Deuteronomy 4 Cross References - NSB

¹ »Israel, listen to these laws and teachings! If you obey them you will live! Go in and take the land that Jehovah the God of your fathers is giving you. ² »He is your God. I am telling you everything he has commanded. So do not add anything or take anything away. ³ »You saw how he killed everyone who worshiped the god Baal at Peor. ⁴ »But all of you who were faithful to Jehovah your God are still alive today. ⁵ »I have taught you laws and rules as Jehovah my God commanded me. You must obey them when you enter the land and take possession of it. 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.’ ⁷ »What great nation is there, who has God so near to them? For we call on Jehovah our God for all things! ⁸ »And what great nation is there that has statutes and judgments so righteous as the law I present to you this day? ⁹ »Be on your guard! Make sure you do not forget, as long as you live, what you have seen with your own eyes. Teach them to your children and your grandchildren. 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.’ ¹¹ »Tell your children how you went close and stood at the foot of the mountain covered with thick clouds of dark smoke and fire blazing up to the sky. ¹² »Tell them how Jehovah spoke to you from the fire. Tell them that you heard him speak but did not see him in any form at all. 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. ¹⁴ »Jehovah told me to teach you all the laws that you are to obey in the land that you are about to invade and occupy. ¹⁵ »Be careful! When God spoke to you from the fire, he was invisible. ¹⁶ »Do not commit the sin of worshiping idols. Do not make idols to be worshiped, whether they are shaped like men, women, ¹⁷ animals on the earth, birds that fly in the air, ¹⁸ or they are like reptiles that creep on the ground, or fish from the water. ¹⁹ »Do not be tempted to bow down and worship the sun or moon or stars (the host or army of the heavens). Jehovah put them there a heritage for all the people under the heavens. ²⁰ »But you are Jehovah’s people! He led you through fiery trials and rescued you from Egypt. ²¹ »Furthermore, Jehovah was angry with me because of you. So Jehovah your God took an oath that I would not cross the Jordan River and enter the good land he is giving you as your property (inheritance) (possession). ²² »I am going to die in this land. I will not cross the Jordan River. But you are going to go across and take possession of that good land. 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. ²⁴ »For Jehovah your God is a consuming fire, even a totally demanding zealous God. (He requires exclusive devotion!) ²⁵ »When you have children, and grandchildren, and you have remained in the land a long time do not corrupt yourselves. If you make a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, and do evil in the sight of Jehovah your God, you will provoke him to anger: ²⁶ »I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day that you will soon utterly perish from off the land you possess the other side of the Jordan. You will not prolong your days upon it, but will be destroyed. ²⁷ »Jehovah will scatter you among the nations. You will become few in number among the heathen, where Jehovah will lead you. ²⁸ »You will serve gods that are the work of men's hands. Made of wood and stone. They cannot see, hear, eat or smell. ²⁹ »From there you will seek Jehovah your God with all your heart and with all your being. And you will find him! ³⁰ »When you are in trouble (distress) and all these things happen to you in the latter days, turn to Jehovah your God and obey his voice. ³¹ »Jehovah your God is a merciful God. He will not forsake you. He will not destroy you, nor forget the covenant he made with your fathers. 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! ³⁶ »He made you hear his voice out of heaven. That way he could instruct (teach) (correct) (discipline) you. He showed you his great fire on the earth. You heard his words from the middle of the fire. ³⁷ »He loved your fathers. Therefore he chose their descendants. In fact he watched over you and he brought you out of Egypt with his mighty power. ³⁸ »He drove out nations far greater than you so that he could bring you in and give you their land as an inheritance as it is today. ³⁹ »Know this and consider it in your heart today: JEHOVAH IS GOD in heaven above, and on the earth beneath: THERE IS NO ONE ELSE! ⁴⁰ »You must keep the regulations and commandments I commanded you today. Then all will go well with you and with your children after you. You may prolong your days on the earth that Jehovah your God gives you for all time.« ⁴¹ Moses set aside three cities on the east side of the Jordan. ⁴² Those who unintentionally killed someone whom they had never hated could flee to one of these cities and save their lives. ⁴³ The cities were Bezer on the desert plateau for the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead for the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan for the tribe of Manasseh. ⁴⁴ Moses gave God's Laws and teachings to the people of Israel. ⁴⁵ After they came out of Egypt they were in the valley east of the Jordan River he gave them the laws. ⁴⁶ They were near the town of Bethpeor. This was in the territory that had belonged to King Sihon of the Amorites, who had ruled in the town of Heshbon. Moses and the people of Israel defeated him when they came out of Egypt. ⁴⁷ They occupied his land and the land of King Og of Bashan, the other Amorite king who lived east of the Jordan. ⁴⁸ This land extended from the town of Aroer, on the edge of the Arnon River, north to Mount Sirion, that is, Mount Hermon. ⁴⁹ It included the region east of the Jordan River as far south as the Dead Sea and east to the foot of Mount Pisgah.

¹⁶ God made the two great lights. The sun was to govern the day. The moon was to govern the night. He made the stars also. ¹⁷ He placed the lights in the sky to shine on the earth. ¹⁸ The lights were to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. God saw that it was good.

²⁷ God created man in his own image. In the image of God he created him. He created male and female.

¹ The heavens and the earth and their immense arrangement were completed.

¹⁹ »I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household; and that they may remain in the righteous and just way of Jehovah. Jehovah will bring to Abraham what he told him.«

¹ Jacob called for his sons. He said: »Gather around, and I will tell you what will happen to you in the future.

⁹ He said to his people: »There are too many Israelites! They are stronger than we are.

¹⁰ »Now go to Pharaoh! I am sending you to lead my people out of his country.«

¹⁷ »So I said: ‘I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Amorite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite, to a land flowing with milk and honey.«’ ¹⁸ »They will listen to what you say. You with the elders of Israel will approach the king of Egypt. You will say to him: ‘Jehovah the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. So now, please, let us go a three days journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to Jehovah our God.’ ¹⁹ »I know that the king of Egypt will not permit you to go, except under compulsion. ²⁰ »So I will stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all my wonders that I will do in it’s midst. After that he will let you go.

⁶ »Tell the sons of Israel: ‘I am Jehovah. I will bring you out from under the oppression of the Egyptians. I will free you from slavery! I will rescue you with my powerful arm and with mighty acts of judgment.’

³ »I will harden Pharaoh’s heart that I may multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt.

²⁰ The ones among the servants of Pharaoh who respected the word of Jehovah made his servants and his livestock flee into the houses. ²¹ He who paid no regard to the word of Jehovah left his servants and his livestock in the field.

⁷ Pharaoh’s servants said to him: »How long shall this man be a snare to us? Let the men go so that they may serve Jehovah their God. Do you not yet know that Egypt is destroyed?«

³⁰ Pharaoh, all his officials, and all the other Egyptians got up during the night. There was loud crying throughout Egypt because in every house someone had died. ³¹ Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron during the night. He said: »You and the Israelites must leave my people at once. Go serve Jehovah just as you requested. ³² »Take your flocks and herds, too, as you asked. Just go! And bless me, too!« ³³ The Egyptians begged the people to leave the country quickly. They said: »We will all be dead soon!«

³ Moses said to the people: »Remember this day in the month of Abib. It is the day Jehovah’s mighty power rescued you from slavery in Egypt. Do not eat anything made with yeast.

⁸ »On that day tell your children: ‘We do this because of what Jehovah did for us when we left Egypt.’« ⁹ »This festival will be like a mark on your hand. It will be a reminder on your forehead that the teachings of Jehovah are always to be a part of your conversation! Jehovah used his mighty hand to bring you out of Egypt.

⁹ »This festival will be like a mark on your hand. It will be a reminder on your forehead that the teachings of Jehovah are always to be a part of your conversation! Jehovah used his mighty hand to bring you out of Egypt.

¹⁴ »In the future when your children ask you, ‘What does this mean?’ tell them: ‘Jehovah used his mighty hand to bring us out of slavery in Egypt.’’«

¹⁴ »In the future when your children ask you, ‘What does this mean?’ tell them: ‘Jehovah used his mighty hand to bring us out of slavery in Egypt.’’« ¹⁵ »Pharaoh was too stubborn to let us go. Because of this every firstborn male in Egypt-human and animal was killed. This is why we sacrifice every firstborn male to Jehovah and buy every firstborn son back from Jehovah. ¹⁶ »This festival will be like a mark on your hand and like a band on your forehead, because Jehovah used his mighty hand to bring us out of Egypt.«

¹¹ »Who among the gods is like you Jehovah? Who is like you, wonderful in holiness? Who can work wonders and mighty acts like yours?

⁸ Moses told his father-in-law everything Jehovah had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians for Israel. He talked about all the hardships they had on the way, and how Jehovah saved them.

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.’«

⁹ Jehovah said to Moses: »I will come to you in a thick cloud. The people will hear me speaking with you and will believe you from now on.« Moses gave Jehovah the people’s answer.

¹⁶ On the morning of the third day there were thunder and lightning flashes and a thick cloud upon the mountain. A very loud trumpet sounded. It caused all the people in the camp to tremble.

¹⁶ On the morning of the third day there were thunder and lightning flashes and a thick cloud upon the mountain. A very loud trumpet sounded. It caused all the people in the camp to tremble. ¹⁷ Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God. They stood at the foot of the mountain. ¹⁸ Mount Sinai was all in smoke because Jehovah descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace. The whole mountain quaked violently!

¹⁸ Mount Sinai was all in smoke because Jehovah descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace. The whole mountain quaked violently! ¹⁹ The sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder. Moses spoke and God answered him with thunder.

¹⁹ The sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder. Moses spoke and God answered him with thunder.

⁴ »Do not make your own carved idols or statues that represent any creature in the sky, on the earth, or in the water. 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.

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.

¹⁸ The people heard the thunder and the trumpet blast. They saw the lightning and the smoking mountain. They trembled with fear and stood at a distance.

¹⁸ The people heard the thunder and the trumpet blast. They saw the lightning and the smoking mountain. They trembled with fear and stood at a distance.

¹⁸ The people heard the thunder and the trumpet blast. They saw the lightning and the smoking mountain. They trembled with fear and stood at a distance. ¹⁹ They said to Moses: »If you speak to us, we will listen. However, we are afraid that if God speaks to us, we will die.«

¹⁹ They said to Moses: »If you speak to us, we will listen. However, we are afraid that if God speaks to us, we will die.« ²⁰ Moses responded: »Do not be afraid. God has only come to test you and to inspire you to obey him, so that you will not sin.«

²⁰ Moses responded: »Do not be afraid. God has only come to test you and to inspire you to obey him, so that you will not sin.« ²¹ But the people continued to stand at a distance. Only Moses went near the dark cloud where God was. ²² Jehovah commanded Moses to tell the Israelites: »You have seen how I have spoken to you from heaven.

²² Jehovah commanded Moses to tell the Israelites: »You have seen how I have spoken to you from heaven.

²⁷ »I will send my terror ahead of you and throw any nation you meet into a panic. I will make all your enemies flee from you. ²⁸ »I will throw your enemies into panic! I will drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites as you advance.

¹¹ Even though these leaders of Israel saw God, he did not punish them. So they ate and drank. ¹² Jehovah said to Moses: »Come up on the mountain and stay here for a while. I will give you the two stone tablets on which I have written the laws that my people must obey.«

¹⁶ The glory of Jehovah rested on Mount Sinai. The cloud covered it for six days. God called to Moses on the seventh day. He spoke from inside the cloud. ¹⁷ To the eyes of the Israelites the appearance of the glory of Jehovah was like a consuming fire on the top of the mountain.

¹⁷ To the eyes of the Israelites the appearance of the glory of Jehovah was like a consuming fire on the top of the mountain. ¹⁸ Moses entered the midst of the cloud as he went up to the mountain. He was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.

¹⁸ When God finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai, He gave him the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written by the finger of God.

⁷ Jehovah said to Moses: »Go down there. Your people whom you brought out of Egypt have corrupted themselves.

¹⁴ Jehovah replied: »I will go with you and give you peace.«

²⁰ But he said: »You cannot see my face, because no one may see me and live.«

⁶ Jehovah then passed in front of him and called out: »I, Jehovah, am a God who is full of compassion and pity. I am not easily angered and show great love and faithfulness. ⁷ »I keep my promise for thousands of generations and forgive evil and sin. But I will not fail to punish children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generation for the sins of their fathers.«

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.

²⁸ Moses was there with Jehovah forty days and forty nights. He did not eat bread or drink water. He wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments (Ten Words).

⁵ »‘Obey them and you will live. I am Jehovah.

²⁸ »‘If you make the land unclean, it will vomit you out as it has vomited out the people who were there before you.

³⁷ »‘Obey all my laws and all my rules, and live by them. I am Jehovah!’«

⁸ »‘Obey my laws, because I am Jehovah and I make you holy.

³¹ »Carefully obey my commandments. Conform your life to them. I am Jehovah.

