Deuteronomy 29 Cross References - NSB

¹ These are the terms of the covenant that Jehovah commanded Moses to make with the people of Israel in the land of Moab. All this was in addition to the covenant Jehovah made with them at Mount Sinai. ² Moses called together all the people of Israel and said: »You saw for yourselves what Jehovah did to the king of Egypt, to his officials, and to his entire country. ³ »You saw the terrible plagues, the miracles, and the great wonders that Jehovah performed. ⁴ »To this very day Jehovah has not given you a heart to know, eyes to see, or ears to hear. ⁵ »I led you forty years in the wilderness. Your clothes have not worn out on you. Your sandal has not worn out on your foot. ⁶ »You have not eaten bread. You have not drunk wine or strong drink. This in order that you might know that I am Jehovah your God. ⁷ When you reached this place, Sihon the king of Heshbon and Og the king of Bashan came out to meet us for battle. We defeated them! ⁸ »We took their land and gave it as an inheritance to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of the Manassites. ⁹ »Keep the words of this covenant to do them that you may prosper in all that you do. ¹⁰ »You stand today, all of you, before Jehovah your God: your leaders, your tribes, your elders and your officers, even all the men of Israel. ¹¹ »Your little ones, your wives, and the alien who is within your camps, from the one who chops your wood to the one who draws your water, ¹² that you may enter into the covenant with Jehovah your God, and into His oath that Jehovah your God is making with you today. ¹³ »Jehovah will confirm today with this promise that you are his people and that he is your God. This is what he told you. This is what he promised your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob with an oath. ¹⁴ »You are not the only people to receive this promise and its conditions. ¹⁵ »It is for those of you who are standing here with us today in the presence of Jehovah our God and also for those who are not here today. ¹⁶ »You know how we lived in Egypt and how we passed through other countries on our way here. ¹⁷ »You saw their loathsome idols made of wood, stone, silver, and gold. ¹⁸ »Make sure that no man, woman, family, or tribe standing here today turns from Jehovah our God to serve the gods of other nations. This would be like a root that grows to be a bitter and poisonous plant. ¹⁹ »Be sure there is no one here today who hears these solemn demands and yet convinces himself that all will be well with him. He would go stubbornly on his own way. That would destroy all of you, good and evil alike. ²⁰ Jehovah will never be willing to forgive him, but rather the anger of Jehovah and / His jealousy will burn against that man. Every curse which is written in this book will rest on him. Jehovah will blot out his name from under heaven. ²¹ »Jehovah will destroy you by piling on you all the curses that are written in this book of Law. You will be forgotten forever. ²² »The next generation of your children and foreigners who come from distant countries will see the plagues that have happened in this land and the diseases Jehovah sent here. ²³ »All its land is brimstone and salt. It is a burning waste, unsown and unproductive. No grass grows on it. Like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which Jehovah overthrew in his anger and in his wrath. ²⁴ »All the nations will say: Why has Jehovah done thus to this land? Why this great outburst of anger?' ²⁵ »Then men will say: ‘Because they forsook the covenant of Jehovah, the God of their fathers, which he made with them when he brought them out of the land of Egypt. ²⁶ »‘They served other gods and worshiped them. These are gods whom they have not known and whom he had not allotted to them. ²⁷ »‘Jehovah became angry against this land and brought on it all the curses described in this book. ²⁸ »‘His fierce anger and fury caused Jehovah to uproot these people from their land and deported them to another country. This is where they still are today.’ ²⁹ »Some secret things are hidden. They belong to Jehovah our God. The things that have been revealed in these teachings belong to us and to our children forever. We must obey every word of this Law.

¹⁷ »But you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. When you eat of it you will surely die.«

² these four kings made war with King Bera of Sodom, King Birsha of Gomorrah, King Shinab of Admah, King Shemeber of Zeboiim, and the king of Zoar.

⁷ »I will establish my covenant as a long lasting covenant between us. It will be for your descendants after you, for the generations to come. I will be your God and the God of your descendants after you.

²⁴ Jehovah made burning sulfur and fire rain out of the sky on Sodom and Gomorrah. ²⁵ He destroyed those cities, the whole Plain, all who lived in the cities, and whatever grew on the ground.

³ »You will live there as a foreigner. I will be with you and bless you. I will keep my promise to your father Abraham by giving this land to you and your descendants. ⁴ »I will give you as many descendants as there are stars in the sky. I will give your descendants all of this land. They will be a blessing to every nation on earth.

¹³ Jehovah was standing above the stairway. He proclaimed: »I am Jehovah, the God of your grandfather Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give the land on which you are lying to you and your descendants. ¹⁴ »Your descendants will be like the dust on the earth. You will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. Every family on earth will be blessed through you and through your descendants. ¹⁵ »Remember, I am with you. I will watch over you wherever you go. I will also bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I do what I have promised you.«

⁷ »I will make you my people, and I will be your God. You will know that I am Jehovah your God. I brought you out from under the forced labor of the Egyptians.

¹² Moses and Aaron left the palace. Moses begged Jehovah to do something about the frogs he had sent as punishment for the king.

³⁸ Many other people also went with them, along with large numbers of sheep, goats, and cattle.

⁴⁸ »The uncircumcised man may not eat it. If a foreigner has settled among you and wants to celebrate Passover to honor Jehovah, you must first circumcise all the males of his household. He is then to be treated like a native-born Israelite and may join in the festival. ⁴⁹ »The same regulations apply to native-born Israelites and to foreigners who settle among you.«

¹² »I have heard my people complain. I said to them: ‘Each evening you will have meat and each morning they will have more than enough bread.’ Then you will know that I am Jehovah their God.’«

³⁵ The children of Israel ate the manna forty years, until they came to an inhabited land. They ate the manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan.

³ Jehovah called Moses from the mountain. So Moses went up the mountain to God. Jehovah told him: »This is what you must say to the descendants of Jacob. Tell the Israelites: ⁴ ‘You have seen what I did to Egypt and how I carried you on the wings of eagles and brought you to me.

⁴ ‘You have seen what I did to Egypt and how I carried you on the wings of eagles and brought you to me. ⁵ ‘If you will obey me and are faithful to the terms of my covenant, then out of all the nations you will be my own special possession, for all the earth is mine.

⁵ ‘If you will obey me and are faithful to the terms of my covenant, then out of all the nations you will be my own special possession, for all the earth is mine. ⁶ ‘You will be my kingdom of priests and my holy nation. These are the words you must speak to the children of Israel.’«

⁵ »Do not worship them or serve them. I, Jehovah your God, am a God demanding exclusive devotion. (I do not tolerate rivals.) I will not share your affection with any other god. I punish children for their parents’ sins to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me.

² »Moses alone may come near Jehovah. The others may not. The people must not come along with Moses.« ³ Moses told the people all Jehovah’s words and legal decisions. Then all the people answered with one voice: »We will do everything Jehovah told us to do.« ⁴ Moses wrote down all Jehovah’s words. Early the next morning he built an altar at the foot of the mountain. He erected twelve sacred stones for the twelve tribes of Israel. ⁵ Moses sent young men to burn sacrifices to Jehovah. They sacrificed some cattle as peace offerings. ⁶ Moses took half of the blood of the animals and put it in bowls. The other half he threw against the altar. ⁷ He took the book of the covenant, in which Jehovah’s commandments were written, and read it aloud to the people. They said: »We will obey Jehovah. We will do everything that he has commanded.« ⁸ Moses took the blood from the bowls and sprinkled it on the people. Next, he told them: With this blood Jehovah makes his agreement with you.

³² »Will you forgive their sin? If not, please wipe me out of the book you have written.« ³³ Jehovah answered Moses: »I will wipe out of my book whoever sins against me.

¹⁴ »Do not worship any other god but Jehovah for his reputation is filled with zeal, and he is a God who demands exclusive devotion.

¹⁴ »‘If you will not listen to me and obey all these commandments, ¹⁵ if you reject my laws and look at my rules with disgust, if you reject my promise by disobeying my commandments, ¹⁶ then this is what I will do to you: I will terrorize you with disease and fever. You will suffer from eye problems and depression. You will plant your crops and get nothing because your enemies will eat them. ¹⁷ »‘I will condemn you so that you will go down in defeat in front of your enemies. Those who hate you will be your rulers. You will run away even when no one is chasing you. ¹⁸ »‘If you still will not listen to me, I will discipline you seven times for your sins. ¹⁹ »‘I will crush your arrogance. You will have no rain, and your land will be as hard as cement. ²⁰ »‘Your strength will be spent uselessly. Your land will not yield its produce and the trees of the land will not yield their fruit. ²¹ »‘If you act with hostility against me and are unwilling to obey me I will increase the plague on you seven times according to your sins. ²² »‘I will send wild animals among you. They will rob you of your children. They will destroy your cattle, and make you so few that your roads will be deserted. ²³ »‘If this discipline does not help and you still resist, ²⁴ »‘I will resist you. I will punish you seven times for your sins. ²⁵ »‘I will bring war on you to get revenge for my promise you rejected. When you gather in your cities, I will send plagues on you and you will fall under the control of your enemy. ²⁶ »‘I will destroy your food supply. Ten women will need only one oven to prepare your food. You will eat and go away hungry. ²⁷ »‘If in spite of this you do not listen to me and still resist me, ²⁸ »‘I will resist you with great fury. I will discipline you seven times for your sins. ²⁹ »‘You will eat the bodies of your sons and daughters. ³⁰ »‘I will destroy your worship sites. I will cut down your incense altars and pile your dead bodies on top of your dead idols. I will view you with disgust. ³¹ »‘I will make your cities deserted and ruin your sacred places. I will no longer accept the soothing aroma from your sacrifices. ³² »‘I will make your land so deserted that your enemies will be shocked as they settle in it. ³³ »‘I will scatter you among the nations. War will follow you. Your country will be in ruins. Your cities will be deserted. ³⁴ »‘Then the land will enjoy its time to honor Jehovah while it lies deserted. You will be in your enemies' land. Then the land will joyfully celebrate its time to honor Jehovah. ³⁵ »‘All the days it lies deserted, it will celebrate the time to honor Jehovah it never celebrated while you lived there. ³⁶ »‘I will fill those who are left in the land of their enemies with despair. The sound of a windblown leaf will make them run. They will run away and fall, but no one will be chasing them. ³⁷ »‘They will stumble over each other. Yet no one will be after them. They will not be able to stand up to their enemies. ³⁸ »‘They will be destroyed among the nations. The land of their enemies will devour them. ³⁹ »‘Those who are left will waste away in the lands of their enemies because of their sins and the sins of their ancestors. ⁴⁰ »‘However if they confess their sins and the sins of their ancestors and the treacherous things they did to oppose me, ⁴¹ »‘I will oppose them and bring them into the lands of their enemies. Then, if they humble their uncircumcised hearts and accept their guilt, ⁴² »‘I will remember my promise to Jacob, Isaac, and Abraham. I will also remember the land. ⁴³ »‘The land, abandoned by them, will enjoy its time to honor Jehovah while it lies deserted without them. They must accept their guilt because they rejected my rules and looked at my laws with disgust. ⁴⁴ »‘Even when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them or look at them with disgust. I will not reject or cancel my promise to them, because I am Jehovah their God.

