Nehemiah 4 Cross References - LEB

¹ * Now it happened when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he became angry and greatly provoked, and he mocked the Jews. ² Then he said before his brothers and the army of Samaria, "What are the feeble Jews doing? Will they restore these things for themselves? Will they sacrifice? Will they finish it in a day? Will they revive the stones from the piles of rubble—even those burned up?" ³ Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him and said, "Their wall of stone that they are building would break down if a fox went on it!" ⁴ Hear, our God, for we are despised. Turn their scorn on their head and give them over to plunder in the land of captivity. ⁵ Do not cover their guilt, and do not let their sin be blotted out from before you. They have _⌊provoked the builders to anger_⌋.* ⁶ So we rebuilt the wall, and all of the wall was joined up to half its height. For the people had a heart to do it. ⁷ Now when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the restoration of the walls of Jerusalem were going forward and the gaps were being closed, they were very angry. ⁸ So all of them plotted together to come fight against Jerusalem and to make trouble for it. ⁹ So we prayed to our God and set up a guard against them day and night. ¹⁰ But Judah said, "The strength of the carriers is failing, and there is too much dirt, and we are not able to build at the wall." ¹¹ Then our enemies said, "They will not know nor see until we come upon them and will kill them and stop the work." ¹² When the Jews who lived beside them came, they said to us ten times, "From all of the places where they live, they will come up against us." ¹³ I stationed the people behind the deepest part of the wall in the open places according to their families, with their swords, spears, and bows. ¹⁴ And I looked, got up, and said to the nobles, prefects, and the rest of the people, "Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses." ¹⁵ It happened when our enemies heard that their plan was known to us, that God had frustrated it, and we all returned to the wall—each to his work. ¹⁶ From that day, half of my servants were working on craftsmanship, half were holding spears, small shields, bows, and breastplates. The commanders were behind the whole house of Judah. ¹⁷ The ones who were building the wall and the ones _⌊who carried the materials_⌋* were carrying in one hand while doing the task, and with the other hand were grasping a weapon. ¹⁸ Each of the builders had his sword tied to his side while building. And the man who sounded the trumpet was beside me. ¹⁹ I said to the nobles, to the prefects, and to the rest of the people, "The work is great and widespread, and we are spread out over the wall far from each other. ²⁰ Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, come together to us there. Our God will fight for us." ²¹ So we labored at the work, and half of them were holding the spears from dawn until the stars came out. ²² At the time I also said to the people, "Let each man and his servant spend the night inside Jerusalem, so that they will be a guard for us in the night and work in the day." ²³ So neither I nor my brothers nor my young men nor the men of the guard who were behind me took off our clothes. Each one kept his weapon even in the water.

¹ Now the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the _⌊returned exiles_⌋* were building a temple for Yahweh the God of Israel. ² And they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of the _⌊families_⌋,* and they said to them, "Let us build with you. Like you, we seek your God and have been sacrificing to him from the days of Esarhaddon the king of Assyria who brought us up here. ³ But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of the _⌊families_⌋* of Israel said to them, "It is not for you but for us to build a house for our God. For we ourselves alone will build it for Yahweh the God of Israel, just as Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us." ⁴ Then the people of the land discouraged _⌊the people of Judah_⌋* and made them afraid to build ⁵ and bribed officials against them to frustrate their plan for all the days of Cyrus king of Persia until the reign of Darius king of Persia.

¹⁰ But when Sanballat the Horonite and the Ammonite servant Tobiah heard this, _⌊they were greatly displeased_⌋* that a person had come to seek the welfare of the _⌊Israelites_⌋.*

¹⁹ But Sanballat the Horonite, the Ammonite servant Tobiah, and Geshem the Arab heard it, and they mocked and despised us, saying, "What is this thing that you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?"

¹⁵ But at my stumbling they rejoiced and gathered together; smiters whom I did not know gathered against me. They tore and did not cease. ¹⁶ Among the ungodly of the mockers at feasts,* they gnashed at me with their teeth.

¹³ You have made us a taunt to our neighbors, a derision and a scorn to those around us. ¹⁴ You have made us a byword among the nations, a shaking of the head among the peoples.

²⁹ and weaving a crown of thorns, they put it* on his head, and put* a reed in his right hand. And kneeling down before him, they mocked him, saying, "Hail, king of the Jews!"

¹⁷ Now the high priest rose up and all those who were with him (that is, the party of the Sadducees), and* they were filled with jealousy.

³⁶ And others _⌊experienced mocking and flogging_⌋*, and in addition bonds and imprisonment.

¹¹ So the two of them showed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines, and the Philistines said, "The Hebrews are coming out from the holes in which they have hidden themselves." ¹² Then the men of the garrison answered Jonathan and _⌊his armor bearer_⌋,* "Come up to us and we will show you something!" Then Jonathan said to _⌊his armor bearer_⌋,* "Come up after me, for Yahweh has given them into the hand of Israel!"

⁴³ So the Philistine said to David, "Am I a dog, that you are coming to me with sticks?" Then the Philistine cursed David by his gods. ⁴⁴ The Philistine said to David, "Come to me so that I can give your flesh to the birds of heaven and to the wild animals of the field!"

⁹ (then Rehum the royal officer, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their associates, the judges, the envoys, the officials, the Persians, the Erechs, the Babylonians, the Susians (that is the Elamites) ¹⁰ and the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Osnappar deported and settled in the cities of Samaria and the rest of the province Beyond the River) and now

¹⁰ But Judah said, "The strength of the carriers is failing, and there is too much dirt, and we are not able to build at the wall."

²⁷ At the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought the Levites from all of their places in order to bring them to Jerusalem to do the dedication with joy, thanksgivings, song and cymbals, stringed instruments and lyres.

⁴³ They offered on that day great sacrifices and rejoiced because God brought great joy to them. And the women and children also rejoiced. The joy of Jerusalem was heard from afar.

