Ezra 8 Cross References - CAB

¹ And these are the heads of their families, the leaders that went up with me in the reign of Artaxerxes the king of Babylon: ² Of the sons of Phinehas, Gershom; of the sons of Ithamar, Daniel; of the sons of David; Hattush. ³ Of the sons of Shecaniah, and the sons of Parosh; Zechariah; and with him a company of a hundred and fifty men. ⁴ Of the sons of Pahath-Moab, Eliehoenai the son of Zerahiah, and with him two hundred males. ⁵ And of the sons of Zatho, Shechaniah the son of Jahaziel, and with him three hundred males. ⁶ And of the sons of Adin, Ebed the son of Jonathan, and with him fifty males. ⁷ And of the sons of Elam, Jeshaiah the son of Athaliah, and with him seventy males. ⁸ And of the sons of Shephatiah, Zebadiah the son of Michael, and with him eighty males. ⁹ And of the sons of Joab, Obadiah the son of Jehiel, and with him two hundred and eighteen males. ¹⁰ And of the sons of Banni, Shelomith the son of Josiphiah, and with him a hundred and sixty males. ¹¹ And of the sons of Bebai, Zechariah the son of Bebai, and with him twenty-eight males. ¹² And of the sons of Azgad, Johanan the son of Hakkatan, and with him a hundred and ten males. ¹³ And of the sons of Adonikam were the last, and these were their names, Eliphelet, Jeiel, and Shemaiah, and with them sixty males. ¹⁴ And of the sons of Bigvai, Uthai and Zabbud, and with him seventy males. ¹⁵ And I gathered them to the river that comes to Ahava, and we encamped there three days. And I reviewed the people and the priests, and found none of the sons of Levi there. ¹⁶ And I sent men of understanding to Eliezar, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, Meshullam, Joiarib, and to Elnathan. ¹⁷ And I forwarded them to the rulers with the money of the place, and I put words in their mouth to speak to their brothers the Nethinim with the money of the place, that they should bring us singers for the house of our God. ¹⁸ And they came to us, as the good hand of our God was upon us, even a man of understanding of the sons of Mahli, the son of Levi, the son of Israel, and at the commencement came his sons and his brothers, eighteen men. ¹⁹ And Hashabiah, and Jeshaiah, of the sons of Merari, his brothers and his sons, twenty men. ²⁰ And of the Nethinim; whom David and the princes had appointed for the service of the Levites, there were two hundred and twenty Nethinim; all were gathered by their names. ²¹ And I proclaimed there a fast, at the River Ahava, that we should humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him the right way for us, and for our children, and for all our property. ²² For I was ashamed to ask of the king a guard and horsemen to save us from the enemy in the way; for we had spoken to the king, saying, The hand of our God is upon all that seek Him, for good; but His power and His wrath are upon all that forsake Him. ²³ So we fasted, and asked of our God concerning this; and He hearkened to us. ²⁴ And I gave charge to twelve of the chiefs of the priests, to Sherebiah, to Hashabiah, and ten of their brothers with them. ²⁵ And I weighed to them the silver, and the gold, and the vessels of the firstfruits of the house of our God, which the king, and his counselors, and his princes, and all Israel that were found, had dedicated. ²⁶ I even weighed into their hands six hundred and fifty talents of silver, and a hundred silver vessels, and a hundred talents of gold; ²⁷ and twenty golden bowls, weighing about a thousand drachmas, and superior vessels of fine shining brass, precious as gold. ²⁸ And I said to them, You are holy to the Lord; and the vessels are holy; and the silver and the gold are freewill offerings to the Lord God of our fathers. ²⁹ Be watchful and keep them, until you weigh them before the chief priests and the Levites, and the chiefs of families in Jerusalem, at the chambers of the house of the Lord. ³⁰ So the priests and the Levites took the weight of the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, to bring to Jerusalem into the house of our God. ³¹ And we departed from the river of Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month, to come to Jerusalem. And the hand of our God was upon us, and He delivered us from the hand of the enemy and adversary in the way. ³² And we came to Jerusalem, and stayed there three days. ³³ And it came to pass on the fourth day that we weighed the silver and the gold and the vessels in the house of our God, into the hand of Meremoth the son of Uriah the priest, and with him was Eleazar the son of Phinehas, and with them Jozabad the son of Jeshua, and Noadiah the son of Binnui, the Levites. ³⁴ All things were reckoned by number and weight, and the whole weight was written down. ³⁵ At that time the children of the banishment that came from the captivity offered whole burnt offerings to the God of Israel, twelve calves for all Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-seven lambs, twelve goats for a sin offering; all whole burnt offerings to the Lord. ³⁶ And they gave the king's mandate to the king's lieutenants, and the governors beyond the river: and they honored the people and the house of God.

¹⁵ And you shall speak to him; and you shall put My words into his mouth, and I will open your mouth and his mouth, and I will instruct you in what you shall do.

¹ And the Lord called Moses again and spoke to him out of the tabernacle of witness, saying, Speak to the children of Israel, and you shall say to them, ² If any man of you shall bring gifts to the Lord, you shall bring your gifts of the cattle and of the oxen and of the sheep. ³ If his gift be a whole burnt offering, he shall bring an unblemished male of the herd to the door of the tabernacle of witness, he shall bring it as acceptable before the Lord. ⁴ And he shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering as a thing acceptable for him, to make atonement for him. ⁵ And they shall slay the calf before the Lord; and the sons of Aaron the priests shall bring the blood, and they shall pour the blood round about on the altar, which is at the doors of the tabernacle of witness. ⁶ And having skinned the whole burnt offering, they shall divide it by its limbs. ⁷ And the sons of Aaron the priests shall put fire on the altar, and shall pile wood on the fire.

²⁹ And this shall be a perpetual statute for you; in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall humble your souls, and shall do no work, the native and the stranger who abides among you.

³¹ This shall be to you a most holy Sabbath, a rest, and you shall humble your souls; it is a perpetual ordinance.

⁶ They shall be holy to their God, and they shall not profane the name of their God; for they offer the sacrifices of the Lord as the gifts of their God, and they shall be holy. ⁷ They shall not take a woman who is a harlot and profaned, or a woman put away from her husband; for he is holy to the Lord his God. ⁸ And you shall hallow him; he offers the gifts of the Lord your God: he shall be holy, for I the Lord that sanctify them am holy.

