Ken Hart's Bible Study Guides for 2nd Qtr 2013

Major Lessons from Minor Prophets

Contents

Lesson #1 for April 6, 2013 Spiritual Adultery (Hosea)

Lesson #2 for April 13, 2013 Love and Judgment: God’s Dilemma (Hosea)

Lesson #3 for April 20, 2013 A Holy and Just God (Joel)

Lesson #4 for April 27, 2013 Lord of All Nations (Amos/Obadiah)

Lesson #5 for May 4, 2013 Seek the Lord and Live! (Amos)

Lesson #6 for May 11, 2013 Prophets Eager to Forgive (Jonah)

Lesson #7 for May 18, 2013 God’s Special People (Micah)

Lesson #8 for May 25, 2013 Trusting God’s Goodness (Habakkuk)

Lesson #9 for June 1, 2013 The Day of the Lord (Zephaniah and Nahum)

Lesson #10 for June 8, 2013 First Things First (Haggai)

Lesson #11 for June 15, 2013 Visions of Hope (Zechariah)

Lesson #12 for June 22, 2013 Heaven’s Best Gift (Zechariah)

Lesson #13 for June 29, 2013 Lest We Forget? (Malachi)

Appendix

Great Controversy in Scriptures

SOME QUOTATIONS FROM ELLEN WHITE REGARDING --THE PLAN OF SALVATION IN THE SETTING OF THE GREAT CONTROVERSY

Major Lessons from Minor Prophets

Spiritual Adultery (Hosea)

Lesson #1 for April 6, 2013

Scriptures: [2 Kings 17:5-23; Hosea 1:1-3; 2:12-15,18; 4:1-3; 4:11-16; Ezekiel 4:1-6; James 5:1-7; Revelation 3:14-22; 14:6-12[1].]

1.    In order to understand what was going on in Hosea’s day, read 2 Kings 17:5-23[2] and Hosea 4:11-19[3]. About the year 723/722 B.C., the northern kingdom of Israel was conquered as a result of the siege and downfall of Samaria. As a result, the Israelite people were scattered across the Assyrian Empire. As a group they disappeared into history, and we have no trace of them from that day until this. Although we cannot be certain, it is very likely that Hosea lived through the final days of Israel’s history. Israel was committed to worshiping Baal.

2.    The period of Hosea’s prophetic activity is dated according to the reigns of four kings in Judah mentioned in Hosea 1:1-Uzziah (792-740 B.C.), Jotham (750-731 B.C.), Ahaz (735-715 B.C.), and Hezekiah (729-686 B.C.)—and the reign of Jeroboam II (793-753 B.C.) in Israel. Also on the throne during Hosea’s ministry were the last six kings of Israel following Jeroboam II—Zechariah, Shallum, Menahem, Pekahiah, Pekah, and Hoshea—although they are not listed in Hosea 1:1. A dating which satisfies all the demands of the historical notation in Hosea 1:1[4] is 755-725 B.C., the darkest period of Israel’s history.

Following the death of Jeroboam II, the nation was in a state of political anarchy. Of the last six kings of Israel, four (Zechariah, Shallum, Pekahiah, and Pekah) were assassinated, and the other two (Menahem and Hoshea) ascended the throne via assassinations. Morally speaking, Israel was bankrupt.

Blatant immoralities were practiced openly and unashamedly. The religious life of the people was idolatrous and degenerate. Hosea was an eyewitness to the inward deterioration which eventually led to the collapse of the nation in 722 B.C., at which time Samaria, the capital, fell to the Assyrians. Hosea’s ministry overlapped those of Isaiah and Micah in Judah and of Amos in Israel [(cf. Isaiah 1:1; Amos 1:1; Micah 1:1)].[5] These four prophets of the eighth century constituted the high mark of Hebrew prophecy. (Believer’s Study Bible -Introduction to Hosea)

Were there also other prophets of God who did not write books which have been preserved?

3.    Baal worship had been introduced into the kingdom of Israel by Jezebel around 870 B.C. One hundred and fifty years later, the nation was destroyed. Without going into great detail, it should be noted that after it split off from the southern kingdom of Judah, the northern kingdom of Israel was on a continual downhill slope until its demise. There was not a single king in the northern kingdom that the Bible describes as “good.”

4.    So, how should God react to that kind of course taken by His people? Is there a certain point at which God needs to say, “That’s enough! I have to take action”? What is that point? Is there ever a point at which God realizes that there is nothing more that even He can do for a group of people? At some point, does He have to “let them go”? (Hosea 4:17[6])

5.    In the story of Hosea as depicted in Hosea 1-3, we see a lived-out parable that God intended to use to awaken the people of the northern kingdom to the seriousness of their condition.

6.    Baal worshipers believed that to promote the fertility of their crops and animals one needed to go to the fertility cult shrines and offer the necessary sacrifices and participate in the worship services-including having sexual intercourse with the temple prostitutes-in order to assure that his crops would do well. Many of the people of Israel soon lost interest in worshiping the true God and focused on Baal worship instead.

7.    In Hosea 1&3, we see that God asked Hosea to marry Gomer a woman who may have already been a prostitute. Together, they had a child. Then, Gomer had two more children, presumably with other men. Finally, Gomer abandoned Hosea completely and apparently was selling her body for a living. She apparently “belonged” to another man. Hosea was then asked by God to go find her and bring her back. How many people knew Hosea’s story?

8.    Hosea’s story was a parallel to the story of the children of Israel who were supposed to be married to and in a faithful relationship with the God of heaven. Was this shock therapy?

9.    Would God really ask a prophet, priest, or pastor to marry a prostitute? [(Leviticus 21:7; Ezekiel 44:22)][7] Is it possible that Gomer was the best wife Hosea could find under the circumstances? (Hosea 4:11-19) When God chose Abraham and his descendants as His chosen people, were they the best people He could find under the circumstances? Or, did He choose them because they would demonstrate both the good traits and the bad traits that needed to be exhibited in the great controversy?

10.    Considering the history that we have talked about so far, what would you have done with the northern kingdom of Israel if you had been God? Did Hosea really develop love for Gomer? What did his neighbors and friends think when she left him? Did Hosea’s experience with Gomer help the nation of Israel to understand God’s challenges in dealing with His children?

11.    Does God ever ask prophets to get involved in lived-out parables? [(Hosea 1-3; Isaiah 20:1-6; Jeremiah 27:1-7; Ezekiel 3:26,27; 4:1-3; 4:4,5; 4:6-8; 4:9-17; 5:1-4; 12:1-6; 12:17-20; 21:6,7; 21:18-23; 24:15-26; 37:15-23; Micah 1:8)][8] Might God do something like that today?

12.    What is your life saying about God to those around you? (Matthew 5:16[9]) Are you a good person? Do people like you? Do you represent the truth about God?

13.    We know almost nothing about Hosea’s surroundings. In a world with no mass communication and especially if one lived in a rural area, how many other people would even know that person? And how many of them would know that person well enough to understand what was going on in his family? Consider an even more challenging question: How many of them would see any connection between Hosea’s personal problems and their own spiritual adultery? How many of them do you suppose ever heard or read what Hosea had written? Did Hosea go to the temple and read his book out loud to those who were in attendance at the temple? If you were Hosea, would you have done so?

14.    Read Hosea 2:8-13[10]. In this passage was God trying to bribe Israel to be good? When Hosea began his ministry, Israel was near the end of Jereboam II’s reign. He had been fairly successful as a military leader, and the country was relatively prosperous. But, spiritually, they were about to jump out of the frying pan and into the fire! Within a few years, God had to let them go, and they were killed or scattered among the peoples of the Assyrian Empire. Very few of even those who survived ever went back home. As a nation, the people of Israel were forever lost to history.

15.    In Hosea’s day, the offerings and sacrifices and money that should have gone to the Levites in the temple in Jerusalem were going to the fertility cult shrines and temples on the hilltops. (But, remember the Levite in Judges 19[11].) What would be an equivalent today? How different would be our situation as a church if every church member were paying a faithful tithe? What if each church member were correctly representing God? If every church member were just like you, how soon would the gospel be finished?

16.    The book of Hosea presents an incredible contrast. On the one hand, we read about God’s appeal to Hosea for the people to stop and think about what they were doing and to return to Him and He would take them back. On the other hand, we read about the dire consequences

of not doing so.

17.    At what point should God say: “I’m sorry. There is nothing more I can do for you”? God is always ready to take us back, but are we willing to come back? Or, are we too attached to our sins? God will never force us to come back?

18.    Read Hosea 2:12-15[12]. If Israel had returned to God, there would have been a marvelous coming together-a kind of atonement or “at-one-ment”-and God’s blessings would have flowed out to them once again. But, what really happened? Was God actively punishing Israel?

19.    Read Hosea 3:1-5. What do you think was happening? Had Gomer left Hosea completely? Was this after her second and third children were born? Those two were apparently not his children; the children were hers by another man! Was she attached to one of the fertility cult temples? Was that religion? Or, were the children the result of a private arrangement with one man? Was she-or someone else-selling her “services” for a profit? What would you think if you found your “pastor” searching around in the “red light” district to find his wife?

20.    In Hosea’s day, men had all the authority. Women were often considered nothing more than property. In that light, what did the neighbors and friends think of Hosea’s act of going after Gomer? Why didn’t Hosea give up on Gomer and look for another wife? He certainly had biblical grounds for divorce. At that point in time, who do you think was caring for the children? Were they with Gomer in a brothel?

21.    So, what are we supposed to learn about God from this lived-out parable? Read [Hosea 4:13,6,17,18.][13] Compare Hosea 6:6[14]. If you read the rest of Hosea 4, you will recognize that the so-called spiritual leaders of Israel were taking the people away from the truth about God and a away from a correct relationship with Him as fast as they could.

22.    Was God threatening them with drought if they did not behave? Does God do that?

23.    Read Hosea 12:7,8[15]. Those who were in positions of authority were cheating the poor. What is the relationship between their “spiritual adultery” and their exploitation of the poorer classes?

Poor rich men, professing to serve God, are objects of pity. While they profess to know God, in works they deny Him. How great is the darkness of such! They profess faith in the truth, but their works do not correspond with their profession. The love of riches makes men selfish, exacting, and overbearing. Wealth is power; and frequently the love of it depraves and paralyzes all that is noble and godlike in man.—Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 2, p. 682.

24.    Has the love of money become a major issue in the Seventh-day Adventist Church in our day?

25.    Read Hosea 6:6, GNB. “I want your constant love, not your animal sacrifices. I would rather have my people know me than burn offerings to me.” To understand this verse, one needs to understand Hebrew parallelism. Clearly, “animal sacrifices” and “burn offerings to me” are talking about the same thing. It is also true that “your constant love” is equal to having “my people know me.” If we really knew the truth about God, would we love Him more? Do we know God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit as we should? Do we know the truth about God as presented by Jesus when He was on this earth? [(Exodus 33:12,13; Jeremiah 9:23,24; Daniel 11:32; 1 John 2:4; John 17:3; 14:9)][16]

26.    Does knowing the Lord equate to knowing the truth about God? What is the truth about God? Who was/is determined that we not know the truth about God? Who has misrepresented God in every way possible to prevent us from knowing the truth about God? Do we ever suggest that God is arbitrary, exacting, vengeful, unforgiving, and severe? Or, do we believe that He

has the right to do whatever He wants because He is Sovereign?

27.    Is God intolerant of sin? Why? Can we learn to love sinners while we hate sin as God does? Do we really believe that sin is deadly? Could we become intolerant of sin?

28.    Between 760 and 600 B.C., there were four prophets presenting very serious messages. Two of them were in the northern kingdom, Hosea and Amos; and two of them were in the southern kingdom, Micah and Isaiah. What was their role in Hebrew society? What was the relationship between these prophets and the priests? Considering what we have already learned from Hosea 4, does God need a prophet once again in our day? How did our church leaders relate to Ellen White when she was our prophet?

29.    Seventh-day Adventists believe that we are living in the times of Laodicea (Revelation 3:14-22[17]) and the three angels’ messages. (Revelation 14:6-12[18]) How would you compare the appeals in the book of Hosea with these two final end-time messages for the world as given in Revelation? Which is more impressive to you?

Prophet _______Dates________________Kings

Hosea _______ca. 755-725 B.C. ?______Jereboam II, Zechariah, Shallum, Menahem, Pekahiah, Pekah, and Hoshea of Israel; Uzziah and Hezekiah of Judah

Joel _______9th Century B.C. - possible ______ Joash - Child king

7th Century B.C. - probable ______Josiah - Child king - 640-609 B.C.

Amos________ 767-753 B.C___________Jereboam—Israel Uzziah—Judah

9th. Century B.C.-possible 6th

Obadiah_______Century B.C.-probable ___Jehoram-Judah Gedaliah-Judah-586 B.C.

Jonah _________793 B.C. ______________Jeroboam II—Israel

Micah_________740-700 B.C.___________Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah-Judah

Nahum ________640 B.C.______________Manasseh ??-Judah-697-642 B.C.

Habakkuk______630 B.C.______________Josiah-Judah-640-609 B.C.

Zephaniah______630 B.C.______________Josiah-Judah-640-609 B.C.

Haggai_________Aug.29,520-Dec.18, 520.B.C.--Darius I- Persia

Zechariah______520-510 B.C.??_________Darius I- Persia

Malachi_______526 B.C.?______________Artaxerxes I- 465-424 B.C. Or Darius II-424-404 B.C-Persia

Love and Judgment: God’s Dilemma (Hosea)

Lesson #2 for April 13, 2013

Scriptures: [2 Kings 17:5-23; Hosea 4:11-16; 7:11,12; 10:11-13; 14; Judges 2:11-23; 3:1-11; Matthew 11:28-30; Romans 5:8; 1 Peter 2:24[19].]

1.    In this lesson we will focus on one of the most important teachings about God in the entire Bible. In Hosea 1-3, God used a lived-out parable to try to illustrate the truth about Himself and what He does to those of us who insist on leaving Him. In Hosea 4:11-16[20], there is a brief discussion of the circumstances. And what was God’s response? Read Hosea 4:17[21].

2.    The children of Israel had settled in Palestine. They were supposed to be at the crossroads of the civilized world of their day to represent the truth about their wonderful heavenly Father. Instead, they were doing everything wrong. To the north of them was the Assyrian Empire, rapidly growing in strength and ambitious to become a world leader. T o the south of them was Egypt with some of the same aspirations. Under those circumstances, Palestine became a battlefield when they were not fully protected by God.

3.    If you have not done so recently, read again 2 Kings 17:5-23[22] (the Good News Bible is especially good on this passage) to get the overall context. What was God supposed to do with those rebellious, obstinate, disobedient children? In Hosea, God likened Himself to a loving Husband, married to a profligate, prostitute wife. He also likened Himself to a Parent with a rebellious child. These are common pictures throughout Scripture.

4.    God repeatedly tells us that a loving, caring parent will discipline his children for their own good. [(Deuteronomy 8:5; Proverbs 13:24; Hosea 11:1-4; Hebrews 12:6; Revelation 3:19)][23] But, what is God supposed to do if the discipline is not working? Read Hosea 11:5-9[24].

5.    In the days of Abraham and Lot, there were five cities in the Jordan River Valley southeast of the Dead Sea. (Genesis 14:8[25]) These cities were Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Zoar. Only Zoar survived the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah. The other four cities became proverbially known for what happens to rebellious people when God gives up on them.

6.    The Christian church has traditionally taught that God hates sin and is very angry at sin and sinners. That idea is contradicted by verses like [Romans 5:8; 1 Peter 2:24; and Galatians 3:13][26]. If Jesus died experiencing the wrath of God against sin-the same death that sinners will experience in the end-how was God involved in that death?

7.    Down through the ages, the Christian church has repeatedly tried to threaten people with the wrath of God-even the threat of an eternally-burning hell-to get them to do what the church wanted them to do, often to give more money. So, what is the truth about how God finally, irrevocably pours out His wrath on those who are determined to rebel against Him?

8.    Do you clearly understand what God’s wrath is? What does God do when He “pours out His wrath and anger”? (Compare Revelation 14:9-11[27]) What happens to people upon whom it is poured? Where would you look in the Bible to get a clear definition of God’s wrath?

As a suggestion, read Romans 1[28] carefully; try to notice how Paul discussed God’s wrath. What does God’s wrath (Romans 1:18[29]) have to do with the “good news” of which Paul was so proud? (Romans 1:16[30]) What does God actually do when “the wrath of God is revealed from heaven”? (Romans 1:18) What is implied by Romans 1:24-28[31]? [(Compare Hosea 4:16-17; Hosea 11:1-12)][32] Then you must ask yourself, “Has God ever fully and finally given anyone up?” What would that mean? How would God “do” such a thing? What about the story of Adam and Eve and the original sin? God said, “If you eat of the tree [sin] you will die.” (Genesis 2:17) Does this suggest that if God gives someone up, he will die? (Compare Romans 6:23[33]) If God is the source of life and someone is “separated” from that source, what is the result? (Isaiah 59:2) Is there any verse in the Bible that specifically states what happens when someone is given up by God? Hasn’t God stated what would happen? But, in His usual consummate way, hasn’t He also fully demonstrated it? See Romans 4:25[34]. Compare Matthew 27:46[35]. How was God involved in the death of His Son? What was the actual cause of Jesus’ death?

9.    Understanding God’s anger or wrath and how it is very different than human anger/wrath is one of the major lessons we need to learn from Scripture. The key is to understand what God does when He pours out His wrath. (Revelation 14:9-11[36]) What do the following passages teach us about God’s anger and its results?

10.    Look first at God’s prediction of what would happen if His people left Him.

Deuteronomy 31:16-18: 16 The Lord said to Moses, “You will soon die, and after your death the people will become unfaithful to me and break the covenant that I made with them. They will abandon me and worship the pagan gods of the land they are about to enter. 17When that happens, I will become angry with them; I will abandon them, and they will be destroyed. Many terrible disasters will come upon them, and then they will realize that these things are happening to them because I, their God, am no longer with them. 18And I will refuse to help them then, because they have done evil and worshiped other gods.” (GNB)

Deuteronomy 31:17: (quoting the key words)

“... I will become angry with them. I will abandon them and turn away from them.” (God’s Word)

“When that happens, I will become angry with them; I will abandon them, and they will be destroyed.” (GNB)

“... My anger will flare up against them, and I will abandon them and hide My countenance from them.” (Tanakh)

“... I will have to withdraw my protection from them and leave them at the mercy of their enemies.” (Clear Word)

Numbers 32:13-15: [Moses said:] “The Lord was angry with the people and made them wander in the wilderness for forty years until that whole generation that had displeased him was dead. 14And now you have taken your fathers’ place, a new generation of sinful men ready to bring down the fierce anger of the Lord on Israel again. 15If you people of Reuben and Gad refuse to follow him now, he will once again abandon all these people in the wilderness, and you will be responsible for their destruction.”

(GNB)

Deuteronomy 29:19: [Moses said:] “Make sure that there is no one here today who hears these solemn demands and yet convinces himself that all will be well with him, even if he stubbornly goes his own way. That would destroy all of you, good and evil alike.” (GNB)

Judges 2:12-14: (Read the whole passage from Judges 2:6-23 - early Baal worship)

and they forsook the LORD... they provoked the LORD to anger... he gave them over to plunderers, who plundered them; and he sold them into the power of their enemies round about, so that they could no longer withstand their enemies. (RSV)

Judges 2:19-23: But whenever the judge died, they turned back and behaved worse than their fathers, going after other gods,... the anger of the

LORD was kindled against Israel.... [The LORD said:] “I will not henceforth drive out before them any of the nations that Joshua left when he died, 22 that by them I may test Israel, whether they will take care to walk in the way of the LORD as their fathers did, or not.” 23 So the LORD left those nations, not driving them out at once, and he did not give them into the power of Joshua. (RSV)

Judges 3:7-9: 7 And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, forgetting the LORD their God.... Therefore the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Cu’shan-rishatha’im king of Mesopota’mia. (RSV)

Judges 10:6-12: 6 And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the

sight of the LORD.... The anger of the LORD was kindled against

Israel, and he sold them into the hand of the Philistines and into the hand of the Ammonites. (RSV)

It should be very clear from all of these passages that God’s “anger” is not like our anger. “The Bible repeatedly describes God’s anger as His turning away in loving disappointment from those who don’t want Him anyway, thus leaving them to the inevitable and awful consequences of their own rebellious choices.” (A. Graham Maxwell)

Romans 1:18-28: 18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and wickedness of men who by their wickedness suppress the truth.... 24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves.... 26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions.... 28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a base mind and to improper conduct. (GNB)

How does God feel about leaving His children to the terrible consequences of their own choices?

Hosea 11:1,2,7-9: The Lord says,

“When Israel was a child, I loved him and called him out of Egypt as my son.

2But the more I called to him, the more he turned away from me....

7“They insist on turning away from me.

They will cry out because of the yoke that is on them, but no one will lift it from them.

8“How can I give you up, Israel?

How can I abandon you?

Could I ever destroy you as I did Admah, or treat you as I did Zeboiim?

My heart will not let me do it!

My love for you is too strong.

9I will not punish you in my anger;

I will not destroy Israel again.

For I am God and not a human being.

I, the Holy One, am with you.

I will not come to you in anger.” (GNB)

Phillips’ translation of Hosea 11:1-8 is particularly good on this passage. When God allows us to exercise our freedom, we may even seek to kill Him! Putting together Romans 1, Hosea 11, Romans 4:25, and Matthew 27:46 should make it clear that God is not demanding His pound of flesh because of sin! God does not get carried away with His “emotions”! But, when-in recognition of our rights and freedom-God finally admits that we have lived rebellious lives for so long that we are “bent” on rebellion and nothing He can do will bring us back, then God weeps as He allows us to go our own way. (Hosea 4:17)

11.    Some think that if God just gives us up, that cannot be too serious. Jesus was given up on Calvary! Did He think it was serious? (DA 753.1) When Jesus was “given up” by the Father, it was the most incredible thing that ever happened to Them. Jesus died a human death. It is what the Bible describes as the death of sinners, (Isaiah 53:4-9; 2 Corinthians 5:21) also known as the second death. (Revelation 2:11; 20:6,14; 21:8) It was the death of separation. (Isaiah 59:2)

12.    Is it true that God does not torture or persecute the wicked in the end? Does He simply leave them to reap the consequences of their own sins? (Galatians 6:7) God never “gives up” on His children until there is literally nothing more that He can do for them. Even at that point, as demonstrated in Hosea 11, He weeps over them as they leave Him.

13.    It is absolutely essential to understand God’s “wrath” in scriptural terms and not in modern human terms. Once we have clearly understood this truth about God, we need to turn, for example, to the three angels’ messages especially the third angel’s message and apply it to our understanding of that passage. Seventh-day Adventists have claimed that our message for the world is the three angels’ messages. Are we correctly teaching this truth about God’s wrath as it is poured out on the wicked at the end?

14.    The very important and essential element that we learn from the book of Hosea-especially Hosea 11-needs to be emphasized. How will God feel as He must allow the wicked in the end to reap the very natural consequences of their rebellious choices? He weeps. He wept over Satan and his angels. (1SP 29.2; SR 26.1)

15.    Review again the miserable spiritual situation of God’s people. [(2 Kings 17:5-23; Hosea 4; 6:4,7-11; 7:1-16; 8:1,14; 9:1,10,17; 10:13; 12:8)][37] What would you have done with such a group of children?

16.    In the midst of all this rebellion and rejection of God, He remained faithful to anyone who would return to Him. But, the mass of the people was running away as fast as they could go. God weeps over them and cries as they leave. (Hosea 6:1-3; 11:1-9; 13:4,5,14; 14:4,5)

17.    Through all of this, God repeatedly called for them to come back to Him and abandon their wickedness. [(Hosea 5:15; 6:1,3,6; 12:6; 14:1,2)][38]

18.    The children of Israel loved God’s blessings and the privileges He offered them; but, they totally abandoned any concern for the responsibilities that went with those privileges. Could we do the same? Are we ready to tell the world the truth about God’s wrath/anger/fury? Think about it? Are we telling the truth about God?

A Holy and Just God (Joel)

Lesson #3 for April 20, 2013

Scriptures: [Joel 1; 2:28,29; 2:31,32; Acts 2:1-21; Romans 10:13; Matthew 10:28-31[39].]

1.    In this short book of Joel, we discover that a natural disaster in the form of a plague of locusts apparently consumed almost everything in the land of Palestine. (Joel 1:1-7[40]) Joel suggested that the plague had come because the people had turned away from God.

2.    The book of Joel is difficult to accurately date. Some scholars suggest it may have been written during the short reign of Joash in the 9th century B.C. Others have suggested that it must have happened during the reign of Josiah in the 7th century B.C. Ancient Jewish scholars writing in the Babylonian Talmud believed that Joel was written after the Babylonian captivity by one of the great scribes of the Great Assembly following the days of Ezra. (Babylonian Talmud, tract Baba Bathra) The 7th century B.C. date is most likely. Josiah came to power soon after the disastrous reign of Manasseh.

3.    The book of Joel was clearly known and respected by Jesus and the apostles in their day. [(Mark 13:24; Luke 21:25; Revelation 6:9; 9:2; Acts 2:15-21; Romans 10:13)][41] Usually, it is quoted in the context of speaking about the days of God’s judgment or “the day of the Lord” and usually is referring to the events at the end of this world’s history.