³ And he said to me, "Son of man,* can these bones live?" And I said, "Lord Yahweh, you know." ⁴ And he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones, and you must say to them, to the dry bones, 'Hear the word of Yahweh! ⁵ Thus says the Lord Yahweh to these bones: "Look! I am bringing into you breath, and you will live! ⁶ And I will lay on you sinews, and I will let flesh come upon you, and I will cover you over with skin, and I will put breath into you, and you will live, and you will know that I am Yahweh." '" ⁷ And I prophesied _⌊just as_⌋* I had been commanded, and there was a sound at my prophesying, and look! A rattling, and they came together—the bones! Bone to its bone! ⁸ And I looked, and indeed, sinews were on them, and flesh went up,* and skin covered over* them _⌊upward_⌋,* but breath was not in them. ⁹ And he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man,* and you must say to the breath, 'Thus says the Lord Yahweh _⌊from the four winds_⌋,* "Come, O spirit and breath, on these dead ones, so that they may live!" '" ¹⁰ And I prophesied _⌊as_⌋* he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they became alive, and they stood on their feet, a very, very large group. ¹¹ And he said to me, "Son of man,* these bones are all of the house of Israel; look! they are saying, 'Our bones are dried up, and our hope is destroyed; _⌊we are cut off as far as we are concerned_⌋.'* ¹² Therefore prophesy, and you must say to them, 'Thus says the Lord Yahweh: "Look! I am opening your graves, and I will bring you up from your graves, my people, and I will bring you to the land of Israel! ¹³ And you will know that I am Yahweh when I open your graves when I bring you up from your graves, my people!

² O Yahweh, I have heard the report of you; O Yahweh, I stand in awe of your works. In the midst of the years, revive it! In the midst of the years, make it known! In wrath, may you remember to show compassion.

⁸ On that day Yahweh will put a shield around the inhabitants* of Jerusalem, and the one who stumbles among them on that day will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the angel of Yahweh, _⌊before them_⌋.*

²⁷ But the foolish things of the world God chose in order that he might put to shame the wise, and the weak things of the world God chose in order that he might put to shame the strong,

¹⁰ Then Ben-Hadad sent to him and said, "Thus may the gods do to me and thus may they add if the dust of Samaria is sufficient for the hollow of a hand for all of the people who are at my feet."

¹⁸ Then he said, "If they have come out for peace, seize them alive; and if they have come out for war, seize them alive."

²³ So then, please make a wager with my lord, with the king of Assyria, and I will give to you a thousand horses _⌊if you are able on your part to put riders on them._⌋*

¹ Now when it was reported to Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and to the rest of our enemies that I had built the wall and that no gap was left in it—though up to that time I had not erected doors in the gates—

¹⁸ Because of Mount Zion, which lies desolate, _⌊foxes tread on it_⌋.*

²⁶ Now David had spoken to the men who were standing with him, saying, "What will be done for the man who defeats this Philistine and removes the disgrace from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he defies the battle lines of the living God?"

¹² And return to our neighbors sevenfold _⌊upon them_⌋* their taunts with which they taunted you, O Lord.

³ Be gracious to us, O Yahweh, be gracious to us, for long enough we have had our fill of contempt. ⁴ For long enough our soul has had its fill of the derision of the self-confident, the contempt of the arrogant.

³⁴ With those who scorn, he is scornful, but to those who are humble, he gives favor.

¹⁴ Ephraim has caused bitter provocation, and his Lord will _⌊hold him responsible for his crimes_⌋* and pay back to him his insults.

¹ For the music director. A psalm of David. When Nathan the prophet came to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.*
Be gracious to me, O God, according to your loyal love. According to your abundant mercies, blot out my transgressions.

⁹ Hide your face from my sins, and all my iniquities blot out.

⁵ And you, Yahweh, God of hosts, are the God of Israel. Rouse yourself to punish all the nations. Do not be gracious to any who treacherously plot evil. Selah ⁶ They return at evening; they howl like dogs* while they prowl the city. ⁷ Look, they pour out talk with their mouth. Swords are on their lips, for they say, "Who hears?" ⁸ But you, O Yahweh, will laugh at them; you will mock all the nations. ⁹ O my strength,* I will watch for you, because you, O God, are my (high) stronghold. ¹⁰ My* God of loyal love will meet me; God will cause me to look in triumph on my enemies. ¹¹ Do not kill them, lest my people forget. Make them to wander by your power, and bring them down, O Lord, our shield. ¹² By the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips, even in their pride, let them be trapped, and for the curses* and lies* they proclaim. ¹³ Destroy in anger; destroy so they are no more, so that they may know that God is ruling in Jacob to the ends of the earth. Selah

²⁷ _⌊Add guilt on top of their guilt_⌋,* and do not let them _⌊be acquitted_⌋.* ²⁸ Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and let them not be recorded with the righteous.

¹⁴ Let the iniquity of his ancestors* be remembered before Yahweh, and let the sin of his mother not be blotted out.

¹¹ And Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said to Rabshakeh, "Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, for we can understand* it, and you must not speak to us in Judean in the _⌊hearing_⌋* of the people who are on the wall." ¹² But* Rabshakeh said, "Has my master sent me to speak these words to your masters and you? Was it not for the people who sit on the wall, to eat their dung and drink their urine* with you?"

²⁵ I, I am the one who blots out your transgressions for my sake, and I will not remember your sins.

²² I have wiped your transgressions out like a cloud and your sins like mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you!"

²³ But you, O Yahweh, you know _⌊all their plans of assassination against me_⌋.* You must not make atonement for their iniquity, and you must not cause their sin to be blotted out from _⌊before you_⌋.* But let them be overthrown _⌊before you_⌋.* Deal with them in the time of your anger.

¹⁴ Alexander the metalworker did me much harm; may the Lord pay back to him according to his deeds,

³ And moreover, with respect to my provisions for the house of my God I have a treasure of gold and silver that I have given to the house of my God above all that I have provided for the holy house:

¹⁴ And indeed, who am I, and who are my people that we retain power to offer according to these offerings willingly? For everything is from you, and from your hand we have given to you.

¹⁷ And I know, my God, that you yourself test the heart and are pleased with uprightness. I, in the uprightness of my heart, have willingly offered all these things, and now I have seen your people who are found here willingly offer to you. ¹⁸ O Yahweh, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our ancestors,* keep this forever as a plan and thoughts of the heart of your people, and establish their heart toward you.

³⁶ And Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced over what God had established with the people, for the matter happened suddenly.

¹⁵ So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of Elul, in fifty-two days.

³ Your people _⌊will volunteer_⌋* in the day of your power.* In holy splendor, from the womb of the dawn, you will have the dew of your youth.*

¹⁶ But thanks be to God, who has put in the heart of Titus the same devotion _⌊on your behalf_⌋*, ¹⁷ because he not only welcomed our request, but being very earnest, by his own choice he went out* to you.

¹³ For the one at work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure, is God.

²¹ equip you with every good thing to do his will, carrying out in us what is pleasing before him through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory _⌊forever_⌋*.* Amen.

