1 Kings 8 Cross References - LEB

¹ At that time, Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, all the heads of the tribes, and the leaders of the _⌊families_⌋* of the _⌊Israelites_⌋* before King Solomon, in order to bring up the ark of the covenant of Yahweh from the city of David, that is, Zion. ² All the men of Israel assembled before King Solomon at the festival in the month of Ethnaim, that is, the seventh month. ³ All the elders of Israel came, and the priests carried the ark. ⁴ So they brought up the ark of Yahweh and the tent of assembly* and all of the holy vessels that were in the tent; the priests and the Levites brought them up. ⁵ King Solomon and all the assembly of Israel who were assembling with him in the presence of the ark were sacrificing sheep and oxen that could not be counted nor numbered because of abundance. ⁶ The priests brought the ark of the covenant of Yahweh to its place in the inner sanctuary of the house, to the _⌊most holy place_⌋,* under the wings of the cherubim, ⁷ for the cherubim were spreading their wings over the place of the ark. The cherubim overshadowed the ark and its poles from above. ⁸ The poles were long, and the ends of the poles could be seen from the holy place _⌊in front of_⌋* the inner sanctuary, but they could not be seen from the outside, and they are there until this day. ⁹ There was not anything in the ark _⌊except_⌋* the two tablets of stone which Moses had placed there at Horeb, where Yahweh _⌊made_⌋* a covenant with the _⌊Israelites_⌋* after they went out from the land of Egypt. ¹⁰ When the priests went out from the holy place, the cloud filled the house of Yahweh. ¹¹ The priests were not able to stand to minister _⌊because of the presence of_⌋* the cloud, for the glory of Yahweh filled the house of Yahweh. ¹² Then Solomon said, "Yahweh has said that he would dwell in the very thick cloud. ¹³ I have certainly built a lofty house for you, a place for you to live forever." ¹⁴ Then the king turned his face around, and he blessed all of the assembly of Israel. (Now all the assembly of Israel was standing). ¹⁵ Then he said, "Blessed be Yahweh the God of Israel who has promised with his mouth to David my father and fulfilled _⌊by his oath_⌋,* saying, ¹⁶ 'From the day that I brought out my people Israel from Egypt I have not chosen a city from all the tribes of Israel to build a house where my name might be, but I have chosen David to be over my people Israel.' ¹⁷ _⌊David my father desired_⌋* to build a house for the name of Yahweh the God of Israel, ¹⁸ but Yahweh said to David my father, 'Because _⌊you desired_⌋* to build a house for my name, you did well in that it was within your heart. ¹⁹ However, you will not build the house, but your son who has come from your loins, he shall build the house for my name.' ²⁰ Yahweh has carried out his promise which he had made; I have risen in place of David my father, and I sit on the throne of Israel as Yahweh promised, and I have built the house for the name of Yahweh the God of Israel. ²¹ I have provided a place there for the ark, in which is the covenant which Yahweh made with our ancestors* when He brought them out of the land of Egypt." ²² Then Solomon stood before the altar of Yahweh in the presence of all of the assembly of Israel, and he spread out his hands to the heavens, ²³ and he said, "O Yahweh, God of Israel, there is no god like you in the heavens above or on the earth beneath, keeping the covenant and the loyal love for your servants who are walking before you with all their heart. ²⁴ You have kept for your servant David my father what you promised to him, and you have spoken with your mouth, and with your hand you have fulfilled it this very day. ²⁵ So then, O Yahweh, God of Israel, keep for your servant David my father what you promised to him, saying, 'For you, no man will be cut off from before me who will be sitting on the throne of Israel, if only your sons keep their ways to walk before me just as you have walked before me.' ²⁶ So then, O God of Israel, please let your word be confirmed which you have promised* to your servant David my father. ²⁷ For will God really dwell on the earth? Behold, the heavens and the heaven of heavens could not contain you! _⌊How could_⌋* this house that I have built? ²⁸ You must regard the prayer of your servant and his plea! O Yahweh my God, listen to the pleading and to the prayer that your servant is praying before you this day, ²⁹ so that your eyes will be open to this house night and day, to the place which you said, 'My name will be there,' to hear the prayer that your servant prays toward this place. ³⁰ You must listen to the plea of your servant and your people Israel which they pray toward this place; and you must hear from the place where you live, from heaven you must hear and you must forgive. ³¹ If a man sins against his neighbor and he pronounces an oath against him to curse him, and the curse comes before your altar in this house, ³² then you shall hear in heaven and you shall act and you shall judge your servant, to declare the wicked guilty by bringing his way upon his head and _⌊to declare the righteous innocent_⌋* by rewarding him according to his righteousness. ³³ When your people Israel are defeated before the enemy _⌊because_⌋* they sinned against you, and when they turn to you and confess your name and pray and beg for mercy from you in this house, ³⁴ then you shall hear in heaven and forgive the sin of your people Israel, and you shall bring them back to the ground which you gave to their ancestors.* ³⁵ When you shut up the heavens so there is no rain because they have sinned against you, then they pray to this place and they confess your name and they return from their sin because you punished them, ³⁶ then you shall hear in heaven and forgive the sin of your servants and your people Israel, for you will teach them the good way in which they should go, and you will give rain upon your land which you have given to your people as an inheritance. ³⁷ If there should be in the land famine or disease, if there should be blight or mildew or locust or caterpillars, if it happens that his enemy lays siege against him in the land of his gates, if any plague or any disease, ³⁸ any prayer or any plea which is offered by any person for all of your people Israel, who each knows the infestation of his own heart and spreads out his palms to this house, ³⁹ then you shall hear in heaven the place of your dwelling, and you shall forgive and act and give to the man whose heart you know, according to all his ways, for you alone know the heart of all the sons of man. ⁴⁰ Do these things so that they may fear you all the days that they live on the face of the land that you gave to our ancestors.* ⁴¹ Also for the foreigner who is not from your people Israel, and he comes from a distant land because of your name, ⁴² (for they shall hear of your great name and your powerful hand and your outstretched arm), and he shall come and pray toward this house, ⁴³ you shall hear in heaven, the place of your dwelling, and act according to all that the foreigner calls to you, so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name, to fear you as your people Israel, and to know that your name has been invoked over this house that I have built. ⁴⁴ If your people go out to battle against his enemy in the way that you shall send them and they pray to Yahweh, toward the city which you have chosen and the house which I have built for your name, ⁴⁵ then you shall hear in heaven their prayer and their plea, and you shall _⌊vindicate_⌋* them. ⁴⁶ "If they sin against you (for there is not a person who does not sin) and you are angry with them and you give them to an enemy and they take them captive to the land of the enemy far or near, ⁴⁷ and then they return their heart in the land where they have been taken captive and they return and plead to you in the land of their captivity, saying, 'We have sinned and we did wrong. We acted wickedly,' ⁴⁸ if they return to you with all of their heart and with all of their soul in the land of their enemies who took them captive and they pray to you toward their land which you gave to their ancestors,* the city that you have chosen and the house that you* built for your name, ⁴⁹ then you shall hear in heaven, the place of your dwelling, their prayer and their plea, and you shall _⌊vindicate them_⌋.* ⁵⁰ You shall forgive your people who sinned against you, even for all their transgressions which they committed against you. You shall give them compassion before their captors so that they may have compassion on them, ⁵¹ for they are your people and your inheritance whom you brought from Egypt from the middle of the smelter of iron. ⁵² O, that your eyes may be open to the plea of your servant and to the plea of your people Israel, to listen to them in all things when they call to you. ⁵³ For you have separated them for yourself as an inheritance from all the peoples of the earth, as you promised through the hand of Moses your servant when you brought out our ancestors* from Egypt, my Lord Yahweh!" ⁵⁴ It happened that when Solomon finished praying to Yahweh all of the prayer and this plea, he got up from before the altar of Yahweh, from kneeling down on his knees with his palms outstretched to heaven. ⁵⁵ He stood and blessed all of the assembly of Israel with a loud voice, saying, ⁵⁶ "Blessed be Yahweh who gave a resting place to his people Israel. According to all that he promised, not one word has fallen from all of his promises concerning the good which he spoke through the hand of Moses his servant. ⁵⁷ May Yahweh our God be with us as he was with our ancestors,* and may he not leave us or abandon us, ⁵⁸ to incline our hearts toward him, to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments, his statutes, and his judgments which he commanded our ancestors.* ⁵⁹ Let these my words which I pleaded before Yahweh be near to Yahweh our God, by day and by night, to maintain the justice of his servant and the justice of his people Israel _⌊as each day requires_⌋* ⁶⁰ so that all of the people of the earth may know that Yahweh, he is God; there is none other. ⁶¹ Let your heart be completely with Yahweh our God by walking in his statutes, by keeping his commands as this day." ⁶² Then the king and all of Israel with him offered a sacrifice in the presence of Yahweh. ⁶³ Solomon sacrificed the fellowship offerings which he offered to Yahweh: twenty-two thousand oxen and one hundred and twenty thousand sheep; and the king and all of the _⌊Israelites_⌋* dedicated the house of Yahweh. ⁶⁴ On that day the king consecrated the middle of the courtyard before the house of Yahweh because he offered there the burnt offerings, the grain offerings, and the fat of the fellowship offerings because the bronze altar that was in the presence of Yahweh was too small to hold the burnt offerings and the grain offerings and the fat of the fellowship offerings. ⁶⁵ Solomon held the festival at that time and all of Israel with him, a great assembly from Lebo Hamath up to the wadi* of Egypt before Yahweh our God, for seven days and seven days, a total of fourteen days. ⁶⁶ On the eighth day, he sent the people away, and they blessed the king, and they went to their tents rejoicing and _⌊in good spirits_⌋* because of all the goodness that Yahweh had shown to David his servant and to Israel his people.

² the leaders of Israel, the heads of _⌊the families_⌋,* presented an offering; they were the leaders of the tribes and were the ones in charge of the counting. ³ They brought their offering before the presence of* Yahweh, six covered utility carts and twelve cattle, a utility cart for two of the leaders, and a bull for each; and they presented them _⌊before_⌋* the tabernacle.

² Joshua summoned all Israel, their elders, heads, judges, and officials, and he said to them, "I am old and _⌊well-advanced in years_⌋,*

¹ And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem; he summoned the elders of Israel, their heads, their judges, and their officials, and they presented themselves before God.

⁷ David captured the fortress of Zion, the city of David. ⁸ David had said, "On that day _⌊when we attack the Jebusites_⌋,* one must attack the lame and the blind, those who hate the soul of David, by means of the water supply." For thus the blind and the lame would say, "He cannot come into the house." ⁹ David occupied the fortress and called it the city of David. And David built all around it from the Millo and _⌊inward_⌋.*

¹ David again gathered all the chosen men in Israel, thirty thousand. ² David got up and went and all the people who were with him, from Baale-judah to bring up from there the ark of God which is called the name, the name of Yahweh of hosts, _⌊upon which the cherubim sit_⌋.*

⁶ When they came to the threshing floor of Nakon, Uzza reached out to the ark of God and took hold of it, because the oxen had stumbled.

¹² It was told to King David, "Yahweh has blessed the household of Obed-Edom and all that is his because of the ark of God." So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the city of David with jubilation. ¹³ It happened that when the carriers of the ark of Yahweh had marched six steps that he sacrificed an ox and a fatling. ¹⁴ Now David was dancing with all his might before Yahweh, and David was wearing* a linen ephod. ¹⁵ So David and all the house of Israel were bringing up the ark of Yahweh with shouts of joyful acclaim and with the sound of the trumpet. ¹⁶ It happened that when the ark of Yahweh came into the city of David, Michal the daughter of Saul looked down through the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before Yahweh, and she despised him in her heart. ¹⁷ They brought the ark of Yahweh and set it in its place in the middle of the tent which David had pitched for it. Then David offered up burnt offerings and fellowship offerings in the presence of Yahweh.

¹⁵ Then Solomon awoke, and look, it was a dream, and he came to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and he offered burnt offerings and presented fellowship offerings, and he held a feast for all of his servants.

⁷ And David lived in the fortress. Therefore they called it the city of David.

¹ And David consulted with the commanders of thousands and hundreds, with every leader. ² And David said to all the assembly of Israel, "_⌊If it seems good to you_⌋* and before Yahweh our God, _⌊let us send word abroad_⌋* to our brothers who remain in all the land of Israel and to the priests and Levites with them in the cities with their pasturelands that they might be gathered to us. ³ Then let us bring around the ark of our God to us, for we did not seek it in the days of Saul." ⁴ And all the assembly agreed to do so, for the word was pleasing in the eyes of all the people. ⁵ And David summoned all Israel from Shihor of Egypt up to Lebo-Hamath to bring the ark of God from Kiriath-Jearim.

³ And David gathered all Israel to Jerusalem to bring up the ark of Yahweh to its place that he had established for it.

²⁵ And it happened that David and the elders of Israel and the commanders of thousands went to bring up the ark of the covenant of Yahweh from the house of Obed-Edom with joy.

²⁹ And when the ark of the covenant of Yahweh came into the city of David, then Michal the daughter of Saul looked down from the window and saw the king, David, leaping and dancing. And she despised him in her heart.

¹ Then David assembled all the commanders of Israel, the commanders of the tribes and the commanders of working groups who served the king, and the commanders of thousands, the commanders of hundreds, and the commanders over all the property of the king and his sons, with the court officials and mighty warriors, and all the mighty warriors of ability, at Jerusalem.

² Then Solomon assembled all the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the leaders of the _⌊families_⌋* for the _⌊Israelites_⌋,* to Jerusalem in order to bring up the ark of the covenant of Yahweh from the city of David, which is Zion. ³ And all the men of Israel assembled before the king at the feast that is in the seventh month. ⁴ And all the elders of Israel came, and the Levites took up the ark. ⁵ And they brought up the ark, the tent of assembly,* and all the holy objects that were in the tent; the Levitical priests brought them up. ⁶ And King Solomon and the whole community of Israel that was assembled before him were before the ark, sacrificing sheep and cattle that could not be counted nor numbered for abundance. ⁷ Then the priests brought up the ark of the covenant of Yahweh to its place in the inner sanctuary of the house, into _⌊the most holy place_⌋, underneath the wings of the cherubim. ⁸ The cherubim were spreading their wings over the place of the ark, so that the cherubim were covering the ark and over its poles from above. ⁹ But the poles were so long that the ends of the poles from the ark were seen from before the inner sanctuary, but they could not be seen from the outside. And they are there until this day. ¹⁰ There was nothing in the ark but the two stone tablets that Moses had put inside at Horeb on which Yahweh had _⌊made_⌋* a covenant with the _⌊Israelites_⌋* when they went out from Egypt.

¹ Then Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and he also wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh, to come to the house of Yahweh in Jerusalem to make a Passover feast to Yahweh the God of Israel.

¹ Now the seventh month drew near and the _⌊Israelites_⌋* were in the cities, so the people gathered as _⌊one_⌋* in Jerusalem.

¹¹ Sing praises to Yahweh who sits enthroned* in Zion. Tell his deeds among the peoples,

²¹ so that they* may make known in Zion the name of Yahweh, and his praise in Jerusalem,

¹⁶ Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this:
"Look! I am laying a stone in Zion, a _⌊tested_⌋* stone, a precious cornerstone, a founded foundation:
'The one who trusts will not _⌊panic_⌋.'*

¹³ I bring my righteousness near; it is not far. And my salvation will not delay; and I will put* salvation in Zion, for Israel my glory."

⁶ For it stands in scripture,
"Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who believes in him will never be put to shame."*

³⁴ "Speak to the _⌊Israelites_⌋,* saying, 'On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, this shall be the Feast of Booths for seven days for Yahweh.

¹² " 'Then on the fifteenth day of the seventh month you will have a holy convocation; _⌊you will not do any regular work_⌋,* and you will hold a religious feast for Yahweh for seven days. ¹³ You will present a burnt offering, an offering made by fire as a fragrance of appeasement for Yahweh: thirteen bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs _⌊in their first year_⌋;* they will be without defect. ¹⁴ And their grain offering will be of finely milled flour mixed with oil: three-tenths for the bull, two-tenths for the one ram, ¹⁵ one-tenth for each of the seven male lambs; ¹⁶ and one male goat for a sin offering, in addition to the continual burnt offering, its grain offering, and its libation. ¹⁷ " 'On the second day: twelve bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs _⌊in their first year_⌋;* they will be without defect; ¹⁸ and their grain offering and their libations for the bulls, for the rams, and for the male lambs, by their number according to the stipulation; ¹⁹ and one male goat for a sin offering, in addition to the continual burnt offering and its grain offering, and their libations. ²⁰ " 'On the third day: eleven bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs without defect _⌊in their first year_⌋;* ²¹ and their grain offering and their libations for the bulls, for the rams, and for the male lambs, by their number according to the stipulation; ²² and one male goat for a sin offering, in addition to the continual burnt offering, its grain offering, and its libation. ²³ " 'On the fourth day: ten bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs without defect _⌊in their first year_⌋;* ²⁴ and their grain offering and their libations for the bulls, for the rams, and for the male lambs by their number according to the stipulation; ²⁵ and one male goat for a sin offering, in addition to the continual burnt offering, its grain offering, and its libation. ²⁶ " 'On the fifth day: nine bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs without defect _⌊in their first year_⌋;* ²⁷ and their grain offering and their libations for the bulls, for the rams, and for the male lambs by their number according to the stipulation; ²⁸ and one male goat for a sin offering, in addition to the continual burnt offering, its grain offering, and its libation. ²⁹ " 'On the sixth day: eight bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs without defect _⌊in their first year_⌋;* and their grain offering and their libations for the bulls, for the rams, and for the male lambs by their number according to the stipulation; ³⁰ and their grain offering and their libations for the bulls, for the rams, and for the male lambs by their number according to the stipulation; ³¹ and one male goat for a sin offering, in addition to the continual burnt offering, its grain offering, and its libation. ³² " 'On the seventh day: seven bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs without defect _⌊in their first year_⌋;* ³³ and their grain offering and their libations for the bulls, for the rams, and for the male lambs by their number according to the stipulation; ³⁴ and one male goat for a sin offering, in addition to the continual burnt offering, its grain offering, and its libation. ³⁵ " 'On the eighth day you will have an assembly; _⌊you will not do any regular work_⌋.* ³⁶ You will present a burnt offering, an offering made by fire as a fragrance of appeasement for Yahweh: one bull, one ram, seven male lambs without defect _⌊in their first year_⌋;* ³⁷ and their grain offering and their libations for the bulls, for the rams, and for the male lambs by their number according to the stipulation; ³⁸ and one male goat for a sin offering, in addition to the continual burnt offering, its grain offering, and its libation. ³⁹ " 'You will present these to Yahweh at your appointed time, in addition to your vows and your freewill offerings, for your burnt offerings and for you grain offerings and for your libations and for your fellowship offerings.'" ⁴⁰ * So Moses said to the _⌊Israelites_⌋* in accordance with all that Yahweh commanded Moses.

¹³ "You shall celebrate the Feast of Booths for yourselves* seven days _⌊at the gathering in of the produce_⌋* from your threshing floor and from your press;

⁶⁵ Solomon held the festival at that time and all of Israel with him, a great assembly from Lebo Hamath up to the wadi* of Egypt before Yahweh our God, for seven days and seven days, a total of fourteen days.

³ And all the men of Israel assembled before the king at the feast that is in the seventh month.

⁸ And Solomon held* a feast at that time of seven days. And all Israel was with him, a very great assembly, from Lebo-Hamath to the river of Egypt. ⁹ And on the eighth day they made a solemn assembly, for they held* the dedication of the altar seven days and the feast seven days. ¹⁰ And on the twenty-third day of the seventh month he sent the people away to their tents rejoicing and festive of heart on account of the goodness that Yahweh had done for David, Solomon, and Israel his people.

⁴ And they kept the feast of booths, as it is written, and offered burnt offerings day by day in number according to the ordinance _⌊as described for each day_⌋.*

¹⁴ They found written in the law,* which Yahweh had commanded by the hand of Moses, that the _⌊Israelites_⌋* should live in booths during the festival of the seventh month, ¹⁵ and that they should proclaim and give voice in all of their cities in Jerusalem, saying, "Go out to the hill and bring olive tree branches, olive oil wood branches, myrtle shrub branches, palm tree branches, and other leafy tree branches to make booths, as it is written." ¹⁶ So the people went out and brought them and made booths for themselves, each on his roof, in their courtyards, in the courtyards of the house of God, in the public square of the Water Gate, and in the public square of the Gate of Ephraim. ¹⁷ And all of the assembly of those who returned from captivity made booths and lived in the booths because the _⌊Israelites_⌋* had not done it from the days of Jeshua son of Nun until that day. And there was very great joy. ¹⁸ And he read from the scroll of the law* of God day by day from the first day up to the last day. They celebrated the festival for seven days, and on the eighth day there was an assembly according to the rule.

¹⁶ _⌊And then_⌋* every survivor from all those nations coming against Jerusalem will go up year after year* to worship the king, Yahweh of hosts, and celebrate the Feast of Booths.* ¹⁷ _⌊And then_⌋* whoever of the clans of the earth does not go up to Jerusalem to worship the king, Yahweh of hosts, it will not rain on them. ¹⁸ And if the clan of Egypt will not go up and come in, on them will be that plague Yahweh inflicts on the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Booths. ¹⁹ This will be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Booths.