² Speak to Aaron and to his sons, and let them take heed concerning the holy things of the children of Israel, so they shall not profane My holy name in any of the things which they consecrate to Me: I am the Lord. ³ Say to them, Every man throughout your generations, whoever of all your seed shall approach to the holy things, whatsoever the children of Israel shall consecrate to the Lord, while his uncleanness is upon him, that soul shall be cut off from Me: I am the Lord your God.

²⁹ Every soul that shall not be humbled in that day, shall be cut off from among its people.

²⁰ and the sons of Merari according to their families: Mahli and Mushi; these are the families of the Levites according to the houses of their families.

⁴ And these are the works of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of witness; it is most holy. ⁵ And Aaron and his sons shall go in, when the camp is about to move, and shall take down the shadowing veil, and they shall cover with it the ark of the Testimony. ⁶ And they shall put a cover on it of blue skin, a garment of all blue, and they shall put the poles through the rings. ⁷ And they shall put on the table set forth for showbread a cloth all of purple, and the dishes, and the censers, and the cups, and the vessels with which one offers drink offerings; and the continual loaves shall be upon it. ⁸ And they shall put upon it a scarlet cloth, and they shall cover it with a blue covering of skin, and they shall put the poles into it. ⁹ And they shall take a blue covering, and cover the lampstand that gives light, and its lamps, and its snuffers, and its funnels, and all the vessels of oil with which they minister. ¹⁰ And they shall put it, and all its vessels, into a blue skin cover; and they shall put it on bearers. ¹¹ And they shall put a blue cloth for a cover on the golden altar, and shall cover it with a blue skin cover, and put in its poles. ¹² And they shall take all the instruments of service, with which they minister in the sanctuary: and shall place them in a cloth of blue, and shall cover them with blue skin covering, and put them upon poles. ¹³ And he shall put the covering on the altar, and they shall cover it with a cloth all of purple. ¹⁴ And they shall put upon it all the vessels with which they minister upon it, and the firepans, and the flesh-hooks, and the cups, and the cover, and all the vessels of the altar; and they shall put on it a blue cover of skins, and shall put in its poles; and they shall take a purple cloth, and cover the laver and its foot, and they shall put it into a blue cover of skin, and put it on bars. ¹⁵ And Aaron and his sons shall finish covering the holy things, and all the holy vessels, when the camp begins to move; and afterwards the sons of Kohath shall go in to take up the furniture; but shall not touch the holy things, lest they die: these shall the sons of Kohath bear in the tabernacle of witness.

¹⁹ But do this in regard to them, and they shall live and not die, when they approach the holy of holies: Let Aaron and his sons advance, and they shall place them each in his post for bearing. ²⁰ And so they shall by no means go in to look suddenly upon the holy things, and die.

¹³ And he brought his gift, one silver charger of a hundred and thirty shekels was its weight, one silver bowl of seventy shekels according to the holy shekel; both full of fine flour kneaded with oil for a grain offering.

²⁷ One calf of the herd, one ram, one male lamb of a year old for a whole burnt offering,

⁸⁴ This was the dedication of the altar in the day in which Moses anointed it, by the princes of the sons of Israel; twelve silver chargers, twelve silver bowls, twelve golden censers: ⁸⁵ each charger of a hundred and thirty shekels, and each bowl of seventy shekels: all the silver of the vessels was two thousand four hundred shekels, the shekels according to the holy shekel. ⁸⁶ Twelve golden censers full of incense: all the gold of the shekels, a hundred and twenty shekels. ⁸⁷ All the cattle for whole burnt offerings, twelve calves, twelve rams, twelve male lambs of a year old, and their grain offerings, and their drink offerings; and twelve kids of the goats for sin offering. ⁸⁸ All the cattle for a sacrifice of peace offering, twenty-four heifers, sixty rams, sixty male goats of a year old, sixty ewe lambs of a year old without blemish; this is the dedication of the altar, after that Moses consecrated Aaron, and he anointed him.

²² And afterwards the Levites went in to minister in their service in the tabernacle of witness before Aaron, and before his sons; as the Lord appointed Moses concerning the Levites, so they did to them. ²³ And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ²⁴ This is the ordinance for the Levites: From twenty-five years old and upward, they shall go in to minister in the tabernacle of witness. ²⁵ And from fifty years old the Levites shall cease from the ministry, and shall not work any longer. ²⁶ And his brother shall serve in the tabernacle of witness to keep the charges, but he shall not do the works: so shall you do to the Levites in their charges.

³ If only we would have died in the land of Egypt! Or if only we would have died in this wilderness! And why does the Lord bring us into this land to fall in war? Our wives and our children shall be for a prey: now then it is better to return into Egypt.

³¹ And your little ones, who you said should be a prey, them will I bring into the land; and they shall inherit the land, which you rejected.

⁶ And I have taken your brothers the Levites out of the midst of the children of Israel, a present given to the Lord, to minister in the services of the tabernacle of witness.

²⁹ And there you shall seek the Lord your God, and you shall find Him whenever you shall seek Him with all your heart, and with all your soul in your affliction.

¹⁸ I will raise up to them a Prophet from among their brethren, like you; and I will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them as I shall command Him.

⁸ And to Levi he said, Let Levi give his manifestations and his truth to the holy One, whom they tempted in the temptation; they reviled Him at the Water of Strife.

¹⁶ when you transgress the covenant of the Lord our God, which He has commanded us, and go and serve other gods, and bow down to them.

²⁶ And the children of Israel and all the people went up, and came to Bethel. And they wept, and sat there before the Lord; and they fasted on that day until evening, and offered whole burnt offerings and perfect sacrifices before the Lord,

⁶ And they were gathered together to Mizpah, and they drew water, and poured it out upon the earth before the Lord. And they fasted on that day, and said, We have sinned before the Lord. And Samuel judged the children of Israel in Mizpah.

³ And you shall go to the king, and speak to him according to this word. And Joab put the words in her mouth.

¹⁹ And the king said, Is not the hand of Joab in all this matter with you? And the woman said to the king, As your soul lives, my lord, O king, there is no turning to the right hand or to the left from all that my lord the king has spoken; for your servant Joab himself charged me, and he put all these words in the mouth of your handmaid.