¹⁵ And I will put hostility between you and between the woman, and between your offspring* and between her offspring;* he will strike you on the head, and you will strike him on the heel."

⁷ And _⌊the anger of Yahweh burned_⌋* against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of the Philistines and the _⌊Ammonites_⌋.* ⁸ They crushed and oppressed the _⌊Israelites_⌋* in that year; for eighteen years they crushed all the _⌊Israelites_⌋* who were beyond the Jordan, in the land of the Amorites,* which is in Gilead. ⁹ The _⌊Ammonites_⌋* crossed the Jordan to fight also against Judah, Benjamin, and the house of Ephraim; and Israel was very distressed. ¹⁰ Then the _⌊Israelites_⌋* cried out to Yahweh, saying, "We have sinned against you; we have abandoned our God and served the Baals." ¹¹ And Yahweh said to the _⌊Israelites_⌋,* "Did I not deliver you from the Egyptians,* the Amorites,* from the _⌊Ammonites_⌋,* and from the Philistines?* ¹² And when the Sidonians, the Amalekites,* and the Maonites* oppressed you, you cried out to me, and I delivered you from their hand. ¹³ Yet you have abandoned me and served other gods. Therefore I will no longer deliver you. ¹⁴ Go and cry out to the gods whom you have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your trouble." 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. ¹⁷ And the _⌊Ammonites_⌋* were summoned,* and they camped in Gilead. And the _⌊Israelites_⌋* gathered and camped at Mizpah. ¹⁸ The people, the ones commanding Gilead, _⌊said to each other_⌋,* "Who is the man that will begin to fight against the _⌊Ammonites_⌋?* He will be as head over all the inhabitants of Gilead."

¹² And Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the _⌊Ammonites_⌋,* saying, "What is between you and me that you have come to me to make war against my land?" ¹³ And the king of the _⌊Ammonites_⌋* said to Jephthah's messengers, "Because Israel took my land from the Arnon up to the Jabbok and the Jordan when they came up from Egypt; so then, restore it peacefully." ¹⁴ Once again Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the _⌊Ammonites_⌋,* ¹⁵ and he said to him, "Thus says Jephthah, 'Israel did not take the land of Moab or the land of the _⌊Ammonites_⌋,* ¹⁶ because when they came up from Egypt, Israel went through the wilderness to the _⌊Red Sea_⌋* and went to Kadesh. ¹⁷ Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, "Please let us cross through your land," but the king of Edom would not listen. And they also sent messengers to the king of Moab, but he was not willing. So Israel stayed in Kadesh. ¹⁸ Then they traveled through the wilderness, went around the land of Edom and Moab, and came to _⌊the east_⌋* side of the land of Moab, and they* encamped beyond the Arnon; and they did not go into the territory of Moab because the Arnon was the border of Moab. ¹⁹ Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites,* king of Heshbon; and Israel said to him, 'Please let us cross through your land _⌊to our country_⌋.'* ²⁰ But Sihon did not trust Israel to cross through his territory, so Sihon gathered all his people and then encamped at Jahaz; and he made war with Israel. ²¹ And Yahweh, the God of Israel, gave Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they defeated them; and Israel occupied all the land of the Amorites* inhabiting that land. ²² They occupied all the territory of the Amorites* from the Arnon up to the Jabbok, and from the wilderness up to the Jordan. ²³ So then Yahweh, the God of Israel, has driven out the Amorites* from before his people Israel, and you want to possess it? ²⁴ Do you not possess what Chemosh your god gave you to possess? Whoever Yahweh our God has driven out before us, we will possess it. ²⁵ So then, are you any better than Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever quarrel with Israel, or did he ever make war against them? ²⁶ When Israel lived in Heshbon and its villages, and in Aroer and its villages, and in all the towns that are _⌊along the Arnon_⌋,* for three hundred years,* why did you not recover them at that time? ²⁷ I have not sinned against you; but you are the one who is doing wrong by making war against me. _⌊Let Yahweh judge_⌋* today between the _⌊Israelites_⌋* and the _⌊Ammonites_⌋."* ²⁸ But the king of the _⌊Ammonites_⌋* did not listen to the message that Jephthah sent to him. ²⁹ And the Spirit of Yahweh came upon Jephthah, and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh. He passed through Mizpah of Gilead, and from Mizpah of Gilead he passed through to the _⌊Ammonites_⌋.* ³⁰ And Jephthah made a vow to Yahweh, and he said, "If indeed you will give the _⌊Ammonites_⌋* into my hand, ³¹ whatever* comes out from the doors of my house to meet me when I return safely from the _⌊Ammonites_⌋* will be Yahweh's, and I will offer it as a burnt offering." ³² And Jephthah crossed over to the _⌊Ammonites_⌋* to make war against them; and Yahweh gave them into his hand. ³³ And he defeated them with a very great blow, from Aroer as far as Minnith, twenty towns,* up to Abel Keramim. And the _⌊Ammonites_⌋* were subdued before the _⌊Israelites_⌋.* ³⁴ Jephthah came to Mizpah, to his house, and behold his daughter came out to meet him with tambourines and dancing. She was his only child; he did not have a son or daughter except her. ³⁵ And the moment he saw her, he tore his clothes and said, "Ah! My daughter, you have caused me to bow down, and you have become my trouble. _⌊I made an oath_⌋* to Yahweh, and I cannot take it back." ³⁶ She said to him, "My father, _⌊you made an oath_⌋* to Yahweh. Do to me according to what has gone out from your mouth, since Yahweh gave vengeance to you against your enemies, the _⌊Ammonites_⌋."* ³⁷ And she said to her father, "Let this thing be done for me: grant me two months so that I may go wander* on the mountains and lament over my virginity, I and my companions. ³⁸ And he said, "Go." He sent her away for two months, and she went with her friends, and she lamented over her virginity on the mountains. ³⁹ At the end of the two months she returned to her father, and he did to her according to his vow; and _⌊she did not sleep with a man_⌋.* And it became an annual custom in Israel ⁴⁰ for the daughters of Israel to go and lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite for forty days of the year.

¹ Now the Philistines had captured* the ark of God and brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. ² Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it to the temple of Dagon and placed it beside Dagon.

² But Nahash the Ammonite said to them, "On this condition _⌊I will make a treaty_⌋* with you, by gouging out the right eye of each of you, so that I can make it a disgrace for all Israel."