² Now the feast of the Jews—the feast of Tabernacles—was near.

³⁷ Now on the last day of the feast—the great day—Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me, and let him drink,

¹⁵ And when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the vessels of the sanctuary when the camp sets out, the descendants* of Kohath will come after to carry these, but they must not touch the sanctuary, or they will die. These are the load of the descendants* of Kohath in the tent of assembly.

⁹ But to the descendants* of Kohath he did not give anything because the work of the sanctuary they carried upon them on their shoulders.*

⁹ So Moses wrote this law, and he gave it to the priests, the descendants* of Levi, the ones carrying the ark of the covenant of Yahweh, and to all the elders of Israel.

³ and they commanded the people: "When you see the Levitical priests carrying the ark of the covenant of Yahweh your God you must set out from your place and go after it.

⁶ And Joshua said to the priests, "Take up the ark of the covenant and cross over _⌊ahead of the people_⌋."* And they took up the ark of the covenant and went _⌊ahead of the people_⌋.*

¹⁴ And it happened, when the people set out from their tents to cross over the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant were _⌊ahead of the people_⌋.* ¹⁵ When those carrying the ark came up to the Jordan, and the priests carrying the ark dipped their feet in the edge of the water (the Jordan was flowing over its banks during all the days of harvest),

⁹ Then Joshua set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests carrying the ark of the covenant stood, and they are there to this day.

⁶ So Joshua son of Nun summoned the priests and said to them, "Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests carry the trumpets of the rams' horns before the ark of Yahweh."

² Then David ordered that none except the Levites should carry the ark of God, for Yahweh had chosen them to carry the ark of Yahweh and to serve him forever.

¹¹ Then David summoned Zadok and Abiathar the priests, and the Levites Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab. ¹² And he said to them, "You are the heads of the _⌊families_⌋* for the Levites. Sanctify yourselves and your brothers and bring up the ark of Yahweh, the God of Israel, to the place I have established for it. ¹³ Because the first time you did not, and Yahweh our God burst out against us, for we did not care for it according to the law." ¹⁴ Then the priests and the Levites sanctified themselves to bring up the ark of Yahweh, the God of Israel. ¹⁵ And the sons of the Levites carried the ark of God according to what Moses commanded, according to the word of Yahweh, on their shoulders with the carrying poles upon them.

⁵ And they brought up the ark, the tent of assembly,* and all the holy objects that were in the tent; the Levitical priests brought them up. ⁶ And King Solomon and the whole community of Israel that was assembled before him were before the ark, sacrificing sheep and cattle that could not be counted nor numbered for abundance. ⁷ Then the priests brought up the ark of the covenant of Yahweh to its place in the inner sanctuary of the house, into _⌊the most holy place_⌋, underneath the wings of the cherubim. ⁸ The cherubim were spreading their wings over the place of the ark, so that the cherubim were covering the ark and over its poles from above.

² "On the first day of the month, you will set up the tabernacle of the tent of assembly. ³ And you will put there the ark of the testimony, and you will cover over the ark with the curtain.* ⁴ And you will bring the table, and you will arrange its setting, and you will bring the lampstand, and you will set up its lamps. ⁵ And you will put the gold altar for incense before the ark of the testimony, and you will set up the entrance screen for the tabernacle. ⁶ And you will put the altar of the burnt offering before the entrance of the tabernacle of the tent of assembly. ⁷ And you will put the basin between the tent of assembly and the altar, and you will put water _⌊in it_⌋.* ⁸ And you will set up the courtyard all around, and you will put up the screen of the gate of the courtyard. ⁹ "And you will take the anointing oil, and you will anoint the tabernacle and all that is in it, and you will consecrate all of its equipment,* and it will be holy. ¹⁰ And you will anoint the altar of the burnt offering and all of its equipment,* and you will consecrate the altar, and the altar will be a most holy thing.* ¹¹ And you will anoint the basin and its stand, and you will consecrate it. ¹² And you will bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tent of assembly, and you will wash them with the water. ¹³ And you will clothe Aaron with the holy garments, and you will anoint him, and you will consecrate him, and he will serve as a priest for me. ¹⁴ And you will bring his sons, and you will clothe them with tunics. ¹⁵ And you will anoint them as you anointed their father, and they will serve as priests for me. And their anointing will be for them to be a lasting priesthood* throughout their generations." ¹⁶ And Moses did according to all that Yahweh had commanded him; so he did. ¹⁷ _⌊In_⌋* the first month of the second year, on the first of the month, the tabernacle was set up. ¹⁸ And Moses raised the tabernacle, and he placed its bases, and he set up its frames,* and he placed its bars, and he raised its pillars. ¹⁹ And he spread the tent over the tabernacle; he placed the covering of the tent over it, above it, as Yahweh had commanded Moses. ²⁰ And he took and he put the testimony into the ark, and he placed the poles on the ark, and he put the atonement cover on the ark, above it. ²¹ And he brought the ark into the tabernacle, and he set up the curtain of the screening, and he shielded the ark of the testimony, as Yahweh had commanded Moses. ²² And he put the table in the tent of assembly on the north side of the tabernacle outside the curtain. ²³ And he arranged on it an arrangement of bread before Yahweh, as Yahweh had commanded Moses. ²⁴ And he placed the lampstand in the tent of assembly opposite the table on the south side of the tabernacle. ²⁵ And he set up the lamps before Yahweh, as Yahweh had commanded Moses. ²⁶ And he placed the gold altar in the tent of assembly before the curtain. ²⁷ And he turned fragrant incense into smoke on it, as Yahweh had commanded Moses. ²⁸ And he set up the entrance screen for the tabernacle. ²⁹ And the altar of burnt offering he placed at the entrance of the tabernacle of the tent of assembly, and he offered on it the burnt offering and the grain offering, as Yahweh had commanded Moses. ³⁰ And he placed the basin between the tent of assembly and the altar, and he put there water for washing. ³¹ And Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet from it. ³² At their going into the tent of assembly and at their approaching the altar, they washed, as Yahweh had commanded Moses. ³³ And he set up the courtyard all around the tabernacle and the altar, and he put up the screen of the gate of the courtyard, and Moses completed the work.

⁴ So the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice, for the great high place was there. Solomon used to offer a thousand burnt offerings on that altar.

³ And Solomon and the whole assembly with him went to the high place that was at Gibeon, for the tent of assembly* of God that Moses the servant of Yahweh had made in the desert was there.

¹³ It happened that when the carriers of the ark of Yahweh had marched six steps that he sacrificed an ox and a fatling.

⁶² Then the king and all of Israel with him offered a sacrifice in the presence of Yahweh. ⁶³ Solomon sacrificed the fellowship offerings which he offered to Yahweh: twenty-two thousand oxen and one hundred and twenty thousand sheep; and the king and all of the _⌊Israelites_⌋* dedicated the house of Yahweh.

¹ And they brought the ark of God and set it inside the tent that David had pitched for it. And they offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before God.

²⁰ And the cherubim will be with outspread wings above, covering with their wings over the atonement cover _⌊and facing each other_⌋;* the faces of the cherubim will be toward the atonement cover. ²¹ And you will put the atonement cover above onto the ark, and into the ark you will put the testimony that I will give you. ²² And I will meet you there, and I will speak with you from over the atonement cover, from between the two cherubim that are to be on the ark of the testimony—all that I will command you to the _⌊Israelites_⌋.*

³³ And you will put the curtain under the clasps, and you will bring the ark of the testimony there inside the curtain, and the curtain will separate for you between the holy and the _⌊most holy place_⌋.* ³⁴ And you will put the atonement cover on the ark of the testimony in the _⌊most holy place_⌋.*

⁹ And the cherubim were with outspread wings above, covering with their wings over the atonement cover _⌊and facing each other_⌋;* the faces of the cherubim were toward the atonement cover.

²⁰ And he took and he put the testimony into the ark, and he placed the poles on the ark, and he put the atonement cover on the ark, above it. ²¹ And he brought the ark into the tabernacle, and he set up the curtain of the screening, and he shielded the ark of the testimony, as Yahweh had commanded Moses.

⁴ So the army sent to Shiloh and brought from there the ark of the covenant of Yahweh of hosts who sits between the cherubim. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.

² David got up and went and all the people who were with him, from Baale-judah to bring up from there the ark of God which is called the name, the name of Yahweh of hosts, _⌊upon which the cherubim sit_⌋.*

¹⁷ They brought the ark of Yahweh and set it in its place in the middle of the tent which David had pitched for it. Then David offered up burnt offerings and fellowship offerings in the presence of Yahweh.

¹⁹ Now in the inner sanctuary in the middle of the temple* he prepared the inside to place the ark of the covenant of Yahweh there.

²⁷ He placed the cherubim in the middle of the inner house, and they spread out the wings of the cherubim; the wing of the first cherub touched against the wall and the wing of the second cherub was touching against the second wall; their wings spread to the middle of the house and were touching wing to wing.

⁴ So they brought up the ark of Yahweh and the tent of assembly* and all of the holy vessels that were in the tent; the priests and the Levites brought them up.

⁷ Then the priests brought up the ark of the covenant of Yahweh to its place in the inner sanctuary of the house, into _⌊the most holy place_⌋, underneath the wings of the cherubim.

¹ For the music director, according to The Lilies. A testimony. Of Asaph. A psalm.*
Give ear, O shepherd of Israel, who leads Joseph like a flock. Shine forth, you who sits enthroned above the cherubim.

¹ Yahweh is king; let the peoples tremble. He sits enthroned* between the cherubim. Let the earth shake.

¹⁶ "Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel _⌊who is enthroned on_⌋* the cherubim, you are the one, God by yourself, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you are the one who made the heavens and the earth.

⁵ And the sound of the wings of the cherubim was heard _⌊as far as_⌋* the outer courtyard; it was like the voice of God Shaddai* _⌊when he speaks_⌋.*

¹³ And you will make poles of acacia wood, and you will overlay them with gold. ¹⁴ And you will put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry the ark with them. ¹⁵ In the rings of the ark will be the poles; they will not be removed from it.*

⁴ And he made poles of acacia wood, and he overlaid them with gold. ⁵ And he put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry the ark.

²⁰ And he took and he put the testimony into the ark, and he placed the poles on the ark, and he put the atonement cover on the ark, above it.

⁹ But the poles were so long that the ends of the poles from the ark were seen from before the inner sanctuary, but they could not be seen from the outside. And they are there until this day.

¹⁵ So they took the money and* did as they were told, and spread abroad this report among the Jews until this very day.

²¹ And Yahweh was going before them by day in a column of cloud to lead them on the way and by night in a column of fire to give light to them to go by day and night.

²⁴ And during the morning watch, Yahweh looked down to the Egyptian camp from in the column of fire and cloud, and he threw the Egyptian camp into a panic.

¹⁰ And at the moment of Aaron's speaking to all the community of the _⌊Israelites_⌋,* they turned to the desert, _⌊and just then_⌋* the glory of Yahweh appeared in the cloud.

³³ And Moses said to Aaron, "Take one jar and put there a full omer of manna. Leave it before Yahweh for safekeeping for your generations."

⁷ And he took the scroll of the covenant and read it in the hearing of the people, and they said, "All that Yahweh has spoken we will do, and we will listen."* ⁸ And Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, and he said, "Look, the blood of the covenant that Yahweh has made with you in accordance with all these words."

¹⁶ And the glory of Yahweh settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days, and he called to Moses on the seventh day from the midst of the cloud. ¹⁷ And the appearance of the glory of Yahweh was like a consuming fire on the top of the mountain to the eyes of* the _⌊Israelites_⌋.* ¹⁸ And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and he went up the mountain, and Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.

²¹ And you will put the atonement cover above onto the ark, and into the ark you will put the testimony that I will give you.

²⁷ And Yahweh said to Moses, "Write for yourself these words, because _⌊according to_⌋* these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel." ²⁸ And he was there with Yahweh forty days and forty nights. He ate no food and drank no water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the ten words.

³⁴ And the cloud covered the tent of assembly, and the glory of Yahweh filled the tabernacle. ³⁵ And Moses was unable to go into the tent of assembly because the cloud settled on it and the glory of Yahweh filled the tabernacle.

² And Yahweh said to Moses, "Tell* your brother Aaron that he should not enter at any time into the sanctuary _⌊behind_⌋* the curtain _⌊in front of_⌋* the atonement cover that is on the ark, so that he might not die, because I appear in the cloud over the atonement cover.

¹⁵ And on a day setting up the tabernacle, the cloud covered the tent of the tabernacle, the tent of the testimony; in the evening it was on the tabernacle as an appearance of fire until morning.

¹⁰ And Yahweh said to Moses, "Bring back the staff of Aaron before the testimony* as a guard and sign for the children of rebellion, and let them finish their grumblings before me and not die."

¹³ And he declared to you his covenant, _⌊the Ten Commandments_⌋,* which he charged you _⌊to observe_⌋,* and he wrote them on the two tablets of stone.

² And I will write on the tablets the words that were on the former tablets, which you smashed, and you must put them in the ark.' ³ And so I made an ark _⌊of acacia wood_⌋,* and I carved two tablets of stone like the former ones, and I went up the mountain with the two tablets in my hand. ⁴ And he wrote upon the tablets _⌊according to the first writing_⌋,* the ten words that Yahweh spoke to you on the mountain from the midst of the fire on the day of the assembly, and Yahweh gave them to me. ⁵ And I turned, and I came down from the mountain, and I put the tablets in the ark that I had made, and they are there, just as Yahweh commanded me.

²⁶ "Take the scroll of this law and put it at the side of the ark of the covenant of Yahweh your God, and it will be there as a witness against you.

²¹ I have provided a place there for the ark, in which is the covenant which Yahweh made with our ancestors* when He brought them out of the land of Egypt."

¹⁰ There was nothing in the ark but the two stone tablets that Moses had put inside at Horeb on which Yahweh had _⌊made_⌋* a covenant with the _⌊Israelites_⌋* when they went out from Egypt.

¹³ And it was the primary duty of the trumpeters and singers to make themselves heard with one voice, to praise and give thanks to Yahweh. And when a sound from the trumpets, cymbals, and other instruments of song was raised to Yahweh—for he is good, because his loyal love is everlasting—then the house, the house of Yahweh, was filled with a cloud. ¹⁴ And the priests were not able to stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of Yahweh filled the house of God.

¹ And when Solomon finished praying, then fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of Yahweh filled the house. ² And the priests were not able to go into the house of Yahweh, for the glory of Yahweh had filled the house. ³ When all the _⌊Israelites_⌋* saw the fire come down and the glory of Yahweh upon the house, they knelt down with their faces to the ground on the pavement and worshiped and gave thanks to Yahweh, for he is good, for his loyal love is everlasting.

⁴ And the glory of Yahweh rose up from on the cherub toward* the threshold of the house,* and the house* was filled with the cloud, and the courtyard was filled with the brightness of the glory of Yahweh.

⁴ containing the golden incense altar and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which were a golden jar containing the manna and the rod of Aaron that budded and the tablets of the covenant.

⁸ and the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one was able to enter into the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.

¹ And when Solomon finished praying, then fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of Yahweh filled the house. ² And the priests were not able to go into the house of Yahweh, for the glory of Yahweh had filled the house.

⁶ Then* Moses said, "This is the word that Yahweh commanded you* to do _⌊so that_⌋* the glory of Yahweh might appear to you."*

²³ Then* Moses and Aaron entered the tent of assembly. When* they came out, they blessed* the people, and Yahweh's glory appeared to all the people.

² And, look! The glory of the God of Israel, it came from the way of the east, and its sound was like the sound of many waters* and the land radiated due to his glory!

⁴ And then the glory of Yahweh came to the temple _⌊by the way of the gate facing east_⌋.* ⁵ And the Spirit lifted me and it brought me to the inner courtyard and, look! The glory of Yahweh filled the temple!

⁴ Then he brought me by the way of the gate of the north to the front of the temple,* and I looked,* and look! The glory of Yahweh filled the temple* of Yahweh, and I fell on my face.

¹⁴ And the Word became flesh and took up residence among us, and we saw his glory, glory as of the one and only from the Father, full of grace and truth.

⁵⁵ But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, looked intently into heaven and* saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.

¹⁸ And we all, with unveiled face, reflecting* the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory into glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.

⁶ For God who said, "Light will shine out of darkness,"* is the one who has shined in our hearts for the enlightenment of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.*

¹¹ that has the glory of God. Its radiance is like a precious stone, something like a jasper stone, shining like crystal.

²³ And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon, that they shine on it, for the glory of God illuminates it, and its lamp is the Lamb.

²¹ And the people stood at a distance, and Moses approached the very thick cloud where God was.

¹¹ And so you came near, and you stood under the mountain, and the mountain was burning with fire up to the heart of the heaven, _⌊dark with a very thick cloud_⌋.*

²² "These words Yahweh spoke to your whole assembly at the mountain from the midst of the fire and the very thick cloud with a loud voice, and _⌊he did not add anything_⌋,* and then he wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me.

¹ Then Solomon said, "Yahweh has decided* to dwell in the deep gloom. ² But I have built for you an exalted house, even a place for you to dwell in forever." ³ Then the king turned around* and blessed all the assembly of Israel, and all the assembly of Israel were standing. ⁴ And he said, "Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Israel, who spoke with his mouth with David my father, and with his hands he has fulfilled it, saying, ⁵ 'From the day that I brought my people out of the land of Egypt I did not choose a city among all the tribes of Israel to build a house in order for my name to be there. Nor did I choose a man to be leader over my people Israel. ⁶ But I have chosen my name to be there in Jerusalem, and I have chosen David to be over my people Israel.' ⁷ Now, it was in the heart of David my father to build a house for the name of Yahweh, the God of Israel. ⁸ But Yahweh said to David my father, 'Because it was in your heart to build a house for my name, you did well that it was in your heart, ⁹ but you yourself will not build the house, but your son who will proceed from your loins; he himself will build the house for my name.' ¹⁰ Now Yahweh has fulfilled his word that he spoke. I have risen in the place of David my father and am seated on the throne of Israel as Yahweh has spoken. I have built the house for the name of Yahweh, the God of Israel. ¹¹ And I have there the ark in which is the covenant of Yahweh that he _⌊made_⌋* with the _⌊Israelites_⌋."*

⁸ Smoke went forth from his nose, and fire from his mouth consumed. Burning coals blazed from him. ⁹ So he bowed the heavens and came down with a thick cloud under his feet. ¹⁰ And he mounted a cherub and flew, and he swooped down on wings of wind. ¹¹ He made darkness his hiding place; all about him his covering was a darkness of waters, _⌊thick clouds_⌋.*

² Cloud and thick darkness are surrounding him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.

¹⁵ Surely you are a God who keeps yourself hidden, God of Israel, the savior.

¹⁸ For you have not come to something that can be touched, and to a burning fire, and to darkness, and to gloom, and to a whirlwind,

¹⁷ You brought them and planted them on the mountain of your inheritance, a place you made for yourself to inhabit, Yahweh, a sanctuary, Lord, that your hands established.

¹³ He will build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.

¹² He himself will build for me a house, and I will establish his throne forever.

¹⁰ He himself will build a house for my name, and he himself will be to me a son, and I will be to him as a father, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.' ¹¹ Now, my son, Yahweh will be with you, that you may succeed and build the house of Yahweh your God as he has spoken concerning you.

⁶ And he said to me, 'Solomon your son, he himself shall build my house and my courts, for I have chosen him as a son to myself, and I myself will be as a father to him,

¹⁰ Look now, for Yahweh has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary; be strong and do it!"

²⁰ Then David said to Solomon his son, "Be strong and courageous, and do this! Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed, for Yahweh God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you and will not forsake you until all the work of the service of the house of Yahweh is finished.

² But I have built for you an exalted house, even a place for you to dwell in forever."

⁶⁸ but chose the tribe of Judah, _⌊Mount Zion_⌋* that he loved. ⁶⁹ And he built his sanctuary like the heights, like the earth that he established forever.

¹³ For Yahweh has chosen Zion; he has desired it for his habitation. ¹⁴ "This is my resting place forever; here I will dwell, for I have desired it.

²¹ Jesus said to her, "Believe me, woman, that an hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. ²² You worship what you do not know. We worship what we know, because salvation is from the Jews. ²³ But an hour is coming—and now is here*—when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for indeed the Father seeks such people to be his worshipers.

¹⁴ For we have heard him saying that this Nazarene Jesus will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses handed down to us."

⁵ who serve a sketch and shadow of the heavenly things, just as Moses was warned when he* was about to complete the tabernacle, for he says, "See to it that you make everything according to the pattern which was shown to you on the mountain."* ⁶ But now he has attained a more excellent ministry, by as much as he is also mediator of a better covenant which has been enacted upon better promises. ⁷ For if that first covenant had been faultless, occasion would not have been sought for a second. ⁸ For in finding fault with them he says,
"Behold, days are coming, says the Lord, when I will complete a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, ⁹ not like the covenant which I made with their fathers on the day I took hold of them by my hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, because they did not continue in my covenant and I disregarded them, says the Lord. ¹⁰ For this is the covenant that I will decree with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I am putting my laws in their minds and I will write them on their hearts, and I will be _⌊their_⌋* God and they will be _⌊my_⌋* people. ¹¹ And they will not teach each one his fellow citizen and each one his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. ¹² For I will be merciful toward their wrongdoings, and I will not remember their sins any longer." ¹³ In calling it new, he has declared the former to be old. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is near to disappearing.