When disaster strikes, understanding of God is at risk. Unexpected illness or death, national catastrophe, social disruption, personal loss, plague or epidemic, devastation by flood or drought, turn men and women who haven’t given God a thought in years into instant theologians. Rumors fly: “God is absent”... “God is angry”... “God is playing favorites, and I am not the favorite”... “God is ineffectual” ... “God is holding a grudge from a long time ago, and now we’re paying for it”... (Introduction to Joel - The Message)

4.    In our day, it is interesting to notice that liberal, even atheistic, news media call for prayers when there is a natural or national disaster! To whom are they planning to pray? But, times of disaster make people want to turn to some supernatural source of help. Who else is available except God! Sometimes, God has to take action to prevent a real disaster!

5.    As you read the book of Joel, especially 1:1-6[42], does it seem like God is the One who sent the plague of locusts? How does this relate to Deuteronomy 28:38[43]? Do these things depend on our behavior? Both Joel and Amos talk about natural disasters that occurred in their day. In Joel’s day, it was locusts; in Amos’ day, it was an earthquake. (Amos 1:1[44]) Why is it that when something like that happens, peoples’ thoughts turn to God? Isn’t it true that everything that happens is either caused by God or allowed by God? What is the difference?

6.    Does God send natural disasters? Did God send the plagues on Egypt? (Exodus 12:12[45]) Will He send the seven last plagues? Will God protect His people during those last plagues?

7.    What do we know about the locusts mentioned in Joel 1:1-6[46]? Were they real locusts? Or, was that a symbolic statement referring to a military invasion of some kind? Notice the following comments about what happens when desert locusts in modern times attacked an area in the Middle East or northern Africa.

As an illustration of a severe locust plague in Palestine, the report of an eyewitness, H. Schneller, director of the Syrian orphanage in Jerusalem, is here presented: “We had a famine in the 2nd year of the war [1915] such as we had not experienced in 50 years. The sky was darkened by the gigantic swarms of locusts which covered the whole country, and neither sun nor moon could be seen. All of Palestine was transformed into a desert within a few days. All trees, from their tops to the ground, including the bark, were eaten up clean; our vegetable gardens, cultivated with so much labor, disappeared as by magic. The following spring there crept forth from hundreds of billions of eggs the new brood, which consumed the little that had been left. The result was a terrific famine” (Evangelisches Sonntagsblatt fer Bonn, April 26, 1925). (Quoted in SDA Bible Dictionary)

When locusts enter their gregarious swarming stages, they can migrate great distances. They have been observed 1,200 miles out at sea. The total size of the swarm can be huge, containing up to 120 million insects per square mile!

In 1889, a swarm across the Red Sea covered 2,000 square miles (McComisky, 256). To prevent an out- break of locusts in Cyprus in 1881, egg cases totaling a net weight of 1,300 tons were dug up by hand.

Not having experienced such a phenomenon, we can only faintly sense the horror of having a swarming, hopping, sun-darkening, chewing mass descend on your land. In 1915, journalist John D. Whiting stood almost where Joel stood in Jerusalem and recorded the following words: “Sudden darkening of the bright sunshine . . . clouds . . . so dense as to appear quite black . . . in an inconceivably short time every leaf is consumed, leaving bare and barked twigs only . . . . It seemed as if the entire surface of the ground moved, producing a most curious effect upon one’s vision and causing dizziness . .

. . Up and up the city walls and the castle they climbed to their very heights” (Brodsky, 34). The horror of the actual locust invasion would be repeated by its sober after effects. For agricultural people, locusts were disaster. Crops and animal feed were destroyed. Those lacking adequate stores or money to buy food could easily starve. Is it any wonder Joel was concerned? (Bible Amplifier Series - Joel)

8.    In the days of Moses near the end of their wanderings in the desert, the people were attacked by snakes. (Numbers 21:6[47]) But, notice the explanation that Moses gave in Deuteronomy 8:15[48]. Does God actually send such natural disasters? Or, in the setting of the great controversy is it that when His people are unfaithful to Him, He cannot prevent disasters from coming without being accused by Satan? Whenever something like this happens, is it appropriate for us to turn to God and ask questions? It is a well-known phenomenon that when people go through changes in their life situation or their routine is upset in one way or another, that is a time when it is much easier to make a change in their thinking or their lifestyle. Is that what Joel was trying to do? Is this a “9/11-type” story?

9.    The “day of the Lord” is mentioned frequently in Joel. [(Joel 1:15; 2:1,2,11,31; 3:14)][49] We usually think of the second coming. How are we supposed to understand this “great and terrible day of the Lord”? And how long a period of time is included in the day the Lord? (Compare 2 Peter 3:8) Could an individual or a particular nation have their own day of the Lord? Or, is there just one final day of the Lord? Will the day of the Lord be a day of terror or judgment for everyone? Or, just for the wicked? [(Isaiah 25:9; Amos 5:18-20; Obadiah 15; Zephaniah 1:14-18; Acts 2:20,21; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11; 2 Peter 3:10-13; Revelation 6:16,17[50])]

One of the central themes of the Book of Joel is “the day of the Lord” (Joel

1:15; 2:1). This language describes a period of time in which God “comes down” in a dramatic way to bring wrath and judgment on the wicked and salvation to the righteous. God is Lord of time. There is no period that is not “the day of the Lord” in a general sense. But at times God enters the spacetime arena to assert in bold, dramatic ways that He is in control.

The day of the Lord is a major theme of Old Testament prophecy. Thirteen of the sixteen prophets address this subject. The concept of the day of the Lord probably originated with the conquest of Canaan—a conquest which was in fact the Lord’s war [(see Deut. 1:30; 3:22; Josh. 5:13-15; 6:2[51])]; that is, a day of judgment for the wicked Canaanites [(see Lev. 18:25; Deut. 9:4, 5)][52].

The day of the Lord is not an isolated phenomenon or a single event in human history. Periods in Israel’s early history and latter history, the coming of Jesus, and His second advent are all called “the day of the Lord” in Scripture. The predictions of a coming day of the Lord can be fulfilled in a number of different events. The invasion of locusts in the historic events of the life of Joel was the day of the Lord (Joel 2[53]). But the day of wrath and deliverance that soon fell on Judah in the Babylonian invasion was also the day of the Lord.

While most references speak of future events, five biblical texts describe the day of the Lord in terms of past judgments [(see Isa. 22:1-14; Jer. 46:2-12; Lam. 1:1-2:22; Ezek. 13:1-9[54])]. These texts reflect circumstances of military defeat, tragedy, and judgment. Such events may have stimulated the development of the prophetic concept of a future “day” or time of judgment for the disobedient of Israel and all of the nations [(see Joel 1:15; Isa. 13:6, 9; Zeph. 1:14-18)][55].

However, the day of the Lord is not just a day of wrath and judgment on the disobedient. In some contexts, it also includes deliverance and restoration for the righteous. The day of the Lord speaks not only of future judgment, but of future hope, prosperity, and blessing [(see Isa. 4:2-6; Hos. 2:18-23; Amos 9:11-15; Mic. 4:6-8)][56]. Joel reveals that this day is to be heralded by heavenly phenomena (Joel 2:30,31[57]) which will bring sudden darkness and gloom on the earth (Joel 2:2[58]). It will be a day of divine destruction (Joel 1:15[59]) on the nations that have persecuted Israel (Joel 3:12-14[60]) and on the rebellious and disobedient of Israel (Amos 5:18-20[61]). Yet it will also be a time of deliverance and unprecedented blessing for God’s people [(Joel 2:32; 3:16, 18-21; 1 Thess. 5:2-5)][62]. (Nelson Study Bible)

(See also “The Day of the Lord” in the SDA Bible Dictionary)

10. Read [Joel 2:28,29 and Acts 2:1-21[63]]. Apparently, the apostle Peter believed that what happened at Pentecost was a fulfillment of the prophecy in Joel 2. Two thousand years later, we are hoping that the day of the Lord will happen in our day. Do we have evidence that there are prophecies and dreams that might fulfill Joel’s prophecy occurring in our day? What happened in Joel’s day was a “type” of the greater event to happen at the end.

In immediate connection with the scenes of the great day of God, the Lord by the prophet Joel has promised a special manifestation of His Spirit. Joel 2:28[64].

This prophecy received a partial fulfillment in the outpouring of the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost; but it will reach its full accomplishment in the manifestation of divine grace which will attend the closing work of the gospel.—Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, p. 11.

11.    In New Testament times, this partial fulfillment of the prophecy in Joel was accompanied by an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Should we expect that to happen again?

12.    The final outpouring of the Holy Spirit prior to the second coming is often referred to as the latter rain. It will be associated with a shaking time as well. While many will be convinced and converted to the truth, others who have no solid foundation for their faith will be shaken out from among God’s people.

13.    Seventh-day Adventists have claimed that we as a church have “the spirit of prophecy.” After reading Joel 2:28-31[65], does it seem like the writings of one prophet are a fulfillment of that prophecy? Or, should we expect other prophets in our day? First Corinthians 12[66] suggests that each one of us has spiritual gifts. Do we know what our spiritual gifts are? Are we using them to minister for God? Should our whole church be acting like “prophets”?

14.    Read Joel 2:31,32[67]. What do you think Joel was looking forward to when he spoke of the sun being darkened and the moon turned to blood before the great and awful day of the Lord? As a church, we have often pointed to the dark day and the moon appearing like blood on May 19, 1780 as a sign of the approaching time of the end. Does 1780 seem like a long time ago? Do you think there might be future times when the sun will be darkened and the moon turned to blood?

15.    Will the day of the Lord be a terrible day for everyone? If the day of the Lord is a reference to the second coming, Isaiah 25:9[68] suggests that the righteous will look up and praise God that He is coming back while the wicked are described in Revelation 6:16,17[69] as crying for the rocks and hills to fall upon them. Those are very different reactions to His coming!

16.    What does it mean to “call on the name of the Lord”? [(Joel 2:32; Acts 2:21; Romans 10:13[70])] Thus, the day of the Lord is not just a day of terror and destruction for the wicked but a day of deliverance for the righteous.

17.    Why is it necessary to have a time of terrible distress when the righteous are persecuted and threatened before they can inherit eternal life?

We must know our real condition, or we shall not feel our need of Christ’s help. We must understand our danger, or we shall not flee to the refuge. We must feel the pain of our wounds, or we should not desire healing.—Ellen G. White, Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 158.

18.    So, what kind of a relationship do you personally have with God? Are you sure that the day of the Lord will be a day of rejoicing for you? Or, will it be a day of terror?

19.    Long ago, Ellen White suggested that we should have been in the kingdom of heaven before 1883. (Evangelism 695.3-696.2) Does it seem to you like the evidence is mounting for a soon appearing of our Lord in the clouds? Or, does it still seem a long time away?

20.    Adventists used to refer to the Lisbon earthquake of 1755, the dark day of 1780, and the falling of the stars in 1833 as evidence that the day of the Lord is upon us. But, the latest of those events is almost 200 years old now! Have we been calling, “Wolf, wolf” too long?

21.    In light of the prophecies in the book of Joel, would it be appropriate for us to call for repentance and reformation whenever there is a natural disaster?

22.    What do you personally think about the prophecies in the book of Joel?

Lord of All Nations (Amos/Obadiah)

Lesson #4 for April 27, 2013

Scriptures: [Amos 1-2; Isaiah 58; Luke 12:47,48; 1 Kings 8:37-40; Amos 4:12,13; Obadiah.][71]

1.    Amos described himself as a herdsman or sheep-breeder (Amos 1:1) and “a tender of Sycamore fruit.” (Amos 7:14[72]) He went from Judea to Israel to proclaim his message.

The sycamore fig tree was a large tree, but the figs were generally of an inferior type. Their quality was greatly enhanced if each fig was pinched or slit on the upper part of the fruit before it matured. The resulting fruit became sweeter and softer.

The climate of Tekoa was not conducive to sycamore figs, so Amos most likely performed this part of his work in another part of the region. His book does not tell us whether he owned his own flocks and fig orchards or whether he labored as a hired hand for others. Whatever the case, he was itinerant.

Both his shepherding and fig-slitting took him to different places. Undoubtedly, the observations he made as he traveled informed and fueled his comments on Israel’s situation before God. (The Abundant Life Bible Amplifier - Amos)

2.    Tekoa was a small village located about 10 to 12 miles directly south of Jerusalem and about 5 or 6 miles southeast of Bethlehem.

3.    Uzziah was king over Judah from 767-750 B.C. and Jeroboam was over Israel from 782 to 753 B.C. Therefore, we might conclude that the ministry of Amos took place sometime between the years 767 and 753 B.C. Nothing is currently known about the great earthquake he mentioned in Amos 1:1[73]. However, it was remembered 250 years later in Zechariah 14:5[74].

4.    Virtually nothing is known about the prophet Obadiah. He probably lived at the time of the Babylonian exile during one or more of the conquests of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar.

5.    Both Amos and Obadiah came from the country of Judah, but each prophesied primarily against other nations. Amos traveled north and prophesied against the country of Israel; Obadiah prophesied against the country of Edom. Both prophets prophesied against groups of people who felt quite satisfied with their condition at the time. Apparently, they saw nothing wrong with abusing other people for their own advantage. And essentially, neither group paid any attention to the true God.

6.    Amos started his book by prophesying against the nations surrounding Israel. He started with Syria in the north, moved to Philistia in the southwest, then to Tyre in the northwest, to Edom in the southeast, to Ammon and Moab in the east, to Judah in the south, and then he went to work on Israel as his main target. He was particularly hard on the rich who were abusing and unfairly using the poor. He described what we might today call crimes against humanity-cheating people out of their rightful wages and even selling them into slavery.

The history of Israel is dark. Not one of the 20 kings in the Northern Kingdom followed God. All of the kings-from the first, Jeroboam, to the last, Hoshea-were wicked. They did things that were wrong in the sight of the Lord. There was not a single exception. Only plots, revolts, exploitation, violence, terror, corruption, tragedy, and desperation prevailed. Just to illustrate: seven of Israel’s kings were assassinated, one committed suicide, and one was “stricken by God.” The Bible uses King Ahab and his wife Jezebel as a symbol of the evil in Israel. Not one was a God-fearing ruler; none repented or undertook reformation. They led the people to destruction.

They were leaders of doom. What an unfortunate and evil situation. No wonder God needed to send “strong medicine” to shake the stubborn nation and stop the prevailing wickedness. But unfortunately, as we know from history, not even the voice of a prophet helped. (Adult Teacher’s Bible Study Guide, p. 50)

7.    By speaking about the nations surrounding Israel, Amos is reminding us that God is not the God of a special group; but rather, He is the God of all humanity.

8.    Amos was the first prophet to write his message in some detail. He believed that he had to speak out against the injustice that was taking place throughout the territory of Palestine. Such injustice had become more or less the ethical standard among those nations. Amos reminded them that the day of God’s judgment was coming.

9.    What is the relationship between our spiritual condition-our relationship to God-and our ethical treatment of those around us-our neighbors? In times of prosperity, social injustice sometimes becomes even worse. Christianity is supposed to affect our way of living every day of the week and not just on Sabbath.

10.    Read Isaiah 58[75]. Do we as Christians recognize the need to reach out and care for the poor and needy around us? This is personal benevolence, not a government handout. Remember the two great commandments given by Moses and repeated by Jesus: to love God and to love our neighbors. [(Leviticus 19:18; Deuteronomy 6:5)][76] Throughout Scripture, from Exodus 22:21-24[77] through James 2:14-26[78], God’s people have been asked to look after widows and orphans. This is supposed to be one of the major functions of the church. (Acts 4:32-36[79]) Is this works as compared to faith? Do we need a balance?

11.    Read Amos 3:1,2[80]. Amos had already spoken against the nations surrounding Israel. Then, he quoted God as saying: “Of all the nations on earth, you are the only one I have known and cared for. That is what makes your sins so terrible, and that is why I must punish you for them.” We know that God is omniscient, knowing everything. So, what is implied by this verse? We recognize that God chose the Hebrew nation. The Hebrew verb yada, “to know,” implies an intimate friendship and not just a casual knowledge. Adam “knew” Eve his wife, and they had a baby. ](Genesis 4:1; John 17:3)][81] By contrast, at the time of judgment, Jesus will have to say to many of His followers: “Go away; I never ‘knew’ you.” [(Matthew 7:21-23; Acts 19:11-20[82])] How can I know that God “knows” me?

12.    It is a terrible temptation for people who are doing fairly well and consider themselves even wealthy to relax and sit back and forget or ignore their responsibilities to God and their neighbors. Does that sound a little bit like Laodicea? (Revelation 3:14-22[83]) Is it possible that God has blessed Adventists too much? Read Luke 12:47,48[84]. Has any group in the history of the world had more “light” and more privilege than we do? These verses suggest that when God has blessed us greatly, it is so that we can do more work for Him. Are we doing that? Are we making use of what we have been given? Our cups are overflowing!

The professed churches of Christ in this generation are exalted to the highest privileges. The Lord has been revealed to us in ever-increasing light. Our privileges are far greater than were the privileges of God’s ancient people.—Ellen G. White, Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 317.

13.    All through history, God has called people not just to special privilege but to great responsibility. The Seventh-day Adventist Church in our day has experienced more spiritual privileges than any generation before. Are we living up to our responsibilities?

14.    After speaking about the abuses against humanity throughout Palestine, Amos focused on the nation of Israel and said, “Prepare to meet your God, O Israel.” (Amos 4:12, NIV) And how is God going to punish those who have experienced such great privilege? Amos mentioned seven disasters including famine, drought, scorching winds, locusts, plagues, war, and a destruction like that of Sodom and Gomorrah! And how were the children of Israel supposed to respond to such events?

15.    Read 1 Kings 8:37-40[85]. Are we, as suggested by Solomon in his prayer of dedication of the temple, prepared to turn back to God in forgiveness so He can bless us once again? Remember that Amos was prophesying about 30 years before the nation of Israel was completely destroyed and uprooted by the Assyrians. Amos was giving an end-time message!

16.    How would the Adventist Church, even our local congregation and we ourselves, respond if God said to us: “I am going to punish you; and because I’m going to do this, get ready to face My judgment!” Aren’t we about to face the greatest time of God’s judgment in the history of the great controversy? Does meeting God scare you? Should it? How has God treated sinners all through Scripture? What will God be doing while sinners are perishing at the very end? He will be weeping! (Story of Redemption 29.1) It is not God that we need to be afraid of, but sin! (Romans 6:23[86]) Our behavior changes the epigenetic expression of our genes. “Good genes” can be turned on and “bad genes” can be turned off.

17.    Read the short book of Obadiah. The nation of Edom had established itself in a very rocky and mountainous area east of the Dead Sea. Their capital known as Petra is located at the end of a very narrow passage through a steep canyon which could be easily defended against any invading army. Edom was the nation of Esau’s descendants. And they had had an ongoing battle with their cousins the Israelites down through the centuries. Obadiah began by pointing out their arrogance, (Obadiah 1-4[87]) prophesied a coming humiliation, (Obadiah 5-9[88]) and then condemned them for their violence against Judah at a time of terrible distress for the Israelites. (Obadiah 10-14[89])

18.    While we cannot be certain, it seems that the book of Obadiah was written at the time of the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem. At that time, the Edomites not only celebrated the destruction of Jerusalem but also preyed on the fleeing Israelites and helped to plunder Jerusalem. Obadiah thus warned: “Edom, you will get back what you have given.” (Obadiah 15) Obadiah 16, NASB, continues, saying that those who act in that way will “become as if they had never existed.” Adventists and other groups who believe in the nonimmortality of the soul have often used this verse as teaching about the total eradication of the wicked at the end.

From the beginnings of Israelite religion the belief that God had chosen this particular people to carry out His mission has been both a cornerstone of Hebrew faith and a refuge in moments of distress. And yet, the prophets felt that to many of their contemporaries this cornerstone was a stumbling block; this refuge, an escape. They had to remind the people that chosenness must not be mistaken as divine favoritism or immunity from chastisement, but, on the contrary, that it meant being more seriously exposed to divine judgment and chastisement. . . .

Does chosenness mean that God is exclusively concerned with Israel? Does the Exodus from Egypt imply that God is involved only in the history of Israel and is totally oblivious of the fate of other nations?—Abraham J. Heschel, The Prophets, pp. 32, 33.

19.    Don’t we think we are God’s chosen people today? Are we taking our responsibilities seriously? It is natural for human beings to be friends with those who have something to offer them. What about being friends with those who have nothing to offer you but, in fact, need something from you? Think of the privileges that Seventh-day Adventists have been given in our day: the Sabbath, the writings of Ellen G. White, and an understanding of the great controversy that helps us to make sense of all of Scripture. Are we so excited about these privileges that we are prepared to tell the world?

20.    Do we know the truth about God so clearly-and can we support it from Scripture-that we can explain to those around us the truth about how God deals with sinners?

21.    In Amos 1-4[90], does Amos seem to be judgmental? Do we know how to speak out against wrong behavior without being judgmental? Or, should Christians always be “politically correct”?

22.    Revelation 19:10[91] suggests that God’s final end-time people will have a prophetic ministry to the world. Are we doing that? Are we addressing the social and spiritual abuses taking place in our world? Are we embarrassed to speak out against sin? Do we always stand up for justice and righteousness? Our world seems to be so possessed with the idea of political correctness that we do not want to speak out against any kind of wrong behavior.

23.    Read Amos 3:7[92].[ (Compare Deuteronomy 29:29; 2 Chronicles 20:20)][93] In Scripture and in the writings of Ellen White, don’t we as Seventh-day Adventists have a wealth of information about what is coming upon our world? Are we warning our neighbors? Is it our responsibility to let the whole world know? Will Jesus be able to return before we do that? (Matthew 24:14[94])

24.    Why does God in advance reveal His plans for this world? Is it His plan that we know somewhat in advance exactly what is going to happen? Or, is it that when things happen, we recognize that God knew in advance that it was going to happen? (John 13:19; 14:29[95])

25.    What parallels do you see between our situation today and that of ancient Israel and Judah? How would we respond if an Amos-like prophet came to us? In Amos 4, God cried out to the Israelites four times; and yet, it apparently made almost no impact. (Amos 4:6,8-11[96])

26.    God would love to have His people today focus on their relationship with Him and live lives of righteousness. He has waited 2000 years for a people who are prepared to stand up and represent Him to the world. Will God ever become impatient? Is God trying to say to us, “Let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream.” (Amos 5:24, NIV)

27.    Are we prepared to meet our God?

Major Lessons from Minor Prophets Seek the Lord and Live! (Amos)

Lesson #5 for May 4, 2013

Scriptures: [2 Kings 17:5-23; Amos 5:1-15; 7:10-17; 9:11-15; Hebrews 5:14; Isaiah 5:20; Acts 15:13-18.][97]

1.    In this week’s lesson, we will study Amos 5-9. Amos, a migrant farm worker and sheepherder from the southern kingdom of Judah, traveled north to speak to the people of the northern kingdom of Israel a few years before they were to be taken off into Assyrian captivity. To get an idea of conditions in Israel at that time, read 2 Kings 17:5-23[98] if you have not done so recently. How and why did God choose the prophets that He chose?

2.    When God led Israel out of Egypt and after forty years of wandering in the wilderness established them in the land of Canaan, He had glorious plans for His people.

Had Israel been true to God, He could have accomplished His purpose through the nation’s honor and exaltation. If Israel had walked in the ways of obedience,

He would have made them “high above all nations which He hath made, in praise, and in name, and in honor.” “All people of the earth,” said Moses, “shall see that thou art called by the name of the Lord; and they shall be afraid of thee.” “The nations which shall hear all these statutes” shall say, “Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.” [Deut. 26:19; 28:10; 4:6][99]. But because of their unfaithfulness, God’s purpose could be wrought out only through continued adversity and humiliation.—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 28.

3.    What an incredible contrast between God’s plan for His people and how they ended up! Our lesson for this week starts with Amos singing a funeral song for the nation of Israel! (Amos 5:1-15) In order to prevent his people from traveling to Jerusalem and worshiping at the temple there and possibly returning their allegiance to God, Jeroboam I, the first king of the northern kingdom of Israel, established two places of pagan worship. One was in the north in the territory of Dan, and one was in the south at Bethel just a few miles north of Jerusalem. The history of the northern kingdom of Israel was downhill all the way from then on. Why were those pagan religious festivals so attractive? As they were reveling in the Baal feasts, were the people pretending to worship Yahweh at the same time?

4.    People who worship pagan gods, and in Israel’s case the fertility cult gods Baal and Ashtoreth, soon lose any sense of justice and feel no need to follow the Ten Commandments. They oppressed the poor, robbed them in every way they could, lived drunken lives, and committed just about every sin one can imagine. Amos followed up his funeral song by spelling out some of their sins. Then he turned and said, “While you claim to serve the Lord, the day of the Lord will be terrible for you.” (Amos 5:18-20)

5.    What did the people of Israel do to worship Yahweh? Were some of them still traveling to Jerusalem? In the northern kingdom, they had no temple built to Yahweh. There were no Jewish synagogues yet. But, there were still many Levites living in Israel. And they did have the schools of the prophets started by Samuel and promoted by Elijah and Elisha. Were those schools still functioning? Were there places to worship Yahweh in the northern kingdom?