¹ _⌊Afterwards the king of the Ammonites died_⌋,* and his son Hanun ruled in his place. ² David said, "I will show loyal love with Hanun, the son of Nahash, as his father showed loyal love with me." So David sent to console him concerning his father, by the hand of his servants. And the servants of David came to the land of the _⌊Ammonites_⌋.* ³ But the commanders of the _⌊Ammonites_⌋* said to Hanun their master, "_⌊In your opinion_⌋,* is David honoring your father because he has sent condolences to you? Is it not in order to search the city, to spy it out, and to overthrow it that David sent his servants to you?" ⁴ Then Hanun took the servants of David, and he shaved off half of their beards and cut their garments off in the middle up to their buttocks, then sent them away. ⁵ When they told David, he sent to meet them, for the men were greatly ashamed. And the king said, "Remain in Jericho until your beards have grown, and then you can return."

² So Yahweh sent against him raiding bands of Chaldeans, raiding bands of Aram, raiding bands of Moab, and raiding bands of the _⌊Ammonites_⌋.* He had sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of Yahweh that he had spoken by the hand of his servants the prophets.

¹ And it happened that afterward, the _⌊Moabites_⌋,* the _⌊Ammonites_⌋,* and some of the Meunites* came against Jehoshaphat for war.

⁶ And he went out and made war against the Philistines, and he broke down the wall of Gath and the wall of Jabneh and the wall of Ashdod, and he built cities in Ashdod and among the Philistines. ⁷ And God helped him against the Philistines and against the Arabs who were living in Gur-Baal and Meunim. ⁸ And the Ammonites gave tribute to Uzziah, and his fame* went out to the boundary* of Egypt, for he became _⌊very strong_⌋.*

⁴ Then the people of the land discouraged _⌊the people of Judah_⌋* and made them afraid to build ⁵ and bribed officials against them to frustrate their plan for all the days of Cyrus king of Persia until the reign of Darius king of Persia. ⁶ In the reign of Ahasuerus, at the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem. ⁷ And in the days of Artaxerxes, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of their colleagues wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia. The letter was written in Aramaic and translated from Aramaic. ⁸ Rehum the royal officer and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes as follows ⁹ (then Rehum the royal officer, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their associates, the judges, the envoys, the officials, the Persians, the Erechs, the Babylonians, the Susians (that is the Elamites) ¹⁰ and the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Osnappar deported and settled in the cities of Samaria and the rest of the province Beyond the River) and now ¹¹ this is the copy of the letter which they sent to him:
"To King Artaxerxes from your servants, the men of the province Beyond the River. And now, ¹² be it known to the king that the Jews who have come up from near you to us have gone to Jerusalem. They are building the rebellious and wicked city. They are finishing the wall and repairing the foundation. ¹³ Now be it known to the king that if this city is built and the walls are finished, they will not pay tribute and toll, and the royal revenue will be reduced. ¹⁴ Now since we eat the salt of the palace and the dishonor of the king is not proper for us to see, we send and make this known to the king, ¹⁵ so that it may be investigated in the book of records of your ancestors.* You will find in the book of records and learn that this city is a rebellious city, hurtful to kings and provinces, and they have rebelled in its midst from ancient times. Because of that this city was destroyed. ¹⁶ We make known to the king that if this city is built and the walls are finished, you will have nothing in the province Beyond the River."

⁸ May it be known to the king that we went to the province of Judah, the house of the great God. It is being built with stone blocks and timber is being put in the walls. This work is being done with diligence and is making progress in their hands.

¹ * Now it happened when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he became angry and greatly provoked, and he mocked the Jews.

²³ Also in those days I saw Jews who had married women of Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab. ²⁴ Half of their children spoke Ashdodite and could not speak Judean, but only the tongues of other nations.

²⁰ and all the other* people; and all the kings of the land of Uz; and all the kings of the land of the Philistines—*Ashkelon, and Gaza, and Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod;

³ and you must say to the _⌊Ammonites_⌋,* 'Hear the word of the Lord Yahweh! Thus says the Lord Yahweh: "Because of your saying, 'Ah!' to my sanctuary when it was profaned, and to the land of Israel when it was* desolate, and to the house of Judah when they went into the exile, ⁴ therefore look! I am giving you to the people* of the East as a possession, and they will set up their encampments in you, and they will make in you their dwelling places; _⌊they themselves_⌋* will eat your fruit and _⌊they themselves_⌋* will drink your milk. ⁵ And I will make Rabbah as a pasture of camels and the _⌊Ammonites_⌋* as a haunt of flocks, and they will know that I am Yahweh." '" ⁶ For thus says the Lord Yahweh: "Because of clapping your hand and stamping with your foot, and because you rejoiced in* yourself with all of your malice over the land of Israel, ⁷ therefore look! I stretched out my hand against you, and I will give you as plunder* to the nations, and I will cut you off from the peoples, and I will destroy you from the countries, and I will wipe you out, and you will know that I am Yahweh."

⁸ And I will cut off the inhabitants from Ashdod and the one who takes hold of the scepter of Ashkelon. I will also turn my hand against Ekron, and the remnant of the Philistines will perish," says the Lord Yahweh.

¹³ Thus says Yahweh: "For three transgressions of Ammon and for four I will not revoke the punishment,* because they ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead in order to enlarge their territory!

⁹ Proclaim to the citadel fortresses in Ashdod and the citadel fortresses in the land of Egypt and say: "Gather on the mountains of Samaria and see the great panic in her midst and the oppression in her midst!"

⁵ Ashkelon will see and will be afraid, and Gaza will writhe exceedingly, and Ekron also, because its hope is ruined.* And the king from Gaza will perish, and Ashkelon will not be inhabited. ⁶ A mongrel people* will dwell in Ashdod, and I will cut down the pride of the Philistines.

¹⁷ But in order that it may not spread much further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more in this name _⌊to anyone at all_⌋."* ¹⁸ And they called them back and* commanded them* not to speak or to teach at all in the name of Jesus.

³³ Now when* they heard this,* they were infuriated, and were wanting to execute them.

¹² Because of this, rejoice, you heavens, and those who live in them! Woe to the earth and to the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great anger, because he* knows that he has little time!" ¹³ And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child.

¹⁷ And the dragon was angry at the woman, and went away to _⌊fight against_⌋* the rest of her children, those who keep the commandments of God and who hold to the testimony about Jesus.

¹ Why are nations in tumult, and countries plotting* in vain?* ² The kings of the earth establish themselves, and the rulers conspire* together against Yahweh and his anointed: ³ "Let us tear off their bonds, and cast their cords from us!"