¹¹ And the Lord said to him, Because you have asked this thing of Me, and have not asked for yourself long life, and have not asked wealth, nor have asked for the lives of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to hear judgment;

⁴⁸ And King Solomon took the furniture which Hiram made for the house of the Lord, the golden altar, and the golden table of showbread. ⁴⁹ And he put the five lamptands on the left, and five on the right in front of the oracle, being of pure gold, and the lampstands, and the lamps, and the snuffers of gold. ⁵⁰ And there the porcheswere made, and the nails, and the bowls, and the spoons, and the golden censers, of pure gold: and the panels of the doors of the innermost part of the house, even the Holy of Holies, and the golden doors of the temple. ⁵¹ So the work of the house of the Lord which Solomon wrought was finished; and Solomon brought in the holy things of David his father, and all the holy things of Solomon. He put the silver, and the gold, and the furniture into the treasures of the house of the Lord.

¹ Now these were the sons of David that were born to him in Hebron: the firstborn was Amnon, born of Ahinoam the Jezreelitess; the second Daniel, of Abigail the Carmelitess.

²² And the son of Shechaniah was Shemaiah. And the sons of Shemaiah were Hattush, Joel, Bariah, Neariah, and Shaphat, six in all.

³³ And all their villages were round about these cities, as far as Baal: this was their possession, and their distribution:

²⁰ and they prevailed against them; and the Hagrites were given into their hands, they and all their tents, for they cried to God in the battle, and He hearkened to them, because they trusted on Him.

¹ The sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

³ And the children of Amram were Aaron, Moses, and Miriam. And the sons of Aaron were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. ⁴ Eleazar begot Phinehas, Phinehas begot Abishua; ⁵ Abishua begot Bukki, and Bukki begot Uzzi; ⁶ Uzzi begot Zerahiah, Zerahiah begot Meraioth; ⁷ Meraioth begot Amariah, and Amariah begot Ahitub; ⁸ Ahitub begot Zadok, and Zadok begot Ahimaaz; ⁹ Ahimaaz begot Azariah, and Azariah begot Johanan; ¹⁰ Johanan begot Azariah (he ministered as priest in the house which Solomon built in Jerusalem); ¹¹ Azariah begot Amariah, and Amariah begot Ahitub; ¹² Ahitub begot Zadok, and Zadok begot Shallum; ¹³ Shallum begot Hilkiah, and Hilkiah begot Azariah; ¹⁴ Azariah begot Seraiah, and Seraiah begot Jehozadak. ¹⁵ And Jehozadak went into captivity with Judah and Jerusalem under Nebuchadnezzar. ¹⁶ The sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

¹⁹ The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi: and these were the families of Levi, according to their families.

¹ And this is all Israel, even their enrollment; and these are written down in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah, with the names of them that were carried away to Babylon for their transgressions. ² And those that dwelt before in their possessions in the cities of Israel, the priests, the Levites, and the appointed ones.

³⁴ These were the heads of the families of the Levites according to their generations; these chiefs dwelt in Jerusalem.

³² And of the sons of Issachar having wisdom with regard to the times, knowing what Israel should do, two hundred; and all their brethren with them.

³ And the Levites numbered themselves from thirty years old and upward; and their number by their polls amounted to thirty-eight thousand men. ⁴ Of the overseers over the works of the house of the Lord there were twenty-four thousand, and there were six thousand scribes and judges; ⁵ and four thousand gatekeepers, and four thousand to praise the Lord with instruments which he made to praise the Lord. ⁶ And David divided them into daily courses, for the sons of Levi, for Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

²⁶ And the Levites bore not the tabernacle, or any of the vessels for its service. ²⁷ For by the last words of David was the number of the Levites taken from twenty years old and upward. ²⁸ For he appointed them to wait on Aaron, to minister in the house of the Lord, over the courts, and over the chambers, and over the purification of all the holy things, and over the works of the service of the house of God;

²⁸ For he appointed them to wait on Aaron, to minister in the house of the Lord, over the courts, and over the chambers, and over the purification of all the holy things, and over the works of the service of the house of God; ²⁹ and for the showbread, and for the fine flour of the meat offering, and for the unleavened cakes, and for the fried cake, and for the dough, and for every measure; ³⁰ and to stand in the morning to praise and give thanks to the Lord, and so in the evening; ³¹ and to be over all the whole burnt offerings that were offered up to the Lord on the Sabbaths, and at the new moons, and at the feasts, by number, according to the order given to them, continually before the Lord. ³² And they are to keep the charge of the tabernacle of witness, and the charge of the holy place, and the charges of the sons of Aaron their brethren, to minister in the house of the Lord.

¹ And they numbered the sons of Aaron in their division, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. ² And Nadab and Abihu died before their father, and they had no sons, so Eleazar and Ithamar the sons of Aaron ministered as priests. ³ And David distributed them, even Zadok of the sons of Eleazar, and Ahimelech of the sons of Ithamar, according to their numbering, according to their service, according to the houses of their fathers. ⁴ And there were found among the sons of Eleazar more chiefs of the mighty ones, than of the sons of Ithamar. And he divided them, sixteen heads of families to the sons of Eleazar, eight according to their families to the sons of Ithamar. ⁵ And he divided them according to their lots, one with the other; for there were those who had charge of the holy things, and those who had charge of the house of the Lord among the sons of Eleazar, and among the sons of Ithamar. ⁶ And Shemaiah the son of Nethanel, the scribe, of the family of Levi, wrote them down before the king, and the princes, and Zadok the priest, and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar were present; and the heads of the families of the priests and the Levites, each of a household were assigned, one to Eleazar, and one to Ithamar.

³¹ And they also received lots as their brethren the sons of Aaron before the king; Zadok also, and Ahimelech, and the chiefs of the families of the priests and of the Levites, principal heads of families, even as their younger brethren.

¹⁴ And the lot for the east gate fell to Shelemiah, and Zechariah; the sons of Soaz cast lots for Milchiah and the lot came out northward.

²⁰ And the Levites their brethren were over the treasures of the house of the Lord, and over the treasures of the hallowed things. ²¹ These were the sons of Laadan, the sons of the Gershonite: to Laadan belonged the heads of the families; the son of Laadan the Gershonite was Jehieli. ²² The sons of Jehieli were Zetham and Joel; brethren who were over the treasures of the house of the Lord. ²³ To Amram and Issaar belonged Hebron, and Uzziel. ²⁴ And Shebuel the son of Gershom, the son of Moses, was over the treasures. ²⁵ And Rehabiah was son to his brother Eliezer, and so was Jeshaiah, Joram, Zichri, and Shelomith. ²⁶ This Shelomith and his brethren were over all the sacred treasures, which David the king and the heads of families consecrated, and the captains of thousands and captains of hundreds, and princes of the host,

³² And his brethren were two thousand seven hundred mighty men, chiefs of their families, and King David set them over the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, for every ordinance of the Lord, and business of the king.

