Daniel 6 Cross References - ISV

¹ Daniel’s Service to DariusIt pleased Darius to appoint 120 regional authorities over the kingdom throughout the realm, ² along with three chief administrators from them, one of which was Daniel. The regional authorities reported to these three administrators, so that the king would experience no losses. ³ Daniel distinguished himself among all the administrators and regional authorities, because he was of an extraordinary spirit. Therefore the king planned to appoint him over the whole kingdom.
⁴ A Plot to Destroy DanielBecause of this, the administrators and regional authorities tried to bring allegations of dereliction of duty in government affairs against Daniel, but they were unable to find any charges of corruption. Daniel was trustworthy, and no evidence of negligence or corruption could be found against him. ⁵ So these men said, “We’ll never find any basis for complaint against Daniel unless we build it on the requirements of his God.”
⁶ Then these administrators and regional authorities went as a group to the king and said this, “Your majesty, live forever! ⁷ All of the royal administrators, prefects, regional authorities, scribes, and governors have concluded that the king should establish and enforce an edict that anyone who prays to any god or man for the next 30 days (except to you, your majesty) is to be thrown into the lions’ pit. ⁸ Therefore, your majesty, establish the decree and sign the written document so it can’t be changed, in accordance with the laws of the Medes and Persians that can’t be repealed.” ⁹ So King Darius signed the edict contained in the written document.
¹⁰ Daniel is AccusedWhen Daniel learned that the written document had been signed, he went to an upstairs room in his house that had windows opened facing Jerusalem. Three times a day he would kneel down, pray, and give thanks to his God, just as he had previously done.
¹¹ The conspirators then went as a group and found Daniel praying and seeking help before his God. ¹² So they approached the king and asked, “Didn’t you sign an edict that for the next 30 days if anyone prays to any god or man, except to you, your majesty, he would be thrown into the lions’ pit?”
The king responded, “The decree has been established, in accordance with the laws of the Medes and Persians that can’t be repealed.”
¹³ Then they told the king, “Daniel, who is one of the Judean exiles, pays no attention to you, your majesty, or to the written decree, since he is still praying three times a day.”
¹⁴ When the king heard this, he was greatly upset, because he was determined to make every effort to save Daniel before the sun set. ¹⁵ But the men who had gone as a group to the king told him, “Remember, your majesty, that according to the laws of the Medes and Persians, any decree or edict that the king establishes cannot be repealed.”
¹⁶ Daniel in the Lions’ PitAt this point, the king ordered Daniel brought in and thrown into the lions’ pit. The king spoke to Daniel, “Your God, whom you serve constantly, will deliver you himself.” ¹⁷ A stone was brought and placed over the opening to the pit, and the king affixed a seal to it with his personal signet ring and with the signet rings of his officials so that no one would interfere with Daniel’s situation. ¹⁸ Then the king retired to his palace to spend the night fasting. He enjoyed no entertainment, and he couldn’t sleep.
¹⁹ The king got up at dawn and went quickly to the lions’ pit. ²⁰ As he approached where Daniel was in the pit, he cried out to him in a voice filled with anguish, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve constantly, been able to deliver you from the lions?”
²¹ Daniel replied to the king, “May your majesty live forever! ²² My God sent his angel and sealed the mouths of the lions. They have not harmed me, proving that I’m innocent before him. Also against you, your majesty, I’ve committed no offense.”
²³ The king was ecstatic, so he gave orders for Daniel to be released from the pit. Daniel was taken up from the pit, and no injury was found to have been inflicted on him, because he had believed in his God. ²⁴ Then the king gave orders to bring those men who had tried to have Daniel devoured, and they threw them, their children, and their wives into the lions’ pit. They had not reached the floor of the pit before the lions had overtaken them and crushed all their bones.
²⁵ Darius Exonerates DanielAfterward, King Darius wrote to all peoples, nations, and languages who lived throughout his realm:
“May great prosperity be yours!
²⁶ “I hereby decree that in every area of my kingdom men are to fear and tremble before the God of Daniel. For he is the living God, who endures forever. His kingdom is one that will not be destroyed, and his dominion continues forever. ²⁷ He delivers and rescues and performs signs and wonders in heaven and on earth. He has delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.”
²⁸ Daniel achieved success during the reigns of Darius and Cyrus the Persian.

²¹ You are to look for capable men among the people, men who fear God, men of integrity who hate dishonest gain. You are to set these men over them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens. ²² They are to judge the people at all times. Let them bring every major matter to you, but let them judge every minor matter. It will lighten your burden, and they’ll bear it with you.

¹ The Wealth of King AhasuerusThis is a record of what happened during the reign of Ahasuerus, the Ahasuerus who ruled over 127 provinces from India to Cush.

³¹ and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom at the age of 62.

¹⁴ or to governors who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to praise those who do right.

³⁰ “Therefore, the LORD God of Israel has declared, ‘I did, in fact, say that your family and your ancestor’s family would walk before me forever,’ but now the LORD declares, ‘Far be it from me! The one who honors me I’ll honor, and the one who despises me is to be treated with contempt.

²² Be diligent and take precautions so that you do not neglect your responsibility in this matter. Why should the kingdom sustain any more damage?

⁴ Indeed, I and my people have been sold to be annihilated, killed, and destroyed. If we had just been sold as male and female slaves, I would have kept quiet, because the trouble wouldn’t have been sufficient to bother the king.”

¹⁶ Long life is in her right hand, and in her left are riches and honor.

⁶ Whoever sends a message by the hand of a fool cuts off his own feet and drinks violence.

⁴⁸ Then the king promoted Daniel to a high position and lavished many great gifts on him, including making him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and chief administrator over the advisors of Babylon. ⁴⁹ Moreover, Daniel requested that the king appoint Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego administrators over the province of Babylon, while Daniel himself remained in the royal court.

¹⁶ However, I’ve heard that you can provide meaning and interpretation, and that you can solve difficult problems. If you are able to read the writing and report its meaning, you will be clothed in purple, have a gold chain placed around your neck, and you will become the third highest ruler in the kingdom.”

²⁹ Then Belshazzar gave orders to clothe Daniel in purple, to place a chain of gold around his neck, and to proclaim him the third highest ruler of the kingdom.

²³ “That is why the kingdom from heaven may be compared to a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.

² So he called for him and asked him, ‘What’s this I hear about you? You can’t be my manager any longer. Now give me a report about your management!’

¹³ He called ten of his servants and gave them ten coins. He told them, ‘Invest this money until I come back.’ ¹⁴ But the citizens of his country hated him and sent a delegation to follow him and to announce, ‘We don’t want this man to rule over us!’
¹⁵ “After he was appointed king, the prince came back. He ordered the servants to whom he had given the money to be called so he could find out what they had earned by investing. ¹⁶ The first servant came and said, ‘Sir, your coin has earned ten more coins.’ ¹⁷ The king told him, ‘Well done, good servant! Because you have been trustworthy in a very small thing, take charge of ten cities.’
¹⁸ “The second servant came and said, ‘Your coin, sir, has earned five coins.’ ¹⁹ The king told him, ‘You take charge of five cities.’
²⁰ “Then the other servant came and said, ‘Sir, look! Here’s your coin. I’ve kept it in a cloth for safekeeping ²¹ because I was afraid of you. You are a hard man. You withdraw what you didn’t deposit and harvest what you didn’t plant.’ ²² The king told him, ‘I will judge you by your own words, you evil servant! You knew, did you, that I was a hard man, and that I withdraw what I didn’t deposit and harvest what I didn’t plant? ²³ Then why didn’t you put my money in the bank? When I returned, I could have collected it with interest.’
²⁴ “So the king told those standing nearby, ‘Take the coin away from him and give it to the man who has the ten coins.’ ²⁵ They answered him, ‘Sir, he already has ten coins!’ ²⁶ ‘I tell you, to everyone who has something, more will be given, but from the person who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away. ²⁷ But as for these enemies of mine who didn’t want me to be their king—bring them here and slaughter them in my presence!’”

² Now it is required of servant managers that each one should prove to be trustworthy.

³⁸ so Pharaoh asked his servants, “Can we find anyone else like this—someone in whom the Spirit of God lives? ³⁹ Since God has revealed all of this to you,” Pharaoh told Joseph, “there is no one so wise and discerning as you. ⁴⁰ So you are to be appointed in charge over my palace, and all of my people are to do whatever you command them to do. Only the throne will have greater authority than you.”
⁴¹ “Look!” Pharaoh confirmed to Joseph, “I’ve put you in charge of the entire land of Egypt!”

