honest 
       man is found among you?

       (Hosea 8:6 TLB)  When will you admit this calf you worship was made by 
       human hands! It is not God! Therefore, it must be smashed to bits.

       (Hosea 8:7 TLB)  "They have sown the wind, and they will reap the 
       whirlwind. Their cornstalks stand there barren, withered, sickly, with 
       no grain; if it has any, foreigners will eat it.

       (Hosea 8:8 TLB)  "Israel is destroyed; she lies among the nations as a 
       broken pot.

       (Hosea 8:9 TLB)  She is a lonely, wandering wild ass. The only friends 
       she has are those she hires; Assyria is one of them.

       (Hosea 8:10 TLB)  "But though she hires 'friends' from many lands, I 
       will send her off to exile. Then for a while at least she will be free 
       of the burden of her wonderful king!

       (Hosea 8:11 TLB)  Ephraim has built many altars, but they are not to 
       worship me! They are altars of sin!

       (Hosea 8:12 TLB)  Even if I gave her ten thousand laws, she'd say they 
       weren't for her--that they applied to someone far away.

       (Hosea 8:13 TLB)  Her people love the ritual of their sacrifice, but 
       to me it is meaningless! I will call for an accounting of their sins 
       and punish them; they shall return to Egypt.

       (Hosea 8:14 TLB)  "Israel has built great palaces; Judah has 
       constructed great defenses for her cities, but they have forgotten 
       their Maker. Therefore, I will send down fire upon those palaces and 
       burn those fortresses."

       (Hosea 9:1 TLB)  O Israel, rejoice no more as others do, for you have 
       deserted your God and sacrificed to other gods on every threshing 
       floor.

       (Hosea 9:2 TLB)  Therefore your harvests will be small; your grapes 
       will blight upon the vine.

       (Hosea 9:3 TLB)  You may no longer stay here in this land of God; you 
       will be carried off to Egypt and Assyria and live there on scraps of 
       food.





       (Hosea 9:4 TLB)  There, far from home, you are not allowed to pour out 
       wine for sacrifice to God. For no sacrifice that is offered there can 
       please him; it is polluted, just as food of mourners is; all who eat 
       such sacrifices are defiled. They may eat this food to feed 
       themselves, but may not offer it to God.

       (Hosea 9:5 TLB)  What then will you do on holy days, on days of 
       feasting to the Lord,

       (Hosea 9:6 TLB)  when you are carried off to Assyria as slaves? Who 
       will inherit your possessions left behind? Egypt will! She will gather 
       your dead; Memphis will bury them. And thorns and thistles will grow 
       up among the ruins.

       (Hosea 9:7 TLB)  The time of Israel's punishment has come; the day of 
       recompense is almost here, and soon Israel will know it all too well. 
       "The prophets are crazy"; "The inspired men are mad." Yes, so they 
       mock, for the nation is weighted with sin and shows only hatred for 
       those who love God.

       (Hosea 9:8 TLB)  "I appointed the prophets to guard my people, but the 
       people have blocked them at every turn and publicly declared their 
       hatred, even in the Temple of the Lord.

       (Hosea 9:9 TLB)  The things my people do are as depraved as what they 
       did in Gibeah long ago. The Lord does not forget. He will surely 
       punish them.

       (Hosea 9:10 TLB)  "O Israel, how well I remember those first 
       delightful days when I led you through the wilderness! How refreshing 
       was your love! How satisfying, like the early figs of summer in their 
       first season! But then you deserted me for Baal-peor, to give 
       yourselves to other gods, and soon you were as foul as they.

       (Hosea 9:11 TLB)  The glory of Israel flies away like a bird, for your 
       children will die at birth, or perish in the womb, or never even be 
       conceived.

       (Hosea 9:12 TLB)  And if your children grow, I will take them from 
       you; all are doomed. Yes, it will be a sad day when I turn away and 
       leave you alone."

       (Hosea 9:13 TLB)  In my vision I have seen the sons of Israel doomed. 
       The fathers are forced to lead their sons to slaughter.

       (Hosea 9:14 TLB)  O Lord, what shall I ask for your people? I will ask 
       for wombs that don't give birth, for breasts that cannot nourish.

       (Hosea 9:15 TLB)  "All their wickedness began at Gilgal; there I began 
       to hate them. I will drive them from my land because of their 
       idolatry. I will love them no more, for all their leaders are rebels.

       (Hosea 9:16 TLB)  Ephraim is doomed. The roots of Israel are dried up; 
       she shall bear no more fruit. And if she gives birth, I will slay even 
       her beloved child."





       (Hosea 9:17 TLB)  My God will destroy the people of Israel because 
       they will not listen or obey. They will be wandering Jews, homeless 
       among the nations.

       (Hosea 10:1 TLB)  "How prosperous Israel is--a luxuriant vine all 
       filled with fruit! But the more wealth I give her, the more she pours 
       it on the altars of her heathen gods; the richer the harvests I give 
       her, the more beautiful the statues and idols she erects.

       (Hosea 10:2 TLB)  The hearts of her people are false toward God. They 
       are guilty and must be punished. God will break down their heathen 
       altars and smash their idols."

       (Hosea 10:3 TLB)  Then they will say, "We deserted the Lord and he 
       took away our king. But what's the difference? We don't need one 
       anyway!"

       (Hosea 10:4 TLB)  They make promises they don't intend to keep. 
       Therefore punishment will spring up among them like poisonous weeds in 
       the furrows of the field.

       (Hosea 10:5 TLB)  The people of Samaria tremble lest their calf-god 
       idols at Beth-aven should be hurt; the priests and people, too, mourn 
       over the departed honor of their shattered gods.

       (Hosea 10:6 TLB)  This idol--this calf-god thing--will be carted with 
       them when they go as slaves to Assyria, a present to the great king 
       there. Ephraim will be laughed at for trusting in this idol; Israel 
       will be put to shame.

       (Hosea 10:7 TLB)  As for Samaria, her king shall disappear like a chip 
       of wood upon an ocean wave.

       (Hosea 10:8 TLB)  And the idol altars of Aven at Bethel where Israel 
       sinned will crumble. Thorns and thistles will grow up to surround 
       them. And the people will cry to the mountains and hills to fall upon 
       them and crush them.

       (Hosea 10:9 TLB)  "O Israel, ever since that awful night in Gibeah, 
       there has been only sin, sin, sin! You have made no progress whatever. 
       Was it not right that the men of Gibeah were wiped out?

       (Hosea 10:10 TLB)  I will come against you for your disobedience; I 
       will gather the armies of the nations against you to punish you for 
       your heaped-up sins.

       (Hosea 10:11 TLB)  "Ephraim is accustomed to treading out the 
       grain--an easy job she loves. I have never put her under a heavy yoke 
       before; I have spared her tender neck. But now I will harness her to 
       the plow and harrow. Her days of ease are gone.

       (Hosea 10:12 TLB)  "Plant the good seeds of righteousness, and you 
       will reap a crop of my love; plow the hard ground of your hearts, for 
       now is the time to seek the Lord, that he may come and shower 
       salvation upon you.





       (Hosea 10:13 TLB)  "But you have cultivated wickedness and raised a 
       thriving crop of sins. You have earned the full reward of trusting in 
       a lie--believing that military might and great armies can make a 
       nation safe!

       (Hosea 10:14 TLB)  "Therefore, the terrors of war shall rise among 
       your people, and all your forts will fall, just as at Beth-arbel, 
       which Shalman destroyed; even mothers and children were dashed to 
       death there.

       (Hosea 10:15 TLB)  That will be your fate, too, you people of Israel, 
       because of your great wickedness. In one morning the king of Israel 
       shall be destroyed.

       (Hosea 11:1 TLB)  "When Israel was a child I loved him as a son and 
       brought him out of Egypt.

       (Hosea 11:2 TLB)  But the more I called to him, the more he rebelled, 
       sacrificing to Baal and burning incense to idols.

       (Hosea 11:3 TLB)  I trained him from infancy, I taught him to walk, I 
       held him in my arms. But he doesn't know or even care that it was I 
       who raised him.

       (Hosea 11:4 TLB)  "As a man would lead his favorite ox, so I led 
       Israel with my ropes of love. I loosened his muzzle so he could eat. I 
       myself have stooped and fed him.

       (Hosea 11:5 TLB)  But my people shall return to Egypt and Assyria 
       because they won't return to me.

       (Hosea 11:6 TLB)  "War will swirl through their cities; their enemies 
       will crash through their gates and trap them in their own fortresses.

       (Hosea 11:7 TLB)  For my people are determined to desert me. And so I 
       have sentenced them to slavery, and no one shall set them free.

       (Hosea 11:8 TLB)  "Oh, how can I give you up, my Ephraim? How can I 
       let you go? How can I forsake you like Admah and Zeboiim? My heart 
       cries out within me; how I long to help you!

       (Hosea 11:9 TLB)  No, I will not punish you as much as my fierce anger 
       tells me to. This is the last time I will destroy Ephraim. For I am 
       God and not man; I am the Holy One living among you, and I did not 
       come to destroy.

       (Hosea 11:10 TLB)  "For the people shall walk after the Lord. I shall 
       roar as a lion (at their enemies) and my people shall return trembling 
       from the west.

       (Hosea 11:11 TLB)  Like a flock of birds, they will come from 
       Egypt--like doves flying from Assyria. And I will bring them home 
       again; it is a promise from the Lord."

       (Hosea 11:12 TLB)  Israel surrounds me with lies and deceit, but Judah 
       still trusts in God and is faithful to the Holy One.






       (Hosea 12:1 TLB)  Israel is chasing the wind, yes, shepherding a 
       whirlwind--a dangerous game! For she has given gifts to Egypt and 
       Assyria to get their help, and in return she gets their worthless 
       promises.

       (Hosea 12:2 TLB)  But the Lord is bringing a lawsuit against Judah. 
       Jacob will be justly punished for his ways.

       (Hosea 12:3 TLB)  When he was born, he struggled with his brother; 
       when he became a man, he even fought with God.

       (Hosea 12:4 TLB)  Yes, he wrestled with the Angel and prevailed. He 
       wept and pleaded for a blessing from him. He met God there at Bethel 
       face to face. God spoke to him--

       (Hosea 12:5 TLB)  the Lord, the God of heaven's armies--Jehovah is his 
       name.

       (Hosea 12:6 TLB)  Oh, come back to God. Live by the principles of love 
       and justice, and always be expecting much from him, your God.

       (Hosea 12:7 TLB)  But no, my people are like crafty merchants selling 
       from dishonest scales--they love to cheat.

       (Hosea 12:8 TLB)  Ephraim boasts, "I am so rich! I have gotten it all 
       by myself!" But riches can't make up for sin.

       (Hosea 12:9 TLB)  I am the same Lord, the same God, who delivered you 
       from slavery in Egypt, and I am the one who will consign you to living 
       in tents again, as you do each year at the Tabernacle Feast.

       (Hosea 12:10 TLB)  I sent my prophets to warn you with many a vision 
       and many a parable and dream."

       (Hosea 12:11 TLB)  But the sins of Gilgal flourish just the same. Row 
       on row of altars--like furrows in a field--are used for sacrifices to 
       your idols. And Gilead, too, is full of fools who worship idols.

       (Hosea 12:12 TLB)  Jacob fled to Syria and earned a wife by tending 
       sheep.

       (Hosea 12:13 TLB)  Then the Lord led his people out of Egypt by a 
       prophet, who guided and protected them.

       (Hosea 12:14 TLB)  But Ephraim has bitterly provoked the Lord. The 
       Lord will sentence him to death as payment for his sins.

       (Hosea 13:1 TLB)  It used to be when Israel spoke, the nations shook 
       with fear, for he was a mighty prince; but he worshiped Baal and 
       sealed his doom.

       (Hosea 13:2 TLB)  And now the people disobey more and more. They melt 
       their silver to mold into idols, formed with skill by the hands of 
       men. "Sacrifice to these!" they say--men kissing calves!





       (Hosea 13:3 TLB)  They shall disappear like morning mist, like dew 
       that quickly dries away, like chaff blown by the wind, like a cloud of 
       smoke.

       (Hosea 13:4 TLB)  "I alone am God, your Lord, and have been ever since 
       I brought you out from Egypt. You have no God but me, for there is no 
       other Savior.

       (Hosea 13:5 TLB)  I took care of you in the wilderness, in that dry 
       and thirsty land.

       (Hosea 13:6 TLB)  But when you had eaten and were satisfied, then you 
       became proud and forgot me.

       (Hosea 13:7 TLB)  So I will come upon you like a lion, or a leopard 
       lurking along the road.

       (Hosea 13:8 TLB)  I will rip you to pieces like a bear whose cubs have 
       been taken away, and like a lion I will devour you.

       (Hosea 13:9 TLB)  "O Israel, if I destroy you, who can save you?

       (Hosea 13:10 TLB)  Where is your king? Why don't you call on him for 
       help? Where are all the leaders of the land? You asked for them, now 
       let them save you!

       (Hosea 13:11 TLB)  I gave you kings in my anger, and I took them away 
       in my wrath.

       (Hosea 13:12 TLB)  Ephraim's sins are harvested and stored away for 
       punishment.

       (Hosea 13:13 TLB)  "New birth is offered him, but he is like a child 
       resisting in the womb--how stubborn! how foolish!

       (Hosea 13:14 TLB)  Shall I ransom him from hell? Shall I redeem him 
       from Death? O Death, bring forth your terrors for his tasting! O 
       Grave, demonstrate your plagues! For I will not relent!

       (Hosea 13:15 TLB)  "He was called the most fruitful of all his 
       brothers, but the east wind--a wind of the Lord from the desert--will 
       blow hard upon him and dry up his land. All his flowing springs and 
       green oases will dry away, and he will die of thirst.

       (Hosea 13:16 TLB)  Samaria must bear her guilt, for she rebelled 
       against her God. Her people will be killed by the invading army, her 
       babies dashed to death against the ground, her pregnant women ripped 
       open with a sword."

       (Hosea 14:1 TLB)  O Israel, return to the Lord, your God, for you have 
       been crushed by your sins.

       (Hosea 14:2 TLB)  Bring your petition. Come to the Lord and say, "O 
       Lord, take away our sins; be gracious to us and receive us, and we 
       will offer you the sacrifice of praise.





       (Hosea 14:3 TLB)  Assyria cannot save us, nor can our strength in 
       battle; never again will we call the idols we have made 'our gods'; 
       for in you alone, O Lord, the fatherless find mercy."

       (Hosea 14:4 TLB)  "Then I will cure you of idolatry and faithlessness, 
       and my love will know no bounds, for my anger will be forever gone!

       (Hosea 14:5 TLB)  I will refresh Israel like the dew from heaven; she 
       will blossom as the lily and root deeply in the soil like cedars in 
       Lebanon.

       (Hosea 14:6 TLB)  Her branches will spread out as beautiful as olive 
       trees, fragrant as the forests of Lebanon.

       (Hosea 14:7 TLB)  Her people will return from exile far away and rest 
       beneath my shadow. They will be a watered garden and blossom like 
       grapes; they will be as fragrant as the wines of Lebanon.

       (Hosea 14:8 TLB)  "O Ephraim! Stay away from idols! I am living and 
       strong! I look after you and care for you. I am like an evergreen 
       tree, yielding my fruit to you throughout the year. My mercies never 
       fail."

       (Hosea 14:9 TLB)  Whoever is wise, let him understand these things. 
       Whoever is intelligent, let him listen. For the paths of the Lord are 
       true and right, and good men walk along them. But sinners trying them 
       will fail.

       (Joel 1:1 TLB)  This message came from the Lord to Joel, son of 
       Pethuel:

       (Joel 1:2 TLB)  Listen, you aged men of Israel! Everyone, listen! In 
       all your lifetime, yes, in all your history, have you ever heard of 
       such a thing as I am going to tell you?

       (Joel 1:3 TLB)  In years to come, tell your children about it; pass 
       the awful story down from generation to generation.

       (Joel 1:4 TLB)  After the cutter-locusts finish eating your crops, the 
       swarmer-locusts will take what's left! After them will come the 
       hopper-locusts! And then the stripper-locusts too!

       (Joel 1:5 TLB)  Wake up and weep, you drunkards, for all the grapes 
       are ruined, and all your wine is gone!

       (Joel 1:6 TLB)  A vast army of locusts covers the land. It is a 
       terrible army too numerous to count, with teeth as sharp as those of 
       lions!

       (Joel 1:7 TLB)  They have ruined my vines and stripped the bark from 
       the fig trees, leaving trunks and branches white and bare.

       (Joel 1:8 TLB)  Weep with sorrow, as a virgin weeps whose fiance is 
       dead.

       (Joel 1:9 TLB)  Gone are the offerings of grain and wine to bring to 





       the Temple of the Lord; the priests are starving. Hear the crying of 
       these ministers of God.

       (Joel 1:10 TLB)  The fields are bare of crops. Sorrow and sadness are 
       everywhere. The grain, the grapes, the olive oil are gone.

       (Joel 1:11 TLB)  Well may you farmers stand so shocked and stricken; 
       well may you vinedressers weep. Weep for the wheat and the barley, 
       too, for they are gone.

       (Joel 1:12 TLB)  The grapevines are dead; the fig trees are dying; the 
       pomegranates wither; the apples shrivel on the trees; all joy has 
       withered with them.

       (Joel 1:13 TLB)  O priests, robe yourselves in sackcloth. O ministers 
       of my God, lie all night before the altar, weeping. For there are no 
       more offerings of grain and wine for you.

       (Joel 1:14 TLB)  Announce a fast; call a solemn meeting. Gather the 
       elders and all the people into the Temple of the Lord your God, and 
       weep before him there.

       (Joel 1:15 TLB)  Alas, this terrible day of punishment is on the way. 
       Destruction from the Almighty is almost here!

       (Joel 1:16 TLB)  Our food will disappear before our eyes; all joy and 
       gladness will be ended in the Temple of our God.

       (Joel 1:17 TLB)  The seed rots in the ground; the barns and granaries 
       are empty; the grain has dried up in the fields.

       (Joel 1:18 TLB)  The cattle groan with hunger; the herds stand 
       perplexed, for there is no pasture for them; the sheep bleat in 
       misery.

       (Joel 1:19 TLB)  Lord, help us! For the heat has withered the pastures 
       and burned up all the trees.

       (Joel 1:20 TLB)  Even the wild animals cry to you for help, for there 
       is no water for them. The creeks are dry, and the pastures are 
       scorched.

       (Joel 2:1 TLB)  Sound the alarm in Jerusalem! Let the blast of the 
       warning trumpet be heard upon my holy mountain! Let everyone tremble 
       in fear, for the day of the Lord's judgment approaches.

       (Joel 2:2 TLB)  It is a day of darkness and gloom, of black clouds and 
       thick darkness. What a mighty army! It covers the mountains like 
       night! How great, how powerful these "people" are! The likes of them 
       have not been seen before, and never will again throughout the 
       generations of the world!

       (Joel 2:3 TLB)  Fire goes before them and follows them on every side! 
       Ahead of them the land lies fair as Eden's Garden in all its beauty, 
       but they destroy it to the ground; not one thing escapes.





       (Joel 2:4 TLB)  They look like tiny horses, and they run as fast.

       (Joel 2:5 TLB)  Look at them leaping along the tops of the mountain! 
       Listen to the noise they make, like the rumbling of chariots, or the 
       roar of fire sweeping across a field, and like a mighty army moving 
       into battle.

       (Joel 2:6 TLB)  Fear grips the waiting people; their faces grow pale 
       with fright.

       (Joel 2:7 TLB)  These "soldiers" charge like infantry; they scale the 
       walls like picked and trained commandos. Straight forward they march, 
       never breaking ranks.

       (Joel 2:8 TLB)  They never crowd each other. Each is right in place. 
       No weapon can stop them.

       (Joel 2:9 TLB)  They swarm upon the city; they run upon the walls; 
       they climb up into the houses, coming like thieves through the 
       windows.

       (Joel 2:10 TLB)  The earth quakes before them and the heavens tremble. 
       The sun and moon are obscured and the stars are hid.

       (Joel 2:11 TLB)  The Lord leads them with a shout. This is his mighty 
       army, and they follow his orders. The day of the judgment of the Lord 
       is an awesome, terrible thing. Who can endure it?

       (Joel 2:12 TLB)  That is why the Lord says, "Turn to me now, while 
       there is time. Give me all your hearts. Come with fasting, weeping, 
       mourning.

       (Joel 2:13 TLB)  Let your remorse tear at your hearts and not your 
       garments." Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and 
       merciful. He is not easily angered; he is full of kindness and anxious 
       not to punish you.

       (Joel 2:14 TLB)  Who knows? Perhaps even yet he will decide to let you 
       alone and give you a blessing instead of his terrible curse. Perhaps 
       he will give you so much that you can offer your grain and wine to the 
       Lord as before!

       (Joel 2:15 TLB)  Sound the trumpet in Zion! Call a fast and gather all 
       the people together for a solemn meeting.

       (Joel 2:16 TLB)  Bring everyone--the elders, the children, and even 
       the babies. Call the bridegroom from his quarters and the bride from 
       her privacy.

       (Joel 2:17 TLB)  The priests, the ministers of God, will stand between 
       the people and the altar, weeping; and they will pray, "Spare your 
       people, O our God; don't let the heathen rule them, for they belong to 
       you. Don't let them be disgraced by the taunts of the heathen who say, 
       'Where is this God of theirs? How weak and helpless he must be!'"

       (Joel 2:18 TLB)  Then the Lord will pity his people and be indignant 





       for the honor of his land!

       (Joel 2:19 TLB)  He will reply, "See, I am sending you much corn and 
       wine and oil, to fully satisfy your need. No longer will I make you a 
       laughingstock among the nations.

       (Joel 2:20 TLB)  I will remove these armies from the north and send 
       them far away; I will turn them back into the parched wastelands where 
       they will die; half shall be driven into the Dead Sea and the rest 
       into the Mediterranean, and then their rotting stench will rise upon 
       the land. The Lord has done a mighty miracle for you."

       (Joel 2:21 TLB)  Fear not, my people; be glad now and rejoice, for he 
       has done amazing things for you.

       (Joel 2:22 TLB)  Let the flocks and herds forget their hunger; the 
       pastures will turn green again. The trees will bear their fruit; the 
       fig trees and grape vines will flourish once more.

       (Joel 2:23 TLB)  Rejoice, O people of Jerusalem, rejoice in the Lord 
       your God! For the rains he sends are tokens of forgiveness. Once more 
       the autumn rains will come, as well as those of spring.

       (Joel 2:24 TLB)  The threshing floors will pile high again with wheat, 
       and the presses overflow with olive oil and wine.

       (Joel 2:25 TLB)  "And I will give you back the crops the locusts 
       ate!--my great destroying army that I sent against you.

       (Joel 2:26 TLB)  Once again you will have all the food you want. 
       "Praise the Lord, who does these miracles for you. Never again will my 
       people experience disaster such as this.

       (Joel 2:27 TLB)  And you will know that I am here among my people 
       Israel, and that I alone am the Lord your God. And my people shall 
       never again be dealt a blow like this.

       (Joel 2:28 TLB)  "After I have poured out my rains again, I will pour 
       out my Spirit upon all of you! Your sons and daughters will prophesy; 
       your old men will dream dreams, and your young men see visions.

       (Joel 2:29 TLB)  And I will pour out my Spirit even on your slaves, 
       men and women alike,

       (Joel 2:30 TLB)  and put strange symbols in the earth and sky--blood 
       and fire and pillars of smoke.

       (Joel 2:31 TLB)  "The sun will be turned into darkness and the moon to 
       blood before the great and terrible Day of the Lord shall come.

       (Joel 2:32 TLB)  "Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be 
       saved; even in Jerusalem some will escape, just as the Lord has 
       promised, for he has chosen some to survive.

       (Joel 3:1 TLB)  "At that time, when I restore the prosperity of Judah 
       and Jerusalem," says the Lord,






       (Joel 3:2 TLB)  "I will gather the armies of the world into the 
       'Valley Where Jehovah Judges' and punish them there for harming my 
       people, for scattering my inheritance among the nations and dividing 
       up my land.

       (Joel 3:3 TLB)  "They divided up my people as their slaves; they 
       traded a young lad for a prostitute, and a little girl for wine enough 
       to get drunk.

       (Joel 3:4 TLB)  Tyre and Sidon, don't you try to interfere! Are you 
       trying to take revenge on me, you cities of Philistia? Beware, for I 
       will strike back swiftly and return the harm to your own heads.

       (Joel 3:5 TLB)  "You have taken my silver and gold and all my precious 
       treasures and carried them off to your heathen temples.

       (Joel 3:6 TLB)  You have sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the 
       Greeks, who took them far from their own land.

       (Joel 3:7 TLB)  But I will bring them back again from all these places 
       you have sold them to, and I will pay you back for all that you have 
       done.

       (Joel 3:8 TLB)  I will sell your sons and daughters to the people of 
       Judah, and they will sell them to the Sabeans far away. This is a 
       promise from the Lord."

       (Joel 3:9 TLB)  Announce this far and wide: Get ready for war! 
       Conscript your best soldiers; collect all your armies.

       (Joel 3:10 TLB)  Melt your plowshares into swords, and beat your 
       pruning hooks into spears. Let the weak be strong.

       (Joel 3:11 TLB)  Gather together and come, all nations everywhere. And 
       now, O Lord, bring down your warriors!

       (Joel 3:12 TLB)  "Collect the nations; bring them to the Valley of 
       Jehoshaphat, for there I will sit to pronounce judgment on them all.

       (Joel 3:13 TLB)  Now let the sickle do its work; the harvest is ripe 
       and waiting. Tread the winepress, for it is full to overflowing with 
       the wickedness of these men."

       (Joel 3:14 TLB)  Multitudes, multitudes waiting in the valley for the 
       verdict of their doom! For the Day of the Lord is near, in the Valley 
       of Judgment.

       (Joel 3:15 TLB)  The sun and moon will be darkened and the stars 
       withdraw their light.

       (Joel 3:16 TLB)  The Lord shouts from his Temple in Jerusalem, and the 
       earth and sky begin to shake. But to his people Israel, the Lord will 
       be very gentle. He is their Refuge and Strength.

       (Joel 3:17 TLB)  "Then you shall know at last that I am the Lord your 





       God in Zion, my holy mountain. Jerusalem shall be mine forever; the 
       time will come when no foreign armies will pass through her any more.

       (Joel 3:18 TLB)  "Sweet wine will drip from the mountains, and the 
       hills shall flow with milk. Water will fill the dry stream beds of 
       Judah, and a fountain will burst forth from the Temple of the Lord to 
       water Acacia Valley.

       (Joel 3:19 TLB)  Egypt will be destroyed, and Edom, too, because of 
       their violence against the Jews, for they killed innocent people in 
       those nations.

       (Joel 3:20 TLB)  "But Israel will prosper forever, and Jerusalem will 
       thrive as generations pass.

       (Joel 3:21 TLB)  For I will avenge the blood of my people; I will not 
       clear their oppressors of guilt. For my home is in Jerusalem with my 
       people."

       (Amos 1:1 TLB)  Amos was a herdsman living in the village of Tekoa. 
       (All day long he sat on the hillsides watching the sheep, keeping them 
       from straying.)

       (Amos 1:2 TLB)  One day, in a vision, God told him some of the things 
       that were going to happen to his nation, Israel. This vision came to 
       him at the time Uzziah was king of Judah and while Jeroboam (son of 
       Joash) was king of Israel--two years before the earthquake. This is 
       his report of what he saw and heard: The Lord roared--like a ferocious 
       lion from his lair--from his Temple on Mount Zion. And suddenly the 
       lush pastures of Mount Carmel withered and dried, and all the 
       shepherds mourned.

       (Amos 1:3 TLB)  The Lord says, "The people of Damascus have sinned 
       again and again, and I will not forget it. I will not leave her 
       unpunished any more. For they have threshed my people in Gilead as 
       grain is threshed with iron rods.

       (Amos 1:4 TLB)  So I will set fire to King Hazael's palace, destroying 
       the strong fortress of Ben-hadad.

       (Amos 1:5 TLB)  I will snap the bars that locked the gates of Damascus 
       and kill her people as far away as the plain of Aven, and the people 
       of Syria shall return to Kir as slaves." The Lord has spoken.

       (Amos 1:6 TLB)  The Lord says, "Gaza has sinned again and again, and I 
       will not forget it. I will not leave her unpunished any more. For she 
       sent my people into exile, selling them as slaves in Edom.

       (Amos 1:7 TLB)  So I will set fire to the walls of Gaza, and all her 
       forts shall be destroyed.

       (Amos 1:8 TLB)  I will kill the people of Ashdod and destroy Ekron and 
       the king of Ashkelon; all Philistines left will perish." The Lord has 
       spoken.

       (Amos 1:9 TLB)  The Lord says, "The people of Tyre have sinned again 





       and again, and I will not forget it. I will not leave them unpunished 
       any more. For they broke their treaty with their brother, Israel; they 
       attacked and conquered him, and led him into slavery to Edom.

       (Amos 1:10 TLB)  So I will set fire to the walls of Tyre, and it will 
       burn down all his forts and palaces."

       (Amos 1:11 TLB)  The Lord says, "Edom has sinned again and again, and 
       I will not forget it. I will not leave him unpunished any more. For he 
       chased his brother, Israel, with the sword; he was pitiless in 
       unrelenting anger.

       (Amos 1:12 TLB)  So I will set fire to Teman, and it will burn down 
       all the forts of Bozrah."

       (Amos 1:13 TLB)  The Lord says, "The people of Ammon have sinned again 
       and again, and I will not forget it. I will not leave them unpunished 
       any more. For in their wars in Gilead to enlarge their borders they 
       committed cruel crimes, ripping open pregnant women with their swords.

       (Amos 1:14 TLB)  "So I will set fire to the walls of Rabbah, and it 
       will burn down their forts and palaces; there will be wild shouts of 
       battle like a whirlwind in a mighty storm.

       (Amos 1:15 TLB)  And their king and his princes will go into exile 
       together." The Lord has spoken.

       (Amos 2:1 TLB)  The Lord says, "The people of Moab have sinned again 
       and again, and I will not forget it. I will not leave them unpunished 
       any more. For they desecrated the tombs of the kings of Edom, with no 
       respect for the dead.

       (Amos 2:2 TLB)  Now in return I will send fire upon Moab, and it will 
       destroy all the palaces in Kerioth. Moab shall go down in tumult as 
       the warriors shout and trumpets blare.

       (Amos 2:3 TLB)  And I will destroy their king and slay all the leaders 
       under him." The Lord has spoken.

       (Amos 2:4 TLB)  The Lord says, "The people of Judah have sinned again 
       and again, and I will not forget it. I will not leave them unpunished 
       any more. For they have rejected the laws of God, refusing to obey 
       him. They have hardened their hearts and sinned as their fathers did.

       (Amos 2:5 TLB)  So I will destroy Judah with fire and burn down all 
       Jerusalem's palaces and forts."

       (Amos 2:6 TLB)  The Lord says, "The people of Israel have sinned again 
       and again, and I will not forget it. I will not leave them unpunished 
       any more. For they have perverted justice by accepting bribes and sold 
       into slavery the poor who can't repay their debts; they trade them for 
       a pair of shoes.

       (Amos 2:7 TLB)  They trample the poor in the dust and kick aside the 
       meek. "And a man and his father defile the same temple-girl, 
       corrupting my holy name.






       (Amos 2:8 TLB)  At their religious feasts they lounge in clothing 
       stolen from their debtors, and in my own Temple they offer sacrifices 
       of wine they purchased with stolen money.

       (Amos 2:9 TLB)  "Yet think of all I did for them! I cleared the land 
       of the Amorites before them--the Amorites, as tall as cedar trees, and 
       strong as oaks! But I lopped off their fruit and cut their roots.

       (Amos 2:10 TLB)  And I brought you out from Egypt and led you through 
       the desert forty years, to possess the land of the Amorites.

       (Amos 2:11 TLB)  And I chose your sons to be Nazirites and 
       prophets--can you deny this, Israel?" asks the Lord.

       (Amos 2:12 TLB)  "But you caused the Nazirites to sin by urging them 
       to drink your wine, and you silenced my prophets, telling them, 'Shut 
       up!'

       (Amos 2:13 TLB)  "Therefore, I will make you groan as a wagon groans 
       that is loaded with sheaves.

       (Amos 2:14 TLB)  Your swiftest warriors will stumble in flight. The 
       strong will all be weak, and the great ones can no longer save 
       themselves.

       (Amos 2:15 TLB)  The archer's aim will fail, the swiftest runners 
       won't be fast enough to flee, and even the best of horsemen can't 
       outrun the danger then.

       (Amos 2:16 TLB)  The most courageous of your mighty men will drop 
       their weapons and run for their lives that day." The Lord God has 
       spoken.

       (Amos 3:1 TLB)  Listen! This is your doom! It is spoken by the Lord 
       against both Israel and Judah--against the entire family I brought 
       from Egypt:

       (Amos 3:2 TLB)  "Of all the peoples of the earth, I have chosen you 
       alone. That is why I must punish you the more for all your sins.

       (Amos 3:3 TLB)  For how can we walk together with your sins between 
       us?

       (Amos 3:4 TLB)  "Would I be roaring as a lion unless I had a reason? 
       The fact is, I am getting ready to destroy you. Even a young lion, 
       when it growls, shows it is ready for its food.

       (Amos 3:5 TLB)  A trap doesn't snap shut unless it is stepped on; your 
       punishment is well deserved.

       (Amos 3:6 TLB)  The alarm has sounded--listen and fear! For I, the 
       Lord, am sending disaster into your land.

       (Amos 3:7 TLB)  "But always, first of all, I warn you through my 
       prophets. This I now have done."






       (Amos 3:8 TLB)  The Lion has roared--tremble in fear. The Lord God has 
       sounded your doom--I dare not refuse to proclaim it.

       (Amos 3:9 TLB)  "Call together the Assyrian and Egyptian leaders, 
       saying, 'Take your seats now on the mountains of Samaria to witness 
       the scandalous spectacle of all Israel's crimes.'

       (Amos 3:10 TLB)  My people have forgotten what it means to do right," 
       says the Lord. "Their beautiful homes are full of the loot from their 
       thefts and banditry.

       (Amos 3:11 TLB)  Therefore," the Lord God says, "an enemy is coming! 
       He is surrounding them and will shatter their forts and plunder those 
       beautiful homes."

       (Amos 3:12 TLB)  The Lord says, "A shepherd tried to rescue his sheep 
       from a lion, but it was too late; he snatched from the lion's mouth 
       two legs and a piece of ear. So it will be when the Israelites in 
       Samaria are finally rescued--all they will have left is half a chair 
       and a tattered pillow.

       (Amos 3:13 TLB)  "Listen to this announcement and publish it 
       throughout all Israel," says the Lord, the Lord Almighty:

       (Amos 3:14 TLB)  "On the same day that I punish Israel for her sins I 
       will also destroy the idol altars at Bethel. The horns of the altar 
       will be cut off and fall to the ground.

       (Amos 3:15 TLB)  "And I will destroy the beautiful homes of the 
       wealthy--their winter mansions and their summer houses too--and 
       demolish their ivory palaces."

       (Amos 4:1 TLB)  Listen to me, you "fat cows" of Bashan living in 
       Samaria--you women who encourage your husbands to rob the poor and 
       crush the needy--you who never have enough to drink!

       (Amos 4:2 TLB)  The Lord God has sworn by his holiness that the time 
       will come when he will put hooks in your noses and lead you away like 
       the cattle you are; they will drag the last of you away with 
       fishhooks!

       (Amos 4:3 TLB)  You will be hauled from your beautiful homes and 
       tossed out through the nearest breach in the wall. The Lord has said 
       it.

       (Amos 4:4 TLB)  Go ahead and sacrifice to idols at Bethel and Gilgal. 
       Keep disobeying--your sins are mounting up. Sacrifice each morning and 
       bring your tithes twice a week!

       (Amos 4:5 TLB)  Go through all your proper forms and give extra 
       offerings. How you pride yourselves and crow about it everywhere!

       (Amos 4:6 TLB)  "I sent you hunger," says the Lord, "but it did no 
       good; you still would not return to me.





       (Amos 4:7 TLB)  I ruined your crops by holding back the rain three 
       months before the harvest. I sent rain on one city but not another. 
       While rain fell on one field, another was dry and withered.

       (Amos 4:8 TLB)  People from two or three cities would make their weary 
       journey for a drink of water to a city that had rain, but there wasn't 
       ever enough. Yet you wouldn't return to me," says the Lord.

       (Amos 4:9 TLB)  "I sent blight and mildew on your farms and your 
       vineyards; the locusts ate your figs and olive trees. And still you 
       wouldn't return to me," says the Lord.

       (Amos 4:10 TLB)  "I sent you plagues like those of Egypt long ago. I 
       killed your lads in war and drove away your horses. The stench of 
       death was terrible to smell. And yet you refused to come.

       (Amos 4:11 TLB)  I destroyed some of your cities, as I did Sodom and 
       Gomorrah; those left are like half-burned firebrands snatched away 
       from fire. And still you won't return to me," says the Lord.

       (Amos 4:12 TLB)  "Therefore, I will bring upon you all these further 
       evils I have spoken of. Prepare to meet your God in judgment, Israel.

       (Amos 4:13 TLB)  For you are dealing with the One who formed the 
       mountains, made the winds, and knows your every thought; he turns the 
       morning to darkness and crushes down the mountains underneath his 
       feet: Jehovah, the Lord, the Lord Almighty, is his name."

       (Amos 5:1 TLB)  Sadly I sing this song of grief for you, O Israel:

       (Amos 5:2 TLB)  Beautiful Israel lies broken and crushed upon the 
       ground and cannot rise. No one will help her. She is left alone to 
       die."

       (Amos 5:3 TLB)  For the Lord God says, "The city that sends a thousand 
       men to battle, a hundred will return. The city that sends a hundred, 
       only ten will come back alive."

       (Amos 5:4 TLB)  The Lord says to the people of Israel, "Seek me--and 
       live.

       (Amos 5:5 TLB)  Don't seek the idols of Bethel, Gilgal, or Beersheba; 
       for the people of Gilgal will be carried off to exile, and those of 
       Bethel shall surely come to grief."

       (Amos 5:6 TLB)  Seek the Lord and live, or else he will sweep like 
       fire through Israel and consume her, and none of the idols in Bethel 
       can put it out.

       (Amos 5:7 TLB)  O evil men, you make "justice" a bitter pill for the 
       poor and oppressed. "Righteousness" and "fair play" are meaningless 
       fictions to you!

       (Amos 5:8 TLB)  Seek him who created the Seven Stars and the 
       constellation Orion, who turns darkness into morning and day into 
       night, who calls forth the water from the ocean and pours it out as 





       rain upon the land. The Lord, Jehovah, is his name.

       (Amos 5:9 TLB)  With blinding speed and violence he brings destruction 
       on the strong, breaking all defenses.

       (Amos 5:10 TLB)  How you hate honest judges! How you despise people 
       who tell the truth!

       (Amos 5:11 TLB)  You trample the poor and steal their smallest crumb 
       by all your taxes, fines, and usury; therefore, you will never live in 
       the beautiful stone houses you are building, nor drink the wine from 
       the lush vineyards you are planting.

       (Amos 5:12 TLB)  For many and great are your sins. I know them all so 
       well. You are the enemies of everything good; you take bribes; you 
       refuse justice to the poor.

       (Amos 5:13 TLB)  Therefore, those who are wise will not try to 
       interfere with the Lord in the dread day of your punishment.

       (Amos 5:14 TLB)  Be good, flee evil--and live! Then the Lord, the Lord 
       Almighty, will truly be your Helper, as you have claimed he is.

       (Amos 5:15 TLB)  Hate evil and love the good; remodel your courts into 
       true halls of justice. Perhaps even yet the Lord God of Hosts will 
       have mercy on his people who remain.

       (Amos 5:16 TLB)  Therefore the Lord God says this: "There will be 
       crying in all the streets and every road. Call for the farmers to weep 
       with you too; call for professional mourners to wail and lament.

       (Amos 5:17 TLB)  There will be sorrow and crying in every vineyard, 
       for I will pass through and destroy.

       (Amos 5:18 TLB)  You say, 'If only the Day of the Lord were here, for 
       then God would deliver us from all our foes.' But you have no idea 
       what you ask. For that day will not be light and prosperity, but 
       darkness and doom! How terrible the darkness will be for you; not a 
       ray of joy or hope will shine.

       (Amos 5:19 TLB)  In that day you will be as a man who is chased by a 
       lion and is met by a bear, or a man in a dark room who leans against a 
       wall and puts his hand on a snake.

       (Amos 5:20 TLB)  Yes, that will be a dark and hopeless day for you.

       (Amos 5:21 TLB)  "I hate your show and pretense--your hypocrisy of 
       'honoring' me with your religious feasts and solemn assemblies.

       (Amos 5:22 TLB)  I will not accept your burnt offerings and thank 
       offerings. I will not look at your offerings of peace.

       (Amos 5:23 TLB)  Away with your hymns of praise--they are mere noise 
       to my ears. I will not listen to your music, no matter how lovely it 
       is.





       (Amos 5:24 TLB)  "I want to see a mighty flood of justice--a torrent 
       of doing good.

       (Amos 5:25 TLB)  "You sacrificed to me for forty years while you were 
       in the desert, Israel

       (Amos 5:26 TLB)  --but always your real interest has been in your 
       heathen gods--in Sakkuth your king, and in Kaiwan, your god of the 
       stars, and in all the images of them you made.

       (Amos 5:27 TLB)  So I will send them into captivity with you far to 
       the east of Damascus," says the Lord, the Lord Almighty.

       (Amos 6:1 TLB)  Woe to those lounging in luxury at Jerusalem and 
       Samaria, so famous and popular among the people of Israel.

       (Amos 6:2 TLB)  Go over to Calneh and see what happened there; then go 
       to great Hamath and down to Gath in the Philistines' land. Once they 
       were better and greater than you, but look at them now.

       (Amos 6:3 TLB)  You push away all thought of punishment awaiting you, 
       but by your deeds you bring the Day of Judgment near.

       (Amos 6:4 TLB)  You lie on ivory beds surrounded with luxury, eating 
       the meat of the tenderest lambs and the choicest calves.

       (Amos 6:5 TLB)  You sing idle songs to the sound of the harp and fancy 
       yourselves to be as great musicians as King David was.

       (Amos 6:6 TLB)  You drink wine by the bucketful and perfume yourselves 
       with sweet ointments, caring nothing at all that your brothers need 
       your help.

       (Amos 6:7 TLB)  Therefore you will be the first to be taken as slaves; 
       suddenly your revelry will end.

       (Amos 6:8 TLB)  Jehovah the Almighty Lord has sworn by his own name, 
       "I despise the pride and false glory of Israel and hate their 
       beautiful homes. I will turn over this city and everything in it to 
       her enemies."

       (Amos 6:9 TLB)  If there are as few as ten of them left and only one 
       house, they too will perish.

       (Amos 6:10 TLB)  A man's uncle will be the only one left to bury him, 
       and when he goes in to carry his body from the house, he will ask the 
       only one still alive inside, "Are any others left?" And the answer 
       will be, "No," and he will add, "Shhh. . . don't mention the name of 
       the Lord--he might hear you."

       (Amos 6:11 TLB)  For the Lord commanded this: That homes both great 
       and small should be smashed to pieces.

       (Amos 6:12 TLB)  Can horses run on rocks? Can oxen plow the sea? 
       Stupid even to ask--but no more stupid than what you do when you make 
       a mockery of justice and corrupt and sour all that should be good and 





       right.

       (Amos 6:13 TLB)  And just as stupid is your rejoicing in how great you 
       are when you are less than nothing--and priding yourselves on your own 
       tiny power!

       (Amos 6:14 TLB)  "O Israel, I will bring against you a nation that 
       will bitterly oppress you from your northern boundary to your southern 
       tip, all the way from Hamath to the brook of Arabah," says the Lord, 
       the Lord Almighty.

       (Amos 7:1 TLB)  This is what the Lord God showed me in a vision: He 
       was preparing a vast swarm of locusts to destroy all the main crop 
       that sprang up after the first mowing, which went as taxes to the 
       king.

       (Amos 7:2 TLB)  They ate everything in sight. Then I said, "O Lord 
       God, please forgive your people! Don't send them this plague! If you 
       turn against Israel, what hope is there? For Israel is so small!"

       (Amos 7:3 TLB)  So the Lord relented and did not fulfill the vision. 
       "I won't do it," he told me.

       (Amos 7:4 TLB)  Then the Lord God showed me a great fire he had 
       prepared to punish them; it had burned up the waters and was devouring 
       the entire land.

       (Amos 7:5 TLB)  Then I said, "O Lord God, please don't do it. If you 
       turn against them, what hope is there? For Israel is so small!"

       (Amos 7:6 TLB)  Then the Lord turned from this plan too, and said, "I 
       won't do that either."

       (Amos 7:7 TLB)  Then he showed me this: The Lord was standing beside a 
       wall built with a plumbline, checking it with a plumbline to see if it 
       was straight.

       (Amos 7:8 TLB)  And the Lord said to me, "Amos, what do you see?" I 
       answered, "A plumbline." And he replied, "I will test my people with a 
       plumbline. I will no longer turn away from punishing.

       (Amos 7:9 TLB)  The idol altars and temples of Israel will be 
       destroyed, and I will destroy the dynasty of King Jeroboam by the 
       sword."

       (Amos 7:10 TLB)  But when Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, heard what 
       Amos was saying, he rushed a message to Jeroboam, the king: "Amos is a 
       traitor to our nation and is plotting your death. This is intolerable. 
       It will lead to rebellion all across the land.

       (Amos 7:11 TLB)  He says you will be killed and Israel will be sent 
       far away into exile and slavery."

       (Amos 7:12 TLB)  Then Amaziah sent orders to Amos, "Get out of here, 
       you prophet, you! Flee to the land of Judah and do your prophesying 
       there!






       (Amos 7:13 TLB)  Don't bother us here with your visions, not here in 
       the capital where the king's chapel is!"

       (Amos 7:14 TLB)  But Amos replied, "I am not really one of the 
       prophets. I do not come from a family of prophets. I am just a 
       herdsman and fruit picker.

       (Amos 7:15 TLB)  But the Lord took me from caring for the flocks and 
       told me, 'Go and prophesy to my people Israel.'

       (Amos 7:16 TLB)  "Now, therefore, listen to this message to you from 
       the Lord. You say, 'Don't prophesy against Israel.'

       (Amos 7:17 TLB)  The Lord's reply is this: 'Because of your 
       interference, your wife will become a prostitute in this city, your 
       sons and daughters will be killed, and your land divided up. You 
       yourself will die in a heathen land, and the people of Israel will 
       certainly become slaves in exile, far from their land.'"

       (Amos 8:1 TLB)  Then the Lord God showed me, in a vision, a basket 
       full of ripe fruit.

       (Amos 8:2 TLB)  "What do you see, Amos?" he asked. I replied, "A 
       basket full of ripe fruit." Then the Lord said, "This fruit represents 
       my people Israel--ripe for punishment. I will not defer their 
       punishment again.

       (Amos 8:3 TLB)  The riotous sound of singing in the Temple will turn 
       to weeping then. Dead bodies will be scattered everywhere. They will 
       be carried out of the city in silence." The Lord has spoken.

       (Amos 8:4 TLB)  Listen, you merchants who rob the poor, trampling on 
       the needy;

       (Amos 8:5 TLB)  you who long for the Sabbath to end and the religious 
       holidays to be over so you can get out and start cheating again--using 
       your weighted scales and under-sized measures;

       (Amos 8:6 TLB)  you who make slaves of the poor, buying them for their 
       debt of a piece of silver or a pair of shoes, or selling them your 
       moldy wheat:

       (Amos 8:7 TLB)  The Lord, the Pride of Israel, has sworn: "I won't 
       forget your deeds!

       (Amos 8:8 TLB)  The land will tremble as it awaits its doom, and 
       everyone will mourn. It will rise up like the river Nile at floodtime, 
       toss about, and sink again.

       (Amos 8:9 TLB)  At that time I will make the sun go down at noon and 
       darken the earth in the daytime.

       (Amos 8:10 TLB)  And I will turn your parties into times of mourning, 
       and your songs of joy will be turned to cries of despair. You will 
       wear funeral clothes and shave your heads as signs of sorrow, as if 





       your only son had died; bitter, bitter will be that day.

       (Amos 8:11 TLB)  "The time is surely coming," says the Lord God, "when 
       I will send a famine on the land--not a famine of bread or water, but 
       of hearing the words of the Lord.

       (Amos 8:12 TLB)  Men will wander everywhere from sea to sea, seeking 
       the word of the Lord, searching, running here and going there, but 
       will not find it.

       (Amos 8:13 TLB)  Beautiful girls and fine young men alike will grow 
       faint and weary, thirsting for the word of God.

       (Amos 8:14 TLB)  And those who worship the idols of Samaria, Dan, and 
       Beersheba shall fall and never rise again."

       (Amos 9:1 TLB)  I saw the Lord standing beside the altar, saying, 
       "Smash the tops of the pillars and shake the Temple until the pillars 
       crumble and the roof crashes down upon the people below. Though they 
       run, they will not escape; they all will be killed.

       (Amos 9:2 TLB)  "Though they dig down to Sheol, I will reach down and 
       pull them up; though they climb into the heavens, I will bring them 
       down.

       (Amos 9:3 TLB)  Though they hide among the rocks at the top of Carmel, 
       I will search them out and capture them. Though they hide at the 
       bottom of the ocean, I will send the sea-serpent after them to bite 
       and destroy them.

       (Amos 9:4 TLB)  Though they volunteer for exile, I will command the 
       sword to kill them there. I will see to it that they receive evil and 
       not good."

       (Amos 9:5 TLB)  The Lord Almighty touches the land and it melts, and 
       all its people mourn. It rises like the river Nile in Egypt and then 
       sinks again.

       (Amos 9:6 TLB)  The upper stories of his home are in the heavens, the 
       first floor on the earth. He calls for the vapor to rise from the 
       ocean and pours it down as rain upon the ground. Jehovah, the Lord, is 
       his name.

       (Amos 9:7 TLB)  "O people of Israel, are you any more to me than the 
       Ethiopians are? Have not I, who brought you out of Egypt, done as much 
       for other people too? I brought the Philistines from Caphtor and the 
       Syrians out of Kir.

       (Amos 9:8 TLB)  "The eyes of the Lord God are watching Israel, that 
       sinful nation, and I will root her up and scatter her across the 
       world. Yet I have promised that this rooting out will not be 
       permanent.

       (Amos 9:9 TLB)  For I have commanded that Israel be sifted by the 
       other nations as grain is sifted in a sieve, yet not one true kernel 
       will be lost.






       (Amos 9:10 TLB)  But all these sinners who say, 'God will not touch 
       us,' will die by the sword.

       (Amos 9:11 TLB)  "Then, at that time I will rebuild the City of David, 
       which is now lying in ruins, and return it to its former glory,

       (Amos 9:12 TLB)  and Israel will possess what is left of Edom and of 
       all the nations that belong to me." For so the Lord, who plans it all, 
       has said.

       (Amos 9:13 TLB)  "The time will come when there will be such abundance 
       of crops that the harvesttime will scarcely end before the farmer 
       starts again to sow another crop, and the terraces of grapes upon the 
       hills of Israel will drip sweet wine!

       (Amos 9:14 TLB)  I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel, and 
       they will rebuild their ruined cities and live in them again; they 
       will plant vineyards and gardens; they will eat their crops and drink 
       their wine.

       (Amos 9:15 TLB)  I will firmly plant them there upon the land that I 
       have given them; they shall not be pulled up again," says the Lord 
       your God.

       (Oba 1:1 TLB)  In a vision the Lord God showed Obadiah the future of 
       the land of Edom. "A report has come from the Lord," he said, "that 
       God has sent an ambassador to the nations with this message: 
       'Attention! You are to send your armies against Edom and destroy 
       her!'"

       (Oba 1:2 TLB)  "I will cut you down to size among the nations, Edom, 
       making you small and despised.

       (Oba 1:3 TLB)  "You are proud because you live in those high, 
       inaccessible cliffs. 'Who can ever reach us way up here!' you boast. 
       Don't fool yourselves!

       (Oba 1:4 TLB)  Though you soar as high as eagles, and build your nest 
       among the stars, I will bring you plummeting down," says the Lord.

       (Oba 1:5 TLB)  "Far better it would be for you if thieves had come at 
       night to plunder you--for they would not take everything! Or if your 
       vineyards were robbed of all their fruit--for at least the gleanings 
       would be left!

       (Oba 1:6 TLB)  Every nook and cranny will be searched and robbed, and 
       every treasure found and taken.

       (Oba 1:7 TLB)  "All your allies will turn against you and help to push 
       you out of your land. They will promise peace while plotting your 
       destruction. Your trusted friends will set traps for you, and all your 
       counterstrategy will fail.

       (Oba 1:8 TLB)  In that day not one wise man will be left in all of 
       Edom!" says the Lord. "For I will fill the wise men of Edom with 





       stupidity.

       (Oba 1:9 TLB)  The mightiest soldiers of Teman will be confused, and 
       helpless to prevent the slaughter.

       (Oba 1:10 TLB)  "And why? Because of what you did to your brother 
       Israel. Now your sins will be exposed for all to see; ashamed and 
       defenseless, you will be cut off forever.

       (Oba 1:11 TLB)  For you deserted Israel in his time of need. You stood 
       aloof, refusing to lift a finger to help him when invaders carried off 
       his wealth and divided Jerusalem among them by lot; you were as one of 
       his enemies.

       (Oba 1:12 TLB)  "You should not have done it. You should not have 
       gloated when they took him far away to foreign lands; you should not 
       have rejoiced in the day of his misfortune; you should not have mocked 
       in his time of need.

       (Oba 1:13 TLB)  You yourselves went into the land of Israel in the day 
       of his calamity and looted him. You made yourselves rich at his 
       expense.

       (Oba 1:14 TLB)  You stood at the crossroads and killed those trying to 
       escape; you captured the survivors and returned them to their enemies 
       in that terrible time of his distress.

       (Oba 1:15 TLB)  The Lord's vengeance will soon fall upon all Gentile 
       nations. As you have done to Israel, so will it be done to you. Your 
       acts will boomerang upon your heads.

       (Oba 1:16 TLB)  You drank my cup of punishment upon my holy mountain, 
       and the nations round about will drink it too; yes, they will drink 
       and stagger back and disappear from history, no longer nations any 
       more.

       (Oba 1:17 TLB)  "But Jerusalem will become a refuge, a way of escape. 
       Israel will reoccupy the land.

       (Oba 1:18 TLB)  Israel will be a fire that sets the dry fields of Edom 
       aflame. There will be no survivors," for the Lord has spoken.

       (Oba 1:19 TLB)  Then my people who live in the Negeb shall occupy the 
       hill country of Edom; those living in Judean lowlands shall possess 
       the Philistine plains and repossess the fields of Ephraim and Samaria. 
       And the people of Benjamin shall possess Gilead.

       (Oba 1:20 TLB)  The Israeli exiles shall return and occupy the 
       Phoenician coastal strip as far north as Zarephath. Those exiled in 
       Asia Minor shall return to their homeland and conquer the Negeb's 
       outlying villages.

       (Oba 1:21 TLB)  For deliverers will come to Jerusalem and rule all 
       Edom. And the Lord shall be King!

       (Jonah 1:1 TLB)  The Lord sent this message to Jonah, the son of 





       Amittai:

       (Jonah 1:2 TLB)  "Go to the great city of Nineveh, and give them this 
       announcement from the Lord: 'I am going to destroy you, for your 
       wickedness rises before me; it smells to highest heaven.'"

       (Jonah 1:3 TLB)  But Jonah was afraid to go and ran away from the 
       Lord. He went down to the seacoast, to the port of Joppa, where he 
       found a ship leaving for Tarshish. He bought a ticket, went on board, 
       and climbed down into the dark hold of the ship to hide there from the 
       Lord.

       (Jonah 1:4 TLB)  But as the ship was sailing along, suddenly the Lord 
       flung a terrific wind over the sea, causing a great storm that 
       threatened to send them to the bottom.

       (Jonah 1:5 TLB)  Fearing for their lives, the desperate sailors 
       shouted to their gods for help and threw the cargo overboard to 
       lighten the ship. And all this time Jonah was sound asleep down in the 
       hold.

       (Jonah 1:6 TLB)  So the captain went down after him. "What do you 
       mean," he roared, "sleeping at a time like this? Get up and cry to 
       your god, and see if he will have mercy on us and save us!"

       (Jonah 1:7 TLB)  Then the crew decided to draw straws to see which of 
       them had offended the gods and caused this terrible storm; and Jonah 
       drew the short one.

       (Jonah 1:8 TLB)  "What have you done," they asked, "to bring this 
       awful storm upon us? Who are you? What is your work? What country are 
       you from? What is your nationality?"

       (Jonah 1:9 TLB)  And he said, "I am a Jew; I worship Jehovah, the God 
       of heaven, who made the earth and sea."

       (Jonah 1:10 TLB)  Then he told them he was running away from the Lord. 
       The men were terribly frightened when they heard this. "Oh, why did 
       you do it?" they shouted.

       (Jonah 1:11 TLB)  "What should we do to you to stop the storm?" For it 
       was getting worse and worse.

       (Jonah 1:12 TLB)  "Throw me out into the sea," he said, "and it will 
       become calm again. For I know this terrible storm has come because of 
       me."

       (Jonah 1:13 TLB)  They tried harder to row the boat ashore, but 
       couldn't make it. The storm was too fierce to fight against.

       (Jonah 1:14 TLB)  Then they shouted out a prayer to Jehovah, Jonah's 
       God. "O Jehovah," they pleaded, "don't make us die for this man's sin, 
       and don't hold us responsible for his death, for it is not our 
       fault--you have sent this storm upon him for your own good reasons."

       (Jonah 1:15 TLB)  Then they picked up Jonah and threw him overboard 





       into the raging sea--and the storm stopped!

       (Jonah 1:16 TLB)  The men stood there in awe before Jehovah, and they 
       sacrificed to him and vowed to serve him.

       (Jonah 1:17 TLB)  Now the Lord had arranged for a great fish to 
       swallow Jonah. And Jonah was inside the fish three days and three 
       nights.

       (Jonah 2:1 TLB)  Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from inside the 
       fish:

       (Jonah 2:2 TLB)  "In my great trouble I cried to the Lord and he 
       answered me; from the depths of death I called, and Lord, you heard 
       me!

       (Jonah 2:3 TLB)  You threw me into the ocean depths; I sank down into 
       the floods of waters and was covered by your wild and stormy waves.

       (Jonah 2:4 TLB)  Then I said, 'O Lord, you have rejected me and cast 
       me away. How shall I ever again see your holy Temple?'

       (Jonah 2:5 TLB)  "I sank beneath the waves, and death was very near. 
       The waters closed above me; the seaweed wrapped itself around my head.

       (Jonah 2:6 TLB)  I went down to the bottoms of the mountains that rise 
       from off the ocean floor. I was locked out of life and imprisoned in 
       the land of death. But, O Lord my God, you have snatched me from the 
       yawning jaws of death!

       (Jonah 2:7 TLB)  "When I had lost all hope, I turned my thoughts once 
       more to the Lord. And my earnest prayer went to you in your holy 
       Temple.

       (Jonah 2:8 TLB)  (Those who worship false gods have turned their backs 
       on all the mercies waiting for them from the Lord!)

       (Jonah 2:9 TLB)  "I will never worship anyone but you! For how can I 
       thank you enough for all you have done? I will surely fulfill my 
       promises. For my deliverance comes from the Lord alone."

       (Jonah 2:10 TLB)  And the Lord ordered the fish to spit up Jonah on 
       the beach, and it did.

       (Jonah 3:1 TLB)  Then the Lord spoke to Jonah again: "Go to that great 
       city, Nineveh," he said, "and warn them of their doom, as I told you 
       to before!"

       (Jonah 3:2 TLB)  

       (Jonah 3:3 TLB)  So Jonah obeyed and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was 
       a very large city with many villages around it--so large that it would 
       take three days to walk through it.

       (Jonah 3:4 TLB)  But the very first day when Jonah entered the city 
       and began to preach, the people repented. Jonah shouted to the crowds 





       that gathered around him, "Forty days from now Nineveh will be 
       destroyed!"

       (Jonah 3:5 TLB)  And they believed him and declared a fast; from the 
       king on down, everyone put on sackcloth--the rough, coarse garments 
       worn at times of mourning.

       (Jonah 3:6 TLB)  For when the king of Nineveh heard what Jonah was 
       saying, he stepped down from his throne, laid aside his royal robes, 
       put on sackcloth, and sat in ashes.

       (Jonah 3:7 TLB)  And the king and his nobles sent this message 
       throughout the city: "Let no one, not even the animals, eat anything 
       at all, nor even drink any water.

       (Jonah 3:8 TLB)  Everyone must wear sackcloth and cry mightily to God, 
       and let everyone turn from his evil ways, from his violence and 
       robbing.

       (Jonah 3:9 TLB)  Who can tell? Perhaps even yet God will decide to let 
       us live and will hold back his fierce anger from destroying us."

       (Jonah 3:10 TLB)  And when God saw that they had put a stop to their 
       evil ways, he abandoned his plan to destroy them and didn't carry it 
       through.

       (Jonah 4:1 TLB)  This change of plans made Jonah very angry.

       (Jonah 4:2 TLB)  He complained to the Lord about it: "This is exactly 
       what I thought you'd do, Lord, when I was there in my own country and 
       you first told me to come here. That's why I ran away to Tarshish. For 
       I knew you were a gracious God, merciful, slow to get angry, and full 
       of kindness; I knew how easily you could cancel your plans for 
       destroying these people.

       (Jonah 4:3 TLB)  "Please kill me, Lord; I'd rather be dead than alive 
       (when nothing that I told them happens)."

       (Jonah 4:4 TLB)  Then the Lord said, "Is it right to be angry about 
       this?"

       (Jonah 4:5 TLB)  So Jonah went out and sat sulking on the east side of 
       the city, and he made a leafy shelter to shade him as he waited there 
       to see if anything would happen to the city.

       (Jonah 4:6 TLB)  And when the leaves of the shelter withered in the 
       heat, the Lord arranged for a vine to grow up quickly and spread its 
       broad leaves over Jonah's head to shade him. This made him comfortable 
       and very grateful.

       (Jonah 4:7 TLB)  But God also prepared a worm! The next morning the 
       worm ate through the stem of the plant, so that it withered away and 
       died.

       (Jonah 4:8 TLB)  Then when the sun was hot, God ordered a scorching 
       east wind to blow on Jonah, and the sun beat down upon his head until 





       he grew faint and wished to die. For he said, "Death is better than 
       this!"

       (Jonah 4:9 TLB)  And God said to Jonah, "Is it right for you to be 
       angry because the plant died?" "Yes," Jonah said, "it is; it is right 
       for me to be angry enough to die!"

       (Jonah 4:10 TLB)  Then the Lord said, "You feel sorry for yourself 
       when your shelter is destroyed, though you did no work to put it 
       there, and it is, at best, short-lived.

       (Jonah 4:11 TLB)  And why shouldn't I feel sorry for a great city like 
       Nineveh with its 120,000 people in utter spiritual darkness and all 
       its cattle?"

       (Micah 1:1 TLB)  These are messages from the Lord to Micah, who lived 
       in the town of Moresheth during the reigns of King Jotham, King Ahaz, 
       and King Hezekiah, all kings of Judah. The messages were addressed to 
       both Samaria and Judah and came to Micah in the form of visions.

       (Micah 1:2 TLB)  Attention! Let all the peoples of the world listen. 
       For the Lord in his holy Temple has made accusations against you!

       (Micah 1:3 TLB)  Look! He is coming! He leaves his throne in heaven 
       and comes to earth, walking on the mountaintops.

       (Micah 1:4 TLB)  They melt beneath his feet and flow into the valleys 
       like wax in fire, like water pouring down a hill.

       (Micah 1:5 TLB)  And why is this happening? Because of the sins of 
       Israel and Judah. What sins? The idolatry and oppression centering in 
       the capital cities, Samaria and Jerusalem!

       (Micah 1:6 TLB)  Therefore, the entire city of Samaria will crumble 
       into a heap of rubble and become an open field, her streets plowed up 
       for planting grapes! The Lord will tear down her wall and her forts, 
       exposing their foundations, and pour their stones into the valleys 
       below.

       (Micah 1:7 TLB)  All her carved images will be smashed to pieces; her 
       ornate idol temples, built with the gifts of worshipers, will all be 
       burned.

       (Micah 1:8 TLB)  I will wail and lament, howling as a jackal, mournful 
       as an ostrich crying across the desert sands at night. I will walk 
       naked and barefoot in sorrow and shame;

       (Micah 1:9 TLB)  for my people's wound is far too deep to heal. The 
       Lord stands ready at Jerusalem's gates to punish her.

       (Micah 1:10 TLB)  Woe to the city of Gath. Weep, men of Bakah. In 
       Beth-le-aphrah roll in the dust in your anguish and shame.

       (Micah 1:11 TLB)  There go the people of Shaphir, led away as 
       slaves--stripped, naked and ashamed. The people of Zaanan dare not 
       show themselves outside their walls. The foundations of Beth-ezel are 





       swept away--the very ground on which it stood.

       (Micah 1:12 TLB)  The people of Maroth vainly hope for better days, 
       but only bitterness awaits them as the Lord stands poised against 
       Jerusalem.

       (Micah 1:13 TLB)  Quick! Use your swiftest chariots and flee, O people 
       of Lachish, for you were the first of the cities of Judah to follow 
       Israel in her sin of idol worship. Then all the cities of the south 
       began to follow your example.

       (Micah 1:14 TLB)  Write off Moresheth of Gath; there is no hope of 
       saving her. The town of Achzib has deceived the kings of Israel, for 
       she promised help she cannot give.

       (Micah 1:15 TLB)  You people of Mareshah will be a prize to your 
       enemies. They will penetrate to Adullum, the "Pride of Israel."

       (Micah 1:16 TLB)  Weep, weep for your little ones. For they are 
       snatched away, and you will never see them again. They have gone as 
       slaves to distant lands. Shave your heads in sorrow.

       (Micah 2:1 TLB)  Woe to you who lie awake at night, plotting 
       wickedness; you rise at dawn to carry out your schemes; because you 
       can, you do.

       (Micah 2:2 TLB)  You want a certain piece of land or someone else's 
       house (though it is all he has); you take it by fraud and threats and 
       violence.

       (Micah 2:3 TLB)  But the Lord God says, "I will reward your evil with 
       evil; nothing can stop me; never again will you be proud and haughty 
       after I am through with you.

       (Micah 2:4 TLB)  Then your enemies will taunt you and mock your dirge 
       of despair: 'We are finished, ruined. God has confiscated our land and 
       sent us far away; he has given what is ours to others.'"

       (Micah 2:5 TLB)  Others will set your boundaries then. "The People of 
       the Lord" will live where they are sent.

       (Micah 2:6 TLB)  "Don't say such things," the people say. "Don't harp 
       on things like that. It's disgraceful, that sort of talk. Such evils 
       surely will not come our way."

       (Micah 2:7 TLB)  Is that the right reply for you to make, O House of 
       Jacob? Do you think the Spirit of the Lord likes to talk to you so 
       roughly? No! His threats are for your good, to get you on the path 
       again.

       (Micah 2:8 TLB)  Yet to this very hour my people rise against me. For 
       you steal the shirts right off the backs of those who trusted you, who 
       walk in peace.

       (Micah 2:9 TLB)  You have driven out the widows from their homes and 
       stripped their children of every God-given right.






       (Micah 2:10 TLB)  Up! Begone! This is no more your land and home, for 
       you have filled it with sin, and it will vomit you out.

       (Micah 2:11 TLB)  "I'll preach to you the joys of wine and 
       drink"--that is the kind of drunken, lying prophet that you like!

       (Micah 2:12 TLB)  "The time will come, O Israel, when I will gather 
       you--all that are left--and bring you together again like sheep in a 
       fold, like a flock in a pasture--a noisy, happy crowd.

       (Micah 2:13 TLB)  The Messiah will lead you out of exile and bring you 
       through the gates of your cities of captivity, back to your own land. 
       Your King will go before you--the Lord leads on.

       (Micah 3:1 TLB)  Listen, you leaders of Israel--you are supposed to 
       know right from wrong,

       (Micah 3:2 TLB)  yet you are the very ones who hate good and love 
       evil; you skin my people and strip them to the bone.

       (Micah 3:3 TLB)  You devour them, flog them, break their bones, and 
       chop them up like meat for the cooking pot--

       (Micah 3:4 TLB)  and then you plead with the Lord for his help in 
       times of trouble! Do you really expect him to listen? He will look the 
       other way!

       (Micah 3:5 TLB)  You false prophets! You who lead his people astray! 
       You who cry "Peace" to those who give you food and threaten those who 
       will not pay! This is God's message to you:

       (Micah 3:6 TLB)  "The night will close about you and cut off all your 
       visions; darkness will cover you with never a word from God. The sun 
       will go down upon you, and your day will end.

       (Micah 3:7 TLB)  Then at last you will cover your faces in shame and 
       admit that your messages were not from God."

       (Micah 3:8 TLB)  But as for me, I am filled with power, with the 
       Spirit of the Lord, fearlessly announcing God's punishment on Israel 
       for her sins.

       (Micah 3:9 TLB)  Listen to me, you leaders of Israel who hate justice 
       and love unfairness

       (Micah 3:10 TLB)  and fill Jerusalem with murder and sin of every 
       kind--

       (Micah 3:11 TLB)  you leaders who take bribes; you priests and 
       prophets who won't preach and prophesy until you're paid. (And yet you 
       fawn upon the Lord and say, "All is well--the Lord is here among us. 
       No harm can come to us.")

       (Micah 3:12 TLB)  It is because of you that Jerusalem will be plowed 
       like a field and become a heap of rubble; the mountaintop where the 





       Temple stands will be overgrown with brush.

       (Micah 4:1 TLB)  But in the last days Mount Zion will be the most 
       renowned of all the mountains of the world, praised by all nations; 
       people from all over the world will make pilgrimages there.

       (Micah 4:2 TLB)  "Come," they will say to one another, "let us visit 
       the mountain of the Lord, and see the Temple of the God of Israel; he 
       will tell us what to do, and we will do it." For in those days the 
       whole world will be ruled by the Lord from Jerusalem! He will issue 
       his laws and announce his decrees from there.

       (Micah 4:3 TLB)  He will arbitrate among the nations and dictate to 
       strong nations far away. They will beat their swords into plowshares 
       and their spears into pruning-hooks; nations shall no longer fight 
       each other, for all war will end. There will be universal peace, and 
       all the military academies and training camps will be closed down.

       (Micah 4:4 TLB)  Everyone will live quietly in his own home in peace 
       and prosperity, for there will be nothing to fear. The Lord himself 
       has promised this.

       (Micah 4:5 TLB)  (Therefore we will follow the Lord our God forever 
       and ever, even though all the nations around us worship idols!)

       (Micah 4:6 TLB)  In that coming day, the Lord says that he will bring 
       back his punished people--sick and lame and dispossessed--

       (Micah 4:7 TLB)  and make them strong again in their own land, a 
       mighty nation, and the Lord himself shall be their King from Mount 
       Zion forever.

       (Micah 4:8 TLB)  O Jerusalem--the Watchtower of God's people--your 
       royal might and power will come back to you again, just as before.

       (Micah 4:9 TLB)  But for now, now you scream in terror. Where is your 
       king to lead you? He is dead! Where are your wise men? All are gone! 
       Pain has gripped you like a woman in labor.

       (Micah 4:10 TLB)  Writhe and groan in your terrible pain, O people of 
       Zion, for you must leave this city and live in the fields; you will be 
       sent far away into exile in Babylon. But there I will rescue you and 
       free you from the grip of your enemies.

       (Micah 4:11 TLB)  True, many nations have gathered together against 
       you, calling for your blood, eager to destroy you.

       (Micah 4:12 TLB)  But they do not know the thoughts of the Lord 
       understand his plan, for the time will come when the Lord will gather 
       together the enemies of his people like sheaves upon the threshing 
       floor, helpless before Israel.

       (Micah 4:13 TLB)  Rise, thresh, O daughter of Zion; I will give you 
       horns of iron and hoofs of brass; you will trample to pieces many 
       people, and you will give their wealth as offerings to the Lord, the 
       Lord of all the earth.






       (Micah 5:1 TLB)  Mobilize! The enemy lays siege to Jerusalem! With a 
       rod they shall strike the Judge of Israel on the face.

       (Micah 5:2 TLB)  "O Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are but a small Judean 
       village, yet you will be the birthplace of my King who is alive from 
       everlasting ages past!"

       (Micah 5:3 TLB)  God will abandon his people to their enemies until 
       she who is to give birth has her son; then at last his fellow 
       countrymen--the exile remnants of Israel--will rejoin their brethren 
       in their own land.

       (Micah 5:4 TLB)  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 his 
       people shall remain there undisturbed, for he will be greatly honored 
       all around the world.

       (Micah 5:5 TLB)  He will be our Peace. And when the Assyrian invades 
       our land and marches across our hills, he will appoint seven shepherds 
       to watch over us, eight princes to lead us.

       (Micah 5:6 TLB)  They will rule Assyria with drawn swords and enter 
       the gates of the land of Nimrod. He will deliver us from the Assyrians 
       when they invade our land.

       (Micah 5:7 TLB)  Then the nation of Israel will refresh the world like 
       a gentle dew or the welcome showers of rain,

       (Micah 5:8 TLB)  and Israel will be as strong as a lion. The nations 
       will be like helpless sheep before her!

       (Micah 5:9 TLB)  She will stand up to her foes; all her enemies will 
       be wiped out.

       (Micah 5:10 TLB)  "At that same time," says the Lord, "I will destroy 
       all the weapons you depend on,

       (Micah 5:11 TLB)  tear down your walls, and demolish the defenses of 
       your cities.

       (Micah 5:12 TLB)  I will put an end to all witchcraft--there will be 
       no more fortune-tellers to consult--

       (Micah 5:13 TLB)  and destroy all your idols. Never again will you 
       worship what you have made,

       (Micah 5:14 TLB)  for I will abolish the heathen shrines from among 
       you, and destroy the cities where your idol temples stand.

       (Micah 5:15 TLB)  I will pour out my vengeance upon the nations who 
       refuse to obey me."

       (Micah 6:1 TLB)  Listen to what the Lord is saying to his people: 
       "Stand up and state your case against me. Let the mountains and hills 
       be called to witness your complaint.






       (Micah 6:2 TLB)  "And now, O mountains, listen to the Lord's 
       complaint! For he has a case against his people Israel! He will 
       prosecute them to the full.

       (Micah 6:3 TLB)  O my people, what have I done that makes you turn 
       away from me? Tell me why your patience is exhausted! Answer me!

       (Micah 6:4 TLB)  For I brought you out of Egypt and cut your chains of 
       slavery. I gave you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam to help you.

       (Micah 6:5 TLB)  "Don't you remember, O my people, how Balak, king of 
       Moab, tried to destroy you through the curse of Balaam, son of Beor, 
       but I made him bless you instead? That is the kindness I showed you 
       again and again. Have you no memory at all of what happened at Acacia 
       and Gilgal and how I blessed you there?"

       (Micah 6:6 TLB)  "How can we make up to you for what we've done?" you 
       ask. "Shall we bow before the Lord with offerings of yearling calves?" 
       Oh no!

       (Micah 6:7 TLB)  For if you offered him thousands of rams and ten 
       thousands of rivers of olive oil--would that please him? Would he be 
       satisfied? If you sacrificed your oldest child, would that make him 
       glad? Then would he forgive your sins? Of course not!

       (Micah 6:8 TLB)  No, he has told you what he wants, and this is all it 
       is: to be fair, just, merciful, and to walk humbly with your God.

       (Micah 6:9 TLB)  The Lord's voice calls out to all Jerusalem--listen 
       to the Lord if you are wise! "The armies of destruction are coming; 
       the Lord is sending them.

       (Micah 6:10 TLB)  For your sins are very great--is there to be no end 
       of getting rich by cheating? The homes of the wicked are full of 
       ungodly treasures and lying scales.

       (Micah 6:11 TLB)  Shall I say 'Good!' to all your merchants with their 
       bags of false, deceitful weights? How could God be just while saying 
       that?

       (Micah 6:12 TLB)  Your rich men are wealthy through extortion and 
       violence; your citizens are so used to lying that their tongues can't 
       tell the truth!

       (Micah 6:13 TLB)  "Therefore I will wound you! I will make your hearts 
       miserable for all your sins.

       (Micah 6:14 TLB)  You will eat but never have enough; hunger pangs and 
       emptiness will still remain. And though you try and try to save your 
       money, it will come to nothing at the end, and what little you succeed 
       in storing up I'll give to those who conquer you!

       (Micah 6:15 TLB)  You will plant crops but not harvest them; you will 
       press out the oil from the olives and not get enough to anoint 
       yourself! You will trample the grapes but get no juice to make your 





       wine.

       (Micah 6:16 TLB)  "The only commands you keep are those of Omri; the 
       only example you follow is that of Ahab! Therefore, I will make an 
       awesome example of you--I will destroy you. I will make you the 
       laughingstock of the world; all who see you will snicker and sneer!"

       (Micah 7:1 TLB)  Woe is me! It is as hard to find an honest man as 
       grapes and figs when harvest days are over. Not a cluster to eat, not 
       a single early fig, however much I long for it!

       (Micah 7:2 TLB)  The good men have disappeared from the earth; not one 
       fair-minded man is left. They are all murderers, turning against even 
       their own brothers.

       (Micah 7:3 TLB)  They go at their evil deeds with both hands, and how 
       skilled they are in using them! The governor and judge alike demand 
       bribes. The rich man pays them off and tells them whom to ruin. 
       Justice is twisted between them.

       (Micah 7:4 TLB)  Even the best of them are prickly as briars; the 
       straightest is more crooked than a hedge of thorns. But your judgment 
       day is coming swiftly now; your time of punishment is almost here; 
       confusion, destruction, and terror will be yours.

       (Micah 7:5 TLB)  Don't trust anyone, not your best friend--not even 
       your wife!

       (Micah 7:6 TLB)  For the son despises his father; the daughter defies 
       her mother; the bride curses her mother-in-law. Yes, a man's enemies 
       will be found in his own home.

       (Micah 7:7 TLB)  As for me, I look to the Lord for his help; I wait 
       for God to save me; he will hear me.

       (Micah 7:8 TLB)  Do not rejoice against me, O my enemy, for though I 
       fall, I will rise again! When I sit in darkness, the Lord himself will 
       be my Light.

       (Micah 7:9 TLB)  I will be patient while the Lord punishes me, for I 
       have sinned against him; then he will defend me from my enemies and 
       punish them for all the evil they have done to me. God will bring me 
       out of my darkness into the light, and I will see his goodness.

       (Micah 7:10 TLB)  Then my enemy will see that God is for me and be 
       ashamed for taunting, "Where is that God of yours?" Now with my own 
       eyes I see them trampled down like mud in the street.

       (Micah 7:11 TLB)  Your cities, people of God, will be rebuilt, much 
       larger and more prosperous than before.

       (Micah 7:12 TLB)  Citizens of many lands will come and honor you--from 
       Assyria to Egypt, and from Egypt to the Euphrates, from sea to sea and 
       from distant hills and mountains.

       (Micah 7:13 TLB)  But first comes terrible destruction to Israel for 





       the great wickedness of her people.

       (Micah 7:14 TLB)  O Lord, come and rule your people; lead your flock; 
       make them live in peace and prosperity; let them enjoy the fertile 
       pastures of Bashan and Gilead as they did long ago.

       (Micah 7:15 TLB)  "Yes," replies the Lord, "I will do mighty miracles 
       for you, like those when I brought you out of slavery in Egypt.

       (Micah 7:16 TLB)  All the world will stand amazed at what I will do 
       for you and be embarrassed at their puny might. They will stand in 
       silent awe, deaf to all around them."

       (Micah 7:17 TLB)  They will see what snakes they are, lowly as worms 
       crawling from their holes. They will come trembling out from their 
       fortresses to meet the Lord our God. They will fear him; they will 
       stand in awe.

       (Micah 7:18 TLB)  Where is another God like you, who pardons the sins 
       of the survivors among his people? You cannot stay angry with your 
       people, for you love to be merciful.

       (Micah 7:19 TLB)  Once again you will have compassion on us. You will 
       tread our sins beneath your feet; you will throw them into the depths 
       of the ocean!

       (Micah 7:20 TLB)  You will bless us as you promised Jacob long ago. 
       You will set your love upon us, as you promised our father Abraham!

       (Nahum 1:1 TLB)  This is the vision God gave to Nahum, who lived in 
       Elkosh, concerning the impending doom of Nineveh:

       (Nahum 1:2 TLB)  God is jealous over those he loves; that is why he 
       takes vengeance on those who hurt them. He furiously destroys their 
       enemies.

       (Nahum 1:3 TLB)  He is slow in getting angry, but when aroused, his 
       power is incredible, and he does not easily forgive. He shows his 
       power in the terrors of the cyclone and the raging storms; clouds are 
       billowing dust beneath his feet!

       (Nahum 1:4 TLB)  At his command the oceans and rivers become dry sand; 
       the lush pastures of Bashan and Carmel fade away; the green forests of 
       Lebanon wilt.

       (Nahum 1:5 TLB)  In his presence mountains quake and hills melt; the 
       earth crumbles, and its people are destroyed.

       (Nahum 1:6 TLB)  Who can stand before an angry God? His fury is like 
       fire; the mountains tumble down before his anger.

       (Nahum 1:7 TLB)  The Lord is good. When trouble comes, he is the place 
       to go! And he knows everyone who trusts in him!

       (Nahum 1:8 TLB)  But he sweeps away his enemies with an overwhelming 
       flood; he pursues them all night long.






       (Nahum 1:9 TLB)  What are you thinking of, Nineveh, to defy the Lord? 
       He will stop you with one blow; he won't need to strike again.

       (Nahum 1:10 TLB)  He tosses his enemies into the fire like a tangled 
       mass of thorns. They burst into flames like straw.

       (Nahum 1:11 TLB)  Who is this king of yours who dares to plot against 
       the Lord?

       (Nahum 1:12 TLB)  But the Lord is not afraid of him! "Though he build 
       his army millions strong," the Lord declares, "it will vanish. "O my 
       people, I have punished you enough!

       (Nahum 1:13 TLB)  Now I will break your chains and release you from 
       the yoke of slavery to this Assyrian king."

       (Nahum 1:14 TLB)  And to the king he says, "I have ordered an end to 
       your dynasty; your sons will never sit upon your throne. And I will 
       destroy your gods and temples, and I will bury you! For how you stink 
       with sin!"

       (Nahum 1:15 TLB)  See, the messengers come running down the mountains 
       with glad news: "The invaders have been wiped out and we are safe!" O 
       Judah, proclaim a day of thanksgiving and worship only the Lord, as 
       you have vowed. For this enemy from Nineveh will never come again. He 
       is cut off forever; he will never be seen again.

       (Nahum 2:1 TLB)  Nineveh, you are finished! You are already surrounded 
       by enemy armies! Sound the alarm! Man the ramparts! Muster your 
       defenses, full force, and keep a sharp watch for the enemy attack to 
       begin!

       (Nahum 2:2 TLB)  For the land of the people of God lies empty and 
       broken after your attacks, but the Lord will restore their honor and 
       power again!

       (Nahum 2:3 TLB)  Shields flash red in the sunlight! The attack begins! 
       See their scarlet uniforms! See their glittering chariots moving 
       forward side by side, pulled by prancing steeds!

       (Nahum 2:4 TLB)  Your own chariots race recklessly along the streets 
       and through the squares, darting like lightning, gleaming like 
       torches.

       (Nahum 2:5 TLB)  The king shouts for his officers; they stumble in 
       their haste, rushing to the walls to set up their defenses.

       (Nahum 2:6 TLB)  But too late! The river gates are open! The enemy has 
       entered! The palace is in panic!

       (Nahum 2:7 TLB)  The queen of Nineveh is brought out naked to the 
       streets and led away, a slave, with all her maidens weeping after her; 
       listen to them mourn like doves and beat their breasts!

       (Nahum 2:8 TLB)  Nineveh is like a leaking water tank! Her soldiers 





       slip away, deserting her; she cannot hold them back. "Stop, stop," she 
       shouts, but they keep on running.

       (Nahum 2:9 TLB)  Loot the silver! Loot the gold! There seems to be no 
       end of treasures. Her vast, uncounted wealth is stripped away.

       (Nahum 2:10 TLB)  Soon the city is an empty shambles; hearts melt in 
       horror; knees quake; her people stand aghast, pale-faced and 
       trembling.

       (Nahum 2:11 TLB)  Where now is that great Nineveh, lion of the 
       nations, full of fight and boldness, where even the old and feeble, as 
       well as the young and tender, lived unafraid?

       (Nahum 2:12 TLB)  O Nineveh, once mighty lion! You crushed your 
       enemies to feed your children and your wives and filled your city and 
       your homes with captured goods and slaves.

       (Nahum 2:13 TLB)  But now the Lord Almighty has turned against you. He 
       destroys your weapons. Your chariots stand there, silent and unused. 
       Your finest youth lie dead. Never again will you bring back slaves 
       from conquered nations; never again will you rule the earth.

       (Nahum 3:1 TLB)  Woe to Nineveh, City of Blood, full of lies, crammed 
       with plunder.

       (Nahum 3:2 TLB)  Listen! Hear the crack of the whips as the chariots 
       rush forward against her, wheels rumbling, horses' hoofs pounding, and 
       chariots clattering as they bump wildly through the streets!

       (Nahum 3:3 TLB)  See the flashing swords and glittering spears in the 
       upraised arms of the cavalry! The dead are lying in the 
       streets--bodies, heaps of bodies, everywhere. Men stumble over them, 
       scramble to their feet, and fall again.

       (Nahum 3:4 TLB)  All this because Nineveh sold herself to the enemies 
       of God. The beautiful and faithless city, mistress of deadly charms, 
       enticed the nations with her beauty, then taught them all to worship 
       her false gods, bewitching people everywhere.

       (Nahum 3:5 TLB)  "No wonder I stand against you," says the Lord 
       Almighty; "and now all the earth will see your nakedness and shame.

       (Nahum 3:6 TLB)  I will cover you with filth and show the world how 
       really vile you are."

       (Nahum 3:7 TLB)  All who see you will shrink back in horror: "Nineveh 
       lies in utter ruin." Yet no one anywhere regrets your fate!

       (Nahum 3:8 TLB)  Are you any better than Thebes, straddling the Nile, 
       protected on all sides by the river?

       (Nahum 3:9 TLB)  Ethiopia and the whole land of Egypt were her mighty 
       allies, and she could call on them for infinite assistance, as well as 
       Put and Libya.





       (Nahum 3:10 TLB)  Yet Thebes fell and her people were led off as 
       slaves; her babies were dashed to death against the stones of the 
       streets. Soldiers drew straws to see who would get her officers as 
       servants. All her leaders were bound in chains.

       (Nahum 3:11 TLB)  Nineveh, too, will stagger like a drunkard and hide 
       herself in fear.

       (Nahum 3:12 TLB)  All your forts will fall. They will be devoured like 
       first-ripe figs that fall into the mouths of those who shake the 
       trees.

       (Nahum 3:13 TLB)  Your troops will be weak and helpless as women. The 
       gates of your land will be opened wide to the enemy and set on fire 
       and burned.

       (Nahum 3:14 TLB)  Get ready for the siege! Store up water! Strengthen 
       the forts! Prepare many bricks for repairing your walls! Go into the 
       pits to trample the clay, and pack it in the molds!

       (Nahum 3:15 TLB)  But in the middle of your preparations, the fire 
       will devour you; the sword will cut you down; the enemy will consume 
       you like young locusts that eat up everything before them. There is no 
       escape, though you multiply like grasshoppers.

       (Nahum 3:16 TLB)  Merchants, numerous as stars, filled your city with 
       vast wealth, but your enemies swarm like locusts and carry it away.

       (Nahum 3:17 TLB)  Your princes and officials crowd together like 
       grasshoppers in the hedges in the cold, but all of them will flee away 
       and disappear, like locusts when the sun comes up and warms the earth.

       (Nahum 3:18 TLB)  O Assyrian king, your princes lie dead in the dust; 
       your people are scattered across the mountains; there is no shepherd 
       now to gather them.

       (Nahum 3:19 TLB)  There is no healing for your wound--it is far too 
       deep to cure. All who hear your fate will clap their hands for joy, 
       for where can one be found who has not suffered from your cruelty?

       (Hab 1:1 TLB)  This is the message that came to the prophet Habakkuk 
       in a vision from God:

       (Hab 1:2 TLB)  O Lord, how long must I call for help before you will 
       listen? I shout to you in vain; there is no answer. "Help! Murder!" I 
       cry, but no one comes to save.

       (Hab 1:3 TLB)  Must I forever see this sin and sadness all around me? 
       Wherever I look I see oppression and bribery and men who love to argue 
       and to fight.

       (Hab 1:4 TLB)  The law is not enforced, and there is no justice given 
       in the courts, for the wicked far outnumber the righteous, and bribes 
       and trickery prevail.

       (Hab 1:5 TLB)  The Lord replied: "Look, and be amazed! You will be 





       astounded at what I am about to do! For I am going to do something in 
       your own lifetime that you will have to see to believe.

       (Hab 1:6 TLB)  I am raising a new force on the world scene, the 
       Chaldeans, a cruel and violent nation who will march across the world 
       and conquer it.

       (Hab 1:7 TLB)  They are notorious for their cruelty. They do as they 
       like, and no one can interfere.

       (Hab 1:8 TLB)  Their horses are swifter than leopards. They are a 
       fierce people, more fierce than wolves at dusk. Their cavalry move 
       proudly forward from a distant land; like eagles they come swooping 
       down to pounce upon their prey.

       (Hab 1:9 TLB)  All opposition melts away before the terror of their 
       presence. They collect captives like sand.

       (Hab 1:10 TLB)  "They scoff at kings and princes and scorn their 
       forts. They simply heap up dirt against their walls and capture them!

       (Hab 1:11 TLB)  They sweep past like wind and are gone, but their 
       guilt is deep, for they claim their power is from their gods."

       (Hab 1:12 TLB)  O Lord my God, my Holy One, you who are eternal--is 
       your plan in all of this to wipe us out? Surely not! O God our Rock, 
       you have decreed the rise of these Chaldeans to chasten and correct us 
       for our awful sins.

       (Hab 1:13 TLB)  We are wicked, but they far more! Will you, who cannot 
       allow sin in any form, stand idly by while they swallow us up? Should 
       you be silent while the wicked destroy those who are better than they?

       (Hab 1:14 TLB)  Are we but fish, to be caught and killed? Are we but 
       creeping things that have no leader to defend them from their foes?

       (Hab 1:15 TLB)  Must we be strung up on their hooks and dragged out in 
       their nets, while they rejoice?

       (Hab 1:16 TLB)  Then they will worship their nets and burn incense 
       before them! "These are the gods who make us rich," they'll say.

       (Hab 1:17 TLB)  Will you let them get away with this forever? Will 
       they succeed forever in their heartless wars?

       (Hab 2:1 TLB)  I will climb my watchtower now and wait to see what 
       answer God will give to my complaint.

       (Hab 2:2 TLB)  And the Lord said to me, "Write my answer on a 
       billboard, large and clear, so that anyone can read it at a glance and 
       rush to tell the others.

       (Hab 2:3 TLB)  But these things I plan won't happen right away. 
       Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be 
       fulfilled. If it seems slow, do not despair, for these things will 
       surely come to pass. Just be patient! They will not be overdue a 





       single day!

       (Hab 2:4 TLB)  "Note this: Wicked men trust themselves alone (as these 
       Chaldeans do), and fail; but the righteous man trusts in me and lives!

       (Hab 2:5 TLB)  What's more, these arrogant Chaldeans are betrayed by 
       all their wine, for it is treacherous. In their greed they have 
       collected many nations, but like death and hell, they are never 
       satisfied.

       (Hab 2:6 TLB)  The time is coming when all their captives will taunt 
       them, saying: 'You robbers! At last justice has caught up with you! 
       Now you will get your just deserts for your oppression and extortion!'

       (Hab 2:7 TLB)  "Suddenly your debtors will rise up in anger and turn 
       on you and take all you have, while you stand trembling and helpless.

       (Hab 2:8 TLB)  You have ruined many nations; now they will ruin you. 
       You murderers! You have filled the countryside with lawlessness and 
       all the cities too.

       (Hab 2:9 TLB)  "Woe to you for getting rich by evil means, attempting 
       to live beyond the reach of danger.

       (Hab 2:10 TLB)  By the murders you commit, you have shamed your name 
       and forfeited your lives.

       (Hab 2:11 TLB)  The very stones in the walls of your homes cry out 
       against you, and the beams in the ceilings echo what they say.

       (Hab 2:12 TLB)  "Woe to you who build cities with money gained from 
       murdering and robbery!

       (Hab 2:13 TLB)  Has not the Lord decreed that godless nations' gains 
       will turn to ashes in their hands? They work so hard, but all in vain!

       (Hab 2:14 TLB)  ( "The time will come when all the earth is filled, as 
       the waters fill the sea, with an awareness of the glory of the Lord.)

       (Hab 2:15 TLB)  "Woe to you for making your neighboring lands reel and 
       stagger like drunkards beneath your blows, and then gloating over 
       their nakedness and shame.

       (Hab 2:16 TLB)  Soon your own glory will be replaced by shame. Drink 
       down God's judgment on yourselves. Stagger and fall!

       (Hab 2:17 TLB)  You cut down the forests of Lebanon--now you will be 
       cut down! You terrified the wild animals you caught in your traps--now 
       terror will strike you because of all your murdering and violence in 
       cities everywhere.

       (Hab 2:18 TLB)  "What profit was there in worshiping all your man-made 
       idols? What a foolish lie that they could help! What fools you were to 
       trust what you yourselves had made.

       (Hab 2:19 TLB)  Woe to those who command their lifeless wooden idols 





       to arise and save them, who call out to the speechless stone to tell 
       them what to do. Can images speak for God? They are overlaid with gold 
       and silver, but there is no breath at all inside!

       (Hab 2:20 TLB)  "But the Lord is in his holy Temple; let all the earth 
       be silent before him."

       (Hab 3:1 TLB)  This is the prayer of triumph that Habakkuk sang before 
       the Lord:

       (Hab 3:2 TLB)  O Lord, now I have heard your report, and I worship you 
       in awe for the fearful things you are going to do. In this time of our 
       deep need, begin again to help us, as you did in years gone by. Show 
       us your power to save us. In your wrath, remember mercy.

       (Hab 3:3 TLB)  I see God moving across the deserts from Mount Sinai. 
       His brilliant splendor fills the earth and sky; his glory fills the 
       heavens, and the earth is full of his praise! What a wonderful God he 
       is!

       (Hab 3:4 TLB)  From his hands flash rays of brilliant light. He 
       rejoices in his awesome power.

       (Hab 3:5 TLB)  Pestilence marches before him; plague follows close 
       behind.

       (Hab 3:6 TLB)  He stops; he stands still for a moment, gazing at the 
       earth. Then he shakes the nations, scattering the everlasting 
       mountains and leveling the hills. His power is just the same as 
       always!

       (Hab 3:7 TLB)  I see the people of Cushan and of Midian in mortal 
       fear.

       (Hab 3:8 TLB)  Was it in anger, Lord, you smote the rivers and parted 
       the sea? Were you displeased with them? No, you were sending your 
       chariots of salvation! All saw your power! Then springs burst forth 
       upon the earth at your command!

       (Hab 3:9 TLB)  

       (Hab 3:10 TLB)  The mountains watched and trembled. Onward swept the 
       raging water. The mighty deep cried out, announcing its surrender to 
       the Lord.

       (Hab 3:11 TLB)  The lofty sun and moon began to fade, obscured by 
       brilliance from your arrows and the flashing of your glittering spear.

       (Hab 3:12 TLB)  You marched across the land in awesome anger and 
       trampled down the nations in your wrath.

       (Hab 3:13 TLB)  You went out to save your chosen people. You crushed 
       the head of the wicked and laid bare his bones from head to toe.

       (Hab 3:14 TLB)  You destroyed with their own weapons those who came 
       out like a whirlwind, thinking Israel would be an easy prey.






       (Hab 3:15 TLB)  Your horsemen marched across the sea; the mighty 
       waters piled high.

       (Hab 3:16 TLB)  I tremble when I hear all this; my lips quiver with 
       fear. My legs give way beneath me, and I shake in terror. I will 
       quietly wait for the day of trouble to come upon the people who invade 
       us.

       (Hab 3:17 TLB)  Even though the fig trees are all destroyed, and there 
       is neither blossom left nor fruit; though the olive crops all fail, 
       and the fields lie barren; even if the flocks die in the fields and 
       the cattle barns are empty,

       (Hab 3:18 TLB)  yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will be happy in the 
       God of my salvation.

       (Hab 3:19 TLB)  The Lord God is my strength; he will give me the speed 
       of a deer and bring me safely over the mountains. (A note to the choir 
       director: When singing this ode, the choir is to be accompanied by 
       stringed instruments.)

       (Zep 1:1 TLB)  Subject: a message from the Lord. To: Zephaniah (son of 
       Cushi, grandson of Gedaliah, great-grandson of Amariah, and 
       great-great-grandson of Hezekiah). When: During the reign of Josiah 
       (son of Amon) king of Judah.

       (Zep 1:2 TLB)  "I will sweep away everything in all your land," says 
       the Lord. "I will destroy it to the ground.

       (Zep 1:3 TLB)  I will sweep away both men and animals alike. Mankind 
       and all the idols that he worships--all will vanish. Even the birds of 
       the air and the fish in the sea will perish.

       (Zep 1:4 TLB)  I will crush Judah and Jerusalem with my fist and 
       destroy every remnant of those who worship Baal; I will put an end to 
       their idolatrous priests, so that even the memory of them will 
       disappear.

       (Zep 1:5 TLB)  They go up on their roofs and bow to the sun, moon, and 
       stars. They 'follow the Lord,' but worship Molech too! I will destroy 
       them.

       (Zep 1:6 TLB)  And I will destroy those who formerly worshiped the 
       Lord, but now no longer do, and those who never loved him and never 
       wanted to."

       (Zep 1:7 TLB)  Stand in silence in the presence of the Lord. For the 
       awesome Day of his Judgment has come; he has prepared a great 
       slaughter of his people and has chosen their executioners.

       (Zep 1:8 TLB)  "On that Day of Judgment I will punish the leaders and 
       princes of Judah and all others wearing heathen clothing.

       (Zep 1:9 TLB)  Yes, I will punish those who follow heathen customs and 
       who rob and kill to fill their masters' homes with evil gain of 





       violence and fraud.

       (Zep 1:10 TLB)  A cry of alarm will begin at the farthest gate of 
       Jerusalem, coming closer and closer until the noise of the advancing 
       army reaches the very top of the hill where the city is built.

       (Zep 1:11 TLB)  "Wail in sorrow, you people of Jerusalem. All your 
       greedy businessmen, all your loan sharks--all will die.

       (Zep 1:12 TLB)  "I will search with lanterns in Jerusalem's darkest 
       corners to find and punish those who sit contented in their sins, 
       indifferent to God, thinking he will let them alone.

       (Zep 1:13 TLB)  They are the very ones whose property will be 
       plundered by the enemy, whose homes will be ransacked; they will never 
       have a chance to live in the new homes they have built. They will 
       never drink wine from the vineyards they have planted.

       (Zep 1:14 TLB)  "That terrible day is near. Swiftly it comes--a day 
       when strong men will weep bitterly.

       (Zep 1:15 TLB)  It is a day of the wrath of God poured out; it is a 
       day of terrible distress and anguish, a day of ruin and desolation, a 
       day of darkness and gloom, of clouds, blackness,

       (Zep 1:16 TLB)  trumpet calls, and battle cries; down go the walled 
       cities and strongest battlements!

       (Zep 1:17 TLB)  "I will make you as helpless as a blind man searching 
       for a path because you have sinned against the Lord; therefore, your 
       blood will be poured out into the dust and your bodies will lie there 
       rotting on the ground."

       (Zep 1:18 TLB)  Your silver and gold will be of no use to you in that 
       day of the Lord's wrath. You cannot ransom yourselves with it. For the 
       whole land will be devoured by the fire of his jealousy. He will make 
       a speedy riddance of all the people of Judah.

       (Zep 2:1 TLB)  Gather together and pray, you shameless nation,

       (Zep 2:2 TLB)  while there still is time--before judgment begins and 
       your opportunity is blown away like chaff; before the fierce anger of 
       the Lord falls and the terrible day of his wrath begins.

       (Zep 2:3 TLB)  Beg him to save you, all who are humble--all who have 
       tried to obey. Walk humbly and do what is right; perhaps even yet the 
       Lord will protect you from his wrath in that day of doom.

       (Zep 2:4 TLB)  Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ekron--these Philistine cities, 
       too, will be rooted out and left in desolation.

       (Zep 2:5 TLB)  And woe to you Philistines living on the coast and in 
       the land of Canaan, for the judgment is against you too. The Lord will 
       destroy you until not one of you is left.

       (Zep 2:6 TLB)  The coastland will become a pasture, a place of 





       shepherd camps and folds for sheep.

       (Zep 2:7 TLB)  There the little remnant of the tribe of Judah will be 
       pastured. They will lie down to rest in the abandoned houses in 
       Ashkelon. For the Lord God will visit his people in kindness and 
       restore their prosperity again.

       (Zep 2:8 TLB)  "I have heard the taunts of the people of Moab and 
       Ammon, mocking my people and invading their land.

       (Zep 2:9 TLB)  Therefore as I live," says the Lord Almighty, God of 
       Israel, "Moab and Ammon will be destroyed like Sodom and Gomorrah and 
       become a place of stinging nettles, salt pits, and eternal desolation; 
       those of my people who are left will plunder and possess them."

       (Zep 2:10 TLB)  They will receive the wages of their pride, for they 
       have scoffed at the people of the Lord Almighty.

       (Zep 2:11 TLB)  The Lord will do terrible things to them. He will 
       starve out all those gods of foreign powers, and everyone shall 
       worship him, each in his own land throughout the world.

       (Zep 2:12 TLB)  You Ethiopians, too, will be slain by his sword,

       (Zep 2:13 TLB)  and so will the lands of the north; he will destroy 
       Assyria and make its great capital Nineveh a desolate wasteland like a 
       wilderness.

       (Zep 2:14 TLB)  That once proud city will become a pastureland for 
       sheep. All sorts of wild animals will have their homes in her. 
       Hedgehogs will burrow there; the vultures and the owls will live among 
       the ruins of her palaces, hooting from the gaping windows; the ravens 
       will croak from her doors. All her cedar paneling will lie open to the 
       wind and weather.

       (Zep 2:15 TLB)  This is the fate of that vast, prosperous city that 
       lived in such security, that said to herself, "In all the world there 
       is no city as great as I." But now--see how she has become a place of 
       utter ruins, a place for animals to live! Everyone passing that way 
       will mock or shake his head in disbelief.

       (Zep 3:1 TLB)  Woe to filthy, sinful Jerusalem, city of violence and 
       crime.

       (Zep 3:2 TLB)  In her pride she won't listen even to the voice of God. 
       No one can tell her anything; she refuses all correction. She does not 
       trust the Lord nor seek for God.

       (Zep 3:3 TLB)  Her leaders are like roaring lions hunting for their 
       victims--out for everything that they can get. Her judges are like 
       ravenous wolves at evening time, who by dawn have left no trace of 
       their prey.

       (Zep 3:4 TLB)  Her "prophets" are liars seeking their own gain; her 
       priests defile the Temple by their disobedience to God's laws.





       (Zep 3:5 TLB)  But the Lord is there within the city, and he does no 
       wrong. Day by day his justice is more evident, but no one heeds--the 
       wicked know no shame.

       (Zep 3:6 TLB)  "I have cut off many nations, laying them waste to 
       their farthest borders; I have left their streets in silent ruin and 
       their cities deserted without a single survivor to remember what 
       happened.

       (Zep 3:7 TLB)  I thought, 'Surely they will listen to me now--surely 
       they will heed my warnings, so that I'll not need to strike again.' 
       But no; however much I punish them, they continue all their evil ways 
       from dawn to dusk and dusk to dawn."

       (Zep 3:8 TLB)  But the Lord says, "Be patient; the time is coming soon 
       when I will stand up and accuse these evil nations. For it is my 
       decision to gather together the kingdoms of the earth and pour out my 
       fiercest anger and wrath upon them. All the earth shall be devoured 
       with the fire of my jealousy.

       (Zep 3:9 TLB)  "At that time I will change the speech of my returning 
       people to pure Hebrew so that all can worship the Lord together.

       (Zep 3:10 TLB)  My scattered people who live in the Sudan, beyond the 
       rivers of Ethiopia, will come with their offerings, asking me to be 
       their God again.

       (Zep 3:11 TLB)  And then you will no longer need to be ashamed of 
       yourselves, for you will no longer be rebels against me. I will remove 
       all your proud and arrogant people from among you; there will be no 
       pride or haughtiness on my holy mountain.

       (Zep 3:12 TLB)  Those who are left will be the poor and the humble, 
       and they will trust in the name of the Lord.

       (Zep 3:13 TLB)  They will not be sinners, full of lies and deceit. 
       They will live quietly, in peace, and lie down in safety, and no one 
       will make them afraid."

       (Zep 3:14 TLB)  Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and 
       rejoice with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem.

       (Zep 3:15 TLB)  For the Lord will remove his hand of judgment and 
       disperse the armies of your enemy. And the Lord himself, the King of 
       Israel, will live among you! At last your troubles will be over--you 
       need fear no more.

       (Zep 3:16 TLB)  On that day the announcement to Jerusalem will be, 
       "Cheer up, don't be afraid.

       (Zep 3:17 TLB)  For the Lord your God has arrived to live among you. 
       He is a mighty Savior. He will give you victory. He will rejoice over 
       you with great gladness; he will love you and not accuse you." Is that 
       a joyous choir I hear? No, it is the Lord himself exulting over you in 
       happy song.





       (Zep 3:18 TLB)  "I have gathered your wounded and taken away your 
       reproach.

       (Zep 3:19 TLB)  And I will deal severely with all who have oppressed 
       you. I will save the weak and helpless ones, and bring together those 
       who were chased away. I will give glory to my former exiles, mocked 
       and shamed.

       (Zep 3:20 TLB)  "At that time, I will gather you together and bring 
       you home again, and give you a good name, a name of distinction among 
       all the peoples of the earth, and they will praise you when I restore 
       your fortunes before your very eyes," says the Lord.

       (Hag 1:1 TLB)  Subject: a message from the Lord. To: Haggai the 
       prophet, who delivered it to Zerubbabel (son of Shealtiel), governor 
       of Judah; and to Joshua (son of Josedech), the High Priest--for it was 
       addressed to them. When: In late August of the second year of the 
       reign of King Darius I.

       (Hag 1:2 TLB)  "Why is everyone saying it is not the right time for 
       rebuilding my Temple?" asks the Lord.

       (Hag 1:3 TLB)  His reply to them is this:

       (Hag 1:4 TLB)  "Is it then the right time for you to live in luxurious 
       homes, when the Temple lies in ruins?

       (Hag 1:5 TLB)  Look at the result:

       (Hag 1:6 TLB)  You plant much but harvest little. You have scarcely 
       enough to eat or drink and not enough clothes to keep you warm. Your 
       income disappears, as though you were putting it into pockets filled 
       with holes!

       (Hag 1:7 TLB)  "Think it over," says the Lord Almighty. "Consider how 
       you have acted and what has happened as a result!

       (Hag 1:8 TLB)  Then go up into the mountains, bring down timber, and 
       rebuild my Temple, and I will be pleased with it and appear there in 
       my glory," says the Lord.

       (Hag 1:9 TLB)  "You hope for much but get so little. And when you 
       bring it home, I blow it away--it doesn't last at all. Why? Because my 
       Temple lies in ruins, and you don't care. Your only concern is your 
       own fine homes.

       (Hag 1:10 TLB)  That is why I am holding back the rains from heaven 
       and giving you such scant crops.

       (Hag 1:11 TLB)  In fact, I have called for a drought upon the land, 
       yes, and in the highlands too--a drought to wither the grain and 
       grapes and olives and all your other crops, a drought to starve both 
       you and all your cattle and ruin everything you have worked so hard to 
       get."

       (Hag 1:12 TLB)  Then Zerubbabel (son of Shealtiel), the governor of 





       Judah, and Joshua (son of Josedech), the High Priest, and the few 
       people remaining in the land obeyed Haggai's message from the Lord 
       their God; they began to worship him in earnest.

       (Hag 1:13 TLB)  Then the Lord told them (again sending the message 
       through Haggai, his messenger), "I am with you; I will bless you."

       (Hag 1:14 TLB)  And the Lord gave them a desire to rebuild his Temple; 
       so they all gathered in early September of the second year of King 
       Darius' reign and volunteered their help.

       (Hag 1:15 TLB)  

       (Hag 2:1 TLB)  In early October of the same year, the Lord sent them 
       this message through Haggai:

       (Hag 2:2 TLB)  "Ask this question of the governor and High Priest and 
       everyone left in the land:

       (Hag 2:3 TLB)  "'Who among you can remember the Temple as it was 
       before? How glorious it was! In comparison, it is nothing now, is it?

       (Hag 2:4 TLB)  But take courage, O Zerubbabel and Joshua and all the 
       people; take courage and work, for I am with you, says the Lord 
       Almighty.

       (Hag 2:5 TLB)  For I promised when you left Egypt that my Spirit would 
       remain among you; so don't be afraid.'"

       (Hag 2:6 TLB)  "For the Lord Almighty says, 'In just a little while I 
       will begin to shake the heavens and earth--and the oceans, too, and 
       the dry land.

       (Hag 2:7 TLB)  I will shake all nations, and the Desire of All Nations 
       shall come to this Temple, and I will fill this place with my glory,' 
       says the Lord Almighty.

       (Hag 2:8 TLB)  'The future splendor of this Temple will be greater 
       than the splendor of the first one! For I have plenty of silver and 
       gold to do it! And here I will give peace," says the Lord.

       (Hag 2:9 TLB)  

       (Hag 2:10 TLB)  In early December, in the second year of the reign of 
       King Darius, this message came from the Lord through Haggai the 
       prophet:

       (Hag 2:11 TLB)  "Ask the priests this question about the law:

       (Hag 2:12 TLB)  'If one of you is carrying a holy sacrifice in his 
       robes and happens to brush against some bread or wine or meat, will it 
       too become holy?'" "No," the priests replied. "Holiness does not pass 
       to other things that way."

       (Hag 2:13 TLB)  Then Haggai asked, "But if someone touches a dead 
       person, and so becomes ceremonially impure, and then brushes against 





       something, does it become contaminated?" And the priests answered, 
       "Yes."

       (Hag 2:14 TLB)  Haggai then made his meaning clear. 'You people,' he 
       said (speaking for the Lord), "'were contaminating your sacrifices by 
       living with selfish attitudes and evil hearts--and not only your 
       sacrifices, but everything else that you did as a "service" to me.

       (Hag 2:15 TLB)  And so everything you did went wrong. But all is 
       different now because you have begun to build the Temple.

       (Hag 2:16 TLB)  Before, when you expected a twenty-bushel crop, there 
       were only ten. When you came to draw fifty gallons from the olive 
       press, there were only twenty.

       (Hag 2:17 TLB)  I rewarded all your labor with rust and mildew and 
       hail. Yet, even so, you refused to return to me,'" says the Lord.

       (Hag 2:18 TLB)  "'But now note this: From today, this 24 th day of the 
       month, as the foundation of the Lord's Temple is finished, and from 
       this day onward, I will bless you.

       (Hag 2:19 TLB)  Notice, I am giving you this promise now before you 
       have even begun to rebuild the Temple structure, and before you have 
       harvested your grain, and before the grapes, the figs, the 
       pomegranates, and olives have produced their next crops: From this day 
       I will bless you."

       (Hag 2:20 TLB)  Another message came to Haggai from the Lord that same 
       day:

       (Hag 2:21 TLB)  "Tell Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah, 'I am about 
       to shake the heavens and the earth,

       (Hag 2:22 TLB)  to overthrow thrones, destroy the strength of the 
       kingdoms of the nations. I will overthrow their armed might, and 
       brothers and companions will kill each other.

       (Hag 2:23 TLB)  But when that happens, I will take you, O Zerubbabel 
       my servant, and honor you like a signet ring upon my finger; for I 
       have specially chosen you,'" says the Lord Almighty.

       (Zec 1:1 TLB)  Subject: messages from the Lord. These messages from 
       the Lord were given to Zechariah (son of Berechiah and grandson of 
       Iddo the prophet) in early November of the second year of the reign of 
       King Darius.

       (Zec 1:2 TLB)  The Lord Almighty was very angry with your fathers.

       (Zec 1:3 TLB)  But he will turn again and favor you if only you return 
       to him.

       (Zec 1:4 TLB)  Don't be like your fathers were! The earlier prophets 
       pled in vain with them to turn from all their evil ways. "Come, return 
       to me," the Lord God said. But no, they wouldn't listen; they paid no 
       attention at all.






       (Zec 1:5 TLB)  Your fathers and their prophets are now long dead,

       (Zec 1:6 TLB)  but remember the lesson they learned, that God's Word 
       endures! It caught up with them and punished them. Then at last they 
       repented. "We have gotten what we deserved from God," they said. "He 
       has done just what he warned us he would."

       (Zec 1:7 TLB)  The following February, still in the second year of the 
       reign of King Darius, another message from the Lord came to Zechariah 
       (son of Berechiah and grandson of Iddo the prophet), in a vision in 
       the night:

       (Zec 1:8 TLB)  I saw a Man sitting on a red horse that was standing 
       among the myrtle trees beside a river. Behind him were other horses, 
       red and bay and white, each with its rider.

       (Zec 1:9 TLB)  An angel stood beside me, and I asked him, "Sir, what 
       are all those horses for?" "I'll tell you," he replied.

       (Zec 1:10 TLB)  Then the rider on the red horse--he was the Angel of 
       the Lord--answered me, "The Lord has sent them to patrol the earth for 
       him."

       (Zec 1:11 TLB)  Then the other riders reported to the Angel of the 
       Lord, "We have patrolled the whole earth, and everywhere there is 
       prosperity and peace."

       (Zec 1:12 TLB)  Upon hearing this, the Angel of the Lord prayed this 
       prayer: "O Lord Almighty, for seventy years your anger has raged 
       against Jerusalem and the cities of Judah. How long will it be until 
       you again show mercy to them?"

       (Zec 1:13 TLB)  And the Lord answered the angel who stood beside me, 
       speaking words of comfort and assurance.

       (Zec 1:14 TLB)  Then the angel said, "Shout out this message from the 
       Lord Almighty: 'Don't you think I care about what has happened to 
       Judah and Jerusalem? I am as jealous as a husband for his captive 
       wife.

       (Zec 1:15 TLB)  I am very angry with the heathen nations sitting 
       around at ease, for I was only a little displeased with my people, but 
       the nations afflicted them far beyond my intentions.'

       (Zec 1:16 TLB)  Therefore the Lord declares: 'I have returned to 
       Jerusalem filled with mercy; my Temple will be rebuilt,' says the Lord 
       Almighty, 'and so will all Jerusalem.'

       (Zec 1:17 TLB)  Say it again: 'The Lord Almighty declares that the 
       cities of Israel will again overflow with prosperity, and the Lord 
       will again comfort Jerusalem and bless her and live in her.'"

       (Zec 1:18 TLB)  Then I looked and saw four animal horns!

       (Zec 1:19 TLB)  "What are these?" I asked the angel. He replied, "They 





       represent the four world powers that have scattered Judah, Israel, and 
       Jerusalem."

       (Zec 1:20 TLB)  Then the Lord showed me four blacksmiths.

       (Zec 1:21 TLB)  "What have these men come to do?" I asked. The angel 
       replied, "They have come to take hold of the four horns that scattered 
       Judah so terribly, and to pound them on the anvil and throw them 
       away."

       (Zec 2:1 TLB)  When I looked around me again, I saw a man carrying a 
       yardstick in his hand.

       (Zec 2:2 TLB)  "Where are you going?" I asked. "To measure Jerusalem," 
       he said. "I want to see whether it is big enough for all the people!"

       (Zec 2:3 TLB)  Then the angel who was talking to me went over to meet 
       another angel coming toward him.

       (Zec 2:4 TLB)  "Go tell this young man," said the other angel, "that 
       Jerusalem will some day be so full of people that she won't have room 
       enough for all! Many will live outside the city walls, with all their 
       many cattle--and yet they will be safe.

       (Zec 2:5 TLB)  For the Lord himself will be a wall of fire protecting 
       them and all Jerusalem; he will be the glory of the city.

       (Zec 2:6 TLB)  "Come, flee from the land of the north, from Babylon," 
       says the Lord to all his exiles there; "I scattered you to the winds, 
       but I will bring you back again.

       (Zec 2:7 TLB)  Escape, escape to Zion now!" says the Lord.

       (Zec 2:8 TLB)  "The Lord of Glory has sent me against the nations that 
       oppressed you, for he who harms you sticks his finger in Jehovah's 
       eye!

       (Zec 2:9 TLB)  "I will smash them with my fist and their slaves will 
       be their rulers! Then you will know it was the Lord Almighty who sent 
       me.

       (Zec 2:10 TLB)  Sing, Jerusalem, and rejoice! For I have come to live 
       among you," says the Lord.

       (Zec 2:11 TLB)  "At that time many nations will be converted to the 
       Lord, and they too shall be my people; I will live among them all. 
       Then you will know it was the Lord Almighty who sent me to you.

       (Zec 2:12 TLB)  And Judah shall be the Lord's inheritance in the Holy 
       Land, for God shall once more choose to bless Jerusalem.

       (Zec 2:13 TLB)  "Be silent, all mankind, before the Lord, for he has 
       come to earth from heaven, from his holy home."

       (Zec 3:1 TLB)  Then the Angel showed me (in my vision) Joshua the High 
       Priest standing before the Angel of the Lord; and Satan was there too, 





       at the Angel's right hand, accusing Joshua of many things.

       (Zec 3:2 TLB)  And the Lord said to Satan, "I reject your accusations, 
       Satan; yes, I, the Lord, for I have decided to be merciful to 
       Jerusalem--I rebuke you. I have decreed mercy to Joshua and his 
       nation; they are like a burning stick pulled out of the fire."

       (Zec 3:3 TLB)  Joshua's clothing was filthy as he stood before the 
       Angel of the Lord.

       (Zec 3:4 TLB)  Then the Angel said to the others standing there, 
       "Remove his filthy clothing." And turning to Joshua he said, "See, I 
       have taken away your sins, and now I am giving you these fine new 
       clothes."

       (Zec 3:5 TLB)  Then I said, "Please, could he also have a clean turban 
       on his head?" So they gave him one.

       (Zec 3:6 TLB)  Then the Angel of the Lord spoke very solemnly to 
       Joshua and said,

       (Zec 3:7 TLB)  "The Lord Almighty declares: 'If you will follow the 
       paths I set for you and do all I tell you to, then I will put you in 
       charge of my Temple, to keep it holy; and I will let you walk in and 
       out of my presence with these angels.

       (Zec 3:8 TLB)  Listen to me, O Joshua the High Priest, and all you 
       other priests, you are illustrations of the good things to come. Don't 
       you see?--Joshua represents my servant the Branch whom I will send.

       (Zec 3:9 TLB)  He will be the Foundation Stone of the Temple that 
       Joshua is standing beside, and I will engrave this inscription on it 
       seven times: I will remove the sins of this land in a single day.

       (Zec 3:10 TLB)  And after that,' the Lord Almighty declares, 'you will 
       all live in peace and prosperity, and each of you will own a home of 
       your own where you can invite your neighbors.'"

       (Zec 4:1 TLB)  Then the angel who had been talking with me woke me, as 
       though I had been asleep.

       (Zec 4:2 TLB)  "What do you see now?" he asked. I answered, "I see a 
       gold lampstand holding seven lamps, and at the top there is a 
       reservoir for the olive oil that feeds the lamps, flowing into them 
       through seven tubes.

       (Zec 4:3 TLB)  And I see two olive trees carved upon the lampstand, 
       one on each side of the reservoir.

       (Zec 4:4 TLB)  What is it, sir?" I asked. "What does this mean?"

       (Zec 4:5 TLB)  "Don't you really know?" the angel asked. "No, sir," I 
       said, "I don't."

       (Zec 4:6 TLB)  Then he said, "This is God's message to Zerubbabel: 
       'Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord 





       Almighty--you will succeed because of my Spirit, though you are few 
       and weak.'

       (Zec 4:7 TLB)  Therefore no mountain, however high, can stand before 
       Zerubbabel! For it will flatten out before him! And Zerubbabel will 
       finish building this Temple with mighty shouts of thanksgiving for 
       God's mercy, declaring that all was done by grace alone."

       (Zec 4:8 TLB)  Another message that I received from the Lord said:

       (Zec 4:9 TLB)  "Zerubbabel laid the foundation of this Temple, and he 
       will complete it. (Then you will know these messages are from God, the 
       Lord Almighty.)

       (Zec 4:10 TLB)  Do not despise this small beginning, for the eyes of 
       the Lord rejoice to see the work begin, to see the plumbline in the 
       hand of Zerubbabel. For these seven lamps represent the eyes of the 
       Lord that see everywhere around the world."

       (Zec 4:11 TLB)  Then I asked him about the two olive trees on each 
       side of the lampstand,

       (Zec 4:12 TLB)  and about the two olive branches that emptied oil into 
       gold bowls through two gold tubes.

       (Zec 4:13 TLB)  "Don't you know?" he asked. "No, sir," I said.

       (Zec 4:14 TLB)  Then he told me, "They represent the two anointed ones 
       who assist the Lord of all the earth."

       (Zec 5:1 TLB)  I looked up again and saw a scroll flying through the 
       air.

       (Zec 5:2 TLB)  "What do you see?" he asked. "A flying scroll!" I 
       replied. "It appears to be about thirty feet long and fifteen feet 
       wide!"

       (Zec 5:3 TLB)  "This scroll," he told me, "represents the words of 
       God's curse going out over the entire land. It says that all who steal 
       and lie have been judged and sentenced to death."

       (Zec 5:4 TLB)  "I am sending this curse into the home of every thief 
       and everyone who swears falsely by my name," says the Lord Almighty. 
       "And my curse shall remain upon his home and completely destroy it."

       (Zec 5:5 TLB)  Then the angel left me for awhile, but he returned and 
       said, "Look up! Something is traveling through the sky!"

       (Zec 5:6 TLB)  "What is it?" I asked. He replied, "It is a bushel 
       basket filled with the sin prevailing everywhere throughout the land."

       (Zec 5:7 TLB)  Suddenly the heavy lead cover on the basket was lifted 
       off, and I could see a woman sitting inside the basket!

       (Zec 5:8 TLB)  He said, "She represents wickedness," and he pushed her 
       back into the basket and clamped down the heavy lid again.






       (Zec 5:9 TLB)  Then I saw two women flying toward us, with wings like 
       those of a stork. And they took the bushel basket and flew off with 
       it, high in the sky.

       (Zec 5:10 TLB)  "Where are they taking her?" I asked the angel.

       (Zec 5:11 TLB)  He replied, "To Babylon where they will build a temple 
       for the basket, to worship it!"

       (Zec 6:1 TLB)  Then I looked up again and saw four chariots coming 
       from between what looked like two mountains made of brass.

       (Zec 6:2 TLB)  The first chariot was pulled by red horses, the second 
       by black ones,

       (Zec 6:3 TLB)  the third by white horses and the fourth by 
       dappled-grays.

       (Zec 6:4 TLB)  "And what are these, sir?" I asked the angel.

       (Zec 6:5 TLB)  He replied, "These are the four heavenly spirits who 
       stand before the Lord of all the earth; they are going out to do his 
       work.

       (Zec 6:6 TLB)  The chariot pulled by the black horses will go north, 
       and the one pulled by white horses will follow it there, while the 
       dappled-grays will go south."

       (Zec 6:7 TLB)  The red horses were impatient to be off, to patrol back 
       and forth across the earth, so the Lord said, "Go. Begin your patrol." 
       So they left at once.

       (Zec 6:8 TLB)  Then the Lord summoned me and said, "Those who went 
       north have executed my judgment and quieted my anger there."

       (Zec 6:9 TLB)  In another message the Lord said:

       (Zec 6:10 TLB)  "Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah will bring gifts of 
       silver and gold from the Jews exiled in Babylon. The same day they 
       arrive, meet them at the home of Josiah (son of Zephaniah), where they 
       will stay.

       (Zec 6:11 TLB)  Accept their gifts and make from them a crown from the 
       silver and gold. Then put the crown on the head of Joshua (son of 
       Josedech) the High Priest.

       (Zec 6:12 TLB)  Tell him that the Lord Almighty says, 'You represent 
       the Man who will come, whose name is "The Branch"--he will grow up 
       from himself--and will build the Temple of the Lord.

       (Zec 6:13 TLB)  To him belongs the royal title. He will rule both as 
       King and as Priest, with perfect harmony between the two!'

       (Zec 6:14 TLB)  "Then put the crown in the Temple of the Lord, to 
       honor those who gave it--Heldai, Tobijah, Jedaiah, and also Josiah.






       (Zec 6:15 TLB)  These three who have come from so far away represent 
       many others who will some day come from distant lands to rebuild the 
       Temple of the Lord. And when this happens, you will know my messages 
       have been from God, the Lord Almighty. But none of this will happen 
       unless you carefully obey the commandments of the Lord your God."

       (Zec 7:1 TLB)  Another message came to me from the Lord in late 
       November of the fourth year of the reign of King Darius.

       (Zec 7:2 TLB)  The Jews of the city of Bethel had sent a group of men 
       headed by Sharezer, the chief administrative officer of the king, and 
       Regem-melech, to the Lord's Temple at Jerusalem, to seek his blessing

       (Zec 7:3 TLB)  and to speak with the priests and prophets about 
       whether they must continue their traditional custom of fasting and 
       mourning during the month of August each year, as they had been doing 
       so long.

       (Zec 7:4 TLB)  This was the Lord's reply:

       (Zec 7:5 TLB)  "When you return to Bethel, say to all your people and 
       your priests, 'During those seventy years of exile when you fasted and 
       mourned in August and October, were you really in earnest about 
       leaving your sins behind and coming back to me? No, not at all!

       (Zec 7:6 TLB)  And even now in your holy feasts to God, you don't 
       think of me, but only of the food and fellowship and fun.

       (Zec 7:7 TLB)  Long years ago, when Jerusalem was prosperous and her 
       southern suburbs out along the plain were filled with people, the 
       prophets warned them that this attitude would surely lead to ruin, as 
       it has.'"

       (Zec 7:8 TLB)  Then this message from the Lord came to Zechariah.

       (Zec 7:9 TLB)  "Tell them to be honest and fair--and not to take 
       bribes--and to be merciful and kind to everyone.

       (Zec 7:10 TLB)  Tell them to stop oppressing widows and orphans, 
       foreigners and poor people, and to stop plotting evil against each 
       other.

       (Zec 7:11 TLB)  Your fathers would not listen to this message. They 
       turned stubbornly away and put their fingers in their ears to keep 
       from hearing me.

       (Zec 7:12 TLB)  They hardened their hearts like flint, afraid to hear 
       the words that God, the Lord Almighty, commanded them--the laws he had 
       revealed to them by his Spirit through the early prophets. That is why 
       such great wrath came down on them from God.

       (Zec 7:13 TLB)  I called, but they refused to listen, so when they 
       cried to me, I turned away.

       (Zec 7:14 TLB)  I scattered them as with a whirlwind among the far-off 





       nations. Their land became desolate; no one even traveled through it; 
       the Pleasant Land lay bare and blighted."

       (Zec 8:1 TLB)  Again the Lord's message came to me:

       (Zec 8:2 TLB)  The Lord Almighty says, "I am greatly concerned--yes, 
       furiously angry--because of all that Jerusalem's enemies have done to 
       her.

       (Zec 8:3 TLB)  Now I am going to return to my land, and I, myself, 
       will live within Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem shall be called 'The 
       Faithful City,' and 'The Holy Mountain,' and 'The Mountain of the Lord 
       Almighty.'"

       (Zec 8:4 TLB)  The Lord Almighty declares that Jerusalem will have 
       peace and prosperity so long that there will once again be aged men 
       and women hobbling through her streets on canes,

       (Zec 8:5 TLB)  and the streets will be filled with boys and girls at 
       play.

       (Zec 8:6 TLB)  The Lord says, "This seems unbelievable to you--a 
       remnant, small, discouraged as you are--but it is no great thing for 
       me.

       (Zec 8:7 TLB)  You can be sure that I will rescue my people from east 
       and west, wherever they are scattered.

       (Zec 8:8 TLB)  I will bring them home again to live safely in 
       Jerusalem, and they will be my people, and I will be their God, just 
       and true and yet forgiving them their sins!"

       (Zec 8:9 TLB)  The Lord Almighty says, "Get on with the job and finish 
       it! You have been listening long enough! For since you began laying 
       the foundation of the Temple, the prophets have been telling you about 
       the blessings that await you when it's finished.

       (Zec 8:10 TLB)  Before the work began there were no jobs, no wages, no 
       security; if you left the city, there was no assurance you would ever 
       return, for crime was rampant.

       (Zec 8:11 TLB)  "But it is all so different now!" says the Lord 
       Almighty.

       (Zec 8:12 TLB)  "For I am sowing peace and prosperity among you. Your 
       crops will prosper; the grapevines will be weighted down with fruit; 
       the ground will be fertile, with plenty of rain; all these blessings 
       will be given to the people left in the land.

       (Zec 8:13 TLB)  'May you be as poor as Judah,' the heathen used to say 
       to those they cursed! But no longer! For now Judah is a word of 
       blessing, not a curse. 'May you be as prosperous and happy as Judah 
       is,' they'll say. So don't be afraid or discouraged! Get on with 
       rebuilding the Temple!

       (Zec 8:14 TLB)  If you do, I will certainly bless you. And don't think 





       that I might change my mind. I did what I said I would when your 
       fathers angered me and I promised to punish them, and I won't change 
       this decision of mine to bless you.

       (Zec 8:15 TLB)  

       (Zec 8:16 TLB)  Here is your part: Tell the truth. Be fair. Live at 
       peace with everyone.

       (Zec 8:17 TLB)  Don't plot harm to others; don't swear that something 
       is true when it isn't! How I hate all that sort of thing!" says the 
       Lord.

       (Zec 8:18 TLB)  Here is another message that came to me from the Lord 
       Almighty:

       (Zec 8:19 TLB)  "The traditional fasts and times of mourning you have 
       kept in July, August, October, and January are ended. They will be 
       changed to joyous festivals if you love truth and peace!

       (Zec 8:20 TLB)  People from around the world will come on pilgrimages 
       and pour into Jerusalem from many foreign cities to attend these 
       celebrations.

       (Zec 8:21 TLB)  People will write their friends in other cities and 
       say, 'Let's go to Jerusalem to ask the Lord to bless us and be 
       merciful to us. I'm going! Please come with me. Let's go now!'

       (Zec 8:22 TLB)  Yes, many people, even strong nations, will come to 
       the Lord Almighty in Jerusalem to ask for his blessing and help.

       (Zec 8:23 TLB)  In those days ten men from ten different nations will 
       clutch at the coat sleeves of one Jew and say, 'Please be my friend, 
       for I know that God is with you.'"

       (Zec 9:1 TLB)  This is the message concerning God's curse on the lands 
       of Hadrach and Damascus, for the Lord is closely watching all mankind, 
       as well as Israel.

       (Zec 9:2 TLB)  "Doomed is Hamath, near Damascus, and Tyre and Zidon 
       too, shrewd though they be.

       (Zec 9:3 TLB)  Though Tyre has armed herself to the hilt and become so 
       rich that silver is like dirt to her, and fine gold like dust in the 
       streets,

       (Zec 9:4 TLB)  yet the Lord will dispossess her and hurl her 
       fortifications into the sea; and she shall be set on fire and burned 
       to the ground.

       (Zec 9:5 TLB)  "Ashkelon will see it happen and be filled with fear; 
       Gaza will huddle in desperation, and Ekron will shake with terror, for 
       their hopes that Tyre would stop the enemies' advance will all be 
       dashed. Gaza will be conquered, her king killed, and Ashkelon will be 
       completely destroyed.





       (Zec 9:6 TLB)  "Foreigners will take over the city of Ashdod, the rich 
       city of the Philistines.

       (Zec 9:7 TLB)  I will yank her idolatry out of her mouth and pull from 
       her teeth her sacrifices that she eats with blood. Everyone left will 
       worship God and be adopted into Israel as a new clan: the Philistines 
       of Ekron will intermarry with the Jews, just as the Jebusites did so 
       long ago.

       (Zec 9:8 TLB)  And I will surround my Temple like a guard to keep 
       invading armies from entering Israel. I am closely watching their 
       movements, and I will keep them away; no foreign oppressors will again 
       overrun my people's land.

       (Zec 9:9 TLB)  "Rejoice greatly, O my people! Shout with joy! For 
       look--your King is coming! He is the Righteous One, the Victor! Yet he 
       is lowly, riding on a donkey's colt!

       (Zec 9:10 TLB)  I will disarm all peoples of the earth, including my 
       people in Israel, and he shall bring peace among the nations. His 
       realm shall stretch from sea to sea, from the river to the ends of the 
       earth.

       (Zec 9:11 TLB)  "I have delivered you from death in a waterless pit 
       because of the covenant I made with you, sealed with blood.

       (Zec 9:12 TLB)  Come to the place of safety, all you prisoners, for 
       there is yet hope! I promise right now, I will repay you two mercies 
       for each of your woes!

       (Zec 9:13 TLB)  Judah, you are my bow! Ephraim, you are my arrow! Both 
       of you will be my sword, like the sword of a mighty soldier brandished 
       against the sons of Greece."

       (Zec 9:14 TLB)  The Lord shall lead his people as they fight! His 
       arrows shall fly like lightning; the Lord God shall sound the trumpet 
       call and go out against his enemies like a whirlwind off the desert 
       from the south.

       (Zec 9:15 TLB)  He will defend his people, and they will subdue their 
       enemies, treading them beneath their feet. They will taste victory and 
       shout with triumph. They will slaughter their foes, leaving horrible 
       carnage everywhere.

       (Zec 9:16 TLB)  The Lord their God will save his people in that day, 
       as a Shepherd caring for his sheep. They shall shine in his land as 
       glittering jewels in a crown.

       (Zec 9:17 TLB)  How wonderful and beautiful all shall be! The 
       abundance of grain and grapes will make the young men and girls 
       flourish; they will be radiant with health and happiness.

       (Zec 10:1 TLB)  Ask the Lord for rain in the springtime, and he will 
       answer with lightning and showers. Every field will become a lush 
       pasture.





       (Zec 10:2 TLB)  How foolish to ask the idols for anything like that! 
       Fortune-tellers' predictions are all a bunch of silly lies; what 
       comfort is there in promises that don't come true? Judah and Israel 
       have been led astray and wander like lost sheep; everyone attacks 
       them, for they have no shepherd to protect them.

       (Zec 10:3 TLB)  "My anger burns against your 'shepherds'--your 
       leaders--and I will punish them--these goats. For the Lord Almighty 
       has arrived to help his flock of Judah. I will make them strong and 
       glorious like a proud steed in battle.

       (Zec 10:4 TLB)  From them will come the Cornerstone, the Peg on which 
       all hope hangs, the Bow that wins the battle, the Ruler over all the 
       earth.

       (Zec 10:5 TLB)  They will be mighty warriors for God, grinding their 
       enemies' faces into the dust beneath their feet. The Lord is with them 
       as they fight; their enemy is doomed.

       (Zec 10:6 TLB)  "I will strengthen Judah, yes, and Israel too; I will 
       reestablish them because I love them. It will be as though I had never 
       cast them all away, for I, the Lord their God, will hear their cries.

       (Zec 10:7 TLB)  They shall be like mighty warriors. They shall be 
       happy as with wine. Their children, too, shall see the mercies of the 
       Lord and be glad. Their hearts shall rejoice in the Lord.

       (Zec 10:8 TLB)  When I whistle to them, they'll come running, for I 
       have bought them back again. From the few that are left, their 
       population will grow again to former size.

       (Zec 10:9 TLB)  Though I have scattered them like seeds among the 
       nations, still they will remember me and return again to God; with all 
       their children, they will come home again to Israel.

       (Zec 10:10 TLB)  I will bring them back from Egypt and Assyria and 
       resettle them in Israel--in Gilead and Lebanon; there will scarcely be 
       room for all of them!

       (Zec 10:11 TLB)  They shall pass safely through the sea of distress, 
       for the waves will be held back. The Nile will become dry--the rule of 
       Assyria and Egypt over my people will end."

       (Zec 10:12 TLB)  The Lord says, "I will make my people strong with 
       power from me! They will go wherever they wish, and wherever they go 
       they will be under my personal care."

       (Zec 11:1 TLB)  Open your doors, O Lebanon, to judgment. You will be 
       destroyed as though by fire raging through your forests.

       (Zec 11:2 TLB)  Weep, O cypress trees, for all the ruined cedars; the 
       tallest and most beautiful of them are fallen. Cry in fear, you oaks 
       of Bashan, as you watch the thickest forests felled.

       (Zec 11:3 TLB)  Listen to the wailing of Israel's leaders--all these 
       evil shepherds--for their wealth is gone. Hear the young lions 





       roaring--the princes are weeping, for their glorious Jordan valley 
       lies in ruins.

       (Zec 11:4 TLB)  Then said the Lord my God to me, "Go and take a job as 
       shepherd of a flock being fattened for the butcher.

       (Zec 11:5 TLB)  This will illustrate the way my people have been 
       bought and slain by wicked leaders, who go unpunished. 'Thank God, now 
       I am rich!' say those who have betrayed them--their own shepherds have 
       sold them without mercy.

       (Zec 11:6 TLB)  And I won't spare them either," says the Lord, "for I 
       will let them fall into the clutches of their own wicked leaders, and 
       they will slay them. They shall turn the land into a wilderness, and I 
       will not protect it from them."

       (Zec 11:7 TLB)  So I took two shepherd's staffs, naming one Grace and 
       the other Union, and I fed the flock as I had been told to do.

       (Zec 11:8 TLB)  And I got rid of their three evil shepherds in a 
       single month. But I became impatient with these sheep--this 
       nation--and they hated me too.

       (Zec 11:9 TLB)  So I told them, "I won't be your shepherd any longer. 
       If you die, you die; if you are killed, I don't care. Go ahead and 
       destroy yourselves!"

       (Zec 11:10 TLB)  And I took my staff called Grace and snapped it in 
       two, showing that I had broken my contract to lead and protect them.

       (Zec 11:11 TLB)  That was the end of the agreement. Then those who 
       bought and sold sheep, who were watching, realized that God was 
       telling them something through what I did.

       (Zec 11:12 TLB)  And I said to their leaders, "If you like, give me my 
       pay, whatever I am worth; but only if you want to." So they counted 
       out thirty little silver coins as my wages.

       (Zec 11:13 TLB)  And the Lord told me, "Use it to buy a field from the 
       pottery makers--this magnificent sum they value you at!" So I took the 
       thirty coins and threw them into the Temple for the pottery makers.

       (Zec 11:14 TLB)  Then I broke my other staff, "Union," to show that 
       the bond of unity between Judah and Israel was broken.

       (Zec 11:15 TLB)  Then the Lord told me to go again and get a job as a 
       shepherd; this time I was to act the part of a worthless, wicked 
       shepherd.

       (Zec 11:16 TLB)  And he said to me, "This illustrates how I will give 
       this nation a shepherd who will not care for the dying ones, nor look 
       after the young, nor heal the broken bones, nor feed the healthy ones, 
       nor carry the lame that cannot walk; instead, he will eat the fat 
       ones, even tearing off their feet.

       (Zec 11:17 TLB)  Woe to this worthless shepherd who doesn't care for 





       the flock. God's sword will cut his arm and pierce through his right 
       eye; his arm will become useless and his right eye blinded."

       (Zec 12:1 TLB)  This is the fate of Israel, as pronounced by the Lord, 
       who stretched out the heavens, laid the foundation of the earth, and 
       formed the spirit of man within him:

       (Zec 12:2 TLB)  "I will make Jerusalem and Judah like a cup of poison 
       to all the nearby nations that send their armies to surround 
       Jerusalem.

       (Zec 12:3 TLB)  Jerusalem will be a heavy stone burdening the world. 
       And though all the nations of the earth unite in an attempt to move 
       her, they will all be crushed.

       (Zec 12:4 TLB)  "In that day," says the Lord, "I will bewilder the 
       armies drawn up against her, and make fools of them, for I will watch 
       over the people of Judah, but blind all her enemies.

       (Zec 12:5 TLB)  "And the clans of Judah shall say to themselves, 'The 
       people of Jerusalem have found strength in the Lord Almighty, their 
       God.'

       (Zec 12:6 TLB)  "In that day I will make the clans of Judah like a 
       little fire that sets the forest aflame--like a burning match among 
       the sheaves; they will burn up all the neighboring nations right and 
       left, while Jerusalem stands unmoved.

       (Zec 12:7 TLB)  The Lord will give victory to the rest of Judah first, 
       before Jerusalem, so that the people of Jerusalem and the royal line 
       of David won't be filled with pride at their success.

       (Zec 12:8 TLB)  "The Lord will defend the people of Jerusalem; the 
       weakest among them will be as mighty as King David! And the royal line 
       will be as God, like the Angel of the Lord who goes before them!

       (Zec 12:9 TLB)  For my plan is to destroy all the nations that come 
       against Jerusalem.

       (Zec 12:10 TLB)  "Then I will pour out the spirit of grace and prayer 
       on all the people of Jerusalem. They will look on him they pierced, 
       and mourn for him as for an only son, and grieve bitterly for him as 
       for an oldest child who died.

       (Zec 12:11 TLB)  The sorrow and mourning in Jerusalem at that time 
       will be even greater than the grievous mourning for the godly King 
       Josiah, who was killed in the valley of Megiddo.

       (Zec 12:12 TLB)  "All of Israel will weep in profound sorrow. The 
       whole nation will be bowed down with universal grief--king, prophet, 
       priest, and people. Each family will go into private mourning, 
       husbands and wives apart, to face their sorrow alone.

       (Zec 12:13 TLB)  

       (Zec 12:14 TLB)  






       (Zec 13:1 TLB)  "At that time a Fountain will be opened to the people 
       of Israel and Jerusalem, a Fountain to cleanse them from all their 
       sins and defilement."

       (Zec 13:2 TLB)  And the Lord Almighty declares, "In that day I will 
       get rid of every vestige of idol worship throughout the land, so that 
       even the names of the idols will be forgotten. All false prophets and 
       fortune-tellers will be wiped out,

       (Zec 13:3 TLB)  and if anyone begins false prophecy again, his own 
       father and mother will slay him! 'You must die,' they will tell him, 
       'for you are prophesying lies in the name of the Lord.'

       (Zec 13:4 TLB)  "No one will be boasting then of his prophetic gift! 
       No one will wear prophet's clothes to try to fool the people then.

       (Zec 13:5 TLB)  "'No,' he will say. 'I am not a prophet; I am a 
       farmer. The soil has been my livelihood from my earliest youth.'

       (Zec 13:6 TLB)  "And if someone asks, 'Then what are these scars on 
       your chest and your back?' he will say, 'I got into a brawl at the 
       home of a friend!'

       (Zec 13:7 TLB)  "Awake, O sword, against my Shepherd, the man who is 
       my associate and equal," says the Lord Almighty. "Strike down the 
       Shepherd and the sheep will scatter, but I will come back and comfort 
       and care for the lambs.

       (Zec 13:8 TLB)  Two-thirds of all the nation of Israel will be cut off 
       and die, but a third will be left in the land.

       (Zec 13:9 TLB)  I will bring the third that remain through the fire 
       and make them pure, as gold and silver are refined and purified by 
       fire. They will call upon my name and I will hear them; I will say, 
       'These are my people,' and they will say, 'The Lord is our God.'"

       (Zec 14:1 TLB)  Watch, for the day of the Lord is coming soon!

       (Zec 14:2 TLB)  On that day the Lord will gather together the nations 
       to fight Jerusalem; the city will be taken, the houses rifled, the 
       loot divided, the women raped; half the population will be taken away 
       as slaves, and half will be left in what remains of the city.

       (Zec 14:3 TLB)  Then the Lord will go out fully armed for war, to 
       fight against those nations.

       (Zec 14:4 TLB)  That day his feet will stand upon the Mount of Olives, 
       to the east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will split apart, 
       making a very wide valley running from east to west, for half the 
       mountain will move toward the north and half toward the south.

       (Zec 14:5 TLB)  You will escape through that valley, for it will reach 
       across to the city gate. Yes, you will escape as your people did long 
       centuries ago from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah, king of 
       Judah, and the Lord my God shall come, and all his saints and angels 





       with him.

       (Zec 14:6 TLB)  The sun and moon and stars will no longer shine,

       (Zec 14:7 TLB)  yet there will be continuous day! Only the Lord knows 
       how! There will be no normal day and night--at evening time it will 
       still be light.

       (Zec 14:8 TLB)  Life-giving waters will flow out from Jerusalem, half 
       toward the Dead Sea and half toward the Mediterranean, flowing 
       continuously both in winter and in summer.

       (Zec 14:9 TLB)  And the Lord shall be King over all the earth. In that 
       day there shall be one Lord--his name alone will be worshiped.

       (Zec 14:10 TLB)  All the land from Geba (the northern border of Judah) 
       to Rimmon (the southern border) will become one vast plain, but 
       Jerusalem will be on an elevated site, covering the area all the way 
       from the Gate of Benjamin over to the site of the old gate, then to 
       the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the king's wine 
       presses.

       (Zec 14:11 TLB)  And Jerusalem shall be inhabited, safe at last, never 
       again to be cursed and destroyed.

       (Zec 14:12 TLB)  And the Lord will send a plague on all the people who 
       fought Jerusalem. They will become like walking corpses, their flesh 
       rotting away; their eyes will shrivel in their sockets, and their 
       tongues will decay in their mouths.

       (Zec 14:13 TLB)  They will be seized with terror, panic-stricken from 
       the Lord, and will fight against each other in hand-to-hand combat.

       (Zec 14:14 TLB)  All Judah will be fighting at Jerusalem. The wealth 
       of all the neighboring nations will be confiscated--great quantities 
       of gold and silver and fine clothing.

       (Zec 14:15 TLB)  (This same plague will strike the horses, mules, 
       camels, donkeys, and all the other animals in the enemy camp.)

       (Zec 14:16 TLB)  In the end, those who survive the plague will go up 
       to Jerusalem each year to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, to 
       celebrate a time of thanksgiving.

       (Zec 14:17 TLB)  And any nation anywhere in all the world that refuses 
       to come to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, will have 
       no rain.

       (Zec 14:18 TLB)  But if Egypt refuses to come, God will punish her 
       with some other plague.

       (Zec 14:19 TLB)  And so Egypt and the other nations will all be 
       punished if they refuse to come.

       (Zec 14:20 TLB)  In that day the bells on the horses will have written 
       on them, "These Are Holy Property"; and the trash cans in the Temple 





       of the Lord will be as sacred as the bowls beside the altar.

       (Zec 14:21 TLB)  In fact, every container in Jerusalem and Judah shall 
       be sacred to the Lord Almighty; all who come to worship may use any of 
       them free of charge to boil their sacrifices in; there will be no more 
       grasping traders in the Temple of the Lord Almighty!

       (Mal 1:1 TLB)  Here is the Lord's message to Israel, given through the 
       prophet Malachi:

       (Mal 1:2 TLB)  "I have loved you very deeply," says the Lord. But you 
       retort, "Really? When was this?" And the Lord replies, "I showed my 
       love for you by loving your father, Jacob. I didn't need to.

       (Mal 1:3 TLB)  I even rejected his very own brother, Esau, and 
       destroyed Esau's mountains and inheritance, to give it to the jackals 
       of the desert.

       (Mal 1:4 TLB)  And if his descendants should say, 'We will rebuild the 
       ruins,' then the Lord Almighty will say, 'Try to if you like, but I 
       will destroy it again,' for their country is named 'The Land of 
       Wickedness,' and their people are called 'Those Whom God Does Not 
       Forgive.'"

       (Mal 1:5 TLB)  O Israel, lift your eyes to see what God is doing all 
       around the world; then you will say, "Truly, the Lord's great power 
       goes far beyond our borders!"

       (Mal 1:6 TLB)  "A son honors his father, a servant honors his master. 
       I am your Father and Master, yet you don't honor me, O priests, but 
       you despise my name." "Who? Us?" you say. "When did we ever despise 
       your name?"

       (Mal 1:7 TLB)  "When you offer polluted sacrifices on my altar." 
       "Polluted sacrifices? When have we ever done a thing like that?" 
       "Every time you say, 'Don't bother bringing anything very valuable to 
       offer to God!'

       (Mal 1:8 TLB)  You tell the people, 'Lame animals are all right to 
       offer on the altar of the Lord--yes, even the sick and the blind 
       ones.' And you claim this isn't evil? Try it on your governor 
       sometime--give him gifts like that--and see how pleased he is!

       (Mal 1:9 TLB)  "'God have mercy on us,' you recite; 'God be gracious 
       to us!' But when you bring that kind of gift, why should he show you 
       any favor at all?

       (Mal 1:10 TLB)  "Oh, to find one priest among you who would shut the 
       doors and refuse this kind of sacrifice! I have no pleasure in you," 
       says the Lord Almighty, "and I will not accept your offerings.

       (Mal 1:11 TLB)  "But my name will be honored by the Gentiles from 
       morning till night. All around the world they will offer sweet incense 
       and pure offerings in honor of my name. For my name shall be great 
       among the nations," says the Lord Almighty.





       (Mal 1:12 TLB)  "But you dishonor it, saying that my altar is not 
       important and encouraging people to bring cheap, sick animals to offer 
       to me on it.

       (Mal 1:13 TLB)  "You say, 'Oh, it's too difficult to serve the Lord 
       and do what he asks.' And you turn up your noses at the rules he has 
       given you to obey. Think of it! Stolen animals, lame and sick--as 
       offerings to God! Should I accept such offerings as these?" asks the 
       Lord.

       (Mal 1:14 TLB)  "Cursed is that man who promises a fine ram from his 
       flock and substitutes a sick one to sacrifice to God. For I am a Great 
       King," says the Lord Almighty, "and my name is to be mightily revered 
       among the Gentiles."

       (Mal 2:1 TLB)  Listen, you priests, to this warning from the Lord 
       Almighty: "If you don't change your ways and give glory to my name, 
       then I will send terrible punishment upon you, and instead of giving 
       you blessings as I would like to, I will turn on you with curses. 
       Indeed, I have cursed you already because you haven't taken seriously 
       the things that are most important to me.

       (Mal 2:2 TLB)  

       (Mal 2:3 TLB)  "Take note that I will rebuke your children; I will 
       spread on your faces the manure of these animals you offer me and 
       throw you out like dung.

       (Mal 2:4 TLB)  Then at last you will know it was I who sent you this 
       warning to return to the laws I gave your father Levi," says the Lord 
       Almighty.

       (Mal 2:5 TLB)  "The purpose of these laws was to give him life and 
       peace, to be a means of showing his respect and awe for me by keeping 
       them.

       (Mal 2:6 TLB)  He passed on to the people all the truth he got from 
       me. He did not lie or cheat; he walked with me, living a good and 
       righteous life, and turned many from their lives of sin.

       (Mal 2:7 TLB)  "Priests' lips should flow with the knowledge of God so 
       the people will learn God's laws. The priests are the messengers of 
       the Lord Almighty, and men should come to them for guidance.

       (Mal 2:8 TLB)  But not to you! For you have left God's paths. Your 
       'guidance' has caused many to stumble in sin. You have distorted the 
       covenant of Levi and made it into a grotesque parody," says the Lord 
       Almighty.

       (Mal 2:9 TLB)  "Therefore, I have made you contemptible in the eyes of 
       all the people; for you have not obeyed me, but you let your favorites 
       break the law without rebuke."

       (Mal 2:10 TLB)  We are children of the same father, Abraham, all 
       created by the same God. And yet we are faithless to each other, 
       violating the covenant of our fathers!






       (Mal 2:11 TLB)  In Judah, in Israel, and in Jerusalem, there is 
       treachery, for the men of Judah have defiled God's holy and beloved 
       Temple by marrying heathen women who worship idols.

       (Mal 2:12 TLB)  May the Lord cut off from his covenant every last man, 
       whether priest or layman, who has done this thing!

       (Mal 2:13 TLB)  Yet you cover the altar with your tears because the 
       Lord doesn't pay attention to your offerings anymore, and you receive 
       no blessing from him.

       (Mal 2:14 TLB)  "Why has God abandoned us?" you cry. I'll tell you 
       why; it is because the Lord has seen your treachery in divorcing your 
       wives who have been faithful to you through the years, the companions 
       you promised to care for and keep.

       (Mal 2:15 TLB)  You were united to your wife by the Lord. In God's 
       wise plan, when you married, the two of you became one person in his 
       sight. And what does he want? Godly children from your union. 
       Therefore, guard your passions! Keep faith with the wife of your 
       youth.

       (Mal 2:16 TLB)  For the Lord, the God of Israel, says he hates divorce 
       and cruel men. Therefore, control your passions--let there be no 
       divorcing of your wives.

       (Mal 2:17 TLB)  You have wearied the Lord with your words. "Wearied 
       him?" you ask in fake surprise. "How have we wearied him?" By saying 
       that evil is good, that it pleases the Lord! Or by saying that God 
       won't punish us--he doesn't care.

       (Mal 3:1 TLB)  "Listen: I will send my messenger before me to prepare 
       the way. And then the One you are looking for will come suddenly to 
       his Temple--the Messenger of God's promises, to bring you great joy. 
       Yes, he is surely coming," says the Lord Almighty.

       (Mal 3:2 TLB)  "But who can live when he appears? Who can endure his 
       coming? For he is like a blazing fire refining precious metal, and he 
       can bleach the dirtiest garments!

       (Mal 3:3 TLB)  Like a refiner of silver he will sit and closely watch 
       as the dross is burned away. He will purify the Levites, the ministers 
       of God, refining them like gold or silver, so that they will do their 
       work for God with pure hearts.

       (Mal 3:4 TLB)  Then once more the Lord will enjoy the offerings 
       brought to him by the people of Judah and Jerusalem, as he did before.

       (Mal 3:5 TLB)  At that time my punishments will be quick and certain; 
       I will move swiftly against wicked men who trick the innocent, against 
       adulterers and liars, against all those who cheat their hired hands, 
       who oppress widows and orphans, or defraud strangers, and do not fear 
       me," says the Lord Almighty.

       (Mal 3:6 TLB)  "For I am the Lord--I do not change. That is why you 





       are not already utterly destroyed (for my mercy endures forever).

       (Mal 3:7 TLB)  "Though you have scorned my laws from earliest time, 
       yet you may still return to me," says the Lord Almighty. "Come and I 
       will forgive you. "But you say, 'We have never even gone away!'

       (Mal 3:8 TLB)  "Will a man rob God? Surely not! And yet you have 
       robbed me. "'What do you mean? When did we ever rob you?' "You have 
       robbed me of the tithes and offerings due to me.

       (Mal 3:9 TLB)  And so the awesome curse of God is cursing you, for 
       your whole nation has been robbing me.

       (Mal 3:10 TLB)  Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so that there 
       will be food enough in my Temple; if you do, I will open up the 
       windows of heaven for you and pour out a blessing so great you won't 
       have room enough to take it in! "Try it! Let me prove it to you!

       (Mal 3:11 TLB)  Your crops will be large, for I will guard them from 
       insects and plagues. Your grapes won't shrivel away before they 
       ripen," says the Lord Almighty.

       (Mal 3:12 TLB)  "And all nations will call you blessed, for you will 
       be a land sparkling with happiness. These are the promises of the Lord 
       Almighty.

       (Mal 3:13 TLB)  "Your attitude toward me has been proud and arrogant," 
       says the Lord. "But you say, 'What do you mean? What have we said that 
       we shouldn't?'

       (Mal 3:14 TLB)  "Listen; you have said, 'It is foolish to worship God 
       and obey him. What good does it do to obey his laws, and to sorrow and 
       mourn for our sins?

       (Mal 3:15 TLB)  From now on, as far as we're concerned, "Blessed are 
       the arrogant." For those who do evil shall prosper, and those who dare 
       God to punish them shall get off scot-free.'"

       (Mal 3:16 TLB)  Then those who feared and loved the Lord spoke often 
       of him to each other. And he had a Book of Remembrance drawn up in 
       which he recorded the names of those who feared him and loved to think 
       about him.

       (Mal 3:17 TLB)  "They shall be mine," says the Lord Almighty, "in that 
       day when I make up my jewels. And I will spare them as a man spares an 
       obedient and dutiful son.

       (Mal 3:18 TLB)  Then you will see the difference between God's 
       treatment of good men and bad, between those who serve him and those 
       who don't.

       (Mal 4:1 TLB)  "Watch now," the Lord Almighty declares, "the day of 
       judgment is coming, burning like a furnace. The proud and wicked will 
       be burned up like straw; like a tree, they will be consumed--roots and 
       all.





       (Mal 4:2 TLB)  "But for you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness 
       will rise with healing in his wings. And you will go free, leaping 
       with joy like calves let out to pasture.

       (Mal 4:3 TLB)  Then you will tread upon the wicked as ashes 
       underfoot," says the Lord Almighty.

       (Mal 4:4 TLB)  "Remember to obey the laws I gave all Israel through 
       Moses my servant on Mount Horeb.

       (Mal 4:5 TLB)  "See, I will send you another prophet like Elijah 
       before the coming of the great and dreadful judgment day of God.

       (Mal 4:6 TLB)  His preaching will bring fathers and children together 
       again, to be of one mind and heart, for they will know that if they do 
       not repent, I will come and utterly destroy their land."

       (Mat 1:1 TLB)  These are the ancestors of Jesus Christ, a descendant 
       of King David and of Abraham:

       (Mat 1:2 TLB)  Abraham was the father of Isaac; Isaac was the father 
       of Jacob; Jacob was the father of Judah and his brothers.

       (Mat 1:3 TLB)  Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah (Tamar was 
       their mother); Perez was the father of Hezron; Hezron was the father 
       of Aram;

       (Mat 1:4 TLB)  Aram was the father of Amminadab; Amminadab was the 
       father of Nahshon; Nahshon was the father of Salmon;

       (Mat 1:5 TLB)  Salmon was the father of Boaz (Rahab was his mother); 
       Boaz was the father of Obed (Ruth was his mother); Obed was the father 
       of Jesse;

       (Mat 1:6 TLB)  Jesse was the father of King David. David was the 
       father of Solomon (his mother was the widow of Uriah);

       (Mat 1:7 TLB)  Solomon was the father of Rehoboam; Rehoboam was the 
       father of Abijah; Abijah was the father of Asa;

       (Mat 1:8 TLB)  Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat; Jehoshaphat was the 
       father of Joram; Joram was the father of Uzziah;

       (Mat 1:9 TLB)  Uzziah was the father of Jotham; Jotham was the father 
       of Ahaz; Ahaz was the father of Hezekiah;

       (Mat 1:10 TLB)  Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh; Manasseh was the 
       father of Amos; Amos was the father of Josiah;

       (Mat 1:11 TLB)  Josiah was the father of Jechoniah and his brothers 
       (born at the time of the exile to Babylon).

       (Mat 1:12 TLB)  After the exile: Jechoniah was the father of 
       Shealtiel; Shealtiel was the father of Zerubbabel;

       (Mat 1:13 TLB)  Zerubbabel was the father of Abiud; Abiud was the 





       father of Eliakim; Eliakim was the father of Azor;

       (Mat 1:14 TLB)  Azor was the father of Zadok; Zadok was the father of 
       Achim; Achim was the father of Eliud;

       (Mat 1:15 TLB)  Eliud was the father of Eleazar; Eleazar was the 
       father of Matthan; Matthan was the father of Jacob;

       (Mat 1:16 TLB)  Jacob was the father of Joseph (who was the husband of 
       Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ the Messiah).

       (Mat 1:17 TLB)  These are fourteen of the generations from Abraham to 
       King David; and fourteen from King David's time to the exile; and 
       fourteen from the exile to Christ.

       (Mat 1:18 TLB)  These are the facts concerning the birth of Jesus 
       Christ: His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But 
       while she was still a virgin she became pregnant by the Holy Spirit.

       (Mat 1:19 TLB)  Then Joseph, her fiance, being a man of stern 
       principle, decided to break the engagement but to do it quietly, as he 
       didn't want to publicly disgrace her.

       (Mat 1:20 TLB)  As he lay awake considering this, he fell into a 
       dream, and saw an angel standing beside him. "Joseph, son of David," 
       the angel said, "don't hesitate to take Mary as your wife! For the 
       child within her has been conceived by the Holy Spirit.

       (Mat 1:21 TLB)  And she will have a Son, and you shall name him Jesus 
       (meaning 'Savior'), for he will save his people from their sins.

       (Mat 1:22 TLB)  This will fulfill God's message through his prophets--

       (Mat 1:23 TLB)  'Listen! The virgin shall conceive a child! She shall 
       give birth to a Son, and he shall be called "Emmanuel" (meaning "God 
       is with us").'"

       (Mat 1:24 TLB)  When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel commanded and 
       brought Mary home to be his wife,

       (Mat 1:25 TLB)  but she remained a virgin until her Son was born; and 
       Joseph named him "Jesus."

       (Mat 2:1 TLB)  Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem, in Judea, 
       during the reign of King Herod. At about that time some astrologers 
       from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking,

       (Mat 2:2 TLB)  "Where is the newborn King of the Jews? for we have 
       seen his star in far-off eastern lands and have come to worship him."

       (Mat 2:3 TLB)  King Herod was deeply disturbed by their question, and 
       all Jerusalem was filled with rumors.

       (Mat 2:4 TLB)  He called a meeting of the Jewish religious leaders. 
       "Did the prophets tell us where the Messiah would be born?" he asked.





       (Mat 2:5 TLB)  "Yes, in Bethlehem," they said, "for this is what the 
       prophet Micah wrote:

       (Mat 2:6 TLB)  'O little town of Bethlehem, you are not just an 
       unimportant Judean village, for a Governor shall rise from you to rule 
       my people Israel.'"

       (Mat 2:7 TLB)  Then Herod sent a private message to the astrologers, 
       asking them to come to see him; at this meeting he found out from them 
       the exact time when they first saw the star. Then he told them,

       (Mat 2:8 TLB)  "Go to Bethlehem and search for the child. And when you 
       find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him too!"

       (Mat 2:9 TLB)  After this interview the astrologers started out again. 
       And look! The star appeared to them again, standing over Bethlehem.

       (Mat 2:10 TLB)  Their joy knew no bounds!

       (Mat 2:11 TLB)  Entering the house where the baby and Mary, his 
       mother, were, they threw themselves down before him, worshiping. Then 
       they opened their presents and gave him gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

       (Mat 2:12 TLB)  But when they returned to their own land, they didn't 
       go through Jerusalem to report to Herod, for God had warned them in a 
       dream to go home another way.

       (Mat 2:13 TLB)  After they were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to 
       Joseph in a dream. "Get up and flee to Egypt with the baby and his 
       mother," the angel said, "and stay there until I tell you to return, 
       for King Herod is going to try to kill the child."

       (Mat 2:14 TLB)  That same night he left for Egypt with Mary and the 
       baby,

       (Mat 2:15 TLB)  and stayed there until King Herod's death. This 
       fulfilled the prophet's prediction, "I have called my Son from Egypt."

       (Mat 2:16 TLB)  Herod was furious when he learned that the astrologers 
       had disobeyed him. Sending soldiers to Bethlehem, he ordered them to 
       kill every baby boy two years old and under, both in the town and on 
       the nearby farms, for the astrologers had told him the star first 
       appeared to them two years before.

       (Mat 2:17 TLB)  This brutal action of Herod's fulfilled the prophecy 
       of Jeremiah,

       (Mat 2:18 TLB)  "Screams of anguish come from Ramah, Weeping 
       unrestrained; Rachel weeping for her children, Uncomforted-- For they 
       are dead."

       (Mat 2:19 TLB)  When Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a 
       dream to Joseph in Egypt and told him,

       (Mat 2:20 TLB)  "Get up and take the baby and his mother back to 
       Israel, for those who were trying to kill the child are dead."






       (Mat 2:21 TLB)  So he returned immediately to Israel with Jesus and 
       his mother.

       (Mat 2:22 TLB)  But on the way he was frightened to learn that the new 
       king was Herod's son, Archelaus. Then, in another dream, he was warned 
       not to go to Judea, so they went to Galilee instead

       (Mat 2:23 TLB)  and lived in Nazareth. This fulfilled the prediction 
       of the prophets concerning the Messiah, "He shall be called a 
       Nazarene."

       (Mat 3:1 TLB)  While they were living in Nazareth, John the Baptist 
       began preaching out in the Judean wilderness. His constant theme was,

       (Mat 3:2 TLB)  "Turn from your sins. . . turn to God. . . for the 
       Kingdom of Heaven is coming soon."

       (Mat 3:3 TLB)  Isaiah the prophet had told about John's ministry 
       centuries before! He had written, "I hear a shout from the wilderness, 
       'Prepare a road for the Lord--straighten out the path where he will 
       walk.'"

       (Mat 3:4 TLB)  John's clothing was woven from camel's hair and he wore 
       a leather belt; his food was locusts and wild honey.

       (Mat 3:5 TLB)  People from Jerusalem and from all over the Jordan 
       Valley, and, in fact, from every section of Judea went out to the 
       wilderness to hear him preach,

       (Mat 3:6 TLB)  and when they confessed their sins, he baptized them in 
       the Jordan River.

       (Mat 3:7 TLB)  But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to 
       be baptized, he denounced them. "You sons of snakes!" he warned. "Who 
       said that you could escape the coming wrath of God?

       (Mat 3:8 TLB)  Before being baptized, prove that you have turned from 
       sin by doing worthy deeds.