³ They devise cunning schemes* against your people, and consult together against your protected ones.* ⁴ They say, "Come, let us annihilate them from being a nation, so that the name of Israel will be remembered no more." ⁵ For they have consulted together _⌊with a unified purpose_⌋.* They have made a covenant against you: ⁶ the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, Moab and the Hagrites, ⁷ Gebal and Ammon and Amalek, Philistia, with the inhabitants of Tyre. ⁸ Assyria also has joined with them. They _⌊provide help_⌋* to the children of Lot. Selah ⁹ Do to them as you did with Midian, as with Sisera, as with Jabin at the wadi of Kishon. ¹⁰ They were destroyed at En-dor; they became dung for the ground. ¹¹ Make their leaders like Oreb and Zeeb, and all their chiefs like Zebah and Zalmunna,

⁹ Be broken, you peoples, and be dismayed. And listen, all distant parts of the earth; gird yourselves and be dismayed; gird yourselves and be dismayed! ¹⁰ _⌊Make a plan_⌋,* but it will be frustrated! Speak a word, but it will not stand, for God is with us!

¹⁰ For I hear the rumor of many, "Terror is from all around, denounce him,* yes, let us denounce him!" _⌊All my close friends_⌋* are watchers of my stumbling, saying, "perhaps he can be persuaded, and we can prevail over him, and we can take our revenge on him."

¹² And when it* was day, the Jews made a conspiracy and* bound themselves under a curse, saying they would* neither eat nor drink until they had killed Paul. ¹³ Now there were more than forty who had made this conspiracy,

⁹ Then Jacob said, "O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, O Yahweh, who said to me, 'Return to your land and to your family, and I will deal well with you.' ¹⁰ _⌊I am not worthy_⌋* of all the loyal love and all the faithfulness that you have shown* your servant, for with only my staff I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two camps. ¹¹ Please rescue me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I fear him, lest he come and attack mother and children alike. ¹² Now you yourself said, 'I will surely deal well with you and make your offspring as the sand of the sea that cannot be counted for abundance.'"

²⁸ And he said, "Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel,* for you have struggled with God and with men and have prevailed."

¹⁴ Hezekiah took the letters from the hand of the messengers and read them. Then he went up to the temple of Yahweh, and Hezekiah spread them out before the presence of Yahweh. ¹⁵ Then Hezekiah prayed before the face of Yahweh and said, "O Yahweh, God of Israel who lives above the cherubim. You are God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the world; you have made the heavens and the earth. 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. ¹⁷ Truly, O Yahweh, the kings of Assyria have utterly destroyed the nations and their land. ¹⁸ He has hurled their gods in the fire because they are not gods, but the work of the hands of a human made of wood and stone, so they destroyed them. 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!"

¹¹ Then our enemies said, "They will not know nor see until we come upon them and will kill them and stop the work."

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

¹⁶ As for me, I will call to God, and Yahweh will save me. ¹⁷ _⌊Morning, noon and night_⌋* I will lament and groan loudly, and he will hear my voice. ¹⁸ He safely redeems my life from the battle against me,* because those standing against me are among many. ¹⁹ God will hear and answer them,* he who is enthroned from of old, Selah Because they do not change, and they do not fear God. ²⁰ He has put forth his hands against _⌊his friends_⌋;* he has defiled his covenant. ²¹ The _⌊buttery words_⌋* of his mouth were smooth, but there was battle in his heart. His words were smoother than oil, but they were drawn swords. ²² Cast your burden on Yahweh, and he will sustain you. He will never allow the righteous to be moved.*

⁴¹ Stay awake and pray that you will not enter into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak!"

¹¹ But they were filled with fury, and began discussing* with one another what they might do to Jesus. ¹² Now it happened that in these days he went away to the mountain to pray, and was spending the whole night in prayer to God.

³⁶ But be alert at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to happen, and to stand before the Son of Man."

²⁴ And when they* heard it,* they lifted their voices with one mind to God and said, "Master, you are the one who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all the things in them, ²⁵ the one who said by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of our father David, your servant,
'Why do the nations* rage, and the peoples conspire in vain? ²⁶ The kings of the earth stood opposed, and the rulers assembled together at the same place, against the Lord and against his Christ.'* ²⁷ For in truth both Herod and Pontius Pilate, together with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, assembled together in this city against your holy servant Jesus whom you anointed, ²⁸ to do all that your hand and plan* had predestined to take place. ²⁹ And now, Lord, concern yourself with their threats and grant your slaves to speak your message with all boldness, ³⁰ as you extend your hand to heal and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus."

⁸ Be sober; be on the alert. Your adversary the devil walks around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.

³¹ And the men who went up with him said, "We are not able to go up to the people because they are stronger than us."

⁹ When they went up to the valley* of Eshcol and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the _⌊Israelites_⌋* so that they did not come to the land that Yahweh gave to them.

¹⁸ And he appointed from them seventy thousand _⌊to bear burdens_⌋,* eighty thousand _⌊to quarry_⌋* in the hill country, and three thousand six hundred overseers to make the people work.

¹ For the music director. Of David.*
In Yahweh I have taken refuge; how can you say to my soul, "Flee to your mountain like a bird"? ² For look: The wicked _⌊string the bow_⌋.* They have fitted their arrow to the string, to shoot from the darkness at the upright of heart.

¹⁸ "Son of man,* Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, he made his army labor hard against Tyre. Every head was rubbed bare, and every shoulder was rubbed raw, but* a wage was not paid for him and for his army from Tyre for the labor that he did against it."