¹¹ But Christ has arrived as a high priest of the good things to come. Through the greater and more perfect tent not made by hands, that is, not of this creation, ¹² and not by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood, he entered once for all into the most holy place, obtaining eternal redemption.

²⁴ For Christ did not enter into a sanctuary made by hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf,

⁶ And Joshua blessed them and sent them away, and they went to their tents.

¹⁸ When David had finished from the sacrificing of the burnt offerings and the fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of Yahweh of hosts.

⁵⁵ He stood and blessed all of the assembly of Israel with a loud voice, saying, ⁵⁶ "Blessed be Yahweh who gave a resting place to his people Israel. According to all that he promised, not one word has fallen from all of his promises concerning the good which he spoke through the hand of Moses his servant.

² And when David had finished offering the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of Yahweh.

³ Then the king turned around* and blessed all the assembly of Israel, and all the assembly of Israel were standing.

⁶ And the priests stood at their posts with the Levites, with the instruments of the song of Yahweh that King David had made to give thanks to Yahweh—for his loyal love is everlasting—whenever David offered praise by their hand. Now the priests sounded trumpets standing opposite them, and all Israel stood.

¹⁸ For a majority of the people, many from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves. But they ate the Passover sacrifice _⌊otherwise than prescribed_⌋,* but Hezekiah had prayed for them, saying, "May the good Yahweh make atonement unto ¹⁹ everyone whose heart is set to seek God, Yahweh the God of his ancestors,* though not according to the cleansing for the sanctuary." ²⁰ And Yahweh listened to Hezekiah, and he healed the people.

⁷ And Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites were teaching the people from the law* while the people were in their places.

² Those of the seed of Israel separated themselves from all of the foreigners and stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their ancestors.*

²⁶ Blessed is he who comes in the name of Yahweh. We bless you* from the house* of Yahweh.

² And large crowds gathered close around him, so that he got into a boat to sit down, and all the crowd was standing on the shore.

⁵⁰ And he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands, he blessed them. ⁵¹ And it happened that while he was blessing them, he parted from them and was taken up into heaven.

⁴⁵ And _⌊nothing failed from_⌋* all the good things* that Yahweh promised to the house of Israel; _⌊everything came to pass_⌋.*

¹⁵ But just as all the good things* came to you that Yahweh your God promised, so will Yahweh bring to you all the bad things* until he has destroyed you from this good land that Yahweh your God has given to you. ¹⁶ If you transgress the covenant of Yahweh your God, which he commanded to you, and you go and serve other gods and bow down to them, _⌊Yahweh's anger will be kindled_⌋* against you, and you will perish quickly from the good land that he has given to you."

⁵ "Go and tell my servant David, 'Thus says Yahweh: "Are you the one to build for me a house for my dwelling?

¹² When your days are full and you lie down with your ancestors,* I will raise up your offspring after you who will go out from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. ¹³ He will build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.

²⁵ So then, Yahweh God, the word that you have spoken concerning your servant and concerning his house, confirm it forever, and do just as you have promised.

²⁸ Now, my Lord Yahweh, you alone are God, and your words are* true. You have promised this good to your servant. ²⁹ So then, be content and bless the house of your servant to be forever in your presence, for you, my Lord Yahweh, have spoken, and because of your blessing, may the house of your servant be blessed forever."

¹⁰ Then David blessed Yahweh in the sight of all the assembly, and David said, "Blessed are you, O Yahweh, God of Israel, our father forever and ever!

²⁰ And David said to all the assembly, "Bless Yahweh your God!" And all the assembly blessed Yahweh, the God of their ancestors.* And they bowed down and prostrated themselves before Yahweh and the king.

⁴ And he said, "Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Israel, who spoke with his mouth with David my father, and with his hands he has fulfilled it, saying,

²⁶ And on the fourth day, they assembled in the Valley of Berakah, for there they blessed Yahweh. Therefore the name of that place is called the Valley of Berakah up to this day.

⁵ Then the Levites, Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah said, "Stand up, bless Yahweh your God from everlasting until everlasting. Blessed be your glorious name that is being exalted above all blessing and praise!

¹³ Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Amen and Amen.

¹⁸ Blessed be Yahweh God, the God of Israel, who alone does wonderful things. ¹⁹ And blessed be his glorious name forever, and may the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and Amen.

¹⁸ It is we, we will bless Yah* from now until forever. Praise Yah!*

¹ Praise Yahweh, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples. ² For his loyal love is mighty on our behalf, and the faithfulness of Yahweh is forever. Praise Yah!*

² I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name, because of your loyal love and faithfulness, for you have magnified your word* according to all your name.*

²⁰ But if you refuse and you rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword.
For the mouth of Yahweh has spoken."

³⁵ Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

⁵⁴ He has helped Israel his servant, remembering his mercy, ⁵⁵ just as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his descendants _⌊forever_⌋."*

⁶⁸ "Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has visited to help and _⌊has redeemed_⌋* his people,

⁷⁰ just as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from earliest times—

⁷² to show mercy to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant,

³ Blessed is* the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

⁵ _⌊But only_⌋* to the place that Yahweh your God will choose from all of your tribes to place his name there as his dwelling shall you seek, and there you shall go.

¹¹ _⌊and then_⌋* at the place that Yahweh your God will choose, to let his name dwell there, there you shall bring all the things I am commanding you, your burnt offerings and your sacrifices, your tithes and _⌊your donations_⌋,* and all of the choice things, your votive gifts that you vow to Yahweh.

¹ Then Yahweh said to Samuel, "_⌊How long_⌋* will you mourn about Saul? I have rejected him from being king over Israel! Fill up your horn with oil and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have chosen a king for myself among his sons."

⁴ But it happened _⌊that night_⌋,* the word of Yahweh came* to Nathan, saying, ⁵ "Go and tell my servant David, 'Thus says Yahweh: "Are you the one to build for me a house for my dwelling? ⁶ For I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought up the _⌊Israelites_⌋* from Egypt until this day; rather, I was going about in a tent and in a tabernacle. ⁷ In all of my going about among all the _⌊Israelites_⌋,* did I speak a word with one of the tribes of Israel whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, 'Why did you not build me a cedar house?'" ' ⁸ So then, thus you shall say to my servant David, 'Thus says Yahweh of hosts, "I took you from the pasture _⌊from following_⌋* the sheep to be a leader over my people, over Israel,

²⁹ so that your eyes will be open to this house night and day, to the place which you said, 'My name will be there,' to hear the prayer that your servant prays toward this place.

³⁶ To his son I will give one tribe in order to be a lamp for my servant David, always before my face, in Jerusalem the city in which I have chosen to place my name.

²⁷ Yahweh had said, "Even Judah I will remove from my face, as I have removed Israel; I will reject this city that I have chosen, even Jerusalem and the house of which I said, 'My name shall be there'!"

⁵ for I have not lived in a house from the day that I brought out Israel unto this day. I have been from tent to tent and from tabernacle to tabernacle. ⁶ In every place I have moved about, did I say one word with the judges of Israel I commanded to shepherd my people, saying, 'Why have you not built for me a house of cedar?'" '

⁴ But Yahweh the God of Israel chose me from all of the house of my father to be king over Israel forever, for he chose Judah as leader, and in the house of Judah, the house of my father, and among the sons of my father he took pleasure in me to reign over all Israel.

⁹ But if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, even though all of your outcasts are at the furthest parts of heaven, I will gather them and bring them to the place which I have chosen to make my name dwell.'

⁷⁰ And he chose David his servant and took him from the sheepfolds.

¹⁹ Formerly you spoke in a vision to your faithful ones, and said, "I have bestowed help on a mighty man; I have exalted one chosen from the people. ²⁰ I have found David, my servant. With my holy oil I have anointed him,

¹³ For Yahweh has chosen Zion; he has desired it for his habitation.

¹² "For go now to my place that was in Shiloh, where I caused my name to dwell in the beginning, and see what I did to it _⌊because of_⌋* the wickedness of my people Israel.

² And the king said to Nathan the prophet, "Look, please, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of God is staying in the middle of the tent." ³ Nathan said to the king, "Go and do all that is in your heart, for Yahweh is with you."

¹ And as David lived in his house, David said to Nathan the prophet, "Look, I live in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of Yahweh is under tent curtains." ² And Nathan said to David, "Whatever is in your heart, do, for God is with you." ³ And it happened that same night the word of God came to Nathan, saying, ⁴ "Go and say to David my servant, 'Thus says Yahweh, "You are not to build a house for me to live in, ⁵ for I have not lived in a house from the day that I brought out Israel unto this day. I have been from tent to tent and from tabernacle to tabernacle. ⁶ In every place I have moved about, did I say one word with the judges of Israel I commanded to shepherd my people, saying, 'Why have you not built for me a house of cedar?'" ' ⁷ So now, thus you shall say to my servant David, 'Thus says Yahweh of hosts, "I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be leader over my people Israel, ⁸ and I have been with you wherever you went and have cut down your enemies from before you and will make a name for you, like the name of the great ones on the earth. ⁹ And I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and I will plant them,* and they* shall dwell in their* place and be in anguish no longer. And wicked men will no longer wear them down as before, ¹⁰ from the day that I commanded judges over my people Israel. And I will subdue your enemies, and I declare to you that Yahweh will build for you a house.* ¹¹ And it shall be that when your days are fulfilled to go and sleep with your ancestors,* then I will raise up your seed after you, who will be one of your sons, and I will establish his kingdom. ¹² He himself will build for me a house, and I will establish his throne forever. ¹³ I myself will be a father to him, and he himself will be a son to me. And I will not remove my steadfast love from him as I took it away from whoever was before you. ¹⁴ And I will establish him in my house and in my kingdom forever, and his throne will be established forever." '" ¹⁵ According to all these words and according to all this revelation, thus did Nathan speak to David.

⁷ And David said to Solomon his son, "I myself had in my heart to build a house for the name of Yahweh my God,

² And King David rose to his feet and said, "Listen to me, my brothers and my people. _⌊I myself wanted_⌋* to build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of Yahweh and the footstool of our God, and I prepared to build.

⁷ Now, it was in the heart of David my father to build a house for the name of Yahweh, the God of Israel. ⁸ But Yahweh said to David my father, 'Because it was in your heart to build a house for my name, you did well that it was in your heart, ⁹ but you yourself will not build the house, but your son who will proceed from your loins; he himself will build the house for my name.'

¹² For if the eagerness is present _⌊according to what one has_⌋*, it is acceptable not _⌊according to what one does not have_⌋*.

³ "You knew David my father, that he was not able to build a house for the name of Yahweh his God, _⌊in view of the warfare_⌋* which surrounded him, until Yahweh placed them* under the soles of his feet. ⁴ But now Yahweh my God has given me rest all around me. There is no adversary, and there is no bad occurrence. ⁵ Here I am, intending to build a house for the name of Yahweh my God, as Yahweh promised to my father David, saying, 'Your son, whom I will set in your place on your throne, shall build the house for my name.'

⁴ "Go and say to David my servant, 'Thus says Yahweh, "You are not to build a house for me to live in,

¹¹ And it shall be that when your days are fulfilled to go and sleep with your ancestors,* then I will raise up your seed after you, who will be one of your sons, and I will establish his kingdom. ¹² He himself will build for me a house, and I will establish his throne forever.

⁸ but it happened that the word of Yahweh came over me, saying, 'You have shed much blood and have made much war; you shall not build a house for my name because you have shed much blood upon the ground before me. ⁹ Behold, a son shall be born to you; he himself will be a man of rest, and I will give rest to him from all his enemies all around, for his name will be Solomon, and peace and quietness I will give to Israel in his days. ¹⁰ He himself will build a house for my name, and he himself will be to me a son, and I will be to him as a father, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.'

¹⁵ Then he said, "Blessed be Yahweh the God of Israel who has promised with his mouth to David my father and fulfilled _⌊by his oath_⌋,* saying,

⁵ And from all my sons—for Yahweh has given many sons to me—he has chosen Solomon my son to sit on the throne of the kingdom of Yahweh over Israel. ⁶ And he said to me, 'Solomon your son, he himself shall build my house and my courts, for I have chosen him as a son to myself, and I myself will be as a father to him,

⁸ You found his heart faithful before you and made a covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Jebusite and the Girgashite—to give it to his seed. And you have kept your word because you are righteous.

⁷ _⌊His dominion will grow continually, and to peace there will be no end_⌋* on* the throne of David and over* his kingdom, to establish it* and sustain it with justice and righteousness now and forever. The zeal of Yahweh of hosts will do this.

¹⁰ For thus says Yahweh, '_⌊As soon as the time has passed_⌋,* seventy years* for Babylon, I will attend to you, and I will fulfill my good word to you, to bring you back to this place. ¹¹ For I know the plans that I am planning concerning you,' _⌊declares_⌋* Yahweh, 'plans for prosperity and not for harm, to give to you a future and a hope.

²⁵ For I, Yahweh, I will speak what I will speak as a word, and it will be done. It will not prolong itself any longer, for in your days, house of rebellion, I will speak a word and I will fulfill it!" _⌊declares_⌋* the Lord Yahweh.

¹⁴ And I will put my breath into you so that you may live, and I will cause you to rest on your soil, and you will know that I, Yahweh, I have spoken, and I will act!" ' _⌊declares_⌋* Yahweh."

²⁰ You will show faithfulness to Jacob, and loyal love to Abraham, as you have sworn to our ancestors* from the days of old.

²¹ and being fully convinced that what he had promised, he was also able to do.

⁶ convinced of this same thing, that the one who began a good work in you will finish it* until the day of Christ Jesus,

²⁸ And he was there with Yahweh forty days and forty nights. He ate no food and drank no water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the ten words.

⁹ _⌊When I went up the mountain_⌋* to receive _⌊the stone tablets_⌋,* the tablets of the covenant that Yahweh _⌊made_⌋* with you, and remained on the mountain forty days* and forty nights,* I did not eat food and I did not drink water.

¹¹ _⌊And then_⌋* at the end of forty days* and forty nights,* Yahweh gave me the two tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant.

⁵ King Solomon and all the assembly of Israel who were assembling with him in the presence of the ark were sacrificing sheep and oxen that could not be counted nor numbered because of abundance. ⁶ The priests brought the ark of the covenant of Yahweh to its place in the inner sanctuary of the house, to the _⌊most holy place_⌋,* under the wings of the cherubim,

⁹ There was not anything in the ark _⌊except_⌋* the two tablets of stone which Moses had placed there at Horeb, where Yahweh _⌊made_⌋* a covenant with the _⌊Israelites_⌋* after they went out from the land of Egypt.

²⁹ And Moses said to him, "At my leaving the city, I will spread out my hands to Yahweh. The thunder will stop, and the hail will be no more, so that you will know that the earth belongs to Yahweh.

³³ And Moses went from Pharaoh out of the city, and he spread his hands to Yahweh, and the thunder and the hail stopped, and rain did not pour on the earth.

⁵⁴ It happened that when Solomon finished praying to Yahweh all of the prayer and this plea, he got up from before the altar of Yahweh, from kneeling down on his knees with his palms outstretched to heaven.

¹⁴ She looked, and there was the king standing by the pillar according to the custom. The commanders and the trumpeters were by the king, and all of the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing on the trumpets. Athaliah tore her clothes and she called, "Treason, treason!"

³ Then the king stood by the pillar, and he _⌊made_⌋* a covenant before Yahweh, to go after Yahweh and to keep his commands and his warnings and his statutes, with all of his heart and with his all of his soul, to keep the words of this covenant written on this scroll. Then all of the people _⌊joined_⌋* in the covenant.

¹² Then Solomon stood before the altar of Yahweh before all the assembly of Israel and spread out his hands. ¹³ (For Solomon had made a platform of bronze five cubits long and five cubits wide and three cubits high, and placed it in the midst of the outer court.) And he stood upon it, then knelt down on his knees before the whole assembly of Israel and spread out his hands to heaven. ¹⁴ And he said, "O Yahweh, God of Israel, there is none like you, a God in the heavens and on the earth, keeping the covenant and loyal love with your servants who walk before you with all their heart, ¹⁵ that you have kept for your servant David my father what you spoke to him. You spoke with your mouth, and by your hand you have fulfilled it on this day. ¹⁶ And now, O Yahweh, God of Israel, keep for your servant David, my father, what you have spoken to him, saying, '_⌊You shall not lack_⌋* a man to sit on the throne of Israel before me, if only your sons keep their way, to walk in my law as you have walked before me.' ¹⁷ And now, O Yahweh, God of Israel, let your word that you have spoken to your servant David be confirmed. ¹⁸ "But will God indeed dwell with humankind upon the earth? Look, the heavens and _⌊the highest heavens_⌋* cannot contain you! Surely then this house that I have built will not contain you! ¹⁹ But turn to the prayer of your servant and to his plea, O Yahweh my God, to hearken to the pleading and to the prayer that your servant is praying before you, ²⁰ that your eyes may be open day and night to this house, to the place that you have promised to place your name there, that you may hear the prayer that your servant has prayed to this place. ²¹ And listen to the pleas of your servant and your people Israel when they pray toward this place, that you yourself might hear from the place of your dwelling, from the heavens, that you might hear and forgive. ²² "If a man sins against his neighbor and _⌊makes him swear an oath_⌋* and comes with an oath before your altar in this house, ²³ then may you yourself hear from the heavens and act and judge your servants, to repay the guilty by bringing his way upon his head and to vindicate the righteous by giving to him according to his righteousness. ²⁴ "And if your people Israel are defeated before an enemy because they have sinned against you and they repent and confess your name and pray and plead before you in this house, ²⁵ then may you yourself hear from the heavens and forgive the sin of your people Israel and again bring them back to the land that you gave to them and to their ancestors.* ²⁶ "When the heavens are stopped up and there is no rain because they have sinned against you and they pray to this place and confess your name and turn back from their sin when you humble them, ²⁷ then may you yourself hear from the heavens and forgive the sin of your servants and your people Israel, when you teach them the good way in which they should walk, and give rain upon your land that you have given to your people as an inheritance. ²⁸ "If there is a famine in the land; if there is disease, blight, mildew, locust, and caterpillar; if it happens that his enemy lays siege to him in the land and his gates; any kind of plague, any kind of disease, ²⁹ then any prayer, any plea that is made by any person and by all your people Israel, each one who knows his own affliction and his own anguish and who spreads out his hands to this house, ³⁰ then may you yourself hear from the heavens, your dwelling place, and forgive and give to each according to all his ways, since you know the heart of the children of humankind, ³¹ that they may fear you and walk in your ways all the days that they are alive upon the face of the land that you have given to our ancestors.* ³² "And also, with respect to the foreigner, he who is not of your people Israel, but comes from a distant land, for the sake of your great name and your powerful hand and outstretched arm, when he comes and prays to this house, ³³ then may you yourself hear from the heavens, from your dwelling place, and do according to all that the foreigner asks of you, so that all peoples of earth will know of your name and fear you, as do your people Israel, and that they may know that your name _⌊possesses_⌋* this house that I have built. ³⁴ "When your people go out to battle against their enemy according to the way that you have sent them, and they pray to you toward this city that you have chosen and the house that I have built for your name, ³⁵ then may you hear their prayer and their pleas from the heavens and uphold their case. ³⁶ When they sin against you—for there is no person who does not sin—and you become angry with them and place them before their enemy that they carry them away as captives to a land far or near, ³⁷ but _⌊if they repent_⌋* in the land where they were taken captive and _⌊repent_⌋* and beg you for mercy in the land of their captivity, saying, 'We have sinned and acted perversely and done wickedly, ³⁸ and we return to you,' with their whole heart and with all their inmost being in the land of their captivity where they took them captive, and if they pray toward their land that you have given to their ancestors* and the city that you have chosen and to the house that I have built for your name, ³⁹ then may you hear their prayer and their pleas from the heavens, from your dwelling place, and uphold their case and forgive your people who sinned against you. ⁴⁰ Now, O my God, please let your eyes be open and your ears attentive to the prayer of this place! ⁴¹ "And now arise, O Yahweh God, to your resting place, you and the ark of your strength! O Yahweh God, let the priests be clothed with salvation, and let your holy ones rejoice in your goodness! ⁴² O Yahweh God, do not turn away the face of your anointed one! Remember the loyal love of your servant, David!"

⁵ At the evening offering I got up from my mourning posture and, with my garment and robe torn, I fell down on my knees and I spread out my palms to Yahweh my God

¹³ "If you yourself* direct your heart and stretch out your hands to him—

² Hear the voice of my supplications when I cry to you for help, when I lift up my hands toward your holy inner sanctuary.

⁴ So I will bless you while I live. I will lift up my _⌊hands_⌋* in your name.

¹⁵ And when you stretch out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers,* I will not be listening. Your hands are full of blood.

⁸ Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger and dispute.

¹ When* Abram was ninety-nine years old Yahweh appeared to Abram. And he said to him, "I am El-Shaddai;* walk before me and be blameless

²⁰ And there he erected an altar and called it "El Elohe Israel."*

¹⁵ And God said again to Moses, "So you must say to the _⌊Israelites_⌋,* 'Yahweh, the God of your ancestors,* the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is my name forever, and this is my remembrance from generation to generation.'