       (Mat 3:9 TLB)  Don't try to get by as you are, thinking, 'We are safe 
       for we are Jews--descendants of Abraham.' That proves nothing. God can 
       change these stones here into Jews!

       (Mat 3:10 TLB)  "And even now the axe of God's judgment is poised to 
       chop down every unproductive tree. They will be chopped and burned.

       (Mat 3:11 TLB)  "With water I baptize those who repent of their sins; 
       but someone else is coming, far greater than I am, so great that I am 
       not worthy to carry his shoes! He shall baptize you with the Holy 
       Spirit and with fire.

       (Mat 3:12 TLB)  He will separate the chaff from the grain, burning the 
       chaff with never-ending fire and storing away the grain."

       (Mat 3:13 TLB)  Then Jesus went from Galilee to the Jordan River to be 





       baptized there by John.

       (Mat 3:14 TLB)  John didn't want to do it. "This isn't proper," he 
       said. "I am the one who needs to be baptized by you."

       (Mat 3:15 TLB)  But Jesus said, "Please do it, for I must do all that 
       is right." So then John baptized him.

       (Mat 3:16 TLB)  After his baptism, as soon as Jesus came up out of the 
       water, the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God 
       coming down in the form of a dove.

       (Mat 3:17 TLB)  And a voice from heaven said, "This is my beloved Son, 
       and I am wonderfully pleased with him."

       (Mat 4:1 TLB)  Then Jesus was led out into the wilderness by the Holy 
       Spirit, to be tempted there by Satan.

       (Mat 4:2 TLB)  For forty days and forty nights he ate nothing and 
       became very hungry.

       (Mat 4:3 TLB)  Then Satan tempted him to get food by changing stones 
       into loaves of bread. "It will prove you are the Son of God," he said.

       (Mat 4:4 TLB)  But Jesus told him, "No! For the Scriptures tell us 
       that bread won't feed men's souls: obedience to every word of God is 
       what we need."

       (Mat 4:5 TLB)  Then Satan took him to Jerusalem to the roof of the 
       Temple.

       (Mat 4:6 TLB)  "Jump off," he said, "and prove you are the Son of God; 
       for the Scriptures declare, 'God will send his angels to keep you from 
       harm,' . . . they will prevent you from smashing on the rocks below."

       (Mat 4:7 TLB)  Jesus retorted, "It also says not to put the Lord your 
       God to a foolish test!"

       (Mat 4:8 TLB)  Next Satan took him to the peak of a very high mountain 
       and showed him the nations of the world and all their glory.

       (Mat 4:9 TLB)  "I'll give it all to you," he said, "if you will only 
       kneel and worship me."

       (Mat 4:10 TLB)  "Get out of here, Satan," Jesus told him. "The 
       Scriptures say, 'Worship only the Lord God. Obey only him.'"

       (Mat 4:11 TLB)  Then Satan went away, and angels came and cared for 
       Jesus.

       (Mat 4:12 TLB)  When Jesus heard that John had been arrested,

       (Mat 4:13 TLB)  he left Judea and returned home to Nazareth in 
       Galilee; but soon he moved to Capernaum, beside the Lake of Galilee, 
       close to Zebulun and Naphtali.





       (Mat 4:14 TLB)  This fulfilled Isaiah's prophecy:

       (Mat 4:15 TLB)  "The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, beside 
       the Lake, and the countryside beyond the Jordan River, and Upper 
       Galilee where so many foreigners live--

       (Mat 4:16 TLB)  "there the people who sat in darkness have seen a 
       great Light; they sat in the land of death, and the Light broke 
       through upon them."

       (Mat 4:17 TLB)  From then on, Jesus began to preach, "Turn from sin 
       and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near."

       (Mat 4:18 TLB)  One day as he was walking along the beach beside the 
       Lake of Galilee, he saw two brothers--Simon, also called Peter, and 
       Andrew--out in a boat fishing with a net, for they were commercial 
       fishermen.

       (Mat 4:19 TLB)  Jesus called out, "Come along with me and I will show 
       you how to fish for the souls of men!"

       (Mat 4:20 TLB)  And they left their nets at once and went with him.

       (Mat 4:21 TLB)  A little farther up the beach he saw two other 
       brothers, James and John, sitting in a boat with their father, 
       Zebedee, mending their nets; and he called to them to come too.

       (Mat 4:22 TLB)  At once they stopped their work and, leaving their 
       father behind, went with him.

       (Mat 4:23 TLB)  Jesus traveled all through Galilee teaching in the 
       Jewish synagogues, everywhere preaching the Good News about the 
       Kingdom of Heaven. And he healed every kind of sickness and disease.

       (Mat 4:24 TLB)  The report of his miracles spread far beyond the 
       borders of Galilee so that sick folk were soon coming to be healed 
       from as far away as Syria. And whatever their illness and pain, or if 
       they were possessed by demons, or were insane, or paralyzed--he healed 
       them all.

       (Mat 4:25 TLB)  Enormous crowds followed him wherever he went--people 
       from Galilee, and the Ten Cities, and Jerusalem, and from all over 
       Judea, and even from across the Jordan River.

       (Mat 5:1 TLB)  One day as the crowds were gathering, he went up the 
       hillside with his disciples and sat down

       (Mat 5:2 TLB)  and taught them there.

       (Mat 5:3 TLB)  "Humble men are very fortunate!" he told them, "for the 
       Kingdom of Heaven is given to them.

       (Mat 5:4 TLB)  Those who mourn are fortunate! for they shall be 
       comforted.

       (Mat 5:5 TLB)  The meek and lowly are fortunate! for the whole wide 





       world belongs to them.

       (Mat 5:6 TLB)  "Happy are those who long to be just and good, for they 
       shall be completely satisfied.

       (Mat 5:7 TLB)  Happy are the kind and merciful, for they shall be 
       shown mercy.

       (Mat 5:8 TLB)  Happy are those whose hearts are pure, for they shall 
       see God.

       (Mat 5:9 TLB)  Happy are those who strive for peace--they shall be 
       called the sons of God.

       (Mat 5:10 TLB)  Happy are those who are persecuted because they are 
       good, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

       (Mat 5:11 TLB)  "When you are reviled and persecuted and lied about 
       because you are my followers--wonderful!

       (Mat 5:12 TLB)  Be happy about it! Be very glad! for a tremendous 
       reward awaits you up in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets 
       were persecuted too.

       (Mat 5:13 TLB)  "You are the world's seasoning, to make it tolerable. 
       If you lose your flavor, what will happen to the world? And you 
       yourselves will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.

       (Mat 5:14 TLB)  You are the world's light--a city on a hill, glowing 
       in the night for all to see.

       (Mat 5:15 TLB)  Don't hide your light!

       (Mat 5:16 TLB)  Let it shine for all; let your good deeds glow for all 
       to see, so that they will praise your heavenly Father.

       (Mat 5:17 TLB)  "Don't misunderstand why I have come--it isn't to 
       cancel the laws of Moses and the warnings of the prophets. No, I came 
       to fulfill them and to make them all come true.

       (Mat 5:18 TLB)  With all the earnestness I have I say: Every law in 
       the Book will continue until its purpose is achieved.

       (Mat 5:19 TLB)  And so if anyone breaks the least commandment and 
       teaches others to, he shall be the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But 
       those who teach God's laws and obey them shall be great in the Kingdom 
       of Heaven.

       (Mat 5:20 TLB)  "But I warn you--unless your goodness is greater than 
       that of the Pharisees and other Jewish leaders, you can't get into the 
       Kingdom of Heaven at all!

       (Mat 5:21 TLB)  "Under the laws of Moses the rule was, 'If you murder, 
       you must die.'

       (Mat 5:22 TLB)  But I have added to that rule and tell you that if you 





       are only angry, even in your own home, you are in danger of judgment! 
       If you call your friend an idiot, you are in danger of being brought 
       before the court. And if you curse him, you are in danger of the fires 
       of hell.

       (Mat 5:23 TLB)  "So if you are standing before the altar in the 
       Temple, offering a sacrifice to God, and suddenly remember that a 
       friend has something against you,

       (Mat 5:24 TLB)  leave your sacrifice there beside the altar and go and 
       apologize and be reconciled to him, and then come and offer your 
       sacrifice to God.

       (Mat 5:25 TLB)  Come to terms quickly with your enemy before it is too 
       late and he drags you into court and you are thrown into a debtor's 
       cell,

       (Mat 5:26 TLB)  for you will stay there until you have paid the last 
       penny.

       (Mat 5:27 TLB)  "The laws of Moses said, 'You shall not commit 
       adultery.'

       (Mat 5:28 TLB)  But I say: Anyone who even looks at a woman with lust 
       in his eye has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

       (Mat 5:29 TLB)  So if your eye--even if it is your best eye! --causes 
       you to lust, gouge it out and throw it away. Better for part of you to 
       be destroyed than for all of you to be cast into hell.

       (Mat 5:30 TLB)  And if your hand--even your right hand--causes you to 
       sin, cut it off and throw it away. Better that than find yourself in 
       hell.

       (Mat 5:31 TLB)  "The law of Moses says, 'If anyone wants to be rid of 
       his wife, he can divorce her merely by giving her a letter of 
       dismissal.'

       (Mat 5:32 TLB)  But I say that a man who divorces his wife, except for 
       fornication, causes her to commit adultery if she marries again. And 
       he who marries her commits adultery.

       (Mat 5:33 TLB)  "Again, the law of Moses says, 'You shall not break 
       your vows to God but must fulfill them all.'

       (Mat 5:34 TLB)  But I say: Don't make any vows! And even to say 'By 
       heavens!' is a sacred vow to God, for the heavens are God's throne.

       (Mat 5:35 TLB)  And if you say 'By the earth!' it is a sacred vow, for 
       the earth is his footstool. And don't swear 'By Jerusalem!' for 
       Jerusalem is the capital of the great King.

       (Mat 5:36 TLB)  Don't even swear 'By my head!' for you can't turn one 
       hair white or black.

       (Mat 5:37 TLB)  Say just a simple 'Yes, I will' or 'No, I won't.' Your 





       word is enough. To strengthen your promise with a vow shows that 
       something is wrong.

       (Mat 5:38 TLB)  "The law of Moses says, 'If a man gouges out another's 
       eye, he must pay with his own eye. If a tooth gets knocked out, knock 
       out the tooth of the one who did it.'

       (Mat 5:39 TLB)  But I say: Don't resist violence! If you are slapped 
       on one cheek, turn the other too.

       (Mat 5:40 TLB)  If you are ordered to court, and your shirt is taken 
       from you, give your coat too.

       (Mat 5:41 TLB)  If the military demand that you carry their gear for a 
       mile, carry it two.

       (Mat 5:42 TLB)  Give to those who ask, and don't turn away from those 
       who want to borrow.

       (Mat 5:43 TLB)  "There is a saying, 'Love your friends and hate your 
       enemies.'

       (Mat 5:44 TLB)  But I say: Love your enemies! Pray for those who 
       persecute you!

       (Mat 5:45 TLB)  In that way you will be acting as true sons of your 
       Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the 
       good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust too.

       (Mat 5:46 TLB)  If you love only those who love you, what good is 
       that? Even scoundrels do that much.

       (Mat 5:47 TLB)  If you are friendly only to your friends, how are you 
       different from anyone else? Even the heathen do that.

       (Mat 5:48 TLB)  But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in 
       heaven is perfect.

       (Mat 6:1 TLB)  "Take care! Don't do your good deeds publicly, to be 
       admired, for then you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven.

       (Mat 6:2 TLB)  When you give a gift to a beggar, don't shout about it 
       as the hypocrites do--blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets 
       to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you in all 
       earnestness, they have received all the reward they will ever get.

       (Mat 6:3 TLB)  But when you do a kindness to someone, do it 
       secretly--don't tell your left hand what your right hand is doing.

       (Mat 6:4 TLB)  And your Father, who knows all secrets, will reward 
       you.

       (Mat 6:5 TLB)  "And now about prayer. When you pray, don't be like the 
       hypocrites who pretend piety by praying publicly on street corners and 
       in the synagogues where everyone can see them. Truly, that is all the 
       reward they will ever get.






       (Mat 6:6 TLB)  But when you pray, go away by yourself, all alone, and 
       shut the door behind you and pray to your Father secretly, and your 
       Father, who knows your secrets, will reward you.

       (Mat 6:7 TLB)  "Don't recite the same prayer over and over as the 
       heathen do, who think prayers are answered only by repeating them 
       again and again.

       (Mat 6:8 TLB)  "Remember, your Father knows exactly what you need even 
       before you ask him!

       (Mat 6:9 TLB)  "Pray along these lines: 'Our Father in heaven, we 
       honor your holy name.

       (Mat 6:10 TLB)  We ask that your kingdom will come now. May your will 
       be done here on earth, just as it is in heaven.

       (Mat 6:11 TLB)  Give us our food again today, as usual,

       (Mat 6:12 TLB)  and forgive us our sins, just as we have forgiven 
       those who have sinned against us.

       (Mat 6:13 TLB)  Don't bring us into temptation, but deliver us from 
       the Evil One. Amen.'

       (Mat 6:14 TLB)  Your heavenly Father will forgive you if you forgive 
       those who sin against you;

       (Mat 6:15 TLB)  but if you refuse to forgive them, he will not forgive 
       you.

       (Mat 6:16 TLB)  "And now about fasting. When you fast, declining your 
       food for a spiritual purpose, don't do it publicly, as the hypocrites 
       do, who try to look wan and disheveled so people will feel sorry for 
       them. Truly, that is the only reward they will ever get.

       (Mat 6:17 TLB)  But when you fast, put on festive clothing,

       (Mat 6:18 TLB)  so that no one will suspect you are hungry, except 
       your Father who knows every secret. And he will reward you.

       (Mat 6:19 TLB)  "Don't store up treasures here on earth where they can 
       erode away or may be stolen.

       (Mat 6:20 TLB)  Store them in heaven where they will never lose their 
       value and are safe from thieves.

       (Mat 6:21 TLB)  If your profits are in heaven, your heart will be 
       there too.

       (Mat 6:22 TLB)  "If your eye is pure, there will be sunshine in your 
       soul.

       (Mat 6:23 TLB)  But if your eye is clouded with evil thoughts and 
       desires, you are in deep spiritual darkness. And oh, how deep that 





       darkness can be!

       (Mat 6:24 TLB)  "You cannot serve two masters: God and money. For you 
       will hate one and love the other, or else the other way around.

       (Mat 6:25 TLB)  "So my counsel is: Don't worry about things--food, 
       drink, and clothes. For you already have life and a body--and they are 
       far more important than what to eat and wear.

       (Mat 6:26 TLB)  Look at the birds! They don't worry about what to 
       eat--they don't need to sow or reap or store up food--for your 
       heavenly Father feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than 
       they are.

       (Mat 6:27 TLB)  Will all your worries add a single moment to your 
       life?

       (Mat 6:28 TLB)  "And why worry about your clothes? Look at the field 
       lilies! They don't worry about theirs.

       (Mat 6:29 TLB)  Yet King Solomon in all his glory was not clothed as 
       beautifully as they.

       (Mat 6:30 TLB)  And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are 
       here today and gone tomorrow, won't he more surely care for you, O men 
       of little faith?

       (Mat 6:31 TLB)  "So don't worry at all about having enough food and 
       clothing. Why be like the heathen?

       (Mat 6:32 TLB)  For they take pride in all these things and are deeply 
       concerned about them. But your heavenly Father already knows perfectly 
       well that you need them,

       (Mat 6:33 TLB)  and he will give them to you if you give him first 
       place in your life and live as he wants you to.

       (Mat 6:34 TLB)  "So don't be anxious about tomorrow. God will take 
       care of your tomorrow too. Live one day at a time.

       (Mat 7:1 TLB)  "Don't criticize, and then you won't be criticized.

       (Mat 7:2 TLB)  For others will treat you as you treat them.

       (Mat 7:3 TLB)  And why worry about a speck in the eye of a brother 
       when you have a board in your own?

       (Mat 7:4 TLB)  Should you say, 'Friend, let me help you get that speck 
       out of your eye,' when you can't even see because of the board in your 
       own?

       (Mat 7:5 TLB)  Hypocrite! First get rid of the board. Then you can see 
       to help your brother.

       (Mat 7:6 TLB)  "Don't give holy things to depraved men. Don't give 
       pearls to swine! They will trample the pearls and turn and attack you.






       (Mat 7:7 TLB)  "Ask, and you will be given what you ask for. Seek, and 
       you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened.

       (Mat 7:8 TLB)  For everyone who asks, receives. Anyone who seeks, 
       finds. If only you will knock, the door will open.

       (Mat 7:9 TLB)  If a child asks his father for a loaf of bread, will he 
       be given a stone instead?

       (Mat 7:10 TLB)  If he asks for fish, will he be given a poisonous 
       snake? Of course not!

       (Mat 7:11 TLB)  And if you hardhearted, sinful men know how to give 
       good gifts to your children, won't your Father in heaven even more 
       certainly give good gifts to those who ask him for them?

       (Mat 7:12 TLB)  "Do for others what you want them to do for you. This 
       is the teaching of the laws of Moses in a nutshell.

       (Mat 7:13 TLB)  "Heaven can be entered only through the narrow gate! 
       The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide enough for all the 
       multitudes who choose its easy way.

       (Mat 7:14 TLB)  But the Gateway to Life is small, and the road is 
       narrow, and only a few ever find it.

       (Mat 7:15 TLB)  "Beware of false teachers who come disguised as 
       harmless sheep, but are wolves and will tear you apart.

       (Mat 7:16 TLB)  You can detect them by the way they act, just as you 
       can identify a tree by its fruit. You need never confuse grapevines 
       with thorn bushes or figs with thistles.

       (Mat 7:17 TLB)  Different kinds of fruit trees can quickly be 
       identified by examining their fruit.

       (Mat 7:18 TLB)  A variety that produces delicious fruit never produces 
       an inedible kind. And a tree producing an inedible kind can't produce 
       what is good.

       (Mat 7:19 TLB)  So the trees having the inedible fruit are chopped 
       down and thrown on the fire.

       (Mat 7:20 TLB)  Yes, the way to identify a tree or a person is by the 
       kind of fruit produced.

       (Mat 7:21 TLB)  "Not all who sound religious are really godly people. 
       They may refer to me as 'Lord,' but still won't get to heaven. For the 
       decisive question is whether they obey my Father in heaven.

       (Mat 7:22 TLB)  At the Judgment many will tell me, 'Lord, Lord, we 
       told others about you and used your name to cast out demons and to do 
       many other great miracles.'

       (Mat 7:23 TLB)  But I will reply, 'You have never been mine. Go away, 





       for your deeds are evil.'

       (Mat 7:24 TLB)  "All who listen to my instructions and follow them are 
       wise, like a man who builds his house on solid rock.

       (Mat 7:25 TLB)  Though the rain comes in torrents, and the floods rise 
       and the storm winds beat against his house, it won't collapse, for it 
       is built on rock.

       (Mat 7:26 TLB)  "But those who hear my instructions and ignore them 
       are foolish, like a man who builds his house on sand.

       (Mat 7:27 TLB)  For when the rains and floods come, and storm winds 
       beat against his house, it will fall with a mighty crash."

       (Mat 7:28 TLB)  The crowds were amazed at Jesus' sermons,

       (Mat 7:29 TLB)  for he taught as one who had great authority, and not 
       as their Jewish leaders.

       (Mat 8:1 TLB)  Large crowds followed Jesus as he came down the 
       hillside.

       (Mat 8:2 TLB)  Look! A leper is approaching. He kneels before him, 
       worshiping. "Sir," the leper pleads, "if you want to, you can heal 
       me."

       (Mat 8:3 TLB)  Jesus touches the man. "I want to," he says. "Be 
       healed." And instantly the leprosy disappears.

       (Mat 8:4 TLB)  Then Jesus says to him, "Don't stop to talk to anyone; 
       go right over to the priest to be examined; and take with you the 
       offering required by Moses' law for lepers who are healed--a public 
       testimony of your cure."

       (Mat 8:5 TLB)  When Jesus arrived in Capernaum, a Roman army captain 
       came

       (Mat 8:6 TLB)  and pled with him to come to his home and heal his 
       servant boy who was in bed paralyzed and racked with pain.

       (Mat 8:7 TLB)  "Yes," Jesus said, "I will come and heal him."

       (Mat 8:8 TLB)  Then the officer said, "Sir, I am not worthy to have 
       you in my home; (and it isn't necessary for you to come). If you will 
       only stand here and say, 'Be healed,' my servant will get well!

       (Mat 8:9 TLB)  I know, because I am under the authority of my superior 
       officers and I have authority over my soldiers, and I say to one, 
       'Go,' and he goes, and to another, 'Come,' and he comes, and to my 
       slave boy, 'Do this or that,' and he does it. And I know you have 
       authority to tell his sickness to go--and it will go!"

       (Mat 8:10 TLB)  Jesus stood there amazed! Turning to the crowd he 
       said, "I haven't seen faith like this in all the land of Israel!





       (Mat 8:11 TLB)  And I tell you this, that many Gentiles (like this 
       Roman officer), shall come from all over the world and sit down in the 
       Kingdom of Heaven with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

       (Mat 8:12 TLB)  And many an Israelite--those for whom the Kingdom was 
       prepared--shall be cast into outer darkness, into the place of weeping 
       and torment."

       (Mat 8:13 TLB)  Then Jesus said to the Roman officer, "Go on home. 
       What you have believed has happened!" And the boy was healed that same 
       hour!

       (Mat 8:14 TLB)  When Jesus arrived at Peter's house, Peter's 
       mother-in-law was in bed with a high fever.

       (Mat 8:15 TLB)  But when Jesus touched her hand, the fever left her; 
       and she got up and prepared a meal for them!

       (Mat 8:16 TLB)  That evening several demon-possessed people were 
       brought to Jesus; and when he spoke a single word, all the demons 
       fled; and all the sick were healed.

       (Mat 8:17 TLB)  This fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, "He took our 
       sicknesses and bore our diseases."

       (Mat 8:18 TLB)  When Jesus noticed how large the crowd was growing, he 
       instructed his disciples to get ready to cross to the other side of 
       the lake.

       (Mat 8:19 TLB)  Just then one of the Jewish religious teachers said to 
       him, "Teacher, I will follow you no matter where you go!"

       (Mat 8:20 TLB)  But Jesus said, "Foxes have dens and birds have nests, 
       but I, the Messiah, have no home of my own--no place to lay my head."

       (Mat 8:21 TLB)  Another of his disciples said, "Sir, when my father is 
       dead, then I will follow you."

       (Mat 8:22 TLB)  But Jesus told him, "Follow me now! Let those who are 
       spiritually dead care for their own dead."

       (Mat 8:23 TLB)  Then he got into a boat and started across the lake 
       with his disciples.

       (Mat 8:24 TLB)  Suddenly a terrible storm came up, with waves higher 
       than the boat. But Jesus was asleep.

       (Mat 8:25 TLB)  The disciples went to him and wakened him, shouting, 
       "Lord, save us! We're sinking!"

       (Mat 8:26 TLB)  But Jesus answered, "O you men of little faith! Why 
       are you so frightened?" Then he stood up and rebuked the wind and 
       waves, and the storm subsided and all was calm.

       (Mat 8:27 TLB)  The disciples just sat there, awed! "Who is this," 
       they asked themselves, "that even the winds and the sea obey him?"






       (Mat 8:28 TLB)  When they arrived on the other side of the lake, in 
       the country of the Gadarenes, two men with demons in them met him. 
       They lived in a cemetery and were so dangerous that no one could go 
       through that area.

       (Mat 8:29 TLB)  They began screaming at him, "What do you want with 
       us, O Son of God? You have no right to torment us yet."

       (Mat 8:30 TLB)  A herd of pigs was feeding in the distance,

       (Mat 8:31 TLB)  so the demons begged, "If you cast us out, send us 
       into that herd of pigs."

       (Mat 8:32 TLB)  "All right," Jesus told them. "Begone." And they came 
       out of the men and entered the pigs, and the whole herd rushed over a 
       cliff and drowned in the water below.

       (Mat 8:33 TLB)  The herdsmen fled to the nearest city with the story 
       of what had happened,

       (Mat 8:34 TLB)  and the entire population came rushing out to see 
       Jesus and begged him to go away and leave them alone.

       (Mat 9:1 TLB)  So Jesus climbed into a boat and went across the lake 
       to Capernaum, his hometown.

       (Mat 9:2 TLB)  Soon some men brought him a paralyzed boy on a mat. 
       When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the sick boy, "Cheer up, son! 
       For I have forgiven your sins!"

       (Mat 9:3 TLB)  "Blasphemy! This man is saying he is God!" exclaimed 
       some of the religious leaders to themselves.

       (Mat 9:4 TLB)  Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked them, "Why 
       are you thinking such evil thoughts?

       (Mat 9:5 TLB)  I, the Messiah, have the authority on earth to forgive 
       sins. But talk is cheap--anybody could say that.

       (Mat 9:6 TLB)  "So I'll prove it to you by healing this man." Then, 
       turning to the paralyzed man, he commanded, "Pick up your stretcher 
       and go on home, for you are healed."

       (Mat 9:7 TLB)  And the boy jumped up and left!

       (Mat 9:8 TLB)  A chill of fear swept through the crowd as they saw 
       this happen right before their eyes. How they praised God for giving 
       such authority to a man!

       (Mat 9:9 TLB)  As Jesus was going on down the road, he saw a tax 
       collector, Matthew, sitting at a tax collection booth. "Come and be my 
       disciple," Jesus said to him, and Matthew jumped up and went along 
       with him.

       (Mat 9:10 TLB)  Later, as Jesus and his disciples were eating dinner 





       (at Matthew's house), there were many notorious swindlers there as 
       guests!

       (Mat 9:11 TLB)  The Pharisees were indignant. "Why does your teacher 
       associate with men like that?"

       (Mat 9:12 TLB)  "Because people who are well don't need a doctor! It's 
       the sick people who do!" was Jesus' reply.

       (Mat 9:13 TLB)  Then he added, "Now go away and learn the meaning of 
       this verse of Scripture, 'It isn't your sacrifices and your gifts I 
       want--I want you to be merciful.' For I have come to urge sinners, not 
       the self-righteous, back to God."

       (Mat 9:14 TLB)  One day the disciples of John the Baptist came to 
       Jesus and asked him, "Why don't your disciples fast as we do and as 
       the Pharisees do?"

       (Mat 9:15 TLB)  "Should the bridegroom's friends mourn and go without 
       food while he is with them?" Jesus asked. "But the time is coming when 
       I will be taken from them. Time enough then for them to refuse to eat.

       (Mat 9:16 TLB)  "And who would patch an old garment with unshrunk 
       cloth? For the patch would tear away and make the hole worse.

       (Mat 9:17 TLB)  And who would use old wineskins to store new wine? For 
       the old skins would burst with the pressure, and the wine would be 
       spilled and skins ruined. Only new wineskins are used to store new 
       wine. That way both are preserved."

       (Mat 9:18 TLB)  As he was saying this, the rabbi of the local 
       synagogue came and worshiped him. "My little daughter has just died," 
       he said, "but you can bring her back to life again if you will only 
       come and touch her."

       (Mat 9:19 TLB)  As Jesus and the disciples were going to the rabbi's 
       home,

       (Mat 9:20 TLB)  a woman who had been sick for twelve years with 
       internal bleeding came up behind him and touched a tassel of his robe,

       (Mat 9:21 TLB)  for she thought, "If I only touch him, I will be 
       healed."

       (Mat 9:22 TLB)  Jesus turned around and spoke to her. "Daughter," he 
       said, "all is well! Your faith has healed you." And the woman was well 
       from that moment.

       (Mat 9:23 TLB)  When Jesus arrived at the rabbi's home and saw the 
       noisy crowds and heard the funeral music,

       (Mat 9:24 TLB)  he said, "Get them out, for the little girl isn't 
       dead; she is only sleeping!" Then how they all scoffed and sneered at 
       him!

       (Mat 9:25 TLB)  When the crowd was finally outside, Jesus went in 





       where the little girl was lying and took her by the hand, and she 
       jumped up and was all right again!

       (Mat 9:26 TLB)  The report of this wonderful miracle swept the entire 
       countryside.

       (Mat 9:27 TLB)  As Jesus was leaving her home, two blind men followed 
       along behind, shouting, "O Son of King David, have mercy on us."

       (Mat 9:28 TLB)  They went right into the house where he was staying, 
       and Jesus asked them, "Do you believe I can make you see?" "Yes, 
       Lord," they told him, "we do."

       (Mat 9:29 TLB)  Then he touched their eyes and said, "Because of your 
       faith it will happen."

       (Mat 9:30 TLB)  And suddenly they could see! Jesus sternly warned them 
       not to tell anyone about it,

       (Mat 9:31 TLB)  but instead they spread his fame all over the town.

       (Mat 9:32 TLB)  Leaving that place, Jesus met a man who couldn't speak 
       because a demon was inside him.

       (Mat 9:33 TLB)  So Jesus cast out the demon, and instantly the man 
       could talk. How the crowds marveled! "Never in all our lives have we 
       seen anything like this," they exclaimed.

       (Mat 9:34 TLB)  But the Pharisees said, "The reason he can cast out 
       demons is that he is demon-possessed himself--possessed by Satan, the 
       demon king!"

       (Mat 9:35 TLB)  Jesus traveled around through all the cities and 
       villages of that area, teaching in the Jewish synagogues and 
       announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And wherever he went he 
       healed people of every sort of illness.

       (Mat 9:36 TLB)  And what pity he felt for the crowds that came, 
       because their problems were so great and they didn't know what to do 
       or where to go for help. They were like sheep without a shepherd.

       (Mat 9:37 TLB)  "The harvest is so great, and the workers are so few," 
       he told his disciples.

       (Mat 9:38 TLB)  "So pray to the one in charge of the harvesting, and 
       ask him to recruit more workers for his harvest fields."

       (Mat 10:1 TLB)  Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them 
       authority to cast out evil spirits and to heal every kind of sickness 
       and disease.

       (Mat 10:2 TLB)  Here are the names of his twelve disciples: Simon 
       (also called Peter), Andrew (Peter's brother), James (Zebedee's son), 
       John (James' brother),

       (Mat 10:3 TLB)  Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew (the tax 





       collector), James (Alphaeus' son), Thaddaeus,

       (Mat 10:4 TLB)  Simon (a member of "The Zealots," a subversive 
       political party), Judas Iscariot (the one who betrayed him).

       (Mat 10:5 TLB)  Jesus sent them out with these instructions: "Don't go 
       to the Gentiles or the Samaritans,

       (Mat 10:6 TLB)  but only to the people of Israel--God's lost sheep.

       (Mat 10:7 TLB)  Go and announce to them that the Kingdom of Heaven is 
       near.

       (Mat 10:8 TLB)  Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure the lepers, and 
       cast out demons. Give as freely as you have received!

       (Mat 10:9 TLB)  "Don't take any money with you;

       (Mat 10:10 TLB)  don't even carry a duffle bag with extra clothes and 
       shoes, or even a walking stick; for those you help should feed and 
       care for you.

       (Mat 10:11 TLB)  Whenever you enter a city or village, search for a 
       godly man and stay in his home until you leave for the next town.

       (Mat 10:12 TLB)  When you ask permission to stay, be friendly,

       (Mat 10:13 TLB)  and if it turns out to be a godly home, give it your 
       blessing; if not, keep the blessing.

       (Mat 10:14 TLB)  Any city or home that doesn't welcome you--shake off 
       the dust of that place from your feet as you leave.

       (Mat 10:15 TLB)  Truly, the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah will 
       be better off at Judgment Day than they.

       (Mat 10:16 TLB)  "I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. Be as 
       wary as serpents and harmless as doves.

       (Mat 10:17 TLB)  But beware! For you will be arrested and tried, and 
       whipped in the synagogues.

       (Mat 10:18 TLB)  Yes, and you must stand trial before governors and 
       kings for my sake. This will give you the opportunity to tell them 
       about me, yes, to witness to the world.

       (Mat 10:19 TLB)  "When you are arrested, don't worry about what to say 
       at your trial, for you will be given the right words at the right 
       time.

       (Mat 10:20 TLB)  For it won't be you doing the talking--it will be the 
       Spirit of your heavenly Father speaking through you!

       (Mat 10:21 TLB)  "Brother shall betray brother to death, and fathers 
       shall betray their own children. And children shall rise against their 
       parents and cause their deaths.






       (Mat 10:22 TLB)  Everyone shall hate you because you belong to me. But 
       all of you who endure to the end shall be saved.

       (Mat 10:23 TLB)  "When you are persecuted in one city, flee to the 
       next! I will return before you have reached them all!

       (Mat 10:24 TLB)  "A student is not greater than his teacher. A servant 
       is not above his master.

       (Mat 10:25 TLB)  The student shares his teacher's fate. The servant 
       shares his master's! And since I, the master of the household, have 
       been called 'Satan,' how much more will you!

       (Mat 10:26 TLB)  But don't be afraid of those who threaten you. For 
       the time is coming when the truth will be revealed: their secret plots 
       will become public information.

       (Mat 10:27 TLB)  "What I tell you now in the gloom, shout abroad when 
       daybreak comes. What I whisper in your ears, proclaim from the 
       housetops!

       (Mat 10:28 TLB)  "Don't be afraid of those who can kill only your 
       bodies--but can't touch your souls! Fear only God who can destroy both 
       soul and body in hell.

       (Mat 10:29 TLB)  Not one sparrow (What do they cost? Two for a penny?) 
       can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it.

       (Mat 10:30 TLB)  And the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

       (Mat 10:31 TLB)  So don't worry! You are more valuable to him than 
       many sparrows.

       (Mat 10:32 TLB)  "If anyone publicly acknowledges me as his friend, I 
       will openly acknowledge him as my friend before my Father in heaven.

       (Mat 10:33 TLB)  But if anyone publicly denies me, I will openly deny 
       him before my Father in heaven.

       (Mat 10:34 TLB)  "Don't imagine that I came to bring peace to the 
       earth! No, rather, a sword.

       (Mat 10:35 TLB)  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 TLB)  a man's worst enemies will be right in his own home!

       (Mat 10:37 TLB)  If you love your father and mother more than you love 
       me, you are not worthy of being mine; or if you love your son or 
       daughter more than me, you are not worthy of being mine.

       (Mat 10:38 TLB)  If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, 
       you are not worthy of being mine.





       (Mat 10:39 TLB)  "If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if 
       you give it up for me, you will save it.

       (Mat 10:40 TLB)  "Those who welcome you are welcoming me. And when 
       they welcome me they are welcoming God who sent me.

       (Mat 10:41 TLB)  If you welcome a prophet because he is a man of God, 
       you will be given the same reward a prophet gets. And if you welcome 
       good and godly men because of their godliness, you will be given a 
       reward like theirs.

       (Mat 10:42 TLB)  "And if, as my representatives, you give even a cup 
       of cold water to a little child, you will surely be rewarded."

       (Mat 11:1 TLB)  When Jesus had finished giving these instructions to 
       his twelve disciples, he went off preaching in the cities where they 
       were scheduled to go.

       (Mat 11:2 TLB)  John the Baptist, who was now in prison, heard about 
       all the miracles the Messiah was doing, so he sent his disciples to 
       ask Jesus,

       (Mat 11:3 TLB)  "Are you really the one we are waiting for, or shall 
       we keep on looking?"

       (Mat 11:4 TLB)  Jesus told them, "Go back to John and tell him about 
       the miracles you've seen me do--

       (Mat 11:5 TLB)  the blind people I've healed, and the lame people now 
       walking without help, and the cured lepers, and the deaf who hear, and 
       the dead raised to life; and tell him about my preaching the Good News 
       to the poor.

       (Mat 11:6 TLB)  Then give him this message, 'Blessed are those who 
       don't doubt me.'"

       (Mat 11:7 TLB)  When John's disciples had gone, Jesus began talking 
       about him to the crowds. "When you went out into the barren wilderness 
       to see John, what did you expect him to be like? Grass blowing in the 
       wind?

       (Mat 11:8 TLB)  Or were you expecting to see a man dressed as a prince 
       in a palace?

       (Mat 11:9 TLB)  Or a prophet of God? Yes, and he is more than just a 
       prophet.

       (Mat 11:10 TLB)  For John is the man mentioned in the Scriptures--a 
       messenger to precede me, to announce my coming, and prepare people to 
       receive me.

       (Mat 11:11 TLB)  "Truly, of all men ever born, none shines more 
       brightly than John the Baptist. And yet, even the lesser lights in the 
       Kingdom of Heaven will be greater than he is!

       (Mat 11:12 TLB)  And from the time John the Baptist began preaching 





       and baptizing until now, ardent multitudes have been crowding toward 
       the Kingdom of Heaven,

       (Mat 11:13 TLB)  for all the laws and prophets looked forward (to the 
       Messiah). Then John appeared,

       (Mat 11:14 TLB)  and if you are willing to understand what I mean, he 
       is Elijah, the one the prophets said would come (at the time the 
       Kingdom begins).

       (Mat 11:15 TLB)  If ever you were willing to listen, listen now!

       (Mat 11:16 TLB)  "What shall I say about this nation? These people are 
       like children playing, who say to their little friends,

       (Mat 11:17 TLB)  'We played wedding and you weren't happy, so we 
       played funeral but you weren't sad.'

       (Mat 11:18 TLB)  For John the Baptist doesn't even drink wine and 
       often goes without food, and you say, 'He's crazy.'

       (Mat 11:19 TLB)  And I, the Messiah, feast and drink, and you complain 
       that I am 'a glutton and a drinking man, and hang around with the 
       worst sort of sinners!' But brilliant men like you can justify your 
       every inconsistency!"

       (Mat 11:20 TLB)  Then he began to pour out his denunciations against 
       the cities where he had done most of his miracles, because they hadn't 
       turned to God.

       (Mat 11:21 TLB)  "Woe to you, Chorazin, and woe to you, Bethsaida! For 
       if the miracles I did in your streets had been done in wicked Tyre and 
       Sidon their people would have repented long ago in shame and humility.

       (Mat 11:22 TLB)  Truly, Tyre and Sidon will be better off on the 
       Judgment Day than you!

       (Mat 11:23 TLB)  And Capernaum, though highly honored, shall go down 
       to hell! For if the marvelous miracles I did in you had been done in 
       Sodom, it would still be here today.

       (Mat 11:24 TLB)  Truly, Sodom will be better off at the Judgment Day 
       than you."

       (Mat 11:25 TLB)  And Jesus prayed this prayer: "O Father, Lord of 
       heaven and earth, thank you for hiding the truth from those who think 
       themselves so wise, and for revealing it to little children.

       (Mat 11:26 TLB)  Yes, Father, for it pleased you to do it this 
       way!. . .

       (Mat 11:27 TLB)  "Everything has been entrusted to me by my Father. 
       Only the Father knows the Son, and the Father is known only by the Son 
       and by those to whom the Son reveals him.

       (Mat 11:28 TLB)  Come to me and I will give you rest--all of you who 





       work so hard beneath a heavy yoke.

       (Mat 11:29 TLB)  Wear my yoke--for it fits perfectly--and let me teach 
       you; for I am gentle and humble, and you shall find rest for your 
       souls;

       (Mat 11:30 TLB)  "for I give you only light burdens."

       (Mat 12:1 TLB)  About that time, Jesus was walking one day through 
       some grainfields with his disciples. It was on the Sabbath, the Jewish 
       day of worship, and his disciples were hungry; so they began breaking 
       off heads of wheat and eating the grain.

       (Mat 12:2 TLB)  But some Pharisees saw them do it and protested, "Your 
       disciples are breaking the law. They are harvesting on the Sabbath."

       (Mat 12:3 TLB)  But Jesus said to them, "Haven't you ever read what 
       King David did when he and his friends were hungry?

       (Mat 12:4 TLB)  He went into the Temple and they ate the special bread 
       permitted to the priests alone. That was breaking the law too.

       (Mat 12:5 TLB)  And haven't you ever read in the law of Moses how the 
       priests on duty in the Temple may work on the Sabbath?

       (Mat 12:6 TLB)  And truly, one is here who is greater than the Temple!

       (Mat 12:7 TLB)  But if you had known the meaning of this Scripture 
       verse, 'I want you to be merciful more than I want your offerings,' 
       you would not have condemned those who aren't guilty!

       (Mat 12:8 TLB)  For I, the Messiah, am master even of the Sabbath."

       (Mat 12:9 TLB)  Then he went over to the synagogue,

       (Mat 12:10 TLB)  and noticed there a man with a deformed hand. The 
       Pharisees asked Jesus, "Is it legal to work by healing on the Sabbath 
       day?" (They were, of course, hoping he would say yes, so they could 
       arrest him!)

       (Mat 12:11 TLB)  This was his answer: "If you had just one sheep, and 
       it fell into a well on the Sabbath, would you work to rescue it that 
       day? Of course you would.

       (Mat 12:12 TLB)  And how much more valuable is a person than a sheep! 
       Yes, it is right to do good on the Sabbath."

       (Mat 12:13 TLB)  Then he said to the man, "Stretch out your arm." And 
       as he did, his hand became normal, just like the other one!

       (Mat 12:14 TLB)  Then the Pharisees called a meeting to plot Jesus' 
       arrest and death.

       (Mat 12:15 TLB)  But he knew what they were planning and left the 
       synagogue, with many following him. He healed all the sick among them,





       (Mat 12:16 TLB)  but he cautioned them against spreading the news 
       about his miracles.

       (Mat 12:17 TLB)  This fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah concerning him:

       (Mat 12:18 TLB)  "Look at my Servant. See my Chosen One. He is my 
       Beloved, in whom my soul delights. I will put my Spirit upon him, And 
       he will judge the nations.

       (Mat 12:19 TLB)  He does not fight nor shout; He does not raise his 
       voice!

       (Mat 12:20 TLB)  He does not crush the weak, Or quench the smallest 
       hope; He will end all conflict with his final victory,

       (Mat 12:21 TLB)  And his name shall be the hope Of all the world."

       (Mat 12:22 TLB)  Then a demon-possessed man--he was both blind and 
       unable to talk--was brought to Jesus, and Jesus healed him so that he 
       could both speak and see.

       (Mat 12:23 TLB)  The crowd was amazed. "Maybe Jesus is the Messiah!" 
       they exclaimed.

       (Mat 12:24 TLB)  But when the Pharisees heard about the miracle they 
       said, "He can cast out demons because he is Satan, king of devils."

       (Mat 12:25 TLB)  Jesus knew their thoughts and replied, "A divided 
       kingdom ends in ruin. A city or home divided against itself cannot 
       stand.

       (Mat 12:26 TLB)  And if Satan is casting out Satan, he is fighting 
       himself and destroying his own kingdom.

       (Mat 12:27 TLB)  And if, as you claim, I am casting out demons by 
       invoking the powers of Satan, then what power do your own people use 
       when they cast them out? Let them answer your accusation!

       (Mat 12:28 TLB)  But if I am casting out demons by the Spirit of God, 
       then the Kingdom of God has arrived among you.

       (Mat 12:29 TLB)  One cannot rob Satan's kingdom without first binding 
       Satan. Only then can his demons be cast out!

       (Mat 12:30 TLB)  Anyone who isn't helping me is harming me.

       (Mat 12:31 TLB)  "Even blasphemy against me or any other sin can be 
       forgiven--all except one:

       (Mat 12:32 TLB)  speaking against the Holy Spirit shall never be 
       forgiven, either in this world or in the world to come.

       (Mat 12:33 TLB)  "A tree is identified by its fruit. A tree from a 
       select variety produces good fruit; poor varieties don't.

       (Mat 12:34 TLB)  You brood of snakes! How could evil men like you 





       speak what is good and right? For a man's heart determines his speech.

       (Mat 12:35 TLB)  A good man's speech reveals the rich treasures within 
       him. An evil-hearted man is filled with venom, and his speech reveals 
       it.

       (Mat 12:36 TLB)  And I tell you this, that you must give account on 
       Judgment Day for every idle word you speak.

       (Mat 12:37 TLB)  Your words now reflect your fate then: either you 
       will be justified by them or you will be condemned."

       (Mat 12:38 TLB)  One day some of the Jewish leaders, including some 
       Pharisees, came to Jesus asking him to show them a miracle.

       (Mat 12:39 TLB)  But Jesus replied, "Only an evil, faithless nation 
       would ask for further proof; and none will be given except what 
       happened to Jonah the prophet!

       (Mat 12:40 TLB)  "For as Jonah was in the great fish for three days 
       and three nights, so I, the Messiah, shall be in the heart of the 
       earth three days and three nights.

       (Mat 12:41 TLB)  The men of Nineveh shall arise against this nation at 
       the judgment and condemn you. For when Jonah preached to them, they 
       repented and turned to God from all their evil ways. And now a greater 
       than Jonah is here--and you refuse to believe him.

       (Mat 12:42 TLB)  The Queen of Sheba shall rise against this nation in 
       the judgment and condemn it; for she came from a distant land to hear 
       the wisdom of Solomon; and now a greater than Solomon is here--and you 
       refuse to believe him.

       (Mat 12:43 TLB)  "This evil nation is like a man possessed by a demon. 
       For if the demon leaves, it goes into the deserts for a while, seeking 
       rest but finding none.

       (Mat 12:44 TLB)  "Then it says, 'I will return to the man I came 
       from.' So it returns and finds the man's heart clean but empty!

       (Mat 12:45 TLB)  "Then the demon finds seven other spirits more evil 
       than itself, and all enter the man and live in him. And so he is worse 
       off than before."

       (Mat 12:46 TLB)  As Jesus was speaking in a crowded house his mother 
       and brothers were outside, wanting to talk with him.

       (Mat 12:47 TLB)  When someone told him they were there,

       (Mat 12:48 TLB)  he remarked, "Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?"

       (Mat 12:49 TLB)  He pointed to his disciples. "Look!" he said, "these 
       are my mother and brothers."

       (Mat 12:50 TLB)  Then he added, "Anyone who obeys my Father in heaven 
       is my brother, sister, and mother!"






       (Mat 13:1 TLB)  Later that same day, Jesus left the house and went 
       down to the shore,

       (Mat 13:2 TLB)  where an immense crowd soon gathered.

       (Mat 13:3 TLB)  He got into a boat and taught from it while the people 
       listened on the beach. He used many illustrations such as this one in 
       his sermon: "A farmer was sowing grain in his fields.

       (Mat 13:4 TLB)  As he scattered the seed across the ground, some fell 
       beside a path, and the birds came and ate it.

       (Mat 13:5 TLB)  And some fell on rocky soil where there was little 
       depth of earth; the plants sprang up quickly enough in the shallow 
       soil,

       (Mat 13:6 TLB)  but the hot sun soon scorched them and they withered 
       and died, for they had so little root.

       (Mat 13:7 TLB)  Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns choked 
       out the tender blades.

       (Mat 13:8 TLB)  But some fell on good soil and produced a crop that 
       was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as he had planted.

       (Mat 13:9 TLB)  If you have ears, listen!"

       (Mat 13:10 TLB)  His disciples came and asked him, "Why do you always 
       use these hard-to-understand illustrations?"

       (Mat 13:11 TLB)  Then he explained to them that only they were 
       permitted to understand about the Kingdom of Heaven, and others were 
       not.

       (Mat 13:12 TLB)  "For to him who has will more be given," he told 
       them, "and he will have great plenty; but from him who has not, even 
       the little he has will be taken away.

       (Mat 13:13 TLB)  "That is why I use these illustrations, so people 
       will hear and see but not understand.

       (Mat 13:14 TLB)  "This fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah: 'They hear, 
       but don't understand; they look, but don't see!

       (Mat 13:15 TLB)  For their hearts are fat and heavy, and their ears 
       are dull, and they have closed their eyes in sleep,

       (Mat 13:16 TLB)  so they won't see and hear and understand and turn to 
       God again, and let me heal them.' But blessed are your eyes, for they 
       see; and your ears, for they hear.

       (Mat 13:17 TLB)  Many a prophet and godly man has longed to see what 
       you have seen and hear what you have heard, but couldn't.

       (Mat 13:18 TLB)  "Now here is the explanation of the story I told 





       about the farmer planting grain:

       (Mat 13:19 TLB)  The hard path where some of the seeds fell represents 
       the heart of a person who hears the Good News about the Kingdom and 
       doesn't understand it; then Satan comes and snatches away the seeds 
       from his heart.

       (Mat 13:20 TLB)  The shallow, rocky soil represents the heart of a man 
       who hears the message and receives it with real joy,

       (Mat 13:21 TLB)  but he doesn't have much depth in his life, and the 
       seeds don't root very deeply, and after a while when trouble comes, or 
       persecution begins because of his beliefs, his enthusiasm fades, and 
       he drops out.

       (Mat 13:22 TLB)  The ground covered with thistles represents a man who 
       hears the message, but the cares of this life and his longing for 
       money choke out God's Word, and he does less and less for God.

       (Mat 13:23 TLB)  The good ground represents the heart of a man who 
       listens to the message and understands it and goes out and brings 
       thirty, sixty, or even a hundred others into the Kingdom."

       (Mat 13:24 TLB)  Here is another illustration Jesus used: "The Kingdom 
       of Heaven is like a farmer sowing good seed in his field;

       (Mat 13:25 TLB)  but one night as he slept, his enemy came and sowed 
       thistles among the wheat.

       (Mat 13:26 TLB)  When the crop began to grow, the thistles grew too.

       (Mat 13:27 TLB)  "The farmer's men came and told him, 'Sir, the field 
       where you planted that choice seed is full of thistles!'

       (Mat 13:28 TLB)  "'An enemy has done it,' he exclaimed. "'Shall we 
       pull out the thistles?' they asked.

       (Mat 13:29 TLB)  "'No,' he replied. 'You'll hurt the wheat if you do.

       (Mat 13:30 TLB)  Let both grow together until the harvest, and I will 
       tell the reapers to sort out the thistles and burn them, and put the 
       wheat in the barn.'"

       (Mat 13:31 TLB)  Here is another of his illustrations: "The Kingdom of 
       Heaven is like a tiny mustard seed planted in a field.

       (Mat 13:32 TLB)  "It is the smallest of all seeds but becomes the 
       largest of plants, and grows into a tree where birds can come and find 
       shelter."

       (Mat 13:33 TLB)  He also used this example: "The Kingdom of Heaven can 
       be compared to a woman making bread. She takes a measure of flour and 
       mixes in the yeast until it permeates every part of the dough."

       (Mat 13:34 TLB)  Jesus constantly used these illustrations when 
       speaking to the crowds. In fact, because the prophets said that he 





       would use so many, he never spoke to them without at least one 
       illustration.

       (Mat 13:35 TLB)  For it had been prophesied, "I will talk in parables; 
       I will explain mysteries hidden since the beginning of time."

       (Mat 13:36 TLB)  Then, leaving the crowds outside, he went into the 
       house. His disciples asked him to explain to them the illustration of 
       the thistles and the wheat.

       (Mat 13:37 TLB)  "All right," he said, "I am the farmer who sows the 
       choice seed.

       (Mat 13:38 TLB)  The field is the world, and the seed represents the 
       people of the Kingdom; the thistles are the people belonging to Satan.

       (Mat 13:39 TLB)  The enemy who sowed the thistles among the wheat is 
       the devil; the harvest is the end of the world, and the reapers are 
       the angels.

       (Mat 13:40 TLB)  "Just as in this story the thistles are separated and 
       burned, so shall it be at the end of the world:

       (Mat 13:41 TLB)  I will send my angels, and they will separate out of 
       the Kingdom every temptation and all who are evil,

       (Mat 13:42 TLB)  and throw them into the furnace and burn them. There 
       shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

       (Mat 13:43 TLB)  Then the godly shall shine as the sun in their 
       Father's Kingdom. Let those with ears, listen!

       (Mat 13:44 TLB)  "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure a man 
       discovered in a field. In his excitement, he sold everything he owned 
       to get enough money to buy the field--and get the treasure, too!

       (Mat 13:45 TLB)  "Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a pearl 
       merchant on the lookout for choice pearls.

       (Mat 13:46 TLB)  He discovered a real bargain--a pearl of great 
       value--and sold everything he owned to purchase it!

       (Mat 13:47 TLB)  "Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by a 
       fisherman--he casts a net into the water and gathers in fish of every 
       kind, valuable and worthless.

       (Mat 13:48 TLB)  When the net is full, he drags it up onto the beach 
       and sits down and sorts out the edible ones into crates and throws the 
       others away.

       (Mat 13:49 TLB)  That is the way it will be at the end of the 
       world--the angels will come and separate the wicked people from the 
       godly,

       (Mat 13:50 TLB)  casting the wicked into the fire; there shall be 
       weeping and gnashing of teeth.






       (Mat 13:51 TLB)  Do you understand?" "Yes," they said, "we do."

       (Mat 13:52 TLB)  Then he added, "Those experts in Jewish law who are 
       now my disciples have double treasures--from the Old Testament as well 
       as from the New!"

       (Mat 13:53 TLB)  When Jesus had finished giving these illustrations,

       (Mat 13:54 TLB)  he returned to his hometown, Nazareth in Galilee, and 
       taught there in the synagogue and astonished everyone with his wisdom 
       and his miracles.

       (Mat 13:55 TLB)  "How is this possible?" the people exclaimed. "He's 
       just a carpenter's son, and we know Mary his mother and his 
       brothers--James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas.

       (Mat 13:56 TLB)  And his sisters--they all live here. How can he be so 
       great?"

       (Mat 13:57 TLB)  And they became angry with him! Then Jesus told them, 
       "A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own country, and among 
       his own people!"

       (Mat 13:58 TLB)  And so he did only a few great miracles there, 
       because of their unbelief.

       (Mat 14:1 TLB)  When King Herod heard about Jesus,

       (Mat 14:2 TLB)  he said to his men, "This must be John the Baptist, 
       come back to life again. That is why he can do these miracles."

       (Mat 14:3 TLB)  For Herod had arrested John and chained him in prison 
       at the demand of his wife Herodias, his brother Philip's ex-wife,

       (Mat 14:4 TLB)  because John had told him it was wrong for him to 
       marry her.

       (Mat 14:5 TLB)  He would have killed John but was afraid of a riot, 
       for all the people believed John was a prophet.

       (Mat 14:6 TLB)  But at a birthday party for Herod, Herodias' daughter 
       performed a dance that greatly pleased him,

       (Mat 14:7 TLB)  so he vowed to give her anything she wanted.

       (Mat 14:8 TLB)  Consequently, at her mother's urging, the girl asked 
       for John the Baptist's head on a tray.

       (Mat 14:9 TLB)  The king was grieved, but because of his oath, and 
       because he didn't want to back down in front of his guests, he issued 
       the necessary orders.

       (Mat 14:10 TLB)  So John was beheaded in the prison,

       (Mat 14:11 TLB)  and his head was brought on a tray and given to the 





       girl, who took it to her mother.

       (Mat 14:12 TLB)  Then John's disciples came for his body and buried 
       it, and came to tell Jesus what had happened.

       (Mat 14:13 TLB)  As soon as Jesus heard the news, he went off by 
       himself in a boat to a remote area to be alone. But the crowds saw 
       where he was headed and followed by land from many villages.

       (Mat 14:14 TLB)  So when Jesus came out of the wilderness, a vast 
       crowd was waiting for him, and he pitied them and healed their sick.

       (Mat 14:15 TLB)  That evening the disciples came to him and said, "It 
       is already past time for supper, and there is nothing to eat here in 
       the desert; send the crowds away so they can go to the villages and 
       buy some food."

       (Mat 14:16 TLB)  But Jesus replied, "That isn't necessary--you feed 
       them!"

       (Mat 14:17 TLB)  "What!" they exclaimed. "We have exactly five small 
       loaves of bread and two fish!"

       (Mat 14:18 TLB)  "Bring them here," he said.

       (Mat 14:19 TLB)  Then he told the people to sit down on the grass; and 
       he took the five loaves and two fish, looked up into the sky, and 
       asked God's blessing on the meal, then broke the loaves apart and gave 
       them to the disciples to place before the people.

       (Mat 14:20 TLB)  And everyone ate until full! And when the scraps were 
       picked up afterwards, there were twelve basketfuls left over!

       (Mat 14:21 TLB)  (About five thousand men were in the crowd that day, 
       besides all the women and children.)

       (Mat 14:22 TLB)  Immediately after this, Jesus told his disciples to 
       get into their boat and cross to the other side of the lake while he 
       stayed to get the people started home.

       (Mat 14:23 TLB)  Then afterwards he went up into the hills to pray. 
       Night fell,

       (Mat 14:24 TLB)  and out on the lake the disciples were in trouble. 
       For the wind had risen and they were fighting heavy seas.

       (Mat 14:25 TLB)  About four o'clock in the morning Jesus came to them, 
       walking on the water!

       (Mat 14:26 TLB)  They screamed in terror, for they thought he was a 
       ghost.

       (Mat 14:27 TLB)  But Jesus immediately spoke to them, reassuring them. 
       "Don't be afraid!" he said.

       (Mat 14:28 TLB)  Then Peter called to him: "Sir, if it is really you, 





       tell me to come over to you, walking on the water."

       (Mat 14:29 TLB)  "All right," the Lord said, "come along!" So Peter 
       went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus.

       (Mat 14:30 TLB)  But when he looked around at the high waves, he was 
       terrified and began to sink. "Save me, Lord!" he shouted.

       (Mat 14:31 TLB)  Instantly Jesus reached out his hand and rescued him. 
       "O man of little faith," Jesus said. "Why did you doubt me?"

       (Mat 14:32 TLB)  And when they had climbed back into the boat, the 
       wind stopped.

       (Mat 14:33 TLB)  The others sat there, awestruck. "You really are the 
       Son of God!" they exclaimed.

       (Mat 14:34 TLB)  They landed at Gennesaret.

       (Mat 14:35 TLB)  The news of their arrival spread quickly throughout 
       the city, and soon people were rushing around, telling everyone to 
       bring in their sick to be healed.

       (Mat 14:36 TLB)  The sick begged him to let them touch even the tassel 
       of his robe, and all who did were healed.

       (Mat 15:1 TLB)  Some Pharisees and other Jewish leaders now arrived 
       from Jerusalem to interview Jesus.

       (Mat 15:2 TLB)  "Why do your disciples disobey the ancient Jewish 
       traditions?" they demanded. "For they ignore our ritual of ceremonial 
       handwashing before they eat."

       (Mat 15:3 TLB)  He replied, "And why do your traditions violate the 
       direct commandments of God?

       (Mat 15:4 TLB)  For instance, God's law is 'Honor your father and 
       mother; anyone who reviles his parents must die.'

       (Mat 15:5 TLB)  But you say, 'Even if your parents are in need, you 
       may give their support money to the church instead.'

       (Mat 15:6 TLB)  And so, by your man-made rule, you nullify the direct 
       command of God to honor and care for your parents.

       (Mat 15:7 TLB)  You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you,

       (Mat 15:8 TLB)  'These people say they honor me, but their hearts are 
       far away.

       (Mat 15:9 TLB)  Their worship is worthless, for they teach their 
       man-made laws instead of those from God.'"

       (Mat 15:10 TLB)  Then Jesus called to the crowds and said, "Listen to 
       what I say and try to understand:





       (Mat 15:11 TLB)  You aren't made unholy by eating nonkosher food! It 
       is what you say and think that makes you unclean."

       (Mat 15:12 TLB)  Then the disciples came and told him, "You offended 
       the Pharisees by that remark."

       (Mat 15:13 TLB)  Jesus replied, "Every plant not planted by my Father 
       shall be rooted up, so ignore them.

       (Mat 15:14 TLB)  They are blind guides leading the blind, and both 
       will fall into a ditch."

       (Mat 15:15 TLB)  Then Peter asked Jesus to explain what he meant when 
       he said that people are not defiled by nonkosher food.

       (Mat 15:16 TLB)  "Don't you understand?" Jesus asked him.

       (Mat 15:17 TLB)  "Don't you see that anything you eat passes through 
       the digestive tract and out again?

       (Mat 15:18 TLB)  But evil words come from an evil heart and defile the 
       man who says them.

       (Mat 15:19 TLB)  For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, 
       adultery, fornication, theft, lying, and slander.

       (Mat 15:20 TLB)  These are what defile; but there is no spiritual 
       defilement from eating without first going through the ritual of 
       ceremonial handwashing!"

       (Mat 15:21 TLB)  Jesus then left that part of the country and walked 
       the fifty miles to Tyre and Sidon.

       (Mat 15:22 TLB)  A woman from Canaan who was living there came to him, 
       pleading, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, King David's Son! For my daughter 
       has a demon within her, and it torments her constantly."

       (Mat 15:23 TLB)  But Jesus gave her no reply--not even a word. Then 
       his disciples urged him to send her away. "Tell her to get going," 
       they said, "for she is bothering us with all her begging."

       (Mat 15:24 TLB)  Then he said to the woman, "I was sent to help the 
       Jews--the lost sheep of Israel--not the Gentiles."

       (Mat 15:25 TLB)  But she came and worshiped him and pled again, "Sir, 
       help me!"

       (Mat 15:26 TLB)  "It doesn't seem right to take bread from the 
       children and throw it to the dogs," he said.

       (Mat 15:27 TLB)  "Yes, it is!" she replied, "for even the puppies 
       beneath the table are permitted to eat the crumbs that fall."

       (Mat 15:28 TLB)  "Woman," Jesus told her, "your faith is large, and 
       your request is granted." And her daughter was healed right then.





       (Mat 15:29 TLB)  Jesus now returned to the Sea of Galilee and climbed 
       a hill and sat there.

       (Mat 15:30 TLB)  And a vast crowd brought him their lame, blind, 
       maimed, and those who couldn't speak, and many others, and laid them 
       before Jesus, and he healed them all.

       (Mat 15:31 TLB)  What a spectacle it was! Those who hadn't been able 
       to say a word before were talking excitedly, and those with missing 
       arms and legs had new ones; the crippled were walking and jumping 
       around, and those who had been blind were gazing about them! The 
       crowds just marveled, and praised the God of Israel.

       (Mat 15:32 TLB)  Then Jesus called his disciples to him and said, "I 
       pity these people--they've been here with me for three days now and 
       have nothing left to eat; I don't want to send them away hungry or 
       they will faint along the road."

       (Mat 15:33 TLB)  The disciples replied, "And where would we get enough 
       here in the desert for all this mob to eat?"

       (Mat 15:34 TLB)  Jesus asked them, "How much food do you have?" And 
       they replied, "Seven loaves of bread and a few small fish!"

       (Mat 15:35 TLB)  Then Jesus told all of the people to sit down on the 
       ground,

       (Mat 15:36 TLB)  and he took the seven loaves and the fish, and gave 
       thanks to God for them, and divided them into pieces, and gave them to 
       the disciples who presented them to the crowd.

       (Mat 15:37 TLB)  And everyone ate until full--four thousand men 
       besides the women and children!

       (Mat 15:38 TLB)  And afterwards, when the scraps were picked up, there 
       were seven basketfuls left over!

       (Mat 15:39 TLB)  Then Jesus sent the people home and got into the boat 
       and crossed to Magadan.

       (Mat 16:1 TLB)  One day the Pharisees and Sadducees came to test 
       Jesus' claim of being the Messiah by asking him to show them some 
       great demonstrations in the skies.

       (Mat 16:2 TLB)  He replied, "You are good at reading the weather signs 
       of the skies--red sky tonight means fair weather tomorrow;

       (Mat 16:3 TLB)  red sky in the morning means foul weather all day--but 
       you can't read the obvious signs of the times!

       (Mat 16:4 TLB)  This evil, unbelieving nation is asking for some 
       strange sign in the heavens, but no further proof will be given except 
       the miracle that happened to Jonah." Then Jesus walked out on them.

       (Mat 16:5 TLB)  Arriving across the lake, the disciples discovered 
       they had forgotten to bring any food.






       (Mat 16:6 TLB)  "Watch out!" Jesus warned them; "beware of the yeast 
       of the Pharisees and Sadducees."

       (Mat 16:7 TLB)  They thought he was saying this because they had 
       forgotten to bring bread.

       (Mat 16:8 TLB)  Jesus knew what they were thinking and told them, "O 
       men of little faith! Why are you so worried about having no food?

       (Mat 16:9 TLB)  Won't you ever understand? Don't you remember at all 
       the five thousand I fed with five loaves, and the basketfuls left 
       over?

       (Mat 16:10 TLB)  Don't you remember the four thousand I fed, and all 
       that was left?

       (Mat 16:11 TLB)  How could you even think I was talking about food? 
       But again I say, 'Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and 
       Sadducees.'"

       (Mat 16:12 TLB)  Then at last they understood that by yeast he meant 
       the wrong teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

       (Mat 16:13 TLB)  When Jesus came to Caesarea Philippi, he asked his 
       disciples, "Who are the people saying I am?"

       (Mat 16:14 TLB)  "Well," they replied, "some say John the Baptist; 
       some, Elijah; some, Jeremiah or one of the other prophets."

       (Mat 16:15 TLB)  Then he asked them, "Who do you think I am?"

       (Mat 16:16 TLB)  Simon Peter answered, "The Christ, the Messiah, the 
       Son of the living God."

       (Mat 16:17 TLB)  "God has blessed you, Simon, son of Jonah," Jesus 
       said, "for my Father in heaven has personally revealed this to 
       you--this is not from any human source.

       (Mat 16:18 TLB)  You are Peter, a stone; and upon this rock I will 
       build my church; and all the powers of hell shall not prevail against 
       it.

       (Mat 16:19 TLB)  And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of 
       Heaven; whatever doors you lock on earth shall be locked in heaven; 
       and whatever doors you open on earth shall be open in heaven!"

       (Mat 16:20 TLB)  Then he warned the disciples against telling others 
       that he was the Messiah.

       (Mat 16:21 TLB)  From then on Jesus began to speak plainly to his 
       disciples about going to Jerusalem, and what would happen to him 
       there--that he would suffer at the hands of the Jewish leaders, that 
       he would be killed, and that three days later he would be raised to 
       life again.





       (Mat 16:22 TLB)  But Peter took him aside to remonstrate with him. 
       "Heaven forbid, sir," he said. "This is not going to happen to you!"

       (Mat 16:23 TLB)  Jesus turned on Peter and said, "Get away from me, 
       you Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are thinking merely 
       from a human point of view, and not from God's."

       (Mat 16:24 TLB)  Then Jesus said to the disciples, "If anyone wants to 
       be a follower of mine, let him deny himself and take up his cross and 
       follow me.

       (Mat 16:25 TLB)  For anyone who keeps his life for himself shall lose 
       it; and anyone who loses his life for me shall find it again.

       (Mat 16:26 TLB)  What profit is there if you gain the whole world--and 
       lose eternal life? What can be compared with the value of eternal 
       life?

       (Mat 16:27 TLB)  For I, the Son of Mankind, shall come with my angels 
       in the glory of my Father and judge each person according to his 
       deeds.

       (Mat 16:28 TLB)  And some of you standing right here now will 
       certainly live to see me coming in my Kingdom."

       (Mat 17:1 TLB)  Six days later Jesus took Peter, James, and his 
       brother John to the top of a high and lonely hill,

       (Mat 17:2 TLB)  and as they watched, his appearance changed so that 
       his face shone like the sun and his clothing became dazzling white.

       (Mat 17:3 TLB)  Suddenly Moses and Elijah appeared and were talking 
       with him.

       (Mat 17:4 TLB)  Peter blurted out, "Sir, it's wonderful that we can be 
       here! If you want me to, I'll make three shelters, one for you and one 
       for Moses and one for Elijah."

       (Mat 17:5 TLB)  But even as he said it, a bright cloud came over them, 
       and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my beloved Son, and I am 
       wonderfully pleased with him. Obey him."

       (Mat 17:6 TLB)  At this the disciples fell face downward to the 
       ground, terribly frightened.

       (Mat 17:7 TLB)  Jesus came over and touched them. "Get up," he said, 
       "don't be afraid."

       (Mat 17:8 TLB)  And when they looked, only Jesus was with them.

       (Mat 17:9 TLB)  As they were going down the mountain, Jesus commanded 
       them not to tell anyone what they had seen until after he had risen 
       from the dead.

       (Mat 17:10 TLB)  His disciples asked, "Why do the Jewish leaders 
       insist Elijah must return before the Messiah comes?"






       (Mat 17:11 TLB)  Jesus replied, "They are right. Elijah must come and 
       set everything in order.

       (Mat 17:12 TLB)  And, in fact, he has already come, but he wasn't 
       recognized, and was badly mistreated by many. And I, the Messiah, 
       shall also suffer at their hands."

       (Mat 17:13 TLB)  Then the disciples realized he was speaking of John 
       the Baptist.

       (Mat 17:14 TLB)  When they arrived at the bottom of the hill, a huge 
       crowd was waiting for them. A man came and knelt before Jesus and 
       said,

       (Mat 17:15 TLB)  "Sir, have mercy on my son, for he is mentally 
       deranged and in great trouble, for he often falls into the fire or 
       into the water;

       (Mat 17:16 TLB)  so I brought him to your disciples, but they couldn't 
       cure him."

       (Mat 17:17 TLB)  Jesus replied, "Oh, you stubborn, faithless people! 
       How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to me."

       (Mat 17:18 TLB)  Then Jesus rebuked the demon in the boy and it left 
       him, and from that moment the boy was well.

       (Mat 17:19 TLB)  Afterwards the disciples asked Jesus privately, "Why 
       couldn't we cast that demon out?"

       (Mat 17:20 TLB)  "Because of your little faith," Jesus told them. "For 
       if you had faith even as small as a tiny mustard seed you could say to 
       this mountain, 'Move!' and it would go far away. Nothing would be 
       impossible.

       (Mat 17:21 TLB)  But this kind of demon won't leave unless you have 
       prayed and gone without food."

       (Mat 17:22 TLB)  One day while they were still in Galilee, Jesus told 
       them, "I am going to be betrayed into the power of those

       (Mat 17:23 TLB)  who will kill me, and on the third day afterwards I 
       will be brought back to life again." And the disciples' hearts were 
       filled with sorrow and dread.

       (Mat 17:24 TLB)  On their arrival in Capernaum, the Temple tax 
       collectors came to Peter and asked him, "Doesn't your master pay 
       taxes?"

       (Mat 17:25 TLB)  "Of course he does," Peter replied. Then he went into 
       the house to talk to Jesus about it, but before he had a chance to 
       speak, Jesus asked him, "What do you think, Peter? Do kings levy 
       assessments against their own people or against conquered foreigners?"

       (Mat 17:26 TLB)  "Against the foreigners," Peter replied. "Well, 





       then," Jesus said, "the citizens are free!

       (Mat 17:27 TLB)  "However, we don't want to offend them, so go down to 
       the shore and throw in a line, and open the mouth of the first fish 
       you catch. You will find a coin to cover the taxes for both of us; 
       take it and pay them."

       (Mat 18:1 TLB)  About that time the disciples came to Jesus to ask 
       which of them would be greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven!

       (Mat 18:2 TLB)  Jesus called a small child over to him and set the 
       little fellow down among them,

       (Mat 18:3 TLB)  and said, "Unless you turn to God from your sins and 
       become as little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of 
       Heaven.

       (Mat 18:4 TLB)  Therefore anyone who humbles himself as this little 
       child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.

       (Mat 18:5 TLB)  And any of you who welcomes a little child like this 
       because you are mine is welcoming me and caring for me.

       (Mat 18:6 TLB)  But if any of you causes one of these little ones who 
       trusts in me to lose his faith, it would be better for you to have a 
       rock tied to your neck and be thrown into the sea.

       (Mat 18:7 TLB)  "Woe upon the world for all its evils. Temptation to 
       do wrong is inevitable, but woe to the man who does the tempting.

       (Mat 18:8 TLB)  So if your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off 
       and throw it away. Better to enter heaven crippled than to be in hell 
       with both of your hands and feet.

       (Mat 18:9 TLB)  And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and 
       throw it away. Better to enter heaven with one eye than to be in hell 
       with two.

       (Mat 18:10 TLB)  "Beware that you don't look down upon a single one of 
       these little children. For I tell you that in heaven their angels have 
       constant access to my Father.

       (Mat 18:11 TLB)  And I, the Messiah, came to save the lost.

       (Mat 18:12 TLB)  "If a man has a hundred sheep, and one wanders away 
       and is lost, what will he do? Won't he leave the ninety-nine others 
       and go out into the hills to search for the lost one?

       (Mat 18:13 TLB)  And if he finds it, he will rejoice over it more than 
       over the ninety-nine others safe at home!

       (Mat 18:14 TLB)  Just so, it is not my Father's will that even one of 
       these little ones should perish.

       (Mat 18:15 TLB)  "If a brother sins against you, go to him privately 
       and confront him with his fault. If he listens and confesses it, you 





       have won back a brother.

       (Mat 18:16 TLB)  But if not, then take one or two others with you and 
       go back to him again, proving everything you say by these witnesses.

       (Mat 18:17 TLB)  If he still refuses to listen, then take your case to 
       the church, and if the church's verdict favors you, but he won't 
       accept it, then the church should excommunicate him.

       (Mat 18:18 TLB)  And I tell you this--whatever you bind on earth is 
       bound in heaven, and whatever you free on earth will be freed in 
       heaven.

       (Mat 18:19 TLB)  "I also tell you this--if two of you agree down here 
       on earth concerning anything you ask for, my Father in heaven will do 
       it for you.

       (Mat 18:20 TLB)  For where two or three gather together because they 
       are mine, I will be right there among them."

       (Mat 18:21 TLB)  Then Peter came to him and asked, "Sir, how often 
       should I forgive a brother who sins against me? Seven times?"

       (Mat 18:22 TLB)  "No!" Jesus replied, "seventy times seven!

       (Mat 18:23 TLB)  "The Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who 
       decided to bring his accounts up to date.

       (Mat 18:24 TLB)  In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who 
       owed him $10 million!

       (Mat 18:25 TLB)  He couldn't pay, so the king ordered him sold for the 
       debt, also his wife and children and everything he had.

       (Mat 18:26 TLB)  "But the man fell down before the king, his face in 
       the dust, and said, 'Oh, sir, be patient with me and I will pay it 
       all.'

       (Mat 18:27 TLB)  "Then the king was filled with pity for him and 
       released him and forgave his debt.

       (Mat 18:28 TLB)  "But when the man left the king, he went to a man who 
       owed him $2,000 and grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant 
       payment.

       (Mat 18:29 TLB)  "The man fell down before him and begged him to give 
       him a little time. 'Be patient and I will pay it,' he pled.

       (Mat 18:30 TLB)  "But his creditor wouldn't wait. He had the man 
       arrested and jailed until the debt would be paid in full.

       (Mat 18:31 TLB)  "Then the man's friends went to the king and told him 
       what had happened.

       (Mat 18:32 TLB)  And the king called before him the man he had 
       forgiven and said, 'You evil-hearted wretch! Here I forgave you all 





       that tremendous debt, just because you asked me to--

       (Mat 18:33 TLB)  shouldn't you have mercy on others, just as I had 
       mercy on you?'

       (Mat 18:34 TLB)  "Then the angry king sent the man to the torture 
       chamber until he had paid every last penny due.

       (Mat 18:35 TLB)  So shall my heavenly Father do to you if you refuse 
       to truly forgive your brothers."

       (Mat 19:1 TLB)  After Jesus had finished this address, he left Galilee 
       and circled back to Judea from across the Jordan River.

       (Mat 19:2 TLB)  Vast crowds followed him, and he healed their sick.

       (Mat 19:3 TLB)  Some Pharisees came to interview him and tried to trap 
       him into saying something that would ruin him. "Do you permit 
       divorce?" they asked.

       (Mat 19:4 TLB)  "Don't you read the Scriptures?" he replied. "In them 
       it is written that at the beginning God created man and woman,

       (Mat 19:5 TLB)  and that a man should leave his father and mother, and 
       be forever united to his wife.

       (Mat 19:6 TLB)  The two shall become one--no longer two, but one! And 
       no man may divorce what God has joined together."

       (Mat 19:7 TLB)  "Then, why," they asked, "did Moses say a man may 
       divorce his wife by merely writing her a letter of dismissal?"

       (Mat 19:8 TLB)  Jesus replied, "Moses did that in recognition of your 
       hard and evil hearts, but it was not what God had originally intended.

       (Mat 19:9 TLB)  And I tell you this, that anyone who divorces his 
       wife, except for fornication, and marries another, commits adultery."

       (Mat 19:10 TLB)  Jesus' disciples then said to him, "If that is how it 
       is, it is better not to marry!"

       (Mat 19:11 TLB)  "Not everyone can accept this statement," Jesus said. 
       "Only those whom God helps.

       (Mat 19:12 TLB)  Some are born without the ability to marry, and some 
       are disabled by men, and some refuse to marry for the sake of the 
       Kingdom of Heaven. Let anyone who can, accept my statement."

       (Mat 19:13 TLB)  Little children were brought for Jesus to lay his 
       hands on them and pray. But the disciples scolded those who brought 
       them. "Don't bother him," they said.

       (Mat 19:14 TLB)  But Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, 
       and don't prevent them. For of such is the Kingdom of Heaven."

       (Mat 19:15 TLB)  And he put his hands on their heads and blessed them 





       before he left.

       (Mat 19:16 TLB)  Someone came to Jesus with this question: "Good 
       master, what must I do to have eternal life?"

       (Mat 19:17 TLB)  "When you call me good you are calling me God," Jesus 
       replied, "for God alone is truly good. But to answer your question, 
       you can get to heaven if you keep the commandments."

       (Mat 19:18 TLB)  "Which ones?" the man asked. And Jesus replied, 
       "Don't kill, don't commit adultery, don't steal, don't lie,

       (Mat 19:19 TLB)  honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor 
       as yourself!"

       (Mat 19:20 TLB)  "I've always obeyed every one of them," the youth 
       replied. "What else must I do?"

       (Mat 19:21 TLB)  Jesus told him, "If you want to be perfect, go and 
       sell everything you have and give the money to the poor, and you will 
       have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me."

       (Mat 19:22 TLB)  But when the young man heard this, he went away 
       sadly, for he was very rich.

       (Mat 19:23 TLB)  Then Jesus said to his disciples, "It is almost 
       impossible for a rich man to get into the Kingdom of Heaven.

       (Mat 19:24 TLB)  I say it again--it is easier for a camel to go 
       through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom 
       of God!"

       (Mat 19:25 TLB)  This remark confounded the disciples. "Then who in 
       the world can be saved?" they asked.

       (Mat 19:26 TLB)  Jesus looked at them intently and said, "Humanly 
       speaking, no one. But with God, everything is possible."

       (Mat 19:27 TLB)  Then Peter said to him, "We left everything to follow 
       you. What will we get out of it?"

       (Mat 19:28 TLB)  And Jesus replied, "When I, the Messiah, shall sit 
       upon my glorious throne in the Kingdom, you my disciples shall 
       certainly sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

       (Mat 19:29 TLB)  And anyone who gives up his home, brothers, sisters, 
       father, mother, wife, children, or property, to follow me, shall 
       receive a hundred times as much in return, and shall have eternal 
       life.

       (Mat 19:30 TLB)  But many who are first now will be last then; and 
       some who are last now will be first then."

       (Mat 20:1 TLB)  Here is another illustration of the Kingdom of Heaven. 
       "The owner of an estate went out early one morning to hire workers for 
       his harvest field.






       (Mat 20:2 TLB)  He agreed to pay them $20 a day and sent them out to 
       work.

       (Mat 20:3 TLB)  "A couple of hours later he was passing a hiring hall 
       and saw some men standing around waiting for jobs,

       (Mat 20:4 TLB)  so he sent them also into his fields, telling them he 
       would pay them whatever was right at the end of the day.

       (Mat 20:5 TLB)  At noon and again around three o'clock in the 
       afternoon he did the same thing.

       (Mat 20:6 TLB)  "At five o'clock that evening he was in town again and 
       saw some more men standing around and asked them, 'Why haven't you 
       been working today?'

       (Mat 20:7 TLB)  "'Because no one hired us,' they replied. "'Then go on 
       out and join the others in my fields,' he told them.

       (Mat 20:8 TLB)  "That evening he told the paymaster to call the men in 
       and pay them, beginning with the last men first.

       (Mat 20:9 TLB)  When the men hired at five o'clock were paid, each 
       received $20.

       (Mat 20:10 TLB)  So when the men hired earlier came to get theirs, 
       they assumed they would receive much more. But they, too, were paid 
       $20.

       (Mat 20:11 TLB)  "They protested,

       (Mat 20:12 TLB)  'Those fellows worked only one hour, and yet you've 
       paid them just as much as those of us who worked all day in the 
       scorching heat.'

       (Mat 20:13 TLB)  "'Friend,' he answered one of them, 'I did you no 
       wrong! Didn't you agree to work all day for $20?

       (Mat 20:14 TLB)  Take it and go. It is my desire to pay all the same;

       (Mat 20:15 TLB)  is it against the law to give away my money if I want 
       to? Should you be angry because I am kind?'

       (Mat 20:16 TLB)  And so it is that the last shall be first, and the 
       first, last."

       (Mat 20:17 TLB)  As Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem, he took the 
       twelve disciples aside

       (Mat 20:18 TLB)  and talked to them about what would happen to him 
       when they arrived. "I will be betrayed to the chief priests and other 
       Jewish leaders, and they will condemn me to die.

       (Mat 20:19 TLB)  And they will hand me over to the Roman government, 
       and I will be mocked and crucified, and the third day I will rise to 





       life again."

       (Mat 20:20 TLB)  Then the mother of James and John, the sons of 
       Zebedee, brought them to Jesus and respectfully asked a favor.

       (Mat 20:21 TLB)  "What is your request?" he asked. She replied, "In 
       your Kingdom, will you let my two sons sit on two thrones next to 
       yours?"

       (Mat 20:22 TLB)  But Jesus told her, "You don't know what you are 
       asking!" Then he turned to James and John and asked them, "Are you 
       able to drink from the terrible cup I am about to drink from?" "Yes," 
       they replied, "we are able!"

       (Mat 20:23 TLB)  "You shall indeed drink from it," he told them. "But 
       I have no right to say who will sit on the thrones next to mine. Those 
       places are reserved for the persons my Father selects."

       (Mat 20:24 TLB)  The other ten disciples were indignant when they 
       heard what James and John had asked for.

       (Mat 20:25 TLB)  But Jesus called them together and said, "Among the 
       heathen, kings are tyrants and each minor official lords it over those 
       beneath him.

       (Mat 20:26 TLB)  But among you it is quite different. Anyone wanting 
       to be a leader among you must be your servant.

       (Mat 20:27 TLB)  And if you want to be right at the top, you must 
       serve like a slave.

       (Mat 20:28 TLB)  Your attitude must be like my own, for I, the 
       Messiah, did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give my life 
       as a ransom for many."

       (Mat 20:29 TLB)  As Jesus and the disciples left the city of Jericho, 
       a vast crowd surged along behind.

       (Mat 20:30 TLB)  Two blind men were sitting beside the road, and when 
       they heard that Jesus was coming that way, they began shouting, "Sir, 
       King David's Son, have mercy on us!"

       (Mat 20:31 TLB)  The crowd told them to be quiet, but they only yelled 
       the louder.

       (Mat 20:32 TLB)  When Jesus came to the place where they were, he 
       stopped in the road and called, "What do you want me to do for you?"

       (Mat 20:33 TLB)  "Sir," they said, "we want to see!"

       (Mat 20:34 TLB)  Jesus was moved with pity for them and touched their 
       eyes. And instantly they could see, and followed him.

       (Mat 21:1 TLB)  As Jesus and the disciples approached Jerusalem, and 
       were near the town of Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two 
       of them into the village ahead.






       (Mat 21:2 TLB)  "Just as you enter," he said, "you will see a donkey 
       tied there, with its colt beside it. Untie them and bring them here.

       (Mat 21:3 TLB)  If anyone asks you what you are doing, just say, 'The 
       Master needs them,' and there will be no trouble."

       (Mat 21:4 TLB)  This was done to fulfill the ancient prophecy,

       (Mat 21:5 TLB)  "Tell Jerusalem her King is coming to her, riding 
       humbly on a donkey's colt!"

       (Mat 21:6 TLB)  The two disciples did as Jesus said,

       (Mat 21:7 TLB)  and brought the animals to him and threw their 
       garments over the colt for him to ride on.

       (Mat 21:8 TLB)  And some in the crowd threw down their coats along the 
       road ahead of him, and others cut branches from the trees and spread 
       them out before him.

       (Mat 21:9 TLB)  Then the crowds surged on ahead and pressed along 
       behind, shouting, "God bless King David's Son!" . . . "God's Man is 
       here!". . . Bless him, Lord!" . . . "Praise God in highest heaven!"

       (Mat 21:10 TLB)  The entire city of Jerusalem was stirred as he 
       entered. "Who is this?" they asked.

       (Mat 21:11 TLB)  And the crowds replied, "It's Jesus, the prophet from 
       Nazareth up in Galilee."

       (Mat 21:12 TLB)  Jesus went into the Temple, drove out the merchants, 
       and knocked over the moneychangers' tables and the stalls of those 
       selling doves.

       (Mat 21:13 TLB)  "The Scriptures say my Temple is a place of prayer," 
       he declared, "but you have turned it into a den of thieves."

       (Mat 21:14 TLB)  And now the blind and crippled came to him, and he 
       healed them there in the Temple.

       (Mat 21:15 TLB)  But when the chief priests and other Jewish leaders 
       saw these wonderful miracles and heard even the little children in the 
       Temple shouting, "God bless the Son of David," they were disturbed and 
       indignant and asked him, "Do you hear what these children are saying?"

       (Mat 21:16 TLB)  "Yes," Jesus replied. "Didn't you ever read the 
       Scriptures? For they say, 'Even little babies shall praise him!'"

       (Mat 21:17 TLB)  Then he returned to Bethany, where he stayed 
       overnight.

       (Mat 21:18 TLB)  In the morning, as he was returning to Jerusalem, he 
       was hungry

       (Mat 21:19 TLB)  and noticed a fig tree beside the road. He went over 





       to see if there were any figs, but there were only leaves. Then he 
       said to it, "Never bear fruit again!" And soon the fig tree withered 
       up.

       (Mat 21:20 TLB)  The disciples were utterly amazed and asked, "How did 
       the fig tree wither so quickly?"

       (Mat 21:21 TLB)  Then Jesus told them, "Truly, if you have faith and 
       don't doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even 
       say to this Mount of Olives, 'Move over into the ocean,' and it will.

       (Mat 21:22 TLB)  You can get anything --anything you ask for in 
       prayer--if you believe."

       (Mat 21:23 TLB)  When he had returned to the Temple and was teaching, 
       the chief priests and other Jewish leaders came up to him and demanded 
       to know by whose authority he had thrown out the merchants the day 
       before.

       (Mat 21:24 TLB)  "I'll tell you if you answer one question first," 
       Jesus replied.

       (Mat 21:25 TLB)  "Was John the Baptist sent from God or not?" They 
       talked it over among themselves. "If we say, 'From God,'" they said, 
       "then he will ask why we didn't believe what John said.

       (Mat 21:26 TLB)  And if we deny that God sent him, we'll be mobbed, 
       for the crowd all think he was a prophet."

       (Mat 21:27 TLB)  So they finally replied, "We don't know!" And Jesus 
       said, "Then I won't answer your question either.

       (Mat 21:28 TLB)  "But what do you think about this? A man with two 
       sons told the older boy, 'Son, go out and work on the farm today.'

       (Mat 21:29 TLB)  'I won't,' he answered, but later he changed his mind 
       and went.

       (Mat 21:30 TLB)  Then the father told the youngest, 'You go!' and he 
       said, 'Yes, sir, I will.' But he didn't.

       (Mat 21:31 TLB)  Which of the two was obeying his father?" They 
       replied, "The first, of course." Then Jesus explained his meaning: 
       "Surely evil men and prostitutes will get into the Kingdom before you 
       do.

       (Mat 21:32 TLB)  For John the Baptist told you to repent and turn to 
       God, and you wouldn't, while very evil men and prostitutes did. And 
       even when you saw this happening, you refused to repent, and so you 
       couldn't believe.

       (Mat 21:33 TLB)  "Now listen to this story: A certain landowner 
       planted a vineyard with a hedge around it, and built a platform for 
       the watchman, then leased the vineyard to some farmers on a sharecrop 
       basis, and went away to live in another country.





       (Mat 21:34 TLB)  "At the time of the grape harvest he sent his agents 
       to the farmers to collect his share.

       (Mat 21:35 TLB)  But the farmers attacked his men, beat one, killed 
       one, and stoned another.

       (Mat 21:36 TLB)  "Then he sent a larger group of his men to collect 
       for him, but the results were the same.

       (Mat 21:37 TLB)  Finally the owner sent his son, thinking they would 
       surely respect him.

       (Mat 21:38 TLB)  "But when these farmers saw the son coming they said 
       among themselves, 'Here comes the heir to this estate; come on, let's 
       kill him and get it for ourselves!'

       (Mat 21:39 TLB)  So they dragged him out of the vineyard and killed 
       him.

       (Mat 21:40 TLB)  "When the owner returns, what do you think he will do 
       to those farmers?"

       (Mat 21:41 TLB)  The Jewish leaders replied, "He will put the wicked 
       men to a horrible death and lease the vineyard to others who will pay 
       him promptly."

       (Mat 21:42 TLB)  Then Jesus asked them, "Didn't you ever read in the 
       Scriptures: 'The stone rejected by the builders has been made the 
       honored cornerstone; how remarkable! what an amazing thing the Lord 
       has done'?

       (Mat 21:43 TLB)  "What I mean is that the Kingdom of God shall be 
       taken away from you, and given to a nation that will give God his 
       share of the crop.

       (Mat 21:44 TLB)  All who stumble on this rock of truth shall be 
       broken, but those it falls on will be scattered as dust."

       (Mat 21:45 TLB)  When the chief priests and other Jewish leaders 
       realized that Jesus was talking about them--that they were the farmers 
       in his story--

       (Mat 21:46 TLB)  they wanted to get rid of him but were afraid to try 
       because of the crowds, for they accepted Jesus as a prophet.

       (Mat 22:1 TLB)  Jesus told several other stories to show what the 
       Kingdom of Heaven is like. "For instance," he said,

       (Mat 22:2 TLB)  "it can be illustrated by the story of a king who 
       prepared a great wedding dinner for his son.

       (Mat 22:3 TLB)  Many guests were invited, and when the banquet was 
       ready he sent messengers to notify everyone that it was time to come. 
       But all refused!

       (Mat 22:4 TLB)  So he sent other servants to tell them, 'Everything is 





       ready and the roast is in the oven. Hurry!'

       (Mat 22:5 TLB)  "But the guests he had invited merely laughed and went 
       on about their business, one to his farm, another to his store;

       (Mat 22:6 TLB)  others beat up his messengers and treated them 
       shamefully, even killing some of them.

       (Mat 22:7 TLB)  "Then the angry king sent out his army and destroyed 
       the murderers and burned their city.

       (Mat 22:8 TLB)  And he said to his servants, 'The wedding feast is 
       ready, and the guests I invited aren't worthy of the honor.

       (Mat 22:9 TLB)  Now go out to the street corners and invite everyone 
       you see.'

       (Mat 22:10 TLB)  "So the servants did, and brought in all they could 
       find, good and bad alike; and the banquet hall was filled with guests.

       (Mat 22:11 TLB)  But when the king came in to meet the guests, he 
       noticed a man who wasn't wearing the wedding robe (provided for him).

       (Mat 22:12 TLB)  "'Friend,' he asked, 'how does it happen that you are 
       here without a wedding robe?' And the man had no reply.

       (Mat 22:13 TLB)  "Then the king said to his aides, 'Bind him hand and 
       foot and throw him out into the outer darkness where there is weeping 
       and gnashing of teeth.'

       (Mat 22:14 TLB)  For many are called, but few are chosen."

       (Mat 22:15 TLB)  Then the Pharisees met together to try to think of 
       some way to trap Jesus into saying something for which they could 
       arrest him.

       (Mat 22:16 TLB)  They decided to send some of their men along with the 
       Herodians to ask him this question: "Sir, we know you are very honest 
       and teach the truth regardless of the consequences, without fear or 
       favor.

       (Mat 22:17 TLB)  Now tell us, is it right to pay taxes to the Roman 
       government or not?"

       (Mat 22:18 TLB)  But Jesus saw what they were after. "You hypocrites!" 
       he exclaimed. "Who are you trying to fool with your trick questions?

       (Mat 22:19 TLB)  Here, show me a coin." And they handed him a penny.

       (Mat 22:20 TLB)  "Whose picture is stamped on it?" he asked them. "And 
       whose name is this beneath the picture?"

       (Mat 22:21 TLB)  "Caesar's," they replied. "Well, then," he said, 
       "give it to Caesar if it is his, and give God everything that belongs 
       to God."





       (Mat 22:22 TLB)  His reply surprised and baffled them, and they went 
       away.

       (Mat 22:23 TLB)  But that same day some of the Sadducees, who say 
       there is no resurrection after death, came to him and asked,

       (Mat 22:24 TLB)  "Sir, Moses said that if a man died without children, 
       his brother should marry the widow and their children would get all 
       the dead man's property.

       (Mat 22:25 TLB)  Well, we had among us a family of seven brothers. The 
       first of these men married and then died, without children, so his 
       widow became the second brother's wife.

       (Mat 22:26 TLB)  This brother also died without children, and the wife 
       was passed to the next brother, and so on until she had been the wife 
       of each of them.

       (Mat 22:27 TLB)  And then she also died.

       (Mat 22:28 TLB)  So whose wife will she be in the resurrection? For 
       she was the wife of all seven of them!"

       (Mat 22:29 TLB)  But Jesus said, "Your error is caused by your 
       ignorance of the Scriptures and of God's power!

       (Mat 22:30 TLB)  For in the resurrection there is no marriage; 
       everyone is as the angels in heaven.

       (Mat 22:31 TLB)  But now, as to whether there is a resurrection of the 
       dead--don't you ever read the Scriptures? Don't you realize that God 
       was speaking directly to you when he said,

       (Mat 22:32 TLB)  'I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob'? So God 
       is not the God of the dead, but of the living."

       (Mat 22:33 TLB)  The crowds were profoundly impressed by his answers--

       (Mat 22:34 TLB)  but not the Pharisees! When they heard that he had 
       routed the Sadducees with his reply,

       (Mat 22:35 TLB)  they thought up a fresh question of their own to ask 
       him. One of them, a lawyer, spoke up:

       (Mat 22:36 TLB)  "Sir, which is the most important command in the laws 
       of Moses?"

       (Mat 22:37 TLB)  Jesus replied, "'Love the Lord your God with all your 
       heart, soul, and mind.'

       (Mat 22:38 TLB)  This is the first and greatest commandment.

       (Mat 22:39 TLB)  The second most important is similar: 'Love your 
       neighbor as much as you love yourself.'

       (Mat 22:40 TLB)  All the other commandments and all the demands of the 





       prophets stem from these two laws and are fulfilled if you obey them. 
       Keep only these and you will find that you are obeying all the 
       others."

       (Mat 22:41 TLB)  Then, surrounded by the Pharisees, he asked them a 
       question:

       (Mat 22:42 TLB)  "What about the Messiah? Whose son is he?" "The son 
       of David," they replied.

       (Mat 22:43 TLB)  "Then why does David, speaking under the inspiration 
       of the Holy Spirit, call him 'Lord'?" Jesus asked. "For David said,

       (Mat 22:44 TLB)  'God said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand until I 
       put your enemies beneath your feet.'

       (Mat 22:45 TLB)  Since David called him 'Lord,' how can he be merely 
       his son?"

       (Mat 22:46 TLB)  They had no answer. And after that no one dared ask 
       him any more questions.

       (Mat 23:1 TLB)  Then Jesus said to the crowds, and to his disciples,

       (Mat 23:2 TLB)  "You would think these Jewish leaders and these 
       Pharisees were Moses, the way they keep making up so many laws!

       (Mat 23:3 TLB)  And of course you should obey their every whim! It may 
       be all right to do what they say, but above anything else, don't 
       follow their example. For they don't do what they tell you to do.

       (Mat 23:4 TLB)  They load you with impossible demands that they 
       themselves don't even try to keep.

       (Mat 23:5 TLB)  "Everything they do is done for show. They act holy by 
       wearing on their arms little prayer boxes with Scripture verses 
       inside, and by lengthening the memorial fringes of their robes.

       (Mat 23:6 TLB)  And how they love to sit at the head table at banquets 
       and in the reserved pews in the synagogue!

       (Mat 23:7 TLB)  How they enjoy the deference paid them on the streets 
       and to be called 'Rabbi' and 'Master'!

       (Mat 23:8 TLB)  Don't ever let anyone call you that. For only God is 
       your Rabbi and all of you are on the same level, as brothers.

       (Mat 23:9 TLB)  And don't address anyone here on earth as 'Father,' 
       for only God in heaven should be addressed like that.

       (Mat 23:10 TLB)  And don't be called 'Master,' for only one is your 
       master, even the Messiah.

       (Mat 23:11 TLB)  "The more lowly your service to others, the greater 
       you are. To be the greatest, be a servant.





       (Mat 23:12 TLB)  But those who think themselves great shall be 
       disappointed and humbled; and those who humble themselves shall be 
       exalted.

       (Mat 23:13 TLB)  "Woe to you, Pharisees, and you other religious 
       leaders. Hypocrites! For you won't let others enter the Kingdom of 
       Heaven and won't go in yourselves.

       (Mat 23:14 TLB)  And you pretend to be holy, with all your long, 
       public prayers in the streets, while you are evicting widows from 
       their homes. Hypocrites!

       (Mat 23:15 TLB)  Yes, woe upon you hypocrites. For you go to all 
       lengths to make one convert, and then turn him into twice the son of 
       hell you are yourselves.

       (Mat 23:16 TLB)  Blind guides! Woe upon you! For your rule is that to 
       swear 'By God's Temple' means nothing--you can break that oath, but to 
       swear 'By the gold in the Temple' is binding!

       (Mat 23:17 TLB)  Blind fools! Which is greater, the gold, or the 
       Temple that sanctifies the gold?

       (Mat 23:18 TLB)  And you say that to take an oath 'By the altar' can 
       be broken, but to swear 'By the gifts on the altar' is binding!

       (Mat 23:19 TLB)  Blind! For which is greater, the gift on the altar, 
       or the altar itself that sanctifies the gift?

       (Mat 23:20 TLB)  When you swear 'By the altar' you are swearing by it 
       and everything on it,

       (Mat 23:21 TLB)  and when you swear 'By the Temple' you are swearing 
       by it and by God who lives in it.

       (Mat 23:22 TLB)  And when you swear 'By heavens' you are swearing by 
       the Throne of God and by God himself.

       (Mat 23:23 TLB)  "Yes, woe upon you, Pharisees, and you other 
       religious leaders--hypocrites! For you tithe down to the last mint 
       leaf in your garden, but ignore the important things--justice and 
       mercy and faith. Yes, you should tithe, but you shouldn't leave the 
       more important things undone.

       (Mat 23:24 TLB)  Blind guides! You strain out a gnat and swallow a 
       camel.

       (Mat 23:25 TLB)  "Woe to you, Pharisees, and you religious 
       leaders--hypocrites! You are so careful to polish the outside of the 
       cup, but the inside is foul with extortion and greed.

       (Mat 23:26 TLB)  Blind Pharisees! First cleanse the inside of the cup, 
       and then the whole cup will be clean.

       (Mat 23:27 TLB)  "Woe to you, Pharisees, and you religious leaders! 
       You are like beautiful mausoleums--full of dead men's bones, and of 





       foulness and corruption.

       (Mat 23:28 TLB)  You try to look like saintly men, but underneath 
       those pious robes of yours are hearts besmirched with every sort of 
       hypocrisy and sin.

       (Mat 23:29 TLB)  "Yes, woe to you, Pharisees, and you religious 
       leaders--hypocrites! For you build monuments to the prophets killed by 
       your fathers and lay flowers on the graves of the godly men they 
       destroyed,

       (Mat 23:30 TLB)  and say, 'We certainly would never have acted as our 
       fathers did.'

       (Mat 23:31 TLB)  "In saying that, you are accusing yourselves of being 
       the sons of wicked men.

       (Mat 23:32 TLB)  And you are following in their steps, filling up the 
       full measure of their evil.

       (Mat 23:33 TLB)  Snakes! Sons of vipers! How shall you escape the 
       judgment of hell?

       (Mat 23:34 TLB)  "I will send you prophets, and wise men, and inspired 
       writers, and you will kill some by crucifixion, and rip open the backs 
       of others with whips in your synagogues, and hound them from city to 
       city,

       (Mat 23:35 TLB)  so that you will become guilty of all the blood of 
       murdered godly men from righteous Abel to Zechariah (son of 
       Barachiah), slain by you in the Temple between the altar and the 
       sanctuary.

       (Mat 23:36 TLB)  Yes, all the accumulated judgment of the centuries 
       shall break upon the heads of this very generation.

       (Mat 23:37 TLB)  "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the 
       prophets and stones all those God sends to her! How often I have 
       wanted to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks 
       beneath her wings, but you wouldn't let me.

       (Mat 23:38 TLB)  And now your house is left to you, desolate.

       (Mat 23:39 TLB)  For I tell you this, you will never see me again 
       until you are ready to welcome the one sent to you from God."

       (Mat 24:1 TLB)  As Jesus was leaving the Temple grounds, his disciples 
       came along and wanted to take him on a tour of the various Temple 
       buildings.

       (Mat 24:2 TLB)  But he told them, "All these buildings will be knocked 
       down, with not one stone left on top of another!"

       (Mat 24:3 TLB)  "When will this happen?" the disciples asked him 
       later, as he sat on the slopes of the Mount of Olives. "What events 
       will signal your return and the end of the world?"






       (Mat 24:4 TLB)  Jesus told them, "Don't let anyone fool you.

       (Mat 24:5 TLB)  For many will come claiming to be the Messiah and will 
       lead many astray.

       (Mat 24:6 TLB)  When you hear of wars beginning, this does not signal 
       my return; these must come, but the end is not yet.

       (Mat 24:7 TLB)  The nations and kingdoms of the earth will rise 
       against each other, and there will be famines and earthquakes in many 
       places.

       (Mat 24:8 TLB)  But all this will be only the beginning of the horrors 
       to come.

       (Mat 24:9 TLB)  "Then you will be tortured and killed and hated all 
       over the world because you are mine,

       (Mat 24:10 TLB)  and many of you shall fall back into sin and betray 
       and hate each other.

       (Mat 24:11 TLB)  And many false prophets will appear and lead many 
       astray.

       (Mat 24:12 TLB)  Sin will be rampant everywhere and will cool the love 
       of many.

       (Mat 24:13 TLB)  But those enduring to the end shall be saved.

       (Mat 24:14 TLB)  "And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached 
       throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it, and 
       then, finally, the end will come.

       (Mat 24:15 TLB)  "So, when you see the horrible thing (told about by 
       Daniel the prophet) standing in a holy place (Note to the reader: You 
       know what is meant!),

       (Mat 24:16 TLB)  then those in Judea must flee into the Judean hills.

       (Mat 24:17 TLB)  Those on their porches must not even go inside to 
       pack before they flee.

       (Mat 24:18 TLB)  Those in the fields should not return to their homes 
       for their clothes.

       (Mat 24:19 TLB)  "And woe to pregnant women and to those with babies 
       in those days.

       (Mat 24:20 TLB)  And pray that your flight will not be in winter, or 
       on the Sabbath.

       (Mat 24:21 TLB)  For there will be persecution such as the world has 
       never before seen in all its history and will never see again.

       (Mat 24:22 TLB)  "In fact, unless those days are shortened, all 





       mankind will perish. But they will be shortened for the sake of God's 
       chosen people.

       (Mat 24:23 TLB)  "Then if anyone tells you, 'The Messiah has arrived 
       at such and such a place, or has appeared here or there,' don't 
       believe it.

       (Mat 24:24 TLB)  For false Christs shall arise, and false prophets, 
       and will do wonderful miracles so that if it were possible, even God's 
       chosen ones would be deceived.

       (Mat 24:25 TLB)  See, I have warned you.

       (Mat 24:26 TLB)  "So if someone tells you the Messiah has returned and 
       is out in the desert, don't bother to go and look. Or, that he is 
       hiding at a certain place, don't believe it!

       (Mat 24:27 TLB)  For as the lightning flashes across the sky from east 
       to west, so shall my coming be, when I, the Messiah, return.

       (Mat 24:28 TLB)  And wherever the carcass is, there the vultures will 
       gather.

       (Mat 24:29 TLB)  "Immediately after the persecution of those days the 
       sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give light, and the stars 
       will seem to fall from the heavens, and the powers overshadowing the 
       earth will be convulsed.

       (Mat 24:30 TLB)  "And then at last the signal of my coming will appear 
       in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning all around the earth. 
       And the nations of the world will see me arrive in the clouds of 
       heaven, with power and great glory.

       (Mat 24:31 TLB)  And I shall send forth my angels with the sound of a 
       mighty trumpet blast, and they shall gather my chosen ones from the 
       farthest ends of the earth and heaven.

       (Mat 24:32 TLB)  "Now learn a lesson from the fig tree. When her 
       branch is tender and the leaves begin to sprout, you know that summer 
       is almost here.

       (Mat 24:33 TLB)  Just so, when you see all these things beginning to 
       happen, you can know that my return is near, even at the doors.

       (Mat 24:34 TLB)  Then at last this age will come to its close.

       (Mat 24:35 TLB)  "Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words remain 
       forever.

       (Mat 24:36 TLB)  But no one knows the date and hour when the end will 
       be--not even the angels. No, nor even God's Son. Only the Father 
       knows.

       (Mat 24:37 TLB)  "The world will be at ease--banquets and parties and 
       weddings--





       (Mat 24:38 TLB)  just as it was in Noah's time before the sudden 
       coming of the flood;

       (Mat 24:39 TLB)  people wouldn't believe what was going to happen 
       until the flood actually arrived and took them all away. So shall my 
       coming be.

       (Mat 24:40 TLB)  "Two men will be working together in the fields, and 
       one will be taken, the other left.

       (Mat 24:41 TLB)  Two women will be going about their household tasks; 
       one will be taken, the other left.

       (Mat 24:42 TLB)  "So be prepared, for you don't know what day your 
       Lord is coming.

       (Mat 24:43 TLB)  "Just as a man can prevent trouble from thieves by 
       keeping watch for them,

       (Mat 24:44 TLB)  so you can avoid trouble by always being ready for my 
       unannounced return.

       (Mat 24:45 TLB)  "Are you a wise and faithful servant of the Lord? 
       Have I given you the task of managing my household, to feed my 
       children day by day?

       (Mat 24:46 TLB)  Blessings on you if I return and find you faithfully 
       doing your work.

       (Mat 24:47 TLB)  I will put such faithful ones in charge of everything 
       I own!

       (Mat 24:48 TLB)  "But if you are evil and say to yourself, 'My Lord 
       won't be coming for a while,'

       (Mat 24:49 TLB)  and begin oppressing your fellow servants, partying 
       and getting drunk,

       (Mat 24:50 TLB)  your Lord will arrive unannounced and unexpected,

       (Mat 24:51 TLB)  and severely whip you and send you off to the 
       judgment of the hypocrites; there will be weeping and gnashing of 
       teeth.

       (Mat 25:1 TLB)  "The Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story 
       of ten bridesmaids who took their lamps and went to meet the 
       bridegroom.

       (Mat 25:2 TLB)  But only five of them were wise enough to fill their 
       lamps with oil, while the other five were foolish and forgot.

       (Mat 25:3 TLB)  

       (Mat 25:4 TLB)  

       (Mat 25:5 TLB)  "So, when the bridegroom was delayed, they lay down to 





       rest until midnight,

       (Mat 25:6 TLB)  when they were roused by the shout, 'The bridegroom is 
       coming! Come out and welcome him!'

       (Mat 25:7 TLB)  "All the girls jumped up and trimmed their lamps.

       (Mat 25:8 TLB)  "Then the five who hadn't any oil begged the others to 
       share with them, for their lamps were going out.

       (Mat 25:9 TLB)  "But the others replied, 'We haven't enough. Go 
       instead to the shops and buy some for yourselves.'

       (Mat 25:10 TLB)  "But while they were gone, the bridegroom came, and 
       those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the 
       door was locked.

       (Mat 25:11 TLB)  "Later, when the other five returned, they stood 
       outside, calling, 'Sir, open the door for us!'

       (Mat 25:12 TLB)  "But he called back, 'Go away! It is too late!'

       (Mat 25:13 TLB)  "So stay awake and be prepared, for you do not know 
       the date or moment of my return.

       (Mat 25:14 TLB)  "Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by 
       the story of a man going into another country, who called together his 
       servants and loaned them money to invest for him while he was gone.

       (Mat 25:15 TLB)  "He gave $5,000 to one, $2,000 to another, and $1,000 
       to the last--dividing it in proportion to their abilities--and then 
       left on his trip.

       (Mat 25:16 TLB)  The man who received the $5,000 began immediately to 
       buy and sell with it and soon earned another $5,000.

       (Mat 25:17 TLB)  The man with $2,000 went right to work, too, and 
       earned another $2,000.

       (Mat 25:18 TLB)  "But the man who received the $1,000 dug a hole in 
       the ground and hid the money for safekeeping.

       (Mat 25:19 TLB)  "After a long time their master returned from his 
       trip and called them to him to account for his money.

       (Mat 25:20 TLB)  The man to whom he had entrusted the $5,000 brought 
       him $10,000.

       (Mat 25:21 TLB)  "His master praised him for good work. 'You have been 
       faithful in handling this small amount,' he told him, 'so now I will 
       give you many more responsibilities. Begin the joyous tasks I have 
       assigned to you.'

       (Mat 25:22 TLB)  "Next came the man who had received the $2,000, with 
       the report, 'Sir, you gave me $2,000 to use, and I have doubled it.'





       (Mat 25:23 TLB)  "'Good work,' his master said. 'You are a good and 
       faithful servant. You have been faithful over this small amount, so 
       now I will give you much more.'

       (Mat 25:24 TLB)  "Then the man with the $1,000 came and said, 'Sir, I 
       knew you were a hard man,

       (Mat 25:25 TLB)  and I was afraid you would rob me of what I earned, 
       so I hid your money in the earth and here it is!'

       (Mat 25:26 TLB)  "But his master replied, 'Wicked man! Lazy slave! 
       Since you knew I would demand your profit,

       (Mat 25:27 TLB)  you should at least have put my money into the bank 
       so I could have some interest.

       (Mat 25:28 TLB)  Take the money from this man and give it to the man 
       with the $10,000.

       (Mat 25:29 TLB)  For the man who uses well what he is given shall be 
       given more, and he shall have abundance. But from the man who is 
       unfaithful, even what little responsibility he has shall be taken from 
       him.

       (Mat 25:30 TLB)  And throw the useless servant out into outer 
       darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'

       (Mat 25:31 TLB)  "But when I, the Messiah, shall come in my glory, and 
       all the angels with me, then I shall sit upon my throne of glory.

       (Mat 25:32 TLB)  And all the nations shall be gathered before me. And 
       I will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the 
       goats,

       (Mat 25:33 TLB)  and place the sheep at my right hand, and the goats 
       at my left.

       (Mat 25:34 TLB)  "Then I, the King, shall say to those at my right, 
       'Come, blessed of my Father, into the Kingdom prepared for you from 
       the founding of the world.

       (Mat 25:35 TLB)  For I was hungry and you fed me; I was thirsty and 
       you gave me water; I was a stranger and you invited me into your 
       homes;

       (Mat 25:36 TLB)  naked and you clothed me; sick and in prison, and you 
       visited me.'

       (Mat 25:37 TLB)  "Then these righteous ones will reply, 'Sir, when did 
       we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you anything 
       to drink?

       (Mat 25:38 TLB)  Or a stranger, and help you? Or naked, and clothe 
       you?

       (Mat 25:39 TLB)  When did we ever see you sick or in prison, and visit 





       you?'

       (Mat 25:40 TLB)  "And I, the King, will tell them, 'When you did it to 
       these my brothers you were doing it to me!'

       (Mat 25:41 TLB)  Then I will turn to those on my left and say, 'Away 
       with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the 
       devil and his demons.

       (Mat 25:42 TLB)  For I was hungry and you wouldn't feed me; thirsty, 
       and you wouldn't give me anything to drink;

       (Mat 25:43 TLB)  a stranger, and you refused me hospitality; naked, 
       and you wouldn't clothe me; sick, and in prison, and you didn't visit 
       me.'

       (Mat 25:44 TLB)  "Then they will reply, 'Lord, when did we ever see 
       you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and 
       not help you?'

       (Mat 25:45 TLB)  "And I will answer, 'When you refused to help the 
       least of these my brothers, you were refusing help to me.'

       (Mat 25:46 TLB)  "And they shall go away into eternal punishment; but 
       the righteous into everlasting life."

       (Mat 26:1 TLB)  When Jesus had finished this talk with his disciples, 
       he told them,

       (Mat 26:2 TLB)  "As you know, the Passover celebration begins in two 
       days, and I shall be betrayed and crucified."

       (Mat 26:3 TLB)  At that very moment the chief priests and other Jewish 
       officials were meeting at the residence of Caiaphas the High Priest,

       (Mat 26:4 TLB)  to discuss ways of capturing Jesus quietly and killing 
       him.

       (Mat 26:5 TLB)  "But not during the Passover celebration," they 
       agreed, "for there would be a riot."

       (Mat 26:6 TLB)  Jesus now proceeded to Bethany, to the home of Simon 
       the leper.

       (Mat 26:7 TLB)  While he was eating, a woman came in with a bottle of 
       very expensive perfume and poured it over his head.

       (Mat 26:8 TLB)  The disciples were indignant. "What a waste of good 
       money," they said.

       (Mat 26:9 TLB)  "Why, she could have sold it for a fortune and given 
       it to the poor."

       (Mat 26:10 TLB)  Jesus knew what they were thinking and said, "Why are 
       you criticizing her? For she has done a good thing to me.





       (Mat 26:11 TLB)  You will always have the poor among you, but you 
       won't always have me.

       (Mat 26:12 TLB)  She has poured this perfume on me to prepare my body 
       for burial.

       (Mat 26:13 TLB)  And she will always be remembered for this deed. The 
       story of what she has done will be told throughout the whole world, 
       wherever the Good News is preached."

       (Mat 26:14 TLB)  Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve apostles, went 
       to the chief priests

       (Mat 26:15 TLB)  and asked, "How much will you pay me to get Jesus 
       into your hands?" And they gave him thirty silver coins.

       (Mat 26:16 TLB)  From that time on, Judas watched for an opportunity 
       to betray Jesus to them.

       (Mat 26:17 TLB)  On the first day of the Passover ceremonies, when 
       bread made with yeast was purged from every Jewish home, the disciples 
       came to Jesus and asked, "Where shall we plan to eat the Passover?"

       (Mat 26:18 TLB)  He replied, "Go into the city and see Mr. So-and-So, 
       and tell him, 'Our Master says, my time has come, and I will eat the 
       Passover meal with my disciples at your house.'"

       (Mat 26:19 TLB)  So the disciples did as he told them and prepared the 
       supper there.

       (Mat 26:20 TLB)  That evening as he sat eating with the Twelve,

       (Mat 26:21 TLB)  he said, "One of you will betray me."

       (Mat 26:22 TLB)  Sorrow chilled their hearts, and each one asked, "Am 
       I the one?"

       (Mat 26:23 TLB)  He replied, "It is the one I served first.

       (Mat 26:24 TLB)  For I must die just as was prophesied, but woe to the 
       man by whom I am betrayed. Far better for that one if he had never 
       been born."

       (Mat 26:25 TLB)  Judas, too, had asked him, "Rabbi, am I the one?" And 
       Jesus had told him, "Yes."

       (Mat 26:26 TLB)  As they were eating, Jesus took a small loaf of bread 
       and blessed it and broke it apart and gave it to the disciples and 
       said, "Take it and eat it, for this is my body."

       (Mat 26:27 TLB)  And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks for it and 
       gave it to them and said, "Each one drink from it,

       (Mat 26:28 TLB)  for this is my blood, sealing the New Covenant. It is 
       poured out to forgive the sins of multitudes.





       (Mat 26:29 TLB)  Mark my words--I will not drink this wine again until 
       the day I drink it new with you in my Father's Kingdom."

       (Mat 26:30 TLB)  And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the 
       Mount of Olives.

       (Mat 26:31 TLB)  Then Jesus said to them, "Tonight you will all desert 
       me. For it is written in the Scriptures that God will smite the 
       Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.

       (Mat 26:32 TLB)  But after I have been brought back to life again, I 
       will go to Galilee and meet you there."

       (Mat 26:33 TLB)  Peter declared, "If everyone else deserts you, I 
       won't."

       (Mat 26:34 TLB)  Jesus told him, "The truth is that this very night, 
       before the cock crows at dawn, you will deny me three times!"

       (Mat 26:35 TLB)  "I would die first!" Peter insisted. And all the 
       other disciples said the same thing.

       (Mat 26:36 TLB)  Then Jesus brought them to a garden grove, 
       Gethsemane, and told them to sit down and wait while he went on ahead 
       to pray.

       (Mat 26:37 TLB)  He took Peter with him and Zebedee's two sons James 
       and John, and began to be filled with anguish and despair.

       (Mat 26:38 TLB)  Then he told them, "My soul is crushed with horror 
       and sadness to the point of death. . . stay here. . . stay awake with 
       me."

       (Mat 26:39 TLB)  He went forward a little, and fell face downward on 
       the ground, and prayed, "My Father! If it is possible, let this cup be 
       taken away from me. But I want your will, not mine."

       (Mat 26:40 TLB)  Then he returned to the three disciples and found 
       them asleep. "Peter," he called, "couldn't you even stay awake with me 
       one hour?

       (Mat 26:41 TLB)  Keep alert and pray. Otherwise temptation will 
       overpower you. For the spirit indeed is willing, but how weak the body 
       is!"

       (Mat 26:42 TLB)  Again he left them and prayed, "My Father! If this 
       cup cannot go away until I drink it all, your will be done."

       (Mat 26:43 TLB)  He returned to them again and found them sleeping, 
       for their eyes were heavy,

       (Mat 26:44 TLB)  so he went back to prayer the third time, saying the 
       same things again.

       (Mat 26:45 TLB)  Then he came to the disciples and said, "Sleep on now 
       and take your rest. . . but no! The time has come! I am betrayed into 





       the hands of evil men!

       (Mat 26:46 TLB)  Up! Let's be going! Look! Here comes the man who is 
       betraying me!"

       (Mat 26:47 TLB)  At that very moment while he was still speaking, 
       Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived with a great crowd armed with swords 
       and clubs, sent by the Jewish leaders.

       (Mat 26:48 TLB)  Judas had told them to arrest the man he greeted, for 
       that would be the one they were after.

       (Mat 26:49 TLB)  So now Judas came straight to Jesus and said, "Hello, 
       Master!" and embraced him in friendly fashion.

       (Mat 26:50 TLB)  Jesus said, "My friend, go ahead and do what you have 
       come for." Then the others grabbed him.

       (Mat 26:51 TLB)  One of the men with Jesus pulled out a sword and 
       slashed off the ear of the High Priest's servant.

       (Mat 26:52 TLB)  "Put away your sword," Jesus told him. "Those using 
       swords will get killed.

       (Mat 26:53 TLB)  Don't you realize that I could ask my Father for 
       thousands of angels to protect us, and he would send them instantly?

       (Mat 26:54 TLB)  But if I did, how would the Scriptures be fulfilled 
       that describe what is happening now?"

       (Mat 26:55 TLB)  Then Jesus spoke to the crowd. "Am I some dangerous 
       criminal," he asked, "that you had to arm yourselves with swords and 
       clubs before you could arrest me? I was with you teaching daily in the 
       Temple and you didn't stop me then.

       (Mat 26:56 TLB)  But this is all happening to fulfill the words of the 
       prophets as recorded in the Scriptures." At that point, all the 
       disciples deserted him and fled.

       (Mat 26:57 TLB)  Then the mob led him to the home of Caiaphas, the 
       High Priest, where all the Jewish leaders were gathering.

       (Mat 26:58 TLB)  Meanwhile, Peter was following far to the rear, and 
       came to the courtyard of the High Priest's house and went in and sat 
       with the soldiers, and waited to see what was going to be done to 
       Jesus.

       (Mat 26:59 TLB)  The chief priests and, in fact, the entire Jewish 
       Supreme Court assembled there and looked for witnesses who would lie 
       about Jesus, in order to build a case against him that would result in 
       a death sentence.

       (Mat 26:60 TLB)  But even though they found many who agreed to be 
       false witnesses, these always contradicted each other. Finally two men 
       were found





       (Mat 26:61 TLB)  who declared, "This man said, 'I am able to destroy 
       the Temple of God and rebuild it in three days.'"

       (Mat 26:62 TLB)  Then the High Priest stood up and said to Jesus, 
       "Well, what about it? Did you say that, or didn't you?"

       (Mat 26:63 TLB)  But Jesus remained silent. Then the High Priest said 
       to him, "I demand in the name of the living God that you tell us 
       whether you claim to be the Messiah, the Son of God."

       (Mat 26:64 TLB)  "Yes," Jesus said, "I am. And in the future you will 
       see me, the Messiah, sitting at the right hand of God and returning on 
       the clouds of heaven."

       (Mat 26:65 TLB)  Then the High Priest tore at his own clothing, 
       shouting, "Blasphemy! What need have we for other witnesses? You have 
       all heard him say it!

       (Mat 26:66 TLB)  What is your verdict?" They shouted, 
       "Death!--Death!--Death!"

       (Mat 26:67 TLB)  Then they spat in his face and struck him and some 
       slapped him,

       (Mat 26:68 TLB)  saying, "Prophesy to us, you Messiah! Who struck you 
       that time?"

       (Mat 26:69 TLB)  Meanwhile, as Peter was sitting in the courtyard, a 
       girl came over and said to him, "You were with Jesus, for both of you 
       are from Galilee."

       (Mat 26:70 TLB)  But Peter denied it loudly. "I don't even know what 
       you are talking about," he angrily declared.

       (Mat 26:71 TLB)  Later, out by the gate, another girl noticed him and 
       said to those standing around, "This man was with Jesus--from 
       Nazareth."

       (Mat 26:72 TLB)  Again Peter denied it, this time with an oath. "I 
       don't even know the man," he said.

       (Mat 26:73 TLB)  But after a while the men who had been standing there 
       came over to him and said, "We know you are one of his disciples, for 
       we can tell by your Galilean accent."

       (Mat 26:74 TLB)  Peter began to curse and swear. "I don't even know 
       the man," he said. And immediately the cock crowed.

       (Mat 26:75 TLB)  Then Peter remembered what Jesus had said, "Before 
       the cock crows, you will deny me three times." And he went away, 
       crying bitterly.

       (Mat 27:1 TLB)  When it was morning, the chief priests and Jewish 
       leaders met again to discuss how to induce the Roman government to 
       sentence Jesus to death.





       (Mat 27:2 TLB)  Then they sent him in chains to Pilate, the Roman 
       governor.

       (Mat 27:3 TLB)  About that time Judas, who betrayed him, when he saw 
       that Jesus had been condemned to die, changed his mind and deeply 
       regretted what he had done, and brought back the money to the chief 
       priests and other Jewish leaders.

       (Mat 27:4 TLB)  "I have sinned," he declared, "for I have betrayed an 
       innocent man." "That's your problem," they retorted.

       (Mat 27:5 TLB)  Then he threw the money onto the floor of the Temple 
       and went out and hanged himself.

       (Mat 27:6 TLB)  The chief priests picked the money up. "We can't put 
       it in the collection," they said, "since it's against our laws to 
       accept money paid for murder."

       (Mat 27:7 TLB)  They talked it over and finally decided to buy a 
       certain field where the clay was used by potters, and to make it into 
       a cemetery for foreigners who died in Jerusalem.

       (Mat 27:8 TLB)  That is why the cemetery is still called "The Field of 
       Blood."

       (Mat 27:9 TLB)  This fulfilled the prophecy of Jeremiah which says, 
       "They took the thirty pieces of silver--the price at which he was 
       valued by the people of Israel--

       (Mat 27:10 TLB)  and purchased a field from the potters as the Lord 
       directed me."

       (Mat 27:11 TLB)  Now Jesus was standing before Pilate, the Roman 
       governor. "Are you the Jews' Messiah?" the governor asked him. "Yes," 
       Jesus replied.

       (Mat 27:12 TLB)  But when the chief priests and other Jewish leaders 
       made their many accusations against him, Jesus remained silent.

       (Mat 27:13 TLB)  "Don't you hear what they are saying?" Pilate 
       demanded.

       (Mat 27:14 TLB)  But Jesus said nothing, much to the governor's 
       surprise.

       (Mat 27:15 TLB)  Now the governor's custom was to release one Jewish 
       prisoner each year during the Passover celebration--anyone they 
       wanted.

       (Mat 27:16 TLB)  This year there was a particularly notorious criminal 
       in jail named Barabbas,

       (Mat 27:17 TLB)  and as the crowds gathered before Pilate's house that 
       morning he asked them, "Which shall I release to you--Barabbas, or 
       Jesus your Messiah?"





       (Mat 27:18 TLB)  For he knew very well that the Jewish leaders had 
       arrested Jesus out of envy because of his popularity with the people.

       (Mat 27:19 TLB)  Just then, as he was presiding over the court, 
       Pilate's wife sent him this message: "Leave that good man alone; for I 
       had a terrible nightmare concerning him last night."

       (Mat 27:20 TLB)  Meanwhile the chief priests and Jewish officials 
       persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas' release, and for Jesus' 
       death.

       (Mat 27:21 TLB)  So when the governor asked again, "Which of these two 
       shall I release to you?" the crowd shouted back their reply: 
       "Barabbas!"

       (Mat 27:22 TLB)  "Then what shall I do with Jesus, your Messiah?" 
       Pilate asked. And they shouted, "Crucify him!"

       (Mat 27:23 TLB)  "Why?" Pilate demanded. "What has he done wrong?" But 
       they kept shouting, "Crucify! Crucify!"

       (Mat 27:24 TLB)  When Pilate saw that he wasn't getting anywhere and 
       that a riot was developing, he sent for a bowl of water and washed his 
       hands before the crowd, saying, "I am innocent of the blood of this 
       good man. The responsibility is yours!"

       (Mat 27:25 TLB)  And the mob yelled back, "His blood be on us and on 
       our children!"

       (Mat 27:26 TLB)  Then Pilate released Barabbas to them. And after he 
       had whipped Jesus, he gave him to the Roman soldiers to take away and 
       crucify.

       (Mat 27:27 TLB)  But first they took him into the armory and called 
       out the entire contingent.

       (Mat 27:28 TLB)  They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him,

       (Mat 27:29 TLB)  and made a crown from long thorns and put it on his 
       head, and placed a stick in his right hand as a scepter and knelt 
       before him in mockery. "Hail, King of the Jews," they yelled.

       (Mat 27:30 TLB)  And they spat on him and grabbed the stick and beat 
       him on the head with it.

       (Mat 27:31 TLB)  After the mockery, they took off the robe and put his 
       own garment on him again, and took him out to crucify him.

       (Mat 27:32 TLB)  As they were on the way to the execution grounds they 
       came across a man from Cyrene, in Africa--Simon was his name--and 
       forced him to carry Jesus' cross.

       (Mat 27:33 TLB)  Then they went out to an area known as Golgotha, that 
       is, "Skull Hill,"

       (Mat 27:34 TLB)  where the soldiers gave him drugged wine to drink; 





       but when he had tasted it, he refused.

       (Mat 27:35 TLB)  After the crucifixion, the soldiers threw dice to 
       divide up his clothes among themselves.

       (Mat 27:36 TLB)  Then they sat around and watched him as he hung 
       there.

       (Mat 27:37 TLB)  And they put a sign above his head, "This is Jesus, 
       the King of the Jews."

       (Mat 27:38 TLB)  Two robbers were also crucified there that morning, 
       one on either side of him.

       (Mat 27:39 TLB)  And the people passing by hurled abuse, shaking their 
       heads at him and saying,

       (Mat 27:40 TLB)  "So! You can destroy the Temple and build it again in 
       three days, can you? Well, then, come on down from the cross if you 
       are the Son of God!"

       (Mat 27:41 TLB)  And the chief priests and Jewish leaders also mocked 
       him.

       (Mat 27:42 TLB)  "He saved others," they scoffed, "but he can't save 
       himself! So you are the King of Israel, are you? Come down from the 
       cross and we'll believe you!

       (Mat 27:43 TLB)  He trusted God--let God show his approval by 
       delivering him! Didn't he say, 'I am God's Son'?"

       (Mat 27:44 TLB)  And the robbers also threw the same in his teeth.

       (Mat 27:45 TLB)  That afternoon, the whole earth was covered with 
       darkness for three hours, from noon until three o'clock.

       (Mat 27:46 TLB)  About three o'clock, Jesus shouted, "Eli, Eli, lama 
       sabachthani?" which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

       (Mat 27:47 TLB)  Some of the bystanders misunderstood and thought he 
       was calling for Elijah.

       (Mat 27:48 TLB)  One of them ran and filled a sponge with sour wine 
       and put it on a stick and held it up to him to drink.

       (Mat 27:49 TLB)  But the rest said, "Leave him alone. Let's see 
       whether Elijah will come and save him."

       (Mat 27:50 TLB)  Then Jesus shouted out again, dismissed his spirit, 
       and died.

       (Mat 27:51 TLB)  And look! The curtain secluding the Holiest Place in 
       the Temple was split apart from top to bottom; and the earth shook, 
       and rocks broke,

       (Mat 27:52 TLB)  and tombs opened, and many godly men and women who 





       had died came back to life again.

       (Mat 27:53 TLB)  After Jesus' resurrection, they left the cemetery and 
       went into Jerusalem, and appeared to many people there.

       (Mat 27:54 TLB)  The soldiers at the crucifixion and their sergeant 
       were terribly frightened by the earthquake and all that happened. They 
       exclaimed, "Surely this was God's Son."

       (Mat 27:55 TLB)  And many women who had come down from Galilee with 
       Jesus to care for him were watching from a distance.

       (Mat 27:56 TLB)  Among them were Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of 
       James and Joseph, and the mother of James and John (the sons of 
       Zebedee).

       (Mat 27:57 TLB)  When evening came, a rich man from Arimathea named 
       Joseph, one of Jesus' followers,

       (Mat 27:58 TLB)  went to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body. And Pilate 
       issued an order to release it to him.

       (Mat 27:59 TLB)  Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen 
       cloth,

       (Mat 27:60 TLB)  and placed it in his own new rock-hewn tomb, and 
       rolled a great stone across the entrance as he left.

       (Mat 27:61 TLB)  Both Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting 
       nearby watching.

       (Mat 27:62 TLB)  The next day--at the close of the first day of the 
       Passover ceremonies--the chief priests and Pharisees went to Pilate,

       (Mat 27:63 TLB)  and told him, "Sir, that liar once said, 'After three 
       days I will come back to life again.'

       (Mat 27:64 TLB)  So we request an order from you sealing the tomb 
       until the third day, to prevent his disciples from coming and stealing 
       his body and then telling everyone he came back to life! If that 
       happens, we'll be worse off than we were at first."

       (Mat 27:65 TLB)  "Use your own Temple police," Pilate told them. "They 
       can guard it safely enough."

       (Mat 27:66 TLB)  So they sealed the stone and posted guards to protect 
       it from intrusion.

       (Mat 28:1 TLB)  Early on Sunday morning, as the new day was dawning, 
       Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went out to the tomb.

       (Mat 28:2 TLB)  Suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of 
       the Lord came down from heaven and rolled aside the stone and sat on 
       it.

       (Mat 28:3 TLB)  His face shone like lightning and his clothing was a 





       brilliant white.

       (Mat 28:4 TLB)  The guards shook with fear when they saw him, and fell 
       into a dead faint.

       (Mat 28:5 TLB)  Then the angel spoke to the women. "Don't be 
       frightened!" he said. "I know you are looking for Jesus, who was 
       crucified,

       (Mat 28:6 TLB)  but he isn't here! For he has come back to life again, 
       just as he said he would. Come in and see where his body was 
       lying.. . .

       (Mat 28:7 TLB)  And now, go quickly and tell his disciples that he has 
       risen from the dead, and that he is going to Galilee to meet them 
       there. That is my message to them."

       (Mat 28:8 TLB)  The women ran from the tomb, badly frightened, but 
       also filled with joy, and rushed to find the disciples to give them 
       the angel's message.

       (Mat 28:9 TLB)  And as they were running, suddenly Jesus was there in 
       front of them! "Good morning!" he said. And they fell to the ground 
       before him, holding his feet and worshiping him.

       (Mat 28:10 TLB)  Then Jesus said to them, "Don't be frightened! Go 
       tell my brothers to leave at once for Galilee, to meet me there."

       (Mat 28:11 TLB)  As the women were on the way into the city, some of 
       the Temple police who had been guarding the tomb went to the chief 
       priests and told them what had happened.

       (Mat 28:12 TLB)  A meeting of all the Jewish leaders was called,

       (Mat 28:13 TLB)  and it was decided to bribe the police to say they 
       had all been asleep when Jesus' disciples came during the night and 
       stole his body.

       (Mat 28:14 TLB)  "If the governor hears about it," the Council 
       promised, "we'll stand up for you and everything will be all right."

       (Mat 28:15 TLB)  So the police accepted the bribe and said what they 
       were told to. Their story spread widely among the Jews and is still 
       believed by them to this very day.

       (Mat 28:16 TLB)  Then the eleven disciples left for Galilee, going to 
       the mountain where Jesus had said they would find him.

       (Mat 28:17 TLB)  There they met him and worshiped him--but some of 
       them weren't sure it really was Jesus!

       (Mat 28:18 TLB)  He told his disciples, "I have been given all 
       authority in heaven and earth.

       (Mat 28:19 TLB)  Therefore go and make disciples in all the nations, 
       baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the 





       Holy Spirit,

       (Mat 28:20 TLB)  and then teach these new disciples to obey all the 
       commands I have given you; and be sure of this--that I am with you 
       always, even to the end of the world."

       (Mark 1:1 TLB)  Here begins the wonderful story of Jesus the Messiah, 
       the Son of God.

       (Mark 1:2 TLB)  In the book written by the prophet Isaiah, God 
       announced that he would send his Son to earth, and that a special 
       messenger would arrive first to prepare the world for his coming.

       (Mark 1:3 TLB)  "This messenger will live out in the barren 
       wilderness," Isaiah said, "and will proclaim that everyone must 
       straighten out his life to be ready for the Lord's arrival."

       (Mark 1:4 TLB)  This messenger was John the Baptist. He lived in the 
       wilderness and taught that all should be baptized as a public 
       announcement of their decision to turn their backs on sin, so that God 
       could forgive them.

       (Mark 1:5 TLB)  People from Jerusalem and from all over Judea traveled 
       out into the Judean wastelands to see and hear John, and when they 
       confessed their sins he baptized them in the Jordan River.

       (Mark 1:6 TLB)  His clothes were woven from camel's hair and he wore a 
       leather belt; locusts and wild honey were his food.

       (Mark 1:7 TLB)  Here is a sample of his preaching: "Someone is coming 
       soon who is far greater than I am, so much greater that I am not even 
       worthy to be his slave.

       (Mark 1:8 TLB)  I baptize you with water but he will baptize you with 
       God's Holy Spirit!"

       (Mark 1:9 TLB)  Then one day Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee, and 
       was baptized by John there in the Jordan River.

       (Mark 1:10 TLB)  The moment Jesus came up out of the water, he saw the 
       heavens open and the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove descending on 
       him,

       (Mark 1:11 TLB)  and a voice from heaven said, "You are my beloved 
       Son; you are my Delight."

       (Mark 1:12 TLB)  Immediately the Holy Spirit urged Jesus into the 
       desert.

       (Mark 1:13 TLB)  There, for forty days, alone except for desert 
       animals, he was subjected to Satan's temptations to sin. And 
       afterwards the angels came and cared for him.

       (Mark 1:14 TLB)  Later on, after John was arrested by King Herod, 
       Jesus went to Galilee to preach God's Good News.





       (Mark 1:15 TLB)  "At last the time has come!" he announced. "God's 
       Kingdom is near! Turn from your sins and act on this glorious news!"

       (Mark 1:16 TLB)  One day as Jesus was walking along the shores of the 
       Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew fishing with nets, 
       for they were commercial fishermen.

       (Mark 1:17 TLB)  Jesus called out to them, "Come, follow me! And I 
       will make you fishermen for the souls of men!"

       (Mark 1:18 TLB)  At once they left their nets and went along with him.

       (Mark 1:19 TLB)  A little farther up the beach, he saw Zebedee's sons, 
       James and John, in a boat mending their nets.

       (Mark 1:20 TLB)  He called them too, and immediately they left their 
       father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and went with him.

       (Mark 1:21 TLB)  Jesus and his companions now arrived at the town of 
       Capernaum and on Saturday morning went into the Jewish place of 
       worship--the synagogue--where he preached.

       (Mark 1:22 TLB)  The congregation was surprised at his sermon because 
       he spoke as an authority and didn't try to prove his points by quoting 
       others--quite unlike what they were used to hearing!

       (Mark 1:23 TLB)  A man possessed by a demon was present and began 
       shouting,

       (Mark 1:24 TLB)  "Why are you bothering us, Jesus of Nazareth--have 
       you come to destroy us demons? I know who you are--the holy Son of 
       God!"

       (Mark 1:25 TLB)  Jesus curtly commanded the demon to say no more and 
       to come out of the man.

       (Mark 1:26 TLB)  At that the evil spirit screamed and convulsed the 
       man violently and left him.

       (Mark 1:27 TLB)  Amazement gripped the audience and they began 
       discussing what had happened. "What sort of new religion is this?" 
       they asked excitedly. "Why, even evil spirits obey his orders!"

       (Mark 1:28 TLB)  The news of what he had done spread quickly through 
       that entire area of Galilee.

       (Mark 1:29 TLB)  Then, leaving the synagogue, he and his disciples 
       went over to Simon and Andrew's home,

       (Mark 1:30 TLB)  where they found Simon's mother-in-law sick in bed 
       with a high fever. They told Jesus about her right away.

       (Mark 1:31 TLB)  He went to her bedside, and as he took her by the 
       hand and helped her to sit up, the fever suddenly left, and she got up 
       and prepared dinner for them!





       (Mark 1:32 TLB)  By sunset the courtyard was filled with the sick and 
       demon-possessed, brought to him for healing;

       (Mark 1:33 TLB)  and a huge crowd of people from all over the city of 
       Capernaum gathered outside the door to watch.

       (Mark 1:34 TLB)  So Jesus healed great numbers of sick folk that 
       evening and ordered many demons to come out of their victims. (But he 
       refused to allow the demons to speak, because they knew who he was.)

       (Mark 1:35 TLB)  The next morning he was up long before daybreak and 
       went out alone into the wilderness to pray.

       (Mark 1:36 TLB)  Later, Simon and the others went out to find him,

       (Mark 1:37 TLB)  and told him, "Everyone is asking for you."

       (Mark 1:38 TLB)  But he replied, "We must go on to other towns as 
       well, and give my message to them too, for that is why I came."

       (Mark 1:39 TLB)  So he traveled throughout the province of Galilee, 
       preaching in the synagogues and releasing many from the power of 
       demons.

       (Mark 1:40 TLB)  Once a leper came and knelt in front of him and 
       begged to be healed. "If you want to, you can make me well again," he 
       pled.

       (Mark 1:41 TLB)  And Jesus, moved with pity, touched him and said, "I 
       want to! Be healed!"

       (Mark 1:42 TLB)  Immediately the leprosy was gone--the man was healed!

       (Mark 1:43 TLB)  Jesus then told him sternly,

       (Mark 1:44 TLB)  "Go and be examined immediately by the Jewish priest. 
       Don't stop to speak to anyone along the way. Take along the offering 
       prescribed by Moses for a leper who is healed, so that everyone will 
       have proof that you are well again."

       (Mark 1:45 TLB)  But as the man went on his way he began to shout the 
       good news that he was healed; as a result, such throngs soon 
       surrounded Jesus that he couldn't publicly enter a city anywhere, but 
       had to stay out in the barren wastelands. And people from everywhere 
       came to him there.

       (Mark 2:1 TLB)  Several days later he returned to Capernaum, and the 
       news of his arrival spread quickly through the city.

       (Mark 2:2 TLB)  Soon the house where he was staying was so packed with 
       visitors that there wasn't room for a single person more, not even 
       outside the door. And he preached the Word to them.

       (Mark 2:3 TLB)  Four men arrived carrying a paralyzed man on a 
       stretcher.





       (Mark 2:4 TLB)  They couldn't get to Jesus through the crowd, so they 
       dug through the clay roof above his head and lowered the sick man on 
       his stretcher, right down in front of Jesus.

       (Mark 2:5 TLB)  When Jesus saw how strongly they believed that he 
       would help, Jesus said to the sick man, "Son, your sins are forgiven!"

       (Mark 2:6 TLB)  But some of the Jewish religious leaders said to 
       themselves as they sat there,

       (Mark 2:7 TLB)  "What? This is blasphemy! Does he think he is God? For 
       only God can forgive sins."

       (Mark 2:8 TLB)  Jesus could read their minds and said to them at once, 
       "Why does this bother you?

       (Mark 2:9 TLB)  I, the Messiah, have the authority on earth to forgive 
       sins.

       (Mark 2:10 TLB)  But talk is cheap--anybody could say that. So I'll 
       prove it to you by healing this man."

       (Mark 2:11 TLB)  Then, turning to the paralyzed man, he commanded, 
       "Pick up your stretcher and go on home, for you are healed!"

       (Mark 2:12 TLB)  The man jumped up, took the stretcher, and pushed his 
       way through the stunned onlookers! Then how they praised God. "We've 
       never seen anything like this before!" they all exclaimed.

       (Mark 2:13 TLB)  Then Jesus went out to the seashore again and 
       preached to the crowds that gathered around him.

       (Mark 2:14 TLB)  As he was walking up the beach he saw Levi, the son 
       of Alphaeus, sitting at his tax collection booth. "Come with me," 
       Jesus told him. "Come be my disciple." And Levi jumped to his feet and 
       went along.

       (Mark 2:15 TLB)  That night Levi invited his fellow tax collectors and 
       many other notorious sinners to be his dinner guests so that they 
       could meet Jesus and his disciples. (There were many men of this type 
       among the crowds that followed him.)

       (Mark 2:16 TLB)  But when some of the Jewish religious leaders saw him 
       eating with these men of ill repute, they said to his disciples, "How 
       can he stand it, to eat with such scum?"

       (Mark 2:17 TLB)  When Jesus heard what they were saying, he told them, 
       "Sick people need the doctor, not healthy ones! I haven't come to tell 
       good people to repent, but the bad ones."

       (Mark 2:18 TLB)  John's disciples and the Jewish leaders sometimes 
       fasted, that is, went without food as part of their religion. One day 
       some people came to Jesus and asked why his disciples didn't do this 
       too.

       (Mark 2:19 TLB)  Jesus replied, "Do friends of the bridegroom refuse 





       to eat at the wedding feast? Should they be sad while he is with them?

       (Mark 2:20 TLB)  But some day he will be taken away from them, and 
       then they will mourn.

       (Mark 2:21 TLB)  (Besides, going without food is part of the old way 
       of doing things.) It is like patching an old garment with unshrunk 
       cloth! What happens? The patch pulls away and leaves the hole worse 
       than before.

       (Mark 2:22 TLB)  You know better than to put new wine into old 
       wineskins. They would burst. The wine would be spilled out and the 
       wineskins ruined. New wine needs fresh wineskins."

       (Mark 2:23 TLB)  Another time, on a Sabbath day as Jesus and his 
       disciples were walking through the fields, the disciples were breaking 
       off heads of wheat and eating the grain.

       (Mark 2:24 TLB)  Some of the Jewish religious leaders said to Jesus, 
       "They shouldn't be doing that! It's against our laws to work by 
       harvesting grain on the Sabbath."

       (Mark 2:25 TLB)  But Jesus replied, "Didn't you ever hear about the 
       time King David and his companions were hungry,

       (Mark 2:26 TLB)  and he went into the house of God--Abiathar was High 
       Priest then--and they ate the special bread only priests were allowed 
       to eat? That was against the law too.

       (Mark 2:27 TLB)  But the Sabbath was made to benefit man, and not man 
       to benefit the Sabbath.

       (Mark 2:28 TLB)  And I, the Messiah, have authority even to decide 
       what men can do on Sabbath days!"

       (Mark 3:1 TLB)  While in Capernaum Jesus went over to the synagogue 
       again, and noticed a man there with a deformed hand.

       (Mark 3:2 TLB)  Since it was the Sabbath, Jesus' enemies watched him 
       closely. Would he heal the man's hand? If he did, they planned to 
       arrest him!

       (Mark 3:3 TLB)  Jesus asked the man to come and stand in front of the 
       congregation.

       (Mark 3:4 TLB)  Then turning to his enemies he asked, "Is it all right 
       to do kind deeds on Sabbath days? Or is this a day for doing harm? Is 
       it a day to save lives or to destroy them?" But they wouldn't answer 
       him.

       (Mark 3:5 TLB)  Looking around at them angrily, for he was deeply 
       disturbed by their indifference to human need, he said to the man, 
       "Reach out your hand." He did, and instantly his hand was healed!

       (Mark 3:6 TLB)  At once the Pharisees went away and met with the 
       Herodians to discuss plans for killing Jesus.






       (Mark 3:7 TLB)  Meanwhile, Jesus and his disciples withdrew to the 
       beach, followed by a huge crowd

       (Mark 3:8 TLB)  from all over Galilee, Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, from 
       beyond the Jordan River, and even from as far away as Tyre and Sidon. 
       For the news about his miracles had spread far and wide and vast 
       numbers came to see him for themselves.

       (Mark 3:9 TLB)  He instructed his disciples to bring around a boat and 
       to have it standing ready to rescue him in case he was crowded off the 
       beach.

       (Mark 3:10 TLB)  For there had been many healings that day and as a 
       result great numbers of sick people were crowding around him, trying 
       to touch him.

       (Mark 3:11 TLB)  And whenever those possessed by demons caught sight 
       of him they would fall down before him shrieking, "You are the Son of 
       God!"

       (Mark 3:12 TLB)  But he strictly warned them not to make him known.

       (Mark 3:13 TLB)  Afterwards he went up into the hills and summoned 
       certain ones he chose, inviting them to come and join him there; and 
       they did.

       (Mark 3:14 TLB)  Then he selected twelve of them to be his regular 
       companions and to go out to preach

       (Mark 3:15 TLB)  and to cast out demons.

       (Mark 3:16 TLB)  These are the names of the twelve he chose: Simon (he 
       renamed him "Peter"),

       (Mark 3:17 TLB)  James and John (the sons of Zebedee, but Jesus called 
       them "Sons of Thunder"),

       (Mark 3:18 TLB)  Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James 
       (the son of Alphaeus), Thaddaeus, Simon (a member of a political party 
       advocating violent overthrow of the Roman government),

       (Mark 3:19 TLB)  Judas Iscariot (who later betrayed him).

       (Mark 3:20 TLB)  When he returned to the house where he was staying, 
       the crowds began to gather again, and soon it was so full of visitors 
       that he couldn't even find time to eat.

       (Mark 3:21 TLB)  When his friends heard what was happening they came 
       to try to take him home with them. "He's out of his mind," they said.

       (Mark 3:22 TLB)  But the Jewish teachers of religion who had arrived 
       from Jerusalem said, "His trouble is that he's possessed by Satan, 
       king of demons. That's why demons obey him."

       (Mark 3:23 TLB)  Jesus summoned these men and asked them (using 





       proverbs they all understood), "How can Satan cast out Satan?

       (Mark 3:24 TLB)  A kingdom divided against itself will collapse.

       (Mark 3:25 TLB)  A home filled with strife and division destroys 
       itself.

       (Mark 3:26 TLB)  And if Satan is fighting against himself, how can he 
       accomplish anything? He would never survive.

       (Mark 3:27 TLB)  (Satan must be bound before his demons are cast out), 
       just as a strong man must be tied up before his house can be ransacked 
       and his property robbed.

       (Mark 3:28 TLB)  "I solemnly declare that any sin of man can be 
       forgiven, even blasphemy against me;

       (Mark 3:29 TLB)  but blasphemy against the Holy Spirit can never be 
       forgiven. It is an eternal sin."

       (Mark 3:30 TLB)  He told them this because they were saying he did his 
       miracles by Satan's power (instead of acknowledging it was by the Holy 
       Spirit's power).

       (Mark 3:31 TLB)  Now his mother and brothers arrived at the crowded 
       house where he was teaching, and they sent word for him to come out 
       and talk with them.

       (Mark 3:32 TLB)  "Your mother and brothers are outside and want to see 
       you," he was told.

       (Mark 3:33 TLB)  He replied, "Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?"

       (Mark 3:34 TLB)  Looking at those around him he said, "These are my 
       mother and brothers!

       (Mark 3:35 TLB)  Anyone who does God's will is my brother, and my 
       sister, and my mother."

       (Mark 4:1 TLB)  Once again an immense crowd gathered around him on the 
       beach as he was teaching, so he got into a boat and sat down and 
       talked from there.

       (Mark 4:2 TLB)  His usual method of teaching was to tell the people 
       stories. One of them went like this:

       (Mark 4:3 TLB)  "Listen! A farmer decided to sow some grain. As he 
       scattered it across his field,

       (Mark 4:4 TLB)  some of it fell on a path, and the birds came and 
       picked it off the hard ground and ate it.

       (Mark 4:5 TLB)  Some fell on thin soil with underlying rock. It grew 
       up quickly enough,

       (Mark 4:6 TLB)  but soon wilted beneath the hot sun and died because 





       the roots had no nourishment in the shallow soil.

       (Mark 4:7 TLB)  Other seeds fell among thorns that shot up and crowded 
       the young plants so that they produced no grain.

       (Mark 4:8 TLB)  But some of the seeds fell into good soil and yielded 
       thirty times as much as he had planted--some of it even sixty or a 
       hundred times as much!

       (Mark 4:9 TLB)  If you have ears, listen!"

       (Mark 4:10 TLB)  Afterwards, when he was alone with the twelve and 
       with his other disciples, they asked him, "What does your story mean?"

       (Mark 4:11 TLB)  He replied, "You are permitted to know some truths 
       about the Kingdom of God that are hidden to those outside the Kingdom:

       (Mark 4:12 TLB)  'Though they see and hear, they will not understand 
       or turn to God, or be forgiven for their sins.'

       (Mark 4:13 TLB)  But if you can't understand this simple illustration, 
       what will you do about all the others I am going to tell?

       (Mark 4:14 TLB)  "The farmer I talked about is anyone who brings God's 
       message to others, trying to plant good seed within their lives.

       (Mark 4:15 TLB)  The hard pathway, where some of the seed fell, 
       represents the hard hearts of some of those who hear God's message; 
       Satan comes at once to try to make them forget it.

       (Mark 4:16 TLB)  The rocky soil represents the hearts of those who 
       hear the message with joy,

       (Mark 4:17 TLB)  but, like young plants in such soil, their roots 
       don't go very deep, and though at first they get along fine, as soon 
       as persecution begins, they wilt.

       (Mark 4:18 TLB)  "The thorny ground represents the hearts of people 
       who listen to the Good News and receive it,

       (Mark 4:19 TLB)  but all too quickly the attractions of this world and 
       the delights of wealth, and the search for success and lure of nice 
       things come in and crowd out God's message from their hearts, so that 
       no crop is produced.

       (Mark 4:20 TLB)  "But the good soil represents the hearts of those who 
       truly accept God's message and produce a plentiful harvest for 
       God--thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as was planted in 
       their hearts."

       (Mark 4:21 TLB)  Then he asked them, "When someone lights a lamp, does 
       he put a box over it to shut out the light? Of course not! The light 
       couldn't be seen or used. A lamp is placed on a stand to shine and be 
       useful.

       (Mark 4:22 TLB)  "All that is now hidden will someday come to light.






       (Mark 4:23 TLB)  If you have ears, listen!

       (Mark 4:24 TLB)  And be sure to put into practice what you hear. The 
       more you do this, the more you will understand what I tell you.

       (Mark 4:25 TLB)  To him who has shall be given; from him who has not 
       shall be taken away even what he has.

       (Mark 4:26 TLB)  "Here is another story illustrating what the Kingdom 
       of God is like: "A farmer sowed his field

       (Mark 4:27 TLB)  and went away, and as the days went by, the seeds 
       grew and grew without his help.

       (Mark 4:28 TLB)  For the soil made the seeds grow. First a leaf-blade 
       pushed through, and later the wheat-heads formed and finally the grain 
       ripened,

       (Mark 4:29 TLB)  and then the farmer came at once with his sickle and 
       harvested it."

       (Mark 4:30 TLB)  Jesus asked, "How can I describe the Kingdom of God? 
       What story shall I use to illustrate it?

       (Mark 4:31 TLB)  It is like a tiny mustard seed! Though this is one of 
       the smallest of seeds,

       (Mark 4:32 TLB)  yet it grows to become one of the largest of plants, 
       with long branches where birds can build their nests and be 
       sheltered."

       (Mark 4:33 TLB)  He used many such illustrations to teach the people 
       as much as they were ready to understand.

       (Mark 4:34 TLB)  In fact, he taught only by illustrations in his 
       public teaching, but afterwards, when he was alone with his disciples, 
       he would explain his meaning to them.

       (Mark 4:35 TLB)  As evening fell, Jesus said to his disciples, "Let's 
       cross to the other side of the lake."

       (Mark 4:36 TLB)  So they took him just as he was and started out, 
       leaving the crowds behind (though other boats followed).

       (Mark 4:37 TLB)  But soon a terrible storm arose. High waves began to 
       break into the boat until it was nearly full of water and about to 
       sink.

       (Mark 4:38 TLB)  Jesus was asleep at the back of the boat with his 
       head on a cushion. Frantically they wakened him, shouting, "Teacher, 
       don't you even care that we are all about to drown?"

       (Mark 4:39 TLB)  Then he rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Quiet 
       down!" And the wind fell, and there was a great calm!





       (Mark 4:40 TLB)  And he asked them, "Why were you so fearful? Don't 
       you even yet have confidence in me?"

       (Mark 4:41 TLB)  And they were filled with awe and said among 
       themselves, "Who is this man, that even the winds and seas obey him?"

       (Mark 5:1 TLB)  When they arrived at the other side of the lake,

       (Mark 5:2 TLB)  a demon-possessed man ran out from a graveyard, just 
       as Jesus was climbing from the boat.

       (Mark 5:3 TLB)  This man lived among the gravestones and had such 
       strength that whenever he was put into handcuffs and shackles--as he 
       often was--

       (Mark 5:4 TLB)  he snapped the handcuffs from his wrists and smashed 
       the shackles and walked away. No one was strong enough to control him.

       (Mark 5:5 TLB)  All day long and through the night he would wander 
       among the tombs and in the wild hills, screaming and cutting himself 
       with sharp pieces of stone.

       (Mark 5:6 TLB)  When Jesus was still far out on the water, the man had 
       seen him and had run to meet him, and fell down before him.

       (Mark 5:7 TLB)  Then Jesus spoke to the demon within the man and said, 
       "Come out, you evil spirit." It gave a terrible scream, shrieking, 
       "What are you going to do to me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? For 
       God's sake, don't torture me!"

       (Mark 5:8 TLB)  

       (Mark 5:9 TLB)  "What is your name?" Jesus asked, and the demon 
       replied, "Legion, for there are many of us here within this man."

       (Mark 5:10 TLB)  Then the demons begged him again and again not to 
       send them to some distant land.

       (Mark 5:11 TLB)  Now as it happened there was a huge herd of hogs 
       rooting around on the hill above the lake.

       (Mark 5:12 TLB)  "Send us into those hogs," the demons begged.

       (Mark 5:13 TLB)  And Jesus gave them permission. Then the evil spirits 
       came out of the man and entered the hogs, and the entire herd plunged 
       down the steep hillside into the lake and drowned.

       (Mark 5:14 TLB)  The herdsmen fled to the nearby towns and 
       countryside, spreading the news as they ran. Everyone rushed out to 
       see for themselves.

       (Mark 5:15 TLB)  And a large crowd soon gathered where Jesus was; but 
       as they saw the man sitting there, fully clothed and perfectly sane, 
       they were frightened.

       (Mark 5:16 TLB)  Those who saw what happened were telling everyone 





       about it,

       (Mark 5:17 TLB)  and the crowd began pleading with Jesus to go away 
       and leave them alone!

       (Mark 5:18 TLB)  So he got back into the boat. The man who had been 
       possessed by the demons begged Jesus to let him go along.

       (Mark 5:19 TLB)  But Jesus said no. "Go home to your friends," he told 
       him, "and tell them what wonderful things God has done for you; and 
       how merciful he has been."

       (Mark 5:20 TLB)  So the man started off to visit the Ten Towns of that 
       region and began to tell everyone about the great things Jesus had 
       done for him; and they were awestruck by his story.

       (Mark 5:21 TLB)  When Jesus had gone across by boat to the other side 
       of the lake, a vast crowd gathered around him on the shore.

       (Mark 5:22 TLB)  The leader of the local synagogue, whose name was 
       Jairus, came and fell down before him,

       (Mark 5:23 TLB)  pleading with him to heal his little daughter. "She 
       is at the point of death," he said in desperation. "Please come and 
       place your hands on her and make her live."

       (Mark 5:24 TLB)  Jesus went with him, and the crowd thronged behind.

       (Mark 5:25 TLB)  In the crowd was a woman who had been sick for twelve 
       years with a hemorrhage.

       (Mark 5:26 TLB)  She had suffered much from many doctors through the 
       years and had become poor from paying them, and was no better but, in 
       fact, was worse.

       (Mark 5:27 TLB)  She had heard all about the wonderful miracles Jesus 
       did, and that is why she came up behind him through the crowd and 
       touched his clothes.

       (Mark 5:28 TLB)  For she thought to herself, "If I can just touch his 
       clothing, I will be healed."

       (Mark 5:29 TLB)  And sure enough, as soon as she had touched him, the 
       bleeding stopped and she knew she was well!

       (Mark 5:30 TLB)  Jesus realized at once that healing power had gone 
       out from him, so he turned around in the crowd and asked, "Who touched 
       my clothes?"

       (Mark 5:31 TLB)  His disciples said to him, "All this crowd pressing 
       around you, and you ask who touched you?"

       (Mark 5:32 TLB)  But he kept on looking around to see who it was who 
       had done it.

       (Mark 5:33 TLB)  Then the frightened woman, trembling at the 





       realization of what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and 
       told him what she had done.

       (Mark 5:34 TLB)  And he said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made 
       you well; go in peace, healed of your disease."

       (Mark 5:35 TLB)  While he was still talking to her, messengers arrived 
       from Jairus' home with the news that it was too late--his daughter was 
       dead and there was no point in Jesus' coming now.

       (Mark 5:36 TLB)  But Jesus ignored their comments and said to Jairus, 
       "Don't be afraid. Just trust me."

       (Mark 5:37 TLB)  Then Jesus halted the crowd and wouldn't let anyone 
       go on with him to Jairus' home except Peter and James and John.

       (Mark 5:38 TLB)  When they arrived, Jesus saw that all was in great 
       confusion, with unrestrained weeping and wailing.

       (Mark 5:39 TLB)  He went inside and spoke to the people. "Why all this 
       weeping and commotion?" he asked. "The child isn't dead; she is only 
       asleep!"

       (Mark 5:40 TLB)  They laughed at him in bitter derision, but he told 
       them all to leave, and taking the little girl's father and mother and 
       his three disciples, he went into the room where she was lying.

       (Mark 5:41 TLB)  Taking her by the hand he said to her, "Get up, 
       little girl!"

       (Mark 5:42 TLB)  (She was twelve years old.) And she jumped up and 
       walked around! Her parents just couldn't get over it.

       (Mark 5:43 TLB)  Jesus instructed them very earnestly not to tell what 
       had happened and told them to give her something to eat.

       (Mark 6:1 TLB)  Soon afterwards he left that section of the country 
       and returned with his disciples to Nazareth, his hometown.

       (Mark 6:2 TLB)  The next Sabbath he went to the synagogue to teach, 
       and the people were astonished at his wisdom and his miracles because 
       he was just a local man like themselves. "He's no better than we are," 
       they said.

       (Mark 6:3 TLB)  "He's just a carpenter, Mary's boy, and a brother of 
       James and Joseph, Judas and Simon. And his sisters live right here 
       among us." And they were offended!

       (Mark 6:4 TLB)  Then Jesus told them, "A prophet is honored everywhere 
       except in his hometown and among his relatives and by his own family."

       (Mark 6:5 TLB)  And because of their unbelief he couldn't do any 
       mighty miracles among them except to place his hands on a few sick 
       people and heal them.

       (Mark 6:6 TLB)  And he could hardly accept the fact that they wouldn't 





       believe in him. Then he went out among the villages, teaching.

       (Mark 6:7 TLB)  And he called his twelve disciples together and sent 
       them out two by two, with power to cast out demons.

       (Mark 6:8 TLB)  He told them to take nothing with them except their 
       walking sticks--no food, no knapsack, no money,

       (Mark 6:9 TLB)  not even an extra pair of shoes or a change of 
       clothes.

       (Mark 6:10 TLB)  "Stay at one home in each village--don't shift around 
       from house to house while you are there," he said.

       (Mark 6:11 TLB)  "And whenever a village won't accept you or listen to 
       you, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave; it is a sign that 
       you have abandoned it to its fate."

       (Mark 6:12 TLB)  So the disciples went out, telling everyone they met 
       to turn from sin.

       (Mark 6:13 TLB)  And they cast out many demons and healed many sick 
       people, anointing them with olive oil.

       (Mark 6:14 TLB)  King Herod soon heard about Jesus, for his miracles 
       were talked about everywhere. The king thought Jesus was John the 
       Baptist come back to life again. So the people were saying, "No wonder 
       he can do such miracles."

       (Mark 6:15 TLB)  Others thought Jesus was Elijah the ancient prophet, 
       now returned to life again; still others claimed he was a new prophet 
       like the great ones of the past.

       (Mark 6:16 TLB)  "No," Herod said, "it is John, the man I beheaded. He 
       has come back from the dead."

       (Mark 6:17 TLB)  For Herod had sent soldiers to arrest and imprison 
       John

       (Mark 6:18 TLB)  because he kept saying it was wrong for the king to 
       marry Herodias, his brother Philip's wife.

       (Mark 6:19 TLB)  Herodias wanted John killed in revenge, but without 
       Herod's approval she was powerless.

       (Mark 6:20 TLB)  And Herod respected John, knowing that he was a good 
       and holy man, and so he kept him under his protection. Herod was 
       disturbed whenever he talked with John, but even so he liked to listen 
       to him.

       (Mark 6:21 TLB)  Herodias' chance finally came. It was Herod's 
       birthday and he gave a stag party for his palace aides, army officers, 
       and the leading citizens of Galilee.

       (Mark 6:22 TLB)  Then Herodias' daughter came in and danced before 
       them and greatly pleased them all.






       (Mark 6:23 TLB)  "Ask me for anything you like," the king vowed, "even 
       half of my kingdom, and I will give it to you!"

       (Mark 6:24 TLB)  She went out and consulted her mother, who told her, 
       "Ask for John the Baptist's head!"

       (Mark 6:25 TLB)  So she hurried back to the king and told him, "I want 
       the head of John the Baptist--right now--on a tray!"

       (Mark 6:26 TLB)  Then the king was sorry, but he was embarrassed to 
       break his oath in front of his guests.

       (Mark 6:27 TLB)  So he sent one of his bodyguards to the prison to cut 
       off John's head and bring it to him. The soldier killed John in the 
       prison,

       (Mark 6:28 TLB)  and brought back his head on a tray, and gave it to 
       the girl and she took it to her mother.

       (Mark 6:29 TLB)  When John's disciples heard what had happened, they 
       came for his body and buried it in a tomb.

       (Mark 6:30 TLB)  The apostles now returned to Jesus from their tour 
       and told him all they had done and what they had said to the people 
       they visited.

       (Mark 6:31 TLB)  Then Jesus suggested, "Let's get away from the crowds 
       for a while and rest." For so many people were coming and going that 
       they scarcely had time to eat.

       (Mark 6:32 TLB)  So they left by boat for a quieter spot.

       (Mark 6:33 TLB)  But many people saw them leaving and ran on ahead 
       along the shore and met them as they landed.

       (Mark 6:34 TLB)  So the usual vast crowd was there as he stepped from 
       the boat; and he had pity on them because they were like sheep without 
       a shepherd, and he taught them many things they needed to know.

       (Mark 6:35 TLB)  Late in the afternoon his disciples came to him and 
       said,

       (Mark 6:36 TLB)  "Tell the people to go away to the nearby villages 
       and farms and buy themselves some food, for there is nothing to eat 
       here in this desolate spot, and it is getting late."

       (Mark 6:37 TLB)  But Jesus said, "You feed them." "With what?" they 
       asked. "It would take a fortune to buy food for all this crowd!"

       (Mark 6:38 TLB)  "How much food do we have?" he asked. "Go and find 
       out." They came back to report that there were five loaves of bread 
       and two fish.

       (Mark 6:39 TLB)  Then Jesus told the crowd to sit down,





       (Mark 6:40 TLB)  and soon colorful groups of fifty or a hundred each 
       were sitting on the green grass.

       (Mark 6:41 TLB)  He took the five loaves and two fish and looking up 
       to heaven, gave thanks for the food. Breaking the loaves into pieces, 
       he gave some of the bread and fish to each disciple to place before 
       the people.

       (Mark 6:42 TLB)  And the crowd ate until they could hold no more!

       (Mark 6:43 TLB)  There were about 5,000 men there for that meal, and 
       afterwards twelve basketfuls of scraps were picked up off the grass!

       (Mark 6:44 TLB)  

       (Mark 6:45 TLB)  Immediately after this Jesus instructed his disciples 
       to get back into the boat and strike out across the lake to Bethsaida, 
       where he would join them later. He himself would stay and tell the 
       crowds good-bye and get them started home.

       (Mark 6:46 TLB)  Afterwards he went up into the hills to pray.

       (Mark 6:47 TLB)  During the night, as the disciples in their boat were 
       out in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land,

       (Mark 6:48 TLB)  he saw that they were in serious trouble, rowing hard 
       and struggling against the wind and waves. About three o'clock in the 
       morning he walked out to them on the water. He started past them,

       (Mark 6:49 TLB)  but when they saw something walking along beside them 
       they screamed in terror, thinking it was a ghost,

       (Mark 6:50 TLB)  for they all saw him. But he spoke to them at once. 
       "It's all right," he said. "It is I! Don't be afraid."