⁴⁴ »‘Even when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them or look at them with disgust. I will not reject or cancel my promise to them, because I am Jehovah their God. ⁴⁵ »‘For their well being, I will remember the promise to their ancestors. I brought them out of Egypt to be their God while nations looked on. I am Jehovah!’«

⁴⁵ »‘For their well being, I will remember the promise to their ancestors. I brought them out of Egypt to be their God while nations looked on. I am Jehovah!’« ⁴⁶ These are the laws, rules, and instructions Jehovah gave to the Israelites through Moses on Mount Sinai.

⁴ Some foreigners among the Israelites had a strong craving for other kinds of food. Even the Israelites cried again and said: »If only we had meat to eat!

³⁰ »Any who sin deliberately, natives or foreigners, are guilty of treating Jehovah with contempt. They shall be put to death.

³⁹ »When you look at the threads in the tassel, you will remember all Jehovah’s commandments and obey them. Then you will not do whatever you want and go after whatever you see, as if you were chasing after prostitutes.

¹⁴ »You have not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey or given us any fields and vineyards to own. Do you think you can still pull the wool over our eyes? We will not come.«

⁸ »Take your staff and you and your brother Aaron gather the congregation. Right before their eyes, tell the rock to give up its water. In this way you will give the congregation water from the rock for them and their animals to drink.«

²¹ »The people of Israel sent messengers to the Amorite king Sihon to say: ²² »Let us go through your country. We will not go through any of your fields or vineyards or drink any of the water from your wells. We will stay on the king’s highway until we have passed through your territory.« ²³ Sihon would not let Israel pass through his territory. Sihon gathered all his troops and came out into the desert to attack Israel. When Sihon’s troops came to Jahaz, they fought against Israel. ²⁴ Israel defeated them in battle and took possession of their land from the Arnon Valley to the Jabbok River. They stopped at the border of the Ammon because it was fortified. ²⁵ The Israelites settled in the Amorite towns. They settled in the capital city of Heshbon with its surrounding villages. ²⁶ King Sihon ruled from Heshbon after defeating the Moabites and taking over their land north of the Arnon River gorge. ²⁷ That is why the Amorites had written this poem about Heshbon: »Come and rebuild Heshbon, King Sihon’s capital city! ²⁸ »His armies marched out like fiery flames, burning down the town of Ar and destroying the hills along the Arnon River. ²⁹ »You Moabites are done for! Your god Chemosh deserted your people. They were captured, taken away by King Sihon the Amorite. ³⁰ »We completely defeated Moab. The towns of Heshbon and Dibon, of Nophah and Medeba are ruined and gone.« ³¹ After the Israelites settled in the Amorite territory, ³² Moses sent some men to explore the town of Jazer. Some time later, the Israelites captured the villages surrounding it and forced out the Amorites who lived there. ³³ They turned around and went by the way of Bashan. Og the king of Bashan went out with all his people for battle at Edrei. ³⁴ Jehovah said to Moses: »Do not fear him for I have given him into your hand, and all his people and his land. You will do to him as you did to Sihon, king of the Amorites, who lived at Heshbon.« ³⁵ The Israelites defeated him, his sons, and all his troops, leaving no survivors. They took possession of his land.

³³ So Moses gave the tribes of Gad, Reuben, and half of the tribe of Manasseh, son of Joseph, the kingdoms of King Sihon of the Amorites and King Og of Bashan. It was the whole land with its cities and its surrounding territory.

³³ So Moses gave the tribes of Gad, Reuben, and half of the tribe of Manasseh, son of Joseph, the kingdoms of King Sihon of the Amorites and King Og of Bashan. It was the whole land with its cities and its surrounding territory. ³⁴ The tribe of Gad rebuilt the cities of Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer, ³⁵ Atroth Shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah, ³⁶ Beth Nimrah, and Beth Haran as walled cities. They also built stone fences for their flocks. ³⁷ The tribe of Reuben rebuilt the cities of Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim, ³⁸ Nebo, Baal Meon whose names were changed, and Sibmah. These are the names they gave the cities they rebuilt. ³⁹ The descendants of Machir son of Manasseh went to Gilead. They captured it and forced out the Amorites who were there. ⁴⁰ So Moses gave Gilead to the people of Machir the descendants of Manasseh, and they lived there. ⁴¹ Then Jair, a descendant of Manasseh, captured the settlements in Gilead. He called them Havvoth Jair. ⁴² Nobah captured Kenath and its villages. He named it Nobah after himself.

³ It was the fortieth year, eleventh month, on the first day of the month. Moses spoke to the children of Israel, according to all the commandments Jehovah (YHWH) gave him for them.

⁴ »‘Give these instructions to the people: »You will pass through the territory of your relatives, the descendants of Esau. They live in Seir. They will be afraid of you. Therefore watch yourselves carefully.

⁹ »Then Jehovah said to me: ‘Do not trouble the people of Moab, the descendants of Lot. And do not start a war with them. I gave them the city of Ar, and I am not going to give you any of their land.’

¹⁹ »‘When you come near the Ammonites, do not bother them or start a fight with them. I am not giving you any of the land that I already gave to the descendants of Lot as their property.

²⁴ Moses continued: »Cross over the Arnon River. I will help you defeat Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon and his country. Possess his land and engage him in battle.

²⁴ Moses continued: »Cross over the Arnon River. I will help you defeat Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon and his country. Possess his land and engage him in battle.

³⁰ King Sihon of Heshbon would not allow us to pass through. Jehovah your God made him stubborn and overconfident in order to hand him over to you, as he has now done.

¹ »Next we headed for the land of Bashan. King Og of Bashan and all his army came to fight us at Edrei. ² »Jehovah said to me: ‘Do not be afraid of him. I will hand him, all his army, and his land, over to you. Do to him what you did to King Sihon of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon.’

¹² »We took possession of this land. I gave the tribes of Reuben and Gad the land north of Aroer near the Arnon Valley and half of the mountain region of Gilead with its cities. ¹³ »I assigned the rest of Gilead and also all of Bashan, where Og had ruled, that is, the entire Argob region to half the tribe of Manasseh. Bashan was known as the land of the Rephaim.

⁶ »Carefully obey the laws. For this will show your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations. They will hear all these statutes and say: ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’

¹⁰ »Do you remember the day you stood in the presence of Jehovah your God at Mount Sinai (Horeb)? He said to me: ‘assemble the people. I want them to hear what I have to say, so that they will learn to obey me as long as they live. Then they will teach their children to do the same.’

¹³ »He told you what you must do to keep the covenant he made with you. You must obey the Ten Commandments, which he wrote on two stone tablets.

⁷ »Carefully teach them to your sons. Talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way. Speak about them when you lie down, and when you rise up.

²⁴ »‘Jehovah commanded us to do all these statutes. He required that we respect Jehovah our God. This was for our own good that he might preserve us alive, as things are today.

⁶ »You are a holy people to Jehovah your God. Jehovah your God has chosen you to be his own special people out of all the nations of the earth.

¹⁸ »Do not be afraid of them. Remember what Jehovah your God did to Pharaoh and all of Egypt. ¹⁹ »You saw with your own eyes the terrible plagues, the miraculous signs, and the amazing things Jehovah did. He used his mighty hand and powerful arm to bring you out. He will do the same thing to all the people who frighten you.

² »Remember the forty years Jehovah your God led you in the wilderness. He did this in order to humble you and test you. He wanted to know what was in your heart. Whether you would obey his commandments. ³ »He humbled you (allowed you to suffer) with hunger and then fed you with manna. Neither you nor your fathers had seen this before. He did this to teach you that a person cannot live on bread alone but must live on all (everything) (every word) that proceeds from the mouth of Jehovah. ⁴ »Your clothes did not wear out! And your feet did not swell these past forty years.

¹⁸ »Remember that Jehovah your God gives you the strength to make a living. That is how he keeps the promise he made to your fathers.

¹⁴ »‘Leave me alone that I may destroy them and blot out their name from under heaven. I will make of you a nation mightier and greater than they.’

¹⁶ »Guard yourselves! Your heart could be deceived. You could turn away and serve other gods and worship them. ¹⁷ »Jehovah will become angry with you. He will shut the sky and there will be no rain. Then the ground will not grow any crops. You will quickly disappear from this good land Jehovah is giving you.

¹ »If a prophet or an interpreter of dreams appears among you and gives you a sign or a wonder (portent) (omen) (forecast of the future), ² in order to lead you to worship and serve gods that you have not worshiped before, and even if what they promise comes true, ³ do not listen to them. Jehovah your God is allowing them to test you. He will then know that you love Jehovah with all your heart. ⁴ »Follow Jehovah and respect him. Obey him and keep his commandments. Worship him and be faithful to him (stick to him) (stay close to him) (cleave, cling to him). ⁵ »Put to death any interpreters of dreams or prophets that tell you to rebel against Jehovah. For he (Jehovah) rescued you from Egypt, where you were slaves. Such people are evil and are trying to lead you away from the life that Jehovah has commanded you to live. They must be put to death, in order to get rid of this evil. ⁶ »If your brother, your mother's son, or your son or daughter, or the wife you cherish, or your very best friend tries to secretly entice you, saying: ‘Let us go and serve other gods, gods neither you nor your fathers have known, ⁷ »‘the gods of the people who are around you from one end of the earth to the other end.’ ⁸ »Do not yield to him or listen to him. Your eye should not have pity on him. You should not spare or conceal him. ⁹ »You must kill him! Your hand should be first against him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people. ¹⁰ »Stone him to death because he has sought to draw you away from Jehovah your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. ¹¹ »All Israel will hear and be afraid, and will never again do such a wicked thing among you. ¹² »If you hear in one of the cities Jehovah has given you, anyone saying that ¹³ some worthless men have gone out from among you and have mislead the inhabitants of their city, saying: Let us go and serve other gods you have not known. ¹⁴ »Investigate and search out and inquire thoroughly. If it is true and the matter established that this abomination has been done among you, ¹⁵ strike the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying it and all that is in it and its cattle with the edge of the sword.