6.    Read Amos 5:21-24, GNB:

21 The LORD says, “I hate your religious festivals; I cannot stand them! 22 When you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; I will not

Minor Prophets- #5 - page 1 of 4

accept the animals you have fattened to bring me as offerings. 23 Stop your noisy songs; I do not want to listen to your harps. 24 Instead, let justice flow like a stream, and righteousness like a river that never goes dry.”—American Bible Society. (1992). The Holy Bible: The Good News Translation (2nd ed.) New York: American Bible Society.

7.    What did those religious festivals consist of? Were they actually pretending to worship Yahweh? What were the noisy songs? Had they learned some religious practices from the pagan ceremonies in which they had been involved and which they then introduced into the worship of Yahweh? Could we cheat in business all week and worship God on Sabbath?

8.    It is interesting to note that 120 years later as the southern kingdom of Judah was collapsing, a similar message was given to those people by Ezekiel. (Ezekiel 26:13[100]) We know that instruments and vocal music were used in the temple in Jerusalem. (1 Chronicles 16:42; 23:5; 25:6,7)[101] They used trumpets and cymbals and, no doubt, had drums. They also used harps, lyres, tambourines, and flutes. But, the emphasis in this passage is not on how noisy their songs were but rather, how irrelevant all their religious practices were because their lives were filled with every kind of sin, injustice, bribery, etc.

9.    Read [Amos 5:14,15; Hebrews 5:14; Romans 12:9; and Proverbs 8:36][102]. How does one convince people to do what is right and not what is evil? To love the good and to hate evil? Does personal example help? The history of our world shows repeatedly that evil almost always wins the popularity contests. (Revelation 13) Why is that? What is attractive about sin? Are there short-term benefits to sin? Are there any long-term benefits to sin?

10.    Is the purpose of Sabbath school class and church attendance so that we can take a longer-term view of life? Do our religious services make us better citizens, better neighbors, and shining lights to the world? (Matthew 5:16[103]) If our religious services do not make us act more Christ-like during the week, are they a waste of time? Can the world see that we are Christians?

11.    We know that Satan is going about as a roaring lion looking for anyone he can deceive or devour. (1 Peter 5:8[104]) How should Christians respond to that?

All who in that evil day [in the future] would fearlessly serve God according to the dictates of conscience, will need courage, firmness, and a knowledge of God and His word; for those who are true to God will be persecuted, their motives will be impugned, their best efforts misinterpreted, and their names cast out as evil. Satan will work with all his deceptive power to influence the heart and becloud the understanding, to make evil appear good, and good evil.

The stronger and purer the faith of God’s people, and the firmer their determination to obey Him, the more fiercely will Satan strive to stir up against them the rage of those who, while claiming to be righteous, trample upon the law of God. It will require the firmest trust, the most heroic purpose, to hold fast the faith once delivered to the saints.—Ellen G. White, The Acts of the Apostles, p. 431.

Are we ready for this?

12.    Read [Amos 5:23,24; Hosea 6:6; Matthew 9:13; and Psalm 51:17][105]. We do not offer animal sacrifices in our religious services today. What would be the equivalent in our day? Attending church? Paying tithes? Witnessing to our neighbors? It appears that what we see in the book of Amos is a religion that had deteriorated into dead formalism. All the excitement was in the pagan festivals. The “fatted calves” of today are ourselves!

13.    In our day, how do we keep religion interesting? With billions of dollars being spent on movies, the Internet, television, music, and even radio to grab peoples’ attention, how can Adventist churches compete, especially for the attention of the young people? If we as an older generation feel uncomfortable with the music and the activities of our young people, are we just turning them away from the church? How do you think the people of Israel responded to Amos and his condemnation of their sins in Amos 5:16-7:9?

14.    Why would God call a man who was a migrant farm worker and sheepherder to be an international prophet? If a migrant farm worker from Mexico showed up at one of our churches and began to condemn us for our religious practices, how would we respond?

15.    How have we responded to the words of our own prophet? Look at the “Reasons for the Delay” in Evangelism pages 694-697. Repeatedly, starting in 1868, Ellen White said that there had already been long delay and that we should have been in the kingdom long before that. Similar statements were made in 1883 and 1900 and 1903 and 1909, etc.

It was not the will of God that the coming of Christ should be thus delayed. God did not design that His people, Israel, should wander forty years in the wilderness. He promised to lead them directly to the land of Canaan, and establish them there a holy, healthy, happy people. But those to whom it was first preached, went not in “because of unbelief.” Their hearts were filled with murmuring, rebellion, and hatred, and He could not fulfill His covenant with them. {Ev 696.1}

For forty years did unbelief, murmuring, and rebellion shut out ancient Israel from the land of Canaan. The same sins have delayed the entrance of modern Israel into the heavenly Canaan. In neither case were the promises of God at fault. It is the unbelief, the worldliness, unconsecration, and strife among the Lord’s professed people that have kept us in this world of sin and sorrow so many years.--Manuscript 4, 1883. (Evangelism 696.2)

16.    Over one hundred year later, what would the prophetess say to us today?

17.    Read [Amos 8:11,12 and Daniel 12:4][106]. Adventists have used Daniel 12:4 as a prophecy suggesting that there would be future developments, new inventions, and more rapid means of travel prior to the second coming. These things are all true; but, they are not what Daniel was talking about. Notice in Amos 8 that the “rushing to and fro”-using the same words in Hebrew-was talking about people searching for the Word of God. In our day with Bibles more widely available in many different translations in English and in more languages than ever before, how could it be possible that people would be searching for the Word of the Lord? Do people know where to go to learn the truth about God? Will crises come?

18.    Is the problem that while the Scriptures are available people have not been reading them? Or, even if they read them, they have not understood what they were reading? Are we reaching out to the world to help them understand the Bible? Even of our Christian friends, how many understand how to interpret Revelation 14:6-12[107], our famous key text? Do they understand the truth about God’s wrath? About hellfire? How about the length of forever?

19.    Unfortunately, in the days of Amos, God apparently was ready to fall silent. There was nothing more that He could say that would make any difference. What happens when things become so serious that God stops speaking and steps back? Read 1 Samuel 14:37; Psalm 74:9; Proverbs 1:28; Lamentations 2:9; Hosea 5:6; and Micah 3:5-7. What about us? Our prophetess died in 1915! Does that mean that God has stopped talking to the Seventh-day Adventist Church? Or, are her messages still relevant today? Are we reading them?

20.    What was the result of the work of Amos? Did any of the people from the northern kingdom move to the south? Would they have been welcomed? How many of the Israelites of the north believed what Amos said?

21.    Read Amos 9:11-15[108]. Amos ends with some very encouraging words. When will those words be fulfilled? See [Luke 1:32,33 and Acts 15:13-18][109]. Does it seem clear that the words of Amos will not be fulfilled until Christ comes again? How do you think the people in the days of Jesus interpreted these words of Amos? So, what are we supposed to learn from studying Amos?

Our standing before God depends, not upon the amount of light we have received, but upon the use we make of what we have. Thus even the heathen who choose the right as far as they can distinguish it are in a more favorable condition than are those who have had great light, and profess to serve God, but who disregard the light, and by their daily life contradict their profession.—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 239.

22.    How are we responding to the light which has already been given to us?

23.    We live in a society which is not only evolving but also is almost going through revolutionary changes over relatively short periods of time. How should Christians relate to societal and cultural changes? Should our attitudes be molded by what society around us says? How should we think about abortion and homosexuality? Or, relatively minor things like the wearing of jewelry? Even the length of ladies dresses which used to be such a hot topic within our church seems to have faded in interest. Is that a change for the better? Or, for the worse?

24.    Can you think of some cultural or societal changes that are actually for the better? Is being “politically correct” a Christian virtue?

25.    Do we as Adventists live healthier and longer lives because we are more closely following the advice of Ellen White which is now so broadly supported by medical research? Or, are we turning away from the health messages we have been given? If Amos were to come to us today, what would he say?

26.    Repentance is something that we as Christians should be very familiar with. As individuals, we should be repenting on a daily basis. Is there a time for corporate repentance? For example, should the Adventist Church repent of what happened in 1888? Should we repent for delaying the second coming of Jesus Christ? Are we thus responsible for World War I? And World War II? And 9/11? Are we correctly representing God to the world?

27.    The Israelites in the days of Amos probably spent a lot more time in the Baal festivals than they did worshiping Yahweh. Do we spend more time in Bible study, prayer, and witnessing than we do enjoying entertainment from various sources?

28.    Do the words of Amos 9 make God seem a little bit like a divine Santa Claus? Who are included among “the house, or kingdom, of David”? Clearly, Peter believed it included the Gentiles. (Acts 15:15-17[110]) We have already seen passages in Hosea (compare Isaiah 45:22; Genesis 12:3)[111] that suggest that God is the God of all nations. Are we prepared as individuals and as a church to reach out to everyone around the world so the gospel can be finished?

Major Lessons from Minor Prophets Eager to Forgive (Jonah)

Lesson #6 for May 11, 2013

Scriptures: [Jonah 1-4; Psalm 139:1-12; Isaiah 42:5; Revelation 10:6; Matthew 12:39-41; 2 Kings 17:5-23; 2 Chronicles 36:15-17][112].

1.    Read Jonah 1-4[113]. The story of Jonah with all his foibles is one of the best-known stories in the Bible. Many modern thinkers believe it is a fairy tale. They have heard about the big fish, but they know almost nothing about Jonah or about his visit to Nineveh. There are many amazing things about this book in addition to that fish story. We need to remember that if we think the story is a fairly tale, we are calling Jesus a liar! (Matthew 12:39-41)

2.    Read 2 Kings 14:23-25[114]. During the lengthy reign of Jeroboam II, Jonah the son of Amittai was known as a successful prophet from Gath Hepher because he had predicted the expansion of the northern kingdom’s territory by taking it away from the southern kingdom of Judah. Presumably, he was respected by his colleagues and may have actually worked for the king.

3.    Historically, we know that about 50 years later, the northern country of Israel was destroyed by the Assyrians whose capital was Nineveh. Israel had already been threatened and overrun by the Assyrians several times and was forced to pay tribute to them. In order to understand the book of Jonah, we need to consider what we know about each of the principal participants.

4.    The “big fish”: There are, in fact, numerous stories in both ancient times and even modern times in which human beings and even large animals have been swallowed by large sea creatures such as large sharks or even whales.

One of the most modern examples was reported in the “Weekly World News” of June 16, 1987 where the headlines read: “Shark swallows fisherman—then spits him out alive!” The lucky man was named Mikado Nakamura and he gave an interview to the Newspaper from his hospital bed in Kanazawa, Japan. (See The Anchor Bible, “Jonah” p. 151)

5.    How long do you think Jonah was actually in the belly of the fish/whale? To the ancient Jews, any part of a day was counted as one day. Thus, three days and nights could refer to one full day and parts of two days, one on either side. It is important to compare this with the time Jesus was in the grave.

6.    The story is told of a former drug addict, now turned preacher told of many disturbing statistics about drug abuse. He then pounded his Bible and said it was the only answer. Afterwards, a drug addict asked him if he really believed all those stories in the Bible. He said, “yes.” Then he was asked if he believed in the story of Noah and even Jonah. Again he said, “yes.” Then the questioner asked what he thought Jonah was thinking while in the belly of that big fish. After thinking for a moment he replied that he would just have to ask Jonah when he got to heaven. “What if Jonah doesn’t go to heaven?” asked the questioner. “Then you can ask him” replied the preacher!

7.    A teacher in Idaho asked a group of children what they learned from the story of Jonah. One child responded: “Even the fish learned that you can’t keep a good man down!”

8.    Nineveh/Assyria: This large city [Nineveh] was the capital of Assyria, a violent pagan nation despised by the Israelites. Yet the Ninevites repented when they heard of God’s impending judgment, whereas the Israelites kept ignoring similar messages sent to them. Thus the book was a challenge to the self-righteous and ethnocentric attitudes of the Israelites.

♦    A prominent Assyrian city on the east bank of the Tigris River about 280 miles north of Babylon.

♦    Founded by Nimrod, along with Rehoboth Ir, Calah, and Resen (Gen. 10:11-12[115]), forming a massive urban quadrangle 60 miles across.

♦    Rivaled Babylon for beauty and splendor with its royal palaces, temples, broad streets, public gardens, and impressive library containing more than 26,000 clay tablets—one of the largest in the ancient world.

♦    Defended by an outer wall and an inner wall 100 feet high and 50 feet wide.

♦    Irrigated by the Khasr River, whose flow was controlled by a dam built by Sennacherib (ca. 705-681 a.d.), and also by a large aqueduct that carried water from a second dam thirty miles away.

♦    Target of prophecies by Zephaniah (Zeph. 2:13-15[116]) and Nahum (Nah. 1:1; 3:1[117]), who warned of the city’s ultimate destruction.

♦    Destroyed in 612 A.D. [sic] [B.C.] by a siege of Babylonians, Scythians, and Medes, who penetrated its defenses when sudden floods eroded the walls (compare Nah. 2:6-8[118]).

♦    Quickly became a mound of ruins that was ignored until just a century ago.

(Word in Life Study Bible)

9.    Assyria was legendary for its cruelty. The repentance of Nineveh probably followed three major events in their history: Two plagues in 765 and 759 B.C. and a solar eclipse in 763 B.C. These events may have prepared the people for Jonah’s message of judgment.

10.    Assyria dominated the central portion of the ancient Near East for almost 300 years from around 900 B.C. to almost 600 B.C. Ahab (Israel), Jehu (Israel), Azariah (Judah), and Menahem (Israel) all paid tribute to Assyria. It is estimated that the walled city of Nineveh contained about 160,000 citizens. If you include the people who lived in nearby villages, it is possible that the total went up to 2 million.

792 B.C.: Jeroboam II began to reign in Israel.

ca. 770 B.C.: The days of Jonah and his ministry to Nineveh.

ca. 745 B.C.: The Assyrian Empire pushed westward under Tiglath-Pilezer III.

722 B.C.: Israel was taken captive by Assyria and disappeared into history.

612 B.C.: Nineveh fell to the Medes, the Scythians, and the Babylonians.

11.    Compare the response of the Ninevites to God’s final comment about the kingdom of Judah in 2 Chronicles 36:15,16[119]. Which of these two nations seems to have been more savable?

12.    How well did the king of Nineveh understand Israel’s God? What do you think of his instructions to his people? (Jonah 3:6-9) How could a cow wear sackcloth? Why do you think Jonah had such an impact on that enormous city? How do you think the king heard about Jonah? Did Jonah tell the story of what happened to him? Did that give greater force to his evangelistic message?

13.    Jonah: Try to imagine yourself in Jonah’s shoes. He was known as a successful prophet. He was given a message by God, and he told his friends that he was single-handedly going to go to Nineveh and declare its destruction! Don’t you think all of the Israelites were rejoicing to hear such a message? How do you think the Israelites felt when Jonah returned and announced that the Ninevites had repented and that the city was not destroyed? Did God care about Nineveh?

14.    Considering the incredible impact which that one sentence message of Jonah seemed to have on the city of Nineveh, why did he seem to have so little impact on the people back in Israel?

15.    What picture of God did Jonah have? Read Jonah 4[120]. He knew God was a forgiving, gracious God! Was he proud of how God treated him and the Ninevites? Moses and Joshua recognized that God’s reputation was an even more important issue than the fate of Israel! Consider others who spoke with God. (Compare [Genesis 18:25; Exodus 32:7-14; Deuteronomy 9:6-13,26-29; 32:26,27; Numbers 14:11-16; Job 42:7,8; Ezekiel 36:22,23; Daniel 9:14-19; John 15:15; Romans 1:18; 2:17-24][121]) God’s friends are jealous for His reputation. Real friends are always like that!

16.    How did Jonah know that throwing him into the sea would stop the storm? (Jonah 1:9-12[122]) On what basis could he make such a statement? Well, wasn’t he a prophet? Did he take God’s words seriously? Did God actually send the storm against the ship that Jonah was in? (Jonah 1:4[123]) Or, is that just a general understanding that whatever happens, God is behind it? When Jonah said he was a worshiper of Yahweh, “the God of heaven, who made land and sea,” did the sailors think of the evil “god” of the sea, Mot, who always seemed to be angry?

17.    Where did Jonah think he had gone when he was swallowed by that big “fish”? He believed he was in “the belly of Sheol,” “the tomb of the dead,” “the womb of Hades,” or “the world of the dead”! (Different translations of Jonah 2:2[124])

18.    What was Jonah really afraid of? It seems that he was most of all concerned about his own reputation! (Jonah 4:1-3[125]) Did Jonah really care much about God’s reputation? Or, about the survival of the heathen inhabitants of Nineveh?

19.    Jonah’s biggest fear seemed to have been that his own reputation had been destroyed. Hadn’t the Israelites been warned about “false prophets”? Was Jonah concerned about being labeled?

Deuteronomy 18:21,22:

21 And if you say in your heart, “How may we know the word which the LORD has not spoken?”- 22 when a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word which the LORD has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously, you need not be afraid of him. (RSV)

21 “You may wonder how you can tell when a prophet’s message does not come from the LORD. 22 If a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD and what he says does not come true, then it is not the LORD’s message. That prophet has spoken on his own authority, and you are not to fear him.” (GNB)

20.    The book of Jonah: All the other prophetic books we are studying consist mainly of oracles—that is, messages from God delivered by the prophet. These messages are usually couched in poetic language. In contrast, Jonah is a story. All the other prophets appear in a good light. They may not always be popular with the people, but they are seen as righteous people who speak for God. Jonah is a villain. He, the prophet, is portrayed in a bad light. He runs away from God and tries to avoid Gods call.

Among the twelve “minor prophets,” Jonah is the only one whom God sends to minister in a foreign land. Obadiah may prophesy about Edom, but he does not “work” there. The other prophets clearly minister to Israel or Judah. Outside of a few isolated cases, we know little about the success or failure of other prophets. Jonah’s preaching is successful almost beyond belief yet he is disturbed by that success! Jonah is different—even from evangelists today!

All of this makes it miraculous to me that the book not only has been preserved by the Jews, but that it even has found a place in their (and our) inspired set of books! The book of Jonah makes God’s prophet and His people look bad and Israel’s worst enemy, Assyria, look good. Would Adventists, or any group, want to preserve and canonize a book that portrayed them in a bad light and pictured one of their worst enemies (atheists?) in a good light? Israel, under the prompting of God’s Spirit, did just that when she put the book of Jonah in the Bible!

All of this was meant to jar Israel out of her self-centeredness and lead her to begin to reach out to other nations and be missionary minded. Israel was meant to be just like God with His great missionary heart. So are we, and that is the great lasting message of Jonah. Bible Amplifier - Jonah, p. 157,158

21.    One of the unique things about the book of Jonah is that the “message” of Jonah is only one sentence long: “In forty days Nineveh will be destroyed!” (Jonah 3:4) Why was the book preserved? Both Jonah and the Israelites were portrayed in a bad light.

22.    The book says a lot more about God than it does about Jonah! God is absolutely sovereign over His creation. He controlled the sea. He sent messages to Jonah. He controlled the fish, and He controlled the plant that Jonah sat under as he watched from a distance waiting to see Nineveh being destroyed. He even controlled the worm that killed the plant!

23.    It is likely that Jonah was the very first prophetic book to be written. He probably wrote in the 770s B.C. during the reign of Jeroboam II (793-753 B.C.). The Assyrian kings during that time where Adad-Merari III (810-753 B.C.) and Asher-Dan III (771-754 B.C.). During the latter part of Jeroboam II’s reign, the ministries of Amos and Hosea in the northern kingdom and Isaiah and Micah in the southern kingdom also took place.

24.    Four different major views have been suggested for understanding the book of Jonah: 1) Myth, 2) Allegory, 3) Parable, or 4) History/biography. If we are to take the narrative of the story itself seriously and also take the words of Jesus (Matthew 12:38-41; 16:4; and Luke 11:29-32)[126] seriously, then we must believe that the story of Jonah is historically accurate.

25.    The predominant theme of the book of Jonah seems to be God’s gracious extension of His mercy to Gentile nations. However, notice some other major themes of the book: 1) God’s appeal to Jonah, the sailors, the Ninevites, and finally, Jonah again. 2) God’s sovereignty over life, the weather, and circumstances, even controlling the plant which Jonah stood under and the worm that destroyed the plant. 3) A very important contrast between the ineffectiveness of the gods of the mariners and the Ninevites in contrast to the sovereignty of Yahweh, Israel’s God. 4) The contrast between God’s purpose in placing the nation of Israel at the crossroads of the ancient world so they could witness to all nations around them and their own nationalistic, ethnocentric pride which prevented them from doing any of that. And, 5) Jonah’s three day journey in the belly of the fish/whale as a type of the three day rest by Jesus in the tomb.

26.    If you had been Jonah, would you have written this book when the events were all over?

27.    God: The main character of the book is really God. He is mentioned directly 39 times. Jonah is mentioned only 18 times.

28.    Does God change His mind? [(Jonah 3:9,10; Exodus 32:14; Numbers 23:19; 1 Samuel 15:10,11,29,31; 2 Samuel 24:16; Jeremiah 4:28; Romans 11:29; Malachi 3:6)][127]

29.    Was it fair for God to send a successful prophet of His on such a long journey only to have him come back looking like a false prophet? The Ninevites seemed to be mortal enemies of the Israelites. Among other things, they had oppressed Israel and exacted harsh tributes. Eventually, they were going to destroy the entire northern kingdom of Israel. So, how should a good Israelite prophet feel about them? Often, the real truth about a person’s character is found not in how he treats his friends but in how he treats his enemies.

30.    In our day, are we afraid of being called “false prophets” when we talk about the Lisbon earthquake (November 1, 1755), the dark day and the sun turning black (May 19, 1780), even the falling of the stars (November 13, 1833)? What about the end of the 1260-year period in 1798? Even members of our own church are questioning what we have traditionally taught about 1844!

31.    Do you expect to see Jonah in heaven? If so, what do you think he will have to say about this whole experience? What do we Adventists say about the fact that we have apparently been responsible for delaying the second coming of Christ by at least 170 years?

Major Lessons from Minor Prophets God’s Special People (Micah)

Lesson #7 for May 18, 2013 Scriptures: [Micah 1:1-9; 2:1-11; 5:2; 6:1-8; 7:18-20; 2 Corinthians 11:23-27[128]].

1.    In this book: Micah receives visions of God’s grief over Judah’s and Israel’s evil deeds, their coming destruction and later deliverance, the capture of Jerusalem,

[Micah was the first prophet to predict the downfall of Jerusalem (Micah 3:12[129])] and the future arrival of the Son of Man [Micah 5:2[130]]. Micah discusses two key events: the capture of the City of David and the coming[s] of the Son of David.

As Micah addresses God’s case against Israel-and his compassion for the people-his confidence in God grows.—Willmington, H. L. (1999). The Outline Bible (Micah). Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.

2.    Unlike Jonah-whose story is his book and his message is one sentence; and even Joel, Amos, and Hosea who have compelling stories as a part of their books-Micah’s book is, basically, a record of his messages to the people of Israel and Judah.

3.    Micah (short for Mikayah, the name means “Who is like Yahweh?”) prophesied between 739 and 686 B.C. under Kings Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. (Micah 1:1) Micah had messages for both the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah. He was a country person from Moresheth Gath, very close to the vicinity of the Philistine city of Gath. Micah is referred to in Jeremiah 26:18,19[131]. Jeremiah was contrasting his experience with Micah’s. Micah is very much like Isaiah, and some people call Micah the shorthand version of Isaiah.

4.    The dominant foreign power during the period of Micah was Assyria. Both Judah and Israel, as well as their neighbors, were heavily influenced by what Assyria did. Most nations at that time had conscripted citizen armies, but Assyria had a large full-time professional army, which none could match. As conquests were made, mercenaries were hired on as soldiers as well. Supported by heavy tributes exacted from subjugated territories, this professional army was free to enforce Assyrian rule and make new conquests. [Assyria worshiped the war god.]

Three significant events took place during the era of Micah that were related to Assyria:

1.    In 734-732 B.C. Tiglath Pileser III led a campaign against parts of Israel and Judah, as well as Syria and the land of the Philistines. Assyria won a resounding victory. All the nations had to pay tribute, but the northern kingdom of Israel suffered the most and lost most of its territory (2 Kings 15:29[132]).

2.    In 722-721 B.C. Shalmaneser V of Assyria besieged the northern kingdom’s capital of Samaria (2 Kings 17:5,6). The city eventually fell to Sargon II, and large numbers of its inhabitants were deported.

3. During the reign of Hezekiah in 701 B.C., Judah unwisely joined a revolt against Assyria. King Sennacherib overran much of the country, but Jerusalem was spared in the end. [Isaiah 37:36-38]

Micah’s book must be read in the light of these events. The prophet was obviously a keen observer of current events, and God’s message to him speaks to his contemporary situation.—Bible Amplifier Series - Micah, Jon Dybdahl.