¹¹ Who is like you among the gods, Yahweh? Who is like you—glorious in holiness, awesome in praiseworthy actions, doing wonders?*

⁹ So know that Yahweh your God, he is God, the trustworthy God, maintaining his* covenant and his* loyal love with those who love him and with those who keep his commandments to a thousand generations,*

² There is no one holy like Yahweh, for there is no one besides you, and there is no rock like our God.

²² Therefore you are great, my lord Yahweh, for there is no one like you, and there is no god except you, in all that we have heard with our ears.

⁴ so that Yahweh may establish his word which he spoke concerning me, saying, 'If your sons take heed of their way, to walk before me in faithfulness, with all their heart and with all their soul, no man of yours will be cut off from the throne of Israel.'"

⁶ Then Solomon said, "You have shown great loyal love with your servant David my father, as he walked before you in faithfulness and in righteousness and in uprightness of heart with you. You have shown for him this great loyal love, and you have given a son to him who is sitting on his throne as it is this day.

¹² "Regarding this temple* that you are building: if you walk in my ordinances and if you do my judgments and you keep all my commandments to walk in them, then I will establish my promise with you which I made to David your father.

³ "O Yahweh, please remember how I went about before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and remember the good that I have done in your eyes." Then Hezekiah _⌊wept bitterly_⌋.*

⁵ I said, "O Yahweh God of the heavens, the great and awesome one who keeps the covenant and loyal love for the ones who love him and for those who keep his commands.

³² "And now our God, the great, mighty, and awesome God who keeps his covenant and loyal love, do not belittle in your presence all of the hardship that is found in us, our kings, our officials, our priests, our prophets, our ancestors,* and all of our people, from the days of the kings of Assyria until this day.

¹⁰ All of my bones shall say, "O Yahweh, who is like you, who delivers the poor from one stronger than he and the poor and needy from the one who robs him?"

⁸ There is none like you among the gods, O Lord, and there are no works like yours.

³ "I made a covenant with my chosen one; I swore an oath to David my servant: ⁴ 'I will establish your descendants forever, and I will build up your throne _⌊from generation to generation_⌋.'"* Selah ⁵ And so the heavens will praise your wonderful deed, O Yahweh, even your faithfulness, in the assembly of the holy ones. ⁶ For who in the sky* is equal to Yahweh? Who is like Yahweh among the sons of God, ⁷ a God feared greatly in the council of the holy ones, and awesome above all surrounding him? ⁸ O Yahweh God of hosts, who is mighty like you, O Yah, with* your faithfulness surrounding you?

⁵ Who is like Yahweh our God, who is enthroned on high,*

¹⁸ And to whom will you liken God? And to what likeness will you compare him?

²⁵ "And to whom you will compare me, and am I equal?" says the holy one.

⁶ There is none like you, O Yahweh, you are great and your name is great in might.

¹⁶ The portion of Jacob is not like these, for he is the creator of everything, and Israel is the tribe of his inheritance, Yahweh of hosts is his name.

⁴ And I prayed to Yahweh my God, and I made confession and I said, "O Lord, the great and awesome God, keeping the covenant and loyal love with those who love him and with those who keep his commandments,

¹⁸ Who is a God like you, forgiving sin and passing over rebellion for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, for he delights in loyal love. ¹⁹ _⌊He will again have compassion_⌋* on us; he will trample our iniquities. And you will hurl all their sins in the depths of the sea. ²⁰ You will show faithfulness to Jacob, and loyal love to Abraham, as you have sworn to our ancestors* from the days of old.

¹² When your days are full and you lie down with your ancestors,* I will raise up your offspring after you who will go out from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.

¹⁶ Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before you; your throne shall be established forever." '"

¹⁴ And he said, "O Yahweh, God of Israel, there is none like you, a God in the heavens and on the earth, keeping the covenant and loyal love with your servants who walk before you with all their heart, ¹⁵ that you have kept for your servant David my father what you spoke to him. You spoke with your mouth, and by your hand you have fulfilled it on this day.

²⁷ For you, O Yahweh of hosts, are God of Israel! You have revealed to the ear of your servant, 'I will build a house for you'; therefore your servant _⌊has found courage_⌋* to pray this prayer to you.

⁴ As for you, if you walk before me as David your father walked, with _⌊integrity of heart_⌋* and with uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded you, and if you keep my ordinances and my judgments, ⁵ then I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever, as I promised David your father, saying, 'A man will not be cut off for you from upon the throne of Israel.' ⁶ "If ever you or any of your descendants* turn from following me and do not keep my commandments and my ordinances that I have set before you and you go and serve other gods and bow down to them,

²³ So now, O Yahweh, let the word that you spoke to your servant and to his house be established forever, that you might do what you have spoken. ²⁴ And let your name be established and be magnified forever, saying, 'Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, is Israel's God, and may the house of David your servant be established before you.' ²⁵ For you, my God, _⌊have informed_⌋* your servant that you will build a house for him. Therefore, your servant has found courage to pray before you. ²⁶ So now, O Yahweh, you yourself are God, and you have spoken to your servant this good thing. ²⁷ And now may you begin to bless the house of your servant _⌊to continue forever_⌋* before you, for you, O Yahweh, have blessed. And it will be blessed forever."

⁹ "And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and a willing mind, for Yahweh searches all hearts and understands every plan and all thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you abandon him, he will reject you forever.

¹⁶ And now, O Yahweh, God of Israel, keep for your servant David, my father, what you have spoken to him, saying, '_⌊You shall not lack_⌋* a man to sit on the throne of Israel before me, if only your sons keep their way, to walk in my law as you have walked before me.' ¹⁷ And now, O Yahweh, God of Israel, let your word that you have spoken to your servant David be confirmed.

¹⁷ For thus says Yahweh: 'A man who sits on the throne of the house of Israel will not be cut off for David. ¹⁸ And for the priests, a man from the Levites who offers burnt offerings* and who burns grain offerings* and who brings sacrifices* will not be cut off _⌊before me_⌋* _⌊forever_⌋.'"* ¹⁹ And the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah, _⌊saying_⌋,* ²⁰ "Thus says Yahweh: 'If you could break my covenant with the day, and my covenant with the night, so that day and night would not come at their time, ²¹ then my covenant could be broken with David my servant, from _⌊having_⌋* a son who could rule on his throne, and with the Levites, the priests, my ministers. ²² As the host of heaven cannot be counted, and the sand of the sea cannot be measured, so I will make numerous the offspring of David my servant and the Levites who minister to me.'" ²³ And the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah, _⌊saying_⌋,* ²⁴ "Have you not seen how these people speak, _⌊saying_⌋,* 'The two clans* whom Yahweh chose, he has also rejected them'? Thus they spurn my people from being a nation _⌊before them_⌋* any longer. ²⁵ Thus says Yahweh: 'If my covenant with day and with night, the regulations of heaven and earth, I had not established, ²⁶ then the offspring of Jacob and David my servant I would reject, from choosing rulers from his offspring over the offspring of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; for I will restore their fortunes* and I will have compassion on them.'"

⁶⁸ "Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has visited to help and _⌊has redeemed_⌋* his people, ⁶⁹ and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, ⁷⁰ just as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from earliest times— ⁷¹ salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all those who hate us, ⁷² to show mercy to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant,

¹⁰ And they saw the God of Israel, and what was under his feet was like sapphire tile work and like the very heavens for clearness.

¹⁷ Then Eli answered and said, "Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant your request that you have asked of him."

²⁵ So then, Yahweh God, the word that you have spoken concerning your servant and concerning his house, confirm it forever, and do just as you have promised. ²⁶ Your name shall be great forever, _⌊and they will say_⌋,* 'Yahweh of hosts is God over Israel'; and the house of your servant David shall be established before you.

²³ and he said, "O Yahweh, God of Israel, there is no god like you in the heavens above or on the earth beneath, keeping the covenant and the loyal love for your servants who are walking before you with all their heart.

⁹ Now, O Yahweh God, let your word to David my father be fulfilled, for you yourself have made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth.

⁴⁹ Remember your word to your servant, upon which you have caused me to hope.

¹⁷ The poor and the needy are seeking water and there is none; their tongue is dried up with thirst. I, Yahweh, will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.

³ And I will give you the treasures of darkness and treasures of secret places so that you may know that I am Yahweh, the one who calls you by your name, the God of Israel,

⁵ in order to keep the oath that I swore to your ancestors,* to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as it is this day." '" Then I answered and said, "_⌊Let it be so_⌋,* O Yahweh."

³⁶ And the nations who are left all around, you will know that I, Yahweh, I built _⌊that which was destroyed_⌋;* I planted the desolate land; I, Yahweh, I have spoken, and I will act.' ³⁷ "Thus says the Lord Yahweh: 'Again this time I will let _⌊myself be inquired of_⌋* by the house of Israel, to do something for them; I will cause them to increase _⌊their population like a flock_⌋.*

¹⁴ Look! For to Yahweh your God _⌊belong_⌋* heaven and the _⌊highest heavens_⌋,* the earth and all that is in it.

⁶ Now who indeed has adequate strength to build a house for him? For the heavens and _⌊the highest heavens_⌋* are not able to contain him. Now who am I that I would build a house for him, except to burn incense before him?

¹⁸ "But will God indeed dwell with humankind upon the earth? Look, the heavens and _⌊the highest heavens_⌋* cannot contain you! Surely then this house that I have built will not contain you!

⁴ Yahweh is high above all nations; his glory is above the heavens.

⁷ Where I can go from your Spirit, or where can I flee from your presence? ⁸ If I ascend to heaven, there you are, and if I make my bed in Sheol, look! There you are. ⁹ If I lift up the wings of the dawn, and I alight on the far side of the sea, ¹⁰ even there your hand would lead me, and your right hand would hold me fast. ¹¹ And if I should say, "Surely darkness will cover me, and the light around me will be as night," ¹² even the darkness is not too dark for you,* and the night shines as the day— the darkness and the light are alike for you. ¹³ Indeed you created my _⌊inward parts_⌋;* you wove me in my mother's womb. ¹⁴ I praise you, because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.* Wonderful are your works, and my soul knows it well. ¹⁵ My _⌊frame_⌋* was not hidden from you, when I was created secretly,* and intricately woven in the depths of the earth. ¹⁶ Your eyes saw my embryo,* and in your book they all were written— days fashioned for me when there was not one of them.

¹ Thus says Yahweh:
"Heaven is my throne, and the earth is the footstool for my feet. Where is this house that you would build for me? And where is this resting place for me?

²⁴ Or can a person hide himself in secret places and I cannot see him?" _⌊declares_⌋* Yahweh. "Do I not fill up the heaven and the earth?" _⌊declares_⌋* Yahweh.

⁴⁸ But the Most High does not live in houses* made by human hands, just as the prophet says, ⁴⁹ 'Heaven is my throne and earth is the footstool for my feet. What kind of house will you build for me, says the Lord, or what is the place of my rest?

²⁴ the God who made the world and all the things in it. This one, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by human hands,

¹⁶ And what agreement does the temple of God have with idols? For we are the temple of the living God, just as God said,
"I will live in* them and will walk about among them, and I will be their God and they will be my people."*

² I know a man in Christ fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or outside the body I do not know, God knows—such a man was caught up to the third heaven,

¹ See what sort of love the Father has given to us: that we should be called children of God, and we are! Because of this the world does not know us: because it did not know him.

¹⁹ But turn to the prayer of your servant and to his plea, O Yahweh my God, to hearken to the pleading and to the prayer that your servant is praying before you,

¹ For the music director; with stringed instruments. A psalm of David.*
When I call, answer me, O God of my righteousness.* In trouble _⌊deliver me_⌋.* Be gracious to me and hear my prayer.

¹ For the music director; with the flutes. A psalm of David.*
Hear my words, O Yahweh. Give heed to my sighing.*

³ Be gracious to me, O Lord, because I call to you _⌊all day long_⌋.*

⁶ Heed, O Yahweh, my prayer, and attend to the voice of my supplications. ⁷ In the day of my trouble I call to you, because you answer me.

¹ A song. A psalm of the sons of Korah. For the music director; according to Mahalath Leannoth. A maskil of Heman the Ezrahite.*
O Yahweh, God of my salvation, I cry out by day and through the night before you. ² Let my prayer come before you; incline your ear to my cry.

² Let my prayer be set before you as incense, the lifting up of my palms as the evening offering.

¹⁷ "And now, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy. Shine* your face upon your desolate sanctuary _⌊for your sake, O Lord_⌋.* ¹⁸ Incline your ear, my God, and listen; open your eyes and look at our desolation and the city that is called by your name, for we are not presenting our pleas for mercy _⌊before you_⌋* because of our righteousness, but rather because of your great compassion. ¹⁹ Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, pay heed and act! You must not delay _⌊for your sake_⌋,* my God; because _⌊your city and your people are called by your name_⌋."*

¹ And he told them a parable to show that they must always pray and not be discouraged,

⁷ And will not God surely _⌊see to it that justice is done_⌋* to his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night, and will he delay toward them?

²⁴ An altar of earth you will make for me, and you will sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your fellowship offerings, your sheep and your cattle. In every place where I cause my name to be remembered,* I will come to you, and I will bless you.

² And you shall offer the Passover sacrifice to Yahweh your God from among your flock and herd at the place that Yahweh will choose, to let his name dwell there.

⁶ but only at the place that Yahweh your God will choose, to let his name dwell there; you shall offer the Passover sacrifice _⌊in the evening at sunset_⌋,* at the designated time* of your going out from Egypt.

² then you shall take from the firstfruit of all the fruit of the ground that you harvest from your land that Yahweh your God is giving to you, and you shall put it in a basket, and you shall go to the place that Yahweh your God will choose to make his name to dwell there.

¹⁶ 'From the day that I brought out my people Israel from Egypt I have not chosen a city from all the tribes of Israel to build a house where my name might be, but I have chosen David to be over my people Israel.'

⁴³ you shall hear in heaven, the place of your dwelling, and act according to all that the foreigner calls to you, so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name, to fear you as your people Israel, and to know that your name has been invoked over this house that I have built.

⁵² O, that your eyes may be open to the plea of your servant and to the plea of your people Israel, to listen to them in all things when they call to you.

¹⁶ Incline your ears and hear; open, O Yahweh, your eyes and see and hear the words of Sennacherib which he has sent to insult the living God.

⁴ He built altars in the temple of Yahweh about which Yahweh had said, "I will put my name in Jerusalem."

⁷ He put the image of the Asherah that he had made in the temple which Yahweh had said to David and to Solomon his son, "In this temple and in Jerusalem which I have chosen from all of the tribes of Israel, I will put my name forever.

⁵ 'From the day that I brought my people out of the land of Egypt I did not choose a city among all the tribes of Israel to build a house in order for my name to be there. Nor did I choose a man to be leader over my people Israel. ⁶ But I have chosen my name to be there in Jerusalem, and I have chosen David to be over my people Israel.'

²⁰ that your eyes may be open day and night to this house, to the place that you have promised to place your name there, that you may hear the prayer that your servant has prayed to this place.

⁴⁰ Now, O my God, please let your eyes be open and your ears attentive to the prayer of this place!

¹⁵ Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer of this place. ¹⁶ And now I have chosen and consecrated this house for my name to be there forever. My eyes and my heart will be there _⌊for all time_⌋.*

⁹ For the eyes of Yahweh roam throughout all the earth to strengthen those whose heart is fully devoted to him. You have been foolish in this, for from now on you will have wars."

⁸ And they lived in it and built for you a sanctuary for your name in it, saying,

⁴ And he built altars in the house of Yahweh, of which Yahweh had said, "In Jerusalem my name shall be forever."

⁷ And he placed the carved image of the idol that he had made in the house of God, of which God had said to David and to Solomon his son, "In this house and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel, I will put my name forever.

⁶ Please, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer of your servant that I am praying before you by day and by night for your servants, the _⌊Israelites_⌋,* and confessing the sins of the _⌊Israelites_⌋* that we have sinned against you. I and my father's house have sinned.

¹⁵ The eyes of Yahweh are toward the righteous, and his ears toward their cry for help.

¹⁰ Now _⌊when_⌋* Daniel realized that the document was signed, he went to his house (_⌊now he had windows in his upper room that were open_⌋* toward Jerusalem), and three times _⌊daily_⌋* he knelt on his knees and prayed and gave praise before his God, _⌊just as_⌋* he had been doing _⌊previously_⌋.*

¹⁸ Incline your ear, my God, and listen; open your eyes and look at our desolation and the city that is called by your name, for we are not presenting our pleas for mercy _⌊before you_⌋* because of our righteousness, but rather because of your great compassion.

¹³ And _⌊whatever_⌋* you ask in my name, I will do this, in order that the Father may be glorified in the Son. ¹⁴ If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.*

³⁴ then you shall hear in heaven and forgive the sin of your people Israel, and you shall bring them back to the ground which you gave to their ancestors.*

³⁶ then you shall hear in heaven and forgive the sin of your servants and your people Israel, for you will teach them the good way in which they should go, and you will give rain upon your land which you have given to your people as an inheritance.

³⁹ then you shall hear in heaven the place of your dwelling, and you shall forgive and act and give to the man whose heart you know, according to all his ways, for you alone know the heart of all the sons of man.

⁴⁹ then you shall hear in heaven, the place of your dwelling, their prayer and their plea, and you shall _⌊vindicate them_⌋.*

²¹ And listen to the pleas of your servant and your people Israel when they pray toward this place, that you yourself might hear from the place of your dwelling, from the heavens, that you might hear and forgive.

¹⁴ then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and will pray and will seek my face and will turn from their evil ways, then I myself shall hear from the heavens and will forgive their sins and heal their land.

⁸ And they lived in it and built for you a sanctuary for your name in it, saying, ⁹ 'If disaster, a sword, punishment, disease, or famine come upon us, we shall stand before this house and before you—for your name is in this house—and cry out to you out of our trouble, then you will hear and save us.'

⁵ I said, "O Yahweh God of the heavens, the great and awesome one who keeps the covenant and loyal love for the ones who love him and for those who keep his commands. ⁶ Please, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer of your servant that I am praying before you by day and by night for your servants, the _⌊Israelites_⌋,* and confessing the sins of the _⌊Israelites_⌋* that we have sinned against you. I and my father's house have sinned.

¹³ From heaven Yahweh looks; he sees all the children of humankind. ¹⁴ From his dwelling place* he gazes on all the inhabitants of the earth,

² You took away the guilt* of your people; you covered all their sin. Selah

⁵ Who is like Yahweh our God, who is enthroned on high,* ⁶ who _⌊condescends to look at_⌋* what is in the heavens and in the earth?

¹ A song of ascents.*
I lift up my eyes to you, the one enthroned* in the heavens.

³ If you, O Yah,* should _⌊keep track of_⌋* iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? ⁴ But with you is forgiveness, so that you may be feared."

² Do not be rash with your mouth, and do not let your heart be quick to utter a word before God. For God is in heaven, and you are on earth; therefore, let your words be few.

¹⁵ For thus says the high and lofty one who resides forever, and whose name is holy:
"I reside in a high and holy place, and with the _⌊contrite_⌋* and humble of spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the _⌊contrite_⌋.*

¹⁹ Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, pay heed and act! You must not delay _⌊for your sake_⌋,* my God; because _⌊your city and your people are called by your name_⌋."*

⁹ Therefore you pray in this way:
"Our Father who is in heaven, may your name be treated as holy.

¹² and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

⁸ If the thief is not found, the owner of the house will be brought _⌊to the sanctuary_⌋* to learn whether or not he reached out his hand to his neighbor's possession. ⁹ Concerning every account of transgression—concerning an ox, concerning a donkey, concerning small livestock, concerning clothing, concerning all lost property—where someone says, "This belongs to me," the matter of the two of them will come to God;* whomever God declares guilty will make double restitution to his neighbor. ¹⁰ " 'If a man gives to his neighbor a donkey or an ox or small livestock or any beast to watch over and it dies or is injured or is captured when there is no one who sees, ¹¹ the oath of Yahweh will be between the two of them concerning whether or not he has reached out his hand to his neighbor's possession, and its owner will accept this, and he will not make restitution.

¹ " 'When a person* sins in that* he hears the utterance of a curse and he is a witness or he sees or he knows, if he does not make it known, then* he shall bear his guilt.

¹⁶ " 'Then the priest will bring her near and present her _⌊before_⌋* Yahweh; ¹⁷ the priest will take holy waters in a clay vessel, and from the dust that is on the floor of the tabernacle, and the priest will put it into the waters. ¹⁸ And the priest will present the woman _⌊before_⌋* Yahweh, and he will uncover the head of the woman; he will then put in her hands the grain offering of the remembering—which is the grain offering of jealousy—and in the hand of the priest will be the waters of bitterness that brings a curse. ¹⁹ Then the priest will make her swear an oath, and he will say to the woman, "If a man has not slept with you, and if you have not had an impurity affair under your husband, go unpunished from the waters of bitterness that brings this curse. ²⁰ But if you have had an affair under your husband, and if you are defiled and a man other than your husband had intercourse with you," ²¹ the priest will make the woman swear an oath of the sworn oath of the curse, the priest will say to the woman, "May Yahweh give you a curse and a sworn oath in the midst of your people with Yahweh making* your hip fall away* and your stomach swollen; ²² and these waters that bring a curse will go into your intestines to cause your womb to swell and to make your hip fall away."* And the women will say, "Amen. Amen."