       (Mark 6:51 TLB)  Then he climbed into the boat and the wind stopped! 
       They just sat there, unable to take it in!

       (Mark 6:52 TLB)  For they still didn't realize who he was, even after 
       the miracle the evening before! For they didn't want to believe!

       (Mark 6:53 TLB)  When they arrived at Gennesaret on the other side of 
       the lake, they moored the boat

       (Mark 6:54 TLB)  and climbed out. The people standing around there 
       recognized him at once,

       (Mark 6:55 TLB)  and ran throughout the whole area to spread the news 
       of his arrival, and began carrying sick folks to him on mats and 
       stretchers.

       (Mark 6:56 TLB)  Wherever he went--in villages and cities, and out on 
       the farms--they laid the sick in the market plazas and streets, and 
       begged him to let them at least touch the fringes of his clothes; and 
       as many as touched him were healed.





       (Mark 7:1 TLB)  One day some Jewish religious leaders arrived from 
       Jerusalem to investigate him,

       (Mark 7:2 TLB)  and noticed that some of his disciples failed to 
       follow the usual Jewish rituals before eating.

       (Mark 7:3 TLB)  (For the Jews, especially the Pharisees, will never 
       eat until they have sprinkled their arms to the elbows, as required by 
       their ancient traditions.

       (Mark 7:4 TLB)  So when they come home from the market they must 
       always sprinkle themselves in this way before touching any food. This 
       is but one of many examples of laws and regulations they have clung to 
       for centuries, and still follow, such as their ceremony of cleansing 
       for pots, pans and dishes.)

       (Mark 7:5 TLB)  So the religious leaders asked him, "Why don't your 
       disciples follow our age-old customs? For they eat without first 
       performing the washing ceremony."

       (Mark 7:6 TLB)  Jesus replied, "You bunch of hypocrites! Isaiah the 
       prophet described you very well when he said, 'These people speak very 
       prettily about the Lord but they have no love for him at all.

       (Mark 7:7 TLB)  Their worship is a farce, for they claim that God 
       commands the people to obey their petty rules.' How right Isaiah was!

       (Mark 7:8 TLB)  For you ignore God's specific orders and substitute 
       your own traditions.

       (Mark 7:9 TLB)  You are simply rejecting God's laws and trampling them 
       under your feet for the sake of tradition.

       (Mark 7:10 TLB)  For instance, Moses gave you this law from God: 
       'Honor your father and mother.' And he said that anyone who speaks 
       against his father or mother must die.

       (Mark 7:11 TLB)  But you say it is perfectly all right for a man to 
       disregard his needy parents, telling them, 'Sorry, I can't help you! 
       For I have given to God what I could have given to you.'

       (Mark 7:12 TLB)  And so you break the law of God in order to protect 
       your man-made tradition.

       (Mark 7:13 TLB)  And this is only one example. There are many, many 
       others."

       (Mark 7:14 TLB)  Then Jesus called to the crowd to come and hear. "All 
       of you listen," he said, "and try to understand.

       (Mark 7:15 TLB)  Your souls aren't harmed by what you eat, but by what 
       you think and say!"

       (Mark 7:16 TLB)  

       (Mark 7:17 TLB)  Then he went into a house to get away from the 





       crowds, and his disciples asked him what he meant by the statement he 
       had just made.

       (Mark 7:18 TLB)  "Don't you understand either?" he asked. "Can't you 
       see that what you eat won't harm your soul?

       (Mark 7:19 TLB)  For food doesn't come in contact with your heart, but 
       only passes through the digestive system." (By saying this he showed 
       that every kind of food is kosher.)

       (Mark 7:20 TLB)  And then he added, "It is the thought-life that 
       pollutes.

       (Mark 7:21 TLB)  For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil 
       thoughts of lust, theft, murder, adultery,

       (Mark 7:22 TLB)  wanting what belongs to others, wickedness, deceit, 
       lewdness, envy, slander, pride, and all other folly.

       (Mark 7:23 TLB)  All these vile things come from within; they are what 
       pollute you and make you unfit for God."

       (Mark 7:24 TLB)  Then he left Galilee and went to the region of Tyre 
       and Sidon, and tried to keep it a secret that he was there, but 
       couldn't. For as usual the news of his arrival spread fast.

       (Mark 7:25 TLB)  Right away a woman came to him whose little girl was 
       possessed by a demon. She had heard about Jesus and now she came and 
       fell at his feet,

       (Mark 7:26 TLB)  and pled with him to release her child from the 
       demon's control. (But she was Syrophoenician--a "despised Gentile!")

       (Mark 7:27 TLB)  Jesus told her, "First I should help my own 
       family--the Jews. It isn't right to take the children's food and throw 
       it to the dogs."

       (Mark 7:28 TLB)  She replied, "That's true, sir, but even the puppies 
       under the table are given some scraps from the children's plates."

       (Mark 7:29 TLB)  "Good!" he said. "You have answered well--so well 
       that I have healed your little girl. Go on home, for the demon has 
       left her!"

       (Mark 7:30 TLB)  And when she arrived home, her little girl was lying 
       quietly in bed, and the demon was gone.

       (Mark 7:31 TLB)  From Tyre he went to Sidon, then back to the Sea of 
       Galilee by way of the Ten Towns.

       (Mark 7:32 TLB)  A deaf man with a speech impediment was brought to 
       him, and everyone begged Jesus to lay his hands on the man and heal 
       him.

       (Mark 7:33 TLB)  Jesus led him away from the crowd and put his fingers 
       into the man's ears, then spat and touched the man's tongue with the 





       spittle.

       (Mark 7:34 TLB)  Then, looking up to heaven, he sighed and commanded, 
       "Open!"

       (Mark 7:35 TLB)  Instantly the man could hear perfectly and speak 
       plainly!

       (Mark 7:36 TLB)  Jesus told the crowd not to spread the news, but the 
       more he forbade them, the more they made it known,

       (Mark 7:37 TLB)  for they were overcome with utter amazement. Again 
       and again they said, "Everything he does is wonderful; he even 
       corrects deafness and stammering!"

       (Mark 8:1 TLB)  One day about this time as another great crowd 
       gathered, the people ran out of food again. Jesus called his disciples 
       to discuss the situation.

       (Mark 8:2 TLB)  "I pity these people," he said, "for they have been 
       here three days and have nothing left to eat.

       (Mark 8:3 TLB)  And if I send them home without feeding them, they 
       will faint along the road! For some of them have come a long 
       distance."

       (Mark 8:4 TLB)  "Are we supposed to find food for them here in the 
       desert?" his disciples scoffed.

       (Mark 8:5 TLB)  "How many loaves of bread do you have?" he asked. 
       "Seven," they replied.

       (Mark 8:6 TLB)  So he told the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then 
       he took the seven loaves, thanked God for them, broke them into pieces 
       and passed them to his disciples; and the disciples placed them before 
       the people.

       (Mark 8:7 TLB)  A few small fish were found, too, so Jesus also 
       blessed these and told the disciples to serve them.

       (Mark 8:8 TLB)  And the whole crowd ate until they were full, and 
       afterwards he sent them home.

       (Mark 8:9 TLB)  There were about 4,000 people in the crowd that day 
       and when the scraps were picked up after the meal, there were seven 
       very large basketfuls left over!

       (Mark 8:10 TLB)  Immediately after this he got into a boat with his 
       disciples and came to the region of Dalmanutha.

       (Mark 8:11 TLB)  When the local Jewish leaders learned of his arrival, 
       they came to argue with him. "Do a miracle for us," they said. "Make 
       something happen in the sky. Then we will believe in you."

       (Mark 8:12 TLB)  He sighed deeply when he heard this and he said, 
       "Certainly not. How many more miracles do you people need?"






       (Mark 8:13 TLB)  So he got back into the boat and left them, and 
       crossed to the other side of the lake.

       (Mark 8:14 TLB)  But the disciples had forgotten to stock up on food 
       before they left and had only one loaf of bread in the boat.

       (Mark 8:15 TLB)  As they were crossing, Jesus said to them very 
       solemnly, "Beware of the yeast of King Herod and of the Pharisees."

       (Mark 8:16 TLB)  "What does he mean?" the disciples asked each other. 
       They finally decided that he must be talking about their forgetting to 
       bring bread.

       (Mark 8:17 TLB)  Jesus realized what they were discussing and said, 
       "No, that isn't it at all! Can't you understand? Are your hearts too 
       hard to take it in?

       (Mark 8:18 TLB)  'Your eyes are to see with--why don't you look? Why 
       don't you open your ears and listen?' Don't you remember anything at 
       all?

       (Mark 8:19 TLB)  "What about the 5,000 men I fed with five loaves of 
       bread? How many basketfuls of scraps did you pick up afterwards?" 
       "Twelve," they said.

       (Mark 8:20 TLB)  "And when I fed the 4,000 with seven loaves, how much 
       was left?" "Seven basketfuls," they said.

       (Mark 8:21 TLB)  "And yet you think I'm worried that we have no 
       bread?"

       (Mark 8:22 TLB)  When they arrived at Bethsaida, some people brought a 
       blind man to him and begged him to touch and heal him.

       (Mark 8:23 TLB)  Jesus took the blind man by the hand and led him out 
       of the village, and spat upon his eyes, and laid his hands over them. 
       "Can you see anything now?" Jesus asked him.

       (Mark 8:24 TLB)  The man looked around. "Yes!" he said, "I see men! 
       But I can't see them very clearly; they look like tree trunks walking 
       around!"

       (Mark 8:25 TLB)  Then Jesus placed his hands over the man's eyes again 
       and as the man stared intently, his sight was completely restored, and 
       he saw everything clearly, drinking in the sights around him.

       (Mark 8:26 TLB)  Jesus sent him home to his family. "Don't even go 
       back to the village first," he said.

       (Mark 8:27 TLB)  Jesus and his disciples now left Galilee and went out 
       to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. As they were walking along he 
       asked them, "Who do the people think I am? What are they saying about 
       me?"

       (Mark 8:28 TLB)  "Some of them think you are John the Baptist," the 





       disciples replied, "and others say you are Elijah or some other 
       ancient prophet come back to life again."

       (Mark 8:29 TLB)  Then he asked, "Who do you think I am?" Peter 
       replied, "You are the Messiah."

       (Mark 8:30 TLB)  But Jesus warned them not to tell anyone!

       (Mark 8:31 TLB)  Then he began to tell them about the terrible things 
       he would suffer, and that he would be rejected by the elders and the 
       Chief Priests and the other Jewish leaders--and be killed, and that he 
       would rise again three days afterwards.

       (Mark 8:32 TLB)  He talked about it quite frankly with them, so Peter 
       took him aside and chided him. "You shouldn't say things like that," 
       he told Jesus.

       (Mark 8:33 TLB)  Jesus turned and looked at his disciples and then 
       said to Peter very sternly, "Satan, get behind me! You are looking at 
       this only from a human point of view and not from God's."

       (Mark 8:34 TLB)  Then he called his disciples and the crowds to come 
       over and listen. "If any of you wants to be my follower," he told 
       them, "you must put aside your own pleasures and shoulder your cross, 
       and follow me closely.

       (Mark 8:35 TLB)  If you insist on saving your life, you will lose it. 
       Only those who throw away their lives for my sake and for the sake of 
       the Good News will ever know what it means to really live.

       (Mark 8:36 TLB)  "And how does a man benefit if he gains the whole 
       world and loses his soul in the process?

       (Mark 8:37 TLB)  For is anything worth more than his soul?

       (Mark 8:38 TLB)  And anyone who is ashamed of me and my message in 
       these days of unbelief and sin, I, the Messiah, will be ashamed of him 
       when I return in the glory of my Father, with the holy angels."

       (Mark 9:1 TLB)  Jesus went on to say to his disciples, "Some of you 
       who are standing here right now will live to see the Kingdom of God 
       arrive in great power!"

       (Mark 9:2 TLB)  Six days later Jesus took Peter, James and John to the 
       top of a mountain. No one else was there. Suddenly his face began to 
       shine with glory,

       (Mark 9:3 TLB)  and his clothing became dazzling white, far more 
       glorious than any earthly process could ever make it!

       (Mark 9:4 TLB)  Then Elijah and Moses appeared and began talking with 
       Jesus!

       (Mark 9:5 TLB)  "Teacher, this is wonderful!" Peter exclaimed. "We 
       will make three shelters here, one for each of you.. . . "





       (Mark 9:6 TLB)  He said this just to be talking, for he didn't know 
       what else to say and they were all terribly frightened.

       (Mark 9:7 TLB)  But while he was still speaking these words, a cloud 
       covered them, blotting out the sun, and a voice from the cloud said, 
       "This is my beloved Son. Listen to him."

       (Mark 9:8 TLB)  Then suddenly they looked around and Moses and Elijah 
       were gone, and only Jesus was with them.

       (Mark 9:9 TLB)  As they descended the mountainside he told them never 
       to mention what they had seen until after he had risen from the dead.

       (Mark 9:10 TLB)  So they kept it to themselves, but often talked about 
       it, and wondered what he meant by "rising from the dead."

       (Mark 9:11 TLB)  Now they began asking him about something the Jewish 
       religious leaders often spoke of, that Elijah must return (before the 
       Messiah could come).

       (Mark 9:12 TLB)  Jesus agreed that Elijah must come first and prepare 
       the way--and that he had, in fact, already come! And that he had been 
       terribly mistreated, just as the prophets had predicted.

       (Mark 9:13 TLB)  Then Jesus asked them what the prophets could have 
       been talking about when they predicted that the Messiah would suffer 
       and be treated with utter contempt.

       (Mark 9:14 TLB)  At the bottom of the mountain they found a great 
       crowd surrounding the other nine disciples, as some Jewish leaders 
       argued with them.

       (Mark 9:15 TLB)  The crowd watched Jesus in awe as he came toward 
       them, and then ran to greet him.

       (Mark 9:16 TLB)  "What's all the argument about?" he asked.

       (Mark 9:17 TLB)  One of the men in the crowd spoke up and said, 
       "Teacher, I brought my son for you to heal--he can't talk because he 
       is possessed by a demon.

       (Mark 9:18 TLB)  And whenever the demon is in control of him it dashes 
       him to the ground and makes him foam at the mouth and grind his teeth 
       and become rigid. So I begged your disciples to cast out the demon, 
       but they couldn't do it."

       (Mark 9:19 TLB)  Jesus said (to his disciples), "Oh, what tiny faith 
       you have; how much longer must I be with you until you believe? How 
       much longer must I be patient with you? Bring the boy to me."

       (Mark 9:20 TLB)  So they brought the boy, but when he saw Jesus the 
       demon convulsed the child horribly, and he fell to the ground writhing 
       and foaming at the mouth.

       (Mark 9:21 TLB)  "How long has he been this way?" Jesus asked the 
       father. And he replied, "Since he was very small,






       (Mark 9:22 TLB)  and the demon often makes him fall into the fire or 
       into water to kill him. Oh, have mercy on us and do something if you 
       can."

       (Mark 9:23 TLB)  "If I can?" Jesus asked. "Anything is possible if you 
       have faith."

       (Mark 9:24 TLB)  The father instantly replied, "I do have faith; oh, 
       help me to have more!"

       (Mark 9:25 TLB)  When Jesus saw the crowd was growing he rebuked the 
       demon. "O demon of deafness and dumbness," he said, "I command you to 
       come out of this child and enter him no more!"

       (Mark 9:26 TLB)  Then the demon screamed terribly and convulsed the 
       boy again and left him; and the boy lay there limp and motionless, to 
       all appearance dead. A murmur ran through the crowd-- "He is dead."

       (Mark 9:27 TLB)  But Jesus took him by the hand and helped him to his 
       feet and he stood up and was all right!

       (Mark 9:28 TLB)  Afterwards, when Jesus was alone in the house with 
       his disciples, they asked him, "Why couldn't we cast that demon out?"

       (Mark 9:29 TLB)  Jesus replied, "Cases like this require prayer."

       (Mark 9:30 TLB)  Leaving that region they traveled through Galilee 
       where he tried to avoid all publicity

       (Mark 9:31 TLB)  in order to spend more time with his disciples, 
       teaching them. He would say to them, "I, the Messiah, am going to be 
       betrayed and killed and three days later I will return to life again."

       (Mark 9:32 TLB)  But they didn't understand and were afraid to ask him 
       what he meant.

       (Mark 9:33 TLB)  And so they arrived at Capernaum. When they were 
       settled in the house where they were to stay he asked them, "What were 
       you discussing out on the road?"

       (Mark 9:34 TLB)  But they were ashamed to answer, for they had been 
       arguing about which of them was the greatest!

       (Mark 9:35 TLB)  He sat down and called them around him and said, 
       "Anyone wanting to be the greatest must be the least--the servant of 
       all!"

       (Mark 9:36 TLB)  Then he placed a little child among them; and taking 
       the child in his arms he said to them,

       (Mark 9:37 TLB)  "Anyone who welcomes a little child like this in my 
       name is welcoming me, and anyone who welcomes me is welcoming my 
       Father who sent me!"

       (Mark 9:38 TLB)  One of his disciples, John, told him one day, 





       "Teacher, we saw a man using your name to cast out demons; but we told 
       him not to, for he isn't one of our group."

       (Mark 9:39 TLB)  "Don't forbid him!" Jesus said. "For no one doing 
       miracles in my name will quickly turn against me.

       (Mark 9:40 TLB)  Anyone who isn't against us is for us.

       (Mark 9:41 TLB)  If anyone so much as gives you a cup of water because 
       you are Christ's--I say this solemnly--he won't lose his reward.

       (Mark 9:42 TLB)  But if someone causes one of these little ones who 
       believe in me to lose faith--it would be better for that man if a huge 
       millstone were tied around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.

       (Mark 9:43 TLB)  "If your hand does wrong, cut it off. Better live 
       forever with one hand than be thrown into the unquenchable fires of 
       hell with two!

       (Mark 9:44 TLB)  

       (Mark 9:45 TLB)  If your foot carries you toward evil, cut it off! 
       Better be lame and live forever than have two feet that carry you to 
       hell.

       (Mark 9:46 TLB)  

       (Mark 9:47 TLB)  "And if your eye is sinful, gouge it out. Better 
       enter the Kingdom of God half blind than have two eyes and see the 
       fires of hell,

       (Mark 9:48 TLB)  where the worm never dies, and the fire never goes 
       out--

       (Mark 9:49 TLB)  where all are salted with fire.

       (Mark 9:50 TLB)  "Good salt is worthless if it loses its saltiness; it 
       can't season anything. So don't lose your flavor! Live in peace with 
       each other."

       (Mark 10:1 TLB)  Then he left Capernaum and went southward to the 
       Judean borders and into the area east of the Jordan River. And as 
       always there were the crowds; and as usual he taught them.

       (Mark 10:2 TLB)  Some Pharisees came and asked him, "Do you permit 
       divorce?" Of course they were trying to trap him.

       (Mark 10:3 TLB)  "What did Moses say about divorce?" Jesus asked them.

       (Mark 10:4 TLB)  "He said it was all right," they replied. "He said 
       that all a man has to do is write his wife a letter of dismissal."

       (Mark 10:5 TLB)  "And why did he say that?" Jesus asked. "I'll tell 
       you why--it was a concession to your hardhearted wickedness.

       (Mark 10:6 TLB)  But it certainly isn't God's way. For from the very 





       first he made man and woman to be joined together permanently in 
       marriage;

       (Mark 10:7 TLB)  therefore a man is to leave his father and mother,

       (Mark 10:8 TLB)  and he and his wife are united so that they are no 
       longer two, but one.

       (Mark 10:9 TLB)  And no man may separate what God has joined 
       together."

       (Mark 10:10 TLB)  Later, when he was alone with his disciples in the 
       house, they brought up the subject again.

       (Mark 10:11 TLB)  He told them, "When a man divorces his wife to marry 
       someone else, he commits adultery against her.

       (Mark 10:12 TLB)  And if a wife divorces her husband and remarries, 
       she, too, commits adultery."

       (Mark 10:13 TLB)  Once when some mothers were bringing their children 
       to Jesus to bless them, the disciples shooed them away, telling them 
       not to bother him.

       (Mark 10:14 TLB)  But when Jesus saw what was happening he was very 
       much displeased with his disciples and said to them, "Let the children 
       come to me, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as they. Don't send 
       them away!

       (Mark 10:15 TLB)  I tell you as seriously as I know how that anyone 
       who refuses to come to God as a little child will never be allowed 
       into his Kingdom."

       (Mark 10:16 TLB)  Then he took the children into his arms and placed 
       his hands on their heads and he blessed them.

       (Mark 10:17 TLB)  As he was starting out on a trip, a man came running 
       to him and knelt down and asked, "Good Teacher, what must I do to get 
       to heaven?"

       (Mark 10:18 TLB)  "Why do you call me good?" Jesus asked. "Only God is 
       truly good!

       (Mark 10:19 TLB)  But as for your question--you know the commandments: 
       don't kill, don't commit adultery, don't steal, don't lie, don't 
       cheat, respect your father and mother."

       (Mark 10:20 TLB)  "Teacher," the man replied, "I've never once broken 
       a single one of those laws."

       (Mark 10:21 TLB)  Jesus felt genuine love for this man as he looked at 
       him. "You lack only one thing," he told him; "go and sell all you have 
       and give the money to the poor--and you shall have treasure in 
       heaven--and come, follow me."

       (Mark 10:22 TLB)  Then the man's face fell, and he went sadly away, 





       for he was very rich.

       (Mark 10:23 TLB)  Jesus watched him go, then turned around and said to 
       his disciples, "It's almost impossible for the rich to get into the 
       Kingdom of God!"

       (Mark 10:24 TLB)  This amazed them. So Jesus said it again: "Dear 
       children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the 
       Kingdom of God.

       (Mark 10:25 TLB)  It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a 
       needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God."

       (Mark 10:26 TLB)  The disciples were incredulous! "Then who in the 
       world can be saved, if not a rich man?" they asked.

       (Mark 10:27 TLB)  Jesus looked at them intently, then said, "Without 
       God, it is utterly impossible. But with God everything is possible."

       (Mark 10:28 TLB)  Then Peter began to mention all that he and the 
       other disciples had left behind. "We've given up everything to follow 
       you," he said.

       (Mark 10:29 TLB)  And Jesus replied, "Let me assure you that no one 
       has ever given up anything--home, brothers, sisters, mother, father, 
       children, or property--for love of me and to tell others the Good 
       News,

       (Mark 10:30 TLB)  who won't be given back, a hundred times over, 
       homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and land--with 
       persecutions! "All these will be his here on earth, and in the world 
       to come he shall have eternal life.

       (Mark 10:31 TLB)  But many people who seem to be important now will be 
       the least important then; and many who are considered least here shall 
       be greatest there."

       (Mark 10:32 TLB)  Now they were on the way to Jerusalem, and Jesus was 
       walking along ahead; and as the disciples were following they were 
       filled with terror and dread. Taking them aside, Jesus once more began 
       describing all that was going to happen to him when they arrived at 
       Jerusalem.

       (Mark 10:33 TLB)  "When we get there," he told them, "I, the Messiah, 
       will be arrested and taken before the chief priests and the Jewish 
       leaders, who will sentence me to die and hand me over to the Romans to 
       be killed.

       (Mark 10:34 TLB)  They will mock me and spit on me and flog me with 
       their whips and kill me; but after three days I will come back to life 
       again."

       (Mark 10:35 TLB)  Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came over 
       and spoke to him in a low voice. "Master," they said, "we want you to 
       do us a favor."





       (Mark 10:36 TLB)  "What is it?" he asked.

       (Mark 10:37 TLB)  "We want to sit on the thrones next to yours in your 
       Kingdom," they said, "one at your right and the other at your left!"

       (Mark 10:38 TLB)  But Jesus answered, "You don't know what you are 
       asking! Are you able to drink from the bitter cup of sorrow I must 
       drink from? Or to be baptized with the baptism of suffering I must be 
       baptized with?"

       (Mark 10:39 TLB)  "Oh, yes," they said, "we are!" And Jesus said, "You 
       shall indeed drink from my cup and be baptized with my baptism,

       (Mark 10:40 TLB)  but I do not have the right to place you on thrones 
       next to mine. Those appointments have already been made."

       (Mark 10:41 TLB)  When the other disciples discovered what James and 
       John had asked, they were very indignant.

       (Mark 10:42 TLB)  So Jesus called them to him and said, "As you know, 
       the kings and great men of the earth lord it over the people;

       (Mark 10:43 TLB)  but among you it is different. Whoever wants to be 
       great among you must be your servant.

       (Mark 10:44 TLB)  And whoever wants to be greatest of all must be the 
       slave of all.

       (Mark 10:45 TLB)  For even I, the Messiah, am not here to be served, 
       but to help others, and to give my life as a ransom for many."

       (Mark 10:46 TLB)  And so they reached Jericho. Later, as they left 
       town, a great crowd was following. Now it happened that a blind beggar 
       named Bartimaeus (the son of Timaeus) was sitting beside the road as 
       Jesus was going by.

       (Mark 10:47 TLB)  When Bartimaeus heard that Jesus from Nazareth was 
       near, he began to shout out, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"

       (Mark 10:48 TLB)  "Shut up!" some of the people yelled at him. But he 
       only shouted the louder, again and again, "O Son of David, have mercy 
       on me!"

       (Mark 10:49 TLB)  When Jesus heard him, he stopped there in the road 
       and said, "Tell him to come here." So they called the blind man. "You 
       lucky fellow," they said, "come on, he's calling you!"

       (Mark 10:50 TLB)  Bartimaeus yanked off his old coat and flung it 
       aside, jumped up and came to Jesus.

       (Mark 10:51 TLB)  "What do you want me to do for you?" Jesus asked. "O 
       Teacher," the blind man said, "I want to see!"

       (Mark 10:52 TLB)  And Jesus said to him, "All right, it's done. Your 
       faith has healed you." And instantly the blind man could see and 
       followed Jesus down the road!






       (Mark 11:1 TLB)  As they neared Bethphage and Bethany on the outskirts 
       of Jerusalem and came to the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his 
       disciples on ahead.

       (Mark 11:2 TLB)  "Go into that village over there," he told them, "and 
       just as you enter you will see a colt tied up that has never been 
       ridden. Untie him and bring him here.

       (Mark 11:3 TLB)  And if anyone asks you what you are doing, just say, 
       'Our Master needs him and will return him soon.'"

       (Mark 11:4 TLB)  Off went the two men and found the colt standing in 
       the street, tied outside a house. As they were untying it,

       (Mark 11:5 TLB)  some who were standing there demanded, "What are you 
       doing, untying that colt?"

       (Mark 11:6 TLB)  So they said what Jesus had told them to, and then 
       the men agreed.

       (Mark 11:7 TLB)  So the colt was brought to Jesus, and the disciples 
       threw their cloaks across its back for him to ride on.

       (Mark 11:8 TLB)  Then many in the crowd spread out their coats along 
       the road before him, while others threw down leafy branches from the 
       fields.

       (Mark 11:9 TLB)  He was in the center of the procession with crowds 
       ahead and behind, and all of them shouting, "Hail to the King!" 
       "Praise God for him who comes in the name of the Lord!". . .

       (Mark 11:10 TLB)  "Praise God for the return of our father David's 
       kingdom. . . " "Hail to the King of the universe!"

       (Mark 11:11 TLB)  And so he entered Jerusalem and went into the 
       Temple. He looked around carefully at everything and then left--for 
       now it was late in the afternoon--and went out to Bethany with the 
       twelve disciples.

       (Mark 11:12 TLB)  The next morning as they left Bethany, he felt 
       hungry.

       (Mark 11:13 TLB)  A little way off he noticed a fig tree in full leaf, 
       so he went over to see if he could find any figs on it. But no, there 
       were only leaves, for it was too early in the season for fruit.

       (Mark 11:14 TLB)  Then Jesus said to the tree, "You shall never bear 
       fruit again!" And the disciples heard him say it.

       (Mark 11:15 TLB)  When they arrived back to Jerusalem he went to the 
       Temple and began to drive out the merchants and their customers, and 
       knocked over the tables of the moneychangers and the stalls of those 
       selling doves,

       (Mark 11:16 TLB)  and stopped everyone from bringing in loads of 





       merchandise.

       (Mark 11:17 TLB)  He told them, "It is written in the Scriptures, 'My 
       Temple is to be a place of prayer for all nations,' but you have 
       turned it into a den of robbers."

       (Mark 11:18 TLB)  When the chief priests and other Jewish leaders 
       heard what he had done, they began planning how best to get rid of 
       him. Their problem was their fear of riots because the people were so 
       enthusiastic about Jesus' teaching.

       (Mark 11:19 TLB)  That evening as usual they left the city.

       (Mark 11:20 TLB)  Next morning, as the disciples passed the fig tree 
       he had cursed, they saw that it was withered from the roots!

       (Mark 11:21 TLB)  Then Peter remembered what Jesus had said to the 
       tree on the previous day and exclaimed, "Look, Teacher! The fig tree 
       you cursed has withered!"

       (Mark 11:22 TLB)  In reply Jesus said to the disciples, "If you only 
       have faith in God--

       (Mark 11:23 TLB)  this is the absolute truth--you can say to this 
       Mount of Olives, 'Rise up and fall into the Mediterranean,' and your 
       command will be obeyed. All that's required is that you really believe 
       and have no doubt!

       (Mark 11:24 TLB)  Listen to me! You can pray for anything, and if you 
       believe, you have it; it's yours!

       (Mark 11:25 TLB)  But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you 
       are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will 
       forgive you your sins too."

       (Mark 11:26 TLB)  

       (Mark 11:27 TLB)  By this time they had arrived in Jerusalem again, 
       and as he was walking through the Temple area, the chief priests and 
       other Jewish leaders came up to him demanding,

       (Mark 11:28 TLB)  "What's going on here? Who gave you the authority to 
       drive out the merchants?"

       (Mark 11:29 TLB)  Jesus replied, "I'll tell you if you answer one 
       question!

       (Mark 11:30 TLB)  What about John the Baptist? Was he sent by God, or 
       not? Answer me!"

       (Mark 11:31 TLB)  They talked it over among themselves. "If we reply 
       that God sent him, then he will say, 'All right, why didn't you accept 
       him?'

       (Mark 11:32 TLB)  But if we say God didn't send him, then the people 
       will start a riot." (For the people all believed strongly that John 





       was a prophet.)

       (Mark 11:33 TLB)  So they said, "We can't answer. We don't know." To 
       which Jesus replied, "Then I won't answer your question either!"

       (Mark 12:1 TLB)  Here are some of the story-illustrations Jesus gave 
       to the people at that time: "A man planted a vineyard and built a wall 
       around it and dug a pit for pressing out the grape juice, and built a 
       watchman's tower. Then he leased the farm to tenant farmers and moved 
       to another country.

       (Mark 12:2 TLB)  At grape-picking time he sent one of his men to 
       collect his share of the crop.

       (Mark 12:3 TLB)  But the farmers beat up the man and sent him back 
       empty-handed.

       (Mark 12:4 TLB)  "The owner then sent another of his men, who received 
       the same treatment, only worse, for his head was seriously injured.

       (Mark 12:5 TLB)  The next man he sent was killed; and later, others 
       were either beaten or killed, until

       (Mark 12:6 TLB)  there was only one left--his only son. He finally 
       sent him, thinking they would surely give him their full respect.

       (Mark 12:7 TLB)  "But when the farmers saw him coming they said, 'He 
       will own the farm when his father dies. Come on, let's kill him--and 
       then the farm will be ours!'

       (Mark 12:8 TLB)  So they caught him and murdered him and threw his 
       body out of the vineyard.

       (Mark 12:9 TLB)  "What do you suppose the owner will do when he hears 
       what happened? He will come and kill them all, and lease the vineyard 
       to others.

       (Mark 12:10 TLB)  Don't you remember reading this verse in the 
       Scriptures? 'The Rock the builders threw away became the cornerstone, 
       the most honored stone in the building!

       (Mark 12:11 TLB)  This is the Lord's doing and it is an amazing thing 
       to see.'"

       (Mark 12:12 TLB)  The Jewish leaders wanted to arrest him then and 
       there for using this illustration, for they knew he was pointing at 
       them--they were the wicked farmers in his story. But they were afraid 
       to touch him for fear of a mob. So they left him and went away.

       (Mark 12:13 TLB)  But they sent other religious and political leaders 
       to talk with him and try to trap him into saying something he could be 
       arrested for.

       (Mark 12:14 TLB)  "Teacher," these spies said, "we know you tell the 
       truth no matter what! You aren't influenced by the opinions and 
       desires of men, but sincerely teach the ways of God. Now tell us, is 





       it right to pay taxes to Rome, or not?"

       (Mark 12:15 TLB)  Jesus saw their trick and said, "Show me a coin and 
       I'll tell you."

       (Mark 12:16 TLB)  When they handed it to him he asked, "Whose picture 
       and title is this on the coin?" They replied, "The emperor's."

       (Mark 12:17 TLB)  "All right," he said, "if it is his, give it to him. 
       But everything that belongs to God must be given to God!" And they 
       scratched their heads in bafflement at his reply.

       (Mark 12:18 TLB)  Then the Sadducees stepped forward--a group of men 
       who say there is no resurrection. Here was their question:

       (Mark 12:19 TLB)  "Teacher, Moses gave us a law that when a man dies 
       without children, the man's brother should marry his widow and have 
       children in his brother's name.

       (Mark 12:20 TLB)  Well, there were seven brothers and the oldest 
       married and died, and left no children.

       (Mark 12:21 TLB)  So the second brother married the widow, but soon he 
       died too and left no children. Then the next brother married her and 
       died without children,

       (Mark 12:22 TLB)  and so on until all were dead, and still there were 
       no children; and last of all, the woman died too.

       (Mark 12:23 TLB)  "What we want to know is this: In the resurrection, 
       whose wife will she be, for she had been the wife of each of them?"

       (Mark 12:24 TLB)  Jesus replied, "Your trouble is that you don't know 
       the Scriptures and don't know the power of God.

       (Mark 12:25 TLB)  For when these seven brothers and the woman rise 
       from the dead, they won't be married--they will be like the angels.

       (Mark 12:26 TLB)  "But now as to whether there will be a 
       resurrection--have you never read in the book of Exodus about Moses 
       and the burning bush? God said to Moses, 'I am the God of Abraham, and 
       I am the God of Isaac, and I am the God of Jacob.'

       (Mark 12:27 TLB)  "God was telling Moses that these men, though dead 
       for hundreds of years, were still very much alive, for he would not 
       have said, 'I am the God' of those who don't exist! You have made a 
       serious error."

       (Mark 12:28 TLB)  One of the teachers of religion who was standing 
       there listening to the discussion realized that Jesus had answered 
       well. So he asked, "Of all the commandments, which is the most 
       important?"

       (Mark 12:29 TLB)  Jesus replied, "The one that says, 'Hear, O Israel! 
       The Lord our God is the one and only God.





       (Mark 12:30 TLB)  And you must love him with all your heart and soul 
       and mind and strength.'

       (Mark 12:31 TLB)  "The second is: 'You must love others as much as 
       yourself.' No other commandments are greater than these."

       (Mark 12:32 TLB)  The teacher of religion replied, "Sir, you have 
       spoken a true word in saying that there is only one God and no other.

       (Mark 12:33 TLB)  And I know it is far more important to love him with 
       all my heart and understanding and strength, and to love others as 
       myself, than to offer all kinds of sacrifices on the altar of the 
       Temple."

       (Mark 12:34 TLB)  Realizing this man's understanding, Jesus said to 
       him, "You are not far from the Kingdom of God." And after that, no one 
       dared ask him any more questions.

       (Mark 12:35 TLB)  Later, as Jesus was teaching the people in the 
       Temple area, he asked them this question: "Why do your religious 
       teachers claim that the Messiah must be a descendant of King David?

       (Mark 12:36 TLB)  For David himself said--and the Holy Spirit was 
       speaking through him when he said it--' God said to my Lord, sit at my 
       right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.'

       (Mark 12:37 TLB)  Since David called him his Lord, how can he be his 
       son?" (This sort of reasoning delighted the crowd and they listened to 
       him with great interest.)

       (Mark 12:38 TLB)  Here are some of the other things he taught them at 
       this time: "Beware of the teachers of religion! For they love to wear 
       the robes of the rich and scholarly, and to have everyone bow to them 
       as they walk through the markets.

       (Mark 12:39 TLB)  They love to sit in the best seats in the synagogues 
       and at the places of honor at banquets--

       (Mark 12:40 TLB)  but they shamelessly cheat widows out of their homes 
       and then, to cover up the kind of men they really are, they pretend to 
       be pious by praying long prayers in public. Because of this, their 
       punishment will be the greater."

       (Mark 12:41 TLB)  Then he went over to the collection boxes in the 
       Temple and sat and watched as the crowds dropped in their money. Some 
       who were rich put in large amounts.

       (Mark 12:42 TLB)  Then a poor widow came and dropped in two pennies.

       (Mark 12:43 TLB)  He called his disciples to him and remarked, "That 
       poor widow has given more than all those rich men put together!

       (Mark 12:44 TLB)  For they gave a little of their extra fat, while she 
       gave up her last penny."

       (Mark 13:1 TLB)  As he was leaving the Temple that day, one of his 





       disciples said, "Teacher, what beautiful buildings these are! Look at 
       the decorated stonework on the walls."

       (Mark 13:2 TLB)  Jesus replied, "Yes, look! For not one stone will be 
       left upon another, except as ruins."

       (Mark 13:3 TLB)  And as he sat on the slopes of the Mount of Olives 
       across the valley from Jerusalem, Peter, James, John, and Andrew got 
       alone with him and asked him,

       (Mark 13:4 TLB)  "Just when is all this going to happen to the Temple? 
       Will there be some warning ahead of time?"

       (Mark 13:5 TLB)  So Jesus launched into an extended reply. "Don't let 
       anyone mislead you," he said,

       (Mark 13:6 TLB)  "for many will come declaring themselves to be your 
       Messiah and will lead many astray.

       (Mark 13:7 TLB)  And wars will break out near and far, but this is not 
       the signal of the end-time.

       (Mark 13:8 TLB)  "For nations and kingdoms will proclaim war against 
       each other, and there will be earthquakes in many lands, and famines. 
       These herald only the early stages of the anguish ahead.

       (Mark 13:9 TLB)  But when these things begin to happen, watch out! For 
       you will be in great danger. You will be dragged before the courts, 
       and beaten in the synagogues, and accused before governors and kings 
       of being my followers. This is your opportunity to tell them the Good 
       News.

       (Mark 13:10 TLB)  And the Good News must first be made known in every 
       nation before the end-time finally comes.

       (Mark 13:11 TLB)  But when you are arrested and stand trial, don't 
       worry about what to say in your defense. Just say what God tells you 
       to. Then you will not be speaking, but the Holy Spirit will.

       (Mark 13:12 TLB)  "Brothers will betray each other to death, fathers 
       will betray their own children, and children will betray their parents 
       to be killed.

       (Mark 13:13 TLB)  And everyone will hate you because you are mine. But 
       all who endure to the end without renouncing me shall be saved.

       (Mark 13:14 TLB)  "When you see the horrible thing standing in the 
       Temple --reader, pay attention!--flee, if you can, to the Judean 
       hills.

       (Mark 13:15 TLB)  Hurry! If you are on your rooftop porch, don't even 
       go back into the house.

       (Mark 13:16 TLB)  If you are out in the fields, don't even return for 
       your money or clothes.





       (Mark 13:17 TLB)  "Woe to pregnant women in those days, and to mothers 
       nursing their children.

       (Mark 13:18 TLB)  And pray that your flight will not be in winter.

       (Mark 13:19 TLB)  For those will be days of such horror as have never 
       been since the beginning of God's creation, nor will ever be again.

       (Mark 13:20 TLB)  And unless the Lord shortens that time of calamity, 
       not a soul in all the earth will survive. But for the sake of his 
       chosen ones he will limit those days.

       (Mark 13:21 TLB)  "And then if anyone tells you, 'This is the 
       Messiah,' or, 'That one is,' don't pay any attention.

       (Mark 13:22 TLB)  For there will be many false Messiahs and false 
       prophets who will do wonderful miracles that would deceive, if 
       possible, even God's own children.

       (Mark 13:23 TLB)  Take care! I have warned you!

       (Mark 13:24 TLB)  "After the tribulation ends, then the sun will grow 
       dim and the moon will not shine,

       (Mark 13:25 TLB)  and the stars will fall--the heavens will convulse.

       (Mark 13:26 TLB)  "Then all mankind will see me, the Messiah, coming 
       in the clouds with great power and glory.

       (Mark 13:27 TLB)  And I will send out the angels to gather together my 
       chosen ones from all over the world--from the farthest bounds of earth 
       and heaven.

       (Mark 13:28 TLB)  "Now, here is a lesson from a fig tree. When its 
       buds become tender and its leaves begin to sprout, you know that 
       spring has come.

       (Mark 13:29 TLB)  And when you see these things happening that I've 
       described, you can be sure that my return is very near, that I am 
       right at the door.

       (Mark 13:30 TLB)  "Yes, these are the events that will signal the end 
       of the age.

       (Mark 13:31 TLB)  Heaven and earth shall disappear, but my words stand 
       sure forever.

       (Mark 13:32 TLB)  "However, no one, not even the angels in heaven, nor 
       I myself, knows the day or hour when these things will happen; only 
       the Father knows.

       (Mark 13:33 TLB)  And since you don't know when it will happen, stay 
       alert. Be on the watch (for my return).

       (Mark 13:34 TLB)  "My coming can be compared with that of a man who 
       went on a trip to another country. He laid out his employees' work for 





       them to do while he was gone and told the gatekeeper to watch for his 
       return.

       (Mark 13:35 TLB)  "Keep a sharp lookout! For you do not know when I 
       will come, at evening, at midnight, early dawn or late daybreak.

       (Mark 13:36 TLB)  Don't let me find you sleeping.

       (Mark 13:37 TLB)  Watch for my return! This is my message to you and 
       to everyone else."

       (Mark 14:1 TLB)  The Passover observance began two days later--an 
       annual Jewish holiday when no bread made with yeast was eaten. The 
       chief priests and other Jewish leaders were still looking for an 
       opportunity to arrest Jesus secretly and put him to death.

       (Mark 14:2 TLB)  "But we can't do it during the Passover," they said, 
       "or there will be a riot."

       (Mark 14:3 TLB)  Meanwhile Jesus was in Bethany, at the home of Simon 
       the leper; during supper a woman came in with a beautiful flask of 
       expensive perfume. Then, breaking the seal, she poured it over his 
       head.

       (Mark 14:4 TLB)  Some of those at the table were indignant among 
       themselves about this "waste," as they called it.

       (Mark 14:5 TLB)  "Why, she could have sold that perfume for a fortune 
       and given the money to the poor!" they snarled.

       (Mark 14:6 TLB)  But Jesus said, "Let her alone; why berate her for 
       doing a good thing?

       (Mark 14:7 TLB)  You always have the poor among you, and they badly 
       need your help, and you can aid them whenever you want to; but I won't 
       be here much longer.

       (Mark 14:8 TLB)  "She has done what she could and has anointed my body 
       ahead of time for burial.

       (Mark 14:9 TLB)  And I tell you this in solemn truth, that wherever 
       the Good News is preached throughout the world, this woman's deed will 
       be remembered and praised."

       (Mark 14:10 TLB)  Then Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples, went to 
       the chief priests to arrange to betray Jesus to them.

       (Mark 14:11 TLB)  When the chief priests heard why he had come, they 
       were excited and happy and promised him a reward. So he began looking 
       for the right time and place to betray Jesus.

       (Mark 14:12 TLB)  On the first day of the Passover, the day the lambs 
       were sacrificed, his disciples asked him where he wanted to go to eat 
       the traditional Passover supper.

       (Mark 14:13 TLB)  He sent two of them into Jerusalem to make the 





       arrangements. "As you are walking along," he told them, "you will see 
       a man coming toward you carrying a pot of water. Follow him.

       (Mark 14:14 TLB)  At the house he enters, tell the man in charge, 'Our 
       Master sent us to see the room you have ready for us, where we will 
       eat the Passover supper this evening!'

       (Mark 14:15 TLB)  He will take you upstairs to a large room all set 
       up. Prepare our supper there."

       (Mark 14:16 TLB)  So the two disciples went on ahead into the city and 
       found everything as Jesus had said, and prepared the Passover.

       (Mark 14:17 TLB)  In the evening Jesus arrived with the other 
       disciples,

       (Mark 14:18 TLB)  and as they were sitting around the table eating, 
       Jesus said, "I solemnly declare that one of you will betray me, one of 
       you who is here eating with me."

       (Mark 14:19 TLB)  A great sadness swept over them, and one by one they 
       asked him, "Am I the one?"

       (Mark 14:20 TLB)  He replied, "It is one of you twelve eating with me 
       now.

       (Mark 14:21 TLB)  I must die, as the prophets declared long ago; but, 
       oh, the misery ahead for the man by whom I am betrayed. Oh, that he 
       had never been born!"

       (Mark 14:22 TLB)  As they were eating, Jesus took bread and asked 
       God's blessing on it and broke it in pieces and gave it to them and 
       said, "Eat it--this is my body."

       (Mark 14:23 TLB)  Then he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God 
       for it and gave it to them; and they all drank from it.

       (Mark 14:24 TLB)  And he said to them, "This is my blood, poured out 
       for many, sealing the new agreement between God and man.

       (Mark 14:25 TLB)  I solemnly declare that I shall never again taste 
       wine until the day I drink a different kind in the Kingdom of God."

       (Mark 14:26 TLB)  Then they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of 
       Olives.

       (Mark 14:27 TLB)  "All of you will desert me," Jesus told them, "for 
       God has declared through the prophets, 'I will kill the Shepherd, and 
       the sheep will scatter.'

       (Mark 14:28 TLB)  But after I am raised to life again, I will go to 
       Galilee and meet you there."

       (Mark 14:29 TLB)  Peter said to him, "I will never desert you no 
       matter what the others do!"





       (Mark 14:30 TLB)  "Peter," Jesus said, "before the cock crows a second 
       time tomorrow morning you will deny me three times."

       (Mark 14:31 TLB)  "No!" Peter exploded. "Not even if I have to die 
       with you! I'll never deny you!" And all the others vowed the same.

       (Mark 14:32 TLB)  And now they came to an olive grove called the 
       Garden of Gethsemane, and he instructed his disciples, "Sit here, 
       while I go and pray."

       (Mark 14:33 TLB)  He took Peter, James, and John with him and began to 
       be filled with horror and deepest distress.

       (Mark 14:34 TLB)  And he said to them, "My soul is crushed by sorrow 
       to the point of death; stay here and watch with me."

       (Mark 14:35 TLB)  He went on a little further and fell to the ground 
       and prayed that if it were possible the awful hour awaiting him might 
       never come.

       (Mark 14:36 TLB)  "Father, Father," he said, "everything is possible 
       for you. Take away this cup from me. Yet I want your will, not mine."

       (Mark 14:37 TLB)  Then he returned to the three disciples and found 
       them asleep. "Simon!" he said. "Asleep? Couldn't you watch with me 
       even one hour?

       (Mark 14:38 TLB)  Watch with me and pray lest the Tempter overpower 
       you. For though the spirit is willing enough, the body is weak."

       (Mark 14:39 TLB)  And he went away again and prayed, repeating his 
       pleadings.

       (Mark 14:40 TLB)  Again he returned to them and found them sleeping, 
       for they were very tired. And they didn't know what to say.

       (Mark 14:41 TLB)  The third time when he returned to them he said, 
       "Sleep on; get your rest! But no! The time for sleep has ended! Look! 
       I am betrayed into the hands of wicked men.

       (Mark 14:42 TLB)  Come! Get up! We must go! Look! My betrayer is 
       here!"

       (Mark 14:43 TLB)  And immediately, while he was still speaking, Judas 
       (one of his disciples) arrived with a mob equipped with swords and 
       clubs, sent out by the chief priests and other Jewish leaders.

       (Mark 14:44 TLB)  Judas had told them, "You will know which one to 
       arrest when I go over and greet him. Then you can take him easily."

       (Mark 14:45 TLB)  So as soon as they arrived he walked up to Jesus. 
       "Master!" he exclaimed, and embraced him with a great show of 
       friendliness.

       (Mark 14:46 TLB)  Then the mob arrested Jesus and held him fast.





       (Mark 14:47 TLB)  But someone pulled a sword and slashed at the High 
       Priest's servant, cutting off his ear.

       (Mark 14:48 TLB)  Jesus asked them, "Am I some dangerous robber, that 
       you come like this, armed to the teeth to capture me?

       (Mark 14:49 TLB)  Why didn't you arrest me in the Temple? I was there 
       teaching every day. But these things are happening to fulfill the 
       prophecies about me."

       (Mark 14:50 TLB)  Meanwhile, all his disciples had fled.

       (Mark 14:51 TLB)  There was, however, a young man following along 
       behind, clothed only in a linen nightshirt. When the mob tried to grab 
       him,

       (Mark 14:52 TLB)  he escaped, though his clothes were torn off in the 
       process, so that he ran away completely naked.

       (Mark 14:53 TLB)  Jesus was led to the High Priest's home where all of 
       the chief priests and other Jewish leaders soon gathered.

       (Mark 14:54 TLB)  Peter followed far behind and then slipped inside 
       the gates of the High Priest's residence and crouched beside a fire 
       among the servants.

       (Mark 14:55 TLB)  Inside, the chief priests and the whole Jewish 
       Supreme Court were trying to find something against Jesus that would 
       be sufficient to condemn him to death. But their efforts were in vain.

       (Mark 14:56 TLB)  Many false witnesses volunteered, but they 
       contradicted each other.

       (Mark 14:57 TLB)  Finally some men stood up to lie about him and said,

       (Mark 14:58 TLB)  "We heard him say, 'I will destroy this Temple made 
       with human hands and in three days I will build another, made without 
       human hands!'"

       (Mark 14:59 TLB)  But even then they didn't get their stories 
       straight!

       (Mark 14:60 TLB)  Then the High Priest stood up before the Court and 
       asked Jesus, "Do you refuse to answer this charge? What do you have to 
       say for yourself?"

       (Mark 14:61 TLB)  To this Jesus made no reply. Then the High Priest 
       asked him. "Are you the Messiah, the Son of God?"

       (Mark 14:62 TLB)  Jesus said, "I am, and you will see me sitting at 
       the right hand of God, and returning to earth in the clouds of 
       heaven."

       (Mark 14:63 TLB)  Then the High Priest tore at his clothes and said, 
       "What more do we need? Why wait for witnesses?"





       (Mark 14:64 TLB)  "You have heard his blasphemy. What is your 
       verdict?" And the vote for the death sentence was unanimous.

       (Mark 14:65 TLB)  Then some of them began to spit at him, and they 
       blindfolded him and began to hammer his face with their fists. "Who 
       hit you that time, you prophet?" they jeered. And even the bailiffs 
       were using their fists on him as they led him away.

       (Mark 14:66 TLB)  Meanwhile Peter was below in the courtyard. One of 
       the maids who worked for the High Priest noticed Peter warming himself 
       at the fire.

       (Mark 14:67 TLB)  She looked at him closely and then announced, "You 
       were with Jesus, the Nazarene."

       (Mark 14:68 TLB)  Peter denied it. "I don't know what you're talking 
       about!" he said, and walked over to the edge of the courtyard. Just 
       then, a rooster crowed.

       (Mark 14:69 TLB)  The maid saw him standing there and began telling 
       the others, "There he is! There's that disciple of Jesus!"

       (Mark 14:70 TLB)  Peter denied it again. A little later others 
       standing around the fire began saying to Peter, "You are, too, one of 
       them, for you are from Galilee!"

       (Mark 14:71 TLB)  He began to curse and swear. "I don't even know this 
       fellow you are talking about," he said.

       (Mark 14:72 TLB)  And immediately the rooster crowed the second time. 
       Suddenly Jesus' words flashed through Peter's mind: "Before the cock 
       crows twice, you will deny me three times." And he began to cry.

       (Mark 15:1 TLB)  Early in the morning the chief priests, elders and 
       teachers of religion--the entire Supreme Court--met to discuss their 
       next steps. Their decision was to send Jesus under armed guard to 
       Pilate, the Roman governor.

       (Mark 15:2 TLB)  Pilate asked him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" 
       "Yes," Jesus replied, "it is as you say."

       (Mark 15:3 TLB)  Then the chief priests accused him of many crimes,

       (Mark 15:4 TLB)  and Pilate asked him, "Why don't you say something? 
       What about all these charges against you?"

       (Mark 15:5 TLB)  But Jesus said no more, much to Pilate's amazement.

       (Mark 15:6 TLB)  Now, it was Pilate's custom to release one Jewish 
       prisoner each year at Passover time--any prisoner the people 
       requested.

       (Mark 15:7 TLB)  One of the prisoners at that time was Barabbas, 
       convicted along with others for murder during an insurrection.

       (Mark 15:8 TLB)  Now a mob began to crowd in toward Pilate, asking him 





       to release a prisoner as usual.

       (Mark 15:9 TLB)  "How about giving you the 'King of Jews'?" Pilate 
       asked. "Is he the one you want released?"

       (Mark 15:10 TLB)  (For he realized by now that this was a frameup, 
       backed by the chief priests because they envied Jesus' popularity.)

       (Mark 15:11 TLB)  But at this point the chief priests whipped up the 
       mob to demand the release of Barabbas instead of Jesus.

       (Mark 15:12 TLB)  "But if I release Barabbas," Pilate asked them, 
       "what shall I do with this man you call your king?"

       (Mark 15:13 TLB)  They shouted back, "Crucify him!"

       (Mark 15:14 TLB)  "But why?" Pilate demanded. "What has he done 
       wrong?" They only roared the louder, "Crucify him!"

       (Mark 15:15 TLB)  Then Pilate, afraid of a riot and anxious to please 
       the people, released Barabbas to them. And he ordered Jesus flogged 
       with a leaded whip, and handed him over to be crucified.

       (Mark 15:16 TLB)  Then the Roman soldiers took him into the barracks 
       of the palace, called out the entire palace guard,

       (Mark 15:17 TLB)  dressed him in a purple robe, and made a crown of 
       long, sharp thorns and put it on his head.

       (Mark 15:18 TLB)  Then they saluted, yelling, "Yea! King of the Jews!"

       (Mark 15:19 TLB)  And they beat him on the head with a cane, and spat 
       on him, and went down on their knees to "worship" him.

       (Mark 15:20 TLB)  When they finally tired of their sport, they took 
       off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him again, and led him 
       away to be crucified.

       (Mark 15:21 TLB)  Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country 
       just then, was pressed into service to carry Jesus' cross. (Simon is 
       the father of Alexander and Rufus.)

       (Mark 15:22 TLB)  And they brought Jesus to a place called Golgotha. 
       (Golgotha means skull.)

       (Mark 15:23 TLB)  Wine drugged with bitter herbs was offered to him 
       there, but he refused it.

       (Mark 15:24 TLB)  And then they crucified him--and threw dice for his 
       clothes.

       (Mark 15:25 TLB)  It was about nine o'clock in the morning when the 
       crucifixion took place.

       (Mark 15:26 TLB)  A signboard was fastened to the cross above his 
       head, announcing his crime. It read, "The King of the Jews."






       (Mark 15:27 TLB)  Two robbers were also crucified that morning, their 
       crosses on either side of his.

       (Mark 15:28 TLB)  And so the Scripture was fulfilled that said, "He 
       was counted among evil men."

       (Mark 15:29 TLB)  The people jeered at him as they walked by, and 
       wagged their heads in mockery. "Ha! Look at you now!" they yelled at 
       him. "Sure, you can destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days!"

       (Mark 15:30 TLB)  "If you're so wonderful, save yourself and come down 
       from the cross."

       (Mark 15:31 TLB)  The chief priests and religious leaders were also 
       standing around joking about Jesus. "He's quite clever at 'saving' 
       others," they said, "but he can't save himself!"

       (Mark 15:32 TLB)  "Hey there, Messiah!" they yelled at him. "You 'King 
       of Israel'! Come on down from the cross and we'll believe you!" And 
       even the two robbers dying with him, cursed him.

       (Mark 15:33 TLB)  About noon, darkness fell across the entire land, 
       lasting until three o'clock that afternoon.

       (Mark 15:34 TLB)  Then Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, 
       lama sabachthani?" ("My God, my God, why have you deserted me?")

       (Mark 15:35 TLB)  Some of the people standing there thought he was 
       calling for the prophet Elijah.

       (Mark 15:36 TLB)  So one man ran and got a sponge and filled it with 
       sour wine and held it up to him on a stick. "Let's see if Elijah will 
       come and take him down!" he said.

       (Mark 15:37 TLB)  Then Jesus uttered another loud cry and dismissed 
       his spirit.

       (Mark 15:38 TLB)  And the curtain in the Temple was split apart from 
       top to bottom.

       (Mark 15:39 TLB)  When the Roman officer standing beside his cross saw 
       how he dismissed his spirit, he exclaimed, "Truly, this was the Son of 
       God!"

       (Mark 15:40 TLB)  Some women were there watching from a distance--Mary 
       Magdalene, Mary (the mother of James the Younger and of Joses), 
       Salome, and others.

       (Mark 15:41 TLB)  They and many other Galilean women who were his 
       followers had ministered to him when he was up in Galilee, and had 
       come with him to Jerusalem.

       (Mark 15:42 TLB)  This all happened the day before the Sabbath. Late 
       that afternoon





       (Mark 15:43 TLB)  Joseph from Arimathea, an honored member of the 
       Jewish Supreme Court (who personally was eagerly expecting the arrival 
       of God's Kingdom), gathered his courage and went to Pilate and asked 
       for Jesus' body.

       (Mark 15:44 TLB)  Pilate couldn't believe that Jesus was already dead 
       so he called for the Roman officer in charge and asked him.

       (Mark 15:45 TLB)  The officer confirmed the fact, and Pilate told 
       Joseph he could have the body.

       (Mark 15:46 TLB)  Joseph bought a long sheet of linen cloth and, 
       taking Jesus' body down from the cross, wound it in the cloth and laid 
       it in a rock-hewn tomb, and rolled a stone in front of the entrance.

       (Mark 15:47 TLB)  (Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses were 
       watching as Jesus was laid away.)

       (Mark 16:1 TLB)  The next evening, when the Sabbath ended, Mary 
       Magdalene and Salome and Mary the mother of James went out and 
       purchased embalming spices.

       (Mark 16:2 TLB)  Early the following morning, just at sunrise, they 
       carried them out to the tomb.

       (Mark 16:3 TLB)  On the way they were discussing how they could ever 
       roll aside the huge stone from the entrance.

       (Mark 16:4 TLB)  But when they arrived they looked up and saw that the 
       stone--a very heavy one--was already moved away and the entrance was 
       open!

       (Mark 16:5 TLB)  So they entered the tomb--and there on the right sat 
       a young man clothed in white. The women were startled,

       (Mark 16:6 TLB)  but the angel said, "Don't be so surprised. Aren't 
       you looking for Jesus, the Nazarene who was crucified? He isn't here! 
       He has come back to life! Look, that's where his body was lying.

       (Mark 16:7 TLB)  Now go and give this message to his disciples 
       including Peter: "'Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will 
       see him there, just as he told you before he died!'"

       (Mark 16:8 TLB)  The women fled from the tomb, trembling and 
       bewildered, too frightened to talk.

       (Mark 16:9 TLB)  It was early on Sunday morning when Jesus came back 
       to life, and the first person who saw him was Mary Magdalene--the 
       woman from whom he had cast out seven demons.

       (Mark 16:10 TLB)  She found the disciples wet-eyed with grief and 
       exclaimed

       (Mark 16:11 TLB)  that she had seen Jesus, and he was alive! But they 
       didn't believe her!





       (Mark 16:12 TLB)  Later that dayhe appeared to two who were walking 
       from Jerusalem into the country, but they didn't recognize him at 
       first because he had changed his appearance.

       (Mark 16:13 TLB)  When they finally realized who he was, they rushed 
       back to Jerusalem to tell the others, but no one believed them.

       (Mark 16:14 TLB)  Still later he appeared to the eleven disciples as 
       they were eating together. He rebuked them for their unbelief--their 
       stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him alive from the 
       dead.

       (Mark 16:15 TLB)  And then he told them, "You are to go into all the 
       world and preach the Good News to everyone, everywhere.

       (Mark 16:16 TLB)  Those who believe and are baptized will be saved. 
       But those who refuse to believe will be condemned.

       (Mark 16:17 TLB)  "And those who believe shall use my authority to 
       cast out demons, and they shall speak new languages.

       (Mark 16:18 TLB)  They will be able even to handle snakes with safety, 
       and if they drink anything poisonous, it won't hurt them; and they 
       will be able to place their hands on the sick and heal them."

       (Mark 16:19 TLB)  When the Lord Jesus had finished talking with them, 
       he was taken up into heaven and sat down at God's right hand.

       (Mark 16:20 TLB)  And the disciples went everywhere preaching, and the 
       Lord was with them and confirmed what they said by the miracles that 
       followed their messages.

       (Luke 1:1 TLB)  Dear friend who loves God: Several biographies of 
       Christ have already been written using as their source material the 
       reports circulating among us from the early disciples and other 
       eyewitnesses.

       (Luke 1:2 TLB)  

       (Luke 1:3 TLB)  However, it occurred to me that it would be well to 
       recheck all these accounts from first to last and after thorough 
       investigation to pass this summary on to you,

       (Luke 1:4 TLB)  to reassure you of the truth of all you were taught.

       (Luke 1:5 TLB)  My story begins with a Jewish priest, Zacharias, who 
       lived when Herod was king of Judea. Zacharias was a member of the 
       Abijah division of the Temple service corps. (His wife, Elizabeth, 
       was, like himself, a member of the priest tribe of the Jews, a 
       descendant of Aaron.)

       (Luke 1:6 TLB)  Zacharias and Elizabeth were godly folk, careful to 
       obey all of God's laws in spirit as well as in letter.

       (Luke 1:7 TLB)  But they had no children, for Elizabeth was barren; 
       and now they were both very old.






       (Luke 1:8 TLB)  One day as Zacharias was going about his work in the 
       Temple--for his division was on duty that week--

       (Luke 1:9 TLB)  the honor fell to him by lot to enter the inner 
       sanctuary and burn incense before the Lord.

       (Luke 1:10 TLB)  Meanwhile, a great crowd stood outside in the Temple 
       court, praying as they always did during that part of the service when 
       the incense was being burned.

       (Luke 1:11 TLB)  Zacharias was in the sanctuary when suddenly an angel 
       appeared, standing to the right of the altar of incense!

       (Luke 1:12 TLB)  Zacharias was startled and terrified.

       (Luke 1:13 TLB)  But the angel said, "Don't be afraid, Zacharias! For 
       I have come to tell you that God has heard your prayer, and your wife, 
       Elizabeth, will bear you a son! And you are to name him John.

       (Luke 1:14 TLB)  You will both have great joy and gladness at his 
       birth, and many will rejoice with you.

       (Luke 1:15 TLB)  For he will be one of the Lord's great men. He must 
       never touch wine or hard liquor--and he will be filled with the Holy 
       Spirit, even from before his birth!

       (Luke 1:16 TLB)  And he will persuade many a Jew to turn to the Lord 
       his God.

       (Luke 1:17 TLB)  He will be a man of rugged spirit and power like 
       Elijah, the prophet of old; and he will precede the coming of the 
       Messiah, preparing the people for his arrival. He will soften adult 
       hearts to become like little children's, and will change disobedient 
       minds to the wisdom of faith."

       (Luke 1:18 TLB)  Zacharias said to the angel, "But this is impossible! 
       I'm an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years."

       (Luke 1:19 TLB)  Then the angel said, "I am Gabriel! I stand in the 
       very presence of God. It was he who sent me to you with this good 
       news!

       (Luke 1:20 TLB)  And now, because you haven't believed me, you are to 
       be stricken silent, unable to speak until the child is born. For my 
       words will certainly come true at the proper time."

       (Luke 1:21 TLB)  Meanwhile the crowds outside were waiting for 
       Zacharias to appear and wondered why he was taking so long.

       (Luke 1:22 TLB)  When he finally came out, he couldn't speak to them, 
       and they realized from his gestures that he must have seen a vision in 
       the Temple.

       (Luke 1:23 TLB)  He stayed on at the Temple for the remaining days of 
       his Temple duties and then returned home.






       (Luke 1:24 TLB)  Soon afterwards Elizabeth his wife became pregnant 
       and went into seclusion for five months.

       (Luke 1:25 TLB)  "How kind the Lord is," she exclaimed, "to take away 
       my disgrace of having no children!"

       (Luke 1:26 TLB)  The following month God sent the angel Gabriel to 
       Nazareth, a village in Galilee,

       (Luke 1:27 TLB)  to a virgin, Mary, engaged to be married to a man 
       named Joseph, a descendant of King David.

       (Luke 1:28 TLB)  Gabriel appeared to her and said, "Congratulations, 
       favored lady! The Lord is with you!"

       (Luke 1:29 TLB)  Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the 
       angel could mean.

       (Luke 1:30 TLB)  "Don't be frightened, Mary," the angel told her, "for 
       God has decided to wonderfully bless you!

       (Luke 1:31 TLB)  Very soon now, you will become pregnant and have a 
       baby boy, and you are to name him 'Jesus.'

       (Luke 1:32 TLB)  He shall be very great and shall be called the Son of 
       God. And the Lord God shall give him the throne of his ancestor David.

       (Luke 1:33 TLB)  And he shall reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom 
       shall never end!"

       (Luke 1:34 TLB)  Mary asked the angel, "But how can I have a baby? I 
       am a virgin."

       (Luke 1:35 TLB)  The angel replied, "The Holy Spirit shall come upon 
       you, and the power of God shall overshadow you; so the baby born to 
       you will be utterly holy--the Son of God.

       (Luke 1:36 TLB)  Furthermore, six months ago your Aunt Elizabeth--' 
       the barren one,' they called her--became pregnant in her old age!

       (Luke 1:37 TLB)  For every promise from God shall surely come true."

       (Luke 1:38 TLB)  Mary said, "I am the Lord's servant, and I am willing 
       to do whatever he wants. May everything you said come true." And then 
       the angel disappeared.

       (Luke 1:39 TLB)  A few days later Mary hurried to the highlands of 
       Judea

       (Luke 1:40 TLB)  to the town where Zacharias lived, to visit 
       Elizabeth.

       (Luke 1:41 TLB)  At the sound of Mary's greeting, Elizabeth's child 
       leaped within her and she was filled with the Holy Spirit.





       (Luke 1:42 TLB)  She gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, "You are 
       favored by God above all other women, and your child is destined for 
       God's mightiest praise.

       (Luke 1:43 TLB)  What an honor this is, that the mother of my Lord 
       should visit me!

       (Luke 1:44 TLB)  When you came in and greeted me, the instant I heard 
       your voice, my baby moved in me for joy!

       (Luke 1:45 TLB)  You believed that God would do what he said; that is 
       why he has given you this wonderful blessing."

       (Luke 1:46 TLB)  Mary responded, "Oh, how I praise the Lord.

       (Luke 1:47 TLB)  How I rejoice in God my Savior!

       (Luke 1:48 TLB)  For he took notice of his lowly servant girl, and now 
       generation after generation forever shall call me blest of God.

       (Luke 1:49 TLB)  For he, the mighty Holy One, has done great things to 
       me.

       (Luke 1:50 TLB)  His mercy goes on from generation to generation, to 
       all who reverence him.

       (Luke 1:51 TLB)  "How powerful is his mighty arm! How he scatters the 
       proud and haughty ones!

       (Luke 1:52 TLB)  He has torn princes from their thrones and exalted 
       the lowly.

       (Luke 1:53 TLB)  He has satisfied the hungry hearts and sent the rich 
       away with empty hands.

       (Luke 1:54 TLB)  And how he has helped his servant Israel! He has not 
       forgotten his promise to be merciful.

       (Luke 1:55 TLB)  For he promised our fathers--Abraham and his 
       children--to be merciful to them forever."

       (Luke 1:56 TLB)  Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and 
       then went back to her own home.

       (Luke 1:57 TLB)  By now Elizabeth's waiting was over, for the time had 
       come for the baby to be born--and it was a boy.

       (Luke 1:58 TLB)  The word spread quickly to her neighbors and 
       relatives of how kind the Lord had been to her, and everyone rejoiced.

       (Luke 1:59 TLB)  When the baby was eight days old, all the relatives 
       and friends came for the circumcision ceremony. They all assumed the 
       baby's name would be Zacharias, after his father.

       (Luke 1:60 TLB)  But Elizabeth said, "No! He must be named John!"





       (Luke 1:61 TLB)  "What?" they exclaimed. "There is no one in all your 
       family by that name."

       (Luke 1:62 TLB)  So they asked the baby's father, talking to him by 
       gestures.

       (Luke 1:63 TLB)  He motioned for a piece of paper and to everyone's 
       surprise wrote, "His name is John!"

       (Luke 1:64 TLB)  Instantly Zacharias could speak again, and he began 
       praising God.

       (Luke 1:65 TLB)  Wonder fell upon the whole neighborhood, and the news 
       of what had happened spread through the Judean hills.

       (Luke 1:66 TLB)  And everyone who heard about it thought long thoughts 
       and asked, "I wonder what this child will turn out to be? For the hand 
       of the Lord is surely upon him in some special way."

       (Luke 1:67 TLB)  Then his father, Zacharias, was filled with the Holy 
       Spirit and gave this prophecy:

       (Luke 1:68 TLB)  "Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, for he has come 
       to visit his people and has redeemed them.

       (Luke 1:69 TLB)  He is sending us a Mighty Savior from the royal line 
       of his servant David,

       (Luke 1:70 TLB)  just as he promised through his holy prophets long 
       ago--

       (Luke 1:71 TLB)  someone to save us from our enemies, from all who 
       hate us.

       (Luke 1:72 TLB)  "He has been merciful to our ancestors,

       (Luke 1:73 TLB)  yes, to Abraham himself, by remembering his sacred 
       promise to him,

       (Luke 1:74 TLB)  and by granting us the privilege of serving God 
       fearlessly, freed from our enemies,

       (Luke 1:75 TLB)  and by making us holy and acceptable, ready to stand 
       in his presence forever.

       (Luke 1:76 TLB)  "And you, my little son, shall be called the prophet 
       of the glorious God, for you will prepare the way for the Messiah.

       (Luke 1:77 TLB)  You will tell his people how to find salvation 
       through forgiveness of their sins.

       (Luke 1:78 TLB)  All this will be because the mercy of our God is very 
       tender, and heaven's dawn is about to break upon us,

       (Luke 1:79 TLB)  to give light to those who sit in darkness and 
       death's shadow, and to guide us to the path of peace."






       (Luke 1:80 TLB)  The little boy greatly loved God and when he grew up 
       he lived out in the lonely wilderness until he began his public 
       ministry to Israel.

       (Luke 2:1 TLB)  About this time Caesar Augustus, the Roman emperor, 
       decreed that a census should be taken throughout the nation.

       (Luke 2:2 TLB)  (This census was taken when Quirinius was governor of 
       Syria.)

       (Luke 2:3 TLB)  Everyone was required to return to his ancestral home 
       for this registration.

       (Luke 2:4 TLB)  And because Joseph was a member of the royal line, he 
       had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, King David's ancient home--journeying 
       there from the Galilean village of Nazareth.

       (Luke 2:5 TLB)  He took with him Mary, his fiancee, who was obviously 
       pregnant by this time.

       (Luke 2:6 TLB)  And while they were there, the time came for her baby 
       to be born;

       (Luke 2:7 TLB)  and she gave birth to her first child, a son. She 
       wrapped him in a blanket and laid him in a manger, because there was 
       no room for them in the village inn.

       (Luke 2:8 TLB)  That night some shepherds were in the fields outside 
       the village, guarding their flocks of sheep.

       (Luke 2:9 TLB)  Suddenly an angel appeared among them, and the 
       landscape shone bright with the glory of the Lord. They were badly 
       frightened,

       (Luke 2:10 TLB)  but the angel reassured them. "Don't be afraid!" he 
       said. "I bring you the most joyful news ever announced, and it is for 
       everyone!

       (Luke 2:11 TLB)  The Savior--yes, the Messiah, the Lord--has been born 
       tonight in Bethlehem!

       (Luke 2:12 TLB)  How will you recognize him? You will find a baby 
       wrapped in a blanket, lying in a manger!"

       (Luke 2:13 TLB)  Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of 
       others--the armies of heaven--praising God:

       (Luke 2:14 TLB)  "Glory to God in the highest heaven," they sang, "and 
       peace on earth for all those pleasing him."

       (Luke 2:15 TLB)  When this great army of angels had returned again to 
       heaven, the shepherds said to each other, "Come on! Let's go to 
       Bethlehem! Let's see this wonderful thing that has happened, which the 
       Lord has told us about."





       (Luke 2:16 TLB)  They ran to the village and found their way to Mary 
       and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger.

       (Luke 2:17 TLB)  The shepherds told everyone what had happened and 
       what the angel had said to them about this child.

       (Luke 2:18 TLB)  All who heard the shepherds' story expressed 
       astonishment,

       (Luke 2:19 TLB)  but Mary quietly treasured these things in her heart 
       and often thought about them.

       (Luke 2:20 TLB)  Then the shepherds went back again to their fields 
       and flocks, praising God for the visit of the angels, and because they 
       had seen the child, just as the angel had told them.

       (Luke 2:21 TLB)  Eight days later, at the baby's circumcision 
       ceremony, he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel before 
       he was even conceived.

       (Luke 2:22 TLB)  When the time came for Mary's purification offering 
       at the Temple, as required by the laws of Moses after the birth of a 
       child, his parents took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord;

       (Luke 2:23 TLB)  for in these laws God had said, "If a woman's first 
       child is a boy, he shall be dedicated to the Lord."

       (Luke 2:24 TLB)  At that time Jesus' parents also offered their 
       sacrifice for purification-- "either a pair of turtledoves or two 
       young pigeons" was the legal requirement.

       (Luke 2:25 TLB)  That day a man named Simeon, a Jerusalem resident, 
       was in the Temple. He was a good man, very devout, filled with the 
       Holy Spirit and constantly expecting the Messiah to come soon.

       (Luke 2:26 TLB)  For the Holy Spirit had revealed to him that he would 
       not die until he had seen him--God's anointed King.

       (Luke 2:27 TLB)  The Holy Spirit had impelled him to go to the Temple 
       that day; and so, when Mary and Joseph arrived to present the baby 
       Jesus to the Lord in obedience to the law,

       (Luke 2:28 TLB)  Simeon was there and took the child in his arms, 
       praising God.

       (Luke 2:29 TLB)  "Lord," he said, "now I can die content!

       (Luke 2:30 TLB)  For I have seen him as you promised me I would.

       (Luke 2:31 TLB)  I have seen the Savior you have given to the world.

       (Luke 2:32 TLB)  He is the Light that will shine upon the nations, and 
       he will be the glory of your people Israel!"

       (Luke 2:33 TLB)  Joseph and Mary just stood there, marveling at what 
       was being said about Jesus.






       (Luke 2:34 TLB)  Simeon blessed them but then said to Mary, "A sword 
       shall pierce your soul, for this child shall be rejected by many in 
       Israel, and this to their undoing.

       (Luke 2:35 TLB)  But he will be the greatest joy of many others. And 
       the deepest thoughts of many hearts shall be revealed."

       (Luke 2:36 TLB)  Anna, a prophetess, was also there in the Temple that 
       day. She was the daughter of Phanuel, of the Jewish tribe of Asher, 
       and was very old, for she had been a widow for eighty-four years 
       following seven years of marriage.

       (Luke 2:37 TLB)  She never left the Temple but stayed there night and 
       day, worshiping God by praying and often fasting.

       (Luke 2:38 TLB)  She came along just as Simeon was talking with Mary 
       and Joseph, and she also began thanking God and telling everyone in 
       Jerusalem who had been awaiting the coming of the Savior that the 
       Messiah had finally arrived.

       (Luke 2:39 TLB)  When Jesus' parents had fulfilled all the 
       requirements of the Law of God they returned home to Nazareth in 
       Galilee.

       (Luke 2:40 TLB)  There the child became a strong, robust lad, and was 
       known for wisdom beyond his years; and God poured out his blessings on 
       him.

       (Luke 2:41 TLB)  When Jesus was twelve years old he accompanied his 
       parents to Jerusalem for the annual Passover Festival, which they 
       attended each year.

       (Luke 2:42 TLB)  

       (Luke 2:43 TLB)  After the celebration was over they started home to 
       Nazareth, but Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents didn't 
       miss him the first day,

       (Luke 2:44 TLB)  for they assumed he was with friends among the other 
       travelers. But when he didn't show up that evening, they started to 
       look for him among their relatives and friends;

       (Luke 2:45 TLB)  and when they couldn't find him, they went back to 
       Jerusalem to search for him there.

       (Luke 2:46 TLB)  Three days later they finally discovered him. He was 
       in the Temple, sitting among the teachers of Law, discussing deep 
       questions with them

       (Luke 2:47 TLB)  and amazing everyone with his understanding and 
       answers.

       (Luke 2:48 TLB)  His parents didn't know what to think. "Son!" his 
       mother said to him. "Why have you done this to us? Your father and I 
       have been frantic, searching for you everywhere."






       (Luke 2:49 TLB)  "But why did you need to search?" he asked. "Didn't 
       you realize that I would be here at the Temple, in my Father's House?"

       (Luke 2:50 TLB)  But they didn't understand what he meant.

       (Luke 2:51 TLB)  Then he returned to Nazareth with them and was 
       obedient to them; and his mother stored away all these things in her 
       heart.

       (Luke 2:52 TLB)  So Jesus grew both tall and wise, and was loved by 
       God and man.

       (Luke 3:1 TLB)  In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius 
       Caesar, a message came from God to John (the son of Zacharias), as he 
       was living out in the deserts. (Pilate was governor over Judea at that 
       time; Herod, over Galilee; his brother Philip, over Iturea and 
       Trachonitis; Lysanias, over Abilene; and Annas and Caiaphas were High 
       Priests.)

       (Luke 3:2 TLB)  

       (Luke 3:3 TLB)  Then John went from place to place on both sides of 
       the Jordan River, preaching that people should be baptized to show 
       that they had turned to God and away from their sins, in order to be 
       forgiven.

       (Luke 3:4 TLB)  In the words of Isaiah the prophet, John was "a voice 
       shouting from the barren wilderness, 'Prepare a road for the Lord to 
       travel on! Widen the pathway before him!

       (Luke 3:5 TLB)  Level the mountains! Fill up the valleys! Straighten 
       the curves! Smooth out the ruts!

       (Luke 3:6 TLB)  And then all mankind shall see the Savior sent from 
       God.'''

       (Luke 3:7 TLB)  Here is a sample of John's preaching to the crowds 
       that came for baptism: "You brood of snakes! You are trying to escape 
       hell without truly turning to God! That is why you want to be 
       baptized!

       (Luke 3:8 TLB)  First go and prove by the way you live that you really 
       have repented. And don't think you are safe because you are 
       descendants of Abraham. That isn't enough. God can produce children of 
       Abraham from these desert stones!

       (Luke 3:9 TLB)  The axe of his judgment is poised over you, ready to 
       sever your roots and cut you down. Yes, every tree that does not 
       produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire."

       (Luke 3:10 TLB)  The crowd replied, "What do you want us to do?"

       (Luke 3:11 TLB)  "If you have two coats," he replied, "give one to the 
       poor. If you have extra food, give it away to those who are hungry."





       (Luke 3:12 TLB)  Even tax collectors--notorious for their 
       corruption--came to be baptized and asked, "How shall we prove to you 
       that we have abandoned our sins?"

       (Luke 3:13 TLB)  "By your honesty," he replied. "Make sure you collect 
       no more taxes than the Roman government requires you to."

       (Luke 3:14 TLB)  "And us," asked some soldiers, "what about us?" John 
       replied, "Don't extort money by threats and violence; don't accuse 
       anyone of what you know he didn't do; and be content with your pay!"

       (Luke 3:15 TLB)  Everyone was expecting the Messiah to come soon, and 
       eager to know whether or not John was he. This was the question of the 
       hour and was being discussed everywhere.

       (Luke 3:16 TLB)  John answered the question by saying, "I baptize only 
       with water; but someone is coming soon who has far higher authority 
       than mine; in fact, I am not even worthy of being his slave. He will 
       baptize you with fire--with the Holy Spirit.

       (Luke 3:17 TLB)  He will separate chaff from grain, and burn up the 
       chaff with eternal fire and store away the grain."

       (Luke 3:18 TLB)  He used many such warnings as he announced the Good 
       News to the people.

       (Luke 3:19 TLB)  (But after John had publicly criticized Herod, 
       governor of Galilee, for marrying Herodias, his brother's wife, and 
       for many other wrongs he had done,

       (Luke 3:20 TLB)  Herod put John in prison, thus adding this sin to all 
       his many others.)

       (Luke 3:21 TLB)  Then one day, after the crowds had been baptized, 
       Jesus himself was baptized; and as he was praying, the heavens opened,

       (Luke 3:22 TLB)  and the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove settled 
       upon him, and a voice from heaven said, "You are my much loved Son, 
       yes, my delight."

       (Luke 3:23 TLB)  Jesus was about thirty years old when he began his 
       public ministry. Jesus was known as the son of Joseph. Joseph's father 
       was Heli;

       (Luke 3:24 TLB)  Heli's father was Matthat; Matthat's father was Levi; 
       Levi's father was Melchi; Melchi's father was Jannai; Jannai's father 
       was Joseph;

       (Luke 3:25 TLB)  Joseph's father was Mattathias; Mattathias' father 
       was Amos; Amos' father was Nahum; Nahum's father was Esli; Esli's 
       father was Naggai;

       (Luke 3:26 TLB)  Naggai's father was Maath; Maath's father was 
       Mattathias; Mattathias' father was Semein; Semein's father was Josech; 
       Josech's father was Joda;





       (Luke 3:27 TLB)  Joda's father was Joanan; Joanan's father was Rhesa; 
       Rhesa's father was Zerubbabel; Zerubbabel's father was Shealtiel; 
       Shealtiel's father was Neri;

       (Luke 3:28 TLB)  Neri's father was Melchi; Melchi's father was Addi; 
       Addi's father was Cosam; Cosam's father was Elmadam; Elmadam's father 
       was Er;

       (Luke 3:29 TLB)  Er's father was Joshua; Joshua's father was Eliezer; 
       Eliezer's father was Jorim; Jorim's father was Matthat; Matthat's 
       father was Levi;

       (Luke 3:30 TLB)  Levi's father was Simeon; Simeon's father was Judah; 
       Judah's father was Joseph; Joseph's father was Jonam; Jonam's father 
       was Eliakim;

       (Luke 3:31 TLB)  Eliakim's father was Melea; Melea's father was Menna; 
       Menna's father was Mattatha; Mattatha's father was Nathan; Nathan's 
       father was David;

       (Luke 3:32 TLB)  David's father was Jesse; Jesse's father was Obed; 
       Obed's father was Boaz; Boaz' father was Salmon; Salmon's father was 
       Nahshon;

       (Luke 3:33 TLB)  Nahshon's father was Amminadab; Amminadab's father 
       was Admin; Admin's father was Arni; Arni's father was Hezron; Hezron's 
       father was Perez; Perez' father was Judah;

       (Luke 3:34 TLB)  Judah's father was Jacob; Jacob's father was Isaac; 
       Isaac's father was Abraham; Abraham's father was Terah; Terah's father 
       was Nahor;

       (Luke 3:35 TLB)  Nahor's father was Serug; Serug's father was Reu; 
       Reu's father was Peleg; Peleg's father was Eber; Eber's father was 
       Shelah;

       (Luke 3:36 TLB)  Shelah's father was Cainan; Cainan's father was 
       Arphaxad; Arphaxad's father was Shem; Shem's father was Noah; Noah's 
       father was Lamech;

       (Luke 3:37 TLB)  Lamech's father was Methuselah; Methuselah's father 
       was Enoch; Enoch's father was Jared; Jared's father was Mahalaleel; 
       Mahalaleel's father was Cainan;

       (Luke 3:38 TLB)  Cainan's father was Enos; Enos' father was Seth; 
       Seth's father was Adam; Adam's father was God.

       (Luke 4:1 TLB)  Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan 
       River, being urged by the Spirit out into the barren wastelands of 
       Judea, where Satan tempted him for forty days. He ate nothing all that 
       time and was very hungry.

       (Luke 4:2 TLB)  

       (Luke 4:3 TLB)  Satan said, "If you are God's Son, tell this stone to 
       become a loaf of bread."






       (Luke 4:4 TLB)  But Jesus replied, "It is written in the Scriptures, 
       'Other things in life are much more important than bread!'"

       (Luke 4:5 TLB)  Then Satan took him up and revealed to him all the 
       kingdoms of the world in a moment of time;

       (Luke 4:6 TLB)  and the devil told him, "I will give you all these 
       splendid kingdoms and their glory--

       (Luke 4:7 TLB)  for they are mine to give to anyone I wish--if you 
       will only get down on your knees and worship me."

       (Luke 4:8 TLB)  Jesus replied, "We must worship God, and him alone. So 
       it is written in the Scriptures."

       (Luke 4:9 TLB)  Then Satan took him to Jerusalem to a high roof of the 
       Temple and said, "If you are the Son of God, jump off!

       (Luke 4:10 TLB)  For the Scriptures say that God will send his angels 
       to guard you

       (Luke 4:11 TLB)  and to keep you from crashing to the pavement below!"

       (Luke 4:12 TLB)  Jesus replied, "The Scriptures also say, 'Do not put 
       the Lord your God to a foolish test.'"

       (Luke 4:13 TLB)  When the devil had ended all the temptations, he left 
       Jesus for a while and went away.

       (Luke 4:14 TLB)  Then Jesus returned to Galilee, full of the Holy 
       Spirit's power. Soon he became well known throughout all that region

       (Luke 4:15 TLB)  for his sermons in the synagogues; everyone praised 
       him.

       (Luke 4:16 TLB)  When he came to the village of Nazareth, his boyhood 
       home, he went as usual to the synagogue on Saturday, and stood up to 
       read the Scriptures.

       (Luke 4:17 TLB)  The book of Isaiah the prophet was handed to him, and 
       he opened it to the place where it says:

       (Luke 4:18 TLB)  "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; he has appointed 
       me to preach Good News to the poor; he has sent me to heal the 
       brokenhearted and to announce that captives shall be released and the 
       blind shall see, that the downtrodden shall be freed from their 
       oppressors,

       (Luke 4:19 TLB)  and that God is ready to give blessings to all who 
       come to him."

       (Luke 4:20 TLB)  He closed the book and handed it back to the 
       attendant and sat down, while everyone in the synagogue gazed at him 
       intently.





       (Luke 4:21 TLB)  Then he added, "These Scriptures came true today!"

       (Luke 4:22 TLB)  All who were there spoke well of him and were amazed 
       by the beautiful words that fell from his lips. "How can this be?" 
       they asked. "Isn't this Joseph's son?"

       (Luke 4:23 TLB)  Then he said, "Probably you will quote me that 
       proverb, 'Physician, heal yourself'--meaning, 'Why don't you do 
       miracles here in your hometown like those you did in Capernaum?'

       (Luke 4:24 TLB)  But I solemnly declare to you that no prophet is 
       accepted in his own hometown!

       (Luke 4:25 TLB)  For example, remember how Elijah the prophet used a 
       miracle to help the widow of Zarephath--a foreigner from the land of 
       Sidon.

       (Luke 4:26 TLB)  There were many Jewish widows needing help in those 
       days of famine, for there had been no rain for three and a half years, 
       and hunger stalked the land; yet Elijah was not sent to them.

       (Luke 4:27 TLB)  Or think of the prophet Elisha, who healed Naaman, a 
       Syrian, rather than the many Jewish lepers needing help."

       (Luke 4:28 TLB)  These remarks stung them to fury;

       (Luke 4:29 TLB)  and jumping up, they mobbed him and took him to the 
       edge of the hill on which the city was built, to push him over the 
       cliff.

       (Luke 4:30 TLB)  But he walked away through the crowd and left them.

       (Luke 4:31 TLB)  Then he returned to Capernaum, a city in Galilee, and 
       preached there in the synagogue every Saturday.

       (Luke 4:32 TLB)  Here, too, the people were amazed at the things he 
       said. For he spoke as one who knew the truth, instead of merely 
       quoting the opinions of others as his authority.

       (Luke 4:33 TLB)  Once as he was teaching in the synagogue, a man 
       possessed by a demon began shouting at Jesus,

       (Luke 4:34 TLB)  "Go away! We want nothing to do with you, Jesus from 
       Nazareth. You have come to destroy us. I know who you are--the Holy 
       Son of God."

       (Luke 4:35 TLB)  Jesus cut him short. "Be silent!" he told the demon. 
       "Come out!" The demon threw the man to the floor as the crowd watched, 
       and then left him without hurting him further.

       (Luke 4:36 TLB)  Amazed, the people asked, "What is in this man's 
       words that even demons obey him?"

       (Luke 4:37 TLB)  The story of what he had done spread like wildfire 
       throughout the whole region.





       (Luke 4:38 TLB)  After leaving the synagogue that day, he went to 
       Simon's home where he found Simon's mother-in-law very sick with a 
       high fever. "Please heal her," everyone begged.

       (Luke 4:39 TLB)  Standing at her bedside he spoke to the fever, 
       rebuking it, and immediately her temperature returned to normal, and 
       she got up and prepared a meal for them!

       (Luke 4:40 TLB)  As the sun went down that evening, all the villagers 
       who had any sick people in their homes, no matter what their diseases 
       were, brought them to Jesus; and the touch of his hands healed every 
       one!

       (Luke 4:41 TLB)  Some were possessed by demons; and the demons came 
       out at his command, shouting, "You are the Son of God." But because 
       they knew he was the Christ, he stopped them and told them to be 
       silent.

       (Luke 4:42 TLB)  Early the next morning he went out into the desert. 
       The crowds searched everywhere for him, and when they finally found 
       him, they begged him not to leave them but to stay at Capernaum.

       (Luke 4:43 TLB)  But he replied, "I must preach the Good News of the 
       Kingdom of God in other places too, for that is why I was sent."

       (Luke 4:44 TLB)  So he continued to travel around preaching in 
       synagogues throughout Judea.

       (Luke 5:1 TLB)  One day as he was preaching on the shore of Lake 
       Gennesaret, great crowds pressed in on him to listen to the Word of 
       God.

       (Luke 5:2 TLB)  He noticed two empty boats standing at the water's 
       edge while the fishermen washed their nets.

       (Luke 5:3 TLB)  Stepping into one of the boats, Jesus asked Simon, its 
       owner, to push out a little into the water, so that he could sit in 
       the boat and speak to the crowds from there.

       (Luke 5:4 TLB)  When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Now 
       go out where it is deeper and let down your nets and you will catch a 
       lot of fish!"

       (Luke 5:5 TLB)  "Sir," Simon replied, "we worked hard all last night 
       and didn't catch a thing. But if you say so, we'll try again."

       (Luke 5:6 TLB)  And this time their nets were so full that they began 
       to tear!

       (Luke 5:7 TLB)  A shout for help brought their partners in the other 
       boat, and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of 
       sinking.

       (Luke 5:8 TLB)  When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell 
       to his knees before Jesus and said, "Oh, sir, please leave us--I'm too 
       much of a sinner for you to have around."






       (Luke 5:9 TLB)  For he was awestruck by the size of their catch, as 
       were the others with him,

       (Luke 5:10 TLB)  and his partners too--James and John, the sons of 
       Zebedee. Jesus replied, "Don't be afraid! From now on you'll be 
       fishing for the souls of men!"

       (Luke 5:11 TLB)  And as soon as they landed, they left everything and 
       went with him.

       (Luke 5:12 TLB)  One day in a certain village he was visiting, there 
       was a man with an advanced case of leprosy. When he saw Jesus he fell 
       to the ground before him, face downward in the dust, begging to be 
       healed. "Sir," he said, "if you only will, you can clear me of every 
       trace of my disease."

       (Luke 5:13 TLB)  Jesus reached out and touched the man and said, "Of 
       course I will. Be healed." And the leprosy left him instantly!

       (Luke 5:14 TLB)  Then Jesus instructed him to go at once without 
       telling anyone what had happened and be examined by the Jewish priest. 
       "Offer the sacrifice Moses' law requires for lepers who are healed," 
       he said. "This will prove to everyone that you are well."

       (Luke 5:15 TLB)  Now the report of his power spread even faster and 
       vast crowds came to hear him preach and to be healed of their 
       diseases.

       (Luke 5:16 TLB)  But he often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer.

       (Luke 5:17 TLB)  One day while he was teaching, some Jewish religious 
       leaders and teachers of the Law were sitting nearby. (It seemed that 
       these men showed up from every village in all Galilee and Judea, as 
       well as from Jerusalem.) And the Lord's healing power was upon him.

       (Luke 5:18 TLB)  Then--look! Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on 
       a sleeping mat. They tried to push through the crowd to Jesus but 
       couldn't reach him.

       (Luke 5:19 TLB)  So they went up on the roof above him, took off some 
       tiles and lowered the sick man down into the crowd, still on his 
       sleeping mat, right in front of Jesus.

       (Luke 5:20 TLB)  Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the man, "My 
       friend, your sins are forgiven!"

       (Luke 5:21 TLB)  "Who does this fellow think he is?" the Pharisees and 
       teachers of the Law exclaimed among themselves. "This is blasphemy! 
       Who but God can forgive sins?"

       (Luke 5:22 TLB)  Jesus knew what they were thinking, and he replied, 
       "Why is it blasphemy?

       (Luke 5:23 TLB)  I, the Messiah, have the authority on earth to 
       forgive sins.






       (Luke 5:24 TLB)  But talk is cheap--anybody could say that. So I'll 
       prove it to you by healing this man." Then, turning to the paralyzed 
       man, he commanded, "Pick up your stretcher and go on home, for you are 
       healed!"

       (Luke 5:25 TLB)  And immediately, as everyone watched, the man jumped 
       to his feet, picked up his mat and went home praising God!

       (Luke 5:26 TLB)  Everyone present was gripped with awe and fear. And 
       they praised God, remarking over and over again, "We have seen strange 
       things today."

       (Luke 5:27 TLB)  Later on as Jesus left the town he saw a tax 
       collector--with the usual reputation for cheating--sitting at a tax 
       collection booth. The man's name was Levi. Jesus said to him, "Come 
       and be one of my disciples!"

       (Luke 5:28 TLB)  So Levi left everything, sprang up and went with him.

       (Luke 5:29 TLB)  Soon Levi held a reception in his home with Jesus as 
       the guest of honor. Many of Levi's fellow tax collectors and other 
       guests were there.

       (Luke 5:30 TLB)  But the Pharisees and teachers of the Law complained 
       bitterly to Jesus' disciples about his eating with such notorious 
       sinners.

       (Luke 5:31 TLB)  Jesus answered them, "It is the sick who need a 
       doctor, not those in good health.

       (Luke 5:32 TLB)  My purpose is to invite sinners to turn from their 
       sins, not to spend my time with those who think themselves already 
       good enough."

       (Luke 5:33 TLB)  Their next complaint was that Jesus' disciples were 
       feasting instead of fasting. "John the Baptist's disciples are 
       constantly going without food and praying," they declared, "and so do 
       the disciples of the Pharisees. Why are yours wining and dining?"

       (Luke 5:34 TLB)  Jesus asked, "Do happy men fast? Do wedding guests go 
       hungry while celebrating with the groom?

       (Luke 5:35 TLB)  But the time will come when the bridegroom will be 
       killed; then they won't want to eat."

       (Luke 5:36 TLB)  Then Jesus used this illustration: "No one tears off 
       a piece of a new garment to make a patch for an old one. Not only will 
       the new garment be ruined, but the old garment will look worse with a 
       new patch on it!

       (Luke 5:37 TLB)  And no one puts new wine into old wineskins, for the 
       new wine bursts the old skins, ruining the skins and spilling the 
       wine.

       (Luke 5:38 TLB)  New wine must be put into new wineskins.






       (Luke 5:39 TLB)  But no one after drinking the old wine seems to want 
       the fresh and the new. 'The old ways are best,' they say."

       (Luke 6:1 TLB)  One Sabbath as Jesus and his disciples were walking 
       through some grainfields, they were breaking off the heads of wheat, 
       rubbing off the husks in their hands and eating the grains.

       (Luke 6:2 TLB)  But some Pharisees said, "That's illegal! Your 
       disciples are harvesting grain, and it's against the Jewish law to 
       work on the Sabbath."

       (Luke 6:3 TLB)  Jesus replied, "Don't you read the Scriptures? Haven't 
       you ever read what King David did when he and his men were hungry?

       (Luke 6:4 TLB)  He went into the Temple and took the shewbread, the 
       special bread that was placed before the Lord, and ate it--illegal as 
       this was--and shared it with others."

       (Luke 6:5 TLB)  And Jesus added, "I am master even of the Sabbath."

       (Luke 6:6 TLB)  On another Sabbath he was in the synagogue teaching, 
       and a man was present whose right hand was deformed.

       (Luke 6:7 TLB)  The teachers of the Law and the Pharisees watched 
       closely to see whether he would heal the man that day, since it was 
       the Sabbath. For they were eager to find some charge to bring against 
       him.

       (Luke 6:8 TLB)  How well he knew their thoughts! But he said to the 
       man with the deformed hand, "Come and stand here where everyone can 
       see." So he did.

       (Luke 6:9 TLB)  Then Jesus said to the Pharisees and teachers of the 
       Law, "I have a question for you. Is it right to do good on the Sabbath 
       day, or to do harm? To save life, or to destroy it?"

       (Luke 6:10 TLB)  He looked around at them one by one and then said to 
       the man, "Reach out your hand." And as he did, it became completely 
       normal again.

       (Luke 6:11 TLB)  At this, the enemies of Jesus were wild with rage and 
       began to plot his murder.

       (Luke 6:12 TLB)  One day soon afterwards he went out into the 
       mountains to pray, and prayed all night.

       (Luke 6:13 TLB)  At daybreak he called together his followers and 
       chose twelve of them to be the inner circle of his disciples. (They 
       were appointed as his "apostles," or "missionaries.")

       (Luke 6:14 TLB)  Here are their names: Simon (he also called him 
       Peter), Andrew (Simon's brother), James, John, Philip, Bartholomew,

       (Luke 6:15 TLB)  Matthew, Thomas, James (the son of Alphaeus), Simon 
       (a member of the Zealots, a subversive political party),






       (Luke 6:16 TLB)  Judas (son of James), Judas Iscariot (who later 
       betrayed him).

       (Luke 6:17 TLB)  When they came down the slopes of the mountain, they 
       stood with Jesus on a large, level area, surrounded by many of his 
       followers who, in turn, were surrounded by the crowds. For people from 
       all over Judea and from Jerusalem and from as far north as the 
       seacoasts of Tyre and Sidon

       (Luke 6:18 TLB)  had come to hear him or to be healed. And he cast out 
       many demons.

       (Luke 6:19 TLB)  Everyone was trying to touch him, for when they did, 
       healing power went out from him and they were cured.

       (Luke 6:20 TLB)  Then he turned to his disciples and said, "What 
       happiness there is for you who are poor, for the Kingdom of God is 
       yours!

       (Luke 6:21 TLB)  What happiness there is for you who are now hungry, 
       for you are going to be satisfied! What happiness there is for you who 
       weep, for the time will come when you shall laugh with joy!

       (Luke 6:22 TLB)  What happiness it is when others hate you and exclude 
       you and insult you and smear your name because you are mine!

       (Luke 6:23 TLB)  When that happens, rejoice! Yes, leap for joy! For 
       you will have a great reward awaiting you in heaven. And you will be 
       in good company--the ancient prophets were treated that way too!

       (Luke 6:24 TLB)  "But, oh, the sorrows that await the rich. For they 
       have their only happiness down here.

       (Luke 6:25 TLB)  They are fat and prosperous now, but a time of awful 
       hunger is before them. Their careless laughter now means sorrow then.

       (Luke 6:26 TLB)  And what sadness is ahead for those praised by the 
       crowds--for false prophets have always been praised.

       (Luke 6:27 TLB)  "Listen, all of you. Love your enemies. Do good to 
       those who hate you.

       (Luke 6:28 TLB)  Pray for the happiness of those who curse you; 
       implore God's blessing on those who hurt you.

       (Luke 6:29 TLB)  "If someone slaps you on one cheek, let him slap the 
       other too! If someone demands your coat, give him your shirt besides.

       (Luke 6:30 TLB)  Give what you have to anyone who asks you for it; and 
       when things are taken away from you, don't worry about getting them 
       back.

       (Luke 6:31 TLB)  Treat others as you want them to treat you.

       (Luke 6:32 TLB)  "Do you think you deserve credit for merely loving 





       those who love you? Even the godless do that!

       (Luke 6:33 TLB)  And if you do good only to those who do you good--is 
       that so wonderful? Even sinners do that much!

       (Luke 6:34 TLB)  And if you lend money only to those who can repay 
       you, what good is that? Even the most wicked will lend to their own 
       kind for full return!

       (Luke 6:35 TLB)  "Love your enemies! Do good to them! Lend to them! 
       And don't be concerned about the fact that they won't repay. Then your 
       reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as 
       sons of God: for he is kind to the unthankful and to those who are 
       very wicked.

       (Luke 6:36 TLB)  "Try to show as much compassion as your Father does.

       (Luke 6:37 TLB)  "Never criticize or condemn--or it will all come back 
       on you. Go easy on others; then they will do the same for you.

       (Luke 6:38 TLB)  For if you give, you will get! Your gift will return 
       to you in full and overflowing measure, pressed down, shaken together 
       to make room for more, and running over. Whatever measure you use to 
       give--large or small--will be used to measure what is given back to 
       you."

       (Luke 6:39 TLB)  Here are some of the story-illustrations Jesus used 
       in his sermons: "What good is it for one blind man to lead another? He 
       will fall into a ditch and pull the other down with him.

       (Luke 6:40 TLB)  How can a student know more than his teacher? But if 
       he works hard, he may learn as much.

       (Luke 6:41 TLB)  "And why quibble about the speck in someone else's 
       eye--his little fault--when a board is in your own?

       (Luke 6:42 TLB)  How can you think of saying to him, 'Brother, let me 
       help you get rid of that speck in your eye,' when you can't see past 
       the board in yours? Hypocrite! First get rid of the board, and then 
       perhaps you can see well enough to deal with his speck!

       (Luke 6:43 TLB)  "A tree from good stock doesn't produce scrub fruit 
       nor do trees from poor stock produce choice fruit.

       (Luke 6:44 TLB)  A tree is identified by the kind of fruit it 
       produces. Figs never grow on thorns, or grapes on bramble bushes.

       (Luke 6:45 TLB)  A good man produces good deeds from a good heart. And 
       an evil man produces evil deeds from his hidden wickedness. Whatever 
       is in the heart overflows into speech.

       (Luke 6:46 TLB)  "So why do you call me 'Lord' when you won't obey me?

       (Luke 6:47 TLB)  But all those who come and listen and obey me are 
       like a man who builds a house on a strong foundation laid upon the 
       underlying rock.






       (Luke 6:48 TLB)  When the floodwaters rise and break against the 
       house, it stands firm, for it is strongly built.

       (Luke 6:49 TLB)  "But those who listen and don't obey are like a man 
       who builds a house without a foundation. When the floods sweep down 
       against that house, it crumbles into a heap of ruins."

       (Luke 7:1 TLB)  When Jesus had finished his sermon he went back into 
       the city of Capernaum.

       (Luke 7:2 TLB)  Just at that time the highly prized slave of a Roman 
       army captain was sick and near death.

       (Luke 7:3 TLB)  When the captain heard about Jesus, he sent some 
       respected Jewish elders to ask him to come and heal his slave.

       (Luke 7:4 TLB)  So they began pleading earnestly with Jesus to come 
       with them and help the man. They told him what a wonderful person the 
       captain was. "If anyone deserves your help, it is he," they said,

       (Luke 7:5 TLB)  "for he loves the Jews and even paid personally to 
       build us a synagogue!"

       (Luke 7:6 TLB)  Jesus went with them; but just before arriving at the 
       house, the captain sent some friends to say, "Sir, don't inconvenience 
       yourself by coming to my home, for I am not worthy of any such honor 
       or even to come and meet you.

       (Luke 7:7 TLB)  Just speak a word from where you are, and my servant 
       boy will be healed! I know,

       (Luke 7:8 TLB)  because I am under the authority of my superior 
       officers, and I have authority over my men. I only need to say 'Go!' 
       and they go; or 'Come!' and they come; and to my slave, 'Do this or 
       that,' and he does it. So just say, 'Be healed!' and my servant will 
       be well again!"

       (Luke 7:9 TLB)  Jesus was amazed. Turning to the crowd he said, "Never 
       among all the Jews in Israel have I met a man with faith like this."

       (Luke 7:10 TLB)  And when the captain's friends returned to his house, 
       they found the slave completely healed.

       (Luke 7:11 TLB)  Not long afterwards Jesus went with his disciples to 
       the village of Nain, with the usual great crowd at his heels.

       (Luke 7:12 TLB)  A funeral procession was coming out as he approached 
       the village gate. The boy who had died was the only son of his widowed 
       mother, and many mourners from the village were with her.

       (Luke 7:13 TLB)  When the Lord saw her, his heart overflowed with 
       sympathy. "Don't cry!" he said.

       (Luke 7:14 TLB)  Then he walked over to the coffin and touched it, and 
       the bearers stopped. "Laddie," he said, "come back to life again."






       (Luke 7:15 TLB)  Then the boy sat up and began to talk to those around 
       him! And Jesus gave him back to his mother.

       (Luke 7:16 TLB)  A great fear swept the crowd, and they exclaimed with 
       praises to God, "A mighty prophet has risen among us," and, "We have 
       seen the hand of God at work today."

       (Luke 7:17 TLB)  The report of what he did that day raced from end to 
       end of Judea and even out across the borders.

       (Luke 7:18 TLB)  The disciples of John the Baptist soon heard of all 
       that Jesus was doing. When they told John about it,

       (Luke 7:19 TLB)  he sent two of his disciples to Jesus to ask him, 
       "Are you really the Messiah? Or shall we keep on looking for him?"

       (Luke 7:20 TLB)  The two disciples found Jesus while he was curing 
       many sick people of their various diseases--healing the lame and the 
       blind and casting out evil spirits. When they asked him John's 
       question,

       (Luke 7:21 TLB)  

       (Luke 7:22 TLB)  this was his reply: "Go back to John and tell him all 
       you have seen and heard here today: how those who were blind can see. 
       The lame are walking without a limp. The lepers are completely healed. 
       The deaf can hear again. The dead come back to life. And the poor are 
       hearing the Good News.

       (Luke 7:23 TLB)  And tell him, 'Blessed is the one who does not lose 
       his faith in me.'"

       (Luke 7:24 TLB)  After they left, Jesus talked to the crowd about 
       John. "Who is this man you went out into the Judean wilderness to 
       see?" he asked. "Did you find him weak as grass, moved by every breath 
       of wind?

       (Luke 7:25 TLB)  Did you find him dressed in expensive clothes? No! 
       Men who live in luxury are found in palaces, not out in the 
       wilderness.

       (Luke 7:26 TLB)  But did you find a prophet? Yes! And more than a 
       prophet.

       (Luke 7:27 TLB)  He is the one to whom the Scriptures refer when they 
       say, 'Look! I am sending my messenger ahead of you, to prepare the way 
       before you.'

       (Luke 7:28 TLB)  In all humanity there is no one greater than John. 
       And yet the least citizen of the Kingdom of God is greater than he."

       (Luke 7:29 TLB)  And all who heard John preach--even the most wicked 
       of them--agreed that God's requirements were right, and they were 
       baptized by him.





       (Luke 7:30 TLB)  All, that is, except the Pharisees and teachers of 
       Moses' Law. They rejected God's plan for them and refused John's 
       baptism.

       (Luke 7:31 TLB)  "What can I say about such men?" Jesus asked. "With 
       what shall I compare them?

       (Luke 7:32 TLB)  They are like a group of children who complain to 
       their friends, 'You don't like it if we play "wedding" and you don't 
       like it if we play "funeral'"!

       (Luke 7:33 TLB)  For John the Baptist used to go without food and 
       never took a drop of liquor all his life, and you said, 'He must be 
       crazy!'

       (Luke 7:34 TLB)  But I eat my food and drink my wine, and you say, 
       'What a glutton Jesus is! And he drinks! And has the lowest sort of 
       friends!'

       (Luke 7:35 TLB)  But I am sure you can always justify your 
       inconsistencies."

       (Luke 7:36 TLB)  One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to come to his home 
       for lunch and Jesus accepted the invitation. As they sat down to eat,

       (Luke 7:37 TLB)  a woman of the streets--a prostitute--heard he was 
       there and brought an exquisite flask filled with expensive perfume.

       (Luke 7:38 TLB)  Going in, she knelt behind him at his feet, weeping, 
       with her tears falling down upon his feet; and she wiped them off with 
       her hair and kissed them and poured the perfume on them.

       (Luke 7:39 TLB)  When Jesus' host, a Pharisee, saw what was happening 
       and who the woman was, he said to himself, "This proves that Jesus is 
       no prophet, for if God had really sent him, he would know what kind of 
       woman this one is!"

       (Luke 7:40 TLB)  Then Jesus spoke up and answered his thoughts. 
       "Simon," he said to the Pharisee, "I have something to say to you." 
       "All right, Teacher," Simon replied, "go ahead."

       (Luke 7:41 TLB)  Then Jesus told him this story: "A man loaned money 
       to two people-- $5,000 to one and $500 to the other.

       (Luke 7:42 TLB)  But neither of them could pay him back, so he kindly 
       forgave them both, letting them keep the money! Which do you suppose 
       loved him most after that?"

       (Luke 7:43 TLB)  "I suppose the one who had owed him the most," Simon 
       answered. "Correct," Jesus agreed.

       (Luke 7:44 TLB)  Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon, "Look! 
       See this woman kneeling here! When I entered your home, you didn't 
       bother to offer me water to wash the dust from my feet, but she has 
       washed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair.





       (Luke 7:45 TLB)  You refused me the customary kiss of greeting, but 
       she has kissed my feet again and again from the time I first came in.

       (Luke 7:46 TLB)  You neglected the usual courtesy of olive oil to 
       anoint my head, but she has covered my feet with rare perfume.

       (Luke 7:47 TLB)  Therefore her sins--and they are many--are forgiven, 
       for she loved me much; but one who is forgiven little, shows little 
       love."

       (Luke 7:48 TLB)  And he said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."

       (Luke 7:49 TLB)  Then the men at the table said to themselves, "Who 
       does this man think he is, going around forgiving sins?"

       (Luke 7:50 TLB)  And Jesus said to the woman, "Your faith has saved 
       you; go in peace."

       (Luke 8:1 TLB)  Not long afterwards he began a tour of the cities and 
       villages of Galilee to announce the coming of the Kingdom of God, and 
       took his twelve disciples with him.

       (Luke 8:2 TLB)  Some women went along, from whom he had cast out 
       demons or whom he had healed; among them were Mary Magdalene (Jesus 
       had cast out seven demons from her),

       (Luke 8:3 TLB)  Joanna, Chuza's wife (Chuza was King Herod's business 
       manager and was in charge of his palace and domestic affairs), 
       Susanna, and many others who were contributing from their private 
       means to the support of Jesus and his disciples.

       (Luke 8:4 TLB)  One day he gave this illustration to a large crowd 
       that was gathering to hear him--while many others were still on the 
       way, coming from other towns.

       (Luke 8:5 TLB)  "A farmer went out to his field to sow grain. As he 
       scattered the seed on the ground, some of it fell on a footpath and 
       was trampled on; and the birds came and ate it as it lay exposed.

       (Luke 8:6 TLB)  Other seed fell on shallow soil with rock beneath. 
       This seed began to grow, but soon withered and died for lack of 
       moisture.

       (Luke 8:7 TLB)  Other seed landed in thistle patches, and the young 
       grain stalks were soon choked out.

       (Luke 8:8 TLB)  Still other fell on fertile soil; this seed grew and 
       produced a crop one hundred times as large as he had planted." (As he 
       was giving this illustration he said, "If anyone has listening ears, 
       use them now!")

       (Luke 8:9 TLB)  His apostles asked him what the story meant.

       (Luke 8:10 TLB)  He replied, "God has granted you to know the meaning 
       of these parables, for they tell a great deal about the Kingdom of 
       God. But these crowds hear the words and do not understand, just as 





       the ancient prophets predicted.

       (Luke 8:11 TLB)  "This is its meaning: The seed is God's message to 
       men.

       (Luke 8:12 TLB)  The hard path where some seed fell represents the 
       hard hearts of those who hear the words of God, but then the devil 
       comes and steals the words away and prevents people from believing and 
       being saved.

       (Luke 8:13 TLB)  The stony ground represents those who enjoy listening 
       to sermons, but somehow the message never really gets through to them 
       and doesn't take root and grow. They know the message is true, and 
       sort of believe for awhile; but when the hot winds of persecution 
       blow, they lose interest.

       (Luke 8:14 TLB)  The seed among the thorns represents those who listen 
       and believe God's words but whose faith afterwards is choked out by 
       worry and riches and the responsibilities and pleasures of life. And 
       so they are never able to help anyone else to believe the Good News.

       (Luke 8:15 TLB)  "But the good soil represents honest, good-hearted 
       people. They listen to God's words and cling to them and steadily 
       spread them to others who also soon believe."

       (Luke 8:16 TLB)  (Another time he asked,) "Who ever heard of someone 
       lighting a lamp and then covering it up to keep it from shining? No, 
       lamps are mounted in the open where they can be seen.

       (Luke 8:17 TLB)  This illustrates the fact that someday everything (in 
       men's hearts) shall be brought to light and made plain to all.

       (Luke 8:18 TLB)  So be careful how you listen; for whoever has, to him 
       shall be given more; and whoever does not have, even what he thinks he 
       has shall be taken away from him."

       (Luke 8:19 TLB)  Once when his mother and brothers came to see him, 
       they couldn't get into the house where he was teaching because of the 
       crowds.

       (Luke 8:20 TLB)  When Jesus heard they were standing outside and 
       wanted to see him,

       (Luke 8:21 TLB)  he remarked, "My mother and my brothers are all those 
       who hear the message of God and obey it."

       (Luke 8:22 TLB)  One day about that time, as he and his disciples were 
       out in a boat, he suggested that they cross to the other side of the 
       lake.

       (Luke 8:23 TLB)  On the way across he lay down for a nap, and while he 
       was sleeping the wind began to rise. A fierce storm developed that 
       threatened to swamp them, and they were in real danger.

       (Luke 8:24 TLB)  They rushed over and woke him up. "Master, Master, we 
       are sinking!" they screamed. So he spoke to the storm: "Quiet down," 





       he said, and the wind and waves subsided and all was calm!

       (Luke 8:25 TLB)  Then he asked them, "Where is your faith?" And they 
       were filled with awe and fear of him and said to one another, "Who is 
       this man, that even the winds and waves obey him?"

       (Luke 8:26 TLB)  So they arrived at the other side, in the Gerasene 
       country across the lake from Galilee.

       (Luke 8:27 TLB)  As he was climbing out of the boat a man from the 
       city of Gadara came to meet him, a man who had been demon-possessed 
       for a long time. Homeless and naked, he lived in a cemetery among the 
       tombs.

       (Luke 8:28 TLB)  As soon as he saw Jesus he shrieked and fell to the 
       ground before him, screaming, "What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of 
       God Most High? Please, I beg you, oh, don't torment me!"

       (Luke 8:29 TLB)  For Jesus was already commanding the demon to leave 
       him. This demon had often taken control of the man so that even when 
       shackled with chains he simply broke them and rushed out into the 
       desert, completely under the demon's power.

       (Luke 8:30 TLB)  "What is your name?" Jesus asked the demon. "Legion," 
       they replied--for the man was filled with thousands of them!

       (Luke 8:31 TLB)  They kept begging Jesus not to order them into the 
       Bottomless Pit.

       (Luke 8:32 TLB)  A herd of pigs was feeding on the mountainside 
       nearby, and the demons pled with him to let them enter into the pigs. 
       And Jesus said they could.

       (Luke 8:33 TLB)  So they left the man and went into the pigs, and 
       immediately the whole herd rushed down the mountainside and fell over 
       a cliff into the lake below, where they drowned.

       (Luke 8:34 TLB)  The herdsmen rushed away to the nearby city, 
       spreading the news as they ran.

       (Luke 8:35 TLB)  Soon a crowd came out to see for themselves what had 
       happened and saw the man who had been demon-possessed sitting quietly 
       at Jesus' feet, clothed and sane! And the whole crowd was badly 
       frightened.

       (Luke 8:36 TLB)  Then those who had seen it happen told how the 
       demon-possessed man had been healed.

       (Luke 8:37 TLB)  And everyone begged Jesus to go away and leave them 
       alone (for a deep wave of fear had swept over them). So he returned to 
       the boat and left, crossing back to the other side of the lake.

       (Luke 8:38 TLB)  The man who had been demon-possessed begged to go 
       too, but Jesus said no.

       (Luke 8:39 TLB)  "Go back to your family," he told him, "and tell them 





       what a wonderful thing God has done for you." So he went all through 
       the city telling everyone about Jesus' mighty miracle.

       (Luke 8:40 TLB)  On the other side of the lake the crowds received him 
       with open arms, for they had been waiting for him.

       (Luke 8:41 TLB)  And now a man named Jairus, a leader of a Jewish 
       synagogue, came and fell down at Jesus' feet and begged him to come 
       home with him,

       (Luke 8:42 TLB)  for his only child was dying, a little girl twelve 
       years old. Jesus went with him, pushing through the crowds.

       (Luke 8:43 TLB)  As they went a woman who wanted to be healed came up 
       behind and touched him, for she had been slowly bleeding for twelve 
       years, and could find no cure (though she had spent everything she had 
       on doctors).

       (Luke 8:44 TLB)  But the instant she touched the edge of his robe, the 
       bleeding stopped.

       (Luke 8:45 TLB)  "Who touched me?" Jesus asked. Everyone denied it, 
       and Peter said, "Master, so many are crowding against you.. . . "

       (Luke 8:46 TLB)  But Jesus told him, "No, it was someone who 
       deliberately touched me, for I felt healing power go out from me."

       (Luke 8:47 TLB)  When the woman realized that Jesus knew, she began to 
       tremble and fell to her knees before him and told why she had touched 
       him and that now she was well.

       (Luke 8:48 TLB)  "Daughter," he said to her, "your faith has healed 
       you. Go in peace."

       (Luke 8:49 TLB)  While he was still speaking to her, a messenger 
       arrived from the Jairus' home with the news that the little girl was 
       dead. "She's gone," he told her father; "there's no use troubling the 
       Teacher now."

       (Luke 8:50 TLB)  But when Jesus heard what had happened, he said to 
       the father, "Don't be afraid! Just trust me, and she'll be all right."

       (Luke 8:51 TLB)  When they arrived at the house, Jesus wouldn't let 
       anyone into the room except Peter, James, John, and the little girl's 
       father and mother.

       (Luke 8:52 TLB)  The home was filled with mourning people, but he 
       said, "Stop the weeping! She isn't dead; she is only asleep!"

       (Luke 8:53 TLB)  This brought scoffing and laughter, for they all knew 
       she was dead.

       (Luke 8:54 TLB)  Then he took her by the hand and called, "Get up, 
       little girl!"

       (Luke 8:55 TLB)  And at that moment her life returned and she jumped 





       up! "Give her something to eat!" he said.

       (Luke 8:56 TLB)  Her parents were overcome with happiness, but Jesus 
       insisted that they not tell anyone the details of what had happened.

       (Luke 9:1 TLB)  One day Jesus called together his twelve apostles and 
       gave them authority over all demons--power to cast them out--and to 
       heal all diseases.

       (Luke 9:2 TLB)  Then he sent them away to tell everyone about the 
       coming of the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick.

       (Luke 9:3 TLB)  "Don't even take along a walking stick," he instructed 
       them, "nor a beggar's bag, nor food, nor money. Not even an extra 
       coat.

       (Luke 9:4 TLB)  Be a guest in only one home at each village.

       (Luke 9:5 TLB)  "If the people of a town won't listen to you when you 
       enter it, turn around and leave, demonstrating God's anger against it 
       by shaking its dust from your feet as you go."

       (Luke 9:6 TLB)  So they began their circuit of the villages, preaching 
       the Good News and healing the sick.

       (Luke 9:7 TLB)  When reports of Jesus' miracles reached Herod, the 
       governor, he was worried and puzzled, for some were saying, "This is 
       John the Baptist come back to life again";

       (Luke 9:8 TLB)  and others, "It is Elijah or some other ancient 
       prophet risen from the dead." These rumors were circulating all over 
       the land.

       (Luke 9:9 TLB)  "I beheaded John," Herod said, "so who is this man 
       about whom I hear such strange stories?" And he tried to see him.

       (Luke 9:10 TLB)  After the apostles returned to Jesus and reported 
       what they had done, he slipped quietly away with them toward the city 
       of Bethsaida.

       (Luke 9:11 TLB)  But the crowds found out where he was going and 
       followed. And he welcomed them, teaching them again about the Kingdom 
       of God and curing those who were ill.

       (Luke 9:12 TLB)  Late in the afternoon all twelve of the disciples 
       came and urged him to send the people away to the nearby villages and 
       farms, to find food and lodging for the night. "For there is nothing 
       to eat here in this deserted spot," they said.

       (Luke 9:13 TLB)  But Jesus replied, "You feed them!" "Why, we have 
       only five loaves of bread and two fish among the lot of us," they 
       protested; "or are you expecting us to go and buy enough for this 
       whole mob?"

       (Luke 9:14 TLB)  For there were about 5,000 men there! "Just tell them 
       to sit down on the ground in groups of about fifty each," Jesus 





       replied.

       (Luke 9:15 TLB)  So they did.

       (Luke 9:16 TLB)  Jesus took the five loaves and two fish and looked up 
       into the sky and gave thanks; then he broke off pieces for his 
       disciples to set before the crowd.

       (Luke 9:17 TLB)  And everyone ate and ate; still, twelve basketfuls of 
       scraps were picked up afterwards!

       (Luke 9:18 TLB)  One day as he was alone, praying, with his disciples 
       nearby, he came over and asked them, "Who are the people saying I am?"

       (Luke 9:19 TLB)  "John the Baptist," they told him, "or perhaps Elijah 
       or one of the other ancient prophets risen from the dead."

       (Luke 9:20 TLB)  Then he asked them, "Who do you think I am?" Peter 
       replied, "The Messiah--the Christ of God!"

       (Luke 9:21 TLB)  He gave them strict orders not to speak of this to 
       anyone.

       (Luke 9:22 TLB)  "For I, the Messiah, must suffer much," he said, "and 
       be rejected by the Jewish leaders--the elders, chief priests, and 
       teachers of the Law--and be killed; and three days later I will come 
       back to life again!"

       (Luke 9:23 TLB)  Then he said to all, "Anyone who wants to follow me 
       must put aside his own desires and conveniences and carry his cross 
       with him every day and keep close to me!

       (Luke 9:24 TLB)  Whoever loses his life for my sake will save it, but 
       whoever insists on keeping his life will lose it;

       (Luke 9:25 TLB)  and what profit is there in gaining the whole world 
       when it means forfeiting one's self?

       (Luke 9:26 TLB)  "When I, the Messiah, come in my glory and in the 
       glory of the Father and the holy angels, I will be ashamed then of all 
       who are ashamed of me and of my words now.

       (Luke 9:27 TLB)  But this is the simple truth--some of you who are 
       standing here right now will not die until you have seen the Kingdom 
       of God."

       (Luke 9:28 TLB)  Eight days later he took Peter, James, and John with 
       him into the hills to pray.

       (Luke 9:29 TLB)  And as he was praying, his face began to shine, and 
       his clothes became dazzling white and blazed with light.

       (Luke 9:30 TLB)  Then two men appeared and began talking with 
       him--Moses and Elijah!

       (Luke 9:31 TLB)  They were splendid in appearance, glorious to see; 





       and they were speaking of his death at Jerusalem, to be carried out in 
       accordance with God's plan.

       (Luke 9:32 TLB)  Peter and the others had been very drowsy and had 
       fallen asleep. Now they woke up and saw Jesus covered with brightness 
       and glory, and the two men standing with him.

       (Luke 9:33 TLB)  As Moses and Elijah were starting to leave, Peter, 
       all confused and not even knowing what he was saying, blurted out, 
       "Master, this is wonderful! We'll put up three shelters--one for you 
       and one for Moses and one for Elijah!"

       (Luke 9:34 TLB)  But even as he was saying this, a bright cloud formed 
       above them; and terror gripped them as it covered them.

       (Luke 9:35 TLB)  And a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, my 
       Chosen One; listen to him."

       (Luke 9:36 TLB)  Then, as the voice died away, Jesus was there alone 
       with his disciples. They didn't tell anyone what they had seen until 
       long afterwards.

       (Luke 9:37 TLB)  The next day as they descended from the hill, a huge 
       crowd met him,

       (Luke 9:38 TLB)  and a man in the crowd called out to him, "Teacher, 
       this boy here is my only son,

       (Luke 9:39 TLB)  and a demon keeps seizing him, making him scream; and 
       it throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth; it is 
       always hitting him and hardly ever leaves him alone.

       (Luke 9:40 TLB)  I begged your disciples to cast the demon out, but 
       they couldn't."

       (Luke 9:41 TLB)  "O you stubborn faithless people," Jesus said (to his 
       disciples), "how long should I put up with you? Bring him here."

       (Luke 9:42 TLB)  As the boy was coming the demon knocked him to the 
       ground and threw him into a violent convulsion. But Jesus ordered the 
       demon to come out, and healed the boy and handed him over to his 
       father.

       (Luke 9:43 TLB)  Awe gripped the people as they saw this display of 
       the power of God. Meanwhile, as they were exclaiming over all the 
       wonderful things he was doing, Jesus said to his disciples,

       (Luke 9:44 TLB)  "Listen to me and remember what I say. I, the 
       Messiah, am going to be betrayed."

       (Luke 9:45 TLB)  But the disciples didn't know what he meant, for 
       their minds had been sealed and they were afraid to ask him.

       (Luke 9:46 TLB)  Now came an argument among them as to which of them 
       would be greatest (in the coming Kingdom)!





       (Luke 9:47 TLB)  But Jesus knew their thoughts, so he stood a little 
       child beside him

       (Luke 9:48 TLB)  and said to them, "Anyone who takes care of a little 
       child like this is caring for me! And whoever cares for me is caring 
       for God who sent me. Your care for others is the measure of your 
       greatness."

       (Luke 9:49 TLB)  His disciple John came to him and said, "Master, we 
       saw someone using your name to cast out demons. And we told him not 
       to. After all, he isn't in our group."

       (Luke 9:50 TLB)  But Jesus said, "You shouldn't have done that! For 
       anyone who is not against you is for you."

       (Luke 9:51 TLB)  As the time drew near for his return to heaven, he 
       moved steadily onward toward Jerusalem with an iron will.

       (Luke 9:52 TLB)  One day he sent messengers ahead to reserve rooms for 
       them in a Samaritan village.

       (Luke 9:53 TLB)  But they were turned away! The people of the village 
       refused to have anything to do with them because they were headed for 
       Jerusalem.

       (Luke 9:54 TLB)  When word came back of what had happened, James and 
       John said to Jesus, "Master, shall we order fire down from heaven to 
       burn them up?"

       (Luke 9:55 TLB)  But Jesus turned and rebuked them,

       (Luke 9:56 TLB)  and they went on to another village.

       (Luke 9:57 TLB)  As they were walking along someone said to Jesus, "I 
       will always follow you no matter where you go."

       (Luke 9:58 TLB)  But Jesus replied, "Remember, I don't even own a 
       place to lay my head. Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have 
       nests, but I, the Messiah, have no earthly home at all."

       (Luke 9:59 TLB)  Another time, when he invited a man to come with him 
       and to be his disciple, the man agreed--but wanted to wait until his 
       father's death.

       (Luke 9:60 TLB)  Jesus replied, "Let those without eternal life 
       concern themselves with things like that. Your duty is to come and 
       preach the coming of the Kingdom of God to all the world."

       (Luke 9:61 TLB)  Another said, "Yes, Lord, I will come, but first let 
       me ask permission of those at home."

       (Luke 9:62 TLB)  But Jesus told him, "Anyone who lets himself be 
       distracted from the work I plan for him is not fit for the Kingdom of 
       God."

       (Luke 10:1 TLB)  The Lord now chose seventy other disciples and sent 





       them on ahead in pairs to all the towns and villages he planned to 
       visit later.

       (Luke 10:2 TLB)  These were his instructions to them: "Plead with the 
       Lord of the harvest to send out more laborers to help you, for the 
       harvest is so plentiful and the workers so few.

       (Luke 10:3 TLB)  Go now, and remember that I am sending you out as 
       lambs among wolves.

       (Luke 10:4 TLB)  Don't take any money with you, or a beggar's bag, or 
       even an extra pair of shoes. And don't waste time along the way.

       (Luke 10:5 TLB)  "Whenever you enter a home, give it your blessing.

       (Luke 10:6 TLB)  If it is worthy of the blessing, the blessing will 
       stand; if not, the blessing will return to you.

       (Luke 10:7 TLB)  "When you enter a village, don't shift around from 
       home to home, but stay in one place, eating and drinking without 
       question whatever is set before you. And don't hesitate to accept 
       hospitality, for the workman is worthy of his wages!

       (Luke 10:8 TLB)  "If a town welcomes you, follow these two rules: (1) 
       Eat whatever is set before you.

       (Luke 10:9 TLB)  (2) Heal the sick; and as you heal them, say, 'The 
       Kingdom of God is very near you now.'

       (Luke 10:10 TLB)  "But if a town refuses you, go out into its streets 
       and say,

       (Luke 10:11 TLB)  'We wipe the dust of your town from our feet as a 
       public announcement of your doom. Never forget how close you were to 
       the Kingdom of God!'

       (Luke 10:12 TLB)  Even wicked Sodom will be better off than such a 
       city on the Judgment Day.

       (Luke 10:13 TLB)  What horrors await you, you cities of Chorazin and 
       Bethsaida! For if the miracles I did for you had been done in the 
       cities of Tyre and Sidon, their people would have sat in deep 
       repentance long ago, clothed in sackcloth and throwing ashes on their 
       heads to show their remorse.

       (Luke 10:14 TLB)  Yes, Tyre and Sidon will receive less punishment on 
       the Judgment Day than you.

       (Luke 10:15 TLB)  And you people of Capernaum, what shall I say about 
       you? Will you be exalted to heaven? No, you shall be brought down to 
       hell."

       (Luke 10:16 TLB)  Then he said to the disciples, "Those who welcome 
       you are welcoming me. And those who reject you are rejecting me. And 
       those who reject me are rejecting God who sent me."





       (Luke 10:17 TLB)  When the seventy disciples returned, they joyfully 
       reported to him, "Even the demons obey us when we use your name."

       (Luke 10:18 TLB)  "Yes," he told them, "I saw Satan falling from 
       heaven as a flash of lightning!

       (Luke 10:19 TLB)  And I have given you authority over all the power of 
       the Enemy, and to walk among serpents and scorpions and to crush them. 
       Nothing shall injure you!

       (Luke 10:20 TLB)  However, the important thing is not that demons obey 
       you, but that your names are registered as citizens of heaven."

       (Luke 10:21 TLB)  Then he was filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit 
       and said, "I praise you, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for 
       hiding these things from the intellectuals and worldly wise and for 
       revealing them to those who are as trusting as little children. Yes, 
       thank you, Father, for that is the way you wanted it.

       (Luke 10:22 TLB)  I am the Agent of my Father in everything; and no 
       one really knows the Son except the Father, and no one really knows 
       the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal 
       him."

       (Luke 10:23 TLB)  Then, turning to the twelve disciples, he said 
       quietly, "How privileged you are to see what you have seen.

       (Luke 10:24 TLB)  Many a prophet and king of old has longed for these 
       days, to see and hear what you have seen and heard!"

       (Luke 10:25 TLB)  One day an expert on Moses' laws came to test Jesus' 
       orthodoxy by asking him this question: "Teacher, what does a man need 
       to do to live forever in heaven?"

       (Luke 10:26 TLB)  Jesus replied, "What does Moses' law say about it?"

       (Luke 10:27 TLB)  "It says," he replied, "that you must 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 you must love your neighbor 
       just as much as you love yourself."

       (Luke 10:28 TLB)  "Right!" Jesus told him. "Do this and you shall 
       live!"

       (Luke 10:29 TLB)  The man wanted to justify (his lack of love for some 
       kinds of people), so he asked, "Which neighbors?"

       (Luke 10:30 TLB)  Jesus replied with an illustration: "A Jew going on 
       a trip from Jerusalem to Jericho was attacked by bandits. They 
       stripped him of his clothes and money, and beat him up and left him 
       lying half dead beside the road.

       (Luke 10:31 TLB)  "By chance a Jewish priest came along; and when he 
       saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and 
       passed him by.





       (Luke 10:32 TLB)  A Jewish Temple-assistant walked over and looked at 
       him lying there, but then went on.

       (Luke 10:33 TLB)  "But a despised Samaritan came along, and when he 
       saw him, he felt deep pity.

       (Luke 10:34 TLB)  Kneeling beside him the Samaritan soothed his wounds 
       with medicine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his donkey and 
       walked along beside him till they came to an inn, where he nursed him 
       through the night.

       (Luke 10:35 TLB)  The next day he handed the innkeeper two 
       twenty-dollar bills and told him to take care of the man. 'If his bill 
       runs higher than that,' he said, 'I'll pay the difference the next 
       time I am here.'

       (Luke 10:36 TLB)  "Now which of these three would you say was a 
       neighbor to the bandits' victim?"

       (Luke 10:37 TLB)  The man replied, "The one who showed him some pity." 
       Then Jesus said, "Yes, now go and do the same."

       (Luke 10:38 TLB)  As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to 
       Jerusalem they came to a village where a woman named Martha welcomed 
       them into her home.

       (Luke 10:39 TLB)  Her sister Mary sat on the floor, listening to Jesus 
       as he talked.

       (Luke 10:40 TLB)  But Martha was the jittery type and was worrying 
       over the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, 
       "Sir, doesn't it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here 
       while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me."

       (Luke 10:41 TLB)  But the Lord said to her, "Martha, dear friend, you 
       are so upset over all these details!

       (Luke 10:42 TLB)  There is really only one thing worth being concerned 
       about. Mary has discovered it--and I won't take it away from her!"

       (Luke 11:1 TLB)  Once when Jesus had been out praying, one of his 
       disciples came to him as he finished and said, "Lord, teach us a 
       prayer to recite just as John taught one to his disciples."

       (Luke 11:2 TLB)  And this is the prayer he taught them: "Father, may 
       your name be honored for its holiness; send your Kingdom soon.

       (Luke 11:3 TLB)  Give us our food day by day.

       (Luke 11:4 TLB)  And forgive our sins--for we have forgiven those who 
       sinned against us. And don't allow us to be tempted."

       (Luke 11:5 TLB)  Then, teaching them more about prayer, he used this 
       illustration: "Suppose you went to a friend's house at midnight, 
       wanting to borrow three loaves of bread.





       (Luke 11:6 TLB)  You would shout up to him, 'A friend of mine has just 
       arrived for a visit and I've nothing to give him to eat.'

       (Luke 11:7 TLB)  He would call down from his bedroom, 'Please don't 
       ask me to get up. The door is locked for the night and we are all in 
       bed. I just can't help you this time.'

       (Luke 11:8 TLB)  "But I'll tell you this--though he won't do it as a 
       friend, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you 
       everything you want--just because of your persistence.

       (Luke 11:9 TLB)  And so it is with prayer--keep on asking and you will 
       keep on getting; keep on looking and you will keep on finding; knock 
       and the door will be opened.

       (Luke 11:10 TLB)  Everyone who asks, receives; all who seek, find; and 
       the door is opened to everyone who knocks.

       (Luke 11:11 TLB)  "You men who are fathers--if your boy asks for 
       bread, do you give him a stone? If he asks for fish, do you give him a 
       snake?

       (Luke 11:12 TLB)  If he asks for an egg, do you give him a scorpion? 
       (Of course not!)

       (Luke 11:13 TLB)  "And if even sinful persons like yourselves give 
       children what they need, don't you realize that your heavenly Father 
       will do at least as much, and give the Holy Spirit to those who ask 
       for him?"

       (Luke 11:14 TLB)  Once, when Jesus cast out a demon from a man who 
       couldn't speak, his voice returned to him. The crowd was excited and 
       enthusiastic,

       (Luke 11:15 TLB)  but some said, "No wonder he can cast them out. He 
       gets his power from Satan, the king of demons!"

       (Luke 11:16 TLB)  Others asked for something to happen in the sky to 
       prove his claim of being the Messiah.

       (Luke 11:17 TLB)  He knew the thoughts of each of them, so he said, 
       "Any kingdom filled with civil war is doomed; so is a home filled with 
       argument and strife.

       (Luke 11:18 TLB)  Therefore, if what you say is true, that Satan is 
       fighting against himself by empowering me to cast out his demons, how 
       can his kingdom survive?

       (Luke 11:19 TLB)  And if I am empowered by Satan, what about your own 
       followers? For they cast out demons! Do you think this proves they are 
       possessed by Satan? Ask them if you are right!

       (Luke 11:20 TLB)  But if I am casting out demons because of power from 
       God, it proves that the Kingdom of God has arrived.

       (Luke 11:21 TLB)  "For when Satan, strong and fully armed, guards his 





       palace, it is safe--

       (Luke 11:22 TLB)  until someone stronger and better-armed attacks and 
       overcomes him and strips him of his weapons and carries off his 
       belongings.

       (Luke 11:23 TLB)  "Anyone who is not for me is against me; if he isn't 
       helping me, he is hurting my cause.

       (Luke 11:24 TLB)  "When a demon is cast out of a man, it goes to the 
       deserts, searching there for rest; but finding none, it returns to the 
       person it left,

       (Luke 11:25 TLB)  and finds that its former home is all swept and 
       clean.

       (Luke 11:26 TLB)  Then it goes and gets seven other demons more evil 
       than itself, and they all enter the man. And so the poor fellow is 
       seven times worse off than he was before."

       (Luke 11:27 TLB)  As he was speaking, a woman in the crowd called out, 
       "God bless your mother--the womb from which you came, and the breasts 
       that gave you suck!"

       (Luke 11:28 TLB)  He replied, "Yes, but even more blessed are all who 
       hear the Word of God and put it into practice."

       (Luke 11:29 TLB)  As the crowd pressed in upon him, he preached them 
       this sermon: "These are evil times, with evil people. They keep asking 
       for some strange happening in the skies (to prove I am the Messiah), 
       but the only proof I will give them is a miracle like that of Jonah,

       (Luke 11:30 TLB)  whose experiences proved to the people of Nineveh 
       that God had sent him. My similar experience will prove that God has 
       sent me to these people.

       (Luke 11:31 TLB)  "And at the Judgment Day the Queen of Sheba shall 
       arise and point her finger at this generation, condemning it, for she 
       went on a long, hard journey to listen to the wisdom of Solomon; but 
       one far greater than Solomon is here (and few pay any attention).

       (Luke 11:32 TLB)  "The men of Nineveh, too, shall arise and condemn 
       this nation, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and someone 
       far greater than Jonah is here (but this nation won't listen).

       (Luke 11:33 TLB)  "No one lights a lamp and hides it! Instead, he puts 
       it on a lampstand to give light to all who enter the room.

       (Luke 11:34 TLB)  Your eyes light up your inward being. A pure eye 
       lets sunshine into your soul. A lustful eye shuts out the light and 
       plunges you into darkness.

       (Luke 11:35 TLB)  So watch out that the sunshine isn't blotted out.

       (Luke 11:36 TLB)  If you are filled with light within, with no dark 
       corners, then your face will be radiant too, as though a floodlight is 





       beamed upon you."

       (Luke 11:37 TLB)  As he was speaking, one of the Pharisees asked him 
       home for a meal.

       (Luke 11:38 TLB)  When Jesus arrived, he sat down to eat without first 
       performing the ceremonial washing required by Jewish custom. This 
       greatly surprised his host.

       (Luke 11:39 TLB)  Then Jesus said to him, "You Pharisees wash the 
       outside, but inside you are still dirty--full of greed and wickedness!

       (Luke 11:40 TLB)  Fools! Didn't God make the inside as well as the 
       outside?

       (Luke 11:41 TLB)  Purity is best demonstrated by generosity.

       (Luke 11:42 TLB)  "But woe to you Pharisees! For though you are 
       careful to tithe even the smallest part of your income, you completely 
       forget about justice and the love of God. You should tithe, yes, but 
       you should not leave these other things undone.

       (Luke 11:43 TLB)  "Woe to you Pharisees! For how you love the seats of 
       honor in the synagogues and the respectful greetings from everyone as 
       you walk through the markets!

       (Luke 11:44 TLB)  Yes, awesome judgment is awaiting you. For you are 
       like hidden graves in a field. Men go by you with no knowledge of the 
       corruption they are passing."

       (Luke 11:45 TLB)  "Sir," said an expert in religious law who was 
       standing there, "you have insulted my profession, too, in what you 
       just said."

       (Luke 11:46 TLB)  "Yes," said Jesus, "the same horrors await you! For 
       you crush men beneath impossible religious demands--demands that you 
       yourselves would never think of trying to keep.

       (Luke 11:47 TLB)  Woe to you! For you are exactly like your ancestors 
       who killed the prophets long ago.

       (Luke 11:48 TLB)  Murderers! You agree with your fathers that what 
       they did was right--you would have done the same yourselves.

       (Luke 11:49 TLB)  "This is what God says about you: 'I will send 
       prophets and apostles to you, and you will kill some of them and chase 
       away the others.'

       (Luke 11:50 TLB)  "And you of this generation will be held responsible 
       for the murder of God's servants from the founding of the world--

       (Luke 11:51 TLB)  from the murder of Abel to the murder of Zechariah 
       who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, it will surely 
       be charged against you.

       (Luke 11:52 TLB)  "Woe to you experts in religion! For you hide the 





       truth from the people. You won't accept it for yourselves, and you 
       prevent others from having a chance to believe it."

       (Luke 11:53 TLB)  The Pharisees and legal experts were furious; and 
       from that time on they plied him fiercely with a host of questions,

       (Luke 11:54 TLB)  trying to trap him into saying something for which 
       they could have him arrested.

       (Luke 12:1 TLB)  Meanwhile the crowds grew until thousands upon 
       thousands were milling about and crushing each other. He turned now to 
       his disciples and warned them, "More than anything else, beware of 
       these Pharisees and the way they pretend to be good when they aren't. 
       But such hypocrisy cannot be hidden forever.

       (Luke 12:2 TLB)  It will become as evident as yeast in dough.

       (Luke 12:3 TLB)  Whatever they have said in the dark shall be heard in 
       the light, and what you have whispered in the inner rooms shall be 
       broadcast from the housetops for all to hear!

       (Luke 12:4 TLB)  "Dear friends, don't be afraid of these who want to 
       murder you. They can only kill the body; they have no power over your 
       souls.

       (Luke 12:5 TLB)  But I'll tell you whom to fear--fear God who has the 
       power to kill and then cast into hell.

       (Luke 12:6 TLB)  "What is the price of five sparrows? A couple of 
       pennies? Not much more than that. Yet God does not forget a single one 
       of them.

       (Luke 12:7 TLB)  And he knows the number of hairs on your head! Never 
       fear, you are far more valuable to him than a whole flock of sparrows.

       (Luke 12:8 TLB)  "And I assure you of this: I, the Messiah, will 
       publicly honor you in the presence of God's angels if you publicly 
       acknowledge me here on earth as your Friend.

       (Luke 12:9 TLB)  But I will deny before the angels those who deny me 
       here among men.

       (Luke 12:10 TLB)  (Yet those who speak against me may be 
       forgiven--while those who speak against the Holy Spirit shall never be 
       forgiven.)

       (Luke 12:11 TLB)  "And when you are brought to trial before these 
       Jewish rulers and authorities in the synagogues, don't be concerned 
       about what to say in your defense,

       (Luke 12:12 TLB)  for the Holy Spirit will give you the right words 
       even as you are standing there."

       (Luke 12:13 TLB)  Then someone called from the crowd, "Sir, please 
       tell my brother to divide my father's estate with me."





       (Luke 12:14 TLB)  But Jesus replied, "Man, who made me a judge over 
       you to decide such things as that?

       (Luke 12:15 TLB)  Beware! Don't always be wishing for what you don't 
       have. For real life and real living are not related to how rich we 
       are."

       (Luke 12:16 TLB)  Then he gave an illustration: "A rich man had a 
       fertile farm that produced fine crops.

       (Luke 12:17 TLB)  In fact, his barns were full to overflowing--he 
       couldn't get everything in. He thought about his problem,

       (Luke 12:18 TLB)  and finally exclaimed, 'I know--I'll tear down my 
       barns and build bigger ones! Then I'll have room enough.

       (Luke 12:19 TLB)  And I'll sit back and say to myself, "Friend, you 
       have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Wine, 
       women, and song for you!"'

       (Luke 12:20 TLB)  "But God said to him, 'Fool! Tonight you die. Then 
       who will get it all?'

       (Luke 12:21 TLB)  "Yes, every man is a fool who gets rich on earth but 
       not in heaven."

       (Luke 12:22 TLB)  Then turning to his disciples he said, "Don't worry 
       about whether you have enough food to eat or clothes to wear.

       (Luke 12:23 TLB)  For life consists of far more than food and clothes.

       (Luke 12:24 TLB)  Look at the ravens--they don't plant or harvest or 
       have barns to store away their food, and yet they get along all 
       right--for God feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than 
       any birds!

       (Luke 12:25 TLB)  "And besides, what's the use of worrying? What good 
       does it do? Will it add a single day to your life? Of course not!

       (Luke 12:26 TLB)  And if worry can't even do such little things as 
       that, what's the use of worrying over bigger things?

       (Luke 12:27 TLB)  "Look at the lilies! They don't toil and spin, and 
       yet Solomon in all his glory was not robed as well as they are.

       (Luke 12:28 TLB)  And if God provides clothing for the flowers that 
       are here today and gone tomorrow, don't you suppose that he will 
       provide clothing for you, you doubters?

       (Luke 12:29 TLB)  And don't worry about food--what to eat and drink; 
       don't worry at all that God will provide it for you.

       (Luke 12:30 TLB)  All mankind scratches for its daily bread, but your 
       heavenly Father knows your needs.

       (Luke 12:31 TLB)  He will always give you all you need from day to day 





       if you will make the Kingdom of God your primary concern.

       (Luke 12:32 TLB)  "So don't be afraid, little flock. For it gives your 
       Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom.

       (Luke 12:33 TLB)  Sell what you have and give to those in need. This 
       will fatten your purses in heaven! And the purses of heaven have no 
       rips or holes in them. Your treasures there will never disappear; no 
       thief can steal them; no moth can destroy them.

       (Luke 12:34 TLB)  Wherever your treasure is, there your heart and 
       thoughts will also be.

       (Luke 12:35 TLB)  "Be prepared--all dressed and ready--

       (Luke 12:36 TLB)  for your Lord's return from the wedding feast. Then 
       you will be ready to open the door and let him in the moment he 
       arrives and knocks.

       (Luke 12:37 TLB)  There will be great joy for those who are ready and 
       waiting for his return. He himself will seat them and put on a 
       waiter's uniform and serve them as they sit and eat!

       (Luke 12:38 TLB)  He may come at nine o'clock at night--or even at 
       midnight. But whenever he comes, there will be joy for his servants 
       who are ready!

       (Luke 12:39 TLB)  "Everyone would be ready for him if they knew the 
       exact hour of his return--just as they would be ready for a thief if 
       they knew when he was coming.

       (Luke 12:40 TLB)  So be ready all the time. For I, the Messiah, will 
       come when least expected."

       (Luke 12:41 TLB)  Peter asked, "Lord, are you talking just to us or to 
       everyone?"

       (Luke 12:42 TLB)  And the Lord replied, "I'm talking to any faithful, 
       sensible man whose master gives him the responsibility of feeding the 
       other servants.

       (Luke 12:43 TLB)  If his master returns and finds that he has done a 
       good job,

       (Luke 12:44 TLB)  there will be a reward--his master will put him in 
       charge of all he owns.

       (Luke 12:45 TLB)  "But if the man begins to think, 'My Lord won't be 
       back for a long time,' and begins to whip the men and women he is 
       supposed to protect, and to spend his time at drinking parties and in 
       drunkenness--

       (Luke 12:46 TLB)  well, his master will return without notice and 
       remove him from his position of trust and assign him to the place of 
       the unfaithful.





       (Luke 12:47 TLB)  He will be severely punished, for though he knew his 
       duty he refused to do it.

       (Luke 12:48 TLB)  "But anyone who is not aware that he is doing wrong 
       will be punished only lightly. Much is required from those to whom 
       much is given, for their responsibility is greater.

       (Luke 12:49 TLB)  "I have come to bring fire to the earth, and, oh, 
       that my task were completed!

       (Luke 12:50 TLB)  There is a terrible baptism ahead of me, and how I 
       am pent up until it is accomplished!

       (Luke 12:51 TLB)  "Do you think I have come to give peace to the 
       earth? No! Rather, strife and division!

       (Luke 12:52 TLB)  From now on families will be split apart, three in 
       favor of me, and two against--or perhaps the other way around.

       (Luke 12:53 TLB)  A father will decide one way about me; his son, the 
       other; mother and daughter will disagree; and the decision of an 
       honored mother-in-law will be spurned by her daughter-in-law."

       (Luke 12:54 TLB)  Then he turned to the crowd and said, "When you see 
       clouds beginning to form in the west, you say, 'Here comes a shower.' 
       And you are right.

       (Luke 12:55 TLB)  "When the south wind blows you say, 'Today will be a 
       scorcher.' And it is.

       (Luke 12:56 TLB)  Hypocrites! You interpret the sky well enough, but 
       you refuse to notice the warnings all around you about the crisis 
       ahead.

       (Luke 12:57 TLB)  Why do you refuse to see for yourselves what is 
       right?

       (Luke 12:58 TLB)  "If you meet your accuser on the way to court, try 
       to settle the matter before it reaches the judge, lest he sentence you 
       to jail;

       (Luke 12:59 TLB)  for if that happens, you won't be free again until 
       the last penny is paid in full."

       (Luke 13:1 TLB)  About this time he was informed that Pilate had 
       butchered some Jews from Galilee as they were sacrificing at the 
       Temple in Jerusalem.

       (Luke 13:2 TLB)  "Do you think they were worse sinners than other men 
       from Galilee?" he asked. "Is that why they suffered?

       (Luke 13:3 TLB)  Not at all! And don't you realize that you also will 
       perish unless you leave your evil ways and turn to God?

       (Luke 13:4 TLB)  "And what about the eighteen men who died when the 
       Tower of Siloam fell on them? Were they the worst sinners in 





       Jerusalem?

       (Luke 13:5 TLB)  Not at all! And you, too, will perish unless you 
       repent."

       (Luke 13:6 TLB)  Then he used this illustration: "A man planted a fig 
       tree in his garden and came again and again to see if he could find 
       any fruit on it, but he was always disappointed.

       (Luke 13:7 TLB)  Finally he told his gardener to cut it down. 'I've 
       waited three years and there hasn't been a single fig!' he said. 'Why 
       bother with it any longer? It's taking up space we can use for 
       something else.'

       (Luke 13:8 TLB)  "'Give it one more chance,' the gardener answered. 
       'Leave it another year, and I'll give it special attention and plenty 
       of fertilizer.

       (Luke 13:9 TLB)  If we get figs next year, fine; if not, I'll cut it 
       down.'"

       (Luke 13:10 TLB)  One Sabbath as he was teaching in a synagogue,

       (Luke 13:11 TLB)  he saw a seriously handicapped woman who had been 
       bent double for eighteen years and was unable to straighten herself.

       (Luke 13:12 TLB)  Calling her over to him Jesus said, "Woman, you are 
       healed of your sickness!"

       (Luke 13:13 TLB)  He touched her, and instantly she could stand 
       straight. How she praised and thanked God!

       (Luke 13:14 TLB)  But the local Jewish leader in charge of the 
       synagogue was very angry about it because Jesus had healed her on the 
       Sabbath day. "There are six days of the week to work," he shouted to 
       the crowd. "Those are the days to come for healing, not on the 
       Sabbath!"

       (Luke 13:15 TLB)  But the Lord replied, "You hypocrite! You work on 
       the Sabbath! Don't you untie your cattle from their stalls on the 
       Sabbath and lead them out for water?

       (Luke 13:16 TLB)  And is it wrong for me, just because it is the 
       Sabbath day, to free this Jewish woman from the bondage in which Satan 
       has held her for eighteen years?"

       (Luke 13:17 TLB)  This shamed his enemies. And all the people rejoiced 
       at the wonderful things he did.

       (Luke 13:18 TLB)  Now he began teaching them again about the Kingdom 
       of God: "What is the Kingdom like?" he asked. "How can I illustrate 
       it?

       (Luke 13:19 TLB)  It is like a tiny mustard seed planted in a garden; 
       soon it grows into a tall bush and the birds live among its branches.





       (Luke 13:20 TLB)  "It is like yeast kneaded into dough, which works 
       unseen until it has risen high and light."

       (Luke 13:21 TLB)  

       (Luke 13:22 TLB)  He went from city to city and village to village, 
       teaching as he went, always pressing onward toward Jerusalem.

       (Luke 13:23 TLB)  Someone asked him, "Will only a few be saved?" And 
       he replied,

       (Luke 13:24 TLB)  "The door to heaven is narrow. Work hard to get in, 
       for the truth is that many will try to enter

       (Luke 13:25 TLB)  but when the head of the house has locked the door, 
       it will be too late. Then if you stand outside knocking, and pleading, 
       'Lord, open the door for us,' he will reply, 'I do not know you.'

       (Luke 13:26 TLB)  "'But we ate with you, and you taught in our 
       streets,' you will say.

       (Luke 13:27 TLB)  "And he will reply, 'I tell you, I don't know you. 
       You can't come in here, guilty as you are. Go away.'

       (Luke 13:28 TLB)  "And there will be great weeping and gnashing of 
       teeth as you stand outside and see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the 
       prophets within the Kingdom of God--

       (Luke 13:29 TLB)  for people will come from all over the world to take 
       their places there.

       (Luke 13:30 TLB)  And note this: some who are despised now will be 
       greatly honored then; and some who are highly thought of now will be 
       least important then."

       (Luke 13:31 TLB)  A few minutes later some Pharisees said to him, "Get 
       out of here if you want to live, for King Herod is after you!"

       (Luke 13:32 TLB)  Jesus replied, "Go tell that fox that I will keep on 
       casting out demons and doing miracles of healing today and tomorrow; 
       and the third day I will reach my destination.

       (Luke 13:33 TLB)  Yes, today, tomorrow, and the next day! For it 
       wouldn't do for a prophet of God to be killed except in Jerusalem!

       (Luke 13:34 TLB)  "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem! The city that murders the 
       prophets. The city that stones those sent to help her. How often I 
       have wanted to gather your children together even as a hen protects 
       her brood under her wings, but you wouldn't let me.

       (Luke 13:35 TLB)  And now--now your house is left desolate. And you 
       will never again see me until you say, 'Welcome to him who comes in 
       the name of the Lord.'"

       (Luke 14:1 TLB)  One Sabbath as he was in the home of a member of the 
       Jewish Council, the Pharisees were watching him like hawks to see if 





       he would heal a man who was present who was suffering from dropsy.

       (Luke 14:2 TLB)  

       (Luke 14:3 TLB)  Jesus said to the Pharisees and legal experts 
       standing around, "Well, is it within the Law to heal a man on the 
       Sabbath day, or not?"

       (Luke 14:4 TLB)  And when they refused to answer, Jesus took the sick 
       man by the hand and healed him and sent him away.

       (Luke 14:5 TLB)  Then he turned to them: "Which of you doesn't work on 
       the Sabbath?" he asked. "If your cow falls into a pit, don't you 
       proceed at once to get it out?"

       (Luke 14:6 TLB)  Again they had no answer.

       (Luke 14:7 TLB)  When he noticed that all who came to the dinner were 
       trying to sit near the head of the table, he gave them this advice:

       (Luke 14:8 TLB)  "If you are invited to a wedding feast, don't always 
       head for the best seat. For if someone more respected than you shows 
       up,

       (Luke 14:9 TLB)  the host will bring him over to where you are sitting 
       and say, 'Let this man sit here instead.' And you, embarrassed, will 
       have to take whatever seat is left at the foot of the table!

       (Luke 14:10 TLB)  "Do this instead--start at the foot; and when your 
       host sees you he will come and say, 'Friend, we have a better place 
       than this for you!' Thus you will be honored in front of all the other 
       guests.

       (Luke 14:11 TLB)  For everyone who tries to honor himself shall be 
       humbled; and he who humbles himself shall be honored."

       (Luke 14:12 TLB)  Then he turned to his host. "When you put on a 
       dinner," he said, "don't invite friends, brothers, relatives, and rich 
       neighbors! For they will return the invitation.

       (Luke 14:13 TLB)  Instead, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, 
       and the blind.

       (Luke 14:14 TLB)  Then at the resurrection of the godly, God will 
       reward you for inviting those who can't repay you."

       (Luke 14:15 TLB)  Hearing this, a man sitting at the table with Jesus 
       exclaimed, "What a privilege it would be to get into the Kingdom of 
       God!"

       (Luke 14:16 TLB)  Jesus replied with this illustration: "A man 
       prepared a great feast and sent out many invitations.

       (Luke 14:17 TLB)  When all was ready, he sent his servant around to 
       notify the guests that it was time for them to arrive.





       (Luke 14:18 TLB)  But they all began making excuses. One said he had 
       just bought a field and wanted to inspect it, and asked to be excused.

       (Luke 14:19 TLB)  Another said he had just bought five pair of oxen 
       and wanted to try them out.

       (Luke 14:20 TLB)  Another had just been married and for that reason 
       couldn't come.

       (Luke 14:21 TLB)  "The servant returned and reported to his master 
       what they had said. His master was angry and told him to go quickly 
       into the streets and alleys of the city and to invite the beggars, 
       crippled, lame, and blind.

       (Luke 14:22 TLB)  But even then, there was still room.

       (Luke 14:23 TLB)  "'Well, then,' said his master, 'go out into the 
       country lanes and out behind the hedges and urge anyone you find to 
       come, so that the house will be full.

       (Luke 14:24 TLB)  For none of those I invited first will get even the 
       smallest taste of what I had prepared for them.'"

       (Luke 14:25 TLB)  Great crowds were following him. He turned around 
       and addressed them as follows:

       (Luke 14:26 TLB)  "Anyone who wants to be my follower must love me far 
       more than he does his own father, mother, wife, children, brothers, or 
       sisters--yes, more than his own life--otherwise he cannot be my 
       disciple.

       (Luke 14:27 TLB)  And no one can be my disciple who does not carry his 
       own cross and follow me.

       (Luke 14:28 TLB)  "But don't begin until you count the cost. For who 
       would begin construction of a building without first getting estimates 
       and then checking to see if he has enough money to pay the bills?

       (Luke 14:29 TLB)  Otherwise he might complete only the foundation 
       before running out of funds. And then how everyone would laugh!

       (Luke 14:30 TLB)  "'See that fellow there?' they would mock. 'He 
       started that building and ran out of money before it was finished!'

       (Luke 14:31 TLB)  "Or what king would ever dream of going to war 
       without first sitting down with his counselors and discussing whether 
       his army of 10,000 is strong enough to defeat the 20,000 men who are 
       marching against him?

       (Luke 14:32 TLB)  "If the decision is negative, then while the enemy 
       troops are still far away, he will send a truce team to discuss terms 
       of peace.

       (Luke 14:33 TLB)  So no one can become my disciple unless he first 
       sits down and counts his blessings--and then renounces them all for 
       me.






       (Luke 14:34 TLB)  "What good is salt that has lost its saltiness?

       (Luke 14:35 TLB)  Flavorless salt is fit for nothing--not even for 
       fertilizer. It is worthless and must be thrown out. Listen well if you 
       would understand my meaning."

       (Luke 15:1 TLB)  Dishonest tax collectors and other notorious sinners 
       often came to listen to Jesus' sermons;

       (Luke 15:2 TLB)  but this caused complaints from the Jewish religious 
       leaders and the experts on Jewish law because he was associating with 
       such despicable people--even eating with them!

       (Luke 15:3 TLB)  So Jesus used this illustration:

       (Luke 15:4 TLB)  "If you had a hundred sheep and one of them strayed 
       away and was lost in the wilderness, wouldn't you leave the 
       ninety-nine others to go and search for the lost one until you found 
       it?

       (Luke 15:5 TLB)  And then you would joyfully carry it home on your 
       shoulders.

       (Luke 15:6 TLB)  When you arrived you would call together your friends 
       and neighbors to rejoice with you because your lost sheep was found.

       (Luke 15:7 TLB)  "Well, in the same way heaven will be happier over 
       one lost sinner who returns to God than over ninety-nine others who 
       haven't strayed away!

       (Luke 15:8 TLB)  "Or take another illustration: A woman has ten 
       valuable silver coins and loses one. Won't she light a lamp and look 
       in every corner of the house and sweep every nook and cranny until she 
       finds it?

       (Luke 15:9 TLB)  And then won't she call in her friends and neighbors 
       to rejoice with her?

       (Luke 15:10 TLB)  In the same way there is joy in the presence of the 
       angels of God when one sinner repents."

       (Luke 15:11 TLB)  To further illustrate the point, he told them this 
       story: "A man had two sons.

       (Luke 15:12 TLB)  When the younger told his father, 'I want my share 
       of your estate now, instead of waiting until you die!' his father 
       agreed to divide his wealth between his sons.

       (Luke 15:13 TLB)  "A few days later this younger son packed all his 
       belongings and took a trip to a distant land, and there wasted all his 
       money on parties and prostitutes.

       (Luke 15:14 TLB)  About the time his money was gone a great famine 
       swept over the land, and he began to starve.





       (Luke 15:15 TLB)  He persuaded a local farmer to hire him to feed his 
       pigs.

       (Luke 15:16 TLB)  The boy became so hungry that even the pods he was 
       feeding the swine looked good to him. And no one gave him anything.

       (Luke 15:17 TLB)  "When he finally came to his senses, he said to 
       himself, 'At home even the hired men have food enough and to spare, 
       and here I am, dying of hunger!

       (Luke 15:18 TLB)  I will go home to my father and say, "Father, I have 
       sinned against both heaven and you,

       (Luke 15:19 TLB)  and am no longer worthy of being called your son. 
       Please take me on as a hired man.'"

       (Luke 15:20 TLB)  "So he returned home to his father. And while he was 
       still a long distance away, his father saw him coming, and was filled 
       with loving pity and ran and embraced him and kissed him.

       (Luke 15:21 TLB)  "His son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against 
       heaven and you, and am not worthy of being called your son--'

       (Luke 15:22 TLB)  "But his father said to the slaves, 'Quick! Bring 
       the finest robe in the house and put it on him. And a jeweled ring for 
       his finger; and shoes!

       (Luke 15:23 TLB)  And kill the calf we have in the fattening pen. We 
       must celebrate with a feast,

       (Luke 15:24 TLB)  for this son of mine was dead and has returned to 
       life. He was lost and is found.' So the party began.

       (Luke 15:25 TLB)  "Meanwhile, the older son was in the fields working; 
       when he returned home, he heard dance music coming from the house,

       (Luke 15:26 TLB)  and he asked one of the servants what was going on.

       (Luke 15:27 TLB)  "'Your brother is back,' he was told, 'and your 
       father has killed the calf we were fattening and has prepared a great 
       feast to celebrate his coming home again unharmed.'

       (Luke 15:28 TLB)  "The older brother was angry and wouldn't go in. His 
       father came out and begged him,

       (Luke 15:29 TLB)  but he replied, 'All these years I've worked hard 
       for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to; 
       and in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast 
       with my friends.

       (Luke 15:30 TLB)  Yet when this son of yours comes back after spending 
       your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the finest calf we 
       have on the place.'

       (Luke 15:31 TLB)  "'Look, dear son,' his father said to him, 'you and 
       I are very close, and everything I have is yours.






       (Luke 15:32 TLB)  But it is right to celebrate. For he is your 
       brother; and he was dead and has come back to life! He was lost and is 
       found!'"

       (Luke 16:1 TLB)  Jesus now told this story to his disciples: "A rich 
       man hired an accountant to handle his affairs, but soon a rumor went 
       around that the accountant was thoroughly dishonest.

       (Luke 16:2 TLB)  "So his employer called him in and said, 'What's this 
       I hear about your stealing from me? Get your report in order, for you 
       are to be dismissed.'

       (Luke 16:3 TLB)  "The accountant thought to himself, 'Now what? I'm 
       through here, and I haven't the strength to go out and dig ditches, 
       and I'm too proud to beg.

       (Luke 16:4 TLB)  I know just the thing! And then I'll have plenty of 
       friends to take care of me when I leave!'

       (Luke 16:5 TLB)  "So he invited each one who owed money to his 
       employer to come and discuss the situation. He asked the first one, 
       'How much do you owe him?'

       (Luke 16:6 TLB)  'My debt is 850 gallons of olive oil,' the man 
       replied. 'Yes, here is the contract you signed,' the accountant told 
       him. 'Tear it up and write another one for half that much!'

       (Luke 16:7 TLB)  "'And how much do you owe him?' he asked the next 
       man. 'A thousand bushels of wheat,' was the reply. 'Here,' the 
       accountant said, 'take your note and replace it with one for only 800 
       bushels!'

       (Luke 16:8 TLB)  "The rich man had to admire the rascal for being so 
       shrewd. And it is true that the citizens of this world are more clever 
       (in dishonesty!) than the godly are.

       (Luke 16:9 TLB)  But shall I tell you to act that way, to buy 
       friendship through cheating? Will this ensure your entry into an 
       everlasting home in heaven?