⁹ And now, my son Solomon, know the God of your fathers, and serve Him with a perfect heart and a willing soul; for the Lord searches all hearts, and knows every thought: if you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you should forsake Him, He will forsake you forever.

¹⁴ And he gave him the account of their weight, both of the gold and silver vessels. ¹⁵ He gave him the weight of the lampstands, and of the lamps. ¹⁶ He gave him likewise the weight of the tables of showbread, of each table of gold, and likewise of the tables of silver. ¹⁷ Also of the flesh-hooks, and vessels for drink offering, and golden bowls. And the weight of the gold and silver articles, and censers, and bowls, according to the weight of each. ¹⁸ And he showed him the weight of the utensils of the altar of incense, which was of pure gold, and the plan of the chariot of the cherubim that spread out their wings, and overshadowed the ark of the covenant of the Lord.

² I have prepared according to all my might for the house of my God, gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, onyx stones, and costly and variegated stones for setting, and every precious stone, and much Parian marble. ³ Moreover, because I took pleasure in the house of my God, I have gold and silver which I have procured for myself, and behold, I have given them to the house of my God over and above, beyond what I have prepared for the holy house.

¹² And Hiram said, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who made heaven and earth, who has given to King David a wise son, and one endowed with knowledge and understanding, who shall build a house for the Lord, and a house for his kingdom.

² And he went out to meet Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin, and said, Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin. The Lord is with you, while you are with Him; and if you seek Him out, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.

⁹ For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout all the earth, to strengthen every heart that is perfect toward Him. In this you have done foolishly; henceforth there shall be war with you.

³ And Jehoshaphat was alarmed, and set his face to seek the Lord earnestly, and he proclaimed a fast in all Judah.

¹⁴ And when they had finished it, they brought to the king and to Jehoiada the remainder of the money, and they made vessels for the house of the Lord, vessels of service for whole burnt offerings, and gold and silver censers: and they offered up whole burnt offerings in the house of the Lord continually all the days of Jehoiada.

¹² The whole number of the chiefs of families of the mighty men of war was two thousand six hundred;

³¹ Then Hezekiah answered and said, Now that you have consecrated yourselves to the Lord, bring near and offer sacrifices of praise in the house of the Lord. And the congregation brought sacrifices and thank offerings into the house of the Lord; and everyone who was ready in his heart brought whole burnt offerings. ³² And the number of the whole burnt offerings which the congregation brought, was seventy calves, a hundred rams, and two hundred lambs: all these were for a whole burnt offering to the Lord.

¹² And when he was afflicted, he sought the face of the Lord his God, and was greatly humbled before the face of the God of his fathers; ¹³ and he prayed to Him. And He hearkened to him, and listened to his cry, and brought him back to Jerusalem to his kingdom. And Manasseh knew that the Lord, He is God.

⁵ Then the chiefs of the families of Judah and Benjamin arose, and the priests, and the Levites, all whose spirit the Lord stirred up to go up to build the house of the Lord that is in Jerusalem.

⁷ And King Cyrus brought out the vessels of the house of the Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar had brought from Jerusalem, and put in the house of his god. ⁸ And Cyrus king of the Persians brought them out by the hand of Mithradath the treasurer, and he numbered them to Sheshbazzar, the chief man of Judah.

⁸ And Cyrus king of the Persians brought them out by the hand of Mithradath the treasurer, and he numbered them to Sheshbazzar, the chief man of Judah. ⁹ And this is their number: thirty gold platters, and a thousand silver platters, twenty-nine knives, thirty golden goblets, ¹⁰ four hundred and ten double silver vessels, and a thousand other vessels. ¹¹ All the gold and silver vessels were five thousand four hundred, even all that went up with Sheshbazzar from the place of transportation, from Babylon to Jerusalem.

¹ And these are the people of the land that went up, of the number of prisoners who were removed, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon carried away to Babylon, and they returned to Judah and Jerusalem, every man to his city.

³ the children of Phares, two thousand one hundred and seventy-two; ⁴ the children of Shephatiah, three hundred and seventy-two;

⁶ the children of Pahath-Moab, belonging to the sons of Jeshua and Joab, two thousand eight hundred and twelve; ⁷ the children of Elam, a thousand two hundred and fifty-four;

¹¹ the children of Babai, six hundred and twenty-three; ¹² the children of Azgad, a thousand two hundred and twenty-two; ¹³ the children of Adonikam, six hundred and sixty-six; ¹⁴ the children of Bigvai, two thousand and fifty-six; ¹⁵ the children of Adin, four hundred and fifty-four;

³¹ the children of Elamar, a thousand two hundred and fifty-four;

⁴³ The Nethinim: the children of Ziha, the children of Hasupha, the children of Tabbaoth,

⁵⁸ All the Nethinim, and the sons of Abdeselma were three hundred and ninety-two.

⁶² These sought their genealogy as though they had been reckoned, but they were not found; and they were removed from the priesthood, as defiled.

⁷ And in the days of Artaxerxes, Tabel wrote peaceably to Mithradath and to the rest of his fellow servants: the tax collector wrote to Artaxerxes king of the Persians a writing in the Syrian tongue, and the same interpreted. ⁸ Rehum the chancellor and Shimshai the scribe wrote an epistle against Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes, saying, ⁹ Thus has judged Rehum the chancellor, and Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of our fellow servants, the Dinaites, the Apharsathchites, the Tarpelites, the people of Persia, the Erech, the Babylonians, the Shushan, the Dehavites, ¹⁰ and the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Osnapper removed, and settled them in the cities of Samaria, and the rest of them beyond the river. ¹¹ This is the contents of the letter which they sent to him: To King Artaxerxes from your servants the men of the region beyond the river: ¹² Be it known to the king, that the Jews who came up to us from you, have come to Jerusalem, the rebellious and wicked city which they are building, and its walls are set in order, and they have established the foundations of it. ¹³ Now then let it be known to the king, that if that city be built up, and its walls completed, you shall have no tribute, neither will they pay any tribute, and this injures kings. ¹⁴ And it is not lawful for us to see the dishonor of the king. Therefore have we sent and made known the matter to the king, ¹⁵ that examination may be made in your fathers' book of record. And you shall find, and you shall know that this city is rebellious, and does harm to kings and countries, and there are in the midst of it from very old time refuges for runaway slaves. Therefore this city has been made desolate. ¹⁶ We therefore declare to the king, that if this city is rebuilt, and its walls are set up, you shall have no peace. ¹⁷ Then the king sent to Rehum the chancellor, and Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their fellow servants who dwelt in Samaria, and the rest beyond the river, saying, Peace; and he said, ¹⁸ The tax collector whom you sent to us has been called before me. ¹⁹ And a decree has been made by me, and we have examined, and found that city of old time exalts itself against kings, and that rebellions and desertions take place within it. ²⁰ And there were powerful kings in Jerusalem, and they ruled over all the country beyond the river, and abundant revenues and tribute were given to them. ²¹ Now therefore make a decree to stop the work of those men, and that city shall no more be built. ²² See that you be careful of the decree, not to be remiss concerning this matter, lest at any time destruction should abound to the harm of kings. ²³ Then the tax collector of King Artaxerxes read the letter before Rehum the chancellor, and Shimshai the scribe, and his fellow servants. And they went in haste to Jerusalem and through Judah, and caused them to cease with horses and an armed force.