¹ »‘Do not make idols or set up statues, stone pillars, or carved stones to worship. I am Jehovah your God! ² »‘Keep the religious festivals and honor the place where I am worshiped. I am Jehovah. ³ »‘If you live according to my laws and obey my commands, ⁴ »‘I will send you rain at the proper time. Then the land will produce crops and the trees will bear fruit. ⁵ »‘Your crops will be so plentiful that you will still be harvesting grain when it is time to pick grapes. You will still be picking grapes when it is time to plant grain. You will have all you want to eat and you will live in safety in your land. ⁶ »‘I will give you peace in your land. You can sleep without being afraid of anyone. I will get rid of the dangerous animals in the land. And there will be no more war there. ⁷ »‘You will be victorious over your enemies. ⁸ »‘Five of you will be able to defeat a hundred, and a hundred will be able to defeat ten thousand. ⁹ »‘I will bless you and give you many children. I will keep my part of the covenant that I made with you. ¹⁰ »‘Your harvests will be so plentiful that they will last for a year. Even after that you will have to throw away what is left of the old harvest to make room for the new! ¹¹ »‘I will live among you in my sacred tent, and I will never turn away from you. ¹² »‘So I will live among you and be your God, and you will be my people. ¹³ »‘I am Jehovah your God. I brought you out of Egypt so that you are no longer slaves of the Egyptians. I have broken their power over you and made you live as a free people.

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.

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.

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.

⁴² »‘I will remember my promise to Jacob, Isaac, and Abraham. I will also remember the land.

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!’«

³⁴ These are the commandments Jehovah gave Moses on Mount Sinai for the Israelites.

⁸ »‘I speak with him face to face. I speak plainly and not in riddles. He even sees the form of Jehovah. Why were you not afraid to criticize my servant Moses?’«

¹² Jehovah said to Moses and Aaron: »You did not trust me! You did not show the Israelites how holy I am! So you will not bring this congregation into the land I am giving them.«

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.

¹⁶ »Look, these women caused the Israelites, through the counsel of Balaam, to trespass against Jehovah in the matter of Peor. Thus the congregation of Jehovah experienced the plague.

¹⁹ »We will not take possession of any land on the other side of the Jordan River, to the west and beyond. We already have our land here, east of the Jordan.«

⁶ »Six of the cities you give the Levites will be cities of refuge. You must allow murderers to escape to these cities. In addition, you must also give the Levites forty-two other cities.

¹¹ select certain cities to be places of refuge. Anyone who unintentionally kills another person may run to them. ¹² »These cities will be places of refuge from any relative who can avenge the death. So anyone accused of murder will not have to die until he has had a trial in front of the community.

¹⁴ »Three will be on the east side of the Jordan River and three in Canaan. ¹⁵ »These six cities will be places of refuge for Israelites, foreigners, and strangers among you. Anyone who unintentionally kills another person may flee to these cities.

¹⁵ »These six cities will be places of refuge for Israelites, foreigners, and strangers among you. Anyone who unintentionally kills another person may flee to these cities. ¹⁶ »If any of you uses an iron weapon to kill another person, you are a murderer. Murderers must be put to death. ¹⁷ »If any of you picks up a stone as a weapon and uses it to kill another person, you are a murderer. Murderers must be put to death. ¹⁸ »And if any of you picks up a piece of wood as a weapon and uses it to kill another person, you are a murderer. Murderers must be put to death. ¹⁹ »The relative who can avenge the death must make sure a murderer is put to death. When he catches up with the murderer, he must kill him. ²⁰ »If any of you kills someone you hate by shoving him or by deliberately throwing something at him, ²¹ or if you beat your enemy to death with your bare hands, you must be put to death. You are a murderer. The relative who can avenge the death must kill you when he catches up with you, because you are a murderer. ²² »Should you accidentally kill someone who was not your enemy. Maybe you shoved him or threw something at him but did not mean to kill him. ²³ »Or if you drop a big stone, and someone is killed. However, you did not know the person was there, he was not your enemy, and you were not trying to harm him. ²⁴ »Then the community must use these rules in order to decide if you are innocent or if the dead person’s relative can avenge the death. ²⁵ »If you are innocent, the community must protect you from that relative. They must take you back to the city of refuge you fled to. You must live there until the death of the chief priest who was anointed with the holy oil. ²⁶ »But do not go outside the city of refuge you fled to. ²⁷ »If the relative who can avenge the death finds you outside the city of refuge and kills you, the relative is not guilty of murder. ²⁸ »Accused murderers must stay in their city of refuge until the death of the chief priest. They may go back to their own property only after his death.

¹³ These are the commandments and rules Jehovah gave the Israelites through Moses on the plains of Moab near the Jordan River across from Jericho.

⁴ After he killed Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon, and Og king of Bashan, who lived at Astaroth in Edrei: ⁵ On this side (east) of Jordan in the land of Moab, Moses declared the Law. He said:

⁵ On this side (east) of Jordan in the land of Moab, Moses declared the Law. He said:

³⁷ »‘Jehovah was angry with me because of you. He said to me: ‘You will also not go there.

¹⁸ »Jehovah is patient, forever loving; He forgives wrongdoing and disobedience. He never lets the guilty go unpunished. In fact he punishes children for their parents’ sins to the third and fourth generation.

⁹ »‘I see them from the top of rocky cliffs. I look at them from the hills. I see a nation that lives by itself! These are people who do not consider themselves to be like other nations.

²¹ »He has not observed wickedness in Jacob. Nor has he seen trouble in Israel! Jehovah his God is with him and the shout of a king is among them.

²⁰ He looked at Amalek and continued his discourse. He said: Amalek was the first of the nations but he will end in destruction.

¹ While Israel remained at Shittim, the people indulged in sexual immorality with the Moabite women. ² The Moabites invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods. The people ate and bowed down to their gods. ³ So Israel joined itself to Baal of Peor. Jehovah was angry against Israel. ⁴ Jehovah said to Moses: »Take all the leaders of the people and execute them in broad daylight before Jehovah so that the fierce anger of Jehovah may turn away from Israel.« ⁵ Moses said to the judges of Israel: »Each of you put to death those men who have joined in worshiping Baal of Peor.« ⁶ One of the Israelite men brought a Midianite woman to his brothers. He did this right in front of Moses and the entire congregation of Israel while they were crying at the entrance to the tent of meeting. ⁷ Phinehas, son of Eleazar and grandson of the priest Aaron, saw this. He left the assembly and grabbed a spear in his hand. ⁸ He went into the tent after the Israelite man. He drove the spear through the man and into the woman’s body. Because of this, the plague that the Israelites were experiencing stopped. ⁹ Twenty-four thousand people died from that plague.

⁶⁴ Not a single one of the Israelites Moses and the priest Aaron had counted in the Desert of Sinai were there.

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. ³¹ »Then Jehovah said to me: ‘I make King Sihon and his land helpless before you. Capture his land and occupy it.’

³¹ »Then Jehovah said to me: ‘I make King Sihon and his land helpless before you. Capture his land and occupy it.’ ³² Sihon came out with all his men to fight us near the town of Jahaz, ³³ and Jehovah our God helped us defeat them. We killed Sihon, his sons, and all his people. ³⁴ We captured and destroyed every town in Sihon's kingdom. We killed everyone. ³⁵ We took the livestock and everything else of value. ³⁶ Jehovah helped us capture every town from the Arnon River Gorge north to the boundary of Gilead. This included the town of Aroer on the edge of the gorge and the town in the middle of the gorge.

³⁶ Jehovah helped us capture every town from the Arnon River Gorge north to the boundary of Gilead. This included the town of Aroer on the edge of the gorge and the town in the middle of the gorge.

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.’ ³ »So Jehovah our God also handed King Og of Bashan and all his army over to us. We defeated him and left no survivors. ⁴ »We captured all his cities. Not one was missed. We captured a total of sixty cities in the territory of Argob, the kingdom of Og in Bashan. ⁵ »All of these cities were fortified with high walls and double-door gates with bars across the gates. We also captured a large number of unwalled villages. ⁶ »We destroyed all the towns and put to death all the men, women, and children. This was just as we did in the towns that belonged to King Sihon of Heshbon. ⁷ »We kept the livestock and took plunder from the towns. ⁸ »Sihon and Og ruled Amorite kingdoms east of the Jordan River. Their land stretched from the Arnon River Gorge in the south to Mount Hermon in the north. We captured it all.

⁸ »Sihon and Og ruled Amorite kingdoms east of the Jordan River. Their land stretched from the Arnon River Gorge in the south to Mount Hermon in the north. We captured it all. ⁹ »Mount Hermon is called Mount Sirion by the people of Sidon. The Amorites call it Mount Senir.

⁹ »Mount Hermon is called Mount Sirion by the people of Sidon. The Amorites call it Mount Senir. ¹⁰ »All the cities of the plain, and all Gilead, and all Bashan, and Salecah and Edrei, cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan were captured. ¹¹ »Of the Rephaim only King Og of Bashan was left. His bed was made of iron and was more than thirteen feet long and six feet wide. It is still in the Ammonite city of Rabbah. 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.

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. ¹⁴ Jair, from the tribe of Manasseh, took the entire region of Argob, that is, Bashan, as far as the border of Geshur and Maacah. He named the villages after himself, and they are still known as the villages of Jair.

¹⁷ »On the west their territory extended to the Jordan River, from Lake Galilee in the north down to the Dead Sea in the south and to the foot of (Mount) Pisgah on the east.

²⁵ »‘Please let me go over and see the beautiful land on the other side of the Jordan River. Let me see those beautiful mountains in Lebanon.’ ²⁶ »Jehovah was angry with me because of you, so he would not listen to me. He said: ‘Enough of that! Do not talk to me anymore about this. ²⁷ »‘Go to the top of (Mount) Pisgah, and look west, north, south, and east. You may look at the land, but you will never cross the Jordan River.

²⁹ So we stayed in the valley at Beth Peor.

¹ »Israel, listen to these laws and teachings! If you obey them you will live! Go in and take the land that Jehovah the God of your fathers is giving you.

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.’

⁸ »And what great nation is there that has statutes and judgments so righteous as the law I present to you this day?

⁸ »And what great nation is there that has statutes and judgments so righteous as the law I present to you this day? ⁹ »Be on your guard! Make sure you do not forget, as long as you live, what you have seen with your own eyes. Teach them to your children and your grandchildren.

⁹ »Be on your guard! Make sure you do not forget, as long as you live, what you have seen with your own eyes. Teach them to your children and your grandchildren.

¹² »Tell them how Jehovah spoke to you from the fire. Tell them that you heard him speak but did not see him in any form at all.

¹⁵ »Be careful! When God spoke to you from the fire, he was invisible.

¹⁵ »Be careful! When God spoke to you from the fire, he was invisible. ¹⁶ »Do not commit the sin of worshiping idols. Do not make idols to be worshiped, whether they are shaped like men, women,

¹⁶ »Do not commit the sin of worshiping idols. Do not make idols to be worshiped, whether they are shaped like men, women,

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.

¹² »Beware that you do not forget Jehovah, for he brought you out of Egypt your house of bondage.

¹⁵ »Jehovah your God is a totally demanding zealous God. He tolerates no rivals! The anger of Jehovah your God will burn against you. He will then destroy you from the face of the earth.

¹⁷ »Obey the commandments of Jehovah your God. Obey his testimonies and statutes for he commanded you. ¹⁸ »Do what is right and good in Jehovah’s sight. Then you will be able to go in and possess this good land from your enemies, just as he promised your ancestors.

²⁰ »In the future your son will ask you: ‘What is the meaning of these laws and regulations that Jehovah our God has commanded you?’ ²¹ »‘You will answer your son: ‘We were Pharaoh's slaves in Egypt, and Jehovah brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand.

¹ »Jehovah your God will bring you into the land you are to possess. He will clear away many nations ahead of you. The nations he will clear: the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, and the Canaanites, the Perizzites, Hivites, and the Jebusites. These seven nations are larger and mightier than you.

⁷ »Jehovah set his heart on you. He chose you, even though you did not outnumber all the other people. You were the smallest of all nations. ⁸ »You were chosen because Jehovah loved you and kept the oath he swore to your fathers. So he used his mighty hand to bring you out. He freed you from slavery under Pharaoh king of Egypt. ⁹ »Keep in mind that Jehovah your God is the only true God. He is the faithful God. He keeps his promise and is merciful to thousands of generations of those who love him and obey his commandments.

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.

¹ »Be careful to do all the commandments I commanded you today! You will then live and multiply and go in and possess the land Jehovah promised to give to your forefathers.

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.

¹ »Hear, O Israel, you are about to cross the Jordan River. You will force out nations that are larger and mightier than you, with big cities that have sky-high walls. ² »Their people are tall and strong. They are descendants of Anakim. You know all about them. You also heard it said: Who can oppose the descendants of Anak? ³ »Understand today that Jehovah your God is the one who is going ahead of you like a consuming (raging) (devouring) fire. He will wipe them out. Then he will use you to crush their power. You will take possession of their land and will quickly destroy them as Jehovah promised you.