5.    Within Israel and Judah during this time, a shocking contrast between the extremely rich and the oppressed poor developed due to the exploitation of Israel’s middle class (Micah 2:8,9[133]) by greedy landholders (Micah 2:1-5[134]). The oppressors were supported by Israel’s corrupt political and religious leaders (Micah 3[135]). Because of this failed leadership, the whole nation became morally corrupt and ripe for judgment (Micah 6:9-16; 7:1-7[136]). (New Geneva Study Bible)

6.    Following the introductory statement in Micah 1:1[137], the entire rest of the book is written in poetic form. During Micah’s ministry, the northern kingdom of Israel was overthrown, and the people were scattered by Assyria. Micah said that the people of Judah were really no better than the people of Israel. Judah’s captivity in Babylon did not come until 120 years later. Notice the following words from The Online Bible about the corruption going on in Micah’s day:

A.    Among the laity (Micah 2:1-2, 6-10)

1.    They continually plot evil (Micah 2:1).

2.    They practice fraud and violence (Micah 2:2).

3.    They reject the Holy Spirit (Micah 2:6-7).

4.    They are insolent thieves (Micah 2:8).

5.    They mistreat widows and orphans (Micah 2:9-10).

B.    Among the leaders (Micah 2:11; 3:1-5, 8-11)

1.    They are drunken liars (Micah 2:11).

2.    They hate good and love evil (Micah 3:1).

3.    They devour the sheep (Micah 3:2-5).

4.    They despise justice (Micah 3:8-9).

5.    They shed innocent blood (Micah 3:10).

6.    They accept bribes (Micah 3:11).—Willmington, H. L. (1999). The Outline Bible (Micah 2:1-3:11). Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.

Do these accusations sound vaguely familiar? How could it be that false prophets, dishonest judges, and mercenary priests had become the norm for the land? (Micah 3:5-11[138])

7.    The Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide focuses on three passages in the book of Micah: [Micah 5:2; 6:1-8; and 7:18-20][139]. In this study guide, we will take the liberty of mentioning several other passages as well.

8.    What do you think of the description of preaching in Micah 2:11[140]? Can you imagine anyone preferring this type of preaching? How many congregations today are getting that kind of message? Does this sound like the politicians of today?

Micah 2:11: 11 The sort of prophet this people wants is a windbag and a liar, Prophesying a future of “wines and spirits”! (Phillips)

9.    What would it be like to attend a church where the pastor was preaching that kind of a message? Compare 2 Timothy 4:3,4[141]. How do we respond to pastors or Sabbath school teachers who give us messages that perhaps we do not want to hear? Could we be like the people in Micah’s time? Do we listen only to those who speak what we want to hear?

10.    Read Micah 4:1-4[142] and Isaiah 2:2-4[143]. Who do you think borrowed from whom? Or, is it possible that both of them were quoting a common expression used in their day or possibly a song? When God inspires prophets to give us messages, does He have the right to give the same message to more than one prophet? Why are there so many passages in Scripture that are duplicated? See [Jude and 2 Peter 2][144]. Almost 90% of Mark is in either Matthew or Luke. Isaiah 37[145] is essentially verbatim from 2 Kings 19[146]. 2 Samuel 22[147] is identical to Psalm 18[148]. Do these duplications worry you? What about Ellen White’s “borrowings”?

11.    Is Joel 3:10[149] a biblical contradiction of Micah 4:3[150] and Isaiah 2:4[151]?

12.    In ancient times, it was believed that when two nations were at war and one nation conquered the other, it was because the conquering nation’s god was more powerful than the god of the defeated nation. So, why would God allow His people to be captured and scattered throughout Assyria and later allow His people from Jerusalem and Judah to be taken into Babylonian captivity? Wouldn’t that send the wrong message? Why did God allow His people to spend all that time in slavery in Egypt? Who would want to worship a God of a bunch of slaves?

13.    Read Micah 4:11,12[152]. What is implied by the idea that “these nations do not know what is in the Lord’s mind”? What did the nations think? God was disciplining His people. Did it do any good?

14.    Read Micah 4:13-5:1[153]. Does Micah 4:13[154] sound like a contradiction to Micah 5:1[155]? Don’t you suppose that Micah 4:13 was a key text for the people in the days of Jesus? There are many Christian groups even today who believe that the millennium will be a time when Jesus will come down and reign from Jerusalem, gathering the wealth of the world there!

15.    What do you understand is the context of the famous Messianic prophecy in Micah 5:2[156]? Why did God give such a message of promise or warning to people who were acting as the people were acting at that time?

Micah 5:2: The Lord says, “Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are one of the smallest towns in Judah, but out of you I will bring a ruler for Israel, whose family line goes back to ancient times.” (GNB)

Micah 5:2: But thou, Beth-lehem Ephratah,

Though thou be little among the thousands of Judah,

Yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel;

Whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. (KJV)

At a time when disaster was being prophesied for Judah similar to what had recently taken place in Israel, it was important for God to point out that He had plans for His people for hundreds of years into the future. At times, it seemed that the Davidic line of kings had disappeared and all the promises that had been given to David would fail. But, then the Messiah was born, just as Micah had predicted in the region of Ephrathah, in the town of Bethlehem, and all that changed. The Eternal King was a descendant of King David and will represent his line forever. So, the prophecy served as a reminder for those who cared enough to read it and believe in Yahweh that He still had plans for the children of His friends Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob/Israel. How should we interpret this verse?

As with many Old Testament prophecies of the Messiah, Micah 5:2 makes a reference to the first and the second comings of Jesus Christ. With His first coming, the prophet says that He will be born in the city of Bethlehem. At His Second Coming He will become Ruler over the people of Israel. We know that the Jews rejected the Messiah at His first coming and did not allow Him to rule over them. However, [true] Israel will recognize the Messiah at His second coming and will allow Him to become their Ruler for eternity. The last part of this verse refers to Jesus’ divine nature, His pre-incarnate existence, by saying,

“whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” Thus, within this one short verse, we have a revelation of the Messiah’s identity in eternity past, in His incarnation and in eternity future.—Everett, G. H. (2011). The Book of Micah. Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures (14). Gary Everett.

16.    An elderly black pastor in the southern United States described the visit of Jesus to Jerusalem at the age of twelve, saying something like the following. As Jesus was sitting among the scholarly rabbis and asking them questions the likes of which they had never heard before, one of them turned to Him and asked: “Son, how old are you?” According to the elderly pastor, Jesus hesitated for a moment and then answered: “On my mother’s side, I am twelve; but on my Father’s side, I am older than time.” Surely, this would qualify Him as being One “whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.”

17.    Read Micah 6:1-8[157]. Micah 6:8 is the most succinct statement in the entire Bible of God’s will for His people. It summarizes all prophetic teachings on true religion: A life displaying justice, mercy, and a close walk with God. Justice is something that people do when prompted by God’s Spirit. It has to do with fairness and equality for all, especially the weak and powerless who are exploited by others. Kindness means to freely and willingly show love, loyalty, and faithfulness to others. “Walking with God” means putting God first and living in conformity with His will.

18.    Why is it easier to keep the Sabbath and other ceremonial requirements strictly than it is to do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly before God? Doing what is right requires an abandonment of selfishness and an acceptance of love as one’s modus operandi.

Micah 6:8 is the verse par excellence for biblical ethics and describes the true Christian lifestyle. In order to better understand what God is saying through Micah, we need to become acquainted with one crucial feature of biblical Hebrew thinking. When biblical authors want to explain a sequence of different actions, they describe them usually from the effect to the cause. This principle works from the visible to the invisible, from the superficial to the real, from the outside to the inside. We think and speak differently today; we explain things from cause to effect.

In other words, to understand what Micah is really saying, to catch his message, we need to reverse his sequence of thoughts. We need to begin to study this verse, starting from the end. Thus, the proper sequence for us today is:

First, “Walk humbly with the Lord!” This is the cause of all other actions described. [The first four commandments]

Second, “Love mercy!” This is the first result. [The last six commandments]

Finally, “Act justly!” This is the ultimate consequence for those who walk with God. (Adult Teacher’s Sabbath School Bible Study Guide, p. 86)

19.    It is absolutely essential to understand the meaning of Micah 6:8 because we know historically that the ceremonial system can be turned into a terrible curse, just as the Sabbath can be turned into a curse. On the other hand, if the ceremonial system and the Sabbath are properly understood, they can be a tremendous blessing. What would make the difference between the Sabbath or the law being a blessing or a curse even in our day?

20.    It is almost guaranteed that if you do not fully understand why you are doing something, then before long it will be turned into something very different from what was intended. Virtually every religious practice has been perverted in one way or another. But, if our religion is understood as a joyous opportunity to get to know our Father and God better, it is much less likely that we will lose its meaning. Why was this apparently so hard to understand? Do you see any evidence that the people in Micah’s day and Isaiah’s day were delighted about their growing relationship with Yahweh? Think of all that Jesus and Paul said about how the Jewish system had been corrupted in their day. How can we prevent that from happening in our day? Has it already begun to happen?

21.    Read Micah 7:18-20[158]. Is there a pile of sins at the bottom of the sea? What is meant by that?

Major Lessons from Minor Prophets Trusting God’s Goodness (Habakkuk)

Lesson #8 for May 25, 2013

Scriptures: [Habakkuk 1:1-17; 2:2-4; 3; Galatians 3:11; Hebrews 11:1-13; Philippians 4:11[159]].

1.    While Job is a key book to describe-in some cases-why the righteous suffer, Habakkuk is the key book to describe why the wicked prosper. In neither case do these books give us the complete answer. Job was a pawn in the great controversy. Habakkuk was caught up in a desperate time when God had to allow the people of the southern kingdom of Judah to suffer a fate similar to what Israel had suffered about 120 years earlier.

2.    There is no one else in the Bible by the name of Habakkuk. We are not even sure what his name meant. It may be derived from a Hebrew word which means “to embrace.”

3.    It is difficult to determine exactly when this book was written. He does not mention any king or any specific event which we can positively identify for dating the book. The fact that he wrote about the Babylonians rising to power suggests that the book was written in the last one third of the 7th century B.C., sometime between 630 B.C. and 600 B.C. Those who believe that Habakkuk was complaining about injustices and violence being carried out by greedy Jewish landlords oppressing their Jewish neighbors and the poor around them would date the book early in that time period, during the middle years of Josiah’s reign (628-625 B.C.). Those who believe that Habakkuk was complaining about the increasing violence carried out by the Babylonians would place the date of Habakkuk near the end of that time (ca. 605-600 B.C.).

4.    Habakkuk was unique among prophets. All the other prophets carried messages from God to their audiences. Habakkuk spoke on our behalf to God. The book of Habakkuk might be described as a conversation between Habakkuk and God. Read Habakkuk 1:1-4[160]. In Habakkuk 1:4, it seems like he was complaining about what was happening among the Jews themselves. Later in the book, it seems like he was complaining about what the Babylonians were doing. How do you compare the sins of Israel and Judah to those of the Assyrians?

5.    Habakkuk 1:1-4 is in the form of a Hebrew lament.

6.    Sometimes, when people ask for God’s response, He is silent. But, in this case, the Lord responded to Habakkuk’s lament. Read Habakkuk 1:5-10[161]. God’s response was a shock to Habakkuk who said, “God, how can you use a violent, pagan nation to punish your own people?” (Habakkuk 1:12-17[162]) What was God trying to accomplish through the Babylonians?

7.    Was it right and fair for God to do such a thing to punish His own people? Would God ever use the wicked as an instrument to punish the righteous-or should we say the “less-wicked”?

8.    After he recovered from his shock, Habakkuk responded in Habakkuk 2:1[163], saying he would wait and watch. And God responded in Habakkuk 2:2-4[164]. In Habakkuk 2:5-20[165], Habakkuk spelled out all the reasons why unrighteous people should be punished. They worship worthless idols and become worthless themselves. (Psalm 115:8[166]) By contrast, “Yahweh is in His holy temple; let everyone on earth be silent in his presence.” (Habakkuk 2:20[167]) Habakkuk closed his book with a fairly lengthy song and prayer. (Habakkuk 3[168]) He talked about what the evil nations were doing; and then, he talked about the mighty power of God.

9.    He concluded with a statement which is almost unbelievable for someone writing in his day. (Habakkuk 3:17-19[169])

10.    Let us briefly review the historical background of Habakkuk’s day. There were several prophets alive and active in Habakkuk’s day: 1) Nahum most likely prophesied between 650 and 612 B.C.; 2) Zephaniah between 640 and 620 B.C.; 3) Jeremiah from 627 to 575 B.C.; 4) Habakkuk prophesied between 630 and 600 B.C.; 5) Daniel was taken captive in 605 B.C. and continued to prophesy until 536 B.C.; 6) Ezekiel began writing in 593 B.C. and wrote through at least 571 B.C. He was likely taken captive in the conquest of Jerusalem which happened in 598/597 B.C.; 7) Obadiah probably prophesied between 590 and 580 B.C. As you can see, this was a very active time for prophets. Following are the kings of Judah at that time:

Manasseh 697-642 B.C.

Ammon 642-640 B.C.

Josiah    639-609 B.C. (Josiah’s reformation - ca. 628 B.C.)

Jehoahaz 609 B.C. (for only 3 months)

Jehoiakim 609-598 B.C.

Jehoiachin reigned only 3 months and 10 days (598-597 B.C.)

11.    An interesting note on the book of Habakkuk is the fact that in 1947, a commentary on the book of Habakkuk was found in one of the caves near the Dead Sea. It quoted the Hebrew of Habakkuk from Scripture and then commented on it. It covered the first two chapters of Habakkuk and shows that in approximately 100 B.C., the book of Habakkuk that they knew is virtually identical to the book of Habakkuk which we have today.

12.    In our day when disasters happen, people often raise the question: “Why does God allow so many evil things to happen?” There are several answers to that question: 1) People bring evil on themselves - reaping the results of what they have sown (James 1:13-15[170]). 2) People are in the wrong place at the wrong time and suffer the results of someone else’s evil. 3) Some people suffer just because we are so far removed from the tree of life that heredity and lifestyles over the ages have produced many diseases, infirmities, and weaknesses. 4) As we approach the end of this earth’s history, God is gradually withdrawing His Spirit from this world and allowing Satan to have more and more control. Satan has always wanted to have control of this earth (he claims to be our prince); and so, God will allow Satan to have a certain amount of control so that He can demonstrate in the larger setting of the great controversy what it would be like if Satan were put in charge permanently. 5) Occasionally, as in the case of Job, people suffer because they are pawns on the stage of the great controversy.

13.    What do you think the beings in the rest of the universe thought as they watched generation after generation going by and things getting progressively worse and worse? Wouldn’t it be natural for them to say to God, “Why are you wasting Your time with these people? Why don’t You just let them go?” (Hosea 4:17[171]; see E. G. White comments)

They must have asked this type of question repeatedly! But, God had a plan that He was working on that needed a little more time for conditions to become right for His Son to come and live on planet earth. (See Galatians 4:4[172]) It would be interesting to know what He told the angels and the beings from other parts of the universe during the times of Habakkuk. They were willing to wait and trust God to see how He would work things out. (See Habakkuk 2:4[173])

14.    Is it true that if God really told us what He is doing, we would not believe it? (Habakkuk

1:5) Could such a thing be true in our day? How does that fit with Daniel 9:19, NIV?-“For your sake, O my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name.” (Compare [2 Kings 19:34; 20:6; Psalms 25:11; Isaiah 37:35; 48:9-11; Jeremiah 14:7,21; Ezekiel 20:9][174]) How much inspired material do we have available today? Do we read it?

15.    I am sure this was not the first time people were surprised by God’s actions. What did they think when He sent the flood? It is natural for us to take an egocentric approach to such questions. We want to know how it is going to affect us! But, in the larger picture, it is God’s “name” and reputation that need to be preserved in all of this. The questions in the great controversy are not about us-everyone knows that we are sinners. The questions are about God. So, if we could forget about ourselves for a time and think about what all this is saying about God, we would probably get a clearer understanding of why things work out the way they do.

16.    What is the meaning of the last phrase of Habakkuk 2:4-“the just shall live by faith”? [(Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11; Hebrews 10:38)[175]] In the context in Habakkuk, what does it mean? What do you think Paul was thinking when he used it? What did it mean to Martin Luther when he started a reformation with it? If we understand what faith really is, doesn’t that imply that even in our time-as we see things going from bad, to worse, to even worse-that those who are truly righteous people will look back to the evidence they already have about God’s trustworthiness and live by trusting in God? Faith leads to righteousness.

17.    This verse has come to be a centerpiece of some of the most important theological passages in the entire Scripture. [(Romans 1:16,17; Galatians 3:11; Hebrews 10:37,38)][176] It is essential that we understand what it implies. There are at least three major ways this phrase has been understood down through the years.

1.    Martin Luther said he remembered this phrase as he was on his knees climbing “Pilate’s Staircase” in Rome. According to the story, as he thought of the implications of this phrase, he stood up and walked down the stairs. Some claim that was the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. To Martin Luther the phrase apparently meant, “Those who are legally forgiven because of their faith will live.” Since he was terrified of what God would do to him if he were lost, it was most important that his standing with God be “justified” or “declared righteous.” He reasoned that if God had fully forgiven him, then God would not need to punish him either in hell or purgatory.

2.    Another way the verse has been understood is as follows: If one is “justified” or “declared righteous,” then he is legally qualified to live eternally in heaven “because of his faith.” Is it because faith makes us righteous (the real meaning of the word just)? Or, is it that “just” people are able to live because of their “faith”? Or, both?

3.    A third way to look at this phrase is to look back at the original context and consider what was the most natural meaning in that context. God was saying to Habakkuk that things looked really bad; but, if Habakkuk was a friend of God, he would be willing to trust Him and wait. God asks us to allow Him to work with us to transform our lives. But, we must be willing to trust Him enough to be willing to do it in the way and at the time that He sees is best. Thus, the original Greek expression (Romans 1:17[177]) “righteousness” or “salvation” by “faith” could be translated, “God can and will save and heal all who trust Him.” Understood in this way, Habakkuk 2:4[178] means: Those who are God’s friends because they have been healed and saved by trusting Him are willing to continue trusting Him and wait.

18.    When do you think the fulfillment of Habakkuk 2:14[179] (Compare Isaiah 11:9) will take place?-“For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” (NIV) When do you think Habakkuk expected it to be fulfilled?

This is obviously a passage describing how things will be in the New Jerusalem after sin is completely eliminated. This is the way it should have been all along. Habakkuk probably had read this expression from Isaiah and realized that it was describing a time when “the Son of David”-the Messiah-would rule the world from the New Jerusalem. It certainly has not happened yet! In Habakkuk’s mind, this would find its initial fulfillment with the overthrow of the Babylonians. Isaiah repeatedly talked about the Jewish people being destroyed for “lack of knowledge.” [(Isaiah 1:3; 5:12,13; Hosea 4:6)[180]] It is clear here and in Isaiah 11:9 that the essential knowledge is the “knowledge about God.” Certainly, Habakkuk was hoping that such a time would come as soon as possible. But, he must have recognized that it was not happening in his day. What do we need to know about God?

19.    Did the prophets have a clear understanding of the impotence of idols? (See [Psalms 115:1-8; Isaiah 44:9-20; 1 Kings 18:25-29)[181]] If it is folly to worship anything created, (Romans 1:20-23[182]) what kind of folly is it to worship something you have created yourself? (Habakkuk 2:18,19[183])

The logic of the arguments in these passages is compelling! But, unfortunately, those who worship idols are not inclined to spend a lot of time thinking through the implications of what they are doing! This is an example of a type of behavior which is all too common even in our day. When someone wants to believe something, he is very inclined to believe it even if essentially all the evidence is against it. Why do people smoke? Why do people ignore the many clear commands in the Scriptures to keep the Sabbath holy? In this case, it is likely that the attractiveness of the promiscuous sexual orgies that were regarded as a part of the “worship” of idols drew people, even when it was clear that they were not “gods” at all.

20.    Does the book of Habakkuk suggest that God may, in some way, be losing control? Is it possible that He might not be able to actually carry out what He has said? Notice Habakkuk 2:20[184]-The way we worship says a lot about the kind of God we worship! “Be patient, wait, God is still in control!” What kind of God would give us such a message? Did Baal talk like that? Molech? Dagon? Did those “gods” demand quiet reverence and careful evaluation of what it meant to worship them? (See 1 Kings 18:25-29[185])

The message of Habakkuk seems to be that God is still in control. Even when things look really bad, God can be trusted. Isaiah said that our bread and water will be sure. (Isaiah 33:16[186]) Habakkuk seemed to suggest that he would rejoice in the Lord even when everything was gone! (See Habakkuk 3:17-19[187]) If God is extremely intelligent (See Isaiah 40:10-31[188]) and all powerful, (Isaiah 40-48) then His people can rely on Him. Idols have none of those properties!

21.    Could you comfortably agree with Habakkuk’s conclusion in Habakkuk 3:16-19[189]?

In response to God’s request in Habakkuk 2:4[190], by the end of the book, the prophet seemed ready to leave everything in God’s hands. For someone living in a subsistence agricultural society, the conditions described by Habakkuk were just about as bad as it could get! But, Habakkuk had decided that he would trust God no matter what happened! That required real trust. And that is exactly what God had in mind when He asked Habakkuk to trust Him! (Habakkuk 2:4) As suggested by Paul, (Acts 16:31[191]) since trust (faith) is the only requirement for salvation, Habakkuk had apparently succeeding in developing that essential relationship with God, a relationship which He would like to see in each of us. How many of us have it?

22.    So, what does Habakkuk say to us about God?

God is sovereign. He rules over all nations. But, that same God wants to dialogue with each one of us. He cares about our questions. God sees the distant past as well as the near and distant future. He knows what is best for us, even though, at times, His actions may seem incredible! He asks us to give Him a chance. Wait, listen, and God will speak. Even when everything seems to be going wrong, God is still present. It may be difficult for us to watch as the wicked seem to prosper, but God includes them in His plans as well. When God needs to discipline His own children, He may use some unexpected means; but, He is still in control.

Major Lessons from Minor Prophets The Day of the Lord (Zephaniah and Nahum)

Lesson #9 for June 1, 2013 Scriptures: [Zephaniah 1:14-18; 2:1-3; 3:1-5; Joel 2:1-11; Isaiah 11:4; 62:5; Nahum 1-3.[192]]

1.    Like many of their fellow prophets, Zephaniah and Nahum pronounced doom against Israel’s neighbors. But, Zephaniah also spoke out very bluntly against the corruption in Jerusalem.

2.    The moral state of the southern kingdom deteriorated rapidly after the reign of King Hezekiah (729-686 B.C.). The religious reforms he instituted were soon eradicated by the evil influence of Manasseh (696-642 B.C.) and Amon (642-640 B.C.; cf. [2 Kings 21; 2 Chr. 33])[193].

Into this scene of moral and religious degeneracy came the boy-king Josiah.

Upon the discovery of the ‘Book of the Law’ (2 Kings 22:8ff[194]. [probably Deuteronomy]), in the eighteenth year of his reign (621 B.C.; 2 Kings 22:3[195]),

Josiah launched a sweeping reform of the national order. His regime was backed by the prophetic ministries of Jeremiah and Zephaniah, but the prophets’ call for repentance fell upon deaf ears. Wickedness remained unabated, and Judah was ripe for judgment.

Zephaniah is a book of contrasts; for no other prophet paints a darker picture of God’s judgment, and no prophet paints a brighter picture of Israel’s future glory. Historically, the Book of Zephaniah was used in the providence of God to prepare Judah for the reforms and revival under King Josiah. Through the prophecy the nation of the prophet’s day was faced with its sin, reminded of coming judgment, and instructed concerning the ultimate glory that will come to Israel. . . Zephaniah goes farther than any other of the minor prophets in emphasizing the future conversion of the Gentiles to the worship of the true God. . .Two recurring expressions are important: (1) “remnant” (Zephaniah 1:4; 2:7,9; 3:13)[196], and (2) the “day of the Lord” (Zephaniah 1:7-10,14-16,18; 2:2,3; 3:8,11,16)[197].

The purpose of Zephaniah’s prophecy is to set forth what the day of the Lord will mean to ungodly Judah, to the world powers (Zephaniah 1:2-3:7[198]), and to the godly remnant (Zeph. 3:8-20[199]). His theme is the day of the Lord, which destroys the false remnant of Baal (Zeph. 1[200]), destroys the God-rejecting nations (Zeph. 2[201]), and purifies the true remnant (Zeph. 3:8-20[202]). (King James Version Study Bible) [bold supplied]

During the reign of Josiah the word of the Lord came to Zephaniah, specifying plainly the results of continued apostasy, and calling the attention of the true church to the glorious prospect beyond. His prophecies of impending judgment upon Judah apply with equal force to the judgments that are to fall upon an impenitent world at the time of the second advent of Christ.—Ellen G. White, Prophets and Kings, p. 389. [bold and italics supplied]

3.    Zephaniah 3:8 Comments—Zephaniah 3:8 has the unique characteristic of containing all twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet, as well as the five final consonant forms. No other verse in the Scriptures repeats this incident.

[Some trivia]

4.    Zephaniah 3:9 "then will I turn to the people a pure language”—Comments—Grant Jeffery notes that Zephaniah 3:9 gives a clear prophecy that God will restore the Hebrew language to the nation of Israel. No other nation in history has ever risen back up after centuries of being dispersed. In 1948 the nation of Israel was reborn.