⁶ This is the copy of a letter which Tattenai, the governor of the part on this side the river, and Shethar-Boznai, and their fellow servants the Apharsachaeans, who were on this side of the river, sent to King Darius. ⁷ They sent an account to him, and thus it was written in it: All peace to King Darius. ⁸ Be it known to the king, that we went into the land of Judea, to the house of the great God; and it is building with choice stones, and they are laying timbers in the walls, and that work is prospering, and goes on favorably in their hands. ⁹ Then we asked those elders, and thus we said to them, Who gave you the order to build this house, and to provide this preparation? ¹⁰ And we asked them their names, in order to declare them to you, so as to write to you the names of their leading men. ¹¹ And they answered us thus, saying, We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are building the house which had been built many years before this, and a great king of Israel built it, and established it for them. ¹² But after that our fathers provoked the God of heaven, and He gave them into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar the Chaldean, king of Babylon, and he destroyed this house, and carried the people away captive to Babylon. ¹³ And in the first year of King Cyrus, Cyrus the king made a decree that this house of God should be built. ¹⁴ And the gold and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar brought out from the house that was in Jerusalem, and carried them into the temple of the king, those King Cyrus brought out from the temple of the king, and gave to Sheshbazzar the treasurer, who was over the treasury, ¹⁵ and said to him, Take all the vessels, and go, put them in the house that is in Jerusalem in their place. ¹⁶ Then that Sheshbazzar came, and laid the foundations of the house of God in Jerusalem. And from that time even until now it has been building, and has not been finished. ¹⁷ And now, if it seems good to the king, let a search be made in the treasure house of the king at Babylon, that you may know whether it is so, that a decree was made by King Cyrus to build that house of God that was in Jerusalem, and let the king send to us when he has learned concerning this matter.

¹³ Then Tattenai the governor on this side beyond the river, Shethar-Boznai, and his fellow servants, according to that which King Darius sent, so they did diligently.

¹⁷ And they offered for the dedication of the house of God a hundred calves, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs, twelve kids of the goats for a sin offering for all Israel, according to the number of the tribes of Israel.

⁶ this Ezra came up out of Babylon; and he was a skilled scribe in the Law of Moses, which the Lord God of Israel had given. And the king granted him leave, for the hand of the Lord his God was upon him in all things which he sought. ⁷ And some of the children of Israel, and some of the priests, and of the Levites, and the singers, and the gatekeepers, and the Nethinim, came up to Jerusalem, in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king. ⁸ And they came to Jerusalem in the fifth month (this was the seventh year of the king). ⁹ For in the first day of the first month he began the going up from Babylon, and in the first day of the fifth month, they came to Jerusalem, for the good hand of his God was upon him.

⁹ For in the first day of the first month he began the going up from Babylon, and in the first day of the fifth month, they came to Jerusalem, for the good hand of his God was upon him.

¹³ A decree is made by me, that everyone who is willing in my kingdom of the people of Israel, and of the priests and Levites, to go to Jerusalem, be permitted to go with you. ¹⁴ One has been sent from the king and his seven counselors, to visit Judea and Jerusalem, according to the law of their God which is in your hand. ¹⁵ And for the house of the Lord there has been sent silver and gold, which the king and the counselors have freely given to the God of Israel, who dwells in Jerusalem. ¹⁶ And all the silver and gold, whatsoever you shall find in all the land of Babylon, with the freewill offering of the people, and the priests that offer freely for the house of God which is in Jerusalem.

²¹ and from me, whatever seems good to you to give. I, King Artaxerxes have made a decree for all the treasuries that are in the country beyond the river, that whatever Ezra the priest and scribe of the God of heaven may require of you, let it be done diligently, ²² to the amount of a hundred talents of silver, and a hundred measures of wheat, and a hundred baths of wine, and a hundred baths of oil, and salt without reckoning. ²³ Let whatever is in the decree of the God of heaven be done. Take heed lest anyone make an attack against the house of the God of heaven, lest at any time there shall be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons. ²⁴ Also this has been declared to you, with respect to all the priests, and Levites, the singers, porters, Nethinim and ministers of the house of God, let no tribute be paid to you; you shall not have power to oppress them.

²⁴ Also this has been declared to you, with respect to all the priests, and Levites, the singers, porters, Nethinim and ministers of the house of God, let no tribute be paid to you; you shall not have power to oppress them.

²⁸ and has given me favor in the eyes of the king, and of his counselors, and all the rulers of the king, the exalted ones. And I was strengthened according to the good hand of God upon me, and I gathered chief men of Israel to go up with me.

² Of the sons of Phinehas, Gershom; of the sons of Ithamar, Daniel; of the sons of David; Hattush.

¹³ And of the sons of Adonikam were the last, and these were their names, Eliphelet, Jeiel, and Shemaiah, and with them sixty males.

¹⁵ And I gathered them to the river that comes to Ahava, and we encamped there three days. And I reviewed the people and the priests, and found none of the sons of Levi there. ¹⁶ And I sent men of understanding to Eliezar, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, Meshullam, Joiarib, and to Elnathan. ¹⁷ And I forwarded them to the rulers with the money of the place, and I put words in their mouth to speak to their brothers the Nethinim with the money of the place, that they should bring us singers for the house of our God. ¹⁸ And they came to us, as the good hand of our God was upon us, even a man of understanding of the sons of Mahli, the son of Levi, the son of Israel, and at the commencement came his sons and his brothers, eighteen men.

¹⁸ And they came to us, as the good hand of our God was upon us, even a man of understanding of the sons of Mahli, the son of Levi, the son of Israel, and at the commencement came his sons and his brothers, eighteen men. ¹⁹ And Hashabiah, and Jeshaiah, of the sons of Merari, his brothers and his sons, twenty men.