³ »Understand today that Jehovah your God is the one who is going ahead of you like a consuming (raging) (devouring) fire. He will wipe them out. Then he will use you to crush their power. You will take possession of their land and will quickly destroy them as Jehovah promised you. ⁴ »When Jehovah your God expels these people right before your very eyes, do not say to yourselves: ‘Jehovah brought us here to possess this land because we live right (are righteous).’ This is not the case. It is because these nations are so wicked that Jehovah is forcing them out of your way. ⁵ »It is not because you have been living right or because you are so honest that you enter to take possession of their land. It is because these people are so wicked that Jehovah your God is forcing them out of your way. It is also because Jehovah wants to confirm the promise he swore to your fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

⁵ »It is not because you have been living right or because you are so honest that you enter to take possession of their land. It is because these people are so wicked that Jehovah your God is forcing them out of your way. It is also because Jehovah wants to confirm the promise he swore to your fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

⁹ »When I went up on the mountain to get the stone tablets, the tablets of the promise that Jehovah made to you, I stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights without food or water. ¹⁰ »Then Jehovah gave me the two stone tablets inscribed by God’s finger (Holy Spirit). On them were written all the words Jehovah spoke to you from the fire on the mountain on the day of the assembly.

¹⁰ »Then Jehovah gave me the two stone tablets inscribed by God’s finger (Holy Spirit). On them were written all the words Jehovah spoke to you from the fire on the mountain on the day of the assembly. ¹¹ »At the end of forty days and nights Jehovah gave me the two stone tablets, the tablets of the covenant.

²⁶ »I prayed to Jehovah and said: ‘O Jehovah our God, do not destroy your people for they are your inheritance. You have redeemed them through your greatness. You brought them out of Egypt with a mighty hand.

²⁹ »Even now they are your people, your inheritance, whom you brought out by your great power and outstretched arm.«

¹ »Jehovah said to me: ‘Cut out for yourself two tablets of stone like the former ones. Come up to me on the mountain, and build an ark of wood for yourself. ² »‘I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets that you shattered. You must place them in the Ark.’ ³ »I made an Ark out of acacia wood and cut out two tablets of stone like the first ones. Then I took the two tablets in my hands and went up on the mountain. ⁴ »He wrote on the tablets, like the former writing. It was the Ten Commandments (Ten Words) that Jehovah proclaimed to you on the mountain. It was from the middle of the fire on the day of the assembly. Jehovah gave them to me. ⁵ »Then I came down from the mountain and put the tablets in the Ark I had made. They are there just as Jehovah commanded me.

¹² »Now, O Israel, what does Jehovah your God require from you? You are to respect Jehovah your God. Walk in all his ways and love him! Serve Jehovah your God with all your heart and with all your being. ¹³ »Obey Jehovah’s commandments and his statutes I am commanding you today for your good!

¹⁵ »Yet Jehovah set his affection on your fathers. He loved them. He chose you their descendants above all peoples, as it is this day.

²⁰ »Respect Jehovah your God and serve him. Hold fast to him and take your oaths in his name.

¹ »Love Jehovah your God, and obey all his laws, regulations and commandments.

¹⁹ »Teach them to your children! Talk about them in your home and away. Speak of them when you lie down or get up.

²³ »Then Jehovah will drive out all these nations from before you. You will drive out nations greater and mightier than you.

³² »Be careful to do all the statutes and judgments I present to you today.

²⁵ »If you do not eat blood, things will go well for you and your descendants. You will be doing what Jehovah considers right.

²⁸ »If you obey these laws, you will be doing what Jehovah your God says is right and good. Then he will help you and your descendants succeed.

³² »Be careful to do what I command you. Do not add to it nor take away from it.

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).

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. ²⁴ »For Jehovah your God is a consuming fire, even a totally demanding zealous God. (He requires exclusive devotion!) ²⁵ »When you have children, and grandchildren, and you have remained in the land a long time do not corrupt yourselves. If you make a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, and do evil in the sight of Jehovah your God, you will provoke him to anger:

²⁵ »When you have children, and grandchildren, and you have remained in the land a long time do not corrupt yourselves. If you make a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, and do evil in the sight of Jehovah your God, you will provoke him to anger: ²⁶ »I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day that you will soon utterly perish from off the land you possess the other side of the Jordan. You will not prolong your days upon it, but will be destroyed.

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! ³⁶ »He made you hear his voice out of heaven. That way he could instruct (teach) (correct) (discipline) you. He showed you his great fire on the earth. You heard his words from the middle of the fire.

³⁹ »Know this and consider it in your heart today: JEHOVAH IS GOD in heaven above, and on the earth beneath: THERE IS NO ONE ELSE!

⁴⁵ After they came out of Egypt they were in the valley east of the Jordan River he gave them the laws.

⁴⁷ They occupied his land and the land of King Og of Bashan, the other Amorite king who lived east of the Jordan.

¹ Moses called all the people of Israel, and said: »Hear, O Israel, the regulations and laws I declare to you today. Learn them and obey them!

¹ Moses called all the people of Israel, and said: »Hear, O Israel, the regulations and laws I declare to you today. Learn them and obey them! ² »Jehovah our God made a covenant with us at Horeb.

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. ⁴ »Jehovah talked with you face to face on the mountain out of the middle of the fire,

⁴ »Jehovah talked with you face to face on the mountain out of the middle of the fire, ⁵ »I stood between Jehovah and you at that time, to declare to you the word of Jehovah. You were afraid because of the fire. So you would not go up onto the mountain. He said: ⁶ »‘I am Jehovah your God. I brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. ⁷ »‘Do not have any other god but me. ⁸ »‘Do not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above, or on the earth below, or that is in the waters beneath the earth:

⁸ »‘Do not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above, or on the earth below, or that is in the waters beneath the earth: ⁹ »‘Do not bow down to them. Do not serve them! For I Jehovah your God am a totally demanding zealous God. I require exclusive devotion and punish the fathers and children who hate me to the third and fourth generation.

⁹ »‘Do not bow down to them. Do not serve them! For I Jehovah your God am a totally demanding zealous God. I require exclusive devotion and punish the fathers and children who hate me to the third and fourth generation. ¹⁰ »‘I show loving kindness to thousands of generations who love me and obey my commandments. ¹¹ »‘Do not take the name of Jehovah your God in vain. Jehovah will not leave him unpunished who takes his name in vain. ¹² »‘Keep the Sabbath day to sanctify it (keep it holy), as Jehovah your God has commanded you. ¹³ »‘Do all your work in six days. 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. ¹⁵ »‘Remember that you were servants in the land of Egypt, and that Jehovah your God brought you out through a mighty act. Jehovah your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.

¹⁵ »‘Remember that you were servants in the land of Egypt, and that Jehovah your God brought you out through a mighty act. Jehovah your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day. ¹⁶ »‘Honor your father and your mother, as Jehovah your God commands you and your days will be prolonged and things will go well with you, in the land Jehovah gives you.

¹⁶ »‘Honor your father and your mother, as Jehovah your God commands you and your days will be prolonged and things will go well with you, in the land Jehovah gives you. ¹⁷ »‘Do not kill. ¹⁸ »‘Do not commit adultery. ¹⁹ »‘Do not steal. ²⁰ »‘Do not bear false witness against another man. ²¹ »‘Do not desire another man's wife; do not covet another man's house, his field, or his manservant, or his maidservant, his ox, or his donkey, or any thing that belongs to him.’ ²² »Jehovah spoke to us when we gathered on the mountain. He spoke with a loud voice from the dark fiery cloud. Jehovah gave us these words, and only these. Then he wrote them on two flat tablets of stone and gave them to me. ²³ »Fire blazed from the mountain, and you heard the voice coming from the darkness. Then your elders came to me. ²⁴ »They said: ‘Today Jehovah our God has shown us how powerful and glorious he is. He spoke to us from the fire. We learned that people could live, even though God speaks to them.

²⁶ »‘Has any other human ever heard the only true God speaking from fire, as we have? And if they have, would they live to tell about it?

²⁹ If only they had such a heart in them that they would respect (reverence) me and obey all my commandments for as long as they live! Then things would go well for them and their children from generation to generation.’

³³ Follow all the directions Jehovah your God has given you. Then you will continue to live. Life will go well for you! You will live for a long time in the land that you are going to possess.

³³ Follow all the directions Jehovah your God has given you. Then you will continue to live. Life will go well for you! You will live for a long time in the land that you are going to possess.

³ »Listen, O Israel, and be careful to obey these laws. Things will go well for you and your population will increase in a land flowing with milk and honey. This is what Jehovah the God of your ancestors promised you.

²³ »You shall eat in the presence of Jehovah your God, at the place where He chooses to establish his name, the tithe of your grain, your new wine, your oil, and the firstborn of your herd and your flock, so that you may learn to respect Jehovah your God always.

⁷ »Let the mother go. You may take the young. Let the mother go. May things go well with you and you may prolong your days.

⁸ »‘Jehovah brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with great terror and with signs and wonders.

³ and write on them all the words of the Law. When you cross over to enter the land Jehovah your God gives you, a land flowing with milk and honey, as Jehovah, the God of your fathers, promised you.

⁸ »Write on the stones all the words of the Law very distinctly.« ⁹ Moses and the Levitical priests spoke to all Israel. They said: »Be silent and listen, O Israel! This day you have become a people for Jehovah your God.

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.’

¹ »Carefully obey Jehovah your God. Faithfully follow all his commandments that I give you today. If you do this Jehovah your God will place you high above all the other nations in the world. ² »These are all the blessings that will come to you and stay close to you because you obey Jehovah your God: ³ »Jehovah will bless your towns and your fields. ⁴ »Jehovah will bless you with many children, with abundant crops, and with many cattle and sheep. ⁵ »Jehovah will bless your grain crops and the food you prepare from them. ⁶ »Jehovah will make you successful in your daily work. ⁷ »Jehovah will cause your enemies who rise up against you to be struck before you: they shall come out against you one-way, and shall flee before you seven ways. ⁸ »Jehovah will command the blessing upon you in your barns and in all that you put your hand to, and He will bless you in the land Jehovah your God gives you. 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. ¹⁰ »All the peoples of the earth will see that you are called by the name of Jehovah, and they will be afraid of you. ¹¹ »Jehovah will make you abound in prosperity, in the offspring of your body and in the offspring of your animals and in the produce of your ground, the land that Jehovah swore to your fathers to give you. ¹² »Jehovah will open for you his good storehouse. The skies will give rain to your land in due season. It will bless all the work of your hand. You will lend to many nations, but you will not borrow. ¹³ »Jehovah will make you the head and not the tail, and you only will be above, and you will not be underneath. If you listen to the commandments of Jehovah your God, which I charge you today, to observe them carefully, ¹⁴ and do not turn aside from any of the words I command you today, to the right or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.

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.

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.

³ »You saw the terrible plagues, the miracles, and the great wonders that Jehovah performed.

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.

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.

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.

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.

¹ »All these blessings and curses I have spoken about will happen to you. Take them to heart when you are among all the nations where Jehovah your God will scatter you. 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, ³ he will restore your fortunes. He will have mercy on you and gather you from all the nations of the world where he has scattered you. ⁴ »Jehovah your God will gather you from the ends of the earth. He will bring you back.

¹⁰ if you obey Jehovah your God to keep his commandments and his statutes which are written in this book of the law, if you turn to Jehovah your God with all your heart with all your being.

¹⁶ »I command you today to Love Jehovah your God, follow his directions, and obey his commandments, laws, and rules. Then you will live, your population will increase, and Jehovah your God will bless you in the land that you are about to enter and possess.

¹⁸ »If you do, I tell you today that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live for a long time in the land that you are about to possess when you cross the Jordan River. ¹⁹ »I call on heaven and earth as witnesses today that I have offered you life or death, blessings or curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants will live.

¹⁹ »I call on heaven and earth as witnesses today that I have offered you life or death, blessings or curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants will live.

¹⁹ »I call on heaven and earth as witnesses today that I have offered you life or death, blessings or curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants will live. ²⁰ »LOVE JEHOVAH YOUR GOD, OBEY HIM, AND BE LOYAL TO HIM. THIS WILL BE YOUR WAY OF LIFE. It will mean a long life for you in the land that Jehovah swore to give to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

² »I am one hundred and twenty years old now. I am not able to lead you anymore. Jehovah has told me that I may not cross the Jordan River.

⁶ »Be determined and with good courage. Do not be afraid of them. Your God, Jehovah, will be with you. He will not fail you or abandon you.

⁸ »Jehovah is the one who goes ahead of you. He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be downhearted.«

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.

¹⁶ Jehovah said to Moses: »You are about to lie down with your fathers in death. This people will arise and play the harlot with the strange gods of the land. They will plunge into the midst of it. They will forsake me and break my covenant that I made with them. ¹⁷ »‘My anger will be kindled against them in that day. I will abandon them and hide my face from them. They will be consumed by many evils and troubles. They will say in that day: ‘Is it because our God is not among us that these evils have come upon us?’

¹⁷ »‘My anger will be kindled against them in that day. I will abandon them and hide my face from them. They will be consumed by many evils and troubles. They will say in that day: ‘Is it because our God is not among us that these evils have come upon us?’ ¹⁸ »I will surely hide my face in that day because of all the evil they will do. They will turn to other gods. ¹⁹ »Write this song for yourselves, and teach it to the sons of Israel. Put it on their lips, so that this song may be a witness for me against the sons of Israel. ²⁰ »When I bring them into the land flowing with milk and honey, which I swore to their fathers, and they have eaten and are satisfied and become prosperous, then they will turn to other gods and serve them, and spurn me and break my covenant.