² "Thus says Yahweh of hosts: 'This people says, "_⌊The time has not come to rebuild the temple of Yahweh_⌋.'" *

²⁹ So Israel stationed an ambush all around Gibeah. ³⁰ And the _⌊Israelites_⌋* went up against the descendants* of Benjamin on the third day, and they took up positions against Gibeah as before. ³¹ The descendants* of Benjamin went out to meet the troops, and they lured them away from the city and began to inflict casualties on the troops as before, on the main road, one of which goes up to Bethel, the other to Gibeah; and in the field there were about thirty men of Israel. ³² And the descendants* of Benjamin thought,* "They are being defeated before us _⌊as previously_⌋,"* and the _⌊Israelites_⌋* said, "Let us flee and lure them* away from the city to the main roads." ³³ And all the men of Israel got up from their places* and took up positions in Baal Tamar; and the ambush of Israel charged from their places,* from the vicinity of Gibeah.* ³⁴ Then ten thousand well-trained* men from all Israel came out against Gibeah, and the battle became fierce;* they did not know that disaster was about to _⌊close in_⌋* on them. ³⁵ And Yahweh defeated Benjamin in the presence of Israel, and the _⌊Israelites_⌋* destroyed on that day twenty-five thousand one hundred men of Benjamin, all of them _⌊sword-wielding_⌋.* ³⁶ The descendants* of Benjamin saw that they were defeated, and the men of Israel gave ground* to Benjamin because they trusted the ambush that they had set against Gibeah. ³⁷ And the ambush came quickly and advanced against Gibeah, and it _⌊put the whole city to the sword_⌋.* ³⁸ Now the appointed time for the men of Israel with the ambush was that they sent up for them a great amount of smoke from the city. ³⁹ And the men of Israel turned in the battle, and Benjamin began to inflict casualties on about thirty men of Israel because they thought,* "They will be completely defeated before us as in the first battle." ⁴⁰ And the cloud of smoke began to go up from the city in a column of smoke, and Benjamin turned backward, and behold, the whole city was going up _⌊in smoke_⌋!* ⁴¹ And the men of Israel turned, and the men of Benjamin were dismayed because they saw that disaster was _⌊closing in_⌋* on them. ⁴² And they retreated from before the men of Israel to the way of the wilderness, but the battle caught up to them, and those who came from the cities* destroyed them in the midst of them. ⁴³ They surrounded Benjamin; they pursued them* without rest* and trod them* down opposite Gibeah to the east. ⁴⁴ And eighteen thousand men from Benjamin fell, all of them _⌊able men_⌋.* ⁴⁵ And they turned and fled toward the wilderness, to the rock of Rimmon, but they cut down on the main roads five thousand men; and they pursued after them up to Gidom, and they struck down two thousand men. ⁴⁶ So all of Benjamin who fell on that day were twenty-five thousand _⌊sword-wielding men_⌋;* all of these were _⌊able men_⌋.* ⁴⁷ But six hundred turned and fled toward the wilderness, to the rock of Rimmon, and they remained at the rock of Rimmon for four months. ⁴⁸ And the men of Israel returned to the descendants* of Benjamin, and they put them to _⌊the edge of the sword_⌋,* both the inhabitants of city and the animals that were found; they also set on fire all the cities that they found.

² I will come upon him while he is weary and _⌊weak_⌋.* I will startle him, and all of the people who are with him will flee. Then I will strike down the king while he is alone.

⁶ They attack,* they hide, they watch my _⌊steps_⌋,* as they lie in wait for my life.

¹¹ And evil shall come upon you, you will not know; it will be on the lookout for her. And disaster shall fall upon you; you will not be able to _⌊avert_⌋* it. And ruin shall come on you suddenly; you do not know.

¹² And when it* was day, the Jews made a conspiracy and* bound themselves under a curse, saying they would* neither eat nor drink until they had killed Paul.

²¹ You therefore do not be persuaded by them, because more than forty men of _⌊their number_⌋* are lying in wait for him, who have bound themselves under a curse neither to eat nor to drink until they have done away with him. And now they are ready, waiting for _⌊you to agree_⌋."*

² for you yourselves well know that the day of the Lord is coming in the same way as a thief in the night.

⁷ and your father has cheated me and changed my wages ten times, but God has not allowed him to harm me.

⁴¹ These twenty years I have been in your house. I served you fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flock, and you have changed my wages ten times.

²² But because all the men who have seen my glory and my signs that I did in Egypt and in the desert yet tested me these ten times and did not listen to my voice,

³ These ten times you* have disgraced me; you* are not ashamed that you* have attacked* me.

¹³ And he lodged there that night. Then he took _⌊from what he had with him_⌋* a gift for Esau his brother: ¹⁴ two hundred female goats, twenty male goats, two hundred ewes, twenty rams, ¹⁵ thirty milk camels with their young, forty cows, ten bulls, twenty female donkeys, and ten male donkeys. ¹⁶ And he put them under the hand of his servants, _⌊herd by herd_⌋,* and said to his servants, "Cross on ahead before me, and put some distance _⌊between herds_⌋.* ¹⁷ And he instructed the foremost, saying, "When Esau my brother comes upon you and asks you, saying, 'Whose are you and where are you going? To whom do these animals belong ahead of you?' ¹⁸ Then you must say, 'To your servant, to Jacob. It is a gift sent to my lord, to Esau. Now behold, he is also coming after us.'" ¹⁹ And he also instructed the second servant and the third, and everyone else who was behind the herds, saying, "You must speak to Esau according to this word when you find him. ²⁰ And moreover, you shall say, 'Look, your servant Jacob is behind us.'" For he thought, "_⌊Let me appease him_⌋* with the gift going before me, and afterward I will see his face. Perhaps he will _⌊show me favor_⌋."*

² When Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come and that his face was set for battle against Jerusalem, ³ he took counsel with his commanders and his mighty warriors to block off the waters of the springs that came from outside the city, and they helped him. ⁴ Then many people were gathered, and they blocked off all the springs and the river that flowed through the midst of the land, saying, "Why should the kings of Assyria come and find much water?" ⁵ Then he strengthened himself and built up all the walls that were broken down, and raised towers upon them and another wall _⌊outside_⌋.* And he strengthened the Millo of the city of David and made much weaponry and small shields. ⁶ And he appointed commanders for battle over the people and gathered them to himself into the public square of the gate of the city. And he spoke to their hearts, saying, ⁷ "Be strong! Be courageous! Do not fear and do not be dismayed before the king of Assyria and before all the crowd that is with him, for there are more with us than with him. ⁸ With him is the arm of flesh, and with us is Yahweh our God, to help us and to fight our battles." And the people took confidence with the words of Hezekiah, king of Judah.

¹⁷ The ones who were building the wall and the ones _⌊who carried the materials_⌋* were carrying in one hand while doing the task, and with the other hand were grasping a weapon. ¹⁸ Each of the builders had his sword tied to his side while building. And the man who sounded the trumpet was beside me.

⁵ It goes well for a man who is gracious and lends, who conducts his _⌊business properly_⌋.*

⁷ Look! It is Solomon's _⌊portable couch_⌋!* Sixty mighty men surround _⌊it_⌋,* the mighty men of Israel. ⁸ All of them _⌊wield swords_⌋;* they are _⌊trained in warfare_⌋,* each with his sword at his thigh to guard _⌊against terror_⌋* in the night.

¹⁶ "Behold, I am sending you out like sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.