²¹ And I proclaimed there a fast, at the River Ahava, that we should humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him the right way for us, and for our children, and for all our property.

²¹ And I proclaimed there a fast, at the River Ahava, that we should humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him the right way for us, and for our children, and for all our property. ²² For I was ashamed to ask of the king a guard and horsemen to save us from the enemy in the way; for we had spoken to the king, saying, The hand of our God is upon all that seek Him, for good; but His power and His wrath are upon all that forsake Him.

²² For I was ashamed to ask of the king a guard and horsemen to save us from the enemy in the way; for we had spoken to the king, saying, The hand of our God is upon all that seek Him, for good; but His power and His wrath are upon all that forsake Him.

²⁴ And I gave charge to twelve of the chiefs of the priests, to Sherebiah, to Hashabiah, and ten of their brothers with them.

²⁶ I even weighed into their hands six hundred and fifty talents of silver, and a hundred silver vessels, and a hundred talents of gold;

³⁰ So the priests and the Levites took the weight of the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, to bring to Jerusalem into the house of our God. ³¹ And we departed from the river of Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month, to come to Jerusalem. And the hand of our God was upon us, and He delivered us from the hand of the enemy and adversary in the way.

³³ And it came to pass on the fourth day that we weighed the silver and the gold and the vessels in the house of our God, into the hand of Meremoth the son of Uriah the priest, and with him was Eleazar the son of Phinehas, and with them Jozabad the son of Jeshua, and Noadiah the son of Binnui, the Levites.

³³ And it came to pass on the fourth day that we weighed the silver and the gold and the vessels in the house of our God, into the hand of Meremoth the son of Uriah the priest, and with him was Eleazar the son of Phinehas, and with them Jozabad the son of Jeshua, and Noadiah the son of Binnui, the Levites. ³⁴ All things were reckoned by number and weight, and the whole weight was written down.

²¹ And of the sons of Harim: Maaseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel, and Uzziah.

²⁸ And of the sons of Babai: Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, and Athlai.

³⁹ and Shelemiah, Nathan, and Adaiah,

⁸ and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the garden which belongs to the king, that he may give me timber to cover the gates, and for the wall of the city, and for the house into which I shall enter. And the king gave to me, according as the good hand of God was upon me.

¹¹ So I came to Jerusalem, and was there three days.

⁴ And next to them the order reached to Meremoth the son of Urijah, the son of Koz, and next to them Meshullam son of Berechiah the son of Meshezebel took his place; and next to them Zadok the son of Baana took his place.

¹⁷ After him repaired the Levites, even Rehum the son of Bani. Next to him repaired Hashabiah, ruler of half the district round about Keilah, in his district.

²¹ After him repaired Meremoth the son of Urijah the son of Koz, a second part from the door of the house of Eliashib, to the end of the house of Eliashib.

²⁴ After him repaired Binnui the son of Henadad, another portion from the house of Azariah as far as the corner and to the turning,

⁸ The children of Parosh, two thousand one hundred and seventy-two. ⁹ The children of Shephatiah, three hundred and seventy-two.

¹¹ The children of Pahath-Moab, with the children of Jeshua and Joab, two thousand six hundred and eighteen. ¹² The children of Elam, a thousand two hundred and fifty-four.

¹⁶ The children of Bebai, six hundred and twenty-eight. ¹⁷ The children of Azgad, two thousand three hundred and twenty-two. ¹⁸ The children of Adonikam, six hundred and sixty-seven. ¹⁹ The children of Bagvai, two thousand and sixty-seven. ²⁰ The children of Adin, six hundred and fifty-five.

³⁴ The men of Elam, one thousand two hundred and fifty-two.

⁷⁰ And some of the heads of families gave into the treasury to Nehemiah for the work a thousand pieces of gold, fifty bowls, and thirty priests' garments. ⁷¹ And some of the heads of families gave into the treasuries of the work, twenty thousand pieces of gold, and two thousand three hundred pounds of silver.

⁷ And Jeshua, Bani and Sherebiah instructed the people in the law, and the people stood in their place.

¹ Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the children of Israel assembled with fasting, and in sackcloth, and with ashes on their head.

⁴ And there stood upon the stairs, of the Levites, Jeshua, and the sons of Kadmiel, Shebaniah the son of Sarabia, sons of Chenani; and they cried with a loud voice to the Lord their God. ⁵ And the Levites, Jeshua and Kadmiel, said, Rise up, bless the Lord our God forever and ever; and let them bless Your glorious name, and exalt it with all blessing and praise.

⁵ Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah,

⁹ And the Levites: Jeshua the son of Azaniah, Binnui of the sons of Henadad, Kadmiel

¹¹ Micha, Rehob, Hashabiah, ¹² Zacchur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah,

¹⁴ The heads of the people: Parosh, Pahath-Moab, Elam, Zattu,

¹⁶ Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin,

⁴ And there dwelt in Jerusalem some of the children of Judah, and of the children of Benjamin. Of the children of Judah; Athaiah son of Uzziah, the son of Zechariah, the son of Amariah, the son of Shephatiah, the son of Mahalalel, and some of the sons of Perez;

²⁴ And the heads of the Levites were Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua; and the sons of Kadmiel, and their brothers over against them, were to sing hymns of praise, according to the commandment of David the man of God, course by course.

¹⁶ Go and assemble the Jews that are in Susa, and fast for me, and eat not and drink not for three days, night and day. And I also and my maidens will fast, and then I will go in to the king contrary to the law, even if I must die.

³ For the chiefs of the satraps, and the princes and the royal scribes honored the Jews; for the fear of Mordecai was upon them.

¹⁹ Six times He shall deliver you out of distresses, and in the seventh, harm shall not touch you. ²⁰ In famine He shall deliver you from death, and in war He shall free you from the power of the sword. ²¹ He shall hide you from the scourge of the tongue, and you shall not be afraid of coming evils. ²² You shall laugh at the unrighteous and the lawless, and you shall not be afraid of wild beasts. ²³ For the wild beasts of the field shall be at peace with you. ²⁴ Then shall you know that your house shall be at peace, and the provision for your tabernacle shall not fail.

⁸ Lead me, O Lord, in Your righteousness because of my enemies; make my way plain before Your face.

² Out of the mouth of babes and infants You have perfected praise, because of Your enemies; that You might put down the enemy and avenger.