No other language on earth has ever been restored after centuries of being quiet. The Hebrew language was restored along with the nation of Israel. The restoration of this ancient language is mainly credited to Eliezar Ben Yehuda (1858-1922). After he moved to Israel in 1881, he created thousands of words to fit the modern Hebrew culture, becoming the first author of a modern Hebrew dictionary, which promoted the rebirth of the Hebrew language in this restored nation.—Everett, Gary, Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures, The Book of Zephaniah.

ZEPHANIAH

We humans keep looking for a religion that will give us access to God without having to bother with people. We want to go to God for comfort and inspiration when we’re fed up with the men and women and children around us. We want God to give us an edge in the dog-eat-dog competition of daily life. . .

That’s when the prophets step in and interrupt us, insisting, "Everything you do or think or feel has to do with God. Every person you meet has to do with God.” We live in a vast world of interconnectedness, and the connections have consequences, either in things or in people—and all the consequences come together in God. The biblical phrase for the coming together of the consequences is Judgment Day.

We can’t be reminded too often or too forcefully of this reckoning. Zephaniah’s voice in the choir of prophets sustains the intensity, the urgency. (Introduction to Zephaniah - The Message)

Nothing is apparently more helpless, yet really more invincible, than the soul that feels its nothingness and relies wholly on the merits of the Saviour. By prayer, by the study of His word, by faith in His abiding presence, the weakest of human beings may live in contact with the living Christ, and He will hold them by a hand that will never let go.—Ellen G. White, The Ministry of Healing, p. 182. See also Romans 5:10.

5.    How do you think the Israelis today feel about Zephaniah 2:5-9[203]? Is this a good enough reason for them to think that, eventually, much of the Middle East will belong to the Jews? Is this still future?

6.    After all that the Lord had done for their ancestors down through the years, how could the children of Israel say, "The Lord will do nothing, either good or bad”? (Zephaniah 1:12; Jeremiah 5:12; Compare 2 Peter 3:3,[204]4) Was this wishful thinking on their part? Were they aware of their evil condition and hoping God would just leave them alone? Did they really think God was powerless?

7.    Those who are disobeying God and are not ready to do anything about it are always ready to hope that God will not disturb them! This is often the attitude of teenagers. But, the children of Israel certainly had plenty of evidence that God had the power to do anything He wanted to. It is always difficult to admit that some evil that befalls one might be one’s own fault! On the other hand, it did seem that other nations were winning all the battles. On that basis, the ancient peoples often felt that was proof that their "gods” were more powerful than the God of Israel and Judah.

8.    What do you think Zephaniah had in mind when he repeatedly referred to "the day of the Lord”? [(Zephaniah 1:2-18; 2:1-4; 3:16-20; Compare Joel 1:15; 2:1,2,11,31; 3:14)[205]] Was his strong language appropriate? About 30 years later, Judah was conquered by Nebuchadnezzar. (See Revelation 14:6-12[206])

9.    Zephaniah is one of the few books in the Bible where it is suggested that God’s fury or anger seems to lead to His directly "destroying” people. (See Zephaniah 1:2-9,14-16; 1:18-2:3; 3:6-8)[207] When were/are these passages to be fulfilled? This idea is fairly common in the Old Testament.

10.    When the Ninevites repented in response to Jonah, God waited over 150 years to bring destruction on them. But, finally, He had to do something after they showed evidence of returning to their wicked ways. What could God do at such a point? Think of all the prophets God sent through the years-even His Own Son. And think of the parables that Jesus gave and how they mocked and scoffed and how they treated Him. Imagine God’s people claiming that His Son’s picture of God was Satanic! (John 8:48) How much further could God’s people go in rejecting Him? At that point, what else could God do but let them go? (Hosea 4:17; Hosea 11[208], especially 11:8) Is this the same message that needs to be given to our generation? What would you do with the people described in [2 Kings 17? Or, 2 Chronicles 36:15,16[209]?] "Laughing at His prophets”?

11.    Aren’t Seventh-day Adventists really Christians who have also accepted the "third angel’s message”? (Revelation 14:9-11[210]) Can we give this message in such a way as to be useful and meaningful to the world today? How many people in our world are worried about what is described in the third angel’s message? Do you see people being very concerned about this message? Or, are we like the people in Zephaniah 1:12[211]?

12.    If Zephaniah were standing on one corner preaching his message and you were standing on an opposite corner preaching the third angel’s message, would there be an obvious contrast between the two of you? Is the whole world sitting up and taking notice as we preach to them the third angel’s message?

13.    What does God ultimately want? Isn’t it that He be able to speak to us very plainly, yet quietly as a Friend, without a great display of "human emotion,” and yet, have us take what He says very respectfully and reverently? How can God accomplish that balance? Think of times when God acted very forcefully. The flood? The plagues in Egypt? Mount Sinai? Did these things lead to a great revival? Or, did people very quickly go back to their old ways?

14.    Zephaniah was probably the last prophetic book written before the Babylonians attacked Jerusalem the first time in 605 B.C. Were circumstances serious enough to warrant his language? God originally called Abram out of Mesopotamia and promised him that he and his descendants would be a blessing to all nations. In the light of the messages of these minor prophets and 2 Chronicles 33:9[212], does God seem to be doing well with His plan? Was Israel ever really worse than the Canaanites? Is it ever possible to speak of God not succeeding in what He sets out to do? Could God even "fail” to accomplish His goals with the human race?

15.    Does this sound like Abraham’s descendants were proving to be a great blessing to other nations? Or, even themselves? God soon allowed them to be taken off into Babylonian captivity. Only a relative small number of them ever returned; and even those who did return, almost immediately went back to committing the same sins that had apparently led to their ancestor’s going into captivity. Then, under Ezra and Nehemiah, they apparently experienced a great reformation and revival. They never went back to idols of gold and silver or to the "fertility cult” religions of those around them. But, despite becoming exemplary blueprinting "adventists,” they crucified Jesus Christ when He came to them!

Was that what God intended? Did He have to wait so many years for a group who would kill His Son? What was He waiting for in the days of Zephaniah? In our day?

Nahum

At the time that Nahum delivered his prophecy, Assyria (and its capital, Nineveh) appeared invincible. A world free of Assyrian domination was unimaginable. Nahum’s task was to make it imaginable—to free God’s people from Assyrian paralysis, free them to believe in and pray to a sovereign God. Nahum’s preaching, his Spirit-born metaphors, his God-shaped syntax, knocked Assyria off her high horse and cleared the field of Nineveh-distraction so that Israel could see that despite her world reputation, Assyria didn’t amount to much. Israel could now attend to what was really going on.

Because Nahum has a single message—doom to Nineveh/Assyria—it is easy to misunderstand the prophet as simply a Nineveh-hater. But Nahum writes and preaches out of the large context in which Israel’s sins are denounced as vigorously as those of any of her enemies. The effect of Nahum is not to foment religious hate against the enemy but to say, "Don’t admire or be intimidated by this enemy. They are going to be judged by the very same standards applied to us.” (Introduction to Nahum - The Message)

16.    Does God sometimes "punish” His children by just allowing them to reap the consequences of their own behavior? At other times, does He actually bring on the punishment?

17.    Considering all that has been said in the Scriptures about God’s wrath and what He does when He gets "furious,” it is likely that in most cases God just allows people to reap the natural consequences of their own behavior. When they are worshiping all sorts of idols and false "gods,” the true God has to step back and let them suffer the consequences. This has been demonstrated repeatedly in the past. (See [Deuteronomy 8:15; 31:16-18; Joshua 7:1-12; 23:16; Judges 2:12-14,19-23; Judges 3:7-9; Judges 10:6-12[213]]) There are times when God has acted to preserve even some of His connection with mankind such as at the flood when almost no one seemed to be listening to Him any more. He has repeatedly used crisis interventions to get our attention so He can have a chance to say something important about Himself or about our relationship with Him.

18.    When children go astray from their Christian roots, is it their fault? Or, their parents’ fault? Or, both? [(John 9:1-3; Proverbs 22:6[214])] Would it be fair to say of a human parent who had come to his wits end in trying to deal with his child that when he allows that child to reap the consequences that he is showing his "wrath”? Would wrath be the best word to use? How do you describe God’s so-called "emotional reaction” to sin? [(Nahum 1:1-6,8-10; Hosea 11:7,8[215])] Should we call that "divine displeasure”? Is it "wrath”? Why would the Bible call it wrath? Can you think of a better word? How do you think God should react to sin? How should He portray Himself as reacting to sin? Is it possible that God sometimes uses this type of language to startle us or to wake us up to realize the seriousness of what is going on? Does God always do as He did in Nahum and almost immediately describe His love and His fairness? (Nahum 1:7[216])

19.    God’s wrath is nothing more than His letting go and handing over-in loving disappointment-those who are bent on leaving Him anyway, thus allowing them to reap or experience the tragic and awful consequences of their own destructive and rebellious behavior.

20.    Is it not likely that if Nahum had spoken in kind, gentle words to the people of Nineveh who were so cruel, that they would have despised the Hebrew prophet and the Hebrew God? Considering the story of Jonah which took place about 120 years earlier, is it possible that the Ninevites now thought: "We don’t have to take this God too seriously. After all, He didn’t do anything the last time He threatened us”? Don’t we have other references about people taking advantage of God’s kindness? (See Romans 2:4[217]) Did the Ninevites recognize that Yahweh, the God of Israel and Judah, was the One who destroyed their army as it surrounded Jerusalem? [(2 Kings 19:35; Isaiah 37:36[218])]

21.    People who are as cruel as were the Assyrians need to be spoken to in very strong language before they pay much attention. Jonah also spoke in very strong language; and the Ninevites listened to Jonah. This is evidence enough that God’s use of strong language is sometimes effective. The fact that God was gracious and did not destroy them when they repented may have been given by some of them as an excuse for not changing, but this shows an incredible misunderstanding of God and His character.

22.    Is it possible that God cared enough about the Assyrians that He hoped that His captive children might bear a witness to them? Century after century, is God just working to win a few people from each generation-a few Canaanites, a few Jews, a few Egyptians, a few Assyrians, a few Babylonians, a few Romans, a few Europeans, a few Americans-and after He has won enough, then He will say the work is done?

23.    We have already seen that two entire books of the Bible, Jonah and Nahum, and their complete recorded messages were for the benefit of the Assyrians. There are many other passages and even some other books in the Bible primarily written for the benefit of other peoples: Obadiah; Daniel; as well as parts of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Zephaniah, etc. It is true that the Scriptures were given primarily to the Jews, but they were to spread that message to the world. While they failed to do as they were instructed, God did His best to get the word out to the whole world.

24.    How can God inspire serious reverence and respect without causing fear? If people come to understand how loving and kind God really is and how He feels about them, how is He supposed to maintain reverence?

25.    Throughout the Old Testament, God was continually going back and forth between speaking very harshly and getting a fear response and then acting more lovingly and kindly and losing the respect of the people. (See Romans 2:4[219]) To maintain reverence without fear is one of God’s most challenging tasks. How would you do that? Think of times when God inspired "fear” and temporarily got peoples’ attention like at Sinai (Exodus 20:18-20[220]); the she-bears (2 Kings 2:24[221]); Nadab and Abihu (Leviticus 10:1-11[222]); Korah, Dathan, and Abiram (Numbers 16:1-35[223]); Uzzah (2 Samuel 6:1-8[224]); etc. This is certainly not God’s ideal way of handling things! God wants us to do what is right because it is right. He wants to treat us as friends.

26.    Is it true that the closer God’s children come to the point where He can no longer help them, the louder He raises His voice and the more seriously He speaks? (See Revelation 14:6-12[225]) Can you imagine Jesus speaking in the words of books like Jonah and Nahum? Or, was it the Father? Or, the Holy Spirit?

Major Lessons from Minor Prophets First Things First! (Haggai)

Lesson #10 for June 8, 2013 Scriptures: [Haggai 1; 2; John 2:19; Ezra 3:1-6; Matthew 1:23; 12:6; Luke 24:13-27.][226]

1.    Haggai’s short book of only two chapters is all about priorities. What are our priorities? T ake a look at the chronology surrounding the experiences of Haggai and Zechariah:

August 536,535 B.C. (1% of Jews returned with Zerubbabel and company to Jerusalem)

August 29, 520 B.C. (Haggai 1:1[227]);

September 15, 520 B.C. (Haggai 1:15[228]);

October 17, 520 B.C. (Haggai 2:1[229]); and

December 18, 520 B.C. (Haggai 2:10 and Haggai 2:20[230]).

March 12, 515 B.C. (Ezra 6:15[231]) - Temple finished.

All four oracles of Haggai are precisely dated in the year 520 B.C., the second year of the reign of Darius I (521-486 B.C.), king of Persia. The first oracle was delivered on the first day of Elul (August-September), the second on the twenty-first day of Tishri (September-October), and the last two on the twenty-fourth day of Kislev (November-December). Later the messages were compiled into what is now known as the Book of Haggai. For the historical background of the book, see Ezra 1-7. (Believer’s Study Bible) [Compare The Anchor Bible, Haggai, Zechariah 1-8, p. xlvi] [Haggai may have seen Solomon’s temple which was destroyed in 586 B.C. Some think Haggai was born in Babylon.]

2.    Haggai’s book, one of the shortest in the Bible, was written at a critical time in the life of Judah. The exiles had returned from their captivity in Babylon almost twenty years before; yet, they seemed to have forgotten the reason for their return. They let God’s temple sit in ruins while they devoted their energy to building their own houses. Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide for June 1, 2013. [And what are we doing today? Do we pay a faithful tithe?]

3.    Read Haggai 1[232]. For over a year the temple was neglected and well-nigh forsaken. The people dwelt in their homes and strove to attain temporal prosperity, but their situation was deplorable. Work as they might they did not prosper. The very elements of nature seemed to conspire against them. Because they had let the temple lie waste, the Lord sent upon their substance a wasting drought. God had bestowed upon them the fruits of field and garden, the corn and the wine and the oil, as a token of His favor; but because they had used these bountiful gifts so selfishly, the blessings were removed.—Ellen G. White, Prophets and Kings, p. 573.

4.    Does God actually send drought? Does He take away blessings, even allowing people to starve if they do not do what He wants them to do? Does that sound like a God of love? Is it important for us to keep our priorities straight? Had God warned them what would happen if they ignored Him? (Leviticus 26:16,20[233]) Are you comfortable with these words from God? Is this the "health and wealth” gospel?

5.    In last week’s lesson, we noticed that there were people in Zephaniah’s day claiming that God would never do anything-neither good nor bad. (Zephaniah 1:12[234]) Well, God certainly did something! They went into Babylonian captivity; and then in Haggai’s day, they were brought back. But, they were acting like they were just as ignorant of God’s plan for them as their ancestors had been. Do you see any warning for us?

6.    In Haggai’s day, the question was about building God’s temple in Jerusalem. After returning from Babylon, they had built a small altar presumably on the bare rock on Mount Moriah to give offerings to God. But, years had gone by and no further progress was made, partially because of the opposition of their neighbors.

7.    But then, suddenly, Haggai and Zechariah appeared and began speaking on God’s behalf. In a very short period of time-about three and half months-Haggai gave four messages to the people and one message personally to Zerubbabel. The work on the temple began; and people did what they could; and in a period of about four years, the temple was completed.

8.    Apparently, Haggai and Zechariah were two of the most immediately successful of the prophets of Old Testament times. Note that the book of Haggai consists of five messages: [Haggai 1:1-15; 2:1-9; 2:10-19; and 2:20-23][235]; and finally, there was a fifth message for Zerubbabel. Only Jonah and Nehemiah rivaled the success of these two!

9.    Read Haggai 1:12-14[236]. Did God’s statement, "I am with you” remind them of those earlier statements in Genesis 26:3; Exodus 3:12; and Numbers 14:9? Were these personal messages?

10.    Today, do we act as if God is with us? Of course, the greatest manifestation of God being with us as a human family was when Jesus came down to this earth. [(See Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23; 28:20[237])] Why does God care so much about this tiny blue marble in space? One day-after the millennium-God will make our world the headquarters for the universe!

11.    Read Haggai 2:1-5[238]. The people had begun to lay the foundations for the new temple. Remembering the magnificent glory of Solomon’s Temple, the older people wept as they saw this one by comparison. [(Ezra 3:12; Haggai 2:3[239])] They realized they would never be able to build another temple like Solomon’s.

12.    But, God had great plans for this new temple! At the dedication of the tent-tabernacle in the wilderness, God’s presence had descended to fill it so that not even Moses could go inside. A similar occurrence happened at the dedication of Solomon’s Temple. But, this temple, later massively expanded to become Herod’s T emple, did not have any of the special manifestation of God’s Spirit at its dedication. There was no covenant box in the most holy place; there was no altar of incense and no table of showbread. But, this temple was to be more glorious than even Solomon’s magnificent temple. [(See Exodus 40:34,35; Numbers 9:15,16; 1 Kings 8:10,11; Isaiah 6:4; Ezekiel 43:4,5; Revelation 15:8; Matthew 12:6)][240]

13.    What is God trying to teach us in Haggai 2:6-9[241]? How could that new temple be more glorious?

But the second temple had not equaled the first in magnificence; nor was it hallowed by those visible tokens of the divine presence which pertained to the first temple. There was no manifestation of supernatural power to mark its dedication. No cloud of glory was seen to fill the newly erected sanctuary. No fire from heaven descended to consume the sacrifice upon its altar. The Shekinah no longer abode between the cherubim in the most holy place; the ark, the mercy seat, and the tables of the testimony were not to be found therein.

No voice sounded from heaven to make known to the inquiring priest the will of Jehovah.

For centuries the Jews had vainly endeavored to show wherein the promise of God given by Haggai had been fulfilled; yet pride and unbelief blinded their minds to the true meaning of the prophet’s words. The second temple was not honored with the cloud of Jehovah’s glory, but with the living presence of One in whom dwelt the fullness of the Godhead bodily-who was God Himself manifest in the flesh. The "Desire of all nations” had indeed come to His temple when the Man of Nazareth taught and healed in the sacred courts. In the presence of Christ, and in this only, did the second temple exceed the first in glory. But Israel had put from her the proffered Gift of heaven. With the humble T eacher who had that day passed out from its golden gate, the glory had forever departed from the temple. Already were the Saviour’s words fulfilled:

"Your house is left unto you desolate.” Matthew 23:38. Great Controversy 24.1,2

What did Jesus do in the temple? He was surrounded by people listening to Him teach!

14.    The book of Haggai was all about rebuilding the temple or sanctuary of God in ancient Jerusalem. But, the earthly sanctuaries were never more than a shadow of the heavenly sanctuary. What is happening in the heavenly sanctuary right now? (Hebrews 8:1-5) Is it important to our understanding of God?

15.    Read Luke 24:13-27[242]. Jesus said here and also in [Luke 24:44 and John 5:39][243] that we are supposed to learn important lessons from the Old Testament. What are those lessons?

16.    Anyone who has spent any amount of time studying the Old Testament carefully realizes how often and how completely the children of Israel departed from God’s plan for them. It has now been almost 170 years since the great disappointment of 1844. How are we doing in fulfilling God’s plan for us?

17.    In Haggai’s day, inspired by the encouragement of Haggai and Zechariah, the people came together and despite their financial difficulties managed to finish the temple in Jerusalem. Do we need Haggais and Zechariahs in our day? How often do we allow the urgencies in our day-to-day lives to eclipse the more important matters of eternity? Is it more important to put food in our mouths, roofs over our heads, and clothes on our backs than it is to prepare for the second coming of Christ? Is the Devil really an expert at keeping us busy?

18.    Haggai implied that God sent drought in his day. What would be the equivalent today?

19.    We believe that God knows very well what is going to happen in the future. Why do you think God sent Haggai, Zechariah, Zerubbabel, and Joshua the high priest, and then later Ezra and Nehemiah, to urge the people to proceed with the building of the temple, the rebuilding of the walls, and inspire this great revival and reformation if He knew that when His Son came not too many years in the future, they would reject Him? What do you understand God to be trying to accomplish during that whole period? And what does that say about God?

20.    Galatians 4:4[244] suggests that Jesus arrived "when the fullness of time had come” (KJV, NKJV); or "when the appointed time arrived” (Jewish New Testament); or "when the right time came” (TLB, The Living Translation); or "when the time had fully come” (RSV, NIV); or "when the time was right” (CEV); or "when the time arrived that was set by God the Father” (The Message). This suggests that God was looking for something in particular. Was it that people were more sinful? If so, then why not come before the flood? (Genesis 6:5[245]) The Jews in Jesus day had given up fertility cult worship, gross idolatry, intermarriage with the heathen, and they had successfully rebuilt the temple once again into a wonderful structure-with the help of Herod and Caesar’s money. God knew this was coming.

21.    Even before it happened, God understood all that was going to occur. He knew that they would leave all their gross external immorality and become the most strict "law-abiding” group that ever lived on planet earth! They had to ritually clean themselves after returning from the market in case they had somehow come in contact with a Gentile and ritually contaminated themselves! (Mark 7:1-5[246]) Is it possible that they were just as difficult for God to reach and influence as their idolatrous ancestors? When their ancestors had the Scriptures read to them, they experienced a great revival and reformation. ](2 Kings 22,23; Nehemiah 8[247])] In Jesus’ day, they read and memorized the Scriptures daily. But when He appeared, they accused Him of being possessed by a Demon! (John 8:48[248])

22.    This might suggest that those who are very “religious” and “saintly” are actually, at times, farther from God than the more flagrant sinners! Is God trying to show us that the ditch is just as deep on each side of the road? This is very hard for modern Christians to accept because we immediately recognize that we are much more like the Pharisees than we are like the idolatrous and immoral Jews in the Old Testament. It is always much easier to point a finger at those who are quite different from what we are than it is to recognize that there might be some terrible sinners that look just like us! The question that must be faced in such situations is: Are we any better? Do we have more light? We do not even like to think about it! We like to think that we are much better than "those sinners” in the Old Testament!

23.    God is doing His best to warn us of all the possible hazards. He would like to keep us from the gross sinfulness of the ancient peoples; but, He would also like to prevent us from being caught up in the much subtler and more dangerous sins of pride, self-righteousness, and spiritual superiority that characterized the Jews of the New Testament.

24.    What were God’s objectives in rebuilding the temple if He knew what was coming? If an angel had stopped to ask, "God, what are You planning to accomplish through this rebuilding of the temple? How will you ‘succeed’?” How do you think God would have answered? At that point in history, what would have been success in the eyes of an angel? What was God waiting for? What is He waiting for now? Are we so settled into the truth that we cannot be moved?

25.    That is really an expansion of the previous question. God is seeking to bring this whole "sin experiment” that we call the great controversy to a conclusion in such a way that no one will ever want to try any of the avenues of sin ever again. In order to do this, God must allow sin in all its forms to play itself out in this "theater of the universe” (1 Corinthians 4:9[249]) until it has been adequately demonstrated that sin in every form has terrible and deadly consequences. If this is not thoroughly demonstrated before the entire universe and recorded in a form that can be reviewed and understood by all, there is the possibility that someday, someone may again get the idea that sin is not so bad or that there is sufficient reason for challenging the way God runs His universe. If such a thing should ever occur again, then the demonstration has been inadequate. So, God waits to allow sin to work its deadly results on all who refuse to come back to Him. It is the only way He can secure the universe against apostasy and rebellion for all time to come. It was necessary for Him to go through all that He has gone through to accomplish this. It is hard to imagine God doing many of the things that He has done unless there was a very good reason for doing so. We have no way of knowing how early the angels began to understand all of this; but, some of it was not clear until Calvary. (DA 764)

26.    It is God’s plan to establish a new heaven and a new earth where righteousness dwells. He will not have any jails, nor any police force, FBI, CIA, KGB, nor any such group. He refuses to be constantly checking in people’s refrigerators, bedrooms, or libraries to make sure that they are not doing something that they are not supposed to do! Nor will He run the risk of having the whole great controversy start all over again! So, He will only be able to admit into His kingdom people who are so convinced of the truth and the advantages of doing what is right simply because it is right that they will never be tempted to go back to sin in any form. Then, God’s kingdom will be safe and secure for eternity. People will be doing right because it is right!

27.    Was God saying, "If you don’t worship Me and Me first, I can’t bless you”? (Haggai 1:2-11[250]) If so, would that suggest that God is selfish? Who stands to gain the most if we put God first? We do! Why are people blessed when they put God first? Is it because God does not like it when they do not put Him first; and therefore, He withholds His blessings? Or, by putting God first, do we open up ways for God to bless us that would not otherwise be open?

28.    Repeatedly, we have seen the contrast made between our extremely intelligent and powerful Yahweh-God (Isaiah 40:9-26[251]) and the useless, powerless chunks of wood, stone, or metal that the heathen called their gods. [(Isaiah 44:6-20; 1 Kings 18:20-40[252])] We have noted the consequences of worshiping those false deities. [(2 Kings 17:15; Hosea 9:10 [compare Numbers 25:1-5]; Psalms 115:8; Jeremiah 2:5,17,18; 7:6; 2 Corinthians 3:18[253])] When we worship and admire something or Someone, we become like that person or thing. This is the way the mind works. You will become like what you fill your mind with. (GC 555) So, it is self-destructive for us to admire or worship anything short of our wonderful God. God will not punish us for doing it. We will just lose! As God has dealt with His erring children, there have been times when He has sent floods, plagues, droughts, etc. to try to get people to realize what they were doing and turn back to Him.