² I appointed my brother Hanani and fortress commander Hananiah to be over Jerusalem, since he was a faithful person who revered God more than many others did.

³ Indeed, Mordecai the Jew was second in authority only to King Ahasuerus and was a powerful official among the Jewish people. Mordecai was accepted favorably by his many kinsmen, and he sought the good of his countrymen and spoke out for the welfare of all his people.

³ Do not let gracious love and truth leave you. Bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart, ⁴ and find favor and a good reputation with God and men.

²⁷ Whoever controls what he says is knowledgeable; anyone who has a calm spirit is a man of understanding.

²⁹ Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will work for kings, not unimportant people.

¹³ I concluded that wisdom is more useful than foolishness, just as light is more useful than darkness.

¹² because he was found to have an extraordinary spirit, knowledge, and understanding, along with an ability to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve difficult problems. His name is Daniel, whom the king renamed Belteshazzar. Call for Daniel, and he will reveal the meaning of the writing.”

¹⁴ I’ve heard about you, that a spirit of the gods is in you and that you have insight, discernment, and extraordinary wisdom.

²³ Because you’re highly regarded, the answer was issued when you began your prayer, and I’ve come to tell you. Pay attention to my message and you’ll understand the vision.

¹⁸ The men were terrified as they were being taken to Joseph’s palace. “It’s because of that money that was returned to our sacks the first time we were brought to him,” they reasoned. “He’s seeking an excuse to attack us, enslave us, and confiscate our donkeys!”

⁴ Meanwhile, his father and mother did not know that she was from the LORD, because he had been seeking a favorable opportunity concerning the Philistines, since the Philistines were dominating Israel at that time.

¹⁴ David was successful in all that he did, for the LORD was with him.

⁴ Jonathan spoke to his father Saul favorably about David. “The king shouldn’t wrong his servant David because he has not wronged you and because what he has done has been very beneficial for you. ⁵ He risked his life and struck down the Philistine, and the LORD brought about a spectacular deliverance for all Israel. You saw that and rejoiced, so why would you do wrong and shed innocent blood by killing David without cause?”

¹⁴ Ahimelech answered the king, “Who among all your officials is as faithful as David? He is the king’s son-in-law, the captain of your bodyguard, and he’s honored in your household.

¹² The wicked person plots against the righteous, and grinds his teeth at him. ¹³ But the Lord laughs at him because he sees that his day is coming!

³² The wicked stalks the righteous person, seeking to kill him, ³³ but the LORD will not let him fall into his hands. He will not be condemned when he is put on trial.

²⁷ The unjust man is detestable to the righteous, and whoever lives blamelessly is detestable to the wicked.

⁴ Then I examined all sorts of work, including all kinds of excellent achievements that create envy in others. This also is pointless and chasing after the wind.

¹⁸ Jeremiah Reacts to the Plot against HimThen they said, “Come, let’s make up a plot against Jeremiah. After all, the priest’s instruction, the wise man’s counsel, and the prophet’s message won’t be destroyed. So let’s verbally attack him. Pay no attention to anything he says!”

²³ But you, LORD, know all their plots to kill me. Don’t forgive their iniquity, and don’t erase their sin from your sight. Let them stumble before you. When it’s time for you to be angry, act against them!

¹⁰ Indeed, I hear many people whispering, “Terror on every side. Denounce him, let’s denounce him!” All my close friends watch my steps and say, “Perhaps he will be deceived, and we can prevail against him and take vengeance on him.”

⁸ Daniel’s Friends are AccusedJust then, certain influential Chaldeans took this opportunity to come forward and denounce the Jews.

⁴ They conspired to arrest Jesus by treachery and to kill him.

¹⁸ He did this because he knew that they had handed him over out of jealousy.

²⁰ A Question about Paying Taxes
So they watched him closely and sent spies who pretended to be honest men in order to trap him in what he would say. They wanted to hand him over to the jurisdiction of the governor,

² So the high priests and the scribes were looking for a way to put him to death, because they were afraid of the crowd.

¹⁴ and told them, “You brought this man to me as one who turns the people against the government. And here in your presence I have examined him and have found him ‘Not Guilty’ of the charges you make against him. ¹⁵ Neither does Herod, because he sent him back to us! Indeed, this man has done nothing to deserve death.

⁴ Pilate went outside again and told the Jews, “Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him.”

¹² But I will go on doing what I’m doing in order to deny an opportunity to those people who want an opportunity to be recognized as our equals in the work they are boasting about.

¹⁵ so that you may be blameless and innocent, God’s children without any faults among a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine like stars in the world

¹⁴ Therefore, I want younger widows to remarry, have children, manage their homes, and not give the enemy any chance to ridicule them.

⁸ Use wholesome speech that cannot be condemned. Then any opponent will be ashamed because he cannot say anything bad about us.

¹² Continue to live such upright lives among the gentiles that, when they slander you as practicers of evil, they may see your good actions and glorify God when he visits them.

¹⁶ But do this gently and respectfully, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak evil of your good conduct in the Messiah will be ashamed of slandering you.

¹⁴ If you are insulted because of the name of the Messiah, you are blessed, for the glorious Spirit of God is resting on you.
¹⁵ Of course, none of you should suffer for being a murderer, thief, criminal, or troublemaker. ¹⁶ But if you suffer for being a Christian, do not feel ashamed, but glorify God with that name.

¹⁷ to David, “You are more righteous than I am, because you have treated me well even though I’ve treated you poorly.

⁸ Then Haman told King Ahasuerus, “There is a certain people scattered and divided among the people throughout the provinces of your kingdom. Their laws are different than all the other people, they don’t obey the king’s laws, and it’s not in the king’s best interest to leave them alone.

⁶ When the high priests and the officials saw him, they shouted, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”
Pilate told them, “You take him and crucify him. I find no basis for a charge against him.”
⁷ The Jewish leaders answered Pilate, “We have a law, and according to that Law he must die because he made himself out to be the Son of God.”

¹³ and they cannot prove to you the charges they are now bringing against me. ¹⁴ However, I admit to you that in accordance with the Way, which they call a heresy, I worship the God of our ancestors and believe in everything written in the Law and the Prophets. ¹⁵ I have the same hope in God that they themselves cherish—that there is to be a resurrection of the righteous and the wicked. ¹⁶ Therefore, I always do my best to have a clear conscience before God and people.

²⁰ Otherwise, these men themselves should tell what wrong they found when I stood before the Council— ²¹ unless it is for the one thing I shouted as I stood among them: ‘It is for the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you today.’”

³ I replied to the king, “May the king live forever. Why shouldn’t I be troubled, since the city where my ancestral sepulchers are located lies waste, with its gates burned by fire?”

⁶ They gather together and hide in ambush. They watch my every step as they lie in wait for my life.

³ How long will you rage against someone? Would you attack him as if he were a leaning wall or a tottering fence?

² Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked, from the mob of those who practice evil, ³ who sharpen their tongues like swords, and aim their bitter words like arrows, ⁴ shooting at the innocent from concealment. Suddenly they shoot, fearing nothing. ⁵ They concoct an evil scheme for themselves; they enumerate their hidden snares; they say, “Who will see them?” ⁶ They devise wicked schemes, saying, “We have completed our plans, hiding them deep in our hearts.”

⁴ The Chaldeans responded to the king in Aramaic: “May the king live forever. Tell the dream to your servants, and we’ll reveal its meaning.”

⁹ They told King Nebuchadnezzar, “Your majesty, live forever.

¹⁰ Hearing the voices of the king and his officials, the queen entered the banquet hall. “Your majesty, live forever,” the queen said. “Don’t be frightened by your thoughts or allow your facial expression to show it.

¹¹ The conspirators then went as a group and found Daniel praying and seeking help before his God.

²¹ Daniel replied to the king, “May your majesty live forever!

²³ He asked, “What has he done wrong?”
But they kept shouting louder and louder, “Let him be crucified!”
²⁴ Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that a riot was about to break out instead. So he took some water and washed his hands in front of the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood. Attend to that yourselves.”
²⁵ All the people answered, “Let his blood be on us and our children!”

²³ But they kept pressing him with loud shouts, demanding that Jesus be crucified, and their shouts began to prevail.
²⁴ Then Pilate pronounced his sentence that their demand should be carried out. ²⁵ So he released the man who had been put in prison for revolt and murder—the man whose release they continued to demand—but he let them have their way with Jesus.