²⁸ »Assemble all the elders of your tribes and your officers in front of me. As they listen, I will speak these words and call on heaven and earth to testify against them. ²⁹ »I know that after I die you will become thoroughly corrupt and turn from the way I have commanded you to live. In the days to come disasters will happen to you because you will make Jehovah furious by doing what he considers evil.«

¹ »Give ear, O [physical] heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth.

⁷ »Remember the days of old. Think about all the past generations. Ask your fathers to remind you, and your elders to tell you.

⁹ »Jehovah’s people were his property. Jacob was God’s own possession.

¹⁶ »They made God furious because they worshiped foreign gods and angered him (stirred up his zeal) because they worshiped worthless idols.

²¹ »They made him furious because they worshiped foreign gods. They angered him because they worshiped worthless idols. So I will use those who are not my people to make them jealous and a nation of godless fools to make them angry. ²² My anger has started a fire that will burn into the depths of the grave. It will consume the earth and its crops and set the foundations of the mountains on fire. ²³ »I will heap distress on them! I will use my arrows on them.

²⁹ They fail to see why they were defeated. They cannot understand what happened.

³⁹ »See now that I, even I, am he. There is no god besides me! It is I who put to death and give life. I have wounded and it is I who heals. There is no one who can deliver from my hand.

⁴⁶ he said to them: »Take to your heart all the words with which I am warning you today. Command your sons to observe carefully all the words of this law.

⁴ »Moses commanded us with a law (these teachings), a heritage of the assembly of Jacob.

¹ Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho. Jehovah showed him all the land, Gilead as far as Dan,

¹² and for all the great wonders and mighty power which Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.

⁵ »No man will be able to resist you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses I will be with you. I will not fail you nor forsake you.

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.

¹⁸ »Whoever rebels against your commandment, and does not listen to your words in all that you command him must be put to death. Be strong and of a good courage.«

¹¹ »As soon as we heard these things we became discouraged. No man had courage because of you. Jehovah your God is God in heaven above and on earth below.

²⁰ »Only strive for justice so you will live and take possession of the land that Jehovah your God is giving you.

³ »Some worship and bow down to other gods, the sun, the moon, or the whole army of heaven. I have forbidden this.

¹⁸ »When he first sits on the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself a copy of this law on a scroll taken in the presence of the Levitical priests. ¹⁹ »He should keep it with him. He should read from it all the days of his life. In this way he will learn to respect Jehovah his God by carefully observing all the words of this Law and these statutes.

¹⁹ »He should keep it with him. He should read from it all the days of his life. In this way he will learn to respect Jehovah his God by carefully observing all the words of this Law and these statutes.

¹ »When Jehovah your God destroys all the nations that are living in the land that he gives you. you will force them out and live in their cities and houses. ² »When all this is done, set aside three cities in the land that Jehovah your God gives you. ³ »Provide a route to each of these cities and divide the land that Jehovah your God gives you into three regions. When a person kills someone he may run to one of these cities. ⁴ »A person who unintentionally kills someone he never hated in the past may run to one of these cities to save his life. ⁵ »For example: when a man goes into the forest with his friend to cut wood, and his hand swings the axe to cut down the tree, and the iron head slips off the handle and strikes his friend so that he dies. He may flee to one of these cities and live. ⁶ »Otherwise the avenger of blood might pursue the manslayer in the heat of his anger. He may overtake him and because the way is long he may take his life. Even though he was not deserving of death, since he had not hated him previously. ⁷ »Hear my command: ‘You must set aside three cities for yourself.’ ⁸ »If Jehovah your God enlarges your territory, just as he has sworn to your fathers, and gives you all the land he promised to give your fathers. ⁹ »And if you carefully observe all this commandment I command you today, to love Jehovah your God, and to walk in his ways always you shall add three more cities for yourself, besides these three. ¹⁰ »Innocent blood will not be shed in your land that Jehovah your God gives you as an inheritance. Blood guiltiness will not be on you.

¹⁰ Joshua said: »By this you shall know the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Hivites, and the Perizzites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Jebusites.

⁶ »This may be a sign among you when your children ask their fathers what is the meaning of these stones? ⁷ »You will answer them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the Ark of the Covenant of Jehovah. When it passed over Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones will be for a memorial to the children of Israel for as long as they live.«

²¹ He spoke to the children of Israel: »When your children will ask their fathers in time to come, what these stones mean?

¹² Joshua spoke to Jehovah the day when Jehovah delivered the Amorites to the children of Israel. He said in sight of Israel: »Sun, stand still upon Gibeon; and Moon, stand still in the valley of Ajalon.« ¹³ The sun stood still, and the moon stood still, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is this not written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and did not go down for a whole day.

²⁰ And Beth-peor, and Ashdoth-pisgah, and Beth-jeshimoth,

²⁴ Moses gave inheritance to the tribe of Gad according to their families. ²⁵ Their coast was Jazer, and all the cities of Gilead, and half the land of the children of Ammon, to Aroer that is near Rabbah; ²⁶ From Heshbon to Ramath-mizpeh, and Betonim; and from Mahanaim unto the border of Debir; ²⁷ In the valley, Beth-aram, and Beth-nimrah, and Succoth, and Zaphon, the rest of the kingdom of Sihon king of Heshbon, Jordan and his border, to the edge of the sea of Chinnereth on the other side Jordan eastward. ²⁸ This is the inheritance of the children of Gad after their families, the cities, and their villages. ²⁹ Moses gave inheritance to the half tribe of Manasseh. This was the possession of the half tribe of the children of Manasseh by families. ³⁰ Their coast was from Mahanaim, all Bashan, all the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, and all the towns of Jair, which are in Bashan, sixty cities: ³¹ Half Gilead, and Ashtaroth, and Edrei, cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan, were pertaining unto the children of Machir the son of Manasseh, even to the one half of the children of Machir by their families. ³² These are the countries that Moses distributed for inheritance in the plains of Moab, on the other side Jordan, by Jericho, eastward. ³³ But he gave no inheritance to the tribe of Levi. Jehovah God of Israel was their inheritance, as he said to them.

² Speak to the children of Israel and say: »Designate cities of refuge just as Moses directed. ³ »Anyone who kills someone accidentally and unintentionally may go there for a refuge from the avenger of blood. ⁴ »When you flee to one of these cities you must go to the place of judgment at the entrance to the city, and explain to the leaders what happened. Then they will let you into the city and give you a place to live in, so that you can stay there. ⁵ »If the one looking for revenge follows you there, the people of the city must not hand you over to that one. They must protect you because you killed the person accidentally and not out of anger. ⁶ »You may stay in the city until you have received a public trial and until the death of the man who is then the High Priest. Then you may go back home to your own town, from which you had run away.« ⁷ So, on the west side of the Jordan River they set aside Kedesh in Galilee, in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem, in the hill country of Ephraim and Hebron, in the hill country of Judah. ⁸ East of the Jordan, on the desert plateau east of Jericho, they chose Bezer in the territory of Reuben; Ramoth in Gilead, in the territory of Gad; and Golan in Bashan, in the territory of Manasseh.

⁸ East of the Jordan, on the desert plateau east of Jericho, they chose Bezer in the territory of Reuben; Ramoth in Gilead, in the territory of Gad; and Golan in Bashan, in the territory of Manasseh. ⁹ These were the cities of refuge chosen for all the people of Israel and for any foreigner living among them. Any who killed a person accidentally could find protection there from the one looking for revenge. They could not be killed unless they had first received a public trial.

²⁷ Another group of Levites, the clan of Gershon, received from the territory of East Manasseh two cities: Golan in Bashan, one of the cities of refuge, and Beeshterah, with pasturelands.

³⁸ From the tribe of Gad they received four cities: Ramoth in Gilead, with pasturelands, one of the cities of refuge, Mahanaim,

⁵ »Be sure you obey the Law that Moses commanded you. Love Jehovah your God. Do his will. Obey his commandments and be faithful to him. Serve him with all your heart and with all your being (Nephesh: living being).«

¹⁷ »Do you remember our sin at Peor, when Jehovah punished his own people with an epidemic? We are still suffering because of that. Was that not enough sin?

⁸ »Remain faithful to Jehovah, as you have been until now.

¹¹ »Take heed of yourselves to love Jehovah your God.

¹⁶ »If you do not obey the covenant Jehovah your God commanded you to obey and if you serve and worship other gods, then in his anger he will punish you. Soon none of you will be left in this good land that he gave you.«

⁸ Joshua son of Nun, the servant of Jehovah, died at the age of a hundred and ten years old. ⁹ They buried him on the border of his inheritance in Timnath-Serah, in the mount of Ephraim, on the north side of Gaash hill. ¹⁰ After those generations were gathered to their fathers (died) another generation followed them. This new generation did not know Jehovah or the works he had done for Israel. ¹¹ The children of Israel did evil in the sight of Jehovah, and served Baalim: 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. ¹⁴ The anger of Jehovah was hot against Israel. He delivered them into the hands of raiders who plundered them. He sold them to their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies. ¹⁵ Wherever they went the hand of Jehovah was against them for evil. For Jehovah had sworn to them and as Jehovah had sworn they were greatly distressed.

²² With that Gideon realized that it was Jehovah’s angel he saw. He said in terror: »Sovereign Lord Jehovah! I have seen your angel face-to-face!«

¹⁴ They started crying again. Orpah kissed her mother-in-law good-bye and went back home. Ruth held on to her. ¹⁵ Naomi said to her: »Ruth, your sister-in-law went back to her people and her gods. Go back home with her. ¹⁶ Ruth replied: »Do not ask me to leave you! Let me go with you. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. ¹⁷ »Wherever you die, I will die. That is where I will be buried. May Jehovah’s worst punishment come upon me if I let anything but death separate me from you!«

² »No one is as holy as Jehovah. There is none beside you. Neither is there any rock like our God.

²⁴ »Reverence Jehovah and serve him in truth with all your heart. Remember the great things he has done for you.

¹⁹ »Please let my lord the king listen to the words of his servant. If Jehovah has stirred you up against me, let Him accept an offering. If it is men, cursed are they before Jehovah. They have driven me out today so that I would have no attachment with the inheritance of Jehovah, saying: ‘Go serve other gods.’«

⁴⁵ David answered: »You come out to fight me with a sword and a spear and a dagger. But I come out to fight you in the name of Jehovah of Hosts. He is the Almighty God of Israel’s army. You have insulted him! ⁴⁶ »Today Jehovah will help me defeat you. I will knock you down and cut off your head! I will feed the bodies of the other Philistine soldiers to the birds and wild animals. Then the whole world will know that Israel has a real God. ⁴⁷ »Everybody here will see that Jehovah does not need swords or spears to save his people. Jehovah always wins his battles. He will help us defeat you!«

²³ »There is no other nation on earth like Israel. This is the nation you rescued from slavery in Egypt to be your own. You became famous by using great and wonderful miracles to force other nations and their gods out of your land, so your people could live here.

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.

⁴⁶ »They may sin against you, for everyone sins. You may become angry with them and hand them over to an enemy far or near who takes them to another country as captives. ⁴⁷ »If they come to their senses and are sorry for what they have done, and plead with you in the land where they are captives, saying: We have sinned. We have done wrong. We have been wicked.

⁴⁷ »If they come to their senses and are sorry for what they have done, and plead with you in the land where they are captives, saying: We have sinned. We have done wrong. We have been wicked. ⁴⁸ »If they change their attitude toward you in the land of their enemies where they are captives, if they pray to you toward the land that you gave their ancestors, and the city you have chosen, and the temple I have built for your name,

⁴⁸ »If they change their attitude toward you in the land of their enemies where they are captives, if they pray to you toward the land that you gave their ancestors, and the city you have chosen, and the temple I have built for your name, ⁴⁹ then in heaven, the place where you live, hear their prayer for mercy. Do what is right for them. ⁵⁰ »Forgive your people, who have sinned against you. Forgive all their wrongs when they rebelled against you. Cause those who captured them to have mercy on them. ⁵¹ »They are your own people. You brought them out of Egypt from the middle of an iron smelter.

⁵¹ »They are your own people. You brought them out of Egypt from the middle of an iron smelter. ⁵² »May your eyes always see my plea and your people Israel's plea so that you will listen to them whenever they call on you. ⁵³ »You Jehovah set them apart from all the people of the world. They are your own as you promised through your servant Moses when you brought our ancestors out of Egypt.«

¹³ Bengeber: the city of Ramoth in Gilead, and the villages in Gilead belonging to the clan of Jair, a descendant of Manasseh, and the region of Argob in Bashan, sixty large towns in all, fortified with walls and with bronze bars on the gates.

³⁴ Kings all over the world heard of his wisdom and sent people to listen to the Wisdom of Solomon.