Major Lessons from Minor Prophets Visions of Hope (Zechariah)

Lesson #11 for June 15, 2013 Scriptures: [Zechariah 1-4,7; Romans 15:9-18; Ephesians 3:1-8; Exodus 25:31-40][254].

1.    This lesson will cover the first seven chapters of Zechariah and focus on God’s efforts through Zechariah and Haggai to inspire those few people who came back from Babylonian captivity to rebuild the temple. How do you explain [Matthew 23:35; Zechariah 1:1; and 2 Chronicles 24:21[255]]?

2.    When they arrived back in Jerusalem, everything was rubble. They cleared off the top of Mount Moriah and set up a small altar to offer sacrifices to God. But, every time they attempted to move on to do something more, there was opposition from the surrounding nations and discouragement among the Jewish people themselves. As we noted when studying Haggai, the events of Zechariah and Haggai are very precisely dated. Only about one percent of the Jewish people returned from Babylonian captivity to live in Palestine. They had been home from Babylon about 14 years when Haggai and Zechariah began to prophesy. God reminded them of the failures of their ancestors and very strongly encouraged them not to make the same mistakes. While Haggai was focusing on rallying the people to build the temple, Zechariah received a series of eight visions. Those visions were organized in a very specific way to teach a very important lesson.

3.    The message of Zechariah’s first six chapters is quite simple: it is time to rebuild the temple. This appeal was the main communication behind a series of eight short visions that God gave to Zechariah. . . They were written in a chiastic order (in a mirror structure), which means that the first vision corresponds with the last one, the eighth; the second with the seventh; the third with the sixth; and, finally, at the climax is the fourth, accompanied by the fifth. These pairs also deal with related subjects, which are chronologically arranged in a reverse order. To summarize the message of each vision, one can say the following: [To better understand the context and message, read these visions in the sequence: #s 8,1,7,2,6,3,5,4. See below.]

1.    The first vision (Zech. 1:7-11), about the man among the myrtle trees and four horses with their riders, conveys the idea that these horses went through the whole earth, and their riders declared that the earth was at peace (vs.11). So, it was now a ripe time to work on God’s project; namely, to build His house, because no one had the power to stop it. God had established peace.

2.    The second vision (Zech. 1:18-21), about the "four horns” (NKJV), describes how the craftsmen broke them. God revealed the end of political cause for the exile. These powers were torn down because they were hindrances to the building of the temple.

3.    The third vision (Zech. 2:1-5), about the "man with a measuring line” (NKJV), points to God’s abundant blessing: “‘“I myself will be a wall of fire around it [Jerusalem]” . . . “and I will be its glory within”’” (vs. 5, NIV). [too big to measure]

4.    The fourth vision (Zech. 3:1-10), about God’s forgiveness for Joshua, lies at the heart of these eight visions. Satan accused Joshua, the high priest, of sin. Joshua’s priestly robe was dirty, thus representing the filthiness of sin.

But the “Angel of the Lord,” who is without doubt the pre-incarnate Jesus Christ, ordered Joshua’s filthy clothes to be removed and assured Joshua:

“‘I have taken away your sin, and I will put rich garments on you’” (Zech. 3:4, NIV). The Lord then recommissions Joshua to minister in the temple and

announces a magnificent prophecy about the Messiah. . . . [See #s 8-12 below for more detail about God’s judgment.]

5.    The fifth vision (Zech. 4:1-14), about God’s empowering Zerubbabel, lies at the core of Zechariah’s message, together with the fourth vision. God gives His Spirit to Zerubbabel to build the temple; thus, He strengthens him to accomplish His will. This vision about the gold lampstand and oil puts the emphasis on the work of the Spirit of the Lord who sanctifies. Only the Holy Spirit can change and stir up the work for God in an efficient way. [How does the Spirit work? By might and power? See #s 13-16 below.]

6.    The sixth vision (Zech. 5:1-4), about the "flying scroll” (vs. 1, NKJV), shows that the curse was measured and God Himself punishes iniquity.

7.    The seventh vision (Zech. 5:5-11), about the "‘woman sitting inside the basket’” (vs. 7, NKJV), explains the spiritual reason for the exile. God revealed the people’s wickedness that had led them into the Babylonian captivity. [fertility cult results]

8.    The eighth vision (Zech. 6:1-8), about the "four chariots” (vs. 1, NKJV), proclaims the opposite of the first vision. The last message was about war and turmoil in the world; but God would intervene, and His Spirit would bring peace.

To fully understand the message of these visions, one needs to realize that the first four visions show the effects and that the last four visions describe the conditions that led to those results. Thus, these visions should be studied in reversed sequence. One should begin with the last vision and go to the first (from war to peace), continue with the seventh one and then examine the second one (from the religious cause for the exile to the political reason), then investigate the sixth vision and follow with the third one (moving from curses and punishment to God’s immense blessing). At the heart of these visions are visions four and five. God first enables Zerubbabel to build the temple and then cleanses the high priest Joshua to serve in this sanctuary. From the first to the last and from the last to the first, God is in action. His love, grace, and justice are revealed and vindicated. (Adult Teacher’s Sabbath School Bible Study Guide, pp. 133-135) [bold type and content in brackets supplied]

4.    What is implied by "returning to the Lord”? (Zechariah 1:3[256]) Do any of us need such a call?

5.    Read Zechariah 1:15-17[257]. Are these verses implying that while God was in the process of disciplining His children, that His agent of discipline, the Babylonians, went way beyond God’s plans for them? Did the Babylonians have any idea that they were acting on God’s behalf? Or, did they believe that their own strength and might or their "gods” had gained the victory for them?

6.    When do you think all of these prophecies will be-or were-fulfilled? When Paul went forth as the apostle to the Gentiles, was that a partial fulfillment of Zechariah’s visions?

7.    If we believe that it is God’s plan for His people to carry the gospel to the whole world, (Matthew 24:14[258]) what should be our focus in life? (Matthew 6:33[259]) What would happen if God’s chosen people would truly put God’s kingdom first in their lives?

8.    Read Zechariah 3:1-5[260]. Is there a message for us in these verses?

9.    In the judgment scene depicted in Zechariah 3:1 -5[261], who are the main actors in this drama? Who is accusing? (Compare Revelation 12:9,10[262]) Who is defending? [(1 John 2:1; Romans 8:26,27,31-35; Job 1:6; 2:1)][263] What role is God the Father playing? (John 5:27[264]) Who is the "Angel of the Lord”? If you could be present as your case is presented in the courts of heaven-with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit present as well as your guardian angel and the Devil and his angels-and after all had been said and as your case was put to a vote, could you honestly vote for yourself?

This is one of the clearest places in Scripture where the judgment scene is portrayed. Notice that it is Satan, "the Accuser of the Brethren,” who is accusing Joshua, and "the LORD” is defending him. The angels are observing and helping. For those who do not recognize the "great controversy” or even the existence of an actual being know as "Satan,” this vision presents some problems.

There are many references in Scripture to the "judgment.” But there are very different ideas about when and where it takes place. It must take place before the "rewards” are given out and in most people’s eyes that means eternal life. If it is true that people go immediately to their eternal reward at the time of death and if it is also true that the "soul” is immortal, then the judgment, whatever that means, must happen for each individual at or before the point of that person’s death. On the other hand, if it is true that the "soul” or "person” is mortal and that a person sleeps in the grave as suggested by Jesus and Paul, [(see John 11:11-15; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18[265])] then the judgment can take place anytime before the final rewards are given out at the second or third coming of Christ.

From all of the above verses, the following should be clear:

1)    Someday, all of us will be judged by God. [(Ecclesiastes 3:17; 11:9; 12:13,14; Isaiah 66:16; Jeremiah 25:31; John 5:28,29; Romans 14:10; 2 Corinthians 5:10[266])]

2)    God’s judgment against the wicked is carried out with "fire and sword.” [(Isaiah 66:16; Jeremiah 25:31; Hebrews 10:27[267])]

3)    When the righteous are judged, they will inherit the kingdom of God. (Daniel 7:22[268])

4)    All the dead will rise from their graves to be judged. [(John 5:28-30; Hebrews 9:27[269])]

5)    When the judgment is complete, the Devil (the prince of this world) will be condemned and driven out and thrown into the lake of fire. [(John 12:31; 16:11; Revelation 20:10[270])]

6)    In both the New Testament and Old Testament, the judgment was spoken of as still being in the future. [(Ecclesiastes 12:13,14; Matthew 12:42; 2 Peter 2:4,9; 3:7; Jude 1:6[271])]

7)    Apparently, Sodom, Tyre, Sidon, the men of Nineveh, and the Queen of the South had not been judged yet at the time of Jesus. [(Matthew 12:42; Luke 11:31[272])]

8)    Satan is the one who accuses us. [(Zechariah 3:2; Revelation 12:10-12[273])]

9)    The dead are waiting to be judged. If all this is true, surely, they cannot be already in heaven or hell since being at either would suggest that they have already been judged. [(1 Peter 4:17; 2 Peter 2:4,9; 3:7; John 11:11-15; 2 Peter 2:9[274]] is an interesting passage. It could mean that the wicked are being kept until the day of judgment for punishment, or kept in punishment while waiting for the day of judgment. How it is interpreted by different translators seems to be influenced by their personal views of hell!

10)    The angels who sinned are also awaiting their judgment. (2 Peter 2:4[275])

It is especially important to notice that it is not the One sometimes pictured as the harsh "Judge-Father” who is accusing us!

10. Why does God seem to conduct the business of His government in the open like this, apparently before the entire universe? Who are the only ones who do not seem to be aware of what is going on? Elsewhere in the Bible, do we have descriptions of similar scenes? ([See Job 1&2; Revelation 12; Daniel 7:9,10[276])] When is this taking place? In order

to accuse God as he did back in the beginning, Satan had to be a deceiver and a liar. But, in order to accuse us, does he have to be a deceiver? If we were to continually keep these matters in mind, would we live the sinful lives that we are currently living?

11.    The primary purpose of the great controversy is to answer the questions and accusations that Satan has raised against God. And those answers must be given so decisively and convincingly that sin will never rise again. God did not just eliminate His opposition as He easily could have, (DA 759.1) nor does He try to solve the problem by exercising His sovereignty as an authoritarian dictator might-in secret rooms, and then demand that we accept His decision. God wants us to be convinced of the correctness of the answers. In order to accomplish this, He must make all the evidence as public as possible. The whole universe is currently involved in reviewing all of this evidence including God’s plans to bring some of us former-rebels back into His kingdom! But, as God reviews our cases, the whole universe can actually see our behavior and evaluate God’s judgment of us. The whole book of Job is focused on the question of whether God is able to correctly judge human character. God said that Job was a "perfect and upright” man (Job 1:8; 2:3[277]) and that Job could be trusted not to let God down no matter what the Devil did to him. The Devil was sure that he could break Job down; and, at times, it seemed that he was succeeding. But, in the end, God was able to say-to the amazement of Job’s friends-"Job has said of me what is right!” (See Job 42:7,8[278])

12.    Now look at our cases. The Bible makes it very clear that we are all sinners. [(1 Kings 8:46; 2 Chronicles 6:36; Ecclesiastes 7:20; Romans 3:23[279])] We should not have any trouble believing that! But, if a criminal is in court and being tried for his life, should he slip out of the courtroom and continue publicly committing the crimes for which he is on trial? Fortunately, God does not judge us on our record! God does His judging based on our willingness to learn and change. He is looking for a "new heart and a right spirit.” [(Psalms 51:10; Jeremiah 31:33,34; John 3:3-8[280])] "The character is revealed, not [58] by occasional good deeds and occasional misdeeds, but by the tendency of the habitual words and acts.” {Ellen White, SC 57.2} God recognizes that hereditary and cultivated tendencies to evil may make change very difficult for us. But, He is able to judge by reading the true intents and secret thoughts of our minds as to whether or not we are rebels. If we are so bound to our sins that we cannot give them up or are not willing to give them up, then He must turn away from us in loving disappointment! What a sad thing to have happen! When will the events portrayed in Zechariah 3:1-5[281] take place?

13.    What is God trying to say to us in Zechariah 4:6 (NIV)-"‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty”? How does the Spirit work? Could God win the great controversy with might and power? Does He finally win because He has more power than Satan? Doesn’t Satan admit God has more power? (James 2:19[282]) If this was all that needed to be demonstrated, what has God been waiting for? Was God’s might and power able to keep the loyalty of God’s number one creature-Lucifer? How many were won by God’s show of might and power at the time of the flood? At Sodom and Gomorrah? At Sinai? What happened soon after the flood? (Genesis 11:1-9[283]) What were His "friends” doing a few days after "the Sinai experience”? (Exodus 32[284]) When Jesus was here on this earth, did He demonstrate a lot of "might and power”? Sometimes, Jesus performed miracles and fed the crowds. But, as soon as it became apparent that they were following Him for that reason, what did He do? (John 6:25-69[285])

14.    The work of the Holy Spirit is almost always done quietly and behind the scenes. He has worked with humans since the creation of this earth: 1) To keep them alive by sustaining their very physiology; 2) To influence them for God in the great controversy (this is called "wooing”); 3) To convince them to do what is right and publically acknowledge their commitment to God; and 4) To attract others by giving His people special gifts to be used for ministry within and outside the church.

God is all-powerful or omnipotent, as we say. If He could accomplish what He wants to accomplish by the use of power, it is a cruel trick He is playing on us not to do so. If that were the case, then all the suffering and misery in this world could be directly attributed to God because He has not stepped in to do what He is able to do!

In Scripture it has been demonstrated repeatedly what happens when God uses His power to get people’s attention. This is what happens: 1) No one is ever really convinced of the truth about God by those demonstrations of power; 2) The attention lasts only a very short period of time; 3) Usually, during that time, the humans that are involved are scared to death! This is not what God wants! If all God had to do was scare us into being good, He could do that almost instantly. But, one cannot scare the "hell” out of people! If God were to use that method, He would have to keep doing it repeatedly throughout eternity, and the history of events in the Bible have shown very clearly that the response is very short-lived.

So, God chooses to work quietly behind the scenes, trying to convince as many of us as possible that we should "do what is right because it is right.” Then, God does not have to do anything to keep us in line! The main work of the Holy Spirit down through the ages has been the inspiring of some of our fellow humans to write, copy, and translate the Bible. The evidence is spread out before our eyes if we can read it and are willing to study it. Then, the Holy Spirit works to lead us in the direction that we should go.

15.    So many groups have suggested that if they could just have a little more "power” or a "miracle” or some "supernatural manifestation,” they would be able to influence many more people. One TV evangelist has claimed that he has seen a number of resurrections from the dead. He has further claimed that when He is able to show one of these on live TV, he will win the world! If God could really convince people that easily, He would have done so long ago!

16.    In the local context, the two "anointed ones” of Zechariah 4:14[286] probably represent Joshua and Zerubbabel, the leaders of the people in reconstructing the temple. But, in the larger context, as we see that oil is pouring from two olive trees, we recognize that in the Scriptures oil often represents the work of the Holy Spirit. And what is the work of the Holy Spirit which is most important in our day? It is the two testaments of the Bible, the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Bible is the main work that the Holy Spirit has done down through the generations. By inspiring the prophets and the apostles, He has given us the guidance we need to hold up a clear light to the world to show them the direction to go.

17.    Read Zechariah 7:8-14[287]. Is it true that if we do not obey the directions of the Holy Spirit, then God will not answer our prayers? As a 21st century Seventh-day Adventist Church, are we prepared to crucify self and practice the true fast described in Isaiah 58[288]?

18.    One of the questions that could be raised about apocalyptic literature such as the book of Zechariah is: Why does God communicate His messages to prophets through visions and dreams rather than by simply telling us directly what He wants to say? Is God trying to confuse us? Or, get us to think?

Major Lessons from Minor Prophets Heaven’s Best Gift (Zechariah)

Lesson #12 for June 22, 2013 Scriptures: [Zechariah 8; 9:9; 12:1-10; 13:7-9; 14; Matthew 21:9; John 19:37][289].

1.    In the last seven chapters of Zechariah, there are a number of very famous Messianic prophecies. Let us see if we can discover what these prophecies are supposed to teach us.

2.    When studying the works of a prophet, it is very important to look first at the prophet’s situation and try to determine what his words might have meant to his original readers or listeners. For these last chapters of Zechariah, do you think it was clear to his listeners that these were Messianic prophecies? Were these prophecies full of hope?

3.    Most of these prophecies are prophecies of events connected with the final week of Christ’s life on this earth. Several of them are connected with His actual crucifixion! Is that important for us to know?

4.    Read Zechariah 8:4,5[290]. What is this prophecy referring to? Has there been a time in Israelite history since their return from Babylonian captivity or in the history of our world so far when it was perfectly safe for children to play in the streets while the elderly sat and watched them? In Zechariah’s day when Judah was still under the domination of the Persians and there were enemy nations all around, a picture like that must have seemed like a dream.

5.    Several of these prophecies suggest that the country of Israel will be a kind of magnet, drawing people from all over the world. (Zechariah 14:9; 8:23[291]) Was the idea that all nations should come together and worship in the temple at Jerusalem a part of the ordinary thinking of the Jews in Zechariah’s day? This must be still in the future!

6.    Like these passages in Zechariah, Isaiah 2 and Micah 4 suggest that someday the entire world will be drawn to Jesus Christ. Did Jesus have anything to say about that? Read John 12:28-32[292]. Has the time yet come when Christ has drawn, or will draw, everyone to Him?

But the plan of redemption had a yet broader and deeper purpose than the salvation of man. It was not for this alone that Christ came to the earth; it was not merely that the inhabitants of this little world might regard the law of God as it should be regarded; but it was to vindicate the character of God before the universe. To this result of His great sacrifice-its influence upon the intelligences of other worlds, as well as upon man-the Saviour looked forward when just before His crucifixion He said: "Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all unto Me.” John 12:31,32[293]. The act of Christ in dying for the salvation of man would not only make heaven accessible to men, but before all the universe it would justify God and His Son in their dealing with the rebellion of Satan. It would establish the perpetuity of the law of God and would reveal the nature and the results of sin.—Patriarchs and Prophets 68,69 (1890); Reflecting Christ 60 (1985)

7.    Are we supposed to be a part of fulfilling this prophecy from Zechariah as well as those words of Christ? [(Galatians 6:16; Matthew 24:14; 28:19,20; Ephesians 1:7-10; 3:7-10[294])]

8.    Like [Micah 6:8, Zechariah 8:16,17][295] suggests that the way we treat others impacts our relationship with God. God hates lying, injustice, and violence. Do we?

9.    Read Zechariah 9:9[296]. To Christians familiar with the story of the final week of Christ’s life, the idea that He would come "riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey” reminds us of the triumphal entry. [(Matthew 21:5; Mark 11:9,10; Luke 19:38; John 12:13-15[297])] Why not a horse? Horses were used in war and conquest. That was not Jesus’ plan.

10.    How do you think the disciples of Jesus and His many other followers felt as Jesus rode over the brim of the Mount of Olives and looked over at the magnificent temple in Jerusalem? Read Desire of Ages 570.1.

11.    While the followers of Jesus were poor in terms of this world’s goods, they were very rich in their hope for the future. They were more than happy to place their garments on the ground to allow the colt carrying Jesus to walk over them. The triumphal entry came five days before Jesus was crucified. Will there be a time just before this world comes to an end when Christians will seem to be triumphant and the true people of God will be honored?

12.    Even the disciples were so carried away by the idea that Jesus would become a temporal King that right in the upper room, they were arguing about their positions in the kingdom! (Luke 22:24)[298]

13.    Read Zechariah 12:10[299]. This verse marks the dividing line between physical deliverance-apparently the deliverance the children of Israel were hoping for-and talking about the spiritual deliverance of God’s faithful people. In the original Hebrew, the word for pierced in this verse always describes a violent action. See [Numbers 25:8; 1 Samuel 31:4[300]]. Notice how John referred to this experience in the life of Christ. (John 19:37; Revelation 1:7) This is an important link between John’s Gospel and Revelation. John was the only one who referred to this "piercing.” Wasn’t he the only disciple or Gospel author there at the cross?

14.    How do you compare the Messianic prophecies in the last three chapters of Zechariah[301] with those in Isaiah 53[302]?

15.    In their original context, some of these prophetic passages do not seem like Messianic prophecies at all. New Testament writers have snatched key phrases out of Zechariah and applied them to the life of Christ. Does that always mean that the passage was originally intended as a Messianic prophecy? Or, were the biblical writers doing what we so often do, using familiar phrases to describe events in their world without worrying too much about what the original passages were intended to mean? How many of these prophecies in Zechariah are clearly prophecies of a coming Messiah and not of anything else? Did the Jews in Jesus’ day recognize that these passages suggesting violence against the coming Messiah might be fulfilled in their day? [(Zechariah 12:10; 13:7-9)][303]

16.    What do you think is the primary fulfillment of Zechariah 13:7-9[304]? Compare [Matthew 26:31,56 and Mark 14:27,50-52][305]. Does the context sound like the life of Jesus? No doubt, Mark wanted to point out that he was there, too!

17.    Jesus told Peter and the arresting mob that He could have called 12,000 angels to His aid, but He did not. (Matthew 26:53[306]) How did Jesus manage to remain calm through that incredible experience of the trials, the torturing, and the crucifixion? Does your understanding of why Jesus had to die lead to greater appreciation of His character?

18.    Read Zechariah 14[307]. In this chapter we discover several interesting problems. Just as we noted in Zechariah 8:4,5[308], in Zechariah 14 we notice prophecies that seem to be clearly referring to events which did not occur at the first coming of Christ and will not even be at His second coming but refer to events which will take place after the third coming! Did Zechariah have any idea at all that there would be three separate comings? Is there any hint in the Old Testament that there would be a second coming after the first? Prior to Revelation 20, is there any hint in the New Testament that there would be a millennium between the second coming and the third coming? Why do you suppose God did not make it clear to these biblical writers-his faithful prophets and apostles-concerning all the details of the first, second, and third comings?

19.    Do these Messianic prophecies in Zechariah give you hope today?

In the darkest days of her long conflict with evil, the church of God has been given revelations of the eternal purpose of Jehovah. His people have been permitted to look beyond the trials of the present to the triumphs of the future, when, the warfare having been accomplished, the redeemed will enter into possession of the promised land. These visions of future glory, scenes pictured by the hand of God, should be dear to His church today, when the controversy of the ages is rapidly closing and the promised blessings are soon to be realized in all their fullness. . .

The nations of the saved will know no other law than the law of heaven. All will be a happy, united family, clothed with the garments of praise and thanksgiving. Over the scene the morning stars will sing together, and the sons of God will shout for joy, [Job 38:7] while God and Christ will unite in proclaiming, "There shall be no more sin, neither shall there be any more death.”—Ellen G. White, Prophets and Kings, pp. 722,732,733.

20.    Was God trying to teach us how closely the events of the first coming, the second coming, and even the third coming are linked in His mind? Or, was He afraid that if they had known back then about the long time periods separating these comings that they might have gotten discouraged? If there had been no first coming, could there be a second coming? And if there were no second coming and no eternal salvation, would there have been any reason for coming the first time? None of God’s predictions have failed yet! We can trust that the second coming and even the third coming events will, in fact, take place!

21.    What kind of emotions come to your mind when you realize that the Prince of Heaven died for you? How does God feel about you? Ellen White puts that in very specific terms:

"One soul saved in the kingdom of God is worth more than ten thousand worlds like this.” (RH, April 1, 1880 par. 1) "One soul is of infinite value; for Calvary speaks its worth.” (GW92 337.1) "One soul saved, to live throughout the ages of eternity, to praise God and the Lamb, is of more value than millions in money.” (2T 246.1) "Christ would have died for one soul in order that that one might live through the eternal ages.” (8T 72.3)

Christ would have died for any one of us!

22.    Read [Zechariah 12:10 and Revelation 1:7][309]. Is it your understanding of these verses that those who killed Jesus will weep and mourn over Him?

23.    Look at the seven Messianic prophecies in the book of Zechariah (based on the Adult Teacher’s Sabbath School Bible Study Guide):

Though Zechariah’s Messianic prophecies can be challenging and sometimes enigmatic, the main thrust is clear: Christ is coming. It is interesting, though, that the prophets Isaiah and Zechariah have more to say about the coming Messiah than any other Old Testament prophets.

1. The First Messianic Prophecy (Zechariah 3:8-10[310]): Three stunning titles for the Messiah appear in this passage (the prophet Isaiah has already mentioned them). The Messiah is called "‘"My [God’s] Servant”’” (Vs. 8, NKJV; see also Isaiah 42, 49, 50, 52, 53)[311], "‘"the BRANCH”’” (vs. 8; see also Isa. 4:2), and “‘“the stone”’” (vs. 9; see also Isa. 28:16[312]), but this time a unique description is added: the Stone has seven eyes and an inscription is engraved on it (vs. 9). Later, the Messiah also removes sin and cleanses people. The vision concludes with a picture of security, peace, and happiness in which people enjoy a fellowship together because the Messiah reigns (vs. 10). [Haven’t you seen a stump with a new shoot growing up out of it?]