²³ »Take care of yourselves. Do not forget the covenant of Jehovah your God, which he made with you. Do not make a graven image, or the likeness of anything, which Jehovah your God has forbidden.

³² »Ask about the days from the past. A time that came before you, since the day that God created man upon the earth. And ask from one side of heaven to the other whether there has ever been anything like this great thing, or anything like it has been heard? ³³ »Did people ever hear the voice of God speaking out of the middle of the fire, as you have heard, and live? ³⁴ »Has God attempted to take a nation from the middle of another nation? Has he done this by temptations, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by great terrors? Yes, and by the use of his great power! Jehovah your God did all this for you in Egypt before your very eyes! ³⁵ »This was shown to you that you might know that JEHOVAH IS GOD! THERE IS NO ONE BESIDES HIM!

² »Jehovah our God made a covenant with us at Horeb. ³ »Jehovah did not make this covenant with our fathers, but with us, all of us here alive today.

³ »Jehovah did not make this covenant with our fathers, but with us, all of us here alive today.

¹⁴ »‘The seventh day is the Sabbath of Jehovah your God: in it you should not do any work. Your son and daughter should not work. Your manservant and maidservant should not work. Your ox, donkey, cattle or any stranger living with you should not work. Your manservant and maidservant should rest as much as you do.

¹⁹ »When Jehovah your God has given you rest from all your surrounding enemies, in the land Jehovah your God gives you as an inheritance to possess. You will blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven. Do not forget.

¹⁸ »Jehovah declared you to be his people and a treasured possession. Obey his commandments and receive his promise. ¹⁹ »He will set you high above all nations that he has made, for praise, fame, and honor. You will be a consecrated people to Jehovah your God, as he has spoken.

¹⁵ »‘Cursed is the man who makes an idol or a molten image. It is an abomination to Jehovah! It is the secret work of the hands of the craftsman. All the people will answer: Amen. ¹⁶ »‘Cursed is the man who dishonors his father or mother. All the people will say: Amen. ¹⁷ »‘Cursed is he who moves his neighbor's boundary mark. All the people will say: Amen. ¹⁸ »‘Cursed is the man who misleads a blind person on the road. And all the people answer: Amen. ¹⁹ »‘Cursed is he who withholds justice due an alien, orphan, and widow. The people all say: Amen. ²⁰ »‘Cursed is the man who has sexual activities with his father's wife, because he has violated his father’s rights.’ And all the people say: ‘Amen.’ ²¹ »‘Cursed is he who has sex with any animal. All the people will say: Amen. ²² »‘Cursed is he who has sexual activities with his sister, the daughter of his father or of his mother. All the people answer: Amen. ²³ »‘Cursed is he who indulges in sex with his mother-in-law. And all the people say: Amen. ²⁴ »‘Cursed is he who beats his neighbor in secret.’ And all the people will say: ‘Amen.’ ²⁵ »‘Cursed is he who accepts a bribe to punish an innocent person.’ All the people will say: ‘Amen.’ ²⁶ »‘Cursed is he who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law by obeying them.’ And all the people will say: ‘Amen.’

⁹ »Jehovah will establish you as a holy people to himself. He swore this to you, if you obey the commandments of Jehovah your God and walk in His ways.

¹⁵ »If you do not obey Jehovah your God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes with which I charge you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you: ¹⁶ »Cursed will you be in the city, and cursed will you be in the country. ¹⁷ »Your basket and your kneading bowl will be cursed. ¹⁸ »Cursed will be the offspring of your body and the produce of your ground, the increase of your herd and the young of your flock. ¹⁹ »Jehovah will curse everything you do! ²⁰ »If you do evil and reject Jehovah, he will bring on you trouble, confusion, and rebuke in everything you do. Soon you will be quickly and completely destroyed. ²¹ »He will plague you with disease after disease on you until there is not one of you left in the land. ²² »Jehovah will strike you with infectious diseases, with swelling and fever. He will send drought and scorching winds to destroy your crops. These disasters will be with you until you die. ²³ »The sky above will look like copper and the ground below will be as hard as iron. ²⁴ Jehovah will send dust storms and sandstorms on you from the sky until you are destroyed. ²⁵ »Jehovah will cause you to be stricken before your enemies. You will go out one way against them, and flee seven ways from them. You will be an object of horror to all the kingdoms of the earth.

²⁵ »Jehovah will cause you to be stricken before your enemies. You will go out one way against them, and flee seven ways from them. You will be an object of horror to all the kingdoms of the earth. ²⁶ »Your body will be food to all birds of the air, and to the beasts of the earth. And no man shall frighten them away. ²⁷ »Jehovah will strike you with the boils of Egypt and with tumors and with the scab and with the itch, from which you cannot be healed. ²⁸ »You will become insane and go blind. Jehovah will make you so confused, ²⁹ that even in bright sunshine you will have to feel your way around like a blind person. You will tell day from night! For the rest of your life, people will beat and rob you. No one will be able to stop them. ³⁰ »A man will be engaged to a woman, but before they can get married, enemy soldiers will rape her. Some of you will build houses, but never get to live in them. If you plant a vineyard, you will not be around long enough to enjoy the first harvest. ³¹ »Your cattle will be killed while you watch. You will not get to eat any of the meat. Your donkeys and sheep will be stolen. No one will be around to force your enemies to give them back. ³² »Your sons and daughters will be dragged off to a foreign country. And you will stand there helpless. Even if you watch for them until you go blind, you will never see them again. ³³ »A foreign nation will take all the crops that you have worked so hard to grow. You will receive nothing but constant oppression and harsh treatment. ³⁴ »You will lose your mind (experience insanity) because of all the suffering. ³⁵ »Jehovah will strike you on the knees and legs with sore boils. From the sole of your foot to the crown of your head they will not heal. ³⁶ »Jehovah will bring you and your king, whom you set over you, to a nation that neither you nor your fathers have known. There you will serve other gods made of wood and stone.

³⁶ »Jehovah will bring you and your king, whom you set over you, to a nation that neither you nor your fathers have known. There you will serve other gods made of wood and stone. ³⁷ »You will become a thing of revulsion. All the nations where Jehovah will send you will make an example of you and laugh at you. ³⁸ »You will plant many crops in your fields, but harvest little for locusts will destroy your crops. ³⁹ »You will plant vineyards and tend them but will not drink the wine from them. Worms will eat them. ⁴⁰ »You will have olive trees throughout all your coasts, but you shall not anoint with the oil, for your olive shall drop off its fruit. ⁴¹ »Even your infant sons and daughters will be taken as prisoners of war. ⁴² »Locusts will take over all your trees and the fruit of your land. ⁴³ »The alien who is living among you will be lifted up higher and higher over you, while you go down lower and lower. ⁴⁴ »They will be able to make loans to you, but you won't be able to make loans to them. They will be the head, and you will be the tail. ⁴⁵ »All these disasters will come on you. They will be with you until you are destroyed. This is because you did not obey Jehovah your God and keep all the laws that he gave you. ⁴⁶ »Everyone will look at you and your descendants and realize that Jehovah has placed you under a curse for a very long time. ⁴⁷ »You did not serve Jehovah your God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things. ⁴⁸ »You will serve your enemies whom Jehovah will send against you, in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness, and in the lack of all things. He will put an iron yoke on your neck until he has destroyed you. ⁴⁹ »Jehovah will bring a nation against you from far away, from the end of the earth, as the eagle swoops down, a nation whose language you will not understand, ⁵⁰ a nation of fierce countenance who will have no respect for the old, nor show favor to the young. ⁵¹ »They will eat the offspring of your animals and the crops from your fields until you are destroyed. They will leave you no grain, no new wine, no olive oil, no calves from your herds, and no lambs or kids from your flocks. They will continue to do this until you are completely desolate. ⁵² »They will blockade all your cities until the high, fortified walls you trust come down everywhere in your land. They will blockade all the cities everywhere in the land that Jehovah your God is giving you. ⁵³ »Because of the hardships your enemies will make you suffer during the blockade, you will eat the flesh of your own children, the sons and daughters, whom Jehovah your God has given you. ⁵⁴ »The kindest and most sensitive man among you will become stingy toward his brother, the wife he loves, and the children he still has left. ⁵⁵ »He will give none of them any of the flesh of his children that he is eating. It will be all that he has left. These are hardships your enemies will make you suffer during the blockade of all your cities. ⁵⁶ »The kindest and most sensitive woman among you, so sensitive and tender that she would not even step on an ant, will become stingy toward the husband she loves or toward her own son or daughter. ⁵⁷ »She will not share with them the afterbirth from her body and the children she gives birth to. She will secretly eat them out of dire necessity. These are hardships your enemies will make you suffer during the blockade of your cities. ⁵⁸ »You might not faithfully obey every word of the teachings that are written in this book. You might not respect this glorious and awe inspiring name: JEHOVAH your God. ⁵⁹ »If so, Jehovah will strike you and your descendants with unimaginable plagues. They will be terrible continuing plagues. They will be severe and lingering diseases. ⁶⁰ »He will bring all the diseases of Egypt that you dreaded. They will cling to you. ⁶¹ »Jehovah will also bring you every kind of sickness and plague not written in this Book of the Law. They will continue until you are dead. ⁶² »You were at one time as numerous as the stars in the sky. But only a few of you will be left. This is because you did not obey Jehovah your God. ⁶³ »Jehovah was very glad to make you prosperous and numerous. Now Jehovah will be more than glad to destroy you and wipe you out. You will be torn out of the land you are about to enter and possess. ⁶⁴ »Jehovah will scatter you among all the people of the world. He will scatter you from one end of the earth to the other. There you will serve gods made of wood and stone that neither you nor your ancestors ever knew.