⁶ She said to the king: »The report I heard in my country about your acts and your wisdom was true. ⁷ »But I had no faith in what was said about you, till I came and saw for myself. Now I see that what I was told was not the half of it! Your wisdom and your wealth are much greater than they said. ⁸ »Happy are your wives, happy are your servants whose place is ever before you, hearing your words of wisdom. ⁹ »Praise Jehovah your God! He delighted in you and made you king of Israel. Jehovah’s love for Israel is long lasting, he has made you king, to be their judge in righteousness.«

²¹ Crying out to the man of God who came from Judah, he said: »Jehovah says, ‘because you have gone against the voice of Jehovah, and have not done as Jehovah ordered you, ²² but have come back, and have taken food and water in this place where he said you were to take no food or water; your dead body will not be put to rest with your fathers.’«

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?«

³⁶ Then at the time of the offering, Elijah the prophet came near and said, »Jehovah, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Israel, let it be seen this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things by your order. ³⁷ »Give me an answer, O Jehovah. Give me an answer so that this people may see that you are God. That you have made their hearts come back again.«

³ Ahab asked his officials: »Why have we not done anything to get back Ramoth in Gilead from the king of Syria? It is ours!« ⁴ Ahab asked Jehoshaphat: »Will you go with me to attack Ramoth?« »I am ready when you are,« Jehoshaphat answered. »And so are my soldiers and my cavalry.«

³¹ But Jehu did not take care to keep the law of Jehovah with all his heart. He did not keep himself from the sin that Jeroboam did and made Israel do.

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. ¹⁹ But even Judah did not obey the commands of Jehovah their God. They were guided by the rules Israel made.

² He did evil in the eyes of Jehovah. He copied the disgusting ways of those nations Jehovah sent out before the children of Israel. ³ He built the high places that Hezekiah his father destroyed. He made altars for Baal. Then he made an Asherah as Ahab, king of Israel, had done. Manasseh was a worshipper and servant of all the stars of heaven.

¹⁴ »‘I will discard the rest of my heritage. I will give them into the hands of their enemies. They will take their property and their goods for themselves. ¹⁵ »‘Because they have done evil in my eyes. They moved me to anger from the day their fathers came out of Egypt till this day.’« ¹⁶ Even more, Manasseh killed many innocent men. He filled Jerusalem from one end to the other with blood. He also caused Judah to sin and do evil in the eyes of Jehovah.

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. ⁴ Then the king ordered the high priest Hilkiah, the priests who served under Hilkiah, and the doorkeepers to remove from Jehovah’s Temple all utensils that had been made for Baal, Asherah, and the entire army of heaven. Josiah burned the utensils outside Jerusalem. It was in an open field near the Kidron Brook. Then he carried their ashes to Bethel. ⁵ He got rid of the pagan priests. The kings of Judah appointed them to sacrifice at the illegal places of worship in the cities of Judah and all around Jerusalem. They had been sacrificing to Baal, the sun god, the moon god, the constellations of the zodiac (Mazzalohth Constellation-Job 38:32), and the entire army of heaven.

¹¹ He also removed the horses that the kings of Judah had dedicated to the worship of the sun. He burned the chariots used in this worship.

¹⁹ »Rescue us from Assyria's control, O Jehovah our God, so that all the kingdoms on earth will know that you alone are Jehovah God.«

⁷¹ The Gershonites received the following: From the clan of the half-tribe of Manasseh they received Golan in Bashan and also Ashtaroth, together with their pasturelands,

⁸⁰ and from the tribe of Gad they received Ramoth in Gilead, Mahanaim,

¹⁵ Remember his promise for a very long time, the word that he commanded for a thousand generations!

⁹ »You my son Solomon, learn to know your father’s God. Serve Jehovah wholeheartedly and willingly because he searches every heart and understands every thought we have. If you dedicate your life to serving him, he will accept you. On the other hand if you abandon him, he will reject you from then on.

⁹ »You my son Solomon, learn to know your father’s God. Serve Jehovah wholeheartedly and willingly because he searches every heart and understands every thought we have. If you dedicate your life to serving him, he will accept you. On the other hand if you abandon him, he will reject you from then on. ¹⁰ »So be careful, because Jehovah has chosen you to build the Temple as his holy place. Be strong, and do it.«

²⁰ David also told his son Solomon: Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do no be afraid or terrified. Jehovah God, my God, will be with you. He will not abandon you until all the work on Jehovah’s Temple is finished.

¹¹ »You are great and powerful, glorious, splendid, and majestic. Everything in heaven and earth is yours, and you, O Jehovah, are king, supreme ruler over all.

³⁶ »They may sin against you. There is no man who is without sin. You may become angry with them and hand them over to an enemy who takes them to another country as captives, whether it is far or near. ³⁷ »If they come to their senses, are sorry for what they’ve done, and plead with you in the land where they are captives, saying: We have sinned. We have done wrong. We have been wicked. ³⁸ »If they change their attitude toward you in the land where they are captives. If they pray to you toward the land that you gave their ancestors, and the city you have chosen, and the Temple I have built for your name, ³⁹ then in heaven, the place where you live, hear their prayer for mercy. Do what is right for them. Forgive your people, who have sinned against you.

⁴ »When they were in trouble they turned to Jehovah the God of Israel. When they searched for him, he let them find him.

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.

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.

⁹ »The eyes of Jehovah keep close watch over the entire world. He gives strength (shows His strength) to (in behalf of) those whose hearts are loyal to him. You have acted foolishly! Therefore from now on you will always be at war.«

⁶ He prayed aloud: »O Jehovah, God of our ancestors, you rule in heaven over all the nations of the world. You are powerful and mighty. No one can oppose you.

⁹ »If you return to Jehovah, your brothers and your sons will find compassion before those who led them captive and will return to this land. Jehovah your God is gracious and compassionate. He will not turn his face away from you if you return to him.«

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.

³ They said to me: »The small band of Jews now living there in the land is in deep trouble and shame. The wall of Jerusalem has been broken down, and its doorways burned with fire.«

⁵ I said: »O Jehovah (YHWH), the God of heaven, the great God, greatly to be respected, keeping faith and mercy with those who have love for him and are true to his laws:

⁸ »Keep in mind, O Jehovah, the order you gave your servant Moses, saying: ‘If you do wrong I will send you wandering among the peoples: ⁹ »If you come back to me and obey my orders, even if you have been forced out and are living in the farthest horizons, I will gather you from there, and bring you to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my name.’

⁹ »If you come back to me and obey my orders, even if you have been forced out and are living in the farthest horizons, I will gather you from there, and bring you to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my name.’

²¹ Hezekiah incorporated Moses’ teachings and commands into worship and dedicated his life to serving God. Whatever he did for the worship in God’s Temple, he did wholeheartedly, and he succeeded.

³¹ »Even then, in your great mercy, you did not put an end to them completely, or give them up; for you are a God of grace (loving-kindness) and mercy.

⁶ »You are Jehovah, even you only! You made heaven, the heaven of heavens with all their armies, the earth and all things in it, the seas and everything in them. You keep them from destruction and the armies of heaven are your worshippers.

¹³ »You came down on Mount Sinai, and your voice came to them from heaven, giving them right decisions and true laws, good rules and orders.

⁸ »Ask the former generations and find out what their fathers learned.

²⁶ if I have looked at the sun when it shone, or the moon moving in splendor, ²⁷ and my heart has been secretly enticed, and my mouth has kissed my hand, ²⁸ this also would be an iniquity to be punished by the judges, for I would have denied God above.

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

⁷ The law of Jehovah is perfect. It gives new life. The testimony of Jehovah is dependable. It makes the simple wise.

⁷ The law of Jehovah is perfect. It gives new life. The testimony of Jehovah is dependable. It makes the simple wise. ⁸ The statutes of Jehovah are correct. They make the heart rejoice. The commandments of Jehovah are radiant. They make the eyes shine. ⁹ The reverence of Jehovah is pure. It endures forever. The decisions of Jehovah are true. They are completely fair. ¹⁰ They are more desirable than gold, even the finest gold. They are sweeter than honey, even the drippings from a honeycomb. ¹¹ They warn your servant. There is a great reward in following them.

⁹ When you appear, you will make them burn like a blazing furnace. Jehovah will swallow them up in his anger. Fire will devour them.

⁹ Save your people, and bless those who belong to you. Be their shepherd, and carry them forever.

⁸ Jehovah says: »I will instruct you. I will teach you the way that you should go. I will advise you as my eyes watch over you.

¹² Blessed is the nation who’s God is Jehovah. Happy are the people whom he has chosen for his own inheritance.

¹¹ Come, you sons, listen to me. I will teach you the respect of Jehovah. ¹² Which of you wants a full life? Who would like to live long enough to enjoy good things? ¹³ Keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from deceit. ¹⁴ Turn away from evil, and do good. Seek peace, and pursue it! ¹⁵ Jehovah’s eyes watch over righteous people. His ears hear their cry for help.

¹⁵ Jehovah’s eyes watch over righteous people. His ears hear their cry for help. ¹⁶ Jehovah confronts those who do evil in order to wipe out all memory of them from the earth.

¹⁸ Jehovah is near to those whose hearts and minds are humble and contrite. He saves the broken hearted and crushed in spirit.

¹ ([Sons of Korah]) O God, we have heard with our ears and our fathers told us about the work that you did in their days, in the days of old. ² You drove out the nations with your own hand (great power). Then you planted them; you afflicted the peoples and spread them abroad. ³ It was not with their swords that they took possession of the land. They did not gain victory with their own strength. It was your right hand, your arm (power), and the light of your presence that did it, because you were pleased with them.

¹ ([Sons of Korah]) God is our refuge and strength, a ready help in times of trouble.

¹¹ Men will say: Truly there is a reward for the righteous. Truly there is a God who judges the earth.

¹⁸ And even when I am old and gray, O God, do not forsake me, until I declare your strength to this generation, your power to all who are to come.

²⁸ It is good for me to draw near to God. I have put my trust in Jehovah God, that I may declare all your works.

¹⁶ The day and the night are yours. You have prepared the light and the sun. ¹⁷ You have set all the boundaries of the earth. You have made summer and winter.

⁸ I cling to you. Your right hand supports (holds) me.

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. ⁸ They should not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation that did not prepare its heart and whose spirit was not faithful to God.

¹² He wrought wonders before their fathers in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.

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. ⁵¹ He destroyed every firstborn in Egypt, the ones born in the tents of Ham when their fathers were young. ⁵² He led his own people out like sheep and guided them like a flock through the wilderness. ⁵³ He led them safely. They had no fear while the sea covered their enemies.

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

⁵ You, O Jehovah, are good and forgiving, full of loving kindness toward everyone who calls out to you.

¹⁵ But you, O Jehovah, are a compassionate and merciful God. You are patient, always faithful and ready to forgive.

¹⁸ That they may know that you alone, whose name is Jehovah, are the Most High over all the earth.

⁶ You seed of Abraham his servant, you children of Jacob his chosen ones. ⁷ He is Jehovah our God: his judgments are in all the earth. ⁸ He has remembered his covenant forever! It is the word he commanded to a thousand generations.

⁸ He has remembered his covenant forever! It is the word he commanded to a thousand generations. ⁹ He made this covenant with Abraham and gave his oath to Isaac. ¹⁰ He confirmed the same to Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant.

⁴⁴ He gave them the lands of other nations. They inherited what others had worked for. ⁴⁵ Then they would obey his laws and follow his teachings. Praise Jehovah!

⁴⁵ Then they would obey his laws and follow his teachings. Praise Jehovah!

¹⁹ At Mount Horeb they made a statue of a calf. They worshiped an idol made of metal. ²⁰ They traded their glorious God for the statue of a bull that eats grass.

²⁸ They joined in worshiping the god Baal while they were at Peor. They ate what was sacrificed to the dead. ²⁹ They infuriated God by what they did, and a plague broke out among them.

³² They made God angry by the water at Meribah. Things turned out badly for Moses because of what they did. ³³ They made him bitter so that he spoke recklessly.

⁵ He provides food for those who reverence him. He always remembers his covenant.

⁹ He has sent deliverance to his people. He has ordered that his covenant should continue forever. His name is holy and awesome. ¹⁰ The respect and reverence for Jehovah is the beginning of wisdom. All who obey his commandments show good sense (insight) and understanding. His praise endures (continues) forever.

² Blessed are those who obey his written word. They seek him with all their heart.

⁴ You have ordained your precepts that we should keep them diligently. ⁵ Oh that my ways may be established to keep your statutes!

⁷ I will give thanks to you with uprightness of heart, when I learn your righteous judgments.

⁹ How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to your word. ¹⁰ With all my heart I have sought you. Do not let me wander from your commandments. ¹¹ Your word I have treasured in my heart that I may not sin against you.

¹⁴ I have rejoiced in the way of your written word, as much as in all riches.

²² Take away reproach and shame from me, for I have obeyed your laws.

²⁴ Your laws are my delight and counsel.

¹²⁷ Therefore I love your commandments more than gold, yes, more then fine gold. ¹²⁸ That is why I esteem right all your precepts and I hate every false way.

¹⁴⁵ I cried with all my heart. Answer me, O Jehovah! I will observe your statutes.

¹ When Israel left Egypt, when Jacob's family left people who spoke a foreign language, ² Judah became his holy place and Israel became his government. ³ The Red Sea looked at this and ran away. The Jordan River turned back. ⁴ The mountains jumped like rams. The hills jumped like lambs. ⁵ Red Sea, why did you run away? Jordan River, what made you turn back? ⁶ Mountains, what made you jump like rams? Hills, what made you jump like lambs?