       (Luke 16:10 TLB)  No! For unless you are honest in small matters, you 
       won't be in large ones. If you cheat even a little, you won't be 
       honest with greater responsibilities.

       (Luke 16:11 TLB)  And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, 
       who will trust you with the true riches of heaven?

       (Luke 16:12 TLB)  And if you are not faithful with other people's 
       money, why should you be entrusted with money of your own?

       (Luke 16:13 TLB)  "For neither you nor anyone else can serve two 
       masters. You will hate one and show loyalty to the other, or else the 
       other way around--you will be enthusiastic about one and despise the 
       other. You cannot serve both God and money."





       (Luke 16:14 TLB)  The Pharisees, who dearly loved their money, 
       naturally scoffed at all this.

       (Luke 16:15 TLB)  Then he said to them, "You wear a noble, pious 
       expression in public, but God knows your evil hearts. Your pretense 
       brings you honor from the people, but it is an abomination in the 
       sight of God.

       (Luke 16:16 TLB)  Until John the Baptist began to preach, the laws of 
       Moses and the messages of the prophets were your guides. But John 
       introduced the Good News that the Kingdom of God would come soon. And 
       now eager multitudes are pressing in.

       (Luke 16:17 TLB)  But that doesn't mean that the Law has lost its 
       force in even the smallest point. It is as strong and unshakable as 
       heaven and earth.

       (Luke 16:18 TLB)  "So anyone who divorces his wife and marries someone 
       else commits adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits 
       adultery."

       (Luke 16:19 TLB)  "There was a certain rich man," Jesus said, "who was 
       splendidly clothed and lived each day in mirth and luxury.

       (Luke 16:20 TLB)  One day Lazarus, a diseased beggar, was laid at his 
       door.

       (Luke 16:21 TLB)  As he lay there longing for scraps from the rich 
       man's table, the dogs would come and lick his open sores.

       (Luke 16:22 TLB)  Finally the beggar died and was carried by the 
       angels to be with Abraham in the place of the righteous dead. The rich 
       man also died and was buried,

       (Luke 16:23 TLB)  and his soul went into hell. There, in torment, he 
       saw Lazarus in the far distance with Abraham.

       (Luke 16:24 TLB)  "'Father Abraham,' he shouted, 'have some pity! Send 
       Lazarus over here if only to dip the tip of his finger in water and 
       cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in these flames.'

       (Luke 16:25 TLB)  "But Abraham said to him, 'Son, remember that during 
       your lifetime you had everything you wanted, and Lazarus had nothing. 
       So now he is here being comforted and you are in anguish.

       (Luke 16:26 TLB)  And besides, there is a great chasm separating us, 
       and anyone wanting to come to you from here is stopped at its edge; 
       and no one over there can cross to us.'

       (Luke 16:27 TLB)  "Then the rich man said, 'O Father Abraham, then 
       please send him to my father's home--

       (Luke 16:28 TLB)  for I have five brothers--to warn them about this 
       place of torment lest they come here when they die.'

       (Luke 16:29 TLB)  "But Abraham said, 'The Scriptures have warned them 





       again and again. Your brothers can read them any time they want to.'

       (Luke 16:30 TLB)  "The rich man replied, 'No, Father Abraham, they 
       won't bother to read them. But if someone is sent to them from the 
       dead, then they will turn from their sins.'

       (Luke 16:31 TLB)  "But Abraham said, 'If they won't listen to Moses 
       and the prophets, they won't listen even though someone rises from the 
       dead.'"

       (Luke 17:1 TLB)  "There will always be temptations to sin," Jesus said 
       one day to his disciples, "but woe to the man who does the tempting.

       (Luke 17:2 TLB)  If he were thrown into the sea with a huge rock tied 
       to his neck, he would be far better off than facing the punishment in 
       store for those who harm these little children's souls.

       (Luke 17:3 TLB)  I am warning you! "Rebuke your brother if he sins, 
       and forgive him if he is sorry.

       (Luke 17:4 TLB)  Even if he wrongs you seven times a day and each time 
       turns again and asks forgiveness, forgive him."

       (Luke 17:5 TLB)  One day the apostles said to the Lord, "We need more 
       faith; tell us how to get it."

       (Luke 17:6 TLB)  "If your faith were only the size of a mustard seed," 
       Jesus answered, "it would be large enough to uproot that mulberry tree 
       over there and send it hurtling into the sea! Your command would bring 
       immediate results!

       (Luke 17:7 TLB)  When a servant comes in from plowing or taking care 
       of sheep, he doesn't just sit down and eat,

       (Luke 17:8 TLB)  but first prepares his master's meal and serves him 
       his supper before he eats his own.

       (Luke 17:9 TLB)  And he is not even thanked, for he is merely doing 
       what he is supposed to do.

       (Luke 17:10 TLB)  Just so, if you merely obey me, you should not 
       consider yourselves worthy of praise. For you have simply done your 
       duty!"

       (Luke 17:11 TLB)  As they continued onward toward Jerusalem, they 
       reached the border between Galilee and Samaria,

       (Luke 17:12 TLB)  and as they entered a village there, ten lepers 
       stood at a distance,

       (Luke 17:13 TLB)  crying out, "Jesus, sir, have mercy on us!"

       (Luke 17:14 TLB)  He looked at them and said, "Go to the Jewish priest 
       and show him that you are healed!" And as they were going, their 
       leprosy disappeared.





       (Luke 17:15 TLB)  One of them came back to Jesus, shouting, "Glory to 
       God, I'm healed!"

       (Luke 17:16 TLB)  He fell flat on the ground in front of Jesus, face 
       downward in the dust, thanking him for what he had done. This man was 
       a despised Samaritan.

       (Luke 17:17 TLB)  Jesus asked, "Didn't I heal ten men? Where are the 
       nine?

       (Luke 17:18 TLB)  Does only this foreigner return to give glory to 
       God?"

       (Luke 17:19 TLB)  And Jesus said to the man, "Stand up and go; your 
       faith has made you well."

       (Luke 17:20 TLB)  One day the Pharisees asked Jesus, "When will the 
       Kingdom of God begin?" Jesus replied, "The Kingdom of God isn't 
       ushered in with visible signs.

       (Luke 17:21 TLB)  You won't be able to say, 'It has begun here in this 
       place or there in that part of the country.' For the Kingdom of God is 
       within you."

       (Luke 17:22 TLB)  Later he talked again about this with his disciples. 
       "The time is coming when you will long for me to be with you even for 
       a single day, but I won't be here," he said.

       (Luke 17:23 TLB)  "Reports will reach you that I have returned and 
       that I am in this place or that; don't believe it or go out to look 
       for me.

       (Luke 17:24 TLB)  For when I return, you will know it beyond all 
       doubt. It will be as evident as the lightning that flashes across the 
       skies.

       (Luke 17:25 TLB)  But first I must suffer terribly and be rejected by 
       this whole nation.

       (Luke 17:26 TLB)  "(When I return) the world will be (as indifferent 
       to the things of God) as the people were in Noah's day.

       (Luke 17:27 TLB)  They ate and drank and married--everything just as 
       usual right up to the day when Noah went into the ark and the flood 
       came and destroyed them all.

       (Luke 17:28 TLB)  "And the world will be as it was in the days of Lot: 
       people went about their daily business--eating and drinking, buying 
       and selling, farming and building--

       (Luke 17:29 TLB)  until the morning Lot left Sodom. Then fire and 
       brimstone rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.

       (Luke 17:30 TLB)  Yes, it will be 'business as usual' right up to the 
       hour of my return.





       (Luke 17:31 TLB)  "Those away from home that day must not return to 
       pack; those in the fields must not return to town--

       (Luke 17:32 TLB)  remember what happened to Lot's wife!

       (Luke 17:33 TLB)  Whoever clings to his life shall lose it, and 
       whoever loses his life shall save it.

       (Luke 17:34 TLB)  That night two men will be asleep in the same room, 
       and one will be taken away, the other left.

       (Luke 17:35 TLB)  Two women will be working together at household 
       tasks; one will be taken, the other left;

       (Luke 17:36 TLB)  and so it will be with men working side by side in 
       the fields."

       (Luke 17:37 TLB)  "Lord, where will they be taken?" the disciples 
       asked. Jesus replied, "Where the body is, the vultures gather!"

       (Luke 18:1 TLB)  One day Jesus told his disciples a story to 
       illustrate their need for constant prayer and to show them that they 
       must keep praying until the answer comes.

       (Luke 18:2 TLB)  "There was a city judge," he said, "a very godless 
       man who had great contempt for everyone.

       (Luke 18:3 TLB)  A widow of that city came to him frequently to appeal 
       for justice against a man who had harmed her.

       (Luke 18:4 TLB)  The judge ignored her for a while, but eventually she 
       got on his nerves. "'I fear neither God nor man,' he said to himself,

       (Luke 18:5 TLB)  'but this woman bothers me. I'm going to see that she 
       gets justice, for she is wearing me out with her constant coming!'"

       (Luke 18:6 TLB)  Then the Lord said, "If even an evil judge can be 
       worn down like that,

       (Luke 18:7 TLB)  don't you think that God will surely give justice to 
       his people who plead with him day and night?

       (Luke 18:8 TLB)  Yes! He will answer them quickly! But the question 
       is: When I, the Messiah, return, how many will I find who have faith 
       (and are praying)?"

       (Luke 18:9 TLB)  Then he told this story to some who boasted of their 
       virtue and scorned everyone else:

       (Luke 18:10 TLB)  "Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a 
       proud, self-righteous Pharisee, and the other a cheating tax 
       collector.

       (Luke 18:11 TLB)  The proud Pharisee 'prayed' this prayer: 'Thank God, 
       I am not a sinner like everyone else, especially like that tax 
       collector over there! For I never cheat, I don't commit adultery,






       (Luke 18:12 TLB)  I go without food twice a week, and I give to God a 
       tenth of everything I earn.'

       (Luke 18:13 TLB)  "But the corrupt tax collector stood at a distance 
       and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed, but beat upon 
       his chest in sorrow, exclaiming, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner.'

       (Luke 18:14 TLB)  I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned 
       home forgiven! For the proud shall be humbled, but the humble shall be 
       honored."

       (Luke 18:15 TLB)  One day some mothers brought their babies to him to 
       touch and bless. But the disciples told them to go away.

       (Luke 18:16 TLB)  Then Jesus called the children over to him and said 
       to the disciples, "Let the little children come to me! Never send them 
       away! For the Kingdom of God belongs to men who have hearts as 
       trusting as these little children's.

       (Luke 18:17 TLB)  And anyone who doesn't have their kind of faith will 
       never get within the Kingdom's gates."

       (Luke 18:18 TLB)  Once a Jewish religious leader asked him this 
       question: "Good sir, what shall I do to get to heaven?"

       (Luke 18:19 TLB)  "Do you realize what you are saying when you call me 
       'good'?" Jesus asked him. "Only God is truly good, and no one else.

       (Luke 18:20 TLB)  "But as to your question, you know what the Ten 
       Commandments say--don't commit adultery, don't murder, don't steal, 
       don't lie, honor your parents, and so on."

       (Luke 18:21 TLB)  The man replied, "I've obeyed every one of these 
       laws since I was a small child."

       (Luke 18:22 TLB)  "There is still one thing you lack," Jesus said. 
       "Sell all you have and give the money to the poor--it will become 
       treasure for you in heaven--and come, follow me."

       (Luke 18:23 TLB)  But when the man heard this he went sadly away, for 
       he was very rich.

       (Luke 18:24 TLB)  Jesus watched him go and then said to his disciples, 
       "How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God!

       (Luke 18:25 TLB)  It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a 
       needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God."

       (Luke 18:26 TLB)  Those who heard him say this exclaimed, "If it is 
       that hard, how can anyone be saved?"

       (Luke 18:27 TLB)  He replied, "God can do what men can't!"

       (Luke 18:28 TLB)  And Peter said, "We have left our homes and followed 
       you."






       (Luke 18:29 TLB)  "Yes," Jesus replied, "and everyone who has done as 
       you have, leaving home, wife, brothers, parents, or children for the 
       sake of the Kingdom of God,

       (Luke 18:30 TLB)  will be repaid many times over now, as well as 
       receiving eternal life in the world to come."

       (Luke 18:31 TLB)  Gathering the Twelve around him he told them, "As 
       you know, we are going to Jerusalem. And when we get there, all the 
       predictions of the ancient prophets concerning me will come true.

       (Luke 18:32 TLB)  I will be handed over to the Gentiles to be mocked 
       and treated shamefully and spat upon,

       (Luke 18:33 TLB)  and lashed and killed. And the third day I will rise 
       again."

       (Luke 18:34 TLB)  But they didn't understand a thing he said. He 
       seemed to be talking in riddles.

       (Luke 18:35 TLB)  As they approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting 
       beside the road, begging from travelers.

       (Luke 18:36 TLB)  When he heard the noise of a crowd going past, he 
       asked what was happening.

       (Luke 18:37 TLB)  He was told that Jesus from Nazareth was going by,

       (Luke 18:38 TLB)  so he began shouting, "Jesus, Son of David, have 
       mercy on me!"

       (Luke 18:39 TLB)  The crowds ahead of Jesus tried to hush the man, but 
       he only yelled the louder, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"

       (Luke 18:40 TLB)  When Jesus arrived at the spot, he stopped. "Bring 
       the blind man over here," he said.

       (Luke 18:41 TLB)  Then Jesus asked the man, "What do you want?" 
       "Lord," he pleaded, "I want to see!"

       (Luke 18:42 TLB)  And Jesus said, "All right, begin seeing! Your faith 
       has healed you."

       (Luke 18:43 TLB)  And instantly the man could see and followed Jesus, 
       praising God. And all who saw it happen praised God too.

       (Luke 19:1 TLB)  As Jesus was passing through Jericho, a man named 
       Zacchaeus, one of the most influential Jews in the Roman 
       tax-collecting business (and, of course, a very rich man),

       (Luke 19:2 TLB)  

       (Luke 19:3 TLB)  tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to 
       see over the crowds.





       (Luke 19:4 TLB)  So he ran ahead and climbed into a sycamore tree 
       beside the road, to watch from there.

       (Luke 19:5 TLB)  When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and 
       called him by name! "Zacchaeus!" he said. "Quick! Come down! For I am 
       going to be a guest in your home today!"

       (Luke 19:6 TLB)  Zacchaeus hurriedly climbed down and took Jesus to 
       his house in great excitement and joy.

       (Luke 19:7 TLB)  But the crowds were displeased. "He has gone to be 
       the guest of a notorious sinner," they grumbled.

       (Luke 19:8 TLB)  Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said, 
       "Sir, from now on I will give half my wealth to the poor, and if I 
       find I have overcharged anyone on his taxes, I will penalize myself by 
       giving him back four times as much!"

       (Luke 19:9 TLB)  Jesus told him, "This shows that salvation has come 
       to this home today. This man was one of the lost sons of Abraham,

       (Luke 19:10 TLB)  and I, the Messiah, have come to search for and to 
       save such souls as his."

       (Luke 19:11 TLB)  And because Jesus was nearing Jerusalem, he told a 
       story to correct the impression that the Kingdom of God would begin 
       right away.

       (Luke 19:12 TLB)  "A nobleman living in a certain province was called 
       away to the distant capital of the empire to be crowned king of his 
       province.

       (Luke 19:13 TLB)  Before he left he called together ten assistants and 
       gave them each $2,000 to invest while he was gone.

       (Luke 19:14 TLB)  But some of his people hated him and sent him their 
       declaration of independence, stating that they had rebelled and would 
       not acknowledge him as their king.

       (Luke 19:15 TLB)  "Upon his return he called in the men to whom he had 
       given the money, to find out what they had done with it, and what 
       their profits were.

       (Luke 19:16 TLB)  "The first man reported a tremendous gain--ten times 
       as much as the original amount!

       (Luke 19:17 TLB)  "'Fine!' the king exclaimed. 'You are a good man. 
       You have been faithful with the little I entrusted to you, and as your 
       reward, you shall be governor of ten cities.'

       (Luke 19:18 TLB)  "The next man also reported a splendid gain--five 
       times the original amount.

       (Luke 19:19 TLB)  "'All right!' his master said. 'You can be governor 
       over five cities.'





       (Luke 19:20 TLB)  "But the third man brought back only the money he 
       had started with. 'I've kept it safe,' he said,

       (Luke 19:21 TLB)  'because I was afraid (you would demand my profits), 
       for you are a hard man to deal with, taking what isn't yours and even 
       confiscating the crops that others plant.'

       (Luke 19:22 TLB)  'You vile and wicked slave,' the king roared. 'Hard, 
       am I? That's exactly how I'll be toward you! If you knew so much about 
       me and how tough I am,

       (Luke 19:23 TLB)  then why didn't you deposit the money in the bank so 
       that I could at least get some interest on it?'

       (Luke 19:24 TLB)  "Then turning to the others standing by he ordered, 
       'Take the money away from him and give it to the man who earned the 
       most.'

       (Luke 19:25 TLB)  "'But, sir,' they said, 'he has enough already!'

       (Luke 19:26 TLB)  "'Yes,' the king replied, 'but it is always true 
       that those who have, get more, and those who have little, soon lose 
       even that.

       (Luke 19:27 TLB)  And now about these enemies of mine who 
       revolted--bring them in and execute them before me.'"

       (Luke 19:28 TLB)  After telling this story, Jesus went on toward 
       Jerusalem, walking along ahead of his disciples.

       (Luke 19:29 TLB)  As they came to the towns of Bethphage and Bethany, 
       on the Mount of Olives, he sent two disciples ahead,

       (Luke 19:30 TLB)  with instructions to go to the next village, and as 
       they entered they were to look for a donkey tied beside the road. It 
       would be a colt, not yet broken for riding. "Untie him," Jesus said, 
       "and bring him here.

       (Luke 19:31 TLB)  And if anyone asks you what you are doing, just say, 
       'The Lord needs him.'"

       (Luke 19:32 TLB)  They found the colt as Jesus said,

       (Luke 19:33 TLB)  and sure enough, as they were untying it, the owners 
       demanded an explanation. "What are you doing?" they asked. "Why are 
       you untying our colt?"

       (Luke 19:34 TLB)  And the disciples simply replied, "The Lord needs 
       him!"

       (Luke 19:35 TLB)  So they brought the colt to Jesus and threw some of 
       their clothing across its back for Jesus to sit on.

       (Luke 19:36 TLB)  Then the crowds spread out their robes along the 
       road ahead of him,





       (Luke 19:37 TLB)  and as they reached the place where the road started 
       down from the Mount of Olives, the whole procession began to shout and 
       sing as they walked along, praising God for all the wonderful miracles 
       Jesus had done.

       (Luke 19:38 TLB)  "God has given us a King!" they exulted. "Long live 
       the King! Let all heaven rejoice! Glory to God in the highest 
       heavens!"

       (Luke 19:39 TLB)  But some of the Pharisees among the crowd said, 
       "Sir, rebuke your followers for saying things like that!"

       (Luke 19:40 TLB)  He replied, "If they keep quiet, the stones along 
       the road will burst into cheers!"

       (Luke 19:41 TLB)  But as they came closer to Jerusalem and he saw the 
       city ahead, he began to cry.

       (Luke 19:42 TLB)  "Eternal peace was within your reach and you turned 
       it down," he wept, "and now it is too late.

       (Luke 19:43 TLB)  Your enemies will pile up earth against your walls 
       and encircle you and close in on you,

       (Luke 19:44 TLB)  and crush you to the ground, and your children 
       within you; your enemies will not leave one stone upon another--for 
       you have rejected the opportunity God offered you."

       (Luke 19:45 TLB)  Then he entered the Temple and began to drive out 
       the merchants from their stalls,

       (Luke 19:46 TLB)  saying to them, "The Scriptures declare, 'My Temple 
       is a place of prayer; but you have turned it into a den of thieves.'"

       (Luke 19:47 TLB)  After that he taught daily in the Temple, but the 
       chief priests and other religious leaders and the business community 
       were trying to find some way to get rid of him.

       (Luke 19:48 TLB)  But they could think of nothing, for he was a hero 
       to the people--they hung on every word he said.

       (Luke 20:1 TLB)  On one of those days when he was teaching and 
       preaching the Good News in the Temple, he was confronted by the chief 
       priests and other religious leaders and councilmen.

       (Luke 20:2 TLB)  They demanded to know by what authority he had driven 
       out the merchants from the Temple.

       (Luke 20:3 TLB)  "I'll ask you a question before I answer," he 
       replied.

       (Luke 20:4 TLB)  "Was John sent by God, or was he merely acting under 
       his own authority?"

       (Luke 20:5 TLB)  They talked it over among themselves. "If we say his 
       message was from heaven, then we are trapped because he will ask, 





       'Then why didn't you believe him?'

       (Luke 20:6 TLB)  But if we say John was not sent from God, the people 
       will mob us, for they are convinced that he was a prophet."

       (Luke 20:7 TLB)  Finally they replied, "We don't know!"

       (Luke 20:8 TLB)  And Jesus responded, "Then I won't answer your 
       question either."

       (Luke 20:9 TLB)  Now he turned to the people again and told them this 
       story: "A man planted a vineyard and rented it out to some farmers, 
       and went away to a distant land to live for several years.

       (Luke 20:10 TLB)  When harvest time came, he sent one of his men to 
       the farm to collect his share of the crops. But the tenants beat him 
       up and sent him back empty-handed.

       (Luke 20:11 TLB)  Then he sent another, but the same thing happened; 
       he was beaten up and insulted and sent away without collecting.

       (Luke 20:12 TLB)  A third man was sent and the same thing happened. 
       He, too, was wounded and chased away.

       (Luke 20:13 TLB)  "'What shall I do?' the owner asked himself. 'I 
       know! I'll send my cherished son. Surely they will show respect for 
       him.'

       (Luke 20:14 TLB)  "But when the tenants saw his son, they said, 'This 
       is our chance! This fellow will inherit all the land when his father 
       dies. Come on. Let's kill him, and then it will be ours.'

       (Luke 20:15 TLB)  So they dragged him out of the vineyard and killed 
       him. "What do you think the owner will do?

       (Luke 20:16 TLB)  I'll tell you--he will come and kill them and rent 
       the vineyard to others." "But they would never do a thing like that," 
       his listeners protested.

       (Luke 20:17 TLB)  Jesus looked at them and said, "Then what does the 
       Scripture mean where it says, 'The Stone rejected by the builders was 
       made the cornerstone'?"

       (Luke 20:18 TLB)  And he added, "Whoever stumbles over that Stone 
       shall be broken; and those on whom it falls will be crushed to dust."

       (Luke 20:19 TLB)  When the chief priests and religious leaders heard 
       about this story he had told, they wanted him arrested immediately, 
       for they realized that he was talking about them. They were the wicked 
       tenants in his illustration. But they were afraid that if they 
       themselves arrested him, there would be a riot. So they tried to get 
       him to say something that could be reported to the Roman governor as 
       reason for arrest by him.

       (Luke 20:20 TLB)  Watching their opportunity, they sent secret agents 
       pretending to be honest men.






       (Luke 20:21 TLB)  They said to Jesus, "Sir, we know what an honest 
       teacher you are. You always tell the truth and don't budge an inch in 
       the face of what others think, but teach the ways of God.

       (Luke 20:22 TLB)  Now tell us--is it right to pay taxes to the Roman 
       government or not?"

       (Luke 20:23 TLB)  He saw through their trickery and said,

       (Luke 20:24 TLB)  "Show me a coin. Whose portrait is this on it? And 
       whose name?" They replied, "Caesar's--the Roman emperor's."

       (Luke 20:25 TLB)  He said, "Then give the emperor all that is his--and 
       give to God all that is his!"

       (Luke 20:26 TLB)  Thus their attempt to outwit him before the people 
       failed; and marveling at his answer, they were silent.

       (Luke 20:27 TLB)  Then some Sadducees--men who believed that death is 
       the end of existence, that there is no resurrection--

       (Luke 20:28 TLB)  came to Jesus with this: "The laws of Moses state 
       that if a man dies without children, the man's brother shall marry the 
       widow, and their children will legally belong to the dead man, to 
       carry on his name.

       (Luke 20:29 TLB)  We know of a family of seven brothers. The oldest 
       married and then died without any children.

       (Luke 20:30 TLB)  His brother married the widow and he, too, died. 
       Still no children.

       (Luke 20:31 TLB)  And so it went, one after the other, until each of 
       the seven had married her and died, leaving no children.

       (Luke 20:32 TLB)  Finally the woman died also.

       (Luke 20:33 TLB)  Now here is our question: Whose wife will she be in 
       the resurrection? For all of them were married to her!"

       (Luke 20:34 TLB)  Jesus replied, "Marriage is for people here on 
       earth,

       (Luke 20:35 TLB)  but when those who are counted worthy of being 
       raised from the dead get to heaven, they do not marry.

       (Luke 20:36 TLB)  And they never die again; in these respects they are 
       like angels, and are sons of God, for they are raised up in new life 
       from the dead.

       (Luke 20:37 TLB)  "But as to your real question--whether or not there 
       is a resurrection--why, even the writings of Moses himself prove this. 
       For when he describes how God appeared to him in the burning bush, he 
       speaks of God as 'the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of 
       Jacob.'






       (Luke 20:38 TLB)  To say that the Lord is some person's God means that 
       person is alive, not dead! So from God's point of view, all men are 
       living."

       (Luke 20:39 TLB)  "Well said, sir!" remarked some of the experts in 
       the Jewish law who were standing there.

       (Luke 20:40 TLB)  And that ended their questions, for they dared ask 
       no more!

       (Luke 20:41 TLB)  Then he presented them with a question. "Why is it," 
       he asked, "that Christ, the Messiah, is said to be a descendant of 
       King David?

       (Luke 20:42 TLB)  For David himself wrote in the book of Psalms: 'God 
       said to my Lord, the Messiah, "Sit at my right hand

       (Luke 20:43 TLB)  until I place your enemies beneath your feet."'

       (Luke 20:44 TLB)  How can the Messiah be both David's son and David's 
       God at the same time?"

       (Luke 20:45 TLB)  Then, with the crowds listening, he turned to his 
       disciples and said,

       (Luke 20:46 TLB)  "Beware of these experts in religion, for they love 
       to parade in dignified robes and to be bowed to by the people as they 
       walk along the street. And how they love the seats of honor in the 
       synagogues and at religious festivals!

       (Luke 20:47 TLB)  But even while they are praying long prayers with 
       great outward piety, they are planning schemes to cheat widows out of 
       their property. Therefore God's heaviest sentence awaits these men."

       (Luke 21:1 TLB)  As he stood in the Temple, he was watching the rich 
       tossing their gifts into the collection box.

       (Luke 21:2 TLB)  Then a poor widow came by and dropped in two small 
       copper coins.

       (Luke 21:3 TLB)  "Really," he remarked, "this poor widow has given 
       more than all the rest of them combined.

       (Luke 21:4 TLB)  For they have given a little of what they didn't 
       need, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has."

       (Luke 21:5 TLB)  Some of his disciples began talking about the 
       beautiful stonework of the Temple and the memorial decorations on the 
       walls.

       (Luke 21:6 TLB)  But Jesus said, "The time is coming when all these 
       things you are admiring will be knocked down, and not one stone will 
       be left on top of another; all will become one vast heap of rubble."

       (Luke 21:7 TLB)  "Master!" they exclaimed. "When? And will there be 





       any warning ahead of time?"

       (Luke 21:8 TLB)  He replied, "Don't let anyone mislead you. For many 
       will come announcing themselves as the Messiah, and saying, 'The time 
       has come.' But don't believe them!

       (Luke 21:9 TLB)  And when you hear of wars and insurrections 
       beginning, don't panic. True, wars must come, but the end won't follow 
       immediately--

       (Luke 21:10 TLB)  for nation shall rise against nation and kingdom 
       against kingdom,

       (Luke 21:11 TLB)  and there will be great earthquakes, and famines in 
       many lands, and epidemics, and terrifying things happening in the 
       heavens.

       (Luke 21:12 TLB)  "But before all this occurs, there will be a time of 
       special persecution, and you will be dragged into synagogues and 
       prisons and before kings and governors for my name's sake.

       (Luke 21:13 TLB)  But as a result, the Messiah will be widely known 
       and honored.

       (Luke 21:14 TLB)  Therefore, don't be concerned about how to answer 
       the charges against you,

       (Luke 21:15 TLB)  for I will give you the right words and such logic 
       that none of your opponents will be able to reply!

       (Luke 21:16 TLB)  Even those closest to you--your parents, brothers, 
       relatives, and friends will betray you and have you arrested; and some 
       of you will be killed.

       (Luke 21:17 TLB)  And everyone will hate you because you are mine and 
       are called by my name.

       (Luke 21:18 TLB)  But not a hair of your head will perish!

       (Luke 21:19 TLB)  For if you stand firm, you will win your souls.

       (Luke 21:20 TLB)  "But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, 
       then you will know that the time of its destruction has arrived.

       (Luke 21:21 TLB)  Then let the people of Judea flee to the hills. Let 
       those in Jerusalem try to escape, and those outside the city must not 
       attempt to return.

       (Luke 21:22 TLB)  For those will be days of God's judgment, and the 
       words of the ancient Scriptures written by the prophets will be 
       abundantly fulfilled.

       (Luke 21:23 TLB)  Woe to expectant mothers in those days, and those 
       with tiny babies. For there will be great distress upon this nation 
       and wrath upon this people.





       (Luke 21:24 TLB)  They will be brutally killed by enemy weapons, or 
       sent away as exiles and captives to all the nations of the world; and 
       Jerusalem shall be conquered and trampled down by the Gentiles until 
       the period of Gentile triumph ends in God's good time.

       (Luke 21:25 TLB)  "Then there will be strange events in the 
       skies--warnings, evil omens and portents in the sun, moon and stars; 
       and down here on earth the nations will be in turmoil, perplexed by 
       the roaring seas and strange tides.

       (Luke 21:26 TLB)  The courage of many people will falter because of 
       the fearful fate they see coming upon the earth, for the stability of 
       the very heavens will be broken up.

       (Luke 21:27 TLB)  Then the peoples of the earth shall see me, the 
       Messiah, coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

       (Luke 21:28 TLB)  So when all these things begin to happen, stand 
       straight and look up! For your salvation is near."

       (Luke 21:29 TLB)  Then he gave them this illustration: "Notice the fig 
       tree, or any other tree.

       (Luke 21:30 TLB)  When the leaves come out, you know without being 
       told that summer is near.

       (Luke 21:31 TLB)  In the same way, when you see the events taking 
       place that I've described you can be just as sure that the Kingdom of 
       God is near.

       (Luke 21:32 TLB)  "I solemnly declare to you that when these things 
       happen, the end of this age has come.

       (Luke 21:33 TLB)  And though all heaven and earth shall pass away, yet 
       my words remain forever true.

       (Luke 21:34 TLB)  "Watch out! Don't let my sudden coming catch you 
       unawares; don't let me find you living in careless ease, carousing and 
       drinking, and occupied with the problems of this life, like all the 
       rest of the world.

       (Luke 21:35 TLB)  

       (Luke 21:36 TLB)  Keep a constant watch. And pray that if possible you 
       may arrive in my presence without having to experience these horrors."

       (Luke 21:37 TLB)  Every day Jesus went to the Temple to teach, and the 
       crowds began gathering early in the morning to hear him. And each 
       evening he returned to spend the night on the Mount of Olives.

       (Luke 21:38 TLB)  

       (Luke 22:1 TLB)  And now the Passover celebration was drawing 
       near--the Jewish festival when only bread made without yeast was used.

       (Luke 22:2 TLB)  The chief priests and other religious leaders were 





       actively plotting Jesus' murder, trying to find a way to kill him 
       without starting a riot--a possibility they greatly feared.

       (Luke 22:3 TLB)  Then Satan entered into Judas Iscariot, who was one 
       of the twelve disciples,

       (Luke 22:4 TLB)  and he went over to the chief priests and captains of 
       the Temple guards to discuss the best way to betray Jesus to them.

       (Luke 22:5 TLB)  They were, of course, delighted to know that he was 
       ready to help them and promised him a reward.

       (Luke 22:6 TLB)  So he began to look for an opportunity for them to 
       arrest Jesus quietly when the crowds weren't around.

       (Luke 22:7 TLB)  Now the day of the Passover celebration arrived, when 
       the Passover lamb was killed and eaten with the unleavened bread.

       (Luke 22:8 TLB)  Jesus sent Peter and John ahead to find a place to 
       prepare their Passover meal.

       (Luke 22:9 TLB)  "Where do you want us to go?" they asked.

       (Luke 22:10 TLB)  And he replied, "As soon as you enter Jerusalem, you 
       will see a man walking along carrying a pitcher of water. Follow him 
       into the house he enters,

       (Luke 22:11 TLB)  and say to the man who lives there, 'Our Teacher 
       says for you to show us the guest room where he can eat the Passover 
       meal with his disciples.'

       (Luke 22:12 TLB)  He will take you upstairs to a large room all ready 
       for us. That is the place. Go ahead and prepare the meal there."

       (Luke 22:13 TLB)  They went off to the city and found everything just 
       as Jesus had said, and prepared the Passover supper.

       (Luke 22:14 TLB)  Then Jesus and the others arrived, and at the proper 
       time all sat down together at the table;

       (Luke 22:15 TLB)  and he said, "I have looked forward to this hour 
       with deep longing, anxious to eat this Passover meal with you before 
       my suffering begins.

       (Luke 22:16 TLB)  For I tell you now that I won't eat it again until 
       what it represents has occurred in the Kingdom of God."

       (Luke 22:17 TLB)  Then he took a glass of wine, and when he had given 
       thanks for it, he said, "Take this and share it among yourselves.

       (Luke 22:18 TLB)  For I will not drink wine again until the Kingdom of 
       God has come."

       (Luke 22:19 TLB)  Then he took a loaf of bread; and when he had 
       thanked God for it, he broke it apart and gave it to them, saying, 
       "This is my body, given for you. Eat it in remembrance of me."






       (Luke 22:20 TLB)  After supper he gave them another glass of wine, 
       saying, "This wine is the token of God's new agreement to save you--an 
       agreement sealed with the blood I shall pour out to purchase back your 
       souls.

       (Luke 22:21 TLB)  But here at this table, sitting among us as a 
       friend, is the man who will betray me.

       (Luke 22:22 TLB)  I must die. It is part of God's plan. But, oh, the 
       horror awaiting that man who betrays me."

       (Luke 22:23 TLB)  Then the disciples wondered among themselves which 
       of them would ever do such a thing.

       (Luke 22:24 TLB)  And they began to argue among themselves as to who 
       would have the highest rank (in the coming Kingdom).

       (Luke 22:25 TLB)  Jesus told them, "In this world the kings and great 
       men order their slaves around, and the slaves have no choice but to 
       like it!

       (Luke 22:26 TLB)  But among you, the one who serves you best will be 
       your leader.

       (Luke 22:27 TLB)  Out in the world the master sits at the table and is 
       served by his servants. But not here! For I am your servant.

       (Luke 22:28 TLB)  Nevertheless, because you have stood true to me in 
       these terrible days,

       (Luke 22:29 TLB)  and because my Father has granted me a Kingdom, I, 
       here and now, grant you the right

       (Luke 22:30 TLB)  to eat and drink at my table in that Kingdom; and 
       you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

       (Luke 22:31 TLB)  "Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to have you, to sift 
       you like wheat,

       (Luke 22:32 TLB)  but I have pleaded in prayer for you that your faith 
       should not completely fail. So when you have repented and turned to me 
       again, strengthen and build up the faith of your brothers."

       (Luke 22:33 TLB)  Simon said, "Lord, I am ready to go to jail with 
       you, and even to die with you."

       (Luke 22:34 TLB)  But Jesus said, "Peter, let me tell you something. 
       Between now and tomorrow morning when the rooster crows, you will deny 
       me three times, declaring that you don't even know me."

       (Luke 22:35 TLB)  Then Jesus asked them, "When I sent you out to 
       preach the Good News and you were without money, duffle bag, or extra 
       clothing, how did you get along?" "Fine," they replied.

       (Luke 22:36 TLB)  "But now," he said, "take a duffle bag if you have 





       one and your money. And if you don't have a sword, better sell your 
       clothes and buy one!

       (Luke 22:37 TLB)  For the time has come for this prophecy about me to 
       come true: 'He will be condemned as a criminal!' Yes, everything 
       written about me by the prophets will come true."

       (Luke 22:38 TLB)  "Master," they replied, "we have two swords among 
       us." "Enough!" he said.

       (Luke 22:39 TLB)  Then, accompanied by the disciples, he left the 
       upstairs room and went as usual to the Mount of Olives.

       (Luke 22:40 TLB)  There he told them, "Pray God that you will not be 
       overcome by temptation."

       (Luke 22:41 TLB)  He walked away, perhaps a stone's throw, and knelt 
       down and prayed this prayer:

       (Luke 22:42 TLB)  "Father, if you are willing, please take away this 
       cup of horror from me. But I want your will, not mine."

       (Luke 22:43 TLB)  Then an angel from heaven appeared and strengthened 
       him,

       (Luke 22:44 TLB)  for he was in such agony of spirit that he broke 
       into a sweat of blood, with great drops falling to the ground as he 
       prayed more and more earnestly.

       (Luke 22:45 TLB)  At last he stood up again and returned to the 
       disciples--only to find them asleep, exhausted from grief.

       (Luke 22:46 TLB)  "Asleep!" he said. "Get up! Pray God that you will 
       not fall when you are tempted."

       (Luke 22:47 TLB)  But even as he said this, a mob approached, led by 
       Judas, one of his twelve disciples . Judas walked over to Jesus and 
       kissed him on the cheek in friendly greeting.

       (Luke 22:48 TLB)  But Jesus said, "Judas, how can you do this--betray 
       the Messiah with a kiss?"

       (Luke 22:49 TLB)  When the other disciples saw what was about to 
       happen, they exclaimed, "Master , shall we fight? We brought along the 
       swords!"

       (Luke 22:50 TLB)  And one of them slashed at the High Priest's servant 
       and cut off his right ear.

       (Luke 22:51 TLB)  But Jesus said, "Don't resist any more." And he 
       touched the place where the man's ear had been and restored it.

       (Luke 22:52 TLB)  Then Jesus addressed the chief priests and captains 
       of the Temple guards and the religious leaders who headed the mob. "Am 
       I a robber," he asked, "that you have come armed with swords and clubs 
       to get me?






       (Luke 22:53 TLB)  Why didn't you arrest me in the Temple? I was there 
       every day. But this is your moment--the time when Satan's power reigns 
       supreme."

       (Luke 22:54 TLB)  So they seized him and led him to the High Priest's 
       residence, and Peter followed at a distance.

       (Luke 22:55 TLB)  The soldiers lit a fire in the courtyard and sat 
       around it for warmth, and Peter joined them there.

       (Luke 22:56 TLB)  A servant girl noticed him in the firelight and 
       began staring at him. Finally she spoke: "This man was with Jesus!"

       (Luke 22:57 TLB)  Peter denied it. "Woman," he said, "I don't even 
       know the man!"

       (Luke 22:58 TLB)  After a while someone else looked at him and said, 
       "You must be one of them!" "No sir, I am not!" Peter replied.

       (Luke 22:59 TLB)  About an hour later someone else flatly stated, "I 
       know this fellow is one of Jesus' disciples, for both are from 
       Galilee."

       (Luke 22:60 TLB)  But Peter said, "Man, I don't know what you are 
       talking about." And as he said the words, a rooster crowed.

       (Luke 22:61 TLB)  At that moment Jesus turned and looked at Peter. 
       Then Peter remembered what he had said--" Before the rooster crows 
       tomorrow morning, you will deny me three times."

       (Luke 22:62 TLB)  And Peter walked out of the courtyard, crying 
       bitterly.

       (Luke 22:63 TLB)  Now the guards in charge of Jesus began mocking him.

       (Luke 22:64 TLB)  They blindfolded him and hit him with their fists 
       and asked, "Who hit you that time, prophet?"

       (Luke 22:65 TLB)  And they threw all sorts of other insults at him.

       (Luke 22:66 TLB)  Early the next morning at daybreak the Jewish 
       Supreme Court assembled, including the chief priests and all the top 
       religious authorities of the nation. Jesus was led before this Council

       (Luke 22:67 TLB)  and instructed to state whether or not he claimed to 
       be the Messiah. But he replied, "If I tell you, you won't believe me 
       or let me present my case.

       (Luke 22:68 TLB)  

       (Luke 22:69 TLB)  But the time is soon coming when I, the Messiah, 
       shall be enthroned beside Almighty God."

       (Luke 22:70 TLB)  They all shouted, "Then you claim you are the Son of 
       God?" And he replied, "Yes, I am."






       (Luke 22:71 TLB)  "What need do we have for other witnesses?" they 
       shouted. "For we ourselves have heard him say it."

       (Luke 23:1 TLB)  Then the entire Council took Jesus over to Pilate, 
       the governor.

       (Luke 23:2 TLB)  They began at once accusing him: "This fellow has 
       been leading our people to ruin by telling them not to pay their taxes 
       to the Roman government and by claiming he is our Messiah--a King."

       (Luke 23:3 TLB)  So Pilate asked him, "Are you their Messiah--their 
       King?" "Yes," Jesus replied, "it is as you say."

       (Luke 23:4 TLB)  Then Pilate turned to the chief priests and to the 
       mob and said, "So? That isn't a crime!"

       (Luke 23:5 TLB)  Then they became desperate. "But he is causing riots 
       against the government everywhere he goes, all over Judea, from 
       Galilee to Jerusalem!"

       (Luke 23:6 TLB)  "Is he then a Galilean?" Pilate asked.

       (Luke 23:7 TLB)  When they told him yes, Pilate said to take him to 
       King Herod, for Galilee was under Herod's jurisdiction; and Herod 
       happened to be in Jerusalem at the time.

       (Luke 23:8 TLB)  Herod was delighted at the opportunity to see Jesus, 
       for he had heard a lot about him and had been hoping to see him 
       perform a miracle.

       (Luke 23:9 TLB)  He asked Jesus question after question, but there was 
       no reply.

       (Luke 23:10 TLB)  Meanwhile, the chief priests and the other religious 
       leaders stood there shouting their accusations.

       (Luke 23:11 TLB)  Now Herod and his soldiers began mocking and 
       ridiculing Jesus; and putting a kingly robe on him, they sent him back 
       to Pilate.

       (Luke 23:12 TLB)  That day Herod and Pilate--enemies before--became 
       fast friends.

       (Luke 23:13 TLB)  Then Pilate called together the chief priests and 
       other Jewish leaders, along with the people,

       (Luke 23:14 TLB)  and announced his verdict: "You brought this man to 
       me, accusing him of leading a revolt against the Roman government. I 
       have examined him thoroughly on this point and find him innocent.

       (Luke 23:15 TLB)  Herod came to the same conclusion and sent him back 
       to us--nothing this man has done calls for the death penalty.

       (Luke 23:16 TLB)  I will therefore have him scourged with leaded 
       thongs and release him."






       (Luke 23:17 TLB)  But now a mighty roar rose from the crowd as with 
       one voice they shouted. "Kill him, and release Barabbas to us!"

       (Luke 23:18 TLB)  

       (Luke 23:19 TLB)  (Barabbas was in prison for starting an insurrection 
       in Jerusalem against the government, and for murder.)

       (Luke 23:20 TLB)  Pilate argued with them, for he wanted to release 
       Jesus.

       (Luke 23:21 TLB)  But they shouted, "Crucify him! Crucify him!"

       (Luke 23:22 TLB)  Once more, for the third time, he demanded, "Why? 
       What crime has he committed? I have found no reason to sentence him to 
       death. I will therefore scourge him and let him go."

       (Luke 23:23 TLB)  But they shouted louder and louder for Jesus' death, 
       and their voices prevailed.

       (Luke 23:24 TLB)  So Pilate sentenced Jesus to die as they demanded.

       (Luke 23:25 TLB)  And he released Barabbas, the man in prison for 
       insurrection and murder, at their request. But he delivered Jesus over 
       to them to do with as they would.

       (Luke 23:26 TLB)  As the crowd led Jesus away to his death, Simon of 
       Cyrene, who was just coming into Jerusalem from the country, was 
       forced to follow, carrying Jesus' cross.

       (Luke 23:27 TLB)  Great crowds trailed along behind, and many 
       grief-stricken women.

       (Luke 23:28 TLB)  But Jesus turned and said to them, "Daughters of 
       Jerusalem, don't weep for me, but for yourselves and for your 
       children.

       (Luke 23:29 TLB)  For the days are coming when the women who have no 
       children will be counted fortunate indeed.

       (Luke 23:30 TLB)  Mankind will beg the mountains to fall on them and 
       crush them, and the hills to bury them.

       (Luke 23:31 TLB)  For if such things as this are done to me, the 
       Living Tree, what will they do to you?"

       (Luke 23:32 TLB)  Two others, criminals, were led out to be executed 
       with him at a place called "The Skull."

       (Luke 23:33 TLB)  There all three were crucified--Jesus on the center 
       cross, and the two criminals on either side.

       (Luke 23:34 TLB)  "Father, forgive these people," Jesus said, "for 
       they don't know what they are doing." And the soldiers gambled for his 
       clothing, throwing dice for each piece.






       (Luke 23:35 TLB)  The crowd watched. And the Jewish leaders laughed 
       and scoffed. "He was so good at helping others," they said, "let's see 
       him save himself if he is really God's Chosen One, the Messiah."

       (Luke 23:36 TLB)  The soldiers mocked him, too, by offering him a 
       drink--of sour wine.

       (Luke 23:37 TLB)  And they called to him, "If you are the King of the 
       Jews, save yourself!"

       (Luke 23:38 TLB)  A signboard was nailed to the cross above him with 
       these words: "This is the King of the Jews."

       (Luke 23:39 TLB)  One of the criminals hanging beside him scoffed, "So 
       you're the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself--and us, too, 
       while you're at it!"

       (Luke 23:40 TLB)  But the other criminal protested. "Don't you even 
       fear God when you are dying?

       (Luke 23:41 TLB)  We deserve to die for our evil deeds, but this man 
       hasn't done one thing wrong."

       (Luke 23:42 TLB)  Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into 
       your Kingdom."

       (Luke 23:43 TLB)  And Jesus replied, "Today you will be with me in 
       Paradise. This is a solemn promise."

       (Luke 23:44 TLB)  By now it was noon, and darkness fell across the 
       whole land for three hours, until three o'clock.

       (Luke 23:45 TLB)  The light from the sun was gone--and suddenly the 
       thick veil hanging in the Temple split apart.

       (Luke 23:46 TLB)  Then Jesus shouted, "Father, I commit my spirit to 
       you," and with those words he died.

       (Luke 23:47 TLB)  When the captain of the Roman military unit handling 
       the executions saw what had happened, he was stricken with awe before 
       God and said, "Surely this man was innocent."

       (Luke 23:48 TLB)  And when the crowd that came to see the crucifixion 
       saw that Jesus was dead they went home in deep sorrow.

       (Luke 23:49 TLB)  Meanwhile, Jesus' friends, including the women who 
       had followed him down from Galilee, stood in the distance watching.

       (Luke 23:50 TLB)  Then a man named Joseph, a member of the Jewish 
       Supreme Court, from the city of Arimathea in Judea,

       (Luke 23:51 TLB)  went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.

       (Luke 23:52 TLB)  He was a godly man who had been expecting the 
       Messiah's coming and had not agreed with the decision and actions of 





       the other Jewish leaders.

       (Luke 23:53 TLB)  So he took down Jesus' body and wrapped it in a long 
       linen cloth and laid it in a new, unused tomb hewn into the rock (at 
       the side of a hill).

       (Luke 23:54 TLB)  This was done late on Friday afternoon, the day of 
       preparation for the Sabbath.

       (Luke 23:55 TLB)  As the body was taken away, the women from Galilee 
       followed and saw it carried into the tomb.

       (Luke 23:56 TLB)  Then they went home and prepared spices and 
       ointments to embalm him; but by the time they were finished it was the 
       Sabbath, so they rested all that day as required by the Jewish law.

       (Luke 24:1 TLB)  But very early on Sunday morning they took the 
       ointments to the tomb--

       (Luke 24:2 TLB)  and found that the huge stone covering the entrance 
       had been rolled aside.

       (Luke 24:3 TLB)  So they went in--but the Lord Jesus' body was gone.

       (Luke 24:4 TLB)  They stood there puzzled, trying to think what could 
       have happened to it. Suddenly two men appeared before them, clothed in 
       shining robes so bright their eyes were dazzled.

       (Luke 24:5 TLB)  The women were terrified and bowed low before them. 
       Then the men asked, "Why are you looking in a tomb for someone who is 
       alive?

       (Luke 24:6 TLB)  He isn't here! He has come back to life again! Don't 
       you remember what he told you back in Galilee--

       (Luke 24:7 TLB)  that the Messiah must be betrayed into the power of 
       evil men and be crucified and that he would rise again the third day?"

       (Luke 24:8 TLB)  Then they remembered

       (Luke 24:9 TLB)  and rushed back to Jerusalem to tell his eleven 
       disciples--and everyone else--what had happened.

       (Luke 24:10 TLB)  (The women who went to the tomb were Mary Magdalene 
       and Joanna and Mary the mother of James, and several others.)

       (Luke 24:11 TLB)  But the story sounded like a fairy tale to the 
       men--they didn't believe it.

       (Luke 24:12 TLB)  However, Peter ran to the tomb to look. Stooping, he 
       peered in and saw the empty linen wrappings; and then he went back 
       home again, wondering what had happened.

       (Luke 24:13 TLB)  That same day, Sunday, two of Jesus' followers were 
       walking to the village of Emmaus, seven miles out of Jerusalem.





       (Luke 24:14 TLB)  As they walked along they were talking of Jesus' 
       death,

       (Luke 24:15 TLB)  when suddenly Jesus himself came along and joined 
       them and began walking beside them.

       (Luke 24:16 TLB)  But they didn't recognize him, for God kept them 
       from it.

       (Luke 24:17 TLB)  "You seem to be in a deep discussion about 
       something," he said. "What are you so concerned about?" They stopped 
       short, sadness written across their faces.

       (Luke 24:18 TLB)  And one of them, Cleopas, replied, "You must be the 
       only person in Jerusalem who hasn't heard about the terrible things 
       that happened there last week."

       (Luke 24:19 TLB)  "What things?" Jesus asked. "The things that 
       happened to Jesus, the Man from Nazareth," they said. "He was a 
       Prophet who did incredible miracles and was a mighty Teacher, highly 
       regarded by both God and man.

       (Luke 24:20 TLB)  But the chief priests and our religious leaders 
       arrested him and handed him over to the Roman government to be 
       condemned to death, and they crucified him.

       (Luke 24:21 TLB)  We had thought he was the glorious Messiah and that 
       he had come to rescue Israel. "And now, besides all this--which 
       happened three days ago--

       (Luke 24:22 TLB)  some women from our group of his followers were at 
       his tomb early this morning and came back with an amazing report

       (Luke 24:23 TLB)  that his body was missing, and that they had seen 
       some angels there who told them Jesus is alive!

       (Luke 24:24 TLB)  Some of our men ran out to see, and sure enough, 
       Jesus' body was gone, just as the women had said."

       (Luke 24:25 TLB)  Then Jesus said to them, "You are such foolish, 
       foolish people! You find it so hard to believe all that the prophets 
       wrote in the Scriptures!

       (Luke 24:26 TLB)  Wasn't it clearly predicted by the prophets that the 
       Messiah would have to suffer all these things before entering his time 
       of glory?"

       (Luke 24:27 TLB)  Then Jesus quoted them passage after passage from 
       the writings of the prophets, beginning with the book of Genesis and 
       going right on through the Scriptures, explaining what the passages 
       meant and what they said about himself.

       (Luke 24:28 TLB)  By this time they were nearing Emmaus and the end of 
       their journey. Jesus would have gone on,

       (Luke 24:29 TLB)  but they begged him to stay the night with them, as 





       it was getting late. So he went home with them.

       (Luke 24:30 TLB)  As they sat down to eat, he asked God's blessing on 
       the food and then took a small loaf of bread and broke it and was 
       passing it over to them,

       (Luke 24:31 TLB)  when suddenly--it was as though their eyes were 
       opened--they recognized him! And at that moment he disappeared!

       (Luke 24:32 TLB)  They began telling each other how their hearts had 
       felt strangely warm as he talked with them and explained the 
       Scriptures during the walk down the road.

       (Luke 24:33 TLB)  Within the hour they were on their way back to 
       Jerusalem, where the eleven disciples and the other followers of Jesus 
       greeted them with these words,

       (Luke 24:34 TLB)  "The Lord has really risen! He appeared to Peter!"

       (Luke 24:35 TLB)  Then the two from Emmaus told their story of how 
       Jesus had appeared to them as they were walking along the road and how 
       they had recognized him as he was breaking the bread.

       (Luke 24:36 TLB)  And just as they were telling about it, Jesus 
       himself was suddenly standing there among them, and greeted them.

       (Luke 24:37 TLB)  But the whole group was terribly frightened, 
       thinking they were seeing a ghost!

       (Luke 24:38 TLB)  "Why are you frightened?" he asked. "Why do you 
       doubt that it is really I?

       (Luke 24:39 TLB)  Look at my hands! Look at my feet! You can see that 
       it is I, myself! Touch me and make sure that I am not a ghost! For 
       ghosts don't have bodies, as you see that I do!"

       (Luke 24:40 TLB)  As he spoke, he held out his hands for them to see 
       (the marks of the nails), and showed them (the wounds in) his feet.

       (Luke 24:41 TLB)  Still they stood there undecided, filled with joy 
       and doubt. Then he asked them, "Do you have anything here to eat?"

       (Luke 24:42 TLB)  They gave him a piece of broiled fish,

       (Luke 24:43 TLB)  and he ate it as they watched!

       (Luke 24:44 TLB)  Then he said, "When I was with you before, don't you 
       remember my telling you that everything written about me by Moses and 
       the prophets and in the Psalms must all come true?"

       (Luke 24:45 TLB)  Then he opened their minds to understand at last 
       these many Scriptures!

       (Luke 24:46 TLB)  And he said, "Yes, it was written long ago that the 
       Messiah must suffer and die and rise again from the dead on the third 
       day;






       (Luke 24:47 TLB)  and that this message of salvation should be taken 
       from Jerusalem to all the nations: There is forgiveness of sins for 
       all who turn to me.

       (Luke 24:48 TLB)  You have seen these prophecies come true.

       (Luke 24:49 TLB)  "And now I will send the Holy Spirit upon you, just 
       as my Father promised. Don't begin telling others yet--stay here in 
       the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from 
       heaven."

       (Luke 24:50 TLB)  Then Jesus led them out along the road to Bethany, 
       and lifting his hands to heaven, he blessed them,

       (Luke 24:51 TLB)  and then began rising into the sky, and went on to 
       heaven.

       (Luke 24:52 TLB)  And they worshiped him, and returned to Jerusalem 
       filled with mighty joy,

       (Luke 24:53 TLB)  and were continually in the Temple, praising God.

       (John 1:1 TLB)  Before anything else existed, there was Christ, with 
       God.

       (John 1:2 TLB)  He has always been alive and is himself God.

       (John 1:3 TLB)  He created everything there is--nothing exists that he 
       didn't make.

       (John 1:4 TLB)  Eternal life is in him, and this life gives light to 
       all mankind.

       (John 1:5 TLB)  His life is the light that shines through the 
       darkness--and the darkness can never extinguish it.

       (John 1:6 TLB)  God sent John the Baptist as a witness to the fact 
       that Jesus Christ is the true Light.

       (John 1:7 TLB)  

       (John 1:8 TLB)  John himself was not the Light; he was only a witness 
       to identify it.

       (John 1:9 TLB)  Later on, the one who is the true Light arrived to 
       shine on everyone coming into the world.

       (John 1:10 TLB)  But although he made the world, the world didn't 
       recognize him when he came.

       (John 1:11 TLB)  Even in his own land and among his own people, the 
       Jews, he was not accepted. Only a few would welcome and receive him.

       (John 1:12 TLB)  But to all who received him, he gave the right to 
       become children of God. All they needed to do was to trust him to save 





       them.

       (John 1:13 TLB)  All those who believe this are reborn!--not a 
       physical rebirth resulting from human passion or plan--but from the 
       will of God.

       (John 1:14 TLB)  And Christ became a human being and lived here on 
       earth among us and was full of loving forgiveness and truth. And some 
       of us have seen his glory--the glory of the only Son of the heavenly 
       Father!

       (John 1:15 TLB)  John pointed him out to the people, telling the 
       crowds, "This is the one I was talking about when I said, 'Someone is 
       coming who is greater by far than I am--for he existed long before I 
       did!'"

       (John 1:16 TLB)  We have all benefited from the rich blessings he 
       brought to us--blessing upon blessing heaped upon us!

       (John 1:17 TLB)  For Moses gave us only the Law with its rigid demands 
       and merciless justice, while Jesus Christ brought us loving 
       forgiveness as well.

       (John 1:18 TLB)  No one has ever actually seen God, but, of course, 
       his only Son has, for he is the companion of the Father and has told 
       us all about him.

       (John 1:19 TLB)  The Jewish leaders sent priests and assistant priests 
       from Jerusalem to ask John whether he claimed to be the Messiah.

       (John 1:20 TLB)  He denied it flatly. "I am not the Christ," he said.

       (John 1:21 TLB)  "Well then, who are you?" they asked. "Are you 
       Elijah?" "No," he replied. "Are you the Prophet?" "No."

       (John 1:22 TLB)  "Then who are you? Tell us, so we can give an answer 
       to those who sent us. What do you have to say for yourself?"

       (John 1:23 TLB)  He replied, "I am a voice from the barren wilderness, 
       shouting as Isaiah prophesied, 'Get ready for the coming of the 
       Lord!'"

       (John 1:24 TLB)  Then those who were sent by the Pharisees asked him,

       (John 1:25 TLB)  "If you aren't the Messiah or Elijah or the Prophet, 
       what right do you have to baptize?"

       (John 1:26 TLB)  John told them, "I merely baptize with water, but 
       right here in the crowd is someone you have never met,

       (John 1:27 TLB)  who will soon begin his ministry among you, and I am 
       not even fit to be his slave."

       (John 1:28 TLB)  This incident took place at Bethany, a village on the 
       other side of the Jordan River where John was baptizing.





       (John 1:29 TLB)  The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and 
       said, "Look! There is the Lamb of God who takes away the world's sin!

       (John 1:30 TLB)  He is the one I was talking about when I said, 'Soon 
       a man far greater than I am is coming, who existed long before me!'

       (John 1:31 TLB)  I didn't know he was the one, but I am here baptizing 
       with water in order to point him out to the nation of Israel."

       (John 1:32 TLB)  Then John told about seeing the Holy Spirit in the 
       form of a dove descending from heaven and resting upon Jesus.

       (John 1:33 TLB)  "I didn't know he was the one," John said again, "but 
       at the time God sent me to baptize he told me, 'When you see the Holy 
       Spirit descending and resting upon someone--he is the one you are 
       looking for. He is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.'

       (John 1:34 TLB)  I saw it happen to this man, and I therefore testify 
       that he is the Son of God."

       (John 1:35 TLB)  The following day as John was standing with two of 
       his disciples,

       (John 1:36 TLB)  Jesus walked by. John looked at him intently and then 
       declared, "See! There is the Lamb of God!"

       (John 1:37 TLB)  Then John's two disciples turned and followed Jesus.

       (John 1:38 TLB)  Jesus looked around and saw them following. "What do 
       you want?" he asked them. "Sir," they replied, "where do you live?"

       (John 1:39 TLB)  "Come and see," he said. So they went with him to the 
       place where he was staying and were with him from about four o'clock 
       that afternoon until the evening.

       (John 1:40 TLB)  (One of these men was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.)

       (John 1:41 TLB)  Andrew then went to find his brother Peter and told 
       him, "We have found the Messiah!"

       (John 1:42 TLB)  And he brought Peter to meet Jesus. Jesus looked 
       intently at Peter for a moment and then said, "You are Simon, John's 
       son--but you shall be called Peter, the rock!"

       (John 1:43 TLB)  The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found 
       Philip and told him, "Come with me."

       (John 1:44 TLB)  (Philip was from Bethsaida, Andrew and Peter's 
       hometown.)

       (John 1:45 TLB)  Philip now went off to look for Nathanael and told 
       him, "We have found the Messiah!--the very person Moses and the 
       prophets told about! His name is Jesus, the son of Joseph from 
       Nazareth!"

       (John 1:46 TLB)  "Nazareth!" exclaimed Nathanael. "Can anything good 





       come from there?" "Just come and see for yourself," Philip declared.

       (John 1:47 TLB)  As they approached, Jesus said, "Here comes an honest 
       man--a true son of Israel."

       (John 1:48 TLB)  "How do you know what I am like?" Nathanael demanded. 
       And Jesus replied, "I could see you under the fig tree before Philip 
       found you."

       (John 1:49 TLB)  Nathanael replied, "Sir, you are the Son of God--the 
       King of Israel!"

       (John 1:50 TLB)  Jesus asked him, "Do you believe all this just 
       because I told you I had seen you under the fig tree? You will see 
       greater proofs than this.

       (John 1:51 TLB)  You will even see heaven open and the angels of God 
       coming back and forth to me, the Messiah."

       (John 2:1 TLB)  Two days later Jesus' mother was a guest at a wedding 
       in the village of Cana in Galilee,

       (John 2:2 TLB)  and Jesus and his disciples were invited too.

       (John 2:3 TLB)  The wine supply ran out during the festivities, and 
       Jesus' mother came to him with the problem.

       (John 2:4 TLB)  "I can't help you now," he said. "It isn't yet my time 
       for miracles."

       (John 2:5 TLB)  But his mother told the servants, "Do whatever he 
       tells you to."

       (John 2:6 TLB)  Six stone waterpots were standing there; they were 
       used for Jewish ceremonial purposes and held perhaps twenty to thirty 
       gallons each.

       (John 2:7 TLB)  Then Jesus told the servants to fill them to the brim 
       with water. When this was done he said, "Dip some out and take it to 
       the master of ceremonies."

       (John 2:8 TLB)  

       (John 2:9 TLB)  When the master of ceremonies tasted the water that 
       was now wine, not knowing where it had come from (though, of course, 
       the servants did), he called the bridegroom over.

       (John 2:10 TLB)  "This is wonderful stuff!" he said. "You're different 
       from most. Usually a host uses the best wine first, and afterwards, 
       when everyone is full and doesn't care, then he brings out the less 
       expensive brands. But you have kept the best for the last!"

       (John 2:11 TLB)  This miracle at Cana in Galilee was Jesus' first 
       public demonstration of his heaven-sent power. And his disciples 
       believed that he really was the Messiah.





       (John 2:12 TLB)  After the wedding he left for Capernaum for a few 
       days with his mother, brothers, and disciples.

       (John 2:13 TLB)  Then it was time for the annual Jewish Passover 
       celebration, and Jesus went to Jerusalem.

       (John 2:14 TLB)  In the Temple area he saw merchants selling cattle, 
       sheep, and doves for sacrifices, and moneychangers behind their 
       counters.

       (John 2:15 TLB)  Jesus made a whip from some ropes and chased them all 
       out, and drove out the sheep and oxen, scattering the moneychangers' 
       coins over the floor and turning over their tables!

       (John 2:16 TLB)  Then, going over to the men selling doves, he told 
       them, "Get these things out of here. Don't turn my Father's House into 
       a market!"

       (John 2:17 TLB)  Then his disciples remembered this prophecy from the 
       Scriptures: "Concern for God's House will be my undoing."

       (John 2:18 TLB)  "What right have you to order them out?" the Jewish 
       leaders demanded. "If you have this authority from God, show us a 
       miracle to prove it."

       (John 2:19 TLB)  "All right," Jesus replied, "this is the miracle I 
       will do for you: Destroy this sanctuary and in three days I will raise 
       it up!"

       (John 2:20 TLB)  "What!" they exclaimed. "It took forty-six years to 
       build this Temple, and you can do it in three days?"

       (John 2:21 TLB)  But by "this sanctuary" he meant his body.

       (John 2:22 TLB)  After he came back to life again, the disciples 
       remembered his saying this and realized that what he had quoted from 
       the Scriptures really did refer to him, and had all come true!

       (John 2:23 TLB)  Because of the miracles he did in Jerusalem at the 
       Passover celebration, many people were convinced that he was indeed 
       the Messiah.

       (John 2:24 TLB)  But Jesus didn't trust them, for he knew mankind to 
       the core. No one needed to tell him how changeable human nature is!

       (John 2:25 TLB)  

       (John 3:1 TLB)  After dark one night a Jewish religious leader named 
       Nicodemus, a member of the sect of the Pharisees, came for an 
       interview with Jesus. "Sir," he said, "we all know that God has sent 
       you to teach us. Your miracles are proof enough of this."

       (John 3:2 TLB)  

       (John 3:3 TLB)  Jesus replied, "With all the earnestness I possess I 
       tell you this: Unless you are born again, you can never get into the 





       Kingdom of God."

       (John 3:4 TLB)  "Born again!" exclaimed Nicodemus. "What do you mean? 
       How can an old man go back into his mother's womb and be born again?"

       (John 3:5 TLB)  Jesus replied, "What I am telling you so earnestly is 
       this: Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the 
       Kingdom of God.

       (John 3:6 TLB)  Men can only reproduce human life, but the Holy Spirit 
       gives new life from heaven;

       (John 3:7 TLB)  so don't be surprised at my statement that you must be 
       born again!

       (John 3:8 TLB)  Just as you can hear the wind but can't tell where it 
       comes from or where it will go next, so it is with the Spirit. We do 
       not know on whom he will next bestow this life from heaven."

       (John 3:9 TLB)  "What do you mean?" Nicodemus asked.

       (John 3:10 TLB)  Jesus replied, "You, a respected Jewish teacher, and 
       yet you don't understand these things?

       (John 3:11 TLB)  I am telling you what I know and have seen--and yet 
       you won't believe me.

       (John 3:12 TLB)  But if you don't even believe me when I tell you 
       about such things as these that happen here among men, how can you 
       possibly believe if I tell you what is going on in heaven?

       (John 3:13 TLB)  For only I, the Messiah, have come to earth and will 
       return to heaven again.

       (John 3:14 TLB)  And as Moses in the wilderness lifted up the bronze 
       image of a serpent on a pole, even so I must be lifted up upon a pole,

       (John 3:15 TLB)  so that anyone who believes in me will have eternal 
       life.

       (John 3:16 TLB)  For God loved the world so much that he gave his only 
       Son so that anyone who believes in him shall not perish but have 
       eternal life.

       (John 3:17 TLB)  God did not send his Son into the world to condemn 
       it, but to save it.

       (John 3:18 TLB)  "There is no eternal doom awaiting those who trust 
       him to save them. But those who don't trust him have already been 
       tried and condemned for not believing in the only Son of God.

       (John 3:19 TLB)  Their sentence is based on this fact: that the Light 
       from heaven came into the world, but they loved the darkness more than 
       the Light, for their deeds were evil.

       (John 3:20 TLB)  They hated the heavenly Light because they wanted to 





       sin in the darkness. They stayed away from that Light for fear their 
       sins would be exposed and they would be punished.

       (John 3:21 TLB)  But those doing right come gladly to the Light to let 
       everyone see that they are doing what God wants them to."

       (John 3:22 TLB)  Afterwards Jesus and his disciples left Jerusalem and 
       stayed for a while in Judea and baptized there.

       (John 3:23 TLB)  At this time John the Baptist was not yet in prison. 
       He was baptizing at Aenon, near Salim, because there was plenty of 
       water there.

       (John 3:24 TLB)  

       (John 3:25 TLB)  One day someone began an argument with John's 
       disciples, telling them that Jesus' baptism was best.

       (John 3:26 TLB)  So they came to John and said, "Master, the man you 
       met on the other side of the Jordan River--the one you said was the 
       Messiah--he is baptizing too, and everybody is going over there 
       instead of coming here to us."

       (John 3:27 TLB)  John replied, "God in heaven appoints each man's 
       work.

       (John 3:28 TLB)  My work is to prepare the way for that man so that 
       everyone will go to him. You yourselves know how plainly I told you 
       that I am not the Messiah. I am here to prepare the way for him--that 
       is all.

       (John 3:29 TLB)  The crowds will naturally go to the main 
       attraction--the bride will go where the bridegroom is! A bridegroom's 
       friends rejoice with him. I am the Bridegroom's friend, and I am 
       filled with joy at his success.

       (John 3:30 TLB)  He must become greater and greater, and I must become 
       less and less.

       (John 3:31 TLB)  "He has come from heaven and is greater than anyone 
       else. I am of the earth, and my understanding is limited to the things 
       of earth.

       (John 3:32 TLB)  He tells what he has seen and heard, but how few 
       believe what he tells them!

       (John 3:33 TLB)  Those who believe him discover that God is a fountain 
       of truth. For this one--sent by God--speaks God's words, for God's 
       Spirit is upon him without measure or limit.

       (John 3:34 TLB)  

       (John 3:35 TLB)  The Father loves this man because he is his Son, and 
       God has given him everything there is.

       (John 3:36 TLB)  And all who trust him--God's Son--to save them have 





       eternal life; those who don't believe and obey him shall never see 
       heaven, but the wrath of God remains upon them."

       (John 4:1 TLB)  When the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard about 
       the greater crowds coming to him than to John to be baptized and to 
       become his disciples--( though Jesus himself didn't baptize them, but 
       his disciples did)--

       (John 4:2 TLB)  

       (John 4:3 TLB)  he left Judea and returned to the province of Galilee.

       (John 4:4 TLB)  He had to go through Samaria on the way,

       (John 4:5 TLB)  and around noon as he approached the village of 
       Sychar,

       (John 4:6 TLB)  he came to Jacob's Well, located on the parcel of 
       ground Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Jesus was tired from the long 
       walk in the hot sun and sat wearily beside the well.

       (John 4:7 TLB)  Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus 
       asked her for a drink.

       (John 4:8 TLB)  He was alone at the time as his disciples had gone 
       into the village to buy some food.

       (John 4:9 TLB)  The woman was surprised that a Jew would ask a 
       "despised Samaritan" for anything--usually they wouldn't even speak to 
       them!--and she remarked about this to Jesus.

       (John 4:10 TLB)  He replied, "If you only knew what a wonderful gift 
       God has for you, and who I am, you would ask me for some living 
       water!"

       (John 4:11 TLB)  "But you don't have a rope or a bucket," she said, 
       "and this is a very deep well! Where would you get this living water?

       (John 4:12 TLB)  And besides, are you greater than our ancestor Jacob? 
       How can you offer better water than this which he and his sons and 
       cattle enjoyed?"

       (John 4:13 TLB)  Jesus replied that people soon became thirsty again 
       after drinking this water.

       (John 4:14 TLB)  "But the water I give them," he said, "becomes a 
       perpetual spring within them, watering them forever with eternal 
       life."

       (John 4:15 TLB)  "Please, sir," the woman said, "give me some of that 
       water! Then I'll never be thirsty again and won't have to make this 
       long trip out here every day."

       (John 4:16 TLB)  "Go and get your husband," Jesus told her.

       (John 4:17 TLB)  "But I'm not married," the woman replied. "All too 





       true!" Jesus said.

       (John 4:18 TLB)  "For you have had five husbands, and you aren't even 
       married to the man you're living with now."

       (John 4:19 TLB)  "Sir," the woman said, "you must be a prophet.

       (John 4:20 TLB)  But say, tell me, why is it that you Jews insist that 
       Jerusalem is the only place of worship, while we Samaritans claim it 
       is here (at Mount Gerizim), where our ancestors worshiped?"

       (John 4:21 TLB)  Jesus replied, "The time is coming, ma'am, when we 
       will no longer be concerned about whether to worship the Father here 
       or in Jerusalem.

       (John 4:22 TLB)  For it's not where we worship that counts, but how we 
       worship--is our worship spiritual and real?

       (John 4:23 TLB)  Do we have the Holy Spirit's help? For God is Spirit, 
       and we must have his help to worship as we should. The Father wants 
       this kind of worship from us.

       (John 4:24 TLB)  But you Samaritans know so little about him, 
       worshiping blindly, while we Jews know all about him, for salvation 
       comes to the world through the Jews."

       (John 4:25 TLB)  The woman said, "Well, at least I know that the 
       Messiah will come--the one they call Christ--and when he does, he will 
       explain everything to us."

       (John 4:26 TLB)  Then Jesus told her, "I am the Messiah!"

       (John 4:27 TLB)  Just then his disciples arrived. They were surprised 
       to find him talking to a woman, but none of them asked him why, or 
       what they had been discussing.

       (John 4:28 TLB)  Then the woman left her waterpot beside the well and 
       went back to the village and told everyone,

       (John 4:29 TLB)  "Come and meet a man who told me everything I ever 
       did! Can this be the Messiah?"

       (John 4:30 TLB)  So the people came streaming from the village to see 
       him.

       (John 4:31 TLB)  Meanwhile, the disciples were urging Jesus to eat.

       (John 4:32 TLB)  "No," he said, "I have some food you don't know 
       about."

       (John 4:33 TLB)  "Who brought it to him?" the disciples asked each 
       other.

       (John 4:34 TLB)  Then Jesus explained: "My nourishment comes from 
       doing the will of God who sent me, and from finishing his work.





       (John 4:35 TLB)  Do you think the work of harvesting will not begin 
       until the summer ends four months from now? Look around you! Vast 
       fields of human souls are ripening all around us, and are ready now 
       for reaping.

       (John 4:36 TLB)  The reapers will be paid good wages and will be 
       gathering eternal souls into the granaries of heaven! What joys await 
       the sower and the reaper, both together!

       (John 4:37 TLB)  For it is true that one sows and someone else reaps.

       (John 4:38 TLB)  I sent you to reap where you didn't sow; others did 
       the work, and you received the harvest."

       (John 4:39 TLB)  Many from the Samaritan village believed he was the 
       Messiah because of the woman's report: "He told me everything I ever 
       did!"

       (John 4:40 TLB)  When they came out to see him at the well, they 
       begged him to stay at their village; and he did, for two days,

       (John 4:41 TLB)  long enough for many of them to believe in him after 
       hearing him.

       (John 4:42 TLB)  Then they said to the woman, "Now we believe because 
       we have heard him ourselves, not just because of what you told us. He 
       is indeed the Savior of the world."

       (John 4:43 TLB)  At the end of the two days' stay he went on into 
       Galilee. Jesus used to say, "A prophet is honored everywhere except in 
       his own country!"

       (John 4:44 TLB)  

       (John 4:45 TLB)  But the Galileans welcomed him with open arms, for 
       they had been in Jerusalem at the Passover celebration and had seen 
       some of his miracles.

       (John 4:46 TLB)  In the course of his journey through Galilee he 
       arrived at the town of Cana, where he had turned the water into wine. 
       While he was there, a man in the city of Capernaum, a government 
       official, whose son was very sick,

       (John 4:47 TLB)  heard that Jesus had come from Judea and was 
       traveling in Galilee. This man went over to Cana, found Jesus, and 
       begged him to come to Capernaum with him and heal his son, who was now 
       at death's door.

       (John 4:48 TLB)  Jesus asked, "Won't any of you believe in me unless I 
       do more and more miracles?"

       (John 4:49 TLB)  The official pled, "Sir, please come now before my 
       child dies."

       (John 4:50 TLB)  Then Jesus told him, "Go back home. Your son is 
       healed!" And the man believed Jesus and started home.






       (John 4:51 TLB)  While he was on his way, some of his servants met him 
       with the news that all was well--his son had recovered.

       (John 4:52 TLB)  He asked them when the lad had begun to feel better, 
       and they replied, "Yesterday afternoon at about one o'clock his fever 
       suddenly disappeared!"

       (John 4:53 TLB)  Then the father realized it was the same moment that 
       Jesus had told him, "Your son is healed." And the officer and his 
       entire household believed that Jesus was the Messiah.

       (John 4:54 TLB)  This was Jesus' second miracle in Galilee after 
       coming from Judea.

       (John 5:1 TLB)  Afterwards Jesus returned to Jerusalem for one of the 
       Jewish religious holidays.

       (John 5:2 TLB)  Inside the city, near the Sheep Gate, was Bethesda 
       Pool, with five covered platforms or porches surrounding it.

       (John 5:3 TLB)  Crowds of sick folks--lame, blind, or with paralyzed 
       limbs--lay on the platforms (waiting for a certain movement of the 
       water,

       (John 5:4 TLB)  for an angel of the Lord came from time to time and 
       disturbed the water, and the first person to step down into it 
       afterwards was healed).

       (John 5:5 TLB)  One of the men lying there had been sick for 
       thirty-eight years.

       (John 5:6 TLB)  When Jesus saw him and knew how long he had been ill, 
       he asked him, "Would you like to get well?"

       (John 5:7 TLB)  "I can't," the sick man said, "for I have no one to 
       help me into the pool at the movement of the water. While I am trying 
       to get there, someone else always gets in ahead of me."

       (John 5:8 TLB)  Jesus told him, "Stand up, roll up your sleeping mat 
       and go on home!"

       (John 5:9 TLB)  Instantly, the man was healed! He rolled up the mat 
       and began walking! But it was on the Sabbath when this miracle was 
       done.

       (John 5:10 TLB)  So the Jewish leaders objected. They said to the man 
       who was cured, "You can't work on the Sabbath! It's illegal to carry 
       that sleeping mat!"

       (John 5:11 TLB)  "The man who healed me told me to," was his reply.

       (John 5:12 TLB)  "Who said such a thing as that?" they demanded.

       (John 5:13 TLB)  The man didn't know, and Jesus had disappeared into 
       the crowd.






       (John 5:14 TLB)  But afterwards Jesus found him in the Temple and told 
       him, "Now you are well; don't sin as you did before, or something even 
       worse may happen to you."

       (John 5:15 TLB)  Then the man went to find the Jewish leaders and told 
       them it was Jesus who had healed him.

       (John 5:16 TLB)  So they began harassing Jesus as a Sabbath breaker.

       (John 5:17 TLB)  But Jesus replied, "My Father constantly does good, 
       and I'm following his example."

       (John 5:18 TLB)  Then the Jewish leaders were all the more eager to 
       kill him because in addition to disobeying their Sabbath laws, he had 
       spoken of God as his Father, thereby making himself equal with God.

       (John 5:19 TLB)  Jesus replied, "The Son can do nothing by himself. He 
       does only what he sees the Father doing, and in the same way.

       (John 5:20 TLB)  For the Father loves the Son, and tells him 
       everything he is doing; and the Son will do far more awesome miracles 
       than this man's healing.

       (John 5:21 TLB)  He will even raise from the dead anyone he wants to, 
       just as the Father does.

       (John 5:22 TLB)  And the Father leaves all judgment of sin to his Son,

       (John 5:23 TLB)  so that everyone will honor the Son, just as they 
       honor the Father. But if you refuse to honor God's Son, whom he sent 
       to you, then you are certainly not honoring the Father.

       (John 5:24 TLB)  "I say emphatically that anyone who listens to my 
       message and believes in God who sent me has eternal life, and will 
       never be damned for his sins, but has already passed out of death into 
       life.

       (John 5:25 TLB)  "And I solemnly declare that the time is coming, in 
       fact, it is here, when the dead shall hear my voice--the voice of the 
       Son of God--and those who listen shall live.

       (John 5:26 TLB)  The Father has life in himself, and has granted his 
       Son to have life in himself,

       (John 5:27 TLB)  and to judge the sins of all mankind because he is 
       the Son of Man.

       (John 5:28 TLB)  Don't be so surprised! Indeed the time is coming when 
       all the dead in their graves shall hear the voice of God's Son,

       (John 5:29 TLB)  and shall rise again--those who have done good, to 
       eternal life; and those who have continued in evil, to judgment.

       (John 5:30 TLB)  "But I pass no judgment without consulting the 
       Father. I judge as I am told. And my judgment is absolutely fair and 





       just, for it is according to the will of God who sent me and is not 
       merely my own.

       (John 5:31 TLB)  "When I make claims about myself they aren't 
       believed,

       (John 5:32 TLB)  but someone else, yes, John the Baptist, is making 
       these claims for me too.

       (John 5:33 TLB)  You have gone out to listen to his preaching, and I 
       can assure you that all he says about me is true!

       (John 5:34 TLB)  But the truest witness I have is not from a man, 
       though I have reminded you about John's witness so that you will 
       believe in me and be saved.

       (John 5:35 TLB)  John shone brightly for a while, and you benefited 
       and rejoiced,

       (John 5:36 TLB)  but I have a greater witness than John. I refer to 
       the miracles I do; these have been assigned me by the Father, and they 
       prove that the Father has sent me.

       (John 5:37 TLB)  And the Father himself has also testified about me, 
       though not appearing to you personally, or speaking to you directly.

       (John 5:38 TLB)  But you are not listening to him, for you refuse to 
       believe me--the one sent to you with God's message.

       (John 5:39 TLB)  "You search the Scriptures, for you believe they give 
       you eternal life. And the Scriptures point to me!

       (John 5:40 TLB)  Yet you won't come to me so that I can give you this 
       life eternal!

       (John 5:41 TLB)  "Your approval or disapproval means nothing to me, 
       for as I know so well, you don't have God's love within you.

       (John 5:42 TLB)  

       (John 5:43 TLB)  I know, because I have come to you representing my 
       Father and you refuse to welcome me, though you readily enough receive 
       those who aren't sent from him, but represent only themselves!

       (John 5:44 TLB)  No wonder you can't believe! For you gladly honor 
       each other, but you don't care about the honor that comes from the 
       only God!

       (John 5:45 TLB)  "Yet it is not I who will accuse you of this to the 
       Father--Moses will! Moses, on whose laws you set your hopes of heaven.

       (John 5:46 TLB)  For you have refused to believe Moses. He wrote about 
       me, but you refuse to believe him, so you refuse to believe in me.

       (John 5:47 TLB)  And since you don't believe what he wrote, no wonder 
       you don't believe me either."






       (John 6:1 TLB)  After this, Jesus crossed over the Sea of Galilee, 
       also known as the Sea of Tiberias.

       (John 6:2 TLB)  And a huge crowd, many of them pilgrims on their way 
       to Jerusalem for the annual Passover celebration, were following him 
       wherever he went, to watch him heal the sick.

       (John 6:3 TLB)  

       (John 6:4 TLB)  So when Jesus went up into the hills and sat down with 
       his disciples around him,

       (John 6:5 TLB)  he soon saw a great multitude of people climbing the 
       hill, looking for him. Turning to Philip he asked, "Philip, where can 
       we buy bread to feed all these people?"

       (John 6:6 TLB)  (He was testing Philip, for he already knew what he 
       was going to do.)

       (John 6:7 TLB)  Philip replied, "It would take a fortune to begin to 
       do it!"

       (John 6:8 TLB)  Then Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, spoke up. "There's 
       a youngster here with five barley loaves and a couple of fish! But 
       what good is that with all this mob?"

       (John 6:9 TLB)  

       (John 6:10 TLB)  "Tell everyone to sit down," Jesus ordered. And all 
       of them--the approximate count of the men only was five thousand--sat 
       down on the grassy slopes.

       (John 6:11 TLB)  Then Jesus took the loaves and gave thanks to God and 
       passed them out to the people. Afterwards he did the same with the 
       fish. And everyone ate until full!

       (John 6:12 TLB)  "Now gather the scraps," Jesus told his disciples, 
       "so that nothing is wasted."

       (John 6:13 TLB)  And twelve baskets were filled with the leftovers!

       (John 6:14 TLB)  When the people realized what a great miracle had 
       happened, they exclaimed, "Surely, he is the Prophet we have been 
       expecting!"

       (John 6:15 TLB)  Jesus saw that they were ready to take him by force 
       and make him their king, so he went higher into the mountains alone.

       (John 6:16 TLB)  That evening his disciples went down to the shore to 
       wait for him.

       (John 6:17 TLB)  But as darkness fell and Jesus still hadn't come 
       back, they got into the boat and headed out across the lake toward 
       Capernaum.





       (John 6:18 TLB)  But soon a gale swept down upon them as they rowed, 
       and the sea grew very rough.

       (John 6:19 TLB)  They were three or four miles out when suddenly they 
       saw Jesus walking toward the boat! They were terrified,

       (John 6:20 TLB)  but he called out to them and told them not to be 
       afraid.

       (John 6:21 TLB)  Then they were willing to let him in, and immediately 
       the boat was where they were going!

       (John 6:22 TLB)  The next morning, back across the lake, crowds began 
       gathering on the shore (waiting to see Jesus). For they knew that he 
       and his disciples had come over together and that the disciples had 
       gone off in their boat, leaving him behind.

       (John 6:23 TLB)  Several small boats from Tiberias were nearby,

       (John 6:24 TLB)  so when the people saw that Jesus wasn't there, nor 
       his disciples, they got into the boats and went across to Capernaum to 
       look for him.

       (John 6:25 TLB)  When they arrived and found him, they said, "Sir, how 
       did you get here?"

       (John 6:26 TLB)  Jesus replied, "The truth of the matter is that you 
       want to be with me because I fed you, not because you believe in me.

       (John 6:27 TLB)  But you shouldn't be so concerned about perishable 
       things like food. No, spend your energy seeking the eternal life that 
       I, the Messiah, can give you. For God the Father has sent me for this 
       very purpose."

       (John 6:28 TLB)  They replied, "What should we do to satisfy God?"

       (John 6:29 TLB)  Jesus told them, "This is the will of God, that you 
       believe in the one he has sent."

       (John 6:30 TLB)  They replied, "You must show us more miracles if you 
       want us to believe you are the Messiah.

       (John 6:31 TLB)  Give us free bread every day, like our fathers had 
       while they journeyed through the wilderness! As the Scriptures say, 
       'Moses gave them bread from heaven.'"

       (John 6:32 TLB)  Jesus said, "Moses didn't give it to them. My Father 
       did. And now he offers you true Bread from heaven.

       (John 6:33 TLB)  The true Bread is a Person--the one sent by God from 
       heaven, and he gives life to the world."

       (John 6:34 TLB)  "Sir," they said, "give us that bread every day of 
       our lives!"

       (John 6:35 TLB)  Jesus replied, "I am the Bread of Life. No one coming 





       to me will ever be hungry again. Those believing in me will never 
       thirst.

       (John 6:36 TLB)  But the trouble is, as I have told you before, you 
       haven't believed even though you have seen me.

       (John 6:37 TLB)  But some will come to me--those the Father has given 
       me--and I will never, never reject them.

       (John 6:38 TLB)  For I have come here from heaven to do the will of 
       God who sent me, not to have my own way.

       (John 6:39 TLB)  And this is the will of God, that I should not lose 
       even one of all those he has given me, but that I should raise them to 
       eternal life at the Last Day.

       (John 6:40 TLB)  For it is my Father's will that everyone who sees his 
       Son and believes on him should have eternal life--that I should raise 
       him at the Last Day."

       (John 6:41 TLB)  Then the Jews began to murmur against him because he 
       claimed to be the Bread from heaven.

       (John 6:42 TLB)  "What?" they exclaimed. "Why, he is merely Jesus the 
       son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know. What is this he is 
       saying, that he came down from heaven?"

       (John 6:43 TLB)  But Jesus replied, "Don't murmur among yourselves 
       about my saying that.

       (John 6:44 TLB)  For no one can come to me unless the Father who sent 
       me draws him to me, and at the Last Day I will cause all such to rise 
       again from the dead.

       (John 6:45 TLB)  As it is written in the Scriptures, 'They shall all 
       be taught of God.' Those the Father speaks to, who learn the truth 
       from him, will be attracted to me.

       (John 6:46 TLB)  (Not that anyone actually sees the Father, for only I 
       have seen him.)

       (John 6:47 TLB)  "How earnestly I tell you this--anyone who believes 
       in me already has eternal life!

       (John 6:48 TLB)  Yes, I am the Bread of Life!

       (John 6:49 TLB)  When your fathers in the wilderness ate bread from 
       the skies, they all died.

       (John 6:50 TLB)  But the Bread from heaven gives eternal life to 
       everyone who eats it.

       (John 6:51 TLB)  I am that Living Bread that came down out of heaven. 
       Anyone eating this Bread shall live forever; this Bread is my flesh 
       given to redeem humanity."





       (John 6:52 TLB)  Then the Jews began arguing with each other about 
       what he meant. "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" they 
       asked.

       (John 6:53 TLB)  So Jesus said it again, "With all the earnestness I 
       possess I tell you this: Unless you eat the flesh of the Messiah and 
       drink his blood, you cannot have eternal life within you.

       (John 6:54 TLB)  But anyone who does eat my flesh and drink my blood 
       has eternal life, and I will raise him at the Last Day.

       (John 6:55 TLB)  For my flesh is the true food, and my blood is the 
       true drink.

       (John 6:56 TLB)  Everyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood is in 
       me, and I in him.

       (John 6:57 TLB)  I live by the power of the living Father who sent me, 
       and in the same way those who partake of me shall live because of me!

       (John 6:58 TLB)  I am the true Bread from heaven; and anyone who eats 
       this Bread shall live forever, and not die as your fathers did--though 
       they ate bread from heaven."

       (John 6:59 TLB)  (He preached this sermon in the synagogue in 
       Capernaum.)

       (John 6:60 TLB)  Even his disciples said, "This is very hard to 
       understand. Who can tell what he means?"

       (John 6:61 TLB)  Jesus knew within himself that his disciples were 
       complaining and said to them, "Does this offend you?

       (John 6:62 TLB)  Then what will you think if you see me, the Messiah, 
       return to heaven again?

       (John 6:63 TLB)  Only the Holy Spirit gives eternal life. Those born 
       only once, with physical birth, will never receive this gift. But now 
       I have told you how to get this true spiritual life.

       (John 6:64 TLB)  But some of you don't believe me." (For Jesus knew 
       from the beginning who didn't believe and knew the one who would 
       betray him.)

       (John 6:65 TLB)  And he remarked, "That is what I meant when I said 
       that no one can come to me unless the Father attracts him to me."

       (John 6:66 TLB)  At this point many of his disciples turned away and 
       deserted him.

       (John 6:67 TLB)  Then Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked, "Are you 
       going too?"

       (John 6:68 TLB)  Simon Peter replied, "Master, to whom shall we go? 
       You alone have the words that give eternal life,





       (John 6:69 TLB)  and we believe them and know you are the holy Son of 
       God."

       (John 6:70 TLB)  Then Jesus said, "I chose the twelve of you, and one 
       is a devil."

       (John 6:71 TLB)  He was speaking of Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, one 
       of the Twelve, who would betray him.

       (John 7:1 TLB)  After this, Jesus went to Galilee, going from village 
       to village, for he wanted to stay out of Judea where the Jewish 
       leaders were plotting his death.

       (John 7:2 TLB)  But soon it was time for the Tabernacle Ceremonies, 
       one of the annual Jewish holidays,

       (John 7:3 TLB)  and Jesus' brothers urged him to go to Judea for the 
       celebration. "Go where more people can see your miracles!" they 
       scoffed.

       (John 7:4 TLB)  "You can't be famous when you hide like this! If 
       you're so great, prove it to the world!"

       (John 7:5 TLB)  For even his brothers didn't believe in him.

       (John 7:6 TLB)  Jesus replied, "It is not the right time for me to go 
       now. But you can go anytime and it will make no difference,

       (John 7:7 TLB)  for the world can't hate you; but it does hate me, 
       because I accuse it of sin and evil.

       (John 7:8 TLB)  You go on, and I'll come later when it is the right 
       time."

       (John 7:9 TLB)  So he remained in Galilee.

       (John 7:10 TLB)  But after his brothers had left for the celebration, 
       then he went too, though secretly, staying out of the public eye.

       (John 7:11 TLB)  The Jewish leaders tried to find him at the 
       celebration and kept asking if anyone had seen him.

       (John 7:12 TLB)  There was a lot of discussion about him among the 
       crowds. Some said, "He's a wonderful man," while others said, "No, 
       he's duping the public."

       (John 7:13 TLB)  But no one had the courage to speak out for him in 
       public for fear of reprisals from the Jewish leaders.

       (John 7:14 TLB)  Then, midway through the festival, Jesus went up to 
       the Temple and preached openly.

       (John 7:15 TLB)  The Jewish leaders were surprised when they heard 
       him. "How can he know so much when he's never been to our schools?" 
       they asked.





       (John 7:16 TLB)  So Jesus told them, "I'm not teaching you my own 
       thoughts, but those of God who sent me.

       (John 7:17 TLB)  If any of you really determines to do God's will, 
       then you will certainly know whether my teaching is from God or is 
       merely my own.

       (John 7:18 TLB)  Anyone presenting his own ideas is looking for praise 
       for himself, but anyone seeking to honor the one who sent him is a 
       good and true person.

       (John 7:19 TLB)  None of you obeys the laws of Moses! So why pick on 
       me for breaking them? Why kill me for this?"

       (John 7:20 TLB)  The crowd replied, "You're out of your mind! Who's 
       trying to kill you?"

       (John 7:21 TLB)  Jesus replied, "I worked on the Sabbath by healing a 
       man, and you were surprised.

       (John 7:22 TLB)  But you work on the Sabbath, too, whenever you obey 
       Moses' law of circumcision (actually, however, this tradition of 
       circumcision is older than the Mosaic law);

       (John 7:23 TLB)  for if the correct time for circumcising your 
       children falls on the Sabbath, you go ahead and do it, as you should. 
       So why should I be condemned for making a man completely well on the 
       Sabbath?

       (John 7:24 TLB)  Think this through and you will see that I am right."

       (John 7:25 TLB)  Some of the people who lived there in Jerusalem said 
       among themselves, "Isn't this the man they are trying to kill?

       (John 7:26 TLB)  But here he is preaching in public, and they say 
       nothing to him. Can it be that our leaders have learned, after all, 
       that he really is the Messiah?

       (John 7:27 TLB)  But how could he be? For we know where this man was 
       born; when Christ comes, he will just appear and no one will know 
       where he comes from."

       (John 7:28 TLB)  So Jesus, in a sermon in the Temple, called out, 
       "Yes, you know me and where I was born and raised, but I am the 
       representative of one you don't know, and he is Truth.

       (John 7:29 TLB)  I know him because I was with him, and he sent me to 
       you."

       (John 7:30 TLB)  Then the Jewish leaders sought to arrest him; but no 
       hand was laid on him, for God's time had not yet come.

       (John 7:31 TLB)  Many among the crowds at the Temple believed on him. 
       "After all," they said, "what miracles do you expect the Messiah to do 
       that this man hasn't done?"





       (John 7:32 TLB)  When the Pharisees heard that the crowds were in this 
       mood, they and the chief priests sent officers to arrest Jesus.

       (John 7:33 TLB)  But Jesus told them, "(Not yet!) I am to be here a 
       little longer. Then I shall return to the one who sent me.

       (John 7:34 TLB)  You will search for me but not find me. And you won't 
       be able to come where I am!"

       (John 7:35 TLB)  The Jewish leaders were puzzled by this statement. 
       "Where is he planning to go?" they asked. "Maybe he is thinking of 
       leaving the country and going as a missionary among the Jews in other 
       lands, or maybe even to the Gentiles!

       (John 7:36 TLB)  What does he mean about our looking for him and not 
       being able to find him, and, 'You won't be able to come where I am'?"

       (John 7:37 TLB)  On the last day, the climax of the holidays, Jesus 
       shouted to the crowds, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and 
       drink.

       (John 7:38 TLB)  For the Scriptures declare that rivers of living 
       water shall flow from the inmost being of anyone who believes in me."

       (John 7:39 TLB)  (He was speaking of the Holy Spirit, who would be 
       given to everyone believing in him; but the Spirit had not yet been 
       given, because Jesus had not yet returned to his glory in heaven.)

       (John 7:40 TLB)  When the crowds heard him say this, some of them 
       declared, "This man surely is the prophet who will come just before 
       the Messiah."

       (John 7:41 TLB)  Others said, "He is the Messiah." Still others, "But 
       he can't be! Will the Messiah come from Galilee?

       (John 7:42 TLB)  For the Scriptures clearly state that the Messiah 
       will be born of the royal line of David, in Bethlehem, the village 
       where David was born."

       (John 7:43 TLB)  So the crowd was divided about him.

       (John 7:44 TLB)  And some wanted him arrested, but no one touched him.

       (John 7:45 TLB)  The Temple police who had been sent to arrest him 
       returned to the chief priests and Pharisees. "Why didn't you bring him 
       in?" they demanded.

       (John 7:46 TLB)  "He says such wonderful things!" they mumbled. "We've 
       never heard anything like it."

       (John 7:47 TLB)  "So you also have been led astray?" the Pharisees 
       mocked.

       (John 7:48 TLB)  "Is there a single one of us Jewish rulers or 
       Pharisees who believes he is the Messiah?





       (John 7:49 TLB)  These stupid crowds do, yes; but what do they know 
       about it? A curse upon them anyway!"

       (John 7:50 TLB)  Then Nicodemus spoke up. (Remember him? He was the 
       Jewish leader who came secretly to interview Jesus.)

       (John 7:51 TLB)  "Is it legal to convict a man before he is even 
       tried?" he asked.

       (John 7:52 TLB)  They replied, "Are you a wretched Galilean too? 
       Search the Scriptures and see for yourself--no prophets will come from 
       Galilee!"

       (John 7:53 TLB)  Then the meeting broke up and everybody went home.

       (John 8:1 TLB)  Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives,

       (John 8:2 TLB)  but early the next morning he was back again at the 
       Temple. A crowd soon gathered, and he sat down and talked to them.

       (John 8:3 TLB)  As he was speaking, the Jewish leaders and Pharisees 
       brought a woman caught in adultery and placed her out in front of the 
       staring crowd.

       (John 8:4 TLB)  "Teacher," they said to Jesus, "this woman was caught 
       in the very act of adultery.

       (John 8:5 TLB)  Moses' law says to kill her. What about it?"

       (John 8:6 TLB)  They were trying to trap him into saying something 
       they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the 
       dust with his finger.

       (John 8:7 TLB)  They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again 
       and said, "All right, hurl the stones at her until she dies. But only 
       he who never sinned may throw the first!"

       (John 8:8 TLB)  Then he stooped down again and wrote some more in the 
       dust.

       (John 8:9 TLB)  And the Jewish leaders slipped away one by one, 
       beginning with the eldest, until only Jesus was left in front of the 
       crowd with the woman.

       (John 8:10 TLB)  Then Jesus stood up again and said to her, "Where are 
       your accusers? Didn't even one of them condemn you?"

       (John 8:11 TLB)  "No, sir," she said. And Jesus said, "Neither do I. 
       Go and sin no more."

       (John 8:12 TLB)  Later, in one of his talks, Jesus said to the people, 
       "I am the Light of the world. So if you follow me, you won't be 
       stumbling through the darkness, for living light will flood your 
       path."

       (John 8:13 TLB)  The Pharisees replied, "You are boasting--and lying!"






       (John 8:14 TLB)  Jesus told them, "These claims are true even though I 
       make them concerning myself. For I know where I came from and where I 
       am going, but you don't know this about me.

       (John 8:15 TLB)  You pass judgment on me without knowing the facts. I 
       am not judging you now;

       (John 8:16 TLB)  but if I were, it would be an absolutely correct 
       judgment in every respect, for I have with me the Father who sent me.

       (John 8:17 TLB)  Your laws say that if two men agree on something that 
       has happened, their witness is accepted as fact.

       (John 8:18 TLB)  Well, I am one witness, and my Father who sent me is 
       the other."

       (John 8:19 TLB)  "Where is your father?" they asked. Jesus answered, 
       "You don't know who I am, so you don't know who my Father is. If you 
       knew me, then you would know him too."

       (John 8:20 TLB)  Jesus made these statements while in the section of 
       the Temple known as the Treasury. But he was not arrested, for his 
       time had not yet run out.

       (John 8:21 TLB)  Later he said to them again, "I am going away; and 
       you will search for me, and die in your sins. And you cannot come 
       where I am going."

       (John 8:22 TLB)  The Jews asked, "Is he planning suicide? What does he 
       mean, 'You cannot come where I am going'?"

       (John 8:23 TLB)  Then he said to them, "You are from below; I am from 
       above. You are of this world; I am not.

       (John 8:24 TLB)  That is why I said that you will die in your sins; 
       for unless you believe that I am the Messiah, the Son of God, you will 
       die in your sins."

       (John 8:25 TLB)  "Tell us who you are," they demanded. He replied, "I 
       am the one I have always claimed to be.

       (John 8:26 TLB)  I could condemn you for much and teach you much, but 
       I won't, for I say only what I am told to by the one who sent me; and 
       he is Truth."

       (John 8:27 TLB)  But they still didn't understand that he was talking 
       to them about God.

       (John 8:28 TLB)  So Jesus said, "When you have killed the Messiah, 
       then you will realize that I am he and that I have not been telling 
       you my own ideas, but have spoken what the Father taught me.

       (John 8:29 TLB)  And he who sent me is with me--he has not deserted 
       me--for I always do those things that are pleasing to him."





       (John 8:30 TLB)  Then many of the Jewish leaders who heard him say 
       these things began believing him to be the Messiah.

       (John 8:31 TLB)  Jesus said to them, "You are truly my disciples if 
       you live as I tell you to,

       (John 8:32 TLB)  and you will know the truth, and the truth will set 
       you free."

       (John 8:33 TLB)  "But we are descendants of Abraham," they said, "and 
       have never been slaves to any man on earth! What do you mean, 'set 
       free'?"

       (John 8:34 TLB)  Jesus replied, "You are slaves of sin, every one of 
       you.

       (John 8:35 TLB)  And slaves don't have rights, but the Son has every 
       right there is!

       (John 8:36 TLB)  So if the Son sets you free, you will indeed be 
       free--

       (John 8:37 TLB)  (Yes, I realize that you are descendants of Abraham!) 
       And yet some of you are trying to kill me because my message does not 
       find a home within your hearts.

       (John 8:38 TLB)  I am telling you what I saw when I was with my 
       Father. But you are following the advice of your father."

       (John 8:39 TLB)  "Our father is Abraham," they declared. "No!" Jesus 
       replied, "for if he were, you would follow his good example.

       (John 8:40 TLB)  But instead you are trying to kill me--and all 
       because I told you the truth I heard from God. Abraham wouldn't do a 
       thing like that!

       (John 8:41 TLB)  No, you are obeying your real father when you act 
       that way." They replied, "We were not born out of wedlock--our true 
       Father is God himself."

       (John 8:42 TLB)  Jesus told them, "If that were so, then you would 
       love me, for I have come to you from God. I am not here on my own, but 
       he sent me.

       (John 8:43 TLB)  Why can't you understand what I am saying? It is 
       because you are prevented from doing so!

       (John 8:44 TLB)  For you are the children of your father the devil and 
       you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the 
       beginning and a hater of truth--there is not an iota of truth in him. 
       When he lies, it is perfectly normal; for he is the father of liars.

       (John 8:45 TLB)  And so when I tell the truth, you just naturally 
       don't believe it!

       (John 8:46 TLB)  "Which of you can truthfully accuse me of one single 





       sin? (No one!) And since I am telling you the truth, why don't you 
       believe me?

       (John 8:47 TLB)  Anyone whose Father is God listens gladly to the 
       words of God. Since you don't, it proves you aren't his children."

       (John 8:48 TLB)  "You Samaritan! Foreigner! Devil!" the Jewish leaders 
       snarled. "Didn't we say all along you were possessed by a demon?"

       (John 8:49 TLB)  "No," Jesus said, "I have no demon in me. For I honor 
       my Father--and you dishonor me.

       (John 8:50 TLB)  And though I have no wish to make myself great, God 
       wants this for me and judges (those who reject me).

       (John 8:51 TLB)  With all the earnestness I have I tell you this--no 
       one who obeys me shall ever die!"

       (John 8:52 TLB)  The leaders of the Jews said, "Now we know you are 
       possessed by a demon. Even Abraham and the mightiest prophets died, 
       and yet you say that obeying you will keep a man from dying!

       (John 8:53 TLB)  So you are greater than our father Abraham, who died? 
       And greater than the prophets, who died? Who do you think you are?"

       (John 8:54 TLB)  Then Jesus told them this: "If I am merely boasting 
       about myself, it doesn't count. But it is my Father--and you claim him 
       as your God--who is saying these glorious things about me.

       (John 8:55 TLB)  But you do not even know him. I do. If I said 
       otherwise, I would be as great a liar as you! But it is true--I know 
       him and fully obey him.

       (John 8:56 TLB)  Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day. He knew I 
       was coming and was glad."

       (John 8:57 TLB)  The Jewish leaders: "You aren't even fifty years 
       old--sure, you've seen Abraham!"

       (John 8:58 TLB)  Jesus: "The absolute truth is that I was in existence 
       before Abraham was ever born!"

       (John 8:59 TLB)  At that point the Jewish leaders picked up stones to 
       kill him. But Jesus was hidden from them, and walked past them and 
       left the Temple.

       (John 9:1 TLB)  As he was walking along, he saw a man blind from 
       birth.

       (John 9:2 TLB)  "Master," his disciples asked him, "why was this man 
       born blind? Was it a result of his own sins or those of his parents?"

       (John 9:3 TLB)  "Neither," Jesus answered. "But to demonstrate the 
       power of God.

       (John 9:4 TLB)  All of us must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us 





       by the one who sent me, for there is little time left before the night 
       falls and all work comes to an end.

       (John 9:5 TLB)  But while I am still here in the world, I give it my 
       light."

       (John 9:6 TLB)  Then he spat on the ground and made mud from the 
       spittle and smoothed the mud over the blind man's eyes,

       (John 9:7 TLB)  and told him, "Go and wash in the Pool of Siloam" (the 
       word Siloam means "Sent"). So the man went where he was sent and 
       washed and came back seeing!

       (John 9:8 TLB)  His neighbors and others who knew him as a blind 
       beggar asked each other, "Is this the same fellow--that beggar?"

       (John 9:9 TLB)  Some said yes, and some said no. "It can't be the same 
       man," they thought, "but he surely looks like him!" And the beggar 
       said, "I am the same man!"

       (John 9:10 TLB)  Then they asked him how in the world he could see. 
       What had happened?

       (John 9:11 TLB)  And he told them, "A man they call Jesus made mud and 
       smoothed it over my eyes and told me to go to the Pool of Siloam and 
       wash off the mud. I did, and I can see!"

       (John 9:12 TLB)  "Where is he now?" they asked. "I don't know," he 
       replied.

       (John 9:13 TLB)  Then they took the man to the Pharisees.

       (John 9:14 TLB)  Now as it happened, this all occurred on a Sabbath.

       (John 9:15 TLB)  Then the Pharisees asked him all about it. So he told 
       them how Jesus had smoothed the mud over his eyes, and when it was 
       washed away, he could see!

       (John 9:16 TLB)  Some of them said, "Then this fellow Jesus is not 
       from God because he is working on the Sabbath." Others said, "But how 
       could an ordinary sinner do such miracles?" So there was a deep 
       division of opinion among them.

       (John 9:17 TLB)  Then the Pharisees turned on the man who had been 
       blind and demanded, "This man who opened your eyes--who do you say he 
       is?" "I think he must be a prophet sent from God," the man replied.

       (John 9:18 TLB)  The Jewish leaders wouldn't believe he had been 
       blind, until they called in his parents

       (John 9:19 TLB)  and asked them, "Is this your son? Was he born blind? 
       If so, how can he see?"

       (John 9:20 TLB)  His parents replied, "We know this is our son and 
       that he was born blind,





       (John 9:21 TLB)  but we don't know what happened to make him see, or 
       who did it. He is old enough to speak for himself. Ask him."

       (John 9:22 TLB)  They said this in fear of the Jewish leaders who had 
       announced that anyone saying Jesus was the Messiah would be 
       excommunicated.

       (John 9:23 TLB)  

       (John 9:24 TLB)  So for the second time they called in the man who had 
       been blind and told him, "Give the glory to God, not to Jesus, for we 
       know Jesus is an evil person."

       (John 9:25 TLB)  "I don't know whether he is good or bad," the man 
       replied, "but I know this: I was blind, and now I see!"

       (John 9:26 TLB)  "But what did he do?" they asked. "How did he heal 
       you?"

       (John 9:27 TLB)  "Look!" the man exclaimed. "I told you once; didn't 
       you listen? Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become 
       his disciples too?"

       (John 9:28 TLB)  Then they cursed him and said, "You are his disciple, 
       but we are disciples of Moses.

       (John 9:29 TLB)  We know God has spoken to Moses, but as for this 
       fellow, we don't know anything about him."

       (John 9:30 TLB)  "Why, that's very strange!" the man replied. "He can 
       heal blind men, and yet you don't know anything about him!

       (John 9:31 TLB)  Well, God doesn't listen to evil men, but he has open 
       ears to those who worship him and do his will.

       (John 9:32 TLB)  Since the world began there has never been anyone who 
       could open the eyes of someone born blind.

       (John 9:33 TLB)  If this man were not from God, he couldn't do it."

       (John 9:34 TLB)  "You illegitimate bastard, you!" they shouted. "Are 
       you trying to teach us?" And they threw him out.

       (John 9:35 TLB)  When Jesus heard what had happened, he found the man 
       and said, "Do you believe in the Messiah?"

       (John 9:36 TLB)  The man answered, "Who is he, sir, for I want to."

       (John 9:37 TLB)  "You have seen him," Jesus said, "and he is speaking 
       to you!"

       (John 9:38 TLB)  "Yes, Lord," the man said, "I believe!" And he 
       worshiped Jesus.

       (John 9:39 TLB)  Then Jesus told him, "I have come into the world to 
       give sight to those who are spiritually blind and to show those who 





       think they see that they are blind."

       (John 9:40 TLB)  The Pharisees who were standing there asked, "Are you 
       saying we are blind?"

       (John 9:41 TLB)  "If you were blind, you wouldn't be guilty," Jesus 
       replied. "But your guilt remains because you claim to know what you 
       are doing.

       (John 10:1 TLB)  "Anyone refusing to walk through the gate into a 
       sheepfold, who sneaks over the wall, must surely be a thief!

       (John 10:2 TLB)  For a shepherd comes through the gate.

       (John 10:3 TLB)  The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep 
       hear his voice and come to him; and he calls his own sheep by name and 
       leads them out.

       (John 10:4 TLB)  He walks ahead of them; and they follow him, for they 
       recognize his voice.

       (John 10:5 TLB)  They won't follow a stranger but will run from him, 
       for they don't recognize his voice."

       (John 10:6 TLB)  Those who heard Jesus use this illustration didn't 
       understand what he meant,

       (John 10:7 TLB)  so he explained it to them. "I am the Gate for the 
       sheep," he said.

       (John 10:8 TLB)  "All others who came before me were thieves and 
       robbers. But the true sheep did not listen to them.

       (John 10:9 TLB)  Yes, I am the Gate. Those who come in by way of the 
       Gate will be saved and will go in and out and find green pastures.

       (John 10:10 TLB)  The thief's purpose is to steal, kill and destroy. 
       My purpose is to give life in all its fullness.

       (John 10:11 TLB)  "I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down 
       his life for the sheep.

       (John 10:12 TLB)  A hired man will run when he sees a wolf coming and 
       will leave the sheep, for they aren't his and he isn't their shepherd. 
       And so the wolf leaps on them and scatters the flock.

       (John 10:13 TLB)  The hired man runs because he is hired and has no 
       real concern for the sheep.

       (John 10:14 TLB)  "I am the Good Shepherd and know my own sheep, and 
       they know me,

       (John 10:15 TLB)  just as my Father knows me and I know the Father; 
       and I lay down my life for the sheep.

       (John 10:16 TLB)  I have other sheep, too, in another fold. I must 





       bring them also, and they will heed my voice; and there will be one 
       flock with one Shepherd.

       (John 10:17 TLB)  "The Father loves me because I lay down my life that 
       I may have it back again.

       (John 10:18 TLB)  No one can kill me without my consent--I lay down my 
       life voluntarily. For I have the right and power to lay it down when I 
       want to and also the right and power to take it again. For the Father 
       has given me this right."

       (John 10:19 TLB)  When he said these things, the Jewish leaders were 
       again divided in their opinions about him.

       (John 10:20 TLB)  Some of them said, "He has a demon or else is crazy. 
       Why listen to a man like that?"

       (John 10:21 TLB)  Others said, "This doesn't sound to us like a man 
       possessed by a demon! Can a demon open the eyes of blind men?"

       (John 10:22 TLB)  It was winter, and Jesus was in Jerusalem at the 
       time of the Dedication Celebration.

       (John 10:23 TLB)  He was at the Temple, walking through the section 
       known as Solomon's Hall.

       (John 10:24 TLB)  The Jewish leaders surrounded him and asked, "How 
       long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, 
       tell us plainly."

       (John 10:25 TLB)  "I have already told you, and you don't believe me," 
       Jesus replied. "The proof is in the miracles I do in the name of my 
       Father.

       (John 10:26 TLB)  But you don't believe me because you are not part of 
       my flock.

       (John 10:27 TLB)  My sheep recognize my voice, and I know them, and 
       they follow me.

       (John 10:28 TLB)  I give them eternal life and they shall never 
       perish. No one shall snatch them away from me,

       (John 10:29 TLB)  for my Father has given them to me, and he is more 
       powerful than anyone else, so no one can kidnap them from me.

       (John 10:30 TLB)  I and the Father are one."

       (John 10:31 TLB)  Then again the Jewish leaders picked up stones to 
       kill him.

       (John 10:32 TLB)  Jesus said, "At God's direction I have done many a 
       miracle to help the people. For which one are you killing me?"

       (John 10:33 TLB)  They replied, "Not for any good work, but for 
       blasphemy; you, a mere man, have declared yourself to be God."






       (John 10:34 TLB)  "In your own Law it says that men are gods!" he 
       replied.

       (John 10:35 TLB)  "So if the Scripture, which cannot be untrue, speaks 
       of those as gods to whom the message of God came,

       (John 10:36 TLB)  do you call it blasphemy when the one sanctified and 
       sent into the world by the Father says, 'I am the Son of God'?

       (John 10:37 TLB)  Don't believe me unless I do miracles of God.

       (John 10:38 TLB)  But if I do, believe them even if you don't believe 
       me. Then you will become convinced that the Father is in me, and I in 
       the Father."

       (John 10:39 TLB)  Once again they started to arrest him. But he walked 
       away and left them,

       (John 10:40 TLB)  and went beyond the Jordan River to stay near the 
       place where John was first baptizing.

       (John 10:41 TLB)  And many followed him. "John didn't do miracles," 
       they remarked to one another, "but all his predictions concerning this 
       man have come true."

       (John 10:42 TLB)  And many came to the decision that he was the 
       Messiah.

       (John 11:1 TLB)  Do you remember Mary, who poured the costly perfume 
       on Jesus' feet and wiped them with her hair? Well, her brother 
       Lazarus, who lived in Bethany with Mary and her sister Martha, was 
       sick.

       (John 11:2 TLB)  

       (John 11:3 TLB)  So the two sisters sent a message to Jesus telling 
       him, "Sir, your good friend is very, very sick."

       (John 11:4 TLB)  But when Jesus heard about it he said, "The purpose 
       of his illness is not death, but for the glory of God. I, the Son of 
       God, will receive glory from this situation."

       (John 11:5 TLB)  Although Jesus was very fond of Martha, Mary, and 
       Lazarus,

       (John 11:6 TLB)  he stayed where he was for the next two days and made 
       no move to go to them.

       (John 11:7 TLB)  Finally, after the two days, he said to his 
       disciples, "Let's go to Judea."

       (John 11:8 TLB)  But his disciples objected. "Master," they said, 
       "only a few days ago the Jewish leaders in Judea were trying to kill 
       you. Are you going there again?"





       (John 11:9 TLB)  Jesus replied, "There are twelve hours of daylight 
       every day, and during every hour of it a man can walk safely and not 
       stumble.

       (John 11:10 TLB)  Only at night is there danger of a wrong step, 
       because of the dark."

       (John 11:11 TLB)  Then he said, "Our friend Lazarus has gone to sleep, 
       but now I will go and waken him!"

       (John 11:12 TLB)  The disciples, thinking Jesus meant Lazarus was 
       having a good night's rest, said, "That means he is getting better!" 
       But Jesus meant Lazarus had died.

       (John 11:13 TLB)  

       (John 11:14 TLB)  Then he told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead.

       (John 11:15 TLB)  And for your sake, I am glad I wasn't there, for 
       this will give you another opportunity to believe in me. Come, let's 
       go to him."

       (John 11:16 TLB)  Thomas, nicknamed "The Twin," said to his fellow 
       disciples, "Let's go too--and die with him."

       (John 11:17 TLB)  When they arrived at Bethany, they were told that 
       Lazarus had already been in his tomb for four days.

       (John 11:18 TLB)  Bethany was only a couple of miles down the road 
       from Jerusalem,

       (John 11:19 TLB)  and many of the Jewish leaders had come to pay their 
       respects and to console Martha and Mary on their loss.

       (John 11:20 TLB)  When Martha got word that Jesus was coming, she went 
       to meet him. But Mary stayed at home.

       (John 11:21 TLB)  Martha said to Jesus, "Sir, if you had been here, my 
       brother wouldn't have died.

       (John 11:22 TLB)  And even now it's not too late, for I know that God 
       will bring my brother back to life again, if you will only ask him 
       to."

       (John 11:23 TLB)  Jesus told her, "Your brother will come back to life 
       again."

       (John 11:24 TLB)  "Yes," Martha said, "when everyone else does, on 
       Resurrection Day."

       (John 11:25 TLB)  Jesus told her, "I am the one who raises the dead 
       and gives them life again. Anyone who believes in me, even though he 
       dies like anyone else, shall live again.

       (John 11:26 TLB)  He is given eternal life for believing in me and 
       shall never perish. Do you believe this, Martha?"






       (John 11:27 TLB)  "Yes, Master," she told him. "I believe you are the 
       Messiah, the Son of God, the one we have so long awaited."

       (John 11:28 TLB)  Then she left him and returned to Mary and, calling 
       her aside from the mourners, told her, "He is here and wants to see 
       you."

       (John 11:29 TLB)  So Mary went to him at once.

       (John 11:30 TLB)  Now Jesus had stayed outside the village, at the 
       place where Martha met him.

       (John 11:31 TLB)  When the Jewish leaders who were at the house trying 
       to console Mary saw her leave so hastily, they assumed she was going 
       to Lazarus' tomb to weep; so they followed her.

       (John 11:32 TLB)  When Mary arrived where Jesus was, she fell down at 
       his feet, saying, "Sir, if you had been here, my brother would still 
       be alive."

       (John 11:33 TLB)  When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jewish leaders 
       wailing with her, he was moved with indignation and deeply troubled.

       (John 11:34 TLB)  "Where is he buried?" he asked them. They told him, 
       "Come and see."

       (John 11:35 TLB)  Tears came to Jesus' eyes.

       (John 11:36 TLB)  "They were close friends," the Jewish leaders said. 
       "See how much he loved him."

       (John 11:37 TLB)  But some said, "This fellow healed a blind man--why 
       couldn't he keep Lazarus from dying?"

       (John 11:38 TLB)  And again Jesus was moved with deep anger. Then they 
       came to the tomb. It was a cave with a heavy stone rolled across its 
       door.

       (John 11:39 TLB)  "Roll the stone aside," Jesus told them. But Martha, 
       the dead man's sister, said, "By now the smell will be terrible, for 
       he has been dead four days."

       (John 11:40 TLB)  "But didn't I tell you that you will see a wonderful 
       miracle from God if you believe?" Jesus asked her.

       (John 11:41 TLB)  So they rolled the stone aside. Then Jesus looked up 
       to heaven and said, "Father, thank you for hearing me.

       (John 11:42 TLB)  (You always hear me, of course, but I said it 
       because of all these people standing here, so that they will believe 
       you sent me.)"

       (John 11:43 TLB)  Then he shouted, "Lazarus, come out!"

       (John 11:44 TLB)  And Lazarus came--bound up in the gravecloth, his 





       face muffled in a head swath. Jesus told them, "Unwrap him and let him 
       go!"

       (John 11:45 TLB)  And so at last many of the Jewish leaders who were 
       with Mary and saw it happen, finally believed on him.

       (John 11:46 TLB)  But some went away to the Pharisees and reported it 
       to them.

       (John 11:47 TLB)  Then the chief priests and Pharisees convened a 
       council to discuss the situation. "What are we going to do?" they 
       asked each other. "For this man certainly does miracles.

       (John 11:48 TLB)  If we let him alone the whole nation will follow 
       him--and then the Roman army will come and kill us and take over the 
       Jewish government."

       (John 11:49 TLB)  And one of them, Caiaphas, who was High Priest that 
       year, said, "You stupid idiots--

       (John 11:50 TLB)  let this one man die for the people--why should the 
       whole nation perish?"

       (John 11:51 TLB)  This prophecy that Jesus should die for the entire 
       nation came from Caiaphas in his position as High Priest--he didn't 
       think of it by himself, but was inspired to say it.

       (John 11:52 TLB)  It was a prediction that Jesus' death would not be 
       for Israel only, but for all the children of God scattered around the 
       world.

       (John 11:53 TLB)  So from that time on the Jewish leaders began 
       plotting Jesus' death.

       (John 11:54 TLB)  Jesus now stopped his public ministry and left 
       Jerusalem; he went to the edge of the desert, to the village of 
       Ephraim, and stayed there with his disciples.

       (John 11:55 TLB)  The Passover, a Jewish holy day, was near, and many 
       country people arrived in Jerusalem several days early so that they 
       could go through the cleansing ceremony before the Passover began.

       (John 11:56 TLB)  They wanted to see Jesus, and as they gossiped in 
       the Temple, they asked each other, "What do you think? Will he come 
       for the Passover?"

       (John 11:57 TLB)  Meanwhile the chief priests and Pharisees had 
       publicly announced that anyone seeing Jesus must report him 
       immediately so that they could arrest him.

       (John 12:1 TLB)  Six days before the Passover ceremonies began, Jesus 
       arrived in Bethany where Lazarus was--the man he had brought back to 
       life.

       (John 12:2 TLB)  A banquet was prepared in Jesus' honor. Martha 
       served, and Lazarus sat at the table with him.






       (John 12:3 TLB)  Then Mary took a jar of costly perfume made from 
       essence of nard, and anointed Jesus' feet with it and wiped them with 
       her hair. And the house was filled with fragrance.

       (John 12:4 TLB)  But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples--the one who 
       would betray him--said,

       (John 12:5 TLB)  "That perfume was worth a fortune. It should have 
       been sold and the money given to the poor."

       (John 12:6 TLB)  Not that he cared for the poor, but he was in charge 
       of the disciples' funds and often dipped into them for his own use!

       (John 12:7 TLB)  Jesus replied, "Let her alone. She did it in 
       preparation for my burial.

       (John 12:8 TLB)  You can always help the poor, but I won't be with you 
       very long."

       (John 12:9 TLB)  When the ordinary people of Jerusalem heard of his 
       arrival, they flocked to see him and also to see Lazarus--the man who 
       had come back to life again.

       (John 12:10 TLB)  Then the chief priests decided to kill Lazarus too,

       (John 12:11 TLB)  for it was because of him that many of the Jewish 
       leaders had deserted and believed in Jesus as their Messiah.

       (John 12:12 TLB)  The next day, the news that Jesus was on the way to 
       Jerusalem swept through the city, and a huge crowd of Passover 
       visitors

       (John 12:13 TLB)  took palm branches and went down the road to meet 
       him, shouting, "The Savior! God bless the King of Israel! Hail to 
       God's Ambassador!"

       (John 12:14 TLB)  Jesus rode along on a young donkey, fulfilling the 
       prophecy that said:

       (John 12:15 TLB)  "Don't be afraid of your King, people of Israel, for 
       he will come to you meekly, sitting on a donkey's colt!"

       (John 12:16 TLB)  (His disciples didn't realize at the time that this 
       was a fulfillment of prophecy; but after Jesus returned to his glory 
       in heaven, then they noticed how many prophecies of Scripture had come 
       true before their eyes.)

       (John 12:17 TLB)  And those in the crowd who had seen Jesus call 
       Lazarus back to life were telling all about it.

       (John 12:18 TLB)  That was the main reason why so many went out to 
       meet him--because they had heard about this mighty miracle.

       (John 12:19 TLB)  Then the Pharisees said to each other, "We've lost. 
       Look--the whole world has gone after him!"






       (John 12:20 TLB)  Some Greeks who had come to Jerusalem to attend the 
       Passover

       (John 12:21 TLB)  paid a visit to Philip, who was from Bethsaida, and 
       said, "Sir, we want to meet Jesus."

       (John 12:22 TLB)  Philip told Andrew about it, and they went together 
       to ask Jesus.

       (John 12:23 TLB)  Jesus replied that the time had come for him to 
       return to his glory in heaven,

       (John 12:24 TLB)  and that" I must fall and die like a kernel of wheat 
       that falls into the furrows of the earth. Unless I die I will be 
       alone--a single seed. But my death will produce many new wheat 
       kernels--a plentiful harvest of new lives.

       (John 12:25 TLB)  If you love your life down here--you will lose it. 
       If you despise your life down here--you will exchange it for eternal 
       glory.

       (John 12:26 TLB)  "If these Greeks want to be my disciples, tell them 
       to come and follow me, for my servants must be where I am. And if they 
       follow me, the Father will honor them.

       (John 12:27 TLB)  Now my soul is deeply troubled. Shall I pray, 
       'Father, save me from what lies ahead'? But that is the very reason 
       why I came!

       (John 12:28 TLB)  Father, bring glory and honor to your name." Then a 
       voice spoke from heaven saying, "I have already done this, and I will 
       do it again."

       (John 12:29 TLB)  When the crowd heard the voice, some of them thought 
       it was thunder, while others declared an angel had spoken to him.

       (John 12:30 TLB)  Then Jesus told them, "The voice was for your 
       benefit, not mine.

       (John 12:31 TLB)  The time of judgment for the world has come--and the 
       time when Satan, the prince of this world, shall be cast out.

       (John 12:32 TLB)  And when I am lifted up (on the cross), I will draw 
       everyone to me."

       (John 12:33 TLB)  He said this to indicate how he was going to die.

       (John 12:34 TLB)  "Die?" asked the crowd. "We understood that the 
       Messiah would live forever and never die. Why are you saying he will 
       die? What Messiah are you talking about?"

       (John 12:35 TLB)  Jesus replied, "My light will shine out for you just 
       a little while longer. Walk in it while you can, and go where you want 
       to go before the darkness falls, for then it will be too late for you 
       to find your way.






       (John 12:36 TLB)  Make use of the Light while there is still time; 
       then you will become light bearers." After saying these things, Jesus 
       went away and was hidden from them.

       (John 12:37 TLB)  But despite all the miracles he had done, most of 
       the people would not believe he was the Messiah.

       (John 12:38 TLB)  This is exactly what Isaiah the prophet had 
       predicted: "Lord, who will believe us? Who will accept God's mighty 
       miracles as proof?"

       (John 12:39 TLB)  But they couldn't believe, for as Isaiah also said:

       (John 12:40 TLB)  "God has blinded their eyes and hardened their 
       hearts so that they can neither see nor understand nor turn to me to 
       heal them."

       (John 12:41 TLB)  Isaiah was referring to Jesus when he made this 
       prediction, for he had seen a vision of the Messiah's glory.

       (John 12:42 TLB)  However, even many of the Jewish leaders believed 
       him to be the Messiah but wouldn't admit it to anyone because of their 
       fear that the Pharisees would excommunicate them from the synagogue;

       (John 12:43 TLB)  for they loved the praise of men more than the 
       praise of God.

       (John 12:44 TLB)  Jesus shouted to the crowds, "If you trust me, you 
       are really trusting God.

       (John 12:45 TLB)  For when you see me, you are seeing the one who sent 
       me.

       (John 12:46 TLB)  I have come as a Light to shine in this dark world, 
       so that all who put their trust in me will no longer wander in the 
       darkness.

       (John 12:47 TLB)  If anyone hears me and doesn't obey me, I am not his 
       judge--for I have come to save the world and not to judge it.

       (John 12:48 TLB)  But all who reject me and my message will be judged 
       at the Day of Judgment by the truths I have spoken.

       (John 12:49 TLB)  For these are not my own ideas, but I have told you 
       what the Father said to tell you.

       (John 12:50 TLB)  And I know his instructions lead to eternal life; so 
       whatever he tells me to say, I say!"

       (John 13:1 TLB)  Jesus knew on the evening of Passover Day that it 
       would be his last night on earth before returning to his Father.

       (John 13:2 TLB)  During supper the devil had already suggested to 
       Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, that this was the night to carry out his 
       plan to betray Jesus.






       (John 13:3 TLB)  Jesus knew that the Father had given him everything 
       and that he had come from God and would return to God. And how he 
       loved his disciples!

       (John 13:4 TLB)  So he got up from the supper table, took off his 
       robe, wrapped a towel around his loins,

       (John 13:5 TLB)  poured water into a basin, and began to wash the 
       disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel he had around him.

       (John 13:6 TLB)  When he came to Simon Peter, Peter said to him, 
       "Master, you shouldn't be washing our feet like this!"

       (John 13:7 TLB)  Jesus replied, "You don't understand now why I am 
       doing it; some day you will."

       (John 13:8 TLB)  "No," Peter protested, "you shall never wash my 
       feet!" "But if I don't, you can't be my partner," Jesus replied.

       (John 13:9 TLB)  Simon Peter exclaimed, "Then wash my hands and head 
       as well--not just my feet!"

       (John 13:10 TLB)  Jesus replied, "One who has bathed all over needs 
       only to have his feet washed to be entirely clean. Now you are 
       clean--but that isn't true of everyone here."

       (John 13:11 TLB)  For Jesus knew who would betray him. That is what he 
       meant when he said, "Not all of you are clean."

       (John 13:12 TLB)  After washing their feet he put on his robe again 
       and sat down and asked, "Do you understand what I was doing?

       (John 13:13 TLB)  You call me 'Master' and 'Lord,' and you do well to 
       say it, for it is true.

       (John 13:14 TLB)  And since I, the Lord and Teacher, have washed your 
       feet, you ought to wash each other's feet.

       (John 13:15 TLB)  I have given you an example to follow: do as I have 
       done to you.

       (John 13:16 TLB)  How true it is that a servant is not greater than 
       his master. Nor is the messenger more important than the one who sends 
       him.

       (John 13:17 TLB)  You know these things--now do them! That is the path 
       of blessing.

       (John 13:18 TLB)  "I am not saying these things to all of you; I know 
       so well each one of you I chose. The Scripture declares, 'One who eats 
       supper with me will betray me,' and this will soon come true.

       (John 13:19 TLB)  I tell you this now so that when it happens, you 
       will believe on me.





       (John 13:20 TLB)  "Truly, anyone welcoming my messenger is welcoming 
       me. And to welcome me is to welcome the Father who sent me."

       (John 13:21 TLB)  Now Jesus was in great anguish of spirit and 
       exclaimed, "Yes, it is true--one of you will betray me."

       (John 13:22 TLB)  The disciples looked at each other, wondering whom 
       he could mean.

       (John 13:23 TLB)  Since I was sitting next to Jesus at the table, 
       being his closest friend,

       (John 13:24 TLB)  Simon Peter motioned to me to ask him who it was who 
       would do this terrible deed.

       (John 13:25 TLB)  So I turned and asked him, "Lord, who is it?"

       (John 13:26 TLB)  He told me, "It is the one I honor by giving the 
       bread dipped in the sauce." And when he had dipped it, he gave it to 
       Judas, son of Simon Iscariot.

       (John 13:27 TLB)  As soon as Judas had eaten it, Satan entered into 
       him. Then Jesus told him, "Hurry--do it now."

       (John 13:28 TLB)  None of the others at the table knew what Jesus 
       meant.

       (John 13:29 TLB)  Some thought that since Judas was their treasurer, 
       Jesus was telling him to go and pay for the food or to give some money 
       to the poor.

       (John 13:30 TLB)  Judas left at once, going out into the night.

       (John 13:31 TLB)  As soon as Judas left the room, Jesus said, "My time 
       has come; the glory of God will soon surround me--and God shall 
       receive great praise because of all that happens to me.

       (John 13:32 TLB)  And God shall give me his own glory, and this so 
       very soon.

       (John 13:33 TLB)  Dear, dear children, how brief are these moments 
       before I must go away and leave you! Then, though you search for me, 
       you cannot come to me--just as I told the Jewish leaders.

       (John 13:34 TLB)  "And so I am giving a new commandment to you 
       now--love each other just as much as I love you.

       (John 13:35 TLB)  Your strong love for each other will prove to the 
       world that you are my disciples."

       (John 13:36 TLB)  Simon Peter said, "Master, where are you going?" And 
       Jesus replied, "You can't go with me now; but you will follow me 
       later."

       (John 13:37 TLB)  "But why can't I come now?" he asked, "for I am 
       ready to die for you."






       (John 13:38 TLB)  Jesus answered, "Die for me? No--three times before 
       the cock crows tomorrow morning, you will deny that you even know me!

       (John 14:1 TLB)  "Let not your heart be troubled. You are trusting 
       God, now trust in me.

       (John 14:2 TLB)  There are many homes up there where my Father lives, 
       and I am going to prepare them for your coming.

       (John 14:3 TLB)  When everything is ready, then I will come and get 
       you, so that you can always be with me where I am. If this weren't so, 
       I would tell you plainly.

       (John 14:4 TLB)  And you know where I am going and how to get there."

       (John 14:5 TLB)  "No, we don't," Thomas said. "We haven't any idea 
       where you are going, so how can we know the way?"

       (John 14:6 TLB)  Jesus told him, "I am the Way--yes, and the Truth and 
       the Life. No one can get to the Father except by means of me.

       (John 14:7 TLB)  If you had known who I am, then you would have known 
       who my Father is. From now on you know him--and have seen him!"

       (John 14:8 TLB)  Philip said, "Sir, show us the Father and we will be 
       satisfied."

       (John 14:9 TLB)  Jesus replied, "Don't you even yet know who I am, 
       Philip, even after all this time I have been with you? Anyone who has 
       seen me has seen the Father! So why are you asking to see him?

       (John 14:10 TLB)  Don't you believe that I am in the Father and the 
       Father is in me? The words I say are not my own but are from my Father 
       who lives in me. And he does his work through me.

       (John 14:11 TLB)  Just believe it--that I am in the Father and the 
       Father is in me. Or else believe it because of the mighty miracles you 
       have seen me do.

       (John 14:12 TLB)  "In solemn truth I tell you, anyone believing in me 
       shall do the same miracles I have done, and even greater ones, because 
       I am going to be with the Father.

       (John 14:13 TLB)  You can ask him for anything, using my name, and I 
       will do it, for this will bring praise to the Father because of what 
       I, the Son, will do for you.

       (John 14:14 TLB)  Yes, ask anything, using my name, and I will do it!

       (John 14:15 TLB)  "If you love me, obey me;

       (John 14:16 TLB)  and I will ask the Father and he will give you 
       another Comforter, and he will never leave you.

       (John 14:17 TLB)  He is the Holy Spirit, the Spirit who leads into all 





       truth. The world at large cannot receive him, for it isn't looking for 
       him and doesn't recognize him. But you do, for he lives with you now 
       and some day shall be in you.

       (John 14:18 TLB)  No, I will not abandon you or leave you as orphans 
       in the storm--I will come to you.

       (John 14:19 TLB)  In just a little while I will be gone from the 
       world, but I will still be present with you. For I will live 
       again--and you will too.

       (John 14:20 TLB)  When I come back to life again, you will know that I 
       am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.

       (John 14:21 TLB)  The one who obeys me is the one who loves me; and 
       because he loves me, my Father will love him; and I will too, and I 
       will reveal myself to him."

       (John 14:22 TLB)  Judas (not Judas Iscariot, but his other disciple 
       with that name) said to him, "Sir, why are you going to reveal 
       yourself only to us disciples and not to the world at large?"

       (John 14:23 TLB)  Jesus replied, "Because I will only reveal myself to 
       those who love me and obey me. The Father will love them too, and we 
       will come to them and live with them.

       (John 14:24 TLB)  Anyone who doesn't obey me doesn't love me. And 
       remember, I am not making up this answer to your question! It is the 
       answer given by the Father who sent me.

       (John 14:25 TLB)  "I am telling you these things now while I am still 
       with you.

       (John 14:26 TLB)  But when the Father sends the Comforter instead of 
       me--and by the Comforter I mean the Holy Spirit--he will teach you 
       much, as well as remind you of everything I myself have told you.

       (John 14:27 TLB)  "I am leaving you with a gift--peace of mind and 
       heart! And the peace I give isn't fragile like the peace the world 
       gives. So don't be troubled or afraid.

       (John 14:28 TLB)  Remember what I told you--I am going away, but I 
       will come back to you again. If you really love me, you will be very 
       happy for me, for now I can go to the Father, who is greater than I 
       am.

       (John 14:29 TLB)  I have told you these things before they happen so 
       that when they do, you will believe (in me).

       (John 14:30 TLB)  "I don't have much more time to talk to you, for the 
       evil prince of this world approaches. He has no power over me,

       (John 14:31 TLB)  but I will freely do what the Father requires of me 
       so that the world will know that I love the Father. Come, let's be 
       going.





       (John 15:1 TLB)  "I am the true Vine, and my Father is the Gardener.

       (John 15:2 TLB)  He lops off every branch that doesn't produce. And he 
       prunes those branches that bear fruit for even larger crops.

       (John 15:3 TLB)  He has already tended you by pruning you back for 
       greater strength and usefulness by means of the commands I gave you.

       (John 15:4 TLB)  Take care to live in me, and let me live in you. For 
       a branch can't produce fruit when severed from the vine. Nor can you 
       be fruitful apart from me.

       (John 15:5 TLB)  "Yes, I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever 
       lives in me and I in him shall produce a large crop of fruit. For 
       apart from me you can't do a thing.

       (John 15:6 TLB)  If anyone separates from me, he is thrown away like a 
       useless branch, withers, and is gathered into a pile with all the 
       others and burned.

       (John 15:7 TLB)  But if you stay in me and obey my commands, you may 
       ask any request you like, and it will be granted!

       (John 15:8 TLB)  My true disciples produce bountiful harvests. This 
       brings great glory to my Father.

       (John 15:9 TLB)  "I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. 
       Live within my love.

       (John 15:10 TLB)  When you obey me you are living in my love, just as 
       I obey my Father and live in his love.

       (John 15:11 TLB)  I have told you this so that you will be filled with 
       my joy. Yes, your cup of joy will overflow!

       (John 15:12 TLB)  I demand that you love each other as much as I love 
       you.

       (John 15:13 TLB)  And here is how to measure it--the greatest love is 
       shown when a person lays down his life for his friends;

       (John 15:14 TLB)  and you are my friends if you obey me.

       (John 15:15 TLB)  I no longer call you slaves, for a master doesn't 
       confide in his slaves; now you are my friends, proved by the fact that 
       I have told you everything the Father told me.

       (John 15:16 TLB)  "You didn't choose me! I chose you! I appointed you 
       to go and produce lovely fruit always, so that no matter what you ask 
       for from the Father, using my name, he will give it to you.

       (John 15:17 TLB)  I demand that you love each other,

       (John 15:18 TLB)  for you get enough hate from the world! But then, it 
       hated me before it hated you.





       (John 15:19 TLB)  The world would love you if you belonged to it; but 
       you don't--for I chose you to come out of the world, and so it hates 
       you.

       (John 15:20 TLB)  Do you remember what I told you? 'A slave isn't 
       greater than his master!' So since they persecuted me, naturally they 
       will persecute you. And if they had listened to me, they would listen 
       to you!

       (John 15:21 TLB)  The people of the world will persecute you because 
       you belong to me, for they don't know God who sent me.

       (John 15:22 TLB)  "They would not be guilty if I had not come and 
       spoken to them. But now they have no excuse for their sin.

       (John 15:23 TLB)  Anyone hating me is also hating my Father.

       (John 15:24 TLB)  If I hadn't done such mighty miracles among them 
       they would not be counted guilty. But as it is, they saw these 
       miracles and yet they hated both of us--me and my Father.

       (John 15:25 TLB)  This has fulfilled what the prophets said concerning 
       the Messiah, 'They hated me without reason.'

       (John 15:26 TLB)  "But I will send you the Comforter--the Holy Spirit, 
       the source of all truth. He will come to you from the Father and will 
       tell you all about me.

       (John 15:27 TLB)  And you also must tell everyone about me because you 
       have been with me from the beginning.

       (John 16:1 TLB)  "I have told you these things so that you won't be 
       staggered (by all that lies ahead.)

       (John 16:2 TLB)  For you will be excommunicated from the synagogues, 
       and indeed the time is coming when those who kill you will think they 
       are doing God a service.

       (John 16:3 TLB)  This is because they have never known the Father or 
       me.

       (John 16:4 TLB)  Yes, I'm telling you these things now so that when 
       they happen you will remember I warned you. I didn't tell you earlier 
       because I was going to be with you for a while longer.

       (John 16:5 TLB)  "But now I am going away to the one who sent me; and 
       none of you seems interested in the purpose of my going; none wonders 
       why.

       (John 16:6 TLB)  Instead you are only filled with sorrow.

       (John 16:7 TLB)  But the fact of the matter is that it is best for you 
       that I go away, for if I don't, the Comforter won't come. If I do, he 
       will--for I will send him to you.

       (John 16:8 TLB)  "And when he has come he will convince the world of 





       its sin, and of the availability of God's goodness, and of deliverance 
       from judgment.

       (John 16:9 TLB)  The world's sin is unbelief in me;

       (John 16:10 TLB)  there is righteousness available because I go to the 
       Father and you shall see me no more;

       (John 16:11 TLB)  there is deliverance from judgment because the 
       prince of this world has already been judged.

       (John 16:12 TLB)  "Oh, there is so much more I want to tell you, but 
       you can't understand it now.

       (John 16:13 TLB)  When the Holy Spirit, who is truth, comes, he shall 
       guide you into all truth, for he will not be presenting his own ideas, 
       but will be passing on to you what he has heard. He will tell you 
       about the future.

       (John 16:14 TLB)  He shall praise me and bring me great honor by 
       showing you my glory.

       (John 16:15 TLB)  All the Father's glory is mine; this is what I mean 
       when I say that he will show you my glory.

       (John 16:16 TLB)  "In just a little while I will be gone, and you will 
       see me no more; but just a little while after that, and you will see 
       me again!"

       (John 16:17 TLB)  "Whatever is he saying?" some of his disciples 
       asked. "What is this about 'going to the Father'? We don't know what 
       he means."

       (John 16:18 TLB)  

       (John 16:19 TLB)  Jesus realized they wanted to ask him so he said, 
       "Are you asking yourselves what I mean?

       (John 16:20 TLB)  The world will greatly rejoice over what is going to 
       happen to me, and you will weep. But your weeping shall suddenly be 
       turned to wonderful joy (when you see me again).

       (John 16:21 TLB)  It will be the same joy as that of a woman in labor 
       when her child is born--her anguish gives place to rapturous joy and 
       the pain is forgotten.

       (John 16:22 TLB)  You have sorrow now, but I will see you again and 
       then you will rejoice; and no one can rob you of that joy.

       (John 16:23 TLB)  At that time you won't need to ask me for anything, 
       for you can go directly to the Father and ask him, and he will give 
       you what you ask for because you use my name.

       (John 16:24 TLB)  You haven't tried this before, (but begin now). Ask, 
       using my name, and you will receive, and your cup of joy will 
       overflow.






       (John 16:25 TLB)  "I have spoken of these matters very guardedly, but 
       the time will come when this will not be necessary and I will tell you 
       plainly all about the Father.

       (John 16:26 TLB)  Then you will present your petitions over my 
       signature! And I won't need to ask the Father to grant you these 
       requests,

       (John 16:27 TLB)  for the Father himself loves you dearly because you 
       love me and believe that I came from the Father.

       (John 16:28 TLB)  Yes, I came from the Father into the world and will 
       leave the world and return to the Father."

       (John 16:29 TLB)  "At last you are speaking plainly," his disciples 
       said, "and not in riddles.

       (John 16:30 TLB)  Now we understand that you know everything and don't 
       need anyone to tell you anything. From this we believe that you came 
       from God."

       (John 16:31 TLB)  "Do you finally believe this?" Jesus asked.

       (John 16:32 TLB)  "But the time is coming--in fact, it is here--when 
       you will be scattered, each one returning to his own home, leaving me 
       alone. Yet I will not be alone, for the Father is with me.

       (John 16:33 TLB)  I have told you all this so that you will have peace 
       of heart and mind. Here on earth you will have many trials and 
       sorrows; but cheer up, for I have overcome the world."

       (John 17:1 TLB)  When Jesus had finished saying all these things he 
       looked up to heaven and said, "Father, the time has come. Reveal the 
       glory of your Son so that he can give the glory back to you.

       (John 17:2 TLB)  For you have given him authority over every man and 
       woman in all the earth. He gives eternal life to each one you have 
       given him.

       (John 17:3 TLB)  And this is the way to have eternal life--by knowing 
       you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth!

       (John 17:4 TLB)  I brought glory to you here on earth by doing 
       everything you told me to.

       (John 17:5 TLB)  And now, Father, reveal my glory as I stand in your 
       presence, the glory we shared before the world began.

       (John 17:6 TLB)  "I have told these men all about you. They were in 
       the world, but then you gave them to me. Actually, they were always 
       yours, and you gave them to me; and they have obeyed you.

       (John 17:7 TLB)  Now they know that everything I have is a gift from 
       you,





       (John 17:8 TLB)  for I have passed on to them the commands you gave 
       me; and they accepted them and know of a certainty that I came down to 
       earth from you, and they believe you sent me.

       (John 17:9 TLB)  "My plea is not for the world but for those you have 
       given me because they belong to you.

       (John 17:10 TLB)  And all of them, since they are mine, belong to you; 
       and you have given them back to me with everything else of yours, and 
       so they are my glory!

       (John 17:11 TLB)  Now I am leaving the world, and leaving them behind, 
       and coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your own care--all those 
       you have given me--so that they will be united just as we are, with 
       none missing.

       (John 17:12 TLB)  During my time here I have kept safe within your 
       family all of these you gave me. I guarded them so that not one 
       perished, except the son of hell, as the Scriptures foretold.

       (John 17:13 TLB)  "And now I am coming to you. I have told them many 
       things while I was with them so that they would be filled with my joy.

       (John 17:14 TLB)  I have given them your commands. And the world hates 
       them because they don't fit in with it, just as I don't.

       (John 17:15 TLB)  I'm not asking you to take them out of the world, 
       but to keep them safe from Satan's power.

       (John 17:16 TLB)  They are not part of this world any more than I am.

       (John 17:17 TLB)  Make them pure and holy through teaching them your 
       words of truth.

       (John 17:18 TLB)  As you sent me into the world, I am sending them 
       into the world,

       (John 17:19 TLB)  and I consecrate myself to meet their need for 
       growth in truth and holiness.

       (John 17:20 TLB)  "I am not praying for these alone but also for the 
       future believers who will come to me because of the testimony of 
       these.

       (John 17:21 TLB)  My prayer for all of them is that they will be of 
       one heart and mind, just as you and I are, Father--that just as you 
       are in me and I am in you, so they will be in us, and the world will 
       believe you sent me.

       (John 17:22 TLB)  "I have given them the glory you gave me--the 
       glorious unity of being one, as we are--

       (John 17:23 TLB)  I in them and you in me, all being perfected into 
       one--so that the world will know you sent me and will understand that 
       you love them as much as you love me.





       (John 17:24 TLB)  Father, I want them with me--these you've given 
       me--so that they can see my glory. You gave me the glory because you 
       loved me before the world began!

       (John 17:25 TLB)  "O righteous Father, the world doesn't know you, but 
       I do; and these disciples know you sent me.

       (John 17:26 TLB)  And I have revealed you to them and will keep on 
       revealing you so that the mighty love you have for me may be in them, 
       and I in them."

       (John 18:1 TLB)  After saying these things Jesus crossed the Kidron 
       ravine with his disciples and entered a grove of olive trees.

       (John 18:2 TLB)  Judas, the betrayer, knew this place, for Jesus had 
       gone there many times with his disciples.

       (John 18:3 TLB)  The chief priests and Pharisees had given Judas a 
       squad of soldiers and police to accompany him. Now with blazing 
       torches, lanterns, and weapons they arrived at the olive grove.

       (John 18:4 TLB)  Jesus fully realized all that was going to happen to 
       him. Stepping forward to meet them he asked, "Whom are you looking 
       for?"

       (John 18:5 TLB)  "Jesus of Nazareth," they replied. "I am he," Jesus 
       said.

       (John 18:6 TLB)  And as he said it, they all fell backwards to the 
       ground!

       (John 18:7 TLB)  Once more he asked them, "Whom are you searching 
       for?" And again they replied, "Jesus of Nazareth."

       (John 18:8 TLB)  "I told you I am he," Jesus said; "and since I am the 
       one you are after, let these others go."

       (John 18:9 TLB)  He did this to carry out the prophecy he had just 
       made, "I have not lost a single one of those you gave me.. . . "

       (John 18:10 TLB)  Then Simon Peter drew a sword and slashed off the 
       right ear of Malchus, the High Priest's servant.

       (John 18:11 TLB)  But Jesus said to Peter, "Put your sword away. Shall 
       I not drink from the cup the Father has given me?"

       (John 18:12 TLB)  So the Jewish police, with the soldiers and their 
       lieutenant, arrested Jesus and tied him.

       (John 18:13 TLB)  First they took him to Annas, the father-in-law of 
       Caiaphas, the High Priest that year.

       (John 18:14 TLB)  Caiaphas was the one who told the other Jewish 
       leaders, "Better that one should die for all."

       (John 18:15 TLB)  Simon Peter followed along behind, as did another of 





       the disciples who was acquainted with the High Priest. So that other 
       disciple was permitted into the courtyard along with Jesus,

       (John 18:16 TLB)  while Peter stood outside the gate. Then the other 
       disciple spoke to the girl watching at the gate, and she let Peter in.

       (John 18:17 TLB)  The girl asked Peter, "Aren't you one of Jesus' 
       disciples?" "No," he said, "I am not!"

       (John 18:18 TLB)  The police and the household servants were standing 
       around a fire they had made, for it was cold. And Peter stood there 
       with them, warming himself.

       (John 18:19 TLB)  Inside, the High Priest began asking Jesus about his 
       followers and what he had been teaching them.

       (John 18:20 TLB)  Jesus replied, "What I teach is widely known, for I 
       have preached regularly in the synagogue and Temple; I have been heard 
       by all the Jewish leaders and teach nothing in private that I have not 
       said in public.

       (John 18:21 TLB)  Why are you asking me this question? Ask those who 
       heard me. You have some of them here. They know what I said."

       (John 18:22 TLB)  One of the soldiers standing there struck Jesus with 
       his fist. "Is that the way to answer the High Priest?" he demanded.

       (John 18:23 TLB)  "If I lied, prove it," Jesus replied. "Should you 
       hit a man for telling the truth?"

       (John 18:24 TLB)  Then Annas sent Jesus, bound, to Caiaphas the High 
       Priest.

       (John 18:25 TLB)  Meanwhile, as Simon Peter was standing by the fire, 
       he was asked again, "Aren't you one of his disciples?" "Of course 
       not," he replied.

       (John 18:26 TLB)  But one of the household slaves of the High 
       Priest--a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off--asked, 
       "Didn't I see you out there in the olive grove with Jesus?"

       (John 18:27 TLB)  Again Peter denied it. And immediately a rooster 
       crowed.

       (John 18:28 TLB)  Jesus' trial before Caiaphas ended in the early 
       hours of the morning. Next he was taken to the palace of the Roman 
       governor. His accusers wouldn't go in themselves for that would 
       "defile" them, they said, and they wouldn't be allowed to eat the 
       Passover lamb.

       (John 18:29 TLB)  So Pilate, the governor, went out to them and asked, 
       "What is your charge against this man? What are you accusing him of 
       doing?"

       (John 18:30 TLB)  "We wouldn't have arrested him if he weren't a 
       criminal!" they retorted.






       (John 18:31 TLB)  "Then take him away and judge him yourselves by your 
       own laws," Pilate told them. "But we want him crucified," they 
       demanded, "and your approval is required."

       (John 18:32 TLB)  This fulfilled Jesus' prediction concerning the 
       method of his execution.

       (John 18:33 TLB)  Then Pilate went back into the palace and called for 
       Jesus to be brought to him. "Are you the King of the Jews?" he asked 
       him.

       (John 18:34 TLB)  "'King' as you use the word or as the Jews use it?" 
       Jesus asked.

       (John 18:35 TLB)  "Am I a Jew?" Pilate retorted. "Your own people and 
       their chief priests brought you here. Why? What have you done?"

       (John 18:36 TLB)  Then Jesus answered, "I am not an earthly king. If I 
       were, my followers would have fought when I was arrested by the Jewish 
       leaders. But my Kingdom is not of the world."

       (John 18:37 TLB)  Pilate replied, "But you are a king then?" "Yes," 
       Jesus said. "I was born for that purpose. And I came to bring truth to 
       the world. All who love the truth are my followers."

       (John 18:38 TLB)  "What is truth?" Pilate exclaimed. Then he went out 
       again to the people and told them, "He is not guilty of any crime.

       (John 18:39 TLB)  But you have a custom of asking me to release 
       someone from prison each year at Passover. So if you want me to, I'll 
       release the 'King of the Jews.'"

       (John 18:40 TLB)  But they screamed back. "No! Not this man, but 
       Barabbas!" Barabbas was a robber.

       (John 19:1 TLB)  Then Pilate laid open Jesus' back with a leaded whip,

       (John 19:2 TLB)  and the soldiers made a crown of thorns and placed it 
       on his head and robed him in royal purple.

       (John 19:3 TLB)  "Hail, 'King of the Jews!'" they mocked, and struck 
       him with their fists.

       (John 19:4 TLB)  Pilate went outside again and said to the Jews, "I am 
       going to bring him out to you now, but understand clearly that I find 
       him not guilty."

       (John 19:5 TLB)  Then Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and 
       the purple robe. And Pilate said, "Behold the man!"

       (John 19:6 TLB)  At sight of him the chief priests and Jewish 
       officials began yelling, "Crucify! Crucify!" "You crucify him," Pilate 
       said. "I find him not guilty."

       (John 19:7 TLB)  They replied, "By our laws he ought to die because he 





       called himself the Son of God."

       (John 19:8 TLB)  When Pilate heard this, he was more frightened than 
       ever.

       (John 19:9 TLB)  He took Jesus back into the palace again and asked 
       him, "Where are you from?" but Jesus gave no answer.

       (John 19:10 TLB)  "You won't talk to me?" Pilate demanded. "Don't you 
       realize that I have the power to release you or to crucify you?"

       (John 19:11 TLB)  Then Jesus said, "You would have no power at all 
       over me unless it were given to you from above. So those who brought 
       me to you have the greater sin."

       (John 19:12 TLB)  Then Pilate tried to release him, but the Jewish 
       leaders told him, "If you release this man, you are no friend of 
       Caesar's. Anyone who declares himself a king is a rebel against 
       Caesar."

       (John 19:13 TLB)  At these words Pilate brought Jesus out to them 
       again and sat down at the judgment bench on the stone-paved platform.

       (John 19:14 TLB)  It was now about noon of the day before Passover. 
       And Pilate said to the Jews, "Here is your king!"

       (John 19:15 TLB)  "Away with him," they yelled. "Away with 
       him--crucify him!" "What? Crucify your king?" Pilate asked. "We have 
       no king but Caesar," the chief priests shouted back.

       (John 19:16 TLB)  Then Pilate gave Jesus to them to be crucified.

       (John 19:17 TLB)  So they had him at last, and he was taken out of the 
       city, carrying his cross to the place known as "The Skull," in Hebrew, 
       "Golgotha."

       (John 19:18 TLB)  There they crucified him and two others with him, 
       one on either side, with Jesus between them.

       (John 19:19 TLB)  And Pilate posted a sign over him reading, "Jesus of 
       Nazareth, the King of the Jews."

       (John 19:20 TLB)  The place where Jesus was crucified was near the 
       city; and the signboard was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek, so 
       that many people read it.

       (John 19:21 TLB)  Then the chief priests said to Pilate, "Change it 
       from 'The King of the Jews' to 'He said, I am King of the Jews.'"

       (John 19:22 TLB)  Pilate replied, "What I have written, I have 
       written. It stays exactly as it is."

       (John 19:23 TLB)  When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they put his 
       garments into four piles, one for each of them.

       (John 19:24 TLB)  But they said, "Let's not tear up his robe," for it 





       was seamless. "Let's throw dice to see who gets it." This fulfilled 
       the Scripture that says, "They divided my clothes among them and cast 
       lots for my robe."

       (John 19:25 TLB)  So that is what they did. Standing near the cross 
       were Jesus' mother, Mary, his aunt, the wife of Cleopas, and Mary 
       Magdalene.

       (John 19:26 TLB)  When Jesus saw his mother standing there beside me, 
       his close friend, he said to her, "He is your son."

       (John 19:27 TLB)  And to me he said, "She is your mother!" And from 
       then on I took her into my home.

       (John 19:28 TLB)  Jesus knew that everything was now finished, and to 
       fulfill the Scriptures said, "I'm thirsty."

       (John 19:29 TLB)  A jar of sour wine was sitting there, so a sponge 
       was soaked in it and put on a hyssop branch and held up to his lips.

       (John 19:30 TLB)  When Jesus had tasted it, he said, "It is finished," 
       and bowed his head and dismissed his spirit.

       (John 19:31 TLB)  The Jewish leaders didn't want the victims hanging 
       there the next day, which was the Sabbath (and a very special Sabbath 
       at that, for it was the Passover), so they asked Pilate to order the 
       legs of the men broken to hasten death; then their bodies could be 
       taken down.

       (John 19:32 TLB)  So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the two 
       men crucified with Jesus;

       (John 19:33 TLB)  but when they came to him, they saw that he was dead 
       already, so they didn't break his.

       (John 19:34 TLB)  However, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a 
       spear, and blood and water flowed out.

       (John 19:35 TLB)  I saw all this myself and have given an accurate 
       report so that you also can believe.

       (John 19:36 TLB)  The soldiers did this in fulfillment of the 
       Scripture that says, "Not one of his bones shall be broken," and, 
       "They shall look on him whom they pierced."

       (John 19:37 TLB)  

       (John 19:38 TLB)  Afterwards Joseph of Arimathea, who had been a 
       secret disciple of Jesus for fear of the Jewish leaders, boldly asked 
       Pilate for permission to take Jesus' body down; and Pilate told him to 
       go ahead. So he came and took it away.

       (John 19:39 TLB)  Nicodemus, the man who had come to Jesus at night, 
       came too, bringing a hundred pounds of embalming ointment made from 
       myrrh and aloes.





       (John 19:40 TLB)  Together they wrapped Jesus' body in a long linen 
       cloth saturated with the spices, as is the Jewish custom of burial.

       (John 19:41 TLB)  The place of crucifixion was near a grove of trees, 
       where there was a new tomb, never used before.

       (John 19:42 TLB)  And so, because of the need for haste before the 
       Sabbath, and because the tomb was close at hand, they laid him there.

       (John 20:1 TLB)  Early Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary 
       Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone was rolled aside 
       from the entrance.

       (John 20:2 TLB)  She ran and found Simon Peter and me and said, "They 
       have taken the Lord's body out of the tomb, and I don't know where 
       they have put him!"

       (John 20:3 TLB)  We ran to the tomb to see; I outran Peter and got 
       there first,

       (John 20:4 TLB)  

       (John 20:5 TLB)  and stooped and looked in and saw the linen cloth 
       lying there, but I didn't go in.

       (John 20:6 TLB)  Then Simon Peter arrived and went on inside. He also 
       noticed the cloth lying there,

       (John 20:7 TLB)  while the swath that had covered Jesus' head was 
       rolled up in a bundle and was lying at the side.

       (John 20:8 TLB)  Then I went in too, and saw, and believed (that he 
       had risen)--

       (John 20:9 TLB)  for until then we hadn't realized that the Scriptures 
       said he would come to life again!

       (John 20:10 TLB)  We went on home,

       (John 20:11 TLB)  and by that time Mary had returned to the tomb and 
       was standing outside crying. And as she wept, she stooped and looked 
       in

       (John 20:12 TLB)  and saw two white-robed angels sitting at the head 
       and foot of the place where the body of Jesus had been lying.

       (John 20:13 TLB)  "Why are you crying?" the angels asked her. "Because 
       they have taken away my Lord," she replied, "and I don't know where 
       they have put him."

       (John 20:14 TLB)  She glanced over her shoulder and saw someone 
       standing behind her. It was Jesus, but she didn't recognize him!

       (John 20:15 TLB)  "Why are you crying?" he asked her. "Whom are you 
       looking for?" She thought he was the gardener. "Sir," she said, "if 
       you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go 





       and get him."

       (John 20:16 TLB)  "Mary!" Jesus said. She turned toward him. "Master!" 
       she exclaimed.

       (John 20:17 TLB)  "Don't touch me," he cautioned, "for I haven't yet 
       ascended to the Father. But go find my brothers and tell them that I 
       ascend to my Father and your Father, my God and your God."

       (John 20:18 TLB)  Mary Magdalene found the disciples and told them, "I 
       have seen the Lord!" Then she gave them his message.

       (John 20:19 TLB)  That evening the disciples were meeting behind 
       locked doors, in fear of the Jewish leaders, when suddenly Jesus was 
       standing there among them! After greeting them,

       (John 20:20 TLB)  he showed them his hands and side. And how wonderful 
       was their joy as they saw their Lord!

       (John 20:21 TLB)  He spoke to them again and said, "As the Father has 
       sent me, even so I am sending you."

       (John 20:22 TLB)  Then he breathed on them and told them, "Receive the 
       Holy Spirit.

       (John 20:23 TLB)  If you forgive anyone's sins, they are forgiven. If 
       you refuse to forgive them, they are unforgiven."

       (John 20:24 TLB)  One of the disciples, Thomas, "The Twin," was not 
       there at the time with the others.

       (John 20:25 TLB)  When they kept telling him, "We have seen the Lord," 
       he replied, "I won't believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his 
       hands--and put my fingers into them--and place my hand into his side."

       (John 20:26 TLB)  Eight days later the disciples were together again, 
       and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but 
       suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them and greeting them.

       (John 20:27 TLB)  Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger into my 
       hands. Put your hand into my side. Don't be faithless any longer. 
       Believe!"

       (John 20:28 TLB)  "My Lord and my God!" Thomas said.

       (John 20:29 TLB)  Then Jesus told him, "You believe because you have 
       seen me. But blessed are those who haven't seen me and believe 
       anyway."

       (John 20:30 TLB)  Jesus' disciples saw him do many other miracles 
       besides the ones told about in this book,

       (John 20:31 TLB)  but these are recorded so that you will believe that 
       he is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that believing in him you will 
       have life.





       (John 21:1 TLB)  Later Jesus appeared again to the disciples beside 
       the Lake of Galilee. This is how it happened:

       (John 21:2 TLB)  A group of us were there--Simon Peter, Thomas, "The 
       Twin," Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, my brother James and I and two 
       other disciples.

       (John 21:3 TLB)  Simon Peter said, "I'm going fishing." "We'll come 
       too," we all said. We did, but caught nothing all night.

       (John 21:4 TLB)  At dawn we saw a man standing on the beach but 
       couldn't see who he was.

       (John 21:5 TLB)  He called, "Any fish, boys?" "No," we replied.

       (John 21:6 TLB)  Then he said, "Throw out your net on the right-hand 
       side of the boat, and you'll get plenty of them!" So we did, and 
       couldn't draw in the net because of the weight of the fish, there were 
       so many!

       (John 21:7 TLB)  Then I said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" At that, 
       Simon Peter put on his tunic (for he was stripped to the waist) and 
       jumped into the water (and swam ashore).

       (John 21:8 TLB)  The rest of us stayed in the boat and pulled the 
       loaded net to the beach, about 300 feet away.

       (John 21:9 TLB)  When we got there, we saw that a fire was kindled and 
       fish were frying over it, and there was bread.

       (John 21:10 TLB)  "Bring some of the fish you've just caught," Jesus 
       said.

       (John 21:11 TLB)  So Simon Peter went out and dragged the net ashore. 
       By his count there were 153 large fish; and yet the net hadn't torn.

       (John 21:12 TLB)  "Now come and have some breakfast!" Jesus said; and 
       none of us dared ask him if he really was the Lord, for we were quite 
       sure of it.

       (John 21:13 TLB)  Then Jesus went around serving us the bread and 
       fish.

       (John 21:14 TLB)  This was the third time Jesus had appeared to us 
       since his return from the dead.

       (John 21:15 TLB)  After breakfast Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, 
       son of John, do you love me more than these others?" "Yes," Peter 
       replied, "you know I am your friend." "Then feed my lambs," Jesus told 
       him.

       (John 21:16 TLB)  Jesus repeated the question: "Simon, son of John, do 
       you really love me?" "Yes, Lord," Peter said, "you know I am your 
       friend." "Then take care of my sheep," Jesus said.

       (John 21:17 TLB)  Once more he asked him, "Simon, son of John, are you 





       even my friend?" Peter was grieved at the way Jesus asked the question 
       this third time. "Lord, you know my heart; you know I am," he said. 
       Jesus said, "Then feed my little sheep.

       (John 21:18 TLB)  When you were young, you were able to do as you 
       liked and go wherever you wanted to; but when you are old, you will 
       stretch out your hands and others will direct you and take you where 
       you don't want to go."

       (John 21:19 TLB)  Jesus said this to let him know what kind of death 
       he would die to glorify God. Then Jesus told him, "Follow me."

       (John 21:20 TLB)  Peter turned around and saw the disciple Jesus loved 
       following, the one who had leaned around at supper that time to ask 
       Jesus, "Master, which of us will betray you?"

       (John 21:21 TLB)  Peter asked Jesus, "What about him, Lord? What sort 
       of death will he die?"

       (John 21:22 TLB)  Jesus replied, "If I want him to live until I 
       return, what is that to you? You follow me."

       (John 21:23 TLB)  So the rumor spread among the brotherhood that that 
       disciple wouldn't die! But that isn't what Jesus said at all! He only 
       said, "If I want him to live until I come, what is that to you?"

       (John 21:24 TLB)  I am that disciple! I saw these events and have 
       recorded them here. And we all know that my account of these things is 
       accurate.

       (John 21:25 TLB)  And I suppose that if all the other events in Jesus' 
       life were written, the whole world could hardly contain the books!