²⁰ Brothers, do not become children in your understanding, but with respect to wickedness be as a child, and in your understanding be mature.

¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the stratagems of the devil, ¹² because our struggle is not against blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. ¹³ Because of this, take up the full armor of God, in order that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand therefore, girding your waist with truth, and putting on the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵ and binding shoes under your feet with the preparation of the good news of peace, ¹⁶ in everything taking up the shield of faith, with which you are able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one, ¹⁷ and receive the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, ¹⁸ with all prayer and supplication praying at all times in the Spirit, and to this end being alert with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints, ¹⁹ and for me, that a word may be given to me at the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, ²⁰ for the sake of which I am an ambassador in chains, that _⌊in them_⌋* I may speak freely, as it is necessary for me to speak.

⁹ Only do not rebel against Yahweh, and you will not fear the people of the land, because they will be our food. _⌊Their protection_⌋* has been turned from them; Yahweh is with us. You should not fear them."

²¹ See, Yahweh your God has set before you the land; go up and possess it as Yahweh the God of your ancestors* said to you; do not fear and do not be dismayed.'

²⁹ "And so I said to you, 'Do not be terrified, and do not fear them. ³⁰ Yahweh your God, who is going _⌊before you_⌋,* will himself* fight for you, _⌊just as_⌋* he did for you in Egypt before your eyes,

¹⁷ For Yahweh your God, he is God of the gods and Lord of the lords, the great and mighty God, the awesome one who _⌊is not partial_⌋,* and he does not take bribes.

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.'

⁹ Did I not command you? Be strong and courageous! Do not fear or be dismayed, for Yahweh your God is with you _⌊wherever you go_⌋."*

¹² Be strong, and let us strengthen ourselves for the sake of the people and for the sake of the cities of our God. May Yahweh do what is good in his eyes.

¹⁵ And he said, "Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat, thus says Yahweh to you: 'Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed before this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God's. ¹⁶ Tomorrow go down against them. Behold, they are coming up the ascent of Ziz. And you will find them at the end of the valley facing the desert of Jeruel. ¹⁷ There will be no need for you to fight in this battle. Take your stand! Stand and see the deliverance of Yahweh among you, O Judah and Jerusalem! Do not fear and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out before them and Yahweh will be with you.'"

⁷ "Be strong! Be courageous! Do not fear and do not be dismayed before the king of Assyria and before all the crowd that is with him, for there are more with us than with him.

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.

²² From the north comes gold— awesome majesty is around God.

⁷ _⌊Some boast in chariots and others in horses_⌋,* but we boast in the name of Yahweh, our God.

¹ Of David.*
Yahweh is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? Yahweh is the refuge of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

¹¹ Yahweh of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our high stronghold.

⁵ By awesome deeds in righteousness you will answer us, O God of our salvation, you who are the confidence of all the ends of the earth and of the far-off seas,

³ Say to God, "How awesome are your works! Because of the greatness of your strength, your enemies will cringe before you.

⁵ Come and _⌊consider_⌋* the works of God; he is awesome in his dealings* with the children of humankind.

¹⁰ So I said, "This pierces me—* the right hand of the Most High has changed." ¹¹ I will remember the deeds of Yah.* Surely I will remember your wonders* from long ago. ¹² I will also muse on all your work, and meditate on your deeds. ¹³ O God, your way is distinctive.* Who is a great god like our God? ¹⁴ You are the God who works wonders;* you have made known your might among the peoples. ¹⁵ With your arm you redeemed your people, the children of Jacob and Joseph. Selah ¹⁶ Waters saw you, O God; waters saw you and they trembled. Surely the deeps shook. ¹⁷ The clouds poured out water. The skies _⌊thundered_⌋.* Your arrows also _⌊flew about_⌋.* ¹⁸ The sound of your thunder was in the whirlwind;* lightnings lit the world; the earth shook and quaked. ¹⁹ Your way was through the sea, and your path* through many waters. Yet your footprints were not discerned.* ²⁰ You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

⁵ I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your doings.* I muse on the labor of your hands.

¹⁰ You must not fear, for I am with you; you must not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, indeed I will help you, indeed I will take hold of you with the right hand of my salvation. ¹¹ Look! All those who are angry with you shall be ashamed and humiliated; _⌊your opponents_⌋* shall be like nothing and shall become lost. ¹² You shall seek them, but* you shall not find them; _⌊your opponents_⌋* shall be like nothing, and the men of your war like nothing. ¹³ For I, Yahweh your God, am grasping your right hand; _⌊it is I who say_⌋* to you, "You must not fear; I myself, I will help you. ¹⁴ You must not fear, O worm of Jacob; people of Israel, I myself, I will help you," _⌊declares_⌋* Yahweh, "and your redeemer is the holy one of Israel.

¹² "I, I am he who comforts you; who are you that* you are afraid of man? He dies! And of the son of humankind? He is _⌊sacrificed_⌋* as grass! ¹³ And you have forgotten Yahweh, your maker, who stretched out the heavens, and founded the earth. And you tremble continually, all day, because of the wrath of the oppressor when he _⌊takes aim_⌋* to destroy. But* where is the wrath of the oppressor?

¹¹ Then* his people remembered the days of old, of Moses. Where is the one who led up them from the sea with the shepherds of his flock? Where is the one who puts _⌊his Holy Spirit_⌋* inside him, 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, ¹³ _⌊who led_⌋* them through the depths? They did not stumble like a horse in the desert;

¹ * Would that you would tear the heavens and come down; the mountains would quake before you, ² * as fire kindles brushwood, the fire causes water to boil, to make your name known to your adversaries, that the nations might tremble from your _⌊presence_⌋.* ³ When you did terrible deeds which we did not _⌊expect_⌋,* you came down; the mountains quaked because of your _⌊presence_⌋.*

² Yahweh is a jealous God and avenging; Yahweh is avenging and _⌊full of wrath_⌋.* Yahweh takes vengeance against his enemies; he rages against his adversaries. ³ Yahweh is slow to anger but great in power; he will certainly not allow the guilty to go unpunished. _⌊He marches_⌋* in storm wind and in gale; storm clouds are the dust of his feet. ⁴ He rebukes the sea and he dries up the rivers; he makes all the rivers run dry. Bashan and Carmel wither;* the blossom of Lebanon languishes. ⁵ Mountains quake before him; the hills shake apart.* The earth heaves before him— the world and all her inhabitants. ⁶ His indignation—who can stand before it? Who can endure _⌊his fierce anger_⌋?* His wrath is poured out like fire; rocks are shattered before* him. ⁷ Yahweh is good—a refuge in the day of distress; he knows those who take refuge in him.