²² Up to this point they listened to him, but then they began to shout, “Away with such a fellow from the earth! He’s not fit to go on living!” ²³ While they were yelling, tossing their coats around, and throwing dirt into the air,

² When Paul had been summoned, Tertullus opened the prosecution by saying:
“Your Excellency Felix, since we are enjoying lasting peace because of you, and since reforms for this nation are being brought about through your foresight,

² As the kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers conspire together against the LORD and his anointed one, they say,

⁹ Their eyes secretly watch the helpless, lying in wait like a lion in his den. They lie in wait to catch the afflicted. They catch the afflicted when they pull him into their net.

³ Look, they lie in ambush for my life; these violent men gather together against me, but not because of any transgression or sin of mine, LORD.

⁴ They plan to cast him down from his exalted position. They delight in lies; their mouth utters blessings, while their heart is cursing. Interlude

¹ A song. A Psalm of Asaph
A Plea for Judgment God, do not rest! Don’t be silent! Don’t stay inactive, God! ² See! Your enemies rage; those who hate you issue threats. ³ They plot against your people and conspire against your cherished ones.

²⁰ Will destructive national leaders, who plan wicked things through misuse of the Law, be allied with you?

² Then King Nebuchadnezzar summoned the regional authorities, governors, deputy governors, advisors, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all of the other administrators of the provinces, ordering them to come to the dedication of the statue that he had erected.

⁶ Anyone who does not fall down and worship is immediately to be thrown into the blazing fire furnace.”

¹¹ Whoever does not fall down and worship is to be thrown into a blazing fire furnace.’

²⁷ The regional authorities, viceroys, governors, and royal advisors gazed at those men and saw that the fire had no effect on their bodies—not a hair on their head was singed, their clothes were not burned, and they did not smell of fire.

² along with three chief administrators from them, one of which was Daniel. The regional authorities reported to these three administrators, so that the king would experience no losses. ³ Daniel distinguished himself among all the administrators and regional authorities, because he was of an extraordinary spirit. Therefore the king planned to appoint him over the whole kingdom.

⁵ “My people, recall how king Balak of Moab deliberated, and how Beor’s son Balaam counseled him from Shittim to Gilgal, so that you may know the righteousness of the LORD.”

¹² This lion renders its prey to pieces to feed its whelps, and strangles enough prey for its mate, filling its lairs with prey and its dens with rendered flesh.

¹⁴ The Pharisees, however, went out and plotted against Jesus to kill him.

¹ Jesus is Taken to Pilate
As soon as it was morning, the high priests convened a meeting with the elders and scribes and the whole Council. They bound Jesus with chains, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate.

¹⁰ So the high priests planned to kill Lazarus, too,

⁵ The next day, their rulers, elders, and scribes met in Jerusalem ⁶ with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and the rest of the high priest’s family. ⁷ They made Peter and John stand in front of them and began asking, “By what power or by what name did you do this?”

²⁶ The kings of the earth take their stand, and rulers meet together against the Lord and against his Messiah.’
²⁷ For in this city both Herod and Pontius Pilate actually met together with unbelievers and the people of Israel to oppose your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, ²⁸ to carry out everything that your hand and will had predetermined to take place.

¹⁹ If it seems good to the king, let a royal decree go out from him and let it be written in the laws of Persia and Media, which cannot be repealed, that Vashti is never again to enter the presence of King Ahasuerus. Let the king give her royal position to another woman who is better than she.

¹² The king’s scribes were summoned on the thirteenth day of the first month, and all that Haman commanded was written to the regional authorities of the king, to the governors who were over each province, and to the officials of each people. This order was translated in the name of King Ahasuerus into the language of each province and bore the seal of the king’s signet ring.

³ Esther Asks that the Jewish People be SparedThen Esther spoke to the king again and fell at his feet. She wept and pleaded with him for mercy to overturn the evil plan devised by Haman the Agagite and his plot against the Jewish people.

⁸ Now, in the name of the king, you write what seems good to you concerning the Jewish people, and seal it with the king’s signet ring, for a document written in the king’s name and sealed with the king’s signet ring cannot be revoked.”

¹⁰ He wrote in the name of King Ahasuerus and sealed it with the king’s signet ring. He sent the letters by couriers on horseback, riding steeds especially bred for the king.

¹ Judgment on Unjust Lawmakers “How terrible it will be for the one who enacts unjust decrees, for those who write oppressive laws that they have prescribed

¹² So they approached the king and asked, “Didn’t you sign an edict that for the next 30 days if anyone prays to any god or man, except to you, your majesty, he would be thrown into the lions’ pit?”
The king responded, “The decree has been established, in accordance with the laws of the Medes and Persians that can’t be repealed.”

¹⁵ But the men who had gone as a group to the king told him, “Remember, your majesty, that according to the laws of the Medes and Persians, any decree or edict that the king establishes cannot be repealed.”

³⁵ Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.”

⁹ Human beings are a mere vapor, while people in high positions are not what they appear. When they are placed on the scales, they weigh nothing; even when weighed together, they are less than nothing. ¹⁰ Don’t trust in oppression or put false hope in stealing; if you become wealthy, do not set your heart on it.

⁹ It is better to take shelter in the LORD than to trust in princes.

³ Do not look to nobles, nor to mere human beings who cannot save.

² trapped by your own words, and caught by your own words,

²² “Stop trusting in human beings, whose life breath is in their nostrils, for what are they really worth?”

³⁰ Listen to the requests from your servant and from your people Israel as they pray in this direction, listen from the place where you reside in heaven, then hear and forgive.

³⁸ whatever prayer or request is made, no matter whether it’s made by a single man or by all of your people Israel, each praying out of his own hurting heart and anguish and stretching out his hands toward this Temple,

⁴⁴ “When your people go out to war against their enemies, no matter what way you send them, and they pray to the LORD in the direction of the city that you have chosen and in the direction of the Temple that I have built for your name,

⁴⁸ if they return to you with all of their heart and with all of their soul in the land of their enemies who have taken them captive, as they pray to you in the direction of their land that you have given to their ancestors and to the city that you have chosen, and to the Temple that I have built for your name, ⁴⁹ then hear their prayer and requests in heaven, where you reside, and fight for their cause, ⁵⁰ forgiving your people who have sinned against you, along with their transgressions by which they have transgressed against you.“Show your compassion in the presence of those who have taken them captive, so they may show compassion on them,

⁵⁴ Solomon’s Blessing to the Assembly
When Solomon had completed saying this entire prayer to the LORD, he got up from kneeling with his hands spread out toward heaven in the presence of the LORD’s altar,

¹³ Solomon had a bronze platform constructed five cubits square and three cubits high. He had it erected in the middle of the courtyard, and stood on it. Then he knelt down on his knees in front of the entire congregation of Israel, spread out his hands toward heaven,

³⁸ if they return to you with all of their heart and with all of their soul in the land where they have been taken captive, as they pray in the direction of their land that you have given to their ancestors and to the city that you have chosen, and to the Temple that I have built for your name,

⁵ Ezra’s Prayer of RepentanceAt the time of the evening sacrifice, I arose from my discouragement. Still in my torn garment and robe, I fell to my knees with my hands outstretched to the LORD my God,

¹¹ But I asked him, “Should a man like me run? Should someone like me run into the Temple to save his life? I won’t go there!”

⁷ But I, because of the abundance of your gracious love, may come into your house. In awe of you, I will worship in your holy Temple.

¹ To the Director: A Davidic Song.
Confident Trust in God I take refuge in the LORD. So how can you say to me, “Flee like a bird to the mountains.”? ² Look, the wicked have bent their bow and placed their arrow on the string, to shoot from the darkness at the upright in heart.

¹ By David, when he pretended to be insane before Abimelech, who drove him away. So David left.
Learning about God’s Deliverance I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise will be in my mouth continuously.

¹⁷ Morning, noon, and night, I mulled over these things and cried out in my distress, and he heard my voice.

³ Have mercy on me Lord, for I call on you all day long.

⁶ Come! Let us worship and bow down; let us kneel in the presence of the LORD, who made us.

¹³ Then they told the king, “Daniel, who is one of the Judean exiles, pays no attention to you, your majesty, or to the written decree, since he is still praying three times a day.”

⁴ So I told myself, ‘I have been driven away from you. How will I again gaze on your holy Temple?’