⁸ Let Your hand be found by all Your enemies; let Your right hand find all that hate You. ⁹ You shall make them as a fiery oven at the time of Your presence; the Lord shall trouble them in His anger, and fire shall devour them.

¹⁸ Behold, the eyes of the Lord are on them that fear Him, those that hope in His mercy; ¹⁹ to deliver their souls from death, and to keep them alive in famine.

¹⁵ The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayer; ¹⁶ but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil, to destroy their memorial from the earth. The righteous cried, and the Lord hearkened to them,

²² The Lord will redeem the souls of His servants; and none of those that hope in Him shall go wrong.

¹⁰ For You, O God, have proved us; You have tried us with fire as silver is tried. ¹¹ You have brought us into the snare; You have laid afflictions on our back. ¹² You have caused men to ride over our heads; we went through the fire and water; but You brought us out into a place of refreshment. ¹³ I will go into Your house with whole burnt offerings; I will pay You my vows, ¹⁴ which my lips framed, and my mouth uttered in my affliction. ¹⁵ I will offer to You whole burnt sacrifices full of marrow, with incense and rams; I will sacrifice to You oxen with goats. Pause.

¹⁸ If I have regarded iniquity in my heart, let not the Lord hearken to me. ¹⁹ Therefore God has hearkened to me; He has attended to the voice of my prayer. ²⁰ Blessed be God, who has not turned away my prayer, nor His mercy from me.

¹¹ Who knows the power of Your wrath?

⁹ For You, O Lord, are my hope; You, my soul, have made the Most High your refuge. ¹⁰ No evils shall come upon you, and no scourge shall draw near to your dwelling. ¹¹ For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. ¹² They shall bear you up on their hands, lest at any time you dash your foot against a stone. ¹³ You shall tread on the asp and basilisk; and you shall trample on the lion and dragon. ¹⁴ For he has hoped in Me, and I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he has known My name.

² Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy; ³ and gathered them out of the countries, from the east, west, north, and south. ⁴ They wandered in the wilderness in a dry land; they found no way to a city of habitation. ⁵ Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them. ⁶ Then they cried to the Lord in their affliction, and He delivered them out of their distresses. ⁷ And He guided them into a straight path, that they might go to a city of habitation. ⁸ Let them acknowledge to the Lord His mercies, and His wonderful works to the children of men.

¹² What shall I render to the Lord for all the things in which He has rewarded me? ¹³ I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord. ¹⁴ I will pay my vows to the Lord, in the presence of all His people. ¹⁵ Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints. ¹⁶ O Lord, I am Your servant; I am Your servant, and the son of Your handmaid; You have burst my bonds. ¹⁷ I will offer to You the sacrifice of praise, and will call upon the name of the Lord. ¹⁸ I will pay my vows unto the Lord, in the presence of all His people, ¹⁹ in the courts of the Lord's house, in the midst of you, O Jerusalem.

⁹ Because of the house of the Lord our God, I have diligently sought your good.

¹ For David, A Psalm of Jeremiah. By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat; and wept when we remembered Zion.

⁸ Cause me to hear Your mercy in the morning; for I have hoped in You; make known to me, O Lord, the way in which I should walk; for I have lifted up my soul to You. ⁹ Deliver me from my enemies, O Lord; for I have fled to You for refuge. ¹⁰ Teach me to do Your will; for You are my God; Your good Spirit shall guide me in the straight way.

⁶ For the Lord gives wisdom, and from His presence come knowledge and understanding,

⁶ In all your ways acquaint yourself with her, that she may rightly direct your paths.

⁵ Counsel in a man's heart is deep water, but a prudent man will draw it out.

³ A house is built by wisdom, and is set up by understanding.

² By reason of the sins of ungodly men quarrels arise, but a wise man shall quell them.

¹⁰ Woe to their soul, for they have devised an evil counsel against themselves, saying against themselves, Let us bind the just, for he is burdensome to us; therefore shall they eat the fruits of their works. ¹¹ Woe to the transgressor! Evils shall happen to him according to the works of his hands.

²² And the Lord shall smite the Egyptians with a stroke, and shall completely heal them; and they shall return to the Lord, and He shall hear them, and thoroughly heal them.

²¹ and your ears shall hear the words of them that went after you to lead you astray, who say, This is the way, let us walk in it, whether to the right or to the left.

⁸ There shall be there a pure way, and it shall be called a holy way; and there shall not pass by there any unclean person, neither shall there be there an unclean way; but the dispersed shall walk on it, and they shall not go astray.

¹⁰ Fear not; for I am with you; wander not; for I am your God, who has strengthened you; and I have helped you, and have established you with My righteous right hand. ¹¹ Behold, all your adversaries shall be ashamed and confounded; for they shall be as if they were not; and all your opponents shall perish. ¹² You shall seek them, and you shall not find the men who shall insolently rage against you; for they shall be as if they were not, and they that war against you shall not be. ¹³ For I am your God, who holds your right hand, who says to you, ¹⁴ Fear not, Jacob, and you Israel few in number; I have helped you, says your God, He that redeems you, O Israel.

¹⁶ And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not, and I will cause them to tread paths which they have not known; I will turn darkness into light for them, and crooked things into straight. These things will I do, and will not forsake them.

¹⁰ They shall not hunger, neither shall they thirst; neither shall the heat nor the sun strike them; but He that has mercy on them shall comfort them, and by fountains of waters shall He lead them.

¹¹ Depart! Depart, go out from there, and touch not the unclean thing! Go you out from the midst of her; separate yourselves, you that bear the vessels of the Lord.

⁶ And I will give it to the strangers that attach themselves to the Lord, to serve Him, and to love the name of the Lord, to be to Him servants and handmaids; and as for all that keep My Sabbaths, from profaning them, and that take hold of My covenant, ⁷ I will bring them to My holy mountain, and gladden them in My house of prayer; their whole burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be acceptable upon My altar; for My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations,

³ saying, Why have we fasted, and You did not see? Why have we afflicted our souls, and You did not know it? Nay, in the days of your fasts you find your pleasures, and all them that are under your power you wound.

⁵ I have not chosen this fast, nor such a day for a man to afflict his soul; although you should bend down your neck as a ring, and spread under you sackcloth and ashes, neither thus shall you call a fast acceptable.

¹³ And the glory of Lebanon shall come to you, with the cypress, and pine, and cedar together, to glorify My holy place.

⁹ And the Lord stretched forth His hand to me, and touched my mouth. And the Lord said to me, Behold, I have put My words into your mouth.

¹⁵ And I will give you shepherds after My heart, and they shall certainly tend you with knowledge.