²⁸ And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul, but instead be afraid of the one who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

²⁰ For they could not endure what was commanded: "If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned."* ²¹ And the spectacle was so terrifying that Moses said, "I am terrified and trembling."*

²⁸ Therefore, since we* are receiving an unshakable kingdom, let us be thankful, through which let us serve God acceptably, with awe and reverence. ²⁹ For indeed our God is a consuming fire.

⁶ So then, we can say with confidence,
"The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid.* What will man do to me?"*

³¹ Now David was told, "Ahithophel was among the conspirators with Absalom." Then David said, "Please frustrate the counsel of Ahithophel, O Yahweh."

¹⁴ Then Absalom and all the men of Israel said, "The advice of Hushai the Arkite is better than the advice of Ahithophel." (Now Yahweh had ordained to frustrate the good counsel of Ahithophel in order for Yahweh to bring misery upon Absalom).

¹² He is frustrating the devices of the crafty, and their hands do not achieve success. ¹³ He is capturing the wise in their craftiness, and the schemes of the wily are rushed.

¹⁰ Yahweh brings to nothing* the plan of nations; he frustrates* the intents of peoples. ¹¹ The plan of Yahweh stands firm forever, the intents of his heart _⌊from one generation to the next_⌋.*

³⁰ There is no wisdom, nor understanding, nor counsel to oppose Yahweh.

¹⁰ _⌊Make a plan_⌋,* but it will be frustrated! Speak a word, but it will not stand, for God is with us!

²⁵ who frustrates* the signs of oracle priests and makes a fool of diviners, who drives the wise men back and makes their knowledge foolish,

³⁷ _⌊Who can speak_⌋* and it will happen if the Lord has not commanded it? ³⁸ Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that disaster and good will come?

³⁴ It is like a man away on a journey, who left his house and gave his slaves authority—to each one his work—and to the doorkeeper he gave orders that he should be on the alert.

¹¹ not lagging in diligence, being enthusiastic in spirit, serving the Lord,

¹⁹ For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God, for it is written, "The one who catches the wise in their craftiness,"* ²⁰ and again, "The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile."*

¹¹ and to aspire to live a quiet life, and to attend to _⌊your own business_⌋,* and to work with your hands,* just as we commanded you,

²³ So neither I nor my brothers nor my young men nor the men of the guard who were behind me took off our clothes. Each one kept his weapon even in the water.

¹⁵ The former governors who were before me laid burdens on the people, and they took food and wine from them, besides forty shekels. Also, their servants controlled the people, but I did not do so because of the fear of God. ¹⁶ I also devoted myself to the work of this wall, and we did not buy land. All of my servants were gathered for the work.

⁶ My eyes will be on the faithful of the land, that they may live with me. He who walks in the way of integrity, he shall minister to me.

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_⌋.*

¹² If others share this right over you, do we not do so even more? Yet we have not made use of this right, but we endure all things, in order that we may not cause any hindrance to the gospel of Christ.

⁹ for a great and effective door has opened for me, and there are many opponents.

¹³ Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act courageously, be strong.

⁷ in the word of truth, in the power of God, with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and left hand,

²⁸ and not letting yourselves be intimidated in anything by your opponents, which is a sign of destruction to them, but of your salvation, and this from God,

³ Suffer together with me as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.

⁷ I have fought the good fight, I have completed the race, I have kept the faith.

⁹ If you go to war in your land against the enemy who attacks you, you will signal with a loud noise on the trumpets. You will be remembered _⌊before_⌋* Yahweh your God, and you will be rescued from your enemies.

¹² And look, God is with us at the head, and his priests have the trumpets for sounding blasts against you, O sons of Israel. Do not fight against Yahweh, the God of your ancestors,* for you will not succeed." ¹³ Then Jeroboam sent around an ambush to come behind them. So they were in front of Judah, but the ambush was behind them. ¹⁴ When Judah turned, then behold, the battle against them was in front and behind, and they cried to Yahweh, and the priests blew on the trumpets. ¹⁵ Then the men of Judah shouted, and it happened that when the men of Judah were shouting, then God defeated Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. ¹⁶ And the _⌊Israelites_⌋* fled from before Judah, and God gave them into their hand. ¹⁷ And Abijah and his people struck a great blow against them, and the dead from Israel that fell were five hundred thousand chosen men.

¹⁴ Yahweh will fight for you, and you must be quiet."

²⁵ And he removed* the wheels of their chariots so that they drove them with difficulty, and the Egyptians said, "We must flee away* from Israel because Yahweh is fighting for them against Egypt."

³⁰ Yahweh your God, who is going _⌊before you_⌋,* will himself* fight for you, _⌊just as_⌋* he did for you in Egypt before your eyes,

²² You shall not fear them, for Yahweh your God is the one fighting for you.

⁴ for Yahweh your God is going with you to fight for you against your enemies to help you.'

¹⁰ One of your men put to flight a thousand, for Yahweh your God is fighting for you, just as he promised you.

³ Then Yahweh will go forth and fight against those nations, like _⌊when he fights_⌋* on a day of battle.

¹⁰ But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me has not been in vain, but I labored even more than all of them, and not I, but the grace of God with me.

⁵⁸ So then, my dear brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, because you* know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

⁹ And let us not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap, if we* do not give up.

²⁹ for which purpose also I labor, striving according to his working which is at work powerfully in me.

¹ Now the commanders of the people lived in Jerusalem, but the remainder of the people cast lots to bring one out of ten to live in the holy city of Jerusalem, the other nine's place was in the other cities. ² And the people blessed all the men who willingly offered to live in Jerusalem.

¹¹ At the sound of those dividing* the sheep among the watering places, there they will recount the righteous deeds of Yahweh, the righteous deeds for his warriors* in Israel. Then the people of Yahweh went down to the gates.

⁴⁸ So Abimelech went up Mount Zalmon, he and all his army that were with him, and Abimelech took the ax* in his hand and cut down a bundle of brushwood, and he lifted it and put it on his shoulder. And he said to the army that was with him, "What you have seen me do, quickly do also."

¹⁶ I also devoted myself to the work of this wall, and we did not buy land. All of my servants were gathered for the work.

² I gave command over Jerusalem to my brother Hanani and Hananiah the commander of the citadel. For he was a faithful man and feared God more than many.