²⁸ Stop being afraid of those who kill the body but can’t kill the soul. Instead, be afraid of the one who can destroy both body and soul in hell.
²⁹ “Two sparrows are sold for a penny, aren’t they? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father’s permission. ³⁰ Indeed, even the hairs on your head have all been counted! ³¹ So stop being afraid. You are worth more than a bunch of sparrows.”
³² Acknowledging the Messiah
“Therefore, everyone who acknowledges me before people I, too, will acknowledge before my Father in heaven. ³³ But whoever denies me before people I, too, will deny before my Father in heaven.”

⁴ Fear God
“But I tell you, my friends, never be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can’t do anything more. ⁵ I’ll show you the one you should be afraid of. Be afraid of the one who has the authority to throw you into hell after killing you. Yes, I tell you, be afraid of him!
⁶ “Five sparrows are sold for two pennies, aren’t they? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. ⁷ Why, even all the hairs on your head have been counted! Stop being afraid. You are worth more than a bunch of sparrows.”
⁸ Acknowledging the Messiah
“But I tell you, the Son of Man will acknowledge before God’s angels everyone who acknowledges me before people. ⁹ But whoever denies me before people will be denied before God’s angels.

²⁶ “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father, mother, wife, children, brothers, and sisters, as well as his own life, he can’t be my disciple.

⁴¹ Then he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, knelt down, and began to pray,

¹ The Coming of the Holy SpiritWhen the day of Pentecost was being celebrated, all of them were together in one place. ² Suddenly, a sound like the roar of a mighty windstorm came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.

¹⁵ These men are not drunk as you suppose, for it’s only nine o’clock in the morning.

¹ A Crippled Man is HealedOne afternoon, Peter and John were on their way to the Temple for the three o’clock prayer time.

¹⁷ But to keep it from spreading any further among the people, let us warn them never again to speak to anyone in this name.”
¹⁸ So they called Peter and John back in and ordered them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. ¹⁹ But Peter and John answered them, “You must decide whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than God,

²⁹ Lord, pay attention to their threats now, and allow your servants to speak your word boldly

²⁰ “Go, stand in the Temple, and keep on telling the people the whole message about this life they can have.”

²⁹ But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men!

⁴⁰ After calling in the apostles and beating them, they again ordered them to stop speaking in the name of Jesus and let them go. ⁴¹ They left the Council, rejoicing to have been considered worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the Name. ⁴² Every day in the Temple and from house to house they kept teaching and proclaiming that Jesus is the Messiah.

⁶⁰ Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, don’t hold this sin against them!” After he had said this, he died.

⁴⁰ Peter made them all go outside. After kneeling down, he prayed, turned to the body, and said, “Tabitha, get up!” She opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up.

⁹ Peter Has a VisionAround noon the next day, while they were on their way and coming close to the town, Peter went up on the roof to pray.

²⁴ But I don’t place any value on my life, if only I can finish my race and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.

³⁶ When Paul had said this, he knelt down and prayed with all of them.

⁵ but when our time there came to an end, we left and proceeded on our journey. All of them accompanied us with their wives and children out of the city. We knelt on the beach, prayed,

¹⁴ To Know the Messiah’s LoveThis is the reason I bow my knees before the Father of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah,

¹⁴ Moreover, because of my imprisonment the Lord has caused most of the brothers to become confident to speak God’s word more boldly and courageously than ever before.

²⁰ I rejoice because I eagerly expect and hope that I will have nothing to be ashamed of, because through my boldness the Messiah will be exalted through me, now as always, whether I live or die.

⁶ Never worry about anything. Instead, in every situation let your petitions be made known to God through prayers and requests, with thanksgiving.

¹⁷ And whatever you do, whether by speech or action, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

¹⁷ Continually be prayerful. ¹⁸ In everything be thankful, because this is God’s will for you in the Messiah Jesus.

¹⁶ So let us keep on coming boldly to the throne of grace, so that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

¹⁵ Therefore, through him let us always bring God a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of our lips that confess his name.

¹⁰ Don’t be afraid of what you are going to suffer. Look! The devil is going to throw some of you into prison so that you may be tested. For ten days you will undergo suffering. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the victor’s crown of life.

¹³ ‘I know where you live. Satan’s throne is there. Yet you hold on to my name and have not denied your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was killed in your presence, where Satan lives.

⁶ Then these administrators and regional authorities went as a group to the king and said this, “Your majesty, live forever!

⁸ Daniel’s Friends are AccusedJust then, certain influential Chaldeans took this opportunity to come forward and denounce the Jews. ⁹ They told King Nebuchadnezzar, “Your majesty, live forever. ¹⁰ You, your majesty, issued this decree: ‘Every man who hears the sound of the trumpet, the flute, the lyre, the four-stringed lyre, and the harp, playing together along with various other instruments is to fall down and worship the golden statue. ¹¹ Whoever does not fall down and worship is to be thrown into a blazing fire furnace.’
¹² “Certain influential Jewish men whom you appointed to manage the city of Babylon—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—have neither paid attention to you, your majesty, nor served your gods. And they won’t worship the golden statue that you set up.”

⁸ Therefore, your majesty, establish the decree and sign the written document so it can’t be changed, in accordance with the laws of the Medes and Persians that can’t be repealed.”

¹⁹ When her owners realized that their hope of making money was gone, they grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them before the authorities who met together in the public square.

²⁴ Having received these orders, he put them into the inner cell and fastened their feet in leg irons.

² When Paul had been summoned, Tertullus opened the prosecution by saying:
“Your Excellency Felix, since we are enjoying lasting peace because of you, and since reforms for this nation are being brought about through your foresight, ³ we always and everywhere acknowledge it with profound gratitude. ⁴ But so as not to detain you any further, I beg you to hear us briefly with your customary graciousness. ⁵ For we have found this man a perfect pest and an agitator among all Jews throughout the world. He is a ringleader in the sect of the Nazarenes ⁶ and even tried to profane the Temple, but we arrested him. ^{7 8} By examining him for yourself, you will be able to find out from him everything of which we accuse him.”
⁹ The Jewish leaders supported his accusations by asserting that these things were true.

⁶ Included among the people of Judah were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.

²⁵ Then Arioch quickly brought Daniel into the king’s presence and informed him: “I’ve found a man from the Judean captives who will make known the meaning to the king.”

¹² “Certain influential Jewish men whom you appointed to manage the city of Babylon—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—have neither paid attention to you, your majesty, nor served your gods. And they won’t worship the golden statue that you set up.”

¹³ Daniel Interprets the HandwritingThen Daniel was brought before the king. The king spoke up and told Daniel, “So you are Daniel, one of the Judean exiles whom my grandfather the king brought from Judah!

⁷ and Jason has welcomed them as his guests. All of them oppose the emperor’s decrees by saying that there is another king—Jesus!”

²⁸ Later on, David found out about it and proclaimed, “Let me and my kingdom remain guiltless forever in the LORD’s presence for the death of Ner’s son Abner. ²⁹ May judgment rest on Joab’s head and on his father’s entire household. May Joab’s dynasty never be without one who has a discharge, who is a leper, who walks with a cane, who commits suicide, or who lacks food!”

¹³ The Threat of the Fire FurnaceNebuchadnezzar flew into a rage and furiously ordered that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought before him.

¹⁷ So when the people had gathered, Pilate asked them, “Which man do you want me to release for you—Barabbas, or Jesus who is called ‘the Messiah’?” ¹⁸ He did this because he knew that they had handed him over out of jealousy.
¹⁹ While he was sitting on the judge’s seat, his wife sent him a message that said, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man, because today I have suffered terribly due to a dream I had about him.”
²⁰ But the high priests and elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to demand that Jesus be put to death. ²¹ So the governor asked them, “Which of the two men do you want me to release for you?”
“Barabbas!” they replied.
²² Pilate asked them, “Then what should I do with Jesus, who is called the Messiah?”
They all said, “Let him be crucified!”
²³ He asked, “What has he done wrong?”
But they kept shouting louder and louder, “Let him be crucified!”
²⁴ Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that a riot was about to break out instead. So he took some water and washed his hands in front of the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood. Attend to that yourselves.”

²⁶ The king was deeply saddened, yet because of his oaths and his guests he was reluctant to refuse her.