²² "If a man sins against his neighbor and _⌊makes him swear an oath_⌋* and comes with an oath before your altar in this house, ²³ then may you yourself hear from the heavens and act and judge your servants, to repay the guilty by bringing his way upon his head and to vindicate the righteous by giving to him according to his righteousness.

⁹ Or else I will be satisfied and will deny him and say "Who is Yahweh?" Or* I will be poor and will steal and profane the name of my God.

⁷ You will stay far from a _⌊false charge_⌋,* and do not kill the innocent and the righteous, because I will not declare the wicked righteous.*

⁷ keeping loyal love to the thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and he does not leave utterly unpunished, punishing the guilt of fathers on sons and on sons of sons on third and fourth generations."

²⁷ When he has made her drink the waters, it will come about, if she has defiled herself and acted unfaithfully to her husband and the waters of bitterness that bring a curse go into her and her stomach swells and her hip falls away,* the woman will be as a curse in the midst of her people.

¹ "When a legal dispute _⌊takes place_⌋* between men and they come near to the court, and the judges judge with respect to them, then they shall declare the righteous to be in the right and they shall condemn the wicked,

³¹ They shall eat from the fruit of their way, and they shall be sated from their own schemes,

¹⁵ He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous, the two of them are both abominations of Yahweh.

¹⁰ Tell the innocent* that it is good for they shall eat the fruit of their deeds. ¹¹ Woe to the wicked!* It is bad! For what is done by his hands will be done to him.

¹³ _⌊He charges interest_⌋* and takes usury. Then, shall he live? He shall not live, for he did all of these detestable things. Surely he will die! His blood will be on him.

²⁰ The person,* the one sinning, will die. A son shall not bear the guilt of the father, and a father shall not bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be on him; the wickedness of the wicked* shall be on him.

³⁰ "Therefore I will judge you, house of Israel, each one* according to his ways," _⌊declares_⌋* the Lord Yahweh. "Repent* and turn around from all of your transgression, and it will not be as a stumbling block of iniquity to you.

⁶ who will reward each one according to his works: ⁷ to those who, by perseverance in good work, seek glory and honor and immortality, eternal life, ⁸ but to those who act from selfish ambition and who disobey the truth, but who obey unrighteousness, wrath and anger. ⁹ There will be affliction and distress for every _⌊human being_⌋* who does evil, of the Jew first and of the Greek, ¹⁰ but glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew first and to the Greek.

¹³ For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be declared righteous.*

⁹ And I was alive once, apart from the law, but when* the commandment came, sin sprang to life

¹⁷ And I will set my face against you, and you shall be defeated _⌊before_⌋* your enemies; and your haters shall rule over you, and you shall flee away, but* there shall not be _⌊anybody who is pursuing_⌋* you.

²⁵ And I will bring upon you a sword that seeks vengeance for the covenant, and you shall be gathered to your cities; and I will send a plague in your midst, and you shall be given into the hand of an enemy.

³⁹ And because of their guilt, the ones among you who remain shall decay in the land of their enemies; and also because of the iniquities of their ancestors,* they shall decay with them. ⁴⁰ " 'But* when they confess their guilt and the guilt of their ancestors* in their infidelity that they displayed against me, and moreover that they went against me in hostility— ⁴¹ I myself* also* went against them in hostility, and I brought them into the land of their enemies—or if then their uncircumcised heart is humbled and then they pay for their guilt, ⁴² I will remember* my covenant with Jacob; and I will remember also my covenant with Isaac and also my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land.

²⁵ "Yahweh shall cause you to be defeated _⌊before_⌋* your enemies; on one road you shall go _⌊against_⌋* them,* but you will flee on seven roads _⌊before_⌋* them,* and you shall become a thing of horror to all of the kingdoms of the earth.

⁴⁸ then you shall serve your enemies, whom Yahweh will send against you under conditions of famine, in thirst, in nakedness, and in a lack of everything; and he shall place* a yoke of iron on your neck _⌊until he has destroyed you_⌋.*

⁸ Please, my Lord! What can I say after _⌊Israel has fled from its enemies_⌋?*

¹¹ Israel has sinned and _⌊transgressed my covenant_⌋* that I commanded them. They have taken from the devoted things;* they have stolen and acted deceitfully, and they have put them among their belongings. ¹² The _⌊Israelites_⌋* were unable to stand before their enemies; _⌊they fled from their enemies_⌋* because they have become a thing devoted* for destruction. _⌊I will be with you no more_⌋* unless you destroy the devoted things* from among you.

¹ The _⌊Israelites_⌋* did evil in the eyes of Yahweh, and Yahweh gave them into the hand of the Midianites* for seven years. ² The hand of the Midianites* prevailed over Israel; because of the presence of the Midianites,* the _⌊Israelites_⌋* made for themselves hiding places that were in the mountains, caves, and strongholds.

⁷ Now this happened because the _⌊Israelites_⌋* had sinned against Yahweh their God when he brought them up from the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh the king of Egypt and they feared other gods. ⁸ They walked in the statutes of the nations whom Yahweh had driven out from before the _⌊Israelites_⌋,* which the kings of Israel had introduced. ⁹ The _⌊Israelites_⌋* secretly did things which were not right, against Yahweh their God; they built high places for themselves in all their towns, from the watchtower up to the fortified city. ¹⁰ They set up for themselves stone pillars and poles of Asherah worship on every high hill and under every green tree. ¹¹ They burned incense there on all the high places, like the nations which Yahweh deported before them, and they did evil things to provoke Yahweh. ¹² They served idols which Yahweh had said to them, "You shall not do this thing!" ¹³ Yahweh warned Israel and Judah by the hand of his every prophet, with every seer saying, "Turn from all of your evil ways, and keep my commandments and my ordinances, according to all the law which I commanded your ancestors,* which I sent to you by the hand of my servants the prophets." ¹⁴ But they did not listen and they stiffened their necks, like the necks of their ancestors* who did not believe in Yahweh their God. ¹⁵ They rejected his statutes, his covenant which he _⌊made_⌋* with their ancestors,* and his warnings which he gave to them; and they went after the idols, became vain, and went after all the nations which were all around them, which Yahweh had commanded them not to do as they did. ¹⁶ They abandoned all the commands of Yahweh their God and made for themselves two molten calf-shaped idols; they made a pole of Asherah worship and bowed down to the army of the heavens and served Baal. ¹⁷ They made their sons and their daughters pass through the fire, they practiced divination and read omens, and they sold themselves to do evil in the eyes of Yahweh to provoke him. ¹⁸ So Yahweh was very angry with Israel and he removed them from his presence; none remained except the tribe of Judah alone.

¹¹ Then the king of Assyria deported Israel to Assyria and settled them in Halah, in Habor, in the river regions of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes, ¹² because they did not listen to the voice of Yahweh their God, and they transgressed his covenant; all that he had commanded Moses, the servant of Yahweh, they did not listen to nor did they obey.

²⁴ "And if your people Israel are defeated before an enemy because they have sinned against you and they repent and confess your name and pray and plead before you in this house, ²⁵ then may you yourself hear from the heavens and forgive the sin of your people Israel and again bring them back to the land that you gave to them and to their ancestors.*

¹⁴ All the leaders of the priests and the people likewise increased in unfaithfulness according to all the detestable things of the nations. And they polluted the house of Yahweh that he had consecrated in Jerusalem. ¹⁵ And Yahweh, the God of their ancestors,* had repeatedly and persistently sent to them by the hand of his messengers, because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place. ¹⁶ But they were mocking the messengers of God and despising his words and scoffing at his prophets until the wrath of Yahweh rose against his people until there was no remedy. ¹⁷ Therefore he brought against them the king of the Chaldeans, and he killed their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary. He showed no mercy on a young man, a virgin, the elderly, or decrepit. He delivered all into his hand.

⁵ At the evening offering I got up from my mourning posture and, with my garment and robe torn, I fell down on my knees and I spread out my palms to Yahweh my God ⁶ and said, "My God, I am ashamed and embarrassed to lift my face to you, my God. For our sins have risen above our heads and our guilt has grown up to the heavens. ⁷ From the days of our ancestors* until this day we have been in great guilt, and because of our sins we ourselves, our kings, and our priests have been handed into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, to plunder, and to utter shame, as it is this day. ⁸ But now for a brief moment mercy has been shown by Yahweh our God, who left behind for us a remnant, and given us security in his holy place—for our God to brighten our eyes and to give us brief relief in our bondage. ⁹ For we are slaves and in our bondage our God did not forsake us, and he has extended to us loyal love in the presence of the kings of Persia, to give to us deliverance* and to set up the house of our God, to repair its ruins, and to give us a wall in Judea and Jerusalem. ¹⁰ "And now our God what shall we say after this? For we have forsaken your commandments, ¹¹ which you commanded by the hand of your servants the prophets saying, 'The land that you are entering to possess is a land of impurity with the impurity of the peoples of the lands, with their detestable things which they have filled from end to end with their uncleanness. ¹² Therefore, do not give your daughters to their sons, and do not take their daughters for your sons. Do not seek their peace and prosperity so that forever you may be strong and eat the good of the land and may give it as an inheritance to your sons.' ¹³ After all that has come upon us for our evil practices and for our great guilt—you, our God, have held back less than our guilt deserved and you have given us a remainder such as this. ¹⁴ Shall we again break your commandments and intermarry with the peoples who practice these detestable things? Would you not be angry with us until you destroy us with no remnant or remainder? ¹⁵ Yahweh, God of Israel, you are righteous, for we have been left this day as a remnant. Here we are before you in our guilt, for none can stand before you because of this."

⁸ Please, remember the word that you have commanded to your servant Moses, saying, 'If you act unfaithfully I will scatter you all among the nations. ⁹ But if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, even though all of your outcasts are at the furthest parts of heaven, I will gather them and bring them to the place which I have chosen to make my name dwell.'

¹ On the twenty-fourth day of this month the _⌊Israelites_⌋* gathered in fasting, in sackcloths, and with soil on them. ² Those of the seed of Israel separated themselves from all of the foreigners and stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their ancestors.* ³ They stood up in their place and read from the book of the law* of Yahweh their God for a fourth part of the day, and for a fourth they were confessing and worshiping Yahweh their God. ⁴ Then Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Kenani stood on the platform of the Levites and cried out with a loud voice to Yahweh their God. ⁵ Then the Levites, Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah said, "Stand up, bless Yahweh your God from everlasting until everlasting. Blessed be your glorious name that is being exalted above all blessing and praise!

¹⁰ You have caused us to pull back from the enemy, and so those who hate us have plundered for themselves.

¹⁵ Look from heaven, and see from the lofty residence of your holiness and glory. Where are your zeal and strength? _⌊Your compassion_⌋* and mercy to me hold themselves back.

³ Then I turned my face to the Lord God to seek him by prayer and pleas for mercy,* in fasting and in sackcloth and ashes. ⁴ And I prayed to Yahweh my God, and I made confession and I said, "O Lord, the great and awesome God, keeping the covenant and loyal love with those who love him and with those who keep his commandments, ⁵ we have sinned and we have done wrong and we acted wickedly and we rebelled and have been turning aside from your commandments and from your ordinances. ⁶ We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes and our ancestors* and to all the people of the land. ⁷ "_⌊Righteousness belongs to you, O Lord_⌋,* and on us is open shame, just as it is this day to the people of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to all Israel, _⌊those who are near and those who are far off_⌋* in all the lands to which you have driven them,* because of their infidelity which they displayed against you. ⁸ Yahweh, on us is open shame, on our kings, on our princes, and on our ancestors,* because we have sinned against you. ⁹ _⌊Compassion and forgiveness belong to the Lord, our God_⌋,* for we have rebelled against him, ¹⁰ and we have not listened to the voice of Yahweh our God, by following his law _⌊which he placed before us_⌋* by the hand of his servants the prophets. ¹¹ "And all Israel transgressed your law and turned aside so as not to listen to your voice, and so the curse and the oath which was written in the law of Moses, the servant of God, has been poured out upon us, because we have sinned against him. ¹² And so he has carried out his words which he spoke against us and against our rulers who ruled us, to bring upon us a great calamity which was not done under all of heaven as it was done in Jerusalem. ¹³ Just as it is written in the law of Moses, all of this calamity has come upon us, and _⌊we have not implored_⌋* the face of Yahweh our God so as to turn from our iniquities and to attend closely to your faithfulness.* ¹⁴ So Yahweh has kept watch over the* calamity, and now he has brought it upon us. Indeed, Yahweh our God is righteous concerning all his works* that he has done, but we have not listened to his voice. ¹⁵ "And now, Lord our God, who have brought your people out from the land of Egypt with a strong hand, and you have made for yourself a name until this day—we have sinned, we have acted wickedly. ¹⁶ Lord, according to all your righteousness, please let your anger and your rage turn away from your city Jerusalem, _⌊your holy mountain_⌋,* because through our sins and through the iniquities of our ancestors* Jerusalem and your people have become an object of mockery among all of our neighbors.

¹⁰ And God saw their deeds—that they turned from their evil ways—and God changed his mind about the evil that he had said he would bring upon them, and he did not do it.*

¹⁵ for all the land which you see I will give to you, and to your descendants, forever.

⁸ And I will bring you to the land _⌊that I swore_⌋* to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, and I will give it to you as a possession. I am Yahweh."

⁴³ And Yahweh gave to Israel all the land that he swore to give to their ancestors,* and they took possession of it and _⌊settled in it_⌋.*

³⁰ You must listen to the plea of your servant and your people Israel which they pray toward this place; and you must hear from the place where you live, from heaven you must hear and you must forgive.

¹ In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to accomplish the word of Yahweh by the mouth of Jeremiah, Yahweh stirred the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia and he sent a message to all of his kingdom and also put the message in writing: ² "Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: Yahweh, the God of the heavens, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. And he himself has appointed me to build a house for him in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. ³ Whoever among you who is from all of his people, may his God be with him and may he go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and may he build the house of Yahweh, the God of Israel. He is the God who is in Jerusalem. ⁴ And let every survivor, from wherever he _⌊resides_⌋* be assisted by the men of that place with silver and gold, with possessions and domestic animals, and with the freewill offering for the house of God which is in Jerusalem." ⁵ So the heads of the _⌊families_⌋* for Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites—to all whose spirit God had stirred—prepared to go up and build the house of Yahweh which is in Jerusalem. ⁶ And all of their neighbors _⌊helped them_⌋* with objects of silver, gold, possessions, domestic animals, and with valuable gifts—besides all of the freewill offering.

⁴⁷ Save us, O Yahweh our God, and gather us from the nations, so that we may give thanks to your holy name and boast in your praise.

⁴ I will again build you, and you will be built, O virgin Israel. You will again adorn yourself with your tambourines, and you will go forth in the dancing in a ring of the merrymakers. ⁵ You will again plant vineyards on the mountains of Samaria. The planters will plant, and they will enjoy it.* ⁶ For there will be a day when watchmen will call in the hill country of Ephraim, 'Stand up, and let us go up to Zion, to Yahweh our God.'" ⁷ For thus says Yahweh,
"Sing for joy for Jacob with gladness, and shout out for the head of the nations. Proclaim, praise, and say, 'Save, O Yahweh, your people, the remnant of Israel.' ⁸ Look, I am going to bring them from the land of the north, and I will gather them from the remotest part of the earth. Among them the blind, and the lame, those who are pregnant, and those who give birth, together, a great assembly, they will return here. ⁹ With weeping they will come, and with pleas for mercy I will bring them; I will let them walk by streams of water in a straight path. They will not stumble in it, for I have become to Israel a father, and Ephraim, he is my firstborn."

²⁷ "Look, the days are coming," _⌊declares_⌋* Yahweh, "and I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of humankind, and with the seed of animals.*

³⁷ Look, I am going to gather them from all the lands to which I driven them in my anger, and in my fury, and in great wrath, and I will bring them back to this place, and I will cause them to dwell _⌊in safety_⌋.*

¹⁰ "Thus says Yahweh: 'Again will be heard in this place, of which you are saying, "It is a waste, _⌊without_⌋* people and _⌊without_⌋* animals,"* in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem that are desolate, _⌊without_⌋* people and _⌊without_⌋* inhabitants* and _⌊without_⌋* animals,* ¹¹ the voice of jubilation, and the voice of joy, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the voices* of those who say, "Praise Yahweh of hosts, for Yahweh is good, for his loyal love is _⌊forever_⌋,"* the voices of those who bring thank offerings* to the house of Yahweh, for I will restore the fortunes* of the land as in the beginning,' says Yahweh. ¹² Thus says Yahweh of hosts: 'Again there will be in this waste place, _⌊without_⌋* people and animals,* and in all its towns, pasture for shepherds allowing their flock to lie down. ¹³ In the towns of the hill country, in the towns of the Shephelah, and in the towns of the Negev, and in the land of Benjamin, and in the surroundings of Jerusalem, and in the towns of Judah, flocks will again pass under the hands of the counter,' says Yahweh.

¹² And so he has carried out his words which he spoke against us and against our rulers who ruled us, to bring upon us a great calamity which was not done under all of heaven as it was done in Jerusalem.

²⁵ And you must know and you must understand* that from the time of the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem until an anointed* one—a leader—will be _⌊seven weeks and sixty-two weeks_⌋;* it will be restored and will be built with streets and a moat, but _⌊in a time of oppression_⌋.*

² And then when they* finished eating the vegetation of the land, I said, "O Lord Yahweh, please forgive! How can Jacob stand, because he is small?"

¹⁹ And I will break the pride of your strength; and I will make your heaven like iron* and your land like copper.

¹⁷ And then _⌊the anger of Yahweh will be kindled against you_⌋,* and he will shut up the heavens,* and there shall not be rain, and so the ground will not give its produce, and you will perish quickly from the good land that Yahweh is giving to you.

¹² Yahweh shall open for you his _⌊rich_⌋* storehouse, even the heavens, to give the rain for* your land in its time and to bless all of the work of your hand, and you will lend to many nations; you will not borrow from them.

²³ And your heavens that are over your heads shall be like bronze, and the earth that is under you shall be like iron. ²⁴ Yahweh will change the rain of your land to fine dust and to sand; from the heaven it shall come down upon you _⌊until you are destroyed_⌋.*

¹³ Then Gad came to David, and he told him and said to him, "Shall seven years of famine in the land come to you? Or three months of your fleeing from your enemies while he is pursuing you? Or should there be three days of pestilence in your land? Now consider and decide what I must return to the one who sent me a word."

²⁹ so that your eyes will be open to this house night and day, to the place which you said, 'My name will be there,' to hear the prayer that your servant prays toward this place. ³⁰ You must listen to the plea of your servant and your people Israel which they pray toward this place; and you must hear from the place where you live, from heaven you must hear and you must forgive.

³³ When your people Israel are defeated before the enemy _⌊because_⌋* they sinned against you, and when they turn to you and confess your name and pray and beg for mercy from you in this house,

¹ Elijah the Tishbite from Tishbe of Gilead said to Ahab, "_⌊As Yahweh lives_⌋,* the God of Israel before whom I stand, there shall surely not be dew nor rain these years _⌊except by my command_⌋."*

²⁴ "And if your people Israel are defeated before an enemy because they have sinned against you and they repent and confess your name and pray and plead before you in this house,

²⁶ "When the heavens are stopped up and there is no rain because they have sinned against you and they pray to this place and confess your name and turn back from their sin when you humble them,

¹⁵ And when you stretch out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers,* I will not be listening. Your hands are full of blood. ¹⁶ Wash! Make yourselves clean! Remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes! Cease to do evil!

¹³ And the people did not turn to the one who struck it,* and they did not seek Yahweh of hosts.

¹ That which came as the word of Yahweh to Jeremiah concerning the matter* of the severe drought. ² "Judah mourns, and her gates languish, they are in mourning on the ground, and the cry of lament of Jerusalem goes up. ³ And their nobles send their servants for water. They come to the pits, they find no water. They return with their vessels _⌊empty_⌋.* They are ashamed, and they are confounded, and they cover their heads.* ⁴ Because of the ground, which is cracked because there was no rain on the ground. The farmers are ashamed, they cover their heads.* ⁵ For even the doe in the field gives birth and forsakes her young,* because there is no green growth. ⁶ And wild asses stand on the barren heights, they gasp for breath like the jackals. Their eyes fail because there is no vegetation." ⁷ Although our iniquities testify against us, O Yahweh, act for the sake of your name. Yes, our apostasies are many; we have sinned against you.

¹³ "Son of man,* when a land sins against me by _⌊acting very unfaithfully_⌋,* then I will stretch out my hand against it, and I will break for it the _⌊supply of food_⌋,* and I will send against it famine, and I will cut it off, both human and animal.

³⁰ "Therefore I will judge you, house of Israel, each one* according to his ways," _⌊declares_⌋* the Lord Yahweh. "Repent* and turn around from all of your transgression, and it will not be as a stumbling block of iniquity to you. ³¹ Throw _⌊away from yourselves_⌋* all of your transgressions that you committed,* and make _⌊for yourselves_⌋* a new heart and new spirit, and so why will you die, house of Israel? ³² For I have no pleasure in the death of the dying," _⌊declares_⌋* the Lord Yahweh. "And so repent* and live!"

¹ Return to Yahweh your God, O Israel, for you have stumbled because of your sin.