2.    The Second Messianic Prophecy (Zechariah 6:12-13[313]): The crowning of the high

priest Joshua (vs. 11) is portrayed here as a type for the Messiah. Jesus Christ, the Branch, will be ultimately crowned as the King and be simultaneously the Priest. In Israel these two offices were separate, but the Messiah will combine them in His Person. He Himself will be the King-Priest and rule on His throne. Only Jesus Christ has this unique position; He is the Priest who sits on the throne as the King [(see Psalm 110, Hebrews 7)][314].

3.    The Third Messianic Prophecy (Zechariah 9:9-10[315]): Zechariah pictures the

Messiah as the righteous and gentle King riding a donkey. The fulfillment is described in [Matthew 21:5 and John 12:15][316], and it is applied to the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem on the Sunday of His last week before the Crucifixion. [Notice that this describes a very peaceful scene. How is He going to rule the world without conquering many nations through war? This cannot be talking about worldly conquests.]

4.    The Fourth Messianic Prophecy (Zechariah 10:4[317]): Verse 4 begins: “From him,”

which raises the question of who is meant by “him.” The best-suited antecedent is the Lord (see vs. 3). This means that the Messiah will come from the Lord, i.e., from the heavenly Father. This very brief Messianic verse presents four marvelous titles for Jesus Christ. He is the “‘cornerstone,’” i.e., the foundation of everything (see [Ps. 118:22, Isa. 28:16][318]; compare with Matt. 21:42[319]); He is the “‘tent peg,’” who fastens us to Him in righteousness and on whom people can hang all their worries, fears, anxiety, and burdens (see Isa. 22:22-23[320]); He is the “‘battle-bow,’” that is, as the Divine Warrior He is the symbol of strength [(Exod. 15:2-3; Psalms 7:1; 27:1)][321]; and He is the (absolute or sovereign) “‘ruler.’” On Him you can rely completely.

5.    The Fifth Messianic Prophecy (Zechariah 11:4-14[322]): In this more difficult passage,

the Messiah is depicted as the rejected good Shepherd whom the Lord asks to tend after the flock. [How much of this prophecy seems to relate to Jesus?] Without going into the details of the complex imagery of this biblical section, verse 12 mentions the phrase “they paid me thirty pieces of silver” (NIV) and verse 13 states “so I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the Lord, to the potter” (ESV). Phrases from these verses are used in [Matthew 27:3, 6-9][323] and are applied to both Judas’ betrayal of Jesus Christ for the thirty pieces of silver and to what the chief priests did with the money after Judas threw it back. [Is this obviously a Messianic prophecy? Could it be describing something else?]

6.    The Sixth Messianic Prophecy (Zechariah 12:10-14[324]): Zechariah prophetically

states that the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem “‘will look on me, the one they have pierced, and mourn for him as one mourns for an only child’” (vs. 10, NIV). The picture is gloomy: people look at the Messiah and mourn bitterly for Him, because they have pierced Him. This portrait of the Messiah’s death is used in John 19:37[325] (compare with [Ps. 22:16, Isa. 53:5][326]). Our need to look on Jesus in faith is underscored in John 3:14-15[327] (compare

with [Num. 21:9, Isa. 45:22, Heb. 12:2[328]]).

7. The Seventh Messianic Prophecy (Zechariah 13:6-9[329]): The prophecy concerning the way that the Messiah’s "feet will stand on the Mount of Olives” (Zech. 14:4-5[330], NKJV) goes beyond the scope of the first coming of Jesus Christ.

Even though Jesus Christ walked on the Mount of Olives during His first coming, this prediction proclaims that the Mount of Olives will be split in two.

Its fulfillment surpasses even Jesus’ second coming, because at the time of the Second Coming, He will not touch the ground but stay in the air (1 Thess. 4:16-17[331]). The whole scenario best fits His third coming after the millennium when the New Jerusalem will come down and "all the holy ones with him”

(Zech. 14:5[332], NIV). Zechariah 14:6-9[333] then describes the conditions of the new earth (see Revelation 21-22). (Adapted from Adult Teacher’s Sabbath School Bible Study Guide, pages 145-147)

24.    Does it increase your trust in the Scriptures to know that God could predict hundreds of years-in fact, 3500 years-in advance what would happen in connection with His Son’s life and death on this earth? Isaiah 40-55 suggest that two things that separate God from all imitators are His ability to create out of nothing and His ability to predict the future far in advance. Would you agree with that assessment?

25.    Four books in the Old Testament that are quoted quite extensively in the New Testament are the books of Isaiah, Ezekiel, Zechariah, and Daniel. Zechariah, Ezekiel and Daniel are quoted especially in the book of Revelation. Why do you suppose these books are quoted so frequently? Have you learned anything new about the book of Zechariah in these last two weeks? What about biblical prophecy? Do you understand it better?

Major Lessons from Minor Prophets Lest We Forget? (Malachi)

Lesson #13 for June 29, 2013

Scriptures: [Malachi 1-4; Leviticus 1:1-3; Ephesians 5:21-33; Exodus 32:32][334].

1.    The name Mal’aki means “my messenger.” However, it could be a contraction of Mal’akiyah meaning “messenger of Yahweh.” This name is not found anywhere else in the Old Testament. It could be a title and not a name. Who else do Seventh-day Adventists refer to as a “messenger of the Lord”? The book of Malachi uses the rhetorical form of dialectic reasoning which was popular in his day. That method was used very effectively by Socrates who lived at about the same time.

2.    Malachi was almost certainly the last book of the Old Testament to be written. [Malachi 1:7,8 and 3:10][335] suggest that it was written after the rebuilding of the temple when Judea was ruled by a governor appointed by the King of Persia. Many of the sins suggested by Malachi were rampant in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah. [(Nehemiah 13:23-31; Ezra 9,10)][336] This leads scholars to date the book of Malachi somewhere around 425 B.C., perhaps during the second time Nehemiah ruled.

3.    As we know, historically, the prophetic voice felt silent for the next 400+ years. Did the attitudes of the people expressed in the book of Malachi have anything to do with that silence? Why didn’t God just give up on the Jewish people at that point?

4.    The core message in the book of Malachi is: God is prepared to give us many blessings; but, He expects us to respond in appropriate ways to His blessings. God’s blessings come with responsibilities. God requires more than just pretentious piety which He specifically states is nauseating to Him and it causes Him to vomit. (Revelation 3:16[337]; Special Testimonies, Series B, #2, p. 20.1) Does this message from Malachi and also from John when speaking to the Laodicean church have any application to the Seventh-day Adventist Church of today?

5.    The general outline of the book of Malachi includes eight different times when God addressed the people and their leaders, pointing out specific transgressions. (Malachi 1:2, 6,7,8,10-13; 2:13,14,17; 3:7,8,13,14)[338]

Look at all of the questions that people asked in the book of Malachi and think about why the people asked these questions. Then explain the answers that God gave to each question or to some of them. Here are the people’s eight questions, prefaced by God’s statement, “you ask”:

1.    “ ‘ “How have you loved us?” ’ ” (Mal. 1:2, NIV).

2.    “ ‘ “How have we shown contempt for your name?” ’ ” (Mal. 1:6, NIV).

3.    “ ‘ “How have we defiled you?” ’ ” (Mal. 1:7, NIV).

4.    Why do You not pay attention to our offerings and accept them with pleasure from

our hands? (Mal. 2:13, 14).

5.    “ ‘ “How have we wearied him? . . . Where is the God of justice?” ’ ” (Mal. 2:17,

NIV).

6.    “ ‘ “How are we to return” ’ ” to You? (Mal. 3:7, NIV).

7.    “ ‘ “How do we rob you?” ’ ” (Mal. 3:8, NIV).

8.    “ ‘ “What have we said against you?” ’ ” (Mal. 3:13, NIV).

In what ways are these issues still relevant to us in our postmodern world? How are we grappling with similar questions? (Adult Teacher’s Sabbath School Bible Study Guide p. 160.)

In his Message Bible, Eugene Peterson says this about the book of Malachi:

Most of life is not lived in crisis-which is a good thing. Not many of us would be able to sustain a life of perpetual pain or loss or ecstasy or challenge. But crisis has this to say for it: in time of crisis everything, absolutely everything, is important and significant. Life itself is on the line. No word is casual, no action marginal.

And almost always, God and our relationship with God is on the front page.

But during the humdrum times, when things are, as we tend to say, “normal,” our interest in God is crowded to the margins of our lives and we become preoccupied with ourselves. . . .

The prophecy of Malachi is made to order for just such conditions. Malachi creates a crisis at a time when we are unaware of crisis. He wakes us up to the crisis of God during the times when the only thing we are concerned with is us. He keeps us on our toes, listening for God, waiting in anticipation for God, ready to respond to God, who is always coming to us.

Malachi gets in the last word of Holy Scripture in the Old Testament. The final sentences in his message to us evoke the gigantic figures of Moses and Elijah-Moses to keep us rooted in what God has done and said in the past,

Elijah to keep us alert to what God will do in the days ahead. By leaving us in the company of mighty Moses and fiery Elijah, Malachi considerably reduces the danger of our trivializing matters of God and the soul. (Introduction to Malachi - The Message)

6.    How do we explain God’s statement in Malachi 1:1-3[339]? It is very important to read these words in light of the entire history of the Israelites versus the Edomites throughout the Old Testament. This is not a statement about Jacob and Esau as individuals. For example, see [Genesis 25:23; 36:1-9; Isaiah 34:5-17; 63:1-6; Jeremiah 49:7-22; Ezekiel 25:12-14; 35:1-15; Amos 1:11,12; Obadiah 1-14][340]. It should be very clear that the descendants of Esau were frequent rivals and enemies of the Israelites. But, how could a God of love say He hates them? Read [Matthew 10:37; Luke 14:26][341]. What God is saying to us is that because of their attitudes and behaviors, He could not love the people of Edom as He loved the descendants of Israel. In other words, hate in this passage means to “love less.” This is a good example of why we need to have a “biblical vocabulary”!

7.    Read Malachi 1:6-14[342]. Why did God say, “Cursed be the cheat”? Can even a physician here on this earth heal a cheating patient who refuses to do anything the doctor tells him to do? Does God have to actively curse the “cheat”? Or, is he cursed as the natural result of his own behavior? Wasn’t God simply stating a universal truth? Cheats only destroy themselves by their behavior. They may temporarily “get away with” their cheating; but, sooner or later, the results will show. God does not have to place a curse on the one who is cheating; he simply reaps the results of his cheating. Acts 16:31[343] tells us that our salvation is based on trust or faith. Cheating directly destroys that trust. Do we really want to destroy the very basis for our salvation? Do we want to make all of God’s efforts on our behalf a waste? Do we want to destroy our faith? Consider Cain.

8.    Read Malachi 2:1-9[344]. Can you imagine a God of love rubbing anyone’s face in dung? (Malachi 2:3) Why would He do or say such a thing? The priests in Malachi’s day were promoting cheating. God had planned a wonderful life for the children of Israel. But, their leaders were teaching them to do wrong instead of right. How do you think God should feel about such behavior?

9.    Read Malachi 2:10-16[345]. If you review the history of the children of Israel, you will realize that the beginning of the downfall occurred with Solomon marrying a thousand wives. Even earlier, God had to take the children of Jacob out of Canaan into Egypt in order to prevent them from just marrying Canaanite women and melting into Canaanite society. Following the Babylonian captivity on two different occasions (see #2 above-Ezra and Nehemiah), God had to step in and forcefully try to prevent the children of Israel from marrying foreign wives. This kind of relationship promoted by the fertility cult religions of Baal and Ashtoreth had led to the Babylonian captivity. Is it any wonder that God said, “I hate divorce”? God realized that if they fell back into that despicable practice, Israel would very soon lose any identity as His chosen people. Consider some other comments about divorce in Scripture. [(Deuteronomy 24:1-4; Matthew 5:31,32; 19:1-12; Mark 10:11-12; Luke 16:18)][346]

10.    It was God’s original intention for men to learn about God from their wives and for wives to learn about God from their husbands. Men tend to have characteristics of strength, determination, and energy, setting for themselves high standards. Women tend to be more caring, loving, and accepting of others. In a true Christian marriage, the two partners are to learn from each other the characteristics of the other. This kind of God’s ideal could never succeed with casual on and off marital affairs and certainly not by marriage to foreign women accustomed to fertility-cult religions.

11.    Read Malachi 2:17-3:5[347]. The children of Israel had come to believe that God was a distant being who paid little attention to whatever they did. But, God reminded them that the day is coming when He will, in fact, appear as a Judge and as the Refiner against all who are doing wrong. Do any of us in our day tend to think that God does not see or hear or care about what we are doing?

12.    Read Malachi 3:6[348]. How could God say, “I am the Lord, and I do not change”? See [1 Samuel 2:30; 15:10,11,29,35; 26:19; Genesis 6:6,7; Exodus 32:14; Numbers 23:19,20; Judges 2:18; 2 Samuel 24:16; 1 Chronicles 21:14][349]; etc. What are we supposed to do with such passages which are apparently in direct contradiction with each other? Some students of Scripture try to explain such apparent contradictions on God’s part by suggesting it was the writer’s lack of a full understanding of God! But, a careful look at the larger context of each of these passages should provide a more satisfactory answer. Was it God’s idea to make Saul king in the first place? No! The people were the ones who were insisting on a king. God warned them, and Samuel warned them, but they still insisted. So, God allowed them to have a king. He helped them choose the kind of king that they were looking for. But, God knew from the beginning what the results of Saul’s life would be. Wasn’t God sorry even before Saul was made king that the people were not willing to allow God Himself to be their King? Biblical passages need to be read in the context of all of Scripture.

13.    God was not sorry that He had made humans. (Genesis 6:6,7[350]) He Himself said that He was very pleased with His work in making us. (Genesis 1:31[351]) God knew in advance that the flood was coming. But, He was very sorry that it was necessary. His children were the ones that were perishing. God refuses to take away our freedom of choice even when He knows in advance it is going to have devastating consequences. Freedom is essential for love, and God would not exchange that for anything.

14.    Read Malachi 3:8-12[352]. What is the meaning and purpose of tithe? Why did God say that those who do not “pay up” are cheating Him? (Malachi 3:8-12[353])

15.    The English word tithe is derived from the Old English words teothe or teogotha which mean one-tenth. The word is used to translate the Hebrew word maaser which means one-tenth. It usually is used to refer to the tenth portion of one’s income whether from crops or salary or any other source that is returned to God as an acknowledgment that all we have and are belong to Him. Abraham paid a “tenth” to the King/Priest Melchizedek after God helped him rescue Lot and his associates. (See Genesis 14:20[354]) Jacob promised to return one-tenth of his income if God would continue to bless him. (See Genesis 28:22[355])

16.    Later, God instructed Moses and the children of Israel to set aside the tenth (tithe) as support for the tabernacle/temple and the descendants of Levi. (See Leviticus 27:30-33[356]) Many religious organizations still suggest that a tenth should be set aside as support for the clergy.

17.    In Malachi God went beyond just asking us to set aside the tithe. He does not even just command us to do it. In this passage, God actually suggests that we enter into a partnership with Him. He challenges us to test Him. Shouldn’t anyone who is thinking clearly want God as a Partner?

18.    Read Malachi 3:13-18[357], and compare Matthew 5:43-48[358]. When God seems to treat all people equally whether they are doing good or bad, how does that make us feel about Him? Will the day finally come when He will clearly distinguish between those who are doing what is right and those who are doing wrong? How do you feel about God sending His blessings even on the wicked?

19.    What is the scroll (book) of remembrance being discussed in Malachi 3:16[359]? See [Exodus 32:32; Psalm 139:16; Isaiah 4:3; 65:6; Daniel 7:9,10; Ecclesiastes 12:14; Revelation 20:12,15][360]. We do not know what kind of “books” God has in heaven. No doubt, His recording devices are much superior to anything of which we have ever heard. However, He does have an accurate record of everything that has ever happened on this earth.

The death of Christ upon the cross made sure the destruction of him who has the power of death, who was the originator of sin. When Satan is destroyed, there will be none to tempt to evil; the atonement will never need to be repeated; and there will be no danger of another rebellion in the universe of God. That which alone can effectually restrain from sin in this world of darkness, will prevent sin in heaven. The significance of the death of Christ will be seen by saints and angels. Fallen men could not have a home in the paradise of God without the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. Shall we not then exalt the cross of Christ?

The angels ascribe honor and glory to Christ, for even they are not secure except by looking to the sufferings of the Son of God. It is through the efficacy of the cross that the angels of heaven are guarded from apostasy. Without the cross they would be no more secure against evil than were the angels before the fall of Satan. Angelic perfection failed in heaven. Human perfection failed in Eden, the paradise of bliss. All who wish for security in earth or heaven must look to the Lamb of God.

The plan of salvation, making manifest the justice and love of God, provides an eternal safeguard against defection in unfallen worlds, as well as among those who shall be redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. Our only hope is perfect trust in the blood of Him who can save to the uttermost all that come unto God by Him. The death of Christ on the cross of Calvary is our only hope in this world, and it will be our theme in the world to come. Oh, we do not comprehend the value of the atonement! If we did, we would talk more about it. The gift of God in His beloved Son was the expression of an incomprehensible love. It was the utmost that God could do to preserve the honor of His law, and still save the transgressor. Why should man not study the theme of redemption? It is the greatest subject that can engage the human mind. If men would contemplate the love of Christ, displayed in the cross, their faith would be strengthened to appropriate the merits of His shed blood, and they would [1133] be cleansed and saved from sin. (ST Dec. 30, 1889 par. 4; 5BC 1132.9,10; OHC 45.4; TA 205.3)

20.    Read Malachi 4[361]. What does this chapter tell us about the final destiny of the wicked and the righteous? (Compare [Deuteronomy 30:19; John 3:16; John 5:27,28][362]) Consider some other verses in the Bible that talk about the ultimate destiny of the wicked: [Exodus 15:17; Isaiah 5:24; 40:24; 41:2; 47:14; 66:24; Joel 2:5; Obadiah 18; Nahum 1:10; 2 Peter 2:6][363].

21.    These verses should make it very clear that the final destiny of the wicked is nothingness. There is no such thing as an eternally-burning hell unless you consider God’s glory as the true fires of “hell.” Remember that “The light of the glory of God, which imparts life to the righteous, will slay the wicked.” (Desire of Ages 108.0)

22.    What is the “Elijah message”? (Malachi 4:5,6[364]) Will there be an Elijah message in our day? If so, what is it? And, who is to bear it? Just as John the Baptist brought a startling but very plain message to the children of Israel before the ministry of Jesus, God’s true people are to bring a startling and plain message to the world just before His second coming. Revelation 19:10[365] can be read to suggest that just such a group will arise who are “inspired like the prophets” with a final message for the world.

23.    Knowing what you know of the Old Testament (which the people even in Malachi’s day had available), do you think you would be able to get the picture of God that Jesus came up with?

24.    Would it be safer for God to save: 1) The “wicked” people of the Old Testament who secretly went off to the pagan fertility cult ceremonies and got drunk and naked with the pagan temple prostitutes, 2) The spiritually-proud Pharisees who had memorized Scripture but did not want to accept the idea that they might be misinterpreting it, or 3) The Laodiceans of our day who are described as feeling “rich and increased with goods [spiritually], and have need of nothing”? (See Revelation 3:17,18[366])

25.    In the days of Josiah [(2 Kings 22:3-20; 2 Chronicles 34:8-28)][367] and Ezra (Nehemiah 8) as well as at other times, there were great revivals and reformations among the people of Jerusalem and Judah when the Bible was “rediscovered” and read to the people. Of course, there were other times when they thought that they were better off worshiping the “queen of heaven” than Jehovah. (Jeremiah 7:18,19; 44:15-30)[368] Can you name some up or down times for the church of Laodicea?

26.    Why do you think there was such a response to the reading of the Bible at those revival times? How can we encourage revival and reformation in our day?

© 2013, Kenneth Hart, MD, MA, MPH. Permission is hereby granted for any noncommercial use of these materials. Free distribution is encouraged. It is our goal to see them spread as widely and freely as possible. If you would like to use them for your class or even make copies of portions of them, feel free to do so. We always enjoy hearing about how you might be using the materials, and we might even want to share good ideas with others. So, let us know.    Info@Jheox.org

Great Controversy In Scripture

1.    The Bible teaches that there are other beings in the universe besides humans:

A.    God (and Christ) existed before this earth was created: Ps. 90:2[369]; Jn 1:1-3[370]; Jn 17:24[371]; Heb1:8-10[372]; 1 Pet 1:20[373]; Eph 1:4, 5[374]; Col. 1:15-17[375]

B.    Angels - More than 300 references in the King James Version : Psalms 91:11[376]; Hebrews 1:4-2:2[377];Exodus 23:23[378]; 1 Chronicles 21:16[379]; 2 Samuel 24:16-17[380]

C.    Satan/Devil - Ezekiel 28:13[381]; Revelation 12:7-12[382]; Genesis 3:1-4[383]; Approximately 200 references in King James Version ; See handout on Satan.

D.    Other Beings : Job 1:6[384]; Job 2:1[385]; Job 38:4-7[386]; Daniel 9:21[387]; Acts 12:7[388]; Hebrews 13:2[389]; compare Revelation 22:16[390]; 2 Peter 1:19[391]; 1 Corinthians 4:9[392]; Ephesians 1:9-10; 3:9-10[393]; Colossians 1:19-20[394]

2.    Satan wanted to take the place of God: Isaiah 14:12-14[395]; Ezekiel 28:11-15[396]; Matthew 4:8-9[397]

3.    God has said that sin (which began with Satan) will lead to death: Genesis 2:17[398]; Romans 6:23[399]

4.    Satan has accused God of being a liar: Genesis 3:1-5[400]; Job 1:6-12[401]; Job 2:1-6[402]

5.    Sometime before this earth was created, war arose in heaven: Revelation 12:1-12[403]; Ezekiel 28:12-16[404]

6.    Satan and his followers were excluded from heaven: Luke 10:18[405]; John 8:44[406]; John 12:31[407]; Col. 2:15[408]; 2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6; Revelation 12:7-12

7.    When Satan lost his battle to overthrow God in heaven, he came to this earth to tempt us: Revelation 12:7-10[409]; Genesis 3:1-4[410]; Ezekiel 28:12-16[411]

8.    Satan claims to be the master of this world. He claims that this world belongs to him: Job 1 & 2[412]; Matthew 4:8,9[413]; 1 Kings 22[414]; 2 Chronicles 18[415]; John 12:31[416]; John 14:30[417]; John 16:11[418]; 2 Cor.4:4[419]; Eph. 2:1,2[420]; Eph. 6:16[421]; 1 John 5:19[422]

9.    Satan claims that we are his because we have sinned and he has the right to destroy us: Zechariah 3:1-5[423]; Jude 9[424]

10.    God promised to demonstrate the truthfulness of his statement in Genesis 2:17[425]: Genesis 3:15[426]; Romans 3:1-4[427]; Romans 3:25-27[428]

11.    The whole rest of the universe is watching us to see what is going to happen: 1 Corinthians 4:9[429]; Ephesians 1:7-10[430]; Eph. 3:9-10[431]; Colossians 1:19-20[432]

12.    Christ promised that he would deal with the sin problem. In order to do that he must deal with Satan’s lies as well as our misbehavior: Romans 8:3[433]; Romans 3:4[434]

13.    Christ died for sinless angels too, because they were the first ones to hear Satan’s accusations against God: Ephesians 1:7-10[435]; Eph. 3:7-10[436]; Colossians 1:19-20[437]; John 12:32[438] ( GNB )

14.    God needs to clear his own name in order to win in the great controversy: (See handout Ezekiel #3:For My Own Name’s Sake)

15.    Ezekiel 20 and 36[439] are very instructive chapters. They should be read carefully and the implications considered. Please note this particular theme:

In Egypt: Read Ezekiel 20:4-7[440] about how God tried to help Israel in Egypt, then note:

Ezekiel 20:8,9 : 8 “But they defied me and refused to listen. They did not throw away their disgusting idols or give up the Egyptian gods. I was ready to let them feel the full force of my anger there in Egypt. 9 But I did not, since that would have brought dishonor to my name , for in the presence of the people among whom they were living I had announced to Israel that I was going to lead them out of Egypt... ( GNB )

In the wilderness: Read Eze 20:10-12[441], then note:

Ezekiel 20:13-14 : 13 “But even in the desert they defied me. They broke my laws and rejected my commands, which bring life to anyone who obeys them. They completely profaned the Sabbath.

I was ready to let them feel the force of my anger there in the desert and to destroy them. 14 But I did not, since that would have brought dishonor to my name among the nations which had seen me lead Israel out of Egypt ... (See Exodus 32:7-14[442])

The second generation in the wilderness: Read Eze. 20:15-20[443], then note:

Ezekiel 20:21-22 : 21 “But that generation also defied me. They broke my laws and did not keep my commands, which bring life to anyone who obeys them. They profaned the Sabbath. I was ready to let them feel the force of my anger there in the desert and to kill them all. 22 But I did not, since that would have brought dishonor to my name among the nations which had seen me bring Israel out of Egypt ...