¹³ Jesus is Sentenced to Death
Then Pilate called the high priests, the other leaders, and the people together ¹⁴ and told them, “You brought this man to me as one who turns the people against the government. And here in your presence I have examined him and have found him ‘Not Guilty’ of the charges you make against him. ¹⁵ Neither does Herod, because he sent him back to us! Indeed, this man has done nothing to deserve death. ¹⁶ So I will punish him and let him go.”
¹⁷ Now he was obligated to release someone for them at the festival. ¹⁸ But they all shouted out together, “Away with this man! Release Barabbas for us!” ¹⁹ (This man had been put in prison for murder and for a revolt that had taken place in the city.) ²⁰ But Pilate wanted to let Jesus go, so he appealed to them again, ²¹ but they continued to shout, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”

⁷ The Jewish leaders answered Pilate, “We have a law, and according to that Law he must die because he made himself out to be the Son of God.”
⁸ When Pilate heard this, he became even more afraid. ⁹ Returning to his headquarters, he asked Jesus, “Where are you from?”
But Jesus did not answer him.
¹⁰ So Pilate asked him, “Aren’t you going to speak to me? You realize, don’t you, that I have the authority to release you and the authority to crucify you?”
¹¹ Jesus answered him, “You have no authority over me at all, except what was given to you from above. That’s why the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.”
¹² From then on, Pilate tried to release him, but the Jewish leaders kept shouting, “If you release this fellow, you’re not a friend of Caesar! Anyone who claims to be a king is defying Caesar!”

²⁰ Will destructive national leaders, who plan wicked things through misuse of the Law, be allied with you? ²¹ They gather together against the righteous, condemning the innocent to death.

³⁹ Today, even though I’m anointed as king, I’m weak. These men, sons of Zeruiah, are too difficult for me. May the LORD repay the one who acts wickedly in accordance with his wickedness!”

¹⁹ “He will deliver you through six calamities; and calamity won’t touch you throughout the seventh.

³⁹ But deliverance for the righteous one comes from the LORD; he is their strength in times of distress. ⁴⁰ The LORD helps and delivers them; he will deliver them from the wicked, and he will save them because they have sought refuge in him.

¹⁴ The LORD SpeaksBecause he has focused his love on me, I will deliver him. I will protect him because he knows my name. ¹⁵ When he calls out to me, I will answer him. I will be with him in his distress. I will deliver him, and I will honor him. ¹⁶ I will satisfy him with long life; I will show him my deliverance.

⁸ It is better to take shelter in the LORD than to trust in people. ⁹ It is better to take shelter in the LORD than to trust in princes.

²⁵ Fearing any human being is a trap, but confiding in the LORD keeps anyone safe.

² When you pass through the waters, I’ll be with you; and through the rivers, they won’t sweep over you. when you walk through fire you won’t be scorched, and the flame won’t set you ablaze.

¹⁴ Look, I’m in your hands, so do with me what you think is good and right.

⁵ King Zedekiah said, “Look, he’s in your hands, and the king can do nothing to you.”

¹⁵ Now, if you are ready at this very moment to obey ‘the sound of the trumpet, the flute, the lyre, the four-stringed lyre, and the harp,’ and worship the image that I have made… If you do not so worship, you will immediately have cast yourselves into the middle of the blazing fire, and what god is there who can deliver you from my power?”

¹⁷ Your majesty, if it be his will, our God whom we serve can deliver us from the blazing fire furnace, and he will deliver us from you.

²⁸ Nebuchadnezzar spoke up and announced: “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego! He sent his angel to deliver his servants who trusted in him. They disobeyed the king’s command and were willing to risk their lives in order not to serve or worship any god except their own God.

⁷ All of the royal administrators, prefects, regional authorities, scribes, and governors have concluded that the king should establish and enforce an edict that anyone who prays to any god or man for the next 30 days (except to you, your majesty) is to be thrown into the lions’ pit.

²⁰ As he approached where Daniel was in the pit, he cried out to him in a voice filled with anguish, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve constantly, been able to deliver you from the lions?”

⁸ Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me, right here on a platter, the head of John the Baptist.” ⁹ Under pressure because of his promises and his assembled guests, the king ordered that it be done. ¹⁰ So he sent word and had John beheaded in prison.

²³ He asked, “What has he done wrong?”
But they kept shouting louder and louder, “Let him be crucified!”
²⁴ Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that a riot was about to break out instead. So he took some water and washed his hands in front of the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood. Attend to that yourselves.”
²⁵ All the people answered, “Let his blood be on us and our children!” ²⁶ Then he released Barabbas for them, but he had Jesus whipped and handed over to be crucified.

²⁵ Immediately the girl hurried back to the king with her request, “I want you to give me right now the head of John the Baptist on a platter.”
²⁶ The king was deeply saddened, yet because of his oaths and his guests he was reluctant to refuse her. ²⁷ So without delay the king sent a soldier and ordered him to bring John’s head. The soldier went and beheaded him in prison. ²⁸ Then he brought John’s head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother.

¹⁴ “Why?” Pilate asked them. “What has he done wrong?”
But they shouted even louder, “Crucify him!”
¹⁵ So Pilate, wanting to satisfy the crowd, released Barabbas for them, but he had Jesus whipped and handed over to be crucified.

¹² From then on, Pilate tried to release him, but the Jewish leaders kept shouting, “If you release this fellow, you’re not a friend of Caesar! Anyone who claims to be a king is defying Caesar!”
¹³ When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus outside and sat down on the judgment seat in a place called The Pavement, which in Hebrew is called Gabbatha. ¹⁴ Now it was the Preparation Day for the Passover, about noon. He told the Jewish leaders, “Here is your king!”
¹⁵ Then they shouted, “Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!”
Pilate asked them, “Should I crucify your king?”
The high priests responded, “We have no king but Caesar!” ¹⁶ Then Pilate handed him over to be crucified, and they took Jesus away.

²⁷ After two years had passed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus. Since Felix wanted to do the Jews a favor, he left Paul in prison.

⁹ Then Festus, wanting to do the Jewish leaders a favor, asked Paul, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem to be tried there before me on these charges?”

¹¹ If I’m guilty and have done something that deserves death, I’m willing to die. But if there is nothing to their charges against me, no one can hand me over to them as a favor. I appeal to the emperor!”

²³ For just last night an angel of God, to whom I belong and whom I serve, stood by me ²⁴ and said, ‘Stop being afraid, Paul! You must stand before the emperor. Indeed, God has given to you the lives of everyone who is sailing with you.’

³ For the authorities are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you like to live without being afraid of the authorities? Then do what is right, and you will receive their approval.

⁵³ They dumped me alive into a pit, sealing me in with stone.

⁶⁰ Then he placed it in his own new tomb, which he had cut out of the rock. After rolling a large stone across the door of the tomb, he left, ⁶¹ but Mary Magdalene and the other Mary remained there, sitting in front of the tomb.
⁶² The Tomb is SecuredThe following day (that is, after the Day of Preparation), the high priests and Pharisees gathered before Pilate ⁶³ and said, “Sir, we remember how that impostor said while he was still alive, ‘I will be raised after three days.’ ⁶⁴ Therefore, order the tomb to be secured until the third day, or his disciples may go and steal him and then tell the people, ‘He has been raised from the dead.’ Then the last deception would be worse than the first one.”
⁶⁵ Pilate told them, “You have a military guard. Go and make the tomb as secure as you know how.” ⁶⁶ So they went and secured the tomb by putting a seal on the stone in the presence of the guards.

⁴ When he arrested Peter, Herod put him in prison and turned him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him, planning to bring him out to the people after Passover season.

²³ After giving them a severe beating, they threw them in jail and ordered the jailer to keep them under tight security. ²⁴ Having received these orders, he put them into the inner cell and fastened their feet in leg irons.

¹⁶ David begged God on behalf of the youngster. He fasted, went inside, and spent the night lying on the ground. ¹⁷ His closest advisors at the palace got up, remained with him, and tried to help him get up from the ground, but he would not do so. He also wouldn’t eat with them.

²⁴ David Meets MephiboshethMeanwhile, Saul’s grandson Mephibosheth also went out to greet the king. He had not taken care of his feet, trimmed his mustache, or washed his clothes from the day the king left until the day he returned safely.

²⁷ Nevertheless, as soon as Ahab heard this message, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and fasted. He even slept in sackcloth and wandered around meekly.

¹ Haman’s Plan Begins to UnravelThat night the king could not sleep, so he gave instructions to bring the book of records, the chronicles, and they were read to the king.

¹² singing with tambourines and lyres as they rejoice to the sound of flutes.