¹³ Gird yourselves and lament, O priests! Wail, O ministers of the altar! Come spend the night in sackcloth, O ministers of my God, because offering and libation are withheld from the house of your God. ¹⁴ Solemnize a fast! Call an assembly! Gather the elders, all of the inhabitants of the land in the house of Yahweh your God, and cry out to Yahweh. ¹⁵ Ah! For the day! For the day of Yahweh is near. It will come like destruction from Shaddai.* ¹⁶ Is not food cut off before our eyes, from the house of our God, joy and gladness? ¹⁷ The seeds shrivel under their clods; the storehouses are desolate. The grain storage places are destroyed because grain has dried out. ¹⁸ How the beasts* groan; the herds of cattle wander around because there is no pasture for them; the flocks of sheep are in distress. ¹⁹ To you, O Yahweh, I cry out, because fire has devoured the pastures of the desert, and flames* burned all the trees of the field. ²⁰ Also, the beasts of the field long for you, because the courses of water are dried up, and fire has devoured the pastures of the desert.

¹⁵ Blow the trumpet* in Zion, sanctify a fast, call an assembly; ¹⁶ gather the people, consecrate the assembly; assemble the elders, gather the children, even those who are breast-feeding; let the bridegroom come out from his private room, and the bride from her canopy. ¹⁷ Between the colonnade and the altar, let the priests, the ministers of Yahweh, weep. And let them say, "Take pity, Yahweh, on your people. Do not make your inheritance a reproach, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the nations, 'Where is their God?'"

¹⁰ Bring the whole tithe to _⌊the storehouse_⌋,* so that there will be food in my house, and test me please in this," says Yahweh of hosts, "if I will not open for you the windows of heaven, and pour forth for you _⌊an overflowing blessing_⌋.*

²⁵ But in truth I say to you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut for three years and six months while a great famine took place over all the land.

⁹ that* if you confess with your mouth "Jesus is Lord" and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

⁹ and that the Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy, just as it is written,
"Because of this, I will praise you among the Gentiles, and I will sing praise to your name."*

⁶ These have the authority to shut the sky, so that _⌊it does not rain_⌋* during the days of their prophecy. And they have authority over the waters, to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with every plague as often as they wish.

²³ Also, as for me, far be it from me _⌊that I should sin_⌋* against Yahweh by ceasing to pray for you! I will instruct you in the good and righteous way.

¹ It happened many days later that the word of Yahweh came to Elijah in the third year, saying, "Go, present yourself to Ahab so that I may give rain on the surface of the earth."

²⁷ It happened at noon that Elijah mocked them and said, "Call out with a loud voice, for he is a god! Perhaps he is meditating, or _⌊is using the bathroom_⌋,* or is on a journey. Perhaps he is asleep and must wake up!" ²⁸ So they called out with a loud voice, and they cut themselves with swords and with spears as was their custom, until the blood poured out over them. ²⁹ It happened as noon passed, they raged until the time of the evening offering, but there was no voice, there was no answer, and no one paid attention. ³⁰ Then Elijah said to all the people, "Come near to me," so all the people came closer to him. He repaired the altar of Yahweh that had been destroyed. ³¹ Elijah took twelve stones according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of God came, saying, "Israel shall be your name." ³² With them, he built an altar in the name of Yahweh, and he made a trench _⌊which would have held_⌋* about two seahs of seed, all around the altar. ³³ And he arranged the wood, cut the bull into pieces, and placed it on the wood.* Then he said, "Fill four jars with water, and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood." ³⁴ He said, "Do it again!" They did it again. He said, "Do it a third time!" So they did it a third time. ³⁵ The water went all around the altar, and the trench also was filled with water. ³⁶ It happened at the offering of the evening oblation, Elijah the prophet went near, and he said, "O Yahweh, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel; let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and that I have done all of these things by your words. ³⁷ Answer me, O Yahweh, answer me; that this people may know that you, O Yahweh, are God and that you have turned their hearts back again." ³⁸ Then the fire of Yahweh fell, and it consumed the burnt offering, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust; and the water which was in the trench it licked up! ³⁹ When all the people saw, they fell on their faces and said, "Yahweh, he is God! Yahweh, he is God!" ⁴⁰ Then Elijah said to them, "Seize the prophets of Baal; don't let any man of them escape!" So they seized them, and Elijah brought them down to the wadi* of Kishon and killed them there.

⁴⁵ _⌊In no time_⌋* the heavens grew black with clouds and wind, and there was heavy rain. Ahab rode and he went to Jezreel,

²⁶ "When the heavens are stopped up and there is no rain because they have sinned against you and they pray to this place and confess your name and turn back from their sin when you humble them, ²⁷ then may you yourself hear from the heavens and forgive the sin of your servants and your people Israel, when you teach them the good way in which they should walk, and give rain upon your land that you have given to your people as an inheritance.

⁸ O Yahweh, lead me in your righteousness because of my enemies; make straight before me your way.

⁴ Make me know your ways, O Yahweh. Teach me your paths. ⁵ Cause me to walk in your truth and teach me, because you are the God of my salvation. I await you _⌊all day long_⌋.*

⁸ Good and right is Yahweh; therefore he instructs sinners in the way.

¹² Who is the man fearing Yahweh? He will instruct him in the way he should choose.

¹¹ Teach me, O Yahweh, your way, and lead me on a level path because of my enemies.

⁸ I* will instruct you and teach you in the way that you should go. I will advise you with my eye upon you.

⁹ You caused abundant rain to fall, O God. When your inheritance was weary you revived it.

¹¹ Teach me, O Yahweh, your way, that I may walk in your truth. Unite my heart* to fear your name.

¹² Blessed is the man, O Yah, whom you instruct and teach from your law,

³³ Teach me, O Yahweh, the way of your statutes, and I will keep it to the end.

⁸ Cause me to hear your loyal love in the morning, for I trust you. Cause me to know the way that I should go, for I lift up my soul to you.

²¹ And your ears shall hear a word from behind you, saying, "this is the way; walk in it," when you go to your right and when you go to your left.

⁸ And a highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called the way of holiness. The unclean shall not travel through it, but* it is for them, he who walks on the way; and fools shall not wander about.

¹⁶ Thus says Yahweh: "Stand at the roads and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the way of the good is, and walk in it, and find rest for your inner selves.* But they said, 'We will not walk in it.'*

²² Are there any among the idols of the nation who cause rain to pour? Or can the heavens give showers? Is it not you, O Yahweh our God? Therefore, we hope in you, for you do all these things.

³ And let Yahweh your God inform us the way in which we should go and the thing that we should do."

² And many nations will come and say, "Come! Let us go up to the mountain of Yahweh, and to the _⌊temple_⌋* of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways, and that we may walk in his paths," for the law will go out from Zion, and the word of Yahweh from Jerusalem.

¹⁶ And they sent their disciples to him with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that you are truthful and teach the way of God in truth, and _⌊you do not care what anyone thinks_⌋,* _⌊because you do not regard the opinion of people_⌋.*

¹⁷ Elijah was a human being* with the same nature as us, and _⌊he prayed fervently_⌋* for it not to rain, and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. ¹⁸ And he prayed again, and the sky gave rain and the earth produced its fruit.

¹⁶ I _⌊in turn_⌋* will do this to you: then* I will summon onto you horror, the wasting disease, and the fever that wastes eyes and that drains away life; and you shall sow your seed _⌊in vain_⌋,* and your enemies shall eat it.

²⁵ And I will bring upon you a sword that seeks vengeance for the covenant, and you shall be gathered to your cities; and I will send a plague in your midst, and you shall be given into the hand of an enemy. ²⁶ At my breaking the _⌊supply_⌋* of bread* for you, then* ten women shall bake your bread in one oven, and they shall return your bread by weight; and you shall eat it, and you shall not be satisfied. ²⁷ " 'And if through this you do not listen to me and you go against me in hostility, ²⁸ then* I will go against you in hostile anger, and also* I myself* will discipline you seven times for your sins. ²⁹ And you shall eat the flesh of your sons; and the flesh of your daughters you shall eat. ³⁰ And I will destroy your high places, and I will cut down your incense altars, and I will place your corpses on your idols' corpses; and my inner self* shall abhor you. ³¹ And I will lay your cities in ruins, and I will lay waste your sanctuaries; and I shall not smell your sacrifices'* appeasing fragrance. ³² And I myself* will lay waste the land, and your enemies who are living in it shall be appalled over it. ³³ And I will scatter you among the nations, and I will draw a sword behind you; and your land shall be a desolation, and your cities shall be a ruin. ³⁴ Then the land shall enjoy its Sabbaths all the days of its lying desolate, and you shall be in the land of your enemies; then the land shall rest, and it shall enjoy its Sabbaths. ³⁵ All the days of its lying desolate it shall rest for the time* that it had not rested during your Sabbaths while you were living on it. ³⁶ As for* the ones who remain among you, I will bring* fearfulness in their hearts in the land of their enemies; and a sound of a windblown leaf shall pursue them, and they shall flee like flight _⌊before_⌋* a sword, and they shall fall, but* there shall not be a pursuer. ³⁷ And they shall stumble over _⌊one another_⌋* as _⌊from before_⌋* a sword, but* there shall not be a pursuer; and _⌊you shall have no resistance_⌋* _⌊before_⌋* your enemies. ³⁸ And you shall perish among the nations, and the land of your enemies shall eat you. ³⁹ And because of their guilt, the ones among you who remain shall decay in the land of their enemies; and also because of the iniquities of their ancestors,* they shall decay with them. ⁴⁰ " 'But* when they confess their guilt and the guilt of their ancestors* in their infidelity that they displayed against me, and moreover that they went against me in hostility— ⁴¹ I myself* also* went against them in hostility, and I brought them into the land of their enemies—or if then their uncircumcised heart is humbled and then they pay for their guilt, ⁴² I will remember* my covenant with Jacob; and I will remember also my covenant with Isaac and also my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land. ⁴³ And the land shall be deserted by them, and it shall enjoy its Sabbaths in its being desolate from them, and they themselves* must pay for their guilt, _⌊simply because_⌋* they rejected my regulations, and their inner self* abhorred my statutes. ⁴⁴ And _⌊in spite of_⌋* this, _⌊when they are_⌋* in the land of their enemies I will not reject them, and I will not abhor them to destroy them, to break my covenant with them, because I am Yahweh their God. ⁴⁵ And I will remember the first covenant for them*—whom I brought out from the land of Egypt _⌊in the sight of_⌋* the nations _⌊to be their God_⌋.* I am Yahweh.'" ⁴⁶ These are the rules and the regulations and the laws that Yahweh gave between himself and the _⌊Israelites_⌋* on _⌊Mount Sinai_⌋* _⌊through_⌋* Moses.

²¹ Yahweh will cause the plague to cling to you _⌊until it consumes you_⌋* from the land that you are going to,* to take possession of it. ²² Yahweh will afflict you with the wasting diseases and with the fever and with the inflammation and with the scorching heat and with the sword* and with the blight and with the mildew, and they shall pursue you _⌊until you perish_⌋.*

³⁸ "You shall carry out much seed to the field, but you shall gather little produce, for the locust shall devour it. ³⁹ You shall plant vineyards and you shall dress* them, but you shall not drink wine and you shall not gather grapes, for the worm shall eat it.* ⁴⁰ There shall be olive trees for you in all of your territory, but you shall not anoint yourself, for your olives* shall drop off. ⁴¹ You shall bear sons and daughters, but they shall not be _⌊yours_⌋,* for they shall go into captivity. ⁴² The cricket shall take possession of all your trees and the fruit of your ground.

⁵² And it shall besiege you in all your towns _⌊until your high and fortified walls fall_⌋,* which you are trusting in* _⌊throughout your land_⌋;* and it shall besiege you in all of your towns in all of your land that Yahweh your God has given to you. ⁵³ And you shall eat the fruit of your womb, the flesh of your sons and your daughters, whom Yahweh your God gave to you, _⌊during the siege and during the distress_⌋* your enemy inflicts upon you. ⁵⁴ The most refined and the very sensitive* man among you _⌊shall be mean with his brother_⌋* and _⌊against his beloved wife_⌋* and against the rest* of his children that he has left over, ⁵⁵ _⌊by refraining from giving_⌋* to even one of them any of the meat of his children that he eats, because there is not anything that is left over for him _⌊during the siege and distress_⌋* that your enemy inflicts upon you. ⁵⁶ The most refined and the most delicate woman among you, who shall* not venture to put the sole of her foot on the ground from being so delicate and from such gentleness, _⌊shall be mean to her beloved husband_⌋* and against her son and against her daughter, ⁵⁷ and even concerning her afterbirth _⌊that goes out_⌋* from between her feet and also concerning her children that she bears, because she eats them for lack of anything in secret _⌊during the siege and during the distress_⌋* that your enemy inflicts upon her in your _⌊towns_⌋.* ⁵⁸ "If _⌊you do not diligently observe_⌋* all the words of this law written in this scroll by revering this glorious and awesome name, Yahweh your God, ⁵⁹ then Yahweh shall overwhelm you with your plagues and the plagues of your offspring, severe plagues and lasting illnesses, grievous and enduring. ⁶⁰ And he shall bring back upon you all the diseases of Egypt concerning which _⌊you were in dread_⌋* _⌊because of them_⌋.* ⁶¹ Also any illness and any plague* that is not written in the scroll of this law, he shall bring them, Yahweh, upon you until you are destroyed.

²⁵ There was a great famine in Samaria, and behold, a siege was against it, until the head of a donkey went for eighty shekels of silver, and one fourth of the measure of the dung of doves went for five shekels of silver. ²⁶ It happened that the king of Israel was crossing over on the wall, and a woman called out to him, saying, "Help, my lord the king!" ²⁷ He said, "No, let Yahweh help you. _⌊How_⌋* can I save you? From the threshing floor or from the wine press?" ²⁸ The king said to her, "_⌊What is the problem_⌋?"* Then the woman said, "This woman said to me, 'Give me your son, and let us eat him today, then tomorrow we will eat my son.' ²⁹ So we cooked my son and ate him, and I said to her the next day, 'Give your son that we may eat him.' But she had hidden her son."

¹² whether three years of famine or three months of devastation by your enemies while the sword of your enemies overtakes you, or three days of the sword of Yahweh, with disease in the land and the angel of Yahweh destroying throughout all the territory in Israel.' So now, see what word I should return to my sender."

²⁸ "If there is a famine in the land; if there is disease, blight, mildew, locust, and caterpillar; if it happens that his enemy lays siege to him in the land and his gates; any kind of plague, any kind of disease, ²⁹ then any prayer, any plea that is made by any person and by all your people Israel, each one who knows his own affliction and his own anguish and who spreads out his hands to this house, ³⁰ then may you yourself hear from the heavens, your dwelling place, and forgive and give to each according to all his ways, since you know the heart of the children of humankind, ³¹ that they may fear you and walk in your ways all the days that they are alive upon the face of the land that you have given to our ancestors.*

⁹ 'If disaster, a sword, punishment, disease, or famine come upon us, we shall stand before this house and before you—for your name is in this house—and cry out to you out of our trouble, then you will hear and save us.'

³⁴ He spoke and there came locusts and young locusts without number. ³⁵ And they ate up all the vegetation in their land, and they ate up the fruit of their ground.

² Now at that time the army of the king of Babylon was laying siege to Jerusalem and Jeremiah the prophet was confined in the courtyard of the guard that was in the palace of the king of Judah,

¹ In the ninth year of Zedekiah, the king of Judah, in the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon and all his army came against Jerusalem and laid siege to it. ² In the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, on the ninth day of the month, the city was taken by assault. ³ And all the officials of the king of Babylon came and sat in the Middle Gate: Nergal-sharezer, Samgar-nebo, Sarsechim the chief officer, Nergal-sharezer the high official, with all the rest of the officials of the king of Babylon.

²¹ For thus says the Lord Yahweh: "How much more when I send my four punishments—the evil sword, and famine, and a fierce animal, and a plague—to Jerusalem to cut it off, both human and animal!

⁴ What the cutting locust left, the swarming locust has eaten. What the swarming locust left, the hopping locust has eaten. And what the hopping locust left, the destroying locust has eaten. ⁵ Wake up, drunkards, and weep! Wail, all drinkers of wine, over the new wine, for it is cut off from your mouth. ⁶ Because a nation has _⌊invaded_⌋* my land, strong _⌊and beyond counting_⌋.* Its teeth are the teeth of a lion, and its fangs are those of a lioness. ⁷ It has made my vine a desolation, and my fig tree a completely splintered stump. It has stripped them bare and thrown them down; their branches have turned white.

²⁵ I will repay you the years that the locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my mighty troops that I sent against you. ²⁶ And you will eat abundantly and be satisfied, and praise the name of Yahweh your God, who has dealt with you _⌊wondrously_⌋.* My people _⌊will never be ashamed_⌋.*

²² Then Solomon stood before the altar of Yahweh in the presence of all of the assembly of Israel, and he spread out his hands to the heavens,

²⁹ then any prayer, any plea that is made by any person and by all your people Israel, each one who knows his own affliction and his own anguish and who spreads out his hands to this house,

⁵ Then Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem in the house of Yahweh before the new courtyard. ⁶ And he said, "O Yahweh, God of our ancestors,* are you not God in heaven? Now you rule in all the kingdoms of the nations, and in your hand are power and might, and there is none who can resist against you. ⁷ O, our God, did you yourself not drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and give it to the descendants* of Abraham your friend forever? ⁸ And they lived in it and built for you a sanctuary for your name in it, saying, ⁹ 'If disaster, a sword, punishment, disease, or famine come upon us, we shall stand before this house and before you—for your name is in this house—and cry out to you out of our trouble, then you will hear and save us.' ¹⁰ And now, look, the people* of Moab and Ammon and Mount Seir whom you did not allow Israel to come against when they came from Egypt, from whom they turned aside and did not destroy, ¹¹ now behold, they are rewarding us by coming to dispossess us from your possession which you gave us as an inheritance. ¹² O our God, will you not judge them, for there is no power in us before this great multitude that is coming against us. Now we do not know what we shall do, for our eyes are upon you." ¹³ And all Judah was standing before Yahweh, and also their little children, their wives, and their children.

¹¹ "Even* I will not restrain my mouth; I will speak in my spirit's anguish; I will complain in my inner self's* bitterness.

³ When I kept silent, my bones were worn out due to my groaning all the day. ⁴ For day and night your hand was heavy upon me. My vigor was changed into the dry heat of summer. Selah

⁶ O my God, within me my soul is _⌊in despair_⌋;* therefore I remember you from the land of Jordan and the heights of Hermon, from the mountain of Mizar.

⁹ I say to God, my rock, "Why have you forgotten me? Why must I walk about mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?"

¹¹ Why are you _⌊in despair_⌋,* O my soul? And why are you disturbed within me? Hope in God, because I shall again praise him, _⌊my salvation_⌋* and my God.

¹⁵ And call me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will glorify me."

²¹ When my heart was embittered and I felt stabbed in my kidneys, ²² then I was brutish and ignorant. With you I was like the beasts.

¹⁵ He will call upon me and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue and honor him.

³ When my spirit faints within me, you know my way. On the path where I walk, they have hidden a trap for me; ⁴ look to my right and see. There is no one looking out for me; there is no escape for me;* no one cares for my soul.* ⁵ I cry out to you, O Yahweh. I say, "You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living."

¹⁰ The heart* knows the bitterness of its soul,* but in its joy, it will not share itself with a stranger.

⁴ Maybe Yahweh your God heard the words of Rabshakeh whom the king of Assyria, his master, has sent to taunt the living God, and he will rebuke the words that Yahweh your God hears. And you must lift up a prayer for the benefit of the remnant that is found.'"

¹⁵ And Hezekiah prayed to Yahweh, saying, ¹⁶ "Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel _⌊who is enthroned on_⌋* the cherubim, you are the one, God by yourself, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you are the one who made the heavens and the earth. ¹⁷ Yahweh, extend your ear and hear! Yahweh, open your eyes and see, and hear all the words of Sennacherib that he has sent to taunt the living God! ¹⁸ Truly, Yahweh, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the lands* and their land, ¹⁹ to _⌊set_⌋* their gods in the fire, for they were not gods, but the work of human hands, wood and stone, and they destroyed them. ²⁰ So* now, Yahweh, our God, save us from his hand so that* all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you are Yahweh, you alone!" ²¹ And Isaiah son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, "Thus says Yahweh the God of Israel: 'Because you have prayed to me _⌊concerning_⌋* Sennacherib, king of Assyria,

¹⁷ Between the colonnade and the altar, let the priests, the ministers of Yahweh, weep. And let them say, "Take pity, Yahweh, on your people. Do not make your inheritance a reproach, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the nations, 'Where is their God?'"

¹ This is what my Lord Yahweh showed me, and look, he is going to form locusts at the beginning of the sprouting of the second crop, and look, after the mowings of the king. ² And then when they* finished eating the vegetation of the land, I said, "O Lord Yahweh, please forgive! How can Jacob stand, because he is small?" ³ Yahweh relented concerning this. "It will not be," said Yahweh. ⁴ This is what my Lord Yahweh showed me, and look, my Lord Yahweh was going to call for a legal case with fire, and it devoured the great deep and it ate up the plots of ground. ⁵ Then I said, "O Lord Yahweh, please stop! How can Jacob stand, because he is small?" ⁶ Yahweh also relented concerning this. "This also will not be," said my Lord Yahweh.