²³ I know, O Lord, that man's way is not his own; neither shall a man go, and direct his going.

¹⁹ Therefore thus says the Lord: If you will return, then will I restore you, and you shall stand before My face. And if you will bring forth the precious from the worthless, you shall be as My mouth; and they shall return to you; but you shall not return to them.

¹² And pray to Me, and I will hearken to you; and you shall earnestly seek Me, and you shall find Me; ¹³ for you shall seek Me with your whole heart.

⁸ Behold, I bring them from the north, and I will gather them from the end of the earth to the feast of the Passover: and the people shall beget a great multitude, and they shall return there. ⁹ They went forth with weeping, and I will bring them back with consolation, causing them to lodge by the channels of waters in a straight way, and they shall not err in it: for I have become a father to Israel, and Ephraim is My firstborn.

³ Cry out to Me, and I will answer you, and I will declare to you great and mighty things, which you know not.

⁴ In those days, and at that time, the children of Israel shall come, they and the children of Judah together; they shall proceed, weeping as they go, seeking the Lord their God. ⁵ They shall ask the way till they come to Zion, for that way shall they set their face; and they shall come and flee for refuge to the Lord their God; for the everlasting covenant shall not be forgotten.

²⁵ ( { θ}) TETH. The Lord is good to them that wait for Him; the soul which shall seek Him

² ( { α}) BETH. The precious sons of Zion, who were equaled in value with gold, how are they counted as earthen vessels, the works of the hands of the potter!

¹ Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, that I was in the midst of the captivity by the River Chebar; and the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.

¹⁵ Then I passed through the air and came into the captivity, and went round to those that dwelt by the River Chebar who were there; and I sat there seven days, conversant in the midst of them.

²⁰ And in every matter of wisdom and knowledge wherein the king questioned them, he found them ten times wiser than all the enchanters and sorcerers that were in all his kingdom.

²¹ And He changes times and seasons; He appoints kings, and removes them, giving wisdom to the wise, and prudence to them that have understanding.

³ And I set my face toward the Lord God, to seek Him diligently by prayer and supplications, with fasting and sackcloth.

¹⁴ Sanctify a fast, proclaim a solemn service, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of your God, and cry earnestly to the Lord,

¹² Now therefore, says the Lord your God, turn to Me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with lamentation: ¹³ and tear your hearts, and not your garments, and turn to the Lord your God: for He is merciful and compassionate, long suffering, and plenteous in mercy, and relenting of evil. ¹⁴ Who knows if He will return, and repent, and leave a blessing behind Him, even a grain offering and a drink offering to the Lord your God? ¹⁵ Sound the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, proclaim a solemn service: ¹⁶ gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the infants at the breast: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet. ¹⁷ Between the porch and the altar let the priests that minister to the Lord weep, and say, Spare Your people, O Lord, and give not Your heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them, lest they should say among the heathen, Where is their God? ¹⁸ But the Lord was jealous of His land, and spared His people.

⁵ And the men of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them.

² Let there be an utter cutting off from the face of the land, says the Lord. ³ Let man and cattle be cut off; let the birds of the air and the fish of the sea be cut off; and the ungodly shall fail, and I will take away the transgressors from the face of the land, says the Lord. ⁴ And I will stretch out My hand upon Judah, and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and I will remove the names of Baal out of this place, and the names of the priests; ⁵ and them that worship the host of heaven upon the housetops; and them that worship and swear by the Lord, and them that swear by their king; ⁶ and them that turn aside from the Lord, and them that seek not the Lord, and them that cleave not to the Lord.

⁷ "Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you. ⁸ For everyone that asks receives, and he that seeks finds, and to him that knocks, it shall be opened.

¹³ And they were bringing to Him little children, that He might touch them; but the disciples were rebuking those who brought them. ¹⁴ But when Jesus saw this, He was indignant and said to them, "Allow the little children come to Me, do not hinder them; for of such is the kingdom of God. ¹⁵ Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it." ¹⁶ And taking them in His arms, laying His hands on them, He blessed them.

³⁴ It is like a man going away on a journey, having left his house and having given authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper that he should watch. ³⁵ Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming--at evening, or at midnight, or at dawn, or early in the morning--

⁷⁴ to grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve Him without fear, ⁷⁵ in holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life.

³⁷ and she was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.

³⁹ "For the promise is for you and for your children, and for all those afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call."

³⁰ So Cornelius said, "From the fourth day until this hour I was fasting, and at the ninth hour I was praying in my house, and behold, a man stood before me in shining clothing,

¹³ And on the Sabbath day we went outside the city beside a river, where prayer was customarily made; and having sat down we spoke to the women who assembled together there.

²⁷ And when he desired to go across to Achaia, having urged him on, the brothers wrote to the disciples there to receive him; and when he arrived, he assisted greatly with those who had believed through grace;

³¹ Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years, night and day I did not cease, with tears, exhorting each one.

³ asking for favor against him, that he would summon him to Jerusalem--while planning an ambush to kill him along the way.

²² Therefore, having obtained help from God, until this day I stand, witnessing both to common people and great people, saying nothing except the things which both the prophets and Moses spoke of as being about to happen,

²⁸ And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

¹⁵ But I used none of these things, nor have I written these things that it should become thus for me; for it is better for me rather to die than that anyone should make my boasting void.

²⁰ Brothers, do not be children in your understanding; rather, in malice be children, but in understanding be men.

¹⁴ Because if in anything I have boasted to him concerning you, I was not put to shame, but as we spoke all things to you in truth, thus also our boasting to Titus became truth.

²⁰ avoiding this, lest anyone should blame us in this abundance which is ministered by us; ²¹ having regard for honorable things, not only before the Lord, but also before men.

³ Yes, I ask you also, true companion, help these women who labored together with me in the gospel, and with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life.

⁸ Finally, brothers, as many things as are true, as many as are honorable, as many as are just, as many as are pure, as many as are lovely--if there is any virtue and if there is any praise--meditate on these things.

⁷ Consider the things I say, and may the Lord give you understanding in all things.

⁵ You however be watchful in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

⁵ For this reason I left you behind in Crete, so that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and you should appoint elders in every city as I commanded you:

³⁸ But the just shall live by faith, and if he withdraws, My soul has no pleasure in him."

¹² For the eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and His ears open to their prayer; but the face of the LORD is against those doing evil."

²⁰ And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him that is true; and we are in Him that is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.

¹⁶ But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and drank up the river which the dragon had cast out of his mouth.