⁴ You kept my eyes open; I was troubled and couldn’t speak.

² On the willows there we hung our harps,

⁸ I also accumulated silver, gold, and the wealth of kings and their kingdoms. I gathered around me both male and female singers, along with what delights a man—all sorts of mistresses.

⁸ “The celebrations of the tambourine have ended, the noise of the jubilant has stopped, and the mirth that the harp produces has ended. ⁹ No longer do they drink wine accompanied by singing; even beer tastes bitter to those who drink it.

¹ King Nebuchadnezzar’s DreamDuring the second year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams that troubled him. As a result, he couldn’t sleep.

⁴ lying on ivory beds, stretching out on your couches, eating lambs from the flock, and fattened calves from the stall, ⁵ chanting to the sound of stringed instruments as if they were David, composing songs to themselves as if they were musicians, ⁶ drinking wine from bowls, anointing themselves with the choicest of oils, but not grieving on the occasion of Joseph’s ruin—

³ So Jonah got up and went to Nineveh to do what the LORD had ordered.
Now Nineveh was a very large city, requiring a three-day journey to cross through it. ⁴ As Jonah started into the city on the first day’s journey, he proclaimed the message, “40 days more and Nineveh will be overthrown!”
⁵ The City of Nineveh RepentsThe people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least important. ⁶ When the message reached the king of Nineveh, he got up from his throne, removed his royal garments, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat down in ashes. ⁷ Then he had this proclamation published throughout Nineveh: “By decree of the king and his nobles: No man or animal, herd or flock, is to taste anything, graze, or drink water. ⁸ Instead, let both man and animal clothe themselves with sackcloth and cry out to God forcefully. Let every person turn from his evil ways and from his tendency to do violence. ⁹ Who knows but that God may relent, have compassion, and turn from his fierce anger, so that we are not exterminated?”

²² The sound of harpists, musicians, flutists, and trumpeters will never be heard within you again. No artisan of any trade will ever be found within you again. The sound of a millstone will never be heard within you again.

¹ Jesus is Raised from the Dead
After the Sabbaths, around dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to take a look at the burial site.

² Very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had just come up, they were going to the tomb.

¹³ but my spirit could not find any relief, because I couldn’t find Titus, my brother. So I said goodbye to them and went on to Macedonia.

⁵ But when I could stand it no longer, I sent Timothy to find out about your faith. I was afraid that the tempter had tempted you in some way, and that our work had been a waste of time.

¹⁴ Is anything impossible for the LORD? At the time set for it, I will return to you—about a year from now—and Sarah will have a son.”

²³ God Rebukes MosesBut the LORD responded to Moses, “Is the LORD short on power? You’re now going to witness whether what I say will come to pass or not.”

¹⁵ But if you slaughter this people all at the same time, then the nations who heard about your fame will say, ¹⁶ ‘The LORD slaughtered this people in the wilderness because he wasn’t able to bring them to the land that he promised them.’

¹¹ Seek the LORD and his strength. Always look to him.

¹⁴ As for me, I will hope continuously and will praise you more and more. ¹⁵ I will declare your righteousness and your salvation every day, though I do not fully understand what the outcome will be. ¹⁶ Lord GOD, I will come in the power of your mighty acts, remembering your righteousness—yours alone. ¹⁷ God, you taught me from my youth, so I am still declaring your awesome deeds. ¹⁸ Also, when I reach old age and have gray hair, God, do not forsake me, until I have declared your power to this generation and your might to the next one.

²³ But now I am always with you, for you keep holding my right hand.

¹¹² As a result, I am determined to carry out your statutes forever.

² I will praise the LORD as long as I live, singing praises to my God while I exist.

¹⁷ Never let yourself envy sinners; instead, remain in fear of the LORD every day, ¹⁸ for there is surely a future life, and what you hope for will not be cut off.

¹⁷ ‘LORD! Look, you made the heavens and the earth with your great power and your outstretched arm. Nothing is too difficult for you!

²⁸ Nebuchadnezzar spoke up and announced: “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego! He sent his angel to deliver his servants who trusted in him. They disobeyed the king’s command and were willing to risk their lives in order not to serve or worship any god except their own God. ²⁹ So I decree that people from any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego will be destroyed and their house reduced to rubble, because there is no other god who can save like this.”

¹⁶ Daniel in the Lions’ PitAt this point, the king ordered Daniel brought in and thrown into the lions’ pit. The king spoke to Daniel, “Your God, whom you serve constantly, will deliver you himself.”

²⁷ He delivers and rescues and performs signs and wonders in heaven and on earth. He has delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.”

⁶ So you, return to your God; guard grace and justice, and look to your God always.

³⁷ Nothing is impossible with respect to any of God’s promises.”

¹ The Parable about the Judge and the WidowJesus told his disciples a parable about their need to pray all the time and never give up.

⁴ Then we’ll devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”

⁷ eternal life to those who strive for glory, honor, and immortality by patiently doing good;

¹⁰ He has rescued us from a terrible death, and he will continue to rescue us. Yes, he is the one on whom we have set our hope, and he will rescue us again,

² Closing ExhortationsDevote yourselves to prayer. Be alert and thankful when you pray.

¹² That is why I suffer as I do. However, I am not ashamed, for I know the one in whom I have put my trust, and I’m convinced that he is able to protect what he has entrusted to me until the day that he comes.

¹⁶ At my first trial no one came to my defense. Everyone abandoned me. May it not be held against them! ¹⁷ However, the Lord stood by me and gave me strength so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the gentiles could hear it. I was rescued out of a lion’s mouth. ¹⁸ The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will take me safely to his heavenly kingdom. Glory belongs to him forever and ever! Amen.

²⁵ Therefore, because he always lives to intercede for them, he is able to save completely those who come to God through him.

²⁵ But the one who looks at the perfect law of freedom and remains committed to it—thereby demonstrating that he is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of what that law requires—will be blessed in what he does.

²⁴ Final PrayerNow to the one who is able to keep you from falling and to make you stand joyful and faultless in his glorious presence,

¹⁵ because I was kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews. Not only that, I haven’t done anything that deserves me being confined to this pit.”

¹⁶ Then we cried to the LORD and he heard our voice, sending us a messenger who brought us out of Egypt. Now look! We’ve arrived in Kadesh, a city at the extreme end of your territory.

³⁷ David continued, “The LORD who delivered me from the power of the lion and the power of the bear will also deliver me from the power of this Philistine.”
Saul told David, “Go! And may the LORD be with you.”

⁹ Then David told Saul, “Why do you listen to the words of those who say, ‘Look, David is trying to harm you?’ ¹⁰ Look, this very day you saw with your own eyes that the LORD gave you into my control in the cave, and one of my men told me to kill you, but I had pity on you and responded, ‘I won’t lift my hand against his majesty because he’s the LORD’s anointed.’ ¹¹ Looke, my father, look! The corner of your robe is in my hand. Indeed, by my cutting off the corner of your robe and not killing you, you may know and understand that I have no evil intent or transgression—I haven’t wronged you, even though you are hunting me to take my life.

¹⁸ David said, “Why is your majesty pursuing his servant? For what have I done, and what evil do I bear toward you?

⁷ I cried out to the LORD in the middle of my troubles; I cried out to my God. He listened to my voice from his sanctuary, and my call for help was heard.

²¹ So the LORD sent an angel, who eliminated all of the elite forces, commanders, and officers within the encampment of the king of Assyria. As a result, he retreated to his own country, deeply ashamed and humiliated. When he visited the temple of his god, some of his sons killed him right there with swords.

¹ A Davidic psalm, which he sang to the LORD, because of the words of Cush the descendant of Benjamin.
A Prayer for Vindication LORD, my God, I seek refuge in you. Deliver me from those who persecute me! Rescue me! ² Otherwise, they will rip me to shreds like a lion, tearing me apart with no one to rescue me. ³ LORD, my God, if I have done this thing, if there is injustice on my hands, ⁴ if I have rewarded those who did me good with evil, if I have plundered my enemy without justification,

¹⁹ He brought me out to a spacious place; he delivered me, for in me he takes delight.
²⁰ God’s Reward to the RighteousThe LORD will reward me because I am righteous; because my hands are clean he will restore me; ²¹ because I have kept the ways of the LORD, and I have not wickedly departed from my God; ²² because all his judgments were always before me, and I did not cast off his statutes. ²³ I was upright before him, and I kept myself from iniquity. ²⁴ So the LORD restored me according to my righteousness, because my hands were clean in his sight.