²⁴ Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?

⁶ Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

⁷ But Yahweh said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For God does not see what man sees, for a man _⌊looks on the outward appearance_⌋,* but Yahweh _⌊looks on the heart_⌋."*

³² then you shall hear in heaven and you shall act and you shall judge your servant, to declare the wicked guilty by bringing his way upon his head and _⌊to declare the righteous innocent_⌋* by rewarding him according to his righteousness.

³⁰ then may you yourself hear from the heavens, your dwelling place, and forgive and give to each according to all his ways, since you know the heart of the children of humankind,

⁴ Yahweh is in his holy temple; Yahweh is in the heavens on his throne. His eyelids see; they test the children of humankind. ⁵ Yahweh tests the righteous, but the wicked and the lover of violence his soul hates.

²⁰ Yahweh has rewarded me according to my righteousness; According to the cleanness of my hands he has repaid me. ²¹ Because I have kept the ways of Yahweh, and have not acted wickedly against my God, ²² because all his ordinances are before me, and his statutes I have not removed from me, ²³ and I was blameless before him, and I kept myself from my guilt. ²⁴ Therefore Yahweh has repaid me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight. ²⁵ To the loyal you show yourself loyal. To the blameless you show yourself blameless. ²⁶ To the pure you show yourself pure. but to the wicked you show yourself shrewd.

⁴ Give to them according to their work, even according to the evil of their deeds. Give to them according to the work of their hands; repay them their rightful due.

¹⁰ I, Yahweh, examine the _⌊mind_⌋,* I test the _⌊heart_⌋,* and give to each one according to his way, according to the fruit of his deeds.

¹⁹ great in counsel and great in deed, whose eyes are opened to all the ways of the children of humankind, to give to each one according to his ways and according to the fruit of his deeds,

²⁴ But Jesus himself did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people,* ²⁵ and because he did not _⌊need_⌋* anyone _⌊to testify_⌋* about man, for he himself knew what was in man.*

¹⁷ He said to him a third time, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" Peter was distressed because he said to him a third time, "Do you love me?" and he said to him, "Lord, you know everything! You know that I love you!" Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep!

²⁴ And they prayed and* said, "You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show clearly which one of these two you have chosen

¹² For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any double-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, both joints and marrow, and able to judge the reflections and thoughts of the heart. ¹³ And no creature is hidden in the sight of him, but all things are naked and laid bare to the eyes of him to whom _⌊we must give our account_⌋*.

²³ And I will kill her children with deadly disease, and all the churches will know that I am the one who searches minds and hearts, and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds.

¹² "Behold, I am coming quickly, and my reward is with me, to repay each one according to what his deeds are!

¹² And he said, "Do not stretch out your hand against the boy; do not do anything to him. For now I know that you are _⌊one who fears_⌋* God, since you have not withheld your son, your only child, from me."

²⁰ And Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid. God has come to test you so that his fear will be before you so that you do not sin."

² so that you may revere Yahweh your God by keeping all his statutes and his commandments that I am commanding you, you and your children and _⌊grandchildren_⌋,* all the days of your life and so you may live long* lives.

¹³ "You shall fear Yahweh your God, and you shall serve him, and by his name you shall swear.

²⁴ Only fear Yahweh and serve him faithfully with all of your heart. For consider _⌊what great things he has done for you_⌋.*

¹³ He will bless those who fear Yahweh, the small with the great.

⁴ But with you is forgiveness, so that you may be feared."

³⁹ And I will give to them one heart and one way, to revere me _⌊forever_⌋,* for good to them, and to their children after them. ⁴⁰ And I will _⌊make_⌋* with them _⌊an everlasting covenant_⌋* that I will not turn away from them, my doing good to them, and my reverence I will put in their hearts* so that they will not turn aside from me.

⁵ Afterward the children of Israel will return and seek Yahweh their God and David their king. They will come in fear to Yahweh and to his goodness at the end of days.

³¹ Then the church throughout all of Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace, being strengthened. And living in the fear of the Lord and the encouragement of the Holy Spirit, it was increasing in numbers.*

² devout and fearing God together with all his household, doing many charitable deeds for the people and praying to God _⌊continually_⌋.*

²⁸ Therefore, since we* are receiving an unshakable kingdom, let us be thankful, through which let us serve God acceptably, with awe and reverence.

⁴ Who would never fear, Lord, and glorify your name? For only you are holy, because all the nations* will come and worship before you, because your righteous deeds have been revealed."

⁵ And a voice came out from the throne, saying,
"Praise our God all his slaves, and those who fear him, the small and the great!"

⁸ And Moses told his father-in-law all that Yahweh had done to Pharaoh and to Egypt on account of Israel, all the hardship that had found them on the way, and how Yahweh delivered them. ⁹ And Jethro rejoiced over all the good that Yahweh had done for Israel when he delivered them from the hand of Egypt. ¹⁰ And Jethro said, "Blessed be Yahweh, who has delivered you from the hand of Egypt and from the hand of Pharaoh—who has delivered the people from under the hand of Egypt. ¹¹ Now I know that Yahweh is greater than all the gods, _⌊even in the matter where they the Egyptians dealt arrogantly against the Israelites_⌋."* ¹² And Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses, took a burnt offering and sacrifices for God, and Aaron and all the elders of Israel came to eat bread with the father-in-law of Moses before God.

¹⁶ But Ruth said, "_⌊Do not urge_⌋* me to leave you or to return from _⌊following you_⌋!* For where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people will be my people and your God will be my God.

¹¹ And Boaz answered and said to her, "All that you have done for your mother-in-law after the death of your husband was fully told to me. How you left your father and mother and the land of your birth, and you went to a people that you did not know _⌊before_⌋.*

¹ Now the queen of Sheba had heard of the fame of Solomon regarding the name of Yahweh, and she came to test him with hard questions. ² So she came to Jerusalem with very great wealth; with camels carrying spices, very much gold, and precious stones. She came to Solomon, and she spoke to him all that was on her heart.

¹ Now Naaman was the commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man before his master and _⌊highly regarded_⌋,* for by him Yahweh had given victory to Aram. Now the man was a mighty warrior, but he was afflicted with a skin disease. ² When the Arameans went on a raid, they brought back a young girl from the land of Israel, and _⌊she came into the service of_⌋* the wife of Naaman. ³ She said to her mistress, "If only my lord would come before the prophet who is in Samaria; then _⌊he would cure his skin disease_⌋."* ⁴ He came and told his master, saying, "Thus and so the girl who is from the land of Israel said." ⁵ So the king of Aram said, "Go, I will send a letter to the king of Israel." He went and took _⌊with him_⌋* ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten sets of clothing. ⁶ So he brought the letter of the king to Israel, saying, "Now, when this letter comes to you, I have just sent Naaman my servant to you that you may cure him from his skin disease." ⁷ It happened that when the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, "Am I God to cause death or to give life? This man is sending a man to me to cure his disease. Indeed! But know and see that he seeks an opportunity against me."

¹⁶ And he said, "_⌊As Yahweh lives_⌋,* before whom I stand, I surely will not take it." Still he urged him to take it, but he refused. ¹⁷ Then Naaman said, "If not, then please let a load of soil on a pair of mules be given to your servants, for your servant will never again bring a burnt offering and sacrifice to other gods, but only to Yahweh.

³² "And also, with respect to the foreigner, he who is not of your people Israel, but comes from a distant land, for the sake of your great name and your powerful hand and outstretched arm, when he comes and prays to this house,

³ And do not let the _⌊foreigner_⌋* who joins himself to Yahweh say, "Surely Yahweh will separate me from his people." And do not let the eunuch say, "Look! I am a dry tree!" ⁴ For thus says Yahweh, "To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, and choose that in which I delight, and who keep hold of my covenant. ⁵ And I will give them a monument and a name in my house and within my walls, better than sons and daughters; I will give him an everlasting name that shall not be cut off. ⁶ And the _⌊foreigners_⌋* who join themselves to Yahweh to serve him and to love the name of Yahweh, to become his servants, every one who keeps the Sabbath, _⌊so as not to profane_⌋* it, and those who keep hold of my covenant, ⁷ I will bring them to _⌊my holy mountain_⌋;* I will make them merry in my house of prayer. their burnt offerings and their sacrifices _⌊will be accepted_⌋* on my altar, for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples,"

¹ "Arise, shine! For your light has come, and the glory of Yahweh has risen on you. ² For look! darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples, but* Yahweh will rise on you, and his glory will appear over you. ³ And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the bright light of your sunrise. ⁴ Lift up your eyes all around and see! All of them gather; they come to you. Your sons shall come from afar, and your daughters shall be looked after on the hip. ⁵ Then you shall see and you shall be radiant; and your heart shall tremble and open itself wide, because the abundance of the sea shall fall upon you; the wealth of the nations shall come to you. ⁶ A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young male camels of Midian and Ephah. All those from Sheba shall come; they shall bring gold and frankincense, and they shall proclaim the praise of Yahweh. ⁷ All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered to you; the rams of Nebaioth shall serve you. They shall present a sacrifice for favor on my altar, and I will glorify _⌊my honorable house_⌋.* ⁸ Who are these? They fly like a cloud, and like doves to their coops. ⁹ Because the coastlands wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish are first to bring your children from afar, their silver and gold with them, for the name of Yahweh your God, and for the holy one of Israel, because he has glorified you. ¹⁰ And _⌊foreigners_⌋* shall build your walls, and their kings shall serve you, for in my anger I struck you, but* in my favor I have taken pity on you.

¹ Now after* Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem,

⁵ Now when* he entered Capernaum, a centurion approached him, appealing to him

¹⁰ Now when* Jesus heard this,* he was astonished, and said to those who were following him,* "Truly I say to you, I have found such great faith with no one in Israel. ¹¹ But I say to you that many will come from east and west and _⌊be seated at the banquet_⌋* with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.

⁴² The queen of the south will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something* greater than Solomon is here!

²² And behold, a Canaanite woman from that district came and cried out, saying, "Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely possessed by a demon!" ²³ But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came up and* asked him, saying, "Send her away, because she is crying out after us!" ²⁴ But he answered and* said, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." ²⁵ But she came and* knelt down before him, saying, "Lord, help me!" ²⁶ And he answered and* said, "It is not right to take the children's bread and throw it* to the dogs!" ²⁷ So she said, "Yes, Lord, for even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master's table." ²⁸ Then Jesus answered and said to her, "O woman, your faith is great! Let it be done for you as you want." And her daughter was healed from that hour.

¹⁸ Was no one found to turn back and* give praise to God except this foreigner?"

²⁰ Now some Greeks were among those who had gone up in order to worship at the feast.

²⁷ And he got up and* went, and behold, there was a man, an Ethiopian eunuch (a court official of Candace,* queen of the Ethiopians, who was over all her treasury) who had come to worship in Jerusalem ²⁸ and was returning and sitting in his chariot, and reading aloud the prophet Isaiah. ²⁹ And the Spirit said to Philip, "Approach and join this chariot." ³⁰ So Philip ran up to it* and* heard him reading aloud Isaiah the prophet and said, "So then, do you understand what you are reading?" ³¹ And he said, "So how could I, unless someone will guide me?" And he invited Philip to come up and* sit with him. ³² Now the passage of scripture that he was reading aloud was this:
"He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and like a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth. ³³ In his* humiliation justice was taken from him. Who can describe his _⌊descendants_⌋?* For his life was taken away from the earth."* ³⁴ And the eunuch answered and* said to Philip, "I ask you, about whom does the prophet say this—about himself or about someone else?" ³⁵ So Philip opened his mouth and beginning from this scripture, proclaimed the good news to him about Jesus. ³⁶ And as they were traveling down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, "Look! Water! What prevents me from being baptized?"*

³⁸ And he ordered the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water—Philip and the eunuch—and he baptized him. ³⁹ And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him any longer, for he went on his way rejoicing. ⁴⁰ But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he* passed through, he proclaimed the good news to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.

¹ Now there was a certain man in Caesarea _⌊named_⌋* Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Cohort, ² devout and fearing God together with all his household, doing many charitable deeds for the people and praying to God _⌊continually_⌋.* ³ About the ninth hour of the day, he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming to him and saying to him, "Cornelius." ⁴ And he stared at him and became terrified and* said, "What is it, Lord?" And he said to him, "Your prayers and your charitable deeds have gone up for a memorial offering before God.

¹³ But Moses said to God, "Look, if I go to the _⌊Israelites_⌋* and I say to them, 'The God of your ancestors* has sent me to you,' and they say to me, 'What is his name?' then what shall I say to them?" ¹⁴ And God said to Moses, "I am that I am." And he said, "So you must say to the _⌊Israelites_⌋,* 'I am sent me to you.'" ¹⁵ And God said again to Moses, "So you must say to the _⌊Israelites_⌋,* 'Yahweh, the God of your ancestors,* the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is my name forever, and this is my remembrance from generation to generation.' ¹⁶ Go and gather the elders of Israel and say to them, 'Yahweh, the God of your ancestors,* appeared to me, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, "I have carefully attended to you and what has been done to you in Egypt."

¹⁹ But I myself know that the king of Egypt will not allow you to go _⌊unless compelled by a strong hand_⌋.*

¹⁵ For now I could have stretched out my hand, and I could have struck you and your people with the plague, and you would have perished from the earth.

¹⁴ And when your son asks you _⌊in the future_⌋,* saying, 'What is this?' you will say to him, 'With strength of hand Yahweh brought us out from Egypt, from a house of slaves.

¹⁴ Peoples heard; they trembled; anguish seized the inhabitants of Philistia.

⁵ And Yahweh descended in the cloud, and he stood with him there, and he proclaimed the name of Yahweh. ⁶ And Yahweh passed over before him, and he proclaimed, "Yahweh, Yahweh, God, who is compassionate and gracious, _⌊slow to anger_⌋,* and abounding with* loyal love and faithfulness, ⁷ keeping loyal love to the thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and he does not leave utterly unpunished, punishing the guilt of fathers on sons and on sons of sons on third and fourth generations."

²⁴ 'Lord Yahweh, you have begun to show your servant your greatness and your strong hand, for what* god is there in the heaven or on the earth who can do according to your works and according to your mighty deeds?

⁶ And _⌊you must observe them diligently_⌋,* for that is your wisdom and your insight before the eyes of the people, who will hear all of these rules, and they will say, 'Surely this great nation is a wise and discerning people.'

³⁴ Or has a god ever attempted to go to take for himself* a nation from the midst of a nation, using trials and signs and wonders and war, with an outstretched arm and with great and awesome deeds, like all that Yahweh your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?

² And you shall realize _⌊today_⌋* that it is not with your children who have not known and who have not seen the discipline of Yahweh your God—his greatness, his strong hand, and his outstretched arm, ³ and his signs and his deeds that he did in the midst of Egypt to Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and to all of his land,

¹⁰ For we have heard how Yahweh dried up the waters of the _⌊Red Sea_⌋* before you when you went out from Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites that were beyond the Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. ¹¹ We heard this, and our hearts* melted, and _⌊no courage was left in anyone_⌋* because of your presence. For Yahweh your God is God in the heavens above and on the earth below.

⁹ The Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of this, and they will surround us and cut off our name from the land. What will you do, for your great name?"

⁹ And they said to him, "Your servants have come from a very far land because of the name of Yahweh your God; we have heard of his reputation, of all that he did in Egypt, ¹⁰ and of all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan—to Sihon king of Heshbon and to Og king of Bashan, who was in Ashtaroth.

³⁶ Rather, Yahweh, who brought you out from the land of Egypt with great strength and with an outstretched arm—him you shall fear, and to him you shall bow down, and to him you shall sacrifice.

³¹ And thus in the matter of the envoys of the commanders of Babylon who had been sent to him to seek the sign that had happened in the land, God forsook him, to test him and to know all that was in his heart.

⁸ There is none like you among the gods, O Lord, and there are no works like yours. ⁹ All the nations that you have made will come and bow down* before you, O Lord, and glorify your name.

¹³ You have a mighty arm; Your hand is strong; your right hand reaches high.

¹² With a strong hand and an outstretched arm, for his loyal love endures forever.

⁹ Awake! Awake; put on strength, O arm of Yahweh! Awake as in days of long ago, the generations of a long time back! Are you not the one who cut Rahab in pieces, the one who pierced the sea-dragon?

¹² _⌊who made_⌋* his magnificent arm move _⌊at_⌋* the right hand of Moses, _⌊who divided_⌋* the waters _⌊before them_⌋,* to make an everlasting name for himself,

¹⁹ And I will set a sign among them, and I will send survivors from them to the nations: Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, who draw the bow; Tubal and Javan, the faraway coastlands that have not heard of my fame, and have not seen my glory.
And they shall declare my glory among the nations, ²⁰ and bring all your countrymen* from all the nations as an offering to Yahweh on horses and chariots* and in litters and on mules and camels, to* _⌊my holy mountain_⌋,* Jerusalem," says Yahweh, "just as the sons of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel to the house of Yahweh.

¹⁹ Then I thought, 'How I would set you among the children, and I would give you a land of desire, an inheritance of the glory of the hosts of nations.' And I thought, 'You would call me, "My father," and you would not turn back from _⌊behind_⌋* me.'

¹¹ For Yahweh has ransomed Jacob, and he has redeemed him from the hand of the person _⌊stronger_⌋* than he.

¹⁷ 'Ah Lord Yahweh! Look, you made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm. _⌊Nothing_⌋* is too difficult for you,

⁹ "But* I acted for the sake of my name _⌊to keep it from being profaned_⌋* before the eyes of the nations _⌊among whom they lived_⌋,* where I made known to them before their eyes, to bring them out from the land of Egypt.

⁴⁷ The king answered Daniel and said, "_⌊Truly_⌋* your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings, and he reveals mysteries, for you are able to reveal this mystery."

²⁸ Nebuchadnezzar _⌊responded_⌋,* saying, "Blessed be their God, the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who sent his angel* and rescued his servants who trusted in him, and the command of the king they disobeyed, and they gave their bodies so that they did not serve and did not worship any god except their God.

³⁷ Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and honor the king of heaven, for all his works are truth,* and his ways are justice and that he is able to humble those who walk in pride."

¹⁶ _⌊And then_⌋* every survivor from all those nations coming against Jerusalem will go up year after year* to worship the king, Yahweh of hosts, and celebrate the Feast of Booths.*

²⁷ And he got up and* went, and behold, there was a man, an Ethiopian eunuch (a court official of Candace,* queen of the Ethiopians, who was over all her treasury) who had come to worship in Jerusalem

²⁴ so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of Yahweh is strong, so that you may fear Yahweh your God _⌊forever_⌋."*

⁴⁶ This day Yahweh will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down _⌊and cut off your head_⌋!* Then I will give the corpses of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of heaven and to the animals of the earth, so that all the earth may know that there is a God who is for Israel.

¹⁹ So then, O Yahweh our God, rescue us, please, from his hand, that all of the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, O Yahweh, you alone are God!"

³³ then may you yourself hear from the heavens, from your dwelling place, and do according to all that the foreigner asks of you, so that all peoples of earth will know of your name and fear you, as do your people Israel, and that they may know that your name _⌊possesses_⌋* this house that I have built.

²⁷ All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to Yahweh. All the families of the nations will worship before you.

² that your way may be known on the earth, your salvation among all nations.

¹⁰ Let the kings of Tarshish and the islands bring tribute. Let the kings of Sheba and Seba present gifts, ¹¹ and let all kings bow down to him. Let all nations serve him.

⁹ All the nations that you have made will come and bow down* before you, O Lord, and glorify your name.

¹⁵ Then the nations will fear the name of Yahweh, and all the kings of the earth your glory.

⁹ They will not injure and they will not destroy on all of my _⌊holy mountain_⌋,* for the earth will be full of the knowledge of Yahweh, as the waters cover the sea.

¹⁵ And the seventh angel blew the trumpet, and there was a loud voice in heaven saying,
"The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign _⌊forever and ever_⌋*."

¹ Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ² "Seek vengeance for the _⌊Israelites_⌋* on the Midianites; afterward you will be gathered to your people." ³ Moses spoke to the people, saying, "Arm yourself from among your men for the battle, so that they will _⌊go_⌋* against Midian to mete out the vengeance of Yahweh on Midian. ⁴ A thousand from each tribe of every tribe of Israel you will send to battle." ⁵ So theywere assigned from the thousands of Israel, a thousand from each tribe, twelve thousand equipped for battle. ⁶ Moses sent them, a thousand from each tribe, to the battle, and Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest to the battle with them, and the vessels of the sanctuary and the trumpets of the blast were in his hand. ⁷ And they fought against Midian just as Yahweh commanded Moses, and they killed every male. ⁸ They killed the kings of Midian in addition to the ones they had slain: Evi and Rekem and Zur and Hur and Reba, the five kings of Midian; they also killed Balaam son of Beor by the sword. ⁹ The _⌊Israelites_⌋* took captive the women of Midian and their children, and they plundered all their domestic animals and all their livestock and all their wealth. ¹⁰ They burned all their cities where they dwelled and all their camps with fire. ¹¹ They took all the plunder and all the war-booty with the humans* and domestic animals.* ¹² They brought the captives, the war-booty, and the plunder to Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and to the community of the _⌊Israelites_⌋,* to the camp to the desert-plateau of Moab, which was on the Jordan across Jericho.