⁶⁴ »Jehovah will scatter you among all the people of the world. He will scatter you from one end of the earth to the other. There you will serve gods made of wood and stone that neither you nor your ancestors ever knew. ⁶⁵ »You will find no peace among those nations. There will be no place to call your own. There Jehovah will give you an unsettled mind, failing eyesight, and despair. ⁶⁶ »Your life will always be in danger. Day and night you will be filled with terror. You will live in constant fear of death. ⁶⁷ »Your hearts will pound with fear at everything you see. Every morning you will wish for evening. Every evening you will wish for morning. ⁶⁸ »Jehovah will send you back to Egypt in ships, even though he said that you would never have to go there again. There you will try to sell yourselves to your enemies as slaves. But no one will want to buy you.

¹ These are the terms of the covenant that Jehovah commanded Moses to make with the people of Israel in the land of Moab. All this was in addition to the covenant Jehovah made with them at Mount Sinai.

¹² that you may enter into the covenant with Jehovah your God, and into His oath that Jehovah your God is making with you today.

¹⁴ »You are not the only people to receive this promise and its conditions.

²⁰ Jehovah will never be willing to forgive him, but rather the anger of Jehovah and / His jealousy will burn against that man. Every curse which is written in this book will rest on him. Jehovah will blot out his name from under heaven. ²¹ »Jehovah will destroy you by piling on you all the curses that are written in this book of Law. You will be forgotten forever.

²¹ »Jehovah will destroy you by piling on you all the curses that are written in this book of Law. You will be forgotten forever.

²⁵ »Then men will say: ‘Because they forsook the covenant of Jehovah, the God of their fathers, which he made with them when he brought them out of the land of Egypt.

² »If you and your children return to Jehovah your God and obey him with all your heart and with all your being, doing everything I command you today,

¹² »Assemble the people, the men and the women and children and the alien who is in your town. Assemble them that they may hear and learn and respect Jehovah your God, and be careful to observe all the words of this Law. ¹³ »Their children, who have not known, will hear and learn to respect Jehovah your God, as long as you live on the land you will possess when you cross the Jordan River.

⁷ »Be strong and very courageous, that you may be careful to do according to all the Law, which Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.

² »In one of the cities Jehovah your God is giving you, there may be a man or woman among you who is doing what Jehovah considers evil. This person may be disregarding the conditions of Jehovah’s covenant.

² »In one of the cities Jehovah your God is giving you, there may be a man or woman among you who is doing what Jehovah considers evil. This person may be disregarding the conditions of Jehovah’s covenant. ³ »Some worship and bow down to other gods, the sun, the moon, or the whole army of heaven. I have forbidden this. ⁴ »If it is told you and you have heard of it, then you shall inquire thoroughly. If it is true and the thing certain that this detestable thing has been done in Israel, ⁵ »Bring that man or woman who has done this evil deed out to your gates. Stone the man or the woman to death. ⁶ »On the evidence and testimony of two witnesses or three witnesses, he who is to die shall be put to death. He shall not be put to death on the evidence of one witness. ⁷ »The witnesses must throw the first stone to put him to death, and afterward all the people. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.

⁵ They had worn out and patched shoes on their feet, they wore old garments; and all the bread of their provision was dry and moldy.

¹³ »These bottles of wine, which we filled, were new and now they are cracked. Our garments and shoes have become old by reason of the very long journey.«

²¹ The leaders said to them: »Let them live; but let them be hewers of wood and drawers of water to the entire congregation as the leaders had promised them. ²² Joshua called for them, and he spoke to them, saying: »Why did you deceive us, saying: ‘We are very far from you’ when you dwell among us? ²³ Now you are cursed, and none of you will be freed from being slaves, and hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God.« ²⁴ They answered Joshua: »For the reason that it was absolutely told to your servants, how Jehovah your God commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land, and destroy all the inhabitants of the land. Therefore we were very afraid for our lives because of you. So we did this thing. ²⁵ »Now we are in your hands. Do to us what seems good and right to you.« ²⁶ Joshua saved them from the children of Israel. They did not kill them. ²⁷ Joshua made them that day hewers of wood and drawers of water for the congregation, and for the altar of Jehovah, even to this day, in the place he should choose.

¹ The children of Israel committed a trespass in the devoted things: for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing: and the anger of Jehovah was kindled against the children of Israel. ² Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Beth-aven, on the east side of Bethel. He spoke to them: »Go up and spy on the country.« And the men went up and spied on Ai. ³ They returned to Joshua, and said: »Do not send all the people. Send about two or three thousand men to Ai to go up and capture Ai. Do not bother all the people for there are only a few there.« ⁴ So about three thousand men left the people. The men of Ai routed them. ⁵ The men of Ai killed about thirty-six of them: for they chased them going down from before the gate to Shebarim. The heart of the people melted, and became as water. (The Israelites lost their courage and were afraid) ⁶ And Joshua ripped his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the Ark of Jehovah until evening. He threw dust on his head. The elders of Israel did the same. ⁷ Joshua said: »Alas, Sovereign Lord Jehovah, why did you bring this people across the Jordan. Was it to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? Would to God we had been content to dwell on the other side of the Jordan! ⁸ »O Jehovah, what shall I say, when Israel turned their backs before its enemies! ⁹ »For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear about it, and will surround us and cut our name off from the earth. What will you do for your great name?« ¹⁰ Jehovah said to Joshua: »You get up! Why are you on your face? ¹¹ »Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things and put them in their own possessions. ¹² »Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies. They ran from their enemies, because they were accursed. I will not be with you any more until you destroy the devoted things you have among you. ¹³ »Get up and sanctify the people. Say: ‘Sanctify yourselves against tomorrow: for the Sovereign Lord Jehovah says: »There is an accursed thing in the midst of you, O Israel: You cannot stand before you enemies until you take away the devoted thing from among you.« ¹⁴ »‘»In the morning assemble by tribe. The tribe Jehovah picks will come forward family by family and man by man. ¹⁵ »‘»He that has take the devoted things shall be burned in the fire, along with all that he owns. He has transgressed the covenant of Jehovah. He has committed a disgraceful thing in Israel.«’« ¹⁶ So Joshua rose up early in the morning, and brought Israel by their tribes; and the tribe of Judah was taken: ¹⁷ He brought the family of Judah; and he took the family of the Zarhites: and he brought the family of the Zarhites man by man; and Zabdi was taken: ¹⁸ And he brought his household man by man; and Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken. ¹⁹ Joshua said to Achan: »My son, give glory to Jehovah God of Israel and confess to him. Tell me now what you have done. Do not hide it from me.« ²⁰ Achan answered Joshua: »Indeed I have sinned against Jehovah the God of Israel. This I have done. ²¹ »When I saw among the spoils a quality Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them. I hid them in the earth in the middle of my tent.« ²² So Joshua sent messengers to the tent and found it and the silver. ²³ They took them out of the middle of the tent, and brought them to Joshua, and to all the children of Israel, and laid them out before Jehovah. ²⁴ And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and they brought them unto the valley of Achor. ²⁵ Joshua said: »Why have you troubled us? Jehovah will trouble you this day.« All Israel stoned them with stones. After they stoned them they burned them with fire. ²⁶ They raised over them a great heap of stones that is there to this day. So Jehovah turned from the fierceness of his anger. The name of that place was called, the Valley of Achor, to this day.

⁵ »‘Later I sent Moses and Aaron, and I brought great trouble on Egypt. I led you out. ⁶ »‘I brought your ancestors out of Egypt, and the Egyptians pursued them with chariots and cavalry. When your ancestors got to the Red Sea

²⁵ Joshua made a covenant for the people that day at Shechem. He gave them laws and rules to follow.

¹² They forsook Jehovah God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt. They followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them. They bowed to them and provoked Jehovah to anger. ¹³ They forsook Jehovah and served Baal and Ashtaroth.

⁸ »There was war in the land when the Israelites chose new gods. Of the forty thousand men in Israel, did anyone carry shield or spear?

⁴⁵ The fighting lasted all day. Abimelech captured the city and killed its people. He tore down the city and covered the ground with salt.

³ »Do what Jehovah your God orders you to do. Obey all his laws and commands, as written in the Law of Moses. That way wherever you go you may prosper in everything you do.

⁸ This house will become a mass of broken walls. Everyone who goes by will be overcome with wonder at it and make whistling sounds. They will say: Why has Jehovah done this to this land and to this house? ⁹ »‘The answer will be: ‘Because they turned away from Jehovah their God. The one who took their fathers out of the land of Egypt. They took for themselves other gods and gave them worship and became their servants: that is why Jehovah has sent this evil on them.’«

¹⁵ »Jehovah will punish Israel, and she will shake like a reed shaking in a stream. He will uproot the people of Israel from this good land that he gave to their ancestors. He will scatter them beyond the Euphrates River, because they have aroused his anger by making idols of the goddess Asherah.

¹⁰ He said: »I have been zealous for Jehovah, the God of hosts. The children of Israel have not kept your agreement (covenant). They have destroyed your altars. They killed your prophets with the sword. I, even I, am the only one living. Now they seek to take my life too.« ¹¹ Then he said: »Go out and take your place on the mountain before Jehovah.« Jehovah passed by and the force of a great wind parted the mountains. Rocks were broken before Jehovah but Jehovah was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but Jehovah was not in the earthquake. ¹² After the earthquake a fire, but Jehovah was not in the fire. And after the fire, the sounds of a soft breathe. ¹³ Elijah heard it and went out covering his face with his robe. He stood by the entrance of the cave. He heard a voice saying: »What are you doing here, Elijah?« ¹⁴ He replied: »I have been very zealous for Jehovah, the God of hosts. The children of Israel have not kept your agreement. They have torn down your altars. They killed your prophets with the sword. I, even I, am the only one living. Now they seek to take my life.«

¹⁷ The priest Jehoiada had King Jehoash and the people make a covenant with Jehovah that they would be Jehovah’s people. He also made a covenant between the king and the people.