⁶ I wash my hands innocently. I go around your altar, LORD,

¹⁴ But I trust in you, LORD. I say, “You are my God.”

⁷ The angel of the LORD surrounds those who fear him, and he delivers them.

²¹ Don’t forsake me, LORD. My God, do not be so distant from me.

¹¹ For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD grants grace and favor; the LORD will not withhold any good thing from those who walk blamelessly.

¹¹ for he will command his angels to protect you in all your ways. ¹² With their hands they will lift you up so you will not trip over a stone. ¹³ You will stomp on lions and snakes; you will trample young lions and serpents.

²⁸ You are my God, and I will praise you; my God, and I will exalt you.

¹⁰ Encouragement to the Righteous“Tell the righteous that things will go well, because they will enjoy the fruit of their actions.”

⁹ In all their distress he wasn’t distressed, but the angel of his presence saved them; in his acts of love and in his acts of pity he redeemed them; he carried them and lifted them up all the days of old.

²³ The king was ecstatic, so he gave orders for Daniel to be released from the pit. Daniel was taken up from the pit, and no injury was found to have been inflicted on him, because he had believed in his God.

⁷ Micah Looks to GodBut as for me, I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God who will deliver me. My God will hear me.

⁴⁶ About three o’clock, Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eli, eli, lema sabachthani?”, which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

¹⁷ Jesus told her, “Don’t hold on to me, because I haven’t yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I’m ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”
¹⁸ So Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I’ve seen the Lord!” She also told them what he had told her.

¹¹ Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now I’m sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from Herod and from everything the Jewish people were expecting!”

¹⁶ Therefore, I always do my best to have a clear conscience before God and people.

⁸ Paul said in his defense, “I have done nothing wrong against the Law of the Jews, or of the Temple, or of the emperor.”
⁹ Then Festus, wanting to do the Jewish leaders a favor, asked Paul, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem to be tried there before me on these charges?”
¹⁰ But Paul said, “I am standing before the emperor’s judgment seat where I ought to be tried. I haven’t done anything wrong to the Jewish leaders, as you know very well. ¹¹ If I’m guilty and have done something that deserves death, I’m willing to die. But if there is nothing to their charges against me, no one can hand me over to them as a favor. I appeal to the emperor!”

²³ For just last night an angel of God, to whom I belong and whom I serve, stood by me

¹² Paul’s Reason for BoastingFor this is what we boast about: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world with pure motives and godly sincerity, without earthly wisdom but with God’s grace—especially toward you.

¹⁷ However, the Lord stood by me and gave me strength so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the gentiles could hear it. I was rescued out of a lion’s mouth.

³³ Through faith they conquered kingdoms, administered justice, received promises, shut the mouths of lions,

¹⁹ This is how we will know that we belong to the truth and how we will be able to keep ourselves strong in his presence.
²⁰ If our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts and knows everything. ²¹ Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence in the presence of God.

⁹ Jethro rejoiced over all the good that the LORD had done for Israel in delivering them from the hand of the Egyptians.

⁷ As soon as Hiram received the message from Solomon, he became so ecstatic that he exclaimed, “Blessed be the LORD today, who has given David a wise son to rule this great people!” Then he sent this message to Solomon:

²⁰ When they received assistance against them, the Hagrites and all of their allies were handed over to their control, because they cried out to God during the battle. He honored their entreaty, because they had placed their trust in him.

¹¹ Solomon’s WealthIn a letter that he sent to Solomon, King Hiram of Tyre wrote, “Because he loves his people, the LORD has placed you as king over them.” ¹² Hiram also wrote: “Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, who made the heavens and the earth. He gave King David a wise son, who is acquainted with discretion and understanding, and who is building a temple to the LORD, as well as a royal palace for himself.

²⁰ Jehoshaphat’s Instructions the Next MorningThe army got up early the next morning and headed out into the wilderness of Tekoa. Jehoshaphat stood up and addressed them. “Listen to me, you inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem,” he said. “Have faith in the LORD your God and you’ll be established! Have faith in his prophets and you’ll succeed!”

⁴⁰ The LORD helps and delivers them; he will deliver them from the wicked, and he will save them because they have sought refuge in him.

³ Do not look to nobles, nor to mere human beings who cannot save. ⁴ When they stop breathing, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans evaporate! ⁵ Happy is the one whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God, ⁶ maker of heaven and earth, the seas and everything in them, forever the guardian of truth,

¹⁰ The name of the LORD is a strong tower; a righteous person rushes to it and is lifted up above the danger.

³ You will keep perfectly peaceful the one whose mind remains focused on you, because he remains in you.

²⁵ “Look!” he told them, “I see four men walking untied and unharmed in the middle of the fire, and the appearance of the fourth resembles a divine being.”

²⁷ The regional authorities, viceroys, governors, and royal advisors gazed at those men and saw that the fire had no effect on their bodies—not a hair on their head was singed, their clothes were not burned, and they did not smell of fire.
²⁸ Nebuchadnezzar spoke up and announced: “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego! He sent his angel to deliver his servants who trusted in him. They disobeyed the king’s command and were willing to risk their lives in order not to serve or worship any god except their own God.

¹⁴ When the king heard this, he was greatly upset, because he was determined to make every effort to save Daniel before the sun set.

¹⁸ Then the king retired to his palace to spend the night fasting. He enjoyed no entertainment, and he couldn’t sleep.

²³ Jesus told him, “‘If you are able?’ Everything is possible for the person who believes!”

¹⁸ The judges will investigate thoroughly. If the false witness lies in testifying against his relative, ¹⁹ do to him just as he intended to do to his relative. By doing this you will purge evil from your midst. ²⁰ When others hear of this, they will be afraid and will not do such an evil deed again in your midst.

¹⁶ Practicing Justice“Fathers must not be put to death on account of their children’s sin; nor shall children die on account of their fathers’ sin. Each person is to be put to death for his own sin.

²⁴ Then Joshua, with all Israel accompanying him, took Zerah’s son Achan, along with the silver, the mantle, the gold, his sons, his daughters, his oxen, his donkeys, his sheep, his tent, and everything that belonged to him to the Valley of Achor.
²⁵ Joshua announced, “Why did you bring trouble to us? Today the LORD is bringing trouble to you!” So all Israel stoned him to death, incinerated them, and buried them with stones,

⁶ but he did not execute the children of the murderers, in keeping with what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, as the LORD had commanded: “Fathers must not be put to death because of their children’s sin; nor are children to die because of their fathers’ sin, for each person is to be put to death for his own sin.”

¹⁰ So they hanged Haman on the pole he had set up for Mordecai, and then the king’s anger subsided.

¹⁰ the ten sons of Hammedatha’s son Haman, the enemy of the Jewish people, but they did not lay their hands on the spoils.

²⁵ But when Esther came before the king, he ordered through a letter that the evil plot that Haman had devised against the Jewish people be rescinded, and that he and his sons be hanged on poles.

⁵ He will turn the evil upon those who lie in wait for me. Cut them off with your truth.

⁸ The righteous person is delivered from trouble; it comes upon the wicked instead.

¹³ I’ve been swept bare until morning; just like a lion, he breaks all my bones— day and night you make an end of me.

²² because the king’s command was so drastic. Since the furnace was blazing hot, its flames killed those who threw Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego into the blazing fire.

¹ An Edict to Rebuild the Temple
During the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia, in fulfillment of the message from the LORD spoken through Jeremiah, the LORD prompted Cyrus, king of Persia, to make this proclamation throughout his entire kingdom, which was also released in written form: ² AN OFFICIAL STATEMENT FROM CYRUS, KING OF PERSIA All of the kingdoms of the earth have been given to me by the LORD God of Heaven, and he specifically charged me to build a temple for him in Jerusalem, which is in Judah.

¹⁷ The Response of AhasuerusThe king replied: To: Governor Rehum, Shimshai the scribe, and their colleagues living in Samaria, and the remainder living beyond the Euphrates River. Greetings:

⁹ The king’s scribes were summoned at that time, on the twenty-third day of the third month, which is the month Sivan, and everything that Mordecai commanded the Jewish people, the regional authorities, the governors, and the provincial officials of the 127 provinces from India to Cush was written down for each province according to its script, for each people according to their language, and for the Jewish people according to their script and language.