¹ "If you go out to war against your enemies and you see a horse and a chariot, _⌊an army_⌋* larger that you, you shall not be afraid because of them; for Yahweh your God is with you, the one who brought you from the land of Egypt. ² _⌊And then_⌋* when you approach the battle, then the priest shall come near and speak to the troops. ³ And he shall say to them, 'Hear, Israel, you are near _⌊today_⌋* to the battle against your enemies; _⌊do not lose heart_⌋;* you shall not be afraid, and you shall not panic, and you shall not be terrified _⌊because of them_⌋,* ⁴ for Yahweh your God is going with you to fight for you against your enemies to help you.'

³ Yahweh your God is about to cross _⌊before you_⌋;* he will destroy these nations _⌊before you_⌋,* and you shall dispossess them. Joshua will be crossing _⌊before you_⌋,* just as Yahweh _⌊promised_⌋.* ⁴ And Yahweh will do to them just as he did to Sihon and to Og, kings of the Amorites, and to their land, which he destroyed with them. ⁵ And Yahweh _⌊will deliver them to you before you_⌋,* and you shall do to them according to every commandment that I have commanded you. ⁶ Be strong and be courageous; you should not be afraid, and you _⌊should not be in dread from their presence_⌋,* for Yahweh your God is the one going with you; he will not leave you alone and he will not forsake you."

² "My servant Moses is dead. Get up and cross the Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the _⌊Israelites_⌋.* ³ Every place that the soles of your feet will tread, I have given it to you, as I promised* to Moses. ⁴ From the wilderness _⌊and the Lebanon_⌋,* up to the great river, the river Euphrates, all of the land of the Hittites, and up to _⌊the great sea in the west_⌋,* will be your territory. ⁵ No one will stand before you* all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so will I be with you; I will not fail you, and I will not forsake you.

² And Yahweh said to Joshua, "Look, I am giving Jericho into your hand, its king and the soldiers of the army. ³ You will march around the city, all the warriors circling the city once; you will do so for six days. ⁴ And seven priests will bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark. On the seventh day you will march around the city seven times, and the priests will blow on the trumpets. ⁵ And when they blow long on the horn of the ram, when you hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people will shout with a great war cry, and the wall of the city will fall flat,* and _⌊the people will charge, each one straight ahead_⌋."*

¹ Then Yahweh said to Joshua, "Do not fear or be dismayed. Take _⌊all the fighting men_⌋* with you _⌊and go up immediately to Ai_⌋.* Look, I am giving into your hand the king of Ai, his city, and his land. ² You will do to Ai and its king that which you did to Jericho and its king; you may take only its spoils* and livestock as booty for yourself. Set for yourself an ambush against the city from behind it."

¹ After the death of Joshua, the _⌊Israelites_⌋* inquired of Yahweh, saying, "Who will go up first for us against the Canaanites* to fight against them?" ² And Yahweh said, "Judah will go up. I hereby give the land into his hand."

⁶ She sent and called for Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh Naphtali and said to him, "Has not Yahweh the God of Israel commanded you? 'Go, _⌊march to_⌋* Mount Tabor, and take ten thousand men from the descendants* of Naphtali and Zebulun.

¹⁴ And Yahweh turned to him and said, "Go in this your strength, and you will deliver Israel from the palm of Midian. Did I not send you?"

³ So then, go and attack Amalek and utterly destroy all that is his! You must not spare him, but kill both man and woman, both child and nursing infant, both ox and sheep, both camel and donkey.'"

¹⁸ When Yahweh sent you on your way, he said to you: 'Go! You must utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and you must fight against them until you* have destroyed them.'

⁸ And David inquired of Yahweh, saying, "Should I pursue after this band of raiders? Will I overtake them?" He said to him, "Pursue them, for you will certainly overtake them, and you will certainly rescue them."

¹⁹ And David inquired of Yahweh, saying, "Shall I go up to the Philistines? Will you give them into my hands?" Yahweh said to David, "Go up, for _⌊I will certainly give_⌋* the Philistines into your hand."

²³ So David inquired of Yahweh, but he said, "You shall not go up. Rather, go around to their rear and come to them from opposite the balsam trees.

³⁴ "When your people go out to battle against their enemy according to the way that you have sent them, and they pray to you toward this city that you have chosen and the house that I have built for your name,

⁹ Zerah the Cushite came out against them with an army of a thousand thousands and three hundred chariots. And he came to Mareshah. ¹⁰ And Asa went out before him, and a battle was put in order in the valley of Zepah at Mareshah. ¹¹ Then Asa cried out to Yahweh his God. And he said, "O Yahweh, there is none with you to help between the great and the powerless. Help us, O Yahweh our God, for we rely upon you, and in your name we have come against this multitude. O Yahweh, you are our God! Let no man prevail against you!" ¹² So Yahweh defeated the Cushites before Asa and before Judah, and the Cushites fled.

³¹ And it happened that when the commanders of the chariots* saw Jehoshaphat, then they said, "It is the king of Israel!" And they turned against him to fight. Then Jehoshaphat cried out and Yahweh helped him. God drove them away from him.

²⁰ Then King Hezekiah and Isaiah the son of Amoz, the prophet, prayed concerning this. And they cried to the heavens.

⁶⁷ And he rejected the tent of Joseph, and did not chose the tribe of Ephraim,

²⁵ Far be it from you to do such a thing as this, to kill the righteous with the wicked, that* the righteous would be as the wicked! Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do justice?"

⁴ For you have maintained my just cause; you have sat on the throne judging correctly.

²⁸ They have grown fat, they have grown sleek, also, _⌊their evil deeds have no limit_⌋.* They do not judge with justice, the legal cause of the orphan, or allow it to succeed, and the legal case of the poor, they do not defend.

³⁴ Then the land shall enjoy its Sabbaths all the days of its lying desolate, and you shall be in the land of your enemies; then the land shall rest, and it shall enjoy its Sabbaths. ³⁵ All the days of its lying desolate it shall rest for the time* that it had not rested during your Sabbaths while you were living on it. ³⁶ As for* the ones who remain among you, I will bring* fearfulness in their hearts in the land of their enemies; and a sound of a windblown leaf shall pursue them, and they shall flee like flight _⌊before_⌋* a sword, and they shall fall, but* there shall not be a pursuer. ³⁷ And they shall stumble over _⌊one another_⌋* as _⌊from before_⌋* a sword, but* there shall not be a pursuer; and _⌊you shall have no resistance_⌋* _⌊before_⌋* your enemies. ³⁸ And you shall perish among the nations, and the land of your enemies shall eat you. ³⁹ And because of their guilt, the ones among you who remain shall decay in the land of their enemies; and also because of the iniquities of their ancestors,* they shall decay with them.

²⁶ I call* to witness against you today the heaven and the earth, that you will perish soon and completely from the land that you are crossing the Jordan into it to take possession of it; _⌊you will not live long on it_⌋,* but you will be completely destroyed. ²⁷ And Yahweh will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left _⌊few in number_⌋* among the nations _⌊to where Yahweh will lead you_⌋.*

³⁶ Yahweh will bring you and your king whom you set up over you to a nation that you or your ancestors* have not known, and there you will serve other gods of wood and stone.

⁶⁴ And Yahweh shall scatter you among all the nations from one end of the earth up to the other end of the earth, and there you shall serve other gods that you have not known nor* your ancestors,* gods of wood and stone. ⁶⁵ And among these nations you shall not find rest, and there shall not be a resting place for the sole of your foot, and Yahweh shall give you there an anxious heart and a weakening of eyes* and a languishing of your inner self.* ⁶⁶ And _⌊your life shall hang in doubt before you_⌋,* and you shall be startled* night and day, and you shall not be confident of your life. ⁶⁷ In the morning you shall say, '_⌊If only it was evening_⌋!'* and in the evening you shall say '_⌊If only it was morning_⌋!'* because of the dread of your heart that you shall feel, and because of the sight of your eyes that you shall see. ⁶⁸ And Yahweh shall bring you back to Egypt in ships by the route that I _⌊promised_⌋* to you that '_⌊You shall not see it again_⌋!'* And you shall sell yourself there to your enemies as slaves and as female slaves, but there will not be a buyer."

²⁸ and Yahweh uprooted them from their land in anger and in wrath and in great fury, and he cast them into another land, _⌊just as it is today_⌋.'*

⁶ In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and deported Israel to Assyria. He placed them in Halah, in Habor, in the river regions of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.

¹⁸ So Yahweh was very angry with Israel and he removed them from his presence; none remained except the tribe of Judah alone.

²³ until Yahweh removed Israel from his presence as he had foretold by the hand of all his servants, the prophets. And so he deported Israel from upon his land to Assyria until this day.

²¹ Then the king of Babylon struck them down and killed them at Riblah in the land of Hamath; thus Judah was removed from its land.

³⁶ When they sin against you—for there is no person who does not sin—and you become angry with them and place them before their enemy that they carry them away as captives to a land far or near,

⁴ "Who can bring a clean thing from an unclean thing? No one!*

¹⁴ "What is a human being, that he can be clean, or* that one born of a woman can be righteous? ¹⁵ Look, he does not trust his holy ones, and the heavens are not clean in his eyes. ¹⁶ _⌊How much less_⌋* he who is abominable and corrupt,* a man drinking wickedness like water.

¹² Who can perceive his errors? Acquit me from hidden faults.

³ If you, O Yah,* should _⌊keep track of_⌋* iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?

² And do not enter into judgment with your servant, because no one alive is righteous before you.

⁹ Who will say "I have made my heart* clean; I am pure from my sin"?

²⁰ Surely there is no one righteous on the earth who continually does good and never sins.

⁶ All of us have wandered about like sheep; we each have turned to his own way; and Yahweh let fall on him the iniquity of us all.

⁶ And we all have become like the unclean, and all our deeds of justice like a menstrual cloth, And we all wither like a leaf, and our iniquities take us away like the wind.

⁷ "_⌊Righteousness belongs to you, O Lord_⌋,* and on us is open shame, just as it is this day to the people of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to all Israel, _⌊those who are near and those who are far off_⌋* in all the lands to which you have driven them,* because of their infidelity which they displayed against you. ⁸ Yahweh, on us is open shame, on our kings, on our princes, and on our ancestors,* because we have sinned against you. ⁹ _⌊Compassion and forgiveness belong to the Lord, our God_⌋,* for we have rebelled against him, ¹⁰ and we have not listened to the voice of Yahweh our God, by following his law _⌊which he placed before us_⌋* by the hand of his servants the prophets. ¹¹ "And all Israel transgressed your law and turned aside so as not to listen to your voice, and so the curse and the oath which was written in the law of Moses, the servant of God, has been poured out upon us, because we have sinned against him. ¹² And so he has carried out his words which he spoke against us and against our rulers who ruled us, to bring upon us a great calamity which was not done under all of heaven as it was done in Jerusalem. ¹³ Just as it is written in the law of Moses, all of this calamity has come upon us, and _⌊we have not implored_⌋* the face of Yahweh our God so as to turn from our iniquities and to attend closely to your faithfulness.* ¹⁴ So Yahweh has kept watch over the* calamity, and now he has brought it upon us. Indeed, Yahweh our God is righteous concerning all his works* that he has done, but we have not listened to his voice.

²⁴ and they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations,* and Jerusalem will be trampled down by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

¹⁹ Now we know that whatever the law says, it speaks to those under the law, in order that every mouth may be closed and the whole world may become accountable to God.

²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

²² But the scripture imprisoned all under sin, in order that the promise could be given by faith* in Jesus Christ to those who believe.

² For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect individual,* able to hold in check his whole body also.

⁸ If we say that we do not have sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, so that he will forgive us our* sins and will cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰ If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

⁴⁰ " 'But* when they confess their guilt and the guilt of their ancestors* in their infidelity that they displayed against me, and moreover that they went against me in hostility— ⁴¹ I myself* also* went against them in hostility, and I brought them into the land of their enemies—or if then their uncircumcised heart is humbled and then they pay for their guilt, ⁴² I will remember* my covenant with Jacob; and I will remember also my covenant with Isaac and also my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land. ⁴³ And the land shall be deserted by them, and it shall enjoy its Sabbaths in its being desolate from them, and they themselves* must pay for their guilt, _⌊simply because_⌋* they rejected my regulations, and their inner self* abhorred my statutes. ⁴⁴ And _⌊in spite of_⌋* this, _⌊when they are_⌋* in the land of their enemies I will not reject them, and I will not abhor them to destroy them, to break my covenant with them, because I am Yahweh their God. ⁴⁵ And I will remember the first covenant for them*—whom I brought out from the land of Egypt _⌊in the sight of_⌋* the nations _⌊to be their God_⌋.* I am Yahweh.'"

²⁹ But from there you shall seek Yahweh your God and will find him, if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul.* ³⁰ _⌊In your distress_⌋* when* all these things have found you in the _⌊latter days_⌋,* then* you will return to Yahweh your God, and you will listen to his voice. ³¹ For Yahweh your God is a compassionate God; he _⌊will not abandon you_⌋,* and he will not destroy you, and he will not forget the covenant of your ancestors* that he swore to them.

¹ "And then when all of these things come upon you, the blessing and the curse that I have set _⌊before you_⌋* _⌊and you call them to mind_⌋* among the nations there where Yahweh your God has scattered you, ² and you return to Yahweh and you listen to his voice according to all that I am commanding you _⌊today_⌋,* both you and your children,* with all your heart and with all your inner self,*

³⁷ but _⌊if they repent_⌋* in the land where they were taken captive and _⌊repent_⌋* and beg you for mercy in the land of their captivity, saying, 'We have sinned and acted perversely and done wickedly,

¹² And when he was in distress he entreated Yahweh his God and greatly humbled himself before the God of his ancestors* ¹³ and prayed to him. And God responded to him and heard his plea and let him return to Jerusalem to his kingdom. And Manasseh knew that Yahweh was God.

⁶ and said, "My God, I am ashamed and embarrassed to lift my face to you, my God. For our sins have risen above our heads and our guilt has grown up to the heavens. ⁷ From the days of our ancestors* until this day we have been in great guilt, and because of our sins we ourselves, our kings, and our priests have been handed into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, to plunder, and to utter shame, as it is this day.

⁶ Please, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer of your servant that I am praying before you by day and by night for your servants, the _⌊Israelites_⌋,* and confessing the sins of the _⌊Israelites_⌋* that we have sinned against you. I and my father's house have sinned. ⁷ We have certainly offended you and have not kept the commands, regulations, and judgments that you have commanded your servant Moses. ⁸ Please, remember the word that you have commanded to your servant Moses, saying, 'If you act unfaithfully I will scatter you all among the nations. ⁹ But if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, even though all of your outcasts are at the furthest parts of heaven, I will gather them and bring them to the place which I have chosen to make my name dwell.' ¹⁰ They are your servants and your people whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand. ¹¹ O Lord, please let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight to revere in your name. Please, let your servant be successful this day and give him compassion before this man."
I was cupbearer for the king.

²⁶ "But they rebelled and were rebellious against you and cast your law* behind their back and killed your prophets, who had warned them to turn back to you, and they did great blasphemies. ²⁷ Therefore you gave them into the hand of their enemy, and they brought trouble to them. Then in the time of their trouble they cried out to you, and you heard from the heavens, and according to your great compassions, you gave them saviors, and you saved them from the hand of their enemies. ²⁸ But when they had rest they returned to doing evil before you, and you abandoned them in the hand of their enemies, and they ruled over them. Then they returned and cried out to you, and from the heavens you heard and many times rescued them according to your compassions. ²⁹ You warned them so that they would return to your law.* Yet they acted arrogantly and did not listen to your commandments but sinned against your judgments that a person must do so that they may live. They turned a stubborn shoulder and stiffened their neck and would not listen. ³⁰ You were patient toward them for many years, and you have warned them by your spirit through the hand of your prophets, but they did not listen. So you gave them into the hand of the nations of the lands.

²⁷ "He will sing to men, and he will say, 'I have sinned and have perverted what is right, and it was not paid back to me. ²⁸ He redeemed my life from going down into the pit, so* _⌊I will enjoy the light_⌋.'*

⁶ We have sinned along with our ancestors.* We have committed iniquity; we have incurred guilt.

⁶ And we all have become like the unclean, and all our deeds of justice like a menstrual cloth, And we all wither like a leaf, and our iniquities take us away like the wind. ⁷ And there is no one who calls on your name, who pulls himself up to keep hold of you, for you have hidden your face from us,* and melted us into the hand of our iniquity. ⁸ Yet now Yahweh, you are our father; we are the clay and you are our _⌊potter_⌋,* and we all are the work of your hand. ⁹ You must not be exceedingly angry, Yahweh, and you must not remember iniquity forever!
Look! Behold, now! We all are your people! ¹⁰ _⌊Your holy cities_⌋* have become a wilderness; Zion has become a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation. ¹¹ _⌊Our holy and beautiful temple_⌋,* where our ancestors* praised you has _⌊been burned_⌋* by fire, and all our precious objects have become ruins.* ¹² Will you control yourself because of these, Yahweh? Will you be silent? And will you oppress us exceedingly?

¹⁸ Indeed I heard Ephraim pitying themselves, 'You disciplined me, and I was disciplined, like a calf that is not trained. Bring me back and let me return, for you are Yahweh my God. ¹⁹ For after my turning back I repented, and after coming to understand I struck my thigh. I was ashamed and also humiliated, because I bore the disgrace of my youth.' ²⁰ Is Ephraim my dear son, or the child of my delight? For _⌊as often as_⌋* I have earnestly spoken against him, I still remember him. _⌊Therefore_⌋* my bowels are turbulent for him, surely I will have compassion on him," _⌊declares_⌋* Yahweh.

⁶¹ And you will remember your ways, and you will be ashamed when you take your sisters, _⌊both the older and the younger_⌋,* and I give them to you as daughters, but not on account of your covenant.

⁶³ in order that you will remember, and you will be ashamed, and _⌊you will not open your mouth again_⌋* _⌊because of_⌋* your disgrace when I forgive you for all that you have done!'" _⌊declares_⌋* the Lord Yahweh.

²⁸ And if he sees and he returns from all of his transgressions that he did, surely he will live; he will not die!

⁵ we have sinned and we have done wrong and we acted wickedly and we rebelled and have been turning aside from your commandments and from your ordinances. ⁶ We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes and our ancestors* and to all the people of the land. ⁷ "_⌊Righteousness belongs to you, O Lord_⌋,* and on us is open shame, just as it is this day to the people of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to all Israel, _⌊those who are near and those who are far off_⌋* in all the lands to which you have driven them,* because of their infidelity which they displayed against you. ⁸ Yahweh, on us is open shame, on our kings, on our princes, and on our ancestors,* because we have sinned against you. ⁹ _⌊Compassion and forgiveness belong to the Lord, our God_⌋,* for we have rebelled against him, ¹⁰ and we have not listened to the voice of Yahweh our God, by following his law _⌊which he placed before us_⌋* by the hand of his servants the prophets. ¹¹ "And all Israel transgressed your law and turned aside so as not to listen to your voice, and so the curse and the oath which was written in the law of Moses, the servant of God, has been poured out upon us, because we have sinned against him.

⁷ Thus says Yahweh of hosts: '_⌊Consider your ways_⌋!*

¹⁰ " 'I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants* of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication, and they will look to me whom they pierced, and they shall mourn over him, as one wails over an only child, and they will grieve bitterly over him as one grieves bitterly over a firstborn.

¹⁷ "But when he* came to himself, he said, 'How many of my father's hired workers have an abundance _⌊of food_⌋,* and I am dying here from hunger! ¹⁸ I will set out and* go to my father and will say to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and _⌊in your sight_⌋!*

²⁹ But from there you shall seek Yahweh your God and will find him, if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul.*

⁵ And you shall love Yahweh your God with all of your heart* and with all of your soul* and with all of your might. ⁶ And these words that I am commanding you _⌊today_⌋* shall be on* your heart.*

¹⁵ And the _⌊Israelites_⌋* said to Yahweh, "We have sinned; _⌊do to us accordingly as you see fit_⌋;* only please deliver us this day." ¹⁶ So they removed the foreign gods from their midst and served Yahweh; and _⌊he could no longer bear_⌋* the misery of Israel.

³ And Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, "If with all your heart you are turning to Yahweh, remove the foreign gods and Ashtoreths* from your midst. Commit your hearts to Yahweh and serve him alone. Then he will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines." ⁴ So the _⌊Israelites_⌋* removed the Baals* and the Ashtoreths, and they served Yahweh alone.

² Blessed are those who keep his testimonies; they seek him with a whole heart.

¹⁰ With my whole heart I have sought you; do not let me stray from your commands.

¹⁴⁵ I call with my whole heart; answer me, O Yahweh. I will keep your statutes.

²⁶ My child, may you give your heart* to me, and may your eyes delight in my ways.

⁶ Seek Yahweh _⌊while he lets himself be found_⌋;* call him _⌊while he is_⌋* near. ⁷ Let the wicked forsake his way, and the man of sin his thoughts. And let him return to Yahweh, that* he may take pity on him, and to our God, for he will _⌊forgive manifold_⌋.*

¹⁰ Yet even in all this her treacherous sister Judah did not return to me with all her heart, _⌊but only_⌋* in pretense,"* _⌊declares_⌋* Yahweh.