⁷ The wrath (intense anger) of Jehovah came on Israel because they had done evil against Jehovah their God, who took them out of the land of Egypt from under the yoke of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. They worshipped other gods. ⁸ They lived by the rules of the nations whom Jehovah sent out from before the children of Israel. ⁹ The children of Israel secretly did things that were not right according to Jehovah their God. They built high places for themselves in all their towns, from the watchtower to the walled towns. ¹⁰ They erected pillars of stone and wood on every high hill and under every green tree. ¹¹ They burned their offerings in all the high places, as those nations did whom Jehovah sent away from them. They did evil things, moving Jehovah to anger. ¹² They made themselves servants of disgusting things. Even though Jehovah said: »You should not do this.« ¹³ Jehovah sent his messengers and prophets to warn Israel and Judah: »Abandon your evil ways and obey my commands. The commandments contained in the Law I gave to your ancestors. I handed them on to you through my servants the prophets.« ¹⁴ They would not obey. They were stubborn like their ancestors. They did not trust in Jehovah their God. ¹⁵ They refused to obey his instructions. They did not keep the covenant he made with their ancestors. They disregarded his warnings. They worshiped worthless idols and became worthless themselves. They followed the customs of the surrounding nations, disobeying Jehovah’s command not to imitate them. ¹⁶ They broke all the laws of Jehovah their God. They made two metal bull-calves to worship. They also made an image of the goddess Asherah. Also they worshiped the stars and served the god Baal. ¹⁷ They caused their sons and their daughters to go through the fire to be sacrificed. They made use of secret arts and unnatural powers, and gave themselves up to doing evil in the eyes of Jehovah, till they provoked him to anger. ¹⁸ Jehovah was very angry with Israel. He removed them from his sight. Only the tribe of Judah kept its place.

¹⁸ Jehovah was very angry with Israel. He removed them from his sight. Only the tribe of Judah kept its place.

²³ Jehovah removed Israel from his sight as he said he would through all his servants the prophets. Israel was taken away from their land to Assyria, to this day.

³ The king stood beside the pillar and made a promise to Jehovah that he would follow Jehovah and obey his commands, instructions, and laws with all his heart and mind. He confirmed the terms of the promise written in this book. All the people joined in the promise.

²⁰ »I will uproot Israel from the land I gave them. I will reject this Temple that I declared holy for my name. I will make it an example and an object of ridicule for all the people of the world. ²¹ »Everyone passing by this impressive Temple will be appalled. They will ask: Why did Jehovah do these things to this land and to this Temple? ²² »They will answer their own question: ‘They abandoned Jehovah the God of their ancestors, who brought them out of Egypt. They adopted other gods, worshiped, and served them. That is why he brought this disaster on them.’«

¹² They made an agreement with one another to dedicate their lives to serve the true God Jehovah, the God of their ancestors with all their heart and all their being. ¹³ All people, young and old, male and female, who refused to dedicate their lives to the true God Jehovah the God of Israel were to be killed. ¹⁴ Asa and the people swore their oath to Jehovah with shouts, singing, and the blowing of trumpets and rams’ horns. ¹⁵ All the people of Judah were overjoyed because of the oath. They took the oath wholeheartedly. They took great pleasure in looking for Jehovah. And he let them find him. So Jehovah surrounded them with rest and peace.

¹⁶ The priest Jehoiada had King Joash and the people join him. They made a covenant that they would be Jehovah’s people.

²⁹ The king sent for all the respected leaders of Judah and Jerusalem to join him. ³⁰ The king, everyone in Judah, everyone living in Jerusalem, the priests, the Levites, and all the people, young and old, went up to Jehovah’s Temple. He read everything written in the Book of the Covenant found in Jehovah’s Temple so that they could hear it. ³¹ The king stood in his place and made a promise to Jehovah that he would follow Jehovah and obey his commandments, instructions, and laws with his entire heart and being. He said he would live by the terms of the covenant (promise) written in this book. ³² He also made all those found in Jerusalem and Benjamin join with him in the covenant. Then the people of Jerusalem lived according to the covenant of God, the God of their ancestors.

¹² He did what Jehovah his God considered evil. He did not humble himself in front of the prophet Jeremiah, who spoke Jehovah’s word. ¹³ Zedekiah also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar made Zedekiah swear an oath of allegiance to him in God’s name. But Zedekiah became so stubborn and so impossible to deal with that he refused to turn back to Jehovah the God of Israel. ¹⁴ All the officials, the priests, and the people became increasingly unfaithful and followed all the disgusting practices of the nations. Although Jehovah made the Temple in Jerusalem holy, they made the Temple unclean. ¹⁵ Jehovah the God of their ancestors repeatedly sent messages through his prophets because he wanted to spare his people and his dwelling place. ¹⁶ They mocked God’s messengers. They despised his words, and made fun of his prophets until Jehovah became angry with his people. He could no longer heal them. ¹⁷ So he had the Babylonian king attack them and execute their best young men in their holy temple. He did not spare the best men or the unmarried women, the old people or the sick people. God handed all of them over to him.

⁷ »From the days of our fathers till this day we have been great sinners. Because of our sins, the kings of the lands captured us. We were given to the sword and to prison and to loss of goods and to shame of face, as it is this day.

²¹ »Truly, for forty years you were their support in the wilderness. They needed nothing. Their clothing did not get old or their feet become tired.

³⁸ »And because of all this we are making an agreement in good faith, and putting it in writing. Our rulers, our Levites, and our priests are putting their names to it.«

²⁸ And the rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the gate keepers, the music-makers, the Nethinim, and all those who made themselves separate from the peoples of the lands, to keep the Law of God, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, everyone who had knowledge and wisdom;

²⁸ And the rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the gate keepers, the music-makers, the Nethinim, and all those who made themselves separate from the peoples of the lands, to keep the Law of God, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, everyone who had knowledge and wisdom; ²⁹ They were united with their brothers, their rulers, and put themselves under a curse and an oath, to keep their steps in the way of God's law, which was given by Moses, the servant of God, and to keep and do all the orders of the Jehovah, our Lord, and his decisions and his rules.

² Ezra the priest brought the law to the meeting of the people. They were all able to listen to it. It was the first day of the seventh month.

¹ Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the children of Israel came together, taking no food and putting sackcloth and dust on their bodies. ² The seed of Israel made themselves separate from all the men of other nations. They publicly requested forgiveness for their sins and the wrongdoing of their fathers.

⁹ »You saw the trouble of our fathers in Egypt, and their cry came to your ears by the Red Sea. ¹⁰ »You did signs and wonders on Pharaoh and all his servants and all the people of his land. You saw how cruel they were to them. So you made a name for yourself as it is today. ¹¹ »You parted the sea before them, so that they went through the sea on dry land; and those who went after them went down into the deep, like a stone into great waters.

¹⁵ »They received bread from heaven when they were in need, and you made water come out of the rock for their drink, and gave them orders to go in and take for their heritage the land that your hand give them.

⁶ and disclose to you the secrets of wisdom, for true wisdom has two sides. Know this: God has even forgotten some of your sin. ⁷ »Can you fathom the mysteries of God? Can you probe the limits of the Almighty?

¹⁵ »Fire resides in his tent; burning sulfur is scattered over his dwelling.

⁴ In his arrogant attitude he does not search for God. His faulty reasoning concludes: »There is no God.« ⁵ He always succeeds at what he does. Your judgments are beyond his understanding. He scoffs at all his opponents. ⁶ He says to himself: »Nothing can shake me. I will never face trouble.«

¹¹ He says in his heart (to himself): »God has forgotten. He has hidden his face. He will never see it!«

²⁸ »To man he said: ‘Respect for Jehovah is wisdom! To stay away from evil is understanding.’«

⁸ Smoke went up from his nostrils. A raging fire came out of his mouth. Glowing coals were kindled by it.

¹⁰ All the paths of Jehovah are loving-kindness (mercy) and truth for those who cling to his promise and written instructions.

¹⁴ Jehovah is intimate with those who respect him. He reveals the intent of his covenant to them.

¹⁸ Even though he blesses himself while he is alive. (People will praise you when you do well for yourself.)

²⁸ Let them be blotted out of the book of life, and not be written with the righteous.

¹ ([Psalm of Asaph]) God, why have you rejected us forever? Why do you smoke with anger against the sheep of your pasture?

⁵ God will destroy you forever. He will remove you from your dwelling place from out of the land of the living.

² I will open my mouth in an illustration. I will utter dark sayings of old, ³ That we have heard and known and our fathers have told us. ⁴ We will not conceal them from their children, but tell to the generation to come the praises of Jehovah, and his strength and his wondrous works that he has done. ⁵ He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel. This he commanded our fathers that they should teach them to their children, ⁶ That the generation to come might know, the children to be born, that they may arise and tell to their children, ⁷ That they should put their confidence in God and not forget the works of God but keep his commandments.

²⁴ He rained down manna upon them to eat and gave them food from heaven. ²⁵ Man did eat the bread of angels. He sent them food in abundance.

⁴³ when he performed his miraculous signs in Egypt, his wonders in the fields of Zoan. ⁴⁴ He turned their rivers into blood so that they could not drink from their streams. ⁴⁵ He sent a swarm of flies that bit them and frogs that ruined them. ⁴⁶ He gave their crops to grasshoppers and their produce to locusts. ⁴⁷ He killed their vines with hail and their fig trees with frost. ⁴⁸ He let the hail strike their cattle and bolts of lightning strike their livestock. ⁴⁹ He sent his fierce burning anger, his rage and fury against them. He sent an army of destroying angels. ⁵⁰ He cleared a path for his anger. He did not spare them from death. He let the plague take their lives.

⁵⁰ He cleared a path for his anger. He did not spare them from death. He let the plague take their lives. ⁵¹ He destroyed every firstborn in Egypt, the ones born in the tents of Ham when their fathers were young.

⁵⁸ They provoked him to anger (indignation) because of their illegal worship sites. They made him furious because they worshiped idols.

⁵ How long, O Jehovah? Will you remain angry forever? Will your fury (zeal) continue to burn like fire?