¹ Nebuchadnezzar’s Testimonial AN OFFICIAL STATEMENT FROM NEBUCHADNEZZAR THE KING
To the people of all nations and languages who live on earth.
Peace and prosperity to you!

² the people chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father through the sanctifying action of the Spirit to be obedient to Jesus, the Messiah, and to be sprinkled with his blood.
May grace and peace be yours in abundance!

² May grace and peace be yours in abundance through full knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord!

² May mercy, peace, and love be yours in abundance!

²⁶ For what mortal man has heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the fire like we did, and lived?

²⁶ David asked the men who were standing by him, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? Indeed, who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?”

³⁶ Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, since he defied the armies of the living God.”

⁸ Furthermore, I hereby decree what you are to do for the Jewish leaders who are building this Temple of God: you are to pay the expenses of these men out of the king’s assets from taxes collected beyond the River so that they are not hindered. ⁹ And be sure that you don’t fail to provide their daily needs—including young bulls, rams, and lambs for the burnt offerings of the God of Heaven, along with wheat, salt, wine, and oil, as the priests in Jerusalem tell you— ¹⁰ so they may approach the God of Heaven with fragrant sacrifices and pray for the life of this king and his sons. ¹¹ I hereby also decree that whoever shall alter the wording of this edict, let his residence be torn down for timber to build a gallows, hang him on it, and turn his home into an outhouse. ¹² And may the God who causes his Name to rest there destroy any king or people who might attempt to destroy this Temple of God in Jerusalem. I, Darius, have issued this decree. Let it be carried out quickly.

¹² From: Artaxerxes, King of Kings To: Ezra, the Priest, a scholar in matters concerning the laws of the God of Heaven Greetings! ¹³ I hereby decree that all of the people of Israel— along with their priests and descendants of Levi in my kingdom—who are determined to return to Jerusalem with you may do so.

¹¹ Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

¹⁰ The LORD sat enthroned over the flood, and the LORD sits as king forever.

¹ God Reigns The LORD reigns! He is clothed in majesty; the LORD is clothed, and he is girded with strength. Indeed, the world is well established, and cannot be shaken. ² Your throne has been established since time immemorial; you are king from eternity.

¹ The LORD is Holy The LORD reigns— let people tremble; he is seated above the cherubim— let the earth quake. ² The LORD is great in Zion and is exalted above all peoples. ³ Let them praise your great and awesome name. He is holy!

¹²⁰ My flesh trembles out of fear of you, and I am in awe of your judgments.

¹² in order to make known your mighty acts to mankind as well as the majestic splendor of your kingdom. ¹³ Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your authority endures from one generation to another. ^13bGod is faithful about everything he says and merciful in everything he does.

¹⁰ The LORD will reign forever, your God, Zion, for all generations! Hallelujah!

⁷ Of the growth of his government and peace there will be no end. He will rule over his kingdom, sitting on the throne of David, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from this time onward and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of the Heavenly Armies will accomplish this.

² All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came into being,” declares the LORD. “But this is the one to whom I will look favorably: to the one who is humble and contrite in spirit, and who trembles at my message.

¹⁰ The LORD is the true God; he’s the living God and the everlasting king. At his wrath the earth quakes, and the nations cannot endure his indignation.

⁴⁴ “During the reigns of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor its sovereignty left in the hands of another people. It will shatter and crush all of these kingdoms, and it will stand forever.

²⁹ So I decree that people from any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego will be destroyed and their house reduced to rubble, because there is no other god who can save like this.”

³ How great are his signs!How powerful are his wonders!His kingdom is an eternal kingdom, and his dominion lasts from generation to generation.

³⁴ The King’s Sanity Returns“When that period of time was over, I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven and my sanity returned to me. I blessed the Most High, praising and honoring the one who lives forever: For his sovereignty is eternal, and his kingdom continues from generation to generation.

¹⁴ To him dominion was bestowed, along with glory and a kingdom, so that all peoples, nations, and languages are to serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion—it will never pass away—and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”

²⁷ Then the kingdom, authority, and magnificence of all nations of the earth will be given to the people who are the saints of the Highest One. His kingdom will endure forever, and all authorities will serve him and obey him.’

¹⁰ Despite this, the number of the people of Israel will be like ocean sand, which can neither be measured nor counted. And the time will come when instead of it being said, ‘You are not my people,’ it will be said, ‘You are children of the living God.’

⁶ “Because I the LORD don’t change; therefore you children of Jacob aren’t destroyed.”

¹³ And never bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’

³³ He will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will never end.”

⁵ I’ll show you the one you should be afraid of. Be afraid of the one who has the authority to throw you into hell after killing you. Yes, I tell you, be afraid of him!

²⁵ and he isn’t served by people as if he needed anything. He himself gives everyone life, breath, and everything else.

²⁶ In the very place where it was told them, ‘You are not my people,’ they will be called children of the living God.”

⁹ For people keep telling us what kind of welcome you gave us and how you turned away from idols to serve a living and true God

¹⁷ In the same way, when God wanted to make the unchangeable character of his purpose perfectly clear to the heirs of his promise, he guaranteed it with an oath, ¹⁸ so that by these two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to prove false, we who have taken refuge in him might be encouraged to seize the hope set before us.

²⁹ For “our God is an all-consuming fire.”

¹⁷ Every generous act of giving and every perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father who made the heavenly lights, in whom there is no inconsistency or shifting shadow.

¹⁰ the 24 elders bow down and worship in front of the one who sits on the throne, the one who lives forever and ever. They throw their victor’s crowns in front of the throne and say,

¹⁴ Then the four living creatures said, “Amen!”, and the elders bowed down and worshipped.

¹⁵ The Vision of the Seventh Angel Blowing His TrumpetWhen the seventh angel blew his trumpet, there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The world’s kingdom has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will rule forever and ever.”

¹⁵ He’ll deliver the afflicted through their afflictions and open their ears when they are oppressed.”

⁴⁸ who delivers me from my enemies. Truly you will exalt me above those who oppose me; you will deliver me from the violent person.

⁵⁰ He is the one who gives victories to his king; who shows gracious love to his anointed, to David and his seed forever.

⁷ You are my hiding place; you will deliver me from trouble and surround me with shouts of deliverance. Interlude

¹⁷ Lord, how long will you just watch? Rescue me from their destruction, my precious life from these young lions.

¹⁰ Hate evil, you who love the LORD! He guards the lives of those who love him, delivering them from domination by the wicked.

¹⁹ You are great in regards to your purposes and mighty in regards to your works. Your eyes are open to everything that people do, and will reward each one according to their ways and just as their actions deserve. ²⁰ You are the one who performed signs and wonders in the land of Egypt and continue to do so until this day, both in Israel and among the rest of humanity. You made a reputation for yourself that continues to this day.

² It gives me great pleasure to tell about the signs and wonders that the Most High God has done for me. ³ How great are his signs!How powerful are his wonders!His kingdom is an eternal kingdom, and his dominion lasts from generation to generation.

¹⁷ These are the signs that will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons. they will speak in new languages. ¹⁸ and they will pick up snakes with their hands.Even if they drink any deadly poison it will not hurt them; and they’ll place their hands on the sick, and they’ll recover.”

⁷⁴ deliverance from our enemies’ grip so that we could serve him without fear ⁷⁵ and be holy and righteous before him all of our days.

³⁰ as you stretch out your hand to heal and to perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”

⁸ How God Rescued PaulFor we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, about the suffering we experienced in Asia. We were so crushed beyond our ability to endure that we even despaired of living. ⁹ In fact, we felt that we had received a death sentence so we would not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. ¹⁰ He has rescued us from a terrible death, and he will continue to rescue us. Yes, he is the one on whom we have set our hope, and he will rescue us again,

⁴ while God added his testimony through signs, wonders, various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.

²² An Edict to Rebuild the Temple
During the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia, in fulfillment of the message from the LORD spoken by Jeremiah, the LORD prompted Cyrus, king of Persia, to make this proclamation throughout his entire kingdom, which was also released in written form:

²⁸ who says about Cyrus, “He’s my shepherd, and he’ll carry out everything that I please: He’ll say of Jerusalem, ‘Let it be rebuilt,’ and of my Temple, ‘Let its foundations be laid again.’”’”

²¹ So Daniel remained there in service until the first year of King Cyrus.

¹ Daniel’s VisionIn the third year of Cyrus, king of Persia, a message was revealed to Daniel (also known as Belteshazzar). The message was trustworthy and concerned a great conflict. He understood it and had insight concerning the vision.