       (Acts 1:1 TLB)  Dear friend who loves God: In my first letter I told 
       you about Jesus' life and teachings and how he returned to heaven 
       after giving his chosen apostles further instructions from the Holy 
       Spirit.

       (Acts 1:2 TLB)  

       (Acts 1:3 TLB)  During the forty days after his crucifixion he 
       appeared to the apostles from time to time, actually alive, and proved 
       to them in many ways that it was really he himself they were seeing. 
       And on these occasions he talked to them about the Kingdom of God.

       (Acts 1:4 TLB)  In one of these meetings he told them not to leave 
       Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit came upon them in fulfillment of the 
       Father's promise, a matter he had previously discussed with them.

       (Acts 1:5 TLB)  "John baptized you with water," he reminded them, "but 
       you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit in just a few days."

       (Acts 1:6 TLB)  And another time when he appeared to them, they asked 
       him, "Lord, are you going to free Israel (from Rome) now and restore 
       us as an independent nation?"





       (Acts 1:7 TLB)  "The Father sets those dates," he replied, "and they 
       are not for you to know.

       (Acts 1:8 TLB)  But when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you will 
       receive power to testify about me with great effect, to the people in 
       Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth, 
       about my death and resurrection."

       (Acts 1:9 TLB)  It was not long afterwards that he rose into the sky 
       and disappeared into a cloud, leaving them staring after him.

       (Acts 1:10 TLB)  As they were straining their eyes for another 
       glimpse, suddenly two white-robed men were standing there among them,

       (Acts 1:11 TLB)  and said, "Men of Galilee, why are you standing here 
       staring at the sky? Jesus has gone away to heaven, and some day, just 
       as he went, he will return!"

       (Acts 1:12 TLB)  They were at the Mount of Olives when this happened, 
       so now they walked the half mile back to Jerusalem

       (Acts 1:13 TLB)  and held a prayer meeting in an upstairs room of the 
       house where they were staying.

       (Acts 1:14 TLB)  Here is the list of those who were present at the 
       meeting: Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, 
       Matthew, James (son of Alphaeus), Simon (also called "The Zealot"), 
       Judas (son of James), and the brothers of Jesus. Several women, 
       including Jesus' mother, were also there.

       (Acts 1:15 TLB)  This prayer meeting went on for several days. During 
       this time, on a day when about 120 people were present, Peter stood up 
       and addressed them as follows:

       (Acts 1:16 TLB)  "Brothers, it was necessary for the Scriptures to 
       come true concerning Judas, who betrayed Jesus by guiding the mob to 
       him, for this was predicted long ago by the Holy Spirit, speaking 
       through King David.

       (Acts 1:17 TLB)  Judas was one of us, chosen to be an apostle just as 
       we were.

       (Acts 1:18 TLB)  He bought a field with the money he received for his 
       treachery and falling headlong there, he burst open, spilling out his 
       bowels.

       (Acts 1:19 TLB)  The news of his death spread rapidly among all the 
       people of Jerusalem, and they named the place 'The Field of Blood.'

       (Acts 1:20 TLB)  King David's prediction of this appears in the Book 
       of Psalms, where he says, 'Let his home become desolate with no one 
       living in it.' And again, 'Let his work be given to someone else to 
       do.'

       (Acts 1:21 TLB)  "So now we must choose someone else to take Judas' 
       place and to join us as witnesses of Jesus' resurrection.






       (Acts 1:22 TLB)  Let us select someone who has been with us constantly 
       from our first association with the Lord--from the time he was 
       baptized by John until the day he was taken from us into heaven."

       (Acts 1:23 TLB)  The assembly nominated two men: Joseph Justus (also 
       called Barsabbas) and Matthias.

       (Acts 1:24 TLB)  Then they all prayed for the right man to be chosen. 
       "O Lord," they said, "you know every heart; show us which of these men 
       you have chosen

       (Acts 1:25 TLB)  as an apostle to replace Judas the traitor, who has 
       gone on to his proper place."

       (Acts 1:26 TLB)  Then they drew straws, and in this manner Matthias 
       was chosen and became an apostle with the other eleven.

       (Acts 2:1 TLB)  Seven weeks had gone by since Jesus' death and 
       resurrection, and the Day of Pentecost had now arrived. As the 
       believers met together that day,

       (Acts 2:2 TLB)  suddenly there was a sound like the roaring of a 
       mighty windstorm in the skies above them and it filled the house where 
       they were meeting.

       (Acts 2:3 TLB)  Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire 
       appeared and settled on their heads.

       (Acts 2:4 TLB)  And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit 
       and began speaking in languages they didn't know, for the Holy Spirit 
       gave them this ability.

       (Acts 2:5 TLB)  Many godly Jews were in Jerusalem that day for the 
       religious celebrations, having arrived from many nations.

       (Acts 2:6 TLB)  And when they heard the roaring in the sky above the 
       house, crowds came running to see what it was all about, and were 
       stunned to hear their own languages being spoken by the disciples.

       (Acts 2:7 TLB)  "How can this be?" they exclaimed. "For these men are 
       all from Galilee,

       (Acts 2:8 TLB)  and yet we hear them speaking all the native languages 
       of the lands where we were born!

       (Acts 2:9 TLB)  Here we are--Parthians, Medes, Elamites, men from 
       Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia Minor,

       (Acts 2:10 TLB)  Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, the Cyrene language areas 
       of Libya, visitors from Rome--both Jews and Jewish converts--

       (Acts 2:11 TLB)  Cretans, and Arabians. And we all hear these men 
       telling in our own languages about the mighty miracles of God!"

       (Acts 2:12 TLB)  They stood there amazed and perplexed. "What can this 





       mean?" they asked each other.

       (Acts 2:13 TLB)  But others in the crowd were mocking. "They're drunk, 
       that's all!" they said.

       (Acts 2:14 TLB)  Then Peter stepped forward with the eleven apostles 
       and shouted to the crowd, "Listen, all of you, visitors and residents 
       of Jerusalem alike!

       (Acts 2:15 TLB)  Some of you are saying these men are drunk! It isn't 
       true! It's much too early for that! People don't get drunk by 9: 00 A. 
       M.!

       (Acts 2:16 TLB)  No! What you see this morning was predicted centuries 
       ago by the prophet Joel--

       (Acts 2:17 TLB)  'In the last days,' God said, 'I will pour out my 
       Holy Spirit upon all mankind, and your sons and daughters shall 
       prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men dream 
       dreams.

       (Acts 2:18 TLB)  Yes, the Holy Spirit shall come upon all my servants, 
       men and women alike, and they shall prophesy.

       (Acts 2:19 TLB)  And I will cause strange demonstrations in the 
       heavens and on the earth--blood and fire and clouds of smoke;

       (Acts 2:20 TLB)  the sun shall turn black and the moon blood-red 
       before that awesome Day of the Lord arrives.

       (Acts 2:21 TLB)  But anyone who asks for mercy from the Lord shall 
       have it and shall be saved.'

       (Acts 2:22 TLB)  "O men of Israel, listen! God publicly endorsed Jesus 
       of Nazareth by doing tremendous miracles through him, as you well 
       know.

       (Acts 2:23 TLB)  But God, following his prearranged plan, let you use 
       the Roman government to nail him to the cross and murder him.

       (Acts 2:24 TLB)  Then God released him from the horrors of death and 
       brought him back to life again, for death could not keep this man 
       within its grip.

       (Acts 2:25 TLB)  "King David quoted Jesus as saying: 'I know the Lord 
       is always with me. He is helping me. God's mighty power supports me.

       (Acts 2:26 TLB)  'No wonder my heart is filled with joy and my tongue 
       shouts his praises! For I know all will be well with me in death--

       (Acts 2:27 TLB)  'You will not leave my soul in hell or let the body 
       of your Holy Son decay.

       (Acts 2:28 TLB)  'You will give me back my life and give me wonderful 
       joy in your presence.'





       (Acts 2:29 TLB)  "Dear brothers, think! David wasn't referring to 
       himself when he spoke these words I have quoted, for he died and was 
       buried, and his tomb is still here among us.

       (Acts 2:30 TLB)  But he was a prophet, and knew God had promised with 
       an unbreakable oath that one of David's own descendants would (be the 
       Messiah and) sit on David's throne.

       (Acts 2:31 TLB)  David was looking far into the future and predicting 
       the Messiah's resurrection, and saying that the Messiah's soul would 
       not be left in hell and his body would not decay.

       (Acts 2:32 TLB)  He was speaking of Jesus, and we all are witnesses 
       that Jesus rose from the dead.

       (Acts 2:33 TLB)  "And now he sits on the throne of highest honor in 
       heaven, next to God. And just as promised, the Father gave him the 
       authority to send the Holy Spirit--with the results you are seeing and 
       hearing today.

       (Acts 2:34 TLB)  "(No, David was not speaking of himself in these 
       words of his I have quoted), for he never ascended into the skies. 
       Moreover, he further stated, 'God spoke to my Lord, the Messiah, and 
       said to him, Sit here in honor beside me

       (Acts 2:35 TLB)  until I bring your enemies into complete subjection.'

       (Acts 2:36 TLB)  "Therefore I clearly state to everyone in Israel that 
       God has made this Jesus you crucified to be the Lord, the Messiah!"

       (Acts 2:37 TLB)  These words of Peter's moved them deeply, and they 
       said to him and to the other apostles, "Brothers, what should we do?"

       (Acts 2:38 TLB)  And Peter replied, "Each one of you must turn from 
       sin, return to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for 
       the forgiveness of your sins; then you also shall receive this gift, 
       the Holy Spirit.

       (Acts 2:39 TLB)  For Christ promised him to each one of you who has 
       been called by the Lord our God, and to your children and even to 
       those in distant lands!"

       (Acts 2:40 TLB)  Then Peter preached a long sermon, telling about 
       Jesus and strongly urging all his listeners to save themselves from 
       the evils of their nation.

       (Acts 2:41 TLB)  And those who believed Peter were baptized--about 
       three thousand in all!

       (Acts 2:42 TLB)  They joined with the other believers in regular 
       attendance at the apostles' teaching sessions and at the Communion 
       services and prayer meetings.

       (Acts 2:43 TLB)  A deep sense of awe was on them all, and the apostles 
       did many miracles.





       (Acts 2:44 TLB)  And all the believers met together constantly and 
       shared everything with each other,

       (Acts 2:45 TLB)  selling their possessions and dividing with those in 
       need.

       (Acts 2:46 TLB)  They worshiped together regularly at the Temple each 
       day, met in small groups in homes for Communion, and shared their 
       meals with great joy and thankfulness,

       (Acts 2:47 TLB)  praising God. The whole city was favorable to them, 
       and each day God added to them all who were being saved.

       (Acts 3:1 TLB)  Peter and John went to the Temple one afternoon to 
       take part in the three o'clock daily prayer meeting.

       (Acts 3:2 TLB)  As they approached the Temple, they saw a man lame 
       from birth carried along the street and laid beside the Temple 
       gate--the one called The Beautiful Gate--as was his custom every day.

       (Acts 3:3 TLB)  As Peter and John were passing by, he asked them for 
       some money.

       (Acts 3:4 TLB)  They looked at him intently, and then Peter said, 
       "Look here!"

       (Acts 3:5 TLB)  The lame man looked at them eagerly, expecting a gift.

       (Acts 3:6 TLB)  But Peter said, "We don't have any money for you! But 
       I'll give you something else! I command you in the name of Jesus 
       Christ of Nazareth, walk!"

       (Acts 3:7 TLB)  Then Peter took the lame man by the hand and pulled 
       him to his feet. And as he did, the man's feet and ankle-bones were 
       healed and strengthened

       (Acts 3:8 TLB)  so that he came up with a leap, stood there a moment 
       and began walking! Then, walking, leaping, and praising God, he went 
       into the Temple with them.

       (Acts 3:9 TLB)  When the people inside saw him walking and heard him 
       praising God,

       (Acts 3:10 TLB)  and realized he was the lame beggar they had seen so 
       often at The Beautiful Gate, they were inexpressibly surprised!

       (Acts 3:11 TLB)  They all rushed out to Solomon's Hall, where he was 
       holding tightly to Peter and John! Everyone stood there awed by the 
       wonderful thing that had happened.

       (Acts 3:12 TLB)  Peter saw his opportunity and addressed the crowd. 
       "Men of Israel," he said, "what is so surprising about this? And why 
       look at us as though we by our own power and godliness had made this 
       man walk?

       (Acts 3:13 TLB)  For it is the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and of all 





       our ancestors who has brought glory to his servant Jesus by doing 
       this. I refer to the Jesus whom you rejected before Pilate, despite 
       Pilate's determination to release him.

       (Acts 3:14 TLB)  You didn't want him freed--this holy, righteous one. 
       Instead you demanded the release of a murderer.

       (Acts 3:15 TLB)  And you killed the Author of Life; but God brought 
       him back to life again. And John and I are witnesses of this fact, for 
       after you killed him we saw him alive!

       (Acts 3:16 TLB)  "Jesus' name has healed this man--and you know how 
       lame he was before. Faith in Jesus' name--faith given us from God--has 
       caused this perfect healing.

       (Acts 3:17 TLB)  "Dear brothers, I realize that what you did to Jesus 
       was done in ignorance; and the same can be said of your leaders.

       (Acts 3:18 TLB)  But God was fulfilling the prophecies that the 
       Messiah must suffer all these things.

       (Acts 3:19 TLB)  Now change your mind and attitude to God and turn to 
       him so he can cleanse away your sins and send you wonderful times of 
       refreshment from the presence of the Lord

       (Acts 3:20 TLB)  and send Jesus your Messiah back to you again.

       (Acts 3:21 TLB)  For he must remain in heaven until the final recovery 
       of all things from sin, as prophesied from ancient times.

       (Acts 3:22 TLB)  Moses, for instance, said long ago, 'The Lord God 
       will raise up a Prophet among you, who will resemble me! Listen 
       carefully to everything he tells you.

       (Acts 3:23 TLB)  Anyone who will not listen to him shall be utterly 
       destroyed.'

       (Acts 3:24 TLB)  "Samuel and every prophet since have all spoken about 
       what is going on today.

       (Acts 3:25 TLB)  You are the children of those prophets; and you are 
       included in God's promise to your ancestors to bless the entire world 
       through the Jewish race--that is the promise God gave to Abraham.

       (Acts 3:26 TLB)  And as soon as God had brought his servant to life 
       again, he sent him first of all to you men of Israel, to bless you by 
       turning you back from your sins."

       (Acts 4:1 TLB)  While they were talking to the people, the chief 
       priests, the captain of the Temple police, and some of the Sadducees 
       came over to them,

       (Acts 4:2 TLB)  very disturbed that Peter and John were claiming that 
       Jesus had risen from the dead.

       (Acts 4:3 TLB)  They arrested them and since it was already evening, 





       jailed them overnight.

       (Acts 4:4 TLB)  But many of the people who heard their message 
       believed it, so that the number of believers now reached a new high of 
       about five thousand men!

       (Acts 4:5 TLB)  The next day it happened that the Council of all the 
       Jewish leaders was in session in Jerusalem--

       (Acts 4:6 TLB)  Annas the High Priest was there, and Caiaphas, John, 
       Alexander, and others of the High Priest's relatives.

       (Acts 4:7 TLB)  So the two disciples were brought in before them. "By 
       what power, or by whose authority have you done this?" the Council 
       demanded.

       (Acts 4:8 TLB)  Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, 
       "Honorable leaders and elders of our nation,

       (Acts 4:9 TLB)  if you mean the good deed done to the cripple, and how 
       he was healed,

       (Acts 4:10 TLB)  let me clearly state to you and to all the people of 
       Israel that it was done in the name and power of Jesus from Nazareth, 
       the Messiah, the man you crucified--but God raised back to life again. 
       It is by his authority that this man stands here healed!

       (Acts 4:11 TLB)  For Jesus the Messiah is (the one referred to in the 
       Scriptures when they speak of) a 'stone discarded by the builders 
       which became the capstone of the arch.'

       (Acts 4:12 TLB)  There is salvation in no one else! Under all heaven 
       there is no other name for men to call upon to save them."

       (Acts 4:13 TLB)  When the Council saw the boldness of Peter and John 
       and could see that they were obviously uneducated non-professionals, 
       they were amazed and realized what being with Jesus had done for them!

       (Acts 4:14 TLB)  And the Council could hardly discredit the healing 
       when the man they had healed was standing right there beside them!

       (Acts 4:15 TLB)  So they sent them out of the Council chamber and 
       conferred among themselves.

       (Acts 4:16 TLB)  "What shall we do with these men?" they asked each 
       other. "We can't deny that they have done a tremendous miracle, and 
       everybody in Jerusalem knows about it.

       (Acts 4:17 TLB)  But perhaps we can stop them from spreading their 
       propaganda. We'll tell them that if they do it again we'll really 
       throw the book at them."

       (Acts 4:18 TLB)  So they called them back in, and told them never 
       again to speak about Jesus.

       (Acts 4:19 TLB)  But Peter and John replied, "You decide whether God 





       wants us to obey you instead of him!

       (Acts 4:20 TLB)  We cannot stop telling about the wonderful things we 
       saw Jesus do and heard him say."

       (Acts 4:21 TLB)  The Council then threatened them further and finally 
       let them go because they didn't know how to punish them without 
       starting a riot. For everyone was praising God for this wonderful 
       miracle--

       (Acts 4:22 TLB)  the healing of a man who had been lame for forty 
       years.

       (Acts 4:23 TLB)  As soon as they were freed, Peter and John found the 
       other disciples and told them what the Council had said.

       (Acts 4:24 TLB)  Then all the believers united in this prayer: "O 
       Lord, Creator of heaven and earth and of the sea and everything in 
       them--

       (Acts 4:25 TLB)  you spoke long ago by the Holy Spirit through our 
       ancestor King David, your servant, saying,

       (Acts 4:26 TLB)  'Why do the heathen rage against the Lord, and the 
       foolish nations plan their little plots against Almighty God? The 
       kings of the earth unite to fight against him and against the anointed 
       Son of God!'

       (Acts 4:27 TLB)  "That is what is happening here in this city today! 
       For Herod the king, and Pontius Pilate the governor, and all the 
       Romans--as well as the people of Israel--are united against Jesus, 
       your anointed Son, your holy servant.

       (Acts 4:28 TLB)  They won't stop at anything that you in your wise 
       power will let them do.

       (Acts 4:29 TLB)  And now, O Lord, hear their threats, and grant to 
       your servants great boldness in their preaching,

       (Acts 4:30 TLB)  and send your healing power, and may miracles and 
       wonders be done by the name of your holy servant Jesus."

       (Acts 4:31 TLB)  After this prayer, the building where they were 
       meeting shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and 
       boldly preached God's message.

       (Acts 4:32 TLB)  All the believers were of one heart and mind, and no 
       one felt that what he owned was his own; everyone was sharing.

       (Acts 4:33 TLB)  And the apostles preached powerful sermons about the 
       resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and there was warm fellowship among 
       all the believers,

       (Acts 4:34 TLB)  and no poverty--for all who owned land or houses sold 
       them and brought the money





       (Acts 4:35 TLB)  to the apostles to give to others in need.

       (Acts 4:36 TLB)  For instance, there was Joseph (the one the apostles 
       nicknamed "Barnabas, the encourager"! He was of the tribe of Levi, 
       from the island of Cyprus).

       (Acts 4:37 TLB)  He was one of those who sold a field he owned and 
       brought the money to the apostles for distribution to those in need.

       (Acts 5:1 TLB)  But there was a man named Ananias (with his wife 
       Sapphira) who sold some property

       (Acts 5:2 TLB)  and brought only part of the money, claiming it was 
       the full price. (His wife had agreed to this deception.)

       (Acts 5:3 TLB)  But Peter said, "Ananias, Satan has filled your heart. 
       When you claimed this was the full price, you were lying to the Holy 
       Spirit.

       (Acts 5:4 TLB)  The property was yours to sell or not, as you wished. 
       And after selling it, it was yours to decide how much to give. How 
       could you do a thing like this? You weren't lying to us, but to God."

       (Acts 5:5 TLB)  As soon as Ananias heard these words, he fell to the 
       floor, dead! Everyone was terrified,

       (Acts 5:6 TLB)  and the younger men covered him with a sheet and took 
       him out and buried him.

       (Acts 5:7 TLB)  About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing 
       what had happened.

       (Acts 5:8 TLB)  Peter asked her, "Did you people sell your land for 
       such and such a price?" "Yes," she replied, "we did."

       (Acts 5:9 TLB)  And Peter said, "How could you and your husband even 
       think of doing a thing like this--conspiring together to test the 
       Spirit of God's ability to know what is going on? Just outside that 
       door are the young men who buried your husband, and they will carry 
       you out too."

       (Acts 5:10 TLB)  Instantly she fell to the floor, dead, and the young 
       men came in and, seeing that she was dead, carried her out and buried 
       her beside her husband.

       (Acts 5:11 TLB)  Terror gripped the entire church and all others who 
       heard what had happened.

       (Acts 5:12 TLB)  Meanwhile, the apostles were meeting regularly at the 
       Temple in the area known as Solomon's Hall, and they did many 
       remarkable miracles among the people.

       (Acts 5:13 TLB)  The other believers didn't dare join them, though, 
       but all had the highest regard for them.

       (Acts 5:14 TLB)  And more and more believers were added to the Lord, 





       crowds both of men and women.

       (Acts 5:15 TLB)  Sick people were brought out into the streets on beds 
       and mats so that at least Peter's shadow would fall across some of 
       them as he went by!

       (Acts 5:16 TLB)  And crowds came in from the Jerusalem suburbs, 
       bringing their sick folk and those possessed by demons; and every one 
       of them was healed.

       (Acts 5:17 TLB)  The High Priest and his relatives and friends among 
       the Sadducees reacted with violent jealousy

       (Acts 5:18 TLB)  and arrested the apostles, and put them in the public 
       jail.

       (Acts 5:19 TLB)  But an angel of the Lord came at night, opened the 
       gates of the jail and brought them out. Then he told them,

       (Acts 5:20 TLB)  "Go over to the Temple and preach about this Life!"

       (Acts 5:21 TLB)  They arrived at the Temple about daybreak and 
       immediately began preaching! Later that morning the High Priest and 
       his courtiers arrived at the Temple, and, convening the Jewish Council 
       and the entire Senate, they sent for the apostles to be brought for 
       trial.

       (Acts 5:22 TLB)  But when the police arrived at the jail, the men 
       weren't there, so they returned to the Council and reported,

       (Acts 5:23 TLB)  "The jail doors were locked, and the guards were 
       standing outside, but when we opened the gates, no one was there!"

       (Acts 5:24 TLB)  When the police captain and the chief priests heard 
       this, they were frantic, wondering what would happen next and where 
       all this would end!

       (Acts 5:25 TLB)  Then someone arrived with the news that the men they 
       had jailed were out in the Temple, preaching to the people!

       (Acts 5:26 TLB)  The police captain went with his officers and 
       arrested them (without violence, for they were afraid the people would 
       kill them if they roughed up the disciples) and brought them in before 
       the Council.

       (Acts 5:27 TLB)  

       (Acts 5:28 TLB)  "Didn't we tell you never again to preach about this 
       Jesus?" the High Priest demanded. "And instead you have filled all 
       Jerusalem with your teaching and intend to bring the blame for this 
       man's death on us!"

       (Acts 5:29 TLB)  But Peter and the apostles replied, "We must obey God 
       rather than men.

       (Acts 5:30 TLB)  The God of our ancestors brought Jesus back to life 





       again after you had killed him by hanging him on a cross.

       (Acts 5:31 TLB)  Then, with mighty power, God exalted him to be a 
       Prince and Savior, so that the people of Israel would have an 
       opportunity for repentance, and for their sins to be forgiven.

       (Acts 5:32 TLB)  And we are witnesses of these things and so is the 
       Holy Spirit, who is given by God to all who obey him."

       (Acts 5:33 TLB)  At this, the Council was furious and decided to kill 
       them.

       (Acts 5:34 TLB)  But one of their members, a Pharisee named Gamaliel 
       (an expert on religious law and very popular with the people), stood 
       up and requested that the apostles be sent outside the Council chamber 
       while he talked.

       (Acts 5:35 TLB)  Then he addressed his colleagues as follows: "Men of 
       Israel, take care what you are planning to do to these men!

       (Acts 5:36 TLB)  Some time ago there was that fellow Theudas, who 
       pretended to be someone great. About four hundred others joined him, 
       but he was killed, and his followers were harmlessly dispersed.

       (Acts 5:37 TLB)  "After him, at the time of the taxation, there was 
       Judas of Galilee. He drew away some people as disciples, but he also 
       died, and his followers scattered.

       (Acts 5:38 TLB)  "And so my advice is, leave these men alone. If what 
       they teach and do is merely on their own, it will soon be overthrown.

       (Acts 5:39 TLB)  But if it is of God, you will not be able to stop 
       them, lest you find yourselves fighting even against God."

       (Acts 5:40 TLB)  The Council accepted his advice, called in the 
       apostles, had them beaten, and then told them never again to speak in 
       the name of Jesus, and finally let them go.

       (Acts 5:41 TLB)  They left the Council chamber rejoicing that God had 
       counted them worthy to suffer dishonor for his name.

       (Acts 5:42 TLB)  And every day, in the Temple and in their home Bible 
       classes, they continued to teach and preach that Jesus is the Messiah.

       (Acts 6:1 TLB)  But with the believers multiplying rapidly, there were 
       rumblings of discontent. Those who spoke only Greek complained that 
       their widows were being discriminated against, that they were not 
       being given as much food in the daily distribution as the widows who 
       spoke Hebrew.

       (Acts 6:2 TLB)  So the Twelve called a meeting of all the believers. 
       "We should spend our time preaching, not administering a feeding 
       program," they said.

       (Acts 6:3 TLB)  "Now look around among yourselves, dear brothers, and 
       select seven men, wise and full of the Holy Spirit, who are well 





       thought of by everyone; and we will put them in charge of this 
       business.

       (Acts 6:4 TLB)  Then we can spend our time in prayer, preaching, and 
       teaching."

       (Acts 6:5 TLB)  This sounded reasonable to the whole assembly, and 
       they elected the following: Stephen (a man unusually full of faith and 
       the Holy Spirit), Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, 
       Nicolaus of Antioch (a Gentile convert to the Jewish faith, who had 
       become a Christian).

       (Acts 6:6 TLB)  These seven were presented to the apostles, who prayed 
       for them and laid their hands on them in blessing.

       (Acts 6:7 TLB)  God's message was preached in ever-widening circles, 
       and the number of disciples increased vastly in Jerusalem; and many of 
       the Jewish priests were converted too.

       (Acts 6:8 TLB)  Stephen, the man so full of faith and the Holy 
       Spirit's power, did spectacular miracles among the people.

       (Acts 6:9 TLB)  But one day some of the men from the Jewish cult of 
       "The Freedmen" started an argument with him, and they were soon joined 
       by Jews from Cyrene, Alexandria in Egypt, and the Turkish provinces of 
       Cilicia, and Asia Minor.

       (Acts 6:10 TLB)  But none of them was able to stand against Stephen's 
       wisdom and spirit.

       (Acts 6:11 TLB)  So they brought in some men to lie about him, 
       claiming they had heard Stephen curse Moses, and even God.

       (Acts 6:12 TLB)  This accusation roused the crowds to fury against 
       Stephen, and the Jewish leaders arrested him and brought him before 
       the Council.

       (Acts 6:13 TLB)  The lying witnesses testified again that Stephen was 
       constantly speaking against the Temple and against the laws of Moses.

       (Acts 6:14 TLB)  They declared, "We have heard him say that this 
       fellow Jesus of Nazareth will destroy the Temple and throw out all of 
       Moses' laws."

       (Acts 6:15 TLB)  At this point everyone in the Council chamber saw 
       Stephen's face become as radiant as an angel's!

       (Acts 7:1 TLB)  Then the High Priest asked him, "Are these accusations 
       true?"

       (Acts 7:2 TLB)  This was Stephen's lengthy reply: "The glorious God 
       appeared to our ancestor Abraham in Iraq before he moved to Syria,

       (Acts 7:3 TLB)  and told him to leave his native land, to say good-bye 
       to his relatives and to start out for a country that God would direct 
       him to.






       (Acts 7:4 TLB)  So he left the land of the Chaldeans and lived in 
       Haran, in Syria, until his father died. Then God brought him here to 
       the land of Israel,

       (Acts 7:5 TLB)  but gave him no property of his own, not one little 
       tract of land. "However, God promised that eventually the whole 
       country would belong to him and his descendants--though as yet he had 
       no children!

       (Acts 7:6 TLB)  But God also told him that these descendants of his 
       would leave the land and live in a foreign country and there become 
       slaves for 400 years.

       (Acts 7:7 TLB)  'But I will punish the nation that enslaves them,' God 
       told him, 'and afterwards my people will return to this land of Israel 
       and worship me here.'

       (Acts 7:8 TLB)  "God also gave Abraham the ceremony of circumcision at 
       that time, as evidence of the covenant between God and the people of 
       Abraham. And so Isaac, Abraham's son, was circumcised when he was 
       eight days old. Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob was the 
       father of the twelve patriarchs of the Jewish nation.

       (Acts 7:9 TLB)  These men were very jealous of Joseph and sold him to 
       be a slave in Egypt. But God was with him,

       (Acts 7:10 TLB)  and delivered him out of all of his anguish, and gave 
       him favor before Pharaoh, king of Egypt. God also gave Joseph unusual 
       wisdom so that Pharaoh appointed him governor over all Egypt, as well 
       as putting him in charge of all the affairs of the palace.

       (Acts 7:11 TLB)  "But a famine developed in Egypt and Canaan, and 
       there was great misery for our ancestors. When their food was gone,

       (Acts 7:12 TLB)  Jacob heard that there was still grain in Egypt, so 
       he sent his sons to buy some.

       (Acts 7:13 TLB)  The second time they went, Joseph revealed his 
       identity to his brothers, and they were introduced to Pharaoh.

       (Acts 7:14 TLB)  Then Joseph sent for his father Jacob and all his 
       brothers' families to come to Egypt, seventy-five persons in all.

       (Acts 7:15 TLB)  So Jacob came to Egypt, where he died, and all his 
       sons.

       (Acts 7:16 TLB)  All of them were taken to Shechem and buried in the 
       tomb Abraham bought from the sons of Hamor, Shechem's father.

       (Acts 7:17 TLB)  "As the time drew near when God would fulfill his 
       promise to Abraham to free his descendants from slavery, the Jewish 
       people greatly multiplied in Egypt;

       (Acts 7:18 TLB)  but then a king was crowned who had no respect for 
       Joseph's memory.






       (Acts 7:19 TLB)  This king plotted against our race, forcing parents 
       to abandon their children in the fields.

       (Acts 7:20 TLB)  "About that time Moses was born--a child of divine 
       beauty. His parents hid him at home for three months,

       (Acts 7:21 TLB)  and when at last they could no longer keep him hidden 
       and had to abandon him, Pharaoh's daughter found him and adopted him 
       as her own son,

       (Acts 7:22 TLB)  and taught him all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and 
       he became a mighty prince and orator.

       (Acts 7:23 TLB)  "One day as he was nearing his fortieth birthday, it 
       came into his mind to visit his brothers, the people of Israel.

       (Acts 7:24 TLB)  During this visit he saw an Egyptian mistreating a 
       man of Israel. So Moses killed the Egyptian.

       (Acts 7:25 TLB)  Moses supposed his brothers would realize that God 
       had sent him to help them, but they didn't.

       (Acts 7:26 TLB)  "The next day he visited them again and saw two men 
       of Israel fighting. He tried to be a peacemaker. 'Gentlemen,' he said, 
       'you are brothers and shouldn't be fighting like this! It is wrong!'

       (Acts 7:27 TLB)  "But the man in the wrong told Moses to mind his own 
       business. 'Who made you a ruler and judge over us?' he asked.

       (Acts 7:28 TLB)  'Are you going to kill me as you killed that Egyptian 
       yesterday?'

       (Acts 7:29 TLB)  "At this, Moses fled the country and lived in the 
       land of Midian, where his two sons were born.

       (Acts 7:30 TLB)  "Forty years later, in the desert near Mount Sinai, 
       an Angel appeared to him in a flame of fire in a bush.

       (Acts 7:31 TLB)  Moses saw it and wondered what it was, and as he ran 
       to see, the voice of the Lord called out to him,

       (Acts 7:32 TLB)  'I am the God of your ancestors--of Abraham, Isaac 
       and Jacob.' Moses shook with terror and dared not look.

       (Acts 7:33 TLB)  "And the Lord said to him, 'Take off your shoes, for 
       you are standing on holy ground.

       (Acts 7:34 TLB)  I have seen the anguish of my people in Egypt and 
       have heard their cries. I have come down to deliver them. Come, I will 
       send you to Egypt.'

       (Acts 7:35 TLB)  And so God sent back the same man his people had 
       previously rejected by demanding, 'Who made you a ruler and judge over 
       us?' Moses was sent to be their ruler and savior.





       (Acts 7:36 TLB)  And by means of many remarkable miracles he led them 
       out of Egypt and through the Red Sea, and back and forth through the 
       wilderness for forty years.

       (Acts 7:37 TLB)  "Moses himself told the people of Israel, 'God will 
       raise up a Prophet much like me from among your brothers.'

       (Acts 7:38 TLB)  How true this proved to be, for in the wilderness, 
       Moses was the go-between--the mediator between the people of Israel 
       and the Angel who gave them the Law of God--the Living Word--on Mount 
       Sinai.

       (Acts 7:39 TLB)  "But our fathers rejected Moses and wanted to return 
       to Egypt.

       (Acts 7:40 TLB)  They told Aaron, 'Make idols for us, so that we will 
       have gods to lead us back; for we don't know what has become of this 
       Moses, who brought us out of Egypt.'

       (Acts 7:41 TLB)  So they made a calf-idol and sacrificed to it, and 
       rejoiced in this thing they had made.

       (Acts 7:42 TLB)  "Then God turned away from them and gave them up, and 
       let them serve the sun, moon, and stars as their gods! In the book of 
       Amos' prophecies the Lord God asks, 'Was it to me you were sacrificing 
       during those forty years in the desert, Israel?

       (Acts 7:43 TLB)  No, your real interest was in your heathen 
       gods--Sakkuth, and the star god Kaiway, and in all the images you 
       made. So I will send you into captivity far away beyond Babylon.'

       (Acts 7:44 TLB)  "Our ancestors carried along with them a portable 
       Temple, or Tabernacle, through the wilderness. In it they kept the 
       stone tablets with the Ten Commandments written on them. This building 
       was constructed in exact accordance with the plan shown to Moses by 
       the Angel.

       (Acts 7:45 TLB)  Years later, when Joshua led the battles against the 
       Gentile nations, this Tabernacle was taken with them into their new 
       territory, and used until the time of King David.

       (Acts 7:46 TLB)  "God blessed David greatly, and David asked for the 
       privilege of building a permanent Temple for the God of Jacob.

       (Acts 7:47 TLB)  But it was Solomon who actually built it.

       (Acts 7:48 TLB)  However, God doesn't live in temples made by human 
       hands.

       (Acts 7:49 TLB)  'The heaven is my throne,' says the Lord through his 
       prophets, 'and earth is my footstool. What kind of home could you 
       build?' asks the Lord. 'Would I stay in it?

       (Acts 7:50 TLB)  Didn't I make both heaven and earth?'

       (Acts 7:51 TLB)  "You stiff-necked heathen! Must you forever resist 





       the Holy Spirit? But your fathers did, and so do you!

       (Acts 7:52 TLB)  Name one prophet your ancestors didn't persecute! 
       They even killed the ones who predicted the coming of the Righteous 
       One--the Messiah whom you betrayed and murdered.

       (Acts 7:53 TLB)  Yes, and you deliberately destroyed God's laws, 
       though you received them from the hands of angels."

       (Acts 7:54 TLB)  The Jewish leaders were stung to fury by Stephen's 
       accusation and ground their teeth in rage.

       (Acts 7:55 TLB)  But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed steadily 
       upward into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at 
       God's right hand.

       (Acts 7:56 TLB)  And he told them, "Look, I see the heavens opened and 
       Jesus the Messiah standing beside God, at his right hand!"

       (Acts 7:57 TLB)  Then they mobbed him, putting their hands over their 
       ears, and drowning out his voice with their shouts,

       (Acts 7:58 TLB)  and dragged him out of the city to stone him. The 
       official witnesses--the executioners--took off their coats and laid 
       them at the feet of a young man named Paul.

       (Acts 7:59 TLB)  And as the murderous stones came hurtling at him, 
       Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."

       (Acts 7:60 TLB)  And he fell to his knees, shouting, "Lord, don't 
       charge them with this sin!" and with that, he died.

       (Acts 8:1 TLB)  Paul was in complete agreement with the killing of 
       Stephen. And a great wave of persecution of the believers began that 
       day, sweeping over the church in Jerusalem, and everyone except the 
       apostles fled into Judea and Samaria.

       (Acts 8:2 TLB)  (But some godly Jews came and with great sorrow buried 
       Stephen.)

       (Acts 8:3 TLB)  Paul was like a wild man, going everywhere to 
       devastate the believers, even entering private homes and dragging out 
       men and women alike and jailing them.

       (Acts 8:4 TLB)  But the believers who had fled Jerusalem went 
       everywhere preaching the Good News about Jesus!

       (Acts 8:5 TLB)  Philip, for instance, went to the city of Samaria and 
       told the people there about Christ.

       (Acts 8:6 TLB)  Crowds listened intently to what he had to say because 
       of the miracles he did.

       (Acts 8:7 TLB)  Many evil spirits were cast out, screaming as they 
       left their victims, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed,





       (Acts 8:8 TLB)  so there was much joy in that city!

       (Acts 8:9 TLB)  A man named Simon had formerly been a sorcerer there 
       for many years; he was a very influential, proud man because of the 
       amazing things he could do--

       (Acts 8:10 TLB)  in fact, the Samaritan people often spoke of him as 
       the Messiah.

       (Acts 8:11 TLB)  

       (Acts 8:12 TLB)  But now they believed Philip's message that Jesus was 
       the Messiah, and his words concerning the Kingdom of God; and many men 
       and women were baptized.

       (Acts 8:13 TLB)  Then Simon himself believed and was baptized and 
       began following Philip wherever he went, and was amazed by the 
       miracles he did.

       (Acts 8:14 TLB)  When the apostles back in Jerusalem heard that the 
       people of Samaria had accepted God's message, they sent down Peter and 
       John.

       (Acts 8:15 TLB)  As soon as they arrived, they began praying for these 
       new Christians to receive the Holy Spirit,

       (Acts 8:16 TLB)  for as yet he had not come upon any of them. For they 
       had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

       (Acts 8:17 TLB)  Then Peter and John laid their hands upon these 
       believers, and they received the Holy Spirit.

       (Acts 8:18 TLB)  When Simon saw this--that the Holy Spirit was given 
       when the apostles placed their hands upon people's heads--he offered 
       money to buy this power.

       (Acts 8:19 TLB)  "Let me have this power too," he exclaimed, "so that 
       when I lay my hands on people, they will receive the Holy Spirit!"

       (Acts 8:20 TLB)  But Peter replied, "Your money perish with you for 
       thinking God's gift can be bought!

       (Acts 8:21 TLB)  You can have no part in this, for your heart is not 
       right before God.

       (Acts 8:22 TLB)  Turn from this great wickedness and pray. Perhaps God 
       will yet forgive your evil thoughts--

       (Acts 8:23 TLB)  for I can see that there is jealousy and sin in your 
       heart."

       (Acts 8:24 TLB)  "Pray for me," Simon exclaimed, "that these terrible 
       things won't happen to me."

       (Acts 8:25 TLB)  After testifying and preaching in Samaria, Peter and 
       John returned to Jerusalem, stopping at several Samaritan villages 





       along the way to preach the Good News to them too.

       (Acts 8:26 TLB)  But as for Philip, an angel of the Lord said to him, 
       "Go over to the road that runs from Jerusalem through the Gaza Desert, 
       arriving around noon."

       (Acts 8:27 TLB)  So he did, and who should be coming down the road but 
       the Treasurer of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace 
       the queen. He had gone to Jerusalem to worship

       (Acts 8:28 TLB)  and was now returning in his chariot, reading aloud 
       from the book of the prophet Isaiah.

       (Acts 8:29 TLB)  The Holy Spirit said to Philip, "Go over and walk 
       along beside the chariot."

       (Acts 8:30 TLB)  Philip ran over and heard what he was reading and 
       asked, "Do you understand it?"

       (Acts 8:31 TLB)  "Of course not!" the man replied. "How can I when 
       there is no one to instruct me?" And he begged Philip to come up into 
       the chariot and sit with him.

       (Acts 8:32 TLB)  The passage of Scripture he had been reading from was 
       this: "He was led as a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb is silent 
       before the shearers, so he opened not his mouth;

       (Acts 8:33 TLB)  in his humiliation, justice was denied him; and who 
       can express the wickedness of the people of his generation? For his 
       life is taken from the earth."

       (Acts 8:34 TLB)  The eunuch asked Philip, "Was Isaiah talking about 
       himself or someone else?"

       (Acts 8:35 TLB)  So Philip began with this same Scripture and then 
       used many others to tell him about Jesus.

       (Acts 8:36 TLB)  As they rode along, they came to a small body of 
       water, and the eunuch said, "Look! Water! Why can't I be baptized?"

       (Acts 8:37 TLB)  "You can," Philip answered, "if you believe with all 
       your heart." And the eunuch replied, "I believe that Jesus Christ is 
       the Son of God."

       (Acts 8:38 TLB)  He stopped the chariot, and they went down into the 
       water and Philip baptized him.

       (Acts 8:39 TLB)  And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of 
       the Lord caught away Philip, and the eunuch never saw him again, but 
       went on his way rejoicing.

       (Acts 8:40 TLB)  Meanwhile, Philip found himself at Azotus! He 
       preached the Good News there and in every city along the way, as he 
       traveled to Caesarea.

       (Acts 9:1 TLB)  But Paul, threatening with every breath and eager to 





       destroy every Christian, went to the High Priest in Jerusalem.

       (Acts 9:2 TLB)  He requested a letter addressed to synagogues in 
       Damascus, requiring their cooperation in the persecution of any 
       believers he found there, both men and women, so that he could bring 
       them in chains to Jerusalem.

       (Acts 9:3 TLB)  As he was nearing Damascus on this mission, suddenly a 
       brilliant light from heaven spotted down upon him!

       (Acts 9:4 TLB)  He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, 
       "Paul! Paul! Why are you persecuting me?"

       (Acts 9:5 TLB)  "Who is speaking, sir?" Paul asked. And the voice 
       replied, "I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting!

       (Acts 9:6 TLB)  Now get up and go into the city and await my further 
       instructions."

       (Acts 9:7 TLB)  The men with Paul stood speechless with surprise, for 
       they heard the sound of someone's voice but saw no one!

       (Acts 9:8 TLB)  As Paul picked himself up off the ground, he found 
       that he was blind. He had to be led into Damascus and was there three 
       days, blind, going without food and water all that time.

       (Acts 9:9 TLB)  

       (Acts 9:10 TLB)  Now there was in Damascus a believer named Ananias. 
       The Lord spoke to him in a vision, calling, "Ananias!" "Yes, Lord!" he 
       replied.

       (Acts 9:11 TLB)  And the Lord said, "Go over to Straight Street and 
       find the house of a man named Judas and ask there for Paul of Tarsus. 
       He is praying to me right now, for

       (Acts 9:12 TLB)  I have shown him a vision of a man named Ananias 
       coming in and laying his hands on him so that he can see again!"

       (Acts 9:13 TLB)  "But Lord," exclaimed Ananias, "I have heard about 
       the terrible things this man has done to the believers in Jerusalem!

       (Acts 9:14 TLB)  And we hear that he has arrest warrants with him from 
       the chief priests, authorizing him to arrest every believer in 
       Damascus!"

       (Acts 9:15 TLB)  But the Lord said, "Go and do what I say. For Paul is 
       my chosen instrument to take my message to the nations and before 
       kings, as well as to the people of Israel.

       (Acts 9:16 TLB)  And I will show him how much he must suffer for me."

       (Acts 9:17 TLB)  So Ananias went over and found Paul and laid his 
       hands on him and said, "Brother Paul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to 
       you on the road, has sent me so that you may be filled with the Holy 
       Spirit and get your sight back."






       (Acts 9:18 TLB)  Instantly (it was as though scales fell from his 
       eyes) Paul could see and was immediately baptized.

       (Acts 9:19 TLB)  Then he ate and was strengthened. He stayed with the 
       believers in Damascus for a few days

       (Acts 9:20 TLB)  and went at once to the synagogue to tell everyone 
       there the Good News about Jesus--that he is indeed the Son of God!

       (Acts 9:21 TLB)  All who heard him were amazed. "Isn't this the same 
       man who persecuted Jesus' followers so bitterly in Jerusalem?" they 
       asked. "And we understand that he came here to arrest them all and 
       take them in chains to the chief priests."

       (Acts 9:22 TLB)  Paul became more and more fervent in his preaching, 
       and the Damascus Jews couldn't withstand his proofs that Jesus was 
       indeed the Christ.

       (Acts 9:23 TLB)  After a while the Jewish leaders determined to kill 
       him.

       (Acts 9:24 TLB)  But Paul was told about their plans, that they were 
       watching the gates of the city day and night prepared to murder him.

       (Acts 9:25 TLB)  So during the night some of his converts let him down 
       in a basket through an opening in the city wall!

       (Acts 9:26 TLB)  Upon arrival in Jerusalem he tried to meet with the 
       believers, but they were all afraid of him. They thought he was 
       faking!

       (Acts 9:27 TLB)  Then Barnabas brought him to the apostles and told 
       them how Paul had seen the Lord on the way to Damascus, what the Lord 
       had said to him, and all about his powerful preaching in the name of 
       Jesus.

       (Acts 9:28 TLB)  Then they accepted him, and after that he was 
       constantly with the believers

       (Acts 9:29 TLB)  and preached boldly in the name of the Lord. But then 
       some Greek-speaking Jews with whom he had argued plotted to murder 
       him.

       (Acts 9:30 TLB)  However, when the other believers heard about his 
       danger, they took him to Caesarea and then sent him to his home in 
       Tarsus.

       (Acts 9:31 TLB)  Meanwhile, the church had peace throughout Judea, 
       Galilee and Samaria, and grew in strength and numbers. The believers 
       learned how to walk in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the 
       Holy Spirit.

       (Acts 9:32 TLB)  Peter traveled from place to place to visit them, and 
       in his travels came to the believers in the town of Lydda.





       (Acts 9:33 TLB)  There he met a man named Aeneas, paralyzed and 
       bedridden for eight years.

       (Acts 9:34 TLB)  Peter said to him, "Aeneas! Jesus Christ has healed 
       you! Get up and make your bed." And he was healed instantly.

       (Acts 9:35 TLB)  Then the whole population of Lydda and Sharon turned 
       to the Lord when they saw Aeneas walking around.

       (Acts 9:36 TLB)  In the city of Joppa there was a woman named Dorcas ( 
       "Gazelle"), a believer who was always doing kind things for others, 
       especially for the poor.

       (Acts 9:37 TLB)  About this time she became ill and died. Her friends 
       prepared her for burial and laid her in an upstairs room.

       (Acts 9:38 TLB)  But when they learned that Peter was nearby at Lydda, 
       they sent two men to beg him to return with them to Joppa.

       (Acts 9:39 TLB)  This he did; as soon as he arrived, they took him 
       upstairs where Dorcas lay. The room was filled with weeping widows who 
       were showing one another the coats and other garments Dorcas had made 
       for them.

       (Acts 9:40 TLB)  But Peter asked them all to leave the room; then he 
       knelt and prayed. Turning to the body he said, "Get up, Dorcas," and 
       she opened her eyes! And when she saw Peter, she sat up!

       (Acts 9:41 TLB)  He gave her his hand and helped her up and called in 
       the believers and widows, presenting her to them.

       (Acts 9:42 TLB)  The news raced through the town, and many believed in 
       the Lord.

       (Acts 9:43 TLB)  And Peter stayed a long time in Joppa, living with 
       Simon, the tanner.

       (Acts 10:1 TLB)  In Caesarea there lived a Roman army officer, 
       Cornelius, a captain of an Italian regiment.

       (Acts 10:2 TLB)  He was a godly man, deeply reverent, as was his 
       entire household. He gave generously to charity and was a man of 
       prayer.

       (Acts 10:3 TLB)  While wide awake one afternoon he had a vision--it 
       was about three o'clock--and in this vision he saw an angel of God 
       coming toward him. "Cornelius!" the angel said.

       (Acts 10:4 TLB)  Cornelius stared at him in terror. "What do you want, 
       sir?" he asked the angel. And the angel replied, "Your prayers and 
       charities have not gone unnoticed by God!

       (Acts 10:5 TLB)  Now send some men to Joppa to find a man named Simon 
       Peter,

       (Acts 10:6 TLB)  who is staying with Simon, the tanner, down by the 





       shore, and ask him to come and visit you."

       (Acts 10:7 TLB)  As soon as the angel was gone, Cornelius called two 
       of his household servants and a godly soldier, one of his personal 
       bodyguard,

       (Acts 10:8 TLB)  and told them what had happened and sent them off to 
       Joppa.

       (Acts 10:9 TLB)  The next day as they were nearing the city, Peter 
       went up on the flat roof of his house to pray.

       (Acts 10:10 TLB)  It was noon and he was hungry, but while lunch was 
       being prepared, he fell into a trance.

       (Acts 10:11 TLB)  He saw the sky open and a great canvas sheet, 
       suspended by its four corners, settle to the ground.

       (Acts 10:12 TLB)  In the sheet were all sorts of animals, snakes, and 
       birds (forbidden to the Jews for food).

       (Acts 10:13 TLB)  Then a voice said to him, "Go kill and eat any of 
       them you wish."

       (Acts 10:14 TLB)  "Never, Lord," Peter declared, "I have never in all 
       my life eaten such creatures, for they are forbidden by our Jewish 
       laws."

       (Acts 10:15 TLB)  The voice spoke again, "Don't contradict God! If he 
       says something is kosher, then it is."

       (Acts 10:16 TLB)  The same vision was repeated three times. Then the 
       sheet was pulled up again to heaven.

       (Acts 10:17 TLB)  Peter was very perplexed. What could the vision 
       mean? What was he supposed to do? Just then the men sent by Cornelius 
       had found the house and were standing outside at the gate,

       (Acts 10:18 TLB)  inquiring whether this was the place where Simon 
       Peter lived!

       (Acts 10:19 TLB)  Meanwhile, as Peter was puzzling over the vision, 
       the Holy Spirit said to him, "Three men have come to see you.

       (Acts 10:20 TLB)  Go down and meet them and go with them. All is well, 
       I have sent them."

       (Acts 10:21 TLB)  So Peter went down. "I'm the man you're looking 
       for," he said. "Now what is it you want?"

       (Acts 10:22 TLB)  Then they told him about Cornelius the Roman 
       officer, a good and godly man, well thought of by the Jews, and how an 
       angel had instructed him to send for Peter to come and tell him what 
       God wanted him to do.

       (Acts 10:23 TLB)  So Peter invited them in and lodged them overnight. 





       The next day he went with them, accompanied by some other believers 
       from Joppa.

       (Acts 10:24 TLB)  They arrived in Caesarea the following day, and 
       Cornelius was waiting for him and had called together his relatives 
       and close friends to meet Peter.

       (Acts 10:25 TLB)  As Peter entered his home, Cornelius fell to the 
       floor before him in worship.

       (Acts 10:26 TLB)  But Peter said, "Stand up! I'm not a god!"

       (Acts 10:27 TLB)  So he got up, and they talked together for a while 
       and then went in where the others were assembled.

       (Acts 10:28 TLB)  Peter told them, "You know it is against the Jewish 
       laws for me to come into a Gentile home like this. But God has shown 
       me in a vision that I should never think of anyone as inferior.

       (Acts 10:29 TLB)  So I came as soon as I was sent for. Now tell me 
       what you want."

       (Acts 10:30 TLB)  Cornelius replied, "Four days ago I was praying as 
       usual at this time of the afternoon, when suddenly a man was standing 
       before me clothed in a radiant robe!

       (Acts 10:31 TLB)  He told me, 'Cornelius, your prayers are heard and 
       your charities have been noticed by God!

       (Acts 10:32 TLB)  Now send some men to Joppa and summon Simon Peter, 
       who is staying in the home of Simon, a tanner, down by the shore.'

       (Acts 10:33 TLB)  So I sent for you at once, and you have done well to 
       come so soon. Now here we are, waiting before the Lord, anxious to 
       hear what he has told you to tell us!"

       (Acts 10:34 TLB)  Then Peter replied, "I see very clearly that the 
       Jews are not God's only favorites!

       (Acts 10:35 TLB)  In every nation he has those who worship him and do 
       good deeds and are acceptable to him.

       (Acts 10:36 TLB)  I'm sure you have heard about the Good News for the 
       people of Israel--that there is peace with God through Jesus, the 
       Messiah, who is Lord of all creation.

       (Acts 10:37 TLB)  This message has spread all through Judea, beginning 
       with John the Baptist in Galilee.

       (Acts 10:38 TLB)  And you no doubt know that Jesus of Nazareth was 
       anointed by God with the Holy Spirit and with power, and he went 
       around doing good and healing all who were possessed by demons, for 
       God was with him.

       (Acts 10:39 TLB)  "And we apostles are witnesses of all he did 
       throughout Israel and in Jerusalem, where he was murdered on a cross.






       (Acts 10:40 TLB)  But God brought him back to life again three days 
       later and showed him to certain witnesses God had selected beforehand

       (Acts 10:41 TLB)  --not to the general public, but to us who ate and 
       drank with him after he rose from the dead.

       (Acts 10:42 TLB)  And he sent us to preach the Good News everywhere 
       and to testify that Jesus is ordained of God to be the Judge of 
       all--living and dead.

       (Acts 10:43 TLB)  And all the prophets have written about him, saying 
       that everyone who believes in him will have their sins forgiven 
       through his name."

       (Acts 10:44 TLB)  Even as Peter was saying these things, the Holy 
       Spirit fell upon all those listening!

       (Acts 10:45 TLB)  The Jews who came with Peter were amazed that the 
       gift of the Holy Spirit would be given to Gentiles too!

       (Acts 10:46 TLB)  But there could be no doubt about it, for they heard 
       them speaking in tongues and praising God. Peter asked,

       (Acts 10:47 TLB)  "Can anyone object to my baptizing them, now that 
       they have received the Holy Spirit just as we did?"

       (Acts 10:48 TLB)  So he did, baptizing them in the name of Jesus, the 
       Messiah. Afterwards Cornelius begged him to stay with them for several 
       days.

       (Acts 11:1 TLB)  Soon the news reached the apostles and other brothers 
       in Judea that Gentiles also were being converted!

       (Acts 11:2 TLB)  But when Peter arrived back in Jerusalem, the Jewish 
       believers argued with him.

       (Acts 11:3 TLB)  "You fellowshiped with Gentiles and even ate with 
       them," they accused.

       (Acts 11:4 TLB)  Then Peter told them the whole story.

       (Acts 11:5 TLB)  "One day in Joppa," he said, "while I was praying, I 
       saw a vision--a huge sheet, let down by its four corners from the sky.

       (Acts 11:6 TLB)  Inside the sheet were all sorts of animals, reptiles, 
       and birds (which we are not to eat).

       (Acts 11:7 TLB)  And I heard a voice say, 'Kill and eat whatever you 
       wish.'

       (Acts 11:8 TLB)  "'Never, Lord,' I replied. 'For I have never yet 
       eaten anything forbidden by our Jewish laws!'

       (Acts 11:9 TLB)  "But the voice came again, 'Don't say it isn't right 
       when God declares it is!'






       (Acts 11:10 TLB)  "This happened three times before the sheet and all 
       it contained disappeared into heaven.

       (Acts 11:11 TLB)  Just then three men who had come to take me with 
       them to Caesarea arrived at the house where I was staying!

       (Acts 11:12 TLB)  The Holy Spirit told me to go with them and not to 
       worry about their being Gentiles! These six brothers here accompanied 
       me, and we soon arrived at the home of the man who had sent the 
       messengers.

       (Acts 11:13 TLB)  He told us how an angel had appeared to him and told 
       him to send messengers to Joppa to find Simon Peter!

       (Acts 11:14 TLB)  'He will tell you how you and all your household can 
       be saved!' the angel had told him.

       (Acts 11:15 TLB)  "Well, I began telling them the Good News, but just 
       as I was getting started with my sermon, the Holy Spirit fell on them, 
       just as he fell on us at the beginning!

       (Acts 11:16 TLB)  Then I thought of the Lord's words when he said, 
       'Yes, John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the 
       Holy Spirit.'

       (Acts 11:17 TLB)  And since it was God who gave these Gentiles the 
       same gift he gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who 
       was I to argue?"

       (Acts 11:18 TLB)  When the others heard this, all their objections 
       were answered and they began praising God! "Yes," they said, "God has 
       given to the Gentiles, too, the privilege of turning to him and 
       receiving eternal life!"

       (Acts 11:19 TLB)  Meanwhile, the believers who fled from Jerusalem 
       during the persecution after Stephen's death traveled as far as 
       Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, scattering the Good News, but only to 
       Jews.

       (Acts 11:20 TLB)  However, some of the believers who went to Antioch 
       from Cyprus and Cyrene also gave their message about the Lord Jesus to 
       some Greeks.

       (Acts 11:21 TLB)  And the Lord honored this effort so that large 
       numbers of these Gentiles became believers.

       (Acts 11:22 TLB)  When the church at Jerusalem heard what had 
       happened, they sent Barnabas to Antioch to help the new converts.

       (Acts 11:23 TLB)  When he arrived and saw the wonderful things God was 
       doing, he was filled with excitement and joy, and encouraged the 
       believers to stay close to the Lord, whatever the cost.

       (Acts 11:24 TLB)  Barnabas was a kindly person, full of the Holy 
       Spirit and strong in faith. As a result, large numbers of people were 





       added to the Lord.

       (Acts 11:25 TLB)  Then Barnabas went on to Tarsus to hunt for Paul.

       (Acts 11:26 TLB)  When he found him, he brought him back to Antioch; 
       and both of them stayed there for a full year teaching the many new 
       converts. (It was there at Antioch that the believers were first 
       called "Christians.")

       (Acts 11:27 TLB)  During this time some prophets came down from 
       Jerusalem to Antioch,

       (Acts 11:28 TLB)  and one of them, named Agabus, stood up in one of 
       the meetings to predict by the Spirit that a great famine was coming 
       upon the land of Israel. (This was fulfilled during the reign of 
       Claudius.)

       (Acts 11:29 TLB)  So the believers decided to send relief to the 
       Christians in Judea, each giving as much as he could.

       (Acts 11:30 TLB)  This they did, consigning their gifts to Barnabas 
       and Paul to take to the elders of the church in Jerusalem.

       (Acts 12:1 TLB)  About that time King Herod moved against some of the 
       believers

       (Acts 12:2 TLB)  and killed the apostle James (John's brother).

       (Acts 12:3 TLB)  When Herod saw how much this pleased the Jewish 
       leaders, he arrested Peter during the Passover celebration

       (Acts 12:4 TLB)  and imprisoned him, placing him under the guard of 
       sixteen soldiers. Herod's intention was to deliver Peter to the Jews 
       for execution after the Passover.

       (Acts 12:5 TLB)  But earnest prayer was going up to God from the 
       church for his safety all the time he was in prison.

       (Acts 12:6 TLB)  The night before he was to be executed, he was 
       asleep, double-chained between two soldiers with others standing guard 
       before the prison gate,

       (Acts 12:7 TLB)  when suddenly there was a light in the cell and an 
       angel of the Lord stood beside Peter! The angel slapped him on the 
       side to awaken him and said, "Quick! Get up!" And the chains fell off 
       his wrists!

       (Acts 12:8 TLB)  Then the angel told him, "Get dressed and put on your 
       shoes." And he did. "Now put on your coat and follow me!" the angel 
       ordered.

       (Acts 12:9 TLB)  So Peter left the cell, following the angel. But all 
       the time he thought it was a dream or vision and didn't believe it was 
       really happening.

       (Acts 12:10 TLB)  They passed the first and second cell blocks and 





       came to the iron gate to the street, and this opened to them of its 
       own accord! So they passed through and walked along together for a 
       block, and then the angel left him.

       (Acts 12:11 TLB)  Peter finally realized what had happened! "It's 
       really true!" he said to himself. "The Lord has sent his angel and 
       saved me from Herod and from what the Jews were hoping to do to me!"

       (Acts 12:12 TLB)  After a little thought he went to the home of Mary, 
       mother of John Mark, where many were gathered for a prayer meeting.

       (Acts 12:13 TLB)  He knocked at the door in the gate, and a girl named 
       Rhoda came to open it.

       (Acts 12:14 TLB)  When she recognized Peter's voice, she was so 
       overjoyed that she ran back inside to tell everyone that Peter was 
       standing outside in the street.

       (Acts 12:15 TLB)  They didn't believe her. "You're out of your mind," 
       they said. When she insisted they decided, "It must be his angel. 
       (They must have killed him.)"

       (Acts 12:16 TLB)  Meanwhile Peter continued knocking. When they 
       finally went out and opened the door, their surprise knew no bounds.

       (Acts 12:17 TLB)  He motioned for them to quiet down and told them 
       what had happened and how the Lord had brought him out of jail. "Tell 
       James and the others what happened," he said--and left for safer 
       quarters.

       (Acts 12:18 TLB)  At dawn, the jail was in great commotion. What had 
       happened to Peter?

       (Acts 12:19 TLB)  When Herod sent for him and found that he wasn't 
       there, he had the sixteen guards arrested, court-martialed and 
       sentenced to death. Afterwards he left to live in Caesarea for a 
       while.

       (Acts 12:20 TLB)  While he was in Caesarea, a delegation from Tyre and 
       Sidon arrived to see him. He was highly displeased with the people of 
       those two cities, but the delegates made friends with Blastus, the 
       royal secretary, and asked for peace, for their cities were 
       economically dependent upon trade with Herod's country.

       (Acts 12:21 TLB)  An appointment with Herod was granted, and when the 
       day arrived he put on his royal robes, sat on his throne, and made a 
       speech to them.

       (Acts 12:22 TLB)  At its conclusion the people gave him a great 
       ovation, shouting, "It is the voice of a god and not of a man!"

       (Acts 12:23 TLB)  Instantly, an angel of the Lord struck Herod with a 
       sickness so that he was filled with maggots and died--because he 
       accepted the people's worship instead of giving the glory to God.

       (Acts 12:24 TLB)  God's Good News was spreading rapidly and there were 





       many new believers.

       (Acts 12:25 TLB)  Barnabas and Paul now visited Jerusalem and as soon 
       as they had finished their business, returned to Antioch, taking John 
       Mark with them.

       (Acts 13:1 TLB)  Among the prophets and teachers of the church at 
       Antioch were Barnabas and Symeon (also called "The Black Man"), Lucius 
       (from Cyrene), Manaen (the foster-brother of King Herod), and Paul.

       (Acts 13:2 TLB)  One day as these men were worshiping and fasting the 
       Holy Spirit said, "Dedicate Barnabas and Paul for a special job I have 
       for them."

       (Acts 13:3 TLB)  So after more fasting and prayer, the men laid their 
       hands on them--and sent them on their way.

       (Acts 13:4 TLB)  Directed by the Holy Spirit they went to Seleucia and 
       then sailed for Cyprus.

       (Acts 13:5 TLB)  There, in the town of Salamis, they went to the 
       Jewish synagogue and preached. (John Mark went with them as their 
       assistant.)

       (Acts 13:6 TLB)  Afterwards they preached from town to town across the 
       entire island until finally they reached Paphos where they met a 
       Jewish sorcerer, a fake prophet named Bar-Jesus.

       (Acts 13:7 TLB)  He had attached himself to the governor, Sergius 
       Paulus, a man of considerable insight and understanding. The governor 
       invited Barnabas and Paul to visit him, for he wanted to hear their 
       message from God.

       (Acts 13:8 TLB)  But the sorcerer, Elymas (his name in Greek), 
       interfered and urged the governor to pay no attention to what Paul and 
       Barnabas said, trying to keep him from trusting the Lord.

       (Acts 13:9 TLB)  Then Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, glared 
       angrily at the sorcerer and said,

       (Acts 13:10 TLB)  "You son of the devil, full of every sort of 
       trickery and villainy, enemy of all that is good, will you never end 
       your opposition to the Lord?

       (Acts 13:11 TLB)  And now God has laid his hand of punishment upon 
       you, and you will be stricken awhile with blindness." Instantly mist 
       and darkness fell upon him, and he began wandering around begging for 
       someone to take his hand and lead him.

       (Acts 13:12 TLB)  When the governor saw what happened, he believed and 
       was astonished at the power of God's message.

       (Acts 13:13 TLB)  Now Paul and those with him left Paphos by ship for 
       Turkey, landing at the port town of Perga. There John deserted them 
       and returned to Jerusalem.





       (Acts 13:14 TLB)  But Barnabas and Paul went on to Antioch, a city in 
       the province of Pisidia. On the Sabbath they went into the synagogue 
       for the services.

       (Acts 13:15 TLB)  After the usual readings from the Books of Moses and 
       from the Prophets, those in charge of the service sent them this 
       message: "Brothers, if you have any word of instruction for us come 
       and give it!"

       (Acts 13:16 TLB)  So Paul stood, waved a greeting to them and began. 
       "Men of Israel," he said, "and all others here who reverence God, (let 
       me begin my remarks with a bit of history).

       (Acts 13:17 TLB)  "The God of this nation Israel chose our ancestors 
       and honored them in Egypt by gloriously leading them out of their 
       slavery.

       (Acts 13:18 TLB)  And he nursed them through forty years of wandering 
       around in the wilderness.

       (Acts 13:19 TLB)  Then he destroyed seven nations in Canaan and gave 
       Israel their land as an inheritance.

       (Acts 13:20 TLB)  Judges ruled for about four hundred and fifty years 
       and were followed by Samuel the prophet.

       (Acts 13:21 TLB)  "Then the people begged 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 TLB)  But God removed him and replaced him with David as 
       king, a man about whom God said, 'David (son of Jesse) is a man after 
       my own heart, for he will obey me.'

       (Acts 13:23 TLB)  And it is one of King David's descendants, Jesus, 
       who is God's promised Savior of Israel!

       (Acts 13:24 TLB)  "But before he came, John the Baptist preached the 
       need for everyone in Israel to turn from sin to God.

       (Acts 13:25 TLB)  As John was finishing his work he asked, 'Do you 
       think I am the Messiah? No! But he is coming soon--and in comparison 
       with him, I am utterly worthless.'

       (Acts 13:26 TLB)  "Brothers--you sons of Abraham, and also all of you 
       Gentiles here who reverence God--this salvation is for all of us!

       (Acts 13:27 TLB)  The Jews in Jerusalem and their leaders fulfilled 
       prophecy by killing Jesus; for they didn't recognize him or realize 
       that he is the one the prophets had written about, though they heard 
       the prophets' words read every Sabbath.

       (Acts 13:28 TLB)  They found no just cause to execute him, but asked 
       Pilate to have him killed anyway.

       (Acts 13:29 TLB)  When they had fulfilled all the prophecies 





       concerning his death, he was taken from the cross and placed in a 
       tomb.

       (Acts 13:30 TLB)  "But God brought him back to life again!

       (Acts 13:31 TLB)  And he was seen many times during the next few days 
       by the men who had accompanied him to Jerusalem from Galilee--these 
       men have constantly testified to this in public witness.

       (Acts 13:32 TLB)  "And now Barnabas and I are here to bring you this 
       Good News--that God's promise to our ancestors

       (Acts 13:33 TLB)  has come true in our own time, in that God brought 
       Jesus back to life again. This is what the second Psalm is talking 
       about when it says concerning Jesus, 'Today I have honored you as my 
       Son.'

       (Acts 13:34 TLB)  "For God had promised to bring him back to life 
       again, no more to die. This is stated in the Scripture that says, 'I 
       will do for you the wonderful thing I promised David.'

       (Acts 13:35 TLB)  In another Psalm he explained more fully, saying, 
       'God will not let his Holy One decay.'

       (Acts 13:36 TLB)  This was not a reference to David, for after David 
       had served his generation according to the will of God, he died and 
       was buried, and his body decayed.

       (Acts 13:37 TLB)  (No, it was a reference to another)--someone God 
       brought back to life, whose body was not touched at all by the ravages 
       of death.

       (Acts 13:38 TLB)  "Brothers! Listen! In this man Jesus there is 
       forgiveness for your sins!

       (Acts 13:39 TLB)  Everyone who trusts in him is freed from all guilt 
       and declared righteous--something the Jewish law could never do.

       (Acts 13:40 TLB)  Oh, be careful! Don't let the prophets' words apply 
       to you. For they said,

       (Acts 13:41 TLB)  'Look and perish, you despisers (of the truth), for 
       I am doing something in your day--something that you won't believe 
       when you hear it announced.'"

       (Acts 13:42 TLB)  As the people left the synagogue that day, they 
       asked Paul to return and speak to them again the next week.

       (Acts 13:43 TLB)  And many Jews and godly Gentiles who worshiped at 
       the synagogue followed Paul and Barnabas down the street as the two 
       men urged them to accept the mercies God was offering.

       (Acts 13:44 TLB)  The following week almost the entire city turned out 
       to hear them preach the Word of God.

       (Acts 13:45 TLB)  But when the Jewish leaders saw the crowds, they 





       were jealous, and cursed and argued against whatever Paul said.

       (Acts 13:46 TLB)  Then Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and 
       declared, "It was necessary that this Good News from God should be 
       given first to you Jews. But since you have rejected it and shown 
       yourselves unworthy of eternal life--well, we will offer it to 
       Gentiles.

       (Acts 13:47 TLB)  For this is as the Lord commanded when he said, 'I 
       have made you a light to the Gentiles, to lead them from the farthest 
       corners of the earth to my salvation.'"

       (Acts 13:48 TLB)  When the Gentiles heard this, they were very glad 
       and rejoiced in Paul's message; and as many as wanted eternal life, 
       believed.

       (Acts 13:49 TLB)  So God's message spread all through that region.

       (Acts 13:50 TLB)  Then the Jewish leaders stirred up both the godly 
       women and the civic leaders of the city and incited a mob against Paul 
       and Barnabas, and ran them out of town.

       (Acts 13:51 TLB)  But they shook off the dust of their feet against 
       the town and went on to the city of Iconium.

       (Acts 13:52 TLB)  And their converts were filled with joy and with the 
       Holy Spirit.

       (Acts 14:1 TLB)  At Iconium, Paul and Barnabas went together to the 
       synagogue and preached with such power that many--both Jews and 
       Gentiles--believed.

       (Acts 14:2 TLB)  But the Jews who spurned God's message stirred up 
       distrust among the Gentiles against Paul and Barnabas, saying all 
       sorts of evil things about them.

       (Acts 14:3 TLB)  Nevertheless, they stayed there a long time, 
       preaching boldly, and the Lord proved their message was from him by 
       giving them power to do great miracles.

       (Acts 14:4 TLB)  But the people of the city were divided in their 
       opinion about them. Some agreed with the Jewish leaders, and some 
       backed the apostles.

       (Acts 14:5 TLB)  When Paul and Barnabas learned of a plot to incite a 
       mob of Gentiles, Jews, and Jewish leaders to attack and stone them,

       (Acts 14:6 TLB)  they fled for their lives, going to the cities of 
       Lycaonia, Lystra, Derbe, and the surrounding area,

       (Acts 14:7 TLB)  and preaching the Good News there.

       (Acts 14:8 TLB)  While they were at Lystra, they came upon a man with 
       crippled feet who had been that way from birth, so he had never 
       walked.





       (Acts 14:9 TLB)  He was listening as Paul preached, and Paul noticed 
       him and realized he had faith to be healed.

       (Acts 14:10 TLB)  So Paul called to him, "Stand up!" and the man 
       leaped to his feet and started walking!

       (Acts 14:11 TLB)  When the listening crowd saw what Paul had done, 
       they shouted (in their local dialect, of course), "These men are gods 
       in human bodies!"

       (Acts 14:12 TLB)  They decided that Barnabas was the Greek god 
       Jupiter, and that Paul, because he was the chief speaker, was Mercury!

       (Acts 14:13 TLB)  The local priest of the Temple of Jupiter, located 
       on the outskirts of the city, brought them cartloads of flowers and 
       prepared to sacrifice oxen to them at the city gates before the 
       crowds.

       (Acts 14:14 TLB)  But when Barnabas and Paul saw what was happening, 
       they ripped at their clothing in dismay and ran out among the people, 
       shouting,

       (Acts 14:15 TLB)  "Men! What are you doing? We are merely human beings 
       like yourselves! We have come to bring you the Good News that you are 
       invited to turn from the worship of these foolish things and to pray 
       instead to the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and 
       everything in them.

       (Acts 14:16 TLB)  In bygone days he permitted the nations to go their 
       own ways,

       (Acts 14:17 TLB)  but he never left himself without a witness; there 
       were always his reminders--the kind things he did such as sending you 
       rain and good crops and giving you food and gladness."

       (Acts 14:18 TLB)  But even so, Paul and Barnabas could scarcely 
       restrain the people from sacrificing to them!

       (Acts 14:19 TLB)  Yet only a few days later, some Jews arrived from 
       Antioch and Iconium and turned the crowds into a murderous mob that 
       stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, apparently dead.

       (Acts 14:20 TLB)  But as the believers stood around him, he got up and 
       went back into the city! The next day he left with Barnabas for Derbe.

       (Acts 14:21 TLB)  After preaching the Good News there and making many 
       disciples, they returned again to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch,

       (Acts 14:22 TLB)  where they helped the believers to grow in love for 
       God and each other. They encouraged them to continue in the faith in 
       spite of all the persecution, reminding them that they must enter into 
       the Kingdom of God through many tribulations.

       (Acts 14:23 TLB)  Paul and Barnabas also appointed elders in every 
       church and prayed for them with fasting, turning them over to the care 
       of the Lord in whom they trusted.






       (Acts 14:24 TLB)  Then they traveled back through Pisidia to 
       Pamphylia,

       (Acts 14:25 TLB)  preached again in Perga, and went on to Attalia.

       (Acts 14:26 TLB)  Finally they returned by ship to Antioch, where 
       their journey had begun and where they had been committed to God for 
       the work now completed.

       (Acts 14:27 TLB)  Upon arrival they called together the believers and 
       reported on their trip, telling how God had opened the door of faith 
       to the Gentiles too.

       (Acts 14:28 TLB)  And they stayed there with the believers at Antioch 
       for a long while.

       (Acts 15:1 TLB)  While Paul and Barnabas were at Antioch, some men 
       from Judea arrived and began to teach the believers that unless they 
       adhered to the ancient Jewish custom of circumcision, they could not 
       be saved.

       (Acts 15:2 TLB)  Paul and Barnabas argued and discussed this with them 
       at length, and finally the believers sent them to Jerusalem, 
       accompanied by some local men, to talk to the apostles and elders 
       there about this question.

       (Acts 15:3 TLB)  After the entire congregation had escorted them out 
       of the city, the delegates went on to Jerusalem, stopping along the 
       way in the cities of Phoenicia and Samaria to visit the believers, 
       telling them--much to everyone's joy--that the Gentiles, too, were 
       being converted.

       (Acts 15:4 TLB)  Arriving in Jerusalem, they met with the church 
       leaders--all the apostles and elders were present--and Paul and 
       Barnabas reported on what God had been doing through their ministry.

       (Acts 15:5 TLB)  But then some of the men who had been Pharisees 
       before their conversion stood to their feet and declared that all 
       Gentile converts must be circumcised and required to follow all the 
       Jewish customs and ceremonies.

       (Acts 15:6 TLB)  So the apostles and church elders set a further 
       meeting to decide this question.

       (Acts 15:7 TLB)  At the meeting, after long discussion, Peter stood 
       and addressed them as follows: "Brothers, you all know that God chose 
       me from among you long ago to preach the Good News to the Gentiles so 
       that they also could believe.

       (Acts 15:8 TLB)  God, who knows men's hearts, confirmed the fact that 
       he accepts Gentiles by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he gave 
       him to us.

       (Acts 15:9 TLB)  He made no distinction between them and us, for he 
       cleansed their lives through faith, just as he did ours.






       (Acts 15:10 TLB)  And now are you going to correct God by burdening 
       the Gentiles with a yoke that neither we nor our fathers were able to 
       bear?

       (Acts 15:11 TLB)  Don't you believe that all are saved the same way, 
       by the free gift of the Lord Jesus?"

       (Acts 15:12 TLB)  There was no further discussion, and everyone now 
       listened as Barnabas and Paul told about the miracles God had done 
       through them among the Gentiles.

       (Acts 15:13 TLB)  When they had finished, James took the floor. 
       "Brothers," he said, "listen to me.

       (Acts 15:14 TLB)  Peter has told you about the time God first visited 
       the Gentiles to take from them a people to bring honor to his name.

       (Acts 15:15 TLB)  And this fact of Gentile conversion agrees with what 
       the prophets predicted. For instance, listen to this passage from the 
       prophet Amos:

       (Acts 15:16 TLB)  'Afterwards' (says the Lord), 'I will return and 
       renew the broken contract with David,

       (Acts 15:17 TLB)  so that Gentiles, too, will find the Lord--all those 
       marked with my name.'

       (Acts 15:18 TLB)  That is what the Lord says, who reveals his plans 
       made from the beginning.

       (Acts 15:19 TLB)  "And so my judgment is that we should not insist 
       that the Gentiles who turn to God must obey our Jewish laws,

       (Acts 15:20 TLB)  except that we should write to them to refrain from 
       eating meat sacrificed to idols, from all fornication, and also from 
       eating unbled meat of strangled animals.

       (Acts 15:21 TLB)  For these things have been preached against in 
       Jewish synagogues in every city on every Sabbath for many 
       generations."

       (Acts 15:22 TLB)  Then the apostles and elders and the whole 
       congregation voted to send delegates to Antioch with Paul and 
       Barnabas, to report on this decision. The men chosen were two of the 
       church leaders--Judas (also called Barsabbas) and Silas.

       (Acts 15:23 TLB)  This is the letter they took along with them: "From: 
       The apostles, elders and brothers at Jerusalem. "To: The Gentile 
       brothers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia. Greetings!

       (Acts 15:24 TLB)  "We understand that some believers from here have 
       upset you and questioned your salvation, but they had no such 
       instructions from us.

       (Acts 15:25 TLB)  So it seemed wise to us, having unanimously agreed 





       on our decision, to send to you these two official representatives, 
       along with our beloved Barnabas and Paul.

       (Acts 15:26 TLB)  These men--Judas and Silas, who have risked their 
       lives for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ--will confirm orally what 
       we have decided concerning your question.

       (Acts 15:27 TLB)  "For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to 
       lay no greater burden of Jewish laws on you than

       (Acts 15:28 TLB)  

       (Acts 15:29 TLB)  to abstain from eating food offered to idols and 
       from unbled meat of strangled animals, and, of course, from 
       fornication. If you do this, it is enough. Farewell."

       (Acts 15:30 TLB)  The four messengers went at once to Antioch, where 
       they called a general meeting of the Christians and gave them the 
       letter.

       (Acts 15:31 TLB)  And there was great joy throughout the church that 
       day as they read it.

       (Acts 15:32 TLB)  Then Judas and Silas, both being gifted speakers, 
       preached long sermons to the believers, strengthening their faith.

       (Acts 15:33 TLB)  They stayed several days, and then Judas and Silas 
       returned to Jerusalem taking greetings and appreciation to those who 
       had sent them.

       (Acts 15:34 TLB)  Paul and Barnabas stayed on at Antioch to assist 
       several others who were preaching and teaching there.

       (Acts 15:35 TLB)  

       (Acts 15:36 TLB)  Several days later Paul suggested to Barnabas that 
       they return again to Turkey and visit each city where they had 
       preached before, to see how the new converts were getting along.

       (Acts 15:37 TLB)  Barnabas agreed and wanted to take along John Mark.

       (Acts 15:38 TLB)  But Paul didn't like that idea at all, since John 
       had deserted them in Pamphylia.

       (Acts 15:39 TLB)  Their disagreement over this was so sharp that they 
       separated. Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed for Cyprus,

       (Acts 15:40 TLB)  while Paul chose Silas and, with the blessing of the 
       believers,

       (Acts 15:41 TLB)  left for Syria and Cilicia to encourage the churches 
       there.

       (Acts 16:1 TLB)  Paul and Silas went first to Derbe and then on to 
       Lystra where they met Timothy, a believer whose mother was a Christian 
       Jewess, but his father a Greek.






       (Acts 16:2 TLB)  Timothy was well thought of by the brothers in Lystra 
       and Iconium,

       (Acts 16:3 TLB)  so Paul asked him to join them on their journey. In 
       deference to the Jews of the area, he circumcised Timothy before they 
       left, for everyone knew that his father was a Greek (and hadn't 
       permitted this before).

       (Acts 16:4 TLB)  Then they went from city to city, making known the 
       decision concerning the Gentiles, as decided by the apostles and 
       elders in Jerusalem.

       (Acts 16:5 TLB)  So the church grew daily in faith and numbers.

       (Acts 16:6 TLB)  Next they traveled through Phrygia and Galatia 
       because the Holy Spirit had told them not to go into the Turkish 
       province of Asia Minor at that time.

       (Acts 16:7 TLB)  Then going along the borders of Mysia they headed 
       north for the province of Bithynia, but again the Spirit of Jesus said 
       no.

       (Acts 16:8 TLB)  So instead they went on through Mysia province to the 
       city of Troas.

       (Acts 16:9 TLB)  That night Paul had a vision. In his dream he saw a 
       man over in Macedonia, Greece, pleading with him, "Come over here and 
       help us."

       (Acts 16:10 TLB)  Well, that settled it. We would go to Macedonia, for 
       we could only conclude that God was sending us to preach the Good News 
       there.

       (Acts 16:11 TLB)  We went aboard a boat at Troas, and sailed straight 
       across to Samothrace, and the next day on to Neapolis,

       (Acts 16:12 TLB)  and finally reached Philippi, a Roman colony just 
       inside the Macedonian border, and stayed there several days.

       (Acts 16:13 TLB)  On the Sabbath we went a little way outside the city 
       to a riverbank where we understood some people met for prayer; and we 
       taught the Scriptures to some women who came.

       (Acts 16:14 TLB)  One of them was Lydia, a saleswoman from Thyatira, a 
       merchant of purple cloth. She was already a worshiper of God and as 
       she listened to us, the Lord opened her heart and she accepted all 
       that Paul was saying.

       (Acts 16:15 TLB)  She was baptized along with all her household and 
       asked us to be her guests. "If you agree that I am faithful to the 
       Lord," she said, "come and stay at my home." And she urged us until we 
       did.

       (Acts 16:16 TLB)  One day as we were going down to the place of prayer 
       beside the river, we met a demon-possessed slave girl, who was a 





       fortune-teller and earned much money for her masters.

       (Acts 16:17 TLB)  She followed along behind us shouting, "These men 
       are servants of God, and they have come to tell you how to have your 
       sins forgiven."

       (Acts 16:18 TLB)  This went on day after day until Paul, in great 
       distress, turned and spoke to the demon within her. "I command you in 
       the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her," he said. And instantly 
       it left her.

       (Acts 16:19 TLB)  Her masters' hopes of wealth were now shattered; 
       they grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them before the judges at the 
       marketplace.

       (Acts 16:20 TLB)  "These Jews are corrupting our city," they shouted. 
       "They are teaching the people to do things that are against the Roman 
       laws."

       (Acts 16:21 TLB)  

       (Acts 16:22 TLB)  A mob was quickly formed against Paul and Silas, and 
       the judges ordered them stripped and beaten with wooden whips.

       (Acts 16:23 TLB)  Again and again the rods slashed down across their 
       bared backs; and afterwards they were thrown into prison. The jailer 
       was threatened with death if they escaped,

       (Acts 16:24 TLB)  so he took no chances, but put them into the inner 
       dungeon and clamped their feet into the stocks.

       (Acts 16:25 TLB)  Around midnight, as Paul and Silas were praying and 
       singing hymns to the Lord--and the other prisoners were listening--

       (Acts 16:26 TLB)  suddenly there was a great earthquake; the prison 
       was shaken to its foundations, all the doors flew open--and the chains 
       of every prisoner fell off!

       (Acts 16:27 TLB)  The jailer wakened to see the prison doors wide 
       open, and assuming the prisoners had escaped, he drew his sword to 
       kill himself.

       (Acts 16:28 TLB)  But Paul yelled to him, "Don't do it! We are all 
       here!"

       (Acts 16:29 TLB)  Trembling with fear, the jailer called for lights 
       and ran to the dungeon and fell down before Paul and Silas.

       (Acts 16:30 TLB)  He brought them out and begged them, "Sirs, what 
       must I do to be saved?"

       (Acts 16:31 TLB)  They replied, "Believe on the Lord Jesus and you 
       will be saved, and your entire household."

       (Acts 16:32 TLB)  Then they told him and all his household the Good 
       News from the Lord.






       (Acts 16:33 TLB)  That same hour he washed their stripes, and he and 
       all his family were baptized.

       (Acts 16:34 TLB)  Then he brought them up into his house and set a 
       meal before them. How he and his household rejoiced because all were 
       now believers!

       (Acts 16:35 TLB)  The next morning the judges sent police officers 
       over to tell the jailer, "Let those men go!"

       (Acts 16:36 TLB)  So the jailer told Paul they were free to leave.

       (Acts 16:37 TLB)  But Paul replied, "Oh no they don't! They have 
       publicly beaten us without trial and jailed us--and we are Roman 
       citizens! So now they want us to leave secretly? Never! Let them come 
       themselves and release us!"

       (Acts 16:38 TLB)  The police officers reported to the judges, who 
       feared for their lives when they heard Paul and Silas were Roman 
       citizens.

       (Acts 16:39 TLB)  So they came to the jail and begged them to go, and 
       brought them out and pled with them to leave the city.

       (Acts 16:40 TLB)  Paul and Silas then returned to the home of Lydia, 
       where they met with the believers and preached to them once more 
       before leaving town.

       (Acts 17:1 TLB)  Now they traveled through the cities of Amphipolis 
       and Apollonia and came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish 
       synagogue.

       (Acts 17:2 TLB)  As was Paul's custom, he went there to preach, and 
       for three Sabbaths in a row he opened the Scriptures to the people,

       (Acts 17:3 TLB)  explaining the prophecies about the sufferings of the 
       Messiah and his coming back to life, and proving that Jesus is the 
       Messiah.

       (Acts 17:4 TLB)  Some who listened were persuaded and became 
       converts--including a large number of godly Greek men and also many 
       important women of the city.

       (Acts 17:5 TLB)  But the Jewish leaders were jealous and incited some 
       worthless fellows from the streets to form a mob and start a riot. 
       They attacked the home of Jason, planning to take Paul and Silas to 
       the City Council for punishment.

       (Acts 17:6 TLB)  Not finding them there, they dragged out Jason and 
       some of the other believers, and took them before the Council instead. 
       "Paul and Silas have turned the rest of the world upside down, and now 
       they are here disturbing our city," they shouted,

       (Acts 17:7 TLB)  "and Jason has let them into his home. They are all 
       guilty of treason, for they claim another king, Jesus, instead of 





       Caesar."

       (Acts 17:8 TLB)  The people of the city, as well as the judges, were 
       concerned at these reports and let them go only after they had posted 
       bail.

       (Acts 17:9 TLB)  

       (Acts 17:10 TLB)  That night the Christians hurried Paul and Silas to 
       Beroea, and, as usual, they went to the synagogue to preach.

       (Acts 17:11 TLB)  But the people of Beroea were more open-minded than 
       those in Thessalonica, and gladly listened to the message. They 
       searched the Scriptures day by day to check up on Paul and Silas' 
       statements to see if they were really so.

       (Acts 17:12 TLB)  As a result, many of them believed, including 
       several prominent Greek women and many men also.

       (Acts 17:13 TLB)  But when the Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul 
       was preaching in Beroea, they went over and stirred up trouble.

       (Acts 17:14 TLB)  The believers acted at once, sending Paul on to the 
       coast, while Silas and Timothy remained behind.

       (Acts 17:15 TLB)  Those accompanying Paul went on with him to Athens 
       and then returned to Beroea with a message for Silas and Timothy to 
       hurry and join him.

       (Acts 17:16 TLB)  While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was 
       deeply troubled by all the idols he saw everywhere throughout the 
       city.

       (Acts 17:17 TLB)  He went to the synagogue for discussions with the 
       Jews and the devout Gentiles, and spoke daily in the public square to 
       all who happened to be there.

       (Acts 17:18 TLB)  He also had an encounter with some of the Epicurean 
       and Stoic philosophers. Their reaction, when he told them about Jesus 
       and his resurrection, was, "He's a dreamer," or, "He's pushing some 
       foreign religion."

       (Acts 17:19 TLB)  But they invited him to the forum at Mars Hill. 
       "Come and tell us more about this new religion," they said,

       (Acts 17:20 TLB)  "for you are saying some rather startling things and 
       we want to hear more."

       (Acts 17:21 TLB)  (I should explain that all the Athenians as well as 
       the foreigners in Athens seemed to spend all their time discussing the 
       latest new ideas!)

       (Acts 17:22 TLB)  So Paul, standing before them at the Mars Hill 
       forum, addressed them as follows: "Men of Athens, I notice that you 
       are very religious,





       (Acts 17:23 TLB)  for as I was out walking I saw your many altars, and 
       one of them had this inscription on it--' To the Unknown God.' You 
       have been worshiping him without knowing who he is, and now I wish to 
       tell you about him.

       (Acts 17:24 TLB)  "He made the world and everything in it, and since 
       he is Lord of heaven and earth, he doesn't live in man-made temples;

       (Acts 17:25 TLB)  and human hands can't minister to his needs--for he 
       has no needs! He himself gives life and breath to everything, and 
       satisfies every need there is.

       (Acts 17:26 TLB)  He created all the people of the world from one man, 
       Adam, and scattered the nations across the face of the earth. He 
       decided beforehand which should rise and fall, and when. He determined 
       their boundaries.

       (Acts 17:27 TLB)  "His purpose in all of this is that they should seek 
       after God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him--though 
       he is not far from any one of us.

       (Acts 17:28 TLB)  For in him we live and move and are! As one of your 
       own poets says it, 'We are the sons of God.'

       (Acts 17:29 TLB)  If this is true, we shouldn't think of God as an 
       idol made by men from gold or silver or chipped from stone.

       (Acts 17:30 TLB)  God tolerated man's past ignorance about these 
       things, but now he commands everyone to put away idols and worship 
       only him.

       (Acts 17:31 TLB)  For he has set a day for justly judging the world by 
       the man he has appointed, and has pointed him out by bringing him back 
       to life again."

       (Acts 17:32 TLB)  When they heard Paul speak of the resurrection of a 
       person who had been dead, some laughed, but others said, "We want to 
       hear more about this later."

       (Acts 17:33 TLB)  That ended Paul's discussion with them,

       (Acts 17:34 TLB)  but a few joined him and became believers. Among 
       them was Dionysius, a member of the City Council, and a woman named 
       Damaris, and others.

       (Acts 18:1 TLB)  Then Paul left Athens and went to Corinth.

       (Acts 18:2 TLB)  There he became acquainted with a Jew named Aquila, 
       born in Pontus, who had recently arrived from Italy with his wife, 
       Priscilla. They had been expelled from Italy as a result of Claudius 
       Caesar's order to deport all Jews from Rome.

       (Acts 18:3 TLB)  Paul lived and worked with them, for they were 
       tentmakers just as he was.

       (Acts 18:4 TLB)  Each Sabbath found Paul at the synagogue, trying to 





       convince the Jews and Greeks alike.

       (Acts 18:5 TLB)  And after the arrival of Silas and Timothy from 
       Macedonia, Paul spent his full time preaching and testifying to the 
       Jews that Jesus is the Messiah.

       (Acts 18:6 TLB)  But when the Jews opposed him and blasphemed, hurling 
       abuse at Jesus, Paul shook off the dust from his robe and said, "Your 
       blood be upon your own heads--I am innocent--from now on I will preach 
       to the Gentiles."

       (Acts 18:7 TLB)  After that he stayed with Titus Justus, a Gentile who 
       worshiped God and lived next door to the synagogue.

       (Acts 18:8 TLB)  However, Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, and 
       all his household believed in the Lord and were baptized--as were many 
       others in Corinth.

       (Acts 18:9 TLB)  One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision and told 
       him, "Don't be afraid! Speak out! Don't quit!

       (Acts 18:10 TLB)  For I am with you and no one can harm you. Many 
       people here in this city belong to me."

       (Acts 18:11 TLB)  So Paul stayed there the next year and a half, 
       teaching the truths of God.

       (Acts 18:12 TLB)  But when Gallio became governor of Achaia, the Jews 
       rose in concerted action against Paul and brought him before the 
       governor for judgment.

       (Acts 18:13 TLB)  They accused Paul of "persuading men to worship God 
       in ways that are contrary to Roman law."

       (Acts 18:14 TLB)  But just as Paul started to make his defense, Gallio 
       turned to his accusers and said, "Listen, you Jews, if this were a 
       case involving some crime, I would be obliged to listen to you,

       (Acts 18:15 TLB)  but since it is merely a bunch of questions of 
       semantics and personalities and your silly Jewish laws, you take care 
       of it. I'm not interested and I'm not touching it."

       (Acts 18:16 TLB)  And he drove them out of the courtroom.

       (Acts 18:17 TLB)  Then the mob grabbed Sosthenes, the new leader of 
       the synagogue, and beat him outside the courtroom. But Gallio couldn't 
       have cared less.

       (Acts 18:18 TLB)  Paul stayed in the city several days after that and 
       then said good-bye to the Christians and sailed for the coast of 
       Syria, taking Priscilla and Aquila with him. At Cenchreae Paul had his 
       head shaved according to Jewish custom, for he had taken a vow.

       (Acts 18:19 TLB)  Arriving at the port of Ephesus, he left us aboard 
       ship while he went over to the synagogue for a discussion with the 
       Jews.






       (Acts 18:20 TLB)  They asked him to stay for a few days, but he felt 
       that he had no time to lose.

       (Acts 18:21 TLB)  "I must by all means be at Jerusalem for the 
       holiday," he said. But he promised to return to Ephesus later if God 
       permitted; and so he set sail again.

       (Acts 18:22 TLB)  The next stop was at the port of Caesarea from where 
       he visited the church (at Jerusalem) and then sailed on to Antioch.

       (Acts 18:23 TLB)  After spending some time there, he left for Turkey 
       again, going through Galatia and Phrygia visiting all the believers, 
       encouraging them and helping them grow in the Lord.

       (Acts 18:24 TLB)  As it happened, a Jew named Apollos, a wonderful 
       Bible teacher and preacher, had just arrived in Ephesus from 
       Alexandria in Egypt.

       (Acts 18:25 TLB)  While he was in Egypt, someone had told him about 
       John the Baptist and what John had said about Jesus, but that is all 
       he knew. He had never heard the rest of the story!

       (Acts 18:26 TLB)  So he was preaching boldly and enthusiastically in 
       the synagogue, "The Messiah is coming! Get ready to receive him!" 
       Priscilla and Aquila were there and heard him--and it was a powerful 
       sermon. Afterwards they met with him and explained what had happened 
       to Jesus since the time of John, and all that it meant!

       (Acts 18:27 TLB)  Apollos had been thinking about going to Greece, and 
       the believers encouraged him in this. They wrote to their 
       fellow-believers there, telling them to welcome him. And upon his 
       arrival in Greece, he was greatly used of God to strengthen the 
       church,

       (Acts 18:28 TLB)  for he powerfully refuted all the Jewish arguments 
       in public debate, showing by the Scriptures that Jesus is indeed the 
       Messiah.

       (Acts 19:1 TLB)  While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through 
       Turkey and arrived in Ephesus, where he found several disciples.

       (Acts 19:2 TLB)  "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" 
       he asked them. "No," they replied, "we don't know what you mean. What 
       is the Holy Spirit?"

       (Acts 19:3 TLB)  "Then what beliefs did you acknowledge at your 
       baptism?" he asked. And they replied, "What John the Baptist taught."

       (Acts 19:4 TLB)  Then Paul pointed out to them that John's baptism was 
       to demonstrate a desire to turn from sin to God and that those 
       receiving his baptism must then go on to believe in Jesus, the one 
       John said would come later.

       (Acts 19:5 TLB)  As soon as they heard this, they were baptized in the 
       name of the Lord Jesus.






       (Acts 19:6 TLB)  Then, when Paul laid his hands upon their heads, the 
       Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in other languages and 
       prophesied.

       (Acts 19:7 TLB)  The men involved were about twelve in number.

       (Acts 19:8 TLB)  Then Paul went to the synagogue and preached boldly 
       each Sabbath day for three months, telling what he believed and why, 
       and persuading many to believe in Jesus.

       (Acts 19:9 TLB)  But some rejected his message and publicly spoke 
       against Christ, so he left, refusing to preach to them again. Pulling 
       out the believers, he began a separate meeting at the lecture hall of 
       Tyrannus and preached there daily.

       (Acts 19:10 TLB)  This went on for the next two years, so that 
       everyone in the Turkish province of Asia Minor--both Jews and 
       Greeks--heard the Lord's message.

       (Acts 19:11 TLB)  And God gave Paul the power to do unusual miracles,

       (Acts 19:12 TLB)  so that even when his handkerchiefs or parts of his 
       clothing were placed upon sick people, they were healed, and any 
       demons within them came out.

       (Acts 19:13 TLB)  A team of itinerant Jews who were traveling from 
       town to town casting out demons planned to experiment by using the 
       name of the Lord Jesus. The incantation they decided on was this: "I 
       adjure you by Jesus, whom Paul preaches, to come out!"

       (Acts 19:14 TLB)  Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish priest, were doing 
       this.

       (Acts 19:15 TLB)  But when they tried it on a man possessed by a 
       demon, the demon replied, "I know Jesus and I know Paul, but who are 
       you?"

       (Acts 19:16 TLB)  And he leaped on two of them and beat them up, so 
       that they fled out of his house naked and badly injured.

       (Acts 19:17 TLB)  The story of what happened spread quickly all 
       through Ephesus, to Jews and Greeks alike; and a solemn fear descended 
       on the city, and the name of the Lord Jesus was greatly honored.

       (Acts 19:18 TLB)  Many of the believers who had been practicing black 
       magic confessed their deeds

       (Acts 19:19 TLB)  and brought their incantation books and charms and 
       burned them at a public bonfire. (Someone estimated the value of the 
       books at $10,000.)

       (Acts 19:20 TLB)  This indicates how deeply the whole area was stirred 
       by God's message.

       (Acts 19:21 TLB)  Afterwards Paul felt impelled by the Holy Spirit to 





       go across to Greece before returning to Jerusalem. "And after that," 
       he said, "I must go on to Rome!"

       (Acts 19:22 TLB)  He sent his two assistants, Timothy and Erastus, on 
       ahead to Greece while he stayed awhile longer in Asia Minor.

       (Acts 19:23 TLB)  But about that time, a big blowup developed in 
       Ephesus concerning the Christians.

       (Acts 19:24 TLB)  It began with Demetrius, a silversmith who employed 
       many craftsmen to manufacture silver shrines of the Greek goddess 
       Diana.

       (Acts 19:25 TLB)  He called a meeting of his men, together with others 
       employed in related trades, and addressed them as follows: "Gentlemen, 
       this business is our income.

       (Acts 19:26 TLB)  As you know so well from what you've seen and heard, 
       this man Paul has persuaded many, many people that handmade gods 
       aren't gods at all. As a result, our sales volume is going down! And 
       this trend is evident not only here in Ephesus, but throughout the 
       entire province!

       (Acts 19:27 TLB)  Of course, I am not only talking about the business 
       aspects of this situation and our loss of income, but also of the 
       possibility that the temple of the great goddess Diana will lose its 
       influence, and that Diana--this magnificent goddess worshiped not only 
       throughout this part of Turkey but all around the world--will be 
       forgotten!"

       (Acts 19:28 TLB)  At this their anger boiled and they began shouting, 
       "Great is Diana of the Ephesians!"

       (Acts 19:29 TLB)  A crowd began to gather, and soon the city was 
       filled with confusion. Everyone rushed to the amphitheater, dragging 
       along Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul's traveling companions, for trial.

       (Acts 19:30 TLB)  Paul wanted to go in, but the disciples wouldn't let 
       him.

       (Acts 19:31 TLB)  Some of the Roman officers of the province, friends 
       of Paul, also sent a message to him, begging him not to risk his life 
       by entering.

       (Acts 19:32 TLB)  Inside the people were all shouting, some one thing 
       and some another--everything was in confusion. In fact, most of them 
       didn't even know why they were there.

       (Acts 19:33 TLB)  Alexander was spotted among the crowd by some of the 
       Jews and dragged forward. He motioned for silence and tried to speak.

       (Acts 19:34 TLB)  But when the crowd realized he was a Jew, they 
       started shouting again and kept it up for two hours: "Great is Diana 
       of the Ephesians! Great is Diana of the Ephesians!"

       (Acts 19:35 TLB)  At last the mayor was able to quiet them down enough 





       to speak. "Men of Ephesus," he said, "everyone knows that Ephesus is 
       the center of the religion of the great Diana, whose image fell down 
       to us from heaven.

       (Acts 19:36 TLB)  Since this is an indisputable fact, you shouldn't be 
       disturbed no matter what is said, and should do nothing rash.

       (Acts 19:37 TLB)  Yet you have brought these men here who have stolen 
       nothing from her temple and have not defamed her.

       (Acts 19:38 TLB)  If Demetrius and the craftsmen have a case against 
       them, the courts are currently in session and the judges can take the 
       case at once. Let them go through legal channels.

       (Acts 19:39 TLB)  And if there are complaints about other matters, 
       they can be settled at the regular City Council meetings;

       (Acts 19:40 TLB)  for we are in danger of being called to account by 
       the Roman government for today's riot, since there is no cause for it. 
       And if Rome demands an explanation, I won't know what to say."

       (Acts 19:41 TLB)  Then he dismissed them, and they dispersed.

       (Acts 20:1 TLB)  When it was all over, Paul sent for the disciples, 
       preached a farewell message to them, said good-bye and left for 
       Greece,

       (Acts 20:2 TLB)  preaching to the believers along the way in all the 
       cities he passed through.

       (Acts 20:3 TLB)  He was in Greece three months and was preparing to 
       sail for Syria when he discovered a plot by the Jews against his life, 
       so he decided to go north to Macedonia first.

       (Acts 20:4 TLB)  Several men were traveling with him, going as far as 
       Turkey; they were Sopater of Beroea, the son of Pyrrhus; Aristarchus 
       and Secundus, from Thessalonica; Gaius, from Derbe; and Timothy; and 
       Tychicus and Trophimus, who were returning to their homes in Turkey,

       (Acts 20:5 TLB)  and had gone on ahead and were waiting for us at 
       Troas.

       (Acts 20:6 TLB)  As soon as the Passover ceremonies ended, we boarded 
       ship at Philippi in northern Greece and five days later arrived in 
       Troas, Turkey, where we stayed a week.

       (Acts 20:7 TLB)  On Sunday we gathered for a Communion service, with 
       Paul preaching. And since he was leaving the next day, he talked until 
       midnight!

       (Acts 20:8 TLB)  The upstairs room where we met was lighted with many 
       flickering lamps;

       (Acts 20:9 TLB)  and as Paul spoke on and on, a young man named 
       Eutychus, sitting on the windowsill, went fast asleep and fell three 
       stories to his death below.






       (Acts 20:10 TLB)  Paul went down and took him into his arms. "Don't 
       worry," he said, "he's all right!"

       (Acts 20:11 TLB)  And he was! What a wave of awesome joy swept through 
       the crowd!

       (Acts 20:12 TLB)  They all went back upstairs and ate the Lord's 
       Supper together; then Paul preached another long sermon--so it was 
       dawn when he finally left them!

       (Acts 20:13 TLB)  Paul was going by land to Assos, and we went on 
       ahead by ship.

       (Acts 20:14 TLB)  He joined us there and we sailed together to 
       Mitylene;

       (Acts 20:15 TLB)  the next day we passed Chios; the next, we touched 
       at Samos; and a day later we arrived at Miletus.

       (Acts 20:16 TLB)  Paul had decided against stopping at Ephesus this 
       time, as he was hurrying to get to Jerusalem, if possible, for the 
       celebration of Pentecost.

       (Acts 20:17 TLB)  But when we landed at Miletus, he sent a message to 
       the elders of the church at Ephesus asking them to come down to the 
       boat to meet him.

       (Acts 20:18 TLB)  When they arrived he told them, "You men know that 
       from the day I set foot in Turkey until now

       (Acts 20:19 TLB)  I have done the Lord's work humbly--yes, and with 
       tears--and have faced grave danger from the plots of the Jews against 
       my life.

       (Acts 20:20 TLB)  Yet I never shrank from telling you the truth, 
       either publicly or in your homes.

       (Acts 20:21 TLB)  I have had one message for Jews and Gentiles 
       alike--the necessity of turning from sin to God through faith in our 
       Lord Jesus Christ.

       (Acts 20:22 TLB)  "And now I am going to Jerusalem, drawn there 
       irresistibly by the Holy Spirit, not knowing what awaits me,

       (Acts 20:23 TLB)  except that the Holy Spirit has told me in city 
       after city that jail and suffering lie ahead.

       (Acts 20:24 TLB)  But life is worth nothing unless I use it for doing 
       the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus--the work of telling others the 
       Good News about God's mighty kindness and love.

       (Acts 20:25 TLB)  "And now I know that none of you among whom I went 
       about teaching the Kingdom will ever see me again.

       (Acts 20:26 TLB)  Let me say plainly that no man's blood can be laid 





       at my door,

       (Acts 20:27 TLB)  for I didn't shrink from declaring all God's message 
       to you.

       (Acts 20:28 TLB)  "And now beware! Be sure that you feed and shepherd 
       God's flock--his church, purchased with his blood--for the Holy Spirit 
       is holding you responsible as overseers.

       (Acts 20:29 TLB)  I know full well that after I leave you, false 
       teachers, like vicious wolves, will appear among you, not sparing the 
       flock.

       (Acts 20:30 TLB)  Some of you yourselves will distort the truth in 
       order to draw a following.

       (Acts 20:31 TLB)  Watch out! Remember the three years I was with 
       you--my constant watchcare over you night and day and my many tears 
       for you.

       (Acts 20:32 TLB)  "And now I entrust you to God and his care and to 
       his wonderful words that are able to build your faith and give you all 
       the inheritance of those who are set apart for himself.

       (Acts 20:33 TLB)  "I have never been hungry for money or fine 
       clothing--

       (Acts 20:34 TLB)  you know that these hands of mine worked to pay my 
       own way and even to supply the needs of those who were with me.

       (Acts 20:35 TLB)  And I was a constant example to you in helping the 
       poor; for I remembered the words of the Lord Jesus, 'It is more 
       blessed to give than to receive.'"

       (Acts 20:36 TLB)  When he had finished speaking, he knelt and prayed 
       with them,

       (Acts 20:37 TLB)  and they wept aloud as they embraced him in 
       farewell,

       (Acts 20:38 TLB)  sorrowing most of all because he said that he would 
       never see them again. Then they accompanied him down to the ship.

       (Acts 21:1 TLB)  After parting from the Ephesian elders, we sailed 
       straight to Cos. The next day we reached Rhodes and then went to 
       Patara.

       (Acts 21:2 TLB)  There we boarded a ship sailing for the Syrian 
       province of Phoenicia.

       (Acts 21:3 TLB)  We sighted the island of Cyprus, passed it on our 
       left, and landed at the harbor of Tyre, in Syria, where the ship 
       unloaded.

       (Acts 21:4 TLB)  We went ashore, found the local believers, and stayed 
       with them a week. These disciples warned Paul--the Holy Spirit 





       prophesying through them--not to go on to Jerusalem.

       (Acts 21:5 TLB)  At the end of the week when we returned to the ship, 
       the entire congregation including wives and children walked down to 
       the beach with us where we prayed and said our farewells.

       (Acts 21:6 TLB)  Then we went aboard, and they returned home.

       (Acts 21:7 TLB)  The next stop after leaving Tyre was Ptolemais, where 
       we greeted the believers but stayed only one day.

       (Acts 21:8 TLB)  Then we went on to Caesarea and stayed at the home of 
       Philip the Evangelist, one of the first seven deacons.

       (Acts 21:9 TLB)  He had four unmarried daughters who had the gift of 
       prophecy.

       (Acts 21:10 TLB)  During our stay of several days, a man named Agabus, 
       who also had the gift of prophecy, arrived from Judea

       (Acts 21:11 TLB)  and visited us. He took Paul's belt, bound his own 
       feet and hands with it, and said, "The Holy Spirit declares, 'So shall 
       the owner of this belt be bound by the Jews in Jerusalem and turned 
       over to the Romans.'"

       (Acts 21:12 TLB)  Hearing this, all of us--the local believers and his 
       traveling companions--begged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem.

       (Acts 21:13 TLB)  But he said, "Why all this weeping? You are breaking 
       my heart! For I am ready not only to be jailed at Jerusalem but also 
       to die for the sake of the Lord Jesus."

       (Acts 21:14 TLB)  When it was clear that he wouldn't be dissuaded, we 
       gave up and said, "The will of the Lord be done."

       (Acts 21:15 TLB)  So shortly afterwards we packed our things and left 
       for Jerusalem.

       (Acts 21:16 TLB)  Some disciples from Caesarea accompanied us, and on 
       arrival we were guests at the home of Mnason, originally from Cyprus, 
       one of the early believers;

       (Acts 21:17 TLB)  and all the believers at Jerusalem welcomed us 
       cordially.

       (Acts 21:18 TLB)  The second day Paul took us with him to meet with 
       James and the elders of the Jerusalem church.

       (Acts 21:19 TLB)  After greetings were exchanged, Paul recounted the 
       many things God had accomplished among the Gentiles through his work.

       (Acts 21:20 TLB)  They praised God but then said, "You know, dear 
       brother, how many thousands of Jews have also believed, and they are 
       all very insistent that Jewish believers must continue to follow the 
       Jewish traditions and customs.





       (Acts 21:21 TLB)  Our Jewish Christians here at Jerusalem have been 
       told that you are against the laws of Moses, against our Jewish 
       customs, and that you forbid the circumcision of their children.

       (Acts 21:22 TLB)  Now what can be done? For they will certainly hear 
       that you have come.

       (Acts 21:23 TLB)  "We suggest this: We have four men here who are 
       preparing to shave their heads and take some vows.

       (Acts 21:24 TLB)  Go with them to the Temple and have your head shaved 
       too--and pay for theirs to be shaved. "Then everyone will know that 
       you approve of this custom for the Hebrew Christians and that you 
       yourself obey the Jewish laws and are in line with our thinking in 
       these matters.

       (Acts 21:25 TLB)  "As for the Gentile Christians, we aren't asking 
       them to follow these Jewish customs at all--except for the ones we 
       wrote to them about: not to eat food offered to idols, not to eat 
       unbled meat from strangled animals, and not to commit fornication."

       (Acts 21:26 TLB)  So Paul agreed to their request and the next day 
       went with the men to the Temple for the ceremony, thus publicizing his 
       vow to offer a sacrifice seven days later with the others.

       (Acts 21:27 TLB)  The seven days were almost ended when some Jews from 
       Turkey saw him in the Temple and roused a mob against him. They 
       grabbed him,

       (Acts 21:28 TLB)  yelling, "Men of Israel! Help! Help! This is the man 
       who preaches against our people and tells everybody to disobey the 
       Jewish laws. He even talks against the Temple and defiles it by 
       bringing Gentiles in!"

       (Acts 21:29 TLB)  (For down in the city earlier that day, they had 
       seen him with Trophimus, a Gentile from Ephesus in Turkey, and assumed 
       that Paul had taken him into the Temple.)

       (Acts 21:30 TLB)  The whole population of the city was electrified by 
       these accusations and a great riot followed. Paul was dragged out of 
       the Temple, and immediately the gates were closed behind him.

       (Acts 21:31 TLB)  As they were killing him, word reached the commander 
       of the Roman garrison that all Jerusalem was in an uproar.

       (Acts 21:32 TLB)  He quickly ordered out his soldiers and officers and 
       ran down among the crowd. When the mob saw the troops coming, they 
       quit beating Paul.

       (Acts 21:33 TLB)  The commander arrested him and ordered him bound 
       with double chains. Then he asked the crowd who he was and what he had 
       done.

       (Acts 21:34 TLB)  Some shouted one thing and some another. When he 
       couldn't find out anything in all the uproar and confusion, he ordered 
       Paul to be taken to the armory.






       (Acts 21:35 TLB)  As they reached the stairs, the mob grew so violent 
       that the soldiers lifted Paul to their shoulders to protect him,

       (Acts 21:36 TLB)  and the crowd surged behind shouting, "Away with 
       him, away with him!"

       (Acts 21:37 TLB)  As Paul was about to be taken inside, he said to the 
       commander, "May I have a word with you?" "Do you know Greek?" the 
       commander asked, surprised.

       (Acts 21:38 TLB)  "Aren't you that Egyptian who led a rebellion a few 
       years ago and took 4,000 members of the Assassins with him into the 
       desert?"

       (Acts 21:39 TLB)  "No," Paul replied, "I am a Jew from Tarsus in 
       Cilicia which is no small town. I request permission to talk to these 
       people."

       (Acts 21:40 TLB)  The commander agreed, so Paul stood on the stairs 
       and motioned to the people to be quiet; soon a deep silence enveloped 
       the crowd, and he addressed them in Hebrew as follows:

       (Acts 22:1 TLB)  "Brothers and fathers, listen to me as I offer my 
       defense."

       (Acts 22:2 TLB)  (When they heard him speaking in Hebrew, the silence 
       was even greater.)

       (Acts 22:3 TLB)  "I am a Jew," he said, "born in Tarsus, a city in 
       Cilicia, but educated here in Jerusalem under Gamaliel, at whose feet 
       I learned to follow our Jewish laws and customs very carefully. I 
       became very anxious to honor God in everything I did, just as you have 
       tried to do today.

       (Acts 22:4 TLB)  And I persecuted the Christians, hounding them to 
       death, binding and delivering both men and women to prison.

       (Acts 22:5 TLB)  The High Priest or any member of the Council can 
       testify that this is so. For I asked them for letters to the Jewish 
       leaders in Damascus, with instructions to let me bring any Christians 
       I found to Jerusalem in chains to be punished.

       (Acts 22:6 TLB)  "As I was on the road, nearing Damascus, suddenly 
       about noon a very bright light from heaven shone around me.

       (Acts 22:7 TLB)  And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to 
       me, 'Paul, Paul, why are you persecuting me?'

       (Acts 22:8 TLB)  "'Who is it speaking to me, sir?' I asked. And he 
       replied, 'I am Jesus of Nazareth, the one you are persecuting.'

       (Acts 22:9 TLB)  The men with me saw the light but didn't understand 
       what was said.

       (Acts 22:10 TLB)  "And I said, 'What shall I do, Lord?' "And the Lord 





       told me, 'Get up and go into Damascus, and there you will be told what 
       awaits you in the years ahead.'

       (Acts 22:11 TLB)  "I was blinded by the intense light and had to be 
       led into Damascus by my companions.

       (Acts 22:12 TLB)  There a man named Ananias, as godly a man as you 
       could find for obeying the law and well thought of by all the Jews of 
       Damascus,

       (Acts 22:13 TLB)  came to me, and standing beside me said, 'Brother 
       Paul, receive your sight!' And that very hour I could see him!

       (Acts 22:14 TLB)  "Then he told me, 'The God of our fathers has chosen 
       you to know his will and to see the Messiah and hear him speak.

       (Acts 22:15 TLB)  You are to take his message everywhere, telling what 
       you have seen and heard.

       (Acts 22:16 TLB)  And now, why delay? Go and be baptized and be 
       cleansed from your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.'

       (Acts 22:17 TLB)  "One day after my return to Jerusalem, while I was 
       praying in the Temple, I fell into a trance

       (Acts 22:18 TLB)  and saw a vision of God saying to me, 'Hurry! Leave 
       Jerusalem, for the people here won't believe you when you give them my 
       message.'

       (Acts 22:19 TLB)  "'But Lord,' I argued, 'they certainly know that I 
       imprisoned and beat those in every synagogue who believed on you.

       (Acts 22:20 TLB)  And when your witness Stephen was killed, I was 
       standing there agreeing--keeping the coats they laid aside as they 
       stoned him.'

       (Acts 22:21 TLB)  "But God said to me, 'Leave Jerusalem, for I will 
       send you far away to the Gentiles!'"

       (Acts 22:22 TLB)  The crowd listened until Paul came to that word, 
       then with one voice they shouted, "Away with such a fellow! Kill him! 
       He isn't fit to live!"

       (Acts 22:23 TLB)  They yelled and threw their coats in the air and 
       tossed up handfuls of dust.

       (Acts 22:24 TLB)  So the commander brought him inside and ordered him 
       lashed with whips to make him confess his crime. He wanted to find out 
       why the crowd had become so furious!

       (Acts 22:25 TLB)  As they tied Paul down to lash him, Paul said to an 
       officer standing there, "Is it legal for you to whip a Roman citizen 
       who hasn't even been tried?"

       (Acts 22:26 TLB)  The officer went to the commander and asked, "What 
       are you doing? This man is a Roman citizen!"






       (Acts 22:27 TLB)  So the commander went over and asked Paul, "Tell me, 
       are you a Roman citizen?" "Yes, I certainly am."

       (Acts 22:28 TLB)  "I am too," the commander muttered, "and it cost me 
       plenty!" "But I am a citizen by birth!"

       (Acts 22:29 TLB)  The soldiers standing ready to lash him, quickly 
       disappeared when they heard Paul was a Roman citizen, and the 
       commander was frightened because he had ordered him bound and whipped.

       (Acts 22:30 TLB)  The next day the commander freed him from his chains 
       and ordered the chief priests into session with the Jewish Council. He 
       had Paul brought in before them to try to find out what the trouble 
       was all about.

       (Acts 23:1 TLB)  Gazing intently at the Council, Paul began: 
       "Brothers, I have always lived before God in all good conscience!"

       (Acts 23:2 TLB)  Instantly Ananias the High Priest commanded those 
       close to Paul to slap him on the mouth.

       (Acts 23:3 TLB)  Paul said to him, "God shall slap you, you 
       whitewashed pigpen. What kind of judge are you to break the law 
       yourself by ordering me struck like that?"

       (Acts 23:4 TLB)  Those standing near Paul said to him, "Is that the 
       way to talk to God's High Priest?"

       (Acts 23:5 TLB)  "I didn't realize he was the High Priest, brothers," 
       Paul replied, "for the Scriptures say, 'Never speak evil of any of 
       your rulers.'"

       (Acts 23:6 TLB)  Then Paul thought of something! Part of the Council 
       were Sadducees, and part were Pharisees! So he shouted, "Brothers, I 
       am a Pharisee, as were all my ancestors! And I am being tried here 
       today because I believe in the resurrection of the dead!"

       (Acts 23:7 TLB)  This divided the Council right down the middle--the 
       Pharisees against the Sadducees--

       (Acts 23:8 TLB)  for the Sadducees say there is no resurrection or 
       angels or even eternal spirit within us, but the Pharisees believe in 
       all of these.

       (Acts 23:9 TLB)  So a great clamor arose. Some of the Jewish leaders 
       jumped up to argue that Paul was all right. "We see nothing wrong with 
       him," they shouted. "Perhaps a spirit or angel spoke to him (there on 
       the Damascus road)."

       (Acts 23:10 TLB)  The shouting grew louder and louder, and the men 
       were tugging at Paul from both sides, pulling him this way and that. 
       Finally the commander, fearing they would tear him apart, ordered his 
       soldiers to take him away from them by force and bring him back to the 
       armory.





       (Acts 23:11 TLB)  That night the Lord stood beside Paul and said, 
       "Don't worry, Paul; just as you have told the people about me here in 
       Jerusalem, so you must also in Rome."

       (Acts 23:12 TLB)  The next morning some forty or more of the Jews got 
       together and bound themselves by a curse neither to eat nor drink 
       until they had killed Paul!

       (Acts 23:13 TLB)  

       (Acts 23:14 TLB)  Then they went to the chief priests and elders and 
       told them what they had done.

       (Acts 23:15 TLB)  "Ask the commander to bring Paul back to the Council 
       again," they requested. "Pretend you want to ask a few more questions. 
       We will kill him on the way."

       (Acts 23:16 TLB)  But Paul's nephew got wind of their plan and came to 
       the armory and told Paul.

       (Acts 23:17 TLB)  Paul called one of the officers and said, "Take this 
       boy to the commander. He has something important to tell him."

       (Acts 23:18 TLB)  So the officer did, explaining, "Paul, the prisoner, 
       called me over and asked me to bring this young man to you to tell you 
       something."

       (Acts 23:19 TLB)  The commander took the boy by the hand, and leading 
       him aside asked, "What is it you want to tell me, lad?"

       (Acts 23:20 TLB)  "Tomorrow," he told him, "the Jews are going to ask 
       you to bring Paul before the Council again, pretending they want to 
       get some more information.

       (Acts 23:21 TLB)  But don't do it! There are more than forty men 
       hiding along the road ready to jump him and kill him. They have bound 
       themselves under a curse to neither eat nor drink till he is dead. 
       They are out there now, expecting you to agree to their request."

       (Acts 23:22 TLB)  "Don't let a soul know you told me this," the 
       commander warned the boy as he left.

       (Acts 23:23 TLB)  Then the commander called two of his officers and 
       ordered, "Get 200 soldiers ready to leave for Caesarea at nine o'clock 
       tonight! Take 200 spearmen and 70 mounted cavalry.

       (Acts 23:24 TLB)  Give Paul a horse to ride and get him safely to 
       Governor Felix."

       (Acts 23:25 TLB)  Then he wrote this letter to the governor:

       (Acts 23:26 TLB)  "From: Claudius Lysias "To: His Excellency, Governor 
       Felix. "Greetings!

       (Acts 23:27 TLB)  "This man was seized by the Jews, and they were 
       killing him when I sent the soldiers to rescue him, for I learned that 





       he was a Roman citizen.

       (Acts 23:28 TLB)  Then I took him to their Council to try to find out 
       what he had done.

       (Acts 23:29 TLB)  I soon discovered it was something about their 
       Jewish beliefs, certainly nothing worthy of imprisonment or death.

       (Acts 23:30 TLB)  But when I was informed of a plot to kill him, I 
       decided to send him on to you and will tell his accusers to bring 
       their charges before you."

       (Acts 23:31 TLB)  So that night, as ordered, the soldiers took Paul to 
       Antipatris.

       (Acts 23:32 TLB)  They returned to the armory the next morning, 
       leaving him with the cavalry to take him on to Caesarea.

       (Acts 23:33 TLB)  When they arrived in Caesarea, they presented Paul 
       and the letter to the governor.

       (Acts 23:34 TLB)  He read it and then asked Paul where he was from. 
       "Cilicia," Paul answered.

       (Acts 23:35 TLB)  "I will hear your case fully when your accusers 
       arrive," the governor told him, and ordered him kept in the prison at 
       King Herod's palace.

       (Acts 24:1 TLB)  Five days later Ananias the High Priest arrived with 
       some of the Jewish leaders and the lawyer Tertullus, to make their 
       accusations against Paul.

       (Acts 24:2 TLB)  When Tertullus was called forward, he laid charges 
       against Paul in the following address to the governor: "Your 
       Excellency, you have given quietness and peace to us Jews and have 
       greatly reduced the discrimination against us.

       (Acts 24:3 TLB)  And for this we are very, very grateful to you.

       (Acts 24:4 TLB)  But lest I bore you, kindly give me your attention 
       for only a moment as I briefly outline our case against this man.

       (Acts 24:5 TLB)  For we have found him to be a troublemaker, a man who 
       is constantly inciting the Jews throughout the entire world to riots 
       and rebellions against the Roman government. He is a ringleader of the 
       sect known as the Nazarenes.

       (Acts 24:6 TLB)  Moreover, he was trying to defile the Temple when we 
       arrested him. "We would have given him what he justly deserves,

       (Acts 24:7 TLB)  but Lysias, the commander of the garrison, came and 
       took him violently away from us,

       (Acts 24:8 TLB)  demanding that he be tried by Roman law. You can find 
       out the truth of our accusations by examining him yourself."





       (Acts 24:9 TLB)  Then all the other Jews chimed in, declaring that 
       everything Tertullus said was true.

       (Acts 24:10 TLB)  Now it was Paul's turn. The governor motioned for 
       him to rise and speak. Paul began: "I know, sir, that you have been a 
       judge of Jewish affairs for many years, and this gives me confidence 
       as I make my defense.

       (Acts 24:11 TLB)  You can quickly discover that it was no more than 
       twelve days ago that I arrived in Jerusalem to worship at the Temple,

       (Acts 24:12 TLB)  and you will discover that I have never incited a 
       riot in any synagogue or on the streets of any city;

       (Acts 24:13 TLB)  and these men certainly cannot prove the things they 
       accuse me of doing.

       (Acts 24:14 TLB)  "But one thing I do confess, that I believe in the 
       way of salvation, which they refer to as a sect; I follow that system 
       of serving the God of our ancestors; I firmly believe in the Jewish 
       law and everything written in the books of prophecy;

       (Acts 24:15 TLB)  and I believe, just as these men do, that there will 
       be a resurrection of both the righteous and ungodly.

       (Acts 24:16 TLB)  Because of this, I try with all my strength to 
       always maintain a clear conscience before God and man.

       (Acts 24:17 TLB)  "After several years away, I returned to Jerusalem 
       with money to aid the Jews and to offer a sacrifice to God.

       (Acts 24:18 TLB)  My accusers saw me in the Temple as I was presenting 
       my thank offering. I had shaved my head as their laws required, and 
       there was no crowd around me, and no rioting! But some Jews from 
       Turkey were there

       (Acts 24:19 TLB)  (who ought to be here if they have anything against 
       me)--

       (Acts 24:20 TLB)  but look! Ask these men right here what wrongdoing 
       their Council found in me,

       (Acts 24:21 TLB)  except that I said one thing I shouldn't when I 
       shouted out, 'I am here before the Council to defend myself for 
       believing that the dead will rise again!'"

       (Acts 24:22 TLB)  Felix, who knew Christians didn't go around starting 
       riots, told the Jews to wait for the arrival of Lysias, the garrison 
       commander, and then he would decide the case.

       (Acts 24:23 TLB)  He ordered Paul to prison but instructed the guards 
       to treat him gently and not to forbid any of his friends from visiting 
       him or bringing him gifts to make his stay more comfortable.

       (Acts 24:24 TLB)  A few days later Felix came with Drusilla, his legal 
       wife, a Jewess. Sending for Paul, they listened as he told them about 





       faith in Christ Jesus.

       (Acts 24:25 TLB)  And as he reasoned with them about righteousness and 
       self-control and the judgment to come, Felix was terrified. "Go away 
       for now," he replied, "and when I have a more convenient time, I'll 
       call for you again."

       (Acts 24:26 TLB)  He also hoped that Paul would bribe him, so he sent 
       for him from time to time and talked with him.

       (Acts 24:27 TLB)  Two years went by in this way; then Felix was 
       succeeded by Porcius Festus. And because Felix wanted to gain favor 
       with the Jews, he left Paul in chains.

       (Acts 25:1 TLB)  Three days after Festus arrived in Caesarea to take 
       over his new responsibilities, he left for Jerusalem,

       (Acts 25:2 TLB)  where the chief priests and other Jewish leaders got 
       hold of him and gave him their story about Paul.

       (Acts 25:3 TLB)  They begged him to bring Paul to Jerusalem at once. 
       (Their plan was to waylay and kill him.)

       (Acts 25:4 TLB)  But Festus replied that since Paul was at Caesarea 
       and he himself was returning there soon,

       (Acts 25:5 TLB)  those with authority in this affair should return 
       with him for the trial.

       (Acts 25:6 TLB)  Eight or ten days later he returned to Caesarea and 
       the following day opened Paul's trial.

       (Acts 25:7 TLB)  On Paul's arrival in court the Jews from Jerusalem 
       gathered around, hurling many serious accusations which they couldn't 
       prove.

       (Acts 25:8 TLB)  Paul denied the charges: "I am not guilty," he said. 
       "I have not opposed the Jewish laws or desecrated the Temple or 
       rebelled against the Roman government."

       (Acts 25:9 TLB)  Then Festus, anxious to please the Jews, asked him, 
       "Are you willing to go to Jerusalem and stand trial before me?"

       (Acts 25:10 TLB)  But Paul replied, "No! I demand my privilege of a 
       hearing before the emperor himself. You know very well I am not 
       guilty.

       (Acts 25:11 TLB)  If I have done something worthy of death, I don't 
       refuse to die! But if I am innocent, neither you nor anyone else has a 
       right to turn me over to these men to kill me. I appeal to Caesar."

       (Acts 25:12 TLB)  Festus conferred with his advisors and then replied, 
       "Very well! You have appealed to Caesar, and to Caesar you shall go!"

       (Acts 25:13 TLB)  A few days later King Agrippa arrived with Bernice 
       for a visit with Festus.






       (Acts 25:14 TLB)  During their stay of several days Festus discussed 
       Paul's case with the king. "There is a prisoner here," he told him, 
       "whose case was left for me by Felix.

       (Acts 25:15 TLB)  When I was in Jerusalem, the chief priests and other 
       Jewish leaders gave me their side of the story and asked me to have 
       him killed.

       (Acts 25:16 TLB)  Of course I quickly pointed out to them that Roman 
       law does not convict a man before he is tried. He is given an 
       opportunity to defend himself face to face with his accusers.

       (Acts 25:17 TLB)  "When they came here for the trial, I called the 
       case the very next day and ordered Paul brought in.

       (Acts 25:18 TLB)  But the accusations made against him weren't at all 
       what I supposed they would be.

       (Acts 25:19 TLB)  It was something about their religion and about 
       someone called Jesus who died, but Paul insists is alive!

       (Acts 25:20 TLB)  I was perplexed as to how to decide a case of this 
       kind and asked him whether he would be willing to stand trial on these 
       charges in Jerusalem.

       (Acts 25:21 TLB)  But Paul appealed to Caesar! So I ordered him back 
       to jail until I could arrange to get him to the emperor."

       (Acts 25:22 TLB)  "I'd like to hear the man myself," Agrippa said. And 
       Festus replied, "You shall--tomorrow!"

       (Acts 25:23 TLB)  So the next day, after the king and Bernice had 
       arrived at the courtroom with great pomp, accompanied by military 
       officers and prominent men of the city, Festus ordered Paul brought 
       in.

       (Acts 25:24 TLB)  Then Festus addressed the audience: "King Agrippa 
       and all present," he said, "this is the man whose death is demanded 
       both by the local Jews and by those in Jerusalem!

       (Acts 25:25 TLB)  But in my opinion he has done nothing worthy of 
       death. However, he appealed his case to Caesar, and I have no 
       alternative but to send him.

       (Acts 25:26 TLB)  But what shall I write the emperor? For there is no 
       real charge against him! So I have brought him before you all, and 
       especially you, King Agrippa, to examine him and then tell me what to 
       write.

       (Acts 25:27 TLB)  For it doesn't seem reasonable to send a prisoner to 
       the emperor without any charges against him!"

       (Acts 26:1 TLB)  Then Agrippa said to Paul, "Go ahead. Tell us your 
       story." So Paul, with many gestures, presented his defense:





       (Acts 26:2 TLB)  "I am fortunate, King Agrippa," he began, "to be able 
       to present my answer before you,

       (Acts 26:3 TLB)  for I know you are an expert on Jewish laws and 
       customs. Now please listen patiently!

       (Acts 26:4 TLB)  "As the Jews are well aware, I was given a thorough 
       Jewish training from my earliest childhood in Tarsus and later at 
       Jerusalem, and I lived accordingly.

       (Acts 26:5 TLB)  If they would admit it, they know that I have always 
       been the strictest of Pharisees when it comes to obedience to Jewish 
       laws and customs.

       (Acts 26:6 TLB)  But the real reason behind their accusations is 
       something else--it is because I am looking forward to the fulfillment 
       of God's promise made to our ancestors.

       (Acts 26:7 TLB)  The twelve tribes of Israel strive night and day to 
       attain this same hope I have! Yet, O King, for me it is a crime, they 
       say!

       (Acts 26:8 TLB)  But is it a crime to believe in the resurrection of 
       the dead? Does it seem incredible to you that God can bring men back 
       to life again?

       (Acts 26:9 TLB)  "I used to believe that I ought to do many horrible 
       things to the followers of Jesus of Nazareth.

       (Acts 26:10 TLB)  I imprisoned many of the saints in Jerusalem, as 
       authorized by the High Priests; and when they were condemned to death, 
       I cast my vote against them.

       (Acts 26:11 TLB)  I used torture to try to make Christians everywhere 
       curse Christ. I was so violently opposed to them that I even hounded 
       them in distant cities in foreign lands.

       (Acts 26:12 TLB)  "I was on such a mission to Damascus, armed with the 
       authority and commission of the chief priests,

       (Acts 26:13 TLB)  when one day about noon, sir, a light from heaven 
       brighter than the sun shone down on me and my companions.

       (Acts 26:14 TLB)  We all fell down, and I heard a voice speaking to me 
       in Hebrew, 'Paul, Paul, why are you persecuting me? You are only 
       hurting yourself.'

       (Acts 26:15 TLB)  "'Who are you, sir?' I asked. "And the Lord replied, 
       'I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting.

       (Acts 26:16 TLB)  Now stand up! For I have appeared to you to appoint 
       you as my servant and my witness. You are to tell the world about this 
       experience and about the many other occasions when I shall appear to 
       you.

       (Acts 26:17 TLB)  And I will protect you from both your own people and 





       the Gentiles. Yes, I am going to send you to the Gentiles

       (Acts 26:18 TLB)  to open their eyes to their true condition so that 
       they may repent and live in the light of God instead of in Satan's 
       darkness, so that they may receive forgiveness for their sins and 
       God's inheritance along with all people everywhere whose sins are 
       cleansed away, who are set apart by faith in me.'

       (Acts 26:19 TLB)  "And so, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to 
       that vision from heaven!

       (Acts 26:20 TLB)  I preached first to those in Damascus, then in 
       Jerusalem and through Judea, and also to the Gentiles that all must 
       forsake their sins and turn to God--and prove their repentance by 
       doing good deeds.

       (Acts 26:21 TLB)  The Jews arrested me in the Temple for preaching 
       this and tried to kill me,

       (Acts 26:22 TLB)  but God protected me so that I am still alive today 
       to tell these facts to everyone, both great and small. I teach nothing 
       except what the Prophets and Moses said--

       (Acts 26:23 TLB)  that the Messiah would suffer and be the First to 
       rise from the dead, to bring light to Jews and Gentiles alike."

       (Acts 26:24 TLB)  Suddenly Festus shouted, "Paul, you are insane. Your 
       long studying has broken your mind!"

       (Acts 26:25 TLB)  But Paul replied, "I am not insane, Most Excellent 
       Festus. I speak words of sober truth.

       (Acts 26:26 TLB)  And King Agrippa knows about these things. I speak 
       frankly for I am sure these events are all familiar to him, for they 
       were not done in a corner!

       (Acts 26:27 TLB)  King Agrippa, do you believe the Prophets? But I 
       know you do--"

       (Acts 26:28 TLB)  Agrippa interrupted him. "With trivial proofs like 
       these, you expect me to become a Christian?"

       (Acts 26:29 TLB)  And Paul replied, "Would to God that whether my 
       arguments are trivial or strong, both you and everyone here in this 
       audience might become the same as I am, except for these chains."

       (Acts 26:30 TLB)  Then the king, the governor, Bernice, and all the 
       others stood and left.

       (Acts 26:31 TLB)  As they talked it over afterwards they agreed, "This 
       man hasn't done anything worthy of death or imprisonment."

       (Acts 26:32 TLB)  And Agrippa said to Festus, "He could be set free if 
       he hadn't appealed to Caesar!"

       (Acts 27:1 TLB)  Arrangements were finally made to start us on our way 





       to Rome by ship; so Paul and several other prisoners were placed in 
       the custody of an officer named Julius, a member of the imperial 
       guard.

       (Acts 27:2 TLB)  We left on a boat that was scheduled to make several 
       stops along the Turkish coast. I should add that Aristarchus, a Greek 
       from Thessalonica, was with us.

       (Acts 27:3 TLB)  The next day when we docked at Sidon, Julius was very 
       kind to Paul and let him go ashore to visit with friends and receive 
       their hospitality.

       (Acts 27:4 TLB)  Putting to sea from there, we encountered headwinds 
       that made it difficult to keep the ship on course, so we sailed north 
       of Cyprus between the island and the mainland

       (Acts 27:5 TLB)  and passed along the coast of the provinces of 
       Cilicia and Pamphylia, landing at Myra, in the province of Lycia.

       (Acts 27:6 TLB)  There our officer found an Egyptian ship from 
       Alexandria, bound for Italy, and put us aboard.

       (Acts 27:7 TLB)  We had several days of rough sailing, and finally 
       neared Cnidus; but the winds had become too strong, so we ran across 
       to Crete,

       (Acts 27:8 TLB)  passing the port of Salome. Beating into the wind 
       with great difficulty and moving slowly along the southern coast, we 
       arrived at Fair Havens, near the city of Lasea.

       (Acts 27:9 TLB)  There we stayed for several days. The weather was 
       becoming dangerous for long voyages by then because it was late in the 
       year, and Paul spoke to the ship's officers about it.

       (Acts 27:10 TLB)  "Sirs," he said, "I believe there is trouble ahead 
       if we go on--perhaps shipwreck, loss of cargo, injuries, and death."

       (Acts 27:11 TLB)  But the officers in charge of the prisoners listened 
       more to the ship's captain and the owner than to Paul.

       (Acts 27:12 TLB)  And since Fair Havens was an exposed harbor--a poor 
       place to spend the winter--most of the crew advised trying to go 
       further up the coast to Phoenix in order to winter there; Phoenix was 
       a good harbor with only a northwest and southwest exposure.

       (Acts 27:13 TLB)  Just then a light wind began blowing from the south, 
       and it looked like a perfect day for the trip; so they pulled up 
       anchor and sailed along close to shore.

       (Acts 27:14 TLB)  But shortly afterwards the weather changed abruptly, 
       and a heavy wind of typhoon strength (a "northeaster," they called it) 
       caught the ship and blew it out to sea.

       (Acts 27:15 TLB)  They tried at first to face back to shore but 
       couldn't, so they gave up and let the ship run before the gale.





       (Acts 27:16 TLB)  We finally sailed behind a small island named 
       Clauda, where with great difficulty we hoisted aboard the lifeboat 
       that was being towed behind us,

       (Acts 27:17 TLB)  and then banded the ship with ropes to strengthen 
       the hull. The sailors were afraid of being driven across to the 
       quicksands of the African coast, so they lowered the topsails and were 
       thus driven before the wind.

       (Acts 27:18 TLB)  The next day as the seas grew higher, the crew began 
       throwing the cargo overboard.

       (Acts 27:19 TLB)  The following day they threw out the tackle and 
       anything else they could lay their hands on.

       (Acts 27:20 TLB)  The terrible storm raged unabated many days, until 
       at last all hope was gone.

       (Acts 27:21 TLB)  No one had eaten for a long time, but finally Paul 
       called the crew together and said, "Men, you should have listened to 
       me in the first place and not left Fair Havens--you would have avoided 
       all this injury and loss!

       (Acts 27:22 TLB)  But cheer up! Not one of us will lose our lives, 
       even though the ship will go down.

       (Acts 27:23 TLB)  "For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong 
       and whom I serve stood beside me

       (Acts 27:24 TLB)  and said, 'Don't be afraid, Paul--for you will 
       surely stand trial before Caesar! What's more, God has granted your 
       request and will save the lives of all those sailing with you.'

       (Acts 27:25 TLB)  So take courage! For I believe God! It will be just 
       as he said!

       (Acts 27:26 TLB)  But we will be shipwrecked on an island."

       (Acts 27:27 TLB)  About midnight on the fourteenth night of the storm, 
       as we were being driven to and fro on the Adriatic Sea, the sailors 
       suspected land was near.

       (Acts 27:28 TLB)  They sounded and found 120 feet of water below them. 
       A little later they sounded again and found only 90 feet.

       (Acts 27:29 TLB)  At this rate they knew they would soon be driven 
       ashore; and fearing rocks along the coast, they threw out four anchors 
       from the stern and prayed for daylight.

       (Acts 27:30 TLB)  Some of the sailors planned to abandon the ship and 
       lowered the emergency boat as though they were going to put out 
       anchors from the prow.

       (Acts 27:31 TLB)  But Paul said to the soldiers and commanding 
       officer, "You will all die unless everyone stays aboard."





       (Acts 27:32 TLB)  So the soldiers cut the ropes and let the boat fall 
       off.

       (Acts 27:33 TLB)  As the darkness gave way to the early morning light, 
       Paul begged everyone to eat. "You haven't touched food for two weeks," 
       he said.

       (Acts 27:34 TLB)  "Please eat something now for your own good! For not 
       a hair of your heads shall perish!"

       (Acts 27:35 TLB)  Then he took some hardtack and gave thanks to God 
       before them all, and broke off a piece and ate it.

       (Acts 27:36 TLB)  Suddenly everyone felt better and began eating,

       (Acts 27:37 TLB)  all 276 of us--for that is the number we had aboard.

       (Acts 27:38 TLB)  After eating, the crew lightened the ship further by 
       throwing all the wheat overboard.

       (Acts 27:39 TLB)  When it was day, they didn't recognize the 
       coastline, but noticed a bay with a beach and wondered whether they 
       could get between the rocks and be driven up onto the beach.

       (Acts 27:40 TLB)  They finally decided to try. Cutting off the anchors 
       and leaving them in the sea, they lowered the rudders, raised the 
       foresail, and headed ashore.

       (Acts 27:41 TLB)  But the ship hit a sandbar and ran aground. The bow 
       of the ship stuck fast, while the stern was exposed to the violence of 
       the waves and began to break apart.

       (Acts 27:42 TLB)  The soldiers advised their commanding officer to let 
       them kill the prisoners lest any of them swim ashore and escape.

       (Acts 27:43 TLB)  But Julius wanted to spare Paul, so he told them no. 
       Then he ordered all who could swim to jump overboard and make for 
       land,

       (Acts 27:44 TLB)  and the rest to try for it on planks and debris from 
       the broken ship. So everyone escaped safely ashore!

       (Acts 28:1 TLB)  We soon learned that we were on the island of Malta. 
       The people of the island were very kind to us, building a bonfire on 
       the beach to welcome and warm us in the rain and cold.

       (Acts 28:2 TLB)  

       (Acts 28:3 TLB)  As Paul gathered an armful of sticks to lay on the 
       fire, a poisonous snake, driven out by the heat, fastened itself onto 
       his hand!

       (Acts 28:4 TLB)  The people of the island saw it hanging there and 
       said to each other, "A murderer, no doubt! Though he escaped the sea, 
       justice will not permit him to live!"





       (Acts 28:5 TLB)  But Paul shook off the snake into the fire and was 
       unharmed.

       (Acts 28:6 TLB)  The people waited for him to begin swelling or 
       suddenly fall dead; but when they had waited a long time and no harm 
       came to him, they changed their minds and decided he was a god.

       (Acts 28:7 TLB)  Near the shore where we landed was an estate 
       belonging to Publius, the governor of the island. He welcomed us 
       courteously and fed us for three days.

       (Acts 28:8 TLB)  As it happened, Publius' father was ill with fever 
       and dysentery. Paul went in and prayed for him, and laying his hands 
       on him, healed him!

       (Acts 28:9 TLB)  Then all the other sick people in the island came and 
       were cured.

       (Acts 28:10 TLB)  As a result we were showered with gifts, and when 
       the time came to sail, people put on board all sorts of things we 
       would need for the trip.

       (Acts 28:11 TLB)  It was three months after the shipwreck before we 
       set sail again, and this time it was in The Twin Brothers of 
       Alexandria, a ship that had wintered at the island.

       (Acts 28:12 TLB)  Our first stop was Syracuse, where we stayed three 
       days.

       (Acts 28:13 TLB)  From there we circled around to Rhegium; a day later 
       a south wind began blowing, so the following day we arrived at 
       Puteoli,

       (Acts 28:14 TLB)  where we found some believers! They begged us to 
       stay with them seven days. Then we went on to Rome.

       (Acts 28:15 TLB)  The brothers in Rome had heard we were coming and 
       came to meet us at the Forum on the Appian Way. Others joined us at 
       The Three Taverns. When Paul saw them, he thanked God and took 
       courage.

       (Acts 28:16 TLB)  When we arrived in Rome, Paul was permitted to live 
       wherever he wanted to, though guarded by a soldier.

       (Acts 28:17 TLB)  Three days after his arrival, he called together the 
       local Jewish leaders and spoke to them as follows: "Brothers, I was 
       arrested by the Jews in Jerusalem and handed over to the Roman 
       government for prosecution, even though I had harmed no one nor 
       violated the customs of our ancestors.

       (Acts 28:18 TLB)  The Romans gave me a trial and wanted to release me, 
       for they found no cause for the death sentence demanded by the Jewish 
       leaders.

       (Acts 28:19 TLB)  But when the Jews protested the decision, I felt it 
       necessary, with no malice against them, to appeal to Caesar.






       (Acts 28:20 TLB)  I asked you to come here today so we could get 
       acquainted and I could tell you that it is because I believe the 
       Messiah has come that I am bound with this chain."

       (Acts 28:21 TLB)  They replied, "We have heard nothing against you! We 
       have had no letters from Judea or reports from those arriving from 
       Jerusalem.

       (Acts 28:22 TLB)  But we want to hear what you believe, for the only 
       thing we know about these Christians is that they are denounced 
       everywhere!"

       (Acts 28:23 TLB)  So a time was set, and on that day large numbers 
       came to his house. He told them about the Kingdom of God and taught 
       them about Jesus from the Scriptures--from the five books of Moses and 
       the books of prophecy. He began lecturing in the morning and went on 
       into the evening!

       (Acts 28:24 TLB)  Some believed and some didn't.

       (Acts 28:25 TLB)  But after they had argued back and forth among 
       themselves, they left with this final word from Paul ringing in their 
       ears: "The Holy Spirit was right when he said through Isaiah the 
       prophet,

       (Acts 28:26 TLB)  "'Say to the Jews, "You will hear and see but not 
       understand,

       (Acts 28:27 TLB)  for your hearts are too fat and your ears don't 
       listen and you have closed your eyes against understanding, for you 
       don't want to see and hear and understand and turn to me to heal 
       you.'"

       (Acts 28:28 TLB)  So I want you to realize that this salvation from 
       God is available to the Gentiles too, and they will accept it."

       (Acts 28:29 TLB)  

       (Acts 28:30 TLB)  Paul lived for the next two years in his rented 
       house and welcomed all who visited him,

       (Acts 28:31 TLB)  telling them with all boldness about the Kingdom of 
       God and about the Lord Jesus Christ; and no one tried to stop him.

       (Rom 1:1 TLB)  Dear friends in Rome: letter is from Paul, Jesus 
       Christ's slave, chosen to be a missionary, and sent out to preach 
       God's Good News.

       (Rom 1:2 TLB)  This Good News was promised long ago by God's prophets 
       in the Old Testament.

       (Rom 1:3 TLB)  It is the Good News about his Son, Jesus Christ our 
       Lord, who came as a human baby, born into King David's royal family 
       line;





       (Rom 1:4 TLB)  and by being raised from the dead he was proved to be 
       the mighty Son of God, with the holy nature of God himself.

       (Rom 1:5 TLB)  And now, through Christ, all the kindness of God has 
       been poured out upon us undeserving sinners; and now he is sending us 
       out around the world to tell all people everywhere the great things 
       God has done for them, so that they, too, will believe and obey him.

       (Rom 1:6 TLB)  And you, dear friends in Rome, are among those he 
       dearly loves; you, too, are invited by Jesus Christ to be God's very 
       own--yes, his holy people.

       (Rom 1:7 TLB)  May all God's mercies and peace be yours from God our 
       Father and from Jesus Christ our Lord.

       (Rom 1:8 TLB)  Let me say first of all that wherever I go I hear you 
       being talked about! For your faith in God is becoming known around the 
       world. How I thank God through Jesus Christ for this good report, and 
       for each one of you.

       (Rom 1:9 TLB)  God knows how often I pray for you. Day and night I 
       bring you and your needs in prayer to the one I serve with all my 
       might, telling others the Good News about his Son.

       (Rom 1:10 TLB)  And one of the things I keep on praying for is the 
       opportunity, God willing, to come at last to see you and, if possible, 
       that I will have a safe trip.

       (Rom 1:11 TLB)  For I long to visit you so that I can impart to you 
       the faith that will help your church grow strong in the Lord.

       (Rom 1:12 TLB)  Then, too, I need your help, for I want not only to 
       share my faith with you but to be encouraged by yours: Each of us will 
       be a blessing to the other.

       (Rom 1:13 TLB)  I want you to know, dear brothers, that I planned to 
       come many times before (but was prevented) so that I could work among 
       you and see good results, just as I have among the other Gentile 
       churches.

       (Rom 1:14 TLB)  For I owe a great debt to you and to everyone else, 
       both to civilized people and uncivilized alike; yes, to the educated 
       and uneducated alike.

       (Rom 1:15 TLB)  So, to the fullest extent of my ability, I am ready to 
       come also to you in Rome to preach God's Good News.

       (Rom 1:16 TLB)  For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. 
       It is God's powerful method of bringing all who believe it to heaven. 
       This message was preached first to the Jews alone, but now everyone is 
       invited to come to God in this same way.

       (Rom 1:17 TLB)  This Good News tells us that God makes us ready for 
       heaven--makes us right in God's sight--when we put our faith and trust 
       in Christ to save us. This is accomplished from start to finish by 
       faith. As the Scripture says it, "The man who finds life will find it 





       through trusting God."

       (Rom 1:18 TLB)  But God shows his anger from heaven against all 
       sinful, evil men who push away the truth from them.

       (Rom 1:19 TLB)  For the truth about God is known to them 
       instinctively; God has put this knowledge in their hearts.

       (Rom 1:20 TLB)  Since earliest times men have seen the earth and sky 
       and all God made, and have known of his existence and great eternal 
       power. So they will have no excuse (when they stand before God at 
       Judgment Day).

       (Rom 1:21 TLB)  Yes, they knew about him all right, but they wouldn't 
       admit it or worship him or even thank him for all his daily care. And 
       after awhile they began to think up silly ideas of what God was like 
       and what he wanted them to do. The result was that their foolish minds 
       became dark and confused.

       (Rom 1:22 TLB)  Claiming themselves to be wise without God, they 
       became utter fools instead.

       (Rom 1:23 TLB)  And then, instead of worshiping the glorious, 
       ever-living God, they took wood and stone and made idols for 
       themselves, carving them to look like mere birds and animals and 
       snakes and puny men.

       (Rom 1:24 TLB)  So God let them go ahead into every sort of sex sin, 
       and do whatever they wanted to--yes, vile and sinful things with each 
       other's bodies.

       (Rom 1:25 TLB)  Instead of believing what they knew was the truth 
       about God, they deliberately chose to believe lies. So they prayed to 
       the things God made, but wouldn't obey the blessed God who made these 
       things.

       (Rom 1:26 TLB)  That is why God let go of them and let them do all 
       these evil things, so that even their women turned against God's 
       natural plan for them and indulged in sex sin with each other.

       (Rom 1:27 TLB)  And the men, instead of having normal sex 
       relationships with women, burned with lust for each other, men doing 
       shameful things with other men and, as a result, getting paid within 
       their own souls with the penalty they so richly deserved.

       (Rom 1:28 TLB)  So it was that when they gave God up and would not 
       even acknowledge him, God gave them up to doing everything their evil 
       minds could think of.

       (Rom 1:29 TLB)  Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness 
       and sin, of greed and hate, envy, murder, fighting, lying, bitterness, 
       and gossip.

       (Rom 1:30 TLB)  They were backbiters, haters of God, insolent, proud, 
       braggarts, always thinking of new ways of sinning and continually 
       being disobedient to their parents.






       (Rom 1:31 TLB)  They tried to misunderstand, broke their promises, and 
       were heartless--without pity.

       (Rom 1:32 TLB)  They were fully aware of God's death penalty for these 
       crimes, yet they went right ahead and did them anyway and encouraged 
       others to do them, too.

       (Rom 2:1 TLB)  "Well," you may be saying, "what terrible people you 
       have been talking about!" But wait a minute! You are just as bad. When 
       you say they are wicked and should be punished, you are talking about 
       yourselves, for you do these very same things.

       (Rom 2:2 TLB)  And we know that God, in justice, will punish anyone 
       who does such things as these.

       (Rom 2:3 TLB)  Do you think that God will judge and condemn others for 
       doing them and overlook you when you do them, too?

       (Rom 2:4 TLB)  Don't you realize how patient he is being with you? Or 
       don't you care? Can't you see that he has been waiting all this time 
       without punishing you, to give you time to turn from your sin? His 
       kindness is meant to lead you to repentance.

       (Rom 2:5 TLB)  But no, you won't listen; and so you are saving up 
       terrible punishment for yourselves because of your stubbornness in 
       refusing to turn from your sin; for there is going to come a day of 
       wrath when God will be the just Judge of all the world.

       (Rom 2:6 TLB)  He will give each one whatever his deeds deserve.

       (Rom 2:7 TLB)  He will give eternal life to those who patiently do the 
       will of God, seeking for the unseen glory and honor and eternal life 
       that he offers.

       (Rom 2:8 TLB)  But he will terribly punish those who fight against the 
       truth of God and walk in evil ways--God's anger will be poured out 
       upon them.

       (Rom 2:9 TLB)  There will be sorrow and suffering for Jews and 
       Gentiles alike who keep on sinning.

       (Rom 2:10 TLB)  But there will be glory and honor and peace from God 
       for all who obey him, whether they are Jews or Gentiles.

       (Rom 2:11 TLB)  For God treats everyone the same.

       (Rom 2:12 TLB)  He will punish sin wherever it is found. He will 
       punish the heathen when they sin, even though they never had God's 
       written laws, for down in their hearts they know right from wrong.

       (Rom 2:13 TLB)  God's laws are written within them; their own 
       conscience accuses them, or sometimes excuses them.

       (Rom 2:14 TLB)  And God will punish the Jews for sinning because they 
       have his written laws but don't obey them.






       (Rom 2:15 TLB)  They know what is right but don't do it. After all, 
       salvation is not given to those who know what to do, unless they do 
       it.

       (Rom 2:16 TLB)  The day will surely come when at God's command Jesus 
       Christ will judge the secret lives of everyone, their inmost thoughts 
       and motives; this is all part of God's great plan, which I proclaim.

       (Rom 2:17 TLB)  You Jews think all is well between yourselves and God 
       because he gave his laws to you; you brag that you are his special 
       friends.

       (Rom 2:18 TLB)  Yes, you know what he wants; you know right from wrong 
       and favor the right because you have been taught his laws from 
       earliest youth.

       (Rom 2:19 TLB)  You are so sure of the way to God that you could point 
       it out to a blind man. You think of yourselves as beacon lights, 
       directing men who are lost in darkness to God.

       (Rom 2:20 TLB)  You think that you can guide the simple and teach even 
       children the affairs of God, for you really know his laws, which are 
       full of all knowledge and truth.

       (Rom 2:21 TLB)  Yes, you teach others--then why don't you teach 
       yourselves? You tell others not to steal--do you steal?

       (Rom 2:22 TLB)  You say it is wrong to commit adultery--do you do it? 
       You say "Don't pray to idols" and then make money your god instead.

       (Rom 2:23 TLB)  You are so proud of knowing God's laws, but you 
       dishonor him by breaking them.

       (Rom 2:24 TLB)  No wonder the Scriptures say that the world speaks 
       evil of God because of you.

       (Rom 2:25 TLB)  Being a Jew is worth something if you obey God's laws; 
       but if you don't, then you are no better off than the heathen.

       (Rom 2:26 TLB)  And if the heathen obey God's laws, won't God give 
       them all the rights and honors he planned to give the Jews?

       (Rom 2:27 TLB)  In fact, those heathen will be much better off than 
       you Jews who know so much about God and have his promises but don't 
       obey his laws.

       (Rom 2:28 TLB)  For you are not real Jews just because you were born 
       of Jewish parents or because you have gone through the Jewish 
       initiation ceremony of circumcision.

       (Rom 2:29 TLB)  No, a real Jew is anyone whose heart is right with 
       God. For God is not looking for those who cut their bodies in actual 
       body circumcision, but he is looking for those with changed hearts and 
       minds. Whoever has that kind of change in his life will get his praise 
       from God, even if not from you.






       (Rom 3:1 TLB)  Then what's the use of being a Jew? Are there any 
       special benefits for them from God? Is there any value in the Jewish 
       circumcision ceremony?

       (Rom 3:2 TLB)  Yes, being a Jew has many advantages. First of all, God 
       trusted them with his laws (so that they could know and do his will).

       (Rom 3:3 TLB)  True, some of them were unfaithful, but just because 
       they broke their promises to God, does that mean God will break his 
       promises?

       (Rom 3:4 TLB)  Of course not! Though everyone else in the world is a 
       liar, God is not. Do you remember what the book of Psalms says about 
       this? That God's words will always prove true and right, no matter who 
       questions them.

       (Rom 3:5 TLB)  "But," some say, "our breaking faith with God is good, 
       our sins serve a good purpose, for people will notice how good God is 
       when they see how bad we are. Is it fair, then, for him to punish us 
       when our sins are helping him?" (That is the way some people talk.)

       (Rom 3:6 TLB)  God forbid! Then what kind of God would he be, to 
       overlook sin? How could he ever condemn anyone?

       (Rom 3:7 TLB)  For he could not judge and condemn me as a sinner if my 
       dishonesty brought him glory by pointing up his honesty in contrast to 
       my lies.

       (Rom 3:8 TLB)  If you follow through with that idea you come to this: 
       the worse we are, the better God likes it! But the damnation of those 
       who say such things is just. Yet some claim that this is what I 
       preach!

       (Rom 3:9 TLB)  Well, then, are we Jews better than others? No, not at 
       all, for we have already shown that all men alike are sinners, whether 
       Jews or Gentiles.

       (Rom 3:10 TLB)  As the Scriptures say, "No one is good--no one in all 
       the world is innocent."

       (Rom 3:11 TLB)  No one has ever really followed God's paths or even 
       truly wanted to.

       (Rom 3:12 TLB)  Every one has turned away; all have gone wrong. No one 
       anywhere has kept on doing what is right; not one.

       (Rom 3:13 TLB)  Their talk is foul and filthy like the stench from an 
       open grave. Their tongues are loaded with lies. Everything they say 
       has in it the sting and poison of deadly snakes.

       (Rom 3:14 TLB)  Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.

       (Rom 3:15 TLB)  They are quick to kill, hating anyone who disagrees 
       with them.





       (Rom 3:16 TLB)  Wherever they go they leave misery and trouble behind 
       them,

       (Rom 3:17 TLB)  and they have never known what it is to feel secure or 
       enjoy God's blessing.

       (Rom 3:18 TLB)  They care nothing about God nor what he thinks of 
       them.

       (Rom 3:19 TLB)  So the judgment of God lies very heavily upon the 
       Jews, for they are responsible to keep God's laws instead of doing all 
       these evil things; not one of them has any excuse; in fact, all the 
       world stands hushed and guilty before Almighty God.

       (Rom 3:20 TLB)  Now do you see it? No one can ever be made right in 
       God's sight by doing what the law commands. For the more we know of 
       God's laws, the clearer it becomes that we aren't obeying them; his 
       laws serve only to make us see that we are sinners.

       (Rom 3:21 TLB)  But now God has shown us a different way to 
       heaven--not by "being good enough" and trying to keep his laws, but by 
       a new way (though not new, really, for the Scriptures told about it 
       long ago).

       (Rom 3:22 TLB)  Now God says he will accept and acquit us--declare us 
       "not guilty"--if we trust Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we 
       all can be saved in this same way, by coming to Christ, no matter who 
       we are or what we have been like.

       (Rom 3:23 TLB)  Yes, all have sinned; all fall short of God's glorious 
       ideal;

       (Rom 3:24 TLB)  yet now God declares us "not guilty" of offending him 
       if we trust in Jesus Christ, who in his kindness freely takes away our 
       sins.

       (Rom 3:25 TLB)  For God sent Christ Jesus to take the punishment for 
       our sins and to end all God's anger against us. He used Christ's blood 
       and our faith as the means of saving us from his wrath. In this way he 
       was being entirely fair, even though he did not punish those who 
       sinned in former times. For he was looking forward to the time when 
       Christ would come and take away those sins.

       (Rom 3:26 TLB)  And now in these days also he can receive sinners in 
       this same way because Jesus took away their sins. But isn't this 
       unfair for God to let criminals go free, and say that they are 
       innocent? No, for he does it on the basis of their trust in Jesus who 
       took away their sins.

       (Rom 3:27 TLB)  Then what can we boast about doing to earn our 
       salvation? Nothing at all. Why? Because our acquittal is not based on 
       our good deeds; it is based on what Christ has done and our faith in 
       him.

       (Rom 3:28 TLB)  So it is that we are saved by faith in Christ and not 
       by the good things we do.






       (Rom 3:29 TLB)  And does God save only the Jews in this way? No, the 
       Gentiles, too, may come to him in this same manner.

       (Rom 3:30 TLB)  God treats us all the same; all, whether Jews or 
       Gentiles, are acquitted if they have faith.

       (Rom 3:31 TLB)  Well then, if we are saved by faith, does this mean 
       that we no longer need obey God's laws? Just the opposite! In fact, 
       only when we trust Jesus can we truly obey him.

       (Rom 4:1 TLB)  Abraham was, humanly speaking, the founder of our 
       Jewish nation. What were his experiences concerning this question of 
       being saved by faith? Was it because of his good deeds that God 
       accepted him?

       (Rom 4:2 TLB)  If so, then he would have something to boast about. But 
       from God's point of view Abraham had no basis at all for pride.

       (Rom 4:3 TLB)  For the Scriptures tell us Abraham believed God, and 
       that is why God canceled his sins and declared him "not guilty."

       (Rom 4:4 TLB)  But didn't he earn his right to heaven by all the good 
       things he did? No, for being saved is a gift; if a person could earn 
       it by being good, then it wouldn't be free--but it is!

       (Rom 4:5 TLB)  It is given to those who do not work for it. For God 
       declares sinners to be good in his sight if they have faith in Christ 
       to save them from God's wrath.

       (Rom 4:6 TLB)  King David spoke of this, describing the happiness of 
       an undeserving sinner who is declared "not guilty" by God.

       (Rom 4:7 TLB)  "Blessed and to be envied," he said, "are those whose 
       sins are forgiven and put out of sight.

       (Rom 4:8 TLB)  Yes, what joy there is for anyone whose sins are no 
       longer counted against him by the Lord."

       (Rom 4:9 TLB)  Now then, the question: Is this blessing given only to 
       those who have faith in Christ but also keep the Jewish laws, or is 
       the blessing also given to those who do not keep the Jewish rules but 
       only trust in Christ? Well, what about Abraham? We say that he 
       received these blessings through his faith. Was it by faith alone, or 
       because he also kept the Jewish rules?

       (Rom 4:10 TLB)  For the answer to that question, answer this one: When 
       did God give this blessing to Abraham? It was before he became a Jew 
       --before he went through the Jewish initiation ceremony of 
       circumcision.

       (Rom 4:11 TLB)  It wasn't until later on, after God had promised to 
       bless him because of his faith, that he was circumcised. The 
       circumcision ceremony was a sign that Abraham already had faith and 
       that God had already accepted him and declared him just and good in 
       his sight--before the ceremony took place. So Abraham is the spiritual 





       father of those who believe and are saved without obeying Jewish laws. 
       We see, then, that those who do not keep these rules are justified by 
       God through faith.

       (Rom 4:12 TLB)  And Abraham is also the spiritual father of those Jews 
       who have been circumcised. They can see from his example that it is 
       not this ceremony that saves them, for Abraham found favor with God by 
       faith alone before he was circumcised.

       (Rom 4:13 TLB)  It is clear, then, that God's promise to give the 
       whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was not because Abraham 
       obeyed God's laws but because he trusted God to keep his promise.

       (Rom 4:14 TLB)  So if you still claim that God's blessings go to those 
       who are "good enough," then you are saying that God's promises to 
       those who have faith are meaningless, and faith is foolish.

       (Rom 4:15 TLB)  But the fact of the matter is this: when we try to 
       gain God's blessing and salvation by keeping his laws we always end up 
       under his anger, for we always fail to keep them. The only way we can 
       keep from breaking laws is not to have any to break!

       (Rom 4:16 TLB)  So God's blessings are given to us by faith, as a free 
       gift; we are certain to get them whether or not we follow Jewish 
       customs if we have faith like Abraham's, for Abraham is the father of 
       us all when it comes to these matters of faith.

       (Rom 4:17 TLB)  That is what the Scriptures mean when they say that 
       God made Abraham the father of many nations. God will accept all 
       people in every nation who trust God as Abraham did. And this promise 
       is from God himself, who makes the dead live again and speaks of 
       future events with as much certainty as though they were already past.

       (Rom 4:18 TLB)  So, when God told Abraham that he would give him a son 
       who would have many descendants and become a great nation, Abraham 
       believed God even though such a promise just couldn't come to pass!

       (Rom 4:19 TLB)  And because his faith was strong, he didn't worry 
       about the fact that he was too old to be a father at the age of one 
       hundred, and that Sarah his wife, at ninety, was also much too old to 
       have a baby.

       (Rom 4:20 TLB)  But Abraham never doubted. He believed God, for his 
       faith and trust grew ever stronger, and he praised God for this 
       blessing even before it happened.

       (Rom 4:21 TLB)  He was completely sure that God was well able to do 
       anything he promised.

       (Rom 4:22 TLB)  And because of Abraham's faith God forgave his sins 
       and declared him "not guilty."