⁶ They kill widows and foreigners, and they murder orphans. ⁷ They say: Jehovah does not see it. The God of Jacob does not even pay attention to it.

¹⁷ But the loving kindness of Jehovah is from everlasting to everlasting on those who reverence him, and his righteousness is to the sons of sons. ¹⁸ It is to those who keep his covenant, and to those who remember to do his commandments.

²⁷ They displayed his miraculous signs among them and did amazing things in the land of Ham. ²⁸ He sent darkness and made their land dark. They did not rebel against his orders. ²⁹ He turned their water into blood and caused their fish to die. ³⁰ He made their land swarm with frogs, even in the kings' bedrooms. ³¹ He spoke, and swarms of flies and gnats infested their entire territory. ³² He gave them hail and lightning instead of rain throughout their land. ³³ He struck their grapevines and fig trees and smashed the trees in their territory. ³⁴ He spoke, and countless locusts and grasshoppers came. ³⁵ They devoured all the plants in the land. They devoured the crops in the fields. ³⁶ He killed all the firstborn sons, the first ones born in the land when their fathers were young.

³⁴ and fertile ground into a layer of salt because of the wickedness of the people living there.

¹⁰ He struck great nations and killed mighty kings, ¹¹ Sihon the king of the Amorites, and Og king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan, ¹² and gave their land as an inheritance, an inheritance to Israel His people.

¹⁷ To him who destroyed great kings. His loving kindness is everlasting.

²² The wicked will be cut off from the land. The unfaithful will be uprooted.

³² Jehovah hates people who do evil. He takes righteous people into his confidence.

¹⁸ And struck mighty kings, for his loving kindness is everlasting: ¹⁹ Sihon, king of the Amorites, for his loving kindness is everlasting, ²⁰ And Og, king of Bashan, for his loving kindness is everlasting, ²¹ And gave their land as a heritage, for his loving kindness is everlasting, ²² Even a heritage to Israel his servant, for his loving kindness is everlasting.

³⁴ Jealousy enrages a man. He will not be spared in the day of vengeance.

¹² The hearing ear and the seeing eye, Jehovah made them both.

¹ He who is often reprimanded and hardens his neck will suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.

⁹ Rejoice, O young man, in your youth. Let your heart cheer you in your early days. Walk in the ways of your heart, and in the desires of your eyes. Yet you know that God will bring you into judgment for all these things.

⁹ He said: »Go and tell this people: ‘Hear constantly but do not understand. See constantly but do not perceive.’ ¹⁰ »This people’s heart has become calloused. They hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.«(Septuagint)

¹¹ When its twigs are dry, they are broken off and women come and make fires with them. For they have no understanding (discernment). Their Maker has no compassion on them, and their Creator shows them no favor.

⁶ (The Shulamite to her Beloved) »Set me as a signature ring seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm. For Love is as strong as death. Zeal (devotion) is as fixed as the grave. And zeal burns like coals of fire, the very flame of Jehovah.

²⁰ They should go to the teachings and to the written instructions. If people do not speak these words, it is because there is no light (truth) in them.

¹ Jehovah lays the earth waste, annihilates it, disfigures its surface and scatters its inhabitants. ² The people will be like the one officiating, the servant like his master, the maid like her mistress, the buyer like the seller, the lender like the borrower, the creditor like the debtor. ³ The earth will be completely uninhabitable and totally plundered. Jehovah has spoken this word. ⁴ The earth mourns and fades away, the world fades and withers, the exalted people of the earth mourn. ⁵ The inhabitants of the earth pollute the earth. They transgress laws and violate statutes. They break the everlasting covenant. ⁶ A curse devours the earth, and those who live in it are found guilty. Therefore, those living on the earth are burned, and few men are left.

⁹ Edom's streams will be turned to tar. Its soil will be turned to burning sulfur. Its land will become blazing tar.

¹ Jehovah says: »Maintain justice and do what is right, for my salvation is close at hand and my righteousness will soon be revealed. ² »Blessed is the man who does this, the man who holds it fast, who keeps the Sabbath without desecrating it, and keeps his hand from doing any evil.

⁴ For Jehovah says: »To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose what pleases me. They hold fast to my covenant. ⁵ »I will give to those within my Temple and its walls a memorial and a name that is better than sons and daughters. I will give them an everlasting name that will not be cut off. ⁶ »Foreigners have become allied with Jehovah, to serve Jehovah, to love the name of Jehovah, and to worship him. They keep the Sabbath without desecrating it and hold fast to my covenant.

⁶ »I was angry with my people. I profaned my heritage and gave them into your hand. You did not show mercy to them. You made your yoke very heavy on the aged.

⁷ »I will bring them to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar. My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.«

¹⁷ »At that time, they will call Jerusalem the throne of Jehovah. All nations will gather in Jerusalem because the name of Jehovah will be found there. They will no longer follow their own stubborn, evil ways.

¹² They lied about Jehovah. They said: »It is not he, bad things will not happen to us. We will not see sword or famine.« ¹³ »The prophets are as wind! The word is not in them. Thus it will be done to them!«

³ »‘Thus says Jehovah of Hosts, the God of Israel: »Amend (make right) your ways and your deeds, and I will let you dwell in this place. ⁴ »‘»Do not trust in deceptive words. They say: ‘This is the Temple of Jehovah, the Temple of Jehovah, and the Temple of Jehovah. ⁵ »‘»For if you truly amend your ways and your deeds, if you truly practice justice between a man and his neighbor, ⁶ if you do not oppress the alien, the orphan, or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place, nor walk after other gods to your own ruin, ⁷ then I will let you dwell in this place, in the land I gave to your fathers from generation to generation and for a very long time.«’« ⁸ »You are trusting in deceptive words that are of no value to you. ⁹ »Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, offer sacrifices to Baal and walk after other gods that you have not known? ¹⁰ »Then come and stand before me in this house. It is called by my name. You say, ‘We are safe to do all these abominations.’ ¹¹ »Has this house, called by my name, become a den of robbers in your sight? Behold, I, even I, have seen it,« declares Jehovah.

²⁴ »Yet they did not obey or incline their ear. They walked in their own counsels and in the stubbornness of their evil heart. They went backward and not forward.

¹⁵ »‘Therefore Jehovah of Hosts, the God of Israel says: ‘Behold! I will feed this people with wormwood and give them poisoned water to drink.’

² »Listen to the terms of the covenant. Tell the people of Judah and of Jerusalem:

¹⁷ O Jehovah, why do you let us wander from your ways and become so stubborn that we are unable to respect you? Return for the sake of your servants. They are the tribes that belong to you.

⁶ Jehovah said to me: »Go to the cities of Judah and to the streets of Jerusalem. Proclaim my message there and tell the people: ‘Listen to the terms of the covenant and obey them.’

¹⁴ »‘»I will dash them against each other, both the fathers and the sons together, declares Jehovah. ‘I will not show pity nor be sorry nor have compassion so as not to destroy them.«’«

⁶ »He will be like a bush in the desert and will not see when prosperity comes. He will live in stony wastes in the wilderness, a land of salt without inhabitant.

³ Say: »Hear the word of Jehovah, O kings of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: thus says Jehovah of Hosts, the God of Israel, »‘»Behold I am about to bring adversity upon this place. The ears of everyone who hears of it will quiver with fear. ⁴ »‘»This is because they have forsaken me. They have made this an alien place and have burned sacrifices in it to other gods. These are gods that neither they nor their forefathers nor the kings of Judah had ever known. They have filled this place with the blood of the blameless (innocent).«’« ⁵ »‘They have built the high places of Baal to burn their sons in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal. This is not something I commanded or spoke of, nor did it ever enter my mind (heart) (conscience).«’ ⁶ »‘»Therefore days are coming, declares Jehovah, when this place will no longer be called Topheth or the valley of Ben-hinnom, but rather the valley of Slaughter. ⁷ »I will make void the counsel of Judah and Jerusalem in this place. I will cause them to fall by the sword before their enemies and by the hand of those who seek their life. I will give their carcasses as food for the birds of the sky and the animals of the earth. ⁸ »I will also make this city a desolation and an object of hissing. Everyone who passes by it will be astonished and hiss because of all its disasters.

⁸ »I will also make this city a desolation and an object of hissing. Everyone who passes by it will be astonished and hiss because of all its disasters. ⁹ »I will make them eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters, and they will eat one another's flesh in the siege and in the distress with which their enemies and those who seek their life will cause them.«’ ¹⁰ »Then you are to break the jar in the sight of the men who accompany you. ¹¹ »‘Say to them: ‘Jehovah of Hosts says: »Like this I will break this people and this city. It is just like one breaks a potter's vessel that cannot again be repaired. They will bury in Topheth because there is no other place for burial.«’ ¹² »‘This is how I will treat this place and its inhabitants,’declares Jehovah, ‘I will make this city like Topheth. ¹³ »‘The houses of Jerusalem and the houses of the kings of Judah will be defiled like Topheth. They burned sacrifices to the heavenly hosts and poured out drink offerings to other gods on the rooftops of all of their houses.’«

¹⁸ Who is in Jehovah’s inner circle and sees and hears his word? Who pays attention and listens to his word?

¹⁵ Then Jeremiah the prophet told the prophet Hananiah: »Listen, Hananiah! Jehovah did not send you. You are making these people believe a lie. ¹⁶ »Because of this, Jehovah says: ‘I am going to get rid of you. Before this year is over you will die because you have told the people to rebel against Jehovah.’« ¹⁷ Hananiah died in the seventh month of that same year.

³¹ »The time is coming,« proclaims Jehovah, »when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.

³¹ »The time is coming,« proclaims Jehovah, »when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. ³² »It will not be like the promise that I made to their ancestors when I took them by the hand and brought them out of Egypt. They rejected that promise, although I was a husband to them,« says Jehovah.

³² »It will not be like the promise that I made to their ancestors when I took them by the hand and brought them out of Egypt. They rejected that promise, although I was a husband to them,« says Jehovah.