³ Our God is in heaven. He does whatever he pleases. ⁴ Their idols are made of silver and gold. Human hands made them. ⁵ They have mouths, but they cannot speak. They have eyes, but they cannot see. ⁶ They have ears, but they cannot hear. They have noses, but they cannot smell. ⁷ They have hands, but they cannot feel. They have feet, but they cannot walk. They cannot even make a sound with their throats. ⁸ Those who make idols end up like them. So does everyone who trusts them.

⁵ Jehovah is gracious and righteous. Our God is compassionate (merciful).

⁵⁸ I sought your favor with all my heart. Be gracious to me as you promise in your word.

⁸⁶ All your commandments are faithful. They have persecuted me with a lie; help me!

⁹⁶ I have seen a limit to all perfection. Your commandment is exceedingly broad.

⁹⁸ Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever mine. ⁹⁹ I have more insight than all my teachers, for your laws are my meditation. ¹⁰⁰ I understand more than the aged, since I have observed your precepts.

¹¹¹ I have inherited your laws forever, for they are the joy of my heart.

³ It is like the dew of Hermon coming down upon the mountains of Zion. For there Jehovah commanded the blessing. It is life forever.

⁴ For Jehovah has chosen Jacob for Himself and Israel for his special treasure (property).

⁶ Everything Jehovah desires he does in the heavens and in earth, and in the seas and all deep places.

¹⁵ The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of man's hands. ¹⁶ They have mouths, but they do not speak. They have eyes, but they do not see. ¹⁷ They have ears, but they do not hear. There is no breath in their mouths. ¹⁸ Those who make them will be like them, everyone who trusts in them.

⁷ To him who made the great lights. His loving kindness is everlasting: ⁸ The sun to rule by day, for His loving kindness is everlasting, ⁹ The moon and stars to rule by night, for His loving kindness is everlasting. ¹⁰ To him who destroyed the Egyptians in their firstborn. His loving kindness is everlasting. ¹¹ And brought Israel out from their midst, for his loving kindness is everlasting. ¹² With a strong hand and an outstretched arm, for his loving kindness is everlasting. ¹³ To Him who divided the Red Sea asunder. His loving kindness is everlasting. ¹⁴ And made Israel pass through the midst of it. For his loving kindness is everlasting. ¹⁵ But he overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea, for his loving kindness is everlasting.

⁶ I stretch out my hands to you for I long for you, like a parched land. ⁷ Answer me quickly, O Jehovah for my spirit fails. Do not hide your face from me or I will become like those who go down to the pit. ⁸ Let me hear your loving kindness in the morning. For I trust in you! Teach me the way in which I should walk for to you I am lifted up. ⁹ Deliver me, O Jehovah, from my enemies. I take refuge in you. ¹⁰ Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground. ¹¹ For the sake of your name, O Jehovah, revive me. In your righteousness bring me out of trouble.

⁸ Jehovah is gracious and merciful; Slow to anger and great in loving-kindness. ⁹ Jehovah is good to all and his mercies are over all his works.

¹⁸ Jehovah is near to all who call upon him, to all who call upon him in truth.

¹ My son, do not forget my law. Let your heart obey my commandments. ² My precepts will give you a long, peaceful, and prosperous life. ³ Do not let kindness and truth leave you. Bind them around your neck. Write them on the tablet of your heart.

²¹ My son, do not let them depart from your eyes. Keep sound wisdom and discretion!

¹ Listen my sons to what your father teaches you. Pay attention and gain understanding. ² I give you good instruction. Do not abandon my Law! ³ I was my father’s son, tender and the only son to my mother. ⁴ Father taught me. He said: »Remember my words in your heart. Obey my commandments and live. ⁵ »Achieve wisdom and understanding! Do not forget or ignore what I say. ⁶ »Do not abandon wisdom, and she will protect you. Love her, and she will keep you safe. ⁷ »Wisdom is the most important thing. So gain wisdom! And by all means arrive at understanding. ⁸ »Love wisdom and she will exalt you. Embrace wisdom and she will honor you. ⁹ »She will present you with a crown of glory.« ¹⁰ Listen to me, my son. Accept what I tell you and live a long life. ¹¹ I taught you wisdom and the right way to live. ¹² Walk with wisdom and nothing will stand in your way. Run with wisdom and you will not stumble. ¹³ Take firm hold of instruction and do not let go. Obey her for she is your life.

²⁰ My son, pay attention to my words. Incline your ear (extend your hearing) to my sayings. ²¹ Do not let them leave your sight. Hold them in the midst of your heart! ²² For they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh. ²³ Guard your heart with all diligence for out of it come the source of life.

²³ Guard your heart with all diligence for out of it come the source of life.

²⁷ Do not turn to the right or to the left. Remove your foot from evil.

¹⁹ He speaks his word to Jacob, his laws and judgments to Israel. ²⁰ He has done nothing like this for any other nation. The other nations do not know the decisions he has handed down. Praise Jehovah!

³ Praise him, sun and moon. Praise him, all shining stars. ⁴ Praise him, you highest heaven and the water above the sky. ⁵ Let them praise the name of Jehovah for they were created by his command.

¹⁴ He has given his people a strong leader, someone praiseworthy for his faithful ones, for the people of Israel, the people who are close to him. Praise Jehovah!

⁷ Respect for Jehovah (YHWH) is the beginning of knowledge (truth) (understanding) (wisdom). Fools despise wisdom and instruction. ⁸ My son, listen to the instruction of your father. Do not forsake the law of your mother.

¹ My son, pay attention to my words, and preserve my commandments within you.

⁸ The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way. The folly of fools is deception.

¹⁹ Your trust may be in Jehovah. I taught you today, even you. ²⁰ Have I not written to you excellent things in counsel and knowledge?

²⁶ My son, give me your heart and let your eyes keep my ways.

⁶ Do not add to his words of he will reprove you. You will be found to be a liar.

¹³ Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Respect God, and obey his commandments for this is the whole duty of man.

¹² At their feasts there are lyres and harps, tambourines and flutes, and wine. Yet, they do not pay attention to what Jehovah is doing or respect what his hands have done.

¹¹ Then I said: »How long, O Jehovah? And He answered: »Until the cities are laid waste and without inhabitant, until the houses are deserted and the land is utterly desolate.

²¹ You will hear a voice behind you say: »This is the way. Walk in it,« whether it turns to the right or to the left.

²⁷ The name of Jehovah is going to come from far away. His anger is burning. His burden is heavy. His lips are filled with fury. His tongue is like a devouring flame.

³³ Topheth was prepared long ago. It was made ready for the king. It was made deep and wide and piled high with plenty of burning logs. Jehovah’s breath will be like a flood of burning sulfur, setting it on fire.

² Listen, heaven, and pay attention, earth! Jehovah (YHWH) has spoken: »I raised my children and helped them grow, but they have rebelled against me. ³ »The bull knows its owner, and donkey knows where its master feeds it. But Israel does not know. My people do not understand!«

¹⁹ »If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best from the land.

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.

⁵ The inhabitants of the earth pollute the earth. They transgress laws and violate statutes. They break the everlasting covenant.

²⁰ Go, my people, enter your rooms and shut the doors behind you. Hide yourselves for a little while until his rage has passed by.

¹⁴ The sinners in Zion are terrified. The godless tremble. Who of us can dwell with the consuming fire? Who of us can dwell with long lasting fire?

¹⁹ »The living, yes the living praise you, as I am doing today! Fathers tell their children about your faithfulness.

³ A voice of one calling: »In the wilderness prepare the way for Jehovah. Make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

⁴ »I honor you because you are precious to me and I love you. I will exchange others for you. Nations will be the price I pay for your life.

⁶ »This is what Jehovah, Israel’s King and Redeemer, Jehovah of Hosts says: ‘I AM THE FIRST AND I AM THE LAST-APART FROM ME THERE IS NO GOD!

⁸ »‘Do not tremble. Do not be afraid. Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago? You are my witnesses! Is there any God besides me? No, there is no other Rock. There is not one!’« ⁹ All who make idols are nothing. The things they treasure are worthless. Those who would speak up for them are blind. They are shamefully ignorant.

⁹ Awake, awake! Clothe yourself with strength, O arm of Jehovah. Awake, as in days gone by, as in generations of old. Was it not you who cut Rahab to pieces, who pierced that monster through? ¹⁰ Was it not you who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep, who made a road in the depths of the sea so that the redeemed might cross over? ¹¹ Jehovah’s ransomed will return. They will enter Zion with singing! Everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

⁶ Seek Jehovah while he may be found. Call on him while he is near.

⁶ Seek Jehovah while he may be found. Call on him while he is near. ⁷ Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to Jehovah, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.

⁶ A voice shouts: »Cry out!« And I said: »What shall I cry?« The voice shouts: »All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field.

¹⁸ To whom, then, will you compare God? What image will you compare him to?

⁸ »However you, O Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, you descendants of Abraham, my friend, ⁹ »‘I took you from the ends of the earth. I called you from its farthest corners. I said: ‘You are my servant. I have chosen you and have not rejected you.

⁸ »I ALONE AM JEHOVAH. THAT IS MY NAME. I WILL NOT GIVE MY GLORY TO ANOTHER! I will not let idols share my praise.

⁵ »I AM JEHOVAH AND THERE IS NO OTHER. THERE IS NO OTHER GOD BESIDES ME. I will strengthen you, although you do not know me.

¹⁸ Jehovah says: »Who created the heavens? He who is God. He fashioned and made the earth. He founded it and he did not create it to be empty but formed it to be inhabited.« He says: »I am Jehovah, and there is no other.

²⁰ »Come here, you refugees from the nations. Ignorant people carry wooden idols and pray to gods that cannot save anyone.

²² »Turn to me and be saved! Turn to me all who live at the ends of the earth for I am God, and there is no other.

⁷ »They lift it to their shoulders and carry it. They set it up in its place and there it stands. From that spot it cannot move. Though one cries out to it, it does not answer. It cannot save him from his troubles!

¹² »Be horrified over this, heaven. Be terribly afraid,« declares Jehovah.

¹⁰ »Even after all this, Israel's treacherous sister Judah did not return to me with all her heart. She was deceitful,« says Jehovah.

¹² »‘Go and proclaim this message to the north: ‘Come back, unfaithful Israel. It is Jehovah speaking. I will no longer frown on you because I am merciful,’ declares Jehovah. ‘I will no longer be angry with you. ¹³ ‘Admit that you have done wrong! You have rebelled against Jehovah your God. You have given yourself to foreign gods under every large tree. You have not obeyed me,’ says Jehovah. ¹⁴ ‘Return, you disobedient people, proclaims Jehovah. I am your husband. I will take you, one from every city and two from every family, and bring you to Zion.’

¹⁹ »Hear, O earth: behold, I am bringing disaster on this people as the fruit of their plans. This is because they have not listened to my words, and have rejected my law.

²³ »‘I gave them this command: ‘Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and you will be my people. You will walk in all the way that I command you that it may be well with you.’«

² »They will be spread out and exposed to the sun, the moon, and all the stars in the sky. These are the things that they had loved, served, gone after, sought, and worshiped. Their bones will not be gathered or buried, but they will become manure on the ground.

⁹ »Wise people are put to shame, confused, and trapped. They have rejected the word of Jehovah. They do not really have any wisdom.

³ The people’s customs are erroneous and empty. It is wood cut from the forest. It is the work of the hands of a craftsman with a cutting tool.

⁹ Beaten silver is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz. It is the work of a craftsman and of the hands of a goldsmith. Violet and purple are their clothing. They are all the work of skilled men.

⁹ In all their difficulty he was concerned, and he was the messenger who saved them. In his love and compassion he reclaimed (redeemed) them. He always held them and carried them in the past.

¹¹ His people finally remembered Moses and the days of old. Where is the one who brought them out of the sea with the shepherds of his flock? Where is the one who put his Holy Spirit in the midst of them? ¹² Where is the one who sent his powerful arm to support the right hand of Moses? Where is the one who divided the water in front of them to make an everlasting name for himself?

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. ¹⁸ Your holy people possessed the land for a little while. Our enemies have trampled on your holy place.

⁴ »It is the covenant I made with their ancestors when I brought them out of Egypt. Egypt was like an iron smelter (furnace) to them. I told them to obey me and to do everything that I commanded. I told them that if they obeyed, they would be my people and I would be their God.

²¹ For the sake of your name, do not despise us. Do not dishonor your glorious throne. Remember your promise to us. Do not break it.

¹³ »Therefore I will throw you out of this land into a land that you and your ancestors have not heard of. There you will serve other gods day and night because I will no longer have pity on you.«’

²¹ »Jehovah says: ‘Take heed for yourselves, and do not carry any load on the Sabbath day or bring anything in through the gates of Jerusalem.

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.’«

²⁰ The anger of Jehovah will not turn back until he has performed and carried out the purposes (intent) of his heart. In the last days you will clearly understand it.

¹² ‘Then you will call to me. You will come and pray to me and I will hear you. ¹³ ‘When you look for me, you will find me. When you wholeheartedly seek me, ¹⁴ ‘I will let you find me, declares Jehovah. I will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have scattered you,’ declares Jehovah. ‘I will bring you back from the place where you are being held captive.’