       (Rom 4:23 TLB)  Now this wonderful statement--that he was accepted and 
       approved through his faith--wasn't just for Abraham's benefit.

       (Rom 4:24 TLB)  It was for us, too, assuring us that God will accept 





       us in the same way he accepted Abraham--when we believe the promises 
       of God who brought back Jesus our Lord from the dead.

       (Rom 4:25 TLB)  He died for our sins and rose again to make us right 
       with God, filling us with God's goodness.

       (Rom 5:1 TLB)  So now, since we have been made right in God's sight by 
       faith in his promises, we can have real peace with him because of what 
       Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.

       (Rom 5:2 TLB)  For because of our faith, he has brought us into this 
       place of highest privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and 
       joyfully look forward to actually becoming all that God has had in 
       mind for us to be.

       (Rom 5:3 TLB)  We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and 
       trials, for we know that they are good for us--they help us learn to 
       be patient.

       (Rom 5:4 TLB)  And patience develops strength of character in us and 
       helps us trust God more each time we use it until finally our hope and 
       faith are strong and steady.

       (Rom 5:5 TLB)  Then, when that happens, we are able to hold our heads 
       high no matter what happens and know that all is well, for we know how 
       dearly God loves us, and we feel this warm love everywhere within us 
       because God has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his 
       love.

       (Rom 5:6 TLB)  When we were utterly helpless, with no way of escape, 
       Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners who had no 
       use for him.

       (Rom 5:7 TLB)  Even if we were good, we really wouldn't expect anyone 
       to die for us, though, of course, that might be barely possible.

       (Rom 5:8 TLB)  But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ 
       to die for us while we were still sinners.

       (Rom 5:9 TLB)  And since by his blood he did all this for us as 
       sinners, how much more will he do for us now that he has declared us 
       not guilty? Now he will save us from all of God's wrath to come.

       (Rom 5:10 TLB)  And since, when we were his enemies, we were brought 
       back to God by the death of his Son, what blessings he must have for 
       us now that we are his friends and he is living within us!

       (Rom 5:11 TLB)  Now we rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with 
       God--all because of what our Lord Jesus Christ has done in dying for 
       our sins--making us friends of God.

       (Rom 5:12 TLB)  When Adam sinned, sin entered the entire human race. 
       His sin spread death throughout all the world, so everything began to 
       grow old and die, for all sinned.

       (Rom 5:13 TLB)  (We know that it was Adam's sin that caused this) 





       because although, of course, people were sinning from the time of Adam 
       until Moses, God did not in those days judge them guilty of death for 
       breaking his laws--because he had not yet given his laws to them nor 
       told them what he wanted them to do.

       (Rom 5:14 TLB)  So when their bodies died it was not for their own 
       sins since they themselves had never disobeyed God's special law 
       against eating the forbidden fruit, as Adam had. What a contrast 
       between Adam and Christ who was yet to come!

       (Rom 5:15 TLB)  And what a difference between man's sin and God's 
       forgiveness! For this one man, Adam, brought death to many through his 
       sin. But this one man, Jesus Christ, brought forgiveness to many 
       through God's mercy.

       (Rom 5:16 TLB)  Adam's one sin brought the penalty of death to many, 
       while Christ freely takes away many sins and gives glorious life 
       instead.

       (Rom 5:17 TLB)  The sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to be king 
       over all, but all who will take God's gift of forgiveness and 
       acquittal are kings of life because of this one man, Jesus Christ.

       (Rom 5:18 TLB)  Yes, Adam's sin brought punishment to all, but 
       Christ's righteousness makes men right with God, so that they can 
       live.

       (Rom 5:19 TLB)  Adam caused many to be sinners because he disobeyed 
       God, and Christ caused many to be made acceptable to God because he 
       obeyed.

       (Rom 5:20 TLB)  The Ten Commandments were given so that all could see 
       the extent of their failure to obey God's laws. But the more we see 
       our sinfulness, the more we see God's abounding grace forgiving us.

       (Rom 5:21 TLB)  Before, sin ruled over all men and brought them to 
       death, but now God's kindness rules instead, giving us right standing 
       with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

       (Rom 6:1 TLB)  Well then, shall we keep on sinning so that God can 
       keep on showing us more and more kindness and forgiveness?

       (Rom 6:2 TLB)  Of course not! Should we keep on sinning when we don't 
       have to?

       (Rom 6:3 TLB)  For sin's power over us was broken when we became 
       Christians and were baptized to become a part of Jesus Christ; through 
       his death the power of your sinful nature was shattered.

       (Rom 6:4 TLB)  Your old sin-loving nature was buried with him by 
       baptism when he died; and when God the Father, with glorious power, 
       brought him back to life again, you were given his wonderful new life 
       to enjoy.

       (Rom 6:5 TLB)  For you have become a part of him, and so you died with 
       him, so to speak, when he died; and now you share his new life and 





       shall rise as he did.

       (Rom 6:6 TLB)  Your old evil desires were nailed to the cross with 
       him; that part of you that loves to sin was crushed and fatally 
       wounded, so that your sin-loving body is no longer under sin's 
       control, no longer needs to be a slave to sin;

       (Rom 6:7 TLB)  for when you are deadened to sin you are freed from all 
       its allure and its power over you.

       (Rom 6:8 TLB)  And since your old sin-loving nature "died" with 
       Christ, we know that you will share his new life.

       (Rom 6:9 TLB)  Christ rose from the dead and will never die again. 
       Death no longer has any power over him.

       (Rom 6:10 TLB)  He died once for all to end sin's power, but now he 
       lives forever in unbroken fellowship with God.

       (Rom 6:11 TLB)  So look upon your old sin nature as dead and 
       unresponsive to sin, and instead be alive to God, alert to him, 
       through Jesus Christ our Lord.

       (Rom 6:12 TLB)  Do not let sin control your puny body any longer; do 
       not give in to its sinful desires.

       (Rom 6:13 TLB)  Do not let any part of your bodies become tools of 
       wickedness, to be used for sinning; but give yourselves completely to 
       God--every part of you--for you are back from death and you want to be 
       tools in the hands of God, to be used for his good purposes.

       (Rom 6:14 TLB)  Sin need never again be your master, for now you are 
       no longer tied to the law where sin enslaves you, but you are free 
       under God's favor and mercy.

       (Rom 6:15 TLB)  Does this mean that now we can go ahead and sin and 
       not worry about it? (For our salvation does not depend on keeping the 
       law but on receiving God's grace!) Of course not!

       (Rom 6:16 TLB)  Don't you realize that you can choose your own master? 
       You can choose sin (with death) or else obedience (with acquittal). 
       The one to whom you offer yourself--he will take you and be your 
       master, and you will be his slave.

       (Rom 6:17 TLB)  Thank God that though you once chose to be slaves of 
       sin, now you have obeyed with all your heart the teaching to which God 
       has committed you.

       (Rom 6:18 TLB)  And now you are free from your old master, sin; and 
       you have become slaves to your new master, righteousness.

       (Rom 6:19 TLB)  I speak this way, using the illustration of slaves and 
       masters, because it is easy to understand: just as you used to be 
       slaves to all kinds of sin, so now you must let yourselves be slaves 
       to all that is right and holy.





       (Rom 6:20 TLB)  In those days when you were slaves of sin you didn't 
       bother much with goodness.

       (Rom 6:21 TLB)  And what was the result? Evidently not good, since you 
       are ashamed now even to think about those things you used to do, for 
       all of them end in eternal doom.

       (Rom 6:22 TLB)  But now you are free from the power of sin and are 
       slaves of God, and his benefits to you include holiness and 
       everlasting life.

       (Rom 6:23 TLB)  For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of 
       God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

       (Rom 7:1 TLB)  Don't you understand yet, dear Jewish brothers in 
       Christ, that when a person dies the law no longer holds him in its 
       power?

       (Rom 7:2 TLB)  Let me illustrate: when a woman marries, the law binds 
       her to her husband as long as he is alive. But if he dies, she is no 
       longer bound to him; the laws of marriage no longer apply to her.

       (Rom 7:3 TLB)  Then she can marry someone else if she wants to. That 
       would be wrong while he was alive, but it is perfectly all right after 
       he dies.

       (Rom 7:4 TLB)  Your "husband," your master, used to be the Jewish law; 
       but you "died," as it were, with Christ on the cross; and since you 
       are "dead," you are no longer "married to the law," and it has no more 
       control over you. Then you came back to life again when Christ did and 
       are a new person. And now you are "married," so to speak, to the one 
       who rose from the dead, so that you can produce good fruit, that is, 
       good deeds for God.

       (Rom 7:5 TLB)  When your old nature was still active, sinful desires 
       were at work within you, making you want to do whatever God said not 
       to and producing sinful deeds, the rotting fruit of death.

       (Rom 7:6 TLB)  But now you need no longer worry about the Jewish laws 
       and customs because you "died" while in their captivity, and now you 
       can really serve God; not in the old way, mechanically obeying a set 
       of rules, but in the new way, (with all of your hearts and minds).

       (Rom 7:7 TLB)  Well then, am I suggesting that these laws of God are 
       evil? Of course not! No, the law is not sinful, but it was the law 
       that showed me my sin. I would never have known the sin in my 
       heart--the evil desires that are hidden there--if the law had not 
       said, "You must not have evil desires in your heart."

       (Rom 7:8 TLB)  But sin used this law against evil desires by reminding 
       me that such desires are wrong, and arousing all kinds of forbidden 
       desires within me! Only if there were no laws to break would there be 
       no sinning.

       (Rom 7:9 TLB)  That is why I felt fine so long as I did not understand 
       what the law really demanded. But when I learned the truth, I realized 





       that I had broken the law and was a sinner, doomed to die.

       (Rom 7:10 TLB)  So as far as I was concerned, the good law which was 
       supposed to show me the way of life resulted instead in my being given 
       the death penalty.

       (Rom 7:11 TLB)  Sin fooled me by taking the good laws of God and using 
       them to make me guilty of death.

       (Rom 7:12 TLB)  But still, you see, the law itself was wholly right 
       and good.

       (Rom 7:13 TLB)  But how can that be? Didn't the law cause my doom? How 
       then can it be good? No, it was sin, devilish stuff that it is, that 
       used what was good to bring about my condemnation. So you can see how 
       cunning and deadly and damnable it is. For it uses God's good laws for 
       its own evil purposes.

       (Rom 7:14 TLB)  The law is good, then, and the trouble is not there 
       but with me because I am sold into slavery with Sin as my owner.

       (Rom 7:15 TLB)  I don't understand myself at all, for I really want to 
       do what is right, but I can't. I do what I don't want to--what I hate.

       (Rom 7:16 TLB)  I know perfectly well that what I am doing is wrong, 
       and my bad conscience proves that I agree with these laws I am 
       breaking.

       (Rom 7:17 TLB)  But I can't help myself because I'm no longer doing 
       it. It is sin inside me that is stronger than I am that makes me do 
       these evil things.

       (Rom 7:18 TLB)  I know I am rotten through and through so far as my 
       old sinful nature is concerned. No matter which way I turn I can't 
       make myself do right. I want to but I can't.

       (Rom 7:19 TLB)  When I want to do good, I don't; and when I try not to 
       do wrong, I do it anyway.

       (Rom 7:20 TLB)  Now if I am doing what I don't want to, it is plain 
       where the trouble is: sin still has me in its evil grasp.

       (Rom 7:21 TLB)  It seems to be a fact of life that when I want to do 
       what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong.

       (Rom 7:22 TLB)  I love to do God's will so far as my new nature is 
       concerned;

       (Rom 7:23 TLB)  but there is something else deep within me, in my 
       lower nature, that is at war with my mind and wins the fight and makes 
       me a slave to the sin that is still within me. In my mind I want to be 
       God's willing servant, but instead I find myself still enslaved to 
       sin.

       (Rom 7:24 TLB)  So you see how it is: my new life tells me to do 
       right, but the old nature that is still inside me loves to sin. Oh, 





       what a terrible predicament I'm in! Who will free me from my slavery 
       to this deadly lower nature?

       (Rom 7:25 TLB)  Thank God! It has been done by Jesus Christ our Lord. 
       He has set me free.

       (Rom 8:1 TLB)  So there is now no condemnation awaiting those who 
       belong to Christ Jesus.

       (Rom 8:2 TLB)  For the power of the life-giving Spirit--and this power 
       is mine through Christ Jesus--has freed me from the vicious circle of 
       sin and death.

       (Rom 8:3 TLB)  We aren't saved from sin's grasp by knowing the 
       commandments of God because we can't and don't keep them, but God put 
       into effect a different plan to save us. He sent his own Son in a 
       human body like ours--except that ours are sinful--and destroyed sin's 
       control over us by giving himself as a sacrifice for our sins.

       (Rom 8:4 TLB)  So now we can obey God's laws if we follow after the 
       Holy Spirit and no longer obey the old evil nature within us.

       (Rom 8:5 TLB)  Those who let themselves be controlled by their lower 
       natures live only to please themselves, but those who follow after the 
       Holy Spirit find themselves doing those things that please God.

       (Rom 8:6 TLB)  Following after the Holy Spirit leads to life and 
       peace, but following after the old nature leads to death

       (Rom 8:7 TLB)  because the old sinful nature within us is against God. 
       It never did obey God's laws and it never will.

       (Rom 8:8 TLB)  That's why those who are still under the control of 
       their old sinful selves, bent on following their old evil desires, can 
       never please God.

       (Rom 8:9 TLB)  But you are not like that. You are controlled by your 
       new nature if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember 
       that if anyone doesn't have the Spirit of Christ living in him, he is 
       not a Christian at all.)

       (Rom 8:10 TLB)  Yet, even though Christ lives within you, your body 
       will die because of sin; but your spirit will live, for Christ has 
       pardoned it.

       (Rom 8:11 TLB)  And if the Spirit of God, who raised up Jesus from the 
       dead, lives in you, he will make your dying bodies live again after 
       you die, by means of this same Holy Spirit living within you.

       (Rom 8:12 TLB)  So, dear brothers, you have no obligations whatever to 
       your old sinful nature to do what it begs you to do.

       (Rom 8:13 TLB)  For if you keep on following it you are lost and will 
       perish, but if through the power of the Holy Spirit you crush it and 
       its evil deeds, you shall live.





       (Rom 8:14 TLB)  For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of 
       God.

       (Rom 8:15 TLB)  And so we should not be like cringing, fearful slaves, 
       but we should behave like God's very own children, adopted into the 
       bosom of his family, and calling to him, "Father, Father."

       (Rom 8:16 TLB)  For his Holy Spirit speaks to us deep in our hearts 
       and tells us that we really are God's children.

       (Rom 8:17 TLB)  And since we are his children, we will share his 
       treasures--for all God gives to his Son Jesus is now ours too. But if 
       we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.

       (Rom 8:18 TLB)  Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the 
       glory he will give us later.

       (Rom 8:19 TLB)  For all creation is waiting patiently and hopefully 
       for that future day when God will resurrect his children.

       (Rom 8:20 TLB)  For on that day thorns and thistles, sin, death, and 
       decay--the things that overcame the world against its will at God's 
       command--will all disappear,

       (Rom 8:21 TLB)  and the world around us will share in the glorious 
       freedom from sin which God's children enjoy.

       (Rom 8:22 TLB)  For we know that even the things of nature, like 
       animals and plants, suffer in sickness and death as they await this 
       great event.

       (Rom 8:23 TLB)  And even we Christians, although we have the Holy 
       Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, also groan to be 
       released from pain and suffering. We, too, wait anxiously for that day 
       when God will give us our full rights as his children, including the 
       new bodies he has promised us--bodies that will never be sick again 
       and will never die.

       (Rom 8:24 TLB)  We are saved by trusting. And trusting means looking 
       forward to getting something we don't yet have--for a man who already 
       has something doesn't need to hope and trust that he will get it.

       (Rom 8:25 TLB)  But if we must keep trusting God for something that 
       hasn't happened yet, it teaches us to wait patiently and confidently.

       (Rom 8:26 TLB)  And in the same way--by our faith--the Holy Spirit 
       helps us with our daily problems and in our praying. For we don't even 
       know what we should pray for nor how to pray as we should, but the 
       Holy Spirit prays for us with such feeling that it cannot be expressed 
       in words.

       (Rom 8:27 TLB)  And the Father who knows all hearts knows, of course, 
       what the Spirit is saying as he pleads for us in harmony with God's 
       own will.

       (Rom 8:28 TLB)  And we know that all that happens to us is working for 





       our good if we love God and are fitting into his plans.

       (Rom 8:29 TLB)  For from the very beginning God decided that those who 
       came to him--and all along he knew who would--should become like his 
       Son, so that his Son would be the First, with many brothers.

       (Rom 8:30 TLB)  And having chosen us, he called us to come to him; and 
       when we came, he declared us "not guilty," filled us with Christ's 
       goodness, gave us right standing with himself, and promised us his 
       glory.

       (Rom 8:31 TLB)  What can we ever say to such wonderful things as 
       these? If God is on our side, who can ever be against us?

       (Rom 8:32 TLB)  Since he did not spare even his own Son for us but 
       gave him up for us all, won't he also surely give us everything else?

       (Rom 8:33 TLB)  Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? 
       Will God? No! He is the one who has forgiven us and given us right 
       standing with himself.

       (Rom 8:34 TLB)  Who then will condemn us? Will Christ? No! For he is 
       the one who died for us and came back to life again for us and is 
       sitting at the place of highest honor next to God, pleading for us 
       there in heaven.

       (Rom 8:35 TLB)  Who then can ever keep Christ's love from us? When we 
       have trouble or calamity, when we are hunted down or destroyed, is it 
       because he doesn't love us anymore? And if we are hungry or penniless 
       or in danger or threatened with death, has God deserted us?

       (Rom 8:36 TLB)  No, for the Scriptures tell us that for his sake we 
       must be ready to face death at every moment of the day--we are like 
       sheep awaiting slaughter;

       (Rom 8:37 TLB)  but despite all this, overwhelming victory is ours 
       through Christ who loved us enough to die for us.

       (Rom 8:38 TLB)  For I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us 
       from his love. Death can't, and life can't. The angels won't, and all 
       the powers of hell itself cannot keep God's love away. Our fears for 
       today, our worries about tomorrow,

       (Rom 8:39 TLB)  or where we are--high above the sky, or in the deepest 
       ocean--nothing will ever be able to separate us from the love of God 
       demonstrated by our Lord Jesus Christ when he died for us.

       (Rom 9:1 TLB)  O Israel, my people! O my Jewish brothers! How I long 
       for you to come to Christ.

       (Rom 9:2 TLB)  My heart is heavy within me, and I grieve bitterly day 
       and night because of you.

       (Rom 9:3 TLB)  Christ knows and the Holy Spirit knows that it is no 
       mere pretense when I say that I would be willing to be forever damned 
       if that would save you.






       (Rom 9:4 TLB)  God has given you so much, but still you will not 
       listen to him. He took you as his own special, chosen people and led 
       you along with a bright cloud of glory and told you how very much he 
       wanted to bless you. He gave you his rules for daily life so you would 
       know what he wanted you to do. He let you worship him and gave you 
       mighty promises.

       (Rom 9:5 TLB)  Great men of God were your fathers, and Christ himself 
       was one of you, a Jew so far as his human nature is concerned, he who 
       now rules over all things. Praise God forever!

       (Rom 9:6 TLB)  Well then, has God failed to fulfill his promises to 
       the Jews? No! (For these promises are only to those who are truly 
       Jews.) And not everyone born into a Jewish family is truly a Jew!

       (Rom 9:7 TLB)  Just the fact that they come from Abraham doesn't make 
       them truly Abraham's children. For the Scriptures say that the 
       promises apply only to Abraham's son Isaac and Isaac's descendants, 
       though Abraham had other children too.

       (Rom 9:8 TLB)  This means that not all of Abraham's children are 
       children of God, but only those who believe the promise of salvation 
       which he made to Abraham.

       (Rom 9:9 TLB)  For God had promised, "Next year I will give you and 
       Sarah a son."

       (Rom 9:10 TLB)  And years later, when this son Isaac was grown up and 
       married and Rebecca his wife was about to bear him twin children,

       (Rom 9:11 TLB)  God told her that Esau, the child born first, would be 
       a servant to Jacob, his twin brother.

       (Rom 9:12 TLB)  In the words of the Scripture, "I chose to bless Jacob 
       but not Esau."

       (Rom 9:13 TLB)  And God said this before the children were even born, 
       before they had done anything either good or bad. This proves that God 
       was doing what he had decided from the beginning; it was not because 
       of what the children did but because of what God wanted and chose.

       (Rom 9:14 TLB)  Was God being unfair? Of course not.

       (Rom 9:15 TLB)  For God had said to Moses, "If I want to be kind to 
       someone, I will. And I will take pity on anyone I want to."

       (Rom 9:16 TLB)  And so God's blessings are not given just because 
       someone decides to have them or works hard to get them. They are given 
       because God takes pity on those he wants to.

       (Rom 9:17 TLB)  Pharaoh, king of Egypt, was an example of this fact. 
       For God told him he had given him the kingdom of Egypt for the very 
       purpose of displaying the awesome power of God against him, so that 
       all the world would hear about God's glorious name.





       (Rom 9:18 TLB)  So you see, God is kind to some just because he wants 
       to be, and he makes some refuse to listen.

       (Rom 9:19 TLB)  Well then, why does God blame them for not listening? 
       Haven't they done what he made them do?

       (Rom 9:20 TLB)  No, don't say that. Who are you to criticize God? 
       Should the thing made say to the one who made it, "Why have you made 
       me like this?"

       (Rom 9:21 TLB)  When a man makes a jar out of clay, doesn't he have a 
       right to use the same lump of clay to make one jar beautiful, to be 
       used for holding flowers, and another to throw garbage into?

       (Rom 9:22 TLB)  Does not God have a perfect right to show his fury and 
       power against those who are fit only for destruction, those he has 
       been patient with for all this time?

       (Rom 9:23 TLB)  And he has a right to take others such as ourselves, 
       who have been made for pouring the riches of his glory into,

       (Rom 9:24 TLB)  whether we are Jews or Gentiles, and to be kind to us 
       so that everyone can see how very great his glory is.

       (Rom 9:25 TLB)  Remember what the prophecy of Hosea says? There God 
       says that he will find other children for himself (who are not from 
       his Jewish family) and will love them, though no one had ever loved 
       them before.

       (Rom 9:26 TLB)  And the heathen, of whom it once was said, "You are 
       not my people," shall be called "sons of the Living God."

       (Rom 9:27 TLB)  Isaiah the prophet cried out concerning the Jews that 
       though there would be millions of them, only a small number would ever 
       be saved.

       (Rom 9:28 TLB)  "For the Lord will execute his sentence upon the 
       earth, quickly ending his dealings, justly cutting them short."

       (Rom 9:29 TLB)  And Isaiah says in another place that except for God's 
       mercy all the Jews would be destroyed--all of them--just as everyone 
       in the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah perished.

       (Rom 9:30 TLB)  Well then, what shall we say about these things? Just 
       this, that God has given the Gentiles the opportunity to be acquitted 
       by faith, even though they had not been really seeking God.

       (Rom 9:31 TLB)  But the Jews, who tried so hard to get right with God 
       by keeping his laws, never succeeded.

       (Rom 9:32 TLB)  Why not? Because they were trying to be saved by 
       keeping the law and being good instead of by depending on faith. They 
       have stumbled over the great stumbling stone.

       (Rom 9:33 TLB)  God warned them of this in the Scriptures when he 
       said, "I have put a Rock in the path of the Jews, and many will 





       stumble over him (Jesus). Those who believe in him will never be 
       disappointed."

       (Rom 10:1 TLB)  Dear brothers, the longing of my heart and my prayer 
       is that the Jewish people might be saved.

       (Rom 10:2 TLB)  I know what enthusiasm they have for the honor of God, 
       but it is misdirected zeal.

       (Rom 10:3 TLB)  For they don't understand that Christ has died to make 
       them right with God. Instead they are trying to make themselves good 
       enough to gain God's favor by keeping the Jewish laws and customs, but 
       that is not God's way of salvation.

       (Rom 10:4 TLB)  They don't understand that Christ gives to those who 
       trust in him everything they are trying to get by keeping his laws. He 
       ends all of that.

       (Rom 10:5 TLB)  For Moses wrote that if a person could be perfectly 
       good and hold out against temptation all his life and never sin once, 
       only then could he be pardoned and saved.

       (Rom 10:6 TLB)  But the salvation that comes through faith says, "You 
       don't need to search the heavens to find Christ and bring him down to 
       help you," and,

       (Rom 10:7 TLB)  "You don't need to go among the dead to bring Christ 
       back to life again."

       (Rom 10:8 TLB)  For salvation that comes from trusting Christ--which 
       is what we preach--is already within easy reach of each of us; in 
       fact, it is as near as our own hearts and mouths.

       (Rom 10:9 TLB)  For if you tell others with your own mouth that Jesus 
       Christ is your Lord and believe in your own heart that God has raised 
       him from the dead, you will be saved.

       (Rom 10:10 TLB)  For it is by believing in his heart that a man 
       becomes right with God; and with his mouth he tells others of his 
       faith, confirming his salvation.

       (Rom 10:11 TLB)  For the Scriptures tell us that no one who believes 
       in Christ will ever be disappointed.

       (Rom 10:12 TLB)  Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect: they 
       all have the same Lord who generously gives his riches to all those 
       who ask him for them.

       (Rom 10:13 TLB)  Anyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be 
       saved.

       (Rom 10:14 TLB)  But how shall they ask him to save them unless they 
       believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never 
       heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells 
       them?





       (Rom 10:15 TLB)  And how will anyone go and tell them unless someone 
       sends him? That is what the Scriptures are talking about when they 
       say, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the Gospel of 
       peace with God and bring glad tidings of good things." In other words, 
       how welcome are those who come preaching God's Good News!

       (Rom 10:16 TLB)  But not everyone who hears the Good News has welcomed 
       it, for Isaiah the prophet said, "Lord, who has believed me when I 
       told them?"

       (Rom 10:17 TLB)  Yet faith comes from listening to this Good News--the 
       Good News about Christ.

       (Rom 10:18 TLB)  But what about the Jews? Have they heard God's Word? 
       Yes, for it has gone wherever they are; the Good News has been told to 
       the ends of the earth.

       (Rom 10:19 TLB)  And did they understand (that God would give his 
       salvation to others if they refused to take it)? Yes, for even back in 
       the time of Moses, God had said that he would make his people jealous 
       and try to wake them up by giving his salvation to the foolish heathen 
       nations.

       (Rom 10:20 TLB)  And later on Isaiah said boldly that God would be 
       found by people who weren't even looking for him.

       (Rom 10:21 TLB)  In the meantime, he keeps on reaching out his hands 
       to the Jews, but they keep arguing and refusing to come.

       (Rom 11:1 TLB)  I ask then, has God rejected and deserted his people 
       the Jews? Oh no, not at all. Remember that I myself am a Jew, a 
       descendant of Abraham and a member of Benjamin's family.

       (Rom 11:2 TLB)  No, God has not discarded his own people whom he chose 
       from the very beginning. Do you remember what the Scriptures say about 
       this? Elijah the prophet was complaining to God about the Jews,

       (Rom 11:3 TLB)  telling God how they had killed the prophets and torn 
       down God's altars; Elijah claimed that he was the only one left in all 
       the land who still loved God, and now they were trying to kill him 
       too.

       (Rom 11:4 TLB)  And do you remember how God replied? God said, "No, 
       you are not the only one left. I have seven thousand others besides 
       you who still love me and have not bowed down to idols!"

       (Rom 11:5 TLB)  It is the same today. Not all the Jews have turned 
       away from God; there are a few being saved as a result of God's 
       kindness in choosing them.

       (Rom 11:6 TLB)  And if it is by God's kindness, then it is not by 
       their being good enough. For in that case the free gift would no 
       longer be free--it isn't free when it is earned.

       (Rom 11:7 TLB)  So this is the situation: Most of the Jews have not 
       found the favor of God they are looking for. A few have--the ones God 





       has picked out--but the eyes of the others have been blinded.

       (Rom 11:8 TLB)  This is what our Scriptures refer to when they say 
       that God has put them to sleep, shutting their eyes and ears so that 
       they do not understand what we are talking about when we tell them of 
       Christ. And so it is to this very day.

       (Rom 11:9 TLB)  King David spoke of this same thing when he said, "Let 
       their good food and other blessings trap them into thinking all is 
       well between themselves and God. Let these good things boomerang on 
       them and fall back upon their heads to justly crush them.

       (Rom 11:10 TLB)  Let their eyes be dim," he said, "so that they cannot 
       see, and let them walk bent-backed forever with a heavy load."

       (Rom 11:11 TLB)  Does this mean that God has rejected his Jewish 
       people forever? Of course not! His purpose was to make his salvation 
       available to the Gentiles, and then the Jews would be jealous and 
       begin to want God's salvation for themselves.

       (Rom 11:12 TLB)  Now if the whole world became rich as a result of 
       God's offer of salvation, when the Jews stumbled over it and turned it 
       down, think how much greater a blessing the world will share in later 
       on when the Jews, too, come to Christ.

       (Rom 11:13 TLB)  As you know, God has appointed me as a special 
       messenger to you Gentiles. I lay great stress on this and remind the 
       Jews about it as often as I can,

       (Rom 11:14 TLB)  so that if possible I can make them want what you 
       Gentiles have and in that way save some of them.

       (Rom 11:15 TLB)  And how wonderful it will be when they become 
       Christians! When God turned away from them it meant that he turned to 
       the rest of the world to offer his salvation; and now it is even more 
       wonderful when the Jews come to Christ. It will be like dead people 
       coming back to life.

       (Rom 11:16 TLB)  And since Abraham and the prophets are God's people, 
       their children will be too. For if the roots of the tree are holy, the 
       branches will be too.

       (Rom 11:17 TLB)  But some of these branches from Abraham's tree, some 
       of the Jews, have been broken off. And you Gentiles who were branches 
       from, we might say, a wild olive tree, were grafted in. So now you, 
       too, receive the blessing God has promised Abraham and his children, 
       sharing in God's rich nourishment of his own special olive tree.

       (Rom 11:18 TLB)  But you must be careful not to brag about being put 
       in to replace the branches that were broken off. Remember that you are 
       important only because you are now a part of God's tree; you are just 
       a branch, not a root.

       (Rom 11:19 TLB)  "Well," you may be saying, "those branches were 
       broken off to make room for me, so I must be pretty good."





       (Rom 11:20 TLB)  Watch out! Remember that those branches, the Jews, 
       were broken off because they didn't believe God, and you are there 
       only because you do. Do not be proud; be humble and grateful--and 
       careful.

       (Rom 11:21 TLB)  For if God did not spare the branches he put there in 
       the first place, he won't spare you either.

       (Rom 11:22 TLB)  Notice how God is both kind and severe. He is very 
       hard on those who disobey, but very good to you if you continue to 
       love and trust him. But if you don't, you too will be cut off.

       (Rom 11:23 TLB)  On the other hand, if the Jews leave their unbelief 
       behind them and come back to God, God will graft them back into the 
       tree again. He has the power to do it.

       (Rom 11:24 TLB)  For if God was willing to take you who were so far 
       away from him--being part of a wild olive tree--and graft you into his 
       own good tree--a very unusual thing to do--don't you see that he will 
       be far more ready to put the Jews back again, who were there in the 
       first place?

       (Rom 11:25 TLB)  I want you to know about this truth from God, dear 
       brothers, so that you will not feel proud and start bragging. Yes, it 
       is true that some of the Jews have set themselves against the Gospel 
       now, but this will last only until all of you Gentiles have come to 
       Christ--those of you who will.

       (Rom 11:26 TLB)  And then all Israel will be saved. Do you remember 
       what the prophets said about this? "There shall come out of Zion a 
       Deliverer, and he shall turn the Jews from all ungodliness.

       (Rom 11:27 TLB)  At that time I will take away their sins, just as I 
       promised."

       (Rom 11:28 TLB)  Now many of the Jews are enemies of the Gospel. They 
       hate it. But this has been a benefit to you, for it has resulted in 
       God's giving his gifts to you Gentiles. Yet the Jews are still beloved 
       of God because of his promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

       (Rom 11:29 TLB)  For God's gifts and his call can never be withdrawn; 
       he will never go back on his promises.

       (Rom 11:30 TLB)  Once you were rebels against God, but when the Jews 
       refused his gifts God was merciful to you instead.

       (Rom 11:31 TLB)  And now the Jews are the rebels, but some day they, 
       too, will share in God's mercy upon you.

       (Rom 11:32 TLB)  For God has given them all up to sin so that he could 
       have mercy upon all alike.

       (Rom 11:33 TLB)  Oh, what a wonderful God we have! How great are his 
       wisdom and knowledge and riches! How impossible it is for us to 
       understand his decisions and his methods!





       (Rom 11:34 TLB)  For who among us can know the mind of the Lord? Who 
       knows enough to be his counselor and guide?

       (Rom 11:35 TLB)  And who could ever offer to the Lord enough to induce 
       him to act?

       (Rom 11:36 TLB)  For everything comes from God alone. Everything lives 
       by his power, and everything is for his glory. To him be glory 
       evermore.

       (Rom 12:1 TLB)  And so, dear brothers, I plead with you to give your 
       bodies to God. Let them be a living sacrifice, holy--the kind he can 
       accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much 
       to ask?

       (Rom 12:2 TLB)  Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but 
       be a new and different person with a fresh newness in all you do and 
       think. Then you will learn from your own experience how his ways will 
       really satisfy you.

       (Rom 12:3 TLB)  As God's messenger I give each of you God's warning: 
       Be honest in your estimate of yourselves, measuring your value by how 
       much faith God has given you.

       (Rom 12:4 TLB)  Just as there are many parts to our bodies, so it is 
       with Christ's body.

       (Rom 12:5 TLB)  We are all parts of it, and it takes every one of us 
       to make it complete, for we each have different work to do. So we 
       belong to each other, and each needs all the others.

       (Rom 12:6 TLB)  God has given each of us the ability to do certain 
       things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, then 
       prophesy whenever you can--as often as your faith is strong enough to 
       receive a message from God.

       (Rom 12:7 TLB)  If your gift is that of serving others, serve them 
       well. If you are a teacher, do a good job of teaching.

       (Rom 12:8 TLB)  If you are a preacher, see to it that your sermons are 
       strong and helpful. If God has given you money, be generous in helping 
       others with it. If God has given you administrative ability and put 
       you in charge of the work of others, take the responsibility 
       seriously. Those who offer comfort to the sorrowing should do so with 
       Christian cheer.

       (Rom 12:9 TLB)  Don't just pretend that you love others: really love 
       them. Hate what is wrong. Stand on the side of the good.

       (Rom 12:10 TLB)  Love each other with brotherly affection and take 
       delight in honoring each other.

       (Rom 12:11 TLB)  Never be lazy in your work, but serve the Lord 
       enthusiastically.

       (Rom 12:12 TLB)  Be glad for all God is planning for you. Be patient 





       in trouble, and prayerful always.

       (Rom 12:13 TLB)  When God's children are in need, you be the one to 
       help them out. And get into the habit of inviting guests home for 
       dinner or, if they need lodging, for the night.

       (Rom 12:14 TLB)  If someone mistreats you because you are a Christian, 
       don't curse him; pray that God will bless him.

       (Rom 12:15 TLB)  When others are happy, be happy with them. If they 
       are sad, share their sorrow.

       (Rom 12:16 TLB)  Work happily together. Don't try to act big. Don't 
       try to get into the good graces of important people, but enjoy the 
       company of ordinary folks. And don't think you know it all!

       (Rom 12:17 TLB)  Never pay back evil for evil. Do things in such a way 
       that everyone can see you are honest clear through.

       (Rom 12:18 TLB)  Don't quarrel with anyone. Be at peace with everyone, 
       just as much as possible.

       (Rom 12:19 TLB)  Dear friends, never avenge yourselves. Leave that to 
       God, for he has said that he will repay those who deserve it. (Don't 
       take the law into your own hands.)

       (Rom 12:20 TLB)  Instead, feed your enemy if he is hungry. If he is 
       thirsty give him something to drink and you will be "heaping coals of 
       fire on his head." In other words, he will feel ashamed of himself for 
       what he has done to you.

       (Rom 12:21 TLB)  Don't let evil get the upper hand, but conquer evil 
       by doing good.

       (Rom 13:1 TLB)  Obey the government, for God is the one who has put it 
       there. There is no government anywhere that God has not placed in 
       power.

       (Rom 13:2 TLB)  So those who refuse to obey the laws of the land are 
       refusing to obey God, and punishment will follow.

       (Rom 13:3 TLB)  For the policeman does not frighten people who are 
       doing right; but those doing evil will always fear him. So if you 
       don't want to be afraid, keep the laws and you will get along well.

       (Rom 13:4 TLB)  The policeman is sent by God to help you. But if you 
       are doing something wrong, of course you should be afraid, for he will 
       have you punished. He is sent by God for that very purpose.

       (Rom 13:5 TLB)  Obey the laws, then, for two reasons: first, to keep 
       from being punished, and second, just because you know you should.

       (Rom 13:6 TLB)  Pay your taxes too, for these same two reasons. For 
       government workers need to be paid so that they can keep on doing 
       God's work, serving you.





       (Rom 13:7 TLB)  Pay everyone whatever he ought to have: pay your taxes 
       and import duties gladly, obey those over you, and give honor and 
       respect to all those to whom it is due.

       (Rom 13:8 TLB)  Pay all your debts except the debt of love for 
       others--never finish paying that! For if you love them, you will be 
       obeying all of God's laws, fulfilling all his requirements.

       (Rom 13:9 TLB)  If you love your neighbor as much as you love yourself 
       you will not want to harm or cheat him, or kill him or steal from him. 
       And you won't sin with his wife or want what is his, or do anything 
       else the Ten Commandments say is wrong. All ten are wrapped up in this 
       one, to love your neighbor as you love yourself.

       (Rom 13:10 TLB)  Love does no wrong to anyone. That's why it fully 
       satisfies all of God's requirements. It is the only law you need.

       (Rom 13:11 TLB)  Another reason for right living is this: you know how 
       late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for the coming of the Lord 
       is nearer now than when we first believed.

       (Rom 13:12 TLB)  The night is far gone, the day of his return will 
       soon be here. So quit the evil deeds of darkness and put on the armor 
       of right living, as we who live in the daylight should!

       (Rom 13:13 TLB)  Be decent and true in everything you do so that all 
       can approve your behavior. Don't spend your time in wild parties and 
       getting drunk or in adultery and lust or fighting or jealousy.

       (Rom 13:14 TLB)  But ask the Lord Jesus Christ to help you live as you 
       should, and don't make plans to enjoy evil.

       (Rom 14:1 TLB)  Give a warm welcome to any brother who wants to join 
       you, even though his faith is weak. Don't criticize him for having 
       different ideas from yours about what is right and wrong.

       (Rom 14:2 TLB)  For instance, don't argue with him about whether or 
       not to eat meat that has been offered to idols. You may believe there 
       is no harm in this, but the faith of others is weaker; they think it 
       is wrong and will go without any meat at all and eat vegetables rather 
       than eat that kind of meat.

       (Rom 14:3 TLB)  Those who think it is all right to eat such meat must 
       not look down on those who won't. And if you are one of those who 
       won't, don't find fault with those who do. For God has accepted them 
       to be his children.

       (Rom 14:4 TLB)  They are God's servants, not yours. They are 
       responsible to him, not to you. Let him tell them whether they are 
       right or wrong. And God is able to make them do as they should.

       (Rom 14:5 TLB)  Some think that Christians should observe the Jewish 
       holidays as special days to worship God, but others say it is wrong 
       and foolish to go to all that trouble, for every day alike belongs to 
       God. On questions of this kind everyone must decide for himself.





       (Rom 14:6 TLB)  If you have special days for worshiping the Lord, you 
       are trying to honor him; you are doing a good thing. So is the person 
       who eats meat that has been offered to idols; he is thankful to the 
       Lord for it; he is doing right. And the person who won't touch such 
       meat, he, too, is anxious to please the Lord, and is thankful.

       (Rom 14:7 TLB)  We are not our own bosses to live or die as we 
       ourselves might choose.

       (Rom 14:8 TLB)  Living or dying we follow the Lord. Either way we are 
       his.

       (Rom 14:9 TLB)  Christ died and rose again for this very purpose, so 
       that he can be our Lord both while we live and when we die.

       (Rom 14:10 TLB)  You have no right to criticize your brother or look 
       down on him. Remember, each of us will stand personally before the 
       Judgment Seat of God.

       (Rom 14:11 TLB)  For it is written, "As I live," says the Lord, "every 
       knee shall bow to me and every tongue confess to God."

       (Rom 14:12 TLB)  Yes, each of us will give an account of himself to 
       God.

       (Rom 14:13 TLB)  So don't criticize each other anymore. Try instead to 
       live in such a way that you will never make your brother stumble by 
       letting him see you doing something he thinks is wrong.

       (Rom 14:14 TLB)  As for myself, I am perfectly sure on the authority 
       of the Lord Jesus that there is nothing really wrong with eating meat 
       that has been offered to idols. But if someone believes it is wrong, 
       then he shouldn't do it because for him it is wrong.

       (Rom 14:15 TLB)  And if your brother is bothered by what you eat, you 
       are not acting in love if you go ahead and eat it. Don't let your 
       eating ruin someone for whom Christ died.

       (Rom 14:16 TLB)  Don't do anything that will cause criticism against 
       yourself even though you know that what you do is right.

       (Rom 14:17 TLB)  For, after all, the important thing for us as 
       Christians is not what we eat or drink but stirring up goodness and 
       peace and joy from the Holy Spirit.

       (Rom 14:18 TLB)  If you let Christ be Lord in these affairs, God will 
       be glad; and so will others.

       (Rom 14:19 TLB)  In this way aim for harmony in the church, and try to 
       build each other up.

       (Rom 14:20 TLB)  Don't undo the work of God for a chunk of meat. 
       Remember, there is nothing wrong with the meat, but it is wrong to eat 
       it if it makes another stumble.

       (Rom 14:21 TLB)  The right thing to do is to quit eating meat or 





       drinking wine or doing anything else that offends your brother or 
       makes him sin.

       (Rom 14:22 TLB)  You may know that there is nothing wrong with what 
       you do, even from God's point of view, but keep it to yourself; don't 
       flaunt your faith in front of others who might be hurt by it. In this 
       situation, happy is the man who does not sin by doing what he knows is 
       right.

       (Rom 14:23 TLB)  But anyone who believes that something he wants to do 
       is wrong shouldn't do it. He sins if he does, for he thinks it is 
       wrong, and so for him it is wrong. Anything that is done apart from 
       what he feels is right is sin.

       (Rom 15:1 TLB)  Even if we believe that it makes no difference to the 
       Lord whether we do these things, still we cannot just go ahead and do 
       them to please ourselves;

       (Rom 15:2 TLB)  for we must bear the "burden" of being considerate of 
       the doubts and fears of others--of those who feel these things are 
       wrong. Let's please the other fellow, not ourselves, and do what is 
       for his good and thus build him up in the Lord.

       (Rom 15:3 TLB)  Christ didn't please himself. As the Psalmist said, 
       "He came for the very purpose of suffering under the insults of those 
       who were against the Lord."

       (Rom 15:4 TLB)  These things that were written in the Scriptures so 
       long ago are to teach us patience and to encourage us so that we will 
       look forward expectantly to the time when God will conquer sin and 
       death.

       (Rom 15:5 TLB)  May God who gives patience, steadiness, and 
       encouragement help you to live in complete harmony with each 
       other--each with the attitude of Christ toward the other.

       (Rom 15:6 TLB)  And then all of us can praise the Lord together with 
       one voice, giving glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

       (Rom 15:7 TLB)  So warmly welcome each other into the church, just as 
       Christ has warmly welcomed you; then God will be glorified.

       (Rom 15:8 TLB)  Remember that Jesus Christ came to show that God is 
       true to his promises and to help the Jews.

       (Rom 15:9 TLB)  And remember that he came also that the Gentiles might 
       be saved and give glory to God for his mercies to them. That is what 
       the psalmist meant when he wrote: "I will praise you among the 
       Gentiles and sing to your name."

       (Rom 15:10 TLB)  And in another place, "Be glad, O you Gentiles, along 
       with his people the Jews."

       (Rom 15:11 TLB)  And yet again, "Praise the Lord, O you Gentiles; let 
       everyone praise him."





       (Rom 15:12 TLB)  And the prophet Isaiah said, "There shall be an Heir 
       in the house of Jesse, and he will be King over the Gentiles; they 
       will pin their hopes on him alone."

       (Rom 15:13 TLB)  So I pray for you Gentiles that God who gives you 
       hope will keep you happy and full of peace as you believe in him. I 
       pray that God will help you overflow with hope in him through the Holy 
       Spirit's power within you.

       (Rom 15:14 TLB)  I know that you are wise and good, my brothers, and 
       that you know these things so well that you are able to teach others 
       all about them.

       (Rom 15:15 TLB)  But even so I have been bold enough to emphasize some 
       of these points, knowing that all you need is this reminder from me; 
       for I am, by God's grace,

       (Rom 15:16 TLB)  a special messenger from Jesus Christ to you 
       Gentiles, bringing you the Gospel and offering you up as a fragrant 
       sacrifice to God; for you have been made pure and pleasing to him by 
       the Holy Spirit.

       (Rom 15:17 TLB)  So it is right for me to be a little proud of all 
       Christ Jesus has done through me.

       (Rom 15:18 TLB)  I dare not judge how effectively he has used others, 
       but I know this: he has used me to win the Gentiles to God.

       (Rom 15:19 TLB)  I have won them by my message and by the good way I 
       have lived before them and by the miracles done through me as signs 
       from God--all by the Holy Spirit's power. In this way I have preached 
       the full Gospel of Christ all the way from Jerusalem clear over into 
       Illyricum.

       (Rom 15:20 TLB)  But all the while my ambition has been to go still 
       farther, preaching where the name of Christ has never yet been heard, 
       rather than where a church has already been started by someone else.

       (Rom 15:21 TLB)  I have been following the plan spoken of in the 
       Scriptures where Isaiah says that those who have never heard the name 
       of Christ before will see and understand.

       (Rom 15:22 TLB)  In fact, that is the very reason I have been so long 
       in coming to visit you.

       (Rom 15:23 TLB)  But now at last I am through with my work here, and I 
       am ready to come after all these long years of waiting.

       (Rom 15:24 TLB)  For I am planning to take a trip to Spain, and when I 
       do, I will stop off there in Rome; and after we have had a good time 
       together for a little while, you can send me on my way again.

       (Rom 15:25 TLB)  But before I come, I must go down to Jerusalem to 
       take a gift to the Jewish Christians there.

       (Rom 15:26 TLB)  For you see, the Christians in Macedonia and Achaia 





       have taken up an offering for those in Jerusalem who are going through 
       such hard times.

       (Rom 15:27 TLB)  They were very glad to do this, for they feel that 
       they owe a real debt to the Jerusalem Christians. Why? Because the 
       news about Christ came to these Gentiles from the church in Jerusalem. 
       And since they received this wonderful spiritual gift of the Gospel 
       from there, they feel that the least they can do in return is to give 
       some material aid.

       (Rom 15:28 TLB)  As soon as I have delivered this money and completed 
       this good deed of theirs, I will come to see you on my way to Spain.

       (Rom 15:29 TLB)  And I am sure that when I come the Lord will give me 
       a great blessing for you.

       (Rom 15:30 TLB)  Will you be my prayer partners? For the Lord Jesus 
       Christ's sake and because of your love for me--given to you by the 
       Holy Spirit--pray much with me for my work.

       (Rom 15:31 TLB)  Pray that I will be protected in Jerusalem from those 
       who are not Christians. Pray also that the Christians there will be 
       willing to accept the money I am bringing them.

       (Rom 15:32 TLB)  Then I will be able to come to you with a happy heart 
       by the will of God, and we can refresh each other.

       (Rom 15:33 TLB)  And now may our God, who gives peace, be with you 
       all. Amen.

       (Rom 16:1 TLB)  Phoebe, a dear Christian woman from the town of 
       Cenchreae, will be coming to see you soon. She has worked hard in the 
       church there. Receive her as your sister in the Lord, giving her a 
       warm Christian welcome. Help her in every way you can, for she has 
       helped many in their needs, including me.

       (Rom 16:2 TLB)  

       (Rom 16:3 TLB)  Tell Priscilla and Aquila hello. They have been my 
       fellow workers in the affairs of Christ Jesus.

       (Rom 16:4 TLB)  In fact, they risked their lives for me, and I am not 
       the only one who is thankful to them; so are all the Gentile churches.

       (Rom 16:5 TLB)  Please give my greetings to all those who meet to 
       worship in their home. Greet my good friend Epaenetus. He was the very 
       first person to become a Christian in Asia.

       (Rom 16:6 TLB)  Remember me to Mary, too, who has worked so hard to 
       help us.

       (Rom 16:7 TLB)  Then there are Andronicus and Junias, my relatives who 
       were in prison with me. They are respected by the apostles and became 
       Christians before I did. Please give them my greetings.

       (Rom 16:8 TLB)  Say hello to Ampliatus, whom I love as one of God's 





       own children,

       (Rom 16:9 TLB)  and Urbanus, our fellow worker, and beloved Stachys.

       (Rom 16:10 TLB)  Then there is Apelles, a good man whom the Lord 
       approves; greet him for me. And give my best regards to those working 
       at the house of Aristobulus.

       (Rom 16:11 TLB)  Remember me to Herodion my relative. Remember me to 
       the Christian slaves over at Narcissus House.

       (Rom 16:12 TLB)  Say hello to Tryphaena and Tryphosa, the Lord's 
       workers, and to dear Persis, who has worked so hard for the Lord.

       (Rom 16:13 TLB)  Greet Rufus for me, whom the Lord picked out to be 
       his very own; and also his dear mother who has been such a mother to 
       me.

       (Rom 16:14 TLB)  And please give my greetings to Asyncritus, Phlegon, 
       Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the other brothers who are with them.

       (Rom 16:15 TLB)  Give my love to Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his 
       sister, and to Olympas, and all the Christians who are with them.

       (Rom 16:16 TLB)  Shake hands warmly with each other. All the churches 
       here send you their greetings.

       (Rom 16:17 TLB)  And now there is one more thing to say before I end 
       this letter. Stay away from those who cause divisions and are 
       upsetting people's faith, teaching things about Christ that are 
       contrary to what you have been taught.

       (Rom 16:18 TLB)  Such teachers are not working for our Lord Jesus but 
       only want gain for themselves. They are good speakers, and 
       simple-minded people are often fooled by them.

       (Rom 16:19 TLB)  But everyone knows that you stand loyal and true. 
       This makes me very happy. I want you always to remain very clear about 
       what is right and to stay innocent of any wrong.

       (Rom 16:20 TLB)  The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your 
       feet. The blessings from our Lord Jesus Christ be upon you.

       (Rom 16:21 TLB)  Timothy my fellow worker, and Lucius and Jason and 
       Sosipater, my relatives, send you their good wishes.

       (Rom 16:22 TLB)  I, Tertius, the one who is writing this letter for 
       Paul, send my greetings too, as a Christian brother.

       (Rom 16:23 TLB)  Gaius says to say hello to you for him. I am his 
       guest, and the church meets here in his home. Erastus, the city 
       treasurer, sends you his greetings and so does Quartus, a Christian 
       brother.

       (Rom 16:24 TLB)  Good-bye. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be 
       with you all.






       (Rom 16:25 TLB)  I commit you to God, who is able to make you strong 
       and steady in the Lord, just as the Gospel says, and just as I have 
       told you. This is God's plan of salvation for you Gentiles, kept 
       secret from the beginning of time.

       (Rom 16:26 TLB)  But now as the prophets foretold and as God commands, 
       this message is being preached everywhere, so that people all around 
       the world will have faith in Christ and obey him.

       (Rom 16:27 TLB)  To God, who alone is wise, be the glory forever 
       through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Sincerely, Paul

       (1 Cor 1:1 TLB)  From: Paul, chosen by God to be Jesus Christ's 
       missionary, and from brother Sosthenes.

       (1 Cor 1:2 TLB)  To: The Christians in Corinth, invited by God to be 
       his people and made acceptable to him by Christ Jesus. And to: All 
       Christians everywhere--whoever calls upon the name of Jesus Christ, 
       our Lord and theirs.

       (1 Cor 1:3 TLB)  May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you 
       all of his blessings, and great peace of heart and mind.

       (1 Cor 1:4 TLB)  I can never stop thanking God for all the wonderful 
       gifts he has given you, now that you are Christ's:

       (1 Cor 1:5 TLB)  he has enriched your whole life. He has helped you 
       speak out for him and has given you a full understanding of the truth;

       (1 Cor 1:6 TLB)  what I told you Christ could do for you has happened!

       (1 Cor 1:7 TLB)  Now you have every grace and blessing; every 
       spiritual gift and power for doing his will are yours during this time 
       of waiting for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ.

       (1 Cor 1:8 TLB)  And he guarantees right up to the end that you will 
       be counted free from all sin and guilt on that day when he returns.

       (1 Cor 1:9 TLB)  God will surely do this for you, for he always does 
       just what he says, and he is the one who invited you into this 
       wonderful friendship with his Son, even Christ our Lord.

       (1 Cor 1:10 TLB)  But, dear brothers, I beg you in the name of the 
       Lord Jesus Christ to stop arguing among yourselves. Let there be real 
       harmony so that there won't be splits in the church. I plead with you 
       to be of one mind, united in thought and purpose.

       (1 Cor 1:11 TLB)  For some of those who live at Chloe's house have 
       told me of your arguments and quarrels, dear brothers.

       (1 Cor 1:12 TLB)  Some of you are saying, "I am a follower of Paul"; 
       and others say that they are for Apollos or for Peter; and some that 
       they alone are the true followers of Christ.

       (1 Cor 1:13 TLB)  And so, in effect, you have broken Christ into many 





       pieces. But did I, Paul, die for your sins? Were any of you baptized 
       in my name?

       (1 Cor 1:14 TLB)  I am so thankful now that I didn't baptize any of 
       you except Crispus and Gaius.

       (1 Cor 1:15 TLB)  For now no one can think that I have been trying to 
       start something new, beginning a "Church of Paul."

       (1 Cor 1:16 TLB)  Oh, yes, and I baptized the family of Stephanas. I 
       don't remember ever baptizing anyone else.

       (1 Cor 1:17 TLB)  For Christ didn't send me to baptize, but to preach 
       the Gospel; and even my preaching sounds poor, for I do not fill my 
       sermons with profound words and high sounding ideas, for fear of 
       diluting the mighty power there is in the simple message of the cross 
       of Christ.

       (1 Cor 1:18 TLB)  I know very well how foolish it sounds to those who 
       are lost, when they hear that Jesus died to save them. But we who are 
       saved recognize this message as the very power of God.

       (1 Cor 1:19 TLB)  For God says, "I will destroy all human plans of 
       salvation no matter how wise they seem to be, and ignore the best 
       ideas of men, even the most brilliant of them."

       (1 Cor 1:20 TLB)  So what about these wise men, these scholars, these 
       brilliant debaters of this world's great affairs? God has made them 
       all look foolish and shown their wisdom to be useless nonsense.

       (1 Cor 1:21 TLB)  For God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would 
       never find God through human brilliance, and then he stepped in and 
       saved all those who believed his message, which the world calls 
       foolish and silly.

       (1 Cor 1:22 TLB)  It seems foolish to the Jews because they want a 
       sign from heaven as proof that what is preached is true; and it is 
       foolish to the Gentiles because they believe only what agrees with 
       their philosophy and seems wise to them.

       (1 Cor 1:23 TLB)  So when we preach about Christ dying to save them, 
       the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it's all nonsense.

       (1 Cor 1:24 TLB)  But God has opened the eyes of those called to 
       salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, to see that Christ is the mighty 
       power of God to save them; Christ himself is the center of God's wise 
       plan for their salvation.

       (1 Cor 1:25 TLB)  This so-called "foolish" plan of God is far wiser 
       than the wisest plan of the wisest man, and God in his 
       weakness--Christ dying on the cross--is far stronger than any man.

       (1 Cor 1:26 TLB)  Notice among yourselves, dear brothers, that few of 
       you who follow Christ have big names or power or wealth.

       (1 Cor 1:27 TLB)  Instead, God has deliberately chosen to use ideas 





       the world considers foolish and of little worth in order to shame 
       those people considered by the world as wise and great.

       (1 Cor 1:28 TLB)  He has chosen a plan despised by the world, counted 
       as nothing at all, and used it to bring down to nothing those the 
       world considers great,

       (1 Cor 1:29 TLB)  so that no one anywhere can ever brag in the 
       presence of God.

       (1 Cor 1:30 TLB)  For it is from God alone that you have your life 
       through Christ Jesus. He showed us God's plan of salvation; he was the 
       one who made us acceptable to God; he made us pure and holy and gave 
       himself to purchase our salvation.

       (1 Cor 1:31 TLB)  As it says in the Scriptures, "If anyone is going to 
       boast, let him boast only of what the Lord has done."

       (1 Cor 2:1 TLB)  Dear brothers, even when I first came to you I didn't 
       use lofty words and brilliant ideas to tell you God's message.

       (1 Cor 2:2 TLB)  For I decided that I would speak only of Jesus Christ 
       and his death on the cross.

       (1 Cor 2:3 TLB)  I came to you in weakness--timid and trembling.

       (1 Cor 2:4 TLB)  And my preaching was very plain, not with a lot of 
       oratory and human wisdom, but the Holy Spirit's power was in my words, 
       proving to those who heard them that the message was from God.

       (1 Cor 2:5 TLB)  I did this because I wanted your faith to stand 
       firmly upon God, not on man's great ideas.

       (1 Cor 2:6 TLB)  Yet when I am among mature Christians I do speak with 
       words of great wisdom, but not the kind that comes from here on earth, 
       and not the kind that appeals to the great men of this world, who are 
       doomed to fall.

       (1 Cor 2:7 TLB)  Our words are wise because they are from God, telling 
       of God's wise plan to bring us into the glories of heaven. This plan 
       was hidden in former times, though it was made for our benefit before 
       the world began.

       (1 Cor 2:8 TLB)  But the great men of the world have not understood 
       it; if they had, they never would have crucified the Lord of Glory.

       (1 Cor 2:9 TLB)  That is what is meant by the Scriptures which say 
       that no mere man has ever seen, heard, or even imagined what wonderful 
       things God has ready for those who love the Lord.

       (1 Cor 2:10 TLB)  But we know about these things because God has sent 
       his Spirit to tell us, and his Spirit searches out and shows us all of 
       God's deepest secrets.

       (1 Cor 2:11 TLB)  No one can really know what anyone else is thinking 
       or what he is really like except that person himself. And no one can 





       know God's thoughts except God's own Spirit.

       (1 Cor 2:12 TLB)  And God has actually given us his Spirit (not the 
       world's spirit) to tell us about the wonderful free gifts of grace and 
       blessing that God has given us.

       (1 Cor 2:13 TLB)  In telling you about these gifts we have even used 
       the very words given to us by the Holy Spirit, not words that we as 
       men might choose. So we use the Holy Spirit's words to explain the 
       Holy Spirit's facts.

       (1 Cor 2:14 TLB)  But the man who isn't a Christian can't understand 
       and can't accept these thoughts from God, which the Holy Spirit 
       teaches us. They sound foolish to him because only those who have the 
       Holy Spirit within them can understand what the Holy Spirit means. 
       Others just can't take it in.

       (1 Cor 2:15 TLB)  But the spiritual man has insight into everything, 
       and that bothers and baffles the man of the world, who can't 
       understand him at all.

       (1 Cor 2:16 TLB)  How could he? For certainly he has never been one to 
       know the Lord's thoughts, or to discuss them with him, or to move the 
       hands of God by prayer. But, strange as it seems, we Christians 
       actually do have within us a portion of the very thoughts and mind of 
       Christ.

       (1 Cor 3:1 TLB)  Dear brothers, I have been talking to you as though 
       you were still just babies in the Christian life who are not following 
       the Lord but your own desires; I cannot talk to you as I would to 
       healthy Christians who are filled with the Spirit.

       (1 Cor 3:2 TLB)  I have had to feed you with milk and not with solid 
       food because you couldn't digest anything stronger. And even now you 
       still have to be fed on milk.

       (1 Cor 3:3 TLB)  For you are still only baby Christians, controlled by 
       your own desires, not God's. When you are jealous of one another and 
       divide up into quarreling groups, doesn't that prove you are still 
       babies, wanting your own way? In fact, you are acting like people who 
       don't belong to the Lord at all.

       (1 Cor 3:4 TLB)  There you are, quarreling about whether I am greater 
       than Apollos, and dividing the church. Doesn't this show how little 
       you have grown in the Lord?

       (1 Cor 3:5 TLB)  Who am I, and who is Apollos, that we should be the 
       cause of a quarrel? Why, we're just God's servants, each of us with 
       certain special abilities, and with our help you believed.

       (1 Cor 3:6 TLB)  My work was to plant the seed in your hearts, and 
       Apollos' work was to water it, but it was God, not we, who made the 
       garden grow in your hearts.

       (1 Cor 3:7 TLB)  The person who does the planting or watering isn't 
       very important, but God is important because he is the one who makes 





       things grow.

       (1 Cor 3:8 TLB)  Apollos and I are working as a team, with the same 
       aim, though each of us will be rewarded for his own hard work.

       (1 Cor 3:9 TLB)  We are only God's coworkers. You are God's garden, 
       not ours; you are God's building, not ours.

       (1 Cor 3:10 TLB)  God, in his kindness, has taught me how to be an 
       expert builder. I have laid the foundation and Apollos has built on 
       it. But he who builds on the foundation must be very careful.

       (1 Cor 3:11 TLB)  And no one can ever lay any other real foundation 
       than that one we already have--Jesus Christ.

       (1 Cor 3:12 TLB)  But there are various kinds of materials that can be 
       used to build on that foundation. Some use gold and silver and jewels; 
       and some build with sticks and hay or even straw!

       (1 Cor 3:13 TLB)  There is going to come a time of testing at Christ's 
       Judgment Day to see what kind of material each builder has used. 
       Everyone's work will be put through the fire so that all can see 
       whether or not it keeps its value, and what was really accomplished.

       (1 Cor 3:14 TLB)  Then every workman who has built on the foundation 
       with the right materials, and whose work still stands, will get his 
       pay.

       (1 Cor 3:15 TLB)  But if the house he has built burns up, he will have 
       a great loss. He himself will be saved, but like a man escaping 
       through a wall of flames.

       (1 Cor 3:16 TLB)  Don't you realize that all of you together are the 
       house of God, and that the Spirit of God lives among you in his house?

       (1 Cor 3:17 TLB)  If anyone defiles and spoils God's home, God will 
       destroy him. For God's home is holy and clean, and you are that home.

       (1 Cor 3:18 TLB)  Stop fooling yourselves. If you count yourself above 
       average in intelligence, as judged by this world's standards, you had 
       better put this all aside and be a fool rather than let it hold you 
       back from the true wisdom from above.

       (1 Cor 3:19 TLB)  For the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. 
       As it says in the book of Job, God uses man's own brilliance to trap 
       him; he stumbles over his own "wisdom" and falls.

       (1 Cor 3:20 TLB)  And again, in the book of Psalms, we are told that 
       the Lord knows full well how the human mind reasons and how foolish 
       and futile it is.

       (1 Cor 3:21 TLB)  So don't be proud of following the wise men of this 
       world. For God has already given you everything you need.

       (1 Cor 3:22 TLB)  He has given you Paul and Apollos and Peter as your 
       helpers. He has given you the whole world to use, and life and even 





       death are your servants. He has given you all of the present and all 
       of the future. All are yours,

       (1 Cor 3:23 TLB)  and you belong to Christ, and Christ is God's.

       (1 Cor 4:1 TLB)  So Apollos and I should be looked upon as Christ's 
       servants who distribute God's blessings by explaining God's secrets.

       (1 Cor 4:2 TLB)  Now the most important thing about a servant is that 
       he does just what his master tells him to.

       (1 Cor 4:3 TLB)  What about me? Have I been a good servant? Well, I 
       don't worry over what you think about this or what anyone else thinks. 
       I don't even trust my own judgment on this point.

       (1 Cor 4:4 TLB)  My conscience is clear, but even that isn't final 
       proof. It is the Lord himself who must examine me and decide.

       (1 Cor 4:5 TLB)  So be careful not to jump to conclusions before the 
       Lord returns as to whether someone is a good servant or not. When the 
       Lord comes, he will turn on the light so that everyone can see exactly 
       what each one of us is really like, deep down in our hearts. Then 
       everyone will know why we have been doing the Lord's work. At that 
       time God will give to each one whatever praise is coming to him.

       (1 Cor 4:6 TLB)  I have used Apollos and myself as examples to 
       illustrate what I have been saying: that you must not have favorites. 
       You must not be proud of one of God's teachers more than another.

       (1 Cor 4:7 TLB)  What are you so puffed up about? What do you have 
       that God hasn't given you? And if all you have is from God, why act as 
       though you are so great, and as though you have accomplished something 
       on your own?

       (1 Cor 4:8 TLB)  You seem to think you already have all the spiritual 
       food you need. You are full and spiritually contented, rich kings on 
       your thrones, leaving us far behind! I wish you really were already on 
       your thrones, for when that time comes you can be sure that we will be 
       there, too, reigning with you.

       (1 Cor 4:9 TLB)  Sometimes I think God has put us apostles at the very 
       end of the line, like prisoners soon to be killed, put on display at 
       the end of a victor's parade, to be stared at by men and angels alike.

       (1 Cor 4:10 TLB)  Religion has made us foolish, you say, but of course 
       you are all such wise and sensible Christians! We are weak, but not 
       you! You are well thought of, while we are laughed at.

       (1 Cor 4:11 TLB)  To this very hour we have gone hungry and thirsty, 
       without even enough clothes to keep us warm. We have been kicked 
       around without homes of our own.

       (1 Cor 4:12 TLB)  We have worked wearily with our hands to earn our 
       living. We have blessed those who cursed us. We have been patient with 
       those who injured us.





       (1 Cor 4:13 TLB)  We have replied quietly when evil things have been 
       said about us. Yet right up to the present moment we are like dirt 
       underfoot, like garbage.

       (1 Cor 4:14 TLB)  I am not writing about these things to make you 
       ashamed, but to warn and counsel you as beloved children.

       (1 Cor 4:15 TLB)  For although you may have ten thousand others to 
       teach you about Christ, remember that you have only me as your father. 
       For I was the one who brought you to Christ when I preached the Gospel 
       to you.

       (1 Cor 4:16 TLB)  So I beg you to follow my example and do as I do.

       (1 Cor 4:17 TLB)  That is the very reason why I am sending Timothy--to 
       help you do this. For he is one of those I won to Christ, a beloved 
       and trustworthy child in the Lord. He will remind you of what I teach 
       in all the churches wherever I go.

       (1 Cor 4:18 TLB)  I know that some of you will have become proud, 
       thinking that I am afraid to come to deal with you.

       (1 Cor 4:19 TLB)  But I will come, and soon, if the Lord will let me, 
       and then I'll find out whether these proud men are just big talkers or 
       whether they really have God's power.

       (1 Cor 4:20 TLB)  The Kingdom of God is not just talking; it is living 
       by God's power.

       (1 Cor 4:21 TLB)  Which do you choose? Shall I come with punishment 
       and scolding, or shall I come with quiet love and gentleness?

       (1 Cor 5:1 TLB)  Everyone is talking about the terrible thing that has 
       happened there among you, something so evil that even the heathen 
       don't do it: you have a man in your church who is living in sin with 
       his father's wife.

       (1 Cor 5:2 TLB)  And are you still so conceited, so "spiritual"? Why 
       aren't you mourning in sorrow and shame and seeing to it that this man 
       is removed from your membership?

       (1 Cor 5:3 TLB)  Although I am not there with you, I have been 
       thinking a lot about this, and in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I 
       have already decided what to do, just as though I were there.

       (1 Cor 5:4 TLB)  You are to call a meeting of the church--and the 
       power of the Lord Jesus will be with you as you meet, and I will be 
       there in spirit--

       (1 Cor 5:5 TLB)  and cast out this man from the fellowship of the 
       church and into Satan's hands, to punish him, in the hope that his 
       soul will be saved when our Lord Jesus Christ returns.

       (1 Cor 5:6 TLB)  What a terrible thing it is that you are boasting 
       about your purity and yet you let this sort of thing go on. Don't you 
       realize that if even one person is allowed to go on sinning, soon all 





       will be affected?

       (1 Cor 5:7 TLB)  Remove this evil cancer--this wicked person--from 
       among you, so that you can stay pure. Christ, God's Lamb, has been 
       slain for us.

       (1 Cor 5:8 TLB)  So let us feast upon him and grow strong in the 
       Christian life, leaving entirely behind us the cancerous old life with 
       all its hatreds and wickedness. Let us feast instead upon the pure 
       bread of honor and sincerity and truth.

       (1 Cor 5:9 TLB)  When I wrote to you before I said not to mix with 
       evil people.

       (1 Cor 5:10 TLB)  But when I said that I wasn't talking about 
       unbelievers who live in sexual sin or are greedy cheats and thieves 
       and idol worshipers. For you can't live in this world without being 
       with people like that.

       (1 Cor 5:11 TLB)  What I meant was that you are not to keep company 
       with anyone who claims to be a brother Christian but indulges in 
       sexual sins, or is greedy, or is a swindler, or worships idols, or is 
       a drunkard, or abusive. Don't even eat lunch with such a person.

       (1 Cor 5:12 TLB)  It isn't our job to judge outsiders. But it 
       certainly is our job to judge and deal strongly with those who are 
       members of the church and who are sinning in these ways.

       (1 Cor 5:13 TLB)  God alone is the Judge of those on the outside. But 
       you yourselves must deal with this man and put him out of your church.

       (1 Cor 6:1 TLB)  How is it that when you have something against 
       another Christian, you "go to law" and ask a heathen court to decide 
       the matter instead of taking it to other Christians to decide which of 
       you is right?

       (1 Cor 6:2 TLB)  Don't you know that someday we Christians are going 
       to judge and govern the world? So why can't you decide even these 
       little things among yourselves?

       (1 Cor 6:3 TLB)  Don't you realize that we Christians will judge and 
       reward the very angels in heaven? So you should be able to decide your 
       problems down here on earth easily enough.

       (1 Cor 6:4 TLB)  Why then go to outside judges who are not even 
       Christians?

       (1 Cor 6:5 TLB)  I am trying to make you ashamed. Isn't there anyone 
       in all the church who is wise enough to decide these arguments?

       (1 Cor 6:6 TLB)  But, instead, one Christian sues another and accuses 
       his Christian brother in front of unbelievers.

       (1 Cor 6:7 TLB)  To have such lawsuits at all is a real defeat for you 
       as Christians. Why not just accept mistreatment and leave it at that? 
       It would be far more honoring to the Lord to let yourselves be 





       cheated.

       (1 Cor 6:8 TLB)  But, instead, you yourselves are the ones who do 
       wrong, cheating others, even your own brothers.

       (1 Cor 6:9 TLB)  Don't you know that those doing such things have no 
       share in the Kingdom of God? Don't fool yourselves. Those who live 
       immoral lives, who are idol worshipers, adulterers or 
       homosexuals--will have no share in his Kingdom.

       (1 Cor 6:10 TLB)  Neither will thieves or greedy people, drunkards, 
       slanderers, or robbers.

       (1 Cor 6:11 TLB)  There was a time when some of you were just like 
       that but now your sins are washed away, and you are set apart for God; 
       and he has accepted you because of what the Lord Jesus Christ and the 
       Spirit of our God have done for you.

       (1 Cor 6:12 TLB)  I can do anything I want to if Christ has not said 
       no, but some of these things aren't good for me. Even if I am allowed 
       to do them, I'll refuse to if I think they might get such a grip on me 
       that I can't easily stop when I want to.

       (1 Cor 6:13 TLB)  For instance, take the matter of eating. God has 
       given us an appetite for food and stomachs to digest it. But that 
       doesn't mean we should eat more than we need. Don't think of eating as 
       important because someday God will do away with both stomachs and 
       food. But sexual sin is never right: our bodies were not made for that 
       but for the Lord, and the Lord wants to fill our bodies with himself.

       (1 Cor 6:14 TLB)  And God is going to raise our bodies from the dead 
       by his power just as he raised up the Lord Jesus Christ.

       (1 Cor 6:15 TLB)  Don't you realize that your bodies are actually 
       parts and members of Christ? So should I take part of Christ and join 
       him to a prostitute? Never!

       (1 Cor 6:16 TLB)  And don't you know that if a man joins himself to a 
       prostitute she becomes a part of him and he becomes a part of her? For 
       God tells us in the Scripture that in his sight the two become one 
       person.

       (1 Cor 6:17 TLB)  But if you give yourself to the Lord, you and Christ 
       are joined together as one person.

       (1 Cor 6:18 TLB)  That is why I say to run from sex sin. No other sin 
       affects the body as this one does. When you sin this sin it is against 
       your own body.

       (1 Cor 6:19 TLB)  Haven't you yet learned that your body is the home 
       of the Holy Spirit God gave you, and that he lives within you? Your 
       own body does not belong to you.

       (1 Cor 6:20 TLB)  For God has bought you with a great price. So use 
       every part of your body to give glory back to God because he owns it.





       (1 Cor 7:1 TLB)  Now about those questions you asked in your last 
       letter: my answer is that if you do not marry, it is good.

       (1 Cor 7:2 TLB)  But usually it is best to be married, each man having 
       his own wife, and each woman having her own husband, because otherwise 
       you might fall back into sin.

       (1 Cor 7:3 TLB)  The man should give his wife all that is her right as 
       a married woman, and the wife should do the same for her husband:

       (1 Cor 7:4 TLB)  for a girl who marries no longer has full right to 
       her own body, for her husband then has his rights to it, too; and in 
       the same way the husband no longer has full right to his own body, for 
       it belongs also to his wife.

       (1 Cor 7:5 TLB)  So do not refuse these rights to each other. The only 
       exception to this rule would be the agreement of both husband and wife 
       to refrain from the rights of marriage for a limited time, so that 
       they can give themselves more completely to prayer. Afterwards, they 
       should come together again so that Satan won't be able to tempt them 
       because of their lack of self-control.

       (1 Cor 7:6 TLB)  I'm not saying you must marry, but you certainly may 
       if you wish.

       (1 Cor 7:7 TLB)  I wish everyone could get along without marrying, 
       just as I do. But we are not all the same. God gives some the gift of 
       a husband or wife, and others he gives the gift of being able to stay 
       happily unmarried.

       (1 Cor 7:8 TLB)  So I say to those who aren't married and to 
       widows--better to stay unmarried if you can, just as I am.

       (1 Cor 7:9 TLB)  But if you can't control yourselves, go ahead and 
       marry. It is better to marry than to burn with lust.

       (1 Cor 7:10 TLB)  Now, for those who are married I have a command, not 
       just a suggestion. And it is not a command from me, for this is what 
       the Lord himself has said: A wife must not leave her husband.

       (1 Cor 7:11 TLB)  But if she is separated from him, let her remain 
       single or else go back to him. And the husband must not divorce his 
       wife.

       (1 Cor 7:12 TLB)  Here I want to add some suggestions of my own. These 
       are not direct commands from the Lord, but they seem right to me: If a 
       Christian has a wife who is not a Christian, but she wants to stay 
       with him anyway, he must not leave her or divorce her.

       (1 Cor 7:13 TLB)  And if a Christian woman has a husband who isn't a 
       Christian, and he wants her to stay with him, she must not leave him.

       (1 Cor 7:14 TLB)  For perhaps the husband who isn't a Christian may 
       become a Christian with the help of his Christian wife. And the wife 
       who isn't a Christian may become a Christian with the help of her 
       Christian husband. Otherwise, if the family separates, the children 





       might never come to know the Lord; whereas a united family may, in 
       God's plan, result in the children's salvation.

       (1 Cor 7:15 TLB)  But if the husband or wife who isn't a Christian is 
       eager to leave, it is permitted. In such cases the Christian husband 
       or wife should not insist that the other stay, for God wants his 
       children to live in peace and harmony.

       (1 Cor 7:16 TLB)  For, after all, there is no assurance to you wives 
       that your husbands will be converted if they stay; and the same may be 
       said to you husbands concerning your wives.

       (1 Cor 7:17 TLB)  But be sure in deciding these matters that you are 
       living as God intended, marrying or not marrying in accordance with 
       God's direction and help, and accepting whatever situation God has put 
       you into. This is my rule for all the churches.

       (1 Cor 7:18 TLB)  For instance, a man who already has gone through the 
       Jewish ceremony of circumcision before he became a Christian shouldn't 
       worry about it; and if he hasn't been circumcised, he shouldn't do it 
       now.

       (1 Cor 7:19 TLB)  For it doesn't make any difference at all whether a 
       Christian has gone through this ceremony or not. But it makes a lot of 
       difference whether he is pleasing God and keeping God's commandments. 
       That is the important thing.

       (1 Cor 7:20 TLB)  Usually a person should keep on with the work he was 
       doing when God called him.

       (1 Cor 7:21 TLB)  Are you a slave? Don't let that worry you--but of 
       course, if you get a chance to be free, take it.

       (1 Cor 7:22 TLB)  If the Lord calls you, and you are a slave, remember 
       that Christ has set you free from the awful power of sin; and if he 
       has called you and you are free, remember that you are now a slave of 
       Christ.

       (1 Cor 7:23 TLB)  You have been bought and paid for by Christ, so you 
       belong to him--be free now from all these earthly prides and fears.

       (1 Cor 7:24 TLB)  So, dear brothers, whatever situation a person is in 
       when he becomes a Christian, let him stay there, for now the Lord is 
       there to help him.

       (1 Cor 7:25 TLB)  Now I will try to answer your other question. What 
       about girls who are not yet married? Should they be permitted to do 
       so? In answer to this question, I have no special command for them 
       from the Lord. But the Lord in his kindness has given me wisdom that 
       can be trusted, and I will be glad to tell you what I think.

       (1 Cor 7:26 TLB)  Here is the problem: We Christians are facing great 
       dangers to our lives at present. In times like these I think it is 
       best for a person to remain unmarried.

       (1 Cor 7:27 TLB)  Of course, if you already are married, don't 





       separate because of this. But if you aren't, don't rush into it at 
       this time.

       (1 Cor 7:28 TLB)  But if you men decide to go ahead anyway and get 
       married now, it is all right; and if a girl gets married in times like 
       these, it is no sin. However, marriage will bring extra problems that 
       I wish you didn't have to face right now.

       (1 Cor 7:29 TLB)  The important thing to remember is that our 
       remaining time is very short, (and so are our opportunities for doing 
       the Lord's work). For that reason those who have wives should stay as 
       free as possible for the Lord;

       (1 Cor 7:30 TLB)  happiness or sadness or wealth should not keep 
       anyone from doing God's work.

       (1 Cor 7:31 TLB)  Those in frequent contact with the exciting things 
       the world offers should make good use of their opportunities without 
       stopping to enjoy them; for the world in its present form will soon be 
       gone.

       (1 Cor 7:32 TLB)  In all you do, I want you to be free from worry. An 
       unmarried man can spend his time doing the Lord's work and thinking 
       how to please him.

       (1 Cor 7:33 TLB)  But a married man can't do that so well; he has to 
       think about his earthly responsibilities and how to please his wife.

       (1 Cor 7:34 TLB)  His interests are divided. It is the same with a 
       girl who marries. She faces the same problem. A girl who is not 
       married is anxious to please the Lord in all she is and does. But a 
       married woman must consider other things such as housekeeping and the 
       likes and dislikes of her husband.

       (1 Cor 7:35 TLB)  I am saying this to help you, not to try to keep you 
       from marrying. I want you to do whatever will help you serve the Lord 
       best, with as few other things as possible to distract your attention 
       from him.

       (1 Cor 7:36 TLB)  But if anyone feels he ought to marry because he has 
       trouble controlling his passions, it is all right; it is not a sin; 
       let him marry.

       (1 Cor 7:37 TLB)  But if a man has the willpower not to marry and 
       decides that he doesn't need to and won't, he has made a wise 
       decision.

       (1 Cor 7:38 TLB)  So the person who marries does well, and the person 
       who doesn't marry does even better.

       (1 Cor 7:39 TLB)  The wife is part of her husband as long as he lives; 
       if her husband dies, then she may marry again, but only if she marries 
       a Christian.

       (1 Cor 7:40 TLB)  But in my opinion she will be happier if she doesn't 
       marry again; and I think I am giving you counsel from God's Spirit 





       when I say this.

       (1 Cor 8:1 TLB)  Next is your question about eating food that has been 
       sacrificed to idols. On this question everyone feels that only his 
       answer is the right one! But although being a "know-it-all" makes us 
       feel important, what is really needed to build the church is love.

       (1 Cor 8:2 TLB)  If anyone thinks he knows all the answers, he is just 
       showing his ignorance.

       (1 Cor 8:3 TLB)  But the person who truly loves God is the one who is 
       open to God's knowledge.

       (1 Cor 8:4 TLB)  So now, what about it? Should we eat meat that has 
       been sacrificed to idols? Well, we all know that an idol is not really 
       a god, and that there is only one God, and no other.

       (1 Cor 8:5 TLB)  According to some people, there are a great many 
       gods, both in heaven and on earth.

       (1 Cor 8:6 TLB)  But we know that there is only one God, the Father, 
       who created all things and made us to be his own; and one Lord Jesus 
       Christ, who made everything and gives us life.

       (1 Cor 8:7 TLB)  However, some Christians don't realize this. All 
       their lives they have been used to thinking of idols as alive, and 
       have believed that food offered to the idols is really being offered 
       to actual gods. So when they eat such food it bothers them and hurts 
       their tender consciences.

       (1 Cor 8:8 TLB)  Just remember that God doesn't care whether we eat it 
       or not. We are no worse off if we don't eat it, and no better off if 
       we do.

       (1 Cor 8:9 TLB)  But be careful not to use your freedom to eat it, 
       lest you cause some Christian brother to sin whose conscience is 
       weaker than yours.

       (1 Cor 8:10 TLB)  You see, this is what may happen: Someone who thinks 
       it is wrong to eat this food will see you eating at a temple 
       restaurant, for you know there is no harm in it. Then he will become 
       bold enough to do it too, although all the time he still feels it is 
       wrong.

       (1 Cor 8:11 TLB)  So because you "know it is all right to do it," you 
       will be responsible for causing great spiritual damage to a brother 
       with a tender conscience for whom Christ died.

       (1 Cor 8:12 TLB)  And it is a sin against Christ to sin against your 
       brother by encouraging him to do something he thinks is wrong.

       (1 Cor 8:13 TLB)  So if eating meat offered to idols is going to make 
       my brother sin, I'll not eat any of it as long as I live because I 
       don't want to do this to him.

       (1 Cor 9:1 TLB)  I am an apostle, God's messenger, responsible to no 





       mere man. I am one who has actually seen Jesus our Lord with my own 
       eyes. And your changed lives are the result of my hard work for him.

       (1 Cor 9:2 TLB)  If in the opinion of others, I am not an apostle, I 
       certainly am to you, for you have been won to Christ through me.

       (1 Cor 9:3 TLB)  This is my answer to those who question my rights.

       (1 Cor 9:4 TLB)  Or don't I have any rights at all? Can't I claim the 
       same privilege the other apostles have of being a guest in your homes?

       (1 Cor 9:5 TLB)  If I had a wife, and if she were a believer, couldn't 
       I bring her along on these trips just as the other disciples do, and 
       as the Lord's brothers do, and as Peter does?

       (1 Cor 9:6 TLB)  And must Barnabas and I alone keep working for our 
       living while you supply these others?

       (1 Cor 9:7 TLB)  What soldier in the army has to pay his own expenses? 
       And have you ever heard of a farmer who harvests his crop and doesn't 
       have the right to eat some of it? What shepherd takes care of a flock 
       of sheep and goats and isn't allowed to drink some of the milk?

       (1 Cor 9:8 TLB)  And I'm not merely quoting the opinions of men as to 
       what is right. I'm telling you what God's law says.

       (1 Cor 9:9 TLB)  For in the law God gave to Moses he said that you 
       must not put a muzzle on an ox to keep it from eating when it is 
       treading out the wheat. Do you suppose God was thinking only about 
       oxen when he said this?

       (1 Cor 9:10 TLB)  Wasn't he also thinking about us? Of course he was. 
       He said this to show us that Christian workers should be paid by those 
       they help. Those who do the plowing and threshing should expect some 
       share of the harvest.

       (1 Cor 9:11 TLB)  We have planted good spiritual seed in your souls. 
       Is it too much to ask, in return, for mere food and clothing?

       (1 Cor 9:12 TLB)  You give them to others who preach to you, and you 
       should. But shouldn't we have an even greater right to them? Yet we 
       have never used this right but supply our own needs without your help. 
       We have never demanded payment of any kind for fear that, if we did, 
       you might be less interested in our message to you from Christ.

       (1 Cor 9:13 TLB)  Don't you realize that God told those working in his 
       temple to take for their own needs some of the food brought there as 
       gifts to him? And those who work at the altar of God get a share of 
       the food that is brought by those offering it to the Lord.

       (1 Cor 9:14 TLB)  In the same way the Lord has given orders that those 
       who preach the Gospel should be supported by those who accept it.

       (1 Cor 9:15 TLB)  Yet I have never asked you for one penny. And I am 
       not writing this to hint that I would like to start now. In fact, I 
       would rather die of hunger than lose the satisfaction I get from 





       preaching to you without charge.

       (1 Cor 9:16 TLB)  For just preaching the Gospel isn't any special 
       credit to me--I couldn't keep from preaching it if I wanted to. I 
       would be utterly miserable. Woe unto me if I don't.

       (1 Cor 9:17 TLB)  If I were volunteering my services of my own free 
       will, then the Lord would give me a special reward; but that is not 
       the situation, for God has picked me out and given me this sacred 
       trust, and I have no choice.

       (1 Cor 9:18 TLB)  Under this circumstance, what is my pay? It is the 
       special joy I get from preaching the Good News without expense to 
       anyone, never demanding my rights.

       (1 Cor 9:19 TLB)  And this has a real advantage: I am not bound to 
       obey anyone just because he pays my salary; yet I have freely and 
       happily become a servant of any and all so that I can win them to 
       Christ.

       (1 Cor 9:20 TLB)  When I am with the Jews I seem as one of them so 
       that they will listen to the Gospel and I can win them to Christ. When 
       I am with Gentiles who follow Jewish customs and ceremonies I don't 
       argue, even though I don't agree, because I want to help them.

       (1 Cor 9:21 TLB)  When with the heathen I agree with them as much as I 
       can, except of course that I must always do what is right as a 
       Christian. And so, by agreeing, I can win their confidence and help 
       them too.

       (1 Cor 9:22 TLB)  When I am with those whose consciences bother them 
       easily, I don't act as though I know it all and don't say they are 
       foolish; the result is that they are willing to let me help them. Yes, 
       whatever a person is like, I try to find common ground with him so 
       that he will let me tell him about Christ and let Christ save him.

       (1 Cor 9:23 TLB)  I do this to get the Gospel to them and also for the 
       blessing I myself receive when I see them come to Christ.

       (1 Cor 9:24 TLB)  In a race everyone runs, but only one person gets 
       first prize. So run your race to win.

       (1 Cor 9:25 TLB)  To win the contest you must deny yourselves many 
       things that would keep you from doing your best. An athlete goes to 
       all this trouble just to win a blue ribbon or a silver cup, but we do 
       it for a heavenly reward that never disappears.

       (1 Cor 9:26 TLB)  So I run straight to the goal with purpose in every 
       step. I fight to win. I'm not just shadow-boxing or playing around.

       (1 Cor 9:27 TLB)  Like an athlete I punish my body, treating it 
       roughly, training it to do what it should, not what it wants to. 
       Otherwise I fear that after enlisting others for the race, I myself 
       might be declared unfit and ordered to stand aside.

       (1 Cor 10:1 TLB)  For we must never forget, dear brothers, what 





       happened to our people in the wilderness long ago. God guided them by 
       sending a cloud that moved along ahead of them; and he brought them 
       all safely through the waters of the Red Sea.

       (1 Cor 10:2 TLB)  This might be called their "baptism"--baptized both 
       in sea and cloud!--as followers of Moses--their commitment to him as 
       their leader.

       (1 Cor 10:3 TLB)  And by a miracle God sent them food to eat and water 
       to drink there in the desert;

       (1 Cor 10:4 TLB)  they drank the water that Christ gave them. He was 
       there with them as a mighty Rock of spiritual refreshment.

       (1 Cor 10:5 TLB)  Yet after all this most of them did not obey God, 
       and he destroyed them in the wilderness.

       (1 Cor 10:6 TLB)  From this lesson we are warned that we must not 
       desire evil things as they did,

       (1 Cor 10:7 TLB)  nor worship idols as they did. (The Scriptures tell 
       us, "The people sat down to eat and drink and then got up to dance" in 
       worship of the golden calf.)

       (1 Cor 10:8 TLB)  Another lesson for us is what happened when some of 
       them sinned with other men's wives, and 23,000 fell dead in one day.

       (1 Cor 10:9 TLB)  And don't try the Lord's patience--they did and died 
       from snake bites.

       (1 Cor 10:10 TLB)  And don't murmur against God and his dealings with 
       you as some of them did, for that is why God sent his Angel to destroy 
       them.

       (1 Cor 10:11 TLB)  All these things happened to them as examples--as 
       object lessons to us--to warn us against doing the same things; they 
       were written down so that we could read about them and learn from them 
       in these last days as the world nears its end.

       (1 Cor 10:12 TLB)  So be careful. If you are thinking, "Oh, I would 
       never behave like that"--let this be a warning to you. For you too may 
       fall into sin.

       (1 Cor 10:13 TLB)  But remember this--the wrong desires that come into 
       your life aren't anything new and different. Many others have faced 
       exactly the same problems before you. And no temptation is 
       irresistible. You can trust God to keep the temptation from becoming 
       so strong that you can't stand up against it, for he has promised this 
       and will do what he says. He will show you how to escape temptation's 
       power so that you can bear up patiently against it.

       (1 Cor 10:14 TLB)  So, dear friends, carefully avoid idol worship of 
       every kind.

       (1 Cor 10:15 TLB)  You are intelligent people. Look now and see for 
       yourselves whether what I am about to say is true.






       (1 Cor 10:16 TLB)  When we ask the Lord's blessing upon our drinking 
       from the cup of wine at the Lord's Table, this means, doesn't it, that 
       all who drink it are sharing together the blessing of Christ's blood? 
       And when we break off pieces of the bread from the loaf to eat there 
       together, this shows that we are sharing together in the benefits of 
       his body.

       (1 Cor 10:17 TLB)  No matter how many of us there are, we all eat from 
       the same loaf, showing that we are all parts of the one body of 
       Christ.

       (1 Cor 10:18 TLB)  And the Jewish people, all who eat the sacrifices, 
       are united by that act.

       (1 Cor 10:19 TLB)  What am I trying to say? Am I saying that the idols 
       to whom the heathen bring sacrifices are really alive and are real 
       gods, and that these sacrifices are of some value? No, not at all.

       (1 Cor 10:20 TLB)  What I am saying is that those who offer food to 
       these idols are united together in sacrificing to demons, certainly 
       not to God. And I don't want any of you to be partners with demons 
       when you eat the same food, along with the heathen, that has been 
       offered to these idols.

       (1 Cor 10:21 TLB)  You cannot drink from the cup at the Lord's Table 
       and at Satan's table, too. You cannot eat bread both at the Lord's 
       Table and at Satan's table.

       (1 Cor 10:22 TLB)  What? Are you tempting the Lord to be angry with 
       you? Are you stronger than he is?

       (1 Cor 10:23 TLB)  You are certainly free to eat food offered to idols 
       if you want to; it's not against God's laws to eat such meat, but that 
       doesn't mean that you should go ahead and do it. It may be perfectly 
       legal, but it may not be best and helpful.

       (1 Cor 10:24 TLB)  Don't think only of yourself. Try to think of the 
       other fellow, too, and what is best for him.

       (1 Cor 10:25 TLB)  Here's what you should do. Take any meat you want 
       that is sold at the market. Don't ask whether or not it was offered to 
       idols, lest the answer hurt your conscience.

       (1 Cor 10:26 TLB)  For the earth and every good thing in it belongs to 
       the Lord and is yours to enjoy.

       (1 Cor 10:27 TLB)  If someone who isn't a Christian asks you out to 
       dinner, go ahead; accept the invitation if you want to. Eat whatever 
       is on the table and don't ask any questions about it. Then you won't 
       know whether or not it has been used as a sacrifice to idols, and you 
       won't risk having a bad conscience over eating it.

       (1 Cor 10:28 TLB)  But if someone warns you that this meat has been 
       offered to idols, then don't eat it for the sake of the man who told 
       you, and of his conscience.






       (1 Cor 10:29 TLB)  In this case his feeling about it is the important 
       thing, not yours. But why, you may ask, must I be guided and limited 
       by what someone else thinks?

       (1 Cor 10:30 TLB)  If I can thank God for the food and enjoy it, why 
       let someone spoil everything just because he thinks I am wrong?

       (1 Cor 10:31 TLB)  Well, I'll tell you why. It is because you must do 
       everything for the glory of God, even your eating and drinking.

       (1 Cor 10:32 TLB)  So don't be a stumbling block to anyone, whether 
       they are Jews or Gentiles or Christians.

       (1 Cor 10:33 TLB)  That is the plan I follow, too. I try to please 
       everyone in everything I do, not doing what I like or what is best for 
       me but what is best for them, so that they may be saved.

       (1 Cor 11:1 TLB)  And you should follow my example, just as I follow 
       Christ's.

       (1 Cor 11:2 TLB)  I am so glad, dear brothers, that you have been 
       remembering and doing everything I taught you.

       (1 Cor 11:3 TLB)  But there is one matter I want to remind you about: 
       that a wife is responsible to her husband, her husband is responsible 
       to Christ, and Christ is responsible to God.

       (1 Cor 11:4 TLB)  That is why, if a man refuses to remove his hat 
       while praying or preaching, he dishonors Christ.

       (1 Cor 11:5 TLB)  And that is why a woman who publicly prays or 
       prophesies without a covering on her head dishonors her husband (for 
       her covering is a sign of her subjection to him).

       (1 Cor 11:6 TLB)  Yes, if she refuses to wear a head covering, then 
       she should cut off all her hair. And if it is shameful for a woman to 
       have her head shaved, then she should wear a covering.

       (1 Cor 11:7 TLB)  But a man should not wear anything on his head (when 
       worshiping, for his hat is a sign of subjection to men). God's glory 
       is man made in his image, and man's glory is the woman.

       (1 Cor 11:8 TLB)  The first man didn't come from woman, but the first 
       woman came out of man.

       (1 Cor 11:9 TLB)  And Adam, the first man, was not made for Eve's 
       benefit, but Eve was made for Adam.

       (1 Cor 11:10 TLB)  So a woman should wear a covering on her head as a 
       sign that she is under man's authority, a fact for all the angels to 
       notice and rejoice in.

       (1 Cor 11:11 TLB)  But remember that in God's plan men and women need 
       each other.





       (1 Cor 11:12 TLB)  For although the first woman came out of man, all 
       men have been born from women ever since, and both men and women come 
       from God their Creator.

       (1 Cor 11:13 TLB)  What do you yourselves really think about this? Is 
       it right for a woman to pray in public without covering her head?

       (1 Cor 11:14 TLB)  Doesn't even instinct itself teach us that women's 
       heads should be covered? For women are proud of their long hair, while 
       a man with long hair tends to be ashamed.

       (1 Cor 11:15 TLB)  

       (1 Cor 11:16 TLB)  But if anyone wants to argue about this, all I can 
       say is that we never teach anything else than this--that a woman 
       should wear a covering when prophesying or praying publicly in the 
       church, and all the churches feel the same way about it.

       (1 Cor 11:17 TLB)  Next on my list of items to write you about is 
       something else I cannot agree with. For it sounds as if more harm than 
       good is done when you meet together for your communion services.

       (1 Cor 11:18 TLB)  Everyone keeps telling me about the arguing that 
       goes on in these meetings, and the divisions developing among you, and 
       I can just about believe it.

       (1 Cor 11:19 TLB)  But I suppose you feel this is necessary so that 
       you who are always right will become known and recognized!

       (1 Cor 11:20 TLB)  When you come together to eat, it isn't the Lord's 
       Supper you are eating,

       (1 Cor 11:21 TLB)  but your own. For I am told that everyone hastily 
       gobbles all the food he can without waiting to share with the others, 
       so that one doesn't get enough and goes hungry while another has too 
       much to drink and gets drunk.

       (1 Cor 11:22 TLB)  What? Is this really true? Can't you do your eating 
       and drinking at home to avoid disgracing the church and shaming those 
       who are poor and can bring no food? What am I supposed to say about 
       these things? Do you want me to praise you? Well, I certainly do not!

       (1 Cor 11:23 TLB)  For this is what the Lord himself has said about 
       his Table, and I have passed it on to you before: That on the night 
       when Judas betrayed him, the Lord Jesus took bread,

       (1 Cor 11:24 TLB)  and when he had given thanks to God for it, he 
       broke it and gave it to his disciples and said, "Take this and eat it. 
       This is my body, which is given for you. Do this to remember me."

       (1 Cor 11:25 TLB)  In the same way, he took the cup of wine after 
       supper, saying, "This cup is the new agreement between God and you 
       that has been established and set in motion by my blood. Do this in 
       remembrance of me whenever you drink it."

       (1 Cor 11:26 TLB)  For every time you eat this bread and drink this 





       cup you are retelling the message of the Lord's death, that he has 
       died for you. Do this until he comes again.

       (1 Cor 11:27 TLB)  So if anyone eats this bread and drinks from this 
       cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, he is guilty of sin against the 
       body and the blood of the Lord.

       (1 Cor 11:28 TLB)  That is why a man should examine himself carefully 
       before eating the bread and drinking from the cup.

       (1 Cor 11:29 TLB)  For if he eats the bread and drinks from the cup 
       unworthily, not thinking about the body of Christ and what it means, 
       he is eating and drinking God's judgment upon himself; for he is 
       trifling with the death of Christ.

       (1 Cor 11:30 TLB)  That is why many of you are weak and sick, and some 
       have even died.

       (1 Cor 11:31 TLB)  But if you carefully examine yourselves before 
       eating you will not need to be judged and punished.

       (1 Cor 11:32 TLB)  Yet, when we are judged and punished by the Lord, 
       it is so that we will not be condemned with the rest of the world.

       (1 Cor 11:33 TLB)  So, dear brothers, when you gather for the Lord's 
       Supper--the communion service--wait for each other;

       (1 Cor 11:34 TLB)  if anyone is really hungry he should eat at home so 
       that he won't bring punishment upon himself when you meet together. 
       I'll talk to you about the other matters after I arrive.

       (1 Cor 12:1 TLB)  And now, brothers, I want to write about the special 
       abilities the Holy Spirit gives to each of you, for I don't want any 
       misunderstanding about them.

       (1 Cor 12:2 TLB)  You will remember that before you became Christians 
       you went around from one idol to another, not one of which could speak 
       a single word.

       (1 Cor 12:3 TLB)  But now you are meeting people who claim to speak 
       messages from the Spirit of God. How can you know whether they are 
       really inspired by God or whether they are fakes? Here is the test: no 
       one speaking by the power of the Spirit of God can curse Jesus, and no 
       one can say, "Jesus is Lord," and really mean it, unless the Holy 
       Spirit is helping him.

       (1 Cor 12:4 TLB)  Now God gives us many kinds of special abilities, 
       but it is the same Holy Spirit who is the source of them all.

       (1 Cor 12:5 TLB)  There are different kinds of service to God, but it 
       is the same Lord we are serving.

       (1 Cor 12:6 TLB)  There are many ways in which God works in our lives, 
       but it is the same God who does the work in and through all of us who 
       are his.





       (1 Cor 12:7 TLB)  The Holy Spirit displays God's power through each of 
       us as a means of helping the entire church.

       (1 Cor 12:8 TLB)  To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give 
       wise advice; someone else may be especially good at studying and 
       teaching, and this is his gift from the same Spirit.

       (1 Cor 12:9 TLB)  He gives special faith to another, and to someone 
       else the power to heal the sick.

       (1 Cor 12:10 TLB)  He gives power for doing miracles to some, and to 
       others power to prophesy and preach. He gives someone else the power 
       to know whether evil spirits are speaking through those who claim to 
       be giving God's messages--or whether it is really the Spirit of God 
       who is speaking. Still another person is able to speak in languages he 
       never learned; and others, who do not know the language either, are 
       given power to understand what he is saying.

       (1 Cor 12:11 TLB)  It is the same and only Holy Spirit who gives all 
       these gifts and powers, deciding which each one of us should have.

       (1 Cor 12:12 TLB)  Our bodies have many parts, but the many parts make 
       up only one body when they are all put together. So it is with the 
       "body" of Christ.

       (1 Cor 12:13 TLB)  Each of us is a part of the one body of Christ. 
       Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are 
       free. But the Holy Spirit has fitted us all together into one body. We 
       have been baptized into Christ's body by the one Spirit, and have all 
       been given that same Holy Spirit.

       (1 Cor 12:14 TLB)  Yes, the body has many parts, not just one part.

       (1 Cor 12:15 TLB)  If the foot says, "I am not a part of the body 
       because I am not a hand," that does not make it any less a part of the 
       body.

       (1 Cor 12:16 TLB)  And what would you think if you heard an ear say, 
       "I am not part of the body because I am only an ear and not an eye"? 
       Would that make it any less a part of the body?

       (1 Cor 12:17 TLB)  Suppose the whole body were an eye--then how would 
       you hear? Or if your whole body were just one big ear, how could you 
       smell anything?

       (1 Cor 12:18 TLB)  But that isn't the way God has made us. He has made 
       many parts for our bodies and has put each part just where he wants 
       it.

       (1 Cor 12:19 TLB)  What a strange thing a body would be if it had only 
       one part!

       (1 Cor 12:20 TLB)  So he has made many parts, but still there is only 
       one body.

       (1 Cor 12:21 TLB)  The eye can never say to the hand, "I don't need 





       you." The head can't say to the feet, "I don't need you."

       (1 Cor 12:22 TLB)  And some of the parts that seem weakest and least 
       important are really the most necessary.

       (1 Cor 12:23 TLB)  Yes, we are especially glad to have some parts that 
       seem rather odd! And we carefully protect from the eyes of others 
       those parts that should not be seen,

       (1 Cor 12:24 TLB)  while of course the parts that may be seen do not 
       require this special care. So God has put the body together in such a 
       way that extra honor and care are given to those parts that might 
       otherwise seem less important.

       (1 Cor 12:25 TLB)  This makes for happiness among the parts, so that 
       the parts have the same care for each other that they do for 
       themselves.

       (1 Cor 12:26 TLB)  If one part suffers, all parts suffer with it, and 
       if one part is honored, all the parts are glad.

       (1 Cor 12:27 TLB)  Now here is what I am trying to say: All of you 
       together are the one body of Christ, and each one of you is a separate 
       and necessary part of it.

       (1 Cor 12:28 TLB)  Here is a list of some of the parts he has placed 
       in his Church, which is his body: Apostles, Prophets--those who preach 
       God's Word, Teachers, Those who do miracles, Those who have the gift 
       of healing; Those who can help others, Those who can get others to 
       work together, Those who speak in languages they have never learned.

       (1 Cor 12:29 TLB)  Is everyone an apostle? Of course not. Is everyone 
       a preacher? No. Are all teachers? Does everyone have the power to do 
       miracles?

       (1 Cor 12:30 TLB)  Can everyone heal the sick? Of course not. Does God 
       give all of us the ability to speak in languages we've never learned? 
       Can just anyone understand and translate what those are saying who 
       have that gift of foreign speech?

       (1 Cor 12:31 TLB)  No, but try your best to have the more important of 
       these gifts. First, however, let me tell you about something else that 
       is better than any of them!

       (1 Cor 13:1 TLB)  If I had the gift of being able to speak in other 
       languages without learning them and could speak in every language 
       there is in all of heaven and earth, but didn't love others, I would 
       only be making noise.

       (1 Cor 13:2 TLB)  If I had the gift of prophecy and knew all about 
       what is going to happen in the future, knew everything about 
       everything, but didn't love others, what good would it do? Even if I 
       had the gift of faith so that I could speak to a mountain and make it 
       move, I would still be worth nothing at all without love.

       (1 Cor 13:3 TLB)  If I gave everything I have to poor people, and if I 





       were burned alive for preaching the Gospel but didn't love others, it 
       would be of no value whatever.

       (1 Cor 13:4 TLB)  Love is very patient and kind, never jealous or 
       envious, never boastful or proud,

       (1 Cor 13:5 TLB)  never haughty or selfish or rude. Love does not 
       demand its own way. It is not irritable or touchy. It does not hold 
       grudges and will hardly even notice when others do it wrong.

       (1 Cor 13:6 TLB)  It is never glad about injustice, but rejoices 
       whenever truth wins out.

       (1 Cor 13:7 TLB)  If you love someone, you will be loyal to him no 
       matter what the cost. You will always believe in him, always expect 
       the best of him, and always stand your ground in defending him.

       (1 Cor 13:8 TLB)  All the special gifts and powers from God will 
       someday come to an end, but love goes on forever. Someday prophecy and 
       speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge--these gifts will 
       disappear.

       (1 Cor 13:9 TLB)  Now we know so little, even with our special gifts, 
       and the preaching of those most gifted is still so poor.

       (1 Cor 13:10 TLB)  But when we have been made perfect and complete, 
       then the need for these inadequate special gifts will come to an end, 
       and they will disappear.

       (1 Cor 13:11 TLB)  It's like this: when I was a child I spoke and 
       thought and reasoned as a child does. But when I became a man my 
       thoughts grew far beyond those of my childhood, and now I have put 
       away the childish things.

       (1 Cor 13:12 TLB)  In the same way, we can see and understand only a 
       little about God now, as if we were peering at his reflection in a 
       poor mirror; but someday we are going to see him in his completeness, 
       face to face. Now all that I know is hazy and blurred, but then I will 
       see everything clearly, just as clearly as God sees into my heart 
       right now.

       (1 Cor 13:13 TLB)  There are three things that remain--faith, hope, 
       and love--and the greatest of these is love.

       (1 Cor 14:1 TLB)  Let love be your greatest aim; nevertheless, ask 
       also for the special abilities the Holy Spirit gives, and especially 
       the gift of prophecy, being able to preach the messages of God.

       (1 Cor 14:2 TLB)  But if your gift is that of being able to "speak in 
       tongues," that is, to speak in languages you haven't learned, you will 
       be talking to God but not to others, since they won't be able to 
       understand you. You will be speaking by the power of the Spirit, but 
       it will all be a secret.

       (1 Cor 14:3 TLB)  But one who prophesies, preaching the messages of 
       God, is helping others grow in the Lord, encouraging and comforting 





       them.

       (1 Cor 14:4 TLB)  So a person "speaking in tongues" helps himself grow 
       spiritually, but one who prophesies, preaching messages from God, 
       helps the entire church grow in holiness and happiness.

       (1 Cor 14:5 TLB)  I wish you all had the gift of "speaking in 
       tongues," but even more I wish you were all able to prophesy, 
       preaching God's messages, for that is a greater and more useful power 
       than to speak in unknown languages--unless, of course, you can tell 
       everyone afterwards what you were saying, so that they can get some 
       good out of it too.

       (1 Cor 14:6 TLB)  Dear friends, even if I myself should come to you 
       talking in some language you don't understand, how would that help 
       you? But if I speak plainly what God has revealed to me, and tell you 
       the things I know, and what is going to happen, and the great truths 
       of God's Word--that is what you need; that is what will help you.

       (1 Cor 14:7 TLB)  Even musical instruments--the flute, for instance, 
       or the harp--are examples of the need for speaking in plain, simple 
       English rather than in unknown languages. For no one will recognize 
       the tune the flute is playing unless each note is sounded clearly.

       (1 Cor 14:8 TLB)  And if the army bugler doesn't play the right notes, 
       how will the soldiers know that they are being called to battle?

       (1 Cor 14:9 TLB)  In the same way, if you talk to a person in some 
       language he doesn't understand, how will he know what you mean? You 
       might as well be talking to an empty room.

       (1 Cor 14:10 TLB)  I suppose that there are hundreds of different 
       languages in the world, and all are excellent for those who understand 
       them,

       (1 Cor 14:11 TLB)  but to me they mean nothing. A person talking to me 
       in one of these languages will be a stranger to me and I will be a 
       stranger to him.

       (1 Cor 14:12 TLB)  Since you are so anxious to have special gifts from 
       the Holy Spirit, ask him for the very best, for those that will be of 
       real help to the whole church.

       (1 Cor 14:13 TLB)  If someone is given the gift of speaking in unknown 
       tongues, he should pray also for the gift of knowing what he has said, 
       so that he can tell people afterwards plainly.

       (1 Cor 14:14 TLB)  For if I pray in a language I don't understand, my 
       spirit is praying, but I don't know what I am saying.

       (1 Cor 14:15 TLB)  Well, then, what shall I do? I will do both. I will 
       pray in unknown tongues and also in ordinary language that everyone 
       understands. I will sing in unknown tongues and also in ordinary 
       language so that I can understand the praise I am giving;

       (1 Cor 14:16 TLB)  for if you praise and thank God with the spirit 





       alone, speaking in another language, how can those who don't 
       understand you be praising God along with you? How can they join you 
       in giving thanks when they don't know what you are saying?

       (1 Cor 14:17 TLB)  You will be giving thanks very nicely, no doubt, 
       but the other people present won't be helped.

       (1 Cor 14:18 TLB)  I thank God that I "speak in tongues" privately 
       more than any of the rest of you.

       (1 Cor 14:19 TLB)  But in public worship I would much rather speak 
       five words that people can understand and be helped by than ten 
       thousand words while "speaking in tongues" in an unknown language.

       (1 Cor 14:20 TLB)  Dear brothers, don't be childish in your 
       understanding of these things. Be innocent babies when it comes to 
       planning evil, but be men of intelligence in understanding matters of 
       this kind.

       (1 Cor 14:21 TLB)  We are told in the ancient Scriptures that God 
       would send men from other lands to speak in foreign languages to his 
       people, but even then they would not listen.

       (1 Cor 14:22 TLB)  So you see that being able to "speak in tongues" is 
       not a sign to God's children concerning his power, but is a sign to 
       the unsaved. However, prophecy (preaching the deep truths of God) is 
       what the Christians need, and unbelievers aren't yet ready for it.

       (1 Cor 14:23 TLB)  Even so, if an unsaved person, or someone who 
       doesn't have these gifts, comes to church and hears you all talking in 
       other languages, he is likely to think you are crazy.

       (1 Cor 14:24 TLB)  But if you prophesy, preaching God's Word, (even 
       though such preaching is mostly for believers) and an unsaved person 
       or a new Christian comes in who does not understand about these 
       things, all these sermons will convince him of the fact that he is a 
       sinner, and his conscience will be pricked by everything he hears.

       (1 Cor 14:25 TLB)  As he listens, his secret thoughts will be laid 
       bare, and he will fall down on his knees and worship God, declaring 
       that God is really there among you.

       (1 Cor 14:26 TLB)  Well, my brothers, let's add up what I am saying. 
       When you meet together some will sing, another will teach, or tell 
       some special information God has given him, or speak in an unknown 
       language, or tell what someone else is saying who is speaking in the 
       unknown language, but everything that is done must be useful to all, 
       and build them up in the Lord.

       (1 Cor 14:27 TLB)  No more than two or three should speak in an 
       unknown language, and they must speak one at a time, and someone must 
       be ready to interpret what they are saying.

       (1 Cor 14:28 TLB)  But if no one is present who can interpret, they 
       must not speak out loud. They must talk silently to themselves and to 
       God in the unknown language but not publicly.






       (1 Cor 14:29 TLB)  Two or three may prophesy, one at a time, if they 
       have the gift, while all the others listen.

       (1 Cor 14:30 TLB)  But if, while someone is prophesying, someone else 
       receives a message or idea from the Lord, the one who is speaking 
       should stop.

       (1 Cor 14:31 TLB)  In this way all who have the gift of prophecy can 
       speak, one after the other, and everyone will learn and be encouraged 
       and helped.

       (1 Cor 14:32 TLB)  Remember that a person who has a message from God 
       has the power to stop himself or wait his turn.

       (1 Cor 14:33 TLB)  God is not one who likes things to be disorderly 
       and upset. He likes harmony, and he finds it in all the other 
       churches.

       (1 Cor 14:34 TLB)  Women should be silent during the church meetings. 
       They are not to take part in the discussion, for they are subordinate 
       to men as the Scriptures also declare.

       (1 Cor 14:35 TLB)  If they have any questions to ask, let them ask 
       their husbands at home, for it is improper for women to express their 
       opinions in church meetings.

       (1 Cor 14:36 TLB)  You disagree? And do you think that the knowledge 
       of God's will begins and ends with you Corinthians? Well, you are 
       mistaken!

       (1 Cor 14:37 TLB)  You who claim to have the gift of prophecy or any 
       other special ability from the Holy Spirit should be the first to 
       realize that what I am saying is a commandment from the Lord himself.

       (1 Cor 14:38 TLB)  But if anyone still disagrees--well, we will leave 
       him in his ignorance.

       (1 Cor 14:39 TLB)  So, my fellow believers, long to be prophets so 
       that you can preach God's message plainly; and never say it is wrong 
       to "speak in tongues";

       (1 Cor 14:40 TLB)  however, be sure that everything is done properly 
       in a good and orderly way.

       (1 Cor 15:1 TLB)  Now let me remind you, brothers, of what the Gospel 
       really is, for it has not changed--it is the same Good News I preached 
       to you before. You welcomed it then and still do now, for your faith 
       is squarely built upon this wonderful message;

       (1 Cor 15:2 TLB)  and it is this Good News that saves you if you still 
       firmly believe it, unless of course you never really believed it in 
       the first place.

       (1 Cor 15:3 TLB)  I passed on to you right from the first what had 
       been told to me, that Christ died for our sins just as the Scriptures 





       said he would,

       (1 Cor 15:4 TLB)  and that he was buried, and that three days 
       afterwards he arose from the grave just as the prophets foretold.

       (1 Cor 15:5 TLB)  He was seen by Peter and later by the rest of "the 
       Twelve."

       (1 Cor 15:6 TLB)  After that he was seen by more than five hundred 
       Christian brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though 
       some have died by now.

       (1 Cor 15:7 TLB)  Then James saw him, and later all the apostles.

       (1 Cor 15:8 TLB)  Last of all I saw him too, long after the others, as 
       though I had been born almost too late for this.

       (1 Cor 15:9 TLB)  For I am the least worthy of all the apostles, and I 
       shouldn't even be called an apostle at all after the way I treated the 
       church of God.

       (1 Cor 15:10 TLB)  But whatever I am now it is all because God poured 
       out such kindness and grace upon me--and not without results: for I 
       have worked harder than all the other apostles, yet actually I wasn't 
       doing it, but God working in me, to bless me.

       (1 Cor 15:11 TLB)  It makes no difference who worked the hardest, I or 
       they; the important thing is that we preached the Gospel to you and 
       you believed it.

       (1 Cor 15:12 TLB)  But tell me this! Since you believe what we preach, 
       that Christ rose from the dead, why are some of you saying that dead 
       people will never come back to life again?

       (1 Cor 15:13 TLB)  For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then 
       Christ must still be dead.

       (1 Cor 15:14 TLB)  And if he is still dead, then all our preaching is 
       useless and your trust in God is empty, worthless, hopeless;

       (1 Cor 15:15 TLB)  and we apostles are all liars because we have said 
       that God raised Christ from the grave, and of course that isn't true 
       if the dead do not come back to life again.

       (1 Cor 15:16 TLB)  If they don't, then Christ is still dead,

       (1 Cor 15:17 TLB)  and you are very foolish to keep on trusting God to 
       save you, and you are still under condemnation for your sins;

       (1 Cor 15:18 TLB)  in that case, all Christians who have died are 
       lost!

       (1 Cor 15:19 TLB)  And if being a Christian is of value to us only now 
       in this life, we are the most miserable of creatures.

       (1 Cor 15:20 TLB)  But the fact is that Christ did actually rise from 





       the dead and has become the first of millions who will come back to 
       life again someday.

       (1 Cor 15:21 TLB)  Death came into the world because of what one man 
       (Adam) did, and it is because of what this other man (Christ) has done 
       that now there is the resurrection from the dead.

       (1 Cor 15:22 TLB)  Everyone dies because all of us are related to 
       Adam, being members of his sinful race, and wherever there is sin, 
       death results. But all who are related to Christ will rise again.

       (1 Cor 15:23 TLB)  Each, however, in his own turn: Christ rose first; 
       then when Christ comes back, all his people will become alive again.

       (1 Cor 15:24 TLB)  After that the end will come when he will turn the 
       Kingdom over to God the Father, having put down all enemies of every 
       kind.

       (1 Cor 15:25 TLB)  For Christ will be King until he has defeated all 
       his enemies,

       (1 Cor 15:26 TLB)  including the last enemy--death. This too must be 
       defeated and ended.

       (1 Cor 15:27 TLB)  For the rule and authority over all things has been 
       given to Christ by his Father; except, of course, Christ does not rule 
       over the Father himself, who gave him this power to rule.

       (1 Cor 15:28 TLB)  When Christ has finally won the battle against all 
       his enemies, then he, the Son of God, will put himself also under his 
       Father's orders, so that God who has given him the victory over 
       everything else will be utterly supreme.

       (1 Cor 15:29 TLB)  If the dead will not come back to life again, then 
       what point is there in people being baptized for those who are gone? 
       Why do it unless you believe that the dead will someday rise again?

       (1 Cor 15:30 TLB)  And why should we ourselves be continually risking 
       our lives, facing death hour by hour?

       (1 Cor 15:31 TLB)  For it is a fact that I face death daily; that is 
       as true as my pride in your growth in the Lord.

       (1 Cor 15:32 TLB)  And what value was there in fighting wild 
       beasts--those men of Ephesus--if it was only for what I gain in this 
       life down here? If we will never live again after we die, then we 
       might as well go and have ourselves a good time: let us eat, drink, 
       and be merry. What's the difference? For tomorrow we die, and that 
       ends everything!

       (1 Cor 15:33 TLB)  Don't be fooled by those who say such things. If 
       you listen to them you will start acting like them.

       (1 Cor 15:34 TLB)  Get some sense and quit your sinning. For to your 
       shame I say it; some of you are not even Christians at all and have 
       never really known God.






       (1 Cor 15:35 TLB)  But someone may ask, "How will the dead be brought 
       back to life again? What kind of bodies will they have?"

       (1 Cor 15:36 TLB)  What a foolish question! You will find the answer 
       in your own garden! When you put a seed into the ground it doesn't 
       grow into a plant unless it "dies" first.

       (1 Cor 15:37 TLB)  And when the green shoot comes up out of the seed, 
       it is very different from the seed you first planted. For all you put 
       into the ground is a dry little seed of wheat or whatever it is you 
       are planting,

       (1 Cor 15:38 TLB)  then God gives it a beautiful new body--just the 
       kind he wants it to have; a different kind of plant grows from each 
       kind of seed.

       (1 Cor 15:39 TLB)  And just as there are different kinds of seeds and 
       plants, so also there are different kinds of flesh. Humans, animals, 
       fish, and birds are all different.

       (1 Cor 15:40 TLB)  The angels in heaven have bodies far different from 
       ours, and the beauty and the glory of their bodies is different from 
       the beauty and the glory of ours.

       (1 Cor 15:41 TLB)  The sun has one kind of glory while the moon and 
       stars have another kind. And the stars differ from each other in their 
       beauty and brightness.

       (1 Cor 15:42 TLB)  In the same way, our earthly bodies which die and 
       decay are different from the bodies we shall have when we come back to 
       life again, for they will never die.

       (1 Cor 15:43 TLB)  The bodies we have now embarrass us, for they 
       become sick and die; but they will be full of glory when we come back 
       to life again. Yes, they are weak, dying bodies now, but when we live 
       again they will be full of strength.

       (1 Cor 15:44 TLB)  They are just human bodies at death, but when they 
       come back to life they will be superhuman bodies. For just as there 
       are natural, human bodies, there are also supernatural, spiritual 
       bodies.

       (1 Cor 15:45 TLB)  The Scriptures tell us that the first man, Adam, 
       was given a natural, human body but Christ is more than that, for he 
       was life-giving Spirit.

       (1 Cor 15:46 TLB)  First, then, we have these human bodies, and later 
       on God gives us spiritual, heavenly bodies.

       (1 Cor 15:47 TLB)  Adam was made from the dust of the earth, but 
       Christ came from heaven above.

       (1 Cor 15:48 TLB)  Every human being has a body just like Adam's, made 
       of dust, but all who become Christ's will have the same kind of body 
       as his--a body from heaven.






       (1 Cor 15:49 TLB)  Just as each of us now has a body like Adam's, so 
       we shall some day have a body like Christ's.

       (1 Cor 15:50 TLB)  I tell you this, my brothers: an earthly body made 
       of flesh and blood cannot get into God's Kingdom. These perishable 
       bodies of ours are not the right kind to live forever.

       (1 Cor 15:51 TLB)  But I am telling you this strange and wonderful 
       secret: we shall not all die, but we shall all be given new bodies!

       (1 Cor 15:52 TLB)  It will all happen in a moment, in the twinkling of 
       an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For there will be a trumpet 
       blast from the sky, and all the Christians who have died will suddenly 
       become alive, with new bodies that will never, never die; and then we 
       who are still alive shall suddenly have new bodies too.

       (1 Cor 15:53 TLB)  For our earthly bodies, the ones we have now that 
       can die, must be transformed into heavenly bodies that cannot perish 
       but will live forever.

       (1 Cor 15:54 TLB)  When this happens, then at last this Scripture will 
       come true-- "Death is swallowed up in victory."

       (1 Cor 15:55 TLB)  O death, where then your victory? Where then your 
       sting? For sin--the sting that causes death--will all be gone; and the 
       law, which reveals our sins, will no longer be our judge.

       (1 Cor 15:56 TLB)  

       (1 Cor 15:57 TLB)  How we thank God for all of this! It is he who 
       makes us victorious through Jesus Christ our Lord!

       (1 Cor 15:58 TLB)  So, my dear brothers, since future victory is sure, 
       be strong and steady, always abounding in the Lord's work, for you 
       know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever wasted as it would be if 
       there were no resurrection.

       (1 Cor 16:1 TLB)  Now here are the directions about the money you are 
       collecting to send to the Christians in Jerusalem; (and, by the way, 
       these are the same directions I gave to the churches in Galatia).

       (1 Cor 16:2 TLB)  On every Lord's Day each of you should put aside 
       something from what you have earned during the week, and use it for 
       this offering. The amount depends on how much the Lord has helped you 
       earn. Don't wait until I get there and then try to collect it all at 
       once.

       (1 Cor 16:3 TLB)  When I come I will send your loving gift with a 
       letter to Jerusalem, to be taken there by trustworthy messengers you 
       yourselves will choose.

       (1 Cor 16:4 TLB)  And if it seems wise for me to go along too, then we 
       can travel together.

       (1 Cor 16:5 TLB)  I am coming to visit you after I have been to 





       Macedonia first, but I will be staying there only for a little while.

       (1 Cor 16:6 TLB)  It could be that I will stay longer with you, 
       perhaps all winter, and then you can send me on to my next 
       destination.

       (1 Cor 16:7 TLB)  This time I don't want to make just a passing visit 
       and then go right on; I want to come and stay awhile, if the Lord will 
       let me.

       (1 Cor 16:8 TLB)  I will be staying here at Ephesus until the holiday 
       of Pentecost,

       (1 Cor 16:9 TLB)  for there is a wide open door for me to preach and 
       teach here. So much is happening, but there are many enemies.

       (1 Cor 16:10 TLB)  If Timothy comes make him feel at home, for he is 
       doing the Lord's work just as I am.

       (1 Cor 16:11 TLB)  Don't let anyone despise or ignore him (because he 
       is young), but send him back to me happy with his time among you; I am 
       looking forward to seeing him soon, along with the others who are 
       returning.

       (1 Cor 16:12 TLB)  I begged Apollos to visit you along with the 
       others, but he thought that it was not at all God's will for him to go 
       now; he will be seeing you later on when he has the opportunity.

       (1 Cor 16:13 TLB)  Keep your eyes open for spiritual danger; stand 
       true to the Lord; act like men; be strong;

       (1 Cor 16:14 TLB)  and whatever you do, do it with kindness and love.

       (1 Cor 16:15 TLB)  Do you remember Stephanas and his family? They were 
       the first to become Christians in Greece, and they are spending their 
       lives helping and serving Christians everywhere.

       (1 Cor 16:16 TLB)  Please follow their instructions and do everything 
       you can to help them as well as all others like them who work hard at 
       your side with such real devotion.

       (1 Cor 16:17 TLB)  I am so glad that Stephanas, Fortunatus, and 
       Achaicus have arrived here for a visit. They have been making up for 
       the help you aren't here to give me.

       (1 Cor 16:18 TLB)  They have cheered me greatly and have been a 
       wonderful encouragement to me, as I am sure they were to you, too. I 
       hope you properly appreciate the work of such men as these.

       (1 Cor 16:19 TLB)  The churches here in Asia send you their loving 
       greetings. Aquila and Priscilla send you their love, and so do all the 
       others who meet in their home for their church service.

       (1 Cor 16:20 TLB)  All the friends here have asked me to say hello to 
       you for them. And give each other a loving handshake when you meet.





       (1 Cor 16:21 TLB)  I will write these final words of this letter with 
       my own hand:

       (1 Cor 16:22 TLB)  if anyone does not love the Lord, that person is 
       cursed. Lord Jesus, come!

       (1 Cor 16:23 TLB)  May the love and favor of the Lord Jesus Christ 
       rest upon you.

       (1 Cor 16:24 TLB)  My love to all of you, for we all belong to Christ 
       Jesus. Sincerely, Paul

       (2 Cor 1:1 TLB)  Dear friends: This letter is from me, Paul, appointed 
       by God to be Jesus Christ's messenger; and from our dear brother 
       Timothy. We are writing to all of you Christians there in Corinth and 
       throughout Greece.

       (2 Cor 1:2 TLB)  May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ mightily 
       bless each one of you and give you peace.

       (2 Cor 1:3 TLB)  What a wonderful God we have--he is the Father of our 
       Lord Jesus Christ, the source of every mercy,

       (2 Cor 1:4 TLB)  and the one who so wonderfully comforts and 
       strengthens us in our hardships and trials. And why does he do this? 
       So that when others are troubled, needing our sympathy and 
       encouragement, we can pass on to them this same help and comfort God 
       has given us.

       (2 Cor 1:5 TLB)  You can be sure that the more we undergo sufferings 
       for Christ, the more he will shower us with his comfort and 
       encouragement.

       (2 Cor 1:6 TLB)  We are in deep trouble for bringing you God's comfort 
       and salvation. But in our trouble God has comforted us--and this, too, 
       to help you:

       (2 Cor 1:7 TLB)  to show you from our personal experience how God will 
       tenderly comfort you when you undergo these same sufferings. He will 
       give you the strength to endure.

       (2 Cor 1:8 TLB)  I think you ought to know, dear brothers, about the 
       hard time we went through in Asia. We were really crushed and 
       overwhelmed, and feared we would never live through it.

       (2 Cor 1:9 TLB)  We felt we were doomed to die and saw how powerless 
       we were to help ourselves; but that was good, for then we put 
       everything into the hands of God, who alone could save us, for he can 
       even raise the dead.

       (2 Cor 1:10 TLB)  And he did help us and saved us from a terrible 
       death; yes, and we expect him to do it again and again.

       (2 Cor 1:11 TLB)  But you must help us too by praying for us. For much 
       thanks and praise will go to God from you who see his wonderful 
       answers to your prayers for our safety!






       (2 Cor 1:12 TLB)  We are so glad that we can say with utter honesty 
       that in all our dealings we have been pure and sincere, quietly 
       depending upon the Lord for his help and not on our own skills. And 
       that is even more true, if possible, about the way we have acted 
       toward you.

       (2 Cor 1:13 TLB)  My letters have been straightforward and sincere; 
       nothing is written between the lines! And even though you don't know 
       me very well (I hope someday you will),

       (2 Cor 1:14 TLB)  I want you to try to accept me and be proud of me as 
       you already are to some extent; just as I shall be of you on that day 
       when our Lord Jesus comes back again.

       (2 Cor 1:15 TLB)  It was because I was so sure of your understanding 
       and trust that I planned to stop and see you

       (2 Cor 1:16 TLB)  on my way to Macedonia, as well as afterwards when I 
       returned, so that I could be a double blessing to you and so that you 
       could send me on my way to Judea.

       (2 Cor 1:17 TLB)  Then why, you may be asking, did I change my plan? 
       Hadn't I really made up my mind yet? Or am I like a man of the world 
       who says yes when he really means no?

       (2 Cor 1:18 TLB)  Never! As surely as God is true, I am not that sort 
       of person. My yes means yes.

       (2 Cor 1:19 TLB)  Timothy and Silvanus and I have been telling you 
       about Jesus Christ the Son of God. He isn't one to say yes when he 
       means no. He always does exactly what he says.

       (2 Cor 1:20 TLB)  He carries out and fulfills all of God's promises, 
       no matter how many of them there are; and we have told everyone how 
       faithful he is, giving glory to his name.

       (2 Cor 1:21 TLB)  It is this God who has made you and me into faithful 
       Christians and commissioned us apostles to preach the Good News.

       (2 Cor 1:22 TLB)  He has put his brand upon us--his mark of 
       ownership--and given us his Holy Spirit in our hearts as guarantee 
       that we belong to him and as the first installment of all that he is 
       going to give us.

       (2 Cor 1:23 TLB)  I call upon this God to witness against me if I am 
       not telling the absolute truth: the reason I haven't come to visit you 
       yet is that I don't want to sadden you with a severe rebuke.

       (2 Cor 1:24 TLB)  When I come, although I can't do much to help your 
       faith, for it is strong already, I want to be able to do something 
       about your joy: I want to make you happy, not sad.

       (2 Cor 2:1 TLB)  "No," I said to myself, "I won't do it. I'll not make 
       them unhappy with another painful visit."





       (2 Cor 2:2 TLB)  For if I make you sad, who is going to make me happy? 
       You are the ones to do it, and how can you if I cause you pain?

       (2 Cor 2:3 TLB)  That is why I wrote as I did in my last letter, so 
       that you will get things straightened out before I come. Then, when I 
       do come, I will not be made sad by the very ones who ought to give me 
       greatest joy. I felt sure that your happiness was so bound up in mine 
       that you would not be happy either unless I came with joy.

       (2 Cor 2:4 TLB)  Oh, how I hated to write that letter! It almost broke 
       my heart, and I tell you honestly that I cried over it. I didn't want 
       to hurt you, but I had to show you how very much I loved you and cared 
       about what was happening to you.

       (2 Cor 2:5 TLB)  Remember that the man I wrote about, who caused all 
       the trouble, has not caused sorrow to me as much as to all the rest of 
       you--though I certainly have my share in it too.

       (2 Cor 2:6 TLB)  I don't want to be harder on him than I should. He 
       has been punished enough by your united disapproval.

       (2 Cor 2:7 TLB)  Now it is time to forgive him and comfort him. 
       Otherwise he may become so bitter and discouraged that he won't be 
       able to recover.

       (2 Cor 2:8 TLB)  Please show him now that you still do love him very 
       much.

       (2 Cor 2:9 TLB)  I wrote to you as I did so that I could find out how 
       far you would go in obeying me.

       (2 Cor 2:10 TLB)  When you forgive anyone, I do too. And whatever I 
       have forgiven (to the extent that this affected me too) has been by 
       Christ's authority, and for your good.

       (2 Cor 2:11 TLB)  A further reason for forgiveness is to keep from 
       being outsmarted by Satan, for we know what he is trying to do.

       (2 Cor 2:12 TLB)  Well, when I got as far as the city of Troas, the 
       Lord gave me tremendous opportunities to preach the Gospel.

       (2 Cor 2:13 TLB)  But Titus, my dear brother, wasn't there to meet me 
       and I couldn't rest, wondering where he was and what had happened to 
       him. So I said good-bye and went right on to Macedonia to try to find 
       him.

       (2 Cor 2:14 TLB)  But thanks be to God! For through what Christ has 
       done, he has triumphed over us so that now wherever we go he uses us 
       to tell others about the Lord and to spread the Gospel like a sweet 
       perfume.

       (2 Cor 2:15 TLB)  As far as God is concerned there is a sweet, 
       wholesome fragrance in our lives. It is the fragrance of Christ within 
       us, an aroma to both the saved and the unsaved all around us.

       (2 Cor 2:16 TLB)  To those who are not being saved, we seem a fearful 





       smell of death and doom, while to those who know Christ we are a 
       life-giving perfume. But who is adequate for such a task as this?

       (2 Cor 2:17 TLB)  Only those who, like ourselves, are men of 
       integrity, sent by God, speaking with Christ's power, with God's eye 
       upon us. We are not like those hucksters--and there are many of 
       them--whose idea in getting out the Gospel is to make a good living 
       out of it.

       (2 Cor 3:1 TLB)  Are we beginning to be like those false teachers of 
       yours who must tell you all about themselves and bring long letters of 
       recommendation with them? I think you hardly need someone's letter to 
       tell you about us, do you? And we don't need a recommendation from 
       you, either!

       (2 Cor 3:2 TLB)  The only letter I need is you yourselves! By looking 
       at the good change in your hearts, everyone can see that we have done 
       a good work among you.

       (2 Cor 3:3 TLB)  They can see that you are a letter from Christ, 
       written by us. It is not a letter written with pen and ink, but by the 
       Spirit of the living God; not one carved on stone, but in human 
       hearts.

       (2 Cor 3:4 TLB)  We dare to say these good things about ourselves only 
       because of our great trust in God through Christ, that he will help us 
       to be true to what we say,

       (2 Cor 3:5 TLB)  and not because we think we can do anything of 
       lasting value by ourselves. Our only power and success comes from God.

       (2 Cor 3:6 TLB)  He is the one who has helped us tell others about his 
       new agreement to save them. We do not tell them that they must obey 
       every law of God or die; but we tell them there is life for them from 
       the Holy Spirit. The old way, trying to be saved by keeping the Ten 
       Commandments, ends in death; in the new way, the Holy Spirit gives 
       them life.

       (2 Cor 3:7 TLB)  Yet that old system of law that led to death began 
       with such glory that people could not bear to look at Moses' face. For 
       as he gave them God's law to obey, his face shone out with the very 
       glory of God--though the brightness was already fading away.

       (2 Cor 3:8 TLB)  Shall we not expect far greater glory in these days 
       when the Holy Spirit is giving life?

       (2 Cor 3:9 TLB)  If the plan that leads to doom was glorious, much 
       more glorious is the plan that makes men right with God.

       (2 Cor 3:10 TLB)  In fact, that first glory as it shone from Moses' 
       face is worth nothing at all in comparison with the overwhelming glory 
       of the new agreement.

       (2 Cor 3:11 TLB)  So if the old system that faded into nothing was 
       full of heavenly glory, the glory of God's new plan for our salvation 
       is certainly far greater, for it is eternal.






       (2 Cor 3:12 TLB)  Since we know that this new glory will never go 
       away, we can preach with great boldness,

       (2 Cor 3:13 TLB)  and not as Moses did, who put a veil over his face 
       so that the Israelis could not see the glory fade away.

       (2 Cor 3:14 TLB)  Not only Moses' face was veiled, but his people's 
       minds and understanding were veiled and blinded too. Even now when the 
       Scripture is read it seems as though Jewish hearts and minds are 
       covered by a thick veil, because they cannot see and understand the 
       real meaning of the Scriptures. For this veil of misunderstanding can 
       be removed only by believing in Christ.

       (2 Cor 3:15 TLB)  Yes, even today when they read Moses' writings their 
       hearts are blind and they think that obeying the Ten Commandments is 
       the way to be saved.

       (2 Cor 3:16 TLB)  But whenever anyone turns to the Lord from his sins, 
       then the veil is taken away.

       (2 Cor 3:17 TLB)  The Lord is the Spirit who gives them life, and 
       where he is there is freedom (from trying to be saved by keeping the 
       laws of God).

       (2 Cor 3:18 TLB)  But we Christians have no veil over our faces; we 
       can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord. And as the 
       Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him.

       (2 Cor 4:1 TLB)  It is God himself, in his mercy, who has given us 
       this wonderful work (of telling his Good News to others), and so we 
       never give up.

       (2 Cor 4:2 TLB)  We do not try to trick people into believing--we are 
       not interested in fooling anyone. We never try to get anyone to 
       believe that the Bible teaches what it doesn't. All such shameful 
       methods we forego. We stand in the presence of God as we speak and so 
       we tell the truth, as all who know us will agree.

       (2 Cor 4:3 TLB)  If the Good News we preach is hidden to anyone, it is 
       hidden from the one who is on the road to eternal death.

       (2 Cor 4:4 TLB)  Satan, who is the god of this evil world, has made 
       him blind, unable to see the glorious light of the Gospel that is 
       shining upon him or to understand the amazing message we preach about 
       the glory of Christ, who is God.

       (2 Cor 4:5 TLB)  We don't go around preaching about ourselves but 
       about Christ Jesus as Lord. All we say of ourselves is that we are 
       your slaves because of what Jesus has done for us.

       (2 Cor 4:6 TLB)  For God, who said, "Let there be light in the 
       darkness," has made us understand that it is the brightness of his 
       glory that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.

       (2 Cor 4:7 TLB)  But this precious treasure--this light and power that 





       now shine within us--is held in a perishable container, that is, in 
       our weak bodies. Everyone can see that the glorious power within must 
       be from God and is not our own.

       (2 Cor 4:8 TLB)  We are pressed on every side by troubles, but not 
       crushed and broken. We are perplexed because we don't know why things 
       happen as they do, but we don't give up and quit.

       (2 Cor 4:9 TLB)  We are hunted down, but God never abandons us. We get 
       knocked down, but we get up again and keep going.

       (2 Cor 4:10 TLB)  These bodies of ours are constantly facing death 
       just as Jesus did; so it is clear to all that it is only the living 
       Christ within (who keeps us safe).

       (2 Cor 4:11 TLB)  Yes, we live under constant danger to our lives 
       because we serve the Lord, but this gives us constant opportunities to 
       show forth the power of Jesus Christ within our dying bodies.

       (2 Cor 4:12 TLB)  Because of our preaching we face death, but it has 
       resulted in eternal life for you.

       (2 Cor 4:13 TLB)  We boldly say what we believe (trusting God to care 
       for us), just as the psalm writer did when he said, "I believe and 
       therefore I speak."

       (2 Cor 4:14 TLB)  We know that the same God who brought the Lord Jesus 
       back from death will also bring us back to life again with Jesus and 
       present us to him along with you.

       (2 Cor 4:15 TLB)  These sufferings of ours are for your benefit. And 
       the more of you who are won to Christ, the more there are to thank him 
       for his great kindness, and the more the Lord is glorified.

       (2 Cor 4:16 TLB)  That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are 
       dying, our inner strength in the Lord is growing every day.

       (2 Cor 4:17 TLB)  These troubles and sufferings of ours are, after 
       all, quite small and won't last very long. Yet this short time of 
       distress will result in God's richest blessing upon us forever and 
       ever!

       (2 Cor 4:18 TLB)  So we do not look at what we can see right now, the 
       troubles all around us, but we look forward to the joys in heaven 
       which we have not yet seen. The troubles will soon be over, but the 
       joys to come will last forever.

       (2 Cor 5:1 TLB)  For we know that when this tent we live in now is 
       taken down--when we die and leave these bodies--we will have wonderful 
       new bodies in heaven, homes that will be ours forevermore, made for us 
       by God himself and not by human hands.

       (2 Cor 5:2 TLB)  How weary we grow of our present bodies. That is why 
       we look forward eagerly to the day when we shall have heavenly bodies 
       that we shall put on like new clothes.





       (2 Cor 5:3 TLB)  For we shall not be merely spirits without bodies.

       (2 Cor 5:4 TLB)  These earthly bodies make us groan and sigh, but we 
       wouldn't like to think of dying and having no bodies at all. We want 
       to slip into our new bodies so that these dying bodies will, as it 
       were, be swallowed up by everlasting life.

       (2 Cor 5:5 TLB)  This is what God has prepared for us, and as a 
       guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit.

       (2 Cor 5:6 TLB)  Now we look forward with confidence to our heavenly 
       bodies, realizing that every moment we spend in these earthly bodies 
       is time spent away from our eternal home in heaven with Jesus.

       (2 Cor 5:7 TLB)  We know these things are true by believing, not by 
       seeing.

       (2 Cor 5:8 TLB)  And we are not afraid but are quite content to die, 
       for then we will be at home with the Lord.

       (2 Cor 5:9 TLB)  So our aim is to please him always in everything we 
       do, whether we are here in this body or away from this body and with 
       him in heaven.

       (2 Cor 5:10 TLB)  For we must all stand before Christ to be judged and 
       have our lives laid bare--before him. Each of us will receive whatever 
       he deserves for the good or bad things he has done in his earthly 
       body.

       (2 Cor 5:11 TLB)  It is because of this solemn fear of the Lord, which 
       is ever present in our minds, that we work so hard to win others. God 
       knows our hearts, that they are pure in this matter, and I hope that, 
       deep within, you really know it too.

       (2 Cor 5:12 TLB)  Are we trying to pat ourselves on the back again? 
       No, I am giving you some good ammunition! You can use this on those 
       preachers of yours who brag about how well they look and preach but 
       don't have true and honest hearts. You can boast about us that we, at 
       least, are well intentioned and honest.

       (2 Cor 5:13 TLB)  Are we insane (to say such things about ourselves)? 
       If so, it is to bring glory to God. And if we are in our right minds, 
       it is for your benefit.

       (2 Cor 5:14 TLB)  Whatever we do, it is certainly not for our own 
       profit but because Christ's love controls us now. Since we believe 
       that Christ died for all of us, we should also believe that we have 
       died to the old life we used to live.

       (2 Cor 5:15 TLB)  He died for all so that all who live--having 
       received eternal life from him--might live no longer for themselves, 
       to please themselves, but to spend their lives pleasing Christ who 
       died and rose again for them.

       (2 Cor 5:16 TLB)  So stop evaluating Christians by what the world 
       thinks about them or by what they seem to be like on the outside. Once 





       I mistakenly thought of Christ that way, merely as a human being like 
       myself. How differently I feel now!

       (2 Cor 5:17 TLB)  When someone becomes a Christian, he becomes a brand 
       new person inside. He is not the same anymore. A new life has begun!

       (2 Cor 5:18 TLB)  All these new things are from God who brought us 
       back to himself through what Christ Jesus did. And God has given us 
       the privilege of urging everyone to come into his favor and be 
       reconciled to him.

       (2 Cor 5:19 TLB)  For God was in Christ, restoring the world to 
       himself, no longer counting men's sins against them but blotting them 
       out. This is the wonderful message he has given us to tell others.

       (2 Cor 5:20 TLB)  We are Christ's ambassadors. God is using us to 
       speak to you: we beg you, as though Christ himself were here pleading 
       with you, receive the love he offers you--be reconciled to God.

       (2 Cor 5:21 TLB)  For God took the sinless Christ and poured into him 
       our sins. Then, in exchange, he poured God's goodness into us!

       (2 Cor 6:1 TLB)  As God's partners, we beg you not to toss aside this 
       marvelous message of God's great kindness.

       (2 Cor 6:2 TLB)  For God says, "Your cry came to me at a favorable 
       time, when the doors of welcome were wide open. I helped you on a day 
       when salvation was being offered." Right now God is ready to welcome 
       you. Today he is ready to save you.

       (2 Cor 6:3 TLB)  We try to live in such a way that no one will ever be 
       offended or kept back from finding the Lord by the way we act, so that 
       no one can find fault with us and blame it on the Lord.

       (2 Cor 6:4 TLB)  In fact, in everything we do we try to show that we 
       are true ministers of God. We patiently endure suffering and hardship 
       and trouble of every kind.

       (2 Cor 6:5 TLB)  We have been beaten, put in jail, faced angry mobs, 
       worked to exhaustion, stayed awake through sleepless nights of 
       watching, and gone without food.

       (2 Cor 6:6 TLB)  We have proved ourselves to be what we claim by our 
       wholesome lives and by our understanding of the Gospel and by our 
       patience. We have been kind and truly loving and filled with the Holy 
       Spirit.

       (2 Cor 6:7 TLB)  We have been truthful, with God's power helping us in 
       all we do. All of the godly man's arsenal--weapons of defense, and 
       weapons of attack--have been ours.

       (2 Cor 6:8 TLB)  We stand true to the Lord whether others honor us or 
       despise us, whether they criticize us or commend us. We are honest, 
       but they call us liars.

       (2 Cor 6:9 TLB)  The world ignores us, but we are known to God; we 





       live close to death, but here we are, still very much alive. We have 
       been injured but kept from death.

       (2 Cor 6:10 TLB)  Our hearts ache, but at the same time we have the 
       joy of the Lord. We are poor, but we give rich spiritual gifts to 
       others. We own nothing, and yet we enjoy everything.

       (2 Cor 6:11 TLB)  Oh, my dear Corinthian friends! I have told you all 
       my feelings; I love you with all my heart.

       (2 Cor 6:12 TLB)  Any coldness still between us is not because of any 
       lack of love on my part but because your love is too small and does 
       not reach out to me and draw me in.

       (2 Cor 6:13 TLB)  I am talking to you now as if you truly were my very 
       own children. Open your hearts to us! Return our love!

       (2 Cor 6:14 TLB)  Don't be teamed with those who do not love the Lord, 
       for what do the people of God have in common with the people of sin? 
       How can light live with darkness?

       (2 Cor 6:15 TLB)  And what harmony can there be between Christ and the 
       devil? How can a Christian be a partner with one who doesn't believe?

       (2 Cor 6:16 TLB)  And what union can there be between God's temple and 
       idols? For you are God's temple, the home of the living God, and God 
       has said of you, "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 TLB)  That is why the Lord has said, "Leave them; separate 
       yourselves from them; don't touch their filthy things, and I will 
       welcome you

       (2 Cor 6:18 TLB)  and be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and 
       daughters."

       (2 Cor 7:1 TLB)  Having such great promises as these, dear friends, 
       let us turn away from everything wrong, whether of body or spirit, and 
       purify ourselves, living in the wholesome fear of God, giving 
       ourselves to him alone.

       (2 Cor 7:2 TLB)  Please open your hearts to us again, for not one of 
       you has suffered any wrong from us. Not one of you was led astray. We 
       have cheated no one nor taken advantage of anyone.

       (2 Cor 7:3 TLB)  I'm not saying this to scold or blame you, for, as I 
       have said before, you are in my heart forever, and I live and die with 
       you.

       (2 Cor 7:4 TLB)  I have the highest confidence in you, and my pride in 
       you is great. You have greatly encouraged me; you have made me so 
       happy in spite of all my suffering.

       (2 Cor 7:5 TLB)  When we arrived in Macedonia there was no rest for 
       us; outside, trouble was on every hand and all around us; within us, 
       our hearts were full of dread and fear.






       (2 Cor 7:6 TLB)  Then God who cheers those who are discouraged 
       refreshed us by the arrival of Titus.

       (2 Cor 7:7 TLB)  Not only was his presence a joy, but also the news 
       that he brought of the wonderful time he had with you. When he told me 
       how much you were looking forward to my visit, and how sorry you were 
       about what had happened, and about your loyalty and warm love for me, 
       well, I overflowed with joy!

       (2 Cor 7:8 TLB)  I am no longer sorry that I sent that letter to you, 
       though I was very sorry for a time, realizing how painful it would be 
       to you. But it hurt you only for a little while.

       (2 Cor 7:9 TLB)  Now I am glad I sent it, not because it hurt you but 
       because the pain turned you to God. It was a good kind of sorrow you 
       felt, the kind of sorrow God wants his people to have, so that I need 
       not come to you with harshness.

       (2 Cor 7:10 TLB)  For God sometimes uses sorrow in our lives to help 
       us turn away from sin and seek eternal life. We should never regret 
       his sending it. But the sorrow of the man who is not a Christian is 
       not the sorrow of true repentance and does not prevent eternal death.

       (2 Cor 7:11 TLB)  Just see how much good this grief from the Lord did 
       for you! You no longer shrugged your shoulders but became earnest and 
       sincere and very anxious to get rid of the sin that I wrote you about. 
       You became frightened about what had happened and longed for me to 
       come and help. You went right to work on the problem and cleared it up 
       (punishing the man who sinned). You have done everything you could to 
       make it right.

       (2 Cor 7:12 TLB)  I wrote as I did so the Lord could show how much you 
       really do care for us. That was my purpose even more than to help the 
       man who sinned or his father to whom he did the wrong.

       (2 Cor 7:13 TLB)  In addition to the encouragement you gave us by your 
       love, we were made happier still by Titus' joy when you gave him such 
       a fine welcome and set his mind at ease.

       (2 Cor 7:14 TLB)  I told him how it would be--told him before he left 
       me of my pride in you--and you didn't disappoint me. I have always 
       told you the truth and now my boasting to Titus has also proved true!

       (2 Cor 7:15 TLB)  He loves you more than ever when he remembers the 
       way you listened to him so willingly and received him so anxiously and 
       with such deep concern.

       (2 Cor 7:16 TLB)  How happy this makes me, now that I am sure all is 
       well between us again. Once again I can have perfect confidence in 
       you.

       (2 Cor 8:1 TLB)  Now I want to tell you what God in his grace has done 
       for the churches in Macedonia.

       (2 Cor 8:2 TLB)  Though they have been going through much trouble and 





       hard times, they have mixed their wonderful joy with their deep 
       poverty, and the result has been an overflow of giving to others.

       (2 Cor 8:3 TLB)  They gave not only what they could afford but far 
       more; and I can testify that they did it because they wanted to and 
       not because of nagging on my part.

       (2 Cor 8:4 TLB)  They begged us to take the money so they could share 
       in the joy of helping the Christians in Jerusalem.

       (2 Cor 8:5 TLB)  Best of all, they went beyond our highest hopes, for 
       their first action was to dedicate themselves to the Lord and to us, 
       for whatever directions God might give to them through us.

       (2 Cor 8:6 TLB)  They were so enthusiastic about it that we have urged 
       Titus, who encouraged your giving in the first place, to visit you and 
       encourage you to complete your share in this ministry of giving.

       (2 Cor 8:7 TLB)  You people there are leaders in so many ways--you 
       have so much faith, so many good preachers, so much learning, so much 
       enthusiasm, so much love for us. Now I want you to be leaders also in 
       the spirit of cheerful giving.

       (2 Cor 8:8 TLB)  I am not giving you an order; I am not saying you 
       must do it, but others are eager for it. This is one way to prove that 
       your love is real, that it goes beyond mere words.

       (2 Cor 8:9 TLB)  You know how full of love and kindness our Lord Jesus 
       was: though he was so very rich, yet to help you he became so very 
       poor, so that by being poor he could make you rich.

       (2 Cor 8:10 TLB)  I want to suggest that you finish what you started 
       to do a year ago, for you were not only the first to propose this 
       idea, but the first to begin doing something about it.

       (2 Cor 8:11 TLB)  Having started the ball rolling so enthusiastically, 
       you should carry this project through to completion just as gladly, 
       giving whatever you can out of whatever you have. Let your 
       enthusiastic idea at the start be equalled by your realistic action 
       now.

       (2 Cor 8:12 TLB)  If you are really eager to give, then it isn't 
       important how much you have to give. God wants you to give what you 
       have, not what you haven't.

       (2 Cor 8:13 TLB)  Of course, I don't mean that those who receive your 
       gifts should have an easy time of it at your expense,

       (2 Cor 8:14 TLB)  but you should divide with them. Right now you have 
       plenty and can help them; then at some other time they can share with 
       you when you need it. In this way, each will have as much as he needs.

       (2 Cor 8:15 TLB)  Do you remember what the Scriptures say about this? 
       "He that gathered much had nothing left over, and he that gathered 
       little had enough." So you also should share with those in need.





       (2 Cor 8:16 TLB)  I am thankful to God that he has given Titus the 
       same real concern for you that I have.

       (2 Cor 8:17 TLB)  He is glad to follow my suggestion that he visit you 
       again--but I think he would have come anyway, for he is very eager to 
       see you!

       (2 Cor 8:18 TLB)  I am sending another well-known brother with him, 
       who is highly praised as a preacher of the Good News in all the 
       churches.

       (2 Cor 8:19 TLB)  In fact, this man was elected by the churches to 
       travel with me to take the gift to Jerusalem. This will glorify the 
       Lord and show our eagerness to help each other.

       (2 Cor 8:20 TLB)  By traveling together we will guard against any 
       suspicion, for we are anxious that no one should find fault with the 
       way we are handling this large gift.

       (2 Cor 8:21 TLB)  God knows we are honest, but I want everyone else to 
       know it too. That is why we have made this arrangement.

       (2 Cor 8:22 TLB)  And I am sending you still another brother, whom we 
       know from experience to be an earnest Christian. He is especially 
       interested as he looks forward to this trip because I have told him 
       all about your eagerness to help.

       (2 Cor 8:23 TLB)  If anyone asks who Titus is, say that he is my 
       partner, my helper in helping you, and you can also say that the other 
       two brothers represent the assemblies here and are splendid examples 
       of those who belong to the Lord.

       (2 Cor 8:24 TLB)  Please show your love for me to these men and do for 
       them all that I have publicly boasted you would.

       (2 Cor 9:1 TLB)  I realize that I really don't even need to mention 
       this to you, about helping God's people.

       (2 Cor 9:2 TLB)  For I know how eager you are to do it, and I have 
       boasted to the friends in Macedonia that you were ready to send an 
       offering a year ago. In fact, it was this enthusiasm of yours that 
       stirred up many of them to begin helping.

       (2 Cor 9:3 TLB)  But I am sending these men just to be sure that you 
       really are ready, as I told them you would be, with your money all 
       collected; I don't want it to turn out that this time I was wrong in 
       my boasting about you.

       (2 Cor 9:4 TLB)  I would be very much ashamed--and so would you--if 
       some of these Macedonian people come with me, only to find that you 
       still aren't ready after all I have told them!

       (2 Cor 9:5 TLB)  So I have asked these other brothers to arrive ahead 
       of me to see that the gift you promised is on hand and waiting. I want 
       it to be a real gift and not look as if it were being given under 
       pressure.






       (2 Cor 9:6 TLB)  But remember this--if you give little, you will get 
       little. A farmer who plants just a few seeds will get only a small 
       crop, but if he plants much, he will reap much.

       (2 Cor 9:7 TLB)  Everyone must make up his own mind as to how much he 
       should give. Don't force anyone to give more than he really wants to, 
       for cheerful givers are the ones God prizes.

       (2 Cor 9:8 TLB)  God is able to make it up to you by giving you 
       everything you need and more so that there will not only be enough for 
       your own needs but plenty left over to give joyfully to others.

       (2 Cor 9:9 TLB)  It is as the Scriptures say: "The godly man gives 
       generously to the poor. His good deeds will be an honor to him 
       forever."

       (2 Cor 9:10 TLB)  For God, who gives seed to the farmer to plant, and 
       later on good crops to harvest and eat, will give you more and more 
       seed to plant and will make it grow so that you can give away more and 
       more fruit from your harvest.

       (2 Cor 9:11 TLB)  Yes, God will give you much so that you can give 
       away much, and when we take your gifts to those who need them they 
       will break out into thanksgiving and praise to God for your help.

       (2 Cor 9:12 TLB)  So two good things happen as a result of your 
       gifts--those in need are helped, and they overflow with thanks to God.

       (2 Cor 9:13 TLB)  Those you help will be glad not only because of your 
       generous gifts to themselves and to others, but they will praise God 
       for this proof that your deeds are as good as your doctrine.

       (2 Cor 9:14 TLB)  And they will pray for you with deep fervor and 
       feeling because of the wonderful grace of God shown through you.

       (2 Cor 9:15 TLB)  Thank God for his Son--his Gift too wonderful for 
       words.

       (2 Cor 10:1 TLB)  I plead with you--yes, I, Paul--and I plead gently, 
       as Christ himself would do. Yet some of you are saying, "Paul's 
       letters are bold enough when he is far away, but when he gets here he 
       will be afraid to raise his voice!"

       (2 Cor 10:2 TLB)  I hope I won't need to show you when I come how 
       harsh and rough I can be. I don't want to carry out my present plans 
       against some of you who seem to think my deeds and words are merely 
       those of an ordinary man.

       (2 Cor 10:3 TLB)  It is true that I am an ordinary, weak human being, 
       but I don't use human plans and methods to win my battles.

       (2 Cor 10:4 TLB)  I use God's mighty weapons, not those made by men, 
       to knock down the devil's strongholds.

       (2 Cor 10:5 TLB)  These weapons can break down every proud argument 





       against God and every wall that can be built to keep men from finding 
       him. With these weapons I can capture rebels and bring them back to 
       God and change them into men whose hearts' desire is obedience to 
       Christ.

       (2 Cor 10:6 TLB)  I will use these weapons against every rebel who 
       remains after I have first used them on you yourselves and you 
       surrender to Christ.

       (2 Cor 10:7 TLB)  The trouble with you is that you look at me and I 
       seem weak and powerless, but you don't look beneath the surface. Yet 
       if anyone can claim the power and authority of Christ, I certainly 
       can.

       (2 Cor 10:8 TLB)  I may seem to be boasting more than I should about 
       my authority over you--authority to help you, not to hurt you--but I 
       shall make good every claim.

       (2 Cor 10:9 TLB)  I say this so that you will not think I am just 
       blustering when I scold you in my letters.

       (2 Cor 10:10 TLB)  "Don't bother about his letters," some say. "He 
       sounds big, but it's all noise. When he gets here you will see that 
       there is nothing great about him, and you have never heard a worse 
       preacher!"

       (2 Cor 10:11 TLB)  This time my personal presence is going to be just 
       as rough on you as my letters are!

       (2 Cor 10:12 TLB)  Oh, don't worry, I wouldn't dare say that I am as 
       wonderful as these other men who tell you how good they are! Their 
       trouble is that they are only comparing themselves with each other and 
       measuring themselves against their own little ideas. What stupidity!

       (2 Cor 10:13 TLB)  But we will not boast of authority we do not have. 
       Our goal is to measure up to God's plan for us, and this plan includes 
       our working there with you.

       (2 Cor 10:14 TLB)  We are not going too far when we claim authority 
       over you, for we were the first to come to you with the Good News 
       concerning Christ.

       (2 Cor 10:15 TLB)  It is not as though we were trying to claim credit 
       for the work someone else has done among you. Instead, we hope that 
       your faith will grow and that, still within the limits set for us, our 
       work among you will be greatly enlarged.

       (2 Cor 10:16 TLB)  After that, we will be able to preach the Good News 
       to other cities that are far beyond you, where no one else is working; 
       then there will be no question about being in someone else's field.

       (2 Cor 10:17 TLB)  As the Scriptures say, "If anyone is going to 
       boast, let him boast about what the Lord has done and not about 
       himself."

       (2 Cor 10:18 TLB)  When someone boasts about himself and how well he 





       has done, it doesn't count for much. But when the Lord commends him, 
       that's different!

       (2 Cor 11:1 TLB)  I hope you will be patient with me as I keep on 
       talking like a fool. Do bear with me and let me say what is on my 
       heart.

       (2 Cor 11:2 TLB)  I am anxious for you with the deep concern of God 
       himself--anxious that your love should be for Christ alone, just as a 
       pure maiden saves her love for one man only, for the one who will be 
       her husband.

       (2 Cor 11:3 TLB)  But I am frightened, fearing that in some way you 
       will be led away from your pure and simple devotion to our Lord, just 
       as Eve was deceived by Satan in the Garden of Eden.

       (2 Cor 11:4 TLB)  You seem so gullible: you believe whatever anyone 
       tells you even if he is preaching about another Jesus than the one we 
       preach, or a different spirit than the Holy Spirit you received, or 
       shows you a different way to be saved. You swallow it all.

       (2 Cor 11:5 TLB)  Yet I don't feel that these marvelous "messengers 
       from God," as they call themselves, are any better than I am.

       (2 Cor 11:6 TLB)  If I am a poor speaker, at least I know what I am 
       talking about, as I think you realize by now, for we have proved it 
       again and again.

       (2 Cor 11:7 TLB)  Did I do wrong and cheapen myself and make you look 
       down on me because I preached God's Good News to you without charging 
       you anything?

       (2 Cor 11:8 TLB)  Instead I "robbed" other churches by taking what 
       they sent me and using it up while I was with you

       (2 Cor 11:9 TLB)  so that I could serve you without cost. And when 
       that was gone and I was getting hungry, I still didn't ask you for 
       anything, for the Christians from Macedonia brought me another gift. I 
       have never yet asked you for one cent, and I never will.

       (2 Cor 11:10 TLB)  I promise this with every ounce of truth I 
       possess--that I will tell everyone in Greece about it!

       (2 Cor 11:11 TLB)  Why? Because I don't love you? God knows I do.

       (2 Cor 11:12 TLB)  But I will do it to cut out the ground from under 
       the feet of those who boast that they are doing God's work in just the 
       same way we are.

       (2 Cor 11:13 TLB)  God never sent those men at all; they are "phonies" 
       who have fooled you into thinking they are Christ's apostles.

       (2 Cor 11:14 TLB)  Yet I am not surprised! Satan can change himself 
       into an angel of light,

       (2 Cor 11:15 TLB)  so it is no wonder his servants can do it too, and 





       seem like godly ministers. In the end they will get every bit of 
       punishment their wicked deeds deserve.

       (2 Cor 11:16 TLB)  Again I plead, don't think that I have lost my wits 
       to talk like this; but even if you do, listen to me anyway--a witless 
       man, a fool--while I also boast a little as they do.

       (2 Cor 11:17 TLB)  Such bragging isn't something the Lord commanded me 
       to do, for I am acting like a brainless fool.

       (2 Cor 11:18 TLB)  Yet those other men keep telling you how wonderful 
       they are, so here I go:

       (2 Cor 11:19 TLB)  (You think you are so wise--yet you listen gladly 
       to those fools;

       (2 Cor 11:20 TLB)  you don't mind at all when they make you their 
       slaves and take everything you have, and take advantage of you, and 
       put on airs, and slap you in the face.

       (2 Cor 11:21 TLB)  I'm ashamed to say that I'm not strong and daring 
       like that! But whatever they can boast about--I'm talking like a fool 
       again--I can boast about it, too.)

       (2 Cor 11:22 TLB)  They brag that they are Hebrews, do they? Well, so 
       am I. And they say that they are Israelites, God's chosen people? So 
       am I. And they are descendants of Abraham? Well, I am too.

       (2 Cor 11:23 TLB)  They say they serve Christ? But I have served him 
       far more! (Have I gone mad to boast like this?) I have worked harder, 
       been put in jail more often, been whipped times without number, and 
       faced death again and again and again.

       (2 Cor 11:24 TLB)  Five different times the Jews gave me their 
       terrible thirty-nine lashes.

       (2 Cor 11:25 TLB)  Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was 
       stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I was in the open sea all 
       night and the whole next day.

       (2 Cor 11:26 TLB)  I have traveled many weary miles and have been 
       often in great danger from flooded rivers and from robbers and from my 
       own people, the Jews, as well as from the hands of the Gentiles. I 
       have faced grave dangers from mobs in the cities and from death in the 
       deserts and in the stormy seas and from men who claim to be brothers 
       in Christ but are not.

       (2 Cor 11:27 TLB)  I have lived with weariness and pain and sleepless 
       nights. Often I have been hungry and thirsty and have gone without 
       food; often I have shivered with cold, without enough clothing to keep 
       me warm.

       (2 Cor 11:28 TLB)  Then, besides all this, I have the constant worry 
       of how the churches are getting along:

       (2 Cor 11:29 TLB)  Who makes a mistake and I do not feel his sadness? 





       Who falls without my longing to help him? Who is spiritually hurt 
       without my fury rising against the one who hurt him?

       (2 Cor 11:30 TLB)  But if I must brag, I would rather brag about the 
       things that show how weak I am.

       (2 Cor 11:31 TLB)  God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is to 
       be praised forever and ever, knows I tell the truth.

       (2 Cor 11:32 TLB)  For instance, in Damascus the governor under King 
       Aretas kept guards at the city gates to catch me;

       (2 Cor 11:33 TLB)  but I was let down by rope and basket from a hole 
       in the city wall, and so I got away! (What popularity!)

       (2 Cor 12:1 TLB)  This boasting is all so foolish, but let me go on. 
       Let me tell about the visions I've had, and revelations from the Lord.

       (2 Cor 12:2 TLB)  Fourteen years ago I was taken up to heaven for a 
       visit. Don't ask me whether my body was there or just my spirit, for I 
       don't know; only God can answer that.

       (2 Cor 12:3 TLB)  But anyway, there I was in paradise,

       (2 Cor 12:4 TLB)  and heard things so astounding that they are beyond 
       a man's power to describe or put in words (and anyway I am not allowed 
       to tell them to others).

       (2 Cor 12:5 TLB)  That experience is something worth bragging about, 
       but I am not going to do it. I am going to boast only about how weak I 
       am and how great God is to use such weakness for his glory.

       (2 Cor 12:6 TLB)  I have plenty to boast about and would be no fool in 
       doing it, but I don't want anyone to think more highly of me than he 
       should from what he can actually see in my life and my message.

       (2 Cor 12:7 TLB)  I will say this: because these experiences I had 
       were so tremendous, God was afraid I might be puffed up by them; so I 
       was given a physical condition which has been a thorn in my flesh, a 
       messenger from Satan to hurt and bother me and prick my pride.

       (2 Cor 12:8 TLB)  Three different times I begged God to make me well 
       again.

       (2 Cor 12:9 TLB)  Each time he said, "No. But I am with you; that is 
       all you need. My power shows up best in weak people." Now I am glad to 
       boast about how weak I am; I am glad to be a living demonstration of 
       Christ's power, instead of showing off my own power and abilities.

       (2 Cor 12:10 TLB)  Since I know it is all for Christ's good, I am 
       quite happy about "the thorn," and about insults and hardships, 
       persecutions and difficulties; for when I am weak, then I am 
       strong--the less I have, the more I depend on him.