³² »It will not be like the promise that I made to their ancestors when I took them by the hand and brought them out of Egypt. They rejected that promise, although I was a husband to them,« says Jehovah. ³³ »This is the covenant (agreement) that I will make with Israel after those days,« declares Jehovah. »I will put my teachings (Law) inside them. I will write those teachings (Law) on their hearts (inner man) (mind) (will) (conscience) (understanding). I will be their God, and they will be my people.«

³³ »This is the covenant (agreement) that I will make with Israel after those days,« declares Jehovah. »I will put my teachings (Law) inside them. I will write those teachings (Law) on their hearts (inner man) (mind) (will) (conscience) (understanding). I will be their God, and they will be my people.« ³⁴ »No longer will each person teach his neighbors or his relatives by saying: ‘Know Jehovah.’ »All of them, from the least important to the most important, will know me,« declares Jehovah. »I will forgive their wickedness and I will no longer hold (remember) their sins against them.«

³⁸ »They will be my people, and I will be their God. ³⁹ »I will give them the same attitude and the same purpose so that they will respect and reverence me as long as they live. This will be for their good and for the good of their children.

¹⁸ I will hand over the people who have rejected my covenant. They have not kept the terms of the covenant they made in my presence when they cut a calf in two and passed between its pieces.

¹⁶ But let that man be like the cities Jehovah overthrew without relenting. Let him hear an outcry in the morning and a shout of alarm at noon.

⁸ »Many nations will pass by this city. They will say to one another: Why has Jehovah done thus to this great city? ⁹ »They will answer: ‘Because they abandoned the covenant of Jehovah their God and bowed down to other gods and served them.«’

⁹ »They will answer: ‘Because they abandoned the covenant of Jehovah their God and bowed down to other gods and served them.«’

² The captain of the guard took Jeremiah aside and said to him: »Jehovah your God threatened to bring this disaster on this place. ³ »He has carried out his threat. Jehovah did as he promised because you Israelites have sinned against him and refused to obey him. That is why this has happened to you.

²⁷ »I will see to it that you will not prosper, but will be destroyed. All of you will die! You will die in war or of disease, until not one of you is left.

⁵ »They will ask for the way to Zion turning their faces in its direction. They will come to join themselves to Jehovah in an everlasting covenant that will not be forgotten.

⁷ »All who came upon them have devoured them. Their adversaries said: ‘We are not guilty. They have sinned against Jehovah who is the habitation of righteousness, Even Jehovah, the hope of their fathers.’

¹² To the kings of the earth and to all the people of the world it did not seem possible that the attackers and the enemy would enter the gates of Jerusalem.

¹⁰ ‘If you are willing to go on living in this land I will build you up and not tear you down. I will plant you and not uproot you. The destruction I brought on you has caused me great sorrow.

² »Jehovah, the God of Israel, said: ‘You have seen the destruction I brought on Jerusalem and all the other cities of Judah. Even now they are still in ruins, and no one lives in them. ³ »‘This is because their people had done evil and had made me angry. They offered sacrifices to other gods and served gods that neither they nor you nor your ancestors ever worshiped. ⁴ »‘I kept sending you my servants the prophets, who told you not to do this terrible thing that I hate. ⁵ »‘But you would not listen or pay any attention. You would not give up your evil practice of sacrificing to other gods. ⁶ »‘I poured out my anger and fury on the towns of Judah and on the streets of Jerusalem. I set them on fire. They were left in ruins and became a horrifying sight, as they are today.’«

¹⁶ »We refuse to listen to what you have told us in the name of Jehovah. ¹⁷ »We will do everything that we said we would. We will offer sacrifices to our goddess, the Queen of Heaven, and we will pour out wine offerings to her, just as our ancestors, our king and our leaders, and we used to do in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. Then we had plenty of food, we were prosperous, and had no troubles.

¹⁵ All who go by make a noise with their hands at you. They make hisses, shaking their heads at the daughter of Jerusalem. They say: »Is this the town that was the crown of everything beautiful, the joy of all the earth?« ¹⁶ All your enemies are opening their mouths wide against you. They hiss and whistle through their teeth and say: »We have made a meal of her. Certainly this is the day we have been looking for. It has come and we see it.« ¹⁷ Jehovah accomplished his purpose. He accomplished what he said he would with the orders he gave in the days that are past. He tore down and shows no compassion. He causes your enemies to rejoice. He lifted up the horn (power) of your adversaries.

¹¹ ‘»As I live, declares the Lord Jehovah,’ ‘because you have defiled my sanctuary with all your detestable idols and with all your abominations I will withdraw, and my eye will have no pity and I will not spare you.

⁴ ‘»I will not look on you with pity or spare you. I will repay you for your conduct and the detestable practices among you. THEN YOU WILL KNOW THAT I AM JEHOVAH.’

⁹ ‘»I will not look on you with pity or spare you (my eye will not feel sorry for you). I will repay you in accordance with your conduct and the detestable practices among you. Then you will know that it is I, Jehovah, who strikes the blow.

³ It stretched out what looked like a hand and grabbed me by the hair on my head. In these visions from God, the Spirit carried me between heaven and earth. He took me in vision to Jerusalem, to the entrance of the north gate of the inner court, where the seat of the idol of jealousy, which provokes to jealousy, was located.

⁵ God said to me: »Son of man, look toward the north.« So I looked toward the north. There in the entrance to the north gate beside the altar, I saw the idol that provokes jealousy and stirs up God's anger.

¹⁸ »They will feel all the force of my anger. I will not spare them or show them any mercy (my eye will not feel sorry). They will shout prayers to me as loud as they can. But I will not listen to them«

¹⁰ »But (my eye will not feel sorry) I will not have compassion or feel sorry. I will do to them what they have done to others.«

⁹ ‘»My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and utter lying divinations. They will have no place in the council of my people. They will not be written down in the register of the house of Israel. And they will not enter the land of Israel, that you may know that I am the Lord Jehovah.

¹⁶ ‘»The prophets of Israel who prophesied to Jerusalem are gone. Those who said that everything was all right, when it was not all right, are gone, declares the Lord Jehovah.

²² ‘»You have discouraged righteous people with your lies, even though I had not brought them any grief. You encouraged wicked people not to turn from their wicked ways to save their lives.

⁷ ‘»Suppose an Israelite or a foreigner who lives in Israel deserts me by devoting himself to idols and by allowing himself to sin. If he goes to a prophet to ask for my help, I, Jehovah, will give him an answer. ⁸ ‘»I will set my face against him (reject him), and I will make an example of him. I will exclude him from my people. Then you will know that I am Jehovah.’«

²³ ‘»You will be comforted when you see how they live. Then you will know that everything I have done was done for a reason,’ declares the Lord Jehovah.’«

²⁵ ‘»I will set my jealousy against you, that they may deal with you in wrath. They will remove your nose and your ears. Your survivors will fall by the sword. They will take your sons and your daughters. The fire will consume your survivors.

¹⁴ ‘»I, Jehovah, have spoken. It is coming and I will act. I will not relent, and I will not pity and I will not be sorry! I will judge you according to your ways and according to your deeds.’ This is a declaration of the Lord Jehovah.«

⁵ ‘»‘The Lord Jehovah says: ‘Surely in the fire of my jealousy I have spoken against the rest of the nations, and against all Edom, who appropriated my land for themselves as a possession with wholehearted joy and with scorn, to drive it out for a prey.’«’

²⁶ »I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you. I will remove your stubborn hearts and give you obedient hearts.

¹⁸ that they would request mercies from the God of heaven concerning this secret. And they would request that Daniel and his companions would not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. ¹⁹ The secret was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night. Daniel praised the God of heaven.

²² »He reveals the deep and hidden things. He knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him.

²⁷ Daniel answered: »Wise men, enchanters, magicians, and soothsayers cannot show the secret the king demanded. ²⁸ »There is a God in heaven that reveals secrets. He made known to king Nebuchadnezzar what will be in days to come. Your dream and visions are these: ²⁹ »As for you, O king, your thoughts while you were in bed were about what will happen in the future. He who reveals secrets revealed the future to you. ³⁰ »Concerning me, this secret is not revealed to me to give me more wisdom than anyone else. It is for the purpose that the interpretation may be made known to the king; that you may know the thoughts of your mind.

⁹ ‘»O Belteshazzar, master of the magicians, I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you and no secret troubles you! Tell me the visions I have seen in my dream. Give me the interpretation.

¹¹ »But the water in the swamps and marshes will not become fresh. It will remain salty.

⁴ »They utter empty words and make false promises and useless treaties. Justice has become injustice, growing like poisonous weeds in a plowed field.

¹⁶ »Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts. Let the bridegroom go forth from his chamber, and the bride out of her closet. ¹⁷ »Let the priests and the ministers of Jehovah weep between the Temple porch and the altar! Let them say: Spare your people, O Jehovah, and do not give reproach to your heritage. That the nations should rule over them and say among the peoples, ‘where is their God?«’

⁷ »The Lord Jehovah will do nothing without revealing his secrets to his servants the prophets.

¹¹ »I overthrew your cities as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. You were like a burning stick plucked out of the fire. Yet you have not returned to me,« said Jehovah.

¹² »Do horses run upon the rock? Will one plow there with cattle? You have turned justice into gall, and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood (bitterness)!

⁷ »O Jehovah, righteousness belongs to you! Shame belongs to us this day! To the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, that are near, and that are far off, through all the countries you have driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against you.

¹¹ »Yes, all Israel have transgressed your law and turned aside, that they should not obey your voice. Therefore the curse has been poured out upon us. It is the oath that is written in the Law of Moses the servant of God. We have sinned against you. ¹² »He confirmed his words, which he spoke against us, and against our judges who ruled us. He brought a great evil on us. Nothing under heaven has been done like what was done to Jerusalem. ¹³ »As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this evil has come upon us. Yet we have not earnestly requested the favor of Jehovah our God. We should turn from our iniquities, and have discernment in your truth. ¹⁴ »Therefore Jehovah watched over the evil and brought it upon us. Jehovah our God is righteous in all his works. We have not obeyed his voice.

⁸ »How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel? How can I treat you like Admah? How can I make you like Zeboiim? My heart is changed within me. All my compassion is aroused. ⁹ »I will not carry out my fierce anger. I will not turn and devastate Ephraim. I am not man. I am God, the Holy One among you. I will not come against my city in wrath.

² Jehovah (YHWH) is a zealous God requiring exclusive devotion (tolerates no rivals). Jehovah takes vengeance (punishment) against his adversaries. He reserves (maintains) wrath (indignation) (displeasure) against his enemies.