¹ Jehovah proclaims: »At that time I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they will be my people.«

²² »How long will you go here and there, O faithless daughter? For Jehovah has created a new thing in the earth. A woman will protect a man.«

³⁵ Jehovah provides the sun to be a light during the day. He orders the moon and stars to be lights during the night. He stirs up the sea so that its waves roar. His name is Jehovah of Hosts. This is what Jehovah says:

²¹ »You brought your people Israel out of the land of Egypt using signs and wonders. You did this with a strong hand, with an outstretched arm and with great terror.

²⁵ »Jehovah says: ‘If My covenant for day and night do not stand and I have not established the fixed patterns of heaven and earth,

¹² »‘O house of David, Jehovah says: »Administer justice every morning. Deliver the person who has been robbed from the power of his oppressor. That way I may not have to offer my wrath like fire and burn with none to extinguish it, because of the evil of your deeds.«’ ¹³ »‘I am against you, O valley dweller, O rocky plain,’ declares Jehovah. ‘You men say: »Who will come down against us? Or who will enter into our habitations? ¹⁴ »‘But I will punish you according to the results of your deeds,’ declares Jehovah. ‘I will kindle a fire in its forest that will devour all its environs.’«

²⁹ »O land, land, land! Hear the word of Jehovah.

⁴⁰ Let us search and put our ways to the test. Let us turn again to Jehovah.

²² »This very day your land lies in ruins and no one lives in it. It has become a horrifying sight. People use its name as a curse because Jehovah could no longer endure your wicked and evil practices.

¹⁶ So he took me to the inner courtyard of the Temple. There near the entrance of the sanctuary, between the altar and the porch, were about twenty-five men. They turned their backs to the sanctuary and were bowing low toward the east, worshiping the rising sun.

⁴ »Go through the whole city of Jerusalem and put a mark (signature) on the forehead of everyone who is distressed and troubled because of all the disgusting things being done in the city.«

⁵⁹ »The Lord Jehovah says: ‘I will treat you the way you deserve, because you ignored your promises and broke the covenant.

²⁰ ‘»In this way they may walk in my statutes and obey my ordinances. Then they will be my people, and I will be their God.

¹⁵ »So they will know that I am Jehovah when I scatter them among the nations and spread them among the countries.

¹¹ ‘»»I gave them my laws and made my rules known to them. If people obey them they will live.

²¹ ‘»»But the children rebelled against me. They did not walk in my statutes. They were not careful to obey my ordinances. If a man obeys them, he will live. They profaned my Sabbaths. So I resolved to pour out my wrath on them, to accomplish my anger against them in the wilderness.

³² ‘»What you have in mind (heart) will never happen. You think that you want to be like other nations, like the different people in other countries. You want to serve wood and stone.«’

³⁹ »The Lord Jehovah says: ‘The Lord Jehovah tells all you Israelites to suit yourselves! Go on and serve your idols! But I warn you that after this you will have to obey me and stop dishonoring my holy name by offering gifts to your idols.’

¹ Jehovah continued to speak his word to me: ² »Son of man, turn to Jerusalem and preach against the holy places. Prophesy against the land of Israel. ³ »Tell the land of Israel: ‘This is what Jehovah says: »I am against you. I will take my sword out of its sheath and kill the righteous people and the wicked people among you. ⁴ ‘»I am going to kill the righteous people and the wicked people among you. That is why my sword will come out of its sheath to be used against everyone from the south to the north. ⁵ ‘»Then everyone will know that I, Jehovah, have taken my sword from its sheath, and I will not put it back again.«’ ⁶ »So, son of man, groan with a breaking heart and with bitter crying while the people watch you. ⁷ »When they ask why you are groaning tell this: ‘News has come that will discourage everyone. People's hands will hang limp, their hearts will lose courage, and their knees will become as weak as water. It is coming! It will surely take place!’ Declares the Lord Jehovah.« ⁸ Jehovah continued to speak to Ezekiel: ⁹ »Son of man, prophecy and say, ‘this is what Jehovah says: »A sword, a sword is sharpened and also polished! ¹⁰ ‘»‘It is sharpened to make a slaughter and polished to flash like lightning! Shall we rejoice in the rod of my son despising every tree?’«’« ¹¹ ‘»The sword was given to be polished, that it might be handled. The sword is sharpened and polished, to give it into the hand of the slayer. ¹² ‘»Cry out and wail, son of man, for it is against my people; it is against all the officials of Israel. They are delivered over to the sword with my people. Therefore strike your thigh. ¹³ ‘»For there is testing. And what if even the rod that despises will be no more?« Declares the Lord Jehovah. ¹⁴ »You therefore, son of man, prophesy and clap your hands together. Let the sword be doubled the third time, the sword for the slain. It is the sword for the great one slain, which surrounds them, ¹⁵ that their hearts may melt (lose their courage), and many fall at all their gates. I have given the glittering sword. Ah! It is made for striking like lightning. It is wrapped up in readiness for slaughter. ¹⁶ »Show yourself sharp, go to the right, set yourself, go to the left, wherever your edge is appointed. ¹⁷ »Clap your hands and I will bring my anger to rest. Jehovah has spoken.« ¹⁸ Jehovah’s word came to me: ¹⁹ »Son of man, mark two roads that the king of Babylon and his sword can take. Both of these roads should start from the same country. Make a signpost and put it at the fork of the roads that go toward the cities. ²⁰ »Mark the road that the king and his sword can take to the Ammonite city of Rabbah. Then mark the road that leads to Judah and the fortified city of Jerusalem. ²¹ »The king of Babylon will stand where the roads branch off, at the fork in the road. Then he will look for omens. The king will stand at the branch of the roads where he will use divination. He will shake the arrows and ask the teraphim and look into the liver. ²² »The divination (omens) will indicate that he should go to the right, to Jerusalem. So he will set up his battering rams there, and give the order to kill. He will raise a battle cry and aim the battering rams against the city gates. He will put up ramps and set up blockades (siege walls). ²³ »The people will think it is false divination and not believe this because they have made treaties with other nations. But the king of Babylon will remind them of their sins, and they will be captured.

²⁸ »I will turn the land into a barren wasteland. People will no longer brag about its power. The mountains of Israel will become so ruined that no one will travel through them.

⁴ ‘»‘Therefore, O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord Jehovah. The Lord Jehovah says to the mountains and to the hills, to the ravines and to the valleys, to the desolate wastes and to the forsaken cities that have become a prey and derision to the rest of the nations that are round about,

²⁷ »I will put my Spirit in you. I will enable you to live by my Laws, and you will obey my rules.

²⁴ »‘»My servant David will be their king. All of them will have one shepherd. They will live by my rules, and they will obey my laws.

²⁶ »‘Meshech and Tubal are there with all their soldiers. The graves of their soldiers are all around them. Their soldiers were all godless people. They were killed in battle because they terrified others in the land of the living.

²⁰ The king found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his entire realm. This was in every matter of wisdom and understanding.

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.

³⁵ All the inhabitants of the earth are considered as nothing. He does according to his will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of earth. None can stop him, or say to him: ‘What do you do?’

¹¹ »There is a man in your kingdom who has the spirit of the holy gods. In your fathers day, light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, were found in him. King Nebuchadnezzar, your father, made him master of the magicians, enchanters, Chaldeans, and soothsayers. ¹² »Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar, has an excellent spirit, knowledge, and understanding for interpreting dreams, showing of dark sentences, and dissolving doubts. Let Daniel be called, and he will show the interpretation.« ¹³ Daniel was brought before the king. The king spoke to Daniel: »Are you that Daniel, one of the exiles of Judah, whom the king my father brought out of Judah? ¹⁴ »I have heard of you, that the spirit of the gods is in you, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you. ¹⁵ »The wise men and the enchanters, have been brought in before me to read this writing, and make known the interpretation of it. But they could not show the interpretation. ¹⁶ »I have heard that you can give interpretations and dissolve doubts. If you can read the writing and make the interpretation known to me you will be clothed with purple, and have a chain of gold about your neck, and will be the third ruler in the kingdom.«

⁵ Afterward the children of Israel will return and seek Jehovah their God. David their king will come with trembling to Jehovah and to his goodness in the last days.

² »It never enters their hearts that I will remember all this evil. But their sins surround them, and I cannot avoid seeing them.

⁹ They have gone deep in depravity as in the days of Gibeah. He will remember their iniquity. He will punish their sins. ¹⁰ »I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness. I saw your forefathers as the earliest fruit on the fig tree in its first season. They came to Baal-peor and devoted themselves to shame. They became as detestable as that which they loved.

¹² »Even now,« said Jehovah, »turn to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning!

¹² »Even now,« said Jehovah, »turn to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning! ¹³ »Rip apart your heart, and not your garments. Turn to Jehovah your God! He is gracious and merciful. He is slow to anger and abundant in loving-kindness. He will turn back from doing harm.

² »Of all the families of the earth I have chosen (known) only you. Therefore I will punish you for all your sins.

²⁵ »Did you bring sacrifices and offerings to me in the wilderness for forty years, O house of Israel? ²⁶ »You have carried the tabernacle of your king and the shrine of your images, the star of your god, which you made for yourselves.

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. ¹⁵ »And now, O Jehovah our God, you brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and made a name for yourself that day. We have sinned! We have done wickedly. ¹⁶ »O Jehovah, according to all your righteousness, let your anger, I pray you, be turned away from your city Jerusalem, your holy mountain. Because of our sins, and the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people have become a reproach to all those who are round about us. ¹⁷ »Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant, and to his supplications, and cause your face to shine upon your sanctuary that is desolate, for Jehovah’s sake. ¹⁸ »O my God, incline your ear, and hear! Open your eyes, and behold our desolations and the city that is called by your name. We do not present our supplications before you because of our righteous merits, but according to your many mercies. ¹⁹ »O Jehovah, hear; O Jehovah, forgive; O Jehovah, pay attention and act! Do not delay for your own sake, O my God! Because your city and your people are called by your name.«

¹⁴ »Now I have come to make you understand what will happen to your people in the future for the vision is yet for many days.«

² »Return to Jehovah and say to him: ‘Take away all iniquity and receive us graciously, that we may present the fruit (young bulls) of our lips.’ (Hebrews 13:15) ³ »Assyria will not save us and we will not ride on horses. We will not say again: Our god, to the work of our hands. In you the orphan finds mercy.

² »Hear this, you older men! Listen all you inhabitants of the land. Did this take place in your days, or in the days of your fathers?

² He prayed to Jehovah: »I pray to you, O Jehovah, was this what I said, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I hurried to flee to Tarshish. Because I knew that you are a gracious God. You are merciful, slow to anger, abundant in loving kindness, and one who takes pity over calamity (tragedy) (catastrophe) (disaster).

² »Hear, all you peoples! Listen, O earth, and all who are in it! Let the Sovereign Lord Jehovah (YHWH) be a witness against you, Jehovah from his Holy Temple.

² Hear Jehovah’s indictment you mountains and you enduring foundations of the earth! Jehovah argues a case against his people. He will contend with Israel:

¹⁸ Who is a God like you who pardons iniquity and passes over the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? You do not keep your anger forever, because you delight in loving-kindness (unchanging love).

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.

⁶ Who can stand before his indignation (displeasure)? Who can resist (withstand) (endure) the heat of his anger? His wrath is poured out like fire, and the rocks are broken to pieces by him.

⁵ »I will remove those who bow down to worship the host of heaven on the housetops and those who bow down and swear to Jehovah and yet swear by Malcolm.

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!«

⁸ »Wait for me,« said Jehovah, »until the day that I rise up as a witness. I am determined to gather the nations. I will assemble the kingdoms to pour out upon them my indignation, even all my fierce anger! All the earth will be devoured with the fire of my zeal.

¹⁵ »Those who are far off will come and build in the Temple of Jehovah.« You will know that Jehovah of Hosts sent me to you. This will come to pass if you will diligently obey the voice of Jehovah your God.«

²⁰ Jehovah of Hosts said: »It will yet come to pass, peoples, and the inhabitants of many cities will come. ²¹ »The inhabitants of one city will go to another, saying, ‘Let us go speedily to entreat the favor of Jehovah, and to seek Jehovah of Hosts; I will go also. ²² »Yes, many peoples and strong nations will come to seek Jehovah of Hosts in Jerusalem, and to request the favor of Jehovah.« ²³ Jehovah of hosts said: »In those days it will come to pass, that ten men out of all the languages of the nations, will take hold of the skirt of the one who is a Jew, saying, We will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.«

² »I have loved you,« said Jehovah. You replied: »How have you loved us?« »Was Esau Jacob's brother?« Responded Jehovah: »Yet I loved Jacob.

¹⁵ »Did God make you one? Your flesh and spirit belong to him. What does God look for but godly descendants? Do not be unfaithful to the wife of your youth.

¹² »All the nations will pronounce you happy because your land will be a good place to live.

⁴ »You should remember the Law of Moses my servant. I commanded the statutes and ordinances (regulations and judgments) to him at Horeb for all Israel.

¹⁸ »I solemnly tell you, heaven and earth would pass away before one small letter (detail) will pass away from the Law. All things must be accomplished.