       (2 Cor 12:11 TLB)  You have made me act like a fool--boasting like 
       this--for you people ought to be writing about me and not making me 





       write about myself. There isn't a single thing these other marvelous 
       fellows have that I don't have too, even though I am really worth 
       nothing at all.

       (2 Cor 12:12 TLB)  When I was there I certainly gave you every proof 
       that I was truly an apostle, sent to you by God himself, for I 
       patiently did many wonders and signs and mighty works among you.

       (2 Cor 12:13 TLB)  The only thing I didn't do for you, which I do 
       everywhere else in all other churches, was to become a burden to 
       you--I didn't ask you to give me food to eat and a place to stay. 
       Please forgive me for this wrong!

       (2 Cor 12:14 TLB)  Now I am coming to you again, the third time; and 
       it is still not going to cost you anything, for I don't want your 
       money. I want you! And anyway, you are my children, and little 
       children don't pay for their father's and mother's food--it's the 
       other way around; parents supply food for their children.

       (2 Cor 12:15 TLB)  I am glad to give you myself and all I have for 
       your spiritual good, even though it seems that the more I love you, 
       the less you love me.

       (2 Cor 12:16 TLB)  Some of you are saying, "It's true that his visits 
       didn't seem to cost us anything, but he is a sneaky fellow, that Paul, 
       and he fooled us. As sure as anything he must have made money from us 
       some way."

       (2 Cor 12:17 TLB)  But how? Did any of the men I sent to you take 
       advantage of you?

       (2 Cor 12:18 TLB)  When I urged Titus to visit you and sent our other 
       brother with him, did they make any profit? No, of course not. For we 
       have the same Holy Spirit and walk in each other's steps, doing things 
       the same way.

       (2 Cor 12:19 TLB)  I suppose you think I am saying all this to get 
       back into your good graces. That isn't it at all. I tell you, with God 
       listening as I say it, that I have said this to help you, dear 
       friends--to build you up spiritually--and not to help myself.

       (2 Cor 12:20 TLB)  For I am afraid that when I come to visit you I 
       won't like what I find, and then you won't like the way I will have to 
       act. I am afraid that I will find you quarreling, and envying each 
       other, and being angry with each other, and acting big, and saying 
       wicked things about each other and whispering behind each other's 
       backs, filled with conceit and disunity.

       (2 Cor 12:21 TLB)  Yes, I am afraid that when I come God will humble 
       me before you and I will be sad and mourn because many of you who have 
       sinned before and don't even care about the wicked, impure things you 
       have done: your lust and immorality, and the taking of other men's 
       wives.

       (2 Cor 13:1 TLB)  This is the third time I am coming to visit you. The 
       Scriptures tell us that if two or three have seen a wrong, it must be 





       punished. (Well, this is my third warning as I come now for this 
       visit.)

       (2 Cor 13:2 TLB)  I have already warned those who had been sinning 
       when I was there last; now I warn them again and all others, just as I 
       did then, that this time I come ready to punish severely and I will 
       not spare them.

       (2 Cor 13:3 TLB)  I will give you all the proof you want that Christ 
       speaks through me. Christ is not weak in his dealings with you but is 
       a mighty power within you.

       (2 Cor 13:4 TLB)  His weak, human body died on the cross, but now he 
       lives by the mighty power of God. We, too, are weak in our bodies, as 
       he was, but now we live and are strong, as he is, and have all of 
       God's power to use in dealing with you.

       (2 Cor 13:5 TLB)  Check up on yourselves. Are you really Christians? 
       Do you pass the test? Do you feel Christ's presence and power more and 
       more within you? Or are you just pretending to be Christians when 
       actually you aren't at all?

       (2 Cor 13:6 TLB)  I hope you can agree that I have stood that test and 
       truly belong to the Lord.

       (2 Cor 13:7 TLB)  I pray that you will live good lives, not because 
       that will be a feather in our caps, proving that what we teach is 
       right; no, for we want you to do right even if we ourselves are 
       despised.

       (2 Cor 13:8 TLB)  Our responsibility is to encourage the right at all 
       times, not to hope for evil.

       (2 Cor 13:9 TLB)  We are glad to be weak and despised if you are 
       really strong. Our greatest wish and prayer is that you will become 
       mature Christians.

       (2 Cor 13:10 TLB)  I am writing this to you now in the hope that I 
       won't need to scold and punish when I come; for I want to use the 
       Lord's authority that he has given me, not to punish you but to make 
       you strong.

       (2 Cor 13:11 TLB)  I close my letter with these last words: Be happy. 
       Grow in Christ. Pay attention to what I have said. Live in harmony and 
       peace. And may the God of love and peace be with you.

       (2 Cor 13:12 TLB)  Greet each other warmly in the Lord.

       (2 Cor 13:13 TLB)  All the Christians here send you their best 
       regards.

       (2 Cor 13:14 TLB)  May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you 
       all. May God's love and the Holy Spirit's friendship be yours. Paul

       (Gal 1:1 TLB)  From: Paul the missionary and all the other Christians 
       here. To: The churches of Galatia. I was not called to be a missionary 





       by any group or agency. My call is from Jesus Christ himself and from 
       God the Father who raised him from the dead.

       (Gal 1:2 TLB)  

       (Gal 1:3 TLB)  May peace and blessing be yours from God the Father and 
       from the Lord Jesus Christ.

       (Gal 1:4 TLB)  He died for our sins just as God our Father planned, 
       and rescued us from this evil world in which we live.

       (Gal 1:5 TLB)  All glory to God through all the ages of eternity. 
       Amen.

       (Gal 1:6 TLB)  I am amazed that you are turning away so soon from God 
       who, in his love and mercy, invited you to share the eternal life he 
       gives through Christ; you are already following a different "way to 
       heaven," which really doesn't go to heaven at all.

       (Gal 1:7 TLB)  For there is no other way than the one we showed you; 
       you are being fooled by those who twist and change the truth 
       concerning Christ.

       (Gal 1:8 TLB)  Let God's curses fall on anyone, including myself, who 
       preaches any other way to be saved than the one we told you about; 
       yes, if an angel comes from heaven and preaches any other message, let 
       him be forever cursed.

       (Gal 1:9 TLB)  I will say it again: if anyone preaches any other 
       gospel than the one you welcomed, let God's curse fall upon him.

       (Gal 1:10 TLB)  You can see that I am not trying to please you by 
       sweet talk and flattery; no, I am trying to please God. If I were 
       still trying to please men I could not be Christ's servant.

       (Gal 1:11 TLB)  Dear friends, I solemnly swear that the way to heaven 
       that I preach is not based on some mere human whim or dream.

       (Gal 1:12 TLB)  For my message comes from no less a person than Jesus 
       Christ himself, who told me what to say. No one else has taught me.

       (Gal 1:13 TLB)  You know what I was like when I followed the Jewish 
       religion--how I went after the Christians mercilessly, hunting them 
       down and doing my best to get rid of them all.

       (Gal 1:14 TLB)  I was one of the most religious Jews of my own age in 
       the whole country and tried as hard as I possibly could to follow all 
       the old, traditional rules of my religion.

       (Gal 1:15 TLB)  But then something happened! For even before I was 
       born, God had chosen me to be his and called me--what kindness and 
       grace--

       (Gal 1:16 TLB)  to reveal his Son within me so that I could go to the 
       Gentiles and show them the Good News about Jesus. When all this 
       happened to me I didn't go at once and talk it over with anyone else;






       (Gal 1:17 TLB)  I didn't go up to Jerusalem to consult with those who 
       were apostles before I was. No, I went away into the deserts of Arabia 
       and then came back to the city of Damascus.

       (Gal 1:18 TLB)  It was not until three years later that I finally went 
       to Jerusalem for a visit with Peter and stayed there with him for 
       fifteen days.

       (Gal 1:19 TLB)  And the only other apostle I met at that time was 
       James, our Lord's brother.

       (Gal 1:20 TLB)  (Listen to what I am saying, for I am telling you this 
       in the very presence of God. This is exactly what happened--I am not 
       lying to you.)

       (Gal 1:21 TLB)  Then after this visit I went to Syria and Cilicia.

       (Gal 1:22 TLB)  And still the Christians in Judea didn't even know 
       what I looked like.

       (Gal 1:23 TLB)  All they knew was what people were saying, that "our 
       former enemy is now preaching the very faith he tried to wreck."

       (Gal 1:24 TLB)  And they gave glory to God because of me.

       (Gal 2:1 TLB)  Then fourteen years later I went back to Jerusalem 
       again, this time with Barnabas; and Titus came along too.

       (Gal 2:2 TLB)  I went there with definite orders from God to confer 
       with the brothers there about the message I was preaching to the 
       Gentiles. I talked privately to the leaders of the church so that they 
       would all understand just what I had been teaching and, I hoped, agree 
       that it was right.

       (Gal 2:3 TLB)  And they did agree; they did not even demand that 
       Titus, my companion, should be circumcised, though he was a Gentile.

       (Gal 2:4 TLB)  Even that question wouldn't have come up except for 
       some so-called "Christians" there--false ones, really--who came to spy 
       on us and see what freedom we enjoyed in Christ Jesus, as to whether 
       we obeyed the Jewish laws or not. They tried to get us all tied up in 
       their rules, like slaves in chains.

       (Gal 2:5 TLB)  But we did not listen to them for a single moment, for 
       we did not want to confuse you into thinking that salvation can be 
       earned by being circumcised and by obeying Jewish laws.

       (Gal 2:6 TLB)  And the great leaders of the church who were there had 
       nothing to add to what I was preaching. (By the way, their being great 
       leaders made no difference to me, for all are the same to God.)

       (Gal 2:7 TLB)  In fact, when Peter, James, and John, who were known as 
       the pillars of the church, saw how greatly God had used me in winning 
       the Gentiles, just as Peter had been blessed so greatly in his 
       preaching to the Jews






       (Gal 2:8 TLB)  --for the same God gave us each our special gifts--

       (Gal 2:9 TLB)  they shook hands with Barnabas and me and encouraged us 
       to keep right on with our preaching to the Gentiles while they 
       continued their work with the Jews.

       (Gal 2:10 TLB)  The only thing they did suggest was that we must 
       always remember to help the poor, and I, too, was eager for that.

       (Gal 2:11 TLB)  But when Peter came to Antioch I had to oppose him 
       publicly, speaking strongly against what he was doing, for it was very 
       wrong.

       (Gal 2:12 TLB)  For when he first arrived, he ate with the Gentile 
       Christians (who don't bother with circumcision and the many other 
       Jewish laws). But afterwards, when some Jewish friends of James came, 
       he wouldn't eat with the Gentiles anymore because he was afraid of 
       what these Jewish legalists, who insisted that circumcision was 
       necessary for salvation, would say;

       (Gal 2:13 TLB)  and then all the other Jewish Christians and even 
       Barnabas became hypocrites too, following Peter's example, though they 
       certainly knew better.

       (Gal 2:14 TLB)  When I saw what was happening and that they weren't 
       being honest about what they really believed and weren't following the 
       truth of the Gospel, I said to Peter in front of all the others, 
       "Though you are a Jew by birth, you have long since discarded the 
       Jewish laws; so why, all of a sudden, are you trying to make these 
       Gentiles obey them?

       (Gal 2:15 TLB)  You and I are Jews by birth, not mere Gentile sinners,

       (Gal 2:16 TLB)  and yet we Jewish Christians know very well that we 
       cannot become right with God by obeying our Jewish laws but only by 
       faith in Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And so we, too, have 
       trusted Jesus Christ, that we might be accepted by God because of 
       faith--and not because we have obeyed the Jewish laws. For no one will 
       ever be saved by obeying them."

       (Gal 2:17 TLB)  But what if we trust Christ to save us and then find 
       that we are wrong and that we cannot be saved without being 
       circumcised and obeying all the other Jewish laws? Wouldn't we need to 
       say that faith in Christ had ruined us? God forbid that anyone should 
       dare to think such things about our Lord.

       (Gal 2:18 TLB)  Rather, we are sinners if we start rebuilding the old 
       systems I have been destroying of trying to be saved by keeping Jewish 
       laws,

       (Gal 2:19 TLB)  for it was through reading the Scripture that I came 
       to realize that I could never find God's favor by trying--and 
       failing--to obey the laws. I came to realize that acceptance with God 
       comes by believing in Christ.





       (Gal 2:20 TLB)  I have been crucified with Christ: and I myself no 
       longer live, but Christ lives in me. And the real life I now have 
       within this body is a result of my trusting in the Son of God, who 
       loved me and gave himself for me.

       (Gal 2:21 TLB)  I am not one of those who treats Christ's death as 
       meaningless. For if we could be saved by keeping Jewish laws, then 
       there was no need for Christ to die.

       (Gal 3:1 TLB)  Oh, foolish Galatians! What magician has hypnotized you 
       and cast an evil spell upon you? For you used to see the meaning of 
       Jesus Christ's death as clearly as though I had waved a placard before 
       you with a picture on it of Christ dying on the cross.

       (Gal 3:2 TLB)  Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the 
       Holy Spirit by trying to keep the Jewish laws? Of course not, for the 
       Holy Spirit came upon you only after you heard about Christ and 
       trusted him to save you.

       (Gal 3:3 TLB)  Then have you gone completely crazy? For if trying to 
       obey the Jewish laws never gave you spiritual life in the first place, 
       why do you think that trying to obey them now will make you stronger 
       Christians?

       (Gal 3:4 TLB)  You have suffered so much for the Gospel. Now are you 
       going to just throw it all overboard? I can hardly believe it!

       (Gal 3:5 TLB)  I ask you again, does God give you the power of the 
       Holy Spirit and work miracles among you as a result of your trying to 
       obey the Jewish laws? No, of course not. It is when you believe in 
       Christ and fully trust him.

       (Gal 3:6 TLB)  Abraham had the same experience--God declared him fit 
       for heaven only because he believed God's promises.

       (Gal 3:7 TLB)  You can see from this that the real children of Abraham 
       are all the men of faith who truly trust in God.

       (Gal 3:8 TLB)  What's more, the Scriptures looked forward to this time 
       when God would save the Gentiles also, through their faith. God told 
       Abraham about this long ago when he said, "I will bless those in every 
       nation who trust in me as you do."

       (Gal 3:9 TLB)  And so it is: all who trust in Christ share the same 
       blessing Abraham received.

       (Gal 3:10 TLB)  Yes, and those who depend on the Jewish laws to save 
       them are under God's curse, for the Scriptures point out very clearly, 
       "Cursed is everyone who at any time breaks a single one of these laws 
       that are written in God's Book of the Law."

       (Gal 3:11 TLB)  Consequently, it is clear that no one can ever win 
       God's favor by trying to keep the Jewish laws because God has said 
       that the only way we can be right in his sight is by faith. As the 
       prophet Habakkuk says it, "The man who finds life will find it through 
       trusting God."






       (Gal 3:12 TLB)  How different from this way of faith is the way of 
       law, which says that a man is saved by obeying every law of God, 
       without one slip.

       (Gal 3:13 TLB)  But Christ has bought us out from under the doom of 
       that impossible system by taking the curse for our wrongdoing upon 
       himself. For it is written in the Scripture, "Anyone who is hanged on 
       a tree is cursed" (as Jesus was hung upon a wooden cross).

       (Gal 3:14 TLB)  Now God can bless the Gentiles, too, with this same 
       blessing he promised to Abraham; and all of us as Christians can have 
       the promised Holy Spirit through this faith.

       (Gal 3:15 TLB)  Dear brothers, even in everyday life a promise made by 
       one man to another, if it is written down and signed, cannot be 
       changed. He cannot decide afterward to do something else instead.

       (Gal 3:16 TLB)  Now, God gave some promises to Abraham and his Child. 
       And notice that it doesn't say the promises were to his children, as 
       it would if all his sons--all the Jews--were being spoken of, but to 
       his Child--and that, of course, means Christ.

       (Gal 3:17 TLB)  Here's what I am trying to say: God's promise to save 
       through faith--and God wrote this promise down and signed it--could 
       not be canceled or changed four hundred and thirty years later when 
       God gave the Ten Commandments.

       (Gal 3:18 TLB)  If obeying those laws could save us, then it is 
       obvious that this would be a different way of gaining God's favor than 
       Abraham's way, for he simply accepted God's promise.

       (Gal 3:19 TLB)  Well then, why were the laws given? They were added 
       after the promise was given, to show men how guilty they are of 
       breaking God's laws. But this system of law was to last only until the 
       coming of Christ, the Child to whom God's promise was made. (And there 
       is this further difference. God gave his laws to angels to give to 
       Moses, who then gave them to the people;

       (Gal 3:20 TLB)  but when God gave his promise to Abraham, he did it by 
       himself alone, without angels or Moses as go-betweens.)

       (Gal 3:21 TLB)  Well then, are God's laws and God's promises against 
       each other? Of course not! If we could be saved by his laws, then God 
       would not have had to give us a different way to get out of the grip 
       of sin--

       (Gal 3:22 TLB)  for the Scriptures insist we are all its prisoners. 
       The only way out is through faith in Jesus Christ; the way of escape 
       is open to all who believe him.

       (Gal 3:23 TLB)  Until Christ came we were guarded by the law, kept in 
       protective custody, so to speak, until we could believe in the coming 
       Savior.

       (Gal 3:24 TLB)  Let me put it another way. The Jewish laws were our 





       teacher and guide until Christ came to give us right standing with God 
       through our faith.

       (Gal 3:25 TLB)  But now that Christ has come, we don't need those laws 
       any longer to guard us and lead us to him.

       (Gal 3:26 TLB)  For now we are all children of God through faith in 
       Jesus Christ,

       (Gal 3:27 TLB)  and we who have been baptized into union with Christ 
       are enveloped by him.

       (Gal 3:28 TLB)  We are no longer Jews or Greeks or slaves or free men 
       or even merely men or women, but we are all the same--we are 
       Christians; we are one in Christ Jesus.

       (Gal 3:29 TLB)  And now that we are Christ's we are the true 
       descendants of Abraham, and all of God's promises to him belong to us.

       (Gal 4:1 TLB)  But remember this, that if a father dies and leaves 
       great wealth for his little son, that child is not much better off 
       than a slave until he grows up, even though he actually owns 
       everything his father had.

       (Gal 4:2 TLB)  He has to do what his guardians and managers tell him 
       to until he reaches whatever age his father set.

       (Gal 4:3 TLB)  And that is the way it was with us before Christ came. 
       We were slaves to Jewish laws and rituals, for we thought they could 
       save us.

       (Gal 4:4 TLB)  But when the right time came, the time God decided on, 
       he sent his Son, born of a woman, born as a Jew,

       (Gal 4:5 TLB)  to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law so 
       that he could adopt us as his very own sons.

       (Gal 4:6 TLB)  And because we are his sons, God has sent the Spirit of 
       his Son into our hearts, so now we can rightly speak of God as our 
       dear Father.

       (Gal 4:7 TLB)  Now we are no longer slaves but God's own sons. And 
       since we are his sons, everything he has belongs to us, for that is 
       the way God planned.

       (Gal 4:8 TLB)  Before you Gentiles knew God you were slaves to 
       so-called gods that did not even exist.

       (Gal 4:9 TLB)  And now that you have found God (or I should say, now 
       that God has found you), how can it be that you want to go back again 
       and become slaves once more to another poor, weak, useless religion of 
       trying to get to heaven by obeying God's laws?

       (Gal 4:10 TLB)  You are trying to find favor with God by what you do 
       or don't do on certain days or months or seasons or years.





       (Gal 4:11 TLB)  I fear for you. I am afraid that all my hard work for 
       you was worth nothing.

       (Gal 4:12 TLB)  Dear brothers, please feel as I do about these things, 
       for I am as free from these chains as you used to be. You did not 
       despise me then when I first preached to you,

       (Gal 4:13 TLB)  even though I was sick when I first brought you the 
       Good News of Christ.

       (Gal 4:14 TLB)  But even though my sickness was revolting to you, you 
       didn't reject me and turn me away. No, you took me in and cared for me 
       as though I were an angel from God or even Jesus Christ himself.

       (Gal 4:15 TLB)  Where is that happy spirit that we felt together then? 
       For in those days I know you would gladly have taken out your own eyes 
       and given them to replace mine if that would have helped me.

       (Gal 4:16 TLB)  And now have I become your enemy because I tell you 
       the truth?

       (Gal 4:17 TLB)  Those false teachers who are so anxious to win your 
       favor are not doing it for your good. What they are trying to do is to 
       shut you off from me so that you will pay more attention to them.

       (Gal 4:18 TLB)  It is a fine thing when people are nice to you with 
       good motives and sincere hearts, especially if they aren't doing it 
       just when I am with you!

       (Gal 4:19 TLB)  Oh, my children, how you are hurting me! I am once 
       again suffering for you the pains of a mother waiting for her child to 
       be born--longing for the time when you will finally be filled with 
       Christ.

       (Gal 4:20 TLB)  How I wish I could be there with you right now and not 
       have to reason with you like this, for at this distance I frankly 
       don't know what to do.

       (Gal 4:21 TLB)  Listen to me, you friends who think you have to obey 
       the Jewish laws to be saved: Why don't you find out what those laws 
       really mean?

       (Gal 4:22 TLB)  For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one from 
       his slave-wife and one from his freeborn wife.

       (Gal 4:23 TLB)  There was nothing unusual about the birth of the 
       slave-wife's baby. But the baby of the freeborn wife was born only 
       after God had especially promised he would come.

       (Gal 4:24 TLB)  Now this true story is an illustration of God's two 
       ways of helping people. One way was by giving them his laws to obey. 
       He did this on Mount Sinai, when he gave the Ten Commandments to 
       Moses.

       (Gal 4:25 TLB)  Mount Sinai, by the way, is called "Mount Hagar" by 
       the Arabs--and in my illustration, Abraham's slave-wife Hagar 





       represents Jerusalem, the mother-city of the Jews, the center of that 
       system of trying to please God by trying to obey the Commandments; and 
       the Jews, who try to follow that system, are her slave children.

       (Gal 4:26 TLB)  But our mother-city is the heavenly Jerusalem, and she 
       is not a slave to Jewish laws.

       (Gal 4:27 TLB)  That is what Isaiah meant when he prophesied, "Now you 
       can rejoice, O childless woman; you can shout with joy though you 
       never before had a child. For I am going to give you many 
       children--more children than the slave-wife has."

       (Gal 4:28 TLB)  You and I, dear brothers, are the children that God 
       promised, just as Isaac was.

       (Gal 4:29 TLB)  And so we who are born of the Holy Spirit are 
       persecuted now by those who want us to keep the Jewish laws, just as 
       Isaac, the child of promise, was persecuted by Ishmael, the 
       slave-wife's son.

       (Gal 4:30 TLB)  But the Scriptures say that God told Abraham to send 
       away the slave-wife and her son, for the slave-wife's son could not 
       inherit Abraham's home and lands along with the free woman's son.

       (Gal 4:31 TLB)  Dear brothers, we are not slave children, obligated to 
       the Jewish laws, but children of the free woman, acceptable to God 
       because of our faith.

       (Gal 5:1 TLB)  So Christ has made us free. Now make sure that you stay 
       free, and don't get all tied up again in the chains of slavery to 
       Jewish laws and ceremonies.

       (Gal 5:2 TLB)  Listen to me, for this is serious: if you are counting 
       on circumcision and keeping the Jewish laws to make you right with 
       God, then Christ cannot save you.

       (Gal 5:3 TLB)  I'll say it again. Anyone trying to find favor with God 
       by being circumcised must always obey every other Jewish law or 
       perish.

       (Gal 5:4 TLB)  Christ is useless to you if you are counting on 
       clearing your debt to God by keeping those laws; you are lost from 
       God's grace.

       (Gal 5:5 TLB)  But we by the help of the Holy Spirit are counting on 
       Christ's death to clear away our sins and make us right with God.

       (Gal 5:6 TLB)  And we to whom Christ has given eternal life don't need 
       to worry about whether we have been circumcised or not, or whether we 
       are obeying the Jewish ceremonies or not; for all we need is faith 
       working through love.

       (Gal 5:7 TLB)  You were getting along so well. Who has interfered with 
       you to hold you back from following the truth?

       (Gal 5:8 TLB)  It certainly isn't God who has done it, for he is the 





       one who has called you to freedom in Christ.

       (Gal 5:9 TLB)  But it takes only one wrong person among you to infect 
       all the others.

       (Gal 5:10 TLB)  I am trusting the Lord to bring you back to believing 
       as I do about these things. God will deal with that person, whoever he 
       is, who has been troubling and confusing you.

       (Gal 5:11 TLB)  Some people even say that I myself am preaching that 
       circumcision and Jewish laws are necessary to the plan of salvation. 
       Well, if I preached that, I would be persecuted no more--for that 
       message doesn't offend anyone. The fact that I am still being 
       persecuted proves that I am still preaching salvation through faith in 
       the cross of Christ alone.

       (Gal 5:12 TLB)  I only wish these teachers who want you to cut 
       yourselves by being circumcised would cut themselves off from you and 
       leave you alone!

       (Gal 5:13 TLB)  For, dear brothers, you have been given freedom: not 
       freedom to do wrong, but freedom to love and serve each other.

       (Gal 5:14 TLB)  For the whole Law can be summed up in this one 
       command: "Love others as you love yourself."

       (Gal 5:15 TLB)  But if instead of showing love among yourselves you 
       are always critical and catty, watch out! Beware of ruining each 
       other.

       (Gal 5:16 TLB)  I advise you to obey only the Holy Spirit's 
       instructions. He will tell you where to go and what to do, and then 
       you won't always be doing the wrong things your evil nature wants you 
       to.

       (Gal 5:17 TLB)  For we naturally love to do evil things that are just 
       the opposite from the things that the Holy Spirit tells us to do; and 
       the good things we want to do when the Spirit has his way with us are 
       just the opposite of our natural desires. These two forces within us 
       are constantly fighting each other to win control over us, and our 
       wishes are never free from their pressures.

       (Gal 5:18 TLB)  When you are guided by the Holy Spirit, you need no 
       longer force yourself to obey Jewish laws.

       (Gal 5:19 TLB)  But when you follow your own wrong inclinations, your 
       lives will produce these evil results: impure thoughts, eagerness for 
       lustful pleasure,

       (Gal 5:20 TLB)  idolatry, spiritism (that is, encouraging the activity 
       of demons), hatred and fighting, jealousy and anger, constant effort 
       to get the best for yourself, complaints and criticisms, the feeling 
       that everyone else is wrong except those in your own little group--and 
       there will be wrong doctrine,

       (Gal 5:21 TLB)  envy, murder, drunkenness, wild parties, and all that 





       sort of thing. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone 
       living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

       (Gal 5:22 TLB)  But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives he will 
       produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, 
       kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

       (Gal 5:23 TLB)  gentleness and self-control; and here there is no 
       conflict with Jewish laws.

       (Gal 5:24 TLB)  Those who belong to Christ have nailed their natural 
       evil desires to his cross and crucified them there.

       (Gal 5:25 TLB)  If we are living now by the Holy Spirit's power, let 
       us follow the Holy Spirit's leading in every part of our lives.

       (Gal 5:26 TLB)  Then we won't need to look for honors and popularity, 
       which lead to jealousy and hard feelings.

       (Gal 6:1 TLB)  Dear brothers, if a Christian is overcome by some sin, 
       you who are godly should gently and humbly help him back onto the 
       right path, remembering that next time it might be one of you who is 
       in the wrong.

       (Gal 6:2 TLB)  Share each other's troubles and problems, and so obey 
       our Lord's command.

       (Gal 6:3 TLB)  If anyone thinks he is too great to stoop to this, he 
       is fooling himself. He is really a nobody.

       (Gal 6:4 TLB)  Let everyone be sure that he is doing his very best, 
       for then he will have the personal satisfaction of work well done and 
       won't need to compare himself with someone else.

       (Gal 6:5 TLB)  Each of us must bear some faults and burdens of his 
       own. For none of us is perfect!

       (Gal 6:6 TLB)  Those who are taught the Word of God should help their 
       teachers by paying them.

       (Gal 6:7 TLB)  Don't be misled; remember that you can't ignore God and 
       get away with it: a man will always reap just the kind of crop he 
       sows!

       (Gal 6:8 TLB)  If he sows to please his own wrong desires, he will be 
       planting seeds of evil and he will surely reap a harvest of spiritual 
       decay and death; but if he plants the good things of the Spirit, he 
       will reap the everlasting life that the Holy Spirit gives him.

       (Gal 6:9 TLB)  And let us not get tired of doing what is right, for 
       after a while we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't get 
       discouraged and give up.

       (Gal 6:10 TLB)  That's why whenever we can we should always be kind to 
       everyone, and especially to our Christian brothers.





       (Gal 6:11 TLB)  I will write these closing words in my own 
       handwriting. See how large I have to make the letters!

       (Gal 6:12 TLB)  Those teachers of yours who are trying to convince you 
       to be circumcised are doing it for just one reason: so that they can 
       be popular and avoid the persecution they would get if they admitted 
       that the cross of Christ alone can save.

       (Gal 6:13 TLB)  And even those teachers who submit to circumcision 
       don't try to keep the other Jewish laws; but they want you to be 
       circumcised in order that they can boast that you are their disciples.

       (Gal 6:14 TLB)  As for me, God forbid that I should boast about 
       anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that 
       cross, my interest in all the attractive things of the world was 
       killed long ago, and the world's interest in me is also long dead.

       (Gal 6:15 TLB)  It doesn't make any difference now whether we have 
       been circumcised or not; what counts is whether we really have been 
       changed into new and different people.

       (Gal 6:16 TLB)  May God's mercy and peace be upon all of you who live 
       by this principle and upon those everywhere who are really God's own.

       (Gal 6:17 TLB)  From now on please don't argue with me about these 
       things, for I carry on my body the scars of the whippings and wounds 
       from Jesus' enemies that mark me as his slave.

       (Gal 6:18 TLB)  Dear brothers, may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ 
       be with you all. Sincerely, Paul

       (Eph 1:1 TLB)  Dear Christian friends at Ephesus, ever loyal to the 
       Lord: This is Paul writing to you, chosen by God to be Jesus Christ's 
       messenger.

       (Eph 1:2 TLB)  May his blessings and peace be yours, sent to you from 
       God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.

       (Eph 1:3 TLB)  How we praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
       who has blessed us with every blessing in heaven because we belong to 
       Christ.

       (Eph 1:4 TLB)  Long ago, even before he made the world, God chose us 
       to be his very own through what Christ would do for us; he decided 
       then to make us holy in his eyes, without a single fault--we who stand 
       before him covered with his love.

       (Eph 1:5 TLB)  His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into 
       his own family by sending Jesus Christ to die for us. And he did this 
       because he wanted to!

       (Eph 1:6 TLB)  Now all praise to God for his wonderful kindness to us 
       and his favor that he has poured out upon us because we belong to his 
       dearly loved Son.

       (Eph 1:7 TLB)  So overflowing is his kindness toward us that he took 





       away all our sins through the blood of his Son, by whom we are saved;

       (Eph 1:8 TLB)  and he has showered down upon us the richness of his 
       grace--for how well he understands us and knows what is best for us at 
       all times.

       (Eph 1:9 TLB)  God has told us his secret reason for sending Christ, a 
       plan he decided on in mercy long ago;

       (Eph 1:10 TLB)  and this was his purpose: that when the time is ripe 
       he will gather us all together from wherever we are--in heaven or on 
       earth--to be with him in Christ forever.

       (Eph 1:11 TLB)  Moreover, because of what Christ has done, we have 
       become gifts to God that he delights in, for as part of God's 
       sovereign plan we were chosen from the beginning to be his, and all 
       things happen just as he decided long ago.

       (Eph 1:12 TLB)  God's purpose in this was that we should praise God 
       and give glory to him for doing these mighty things for us, who were 
       the first to trust in Christ.

       (Eph 1:13 TLB)  And because of what Christ did, all you others too, 
       who heard the Good News about how to be saved, and trusted Christ, 
       were marked as belonging to Christ by the Holy Spirit, who long ago 
       had been promised to all of us Christians.

       (Eph 1:14 TLB)  His presence within us is God's guarantee that he 
       really will give us all that he promised; and the Spirit's seal upon 
       us means that God has already purchased us and that he guarantees to 
       bring us to himself. This is just one more reason for us to praise our 
       glorious God.

       (Eph 1:15 TLB)  That is why, ever since I heard of your strong faith 
       in the Lord Jesus and of the love you have for Christians everywhere,

       (Eph 1:16 TLB)  I have never stopped thanking God for you. I pray for 
       you constantly,

       (Eph 1:17 TLB)  asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus 
       Christ, to give you wisdom to see clearly and really understand who 
       Christ is and all that he has done for you.

       (Eph 1:18 TLB)  I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so 
       that you can see something of the future he has called you to share. I 
       want you to realize that God has been made rich because we who are 
       Christ's have been given to him!

       (Eph 1:19 TLB)  I pray that you will begin to understand how 
       incredibly great his power is to help those who believe him. It is 
       that same mighty power

       (Eph 1:20 TLB)  that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the 
       place of honor at God's right hand in heaven,

       (Eph 1:21 TLB)  far, far above any other king or ruler or dictator or 





       leader. Yes, his honor is far more glorious than that of anyone else 
       either in this world or in the world to come.

       (Eph 1:22 TLB)  And God has put all things under his feet and made him 
       the supreme Head of the Church--

       (Eph 1:23 TLB)  which is his body, filled with himself, the Author and 
       Giver of everything everywhere.

       (Eph 2:1 TLB)  Once you were under God's curse, doomed forever for 
       your sins.

       (Eph 2:2 TLB)  You went along with the crowd and were just like all 
       the others, full of sin, obeying Satan, the mighty prince of the power 
       of the air, who is at work right now in the hearts of those who are 
       against the Lord.

       (Eph 2:3 TLB)  All of us used to be just as they are, our lives 
       expressing the evil within us, doing every wicked thing that our 
       passions or our evil thoughts might lead us into. We started out bad, 
       being born with evil natures, and were under God's anger just like 
       everyone else.

       (Eph 2:4 TLB)  But God is so rich in mercy; he loved us so much

       (Eph 2:5 TLB)  that even though we were spiritually dead and doomed by 
       our sins, he gave us back our lives again when he raised Christ from 
       the dead--only by his undeserved favor have we ever been saved--

       (Eph 2:6 TLB)  and lifted us up from the grave into glory along with 
       Christ, where we sit with him in the heavenly realms--all because of 
       what Christ Jesus did.

       (Eph 2:7 TLB)  And now God can always point to us as examples of how 
       very, very rich his kindness is, as shown in all he has done for us 
       through Jesus Christ.

       (Eph 2:8 TLB)  Because of his kindness, you have been saved through 
       trusting Christ. And even trusting is not of yourselves; it too is a 
       gift from God.

       (Eph 2:9 TLB)  Salvation is not a reward for the good we have done, so 
       none of us can take any credit for it.

       (Eph 2:10 TLB)  It is God himself who has made us what we are and 
       given us new lives from Christ Jesus; and long ages ago he planned 
       that we should spend these lives in helping others.

       (Eph 2:11 TLB)  Never forget that once you were heathen and that you 
       were called godless and "unclean" by the Jews. (But their hearts, too, 
       were still unclean, even though they were going through the ceremonies 
       and rituals of the godly, for they circumcised themselves as a sign of 
       godliness.)

       (Eph 2:12 TLB)  Remember that in those days you were living utterly 
       apart from Christ; you were enemies of God's children, and he had 





       promised you no help. You were lost, without God, without hope.

       (Eph 2:13 TLB)  But now you belong to Christ Jesus, and though you 
       once were far away from God, now you have been brought very near to 
       him because of what Jesus Christ has done for you with his blood.

       (Eph 2:14 TLB)  For Christ himself is our way of peace. He has made 
       peace between us Jews and you Gentiles by making us all one family, 
       breaking down the wall of contempt that used to separate us.

       (Eph 2:15 TLB)  By his death he ended the angry resentment between us, 
       caused by the Jewish laws that favored the Jews and excluded the 
       Gentiles, for he died to annul that whole system of Jewish laws. Then 
       he took the two groups that had been opposed to each other and made 
       them parts of himself; thus he fused us together to become one new 
       person, and at last there was peace.

       (Eph 2:16 TLB)  As parts of the same body, our anger against each 
       other has disappeared, for both of us have been reconciled to God. And 
       so the feud ended at last at the cross.

       (Eph 2:17 TLB)  And he has brought this Good News of peace to you 
       Gentiles who were very far away from him, and to us Jews who were 
       near.

       (Eph 2:18 TLB)  Now all of us, whether Jews or Gentiles, may come to 
       God the Father with the Holy Spirit's help because of what Christ has 
       done for us.

       (Eph 2:19 TLB)  Now you are no longer strangers to God and foreigners 
       to heaven, but you are members of God's very own family, citizens of 
       God's country, and you belong in God's household with every other 
       Christian.

       (Eph 2:20 TLB)  What a foundation you stand on now: the apostles and 
       the prophets; and the cornerstone of the building is Jesus Christ 
       himself!

       (Eph 2:21 TLB)  We who believe are carefully joined together with 
       Christ as parts of a beautiful, constantly growing temple for God.

       (Eph 2:22 TLB)  And you also are joined with him and with each other 
       by the Spirit and are part of this dwelling place of God.

       (Eph 3:1 TLB)  I, Paul, the servant of Christ, am here in jail because 
       of you--for preaching that you Gentiles are a part of God's house.

       (Eph 3:2 TLB)  No doubt you already know that God has given me this 
       special work of showing God's favor to you Gentiles, as I briefly 
       mentioned before in one of my letters.

       (Eph 3:3 TLB)  God himself showed me this secret plan of his, that the 
       Gentiles, too, are included in his kindness.

       (Eph 3:4 TLB)  I say this to explain to you how I know about these 
       things.






       (Eph 3:5 TLB)  In olden times God did not share this plan with his 
       people, but now he has revealed it by the Holy Spirit to his apostles 
       and prophets.

       (Eph 3:6 TLB)  And this is the secret: that the Gentiles will have 
       their full share with the Jews in all the riches inherited by God's 
       sons; both are invited to belong to his Church, and all of God's 
       promises of mighty blessings through Christ apply to them both when 
       they accept the Good News about Christ and what he has done for them.

       (Eph 3:7 TLB)  God has given me the wonderful privilege of telling 
       everyone about this plan of his; and he has given me his power and 
       special ability to do it well.

       (Eph 3:8 TLB)  Just think! Though I did nothing to deserve it, and 
       though I am the most useless Christian there is, yet I was the one 
       chosen for this special joy of telling the Gentiles the Glad News of 
       the endless treasures available to them in Christ;

       (Eph 3:9 TLB)  and to explain to everyone that God is the Savior of 
       the Gentiles too, just as he who made all things had secretly planned 
       from the very beginning.

       (Eph 3:10 TLB)  And his reason? To show to all the rulers in heaven 
       how perfectly wise he is when all of his family--Jews and Gentiles 
       alike--are seen to be joined together in his Church

       (Eph 3:11 TLB)  in just the way he had always planned it through Jesus 
       Christ our Lord.

       (Eph 3:12 TLB)  Now we can come fearlessly right into God's presence, 
       assured of his glad welcome when we come with Christ and trust in him.

       (Eph 3:13 TLB)  So please don't lose heart at what they are doing to 
       me here. It is for you I am suffering, and you should feel honored and 
       encouraged.

       (Eph 3:14 TLB)  When I think of the wisdom and scope of his plan, I 
       fall down on my knees and pray to the Father

       (Eph 3:15 TLB)  of all the great family of God--some of them already 
       in heaven and some down here on earth--

       (Eph 3:16 TLB)  that out of his glorious, unlimited resources he will 
       give you the mighty inner strengthening of his Holy Spirit.

       (Eph 3:17 TLB)  And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home 
       in your hearts, living within you as you trust in him. May your roots 
       go down deep into the soil of God's marvelous love;

       (Eph 3:18 TLB)  and may you be able to feel and understand, as all 
       God's children should, how long, how wide, how deep, and how high his 
       love really is;

       (Eph 3:19 TLB)  and to experience this love for yourselves, though it 





       is so great that you will never see the end of it or fully know or 
       understand it. And so at last you will be filled up with God himself.

       (Eph 3:20 TLB)  Now glory be to God, who by his mighty power at work 
       within us is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or 
       even dream of--infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, 
       thoughts, or hopes.

       (Eph 3:21 TLB)  May he be given glory forever and ever through endless 
       ages because of his master plan of salvation for the Church through 
       Jesus Christ.

       (Eph 4:1 TLB)  I beg you--I, a prisoner here in jail for serving the 
       Lord--to live and act in a way worthy of those who have been chosen 
       for such wonderful blessings as these.

       (Eph 4:2 TLB)  Be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, 
       making allowance for each other's faults because of your love.

       (Eph 4:3 TLB)  Try always to be led along together by the Holy Spirit 
       and so be at peace with one another.

       (Eph 4:4 TLB)  We are all parts of one body, we have the same Spirit, 
       and we have all been called to the same glorious future.

       (Eph 4:5 TLB)  For us there is only one Lord, one faith, one baptism,

       (Eph 4:6 TLB)  and we all have the same God and Father who is over us 
       all and in us all, and living through every part of us.

       (Eph 4:7 TLB)  However, Christ has given each of us special 
       abilities--whatever he wants us to have out of his rich storehouse of 
       gifts.

       (Eph 4:8 TLB)  The psalmist tells about this, for he says that when 
       Christ returned triumphantly to heaven after his resurrection and 
       victory over Satan, he gave generous gifts to men.

       (Eph 4:9 TLB)  Notice that it says he returned to heaven. This means 
       that he had first come down from the heights of heaven, far down to 
       the lowest parts of the earth.

       (Eph 4:10 TLB)  The same one who came down is the one who went back 
       up, that he might fill all things everywhere with himself, from the 
       very lowest to the very highest.

       (Eph 4:11 TLB)  Some of us have been given special ability as 
       apostles; to others he has given the gift of being able to preach 
       well; some have special ability in winning people to Christ, helping 
       them to trust him as their Savior; still others have a gift for caring 
       for God's people as a shepherd does his sheep, leading and teaching 
       them in the ways of God.

       (Eph 4:12 TLB)  Why is it that he gives us these special abilities to 
       do certain things best? It is that God's people will be equipped to do 
       better work for him, building up the Church, the body of Christ, to a 





       position of strength and maturity;

       (Eph 4:13 TLB)  until finally we all believe alike about our salvation 
       and about our Savior, God's Son, and all become full-grown in the 
       Lord--yes, to the point of being filled full with Christ.

       (Eph 4:14 TLB)  Then we will no longer be like children, forever 
       changing our minds about what we believe because someone has told us 
       something different or has cleverly lied to us and made the lie sound 
       like the truth.

       (Eph 4:15 TLB)  Instead, we will lovingly follow the truth at all 
       times--speaking truly, dealing truly, living truly--and so become more 
       and more in every way like Christ who is the Head of his body, the 
       Church.

       (Eph 4:16 TLB)  Under his direction, the whole body is fitted together 
       perfectly, and each part in its own special way helps the other parts, 
       so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.

       (Eph 4:17 TLB)  Let me say this, then, speaking for the Lord: Live no 
       longer as the unsaved do, for they are blinded and confused.

       (Eph 4:18 TLB)  Their closed hearts are full of darkness; they are far 
       away from the life of God because they have shut their minds against 
       him, and they cannot understand his ways.

       (Eph 4:19 TLB)  They don't care anymore about right and wrong and have 
       given themselves over to impure ways. They stop at nothing, being 
       driven by their evil minds and reckless lusts.

       (Eph 4:20 TLB)  But that isn't the way Christ taught you!

       (Eph 4:21 TLB)  If you have really heard his voice and learned from 
       him the truths concerning himself,

       (Eph 4:22 TLB)  then throw off your old evil nature--the old you that 
       was a partner in your evil ways--rotten through and through, full of 
       lust and sham.

       (Eph 4:23 TLB)  Now your attitudes and thoughts must all be constantly 
       changing for the better.

       (Eph 4:24 TLB)  Yes, you must be a new and different person, holy and 
       good. Clothe yourself with this new nature.

       (Eph 4:25 TLB)  Stop lying to each other; tell the truth, for we are 
       parts of each other and when we lie to each other we are hurting 
       ourselves.

       (Eph 4:26 TLB)  If you are angry, don't sin by nursing your grudge. 
       Don't let the sun go down with you still angry--get over it quickly;

       (Eph 4:27 TLB)  for when you are angry, you give a mighty foothold to 
       the devil.





       (Eph 4:28 TLB)  If anyone is stealing he must stop it and begin using 
       those hands of his for honest work so he can give to others in need.

       (Eph 4:29 TLB)  Don't use bad language. Say only what is good and 
       helpful to those you are talking to, and what will give them a 
       blessing.

       (Eph 4:30 TLB)  Don't cause the Holy Spirit sorrow by the way you 
       live. Remember, he is the one who marks you to be present on that day 
       when salvation from sin will be complete.

       (Eph 4:31 TLB)  Stop being mean, bad-tempered, and angry. Quarreling, 
       harsh words, and dislike of others should have no place in your lives.

       (Eph 4:32 TLB)  Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, 
       forgiving one another, just as God has forgiven you because you belong 
       to Christ.

       (Eph 5:1 TLB)  Follow God's example in everything you do just as a 
       much loved child imitates his father.

       (Eph 5:2 TLB)  Be full of love for others, following the example of 
       Christ who loved you and gave himself to God as a sacrifice to take 
       away your sins. And God was pleased, for Christ's love for you was 
       like sweet perfume to him.

       (Eph 5:3 TLB)  Let there be no sex sin, impurity or greed among you. 
       Let no one be able to accuse you of any such things.

       (Eph 5:4 TLB)  Dirty stories, foul talk, and coarse jokes--these are 
       not for you. Instead, remind each other of God's goodness, and be 
       thankful.

       (Eph 5:5 TLB)  You can be sure of this: The Kingdom of Christ and of 
       God will never belong to anyone who is impure or greedy, for a greedy 
       person is really an idol worshiper--he loves and worships the good 
       things of this life more than God.

       (Eph 5:6 TLB)  Don't be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, 
       for the terrible wrath of God is upon all those who do them.

       (Eph 5:7 TLB)  Don't even associate with such people.

       (Eph 5:8 TLB)  For though once your heart was full of darkness, now it 
       is full of light from the Lord, and your behavior should show it!

       (Eph 5:9 TLB)  Because of this light within you, you should do only 
       what is good and right and true.

       (Eph 5:10 TLB)  Learn as you go along what pleases the Lord.

       (Eph 5:11 TLB)  Take no part in the worthless pleasures of evil and 
       darkness, but instead, rebuke and expose them.

       (Eph 5:12 TLB)  It would be shameful even to mention here those 
       pleasures of darkness that the ungodly do.






       (Eph 5:13 TLB)  But when you expose them, the light shines in upon 
       their sin and shows it up, and when they see how wrong they really 
       are, some of them may even become children of light!

       (Eph 5:14 TLB)  That is why God says in the Scriptures, "Awake, O 
       sleeper, and rise up from the dead; and Christ shall give you light."

       (Eph 5:15 TLB)  So be careful how you act; these are difficult days. 
       Don't be fools; be wise:

       (Eph 5:16 TLB)  make the most of every opportunity you have for doing 
       good.

       (Eph 5:17 TLB)  Don't act thoughtlessly, but try to find out and do 
       whatever the Lord wants you to.

       (Eph 5:18 TLB)  Don't drink too much wine, for many evils lie along 
       that path; be filled instead with the Holy Spirit and controlled by 
       him.

       (Eph 5:19 TLB)  Talk with each other much about the Lord, quoting 
       psalms and hymns and singing sacred songs, making music in your hearts 
       to the Lord.

       (Eph 5:20 TLB)  Always give thanks for everything to our God and 
       Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

       (Eph 5:21 TLB)  Honor Christ by submitting to each other.

       (Eph 5:22 TLB)  You wives must submit to your husbands' leadership in 
       the same way you submit to the Lord.

       (Eph 5:23 TLB)  For a husband is in charge of his wife in the same way 
       Christ is in charge of his body the Church. (He gave his very life to 
       take care of it and be its Savior!)

       (Eph 5:24 TLB)  So you wives must willingly obey your husbands in 
       everything, just as the Church obeys Christ.

       (Eph 5:25 TLB)  And you husbands, show the same kind of love to your 
       wives as Christ showed to the Church when he died for her,

       (Eph 5:26 TLB)  to make her holy and clean, washed by baptism and 
       God's Word;

       (Eph 5:27 TLB)  so that he could give her to himself as a glorious 
       Church without a single spot or wrinkle or any other blemish, being 
       holy and without a single fault.

       (Eph 5:28 TLB)  That is how husbands should treat their wives, loving 
       them as parts of themselves. For since a man and his wife are now one, 
       a man is really doing himself a favor and loving himself when he loves 
       his wife!

       (Eph 5:29 TLB)  No one hates his own body but lovingly cares for it, 





       just as Christ cares for his body the Church, of which we are parts.

       (Eph 5:30 TLB)  

       (Eph 5:31 TLB)  (That the husband and wife are one body is proved by 
       the Scripture, which says, "A man must leave his father and mother 
       when he marries so that he can be perfectly joined to his wife, and 
       the two shall be one.")

       (Eph 5:32 TLB)  I know this is hard to understand, but it is an 
       illustration of the way we are parts of the body of Christ.

       (Eph 5:33 TLB)  So again I say, a man must love his wife as a part of 
       himself; and the wife must see to it that she deeply respects her 
       husband--obeying, praising, and honoring him.

       (Eph 6:1 TLB)  Children, obey your parents; this is the right thing to 
       do because God has placed them in authority over you.

       (Eph 6:2 TLB)  Honor your father and mother. This is the first of 
       God's Ten Commandments that ends with a promise.

       (Eph 6:3 TLB)  And this is the promise: that if you honor your father 
       and mother, yours will be a long life, full of blessing.

       (Eph 6:4 TLB)  And now a word to you parents. Don't keep on scolding 
       and nagging your children, making them angry and resentful. Rather, 
       bring them up with the loving discipline the Lord himself approves, 
       with suggestions and godly advice.

       (Eph 6:5 TLB)  Slaves, obey your masters; be eager to give them your 
       very best. Serve them as you would Christ.

       (Eph 6:6 TLB)  Don't work hard only when your master is watching and 
       then shirk when he isn't looking; work hard and with gladness all the 
       time, as though working for Christ, doing the will of God with all 
       your hearts.

       (Eph 6:7 TLB)  

       (Eph 6:8 TLB)  Remember, the Lord will pay you for each good thing you 
       do, whether you are slave or free.

       (Eph 6:9 TLB)  And you slave owners must treat your slaves right, just 
       as I have told them to treat you. Don't keep threatening them; 
       remember, you yourselves are slaves to Christ; you have the same 
       Master they do, and he has no favorites.

       (Eph 6:10 TLB)  Last of all I want to remind you that your strength 
       must come from the Lord's mighty power within you.

       (Eph 6:11 TLB)  Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to 
       stand safe against all strategies and tricks of Satan.

       (Eph 6:12 TLB)  For we are not fighting against people made of flesh 
       and blood, but against persons without bodies--the evil rulers of the 





       unseen world, those mighty satanic beings and great evil princes of 
       darkness who rule this world; and against huge numbers of wicked 
       spirits in the spirit world.

       (Eph 6:13 TLB)  So use every piece of God's armor to resist the enemy 
       whenever he attacks, and when it is all over, you will still be 
       standing up.

       (Eph 6:14 TLB)  But to do this, you will need the strong belt of truth 
       and the breastplate of God's approval.

       (Eph 6:15 TLB)  Wear shoes that are able to speed you on as you preach 
       the Good News of peace with God.

       (Eph 6:16 TLB)  In every battle you will need faith as your shield to 
       stop the fiery arrows aimed at you by Satan.

       (Eph 6:17 TLB)  And you will need the helmet of salvation and the 
       sword of the Spirit--which is the Word of God.

       (Eph 6:18 TLB)  Pray all the time. Ask God for anything in line with 
       the Holy Spirit's wishes. Plead with him, reminding him of your needs, 
       and keep praying earnestly for all Christians everywhere.

       (Eph 6:19 TLB)  Pray for me, too, and ask God to give me the right 
       words as I boldly tell others about the Lord and as I explain to them 
       that his salvation is for the Gentiles too.

       (Eph 6:20 TLB)  I am in chains now for preaching this message from 
       God. But pray that I will keep on speaking out boldly for him even 
       here in prison, as I should.

       (Eph 6:21 TLB)  Tychicus, who is a much-loved brother and faithful 
       helper in the Lord's work, will tell you all about how I am getting 
       along.

       (Eph 6:22 TLB)  I am sending him to you for just this purpose: to let 
       you know how we are and be encouraged by his report.

       (Eph 6:23 TLB)  May God give peace to you, my Christian brothers, and 
       love, with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

       (Eph 6:24 TLB)  May God's grace and blessing be upon all who sincerely 
       love our Lord Jesus Christ. Sincerely, Paul '

       (Phil 1:1 TLB)  From: Paul and Timothy, slaves of Jesus Christ. To: 
       The pastors and deacons and all the Christians in the city of 
       Philippi.

       (Phil 1:2 TLB)  May God bless you all. Yes, I pray that God our Father 
       and the Lord Jesus Christ will give each of you his fullest blessings 
       and his peace in your hearts and your lives.

       (Phil 1:3 TLB)  All my prayers for you are full of praise to God!

       (Phil 1:4 TLB)  When I pray for you, my heart is full of joy






       (Phil 1:5 TLB)  because of all your wonderful help in making known the 
       Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now.

       (Phil 1:6 TLB)  And I am sure that God who began the good work within 
       you will keep right on helping you grow in his grace until his task 
       within you is finally finished on that day when Jesus Christ returns.

       (Phil 1:7 TLB)  How natural it is that I should feel as I do about 
       you, for you have a very special place in my heart. We have shared 
       together the blessings of God, both when I was in prison and when I 
       was out, defending the truth and telling others about Christ.

       (Phil 1:8 TLB)  Only God knows how deep is my love and longing for 
       you--with the tenderness of Jesus Christ.

       (Phil 1:9 TLB)  My prayer for you is that you will overflow more and 
       more with love for others, and at the same time keep on growing in 
       spiritual knowledge and insight,

       (Phil 1:10 TLB)  for I want you always to see clearly the difference 
       between right and wrong, and to be inwardly clean, no one being able 
       to criticize you from now until our Lord returns.

       (Phil 1:11 TLB)  May you always be doing those good, kind things that 
       show you are a child of God, for this will bring much praise and glory 
       to the Lord.

       (Phil 1:12 TLB)  And I want you to know this, dear brothers: 
       Everything that has happened to me here has been a great boost in 
       getting out the Good News concerning Christ.

       (Phil 1:13 TLB)  For everyone around here, including all the soldiers 
       over at the barracks, knows that I am in chains simply because I am a 
       Christian.

       (Phil 1:14 TLB)  And because of my imprisonment, many of the 
       Christians here seem to have lost their fear of chains! Somehow my 
       patience has encouraged them, and they have become more and more bold 
       in telling others about Christ.

       (Phil 1:15 TLB)  Some, of course, are preaching the Good News because 
       they are jealous of the way God has used me. They want reputations as 
       fearless preachers! But others have purer motives,

       (Phil 1:16 TLB)  preaching because they love me, for they know that 
       the Lord has brought me here to use me to defend the Truth.

       (Phil 1:17 TLB)  And some preach to make me jealous, thinking that 
       their success will add to my sorrows here in jail!

       (Phil 1:18 TLB)  But whatever their motive for doing it, the fact 
       remains that the Good News about Christ is being preached, and I am 
       glad.

       (Phil 1:19 TLB)  I am going to keep on being glad, for I know that as 





       you pray for me, and as the Holy Spirit helps me, this is all going to 
       turn out for my good.

       (Phil 1:20 TLB)  For I live in eager expectation and hope that I will 
       never do anything that will cause me to be ashamed of myself but that 
       I will always be ready to speak out boldly for Christ while I am going 
       through all these trials here, just as I have in the past; and that I 
       will always be an honor to Christ, whether I live or whether I must 
       die.

       (Phil 1:21 TLB)  For to me, living means opportunities for Christ, and 
       dying--well, that's better yet!

       (Phil 1:22 TLB)  But if living will give me more opportunities to win 
       people to Christ, then I really don't know which is better, to live or 
       die!

       (Phil 1:23 TLB)  Sometimes I want to live, and at other times I don't, 
       for I long to go and be with Christ. How much happier for me than 
       being here!

       (Phil 1:24 TLB)  But the fact is that I can be of more help to you by 
       staying!

       (Phil 1:25 TLB)  Yes, I am still needed down here, and so I feel 
       certain I will be staying on earth a little longer, to help you grow 
       and become happy in your faith;

       (Phil 1:26 TLB)  my staying will make you glad and give you reason to 
       glorify Christ Jesus for keeping me safe when I return to visit you 
       again.

       (Phil 1:27 TLB)  But whatever happens to me, remember always to live 
       as Christians should, so that whether I ever see you again or not, I 
       will keep on hearing good reports that you are standing side by side 
       with one strong purpose--to tell the Good News

       (Phil 1:28 TLB)  fearlessly, no matter what your enemies may do. They 
       will see this as a sign of their downfall, but for you it will be a 
       clear sign from God that he is with you, and that he has given you 
       eternal life with him.

       (Phil 1:29 TLB)  For to you has been given the privilege not only of 
       trusting him but also of suffering for him.

       (Phil 1:30 TLB)  We are in this fight together. You have seen me 
       suffer for him in the past; and I am still in the midst of a great and 
       terrible struggle now, as you know so well.

       (Phil 2:1 TLB)  Is there any such thing as Christians cheering each 
       other up? Do you love me enough to want to help me? Does it mean 
       anything to you that we are brothers in the Lord, sharing the same 
       Spirit? Are your hearts tender and sympathetic at all?

       (Phil 2:2 TLB)  Then make me truly happy by loving each other and 
       agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, working together with one 





       heart and mind and purpose.

       (Phil 2:3 TLB)  Don't be selfish; don't live to make a good impression 
       on others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourself.

       (Phil 2:4 TLB)  Don't just think about your own affairs, but be 
       interested in others, too, and in what they are doing.

       (Phil 2:5 TLB)  Your attitude should be the kind that was shown us by 
       Jesus Christ,

       (Phil 2:6 TLB)  who, though he was God, did not demand and cling to 
       his rights as God,

       (Phil 2:7 TLB)  but laid aside his mighty power and glory, taking the 
       disguise of a slave and becoming like men.

       (Phil 2:8 TLB)  And he humbled himself even further, going so far as 
       actually to die a criminal's death on a cross.

       (Phil 2:9 TLB)  Yet it was because of this that God raised him up to 
       the heights of heaven and gave him a name which is above every other 
       name,

       (Phil 2:10 TLB)  that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow in 
       heaven and on earth and under the earth,

       (Phil 2:11 TLB)  and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is 
       Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

       (Phil 2:12 TLB)  Dearest friends, when I was there with you, you were 
       always so careful to follow my instructions. And now that I am away 
       you must be even more careful to do the good things that result from 
       being saved, obeying God with deep reverence, shrinking back from all 
       that might displease him.

       (Phil 2:13 TLB)  For God is at work within you, helping you want to 
       obey him, and then helping you do what he wants.

       (Phil 2:14 TLB)  In everything you do, stay away from complaining and 
       arguing

       (Phil 2:15 TLB)  so that no one can speak a word of blame against you. 
       You are to live clean, innocent lives as children of God in a dark 
       world full of people who are crooked and stubborn. Shine out among 
       them like beacon lights,

       (Phil 2:16 TLB)  holding out to them the Word of Life. Then when 
       Christ returns, how glad I will be that my work among you was so 
       worthwhile.

       (Phil 2:17 TLB)  And if my lifeblood is, so to speak, to be poured out 
       over your faith, which I am offering up to God as a sacrifice--that 
       is, if I am to die for you--even then I will be glad and will share my 
       joy with each of you.





       (Phil 2:18 TLB)  For you should be happy about this, too, and rejoice 
       with me for having this privilege of dying for you.

       (Phil 2:19 TLB)  If the Lord is willing, I will send Timothy to see 
       you soon. Then when he comes back, he can cheer me up by telling me 
       all about you and how you are getting along.

       (Phil 2:20 TLB)  There is no one like Timothy for having a real 
       interest in you;

       (Phil 2:21 TLB)  everyone else seems to be worrying about his own 
       plans and not those of Jesus Christ.

       (Phil 2:22 TLB)  But you know Timothy. He has been just like a son to 
       me in helping me preach the Good News.

       (Phil 2:23 TLB)  I hope to send him to you just as soon as I find out 
       what is going to happen to me here.

       (Phil 2:24 TLB)  And I am trusting the Lord that soon I myself may 
       come to see you.

       (Phil 2:25 TLB)  Meanwhile, I thought I ought to send Epaphroditus 
       back to you. You sent him to help me in my need; well, he and I have 
       been real brothers, working and battling side by side.

       (Phil 2:26 TLB)  Now I am sending him home again, for he has been 
       homesick for all of you and upset because you heard that he was ill.

       (Phil 2:27 TLB)  And he surely was; in fact, he almost died. But God 
       had mercy on him and on me, too, not allowing me to have this sorrow 
       on top of everything else.

       (Phil 2:28 TLB)  So I am all the more anxious to get him back to you 
       again, for I know how thankful you will be to see him, and that will 
       make me happy and lighten all my cares.

       (Phil 2:29 TLB)  Welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and show your 
       appreciation,

       (Phil 2:30 TLB)  for he risked his life for the work of Christ and was 
       at the point of death while trying to do for me the things you 
       couldn't do because you were far away.

       (Phil 3:1 TLB)  Whatever happens, dear friends, be glad in the Lord. I 
       never get tired of telling you this, and it is good for you to hear it 
       again and again.

       (Phil 3:2 TLB)  Watch out for those wicked men--dangerous dogs, I call 
       them--who say you must be circumcised to be saved.

       (Phil 3:3 TLB)  For it isn't the cutting of our bodies that makes us 
       children of God; it is worshiping him with our spirits. That is the 
       only true "circumcision." We Christians glory in what Christ Jesus has 
       done for us and realize that we are helpless to save ourselves.





       (Phil 3:4 TLB)  Yet if anyone ever had reason to hope that he could 
       save himself, it would be I. If others could be saved by what they 
       are, certainly I could!

       (Phil 3:5 TLB)  For I went through the Jewish initiation ceremony when 
       I was eight days old, having been born into a pure-blooded Jewish home 
       that was a branch of the old original Benjamin family. So I was a real 
       Jew if there ever was one! What's more, I was a member of the 
       Pharisees who demand the strictest obedience to every Jewish law and 
       custom.

       (Phil 3:6 TLB)  And sincere? Yes, so much so that I greatly persecuted 
       the Church; and I tried to obey every Jewish rule and regulation right 
       down to the very last point.

       (Phil 3:7 TLB)  But all these things that I once thought very 
       worthwhile--now I've thrown them all away so that I can put my trust 
       and hope in Christ alone.

       (Phil 3:8 TLB)  Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with 
       the priceless gain of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have put aside 
       all else, counting it worth less than nothing, in order that I can 
       have Christ,

       (Phil 3:9 TLB)  and become one with him, no longer counting on being 
       saved by being good enough or by obeying God's laws, but by trusting 
       Christ to save me; for God's way of making us right with himself 
       depends on faith--counting on Christ alone.

       (Phil 3:10 TLB)  Now I have given up everything else--I have found it 
       to be the only way to really know Christ and to experience the mighty 
       power that brought him back to life again, and to find out what it 
       means to suffer and to die with him.

       (Phil 3:11 TLB)  So whatever it takes, I will be one who lives in the 
       fresh newness of life of those who are alive from the dead.

       (Phil 3:12 TLB)  I don't mean to say I am perfect. I haven't learned 
       all I should even yet, but I keep working toward that day when I will 
       finally be all that Christ saved me for and wants me to be.

       (Phil 3:13 TLB)  No, dear brothers, I am still not all I should be, 
       but I am bringing all my energies to bear on this one thing: 
       Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead,

       (Phil 3:14 TLB)  I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the 
       prize for which God is calling us up to heaven because of what Christ 
       Jesus did for us.

       (Phil 3:15 TLB)  I hope all of you who are mature Christians will see 
       eye-to-eye with me on these things, and if you disagree on some point, 
       I believe that God will make it plain to you--

       (Phil 3:16 TLB)  if you fully obey the truth you have.

       (Phil 3:17 TLB)  Dear brothers, pattern your lives after mine, and 





       notice who else lives up to my example.

       (Phil 3:18 TLB)  For I have told you often before, and I say it again 
       now with tears in my eyes, there are many who walk along the Christian 
       road who are really enemies of the cross of Christ.

       (Phil 3:19 TLB)  Their future is eternal loss, for their god is their 
       appetite: they are proud of what they should be ashamed of; and all 
       they think about is this life here on earth.

       (Phil 3:20 TLB)  But our homeland is in heaven, where our Savior, the 
       Lord Jesus Christ, is; and we are looking forward to his return from 
       there.

       (Phil 3:21 TLB)  When he comes back, he will take these dying bodies 
       of ours and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the 
       same mighty power that he will use to conquer all else everywhere.

       (Phil 4:1 TLB)  Dear brother Christians, I love you and long to see 
       you, for you are my joy and my reward for my work. My beloved friends, 
       stay true to the Lord.

       (Phil 4:2 TLB)  And now I want to plead with those two dear women, 
       Euodias and Syntyche. Please, please, with the Lord's help, quarrel no 
       more--be friends again.

       (Phil 4:3 TLB)  And I ask you, my true teammate, to help these women, 
       for they worked side by side with me in telling the Good News to 
       others; and they worked with Clement, too, and the rest of my fellow 
       workers whose names are written in the Book of Life.

       (Phil 4:4 TLB)  Always be full of joy in the Lord; I say it again, 
       rejoice!

       (Phil 4:5 TLB)  Let everyone see that you are unselfish and 
       considerate in all you do. Remember that the Lord is coming soon.

       (Phil 4:6 TLB)  Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about 
       everything; tell God your needs, and don't forget to thank him for his 
       answers.

       (Phil 4:7 TLB)  If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which 
       is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace 
       will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust 
       in Christ Jesus.

       (Phil 4:8 TLB)  And now, brothers, as I close this letter, let me say 
       this one more thing: Fix your thoughts on what is true and good and 
       right. Think about things that are pure and lovely, and dwell on the 
       fine, good things in others. Think about all you can praise God for 
       and be glad about.

       (Phil 4:9 TLB)  Keep putting into practice all you learned from me and 
       saw me doing, and the God of peace will be with you.

       (Phil 4:10 TLB)  How grateful I am and how I praise the Lord that you 





       are helping me again. I know you have always been anxious to send what 
       you could, but for a while you didn't have the chance.

       (Phil 4:11 TLB)  Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how 
       to get along happily whether I have much or little.

       (Phil 4:12 TLB)  I know how to live on almost nothing or with 
       everything. I have learned the secret of contentment in every 
       situation, whether it be a full stomach or hunger, plenty or want;

       (Phil 4:13 TLB)  for I can do everything God asks me to with the help 
       of Christ who gives me the strength and power.

       (Phil 4:14 TLB)  But even so, you have done right in helping me in my 
       present difficulty.

       (Phil 4:15 TLB)  As you well know, when I first brought the Gospel to 
       you and then went on my way, leaving Macedonia, only you Philippians 
       became my partners in giving and receiving. No other church did this.

       (Phil 4:16 TLB)  Even when I was over in Thessalonica you sent help 
       twice.

       (Phil 4:17 TLB)  But though I appreciate your gifts, what makes me 
       happiest is the well-earned reward you will have because of your 
       kindness.

       (Phil 4:18 TLB)  At the moment I have all I need--more than I need! I 
       am generously supplied with the gifts you sent me when Epaphroditus 
       came. They are a sweet-smelling sacrifice that pleases God well.

       (Phil 4:19 TLB)  And it is he who will supply all your needs from his 
       riches in glory because of what Christ Jesus has done for us.

       (Phil 4:20 TLB)  Now unto God our Father be glory forever and ever. 
       Amen. Sincerely, Paul P. S.

       (Phil 4:21 TLB)  Say hello for me to all the Christians there; the 
       brothers with me send their greetings, too.

       (Phil 4:22 TLB)  And all the other Christians here want to be 
       remembered to you, especially those who work in Caesar's palace.

       (Phil 4:23 TLB)  The blessings of our Lord Jesus Christ be upon your 
       spirits.

       (Col 1:1 TLB)  From: Paul, chosen by God to be Jesus Christ's 
       messenger, and from Brother Timothy.

       (Col 1:2 TLB)  To: The faithful Christian brothers--God's people--in 
       the city of Colosse. May God our Father shower you with blessings and 
       fill you with his great peace.

       (Col 1:3 TLB)  Whenever we pray for you, we always begin by giving 
       thanks to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,





       (Col 1:4 TLB)  for we have heard how much you trust the Lord, and how 
       much you love his people.

       (Col 1:5 TLB)  And you are looking forward to the joys of heaven, and 
       have been ever since the Gospel first was preached to you.

       (Col 1:6 TLB)  The same Good News that came to you is going out all 
       over the world and changing lives everywhere, just as it changed yours 
       that very first day you heard it and understood about God's great 
       kindness to sinners.

       (Col 1:7 TLB)  Epaphras, our much-loved fellow worker, was the one who 
       brought you this Good News. He is Jesus Christ's faithful slave, here 
       to help us in your place.

       (Col 1:8 TLB)  And he is the one who has told us about the great love 
       for others that the Holy Spirit has given you.

       (Col 1:9 TLB)  So ever since we first heard about you we have kept on 
       praying and asking God to help you understand what he wants you to do; 
       asking him to make you wise about spiritual things;

       (Col 1:10 TLB)  and asking that the way you live will always please 
       the Lord and honor him, so that you will always be doing good, kind 
       things for others, while all the time you are learning to know God 
       better and better.

       (Col 1:11 TLB)  We are praying, too, that you will be filled with his 
       mighty, glorious strength so that you can keep going no matter what 
       happens--always full of the joy of the Lord,

       (Col 1:12 TLB)  and always thankful to the Father who has made us fit 
       to share all the wonderful things that belong to those who live in the 
       Kingdom of light.

       (Col 1:13 TLB)  For he has rescued us out of the darkness and gloom of 
       Satan's kingdom and brought us into the Kingdom of his dear Son,

       (Col 1:14 TLB)  who bought our freedom with his blood and forgave us 
       all our sins.

       (Col 1:15 TLB)  Christ is the exact likeness of the unseen God. He 
       existed before God made anything at all, and, in fact,

       (Col 1:16 TLB)  Christ himself is the Creator who made everything in 
       heaven and earth, the things we can see and the things we can't; the 
       spirit world with its kings and kingdoms, its rulers and authorities; 
       all were made by Christ for his own use and glory.

       (Col 1:17 TLB)  He was before all else began and it is his power that 
       holds everything together.

       (Col 1:18 TLB)  He is the Head of the body made up of his people--that 
       is, his Church--which he began; and he is the Leader of all those who 
       arise from the dead, so that he is first in everything;





       (Col 1:19 TLB)  for God wanted all of himself to be in his Son.

       (Col 1:20 TLB)  It was through what his Son did that God cleared a 
       path for everything to come to him--all things in heaven and on 
       earth--for Christ's death on the cross has made peace with God for all 
       by his blood.

       (Col 1:21 TLB)  This includes you who were once so far away from God. 
       You were his enemies and hated him and were separated from him by your 
       evil thoughts and actions, yet now he has brought you back as his 
       friends.

       (Col 1:22 TLB)  He has done this through the death on the cross of his 
       own human body, and now as a result Christ has brought you into the 
       very presence of God, and you are standing there before him with 
       nothing left against you--nothing left that he could even chide you 
       for;

       (Col 1:23 TLB)  the only condition is that you fully believe the 
       Truth, standing in it steadfast and firm, strong in the Lord, 
       convinced of the Good News that Jesus died for you, and never shifting 
       from trusting him to save you. This is the wonderful news that came to 
       each of you and is now spreading all over the world. And I, Paul, have 
       the joy of telling it to others.

       (Col 1:24 TLB)  But part of my work is to suffer for you; and I am 
       glad, for I am helping to finish up the remainder of Christ's 
       sufferings for his body, the Church.

       (Col 1:25 TLB)  God has sent me to help his Church and to tell his 
       secret plan to you Gentiles.

       (Col 1:26 TLB)  He has kept this secret for centuries and generations 
       past, but now at last it has pleased him to tell it to those who love 
       him and live for him,

       (Col 1:27 TLB)  and the riches and glory of his plan are for you 
       Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ in your hearts is your 
       only hope of glory.

       (Col 1:28 TLB)  So everywhere we go we talk about Christ to all who 
       will listen, warning them and teaching them as well as we know how. We 
       want to be able to present each one to God, perfect because of what 
       Christ has done for each of them.

       (Col 1:29 TLB)  This is my work, and I can do it only because Christ's 
       mighty energy is at work within me.

       (Col 2:1 TLB)  I wish you could know how much I have struggled in 
       prayer for you and for the church at Laodicea, and for my many other 
       friends who have never known me personally.

       (Col 2:2 TLB)  This is what I have asked of God for you: that you will 
       be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love, and that you 
       will have the rich experience of knowing Christ with real certainty 
       and clear understanding. For God's secret plan, now at last made 





       known, is Christ himself.

       (Col 2:3 TLB)  In him lie hidden all the mighty, untapped treasures of 
       wisdom and knowledge.

       (Col 2:4 TLB)  I am saying this because I am afraid that someone may 
       fool you with smooth talk.

       (Col 2:5 TLB)  For though I am far away from you my heart is with you, 
       happy because you are getting along so well, happy because of your 
       strong faith in Christ.

       (Col 2:6 TLB)  And now just as you trusted Christ to save you, trust 
       him, too, for each day's problems; live in vital union with him.

       (Col 2:7 TLB)  Let your roots grow down into him and draw up 
       nourishment from him. See that you go on growing in the Lord, and 
       become strong and vigorous in the truth you were taught. Let your 
       lives overflow with joy and thanksgiving for all he has done.

       (Col 2:8 TLB)  Don't let others spoil your faith and joy with their 
       philosophies, their wrong and shallow answers built on men's thoughts 
       and ideas, instead of on what Christ has said.

       (Col 2:9 TLB)  For in Christ there is all of God in a human body;

       (Col 2:10 TLB)  so you have everything when you have Christ, and you 
       are filled with God through your union with Christ. He is the highest 
       Ruler, with authority over every other power.

       (Col 2:11 TLB)  When you came to Christ, he set you free from your 
       evil desires, not by a bodily operation of circumcision but by a 
       spiritual operation, the baptism of your souls.

       (Col 2:12 TLB)  For in baptism you see how your old, evil nature died 
       with him and was buried with him; and then you came up out of death 
       with him into a new life because you trusted the Word of the mighty 
       God who raised Christ from the dead.

       (Col 2:13 TLB)  You were dead in sins, and your sinful desires were 
       not yet cut away. Then he gave you a share in the very life of Christ, 
       for he forgave all your sins,

       (Col 2:14 TLB)  and blotted out the charges proved against you, the 
       list of his commandments which you had not obeyed. He took this list 
       of sins and destroyed it by nailing it to Christ's cross.

       (Col 2:15 TLB)  In this way God took away Satan's power to accuse you 
       of sin, and God openly displayed to the whole world Christ's triumph 
       at the cross where your sins were all taken away.

       (Col 2:16 TLB)  So don't let anyone criticize you for what you eat or 
       drink, or for not celebrating Jewish holidays and feasts or new moon 
       ceremonies or Sabbaths.

       (Col 2:17 TLB)  For these were only temporary rules that ended when 





       Christ came. They were only shadows of the real thing--of Christ 
       himself.

       (Col 2:18 TLB)  Don't let anyone declare you lost when you refuse to 
       worship angels, as they say you must. They have seen a vision, they 
       say, and know you should. These proud men (though they claim to be so 
       humble) have a very clever imagination.

       (Col 2:19 TLB)  But they are not connected to Christ, the Head to 
       which all of us who are his body are joined; for we are joined 
       together by his strong sinews, and we grow only as we get our 
       nourishment and strength from God.

       (Col 2:20 TLB)  Since you died, as it were, with Christ and this has 
       set you free from following the world's ideas of how to be saved--by 
       doing good and obeying various rules--why do you keep right on 
       following them anyway, still bound by such rules as

       (Col 2:21 TLB)  not eating, tasting, or even touching certain foods?

       (Col 2:22 TLB)  Such rules are mere human teachings, for food was made 
       to be eaten and used up.

       (Col 2:23 TLB)  These rules may seem good, for rules of this kind 
       require strong devotion and are humiliating and hard on the body, but 
       they have no effect when it comes to conquering a person's evil 
       thoughts and desires. They only make him proud.

       (Col 3:1 TLB)  Since you became alive again, so to speak, when Christ 
       arose from the dead, now set your sights on the rich treasures and 
       joys of heaven where he sits beside God in the place of honor and 
       power.

       (Col 3:2 TLB)  Let heaven fill your thoughts; don't spend your time 
       worrying about things down here.

       (Col 3:3 TLB)  You should have as little desire for this world as a 
       dead person does. Your real life is in heaven with Christ and God.

       (Col 3:4 TLB)  And when Christ who is our real life comes back again, 
       you will shine with him and share in all his glories.

       (Col 3:5 TLB)  Away then with sinful, earthly things; deaden the evil 
       desires lurking within you; have nothing to do with sexual sin, 
       impurity, lust, and shameful desires; don't worship the good things of 
       life, for that is idolatry.

       (Col 3:6 TLB)  God's terrible anger is upon those who do such things.

       (Col 3:7 TLB)  You used to do them when your life was still part of 
       this world;

       (Col 3:8 TLB)  but now is the time to cast off and throw away all 
       these rotten garments of anger, hatred, cursing, and dirty language.

       (Col 3:9 TLB)  Don't tell lies to each other; it was your old life 





       with all its wickedness that did that sort of thing; now it is dead 
       and gone.

       (Col 3:10 TLB)  You are living a brand new kind of life that is 
       continually learning more and more of what is right, and trying 
       constantly to be more and more like Christ who created this new life 
       within you.

       (Col 3:11 TLB)  In this new life one's nationality or race or 
       education or social position is unimportant; such things mean nothing. 
       Whether a person has Christ is what matters, and he is equally 
       available to all.

       (Col 3:12 TLB)  Since you have been chosen by God who has given you 
       this new kind of life, and because of his deep love and concern for 
       you, you should practice tenderhearted mercy and kindness to others. 
       Don't worry about making a good impression on them, but be ready to 
       suffer quietly and patiently.

       (Col 3:13 TLB)  Be gentle and ready to forgive; never hold grudges. 
       Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.

       (Col 3:14 TLB)  Most of all, let love guide your life, for then the 
       whole church will stay together in perfect harmony.

       (Col 3:15 TLB)  Let the peace of heart that comes from Christ be 
       always present in your hearts and lives, for this is your 
       responsibility and privilege as members of his body. And always be 
       thankful.

       (Col 3:16 TLB)  Remember what Christ taught, and let his words enrich 
       your lives and make you wise; teach them to each other and sing them 
       out in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing to the Lord with 
       thankful hearts.

       (Col 3:17 TLB)  And whatever you do or say, let it be as a 
       representative of the Lord Jesus, and come with him into the presence 
       of God the Father to give him your thanks.

       (Col 3:18 TLB)  You wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, for 
       that is what the Lord has planned for you.

       (Col 3:19 TLB)  And you husbands must be loving and kind to your wives 
       and not bitter against them nor harsh.

       (Col 3:20 TLB)  You children must always obey your fathers and 
       mothers, for that pleases the Lord.

       (Col 3:21 TLB)  Fathers, don't scold your children so much that they 
       become discouraged and quit trying.

       (Col 3:22 TLB)  You slaves must always obey your earthly masters, not 
       only trying to please them when they are watching you but all the 
       time; obey them willingly because of your love for the Lord and 
       because you want to please him.





       (Col 3:23 TLB)  Work hard and cheerfully at all you do, just as though 
       you were working for the Lord and not merely for your masters,

       (Col 3:24 TLB)  remembering that it is the Lord Christ who is going to 
       pay you, giving you your full portion of all he owns. He is the one 
       you are really working for.

       (Col 3:25 TLB)  And if you don't do your best for him, he will pay you 
       in a way that you won't like--for he has no special favorites who can 
       get away with shirking.

       (Col 4:1 TLB)  You slave owners must be just and fair to all your 
       slaves. Always remember that you, too, have a Master in heaven who is 
       closely watching you.

       (Col 4:2 TLB)  Don't be weary in prayer; keep at it; watch for God's 
       answers, and remember to be thankful when they come.

       (Col 4:3 TLB)  Don't forget to pray for us too, that God will give us 
       many chances to preach the Good News of Christ for which I am here in 
       jail.

       (Col 4:4 TLB)  Pray that I will be bold enough to tell it freely and 
       fully and make it plain, as, of course, I should.

       (Col 4:5 TLB)  Make the most of your chances to tell others the Good 
       News. Be wise in all your contacts with them.

       (Col 4:6 TLB)  Let your conversation be gracious as well as sensible, 
       for then you will have the right answer for everyone.

       (Col 4:7 TLB)  Tychicus, our much-loved brother, will tell you how I 
       am getting along. He is a hard worker and serves the Lord with me.

       (Col 4:8 TLB)  I have sent him on this special trip just to see how 
       you are and to comfort and encourage you.

       (Col 4:9 TLB)  I am also sending Onesimus, a faithful and much-loved 
       brother, one of your own people. He and Tychicus will give you all the 
       latest news.

       (Col 4:10 TLB)  Aristarchus, who is with me here as a prisoner, sends 
       you his love, and so does Mark, a relative of Barnabas. And as I said 
       before, give Mark a hearty welcome if he comes your way.

       (Col 4:11 TLB)  Jesus Justus also sends his love. These are the only 
       Jewish Christians working with me here, and what a comfort they have 
       been!

       (Col 4:12 TLB)  Epaphras, from your city, a servant of Christ Jesus, 
       sends you his love. He is always earnestly praying for you, asking God 
       to make you strong and perfect and to help you know his will in 
       everything you do.

       (Col 4:13 TLB)  I can assure you that he has worked hard for you with 
       his prayers, and also for the Christians in Laodicea and Hierapolis.






       (Col 4:14 TLB)  Dear Doctor Luke sends his love, and so does Demas.

       (Col 4:15 TLB)  Please give my greeting to the Christian friends at 
       Laodicea, and to Nymphas, and to those who meet in his home.

       (Col 4:16 TLB)  By the way, after you have read this letter, will you 
       pass it on to the church at Laodicea? And read the letter I wrote to 
       them.

       (Col 4:17 TLB)  And say to Archippus, "Be sure that you do all the 
       Lord has told you to."

       (Col 4:18 TLB)  Here is my own greeting in my own handwriting: 
       Remember me here in jail. May God's blessings surround you. Sincerely, 
       Paul

       (1 Th 1:1 TLB)  From: Paul, Silas, and Timothy. To: The church at 
       Thessalonica--to you who belong to God the Father and the Lord Jesus 
       Christ: May blessing and peace of heart be your rich gifts from God 
       our Father and from Jesus Christ our Lord.

       (1 Th 1:2 TLB)  We always thank God for you and pray for you 
       constantly.

       (1 Th 1:3 TLB)  We never forget your loving deeds as we talk to our 
       God and Father about you, and your strong faith and steady looking 
       forward to the return of our Lord Jesus Christ.

       (1 Th 1:4 TLB)  We know that God has chosen you, dear brothers, much 
       beloved of God.

       (1 Th 1:5 TLB)  For when we brought you the Good News, it was not just 
       meaningless chatter to you; no, you listened with great interest. What 
       we told you produced a powerful effect upon you, for the Holy Spirit 
       gave you great and full assurance that what we said was true. And you 
       know how our very lives were further proof to you of the truth of our 
       message.

       (1 Th 1:6 TLB)  So you became our followers and the Lord's; for you 
       received our message with joy from the Holy Spirit in spite of the 
       trials and sorrows it brought you.

       (1 Th 1:7 TLB)  Then you yourselves became an example to all the other 
       Christians in Greece.

       (1 Th 1:8 TLB)  And now the Word of the Lord has spread out from you 
       to others everywhere, far beyond your boundaries, for wherever we go 
       we find people telling us about your remarkable faith in God. We don't 
       need to tell them about it,

       (1 Th 1:9 TLB)  for they keep telling us about the wonderful welcome 
       you gave us, and how you turned away from your idols to God so that 
       now the living and true God only is your Master.

       (1 Th 1:10 TLB)  And they speak of how you are looking forward to the 





       return of God's Son from heaven--Jesus, whom God brought back to 
       life--and he is our only Savior from God's terrible anger against sin.

       (1 Th 2:1 TLB)  You yourselves know, dear brothers, how worthwhile 
       that visit was.

       (1 Th 2:2 TLB)  You know how badly we had been treated at Philippi 
       just before we came to you and how much we suffered there. Yet God 
       gave us the courage to boldly repeat the same message to you, even 
       though we were surrounded by enemies.

       (1 Th 2:3 TLB)  So you can see that we were not preaching with any 
       false motives or evil purposes in mind; we were perfectly 
       straightforward and sincere.

       (1 Th 2:4 TLB)  For we speak as messengers from God, trusted by him to 
       tell the truth; we change his message not one bit to suit the taste of 
       those who hear it; for we serve God alone, who examines our hearts' 
       deepest thoughts.

       (1 Th 2:5 TLB)  Never once did we try to win you with flattery, as you 
       very well know, and God knows we were not just pretending to be your 
       friends so that you would give us money!

       (1 Th 2:6 TLB)  As for praise, we have never asked for it from you or 
       anyone else, although as apostles of Christ we certainly had a right 
       to some honor from you.

       (1 Th 2:7 TLB)  But we were as gentle among you as a mother feeding 
       and caring for her own children.

       (1 Th 2:8 TLB)  We loved you dearly--so dearly that we gave you not 
       only God's message, but our own lives too.

       (1 Th 2:9 TLB)  Don't you remember, dear brothers, how hard we worked 
       among you? Night and day we toiled and sweated to earn enough to live 
       on so that our expenses would not be a burden to anyone there, as we 
       preached God's Good News among you.

       (1 Th 2:10 TLB)  You yourselves are our witnesses--as is God--that we 
       have been pure and honest and faultless toward every one of you.

       (1 Th 2:11 TLB)  We talked to you as a father to his own 
       children--don't you remember?--pleading with you, encouraging you and 
       even demanding

       (1 Th 2:12 TLB)  that your daily lives should not embarrass God but 
       bring joy to him who invited you into his Kingdom to share his glory.

       (1 Th 2:13 TLB)  And we will never stop thanking God for this: that 
       when we preached to you, you didn't think of the words we spoke as 
       being just our own, but you accepted what we said as the very Word of 
       God--which, of course, it was--and it changed your lives when you 
       believed it.

       (1 Th 2:14 TLB)  And then, dear brothers, you suffered what the 





       churches in Judea did, persecution from your own countrymen, just as 
       they suffered from their own people, the Jews.

       (1 Th 2:15 TLB)  After they had killed their own prophets, they even 
       executed the Lord Jesus; and now they have brutally persecuted us and 
       driven us out. They are against both God and man,

       (1 Th 2:16 TLB)  trying to keep us from preaching to the Gentiles for 
       fear some might be saved; and so their sins continue to grow. But the 
       anger of God has caught up with them at last.

       (1 Th 2:17 TLB)  Dear brothers, after we left you and had been away 
       from you but a very little while (though our hearts never left you), 
       we tried hard to come back to see you once more.

       (1 Th 2:18 TLB)  We wanted very much to come, and I, Paul, tried again 
       and again, but Satan stopped us.

       (1 Th 2:19 TLB)  For what is it we live for, that gives us hope and 
       joy and is our proud reward and crown? It is you! Yes, you will bring 
       us much joy as we stand together before our Lord Jesus Christ when he 
       comes back again.

       (1 Th 2:20 TLB)  For you are our trophy and joy.

       (1 Th 3:1 TLB)  Finally, when I could stand it no longer, I decided to 
       stay alone in Athens

       (1 Th 3:2 TLB)  and send Timothy, our brother and fellow worker, God's 
       minister, to visit you to strengthen your faith and encourage you

       (1 Th 3:3 TLB)  and to keep you from becoming fainthearted in all the 
       troubles you were going through. (But of course you know that such 
       troubles are a part of God's plan for us Christians.

       (1 Th 3:4 TLB)  Even while we were still with you we warned you ahead 
       of time that suffering would soon come--and it did.)

       (1 Th 3:5 TLB)  As I was saying, when I could bear the suspense no 
       longer, I sent Timothy to find out whether your faith was still 
       strong. I was afraid that perhaps Satan had gotten the best of you and 
       that all our work had been useless.

       (1 Th 3:6 TLB)  And now Timothy has just returned and brings the 
       welcome news that your faith and love are as strong as ever and that 
       you remember our visit with joy and want to see us just as much as we 
       want to see you.

       (1 Th 3:7 TLB)  So we are greatly comforted, dear brothers, in all of 
       our own crushing troubles and suffering here, now that we know you are 
       standing true to the Lord.

       (1 Th 3:8 TLB)  We can bear anything as long as we know that you 
       remain strong in him.

       (1 Th 3:9 TLB)  How can we thank God enough for you and for the joy 





       and delight you have given us in our praying for you?

       (1 Th 3:10 TLB)  For night and day we pray on and on for you, asking 
       God to let us see you again, to fill up any little cracks there may 
       yet be in your faith.

       (1 Th 3:11 TLB)  May God our Father himself and our Lord Jesus send us 
       back to you again.

       (1 Th 3:12 TLB)  And may the Lord make your love to grow and overflow 
       to each other and to everyone else, just as our love does toward you.

       (1 Th 3:13 TLB)  This will result in your hearts being made strong, 
       sinless, and holy by God our Father so that you may stand before him 
       guiltless on that day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns with all 
       those who belong to him.

       (1 Th 4:1 TLB)  Let me add this, dear brothers: You already know how 
       to please God in your daily living, for you know the commands we gave 
       you from the Lord Jesus himself. Now we beg you--yes, we demand of you 
       in the name of the Lord Jesus--that you live more and more closely to 
       that ideal.

       (1 Th 4:2 TLB)  

       (1 Th 4:3 TLB)  For God wants you to be holy and pure and to keep 
       clear of all sexual sin

       (1 Th 4:4 TLB)  so that each of you will marry in holiness and honor--

       (1 Th 4:5 TLB)  not in lustful passion as the heathen do, in their 
       ignorance of God and his ways.

       (1 Th 4:6 TLB)  And this also is God's will: that you never cheat in 
       this matter by taking another man's wife because the Lord will punish 
       you terribly for this, as we have solemnly told you before.

       (1 Th 4:7 TLB)  For God has not called us to be dirty-minded and full 
       of lust but to be holy and clean.

       (1 Th 4:8 TLB)  If anyone refuses to live by these rules, he is not 
       disobeying the rules of men but of God who gives his Holy Spirit to 
       you.

       (1 Th 4:9 TLB)  But concerning the pure brotherly love that there 
       should be among God's people, I don't need to say very much, I'm sure! 
       For God himself is teaching you to love one another.

       (1 Th 4:10 TLB)  Indeed, your love is already strong toward all the 
       Christian brothers throughout your whole nation. Even so, dear 
       friends, we beg you to love them more and more.

       (1 Th 4:11 TLB)  This should be your ambition: to live a quiet life, 
       minding your own business and doing your own work, just as we told you 
       before.





       (1 Th 4:12 TLB)  As a result, people who are not Christians will trust 
       and respect you, and you will not need to depend on others for enough 
       money to pay your bills.

       (1 Th 4:13 TLB)  And now, dear brothers, I want you to know what 
       happens to a Christian when he dies so that when it happens, you will 
       not be full of sorrow, as those are who have no hope.

       (1 Th 4:14 TLB)  For since we believe that Jesus died and then came 
       back to life again, we can also believe that when Jesus returns, God 
       will bring back with him all the Christians who have died.

       (1 Th 4:15 TLB)  I can tell you this directly from the Lord: that we 
       who are still living when the Lord returns will not rise to meet him 
       ahead of those who are in their graves.

       (1 Th 4:16 TLB)  For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with 
       a mighty shout and with the soul-stirring cry of the archangel and the 
       great trumpet-call of God. And the believers who are dead will be the 
       first to rise to meet the Lord.

       (1 Th 4:17 TLB)  Then we who are still alive and remain on the earth 
       will be caught up with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air 
       and remain with him forever.

       (1 Th 4:18 TLB)  So comfort and encourage each other with this news.

       (1 Th 5:1 TLB)  When is all this going to happen? I really don't need 
       to say anything about that, dear brothers,

       (1 Th 5:2 TLB)  for you know perfectly well that no one knows. That 
       day of the Lord will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night.

       (1 Th 5:3 TLB)  When people are saying, "All is well; everything is 
       quiet and peaceful"--then, all of a sudden, disaster will fall upon 
       them as suddenly as a woman's birth pains begin when her child is 
       born. And these people will not be able to get away anywhere--there 
       will be no place to hide.

       (1 Th 5:4 TLB)  But, dear brothers, you are not in the dark about 
       these things, and you won't be surprised as by a thief when that day 
       of the Lord comes.

       (1 Th 5:5 TLB)  For you are all children of the light and of the day, 
       and do not belong to darkness and night.

       (1 Th 5:6 TLB)  So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Watch 
       for his return and stay sober.

       (1 Th 5:7 TLB)  Night is the time for sleep and the time when people 
       get drunk.

       (1 Th 5:8 TLB)  But let us who live in the light keep sober, protected 
       by the armor of faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the happy 
       hope of salvation.





       (1 Th 5:9 TLB)  For God has not chosen to pour out his anger upon us 
       but to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ;

       (1 Th 5:10 TLB)  he died for us so that we can live with him forever, 
       whether we are dead or alive at the time of his return.

       (1 Th 5:11 TLB)  So encourage each other to build each other up, just 
       as you are already doing.

       (1 Th 5:12 TLB)  Dear brothers, honor the officers of your church who 
       work hard among you and warn you against all that is wrong.

       (1 Th 5:13 TLB)  Think highly of them and give them your wholehearted 
       love because they are straining to help you. And remember, no 
       quarreling among yourselves.

       (1 Th 5:14 TLB)  Dear brothers, warn those who are lazy, comfort those 
       who are frightened, take tender care of those who are weak, and be 
       patient with everyone.

       (1 Th 5:15 TLB)  See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always 
       try to do good to each other and to everyone else.

       (1 Th 5:16 TLB)  Always be joyful.

       (1 Th 5:17 TLB)  Always keep on praying.

       (1 Th 5:18 TLB)  No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this 
       is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

       (1 Th 5:19 TLB)  Do not smother the Holy Spirit.

       (1 Th 5:20 TLB)  Do not scoff at those who prophesy,

       (1 Th 5:21 TLB)  but test everything that is said to be sure it is 
       true, and if it is, then accept it.

       (1 Th 5:22 TLB)  Keep away from every kind of evil.

       (1 Th 5:23 TLB)  May the God of peace himself make you entirely pure 
       and devoted to God; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept 
       strong and blameless until that day when our Lord Jesus Christ comes 
       back again.

       (1 Th 5:24 TLB)  God, who called you to become his child, will do all 
       this for you, just as he promised.

       (1 Th 5:25 TLB)  Dear brothers, pray for us.

       (1 Th 5:26 TLB)  Shake hands for me with all the brothers there.

       (1 Th 5:27 TLB)  I command you in the name of the Lord to read this 
       letter to all the Christians.

       (1 Th 5:28 TLB)  And may rich blessings from our Lord Jesus Christ be 
       with you, every one. Sincerely, Paul






       (2 Th 1:1 TLB)  From: Paul, Silas, and Timothy. To: The church of 
       Thessalonica--kept safe in God our Father and in the Lord Jesus 
       Christ.

       (2 Th 1:2 TLB)  May God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you 
       rich blessings and peace-filled hearts and minds.

       (2 Th 1:3 TLB)  Dear brothers, giving thanks to God for you is not 
       only the right thing to do, but it is our duty to God because of the 
       really wonderful way your faith has grown and because of your growing 
       love for each other.

       (2 Th 1:4 TLB)  We are happy to tell other churches about your 
       patience and complete faith in God, in spite of all the crushing 
       troubles and hardships you are going through.

       (2 Th 1:5 TLB)  This is only one example of the fair, just way God 
       does things, for he is using your sufferings to make you ready for his 
       Kingdom,

       (2 Th 1:6 TLB)  while at the same time he is preparing judgment and 
       punishment for those who are hurting you.

       (2 Th 1:7 TLB)  And so I would say to you who are suffering, God will 
       give you rest along with us when the Lord Jesus appears suddenly from 
       heaven in flaming fire with his mighty angels,

       (2 Th 1:8 TLB)  bringing judgment on those who do not wish to know God 
       and who refuse to accept his plan to save them through our Lord Jesus 
       Christ.

       (2 Th 1:9 TLB)  They will be punished in everlasting hell, forever 
       separated from the Lord, never to see the glory of his power

       (2 Th 1:10 TLB)  when he comes to receive praise and admiration 
       because of all he has done for his people, his saints. And you will be 
       among those praising him because you have believed what we told you 
       about him.

       (2 Th 1:11 TLB)  And so we keep on praying for you, that our God will 
       make you the kind of children he wants to have--will make you as good 
       as you wish you could be!--rewarding your faith with his power.

       (2 Th 1:12 TLB)  Then everyone will be praising the name of the Lord 
       Jesus Christ because of the results they see in you; and your greatest 
       glory will be that you belong to him. The tender mercy of our God and 
       of the Lord Jesus Christ has made all this possible for you.

       (2 Th 2:1 TLB)  And now, what about the coming again of our Lord Jesus 
       Christ and our being gathered together to meet him? Please don't be 
       upset and excited, dear brothers,

       (2 Th 2:2 TLB)  by the rumor that this day of the Lord has already 
       begun. If you hear of people having visions and special messages from 
       God about this, or letters that are supposed to have come from me, 





       don't believe them.

       (2 Th 2:3 TLB)  Don't be carried away and deceived regardless of what 
       they say. For that day will not come until two things happen: first, 
       there will be a time of great rebellion against God, and then the man 
       of rebellion will come--the son of hell.

       (2 Th 2:4 TLB)  He will defy every god there is and tear down every 
       other object of adoration and worship. He will go in and sit as God in 
       the temple of God, claiming that he himself is God.

       (2 Th 2:5 TLB)  Don't you remember that I told you this when I was 
       with you?

       (2 Th 2:6 TLB)  And you know what is keeping him from being here 
       already; for he can come only when his time is ready.

       (2 Th 2:7 TLB)  As for the work this man of rebellion and hell will do 
       when he comes, it is already going on, but he himself will not come 
       until the one who is holding him back steps out of the way.

       (2 Th 2:8 TLB)  Then this wicked one will appear, whom the Lord Jesus 
       will burn up with the breath of his mouth and destroy by his presence 
       when he returns.

       (2 Th 2:9 TLB)  This man of sin will come as Satan's tool, full of 
       satanic power, and will trick everyone with strange demonstrations, 
       and will do great miracles.

       (2 Th 2:10 TLB)  He will completely fool those who are on their way to 
       hell because they have said no to the Truth; they have refused to 
       believe it and love it and let it save them,

       (2 Th 2:11 TLB)  so God will allow them to believe lies with all their 
       hearts,

       (2 Th 2:12 TLB)  and all of them will be justly judged for believing 
       falsehood, refusing the Truth, and enjoying their sins.

       (2 Th 2:13 TLB)  But we must forever give thanks to God for you, our 
       brothers loved by the Lord, because God chose from the very first to 
       give you salvation, cleansing you by the work of the Holy Spirit and 
       by your trusting in the Truth.

       (2 Th 2:14 TLB)  Through us he told you the Good News. Through us he 
       called you to share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

       (2 Th 2:15 TLB)  With all these things in mind, dear brothers, stand 
       firm and keep a strong grip on the truth that we taught you in our 
       letters and during the time we were with you.

       (2 Th 2:16 TLB)  May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, 
       who has loved us and given us everlasting comfort and hope, which we 
       don't deserve,

       (2 Th 2:17 TLB)  comfort your hearts with all comfort, and help you in 





       every good thing you say and do.

       (2 Th 3:1 TLB)  Finally, dear brothers, as I come to the end of this 
       letter, I ask you to pray for us. Pray first that the Lord's message 
       will spread rapidly and triumph wherever it goes, winning converts 
       everywhere as it did when it came to you.

       (2 Th 3:2 TLB)  Pray, too, that we will be saved out of the clutches 
       of evil men, for not everyone loves the Lord.

       (2 Th 3:3 TLB)  But the Lord is faithful; he will make you strong and 
       guard you from satanic attacks of every kind.

       (2 Th 3:4 TLB)  And we trust the Lord that you are putting into 
       practice the things we taught you, and that you always will.

       (2 Th 3:5 TLB)  May the Lord bring you into an ever deeper 
       understanding of the love of God and of the patience that comes from 
       Christ.

       (2 Th 3:6 TLB)  Now here is a command, dear brothers, given in the 
       name of our Lord Jesus Christ by his authority: Stay away from any 
       Christian who spends his days in laziness and does not follow the 
       ideal of hard work we set up for you.

       (2 Th 3:7 TLB)  For you well know that you ought to follow our 
       example: you never saw us loafing;

       (2 Th 3:8 TLB)  we never accepted food from anyone without buying it; 
       we worked hard day and night for the money we needed to live on, in 
       order that we would not be a burden to any of you.

       (2 Th 3:9 TLB)  It wasn't that we didn't have the right to ask you to 
       feed us, but we wanted to show you firsthand how you should work for 
       your living.

       (2 Th 3:10 TLB)  Even while we were still there with you, we gave you 
       this rule: "He who does not work shall not eat."

       (2 Th 3:11 TLB)  Yet we hear that some of you are living in laziness, 
       refusing to work, and wasting your time in gossiping.

       (2 Th 3:12 TLB)  In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ we appeal to 
       such people--we command them--to quiet down, get to work, and earn 
       their own living.

       (2 Th 3:13 TLB)  And to the rest of you I say, dear brothers, never be 
       tired of doing right.

       (2 Th 3:14 TLB)  If anyone refuses to obey what we say in this letter, 
       notice who he is and stay away from him, that he may be ashamed of 
       himself.

       (2 Th 3:15 TLB)  Don't think of him as an enemy, but speak to him as 
       you would to a brother who needs to be warned.





       (2 Th 3:16 TLB)  May the Lord of peace himself give you his peace no 
       matter what happens. The Lord be with you all.

       (2 Th 3:17 TLB)  Now here is my greeting, which I am writing with my 
       own hand, as I do at the end of all my letters, for proof that it 
       really is from me. This is in my own handwriting.

       (2 Th 3:18 TLB)  May the blessing of our Lord Jesus Christ be upon you 
       all. Sincerely, Paul

       (1 Tim 1:1 TLB)  From: Paul, a missionary of Jesus Christ, sent out by 
       the direct command of God our Savior and by Jesus Christ our Lord--our 
       only hope.

       (1 Tim 1:2 TLB)  To: Timothy. Timothy, you are like a son to me in the 
       things of the Lord. May God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord show 
       you his kindness and mercy and give you great peace of heart and mind.

       (1 Tim 1:3 TLB)  As I said when I left for Macedonia, please stay 
       there in Ephesus and try to stop the men who are teaching such wrong 
       doctrine.

       (1 Tim 1:4 TLB)  Put an end to their myths and fables, and their idea 
       of being saved by finding favor with an endless chain of angels 
       leading up to God--wild ideas that stir up questions and arguments 
       instead of helping people accept God's plan of faith.

       (1 Tim 1:5 TLB)  What I am eager for is that all the Christians there 
       will be filled with love that comes from pure hearts, and that their 
       minds will be clean and their faith strong.

       (1 Tim 1:6 TLB)  But these teachers have missed this whole idea and 
       spend their time arguing and talking foolishness.

       (1 Tim 1:7 TLB)  They want to become famous as teachers of the laws of 
       Moses when they haven't the slightest idea what those laws really show 
       us.

       (1 Tim 1:8 TLB)  Those laws are good when used as God intended.

       (1 Tim 1:9 TLB)  But they were not made for us, whom God has saved; 
       they are for sinners who hate God, have rebellious hearts, curse and 
       swear, attack their fathers and mothers, and murder.

       (1 Tim 1:10 TLB)  Yes, these laws are made to identify as sinners all 
       who are immoral and impure: homosexuals, kidnappers, liars, and all 
       others who do things that contradict

       (1 Tim 1:11 TLB)  the glorious Good News of our blessed God, whose 
       messenger I am.

       (1 Tim 1:12 TLB)  How thankful I am to Christ Jesus our Lord for 
       choosing me as one of his messengers, and giving me the strength to be 
       faithful to him,

       (1 Tim 1:13 TLB)  even though I used to scoff at the name of Christ. I 





       hunted down his people, harming them in every way I could. But God had 
       mercy on me because I didn't know what I was doing, for I didn't know 
       Christ at that time.

       (1 Tim 1:14 TLB)  Oh, how kind our Lord was, for he showed me how to 
       trust him and become full of the love of Christ Jesus.

       (1 Tim 1:15 TLB)  How true it is, and how I long that everyone should 
       know it, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners--and I 
       was the greatest of them all.

       (1 Tim 1:16 TLB)  But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could 
       use me as an example to show everyone how patient he is with even the 
       worst sinners, so that others will realize that they, too, can have 
       everlasting life.

       (1 Tim 1:17 TLB)  Glory and honor to God forever and ever. He is the 
       King of the ages, the unseen one who never dies; he alone is God, and 
       full of wisdom. Amen.

       (1 Tim 1:18 TLB)  Now, Timothy, my son, here is my command to you: 
       Fight well in the Lord's battles, just as the Lord told us through his 
       prophets that you would.

       (1 Tim 1:19 TLB)  Cling tightly to your faith in Christ and always 
       keep your conscience clear, doing what you know is right. For some 
       people have disobeyed their consciences and have deliberately done 
       what they knew was wrong. It isn't surprising that soon they lost 
       their faith in Christ after defying God like that.

       (1 Tim 1:20 TLB)  Hymenaeus and Alexander are two examples of this. I 
       had to give them over to Satan to punish them until they could learn 
       not to bring shame to the name of Christ.

       (1 Tim 2:1 TLB)  Here are my directions: Pray much for others; plead 
       for God's mercy upon them; give thanks for all he is going to do for 
       them.

       (1 Tim 2:2 TLB)  Pray in this way for kings and all others who are in 
       authority over us, or are in places of high responsibility, so that we 
       can live in peace and quietness, spending our time in godly living and 
       thinking much about the Lord.

       (1 Tim 2:3 TLB)  This is good and pleases God our Savior,

       (1 Tim 2:4 TLB)  for he longs for all to be saved and to understand 
       this truth:

       (1 Tim 2:5 TLB)  That God is on one side and all the people on the 
       other side, and Christ Jesus, himself man, is between them to bring 
       them together,

       (1 Tim 2:6 TLB)  by giving his life for all mankind. This is the 
       message that at the proper time God gave to the world.

       (1 Tim 2:7 TLB)  And I have been chosen--this is the absolute 





       truth--as God's minister and missionary to teach this truth to the 
       Gentiles and to show them God's plan of salvation through faith.

       (1 Tim 2:8 TLB)  So I want men everywhere to pray with holy hands 
       lifted up to God, free from sin and anger and resentment.

       (1 Tim 2:9 TLB)  And the women should be the same way, quiet and 
       sensible in manner and clothing.

       (1 Tim 2:10 TLB)  Christian women should be noticed for being kind and 
       good, not for the way they fix their hair or because of their jewels 
       or fancy clothes.

       (1 Tim 2:11 TLB)  Women should listen and learn quietly and humbly.

       (1 Tim 2:12 TLB)  I never let women teach men or lord it over them. 
       Let them be silent in your church meetings.

       (1 Tim 2:13 TLB)  Why? Because God made Adam first, and afterwards he 
       made Eve.

       (1 Tim 2:14 TLB)  And it was not Adam who was fooled by Satan, but 
       Eve, and sin was the result.

       (1 Tim 2:15 TLB)  So God sent pain and suffering to women when their 
       children are born, but he will save their souls if they trust in him, 
       living quiet, good, and loving lives.

       (1 Tim 3:1 TLB)  It is a true saying that if a man wants to be a 
       pastor he has a good ambition.

       (1 Tim 3:2 TLB)  For a pastor must be a good man whose life cannot be 
       spoken against. He must have only one wife, and he must be hard 
       working and thoughtful, orderly, and full of good deeds. He must enjoy 
       having guests in his home and must be a good Bible teacher.

       (1 Tim 3:3 TLB)  He must not be a drinker or quarrelsome, but he must 
       be gentle and kind and not be one who loves money.

       (1 Tim 3:4 TLB)  He must have a well-behaved family, with children who 
       obey quickly and quietly.

       (1 Tim 3:5 TLB)  For if a man can't make his own little family behave, 
       how can he help the whole church?

       (1 Tim 3:6 TLB)  The pastor must not be a new Christian because he 
       might be proud of being chosen so soon, and pride comes before a fall. 
       (Satan's downfall is an example.)

       (1 Tim 3:7 TLB)  Also, he must be well spoken of by people outside the 
       church--those who aren't Christians--so that Satan can't trap him with 
       many accusations and leave him without freedom to lead his flock.

       (1 Tim 3:8 TLB)  The deacons must be the same sort of good, steady men 
       as the pastors. They must not be heavy drinkers and must not be greedy 
       for money.






       (1 Tim 3:9 TLB)  They must be earnest, wholehearted followers of 
       Christ, who is the hidden Source of their faith.

       (1 Tim 3:10 TLB)  Before they are asked to be deacons, they should be 
       given other jobs in the church as a test of their character and 
       ability, and if they do well, then they may be chosen as deacons.

       (1 Tim 3:11 TLB)  Their wives must be thoughtful, not heavy drinkers, 
       not gossipers, but faithful in everything they do.

       (1 Tim 3:12 TLB)  Deacons should have only one wife, and they should 
       have happy, obedient families.

       (1 Tim 3:13 TLB)  Those who do well as deacons will be well rewarded 
       both by respect from others and also by developing their own 
       confidence and bold trust in the Lord.

       (1 Tim 3:14 TLB)  I am writing these things to you now, even though I 
       hope to be with you soon,

       (1 Tim 3:15 TLB)  so that if I don't come for awhile, you will know 
       what kind of men you should choose as officers for the church of the 
       living God, which contains and holds high the truth of God.

       (1 Tim 3:16 TLB)  It is quite true that the way to live a godly life 
       is not an easy matter. But the answer lies in Christ, who came to 
       earth as a man, was proved spotless and pure in his Spirit, was served 
       by angels, was preached among the nations, was accepted by men 
       everywhere, and was received up again to his glory in heaven.

       (1 Tim 4:1 TLB)  But the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last 
       times some in the church will turn away from Christ and become eager 
       followers of teachers with devil-inspired ideas.

       (1 Tim 4:2 TLB)  These teachers will tell lies with straight faces and 
       do it so often that their consciences won't even bother them.

       (1 Tim 4:3 TLB)  They will say it is wrong to be married and wrong to 
       eat meat, even though God gave these things to well-taught Christians 
       to enjoy and be thankful for.

       (1 Tim 4:4 TLB)  For everything God made is good, and we may eat it 
       gladly if we are thankful for it,

       (1 Tim 4:5 TLB)  and if we ask God to bless it, for it is made good by 
       the Word of God and prayer.

       (1 Tim 4:6 TLB)  If you explain this to the others you will be doing 
       your duty as a worthy pastor who is fed by faith and by the true 
       teaching you have followed.

       (1 Tim 4:7 TLB)  Don't waste time arguing over foolish ideas and silly 
       myths and legends. Spend your time and energy in the exercise of 
       keeping spiritually fit.





       (1 Tim 4:8 TLB)  Bodily exercise is all right, but spiritual exercise 
       is much more important and is a tonic for all you do. So exercise 
       yourself spiritually, and practice being a better Christian because 
       that will help you not only now in this life, but in the next life 
       too.

       (1 Tim 4:9 TLB)  This is the truth and everyone should accept it.

       (1 Tim 4:10 TLB)  We work hard and suffer much in order that people 
       will believe it, for our hope is in the living God who died for all, 
       and particularly for those who have accepted his salvation.

       (1 Tim 4:11 TLB)  Teach these things and make sure everyone learns 
       them well.

       (1 Tim 4:12 TLB)  Don't let anyone think little of you because you are 
       young. Be their ideal; let them follow the way you teach and live; be 
       a pattern for them in your love, your faith, and your clean thoughts.

       (1 Tim 4:13 TLB)  Until I get there, read and explain the Scriptures 
       to the church; preach God's Word.

       (1 Tim 4:14 TLB)  Be sure to use the abilities God has given you 
       through his prophets when the elders of the church laid their hands 
       upon your head.

       (1 Tim 4:15 TLB)  Put these abilities to work; throw yourself into 
       your tasks so that everyone may notice your improvement and progress.

       (1 Tim 4:16 TLB)  Keep a close watch on all you do and think. Stay 
       true to what is right and God will bless you and use you to help 
       others.

       (1 Tim 5:1 TLB)  Never speak sharply to an older man, but plead with 
       him respectfully just as though he were your own father. Talk to the 
       younger men as you would to much-loved brothers.

       (1 Tim 5:2 TLB)  Treat the older women as mothers, and the girls as 
       your sisters, thinking only pure thoughts about them.

       (1 Tim 5:3 TLB)  The church should take loving care of women whose 
       husbands have died if they don't have anyone else to help them.

       (1 Tim 5:4 TLB)  But if they have children or grandchildren, these are 
       the ones who should take the responsibility, for kindness should begin 
       at home, supporting needy parents. This is something that pleases God 
       very much.

       (1 Tim 5:5 TLB)  The church should care for widows who are poor and 
       alone in the world if they are looking to God for his help and 
       spending much time in prayer;

       (1 Tim 5:6 TLB)  but not if they are spending their time running 
       around gossiping, seeking only pleasure and thus ruining their souls.

       (1 Tim 5:7 TLB)  This should be your church rule so that the 





       Christians will know and do what is right.

       (1 Tim 5:8 TLB)  But anyone who won't care for his own relatives when 
       they need help, especially those living in his own family, has no 
       right to say he is a Christian. Such a person is worse than the 
       heathen.

       (1 Tim 5:9 TLB)  A widow who wants to become one of the special church 
       workers should be at least sixty years old and have been married only 
       once.

       (1 Tim 5:10 TLB)  She must be well thought of by everyone because of 
       the good she has done. Has she brought up her children well? Has she 
       been kind to strangers as well as to other Christians? Has she helped 
       those who are sick and hurt? Is she always ready to show kindness?

       (1 Tim 5:11 TLB)  The younger widows should not become members of this 
       special group because after awhile they are likely to disregard their 
       vow to Christ and marry again.

       (1 Tim 5:12 TLB)  And so they will stand condemned because they broke 
       their first promise.

       (1 Tim 5:13 TLB)  Besides, they are likely to be lazy and spend their 
       time gossiping around from house to house, getting into other people's 
       business.

       (1 Tim 5:14 TLB)  So I think it is better for these younger widows to 
       marry again and have children and take care of their own homes; then 
       no one will be able to say anything against them.

       (1 Tim 5:15 TLB)  For I am afraid that some of them have already 
       turned away from the church and been led astray by Satan.

       (1 Tim 5:16 TLB)  Let me remind you again that a widow's relatives 
       must take care of her and not leave this to the church to do. Then the 
       church can spend its money for the care of widows who are all alone 
       and have nowhere else to turn.

       (1 Tim 5:17 TLB)  Pastors who do their work well should be paid well 
       and should be highly appreciated, especially those who work hard at 
       both preaching and teaching.

       (1 Tim 5:18 TLB)  For the Scriptures say, "Never tie up the mouth of 
       an ox when it is treading out the grain--let him eat as he goes 
       along!" And in another place, "Those who work deserve their pay!"

       (1 Tim 5:19 TLB)  Don't listen to complaints against the pastor unless 
       there are two or three witnesses to accuse him.

       (1 Tim 5:20 TLB)  If he has really sinned, then he should be rebuked 
       in front of the whole church so that no one else will follow his 
       example.

       (1 Tim 5:21 TLB)  I solemnly command you in the presence of God and 
       the Lord Jesus Christ and of the holy angels to do this whether the 





       pastor is a special friend of yours or not. All must be treated 
       exactly the same.

       (1 Tim 5:22 TLB)  Never be in a hurry about choosing a pastor; you may 
       overlook his sins, and it will look as if you approve of them. Be sure 
       that you yourself stay away from all sin.

       (1 Tim 5:23 TLB)  (By the way, this doesn't mean you should completely 
       give up drinking wine. You ought to take a little sometimes as 
       medicine for your stomach because you are sick so often.)

       (1 Tim 5:24 TLB)  Remember that some men, even pastors, lead sinful 
       lives, and everyone knows it. In such situations you can do something 
       about it. But in other cases only the judgment day will reveal the 
       terrible truth.

       (1 Tim 5:25 TLB)  In the same way, everyone knows how much good some 
       pastors do, but sometimes their good deeds aren't known until long 
       afterward.

       (1 Tim 6:1 TLB)  Christian slaves should work hard for their owners 
       and respect them; never let it be said that Christ's people are poor 
       workers. Don't let the name of God or his teaching be laughed at 
       because of this.

       (1 Tim 6:2 TLB)  If their owner is a Christian, that is no excuse for 
       slowing down; rather they should work all the harder because a brother 
       in the faith is being helped by their efforts. Teach these truths, 
       Timothy, and encourage all to obey them.

       (1 Tim 6:3 TLB)  Some may deny these things, but they are the sound, 
       wholesome teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ and are the foundation 
       for a godly life.

       (1 Tim 6:4 TLB)  Anyone who says anything different is both proud and 
       stupid. He is quibbling over the meaning of Christ's words and 
       stirring up arguments ending in jealousy and anger, which only lead to 
       name-calling, accusations, and evil suspicions.

       (1 Tim 6:5 TLB)  These arguers--their minds warped by sin--don't know 
       how to tell the truth; to them the Good News is just a means of making 
       money. Keep away from them.

       (1 Tim 6:6 TLB)  Do you want to be truly rich? You already are if you 
       are happy and good.

       (1 Tim 6:7 TLB)  After all, we didn't bring any money with us when we 
       came into the world, and we can't carry away a single penny when we 
       die.

       (1 Tim 6:8 TLB)  So we should be well satisfied without money if we 
       have enough food and clothing.

       (1 Tim 6:9 TLB)  But people who long to be rich soon begin to do all 
       kinds of wrong things to get money, things that hurt them and make 
       them evil-minded and finally send them to hell itself.






       (1 Tim 6:10 TLB)  For the love of money is the first step toward all 
       kinds of sin. Some people have even turned away from God because of 
       their love for it, and as a result have pierced themselves with many 
       sorrows.

       (1 Tim 6:11 TLB)  O Timothy, you are God's man. Run from all these 
       evil things, and work instead at what is right and good, learning to 
       trust him and love others and to be patient and gentle.

       (1 Tim 6:12 TLB)  Fight on for God. Hold tightly to the eternal life 
       that God has given you and that you have confessed with such a ringing 
       confession before many witnesses.

       (1 Tim 6:13 TLB)  I command you before God, who gives life to all, and 
       before Christ Jesus, who gave a fearless testimony before Pontius 
       Pilate,

       (1 Tim 6:14 TLB)  that you fulfill all he has told you to do so that 
       no one can find fault with you from now until our Lord Jesus Christ 
       returns.

       (1 Tim 6:15 TLB)  For in due season Christ will be revealed from 
       heaven by the blessed and only Almighty God, the King of kings and 
       Lord of lords,

       (1 Tim 6:16 TLB)  who alone can never die, who lives in light so 
       terrible that no human being can approach him. No mere man has ever 
       seen him nor ever will. Unto him be honor and everlasting power and 
       dominion forever and ever. Amen.

       (1 Tim 6:17 TLB)  Tell those who are rich not to be proud and not to 
       trust in their money, which will soon be gone, but their pride and 
       trust should be in the living God who always richly gives us all we 
       need for our enjoyment.

       (1 Tim 6:18 TLB)  Tell them to use their money to do good. They should 
       be rich in good works and should give happily to those in need, always 
       being ready to share with others whatever God has given them.

       (1 Tim 6:19 TLB)  By doing this they will be storing up real treasure 
       for themselves in heaven--it is the only safe investment for eternity! 
       And they will be living a fruitful Christian life down here as well.

       (1 Tim 6:20 TLB)  Oh, Timothy, don't fail to do these things that God 
       entrusted to you. Keep out of foolish arguments with those who boast 
       of their "knowledge" and thus prove their lack of it.

       (1 Tim 6:21 TLB)  Some of these people have missed the most important 
       thing in life--they don't know God. May God's mercy be upon you. 
       Sincerely, Paul

       (2 Tim 1:1 TLB)  From: Paul, Jesus Christ's missionary, sent out by 
       God to tell men and women everywhere about the eternal life he has 
       promised them through faith in Jesus Christ.





       (2 Tim 1:2 TLB)  To: Timothy, my dear son. May God the Father and 
       Christ Jesus our Lord shower you with his kindness, mercy, and peace.

       (2 Tim 1:3 TLB)  How I thank God for you, Timothy. I pray for you 
       every day, and many times during the long nights I beg my God to bless 
       you richly. He is my fathers' God and mine, and my only purpose in 
       life is to please him.

       (2 Tim 1:4 TLB)  How I long to see you again. How happy I would be, 
       for I remember your tears as we left each other.

       (2 Tim 1:5 TLB)  I know how much you trust the Lord, just as your 
       mother Eunice and your grandmother Lois do; and I feel sure you are 
       still trusting him as much as ever.

       (2 Tim 1:6 TLB)  This being so, I want to remind you to stir into 
       flame the strength and boldness that is in you, that entered into you 
       when I laid my hands upon your head and blessed you.

       (2 Tim 1:7 TLB)  For the Holy Spirit, God's gift, does not want you to 
       be afraid of people, but to be wise and strong, and to love them and 
       enjoy being with them.

       (2 Tim 1:8 TLB)  If you will stir up this inner power, you will never 
       be afraid to tell others about our Lord or to let them know that I am 
       your friend even though I am here in jail for Christ's sake. You will 
       be ready to suffer with me for the Lord, for he will give you strength 
       in suffering.

       (2 Tim 1:9 TLB)  It is he who saved us and chose us for his holy work 
       not because we deserved it but because that was his plan long before 
       the world began--to show his love and kindness to us through Christ.

       (2 Tim 1:10 TLB)  And now he has made all of this plain to us by the 
       coming of our Savior Jesus Christ, who broke the power of death and 
       showed us the way of everlasting life through trusting him.

       (2 Tim 1:11 TLB)  And God has chosen me to be his missionary, to 
       preach to the Gentiles and teach them.

       (2 Tim 1:12 TLB)  That is why I am suffering here in jail, and I am 
       certainly not ashamed of it, for I know the one in whom I trust, and I 
       am sure that he is able to safely guard all that I have given him 
       until the day of his return.

       (2 Tim 1:13 TLB)  Hold tightly to the pattern of truth I taught you, 
       especially concerning the faith and love Christ Jesus offers you.

       (2 Tim 1:14 TLB)  Guard well the splendid, God-given ability you 
       received as a gift from the Holy Spirit who lives within you.

       (2 Tim 1:15 TLB)  As you know, all the Christians who came here from 
       Asia have deserted me; even Phygellus and Hermogenes are gone.

       (2 Tim 1:16 TLB)  May the Lord bless Onesiphorus and all his family 
       because he visited me and encouraged me often. His visits revived me 





       like a breath of fresh air, and he was never ashamed of my being in 
       jail.

       (2 Tim 1:17 TLB)  In fact, when he came to Rome, he searched 
       everywhere trying to find me, and finally did.

       (2 Tim 1:18 TLB)  May the Lord give him a special blessing at the day 
       of Christ's return. And you know better than I can tell you how much 
       he helped me at Ephesus.

       (2 Tim 2:1 TLB)  O Timothy, my son, be strong with the strength Christ 
       Jesus gives you.

       (2 Tim 2:2 TLB)  For you must teach others those things you and many 
       others have heard me speak about. Teach these great truths to 
       trustworthy men who will, in turn, pass them on to others.

       (2 Tim 2:3 TLB)  Take your share of suffering as a good soldier of 
       Jesus Christ, just as I do;

       (2 Tim 2:4 TLB)  and as Christ's soldier, do not let yourself become 
       tied up in worldly affairs, for then you cannot satisfy the one who 
       has enlisted you in his army.

       (2 Tim 2:5 TLB)  Follow the Lord's rules for doing his work, just as 
       an athlete either follows the rules or is disqualified and wins no 
       prize.

       (2 Tim 2:6 TLB)  Work hard like a farmer who gets paid well if he 
       raises a large crop.

       (2 Tim 2:7 TLB)  Think over these three illustrations, and may the 
       Lord help you to understand how they apply to you.

       (2 Tim 2:8 TLB)  Don't ever forget the wonderful fact that Jesus 
       Christ was a man, born into King David's family; and that he was God, 
       as shown by the fact that he rose again from the dead.

       (2 Tim 2:9 TLB)  It is because I have preached these great truths that 
       I am in trouble here and have been put in jail like a criminal. But 
       the Word of God is not chained, even though I am.

       (2 Tim 2:10 TLB)  I am more than willing to suffer if that will bring 
       salvation and eternal glory in Christ Jesus to those God has chosen.

       (2 Tim 2:11 TLB)  I am comforted by this truth, that when we suffer 
       and die for Christ it only means that we will begin living with him in 
       heaven.

       (2 Tim 2:12 TLB)  And if we think that our present service for him is 
       hard, just remember that some day we are going to sit with him and 
       rule with him. But if we give up when we suffer, and turn against 
       Christ, then he must turn against us.

       (2 Tim 2:13 TLB)  Even when we are too weak to have any faith left, he 
       remains faithful to us and will help us, for he cannot disown us who 





       are part of himself, and he will always carry out his promises to us.

       (2 Tim 2:14 TLB)  Remind your people of these great facts, and command 
       them in the name of the Lord not to argue over unimportant things. 
       Such arguments are confusing and useless and even harmful.

       (2 Tim 2:15 TLB)  Work hard so God can say to you, "Well done." Be a 
       good workman, one who does not need to be ashamed when God examines 
       your work. Know what his Word says and means.

       (2 Tim 2:16 TLB)  Steer clear of foolish discussions that lead people 
       into the sin of anger with each other.

       (2 Tim 2:17 TLB)  Things will be said that will burn and hurt for a 
       long time to come. Hymenaeus and Philetus, in their love of argument, 
       are men like that.

       (2 Tim 2:18 TLB)  They have left the path of truth, preaching the lie 
       that the resurrection of the dead has already occurred; and they have 
       weakened the faith of some who believe them.

       (2 Tim 2:19 TLB)  But God's truth stands firm like a great rock, and 
       nothing can shake it. It is a foundation stone with these words 
       written on it: "The Lord knows those who are really his," and "A 
       person who calls himself a Christian should not be doing things that 
       are wrong."

       (2 Tim 2:20 TLB)  In a wealthy home there are dishes made of gold and 
       silver as well as some made from wood and clay. The expensive dishes 
       are used for guests, and the cheap ones are used in the kitchen or to 
       put garbage in.

       (2 Tim 2:21 TLB)  If you stay away from sin you will be like one of 
       these dishes made of purest gold--the very best in the house--so that 
       Christ himself can use you for his highest purposes.

       (2 Tim 2:22 TLB)  Run from anything that gives you the evil thoughts 
       that young men often have, but stay close to anything that makes you 
       want to do right. Have faith and love, and enjoy the companionship of 
       those who love the Lord and have pure hearts.

       (2 Tim 2:23 TLB)  Again I say, don't get involved in foolish 
       arguments, which only upset people and make them angry.

       (2 Tim 2:24 TLB)  God's people must not be quarrelsome; they must be 
       gentle, patient teachers of those who are wrong.

       (2 Tim 2:25 TLB)  Be humble when you are trying to teach those who are 
       mixed up concerning the truth. For if you talk meekly and courteously 
       to them, they are more likely, with God's help, to turn away from 
       their wrong ideas and believe what is true.

       (2 Tim 2:26 TLB)  Then they will come to their senses and escape from 
       Satan's trap of slavery to sin, which he uses to catch them whenever 
       he likes, and then they can begin doing the will of God.





       (2 Tim 3:1 TLB)  You may as well know this too, Timothy, that in the 
       last days it is going to be very difficult to be a Christian.

       (2 Tim 3:2 TLB)  For people will love only themselves and their money; 
       they will be proud and boastful, sneering at God, disobedient to their 
       parents, ungrateful to them, and thoroughly bad.

       (2 Tim 3:3 TLB)  They will be hardheaded and never give in to others; 
       they will be constant liars and troublemakers and will think nothing 
       of immorality. They will be rough and cruel, and sneer at those who 
       try to be good.

       (2 Tim 3:4 TLB)  They will betray their friends; they will be 
       hotheaded, puffed up with pride, and prefer good times to worshiping 
       God.

       (2 Tim 3:5 TLB)  They will go to church, yes, but they won't really 
       believe anything they hear. Don't be taken in by people like that.

       (2 Tim 3:6 TLB)  They are the kind who craftily sneak into other 
       people's homes and make friendships with silly, sin-burdened women and 
       teach them their new doctrines.

       (2 Tim 3:7 TLB)  Women of that kind are forever following new 
       teachers, but they never understand the truth.

       (2 Tim 3:8 TLB)  And these teachers fight truth just as Jannes and 
       Jambres fought against Moses. They have dirty minds, warped and 
       twisted, and have turned against the Christian faith.

       (2 Tim 3:9 TLB)  But they won't get away with all this forever. 
       Someday their deceit will be well known to everyone, as was the sin of 
       Jannes and Jambres.

       (2 Tim 3:10 TLB)  But you know from watching me that I am not that 
       kind of person. You know what I believe and the way I live and what I 
       want. You know my faith in Christ and how I have suffered. You know my 
       love for you, and my patience.

       (2 Tim 3:11 TLB)  You know how many troubles I have had as a result of 
       my preaching the Good News. You know about all that was done to me 
       while I was visiting in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra, but the Lord 
       delivered me.

       (2 Tim 3:12 TLB)  Yes, and those who decide to please Christ Jesus by 
       living godly lives will suffer at the hands of those who hate him.

       (2 Tim 3:13 TLB)  In fact, evil men and false teachers will become 
       worse and worse, deceiving many, they themselves having been deceived 
       by Satan.

       (2 Tim 3:14 TLB)  But you must keep on believing the things you have 
       been taught. You know they are true, for you know that you can trust 
       those of us who have taught you.

       (2 Tim 3:15 TLB)  You know how, when you were a small child, you were 





       taught the holy Scriptures; and it is these that make you wise to 
       accept God's salvation by trusting in Christ Jesus.

       (2 Tim 3:16 TLB)  The whole Bible was given to us by inspiration from 
       God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what 
       is wrong in our lives; it straightens us out and helps us do what is 
       right.

       (2 Tim 3:17 TLB)  It is God's way of making us well prepared at every 
       point, fully equipped to do good to everyone.

       (2 Tim 4:1 TLB)  And so I solemnly urge you before God and before 
       Christ Jesus--who will someday judge the living and the dead when he 
       appears to set up his Kingdom--

       (2 Tim 4:2 TLB)  to preach the Word of God urgently at all times, 
       whenever you get the chance, in season and out, when it is convenient 
       and when it is not. Correct and rebuke your people when they need it, 
       encourage them to do right, and all the time be feeding them patiently 
       with God's Word.

       (2 Tim 4:3 TLB)  For there is going to come a time when people won't 
       listen to the truth but will go around looking for teachers who will 
       tell them just what they want to hear.

       (2 Tim 4:4 TLB)  They won't listen to what the Bible says but will 
       blithely follow their own misguided ideas.

       (2 Tim 4:5 TLB)  Stand steady, and don't be afraid of suffering for 
       the Lord. Bring others to Christ. Leave nothing undone that you ought 
       to do.

       (2 Tim 4:6 TLB)  I say this because I won't be around to help you very 
       much longer. My time has almost run out. Very soon now I will be on my 
       way to heaven.

       (2 Tim 4:7 TLB)  I have fought long and hard for my Lord, and through 
       it all I have kept true to him. And now the time has come for me to 
       stop fighting and rest.

       (2 Tim 4:8 TLB)  In heaven a crown is waiting for me, which the Lord, 
       the righteous Judge, will give me on that great day of his return. And 
       not just to me but to all those whose lives show that they are eagerly 
       looking forward to his coming back again.

       (2 Tim 4:9 TLB)  Please come as soon as you can,

       (2 Tim 4:10 TLB)  for Demas has left me. He loved the good things of 
       this life and went to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, 
       Titus to Dalmatia.

       (2 Tim 4:11 TLB)  Only Luke is with me. Bring Mark with you when you 
       come, for I need him.

       (2 Tim 4:12 TLB)  (Tychicus is gone too, as I sent him to Ephesus.)





       (2 Tim 4:13 TLB)  When you come, be sure to bring the coat I left at 
       Troas with Brother Carpus, and also the books, but especially the 
       parchments.

       (2 Tim 4:14 TLB)  Alexander the coppersmith has done me much harm. The 
       Lord will punish him,

       (2 Tim 4:15 TLB)  but be careful of him, for he fought against 
       everything we said.

       (2 Tim 4:16 TLB)  The first time I was brought before the judge, no 
       one was here to help me. Everyone had run away. I hope that they will 
       not be blamed for it.

       (2 Tim 4:17 TLB)  But the Lord stood with me and gave me the 
       opportunity to boldly preach a whole sermon for all the world to hear. 
       And he saved me from being thrown to the lions.

       (2 Tim 4:18 TLB)  Yes, and the Lord will always deliver me from all 
       evil and will bring me into his heavenly Kingdom. To God be the glory 
       forever and ever. Amen.

       (2 Tim 4:19 TLB)  Please say hello for me to Priscilla and Aquila and 
       those living at the home of Onesiphorus.

       (2 Tim 4:20 TLB)  Erastus stayed at Corinth, and I left Trophimus sick 
       at Miletus.

       (2 Tim 4:21 TLB)  Do try to be here before winter. Eubulus sends you 
       greetings, and so do Pudens, Linus, Claudia, and all the others.

       (2 Tim 4:22 TLB)  May the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. 
       Farewell, Paul

       (Titus 1:1 TLB)  From: Paul, the slave of God and the messenger of 
       Jesus Christ. I have been sent to bring faith to those God has chosen 
       and to teach them to know God's truth--

       (Titus 1:2 TLB)  the kind of truth that changes lives--so that they 
       can have eternal life, which God promised them before the world 
       began--and he cannot lie.

       (Titus 1:3 TLB)  And now in his own good time he has revealed this 
       Good News and permits me to tell it to everyone. By command of God our 
       Savior, I have been trusted to do this work for him.

       (Titus 1:4 TLB)  To: Titus, who is truly my son in the affairs of the 
       Lord. May God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior give you his 
       blessings and his peace.

       (Titus 1:5 TLB)  I left you there on the island of Crete so that you 
       could do whatever was needed to help strengthen each of its churches, 
       and I asked you to appoint pastors in every city who would follow the 
       instructions I gave you.

       (Titus 1:6 TLB)  The men you choose must be well thought of for their 





       good lives; they must have only one wife and their children must love 
       the Lord and not have a reputation for being wild or disobedient to 
       their parents.

       (Titus 1:7 TLB)  These pastors must be men of blameless lives because 
       they are God's ministers. They must not be proud or impatient; they 
       must not be drunkards or fighters or greedy for money.

       (Titus 1:8 TLB)  They must enjoy having guests in their homes and must 
       love all that is good. They must be sensible men, and fair. They must 
       be clean minded and level headed.

       (Titus 1:9 TLB)  Their belief in the truth that they have been taught 
       must be strong and steadfast so that they will be able to teach it to 
       others and show those who disagree with them where they are wrong.

       (Titus 1:10 TLB)  For there are many who refuse to obey; this is 
       especially true among those who say that all Christians must obey the 
       Jewish laws. But this is foolish talk; it blinds people to the truth,

       (Titus 1:11 TLB)  and it must be stopped. Already whole families have 
       been turned away from the grace of God. Such teachers are only after 
       your money.

       (Titus 1:12 TLB)  One of their own men, a prophet from Crete, has said 
       about them, "These men of Crete are all liars; they are like lazy 
       animals, living only to satisfy their stomachs."

       (Titus 1:13 TLB)  And this is true. So speak to the Christians there 
       as sternly as necessary to make them strong in the faith

       (Titus 1:14 TLB)  and to stop them from listening to Jewish folk tales 
       and the demands of men who have turned their backs on the truth.

       (Titus 1:15 TLB)  A person who is pure of heart sees goodness and 
       purity in everything; but a person whose own heart is evil and 
       untrusting finds evil in everything, for his dirty mind and rebellious 
       heart color all he sees and hears.

       (Titus 1:16 TLB)  Such persons claim they know God, but from seeing 
       the way they act, one knows they don't. They are rotten and 
       disobedient, worthless so far as doing anything good is concerned.

       (Titus 2:1 TLB)  But as for you, speak up for the right living that 
       goes along with true Christianity.

       (Titus 2:2 TLB)  Teach the older men to be serious and unruffled; they 
       must be sensible, knowing and believing the truth and doing everything 
       with love and patience.

       (Titus 2:3 TLB)  Teach the older women to be quiet and respectful in 
       everything they do. They must not go around speaking evil of others 
       and must not be heavy drinkers, but they should be teachers of 
       goodness.

       (Titus 2:4 TLB)  These older women must train the younger women to 





       live quietly, to love their husbands and their children,

       (Titus 2:5 TLB)  and to be sensible and clean minded, spending their 
       time in their own homes, being kind and obedient to their husbands so 
       that the Christian faith can't be spoken against by those who know 
       them.

       (Titus 2:6 TLB)  In the same way, urge the young men to behave 
       carefully, taking life seriously.

       (Titus 2:7 TLB)  And here you yourself must be an example to them of 
       good deeds of every kind. Let everything you do reflect your love of 
       the truth and the fact that you are in dead earnest about it.

       (Titus 2:8 TLB)  Your conversation should be so sensible and logical 
       that anyone who wants to argue will be ashamed of himself because 
       there won't be anything to criticize in anything you say!

       (Titus 2:9 TLB)  Urge slaves to obey their masters and to try their 
       best to satisfy them. They must not talk back,

       (Titus 2:10 TLB)  nor steal, but must show themselves to be entirely 
       trustworthy. In this way they will make people want to believe in our 
       Savior and God.

       (Titus 2:11 TLB)  For the free gift of eternal salvation is now being 
       offered to everyone;

       (Titus 2:12 TLB)  and along with this gift comes the realization that 
       God wants us to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures and to 
       live good, God-fearing lives day after day,

       (Titus 2:13 TLB)  looking forward to that wonderful time we've been 
       expecting, when his glory shall be seen--the glory of our great God 
       and Savior Jesus Christ.

       (Titus 2:14 TLB)  He died under God's judgment against our sins so 
       that he could rescue us from constant falling into sin and make us his 
       very own people, with cleansed hearts and real enthusiasm for doing 
       kind things for others.

       (Titus 2:15 TLB)  You must teach these things and encourage your 
       people to do them, correcting them when necessary as one who has every 
       right to do so. Don't let anyone think that what you say is not 
       important.

       (Titus 3:1 TLB)  Remind your people to obey the government and its 
       officers, and always to be obedient and ready for any honest work.

       (Titus 3:2 TLB)  They must not speak evil of anyone, nor quarrel, but 
       be gentle and truly courteous to all.

       (Titus 3:3 TLB)  Once we, too, were foolish and disobedient; we were 
       misled by others and became slaves to many evil pleasures and wicked 
       desires. Our lives were full of resentment and envy. We hated others 
       and they hated us.






       (Titus 3:4 TLB)  But when the time came for the kindness and love of 
       God our Savior to appear,

       (Titus 3:5 TLB)  then he saved us--not because we were good enough to 
       be saved but because of his kindness and pity--by washing away our 
       sins and giving us the new joy of the indwelling Holy Spirit,

       (Titus 3:6 TLB)  whom he poured out upon us with wonderful 
       fullness--and all because of what Jesus Christ our Savior did

       (Titus 3:7 TLB)  so that he could declare us good in God's eyes--all 
       because of his great kindness; and now we can share in the wealth of 
       the eternal life he gives us, and we are eagerly looking forward to 
       receiving it.

       (Titus 3:8 TLB)  These things I have told you are all true. Insist on 
       them so that Christians will be careful to do good deeds all the time, 
       for this is not only right, but it brings results.

       (Titus 3:9 TLB)  Don't get involved in arguing over unanswerable 
       questions and controversial theological ideas; keep out of arguments 
       and quarrels about obedience to Jewish laws, for this kind of thing 
       isn't worthwhile; it only does harm.

       (Titus 3:10 TLB)  If anyone is causing divisions among you, he should 
       be given a first and second warning. After that have nothing more to 
       do with him,

       (Titus 3:11 TLB)  for such a person has a wrong sense of values. He is 
       sinning, and he knows it.

       (Titus 3:12 TLB)  I am planning to send either Artemas or Tychicus to 
       you. As soon as one of them arrives, please try to meet me at 
       Nicopolis as quickly as you can, for I have decided to stay there for 
       the winter.

       (Titus 3:13 TLB)  Do everything you can to help Zenas the lawyer and 
       Apollos with their trip; see that they are given everything they need.

       (Titus 3:14 TLB)  For our people must learn to help all who need their 
       assistance, that their lives will be fruitful.

       (Titus 3:15 TLB)  Everybody here sends greetings. Please say hello to 
       all of the Christian friends there. May God's blessings be with you 
       all. Sincerely, Paul

       (Phile 1:1 TLB)  From: Paul, in jail for preaching the Good News about 
       Jesus Christ, and from Brother Timothy. To: Philemon, our much-loved 
       fellow worker,

       (Phile 1:2 TLB)  and to the church that meets in your home, and to 
       Apphia our sister, and to Archippus who, like myself, is a soldier of 
       the cross.

       (Phile 1:3 TLB)  May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you 





       his blessings and his peace.

       (Phile 1:4 TLB)  I always thank God when I am praying for you, dear 
       Philemon,

       (Phile 1:5 TLB)  because I keep hearing of your love and trust in the 
       Lord Jesus and in his people.

       (Phile 1:6 TLB)  And I pray that as you share your faith with others 
       it will grip their lives too, as they see the wealth of good things in 
       you that come from Christ Jesus.

       (Phile 1:7 TLB)  I myself have gained much joy and comfort from your 
       love, my brother, because your kindness has so often refreshed the 
       hearts of God's people.

       (Phile 1:8 TLB)  Now I want to ask a favor of you. I could demand it 
       of you in the name of Christ because it is the right thing for you to 
       do,

       (Phile 1:9 TLB)  but I love you and prefer just to ask you--I, Paul, 
       an old man now, here in jail for the sake of Jesus Christ.

       (Phile 1:10 TLB)  My plea is that you show kindness to my child 
       Onesimus, whom I won to the Lord while here in my chains.

       (Phile 1:11 TLB)  Onesimus (whose name means "Useful") hasn't been of 
       much use to you in the past, but now he is going to be of real use to 
       both of us.

       (Phile 1:12 TLB)  I am sending him back to you, and with him comes my 
       own heart.

       (Phile 1:13 TLB)  I really wanted to keep him here with me while I am 
       in these chains for preaching the Good News, and you would have been 
       helping me through him,

       (Phile 1:14 TLB)  but I didn't want to do it without your consent. I 
       didn't want you to be kind because you had to but because you wanted 
       to.

       (Phile 1:15 TLB)  Perhaps you could think of it this way: that he ran 
       away from you for a little while so that now he can be yours forever,

       (Phile 1:16 TLB)  no longer only a slave, but something much better--a 
       beloved brother, especially to me. Now he will mean much more to you 
       too, because he is not only a servant but also your brother in Christ.

       (Phile 1:17 TLB)  If I am really your friend, give him the same 
       welcome you would give to me if I were the one who was coming.

       (Phile 1:18 TLB)  If he has harmed you in any way or stolen anything 
       from you, charge me for it.

       (Phile 1:19 TLB)  I will pay it back (I, Paul, personally guarantee 
       this by writing it here with my own hand) but I won't mention how much 





       you owe me! The fact is, you even owe me your very soul!

       (Phile 1:20 TLB)  Yes, dear brother, give me joy with this loving act 
       and my weary heart will praise the Lord.

       (Phile 1:21 TLB)  I've written you this letter because I am positive 
       that you will do what I ask and even more!

       (Phile 1:22 TLB)  Please keep a guest room ready for me, for I am 
       hoping that God will answer your prayers and let me come to you soon.

       (Phile 1:23 TLB)  Epaphras my fellow prisoner, who is also here for 
       preaching Christ Jesus, sends you his greetings.

       (Phile 1:24 TLB)  So do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow 
       workers.

       (Phile 1:25 TLB)  The blessings of our Lord Jesus Christ be upon your 
       spirit. Paul

       (Heb 1:1 TLB)  Long ago God spoke in many different ways to our 
       fathers through the prophets (in visions, dreams, and even face to 
       face), telling them little by little about his plans.

       (Heb 1:2 TLB)  But now in these days he has spoken to us through his 
       Son to whom he has given everything and through whom he made the world 
       and everything there is.

       (Heb 1:3 TLB)  God's Son shines out with God's glory, and all that 
       God's Son is and does marks him as God. He regulates the universe by 
       the mighty power of his command. He is the one who died to cleanse us 
       and clear our record of all sin, and then sat down in highest honor 
       beside the great God of heaven.

       (Heb 1:4 TLB)  Thus he became far greater than the angels, as proved 
       by the fact that his name "Son of God," which was passed on to him 
       from his Father, is far greater than the names and titles of the 
       angels.

       (Heb 1:5 TLB)  For God never said to any angel, "You are my Son, and 
       today I have given you the honor that goes with that name." But God 
       said it about Jesus. Another time he said, "I am his Father and he is 
       my Son."

       (Heb 1:6 TLB)  And still another time--when his firstborn Son came to 
       earth--God said, "Let all the angels of God worship him."

       (Heb 1:7 TLB)  God speaks of his angels as messengers swift as the 
       wind and as servants made of flaming fire;

       (Heb 1:8 TLB)  but of his Son he says, "Your Kingdom, O God, will last 
       forever and ever; its commands are always just and right.

       (Heb 1:9 TLB)  You love right and hate wrong; so God, even your God, 
       has poured out more gladness upon you than on anyone else."





       (Heb 1:10 TLB)  God also called him "Lord" when he said, "Lord, in the 
       beginning you made the earth, and the heavens are the work of your 
       hands.

       (Heb 1:11 TLB)  They will disappear into nothingness, but you will 
       remain forever. They will become worn out like old clothes,

       (Heb 1:12 TLB)  and some day you will fold them up and replace them. 
       But you yourself will never change, and your years will never end."

       (Heb 1:13 TLB)  And did God ever say to an angel, as he does to his 
       Son, "Sit here beside me in honor until I crush all your enemies 
       beneath your feet"?

       (Heb 1:14 TLB)  No, for the angels are only spirit-messengers sent out 
       to help and care for those who are to receive his salvation.

       (Heb 2:1 TLB)  So we must listen very carefully to the truths we have 
       heard, or we may drift away from them.

       (Heb 2:2 TLB)  For since the messages from angels have always proved 
       true and people have always been punished for disobeying them,

       (Heb 2:3 TLB)  what makes us think that we can escape if we are 
       indifferent to this great salvation announced by the Lord Jesus 
       himself and passed on to us by those who heard him speak?

       (Heb 2:4 TLB)  God always has shown us that these messages are true by 
       signs and wonders and various miracles and by giving certain special 
       abilities from the Holy Spirit to those who believe; yes, God has 
       assigned such gifts to each of us.

       (Heb 2:5 TLB)  And the future world we are talking about will not be 
       controlled by angels.

       (Heb 2:6 TLB)  No, for in the book of Psalms David says to God, "What 
       is mere man that you are so concerned about him? And who is this Son 
       of Man you honor so highly?

       (Heb 2:7 TLB)  For though you made him lower than the angels for a 
       little while, now you have crowned him with glory and honor.

       (Heb 2:8 TLB)  And you have put him in complete charge of everything 
       there is. Nothing is left out." We have not yet seen all of this take 
       place,

       (Heb 2:9 TLB)  but we do see Jesus--who for awhile was a little lower 
       than the angels--crowned now by God with glory and honor because he 
       suffered death for us. Yes, because of God's great kindness, Jesus 
       tasted death for everyone in all the world.

       (Heb 2:10 TLB)  And it was right and proper that God, who made 
       everything for his own glory, should allow Jesus to suffer, for in 
       doing this he was bringing vast multitudes of God's people to heaven; 
       for his suffering made Jesus a perfect Leader, one fit to bring them 
       into their salvation.






       (Heb 2:11 TLB)  We who have been made holy by Jesus, now have the same 
       Father he has. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call us his 
       brothers.

       (Heb 2:12 TLB)  For he says in the book of Psalms, "I will talk to my 
       brothers about God my Father, and together we will sing his praises."

       (Heb 2:13 TLB)  At another time he said, "I will put my trust in God 
       along with my brothers." And at still another time, "See, here am I 
       and the children God gave me."

       (Heb 2:14 TLB)  Since we, God's children, are human beings--made of 
       flesh and blood--he became flesh and blood too by being born in human 
       form; for only as a human being could he die and in dying break the 
       power of the devil who had the power of death.

       (Heb 2:15 TLB)  Only in that way could he deliver those who through 
       fear of death have been living all their lives as slaves to constant 
       dread.

       (Heb 2:16 TLB)  We all know he did not come as an angel but as a human 
       being--yes, a Jew.

       (Heb 2:17 TLB)  And it was necessary for Jesus to be like us, his 
       brothers, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest 
       before God, a Priest who would be both merciful to us and faithful to 
       God in dealing with the sins of the people.

       (Heb 2:18 TLB)  For since he himself has now been through suffering 
       and temptation, he knows what it is like when we suffer and are 
       tempted, and he is wonderfully able to help us.

       (Heb 3:1 TLB)  Therefore, dear brothers whom God has set apart for 
       himself--you who are chosen for heaven--I want you to think now about 
       this Jesus who is God's Messenger and the High Priest of our faith.

       (Heb 3:2 TLB)  For Jesus was faithful to God who appointed him High 
       Priest, just as Moses also faithfully served in God's house.

       (Heb 3:3 TLB)  But Jesus has far more glory than Moses, just as a man 
       who builds a fine house gets more praise than his house does.

       (Heb 3:4 TLB)  And many people can build houses, but only God made 
       everything.

       (Heb 3:5 TLB)  Well, Moses did a fine job working in God's house, but 
       he was only a servant; and his work was mostly to illustrate and 
       suggest those things that would happen later on.

       (Heb 3:6 TLB)  But Christ, God's faithful Son, is in complete charge 
       of God's house. And we Christians are God's house--he lives in us!--if 
       we keep up our courage firm to the end, and our joy and our trust in 
       the Lord.

       (Heb 3:7 TLB)  And since Christ is so much superior, the Holy Spirit 





       warns us to listen to him, to be careful to hear his voice today

       (Heb 3:8 TLB)  and not let our hearts become set against him, as the 
       people of Israel did. They steeled themselves against his love and 
       complained against him in the desert while he was testing them.

       (Heb 3:9 TLB)  But God was patient with them forty years, though they 
       tried his patience sorely; he kept right on doing his mighty miracles 
       for them to see.

       (Heb 3:10 TLB)  "But," God says, "I was very angry with them, for 
       their hearts were always looking somewhere else instead of up to me, 
       and they never found the paths I wanted them to follow."

       (Heb 3:11 TLB)  Then God, full of this anger against them, bound 
       himself with an oath that he would never let them come to his place of 
       rest.

       (Heb 3:12 TLB)  Beware then of your own hearts, dear brothers, lest 
       you find that they, too, are evil and unbelieving and are leading you 
       away from the living God.

       (Heb 3:13 TLB)  Speak to each other about these things every day while 
       there is still time so that none of you will become hardened against 
       God, being blinded by the glamor of sin.

       (Heb 3:14 TLB)  For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just 
       as we did when we first became Christians, we will share in all that 
       belongs to Christ.

       (Heb 3:15 TLB)  But now is the time. Never forget the warning, "Today 
       if you hear God's voice speaking to you, do not harden your hearts 
       against him, as the people of Israel did when they rebelled against 
       him in the desert."

       (Heb 3:16 TLB)  And who were those people I speak of, who heard God's 
       voice speaking to them but then rebelled against him? They were the 
       ones who came out of Egypt with Moses their leader.

       (Heb 3:17 TLB)  And who was it who made God angry for all those forty 
       years? These same people who sinned and as a result died in the 
       wilderness.

       (Heb 3:18 TLB)  And to whom was God speaking when he swore with an 
       oath that they could never go into the land he had promised his 
       people? He was speaking to all those who disobeyed him.

       (Heb 3:19 TLB)  And why couldn't they go in? Because they didn't trust 
       him.

       (Heb 4:1 TLB)  Although God's promise still stands--his promise that 
       all may enter his place of rest--we ought to tremble with fear because 
       some of you may be on the verge of failing to get there after all.

       (Heb 4:2 TLB)  For this wonderful news--the message that God wants to 
       save us--has been given to us just as it was to those who lived in the 





       time of Moses. But it didn't do them any good because they didn't 
       believe it. They didn't mix it with faith.

       (Heb 4:3 TLB)  For only we who believe God can enter into his place of 
       rest. He has said, "I have sworn in my anger that those who don't 
       believe me will never get in," even though he has been ready and 
       waiting for them since the world began.

       (Heb 4:4 TLB)  We know he is ready and waiting because it is written 
       that God rested on the seventh day of creation, having finished all 
       that he had planned to make.

       (Heb 4:5 TLB)  Even so they didn't get in, for God finally said, "They 
       shall never enter my rest."

       (Heb 4:6 TLB)  Yet the promise remains and some get in--but not those 
       who had the first chance, for they disobeyed God and failed to enter.

       (Heb 4:7 TLB)  But he has set another time for coming in, and that 
       time is now. He announced this through King David long years after 
       man's first failure to enter, saying in the words already quoted, 
       "Today when you hear him calling, do not harden your hearts against 
       him."

       (Heb 4:8 TLB)  This new place of rest he is talking about does not 
       mean the land of Israel that Joshua led them into. If that were what 
       God meant, he would not have spoken long afterwards about "today" 
       being the time to get in.

       (Heb 4:9 TLB)  So there is a full complete rest still waiting for the 
       people of God.

       (Heb 4:10 TLB)  Christ has already entered there. He is resting from 
       his work, just as God did after the creation.

       (Heb 4:11 TLB)  Let us do our best to go into that place of rest, too, 
       being careful not to disobey God as the children of Israel did, thus 
       failing to get in.

       (Heb 4:12 TLB)  For whatever God says to us is full of living power: 
       it is sharper than the sharpest dagger, cutting swift and deep into 
       our innermost thoughts and desires with all their parts, exposing us 
       for what we really are.

       (Heb 4:13 TLB)  He knows about everyone, everywhere. Everything about 
       us is bare and wide open to the all-seeing eyes of our living God; 
       nothing can be hidden from him to whom we must explain all that we 
       have done.

       (Heb 4:14 TLB)  But Jesus the Son of God is our great High Priest who 
       has gone to heaven itself to help us; therefore let us never stop 
       trusting him.

       (Heb 4:15 TLB)  This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses 
       since he had the same temptations we do, though he never once gave way 
       to them and sinned.






       (Heb 4:16 TLB)  So let us come boldly to the very throne of God and 
       stay there to receive his mercy and to find grace to help us in our 
       times of need.

       (Heb 5:1 TLB)  The Jewish high priest is merely a man like anyone 
       else, but he is chosen to speak for all other men in their dealings 
       with God. He presents their gifts to God and offers to him the blood 
       of animals that are sacrificed to cover the sins of the people and his 
       own sins too.

       (Heb 5:2 TLB)  And because he is a man, he can deal gently with other 
       men, though they are foolish and ignorant,

       (Heb 5:3 TLB)  for he, too, is surrounded with the same temptations 
       and understands their problems very well.

       (Heb 5:4 TLB)  Another thing to remember is that no one can be a high 
       priest just because he wants to be. He has to be called by God for 
       this work in the same way God chose Aaron.

       (Heb 5:5 TLB)  That is why Christ did not elect himself to the honor 
       of being High Priest; no, he was chosen by God. God said to him, "My 
       Son, today I have honored you."

       (Heb 5:6 TLB)  And another time God said to him, "You have been chosen 
       to be a priest forever, with the same rank as Melchizedek."

       (Heb 5:7 TLB)  Yet while Christ was here on earth he pleaded with God, 
       praying with tears and agony of soul to the only one who would save 
       him from (premature) death. And God heard his prayers because of his 
       strong desire to obey God at all times.

       (Heb 5:8 TLB)  And even though Jesus was God's Son, he had to learn 
       from experience what it was like to obey when obeying meant suffering.

       (Heb 5:9 TLB)  It was after he had proved himself perfect in this 
       experience that Jesus became the Giver of eternal salvation to all 
       those who obey him.

       (Heb 5:10 TLB)  For remember that God has chosen him to be a High 
       Priest with the same rank as Melchizedek.

       (Heb 5:11 TLB)  There is much more I would like to say along these 
       lines, but you don't seem to listen, so it's hard to make you 
       understand.

       (Heb 5:12 TLB)  You have been Christians a long time now, and you 
       ought to be teaching others, but instead you have dropped back to the 
       place where you need someone to teach you all over again the very 
       first principles in God's Word. You are like babies who can drink only 
       milk, not old enough for solid food.

       (Heb 5:13 TLB)  And when a person is still living on milk it shows he 
       isn't very far along in the Christian life, and doesn't know much 
       about the difference between right and wrong. He is still a baby 





       Christian!

       (Heb 5:14 TLB)  You will never be able to eat solid spiritual food and 
       understand the deeper things of God's Word until you become better 
       Christians and learn right from wrong by practicing doing right.

       (Heb 6:1 TLB)  Let us stop going over the same old ground again and 
       again, always teaching those first lessons about Christ. Let us go on 
       instead to other things and become mature in our understanding, as 
       strong Christians ought to be. Surely we don't need to speak further 
       about the foolishness of trying to be saved by being good, or about 
       the necessity of faith in God;

       (Heb 6:2 TLB)  you don't need further instruction about baptism and 
       spiritual gifts and the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment.

       (Heb 6:3 TLB)  The Lord willing, we will go on now to other things.

       (Heb 6:4 TLB)  There is no use trying to bring you back to the Lord 
       again if you have once understood the Good News and tasted for 
       yourself the good things of heaven and shared in the Holy Spirit,

       (Heb 6:5 TLB)  and know how good the Word of God is, and felt the 
       mighty powers of the world to come,

       (Heb 6:6 TLB)  and then have turned against God. You cannot bring 
       yourself to repent again if you have nailed the Son of God to the 
       cross again by rejecting him, holding him up to mocking and to public 
       shame.

       (Heb 6:7 TLB)  When a farmer's land has had many showers upon it and 
       good crops come up, that land has experienced God's blessing upon it.

       (Heb 6:8 TLB)  But if it keeps on having crops of thistles and thorns, 
       the land is considered no good and is ready for condemnation and 
       burning off.

       (Heb 6:9 TLB)  Dear friends, even though I am talking like this I 
       really don't believe that what I am saying applies to you. I am 
       confident you are producing the good fruit that comes along with your 
       salvation.

       (Heb 6:10 TLB)  For God is not unfair. How can he forget your hard 
       work for him, or forget the way you used to show your love for 
       him--and still do--by helping his children?

       (Heb 6:11 TLB)  And we are anxious that you keep right on loving 
       others as long as life lasts, so that you will get your full reward.

       (Heb 6:12 TLB)  Then, knowing what lies ahead for you, you won't 
       become bored with being a Christian nor become spiritually dull and 
       indifferent, but you will be anxious to follow the example of those 
       who receive all that God has promised them because of their strong 
       faith and patience.

       (Heb 6:13 TLB)  For instance, there was God's promise to Abraham: God 





       took an oath in his own name, since there was no one greater to swear 
       by,

       (Heb 6:14 TLB)  that he would bless Abraham again and again, and give 
       him a son and make him the father of a great nation of people.

       (Heb 6:15 TLB)  Then Abraham waited patiently until finally God gave 
       him a son, Isaac, just as he had promised.

       (Heb 6:16 TLB)  When a man takes an oath, he is calling upon someone 
       greater than himself to force him to do what he has promised or to 
       punish him if he later refuses to do it; the oath ends all argument 
       about it.

       (Heb 6:17 TLB)  God also bound himself with an oath, so that those he 
       promised to help would be perfectly sure and never need to wonder 
       whether he might change his plans.

       (Heb 6:18 TLB)  He has given us both his promise and his oath, two 
       things we can completely count on, for it is impossible for God to 
       tell a lie. Now all those who flee to him to save them can take new 
       courage when they hear such assurances from God; now they can know 
       without doubt that he will give them the salvation he has promised 
       them.

       (Heb 6:19 TLB)  This certain hope of being saved is a strong and 
       trustworthy anchor for our souls, connecting us with God himself 
       behind the sacred curtains of heaven,

       (Heb 6:20 TLB)  where Christ has gone ahead to plead for us from his 
       position as our High Priest, with the honor and rank of Melchizedek.

       (Heb 7:1 TLB)  This Melchizedek was king of the city of Salem and also 
       a priest of the Most High God. When Abraham was returning home after 
       winning a great battle against many kings, Melchizedek met him and 
       blessed him;

       (Heb 7:2 TLB)  then Abraham took a tenth of all he had won in the 
       battle and gave it to Melchizedek. Melchizedek's name means "Justice," 
       so he is the King of Justice; and he is also the King of Peace because 
       of the name of his city, Salem, which means "Peace."

       (Heb 7:3 TLB)  Melchizedek had no father or mother and there is no 
       record of any of his ancestors. He was never born and he never died 
       but his life is like that of the Son of God--a priest forever.

       (Heb 7:4 TLB)  See then how great this Melchizedek is: (a) Even 
       Abraham, the first and most honored of all God's chosen people, gave 
       Melchizedek a tenth of the spoils he took from the kings he had been 
       fighting.

       (Heb 7:5 TLB)  One could understand why Abraham would do this if 
       Melchizedek had been a Jewish priest, for later on God's people were 
       required by law to give gifts to help their priests because the 
       priests were their relatives.





       (Heb 7:6 TLB)  But Melchizedek was not a relative, and yet Abraham 
       paid him. (b) Melchizedek placed a blessing upon mighty Abraham,

       (Heb 7:7 TLB)  and as everyone knows, a person who has the power to 
       bless is always greater than the person he blesses.

       (Heb 7:8 TLB)  (c) The Jewish priests, though mortal, received tithes; 
       but we are told that Melchizedek lives on.

       (Heb 7:9 TLB)  (d) One might even say that Levi himself (the ancestor 
       of all Jewish priests, of all who receive tithes), paid tithes to 
       Melchizedek through Abraham.

       (Heb 7:10 TLB)  For although Levi wasn't born yet, the seed from which 
       he came was in Abraham when Abraham paid the tithes to Melchizedek.

       (Heb 7:11 TLB)  (e) If the Jewish priests and their laws had been able 
       to save us, why then did God need to send Christ as a priest with the 
       rank of Melchizedek, instead of sending someone with the rank of 
       Aaron--the same rank all other priests had?

       (Heb 7:12 TLB)  And when God sends a new kind of priest, his law must 
       be changed to permit it.

       (Heb 7:13 TLB)  As we all know, Christ did not belong to the 
       priest-tribe of Levi,

       (Heb 7:14 TLB)  but came from the tribe of Judah, which had not been 
       chosen for priesthood; Moses had never given them that work.

       (Heb 7:15 TLB)  So we can plainly see that God's method changed, for 
       Christ, the new High Priest who came with the rank of Melchizedek,

       (Heb 7:16 TLB)  did not become a priest by meeting the old requirement 
       of belonging to the tribe of Levi, but on the basis of power flowing 
       from a life that cannot end.

       (Heb 7:17 TLB)  And the psalmist points this out when he says of 
       Christ, "You are a priest forever with the rank of Melchizedek."

       (Heb 7:18 TLB)  Yes, the old system of priesthood based on family 
       lines was canceled because it didn't work. It was weak and useless for 
       saving people.

       (Heb 7:19 TLB)  It never made anyone really right with God. But now we 
       have a far better hope, for Christ makes us acceptable to God, and now 
       we may draw near to him.

       (Heb 7:20 TLB)  God took an oath that Christ would always be a Priest,

       (Heb 7:21 TLB)  although he never said that of other priests. Only to 
       Christ he said, "The Lord has sworn and will never change his mind: 
       You are a Priest forever, with the rank of Melchizedek."

       (Heb 7:22 TLB)  Because of God's oath, Christ can guarantee forever 
       the success of this new and better arrangement.






       (Heb 7:23 TLB)  Under the old arrangement there had to be many priests 
       so that when the older ones died off, the system could still be 
       carried on by others who took their places.

       (Heb 7:24 TLB)  But Jesus lives forever and continues to be a Priest 
       so that no one else is needed.

       (Heb 7:25 TLB)  He is able to save completely all who come to God 
       through him. Since he will live forever, he will always be there to 
       remind God that he has paid for their sins with his blood.

       (Heb 7:26 TLB)  He is, therefore, exactly the kind of High Priest we 
       need; for he is holy and blameless, unstained by sin, undefiled by 
       sinners, and to him has been given the place of honor in heaven.

       (Heb 7:27 TLB)  He never needs the daily blood of animal sacrifices, 
       as other priests did, to cover over first their own sins and then the 
       sins of the people; for he finished all sacrifices, once and for all, 
       when he sacrificed himself on the cross.

       (Heb 7:28 TLB)  Under the old system, even the high priests were weak 
       and sinful men who could not keep from doing wrong, but later God 
       appointed by his oath his Son who is perfect forever.