¹⁸ »Their silver and their gold will not be able to keep them safe in the Day of Jehovah’s anger (rage) (wrath). He will devour all the nations by the fire of his zeal! He will exterminate all the inhabitants of the earth!«

⁹ »Just as I live,« said Jehovah of Hosts, the God of Israel, »Moab will be like Sodom, and the children of Ammon like Gomorrah. They will be possessions of nettles and salt pits. They will be deserted forever! My people will plunder them and the remnant of my nation will take possession of their land.

¹⁸ »Once again my people will see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between the person who serves God and the one who does not.«

³¹ »Do not worry! Do not say: ‘What shall we eat?’ or, ‘What shall we drink?’ or, ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² »All people go in search of these things. Your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.

¹⁰ »Take no extra clothes, not even two coats, no extra shoes or walking stick for the laborer is worthy of his food.

¹¹ He responded: »You are allowed to know the divine secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but it is not for others to know. (The Greek word for »you« is plural and is applied to the disciples as a group.)

¹¹ He responded: »You are allowed to know the divine secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but it is not for others to know. (The Greek word for »you« is plural and is applied to the disciples as a group.) ¹² »He who has shall receive more to the point of abundance. He who does not have, it shall be taken away including that which he has. ¹³ »I speak to them in illustrations (stories) (parables) (allegories), because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear. They just do not understand. ¹⁴ »The prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled. ‘By hearing, you shall hear, and shall in no way understand. By seeing you shall see, and shall in no way perceive. ¹⁵ »‘The heart of this people is callous and dull. Their ears are plugged. They cannot hear. They closed their eyes and cannot see. They cannot see nor hear nor understand with their heart. They should turn around and I would heal them.’

³⁵ That which was spoken through the prophet was fulfilled, saying: »I will open my mouth in illustrations. I will utter things hidden from the foundation of the world.«

²⁷ »All things have been delivered to me from my Father. Only the Father knows the Son, and only the Son knows the Father. The Son tells others about the Father so that they can know him too. ²⁸ »Come unto me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ »Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me. I am meek (mild) and humble in heart. You will have a restful life, ³⁰ »for my yoke is easy and my burden is light.«

⁵¹ »He will punish him severely, and send him to be with the hypocrites. There they will cry and grind their teeth.

³² »All nations will be gathered before him. He will then separate them one from another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

⁴¹ »Then he will tell those on his left: ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the ever-burning fire that is prepared for the Devil and his [fallen] angels.

⁴⁶ »These will go away into ever-burning fire (everlasting cutting off) (death) (total destruction) (doom) (punishment) (everlasting penalty), but the righteous to everlasting life.’«

²⁸ He replied: »More blessed are those who hear the word of God and obey it.«

²⁹ »But when Lot left Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.

³⁴ »Salt is good. But if it loses its saltiness it cannot be made salty again. ³⁵ »It is neither good for the soil nor for the manure pile. You throw it away. Listen if you have ears!«

²³ »Woe to those who are pregnant and those who nurse a child in those days! There will be great distress upon the land, and wrath to this people. ²⁴ »They will be killed by the edge of the sword. Some will be led captive into all the nations. The people of the nations will tread down Jerusalem until the time of the Nations is fulfilled.

⁴³ »Why do you not understand what I say? Can you not hear me?

³⁸ The word of Isaiah the prophet was fulfilled: »Jehovah who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of Jehovah been revealed?« (Isaiah 53:1) ³⁹ Isaiah revealed the reason they could not believe: ⁴⁰ »He has blinded their eyes. He hardened their heart. Otherwise they would see with their eyes and perceive with their heart. Then they would turn and I would heal them.«

¹⁵ »I no longer call you servants for the servant does not know what the lord does. I have called you friends; for all things that I heard from my Father, I have made known to you.

³¹ These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. By believing you may have life in his name.

²² Jesus said: »If it is my will that he stay until I come, what is that to you? You follow me.«

⁷ He replied: »It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has set within His own authority.

³⁹ »The promise is to you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as Jehovah our God calls.« (Micah 4:5) (Deuteronomy 6:4)

²⁵ »You are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant that God made with our fathers. He said to Abraham: ‘All the families of the earth will be blessed in your seed.’

²³ »For I perceive that you are full of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity.«

²⁶ He said, »Go and say to this people, ‘You will listen and listen, but not understand. You will look and look, but not see. ²⁷ ‘»These people have closed their mind and are hard of hearing. They have shut their eyes so that their eyes never see. Their ears never hear. Their minds never understand. They never turn to me for healing.’

²¹ for when they knew God, they did not glorify him as God. They did not thank him and were vain in their reasoning, for their foolish hearts were darkened.

⁵ Thanks to your stubborn and unrepentant heart, you store up wrath for yourself, in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God.

³² He that did not spare his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, will he not with him freely give us all things?

⁷ What then? Israel has not obtained that which he seeks. The chosen ones have obtained it, and the rest were blinded (rendered stupid) (hardened) (made insensitive). ⁸ It is written, »God has given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear to this very day.« (Deuteronomy 29:4) ⁹ David says, »Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumbling block, and recompense to them. ¹⁰ »Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back always.« (Psalm 69:23)

²¹ God did not spare the natural branches and he will not spare you!

³³ O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments. His ways are beyond human understanding! ³⁴ For who has known the mind of Jehovah? Or who has been his counselor? (Isaiah 40:13)

²⁵ Now to him that is of power to establish you according to my good news, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the secret, which was kept secret since the world began. ²⁶ It is now made known by the Scriptures of the prophets according to the commandment of the everlasting God. It is made known to all nations for the obedience of faith.

¹⁶ »Who has understood the mind of Jehovah, or has instructed him, as his counselor?« (Isaiah 40:13) But we do have the mind (purpose) (feelings) (thoughts) (understanding) of Christ.

¹⁴ For the wife sanctifies the unbelieving husband, and the husband sanctifies the unbelieving wife. Otherwise your children would be unclean. But now they are holy.

¹⁵ But to this day, whenever Moses is read, a veil lies upon their heart.

²⁵ Every man taking part in the contest is temperate in all things. They do it to obtain a corruptible crown but we do it to receive an incorruptible crown.

⁴ They all drank the same spiritual drink, for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them. That Rock was (represented) (symbolic of) Christ! (Exodus 7:6) (Numbers 20:11)

²² Do we provoke Jehovah to rivalry (indignation) (anger)? Are we stronger than he?

⁵ We cast down imaginations, and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God. We bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.

²⁸ There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one (united) in Christ Jesus. (John 17:21) (Ephesians 4:4-6)

¹⁷ This I say therefore, and testify (affirm) in the Lord, that you no longer walk as the nations also walk, in the vanity (futility) (depravity) of their mind (thinking). ¹⁸ They are darkened (blinded) (obscured) in their understanding, alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardening of their heart.

⁶ Let no one deceive you with empty words. It is because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.

¹⁸ Do not get drunk with wine, for that is a public act of violence, but be filled with the Spirit.

¹¹ There is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bondman, freeman; but Christ is all and in all.

¹⁰ He will use every kind of wicked deceit on those who will perish. They will perish because they did not welcome and love the truth so as to be saved. ¹¹ So God dispatches the power of deceit (error) to work in them so that they are allowed to believe what is false. ¹² Then everyone who did not believe the truth, but was delighted with wickedness, will be condemned.

⁵ I am mindful of your sincere faith, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well.

²⁵ He should instruct those who oppose using meekness. Perhaps God will give them repentance that they may know the truth.

¹⁶ God inspired all Scripture! It is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness. (Greek: theopneustos: God-breathed)

¹² Be careful, brothers and sisters, that none of you develop a wicked heart lacking faith and turning away (departing) from the living God.

⁷ If there had been nothing wrong with the first covenant, there would not have been a need for a second one. ⁸ God finds fault with his people and said to them: »‘The time is coming,’ says Jehovah, ‘when I will draw up a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. (Jeremiah 31:31) ⁹ »‘It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors on the day I took them by the hand and led them out of Egypt. They were not faithful to the covenant I made with them, and so I paid no attention to them.

⁹ »‘It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors on the day I took them by the hand and led them out of Egypt. They were not faithful to the covenant I made with them, and so I paid no attention to them. ¹⁰ »‘This is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days,’ said Jehovah: ‘I will put my teachings (laws) in their mind, I will write them upon their hearts (deep thought) (understanding). I will be their God, and they will be my people. (Jeremiah 31:32) ¹¹ »‘They will not teach a neighbor or brother saying: »Know Jehovah.« All will know me from the little one among them to the great among them. (Hosea 2:20) ¹² »‘I will forgive their wickedness and I will remember their sins no more.’«

¹⁶ They desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Because of this, God is not ashamed to be called their God. He has prepared a city for them!

¹⁵ See that no one misses the grace of God; that no bitter root spring up to cause trouble and defile many.

²⁹ Our God is a destroying (consuming) fire.

²⁰ Now the God of peace, who brought again from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep with the blood of an eternal covenant, even our Lord Jesus, ²¹ make you perfect (mature) in every good thing. May you do his will, working in us that which is well-pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be the glory for ever and ever. Amen.

¹³ Let no man say when he is tempted: »God tempts me.« God cannot be tempted with evil, and he tempts (entices) (tests) (trys) no one. ¹⁴ Each man is tempted when he is drawn away by his evil desire (lust). He is enticed (allured). ¹⁵ Then evil desires, when conceived, give birth to sin: and the sin, when it is full grown, brings forth death. ¹⁶ Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. ¹⁷ Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above. It comes down from the Father of lights (truth and spiritual purity), with whom there is no variation. He does not change like shifting shadows.

⁴ God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them down to captivity in pits of darkness reserved for judgment! ⁵ He did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly!

⁵ »'He who overcomes will be clothed in white garments. I will not blot out his name from the book of life. In fact I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.

¹⁵ The kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the military commanders, and the mighty men, and every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains.

²⁰ The beast was captured, and with him the false prophet that performed signs before him, with which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast, and those who worshiped his image. These both were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with sulfur.

¹² I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God. The books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged according to the things written in the books, according to their works.