⁴³ »You have heard it said, ‘You should love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ (Leviticus 19:18)

⁴⁵ »You will then act as true children of your Father in heaven. He gives sunlight to both evil and good people. He sends rain for the just and the unjust.

³ Isaiah spoke of John when he said: »He is a voice shouting in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of Jehovah. Make his paths straight.’« (Isaiah 40:3)

¹⁷ Then a voice from heaven said: »This is my Son whom I love and whom I have approved.«

² They questioned him: »Why do your disciples go against the teaching of the fathers? They eat food with unwashed hands.« ³ His answer to them was in the form of a question: »Why do you go against the word of God in favor of your tradition? ⁴ »God said, ‘Honor your father and mother.’ ‘He who says evil of father or mother will be put to death.’ ⁵ »You teach that a man should tell his father or mother that what he has that could help them, is given to God. ⁶ »You say there is no need for him to give honor to his father. You have invalidated the word of God because of your tradition! ⁷ »You hypocrites (liars)! Isaiah’s prophecy was right about you. ⁸ »‘These people honor me with their lips, but their heart (innermost thoughts) is far from me. ⁹ »‘But their worship is to no purpose, while they give as their teaching the rules (commands) of men.’«

⁴ Jesus answered: »Be careful that no man misleads you.

³¹ »He will send his angels with a great trumpet sound. They will gather together the anointed from the four winds, from one end of the sky (horizon) to the other.

⁵ While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them. A voice came out of the cloud, saying: »This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to him.«

²⁰ »Teach them to observe all the things I have commanded you. Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.«

¹ The Pharisees and some of the scribes came from Jerusalem to gather around Jesus. ² They saw that some of his disciples ate their bread with unwashed defiled hands. ³ (For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, do not eat until they wash their hands. They practice the tradition of the elders.) ⁴ When they come from the marketplace they wash themselves before they eat. They follow many other rules. They wash their cups, and brass pots, and other vessels. ⁵ The Pharisees and the scribes asked: »Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders. Instead they eat their bread with defiled hands?« ⁶ He told them: »Isaiah prophesied about you hypocrites. It is written: ‘This people honor me with their lips but their heart is far from me. ⁷ ‘They worship me in vain teaching as doctrines the commands of men.’« ⁸ Speaking to the Pharisees and scribes He said: »You abandon the commandment of God, and hold fast the tradition of men. ⁹ »You totally reject the commandment of God that you may keep your tradition. ¹⁰ »Moses said: ‘Honor your father and your mother. He also said: ‘He that speaks evil of father or mother must die.’ ¹¹ »But you say: ‘If a man says to his father or his mother that which would benefit you is a gift to God, ¹² he no longer has to do anything for his father or mother.’ ¹³ »You make the word of God invalid by your tradition.«

²⁹ Jesus answered: »The first is, Hear, O Israel; Jehovah our God is one God (Jehovah).

³² The scribe said to him: »It is true teacher you’ve said it well that he is one and there is no one else besides him.

²⁷ »He will send the angels to gather together his anointed from the four winds, from one end of the earth to the other end of heaven.

⁶ They were both righteous before God. They blamelessly obeyed all the commandments and ordinances of God (Greek: kurios: God).

⁵⁰ »His mercy is to all generations for all who respect him.

⁷² »He shows mercy towards our fathers and remembers his holy covenant.

⁷² »He shows mercy towards our fathers and remembers his holy covenant. ⁷³ »It was the oath he spoke to Abraham our father.

¹⁵ Jesus said: »Be careful, do not covet, for life does not come from your possessions.«

¹⁸ »Pay attention and hear! Whoever has will be given more. Whoever does not have, more will be taken away, and even what he thinks he has will be taken.«

⁸ He said: »Take heed that you are not led astray. Many will come in my name, saying, I am he but the time is not at hand. Do not follow them.

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.

¹⁷ The law came through Moses. Loving-kindness and truth came through Jesus Christ.

²⁴ »God is a Spirit. They who worship him must worship him with spirit and truth.«

⁶⁷ Jesus asked the twelve: »Will you also go away?« ⁶⁸ Simon Peter answered him: »Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of everlasting life! ⁶⁹ »We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.«

²⁸ »Father, glorify your name.« A voice came from heaven: »I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.« ²⁹ The crowd near him only heard thunder. Some said an angel spoke to him. ³⁰ Jesus said: »This voice came for your sake and not for mine.

¹⁵ »If you love me, you will keep (obey) my commandments!

²¹ »He that has my commandments, and obeys them loves me. My Father will love the person who loves me. I will love him and disclose myself to him.« ²² Judas (not Iscariot) asked him: »Lord, what will happen that you will disclose yourself to us, and not to the world?« ²³ Jesus answered: »If a man loves me, he will obey my word. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and dwell with him. ²⁴ »He who does not love me does not obey my words. The word you hear is not mine, but comes from the Father who sent me.

¹⁴ »You are my friends if you do the things that I command you.

¹⁹ »Repent therefore, and turn around, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times (seasons) of refreshing shall come from the presence of Jehovah. (Deuteronomy 18:18, 19)

⁴² »God turned, and gave them up to worship the host of heaven. It is written in the book of the prophets: O you house of Israel, have you offered to me slain beasts and sacrifices by the space of forty years in the wilderness?

²³ When he arrived he saw the grace of God and was glad. He exhorted them all to remain true to the Lord as their only purpose of heart.

²⁹ »Being then the offspring of God, we should not think that the divine being is like gold, or silver, or stone, a device made by man’s design or skill.

⁴ Those who accompanied him as far as Asia: Sopater of Beroea, the son of Pyrrhus; and of the Thessalonians, Aristarchus and Secundus; and Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy; and of Asia, Tychicus and Trophimus. ⁵ They left early and were waiting for us at Troas.

²⁷ »I did not shrink from telling you the entire will of God.

²⁰ »I preached first to Damascus, and to Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judea, and then to the people of the nations, that they should repent and turn to God, and prove their repentance by deeds.

²² Claiming to be wise, they became fools. ²³ They changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things.

²³ They changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things. ²⁴ God gave them up to uncleanness because of the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between themselves. ²⁵ They changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshiped and served the creation more than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

¹² The law is holy, and the commandment holy, and righteous, and good. ¹³ Did that which is good become death to me? God forbid! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good. This way sin might be shown to be sin. Through the commandment sin could be recognized. ¹⁴ For we know that the law is spiritual. But I am fleshly and sold under sin.

⁵ The forefathers belong to them from whom came the Christ according to the flesh. God who is over all is blessed forever. Amen.

⁵ Moses writes down the righteousness that is of the law. The man who has practiced those things shall live by them.

⁹ Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor evil and cling to good.

²⁸ Let a man examine himself before he eats of that bread, and drinks of that cup.

³ First of all, I delivered to you what I also received, how Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.

⁷ The ministry of death was written and engraved on stones. Glory came with it so that the children of Israel could not look steadfastly upon the face of Moses. And this glory was passing away.

⁴ The god of this age (world) (religious, social, political, and economic arrangement) has blinded the minds of unbelievers that the light of the good news of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should not shine on them. ⁵ We do not preach about ourselves, but about Christ Jesus as Lord. We are your servants for Jesus' sake. ⁶ God said: Light will shine out of darkness. He shined in our hearts. He gave the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face (presence) ((person) of Jesus Christ.

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

¹⁵ Brothers, I speak like a man speaks: Though it is only a man's covenant, yet when it has been confirmed, no one makes it void, or adds to it.

¹⁸ Have the eyes of your heart enlightened, that you may know the hope of his calling, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the holy ones,

¹² You were separate from Christ at that time, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel. You were strangers from the covenants of the promise. You had no hope and were without God in the world. ¹³ You were once far off but now with Christ Jesus, the blood of Christ has brought you near. ¹⁴ For he is our peace, who made both (Jews and Gentiles) one, and broke down the middle barrier of partition. ¹⁵ Christ abolished in his flesh the enmity (ill will), which the law of commandments contained in ordinances. That [way] he might create one new man, out of the two, with himself establishing peace. ¹⁶ So he reconciled them both in one body to God through the stake. He put to death the enmity (antagonism) (hostility). ¹⁷ He came and preached peace to you who were far off, and peace to those who were near. ¹⁸ We both have access to the Father by one Spirit through him. ¹⁹ So then you are no longer strangers and aliens. You are fellow citizens with the holy ones and of the household of God. ²⁰ You are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets. Christ Jesus is the chief corner stone. ²¹ In him each building fits together and grows into a »holy Temple for Jehovah.« (Zechariah 6:12) ²² In Christ you are assembled together as a place for God’s Spirit to dwell.

³ Then it will go well with you, and you may live long on the earth. ⁴ Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger but nurture them in the discipline and instruction of God.

¹⁵ He is the image (likeness) (representation) of the invisible God. He is the firstborn (Greek: prototokos: childbirth, offspring) of all creation.

¹ Furthermore, we encourage you, brothers, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as you have received from us how you ought to walk, and to please God, so you would abound more and more. ² You know the commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus.

⁸ Bodily exercise is profitable for a little. However, godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of the life that is to come.

¹⁵ From childhood you have known the sacred writings that are able to make you wise to salvation through faith that is in Christ Jesus. ¹⁶ God inspired all Scripture! It is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness. (Greek: theopneustos: God-breathed) ¹⁷ Thus the man of God may be completely equipped for every good work.

² He has in these last days spoken to us by his Son, whom he has appointed heir of all things, through whom he made the ages (Greek: aion: ages of time, perpetuity, worlds, generations, human entities). ³ God’s Son is the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his being. He sustains all things by his powerful word. After Jesus purged our sins, he sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.

¹ Pay close attention to the things heard so we do not drift away.

³ How shall we escape, if we neglect such a great salvation? It was first presented by the Lord and was confirmed to us by those who heard him.

⁵ Indeed Moses was faithful in His house, as a ministering servant, for a testimony of the things to be spoken afterwards.

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

¹⁷ Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

¹⁴ He (Jesus Christ) gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify a people for himself, who are special people, zealous for good works.

⁹ Being made perfect, he became the source (cause) (channel) (conduit) (pathway) (facilitator) of eternal salvation to all who obey him. (Psalm 3:8)

¹⁸ God did this to offer encouragement so we may rely on the hope offered to us. We have taken refuge in that hope and it is impossible for God to lie. These two things can never be changed.

⁴ It had a golden incense burner. The Ark of the Covenant was completely covered with gold. It contained the golden pot that had the manna, and the rod of Aaron that had sprouted, and the tables of the covenant.

¹⁹ When Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the Law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people, ²⁰ He said: »This is the blood of the covenant that God has presented to you.«

⁶ »Jehovah disciplines those he loves. In fact he scourges every son (child) he receives.« ⁷ God deals with you like children. Endure discipline (instruction) (training). Who is the child whom a father does not discipline? ⁸ If you are without discipline, you are illegitimate children, and not sons. ⁹ Furthermore, we have had fathers of our flesh that corrected us, and we gave them respect. Shall we not much more be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? ¹⁰ They disciplined us for a few days for their own pleasure. He disciplines for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.

¹⁸ You have not come to a mountain that can be touched, to Mount Sinai with its blazing fire, the darkness and the gloom, the storm.

¹⁸ You have not come to a mountain that can be touched, to Mount Sinai with its blazing fire, the darkness and the gloom, the storm. ¹⁹ You have not come to the blast of a trumpet, and the sound of a voice. When the people heard the voice, they begged not to hear another word.

²⁵ Be careful, then, and do not refuse to hear him who speaks. Those who refused to hear the one who gave the divine message on earth did not escape. How much less shall we escape then, if we turn away from the one who speaks from heaven!

²⁹ Our God is a destroying (consuming) fire.

⁹ You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and a people for God’s own possession, that you may show the excellence of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

¹³ I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by reminding you. ¹⁴ I know that putting off my earthly dwelling is imminent, even as our Lord Jesus Christ indicated to me. ¹⁵ I will be diligent so that every time after my departure you will remember these things.

¹⁷ He received honor and glory from God the Father when he heard the voice from the Majestic Glory: »This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.« ¹⁸ We heard this voice from out of heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain.

²² You see that faith acted with his works, and works made faith perfect (complete).

¹³ Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by his good conduct that his works are from meekness because of wisdom.

⁸ Draw close to God, and he will draw close to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded (uncertain) (doubter) (skeptic).

⁶ Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you at the proper time.

³ »'Remember what you received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If you do not stay awake, I will come to you like a thief. You will not know the hour when I will come to you.

⁴ These are they who were not defiled with women. They are virgins. These are they who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These were redeemed (bought) from among mankind. They are the first fruits to God and to the Lamb.

⁵ Then a voice came from the throne. It said: »Praise our God, all you his servants, and you who reverence him, both small and great.«

⁴ I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. I also saw the people who were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image. They had not received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands. They lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

²⁰ We know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding. We know him that is true for we are in him who is true, [and] in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and everlasting life. ²¹ My little children guard (protect) yourselves from idols.

¹⁸ I testify to every man who hears the words of the prophecy of this book, if any man shall add to these things, God shall add to him the plagues that are written in this book. ¹⁹ If any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things that are written in this book.