       (Heb 8:1 TLB)  What we are saying is this: Christ, whose priesthood we 
       have just described, is our High Priest and is in heaven at the place 
       of greatest honor next to God himself.

       (Heb 8:2 TLB)  He ministers in the temple in heaven, the true place of 
       worship built by the Lord and not by human hands.

       (Heb 8:3 TLB)  And since every high priest is appointed to offer gifts 
       and sacrifices, Christ must make an offering too.

       (Heb 8:4 TLB)  The sacrifice he offers is far better than those 
       offered by the earthly priests. (But even so, if he were here on earth 
       he wouldn't even be permitted to be a priest because down here the 
       priests still follow the old Jewish system of sacrifices.)

       (Heb 8:5 TLB)  Their work is connected with a mere earthly model of 
       the real tabernacle in heaven; for when Moses was getting ready to 
       build the tabernacle, God warned him to follow exactly the pattern of 
       the heavenly tabernacle as shown to him on Mount Sinai.

       (Heb 8:6 TLB)  But Christ, as a Minister in heaven, has been rewarded 
       with a far more important work than those who serve under the old laws 
       because the new agreement that he passes on to us from God contains 
       far more wonderful promises.

       (Heb 8:7 TLB)  The old agreement didn't even work. If it had, there 
       would have been no need for another to replace it.

       (Heb 8:8 TLB)  But God himself found fault with the old one, for he 
       said, "The day will come when I will make a new agreement with the 
       people of Israel and the people of Judah.






       (Heb 8:9 TLB)  This new agreement will not be like the old one I gave 
       to their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to lead them 
       out of the land of Egypt; they did not keep their part in that 
       agreement, so I had to cancel it.

       (Heb 8:10 TLB)  But this is the new agreement I will make with the 
       people of Israel, says the Lord: I will write my laws in their minds 
       so that they will know what I want them to do without my even telling 
       them, and these laws will be in their hearts so that they will want to 
       obey them, and I will be their God and they shall be my people.

       (Heb 8:11 TLB)  And no one then will need to speak to his friend or 
       neighbor or brother, saying, 'You, too, should know the Lord,' because 
       everyone, great and small, will know me already.

       (Heb 8:12 TLB)  And I will be merciful to them in their wrongdoings, 
       and I will remember their sins no more."

       (Heb 8:13 TLB)  God speaks of these new promises, of this new 
       agreement, as taking the place of the old one; for the old one is out 
       of date now and has been put aside forever.

       (Heb 9:1 TLB)  Now in that first agreement between God and his people 
       there were rules for worship and there was a sacred tent down here on 
       earth.

       (Heb 9:2 TLB)  Inside this place of worship there were two rooms. The 
       first one contained the golden candlestick and a table with special 
       loaves of holy bread upon it; this part was called the Holy Place.

       (Heb 9:3 TLB)  Then there was a curtain, and behind the curtain was a 
       room called the Holy of Holies.

       (Heb 9:4 TLB)  In that room there were a golden incense-altar and the 
       golden chest, called the ark of the covenant, completely covered on 
       all sides with pure gold. Inside the ark were the tablets of stone 
       with the Ten Commandments written on them, and a golden jar with some 
       manna in it, and Aaron's wooden cane that budded.

       (Heb 9:5 TLB)  Above the golden chest were statues of angels called 
       the cherubim--the guardians of God's glory--with their wings stretched 
       out over the ark's golden cover, called the mercy seat. But enough of 
       such details.

       (Heb 9:6 TLB)  Well, when all was ready, the priests went in and out 
       of the first room whenever they wanted to, doing their work.

       (Heb 9:7 TLB)  But only the high priest went into the inner room, and 
       then only once a year, all alone, and always with blood that he 
       sprinkled on the mercy seat as an offering to God to cover his own 
       mistakes and sins and the mistakes and sins of all the people.

       (Heb 9:8 TLB)  And the Holy Spirit uses all this to point out to us 
       that under the old system the common people could not go into the Holy 
       of Holies as long as the outer room and the entire system it 





       represents were still in use.

       (Heb 9:9 TLB)  This has an important lesson for us today. For under 
       the old system, gifts and sacrifices were offered, but these failed to 
       cleanse the hearts of the people who brought them.

       (Heb 9:10 TLB)  For the old system dealt only with certain 
       rituals--what foods to eat and drink, rules for washing themselves, 
       and rules about this and that. The people had to keep these rules to 
       tide them over until Christ came with God's new and better way.

       (Heb 9:11 TLB)  He came as High Priest of this better system that we 
       now have. He went into that greater, perfect tabernacle in heaven, not 
       made by men nor part of this world,

       (Heb 9:12 TLB)  and once for all took blood into that inner room, the 
       Holy of Holies, and sprinkled it on the mercy seat; but it was not the 
       blood of goats and calves. No, he took his own blood, and with it he, 
       by himself, made sure of our eternal salvation.

       (Heb 9:13 TLB)  And if under the old system the blood of bulls and 
       goats and the ashes of young cows could cleanse men's bodies from sin,

       (Heb 9:14 TLB)  just think how much more surely the blood of Christ 
       will transform our lives and hearts. His sacrifice frees us from the 
       worry of having to obey the old rules and makes us want to serve the 
       living God. For by the help of the eternal Holy Spirit, Christ 
       willingly gave himself to God to die for our sins--he being perfect, 
       without a single sin or fault.

       (Heb 9:15 TLB)  Christ came with this new agreement so that all who 
       are invited may come and have forever all the wonders God has promised 
       them. For Christ died to rescue them from the penalty of the sins they 
       had committed while still under that old system.

       (Heb 9:16 TLB)  Now, if someone dies and leaves a will--a list of 
       things to be given away to certain people when he dies--no one gets 
       anything until it is proved that the person who wrote the will is 
       dead.

       (Heb 9:17 TLB)  The will goes into effect only after the death of the 
       person who wrote it. While he is still alive no one can use it to get 
       any of those things he has promised them.

       (Heb 9:18 TLB)  That is why blood was sprinkled (as proof of Christ's 
       death) before even the first agreement could go into effect.

       (Heb 9:19 TLB)  For after Moses had given the people all of God's 
       laws, he took the blood of calves and goats, along with water, and 
       sprinkled the blood over the book of God's laws and over all the 
       people, using branches of hyssop bushes and scarlet wool to sprinkle 
       with.

       (Heb 9:20 TLB)  Then he said, "This is the blood that marks the 
       beginning of the agreement between you and God, the agreement God 
       commanded me to make with you."






       (Heb 9:21 TLB)  And in the same way he sprinkled blood on the sacred 
       tent and on whatever instruments were used for worship.

       (Heb 9:22 TLB)  In fact we can say that under the old agreement almost 
       everything was cleansed by sprinkling it with blood, and without the 
       shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.

       (Heb 9:23 TLB)  That is why the sacred tent down here on earth and 
       everything in it--all copied from things in heaven--all had to be made 
       pure by Moses in this way, by being sprinkled with the blood of 
       animals. But the real things in heaven, of which these down here are 
       copies, were made pure with far more precious offerings.

       (Heb 9:24 TLB)  For Christ has entered into heaven itself to appear 
       now before God as our Friend. It was not in the earthly place of 
       worship that he did this, for that was merely a copy of the real 
       temple in heaven.

       (Heb 9:25 TLB)  Nor has he offered himself again and again, as the 
       high priest down here on earth offers animal blood in the Holy of 
       Holies each year.

       (Heb 9:26 TLB)  If that had been necessary, then he would have had to 
       die again and again, ever since the world began. But no! He came once 
       for all, at the end of the age, to put away the power of sin forever 
       by dying for us.

       (Heb 9:27 TLB)  And just as it is destined that men die only once, and 
       after that comes judgment,

       (Heb 9:28 TLB)  so also Christ died only once as an offering for the 
       sins of many people; and he will come again, but not to deal again 
       with our sins. This time he will come bringing salvation to all those 
       who are eagerly and patiently waiting for him.

       (Heb 10:1 TLB)  The old system of Jewish laws gave only a dim 
       foretaste of the good things Christ would do for us. The sacrifices 
       under the old system were repeated again and again, year after year, 
       but even so they could never save those who lived under their rules.

       (Heb 10:2 TLB)  If they could have, one offering would have been 
       enough; the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all and their 
       feeling of guilt would be gone.

       (Heb 10:3 TLB)  But just the opposite happened: those yearly 
       sacrifices reminded them of their disobedience and guilt instead of 
       relieving their minds.

       (Heb 10:4 TLB)  For it is not possible for the blood of bulls and 
       goats really to take away sins.

       (Heb 10:5 TLB)  That is why Christ said as he came into the world, "O 
       God, the blood of bulls and goats cannot satisfy you, so you have made 
       ready this body of mine for me to lay as a sacrifice upon your altar.





       (Heb 10:6 TLB)  You were not satisfied with the animal sacrifices, 
       slain and burnt before you as offerings for sin.

       (Heb 10:7 TLB)  Then I said, 'See, I have come to do your will, to lay 
       down my life, just as the Scriptures said that I would.'"

       (Heb 10:8 TLB)  After Christ said this about not being satisfied with 
       the various sacrifices and offerings required under the old system,

       (Heb 10:9 TLB)  he then added, "Here I am. I have come to give my 
       life." He cancels the first system in favor of a far better one.

       (Heb 10:10 TLB)  Under this new plan we have been forgiven and made 
       clean by Christ's dying for us once and for all.

       (Heb 10:11 TLB)  Under the old agreement the priests stood before the 
       altar day after day offering sacrifices that could never take away our 
       sins.

       (Heb 10:12 TLB)  But Christ gave himself to God for our sins as one 
       sacrifice for all time and then sat down in the place of highest honor 
       at God's right hand,

       (Heb 10:13 TLB)  waiting for his enemies to be laid under his feet.

       (Heb 10:14 TLB)  For by that one offering he made forever perfect in 
       the sight of God all those whom he is making holy.

       (Heb 10:15 TLB)  And the Holy Spirit testifies that this is so, for he 
       has said,

       (Heb 10:16 TLB)  "This is the agreement I will make with the people of 
       Israel, though they broke their first agreement: I will write my laws 
       into their minds so that they will always know my will, and I will put 
       my laws in their hearts so that they will want to obey them."

       (Heb 10:17 TLB)  And then he adds, "I will never again remember their 
       sins and lawless deeds."

       (Heb 10:18 TLB)  Now, when sins have once been forever forgiven and 
       forgotten, there is no need to offer more sacrifices to get rid of 
       them.

       (Heb 10:19 TLB)  And so, dear brothers, now we may walk right into the 
       very Holy of Holies, where God is, because of the blood of Jesus.

       (Heb 10:20 TLB)  This is the fresh, new, life-giving way that Christ 
       has opened up for us by tearing the curtain--his human body--to let us 
       into the holy presence of God.

       (Heb 10:21 TLB)  And since this great High Priest of ours rules over 
       God's household,

       (Heb 10:22 TLB)  let us go right in to God himself, with true hearts 
       fully trusting him to receive us because we have been sprinkled with 
       Christ's blood to make us clean and because our bodies have been 





       washed with pure water.

       (Heb 10:23 TLB)  Now we can look forward to the salvation God has 
       promised us. There is no longer any room for doubt, and we can tell 
       others that salvation is ours, for there is no question that he will 
       do what he says.

       (Heb 10:24 TLB)  In response to all he has done for us, let us outdo 
       each other in being helpful and kind to each other and in doing good.

       (Heb 10:25 TLB)  Let us not neglect our church meetings, as some 
       people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the 
       day of his coming back again is drawing near.

       (Heb 10:26 TLB)  If anyone sins deliberately by rejecting the Savior 
       after knowing the truth of forgiveness, this sin is not covered by 
       Christ's death; there is no way to get rid of it.

       (Heb 10:27 TLB)  There will be nothing to look forward to but the 
       terrible punishment of God's awful anger, which will consume all his 
       enemies.

       (Heb 10:28 TLB)  A man who refused to obey the laws given by Moses was 
       killed without mercy if there were two or three witnesses to his sin.

       (Heb 10:29 TLB)  Think how much more terrible the punishment will be 
       for those who have trampled underfoot the Son of God and treated his 
       cleansing blood as though it were common and unhallowed, and insulted 
       and outraged the Holy Spirit who brings God's mercy to his people.

       (Heb 10:30 TLB)  For we know him who said, "Justice belongs to me; I 
       will repay them"; who also said, "The Lord himself will handle these 
       cases."

       (Heb 10:31 TLB)  It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the 
       living God.

       (Heb 10:32 TLB)  Don't ever forget those wonderful days when you first 
       learned about Christ. Remember how you kept right on with the Lord 
       even though it meant terrible suffering.

       (Heb 10:33 TLB)  Sometimes you were laughed at and beaten, and 
       sometimes you watched and sympathized with others suffering the same 
       things.

       (Heb 10:34 TLB)  You suffered with those thrown into jail, and you 
       were actually joyful when all you owned was taken from you, knowing 
       that better things were awaiting you in heaven, things that would be 
       yours forever.

       (Heb 10:35 TLB)  Do not let this happy trust in the Lord die away, no 
       matter what happens. Remember your reward!

       (Heb 10:36 TLB)  You need to keep on patiently doing God's will if you 
       want him to do for you all that he has promised.





       (Heb 10:37 TLB)  His coming will not be delayed much longer.

       (Heb 10:38 TLB)  And those whose faith has made them good in God's 
       sight must live by faith, trusting him in everything. Otherwise, if 
       they shrink back, God will have no pleasure in them.

       (Heb 10:39 TLB)  But we have never turned our backs on God and sealed 
       our fate. No, our faith in him assures our souls' salvation.

       (Heb 11:1 TLB)  What is faith? It is the confident assurance that 
       something we want is going to happen. It is the certainty that what we 
       hope for is waiting for us, even though we cannot see it up ahead.

       (Heb 11:2 TLB)  Men of God in days of old were famous for their faith.

       (Heb 11:3 TLB)  By faith--by believing God--we know that the world and 
       the stars--in fact, all things--were made at God's command; and that 
       they were all made from things that can't be seen.

       (Heb 11:4 TLB)  It was by faith that Abel obeyed God and brought an 
       offering that pleased God more than Cain's offering did. God accepted 
       Abel and proved it by accepting his gift; and though Abel is long 
       dead, we can still learn lessons from him about trusting God.

       (Heb 11:5 TLB)  Enoch trusted God too, and that is why God took him 
       away to heaven without dying; suddenly he was gone because God took 
       him. Before this happened God had said how pleased he was with Enoch.

       (Heb 11:6 TLB)  You can never please God without faith, without 
       depending on him. Anyone who wants to come to God must believe that 
       there is a God and that he rewards those who sincerely look for him.

       (Heb 11:7 TLB)  Noah was another who trusted God. When he heard God's 
       warning about the future, Noah believed him even though there was then 
       no sign of a flood, and wasting no time, he built the ark and saved 
       his family. Noah's belief in God was in direct contrast to the sin and 
       disbelief of the rest of the world--which refused to obey--and because 
       of his faith he became one of those whom God has accepted.

       (Heb 11:8 TLB)  Abraham trusted God, and when God told him to leave 
       home and go far away to another land that he promised to give him, 
       Abraham obeyed. Away he went, not even knowing where he was going.

       (Heb 11:9 TLB)  And even when he reached God's promised land, he lived 
       in tents like a mere visitor as did Isaac and Jacob, to whom God gave 
       the same promise.

       (Heb 11:10 TLB)  Abraham did this because he was confidently waiting 
       for God to bring him to that strong heavenly city whose designer and 
       builder is God.

       (Heb 11:11 TLB)  Sarah, too, had faith, and because of this she was 
       able to become a mother in spite of her old age, for she realized that 
       God, who gave her his promise, would certainly do what he said.

       (Heb 11:12 TLB)  And so a whole nation came from Abraham, who was too 





       old to have even one child--a nation with so many millions of people 
       that, like the stars of the sky and the sand on the ocean shores, 
       there is no way to count them.

       (Heb 11:13 TLB)  These men of faith I have mentioned died without ever 
       receiving all that God had promised them; but they saw it all awaiting 
       them on ahead and were glad, for they agreed that this earth was not 
       their real home but that they were just strangers visiting down here.

       (Heb 11:14 TLB)  And quite obviously when they talked like that, they 
       were looking forward to their real home in heaven.

       (Heb 11:15 TLB)  If they had wanted to, they could have gone back to 
       the good things of this world.

       (Heb 11:16 TLB)  But they didn't want to. They were living for heaven. 
       And now God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has made a 
       heavenly city for them.

       (Heb 11:17 TLB)  While God was testing him, Abraham still trusted in 
       God and his promises, and so he offered up his son Isaac and was ready 
       to slay him on the altar of sacrifice;

       (Heb 11:18 TLB)  yes, to slay even Isaac, through whom God had 
       promised to give Abraham a whole nation of descendants!

       (Heb 11:19 TLB)  He believed that if Isaac died God would bring him 
       back to life again; and that is just about what happened, for as far 
       as Abraham was concerned, Isaac was doomed to death, but he came back 
       again alive!

       (Heb 11:20 TLB)  It was by faith that Isaac knew God would give future 
       blessings to his two sons, Jacob and Esau.

       (Heb 11:21 TLB)  By faith Jacob, when he was old and dying, blessed 
       each of Joseph's two sons as he stood and prayed, leaning on the top 
       of his cane.

       (Heb 11:22 TLB)  And it was by faith that Joseph, as he neared the end 
       of his life, confidently spoke of God bringing the people of Israel 
       out of Egypt; and he was so sure of it that he made them promise to 
       carry his bones with them when they left!

       (Heb 11:23 TLB)  Moses' parents had faith too. When they saw that God 
       had given them an unusual child, they trusted that God would save him 
       from the death the king commanded, and they hid him for three months 
       and were not afraid.

       (Heb 11:24 TLB)  It was by faith that Moses, when he grew up, refused 
       to be treated as the grandson of the king,

       (Heb 11:25 TLB)  but chose to share ill-treatment with God's people 
       instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin.

       (Heb 11:26 TLB)  He thought that it was better to suffer for the 
       promised Christ than to own all the treasures of Egypt, for he was 





       looking forward to the great reward that God would give him.

       (Heb 11:27 TLB)  And it was because he trusted God that he left the 
       land of Egypt and wasn't afraid of the king's anger. Moses kept right 
       on going; it seemed as though he could see God right there with him.

       (Heb 11:28 TLB)  And it was because he believed God would save his 
       people that he commanded them to kill a lamb as God had told them to 
       and sprinkle the blood on the doorposts of their homes so that God's 
       terrible Angel of Death could not touch the oldest child in those 
       homes as he did among the Egyptians.

       (Heb 11:29 TLB)  The people of Israel trusted God and went right 
       through the Red Sea as though they were on dry ground. But when the 
       Egyptians chasing them tried it, they all were drowned.

       (Heb 11:30 TLB)  It was faith that brought the walls of Jericho 
       tumbling down after the people of Israel had walked around them seven 
       days as God had commanded them.

       (Heb 11:31 TLB)  By faith--because she believed in God and his 
       power--Rahab the harlot did not die with all the others in her city 
       when they refused to obey God, for she gave a friendly welcome to the 
       spies.

       (Heb 11:32 TLB)  Well, how much more do I need to say? It would take 
       too long to recount the stories of the faith of Gideon and Barak and 
       Samson and Jephthah and David and Samuel and all the other prophets.

       (Heb 11:33 TLB)  These people all trusted God and as a result won 
       battles, overthrew kingdoms, ruled their people well, and received 
       what God had promised them; they were kept from harm in a den of lions

       (Heb 11:34 TLB)  and in a fiery furnace. Some, through their faith, 
       escaped death by the sword. Some were made strong again after they had 
       been weak or sick. Others were given great power in battle; they made 
       whole armies turn and run away.

       (Heb 11:35 TLB)  And some women, through faith, received their loved 
       ones back again from death. But others trusted God and were beaten to 
       death, preferring to die rather than turn from God and be 
       free--trusting that they would rise to a better life afterwards.

       (Heb 11:36 TLB)  Some were laughed at and their backs cut open with 
       whips, and others were chained in dungeons.

       (Heb 11:37 TLB)  Some died by stoning and some by being sawed in two; 
       others were promised freedom if they would renounce their faith, then 
       were killed with the sword.

       (Heb 11:38 TLB)  Some went about in skins of sheep and goats, 
       wandering over deserts and mountains, hiding in dens and caves. They 
       were hungry and sick and ill-treated--too good for this world.

       (Heb 11:39 TLB)  And these men of faith, though they trusted God and 
       won his approval, none of them received all that God had promised 





       them;

       (Heb 11:40 TLB)  for God wanted them to wait and share the even better 
       rewards that were prepared for us.

       (Heb 12:1 TLB)  Since we have such a huge crowd of men of faith 
       watching us from the grandstands, let us strip off anything that slows 
       us down or holds us back, and especially those sins that wrap 
       themselves so tightly around our feet and trip us up; and let us run 
       with patience the particular race that God has set before us.

       (Heb 12:2 TLB)  Keep your eyes on Jesus, our leader and instructor. He 
       was willing to die a shameful death on the cross because of the joy he 
       knew would be his afterwards; and now he sits in the place of honor by 
       the throne of God.

       (Heb 12:3 TLB)  If you want to keep from becoming fainthearted and 
       weary, think about his patience as sinful men did such terrible things 
       to him.

       (Heb 12:4 TLB)  After all, you have never yet struggled against sin 
       and temptation until you sweat great drops of blood.

       (Heb 12:5 TLB)  And have you quite forgotten the encouraging words God 
       spoke to you, his child? He said, "My son, don't be angry when the 
       Lord punishes you. Don't be discouraged when he has to show you where 
       you are wrong.

       (Heb 12:6 TLB)  For when he punishes you, it proves that he loves you. 
       When he whips you, it proves you are really his child."

       (Heb 12:7 TLB)  Let God train you, for he is doing what any loving 
       father does for his children. Whoever heard of a son who was never 
       corrected?

       (Heb 12:8 TLB)  If God doesn't punish you when you need it, as other 
       fathers punish their sons, then it means that you aren't really God's 
       son at all--that you don't really belong in his family.

       (Heb 12:9 TLB)  Since we respect our fathers here on earth, though 
       they punish us, should we not all the more cheerfully submit to God's 
       training so that we can begin really to live?

       (Heb 12:10 TLB)  Our earthly fathers trained us for a few brief years, 
       doing the best for us that they knew how, but God's correction is 
       always right and for our best good, that we may share his holiness.

       (Heb 12:11 TLB)  Being punished isn't enjoyable while it is 
       happening--it hurts! But afterwards we can see the result, a quiet 
       growth in grace and character.

       (Heb 12:12 TLB)  So take a new grip with your tired hands, stand firm 
       on your shaky legs,

       (Heb 12:13 TLB)  and mark out a straight, smooth path for your feet so 
       that those who follow you, though weak and lame, will not fall and 





       hurt themselves but become strong.

       (Heb 12:14 TLB)  Try to stay out of all quarrels, and seek to live a 
       clean and holy life, for one who is not holy will not see the Lord.

       (Heb 12:15 TLB)  Look after each other so that not one of you will 
       fail to find God's best blessings. Watch out that no bitterness takes 
       root among you, for as it springs up it causes deep trouble, hurting 
       many in their spiritual lives.

       (Heb 12:16 TLB)  Watch out that no one becomes involved in sexual sin 
       or becomes careless about God as Esau did: he traded his rights as the 
       oldest son for a single meal.

       (Heb 12:17 TLB)  And afterwards, when he wanted those rights back 
       again, it was too late, even though he wept bitter tears of 
       repentance. So remember, and be careful.

       (Heb 12:18 TLB)  You have not had to stand face to face with terror, 
       flaming fire, gloom, darkness, and a terrible storm as the Israelites 
       did at Mount Sinai when God gave them his laws.

       (Heb 12:19 TLB)  For there was an awesome trumpet blast and a voice 
       with a message so terrible that the people begged God to stop 
       speaking.

       (Heb 12:20 TLB)  They staggered back under God's command that if even 
       an animal touched the mountain it must die.

       (Heb 12:21 TLB)  Moses himself was so frightened at the sight that he 
       shook with terrible fear.

       (Heb 12:22 TLB)  But you have come right up into Mount Zion, to the 
       city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to the gathering 
       of countless happy angels;

       (Heb 12:23 TLB)  and to the church, composed of all those registered 
       in heaven; and to God who is Judge of all; and to the spirits of the 
       redeemed in heaven, already made perfect;

       (Heb 12:24 TLB)  and to Jesus himself, who has brought us his 
       wonderful new agreement; and to the sprinkled blood, which graciously 
       forgives instead of crying out for vengeance as the blood of Abel did.

       (Heb 12:25 TLB)  So see to it that you obey him who is speaking to 
       you. For if the people of Israel did not escape when they refused to 
       listen to Moses, the earthly messenger, how terrible our danger if we 
       refuse to listen to God who speaks to us from heaven!

       (Heb 12:26 TLB)  When he spoke from Mount Sinai his voice shook the 
       earth, but, "Next time," he says, "I will not only shake the earth but 
       the heavens too."

       (Heb 12:27 TLB)  By this he means that he will sift out everything 
       without solid foundations so that only unshakable things will be left.





       (Heb 12:28 TLB)  Since we have a Kingdom nothing can destroy, let us 
       please God by serving him with thankful hearts and with holy fear and 
       awe.

       (Heb 12:29 TLB)  For our God is a consuming fire.

       (Heb 13:1 TLB)  Continue to love each other with true brotherly love.

       (Heb 13:2 TLB)  Don't forget to be kind to strangers, for some who 
       have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!

       (Heb 13:3 TLB)  Don't forget about those in jail. Suffer with them as 
       though you were there yourself. Share the sorrow of those being 
       mistreated, for you know what they are going through.

       (Heb 13:4 TLB)  Honor your marriage and its vows, and be pure; for God 
       will surely punish all those who are immoral or commit adultery.

       (Heb 13:5 TLB)  Stay away from the love of money; be satisfied with 
       what you have. For God has said, "I will never, never fail you nor 
       forsake you."

       (Heb 13:6 TLB)  That is why we can say without any doubt or fear, "The 
       Lord is my Helper, and I am not afraid of anything that mere man can 
       do to me."

       (Heb 13:7 TLB)  Remember your leaders who have taught you the Word of 
       God. Think of all the good that has come from their lives, and try to 
       trust the Lord as they do.

       (Heb 13:8 TLB)  Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and 
       forever.

       (Heb 13:9 TLB)  So do not be attracted by strange, new ideas. Your 
       spiritual strength comes as a gift from God, not from ceremonial rules 
       about eating certain foods--a method which, by the way, hasn't helped 
       those who have tried it!

       (Heb 13:10 TLB)  We have an altar--the cross where Christ was 
       sacrificed--where those who continue to seek salvation by obeying 
       Jewish laws can never be helped.

       (Heb 13:11 TLB)  Under the system of Jewish laws, the high priest 
       brought the blood of the slain animals into the sanctuary as a 
       sacrifice for sin, and then the bodies of the animals were burned 
       outside the city.

       (Heb 13:12 TLB)  That is why Jesus suffered and died outside the city, 
       where his blood washed our sins away.

       (Heb 13:13 TLB)  So let us go out to him beyond the city walls (that 
       is, outside the interests of this world, being willing to be despised) 
       to suffer with him there, bearing his shame.

       (Heb 13:14 TLB)  For this world is not our home; we are looking 
       forward to our everlasting home in heaven.






       (Heb 13:15 TLB)  With Jesus' help we will continually offer our 
       sacrifice of praise to God by telling others of the glory of his name.

       (Heb 13:16 TLB)  Don't forget to do good and to share what you have 
       with those in need, for such sacrifices are very pleasing to him.

       (Heb 13:17 TLB)  Obey your spiritual leaders and be willing to do what 
       they say. For their work is to watch over your souls, and God will 
       judge them on how well they do this. Give them reason to report 
       joyfully about you to the Lord and not with sorrow, for then you will 
       suffer for it too.

       (Heb 13:18 TLB)  Pray for us, for our conscience is clear and we want 
       to keep it that way.

       (Heb 13:19 TLB)  I especially need your prayers right now so that I 
       can come back to you sooner.

       (Heb 13:20 TLB)  And now may the God of peace, who brought again from 
       the dead our Lord Jesus,

       (Heb 13:21 TLB)  equip you with all you need for doing his will. May 
       he who became the great Shepherd of the sheep by an everlasting 
       agreement between God and you, signed with his blood, produce in you 
       through the power of Christ all that is pleasing to him. To him be 
       glory forever and ever. Amen.

       (Heb 13:22 TLB)  Brethren, please listen patiently to what I have said 
       in this letter, for it is a short one.

       (Heb 13:23 TLB)  I want you to know that Brother Timothy is now out of 
       jail; if he comes here soon, I will come with him to see you.

       (Heb 13:24 TLB)  Give my greetings to all your leaders and to the 
       other believers there. The Christians from Italy who are here with me 
       send you their love.

       (Heb 13:25 TLB)  God's grace be with you all. Good-bye.

       (James 1:1 TLB)  From: James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus 
       Christ. To: Jewish Christians scattered everywhere. Greetings!

       (James 1:2 TLB)  Dear brothers, is your life full of difficulties and 
       temptations? Then be happy,

       (James 1:3 TLB)  for when the way is rough, your patience has a chance 
       to grow.

       (James 1:4 TLB)  So let it grow, and don't try to squirm out of your 
       problems. For when your patience is finally in full bloom, then you 
       will be ready for anything, strong in character, full and complete.

       (James 1:5 TLB)  If you want to know what God wants you to do, ask 
       him, and he will gladly tell you, for he is always ready to give a 
       bountiful supply of wisdom to all who ask him; he will not resent it.






       (James 1:6 TLB)  But when you ask him, be sure that you really expect 
       him to tell you, for a doubtful mind will be as unsettled as a wave of 
       the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind;

       (James 1:7 TLB)  and every decision you then make will be uncertain, 
       as you turn first this way and then that. If you don't ask with faith, 
       don't expect the Lord to give you any solid answer.

       (James 1:8 TLB)  

       (James 1:9 TLB)  A Christian who doesn't amount to much in this world 
       should be glad, for he is great in the Lord's sight.

       (James 1:10 TLB)  But a rich man should be glad that his riches mean 
       nothing to the Lord, for he will soon be gone, like a flower that has 
       lost its beauty and fades away,

       (James 1:11 TLB)  withered--killed by the scorching summer sun. So it 
       is with rich men. They will soon die and leave behind all their busy 
       activities.

       (James 1:12 TLB)  Happy is the man who doesn't give in and do wrong 
       when he is tempted, for afterwards he will get as his reward the crown 
       of life that God has promised those who love him.

       (James 1:13 TLB)  And remember, when someone wants to do wrong it is 
       never God who is tempting him, for God never wants to do wrong and 
       never tempts anyone else to do it.

       (James 1:14 TLB)  Temptation is the pull of man's own evil thoughts 
       and wishes.

       (James 1:15 TLB)  These evil thoughts lead to evil actions and 
       afterwards to the death penalty from God.

       (James 1:16 TLB)  So don't be misled, dear brothers.

       (James 1:17 TLB)  But whatever is good and perfect comes to us from 
       God, the Creator of all light, and he shines forever without change or 
       shadow.

       (James 1:18 TLB)  And it was a happy day for him when he gave us our 
       new lives through the truth of his Word, and we became, as it were, 
       the first children in his new family.

       (James 1:19 TLB)  Dear brothers, don't ever forget that it is best to 
       listen much, speak little, and not become angry;

       (James 1:20 TLB)  for anger doesn't make us good, as God demands that 
       we must be.

       (James 1:21 TLB)  So get rid of all that is wrong in your life, both 
       inside and outside, and humbly be glad for the wonderful message we 
       have received, for it is able to save our souls as it takes hold of 
       our hearts.






       (James 1:22 TLB)  And remember, it is a message to obey, not just to 
       listen to. So don't fool yourselves.

       (James 1:23 TLB)  For if a person just listens and doesn't obey, he is 
       like a man looking at his face in a mirror;

       (James 1:24 TLB)  as soon as he walks away, he can't see himself 
       anymore or remember what he looks like.

       (James 1:25 TLB)  But if anyone keeps looking steadily into God's law 
       for free men, he will not only remember it but he will do what it 
       says, and God will greatly bless him in everything he does.

       (James 1:26 TLB)  Anyone who says he is a Christian but doesn't 
       control his sharp tongue is just fooling himself, and his religion 
       isn't worth much.

       (James 1:27 TLB)  The Christian who is pure and without fault, from 
       God the Father's point of view, is the one who takes care of orphans 
       and widows, and who remains true to the Lord--not soiled and dirtied 
       by his contacts with the world.

       (James 2:1 TLB)  Dear brothers, how can you claim that you belong to 
       the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, if you show favoritism to 
       rich people and look down on poor people?

       (James 2:2 TLB)  If a man comes into your church dressed in expensive 
       clothes and with valuable gold rings on his fingers, and at the same 
       moment another man comes in who is poor and dressed in threadbare 
       clothes,

       (James 2:3 TLB)  and you make a lot of fuss over the rich man and give 
       him the best seat in the house and say to the poor man, "You can stand 
       over there if you like or else sit on the floor"--well,

       (James 2:4 TLB)  judging a man by his wealth shows that you are guided 
       by wrong motives.

       (James 2:5 TLB)  Listen to me, dear brothers: God has chosen poor 
       people to be rich in faith, and the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs, for 
       that is the gift God has promised to all those who love him.

       (James 2:6 TLB)  And yet, of the two strangers, you have despised the 
       poor man. Don't you realize that it is usually the rich men who pick 
       on you and drag you into court?

       (James 2:7 TLB)  And all too often they are the ones who laugh at 
       Jesus Christ, whose noble name you bear.

       (James 2:8 TLB)  Yes indeed, it is good when you truly obey our Lord's 
       command, "You must love and help your neighbors just as much as you 
       love and take care of yourself."

       (James 2:9 TLB)  But you are breaking this law of our Lord's when you 
       favor the rich and fawn over them; it is sin.






       (James 2:10 TLB)  And the person who keeps every law of God but makes 
       one little slip is just as guilty as the person who has broken every 
       law there is.

       (James 2:11 TLB)  For the God who said you must not marry a woman who 
       already has a husband also said you must not murder, so even though 
       you have not broken the marriage laws by committing adultery, but have 
       murdered someone, you have entirely broken God's laws and stand 
       utterly guilty before him.

       (James 2:12 TLB)  You will be judged on whether or not you are doing 
       what Christ wants you to. So watch what you do and what you think;

       (James 2:13 TLB)  for there will be no mercy to those who have shown 
       no mercy. But if you have been merciful, then God's mercy toward you 
       will win out over his judgment against you.

       (James 2:14 TLB)  Dear brothers, what's the use of saying that you 
       have faith and are Christians if you aren't proving it by helping 
       others? Will that kind of faith save anyone?

       (James 2:15 TLB)  If you have a friend who is in need of food and 
       clothing,

       (James 2:16 TLB)  and you say to him, "Well, good-bye and God bless 
       you; stay warm and eat hearty," and then don't give him clothes or 
       food, what good does that do?

       (James 2:17 TLB)  So you see, it isn't enough just to have faith. You 
       must also do good to prove that you have it. Faith that doesn't show 
       itself by good works is no faith at all--it is dead and useless.

       (James 2:18 TLB)  But someone may well argue, "You say the way to God 
       is by faith alone, plus nothing; well, I say that good works are 
       important too, for without good works you can't prove whether you have 
       faith or not; but anyone can see that I have faith by the way I act."

       (James 2:19 TLB)  Are there still some among you who hold that "only 
       believing" is enough? Believing in one God? Well, remember that the 
       demons believe this too--so strongly that they tremble in terror!

       (James 2:20 TLB)  Fool! When will you ever learn that "believing" is 
       useless without doing what God wants you to? Faith that does not 
       result in good deeds is not real faith.

       (James 2:21 TLB)  Don't you remember that even our father Abraham was 
       declared good because of what he did when he was willing to obey God, 
       even if it meant offering his son Isaac to die on the altar?

       (James 2:22 TLB)  You see, he was trusting God so much that he was 
       willing to do whatever God told him to; his faith was made complete by 
       what he did--by his actions, his good deeds.

       (James 2:23 TLB)  And so it happened just as the Scriptures say, that 
       Abraham trusted God, and the Lord declared him good in God's sight, 





       and he was even called "the friend of God."

       (James 2:24 TLB)  So you see, a man is saved by what he does, as well 
       as by what he believes.

       (James 2:25 TLB)  Rahab, the prostitute, is another example of this. 
       She was saved because of what she did when she hid those messengers 
       and sent them safely away by a different road.

       (James 2:26 TLB)  Just as the body is dead when there is no spirit in 
       it, so faith is dead if it is not the kind that results in good deeds.

       (James 3:1 TLB)  Dear brothers, don't be too eager to tell others 
       their faults, for we all make many mistakes; and when we teachers of 
       religion, who should know better, do wrong, our punishment will be 
       greater than it would be for others.

       (James 3:2 TLB)  If anyone can control his tongue, it proves that he 
       has perfect control over himself in every other way.

       (James 3:3 TLB)  We can make a large horse turn around and go wherever 
       we want by means of a small bit in his mouth.

       (James 3:4 TLB)  And a tiny rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the 
       pilot wants it to go, even though the winds are strong.

       (James 3:5 TLB)  So also the tongue is a small thing, but what 
       enormous damage it can do. A great forest can be set on fire by one 
       tiny spark.

       (James 3:6 TLB)  And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is full of 
       wickedness, and poisons every part of the body. And the tongue is set 
       on fire by hell itself and can turn our whole lives into a blazing 
       flame of destruction and disaster.

       (James 3:7 TLB)  Men have trained, or can train, every kind of animal 
       or bird that lives and every kind of reptile and fish,

       (James 3:8 TLB)  but no human being can tame the tongue. It is always 
       ready to pour out its deadly poison.

       (James 3:9 TLB)  Sometimes it praises our heavenly Father, and 
       sometimes it breaks out into curses against men who are made like God.

       (James 3:10 TLB)  And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the 
       same mouth. Dear brothers, surely this is not right!

       (James 3:11 TLB)  Does a spring of water bubble out first with fresh 
       water and then with bitter water?

       (James 3:12 TLB)  Can you pick olives from a fig tree, or figs from a 
       grape vine? No, and you can't draw fresh water from a salty pool.

       (James 3:13 TLB)  If you are wise, live a life of steady goodness so 
       that only good deeds will pour forth. And if you don't brag about 
       them, then you will be truly wise!






       (James 3:14 TLB)  And by all means don't brag about being wise and 
       good if you are bitter and jealous and selfish; that is the worst sort 
       of lie.

       (James 3:15 TLB)  For jealousy and selfishness are not God's kind of 
       wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, inspired by the devil.

       (James 3:16 TLB)  For wherever there is jealousy or selfish ambition, 
       there will be disorder and every other kind of evil.

       (James 3:17 TLB)  But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of 
       all pure and full of quiet gentleness. Then it is peace-loving and 
       courteous. It allows discussion and is willing to yield to others; it 
       is full of mercy and good deeds. It is wholehearted and 
       straightforward and sincere.

       (James 3:18 TLB)  And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of 
       peace and reap a harvest of goodness.

       (James 4:1 TLB)  What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? 
       Isn't it because there is a whole army of evil desires within you?

       (James 4:2 TLB)  You want what you don't have, so you kill to get it. 
       You long for what others have, and can't afford it, so you start a 
       fight to take it away from them. And yet the reason you don't have 
       what you want is that you don't ask God for it.

       (James 4:3 TLB)  And even when you do ask you don't get it because 
       your whole aim is wrong--you want only what will give you pleasure.

       (James 4:4 TLB)  You are like an unfaithful wife who loves her 
       husband's enemies. Don't you realize that making friends with God's 
       enemies--the evil pleasures of this world--makes you an enemy of God? 
       I say it again, that if your aim is to enjoy the evil pleasure of the 
       unsaved world, you cannot also be a friend of God.

       (James 4:5 TLB)  Or what do you think the Scripture means when it says 
       that the Holy Spirit, whom God has placed within us, watches over us 
       with tender jealousy?

       (James 4:6 TLB)  But he gives us more and more strength to stand 
       against all such evil longings. As the Scripture says, God gives 
       strength to the humble but sets himself against the proud and haughty.

       (James 4:7 TLB)  So give yourselves humbly to God. Resist the devil 
       and he will flee from you.

       (James 4:8 TLB)  And when you draw close to God, God will draw close 
       to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and let your hearts be filled 
       with God alone to make them pure and true to him.

       (James 4:9 TLB)  Let there be tears for the wrong things you have 
       done. Let there be sorrow and sincere grief. Let there be sadness 
       instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy.





       (James 4:10 TLB)  Then when you realize your worthlessness before the 
       Lord, he will lift you up, encourage and help you.

       (James 4:11 TLB)  Don't criticize and speak evil about each other, 
       dear brothers. If you do, you will be fighting against God's law of 
       loving one another, declaring it is wrong. But your job is not to 
       decide whether this law is right or wrong, but to obey it.

       (James 4:12 TLB)  Only he who made the law can rightly judge among us. 
       He alone decides to save us or destroy. So what right do you have to 
       judge or criticize others?

       (James 4:13 TLB)  Look here, you people who say, "Today or tomorrow we 
       are going to such and such a town, stay there a year, and open up a 
       profitable business."

       (James 4:14 TLB)  How do you know what is going to happen tomorrow? 
       For the length of your lives is as uncertain as the morning fog--now 
       you see it; soon it is gone.

       (James 4:15 TLB)  What you ought to say is, "If the Lord wants us to, 
       we shall live and do this or that."

       (James 4:16 TLB)  Otherwise you will be bragging about your own plans, 
       and such self-confidence never pleases God.

       (James 4:17 TLB)  Remember, too, that knowing what is right to do and 
       then not doing it is sin.

       (James 5:1 TLB)  Look here, you rich men, now is the time to cry and 
       groan with anguished grief because of all the terrible troubles ahead 
       of you.

       (James 5:2 TLB)  Your wealth is even now rotting away, and your fine 
       clothes are becoming mere moth-eaten rags.

       (James 5:3 TLB)  The value of your gold and silver is dropping fast, 
       yet it will stand as evidence against you and eat your flesh like 
       fire. That is what you have stored up for yourselves to receive on 
       that coming day of judgment.

       (James 5:4 TLB)  For listen! Hear the cries of the field workers whom 
       you have cheated of their pay. Their cries have reached the ears of 
       the Lord of Hosts.

       (James 5:5 TLB)  You have spent your years here on earth having fun, 
       satisfying your every whim, and now your fat hearts are ready for the 
       slaughter.

       (James 5:6 TLB)  You have condemned and killed good men who had no 
       power to defend themselves against you.

       (James 5:7 TLB)  Now as for you, dear brothers who are waiting for the 
       Lord's return, be patient, like a farmer who waits until the autumn 
       for his precious harvest to ripen.





       (James 5:8 TLB)  Yes, be patient. And take courage, for the coming of 
       the Lord is near.

       (James 5:9 TLB)  Don't grumble about each other, brothers. Are you 
       yourselves above criticism? For see! The great Judge is coming. He is 
       almost here. (Let him do whatever criticizing must be done.)

       (James 5:10 TLB)  For examples of patience in suffering, look at the 
       Lord's prophets.

       (James 5:11 TLB)  We know how happy they are now because they stayed 
       true to him then, even though they suffered greatly for it. Job is an 
       example of a man who continued to trust the Lord in sorrow; from his 
       experiences we can see how the Lord's plan finally ended in good, for 
       he is full of tenderness and mercy.

       (James 5:12 TLB)  But most of all, dear brothers, do not swear either 
       by heaven or earth or anything else; just say a simple yes or no so 
       that you will not sin and be condemned for it.

       (James 5:13 TLB)  Is anyone among you suffering? He should keep on 
       praying about it. And those who have reason to be thankful should 
       continually be singing praises to the Lord.

       (James 5:14 TLB)  Is anyone sick? He should call for the elders of the 
       church and they should pray over him and pour a little oil upon him, 
       calling on the Lord to heal him.

       (James 5:15 TLB)  And their prayer, if offered in faith, will heal 
       him, for the Lord will make him well; and if his sickness was caused 
       by some sin, the Lord will forgive him.

       (James 5:16 TLB)  Admit your faults to one another and pray for each 
       other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous man 
       has great power and wonderful results.

       (James 5:17 TLB)  Elijah was as completely human as we are, and yet 
       when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for the 
       next three and a half years!

       (James 5:18 TLB)  Then he prayed again, this time that it would rain, 
       and down it poured, and the grass turned green and the gardens began 
       to grow again.

       (James 5:19 TLB)  Dear brothers, if anyone has slipped away from God 
       and no longer trusts the Lord and someone helps him understand the 
       Truth again,

       (James 5:20 TLB)  that person who brings him back to God will have 
       saved a wandering soul from death, bringing about the forgiveness of 
       his many sins. Sincerely, James

       (1 Pet 1:1 TLB)  From: Peter, Jesus Christ's missionary. To: The 
       Jewish Christians driven out of Jerusalem and scattered throughout 
       Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia Minor, and Bithynia.





       (1 Pet 1:2 TLB)  Dear friends, God the Father chose you long ago and 
       knew you would become his children. And the Holy Spirit has been at 
       work in your hearts, cleansing you with the blood of Jesus Christ and 
       making you to please him. May God bless you richly and grant you 
       increasing freedom from all anxiety and fear.

       (1 Pet 1:3 TLB)  All honor to God, the God and Father of our Lord 
       Jesus Christ; for it is his boundless mercy that has given us the 
       privilege of being born again so that we are now members of God's own 
       family. Now we live in the hope of eternal life because Christ rose 
       again from the dead.

       (1 Pet 1:4 TLB)  And God has reserved for his children the priceless 
       gift of eternal life; it is kept in heaven for you, pure and 
       undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay.

       (1 Pet 1:5 TLB)  And God, in his mighty power, will make sure that you 
       get there safely to receive it because you are trusting him. It will 
       be yours in that coming last day for all to see.

       (1 Pet 1:6 TLB)  So be truly glad! There is wonderful joy ahead, even 
       though the going is rough for a while down here.

       (1 Pet 1:7 TLB)  These trials are only to test your faith, to see 
       whether or not it is strong and pure. It is being tested as fire tests 
       gold and purifies it--and your faith is far more precious to God than 
       mere gold; so if your faith remains strong after being tried in the 
       test tube of fiery trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and 
       honor on the day of his return.

       (1 Pet 1:8 TLB)  You love him even though you have never seen him; 
       though not seeing him, you trust him; and even now you are happy with 
       the inexpressible joy that comes from heaven itself.

       (1 Pet 1:9 TLB)  And your further reward for trusting him will be the 
       salvation of your souls.

       (1 Pet 1:10 TLB)  This salvation was something the prophets did not 
       fully understand. Though they wrote about it, they had many questions 
       as to what it all could mean.

       (1 Pet 1:11 TLB)  They wondered what the Spirit of Christ within them 
       was talking about, for he told them to write down the events which, 
       since then, have happened to Christ: his suffering, and his great 
       glory afterwards. And they wondered when and to whom all this would 
       happen.

       (1 Pet 1:12 TLB)  They were finally told that these things would not 
       occur during their lifetime, but long years later, during yours. And 
       now at last this Good News has been plainly announced to all of us. It 
       was preached to us in the power of the same heaven-sent Holy Spirit 
       who spoke to them; and it is all so strange and wonderful that even 
       the angels in heaven would give a great deal to know more about it.

       (1 Pet 1:13 TLB)  So now you can look forward soberly and 
       intelligently to more of God's kindness to you when Jesus Christ 





       returns.

       (1 Pet 1:14 TLB)  Obey God because you are his children; don't slip 
       back into your old ways--doing evil because you knew no better.

       (1 Pet 1:15 TLB)  But be holy now in everything you do, just as the 
       Lord is holy, who invited you to be his child.

       (1 Pet 1:16 TLB)  He himself has said, "You must be holy, for I am 
       holy."

       (1 Pet 1:17 TLB)  And remember that your heavenly Father to whom you 
       pray has no favorites when he judges. He will judge you with perfect 
       justice for everything you do; so act in reverent fear of him from now 
       on until you get to heaven.

       (1 Pet 1:18 TLB)  God paid a ransom to save you from the impossible 
       road to heaven which your fathers tried to take, and the ransom he 
       paid was not mere gold or silver as you very well know.

       (1 Pet 1:19 TLB)  But he paid for you with the precious lifeblood of 
       Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.

       (1 Pet 1:20 TLB)  God chose him for this purpose long before the world 
       began, but only recently was he brought into public view, in these 
       last days, as a blessing to you.

       (1 Pet 1:21 TLB)  Because of this, your trust can be in God who raised 
       Christ from the dead and gave him great glory. Now your faith and hope 
       can rest in him alone.

       (1 Pet 1:22 TLB)  Now you can have real love for everyone because your 
       souls have been cleansed from selfishness and hatred when you trusted 
       Christ to save you; so see to it that you really do love each other 
       warmly, with all your hearts.

       (1 Pet 1:23 TLB)  For you have a new life. It was not passed on to you 
       from your parents, for the life they gave you will fade away. This new 
       one will last forever, for it comes from Christ, God's ever-living 
       Message to men.

       (1 Pet 1:24 TLB)  Yes, our natural lives will fade as grass does when 
       it becomes all brown and dry. All our greatness is like a flower that 
       droops and falls;

       (1 Pet 1:25 TLB)  but the Word of the Lord will last forever. And his 
       message is the Good News that was preached to you.

       (1 Pet 2:1 TLB)  So get rid of your feelings of hatred. Don't just 
       pretend to be good! Be done with dishonesty and jealousy and talking 
       about others behind their backs.

       (1 Pet 2:2 TLB)  Now that you realize how kind the Lord has been to 
       you, put away all evil, deception, envy, and fraud. Long to grow up 
       into the fullness of your salvation; cry for this as a baby cries for 
       his milk.






       (1 Pet 2:3 TLB)  

       (1 Pet 2:4 TLB)  Come to Christ, who is the living Foundation of Rock 
       upon which God builds; though men have spurned him, he is very 
       precious to God who has chosen him above all others.

       (1 Pet 2:5 TLB)  And now you have become living building-stones for 
       God's use in building his house. What's more, you are his holy 
       priests; so come to him--( you who are acceptable to him because of 
       Jesus Christ)--and offer to God those things that please him.

       (1 Pet 2:6 TLB)  As the Scriptures express it, "See, I am sending 
       Christ to be the carefully chosen, precious Cornerstone of my church, 
       and I will never disappoint those who trust in him."

       (1 Pet 2:7 TLB)  Yes, he is very precious to you who believe; and to 
       those who reject him, well-- "The same Stone that was rejected by the 
       builders has become the Cornerstone, the most honored and important 
       part of the building."

       (1 Pet 2:8 TLB)  And the Scriptures also say, "He is the Stone that 
       some will stumble over, and the Rock that will make them fall." They 
       will stumble because they will not listen to God's Word nor obey it, 
       and so this punishment must follow--that they will fall.

       (1 Pet 2:9 TLB)  But you are not like that, for you have been chosen 
       by God himself--you are priests of the King, you are holy and pure, 
       you are God's very own--all this so that you may show to others how 
       God called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.

       (1 Pet 2:10 TLB)  Once you were less than nothing; now you are God's 
       own. Once you knew very little of God's kindness; now your very lives 
       have been changed by it.

       (1 Pet 2:11 TLB)  Dear brothers, you are only visitors here. Since 
       your real home is in heaven, I beg you to keep away from the evil 
       pleasures of this world; they are not for you, for they fight against 
       your very souls.

       (1 Pet 2:12 TLB)  Be careful how you behave among your unsaved 
       neighbors; for then, even if they are suspicious of you and talk 
       against you, they will end up praising God for your good works when 
       Christ returns.

       (1 Pet 2:13 TLB)  For the Lord's sake, obey every law of your 
       government: those of the king as head of the state,

       (1 Pet 2:14 TLB)  and those of the king's officers, for he has sent 
       them to punish all who do wrong, and to honor those who do right.

       (1 Pet 2:15 TLB)  It is God's will that your good lives should silence 
       those who foolishly condemn the Gospel without knowing what it can do 
       for them, having never experienced its power.

       (1 Pet 2:16 TLB)  You are free from the law, but that doesn't mean you 





       are free to do wrong. Live as those who are free to do only God's will 
       at all times.

       (1 Pet 2:17 TLB)  Show respect for everyone. Love Christians 
       everywhere. Fear God and honor the government.

       (1 Pet 2:18 TLB)  Servants, you must respect your masters and do 
       whatever they tell you--not only if they are kind and reasonable, but 
       even if they are tough and cruel.

       (1 Pet 2:19 TLB)  Praise the Lord if you are punished for doing right!

       (1 Pet 2:20 TLB)  Of course, you get no credit for being patient if 
       you are beaten for doing wrong; but if you do right and suffer for it, 
       and are patient beneath the blows, God is well pleased.

       (1 Pet 2:21 TLB)  This suffering is all part of the work God has given 
       you. Christ, who suffered for you, is your example. Follow in his 
       steps:

       (1 Pet 2:22 TLB)  He never sinned, never told a lie,

       (1 Pet 2:23 TLB)  never answered back when insulted; when he suffered 
       he did not threaten to get even; he left his case in the hands of God 
       who always judges fairly.

       (1 Pet 2:24 TLB)  He personally carried the load of our sins in his 
       own body when he died on the cross so that we can be finished with sin 
       and live a good life from now on. For his wounds have healed ours!

       (1 Pet 2:25 TLB)  Like sheep you wandered away from God, but now you 
       have returned to your Shepherd, the Guardian of your souls who keeps 
       you safe from all attacks.

       (1 Pet 3:1 TLB)  Wives, fit in with your husbands' plans; for then if 
       they refuse to listen when you talk to them about the Lord, they will 
       be won by your respectful, pure behavior. Your godly lives will speak 
       to them better than any words.

       (1 Pet 3:2 TLB)  

       (1 Pet 3:3 TLB)  Don't be concerned about the outward beauty that 
       depends on jewelry, or beautiful clothes, or hair arrangement.

       (1 Pet 3:4 TLB)  Be beautiful inside, in your hearts, with the lasting 
       charm of a gentle and quiet spirit that is so precious to God.

       (1 Pet 3:5 TLB)  That kind of deep beauty was seen in the saintly 
       women of old, who trusted God and fitted in with their husbands' 
       plans.

       (1 Pet 3:6 TLB)  Sarah, for instance, obeyed her husband Abraham, 
       honoring him as head of the house. And if you do the same, you will be 
       following in her steps like good daughters and doing what is right; 
       then you will not need to fear (offending your husbands).





       (1 Pet 3:7 TLB)  You husbands must be careful of your wives, being 
       thoughtful of their needs and honoring them as the weaker sex. 
       Remember that you and your wife are partners in receiving God's 
       blessings, and if you don't treat her as you should, your prayers will 
       not get ready answers.

       (1 Pet 3:8 TLB)  And now this word to all of you: You should be like 
       one big happy family, full of sympathy toward each other, loving one 
       another with tender hearts and humble minds.

       (1 Pet 3:9 TLB)  Don't repay evil for evil. Don't snap back at those 
       who say unkind things about you. Instead, pray for God's help for 
       them, for we are to be kind to others, and God will bless us for it.

       (1 Pet 3:10 TLB)  If you want a happy, good life, keep control of your 
       tongue, and guard your lips from telling lies.

       (1 Pet 3:11 TLB)  Turn away from evil and do good. Try to live in 
       peace even if you must run after it to catch and hold it!

       (1 Pet 3:12 TLB)  For the Lord is watching his children, listening to 
       their prayers; but the Lord's face is hard against those who do evil.

       (1 Pet 3:13 TLB)  Usually no one will hurt you for wanting to do good.

       (1 Pet 3:14 TLB)  But even if they should, you are to be envied, for 
       God will reward you for it.

       (1 Pet 3:15 TLB)  Quietly trust yourself to Christ your Lord, and if 
       anybody asks why you believe as you do, be ready to tell him, and do 
       it in a gentle and respectful way.

       (1 Pet 3:16 TLB)  Do what is right; then if men speak against you, 
       calling you evil names, they will become ashamed of themselves for 
       falsely accusing you when you have only done what is good.

       (1 Pet 3:17 TLB)  Remember, if God wants you to suffer, it is better 
       to suffer for doing good than for doing wrong!

       (1 Pet 3:18 TLB)  Christ also suffered. He died once for the sins of 
       all us guilty sinners although he himself was innocent of any sin at 
       any time, that he might bring us safely home to God. But though his 
       body died, his spirit lived on,

       (1 Pet 3:19 TLB)  and it was in the spirit that he visited the spirits 
       in prison and preached to them--

       (1 Pet 3:20 TLB)  spirits of those who, long before in the days of 
       Noah, had refused to listen to God, though he waited patiently for 
       them while Noah was building the ark. Yet only eight persons were 
       saved from drowning in that terrible flood.

       (1 Pet 3:21 TLB)  (That, by the way, is what baptism pictures for us: 
       In baptism we show that we have been saved from death and doom by the 
       resurrection of Christ; not because our bodies are washed clean by the 
       water but because in being baptized we are turning to God and asking 





       him to cleanse our hearts from sin.)

       (1 Pet 3:22 TLB)  And now Christ is in heaven, sitting in the place of 
       honor next to God the Father, with all the angels and powers of heaven 
       bowing before him and obeying him.

       (1 Pet 4:1 TLB)  Since Christ suffered and underwent pain, you must 
       have the same attitude he did; you must be ready to suffer, too. For 
       remember, when your body suffers, sin loses its power,

       (1 Pet 4:2 TLB)  and you won't be spending the rest of your life 
       chasing after evil desires but will be anxious to do the will of God.

       (1 Pet 4:3 TLB)  You have had enough in the past of the evil things 
       the godless enjoy--sex sin, lust, getting drunk, wild parties, 
       drinking bouts, and the worship of idols, and other terrible sins.

       (1 Pet 4:4 TLB)  Of course, your former friends will be very surprised 
       when you don't eagerly join them anymore in the wicked things they do, 
       and they will laugh at you in contempt and scorn.

       (1 Pet 4:5 TLB)  But just remember that they must face the Judge of 
       all, living and dead; they will be punished for the way they have 
       lived.

       (1 Pet 4:6 TLB)  That is why the Good News was preached even to those 
       who were dead--killed by the flood--so that although their bodies were 
       punished with death, they could still live in their spirits as God 
       lives.

       (1 Pet 4:7 TLB)  The end of the world is coming soon. Therefore be 
       earnest, thoughtful men of prayer.

       (1 Pet 4:8 TLB)  Most important of all, continue to show deep love for 
       each other, for love makes up for many of your faults.

       (1 Pet 4:9 TLB)  Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal 
       or a place to stay for the night.

       (1 Pet 4:10 TLB)  God has given each of you some special abilities; be 
       sure to use them to help each other, passing on to others God's many 
       kinds of blessings.

       (1 Pet 4:11 TLB)  Are you called to preach? Then preach as though God 
       himself were speaking through you. Are you called to help others? Do 
       it with all the strength and energy that God supplies so that God will 
       be glorified through Jesus Christ--to him be glory and power forever 
       and ever. Amen.

       (1 Pet 4:12 TLB)  Dear friends, don't be bewildered or surprised when 
       you go through the fiery trials ahead, for this is no strange, unusual 
       thing that is going to happen to you.

       (1 Pet 4:13 TLB)  Instead, be really glad--because these trials will 
       make you partners with Christ in his suffering, and afterwards you 
       will have the wonderful joy of sharing his glory in that coming day 





       when it will be displayed.

       (1 Pet 4:14 TLB)  Be happy if you are cursed and insulted for being a 
       Christian, for when that happens the Spirit of God will come upon you 
       with great glory.

       (1 Pet 4:15 TLB)  Don't let me hear of your suffering for murdering or 
       stealing or making trouble or being a busybody and prying into other 
       people's affairs.

       (1 Pet 4:16 TLB)  But it is no shame to suffer for being a Christian. 
       Praise God for the privilege of being in Christ's family and being 
       called by his wonderful name!

       (1 Pet 4:17 TLB)  For the time has come for judgment, and it must 
       begin first among God's own children. And if even we who are 
       Christians must be judged, what terrible fate awaits those who have 
       never believed in the Lord?

       (1 Pet 4:18 TLB)  If the righteous are barely saved, what chance will 
       the godless have?

       (1 Pet 4:19 TLB)  So if you are suffering according to God's will, 
       keep on doing what is right and trust yourself to the God who made 
       you, for he will never fail you.

       (1 Pet 5:1 TLB)  And now, a word to you elders of the church. I, too, 
       am an elder; with my own eyes I saw Christ dying on the cross; and I, 
       too, will share his glory and his honor when he returns. Fellow 
       elders, this is my plea to you:

       (1 Pet 5:2 TLB)  Feed the flock of God; care for it willingly, not 
       grudgingly; not for what you will get out of it but because you are 
       eager to serve the Lord.

       (1 Pet 5:3 TLB)  Don't be tyrants, but lead them by your good example,

       (1 Pet 5:4 TLB)  and when the Head Shepherd comes, your reward will be 
       a never-ending share in his glory and honor.

       (1 Pet 5:5 TLB)  You younger men, follow the leadership of those who 
       are older. And all of you serve each other with humble spirits, for 
       God gives special blessings to those who are humble, but sets himself 
       against those who are proud.

       (1 Pet 5:6 TLB)  If you will humble yourselves under the mighty hand 
       of God, in his good time he will lift you up.

       (1 Pet 5:7 TLB)  Let him have all your worries and cares, for he is 
       always thinking about you and watching everything that concerns you.

       (1 Pet 5:8 TLB)  Be careful--watch out for attacks from Satan, your 
       great enemy. He prowls around like a hungry, roaring lion, looking for 
       some victim to tear apart.

       (1 Pet 5:9 TLB)  Stand firm when he attacks. Trust the Lord; and 





       remember that other Christians all around the world are going through 
       these sufferings too.

       (1 Pet 5:10 TLB)  After you have suffered a little while, our God, who 
       is full of kindness through Christ, will give you his eternal glory. 
       He personally will come and pick you up, and set you firmly in place, 
       and make you stronger than ever.

       (1 Pet 5:11 TLB)  To him be all power over all things, forever and 
       ever. Amen.

       (1 Pet 5:12 TLB)  I am sending this note to you through the courtesy 
       of Silvanus who is, in my opinion, a very faithful brother. I hope I 
       have encouraged you by this letter, for I have given you a true 
       statement of the way God blesses. What I have told you here should 
       help you to stand firmly in his love.

       (1 Pet 5:13 TLB)  The church here in Rome--she is your sister in the 
       Lord--sends you her greetings; so does my son Mark.

       (1 Pet 5:14 TLB)  Give each other the handshake of Christian love. 
       Peace be to all of you who are in Christ.

       (2 Pet 1:1 TLB)  From: Simon Peter, a servant and missionary of Jesus 
       Christ. To: All of you who have our kind of faith. The faith I speak 
       of is the kind that Jesus Christ our God and Savior gives to us. How 
       precious it is, and how just and good he is to give this same faith to 
       each of us.

       (2 Pet 1:2 TLB)  Do you want more and more of God's kindness and 
       peace? Then learn to know him better and better.

       (2 Pet 1:3 TLB)  For as you know him better, he will give you, through 
       his great power, everything you need for living a truly good life: he 
       even shares his own glory and his own goodness with us!

       (2 Pet 1:4 TLB)  And by that same mighty power he has given us all the 
       other rich and wonderful blessings he promised; for instance, the 
       promise to save us from the lust and rottenness all around us, and to 
       give us his own character.

       (2 Pet 1:5 TLB)  But to obtain these gifts, you need more than faith; 
       you must also work hard to be good, and even that is not enough. For 
       then you must learn to know God better and discover what he wants you 
       to do.

       (2 Pet 1:6 TLB)  Next, learn to put aside your own desires so that you 
       will become patient and godly, gladly letting God have his way with 
       you.

       (2 Pet 1:7 TLB)  This will make possible the next step, which is for 
       you to enjoy other people and to like them, and finally you will grow 
       to love them deeply.

       (2 Pet 1:8 TLB)  The more you go on in this way, the more you will 
       grow strong spiritually and become fruitful and useful to our Lord 





       Jesus Christ.

       (2 Pet 1:9 TLB)  But anyone who fails to go after these additions to 
       faith is blind indeed, or at least very shortsighted and has forgotten 
       that God delivered him from the old life of sin so that now he can 
       live a strong, good life for the Lord.

       (2 Pet 1:10 TLB)  So, dear brothers, work hard to prove that you 
       really are among those God has called and chosen, and then you will 
       never stumble or fall away.

       (2 Pet 1:11 TLB)  And God will open wide the gates of heaven for you 
       to enter into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

       (2 Pet 1:12 TLB)  I plan to keep on reminding you of these things even 
       though you already know them and are really getting along quite well!

       (2 Pet 1:13 TLB)  But the Lord Jesus Christ has showed me that my days 
       here on earth are numbered, and I am soon to die. As long as I am 
       still here I intend to keep sending these reminders to you,

       (2 Pet 1:14 TLB)  

       (2 Pet 1:15 TLB)  hoping to impress them so clearly upon you that you 
       will remember them long after I have gone.

       (2 Pet 1:16 TLB)  For we have not been telling you fairy tales when we 
       explained to you the power of our Lord Jesus Christ and his coming 
       again. My own eyes have seen his splendor and his glory:

       (2 Pet 1:17 TLB)  I was there on the holy mountain when he shone out 
       with honor given him by God his Father; I heard that glorious, 
       majestic voice calling down from heaven, saying, "This is my 
       much-loved Son; I am well pleased with him."

       (2 Pet 1:18 TLB)  

       (2 Pet 1:19 TLB)  So we have seen and proved that what the prophets 
       said came true. You will do well to pay close attention to everything 
       they have written, for, like lights shining into dark corners, their 
       words help us to understand many things that otherwise would be dark 
       and difficult. But when you consider the wonderful truth of the 
       prophets' words, then the light will dawn in your souls and Christ the 
       Morning Star will shine in your hearts.

       (2 Pet 1:20 TLB)  For no prophecy recorded in Scripture was ever 
       thought up by the prophet himself. It was the Holy Spirit within these 
       godly men who gave them true messages from God.

       (2 Pet 1:21 TLB)  

       (2 Pet 2:1 TLB)  But there were false prophets, too, in those days, 
       just as there will be false teachers among you. They will cleverly 
       tell their lies about God, turning against even their Master who 
       bought them; but theirs will be a swift and terrible end.





       (2 Pet 2:2 TLB)  Many will follow their evil teaching that there is 
       nothing wrong with sexual sin. And because of them Christ and his way 
       will be scoffed at.

       (2 Pet 2:3 TLB)  These teachers in their greed will tell you anything 
       to get hold of your money. But God condemned them long ago and their 
       destruction is on the way.

       (2 Pet 2:4 TLB)  For God did not spare even the angels who sinned, but 
       threw them into hell, chained in gloomy caves and darkness until the 
       judgment day.

       (2 Pet 2:5 TLB)  And he did not spare any of the people who lived in 
       ancient times before the flood except Noah, the one man who spoke up 
       for God, and his family of seven. At that time God completely 
       destroyed the whole world of ungodly men with the vast flood.

       (2 Pet 2:6 TLB)  Later, he turned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah 
       into heaps of ashes and blotted them off the face of the earth, making 
       them an example for all the ungodly in the future to look back upon 
       and fear.

       (2 Pet 2:7 TLB)  But at the same time the Lord rescued Lot out of 
       Sodom because he was a good man, sick of the terrible wickedness he 
       saw everywhere around him day after day.

       (2 Pet 2:8 TLB)  

       (2 Pet 2:9 TLB)  So also the Lord can rescue you and me from the 
       temptations that surround us, and continue to punish the ungodly until 
       the day of final judgment comes.

       (2 Pet 2:10 TLB)  He is especially hard on those who follow their own 
       evil, lustful thoughts, and those who are proud and willful, daring 
       even to scoff at the Glorious Ones without so much as trembling,

       (2 Pet 2:11 TLB)  although the angels in heaven who stand in the very 
       presence of the Lord, and are far greater in power and strength than 
       these false teachers, never speak out disrespectfully against these 
       evil Mighty Ones.

       (2 Pet 2:12 TLB)  But false teachers are fools--no better than 
       animals. They do whatever they feel like; born only to be caught and 
       killed, they laugh at the terrifying powers of the underworld which 
       they know so little about; and they will be destroyed along with all 
       the demons and powers of hell.

       (2 Pet 2:13 TLB)  That is the pay these teachers will have for their 
       sin. For they live in evil pleasures day after day. They are a 
       disgrace and a stain among you, deceiving you by living in foul sin on 
       the side while they join your love feasts as though they were honest 
       men.

       (2 Pet 2:14 TLB)  No woman can escape their sinful stare, and of 
       adultery they never have enough. They make a game of luring unstable 
       women. They train themselves to be greedy; and are doomed and cursed.






       (2 Pet 2:15 TLB)  They have gone off the road and become lost like 
       Balaam, the son of Beor, who fell in love with the money he could make 
       by doing wrong;

       (2 Pet 2:16 TLB)  but Balaam was stopped from his mad course when his 
       donkey spoke to him with a human voice, scolding and rebuking him.

       (2 Pet 2:17 TLB)  These men are as useless as dried-up springs of 
       water, promising much and delivering nothing; they are as unstable as 
       clouds driven by the storm winds. They are doomed to the eternal pits 
       of darkness.

       (2 Pet 2:18 TLB)  They proudly boast about their sins and conquests, 
       and, using lust as their bait, they lure back into sin those who have 
       just escaped from such wicked living.

       (2 Pet 2:19 TLB)  "You aren't saved by being good," they say, "so you 
       might as well be bad. Do what you like; be free." But these very 
       teachers who offer this "freedom" from law are themselves slaves to 
       sin and destruction. For a man is a slave to whatever controls him.

       (2 Pet 2:20 TLB)  And when a person has escaped from the wicked ways 
       of the world by learning about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and 
       then gets tangled up with sin and becomes its slave again, he is worse 
       off than he was before.

       (2 Pet 2:21 TLB)  It would be better if he had never known about 
       Christ at all than to learn of him and then afterwards turn his back 
       on the holy commandments that were given to him.

       (2 Pet 2:22 TLB)  There is an old saying that "A dog comes back to 
       what he has vomited, and a pig is washed only to come back and wallow 
       in the mud again." That is the way it is with those who turn again to 
       their sin.

       (2 Pet 3:1 TLB)  This is my second letter to you, dear brothers, and 
       in both of them I have tried to remind you--if you will let me--about 
       facts you already know:

       (2 Pet 3:2 TLB)  facts you learned from the holy prophets and from us 
       apostles who brought you the words of our Lord and Savior.

       (2 Pet 3:3 TLB)  First, I want to remind you that in the last days 
       there will come scoffers who will do every wrong they can think of and 
       laugh at the truth.

       (2 Pet 3:4 TLB)  This will be their line of argument: "So Jesus 
       promised to come back, did he? Then where is he? He'll never come! 
       Why, as far back as anyone can remember, everything has remained 
       exactly as it was since the first day of creation."

       (2 Pet 3:5 TLB)  They deliberately forget this fact: that God did 
       destroy the world with a mighty flood long after he had made the 
       heavens by the word of his command and had used the waters to form the 
       earth and surround it.






       (2 Pet 3:6 TLB)  

       (2 Pet 3:7 TLB)  And God has commanded that the earth and the heavens 
       be stored away for a great bonfire at the judgment day, when all 
       ungodly men will perish.

       (2 Pet 3:8 TLB)  But don't forget this, dear friends, that a day or a 
       thousand years from now is like tomorrow to the Lord.

       (2 Pet 3:9 TLB)  He isn't really being slow about his promised return, 
       even though it sometimes seems that way. But he is waiting, for the 
       good reason that he is not willing that any should perish, and he is 
       giving more time for sinners to repent.

       (2 Pet 3:10 TLB)  The day of the Lord is surely coming, as 
       unexpectedly as a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a 
       terrible noise, and the heavenly bodies will disappear in fire, and 
       the earth and everything on it will be burned up.

       (2 Pet 3:11 TLB)  And so since everything around us is going to melt 
       away, what holy, godly lives we should be living!

       (2 Pet 3:12 TLB)  You should look forward to that day and hurry it 
       along--the day when God will set the heavens on fire, and the heavenly 
       bodies will melt and disappear in flames.

       (2 Pet 3:13 TLB)  But we are looking forward to God's promise of new 
       heavens and a new earth afterwards, where there will be only goodness.

       (2 Pet 3:14 TLB)  Dear friends, while you are waiting for these things 
       to happen and for him to come, try hard to live without sinning; and 
       be at peace with everyone so that he will be pleased with you when he 
       returns.

       (2 Pet 3:15 TLB)  And remember why he is waiting. He is giving us time 
       to get his message of salvation out to others. Our wise and beloved 
       brother Paul has talked about these same things in many of his 
       letters.

       (2 Pet 3:16 TLB)  Some of his comments are not easy to understand, and 
       there are people who are deliberately stupid, and always demand some 
       unusual interpretation--they have twisted his letters around to mean 
       something quite different from what he meant, just as they do the 
       other parts of the Scripture--and the result is disaster for them.

       (2 Pet 3:17 TLB)  I am warning you ahead of time, dear brothers, so 
       that you can watch out and not be carried away by the mistakes of 
       these wicked men, lest you yourselves become mixed up too.

       (2 Pet 3:18 TLB)  But grow in spiritual strength and become better 
       acquainted with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be all glory 
       and splendid honor, both now and forevermore. Good-bye. Peter

       (1 John 1:1 TLB)  Christ was alive when the world began, yet I myself 
       have seen him with my own eyes and listened to him speak. I have 





       touched him with my own hands. He is God's message of life.

       (1 John 1:2 TLB)  This one who is life from God has been shown to us, 
       and we guarantee that we have seen him; I am speaking of Christ, who 
       is eternal Life. He was with the Father and then was shown to us.

       (1 John 1:3 TLB)  Again I say, we are telling you about what we 
       ourselves have actually seen and heard, so that you may share the 
       fellowship and the joys we have with the Father and with Jesus Christ 
       his son.

       (1 John 1:4 TLB)  And if you do as I say in this letter, then you, 
       too, will be full of joy, and so will we.

       (1 John 1:5 TLB)  This is the message God has given us to pass on to 
       you: that God is Light and in him is no darkness at all.

       (1 John 1:6 TLB)  So if we say we are his friends but go on living in 
       spiritual darkness and sin, we are lying.

       (1 John 1:7 TLB)  But if we are living in the light of God's presence, 
       just as Christ does, then we have wonderful fellowship and joy with 
       each other, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from every sin.

       (1 John 1:8 TLB)  If we say that we have no sin, we are only fooling 
       ourselves and refusing to accept the truth.

       (1 John 1:9 TLB)  But if we confess our sins to him, he can be 
       depended on to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong. (And it 
       is perfectly proper for God to do this for us because Christ died to 
       wash away our sins.)

       (1 John 1:10 TLB)  If we claim we have not sinned, we are lying and 
       calling God a liar, for he says we have sinned.

       (1 John 2:1 TLB)  My little children, I am telling you this so that 
       you will stay away from sin. But if you sin, there is someone to plead 
       for you before the Father. His name is Jesus Christ, the one who is 
       all that is good and who pleases God completely.

       (1 John 2:2 TLB)  He is the one who took God's wrath against our sins 
       upon himself and brought us into fellowship with God; and he is the 
       forgiveness for our sins, and not only ours but all the world's.

       (1 John 2:3 TLB)  And how can we be sure that we belong to him? By 
       looking within ourselves: are we really trying to do what he wants us 
       to?

       (1 John 2:4 TLB)  Someone may say, "I am a Christian; I am on my way 
       to heaven; I belong to Christ." But if he doesn't do what Christ tells 
       him to, he is a liar.

       (1 John 2:5 TLB)  But those who do what Christ tells them to will 
       learn to love God more and more. That is the way to know whether or 
       not you are a Christian.





       (1 John 2:6 TLB)  Anyone who says he is a Christian should live as 
       Christ did.

       (1 John 2:7 TLB)  Dear brothers, I am not writing out a new rule for 
       you to obey, for it is an old one you have always had, right from the 
       start. You have heard it all before.

       (1 John 2:8 TLB)  Yet it is always new, and works for you just as it 
       did for Christ; and as we obey this commandment, to love one another, 
       the darkness in our lives disappears and the new light of life in 
       Christ shines in.

       (1 John 2:9 TLB)  Anyone who says he is walking in the light of Christ 
       but dislikes his fellow man is still in darkness.

       (1 John 2:10 TLB)  But whoever loves his fellow man is "walking in the 
       light" and can see his way without stumbling around in darkness and 
       sin.

       (1 John 2:11 TLB)  For he who dislikes his brother is wandering in 
       spiritual darkness and doesn't know where he is going, for the 
       darkness has made him blind so that he cannot see the way.

       (1 John 2:12 TLB)  I am writing these things to all of you, my little 
       children, because your sins have been forgiven in the name of Jesus 
       our Savior.

       (1 John 2:13 TLB)  I am saying these things to you older men because 
       you really know Christ, the one who has been alive from the beginning. 
       And you young men, I am talking to you because you have won your 
       battle with Satan. And I am writing to you younger boys and girls 
       because you, too, have learned to know God our Father.

       (1 John 2:14 TLB)  And so I say to you fathers who know the eternal 
       God, and to you young men who are strong with God's Word in your 
       hearts, and have won your struggle against Satan:

       (1 John 2:15 TLB)  Stop loving this evil world and all that it offers 
       you, for when you love these things you show that you do not really 
       love God;

       (1 John 2:16 TLB)  for all these worldly things, these evil 
       desires--the craze for sex, the ambition to buy everything that 
       appeals to you, and the pride that comes from wealth and 
       importance--these are not from God. They are from this evil world 
       itself.

       (1 John 2:17 TLB)  And this world is fading away, and these evil, 
       forbidden things will go with it, but whoever keeps doing the will of 
       God will live forever.

       (1 John 2:18 TLB)  Dear children, this world's last hour has come. You 
       have heard about the Antichrist who is coming--the one who is against 
       Christ--and already many such persons have appeared. This makes us all 
       the more certain that the end of the world is near.





       (1 John 2:19 TLB)  These "against-Christ" people used to be members of 
       our churches, but they never really belonged with us or else they 
       would have stayed. When they left us it proved that they were not of 
       us at all.

       (1 John 2:20 TLB)  But you are not like that, for the Holy Spirit has 
       come upon you, and you know the truth.

       (1 John 2:21 TLB)  So I am not writing to you as to those who need to 
       know the truth, but I warn you as those who can discern the difference 
       between true and false.

       (1 John 2:22 TLB)  And who is the greatest liar? The one who says that 
       Jesus is not Christ. Such a person is antichrist, for he does not 
       believe in God the Father and in his Son.

       (1 John 2:23 TLB)  For a person who doesn't believe in Christ, God's 
       Son, can't have God the Father either. But he who has Christ, God's 
       Son, has God the Father also.

       (1 John 2:24 TLB)  So keep on believing what you have been taught from 
       the beginning. If you do, you will always be in close fellowship with 
       both God the Father and his Son.

       (1 John 2:25 TLB)  And he himself has promised us this: eternal life.

       (1 John 2:26 TLB)  These remarks of mine about the Antichrist are 
       pointed at those who would dearly love to blindfold you and lead you 
       astray.

       (1 John 2:27 TLB)  But you have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives 
       within you, in your hearts, so that you don't need anyone to teach you 
       what is right. For he teaches you all things, and he is the Truth, and 
       no liar; and so, just as he has said, you must live in Christ, never 
       to depart from him.

       (1 John 2:28 TLB)  And now, my little children, stay in happy 
       fellowship with the Lord so that when he comes you will be sure that 
       all is well and will not have to be ashamed and shrink back from 
       meeting him.

       (1 John 2:29 TLB)  Since we know that God is always good and does only 
       right, we may rightly assume that all those who do right are his 
       children.

       (1 John 3:1 TLB)  See how very much our heavenly Father loves us, for 
       he allows us to be called his children--think of it--and we really 
       are! But since most people don't know God, naturally they don't 
       understand that we are his children.

       (1 John 3:2 TLB)  Yes, dear friends, we are already God's children, 
       right now, and we can't even imagine what it is going to be like later 
       on. But we do know this, that when he comes we will be like him, as a 
       result of seeing him as he really is.

       (1 John 3:3 TLB)  And everyone who really believes this will try to 





       stay pure because Christ is pure.

       (1 John 3:4 TLB)  But those who keep on sinning are against God, for 
       every sin is done against the will of God.

       (1 John 3:5 TLB)  And you know that he became a man so that he could 
       take away our sins, and that there is no sin in him, no missing of 
       God's will at any time in any way.

       (1 John 3:6 TLB)  So if we stay close to him, obedient to him, we 
       won't be sinning either; but as for those who keep on sinning, they 
       should realize this: They sin because they have never really known him 
       or become his.

       (1 John 3:7 TLB)  Oh, dear children, don't let anyone deceive you 
       about this: if you are constantly doing what is good, it is because 
       you are good, even as he is.

       (1 John 3:8 TLB)  But if you keep on sinning, it shows that you belong 
       to Satan, who since he first began to sin has kept steadily at it. But 
       the Son of God came to destroy these works of the devil.

       (1 John 3:9 TLB)  The person who has been born into God's family does 
       not make a practice of sinning because now God's life is in him; so he 
       can't keep on sinning, for this new life has been born into him and 
       controls him--he has been born again.

       (1 John 3:10 TLB)  So now we can tell who is a child of God and who 
       belongs to Satan. Whoever is living a life of sin and doesn't love his 
       brother shows that he is not in God's family;

       (1 John 3:11 TLB)  for the message to us from the beginning has been 
       that we should love one another.

       (1 John 3:12 TLB)  We are not to be like Cain, who belonged to Satan 
       and killed his brother. Why did he kill him? Because Cain had been 
       doing wrong and he knew very well that his brother's life was better 
       than his.

       (1 John 3:13 TLB)  So don't be surprised, dear friends, if the world 
       hates you.

       (1 John 3:14 TLB)  If we love other Christians, it proves that we have 
       been delivered from hell and given eternal life. But a person who 
       doesn't have love for others is headed for eternal death.

       (1 John 3:15 TLB)  Anyone who hates his Christian brother is really a 
       murderer at heart; and you know that no one wanting to murder has 
       eternal life within.

       (1 John 3:16 TLB)  We know what real love is from Christ's example in 
       dying for us. And so we also ought to lay down our lives for our 
       Christian brothers.

       (1 John 3:17 TLB)  But if someone who is supposed to be a Christian 
       has money enough to live well, and sees a brother in need, and won't 





       help him--how can God's love be within him ?

       (1 John 3:18 TLB)  Little children, let us stop just saying we love 
       people; let us really love them, and show it by our actions.

       (1 John 3:19 TLB)  Then we will know for sure, by our actions, that we 
       are on God's side, and our consciences will be clear, even when we 
       stand before the Lord.

       (1 John 3:20 TLB)  But if we have bad consciences and feel that we 
       have done wrong, the Lord will surely feel it even more, for he knows 
       everything we do.

       (1 John 3:21 TLB)  But, dearly loved friends, if our consciences are 
       clear, we can come to the Lord with perfect assurance and trust,

       (1 John 3:22 TLB)  and get whatever we ask for because we are obeying 
       him and doing the things that please him.

       (1 John 3:23 TLB)  And this is what God says we must do: Believe on 
       the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another.

       (1 John 3:24 TLB)  Those who do what God says--they are living with 
       God and he with them. We know this is true because the Holy Spirit he 
       has given us tells us so.

       (1 John 4:1 TLB)  Dearly loved friends, don't always believe 
       everything you hear just because someone says it is a message from 
       God: test it first to see if it really is. For there are many false 
       teachers around,

       (1 John 4:2 TLB)  and the way to find out if their message is from the 
       Holy Spirit is to ask: Does it really agree that Jesus Christ, God's 
       Son, actually became man with a human body? If so, then the message is 
       from God.

       (1 John 4:3 TLB)  If not, the message is not from God but from one who 
       is against Christ, like the "Antichrist" you have heard about who is 
       going to come, and his attitude of enmity against Christ is already 
       abroad in the world.

       (1 John 4:4 TLB)  Dear young friends, you belong to God and have 
       already won your fight with those who are against Christ because there 
       is someone in your hearts who is stronger than any evil teacher in 
       this wicked world.

       (1 John 4:5 TLB)  These men belong to this world, so, quite naturally, 
       they are concerned about worldly affairs and the world pays attention 
       to them.

       (1 John 4:6 TLB)  But we are children of God; that is why only those 
       who have walked and talked with God will listen to us. Others won't. 
       That is another way to know whether a message is really from God; for 
       if it is, the world won't listen to it.

       (1 John 4:7 TLB)  Dear friends, let us practice loving each other, for 





       love comes from God and those who are loving and kind show that they 
       are the children of God, and that they are getting to know him better.

       (1 John 4:8 TLB)  But if a person isn't loving and kind, it shows that 
       he doesn't know God--for God is love.

       (1 John 4:9 TLB)  God showed how much he loved us by sending his only 
       Son into this wicked world to bring to us eternal life through his 
       death.

       (1 John 4:10 TLB)  In this act we see what real love is: it is not our 
       love for God but his love for us when he sent his Son to satisfy God's 
       anger against our sins.

       (1 John 4:11 TLB)  Dear friends, since God loved us as much as that, 
       we surely ought to love each other too.

       (1 John 4:12 TLB)  For though we have never yet seen God, when we love 
       each other God lives in us, and his love within us grows ever 
       stronger.

       (1 John 4:13 TLB)  And he has put his own Holy Spirit into our hearts 
       as a proof to us that we are living with him and he with us.

       (1 John 4:14 TLB)  And furthermore, we have seen with our own eyes and 
       now tell all the world that God sent his Son to be their Savior.

       (1 John 4:15 TLB)  Anyone who believes and says that Jesus is the Son 
       of God has God living in him, and he is living with God.

       (1 John 4:16 TLB)  We know how much God loves us because we have felt 
       his love and because we believe him when he tells us that he loves us 
       dearly. God is love, and anyone who lives in love is living with God 
       and God is living in him.

       (1 John 4:17 TLB)  And as we live with Christ, our love grows more 
       perfect and complete; so we will not be ashamed and embarrassed at the 
       day of judgment, but can face him with confidence and joy because he 
       loves us and we love him too.

       (1 John 4:18 TLB)  We need have no fear of someone who loves us 
       perfectly; his perfect love for us eliminates all dread of what he 
       might do to us. If we are afraid, it is for fear of what he might do 
       to us and shows that we are not fully convinced that he really loves 
       us.

       (1 John 4:19 TLB)  So you see, our love for him comes as a result of 
       his loving us first.

       (1 John 4:20 TLB)  If anyone says "I love God," but keeps on hating 
       his brother, he is a liar; for if he doesn't love his brother who is 
       right there in front of him, how can he love God whom he has never 
       seen?

       (1 John 4:21 TLB)  And God himself has said that one must love not 
       only God but his brother too.






       (1 John 5:1 TLB)  If you believe that Jesus is the Christ--that he is 
       God's Son and your Savior--then you are a child of God. And all who 
       love the Father love his children too.

       (1 John 5:2 TLB)  So you can find out how much you love God's 
       children--your brothers and sisters in the Lord--by how much you love 
       and obey God.

       (1 John 5:3 TLB)  Loving God means doing what he tells us to do, and 
       really, that isn't hard at all;

       (1 John 5:4 TLB)  for every child of God can obey him, defeating sin 
       and evil pleasure by trusting Christ to help him.

       (1 John 5:5 TLB)  But who could possibly fight and win this battle 
       except by believing that Jesus is truly the Son of God?

       (1 John 5:6 TLB)  And we know he is, because God said so with a voice 
       from heaven when Jesus was baptized, and again as he was facing 
       death--yes, not only at his baptism but also as he faced death. And 
       the Holy Spirit, forever truthful, says it too.

       (1 John 5:7 TLB)  So we have these three witnesses:

       (1 John 5:8 TLB)  the voice of the Holy Spirit in our hearts, the 
       voice from heaven at Christ's baptism, and the voice before he died. 
       And they all say the same thing: that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

       (1 John 5:9 TLB)  We believe men who witness in our courts, and so 
       surely we can believe whatever God declares. And God declares that 
       Jesus is his Son.

       (1 John 5:10 TLB)  All who believe this know in their hearts that it 
       is true. If anyone doesn't believe this, he is actually calling God a 
       liar because he doesn't believe what God has said about his Son.

       (1 John 5:11 TLB)  And what is it that God has said? That he has given 
       us eternal life and that this life is in his Son.

       (1 John 5:12 TLB)  So whoever has God's Son has life; whoever does not 
       have his Son, does not have life.

       (1 John 5:13 TLB)  I have written this to you who believe in the Son 
       of God so that you may know you have eternal life.

       (1 John 5:14 TLB)  And we are sure of this, that he will listen to us 
       whenever we ask him for anything in line with his will.

       (1 John 5:15 TLB)  And if we really know he is listening when we talk 
       to him and make our requests, then we can be sure that he will answer 
       us.

       (1 John 5:16 TLB)  If you see a Christian sinning in a way that does 
       not end in death, you should ask God to forgive him, and God will give 
       him life unless he has sinned that one fatal sin. But there is that 





       one sin which ends in death, and if he has done that, there is no use 
       praying for him.

       (1 John 5:17 TLB)  Every wrong is a sin, of course. I'm not talking 
       about these ordinary sins; I am speaking of that one that ends in 
       death.

       (1 John 5:18 TLB)  No one who has become part of God's family makes a 
       practice of sinning, for Christ, God's Son, holds him securely, and 
       the devil cannot get his hands on him.

       (1 John 5:19 TLB)  We know that we are children of God and that all 
       the rest of the world around us is under Satan's power and control.

       (1 John 5:20 TLB)  And we know that Christ, God's Son, has come to 
       help us understand and find the true God. And now we are in God 
       because we are in Jesus Christ his Son, who is the only true God; and 
       he is eternal Life.

       (1 John 5:21 TLB)  Dear children, keep away from anything that might 
       take God's place in your hearts. Amen. Sincerely, John

       (2 John 1:1 TLB)  From: John, the old Elder of the church. To: That 
       dear woman Cyria, one of God's very own, and to her children whom I 
       love so much, as does everyone else in the church.

       (2 John 1:2 TLB)  Since the Truth is in our hearts forever,

       (2 John 1:3 TLB)  God the Father and Jesus Christ his Son will bless 
       us with great mercy and much peace, and with truth and love.

       (2 John 1:4 TLB)  How happy I am to find some of your children here 
       and to see that they are living as they should, following the Truth, 
       obeying God's command.

       (2 John 1:5 TLB)  And now I want to urgently remind you, dear friends, 
       of the old rule God gave us right from the beginning, that Christians 
       should love one another.

       (2 John 1:6 TLB)  If we love God, we will do whatever he tells us to. 
       And he has told us from the very first to love each other.

       (2 John 1:7 TLB)  Watch out for the false leaders--and there are many 
       of them around--who don't believe that Jesus Christ came to earth as a 
       human being with a body like ours. Such people are against the truth 
       and against Christ.

       (2 John 1:8 TLB)  Beware of being like them and losing the prize that 
       you and I have been working so hard to get. See to it that you win 
       your full reward from the Lord.

       (2 John 1:9 TLB)  For if you wander beyond the teaching of Christ, you 
       will leave God behind; while if you are loyal to Christ's teachings, 
       you will have God too. Then you will have both the Father and the Son.

       (2 John 1:10 TLB)  If anyone comes to teach you, and he doesn't 





       believe what Christ taught, don't even invite him into your home. 
       Don't encourage him in any way.

       (2 John 1:11 TLB)  If you do, you will be a partner with him in his 
       wickedness.

       (2 John 1:12 TLB)  Well, I would like to say much more, but I don't 
       want to say it in this letter, for I hope to come to see you soon, and 
       then we can talk over these things together and have a joyous time.

       (2 John 1:13 TLB)  Greetings from the children of your sister--another 
       choice child of God. Sincerely, John

       (3 John 1:1 TLB)  From: John, the Elder. To: Dear Gaius, whom I truly 
       love.

       (3 John 1:2 TLB)  Dear friend, I am praying that all is well with you 
       and that your body is as healthy as I know your soul is.

       (3 John 1:3 TLB)  Some of the brothers traveling by have made me very 
       happy by telling me that your life stays clean and true and that you 
       are living by the standards of the Gospel.

       (3 John 1:4 TLB)  I could have no greater joy than to hear such things 
       about my children.

       (3 John 1:5 TLB)  Dear friend, you are doing a good work for God in 
       taking care of the traveling teachers and missionaries who are passing 
       through.

       (3 John 1:6 TLB)  They have told the church here of your friendship 
       and your loving deeds. I am glad when you send them on their way with 
       a generous gift.

       (3 John 1:7 TLB)  For they are traveling for the Lord and take neither 
       food, clothing, shelter, nor money from those who are not Christians, 
       even though they have preached to them.

       (3 John 1:8 TLB)  So we ourselves should take care of them in order 
       that we may become partners with them in the Lord's work.

       (3 John 1:9 TLB)  I sent a brief letter to the church about this, but 
       proud Diotrephes, who loves to push himself forward as the leader of 
       the Christians there, does not admit my authority over him and refuses 
       to listen to me.

       (3 John 1:10 TLB)  When I come I will tell you some of the things he 
       is doing and what wicked things he is saying about me and what 
       insulting language he is using. He not only refuses to welcome the 
       missionary travelers himself but tells others not to, and when they do 
       he tries to put them out of the church.

       (3 John 1:11 TLB)  Dear friend, don't let this bad example influence 
       you. Follow only what is good. Remember that those who do what is 
       right prove that they are God's children; and those who continue in 
       evil prove that they are far from God.






       (3 John 1:12 TLB)  But everyone, including Truth itself, speaks highly 
       of Demetrius. I myself can say the same for him, and you know I speak 
       the truth.

       (3 John 1:13 TLB)  I have much to say, but I don't want to write it,

       (3 John 1:14 TLB)  for I hope to see you soon and then we will have 
       much to talk about together. So good-bye for now. Friends here send 
       their love, and please give each of the folks there a special greeting 
       from me. Sincerely, John

       (Jude 1:1 TLB)  From: Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ, and a brother 
       of James. To: Christians everywhere--beloved of God and chosen by him.

       (Jude 1:2 TLB)  May you be given more and more of God's kindness, 
       peace, and love.

       (Jude 1:3 TLB)  Dearly loved friends, I had been planning to write you 
       some thoughts about the salvation God has given us, but now I find I 
       must write of something else instead, urging you to stoutly defend the 
       truth that God gave once for all to his people to keep without change 
       through the years.

       (Jude 1:4 TLB)  I say this because some godless teachers have wormed 
       their way in among you, saying that after we become Christians we can 
       do just as we like without fear of God's punishment. The fate of such 
       people was written long ago, for they have turned against our only 
       Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

       (Jude 1:5 TLB)  My answer to them is: Remember this fact--which you 
       know already--that the Lord saved a whole nation of people out of the 
       land of Egypt and then killed every one of them who did not trust and 
       obey him.

       (Jude 1:6 TLB)  And I remind you of those angels who were once pure 
       and holy but turned to a life of sin. Now God has them chained up in 
       prisons of darkness, waiting for the judgment day.

       (Jude 1:7 TLB)  And don't forget the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and 
       their neighboring towns, all full of lust of every kind, including 
       lust of men for other men. Those cities were destroyed by fire and 
       continue to be a warning to us that there is a hell in which sinners 
       are punished.

       (Jude 1:8 TLB)  Yet these false teachers carelessly go right on living 
       their evil, immoral lives, degrading their bodies and laughing at 
       those in authority over them, even scoffing at the Glorious Ones.

       (Jude 1:9 TLB)  Yet Michael, one of the mightiest of the angels, when 
       he was arguing with Satan about Moses' body, did not dare to accuse 
       even Satan, or jeer at him, but simply said, "The Lord rebuke you."

       (Jude 1:10 TLB)  But these men mock and curse at anything they do not 
       understand, and like animals, they do whatever they feel like, thereby 
       ruining their souls.






       (Jude 1:11 TLB)  Woe upon them! For they follow the example of Cain 
       who killed his brother; and like Balaam, they will do anything for 
       money; and like Korah, they have disobeyed God and will die under his 
       curse.

       (Jude 1:12 TLB)  When these men join you at the love feasts of the 
       church, they are evil smears among you, laughing and carrying on, 
       gorging and stuffing themselves without a thought for others. They are 
       like clouds blowing over dry land without giving rain, promising much, 
       but producing nothing. They are like fruit trees without any fruit at 
       picking time. They are not only dead, but doubly dead, for they have 
       been pulled out, roots and all, to be burned.

       (Jude 1:13 TLB)  All they leave behind them is shame and disgrace like 
       the dirty foam left along the beach by the wild waves. They wander 
       around looking as bright as stars, but ahead of them is the 
       everlasting gloom and darkness that God has prepared for them.

       (Jude 1:14 TLB)  Enoch, who lived seven generations after Adam, knew 
       about these men and said this about them: "See, the Lord is coming 
       with millions of his holy ones.

       (Jude 1:15 TLB)  He will bring the people of the world before him in 
       judgment, to receive just punishment and to prove the terrible things 
       they have done in rebellion against God, revealing all they have said 
       against him."

       (Jude 1:16 TLB)  These men are constant gripers, never satisfied, 
       doing whatever evil they feel like; they are loudmouthed "show-offs," 
       and when they show respect for others, it is only to get something 
       from them in return.

       (Jude 1:17 TLB)  Dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord 
       Jesus Christ told you,

       (Jude 1:18 TLB)  that in the last times there would come these 
       scoffers whose whole purpose in life is to enjoy themselves in every 
       evil way imaginable.

       (Jude 1:19 TLB)  They stir up arguments; they love the evil things of 
       the world; they do not have the Holy Spirit living in them.

       (Jude 1:20 TLB)  But you, dear friends, must build up your lives ever 
       more strongly upon the foundation of our holy faith, learning to pray 
       in the power and strength of the Holy Spirit.

       (Jude 1:21 TLB)  Stay always within the boundaries where God's love 
       can reach and bless you. Wait patiently for the eternal life that our 
       Lord Jesus Christ in his mercy is going to give you.

       (Jude 1:22 TLB)  Try to help those who argue against you. Be merciful 
       to those who doubt.

       (Jude 1:23 TLB)  Save some by snatching them as from the very flames 
       of hell itself. And as for others, help them to find the Lord by being 





       kind to them, but be careful that you yourselves aren't pulled along 
       into their sins. Hate every trace of their sin while being merciful to 
       them as sinners.

       (Jude 1:24 TLB)  And now--all glory to him who alone is God, who saves 
       us through Jesus Christ our Lord; yes, splendor and majesty, all power 
       and authority are his from the beginning; his they are and his they 
       evermore shall be. And he is able to keep you from slipping and 
       falling away, and to bring you, sinless and perfect, into his glorious 
       presence with mighty shouts of everlasting joy. Amen. Jude

       (Jude 1:25 TLB)  

       (Rev 1:1 TLB)  This book unveils some of the future activities soon to 
       occur in the life of Jesus Christ. God permitted him to reveal these 
       things to his servant John in a vision; and then an angel was sent 
       from heaven to explain the vision's meaning.

       (Rev 1:2 TLB)  John wrote it all down--the words of God and Jesus 
       Christ and everything he heard and saw.

       (Rev 1:3 TLB)  If you read this prophecy aloud to the church, you will 
       receive a special blessing from the Lord. Those who listen to it being 
       read and do what it says will also be blessed. For the time is near 
       when these things will all come true.

       (Rev 1:4 TLB)  From: John To: The seven churches in Turkey. Dear 
       Friends: May you have grace and peace from God who is, and was, and is 
       to come; and from the seven-fold Spirit before his throne;

       (Rev 1:5 TLB)  and from Jesus Christ who faithfully reveals all truth 
       to us. He was the first to rise from death, to die no more. He is far 
       greater than any king in all the earth. All praise to him who always 
       loves us and who set us free from our sins by pouring out his 
       lifeblood for us.

       (Rev 1:6 TLB)  He has gathered us into his Kingdom and made us priests 
       of God his Father. Give to him everlasting glory! He rules forever! 
       Amen!

       (Rev 1:7 TLB)  See! He is arriving, surrounded by clouds; and every 
       eye shall see him--yes, and those who pierced him. And the nations 
       will weep in sorrow and in terror when he comes. Yes! Amen! Let it be 
       so!

       (Rev 1:8 TLB)  "I am the A and the Z, the Beginning and the Ending of 
       all things," says God, who is the Lord, the All Powerful One who is, 
       and was, and is coming again!

       (Rev 1:9 TLB)  It is I, your brother John, a fellow sufferer for the 
       Lord's sake, who am writing this letter to you. I, too, have shared 
       the patience Jesus gives, and we shall share his Kingdom! I was on the 
       island of Patmos, exiled there for preaching the Word of God and for 
       telling what I knew about Jesus Christ.

       (Rev 1:10 TLB)  It was the Lord's Day and I was worshiping, when 





       suddenly I heard a loud voice behind me, a voice that sounded like a 
       trumpet blast,

       (Rev 1:11 TLB)  saying, "I am A and Z, the First and Last!" And then I 
       heard him say, "Write down everything you see, and send your letter to 
       the seven churches in Turkey: to the church in Ephesus, the one in 
       Smyrna, and those in Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and 
       Laodicea."

       (Rev 1:12 TLB)  When I turned to see who was speaking, there behind me 
       were seven candlesticks of gold.

       (Rev 1:13 TLB)  And standing among them was one who looked like Jesus, 
       who called himself the Son of Man, wearing a long robe circled with a 
       golden band across his chest.

       (Rev 1:14 TLB)  His hair was white as wool or snow, and his eyes 
       penetrated like flames of fire.

       (Rev 1:15 TLB)  His feet gleamed like burnished bronze, and his voice 
       thundered like the waves against the shore.

       (Rev 1:16 TLB)  He held seven stars in his right hand and a sharp, 
       double-bladed sword in his mouth, and his face shone like the power of 
       the sun in unclouded brilliance.

       (Rev 1:17 TLB)  When I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead; but he 
       laid his right hand on me and said, "Don't be afraid!

       (Rev 1:18 TLB)  Though I am the First and Last, the Living One who 
       died, who is now alive forevermore, who has the keys of hell and 
       death--don't be afraid!

       (Rev 1:19 TLB)  Write down what you have just seen and what will soon 
       be shown to you.

       (Rev 1:20 TLB)  This is the meaning of the seven stars you saw in my 
       right hand and the seven golden candlesticks: The seven stars are the 
       leaders of the seven churches, and the seven candlesticks are the 
       churches themselves.

       (Rev 2:1 TLB)  "Write a letter to the leader of the church at Ephesus 
       and tell him this: "I write to inform you of a message from him who 
       walks among the churches and holds their leaders in his right hand. 
       "He says to you:

       (Rev 2:2 TLB)  I know how many good things you are doing. I have 
       watched your hard work and your patience; I know you don't tolerate 
       sin among your members, and you have carefully examined the claims of 
       those who say they are apostles but aren't. You have found out how 
       they lie.

       (Rev 2:3 TLB)  You have patiently suffered for me without quitting.

       (Rev 2:4 TLB)  "Yet there is one thing wrong; you don't love me as at 
       first!






       (Rev 2:5 TLB)  Think about those times of your first love (how 
       different now!) and turn back to me again and work as you did before; 
       or else I will come and remove your candlestick from its place among 
       the churches.

       (Rev 2:6 TLB)  "But there is this about you that is good: You hate the 
       deeds of the licentious Nicolaitans, just as I do.

       (Rev 2:7 TLB)  "Let this message sink into the ears of anyone who 
       listens to what the Spirit is saying to the churches: To everyone who 
       is victorious, I will give fruit from the Tree of Life in the Paradise 
       of God.

       (Rev 2:8 TLB)  "To the leader of the church in Smyrna write this 
       letter: "This message is from him who is the First and Last, who was 
       dead and then came back to life.

       (Rev 2:9 TLB)  "I know how much you suffer for the Lord, and I know 
       all about your poverty (but you have heavenly riches!). I know the 
       slander of those opposing you, who say that they are Jews--the 
       children of God--but they aren't, for they support the cause of Satan.

       (Rev 2:10 TLB)  Stop being afraid of what you are about to suffer--for 
       the devil will soon throw some of you into prison to test you. You 
       will be persecuted for 'ten days.' Remain faithful even when facing 
       death and I will give you the crown of life--an unending, glorious 
       future.

       (Rev 2:11 TLB)  Let everyone who can hear listen to what the Spirit is 
       saying to the churches: He who is victorious shall not be hurt by the 
       Second Death.

       (Rev 2:12 TLB)  "Write this letter to the leader of the church in 
       Pergamos: "This message is from him who wields the sharp and 
       double-bladed sword.

       (Rev 2:13 TLB)  I am fully aware that you live in the city where 
       Satan's throne is, at the center of satanic worship; and yet you have 
       remained loyal to me and refused to deny me even when Antipas, my 
       faithful witness, was martyred among you by Satan's devotees.

       (Rev 2:14 TLB)  "And yet I have a few things against you. You tolerate 
       some among you who do as Balaam did when he taught Balak how to ruin 
       the people of Israel by involving them in sexual sin and encouraging 
       them to go to idol feasts.

       (Rev 2:15 TLB)  Yes, you have some of these very same followers of 
       Balaam among you!

       (Rev 2:16 TLB)  "Change your mind and attitude, or else I will come to 
       you suddenly and fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

       (Rev 2:17 TLB)  "Let everyone who can hear, listen to what the Spirit 
       is saying to the churches: Everyone who is victorious shall eat of the 
       hidden manna, the secret nourishment from heaven; and I will give to 





       each a white stone, and on the stone will be engraved a new name that 
       no one else knows except the one receiving it.

       (Rev 2:18 TLB)  "Write this letter to the leader of the church in 
       Thyatira: "This is a message from the Son of God, whose eyes penetrate 
       like flames of fire, whose feet are like glowing brass.

       (Rev 2:19 TLB)  "I am aware of all your good deeds--your kindness to 
       the poor, your gifts and service to them; also I know your love and 
       faith and patience, and I can see your constant improvement in all 
       these things.

       (Rev 2:20 TLB)  "Yet I have this against you: You are permitting that 
       woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach my servants 
       that sex sin is not a serious matter; she urges them to practice 
       immorality and to eat meat that has been sacrificed to idols.

       (Rev 2:21 TLB)  I gave her time to change her mind and attitude, but 
       she refused.

       (Rev 2:22 TLB)  Pay attention now to what I am saying: I will lay her 
       upon a sickbed of intense affliction, along with all her immoral 
       followers, unless they turn again to me, repenting of their sin with 
       her;

       (Rev 2:23 TLB)  and I will strike her children dead. And all the 
       churches shall know that I am he who searches deep within men's 
       hearts, and minds; I will give to each of you whatever you deserve.

       (Rev 2:24 TLB)  "As for the rest of you in Thyatira who have not 
       followed this false teaching ('deeper truths,' as they call 
       them--depths of Satan, really), I will ask nothing further of you; 
       only hold tightly to what you have until I come.

       (Rev 2:25 TLB)  

       (Rev 2:26 TLB)  "To everyone who overcomes--who to the very end keeps 
       on doing things that please me--I will give power over the nations.

       (Rev 2:27 TLB)  You will rule them with a rod of iron just as my 
       Father gave me the authority to rule them; they will be shattered like 
       a pot of clay that is broken into tiny pieces.

       (Rev 2:28 TLB)  And I will give you the Morning Star!

       (Rev 2:29 TLB)  "Let all who can hear listen to what the Spirit says 
       to the churches.

       (Rev 3:1 TLB)  "To the leader of the church in Sardis write this 
       letter: "This message is sent to you by the one who has the seven-fold 
       Spirit of God and the seven stars. "I know your reputation as a live 
       and active church, but you are dead.

       (Rev 3:2 TLB)  Now wake up! Strengthen what little remains--for even 
       what is left is at the point of death. Your deeds are far from right 
       in the sight of God.






       (Rev 3:3 TLB)  Go back to what you heard and believed at first; hold 
       to it firmly and turn to me again. Unless you do, I will come suddenly 
       upon you, unexpected as a thief, and punish you.

       (Rev 3:4 TLB)  "Yet even there in Sardis some haven't soiled their 
       garments with the world's filth; they shall walk with me in white, for 
       they are worthy.

       (Rev 3:5 TLB)  Everyone who conquers will be clothed in white, and I 
       will not erase his name from the Book of Life, but I will announce 
       before my Father and his angels that he is mine.

       (Rev 3:6 TLB)  "Let all who can hear listen to what the Spirit is 
       saying to the churches.

       (Rev 3:7 TLB)  "Write this letter to the leader of the church in 
       Philadelphia. "This message is sent to you by the one who is holy and 
       true and has the key of David to open what no one can shut and to shut 
       what no one can open.

       (Rev 3:8 TLB)  "I know you well; you aren't strong, but you have tried 
       to obey and have not denied my Name. Therefore I have opened a door to 
       you that no one can shut.

       (Rev 3:9 TLB)  "Note this: I will force those supporting the causes of 
       Satan while claiming to be mine (but they aren't--they are lying) to 
       fall at your feet and acknowledge that you are the ones I love.

       (Rev 3:10 TLB)  "Because you have patiently obeyed me despite the 
       persecution, therefore I will protect you from the time of Great 
       Tribulation and temptation, which will come upon the world to test 
       everyone alive.

       (Rev 3:11 TLB)  Look, I am coming soon! Hold tightly to the little 
       strength you have--so that no one will take away your crown.

       (Rev 3:12 TLB)  "As for the one who conquers, I will make him a pillar 
       in the temple of my God; he will be secure and will go out no more; 
       and I will write my God's Name on him, and he will be a citizen in the 
       city of my God--the New Jerusalem, coming down from heaven from my 
       God; and he will have my new Name inscribed upon him.

       (Rev 3:13 TLB)  "Let all who can hear listen to what the Spirit is 
       saying to the churches.

       (Rev 3:14 TLB)  "Write this letter to the leader of the church in 
       Laodicea: "This message is from the one who stands firm, the faithful 
       and true Witness (of all that is or was or evermore shall be), the 
       primeval source of God's creation:

       (Rev 3:15 TLB)  "I know you well--you are neither hot nor cold; I wish 
       you were one or the other!

       (Rev 3:16 TLB)  But since you are merely lukewarm, I will spit you out 
       of my mouth!






       (Rev 3:17 TLB)  "You say, 'I am rich, with everything I want; I don't 
       need a thing!' And you don't realize that spiritually you are wretched 
       and miserable and poor and blind and naked.

       (Rev 3:18 TLB)  "My advice to you is to buy pure gold from me, gold 
       purified by fire--only then will you truly be rich. And to purchase 
       from me white garments, clean and pure, so you won't be naked and 
       ashamed; and to get medicine from me to heal your eyes and give you 
       back your sight.

       (Rev 3:19 TLB)  I continually discipline and punish everyone I love; 
       so I must punish you unless you turn from your indifference and become 
       enthusiastic about the things of God.

       (Rev 3:20 TLB)  "Look! I have been standing at the door, and I am 
       constantly knocking. If anyone hears me calling him and opens the 
       door, I will come in and fellowship with him and he with me.

       (Rev 3:21 TLB)  I will let everyone who conquers sit beside me on my 
       throne, just as I took my place with my Father on his throne when I 
       had conquered.

       (Rev 3:22 TLB)  Let those who can hear listen to what the Spirit is 
       saying to the churches."

       (Rev 4:1 TLB)  Then as I looked, I saw a door standing open in heaven, 
       and the same voice I had heard before, which sounded like a mighty 
       trumpet blast, spoke to me and said, "Come up here and I will show you 
       what must happen in the future!"

       (Rev 4:2 TLB)  And instantly I was in spirit there in heaven and 
       saw--oh, the glory of it!--a throne and someone sitting on it!

       (Rev 4:3 TLB)  Great bursts of light flashed forth from him as from a 
       glittering diamond or from a shining ruby, and a rainbow glowing like 
       an emerald encircled his throne.

       (Rev 4:4 TLB)  Twenty-four smaller thrones surrounded his, with 
       twenty-four Elders sitting on them; all were clothed in white, with 
       golden crowns upon their heads.

       (Rev 4:5 TLB)  Lightning and thunder issued from the throne, and there 
       were voices in the thunder. Directly in front of his throne were seven 
       lighted lamps representing the seven-fold Spirit of God.

       (Rev 4:6 TLB)  Spread out before it was a shiny crystal sea. Four 
       Living Beings, dotted front and back with eyes, stood at the throne's 
       four sides.

       (Rev 4:7 TLB)  The first of these Living Beings was in the form of a 
       lion; the second looked like an ox; the third had the face of a man; 
       and the fourth, the form of an eagle, with wings spread out as though 
       in flight.

       (Rev 4:8 TLB)  Each of these Living Beings had six wings, and the 





       central sections of their wings were covered with eyes. Day after day 
       and night after night they kept on saying, "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God 
       Almighty--the one who was, and is, and is to come."

       (Rev 4:9 TLB)  And when the Living Beings gave glory and honor and 
       thanks to the one sitting on the throne, who lives forever and ever,

       (Rev 4:10 TLB)  the twenty-four Elders fell down before him and 
       worshiped him, the Eternal Living One, and cast their crowns before 
       the throne, singing,

       (Rev 4:11 TLB)  "O Lord, you are worthy to receive the glory and the 
       honor and the power, for you have created all things. They were 
       created and called into being by your act of will."

       (Rev 5:1 TLB)  And I saw a scroll in the right hand of the one who was 
       sitting on the throne, a scroll with writing on the inside and on the 
       back, and sealed with seven seals.

       (Rev 5:2 TLB)  A mighty angel with a loud voice was shouting out this 
       question: "Who is worthy to break the seals on this scroll and to 
       unroll it?"

       (Rev 5:3 TLB)  But no one in all heaven or earth or from among the 
       dead was permitted to open and read it.

       (Rev 5:4 TLB)  Then I wept with disappointment because no one anywhere 
       was worthy; no one could tell us what it said.

       (Rev 5:5 TLB)  But one of the twenty-four Elders said to me, "Stop 
       crying, for look! The Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, 
       has conquered, and proved himself worthy to open the scroll and to 
       break its seven seals."

       (Rev 5:6 TLB)  I looked and saw a Lamb standing there before the 
       twenty-four Elders, in front of the throne and the Living Beings, and 
       on the Lamb were wounds that once had caused his death. He had seven 
       horns and seven eyes, which represent the seven-fold Spirit of God, 
       sent out into every part of the world.

       (Rev 5:7 TLB)  He stepped forward and took the scroll from the right 
       hand of the one sitting upon the throne.

       (Rev 5:8 TLB)  And as he took the scroll, the twenty-four Elders fell 
       down before the Lamb, each with a harp and golden vials filled with 
       incense--the prayers of God's people!

       (Rev 5:9 TLB)  They were singing him a new song with these words: "You 
       are worthy to take the scroll and break its seals and open it; for you 
       were slain, and your blood has bought people from every nation as 
       gifts for God.

       (Rev 5:10 TLB)  And you have gathered them into a kingdom and made 
       them priests of our God; they shall reign upon the earth."

       (Rev 5:11 TLB)  Then in my vision I heard the singing of millions of 





       angels surrounding the throne and the Living Beings and the Elders:

       (Rev 5:12 TLB)  "The Lamb is worthy" (loudly they sang it!) "--the 
       Lamb who was slain. He is worthy to receive the power, and the riches, 
       and the wisdom, and the strength, and the honor, and the glory, and 
       the blessing."

       (Rev 5:13 TLB)  And then I heard everyone in heaven and earth, and 
       from the dead beneath the earth and in the sea, exclaiming, "The 
       blessing and the honor and the glory and the power belong to the one 
       sitting on the throne, and to the Lamb forever and ever."

       (Rev 5:14 TLB)  And the four Living Beings kept saying, "Amen!" And 
       the twenty-four Elders fell down and worshiped him.

       (Rev 6:1 TLB)  As I watched, the Lamb broke the first seal and began 
       to unroll the scroll. Then one of the four Living Beings, with a voice 
       that sounded like thunder, said, "Come!"

       (Rev 6:2 TLB)  I looked, and there in front of me was a white horse. 
       Its rider carried a bow, and a crown was placed upon his head; he rode 
       out to conquer in many battles and win the war.

       (Rev 6:3 TLB)  Then he unrolled the scroll to the second seal and 
       broke it open, too. And I heard the second Living Being say, "Come!"

       (Rev 6:4 TLB)  This time a red horse rode out. Its rider was given a 
       long sword and the authority to banish peace and bring anarchy to the 
       earth; war and killing broke out everywhere.

       (Rev 6:5 TLB)  When he had broken the third seal, I heard the third 
       Living Being say, "Come!" And I saw a black horse, with its rider 
       holding a pair of balances in his hand.

       (Rev 6:6 TLB)  And a voice from among the four Living Beings said, "A 
       loaf of bread for $20, or three pounds of barley flour, but there is 
       no olive oil or wine."

       (Rev 6:7 TLB)  And when the fourth seal was broken, I heard the fourth 
       Living Being say, "Come!"

       (Rev 6:8 TLB)  And now I saw a pale horse, and its rider's name was 
       Death. And there followed after him another horse whose rider's name 
       was Hell. They were given control of one-fourth of the earth, to kill 
       with war and famine and disease and wild animals.

       (Rev 6:9 TLB)  And when he broke open the fifth seal, I saw an altar, 
       and underneath it all the souls of those who had been martyred for 
       preaching the Word of God and for being faithful in their witnessing.

       (Rev 6:10 TLB)  They called loudly to the Lord and said, "O Sovereign 
       Lord, holy and true, how long will it be before you judge the people 
       of the earth for what they've done to us? When will you avenge our 
       blood against those living on the earth?"

       (Rev 6:11 TLB)  White robes were given to each of them, and they were 





       told to rest a little longer until their other brothers, fellow 
       servants of Jesus, had been martyred on the earth and joined them.

       (Rev 6:12 TLB)  I watched as he broke the sixth seal, and there was a 
       vast earthquake; and the sun became dark like black cloth, and the 
       moon was blood-red.

       (Rev 6:13 TLB)  Then the stars of heaven appeared to be falling to 
       earth--like green fruit from fig trees buffeted by mighty winds.

       (Rev 6:14 TLB)  And the starry heavens disappeared as though rolled up 
       like a scroll and taken away; and every mountain and island shook and 
       shifted.

       (Rev 6:15 TLB)  The kings of the earth, and world leaders, and rich 
       men, and high-ranking military officers, and all men great and small, 
       slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and rocks of the 
       mountains,

       (Rev 6:16 TLB)  and cried to the mountains to crush them. "Fall on 
       us," they pleaded, "and hide us from the face of the one sitting on 
       the throne, and from the anger of the Lamb,

       (Rev 6:17 TLB)  because the great day of their anger has come, and who 
       can survive it?"

       (Rev 7:1 TLB)  Then I saw four angels standing at the four corners of 
       the earth, holding back the four winds from blowing so that not a leaf 
       rustled in the trees, and the ocean became as smooth as glass.

       (Rev 7:2 TLB)  And I saw another angel coming from the east, carrying 
       the Great Seal of the Living God. And he shouted out to those four 
       angels who had been given power to injure earth and sea,

       (Rev 7:3 TLB)  "Wait! Don't do anything yet--hurt neither earth nor 
       sea nor trees--until we have placed the Seal of God upon the foreheads 
       of his servants."

       (Rev 7:4 TLB)  How many were given this mark? I heard the number--it 
       was 144,000; out of all twelve tribes of Israel, as listed here: Judah 
       12,000 Naphtali 12,000 Issachar 12,000 Reuben 12,000 Manasseh 12,000 
       Zebulun 12,000 Gad 12,000 Simeon 12,000 Joseph 12,000 Asher 12,000 
       Levi 12,000 Benjamin 12,000

       (Rev 7:5 TLB)  

       (Rev 7:6 TLB)  

       (Rev 7:7 TLB)  

       (Rev 7:8 TLB)  

       (Rev 7:9 TLB)  After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from 
       all nations and provinces and languages, standing in front of the 
       throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white, with palm branches in 
       their hands.






       (Rev 7:10 TLB)  And they were shouting with a mighty shout, "Salvation 
       comes from our God upon the throne, and from the Lamb."

       (Rev 7:11 TLB)  And now all the angels were crowding around the throne 
       and around the Elders and the four Living Beings, and falling face 
       down before the throne and worshiping God.

       (Rev 7:12 TLB)  "Amen!" they said. "Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, 
       and thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and might, be to our God 
       forever and forever. Amen!"

       (Rev 7:13 TLB)  Then one of the twenty-four Elders asked me, "Do you 
       know who these are, who are clothed in white, and where they come 
       from?"

       (Rev 7:14 TLB)  "No, sir," I replied. "Please tell me." "These are the 
       ones coming out of the Great Tribulation," he said; "they washed their 
       robes and whitened them by the blood of the Lamb.

       (Rev 7:15 TLB)  That is why they are here before the throne of God, 
       serving him day and night in his temple. The one sitting on the throne 
       will shelter them;

       (Rev 7:16 TLB)  they will never be hungry again, nor thirsty, and they 
       will be fully protected from the scorching noontime heat.

       (Rev 7:17 TLB)  For the Lamb standing in front of the throne will feed 
       them and be their Shepherd and lead them to the springs of the Water 
       of Life. And God will wipe their tears away."

       (Rev 8:1 TLB)  When the Lamb had broken the seventh seal, there was 
       silence throughout all heaven for what seemed like half an hour.

       (Rev 8:2 TLB)  And I saw the seven angels that stand before God, and 
       they were given seven trumpets.

       (Rev 8:3 TLB)  Then another angel with a golden censer came and stood 
       at the altar; and a great quantity of incense was given to him to mix 
       with the prayers of God's people, to offer upon the golden altar 
       before the throne.

       (Rev 8:4 TLB)  And the perfume of the incense mixed with prayers 
       ascended up to God from the altar where the angel had poured them out.

       (Rev 8:5 TLB)  Then the angel filled the censer with fire from the 
       altar and threw it down upon the earth; and thunder crashed and 
       rumbled, lightning flashed, and there was a terrible earthquake.

       (Rev 8:6 TLB)  Then the seven angels with the seven trumpets prepared 
       to blow their mighty blasts.

       (Rev 8:7 TLB)  The first angel blew his trumpet, and hail and fire 
       mixed with blood were thrown down upon the earth. One-third of the 
       earth was set on fire so that one-third of the trees were burned, and 
       all the green grass.






       (Rev 8:8 TLB)  Then the second angel blew his trumpet, and what 
       appeared to be a huge burning mountain was thrown into the sea,

       (Rev 8:9 TLB)  destroying a third of all the ships; and a third of the 
       sea turned red as blood; and a third of the fish were killed.

       (Rev 8:10 TLB)  The third angel blew, and a great flaming star fell 
       from heaven upon a third of the rivers and springs.

       (Rev 8:11 TLB)  The star was called "Bitterness" because it poisoned a 
       third of all the water on the earth and many people died.

       (Rev 8:12 TLB)  The fourth angel blew his trumpet, and immediately a 
       third of the sun was blighted and darkened, and a third of the moon 
       and the stars so that the daylight was dimmed by a third, and the 
       nighttime darkness deepened.

       (Rev 8:13 TLB)  As I watched, I saw a solitary eagle flying through 
       the heavens crying loudly, "Woe, woe, woe to the people of the earth 
       because of the terrible things that will soon happen when the three 
       remaining angels blow their trumpets."

       (Rev 9:1 TLB)  Then the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw one 
       who was fallen to earth from heaven, and to him was given the key to 
       the bottomless pit.

       (Rev 9:2 TLB)  When he opened it, smoke poured out as though from some 
       huge furnace, and the sun and air were darkened by the smoke.

       (Rev 9:3 TLB)  Then locusts came from the smoke and descended onto the 
       earth and were given power to sting like scorpions.

       (Rev 9:4 TLB)  They were told not to hurt the grass or plants or 
       trees, but to attack those people who did not have the mark of God on 
       their foreheads.

       (Rev 9:5 TLB)  They were not to kill them, but to torture them for 
       five months with agony like the pain of scorpion stings.

       (Rev 9:6 TLB)  In those days men will try to kill themselves but won't 
       be able to--death will not come. They will long to die--but death will 
       flee away!

       (Rev 9:7 TLB)  The locusts looked like horses armored for battle. They 
       had what looked like golden crowns on their heads, and their faces 
       looked like men's.

       (Rev 9:8 TLB)  Their hair was long like women's, and their teeth were 
       those of lions.

       (Rev 9:9 TLB)  They wore breastplates that seemed to be of iron, and 
       their wings roared like an army of chariots rushing into battle.

       (Rev 9:10 TLB)  They had stinging tails like scorpions, and their 
       power to hurt, given to them for five months, was in their tails.






       (Rev 9:11 TLB)  Their king is the Prince of the bottomless pit whose 
       name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek, Apollyon (and in English, the 
       Destroyer).

       (Rev 9:12 TLB)  One terror now ends, but there are two more coming!

       (Rev 9:13 TLB)  The sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice 
       speaking from the four horns of the golden altar that stands before 
       the throne of God,

       (Rev 9:14 TLB)  saying to the sixth angel, "Release the four mighty 
       demons held bound at the great River Euphrates."

       (Rev 9:15 TLB)  They had been kept in readiness for that year and 
       month and day and hour, and now they were turned loose to kill a third 
       of all mankind.

       (Rev 9:16 TLB)  They led an army of 200,000,000 warriors--I heard an 
       announcement of how many there were.

       (Rev 9:17 TLB)  I saw their horses spread out before me in my vision; 
       their riders wore fiery-red breastplates, though some were sky-blue 
       and others yellow. The horses' heads looked much like lions', and 
       smoke and fire and flaming sulphur billowed from their mouths, killing 
       one-third of all mankind.

       (Rev 9:18 TLB)  

       (Rev 9:19 TLB)  Their power of death was not only in their mouths, but 
       in their tails as well, for their tails were similar to serpents' 
       heads that struck and bit with fatal wounds.

       (Rev 9:20 TLB)  But the men left alive after these plagues still 
       refused to worship God! They would not renounce their demon-worship, 
       nor their idols made of gold and silver, brass, stone, and wood--which 
       neither see nor hear nor walk!

       (Rev 9:21 TLB)  Neither did they change their mind and attitude about 
       all their murders and witchcraft, their immorality and theft.

       (Rev 10:1 TLB)  Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from 
       heaven, surrounded by a cloud, with a rainbow over his head; his face 
       shone like the sun and his feet flashed with fire.

       (Rev 10:2 TLB)  And he held open in his hand a small scroll. He set 
       his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the earth

       (Rev 10:3 TLB)  and gave a great shout--it was like the roar of a 
       lion--and the seven thunders crashed their reply.

       (Rev 10:4 TLB)  I was about to write what the thunders said when a 
       voice from heaven called to me, "Don't do it. Their words are not to 
       be revealed."

       (Rev 10:5 TLB)  Then the mighty angel standing on the sea and land 





       lifted his right hand to heaven

       (Rev 10:6 TLB)  and swore by him who lives forever and ever, who 
       created heaven and everything in it and the earth and all that it 
       contains and the sea and its inhabitants, that there should be no more 
       delay,

       (Rev 10:7 TLB)  but that when the seventh angel blew his trumpet, then 
       God's veiled plan--mysterious through the ages ever since it was 
       announced by his servants the prophets--would be fulfilled.

       (Rev 10:8 TLB)  Then the voice from heaven spoke to me again, "Go and 
       get the unrolled scroll from the mighty angel standing there upon the 
       sea and land."

       (Rev 10:9 TLB)  So I approached him and asked him to give me the 
       scroll. "Yes, take it and eat it," he said. "At first it will taste 
       like honey, but when you swallow it, it will make your stomach sour!"

       (Rev 10:10 TLB)  So I took it from his hand, and ate it! And just as 
       he had said, it was sweet in my mouth, but it gave me a stomachache 
       when I swallowed it.

       (Rev 10:11 TLB)  Then he told me, "You must prophesy further about 
       many peoples, nations, tribes, and kings."

       (Rev 11:1 TLB)  Now I was given a measuring stick and told to go and 
       measure the temple of God, including the inner court where the altar 
       stands, and to count the number of worshipers.

       (Rev 11:2 TLB)  "But do not measure the outer court," I was told, "for 
       it has been turned over to the nations. They will trample the Holy 
       City for forty-two months.

       (Rev 11:3 TLB)  And I will give power to my two witnesses to prophesy 
       1,260 days clothed in sackcloth."

       (Rev 11:4 TLB)  These two prophets are the two olive trees, and two 
       candlesticks standing before the God of all the earth.

       (Rev 11:5 TLB)  Anyone trying to harm them will be killed by bursts of 
       fire shooting from their mouths.

       (Rev 11:6 TLB)  They have power to shut the skies so that no rain will 
       fall during the three and a half years they prophesy, and to turn 
       rivers and oceans to blood, and to send every kind of plague upon the 
       earth as often as they wish.

       (Rev 11:7 TLB)  When they complete the three and a half years of their 
       solemn testimony, the tyrant who comes out of the bottomless pit will 
       declare war against them and conquer and kill them;

       (Rev 11:8 TLB)  and for three and a half days their bodies will be 
       exposed in the streets of Jerusalem (the city fittingly described as 
       "Sodom" or "Egypt")--the very place where their Lord was crucified.





       (Rev 11:9 TLB)  No one will be allowed to bury them, and people from 
       many nations will crowd around to gaze at them.

       (Rev 11:10 TLB)  And there will be a worldwide holiday--people 
       everywhere will rejoice and give presents to each other and throw 
       parties to celebrate the death of the two prophets who had tormented 
       them so much!

       (Rev 11:11 TLB)  But after three and a half days, the spirit of life 
       from God will enter them, and they will stand up! And great fear will 
       fall on everyone.

       (Rev 11:12 TLB)  Then a loud voice will shout from heaven, "Come up!" 
       And they will rise to heaven in a cloud as their enemies watch.

       (Rev 11:13 TLB)  The same hour there will be a terrible earthquake 
       that levels a tenth of the city, leaving 7,000 dead. Then everyone 
       left will, in their terror, give glory to the God of heaven.

       (Rev 11:14 TLB)  The second woe is past, but the third quickly 
       follows:

       (Rev 11:15 TLB)  For just then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and 
       there were loud voices shouting down from heaven, "The Kingdom of this 
       world now belongs to our Lord, and to his Christ; and he shall reign 
       forever and ever."

       (Rev 11:16 TLB)  And the twenty-four Elders sitting on their thrones 
       before God threw themselves down in worship, saying,

       (Rev 11:17 TLB)  "We give thanks, Lord God Almighty, who is and was, 
       for now you have assumed your great power and have begun to reign.

       (Rev 11:18 TLB)  The nations were angry with you, but now it is your 
       turn to be angry with them. It is time to judge the dead and reward 
       your servants--prophets and people alike, all who fear your Name, both 
       great and small--and to destroy those who have caused destruction upon 
       the earth."

       (Rev 11:19 TLB)  Then, in heaven, the temple of God was opened and the 
       ark of his covenant could be seen inside. Lightning flashed and 
       thunder crashed and roared, and there was a great hailstorm, and the 
       world was shaken by a mighty earthquake.

       (Rev 12:1 TLB)  Then a great pageant appeared in heaven, portraying 
       things to come. I saw a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon 
       beneath her feet, and a crown of twelve stars on her head.

       (Rev 12:2 TLB)  She was pregnant and screamed in the pain of her 
       labor, awaiting her delivery.

       (Rev 12:3 TLB)  Suddenly a red Dragon appeared, with seven heads and 
       ten horns, and seven crowns on his heads.

       (Rev 12:4 TLB)  His tail drew along behind him a third of the stars, 
       which he plunged to the earth. He stood before the woman as she was 





       about to give birth to her child, ready to eat the baby as soon as it 
       was born.

       (Rev 12:5 TLB)  She gave birth to a boy who was to rule all nations 
       with a heavy hand, and he was caught up to God and to his throne.

       (Rev 12:6 TLB)  The woman fled into the wilderness, where God had 
       prepared a place for her, to take care of her for 1,260 days.

       (Rev 12:7 TLB)  Then there was war in heaven; Michael and the angels 
       under his command fought the Dragon and his hosts of fallen angels.

       (Rev 12:8 TLB)  And the Dragon lost the battle and was forced from 
       heaven.

       (Rev 12:9 TLB)  This great Dragon--the ancient serpent called the 
       devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world--was thrown down 
       onto the earth with all his army.

       (Rev 12:10 TLB)  Then I heard a loud voice shouting across the 
       heavens, "It has happened at last! God's salvation and the power and 
       the rule, and the authority of his Christ are finally here; for the 
       Accuser of our brothers has been thrown down from heaven onto 
       earth--he accused them day and night before our God.

       (Rev 12:11 TLB)  They defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by 
       their testimony; for they did not love their lives but laid them down 
       for him.

       (Rev 12:12 TLB)  Rejoice, O heavens! You citizens of heaven, rejoice! 
       Be glad! But woe to you people of the world, for the devil has come 
       down to you in great anger, knowing that he has little time."

       (Rev 12:13 TLB)  And when the Dragon found himself cast down to earth, 
       he persecuted the woman who had given birth to the child.

       (Rev 12:14 TLB)  But she was given two wings like those of a great 
       eagle, to fly into the wilderness to the place prepared for her, where 
       she was cared for and protected from the Serpent, the Dragon, for 
       three and a half years.

       (Rev 12:15 TLB)  And from the Serpent's mouth a vast flood of water 
       gushed out and swept toward the woman in an effort to get rid of her;

       (Rev 12:16 TLB)  but the earth helped her by opening its mouth and 
       swallowing the flood!

       (Rev 12:17 TLB)  Then the furious Dragon set out to attack the rest of 
       her children--all who were keeping God's commandments and confessing 
       that they belong to Jesus. He stood waiting on an ocean beach.

       (Rev 13:1 TLB)  And now, in my vision, I saw a strange Creature rising 
       up out of the sea. It had seven heads and ten horns, and ten crowns 
       upon its horns. And written on each head were blasphemous names, each 
       one defying and insulting God.





       (Rev 13:2 TLB)  This Creature looked like a leopard but had bear's 
       feet and a lion's mouth! And the Dragon gave him his own power and 
       throne and great authority.

       (Rev 13:3 TLB)  I saw that one of his heads seemed wounded beyond 
       recovery--but the fatal wound was healed! All the world marveled at 
       this miracle and followed the Creature in awe.

       (Rev 13:4 TLB)  They worshiped the Dragon for giving him such power, 
       and they worshiped the strange Creature. "Where is there anyone as 
       great as he?" they exclaimed. "Who is able to fight against him?"

       (Rev 13:5 TLB)  Then the Dragon encouraged the Creature to speak great 
       blasphemies against the Lord; and gave him authority to control the 
       earth for forty-two months.

       (Rev 13:6 TLB)  All that time he blasphemed God's Name and his temple 
       and all those living in heaven.

       (Rev 13:7 TLB)  The Dragon gave him power to fight against God's 
       people and to overcome them, and to rule over all nations and language 
       groups throughout the world.

       (Rev 13:8 TLB)  And all mankind--whose names were not written down 
       before the founding of the world in the slain Lamb's Book of Life 
       --worshiped the evil Creature.

       (Rev 13:9 TLB)  Anyone who can hear, listen carefully:

       (Rev 13:10 TLB)  The people of God who are destined for prison will be 
       arrested and taken away; those destined for death will be killed. But 
       do not be dismayed, for here is your opportunity for endurance and 
       confidence.

       (Rev 13:11 TLB)  Then I saw another strange animal, this one coming up 
       out of the earth, with two little horns like those of a lamb but a 
       fearsome voice like the Dragon's.

       (Rev 13:12 TLB)  He exercised all the authority of the Creature whose 
       death-wound had been healed, whom he required all the world to 
       worship.

       (Rev 13:13 TLB)  He did unbelievable miracles such as making fire 
       flame down to earth from the skies while everyone was watching.

       (Rev 13:14 TLB)  By doing these miracles, he was deceiving people 
       everywhere. He could do these marvelous things whenever the first 
       Creature was there to watch him. And he ordered the people of the 
       world to make a great statue of the first Creature, who was fatally 
       wounded and then came back to life.

       (Rev 13:15 TLB)  He was permitted to give breath to this statue and 
       even make it speak! Then the statue ordered that anyone refusing to 
       worship it must die!

       (Rev 13:16 TLB)  He required everyone--great and small, rich and poor, 





       slave and free--to be tattooed with a certain mark on the right hand 
       or on the forehead.

       (Rev 13:17 TLB)  And no one could get a job or even buy in any store 
       without the permit of that mark, which was either the name of the 
       Creature or the code number of his name.

       (Rev 13:18 TLB)  Here is a puzzle that calls for careful thought to 
       solve it. Let those who are able, interpret this code: the numerical 
       values of the letters in his name add to 666!

       (Rev 14:1 TLB)  Then I saw a Lamb standing on Mount Zion in Jerusalem, 
       and with him were 144,000 who had his Name and his Father's Name 
       written on their foreheads.

       (Rev 14:2 TLB)  And I heard a sound from heaven like the roaring of a 
       great waterfall or the rolling of mighty thunder. It was the singing 
       of a choir accompanied by harps.

       (Rev 14:3 TLB)  This tremendous choir--144,000 strong--sang a 
       wonderful new song in front of the throne of God and before the four 
       Living Beings and the twenty-four Elders; and no one could sing this 
       song except those 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth.

       (Rev 14:4 TLB)  For they are spiritually undefiled, pure as virgins, 
       following the Lamb wherever he goes. They have been purchased from 
       among the men on the earth as a consecrated offering to God and the 
       Lamb.

       (Rev 14:5 TLB)  No falsehood can be charged against them; they are 
       blameless.

       (Rev 14:6 TLB)  And I saw another angel flying through the heavens, 
       carrying the everlasting Good News to preach to those on earth--to 
       every nation, tribe, language, and people.

       (Rev 14:7 TLB)  "Fear God," he shouted, "and extol his greatness. For 
       the time has come when he will sit as Judge. Worship him who made the 
       heaven and the earth, the sea and all its sources."

       (Rev 14:8 TLB)  Then another angel followed him through the skies, 
       saying, "Babylon is fallen, is fallen--that great city--because she 
       seduced the nations of the world and made them share the wine of her 
       intense impurity and sin."

       (Rev 14:9 TLB)  Then a third angel followed them shouting, "Anyone 
       worshiping the Creature from the sea and his statue, and accepting his 
       mark on the forehead or the hand

       (Rev 14:10 TLB)  must drink the wine of the anger of God; it is poured 
       out undiluted into God's cup of wrath. And they will be tormented with 
       fire and burning sulphur in the presence of the holy angels and the 
       Lamb.

       (Rev 14:11 TLB)  The smoke of their torture rises forever and ever, 
       and they will have no relief day or night, for they have worshiped the 





       Creature and his statue, and have been tattooed with the code of his 
       name.

       (Rev 14:12 TLB)  Let this encourage God's people to endure patiently 
       every trial and persecution, for they are his saints who remain firm 
       to the end in obedience to his commands and trust in Jesus."

       (Rev 14:13 TLB)  And I heard a voice in the heavens above me saying, 
       "Write this down: At last the time has come for his martyrs to enter 
       into their full reward. Yes, says the Spirit, they are blessed indeed, 
       for now they shall rest from all their toils and trials; for their 
       good deeds follow them to heaven!"

       (Rev 14:14 TLB)  Then the scene changed, and I saw a white cloud and 
       someone sitting on it who looked like Jesus, who was called "The Son 
       of Man," with a crown of solid gold upon his head and a sharp sickle 
       in his hand.

       (Rev 14:15 TLB)  Then an angel came from the temple and called out to 
       him, "Begin to use the sickle, for the time has come for you to reap; 
       the harvest is ripe on the earth."

       (Rev 14:16 TLB)  So the one sitting on the cloud swung his sickle over 
       the earth, and the harvest was gathered in.

       (Rev 14:17 TLB)  After that another angel came from the temple in 
       heaven, and he also had a sharp sickle.

       (Rev 14:18 TLB)  Just then the angel who has power to destroy the 
       world with fire, shouted to the angel with the sickle, "Use your 
       sickle now to cut off the clusters of grapes from the vines of the 
       earth, for they are fully ripe for judgment."

       (Rev 14:19 TLB)  So the angel swung his sickle on the earth and loaded 
       the grapes into the great winepress of God's wrath.

       (Rev 14:20 TLB)  And the grapes were trodden in the winepress outside 
       the city, and blood flowed out in a stream 200 miles long and as high 
       as a horse's bridle.

       (Rev 15:1 TLB)  And I saw in heaven another mighty pageant showing 
       things to come: Seven angels were assigned to carry down to earth the 
       seven last plagues--and then at last God's anger will be finished.

       (Rev 15:2 TLB)  Spread out before me was what seemed to be an ocean of 
       fire and glass, and on it stood all those who had been victorious over 
       the Evil Creature and his statue and his mark and number. All were 
       holding harps of God,

       (Rev 15:3 TLB)  and they were singing the song of Moses, the servant 
       of God, and the song of the Lamb: "Great and marvelous Are your 
       doings, Lord God Almighty. Just and true Are your ways, O King of 
       Ages.

       (Rev 15:4 TLB)  Who shall not fear, O Lord, And glorify your Name? For 
       you alone are holy. All nations will come And worship before you, For 





       your righteous deeds Have been disclosed."

       (Rev 15:5 TLB)  Then I looked and saw that the Holy of Holies of the 
       temple in heaven was thrown wide open!

       (Rev 15:6 TLB)  The seven angels who were assigned to pour out the 
       seven plagues then came from the temple, clothed in spotlessly white 
       linen, with golden belts across their chests.

       (Rev 15:7 TLB)  And one of the four Living Beings handed each of them 
       a golden flask filled with the terrible wrath of the Living God who 
       lives forever and forever.

       (Rev 15:8 TLB)  The temple was filled with smoke from his glory and 
       power; and no one could enter until the seven angels had completed 
       pouring out the seven plagues.

       (Rev 16:1 TLB)  And I heard a mighty voice shouting from the temple to 
       the seven angels, "Now go your ways and empty out the seven flasks of 
       the wrath of God upon the earth."

       (Rev 16:2 TLB)  So the first angel left the temple and poured out his 
       flask over the earth, and horrible, malignant sores broke out on 
       everyone who had the mark of the Creature and was worshiping his 
       statue.

       (Rev 16:3 TLB)  The second angel poured out his flask upon the oceans, 
       and they became like the watery blood of a dead man; and everything in 
       all the oceans died.

       (Rev 16:4 TLB)  The third angel poured out his flask upon the rivers 
       and springs and they became blood.

       (Rev 16:5 TLB)  And I heard this angel of the waters declaring, "You 
       are just in sending this judgment, O Holy One, who is and was,

       (Rev 16:6 TLB)  for your saints and prophets have been martyred and 
       their blood poured out upon the earth; and now, in turn, you have 
       poured out the blood of those who murdered them; it is their just 
       reward."

       (Rev 16:7 TLB)  And I heard the angel of the altar say, "Yes, Lord God 
       Almighty, your punishments are just and true."

       (Rev 16:8 TLB)  Then the fourth angel poured out his flask upon the 
       sun, causing it to scorch all men with its fire.

       (Rev 16:9 TLB)  Everyone was burned by this blast of heat, and they 
       cursed the name of God who sent the plagues--they did not change their 
       mind and attitude to give him glory.

       (Rev 16:10 TLB)  Then the fifth angel poured out his flask upon the 
       throne of the Creature from the sea, and his kingdom was plunged into 
       darkness. And his subjects gnawed their tongues in anguish,

       (Rev 16:11 TLB)  and cursed the God of heaven for their pains and 





       sores, but they refused to repent of all their evil deeds.

       (Rev 16:12 TLB)  The sixth angel poured out his flask upon the great 
       River Euphrates and it dried up so that the kings from the east could 
       march their armies westward without hindrance.

       (Rev 16:13 TLB)  And I saw three evil spirits disguised as frogs leap 
       from the mouth of the Dragon, the Creature, and his False Prophet.

       (Rev 16:14 TLB)  These miracle-working demons conferred with all the 
       rulers of the world to gather them for battle against the Lord on that 
       great coming Judgment Day of God Almighty.

       (Rev 16:15 TLB)  "Take note: I will come as unexpectedly as a thief! 
       Blessed are all who are awaiting me, who keep their robes in readiness 
       and will not need to walk naked and ashamed."

       (Rev 16:16 TLB)  And they gathered all the armies of the world near a 
       place called, in Hebrew, Armageddon--the Mountain of Megiddo.

       (Rev 16:17 TLB)  Then the seventh angel poured out his flask into the 
       air; and a mighty shout came from the throne of the temple in heaven, 
       saying, "It is finished!"

       (Rev 16:18 TLB)  Then the thunder crashed and rolled, and lightning 
       flashed; and there was a great earthquake of a magnitude unprecedented 
       in human history.

       (Rev 16:19 TLB)  The great city of "Babylon" split into three 
       sections, and cities around the world fell in heaps of rubble; and so 
       all of "Babylon's" sins were remembered in God's thoughts, and she was 
       punished to the last drop of anger in the cup of the wine of the 
       fierceness of his wrath.

       (Rev 16:20 TLB)  And islands vanished, and mountains flattened out,

       (Rev 16:21 TLB)  and there was an incredible hailstorm from heaven; 
       hailstones weighing a hundred pounds fell from the sky onto the people 
       below, and they cursed God because of the terrible hail.

       (Rev 17:1 TLB)  One of the seven angels who had poured out the plagues 
       came over and talked with me. "Come with me," he said, "and I will 
       show you what is going to happen to the Notorious Prostitute, who sits 
       upon the many waters of the world.

       (Rev 17:2 TLB)  The kings of the world have had immoral relations with 
       her, and the people of the earth have been made drunk by the wine of 
       her immorality."

       (Rev 17:3 TLB)  So the angel took me in spirit into the wilderness. 
       There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet animal that had seven heads 
       and ten horns, written all over with blasphemies against God.

       (Rev 17:4 TLB)  The woman wore purple and scarlet clothing and 
       beautiful jewelry made of gold and precious gems and pearls, and held 
       in her hand a golden goblet full of obscenities:






       (Rev 17:5 TLB)  A mysterious caption was written on her forehead: 
       "Babylon the Great, Mother of Prostitutes and of Idol Worship 
       Everywhere around the World."

       (Rev 17:6 TLB)  I could see that she was drunk--drunk with the blood 
       of the martyrs of Jesus she had killed. I stared at her in horror.

       (Rev 17:7 TLB)  "Why are you so surprised?" the angel asked. "I'll 
       tell you who she is and what the animal she is riding represents.

       (Rev 17:8 TLB)  He was alive but isn't now. And yet, soon he will come 
       up out of the bottomless pit and go to eternal destruction; and the 
       people of earth, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life 
       before the world began, will be dumbfounded at his reappearance after 
       being dead.

       (Rev 17:9 TLB)  "And now think hard: his seven heads represent a 
       certain city built on seven hills where this woman has her residence.

       (Rev 17:10 TLB)  They also represent seven kings. Five have already 
       fallen, the sixth now reigns, and the seventh is yet to come, but his 
       reign will be brief.

       (Rev 17:11 TLB)  The scarlet animal that died is the eighth king, 
       having reigned before as one of the seven; after his second reign, he 
       too, will go to his doom.

       (Rev 17:12 TLB)  His ten horns are ten kings who have not yet risen to 
       power; they will be appointed to their kingdoms for one brief moment, 
       to reign with him.

       (Rev 17:13 TLB)  They will all sign a treaty giving their power and 
       strength to him.

       (Rev 17:14 TLB)  Together they will wage war against the Lamb, and the 
       Lamb will conquer them; for he is Lord over all lords, and King of 
       kings, and his people are the called and chosen and faithful ones.

       (Rev 17:15 TLB)  "The oceans, lakes, and rivers that the woman is 
       sitting on represent masses of people of every race and nation.

       (Rev 17:16 TLB)  "The scarlet animal and his ten horns--which 
       represent ten kings who will reign with him--all hate the woman, and 
       will attack her and leave her naked and ravaged by fire.

       (Rev 17:17 TLB)  For God will put a plan into their minds, a plan that 
       will carry out his purposes: They will mutually agree to give their 
       authority to the scarlet animal so that the words of God will be 
       fulfilled.

       (Rev 17:18 TLB)  And this woman you saw in your vision represents the 
       great city that rules over the kings of the earth."

       (Rev 18:1 TLB)  After all this I saw another angel come down from 
       heaven with great authority, and the earth grew bright with his 





       splendor.

       (Rev 18:2 TLB)  He gave a mighty shout, "Babylon the Great is fallen, 
       is fallen; she has become a den of demons, a haunt of devils and every 
       kind of evil spirit.

       (Rev 18:3 TLB)  For all the nations have drunk the fatal wine of her 
       intense immorality. The rulers of earth have enjoyed themselves with 
       her, and businessmen throughout the world have grown rich from all her 
       luxurious living."

       (Rev 18:4 TLB)  Then I heard another voice calling from heaven, "Come 
       away from her, my people; do not take part in her sins, or you will be 
       punished with her.

       (Rev 18:5 TLB)  For her sins are piled as high as heaven, and God is 
       ready to judge her for her crimes.

       (Rev 18:6 TLB)  Do to her as she has done to you, and more--give 
       double penalty for all her evil deeds. She brewed many a cup of woe 
       for others--give twice as much to her.

       (Rev 18:7 TLB)  She has lived in luxury and pleasure--match it now 
       with torments and with sorrows. She boasts, 'I am queen upon my 
       throne. I am no helpless widow. I will not experience sorrow.'

       (Rev 18:8 TLB)  Therefore the sorrows of death and mourning and famine 
       shall overtake her in a single day, and she shall be utterly consumed 
       by fire; for mighty is the Lord who judges her."

       (Rev 18:9 TLB)  And the world leaders who took part in her immoral 
       acts and enjoyed her favors will mourn for her as they see the smoke 
       rising from her charred remains.

       (Rev 18:10 TLB)  They will stand far off, trembling with fear and 
       crying out, "Alas, Babylon, that mighty city! In one moment her 
       judgment fell."

       (Rev 18:11 TLB)  The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn for 
       her, for there is no one left to buy their goods.

       (Rev 18:12 TLB)  She was their biggest customer for gold and silver, 
       precious stones, pearls, finest linens, purple silks, and scarlet; and 
       every kind of perfumed wood, and ivory goods, and most expensive 
       wooden carvings, and brass, and iron, and marble;

       (Rev 18:13 TLB)  and spices, and perfumes, and incense, ointment, and 
       frankincense, wine, olive oil, and fine flour; wheat, cattle, sheep, 
       horses, chariots, and slaves--and even the souls of men.

       (Rev 18:14 TLB)  "All the fancy things you loved so much are gone," 
       they cry. "The dainty luxuries and splendor that you prized so much 
       will never be yours again. They are gone forever."

       (Rev 18:15 TLB)  And so the merchants who have become wealthy by 
       selling her these things shall stand at a distance, fearing danger to 





       themselves, weeping and crying,

       (Rev 18:16 TLB)  "Alas, that great city, so beautiful--like a woman 
       clothed in finest purple and scarlet linens, decked out with gold and 
       precious stones and pearls!

       (Rev 18:17 TLB)  In one moment, all the wealth of the city is gone!" 
       And all the shipowners and captains of the merchant ships and crews 
       will stand a long way off,

       (Rev 18:18 TLB)  crying as they watch the smoke ascend, and saying, 
       "Where in all the world is there another city such as this?"

       (Rev 18:19 TLB)  And they will throw dust on their heads in their 
       sorrow and say, "Alas, alas, for that great city! She made us all rich 
       from her great wealth. And now in a single hour all is gone.. . . "

       (Rev 18:20 TLB)  But you, O heaven, rejoice over her fate; and you, O 
       children of God and the prophets and the apostles! For at last God has 
       given judgment against her for you.

       (Rev 18:21 TLB)  Then a mighty angel picked up a boulder shaped like a 
       millstone and threw it into the ocean and shouted, "Babylon, that 
       great city, shall be thrown away as I have thrown away this stone, and 
       she shall disappear forever.

       (Rev 18:22 TLB)  Never again will the sound of music be there--no more 
       pianos, saxophones, and trumpets. No industry of any kind will ever 
       again exist there, and there will be no more milling of the grain.

       (Rev 18:23 TLB)  Dark, dark will be her nights; not even a lamp in a 
       window will ever be seen again. No more joyous wedding bells and happy 
       voices of the bridegrooms and the brides. Her businessmen were known 
       around the world, and she deceived all nations with her sorceries.

       (Rev 18:24 TLB)  And she was responsible for the blood of all the 
       martyred prophets and the saints."

       (Rev 19:1 TLB)  After this I heard the shouting of a vast crowd in 
       heaven, "Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! Salvation is from our God. Honor 
       and authority belong to him alone;

       (Rev 19:2 TLB)  for his judgments are just and true. He has punished 
       the Great Prostitute who corrupted the earth with her sin; and he has 
       avenged the murder of his servants."

       (Rev 19:3 TLB)  Again and again their voices rang, "Praise the Lord! 
       The smoke from her burning ascends forever and forever!"

       (Rev 19:4 TLB)  Then the twenty-four Elders and four Living Beings 
       fell down and worshiped God, who was sitting upon the throne, and 
       said, "Amen! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!"

       (Rev 19:5 TLB)  And out of the throne came a voice that said, "Praise 
       our God, all you his servants, small and great, who fear him."





       (Rev 19:6 TLB)  Then I heard again what sounded like the shouting of a 
       huge crowd, or like the waves of a hundred oceans crashing on the 
       shore, or like the mighty rolling of great thunder, "Praise the Lord. 
       For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.

       (Rev 19:7 TLB)  Let us be glad and rejoice and honor him; for the time 
       has come for the wedding banquet of the Lamb, and his bride has 
       prepared herself.

       (Rev 19:8 TLB)  She is permitted to wear the cleanest and whitest and 
       finest of linens." (Fine linen represents the good deeds done by the 
       people of God.)

       (Rev 19:9 TLB)  And the angel dictated this sentence to me: "Blessed 
       are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb." And he 
       added, "God himself has stated this."

       (Rev 19:10 TLB)  Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he 
       said, "No! Don't! For I am a servant of God just as you are, and as 
       your brother Christians are, who testify of their faith in Jesus. 
       Worship God. The purpose of all prophecy and of all I have shown you 
       is to tell about Jesus."

       (Rev 19:11 TLB)  Then I saw heaven opened and a white horse standing 
       there; and the one sitting on the horse was named Faithful and 
       True--the one who justly punishes and makes war.

       (Rev 19:12 TLB)  His eyes were like flames, and on his head were many 
       crowns. A name was written on his forehead, and only he knew its 
       meaning.

       (Rev 19:13 TLB)  He was clothed with garments dipped in blood, and his 
       title was "The Word of God."

       (Rev 19:14 TLB)  The armies of heaven, dressed in finest linen, white 
       and clean, followed him on white horses.

       (Rev 19:15 TLB)  In his mouth he held a sharp sword to strike down the 
       nations; he ruled them with an iron grip; and he trod the winepress of 
       the fierceness of the wrath of Almighty God.

       (Rev 19:16 TLB)  On his robe and thigh was written this title: "King 
       of Kings and Lord of Lords."

       (Rev 19:17 TLB)  Then I saw an angel standing in the sunshine, 
       shouting loudly to the birds, "Come! Gather together for the supper of 
       the Great God!

       (Rev 19:18 TLB)  Come and eat the flesh of kings, and captains, and 
       great generals; of horses and riders; and of all humanity, both great 
       and small, slave and free."

       (Rev 19:19 TLB)  Then I saw the Evil Creature gathering the 
       governments of the earth and their armies to fight against the one 
       sitting on the horse and his army.





       (Rev 19:20 TLB)  And the Evil Creature was captured, and with him the 
       False Prophet, who could do mighty miracles when the Evil Creature was 
       present--miracles that deceived all who had accepted the Evil 
       Creature's mark, and who worshiped his statue. Both of them--the Evil 
       Creature and his False Prophet--were thrown alive into the Lake of 
       Fire that burns with sulphur.

       (Rev 19:21 TLB)  And their entire army was killed with the sharp sword 
       in the mouth of the one riding the white horse, and all the birds of 
       heaven were gorged with their flesh.

       (Rev 20:1 TLB)  Then I saw an angel come down from heaven with the key 
       to the bottomless pit and a heavy chain in his hand.

       (Rev 20:2 TLB)  He seized the Dragon--that old Serpent, the devil, 
       Satan--and bound him in chains for a thousand years,

       (Rev 20:3 TLB)  and threw him into the bottomless pit, which he then 
       shut and locked so that he could not fool the nations any more until 
       the thousand years were finished. Afterwards he would be released 
       again for a little while.

       (Rev 20:4 TLB)  Then I saw thrones, and sitting on them were those who 
       had been given the right to judge. And I saw the souls of those who 
       had been beheaded for their testimony about Jesus, for proclaiming the 
       Word of God, and who had not worshiped the Creature or his statue, nor 
       accepted his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They had come to 
       life again and now they reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

       (Rev 20:5 TLB)  This is the First Resurrection. (The rest of the dead 
       did not come back to life until the thousand years had ended.)

       (Rev 20:6 TLB)  Blessed and holy are those who share in the First 
       Resurrection. For them the Second Death holds no terrors, for they 
       will be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a 
       thousand years.

       (Rev 20:7 TLB)  When the thousand years end, Satan will be let out of 
       his prison.

       (Rev 20:8 TLB)  He will go out to deceive the nations of the world and 
       gather them together, with Gog and Magog, for battle--a mighty host, 
       numberless as sand along the shore.

       (Rev 20:9 TLB)  They will go up across the broad plain of the earth 
       and surround God's people and the beloved city of Jerusalem on every 
       side. But fire from God in heaven will flash down on the attacking 
       armies and consume them.

       (Rev 20:10 TLB)  Then the devil who had betrayed them will again be 
       thrown into the Lake of Fire burning with sulphur where the Creature 
       and False Prophet are, and they will be tormented day and night 
       forever and ever.

       (Rev 20:11 TLB)  And I saw a great white throne and the one who sat 
       upon it, from whose face the earth and sky fled away, but they found 





       no place to hide.

       (Rev 20:12 TLB)  I saw the dead, great and small, standing before God; 
       and The Books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead 
       were judged according to the things written in The Books, each 
       according to the deeds he had done.

       (Rev 20:13 TLB)  The oceans surrendered the bodies buried in them; and 
       the earth and the underworld gave up the dead in them. Each was judged 
       according to his deeds.

       (Rev 20:14 TLB)  And Death and Hell were thrown into the Lake of Fire. 
       This is the Second Death--the Lake of Fire.

       (Rev 20:15 TLB)  And if anyone's name was not found recorded in the 
       Book of Life, he was thrown into the Lake of Fire.

       (Rev 21:1 TLB)  Then I saw a new earth (with no oceans!) and a new 
       sky, for the present earth and sky had disappeared.

       (Rev 21:2 TLB)  And I, John, saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, 
       coming down from God out of heaven. It was a glorious sight, beautiful 
       as a bride at her wedding.

       (Rev 21:3 TLB)  I heard a loud shout from the throne saying, "Look, 
       the home of God is now among men, and he will live with them and they 
       will be his people; yes, God himself will be among them.

       (Rev 21:4 TLB)  He will wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there 
       shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying, nor pain. All of that 
       has gone forever."

       (Rev 21:5 TLB)  And the one sitting on the throne said, "See, I am 
       making all things new!" And then he said to me, "Write this down, for 
       what I tell you is trustworthy and true:

       (Rev 21:6 TLB)  It is finished! I am the A and the Z--the Beginning 
       and the End. I will give to the thirsty the springs of the Water of 
       Life--as a gift!

       (Rev 21:7 TLB)  Everyone who conquers will inherit all these 
       blessings, and I will be his God and he will be my son.

       (Rev 21:8 TLB)  But cowards who turn back from following me, and those 
       who are unfaithful to me, and the corrupt, and murderers, and the 
       immoral, and those conversing with demons, and idol worshipers and all 
       liars--their doom is in the Lake that burns with fire and sulphur. 
       This is the Second Death."

       (Rev 21:9 TLB)  Then one of the seven angels who had emptied the 
       flasks containing the seven last plagues came and said to me, "Come 
       with me and I will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife."

       (Rev 21:10 TLB)  In a vision he took me to a towering mountain peak, 
       and from there I watched that wondrous city, the holy Jerusalem, 
       descending out of the skies from God.






       (Rev 21:11 TLB)  It was filled with the glory of God and flashed and 
       glowed like a precious gem, crystal clear like jasper.

       (Rev 21:12 TLB)  Its walls were broad and high, with twelve gates 
       guarded by twelve angels. And the names of the twelve tribes of Israel 
       were written on the gates.

       (Rev 21:13 TLB)  There were three gates on each side--north, south, 
       east, and west.

       (Rev 21:14 TLB)  The walls had twelve foundation stones, and on them 
       were written the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

       (Rev 21:15 TLB)  The angel held in his hand a golden measuring stick 
       to measure the city and its gates and walls.

       (Rev 21:16 TLB)  When he measured it, he found it was a square as wide 
       as it was long; in fact it was in the form of a cube, for its height 
       was exactly the same as its other dimensions--1,500 miles each way.

       (Rev 21:17 TLB)  Then he measured the thickness of the walls and found 
       them to be 216 feet across (the angel called out these measurements to 
       me, using standard units).

       (Rev 21:18 TLB)  The city itself was pure, transparent gold like 
       glass! The wall was made of jasper,

       (Rev 21:19 TLB)  and was built on twelve layers of foundation stones 
       inlaid with gems: the first layer with jasper; the second with 
       sapphire; the third with chalcedony; the fourth with emerald;

       (Rev 21:20 TLB)  the fifth with sardonyx; the sixth layer with sardus; 
       the seventh with chrysolite; the eighth with beryl; the ninth with 
       topaz; the tenth with chrysoprase; the eleventh with jacinth; the 
       twelfth with amethyst.

       (Rev 21:21 TLB)  The twelve gates were made of pearls--each gate from 
       a single pearl! And the main street was pure, transparent gold, like 
       glass.

       (Rev 21:22 TLB)  No temple could be seen in the city, for the Lord God 
       Almighty and the Lamb are worshiped in it everywhere.

       (Rev 21:23 TLB)  And the city has no need of sun or moon to light it, 
       for the glory of God and of the Lamb illuminate it.

       (Rev 21:24 TLB)  Its light will light the nations of the earth, and 
       the rulers of the world will come and bring their glory to it.

       (Rev 21:25 TLB)  Its gates never close; they stay open all day 
       long--and there is no night!

       (Rev 21:26 TLB)  And the glory and honor of all the nations shall be 
       brought into it.





       (Rev 21:27 TLB)  Nothing evil will be permitted in it--no one immoral 
       or dishonest--but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's 
       Book of Life.

       (Rev 22:1 TLB)  And he pointed out to me a river of pure Water of 
       Life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and the Lamb,

       (Rev 22:2 TLB)  coursing down the center of the main street. On each 
       side of the river grew Trees of Life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, 
       with a fresh crop each month; the leaves were used for medicine to 
       heal the nations.

       (Rev 22:3 TLB)  There shall be nothing in the city that is evil; for 
       the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and his servants will 
       worship him.

       (Rev 22:4 TLB)  And they shall see his face; and his name shall be 
       written on their foreheads.

       (Rev 22:5 TLB)  And there will be no night there--no need for lamps or 
       sun--for the Lord God will be their light; and they shall reign 
       forever and ever.

       (Rev 22:6 TLB)  Then the angel said to me, "These words are 
       trustworthy and true: 'I am coming soon!' God, who tells his prophets 
       what the future holds, has sent his angel to tell you this will happen 
       soon.

       (Rev 22:7 TLB)  Blessed are those who believe it and all else written 
       in the scroll."

       (Rev 22:8 TLB)  I, John, saw and heard all these things, and fell down 
       to worship the angel who showed them to me;

       (Rev 22:9 TLB)  but again he said, "No, don't do anything like that. 
       I, too, am a servant of Jesus as you are, and as your brothers the 
       prophets are, as well as all those who heed the truth stated in this 
       book. Worship God alone."

       (Rev 22:10 TLB)  Then he instructed me, "Do not seal up what you have 
       written, for the time of fulfillment is near.

       (Rev 22:11 TLB)  And when that time comes, all doing wrong will do it 
       more and more; the vile will become more vile; good men will be 
       better; those who are holy will continue on in greater holiness."

       (Rev 22:12 TLB)  "See, I am coming soon, and my reward is with me, to 
       repay everyone according to the deeds he has done.

       (Rev 22:13 TLB)  I am the A and the Z, the Beginning and the End, the 
       First and Last.

       (Rev 22:14 TLB)  Blessed forever are all who are washing their robes, 
       to have the right to enter in through the gates of the city and to eat 
       the fruit from the Tree of Life.





       (Rev 22:15 TLB)  "Outside the city are those who have strayed away 
       from God, and the sorcerers and the immoral and murderers and 
       idolaters, and all who love to lie, and do so.

       (Rev 22:16 TLB)  "I, Jesus, have sent my angel to you to tell the 
       churches all these things. I am both David's Root and his Descendant. 
       I am the bright Morning Star.

       (Rev 22:17 TLB)  The Spirit and the bride say, 'Come.' Let each one 
       who hears them say the same, 'Come.' Let the thirsty one come--anyone 
       who wants to; let him come and drink the Water of Life without charge.

       (Rev 22:18 TLB)  And I solemnly declare to everyone who reads this 
       book: If anyone adds anything to what is written here, God shall add 
       to him the plagues described in this book.

       (Rev 22:19 TLB)  And if anyone subtracts any part of these prophecies, 
       God shall take away his share in the Tree of Life, and in the Holy 
       City just described.

       (Rev 22:20 TLB)  "He who has said all these things declares: Yes, I am 
       coming soon!" Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!

       (Rev 22:21 TLB)  The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. 
       Amen!