After the Babylonian captivity: Read Eze. 20:37-42[444], then note:

Ezekiel 20:43-44 : 43 “‘Then you will remember all the disgraceful things you did and how you defiled yourselves. You will be disgusted with yourselves because of all the evil things you did. 44 When I act to protect my honor, you Israelites will know that I am the LORD, because I do not deal with you as your wicked, evil actions deserve.’ The Sovereign LORD has spoken.” (GNB)

Right throughout Israelite history God has had to act, not primarily for the “salvation” of his people but for the honor of his own name! The great controversy is not so much about how God saves you and me but about how God answers Satan’s accusations against his character and government.

Note especially that the purpose of the Sabbath is to remind us of this particular very important truth. The Sabbath is to be a time when we get to know our God and are reminded of our relationship with him. (Ezekiel 20:12[445]; Eze. 20:20[446]) We need to understand his character and as much about him as possible and not just the right name by which to refer to him.

If the Sabbath is not being used for this purpose, then as far as God is concerned we are profaning it. (Ezekiel 20:13-21[447])

In Ezekiel 36 after all of Israel is in captivity, he explains further:

Ezekiel 36:20-22: 20 Wherever they went, they brought disgrace on my holy name, because people would say, These are the people of the LORD, but they had to leave his land.’ 21 That made me concerned for my holy name, since the Israelites brought disgrace on it. The everywhere they went. 22 Now then, give the Israelites the message that I, the Sovereign LORD, have for them: What I am going to do is not for the sake of you Israelites, but for the sake of my holy name , which you have disgraced in every country where you have gone. 23 When I demonstrate to the nations the holiness of my great name-the name you disgraced among them-then they will know that I am the LORD ... (28) You will be my people, and I will be your God... 32 Israel, I want you to know that I am not doing all this for your sake ... 36 Then the neighboring nations that have survived will know that I, the LORD, rebuild ruined cities and replant waste fields.

I, The LORD, have promised that I would do this-and I will. ( GNB )

This is why Ezekiel repeats the phrase “Then they will know that I am the LORD” or “for my own name’s sake” or something similar at least 46 times in his book. (See handout Ezekiel #3: “ For My Own Name’s Sake” )

Isaiah also realized and stated that God’s reputation was the key issue in Scripture:

Isaiah 48:11:

What I do is done for my own sake—

I will not let my name be dishonored or let anyone else share the glory that should be mine and mine alone.” ( GNB )

Daniel 9:14-19 : Daniel recognized that God must do something for his own reputation.

Summary: There has been a continuous war going on in our universe since before this earth was created. Lucifer, one of God’s foremost angels, began to have rebellious ideas in heaven. After some time he managed to get more than one-third of the angels to side with him against our wonderful Father-Creator-God. Thus “war” began in heaven. Finally, Lucifer, now turned into God’s “adversary” or “Satan”, was excluded from heaven and came down to our earth to cause trouble here. He convinced our first parents to join him in rebellion. From that day to this, we have been surrounded and controlled by sin. Down through the years Satan has been quite successful in convincing most of us that God is really a lying tyrant whose behavior is often “severe, exacting, revengeful, arbitrary” “stern”, “harsh”, “inflexible”, “unforgiving” and “implacable”—“One to be feared, dreaded and even hated”. ( Signs of the Times , January 20, 1890; Bible Training School, November

1, 1908; Review and Herald , November 17, 1891; Christian Education 73; EW 218; GC 534-536)

Jesus Christ was born into this sinful, rebellious world to fully and finally answer Satan’s charges—he came to “deal with sin”. (Romans 3:25-27; Romans 8:3) Now God is waiting for us here on this earth to discover and understand the fact that he has won this “great controversy”. He is waiting for a time when enough of us have “gotten the message” so that through the gift of the empowering Holy Spirit they can spread this truth throughout the world just before he returns in glory to redeem his faithful, trustworthy friends. Sin and those who refuse to separate themselves from sin will come to a final end and this world will once again be a peaceful, safe place to live for the rest of eternity.

© Copyright 1999-2008, Kenneth Hart info@theox.org

SOME QUOTATIONS FROM ELLEN WHITE REGARDING: THE PLAN OF SALVATION IN THE SETTING OF THE GREAT CONTROVERSY

The Bible-all of it-is the authoritative source of truth.

1.    “The Bible, and the Bible alone, is to be our creed.” Review and Herald Dec. 15, 1885 (1RH574:2:1); Selected Messages, bk. 1, 416; See also 5MR 49; 3SM 21

2.    “Every chapter and every verse of the Bible is a communication from God to men.” Patriarchs and Prophets 504 (1890); 4T449; Gospel Workers (1892) 140; AG 350

This includes the book of Revelation with its picture of the war that began up in Heaven.

3.    “The last book of the New Testament Scriptures is full of truth that we need to understand. Satan has blinded the minds of many so that they have been glad of any excuse for not making the Revelation their study.” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers 116; The Signs of the Times, July 4, 1906; Christ’s Object Lessons 133; Lift Him Up 378; Maranatha 30

“The very name <Revelation’ contradicts the statement that it is a sealed book. <Revelation’ means that something of importance is revealed.” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers 113; Acts of the Apostles 584; Manuscript Releases, vol 18, 22

“One thing will certainly be understood from the study of Revelation...A wonderful connection is seen between the universe of heaven and this world.” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers 114; Manuscript Releases, vol 18, 15

“The universe is looking upon the controversy that is going on upon the earth.” Review and Herald, February 18, 1890 (2RH 368:3:4); Testimonies to Ministers 116,113,114,119 Maranatha 23; Selected Messages, bk. 1, 415; The EGWhite 1888 Materials, p. 534

The Bible should be studied as a whole.

4.    “Make the Bible its own expositor, bringing together all that is said concerning a given subject at different times and under varied circumstances.” Review and Herald, October 9, 1883; The Signs of the Times, May 19, 1887; Counsels on Sabbath School Work, 42,43

5.    “The Bible is its own expositor. Scripture is to be compared with scripture. The student should learn to view the word as a whole, and to see the relation of its parts. He should gain a knowledge of its grand central theme, of God’s original purpose for the world, of the rise of the great controversy, and of the work of redemption...He should see how this controversy enters into every phase of human experience; how in every act of life he himself reveals the one or the other of the two antagonistic motives; and how, whether he will or not, he is even now deciding upon which side of the controversy he will be found.” Education 190 (1903); Counsels to Teachers 462; Lift Him Up 115; Mind, Character, and Personality, vol. 1, 346; compare #47

The plan of salvation involves the whole universe.

6.    “Through the plan of salvation, a larger purpose is to be wrought out even than the salvation of man and the redemption of the earth. Through the revelation of the character of God in Christ, the beneficence of the divine government would be manifested before the universe, the charge of Satan refuted, the nature and result of sin made plain, and the perpetuity of the law fully demonstrated.” The Signs of the Times, February 13, 1893 and December 22, 1914; The Messenger June 7, 1893; Bible Echoes July 15, 1893; That I May Know Him 366

7.    “But the plan of redemption had a yet broader and deeper purpose than the salvation of man. It was not for this alone that Christ came to the earth; it was not merely that the inhabitants of this little world might regard the law of God as it should be regarded; but it was to vindicate the character of God before the universe. To this result of His great sacrifice-its influence upon the intelligences of other worlds, as well as upon man-the Saviour looked forward when just before His crucifixion He said: <Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all unto Me.’ John 12:31, 32. The act of Christ in dying for the salvation of man would not only make heaven accessible to men, but before all the universe it would justify God and His Son in their dealing with the rebellion of Satan. It would establish the perpetuity of the law of God and would reveal the nature and the results of sin.” Patriarchs and Prophets 68,69 (1890); Reflecting Christ 60 (1985)

8.    “By coming to dwell with us, Jesus was to reveal God both to men and to angels...Not alone for His earthborn children was this revelation given. Our little world is the lesson book of the universe. God’s wonderful purpose of grace, the mystery of redeeming love, is the theme into which <angels desire to look,’ [1 Peter 1:12] and it will be their study throughout endless ages.” The Desire of Ages 19 (1898); Reflecting Christ 15 (1985)

9.    “To the angels and the unfallen worlds the cry, “It is finished,” had a deep significance. It was for them as well as for us that the great work of redemption had been accomplished....Not until the death of Christ was the character of Satan clearly revealed to the angels or to the unfallen worlds. The archapostate had so clothed himself with deception that even holy beings had not understood his principles. They had not clearly seen the nature of his rebellion.” The Desire of Ages 758 (1898)

The security of the universe was even more important than the salvation of man.

10.    “It was in order that the heavenly universe might see the conditions of the covenant of redemption that Christ bore the penalty in behalf of the human race. The throne of Justice must be eternally and forever made secure, even tho the race be wiped out, and another creation populate the earth. By the sacrifice Christ was about to make, all doubts would be forever settled, and the human race would be saved if they would return to their allegiance. Christ alone could restore honor to God’s government. The cross of Calvary would be looked upon by the unfallen worlds, by the heavenly universe, by Satanic agencies, by the fallen race, and every mouth would be stopped....Who is able to describe the last scenes of Christ’s life on earth, His trial in the judgment hall, His crucifixion? Who witnessed these scenes?-The heavenly universe, God the Father, Satan and his angels.” The Signs of the Times, July 12, 1899 (4ST 44:1:2)

Christ died for sinless angels too.

11.    “That which alone can effectually restrain from sin in this world of darkness, will prevent sin in heaven. The significance of the death of Christ will be seen by saints and angels. (QOD 680)...The angels ascribe honor and glory to Christ, for even they are not secure except by looking to the sufferings of the Son of God. It is through the efficacy of the cross that the angels of heaven are guarded from apostasy. Without the cross they would be no more secure against evil than were the angels before the fall of Satan. Angelic perfection failed in heaven (BTS December 1, 1907)...The plan of salvation, making manifest the justice and love of God, provides an eternal safeguard against defection in unfallen worlds, as well as among those who shall be redeemed by the blood of the Lamb.” The Signs of the Times, December 30, 1889; (2ST 345:1:1); SDA Bible Commentary, vol.

5, p. 1132, SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 7a, p. 252; Our High Calling 45; The Home Missionary May 1,1897

Why the angels needed the message of the cross.

12.    “For centuries God looked with patience and forbearance upon the cruel treatment given to his ambassadors, at his holy law prostrate, despised, trampled underfoot. He swept away the inhabitants of the Noachian world with a flood. But when the earth was again peopled, men drew away from God, and renewed their hostility to him, manifesting bold defiance. Those whom God rescued from Egyptian bondage followed in the footsteps of those who had preceded them. Cause was followed by effect; the earth was being corrupted.

“A crisis had arrived in the government of God...All heaven was prepared at the word of God to move to the help of his elect. One word from him, and the bolts of heaven would have fallen upon the earth, filling it with fire and flame. God had but to speak, and there would have been thunderings and lightnings and earthquakes and destruction.

“The heavenly intelligences were prepared for a fearful manifestation of Almighty power. Every move was watched with intense anxiety. The exercise of justice was expected. The angels looked for God to punish the inhabitants of the earth...”

“The heavenly universe was amazed at God’s patience and love. To save fallen humanity the Son of God took humanity upon himself.” Review and Herald, July 17, 1900; (4RH 201:1:4-201:2:1) compare Desire of Ages 37

13.    “For centuries God bore with the inhabitants of the old world. But at last guilt reached its limit...He came out of His place to punish the inhabitants of the earth, and by a flood cleansed the earth of its iniquity.

“Notwithstanding this terrible lesson, men had no sooner begun to multiply once more, than rebellion and vice became widespread. Satan seemed to have taken control of the world. The time came that a change must be made, or the image of God would be wholly obliterated from the hearts of the beings He had created. All heaven watched the movements of God with intense interest. Would He once more manifest His wrath? Would He destroy the world by fire? The angels thought that the time had come to strike the blow of justice, when, lo, to their wondering vision was unveiled the plan of salvation.” MS 22, January 10, 1890; The Ellen G. White 1888 Materials 569,570

14.    “Before Christ’s first advent, the sin of refusing to conform to God’s law had become widespread. Apparently Satan’s power was growing; his warfare against heaven was becoming more and more determined. A crisis had been reached. With intense interest God’s movements were watched by the heavenly angels. Would He come forth from His place to punish the inhabitants of the world for their iniquity? Would He send fire or flood to destroy them? All heaven waited the bidding of their Commander to pour out the vials of wrath upon a rebellious world. One word from Him, one sign, and the world would have been destroyed. The worlds unfallen would have said, ‘Amen. Thou art righteous, O God, because Thou hast exterminated rebellion.’” The Signs of the Times, August 27, 1902; Reflecting Christ 58; compare The Youth’s Instructor, July 29, 1897; That I May Know Him 19

The Controversy is over the character of God.

15.    “From the beginning it has been Satan’s studied plan to cause men to forget God, that he might secure them to himself. Hence he has sought to misrepresent the character of God, to lead men to cherish a false conception of Him. The Creator has been presented to their minds as clothed with the attributes of the prince of evil himself-as arbitrary, severe, and unforgiving-that He might be feared, shunned, and even hated by men. Satan hoped to so confuse the minds of those whom he had deceived that they would put God out of their knowledge.” Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, p. 738; In Heavenly Places, 8; Review and Herald February 15, 1912

16.    “It is beyond the power of the human mind to estimate the evil which has been wrought by the heresy

of eternal torment. The religion of the Bible, full of love and goodness, and abounding in compassion, is darkened by superstition and clothed with terror. When we consider in what false colors Satan has painted the character of God, can we wonder that our merciful Creator is feared, dreaded, and even hated? The appalling views of God which have spread over the world from the teachings of the pulpit have made thousands, yes, millions, of skeptics and infidels.

“The theory of eternal torment is one of the false doctrines that constitute the wine of the abomination of Babylon, of which she makes all nations drink. Revelation 14:8; 17:2.” The Great Controversy 536 (1888); 4SP 356 (1884)

17.    “Satan has ascribed to God all the evils to which the flesh is heir. He has represented him as a God who delights in the sufferings of his creatures, who is revengeful and implacable. It was Satan who originated the doctrine of eternal torment as a punishment for sin, because in this way he could lead men into infidelity and rebellion, distract souls, and dethrone the human reason.

“Heaven, looking down, and seeing the delusions into which men were led, knew that a divine Instructor must come to earth. Men in ignorance and moral darkness must have light, spiritual light; for the world knew not God, and he must be revealed to their understanding. Truth looked down from heaven, and saw not the reflection of her image; for dense clouds of moral darkness and gloom enveloped the world, and the Lord Jesus alone was able to roll back the clouds; for he was the light of the world. By his presence he could dissipate the gloomy shadow that Satan had cast between man and God. Darkness covered the earth, and gross darkness the people. Through the accumulated misrepresentations of the enemy, many were so deceived that they worshiped a false god, clothed with the attributes of the satanic character.” Review and Herald, November 17, 1891 (2RH 529:3:1,2); FE 176,177; Counsels to Teachers 27; CE 73,74

Christ came primarily to reveal the truth about God.

18.    “The law of Jehovah was burdened with needless exactions and traditions, and God was represented

as severe, exacting, revengeful, and arbitrary. He was pictured as one who could take pleasure in the sufferings of his creatures. The very attributes that belonged to the character of Satan, the evil one represented as belonging to the character of God. Jesus came to teach men of the Father, to correctly represent him before the fallen children of earth. Angels could not fully portray the character of God, but Christ, who was a living impersonation of God, could not fail to accomplish the work. The only way in which he could set and keep men right was to make himself visible and familiar to their eyes.

“Christ exalted the character of God, attributing to him the praise, and giving to him the credit, of the whole purpose of his own mission on earth,-to set men right through the revelation of God. In Christ was arrayed before men the paternal grace and the matchless perfections of the Father. In his prayer just before his crucifixion, he declared, “I have manifested thy name.” “I have glorified thee on the earth; I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.” When the object of his mission was attained-the revelation of God to the world,-the Son of God announced that his work was accomplished, and that the character of the Father was made manifest to men.” The Signs of the Times, January 20, 1890 (2ST 351:2:0-3:1); compare ST December 4, 1893; Manuscript Releases, vol 18, 359; RH August 14, 1900; YI November 21, 1883

To see Christ is to see the Father.

19.    “Had God the Father come to our world and dwelt among us, humbling Himself, veiling His glory, that

humanity might look upon Him, the history that we have of the life of Christ would not have been changed....In every act of Jesus, in every lesson of His instruction, we are to see and hear and recognize God. In sight, in hearing, in effect, it is the voice and movements of the Father.” Letter 83, 1895; That I May Know Him 338; 21MR 393.1

God does not ask us to believe without evidence.

20.    “God never asks us to believe, without giving sufficient evidence upon which to base our faith. His existence, His character, the truthfulness of His word, are all established by testimony that appeals to our reason; and this testimony is abundant. Yet God has never removed the possibility of doubt. Our faith must rest upon evidence, not demonstration. Those who wish to doubt will have opportunity; while those who really desire to know the truth will find plenty of evidence on which to rest their faith.” Steps to Christ 105 (1892); Education 169; 9MR 202

21.    “I am afraid of anything that would have a tendency to turn the mind away from the solid evidences of the truth as revealed in God’s Word. I am afraid of it; I am afraid of it. We must bring our minds within the bounds of reason, lest the enemy so come in as to set everything in a disorderly way. There are persons of an excitable temperament who are easily led into fanaticism; and should we allow anything to come into our churches that would lead such persons into error, we would soon see these errors carried to extreme lengths, and then because of the course of these disorderly elements, a stigma would rest upon the whole body of Seventh-day Adventists.” MS 115, 1908; Selected Messages, Bk. 2 p. 43; Bk. 3, p. 373

Jesus persuades by truth and evidence, not personal authority and power.

22.    “Jesus did not first reveal himself in his true character to them, and then open the Scriptures to their minds; for he knew that they would be so overjoyed to see him again, risen from the dead, that their souls would be satisfied. They would not hunger for the sacred truths which he wished to indelibly impress upon their minds, that they might impart them to others, who should in their turn spread the precious knowledge, until thousands of people should receive the light given that day to the despairing disciples as they journeyed to Emmaus.

“He (Jesus) maintained his disguise till he had interpreted the Scriptures, and had led them to an intelligent faith in his life, his character, his mission to earth, and his death and resurrection. He wished the truth to take firm root in their minds, not because it was supported by his personal testimony, but because the typical law, and the prophets of the Old Testament, agreeing with the facts of his life and death, presented unquestionable evidence of that truth. When the object of his labors with the two disciples was gained, he revealed himself to them that their joy might be full, and then vanished from their sight.” The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 3 p. 214; The Signs of the Times October

6, 1909; 4ST 492:3:2 (SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 5, p. 1125; SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 7a, p. 245); 6Red 32

The Holy Spirit also persuades by truth and evidence.

23.    “The Holy Spirit will not compel men to take a certain course of action. We are free moral agents; and

when sufficient evidence has been given us as to our duty, it is left with us to decide our course.” Fundamentals of Christian Education 124; CE 116; Review and Herald July 17, 1888

24.    “‘To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them’ (Isaiah 8:20). Even the work of the Holy Spirit upon the heart is to be tested by the Word of God. The Spirit which inspired the Scriptures, always leads to the Scriptures.” General Conference Daily Bulletin, April 13, 1891; Selected Messages, Book 1, p. 43; The EGWhite 1888 Materials, p. 901

Love and Trust-the things that God desires the most-cannot be commanded or produced by force or fear.

25.    “The earth was dark through misapprehension of God. That the gloomy shadows might be lightened, that the world might be brought back to God, Satan’s deceptive power was to be broken. This could not be done by force. The exercise of force is contrary to the principles of God’s government; He desires only the service of love; and love cannot be commanded; it cannot be won by force or authority. Only by love is love awakened. To know God is to love Him; His character must be manifested in contrast to the character of Satan. This work only one Being in all the universe could do. Only He who knew the height and depth of the love of God could make it known. Upon the world’s dark night the Sun of Righteousness must rise, <with healing in His wings.’ Mal. 4:2.” The Desire of Ages 22 (1898); Reflecting Christ 23; AG 23

26.    “In the work of redemption there is no compulsion. No external force is employed. Under the influence

of the Spirit of God, man is left free to choose whom he will serve. In the change that takes place when the soul surrenders to Christ, there is the highest sense of freedom.” The Desire of Ages 466 (1898); Mind, Character, and Personality, vol. 2, 571

27.    “The shortness of time is urged as an incentive for us to seek righteousness and to make Christ our friend. This is not the great motive. It savors of selfishness. Is it necessary that the terrors of the day of God be held before us to compel us through fear to right action? This ought not to be.” Review and Herald Aug. 2, 1881; 1RH 273:1:6; That I May Know Him 320; Lift Him Up 98; The Signs of the Times, March 17, 1887; The Bible Echoes June 25, 1894

There is no need to be afraid of God.

28.    “We are not to regard God as waiting to punish the sinner for his sin. The sinner brings the punishment upon himself. His own actions start a train of circumstances that bring the sure result. Every act of transgression reacts upon the sinner, works in him a change of character, and makes it more easy for him to transgress again. By choosing to sin, men separate themselves from God, cut themselves off from the channel of blessing, and the sure result is ruin and death.” Letter 96, 1896; Selected Messages, Book 1, p. 235; FLB 84; 6BC 1085,1110; 1MR 130,131; The EGWhite 1888 Materials, p. 1576

29.    “God does not stand toward the sinner as an executioner of the sentence against transgression; but

He leaves the rejectors of His mercy to themselves, to reap that which they have sown.” The Great Controversy 36 (1888); 4SP 36,37 (1884)

30.    “This is not an act of arbitrary power on the part of God. The rejecters of His mercy reap that which they have sown. God is the fountain of life; and when one chooses the service of sin, he separates from God, and thus cuts himself off from life. He is <alienated from the life of God.’ Christ says, <All they that hate Me love death.’ Ephesians 4:18; Proverbs 8:36. God gives them existence for a time that they may develop their character and reveal their principles. This accomplished, they receive the results of their own choice. By a life of rebellion, Satan and all who unite with him place themselves so out of harmony with God that His very presence is to them a consuming fire. The glory of Him who is love will destroy them.” The Desire of Ages 764 (1898)

God does not desire obedience that springs from fear or obligation.

31.    “The man who attempts to keep the commandments of God from a sense of obligation merely-because he is required to do so-will never enter into the joy of obedience. He does not obey. When the requirements of God are accounted a burden because they cut across human inclination, we may know that the life is not a Christian life. True obedience is the outworking of a principle within. It springs from the love of righteousness, the love of the law of God. The essence of all righteousness is loyalty to our Redeemer. This will lead us to do right because it is right-because right doing is pleasing to God.” Christ’s Object Lessons 97,98 (1900)

32.    “A sullen submission to the will of the Father will develop the character of a rebel. By such a one service is looked upon as drudgery. It is not rendered cheerfully, and in the love of God. It is a mere mechanical performance. [If he dared, such a one would disobey. His rebellion is smothered, ready to break out at any time in bitter murmurings and complaints.] Such service brings no peace or quietude to the soul.” MS 20, 1897 (MR # 970); Signs of the Times, July 22, 1897 (3ST 400:2:1) -section in [. . .] omitted in That I May Know Him p. 120; 12MR 236

God has made emergency use of law because we needed it.

33.    “If man had kept the law of God, as given to Adam after his fall, preserved in the ark by Noah, and observed by Abraham, there would have been no necessity of the ordinance of circumcision. And if the descendants of Abraham had kept the covenant, which circumcision was a token or pledge of, they would never have gone into idolatry, and been suffered to go down into Egypt, and there would have been no necessity of God’s proclaiming his law from Sinai, and engraving it upon tables of stone, and guarding it by definite directions in the judgments and statutes given to Moses.

“Moses wrote these judgments and statutes from the mouth of God while he was with him in the mount. If the people of God had obeyed the principles of the ten commandments, there would have been no need of the specific directions given to Moses, which he wrote in a book, relative to their duty to God and to one another. The definite directions which the Lord gave to Moses in regard to the duty of his people to one another, and to the stranger, are the principles of the ten commandments simplified, and given in a definite manner that they need not err.” Spiritual Gifts, vol. 3, p. 299,300 (1864); 1SP 264; The Signs of the Times June, 17, 1880; compare PH 064 p. 19 (1875)

33.b.    “If man had kept the law of God, as given to Adam after his fall, preserved by Noah, and observed by Abraham, there would have been no necessity for the ordinance of circumcision. And if the descendants of Abraham had kept the covenant, of which circumcision was a sign, they would never have been seduced into idolatry, nor would it have been necessary for them to suffer a life of bondage in Egypt; they would have kept God’s law in mind, and there would have been no necessity for it to be proclaimed from Sinai or engraved upon the tables of stone. And had the people practiced the principles of the Ten Commandments, there would have been no need of the additional directions given to Moses.” Patriarchs and Prophets 364 (1890)

34.    “But in heaven, service is not rendered in the spirit of legality. When Satan rebelled against the law of Jehovah, the thought that there was a law came to the angels almost as an awakening to something unthought of. In their ministry the angels are not as servants, but as sons. There is

perfect unity between them and their Creator. Obedience is to them no drudgery. Love for God makes their service a joy.” Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing 109

35.    “I am asked concerning the law in Galatians. What law is the schoolmaster to bring us to Christ? I answer: Both the ceremonial and the moral code of ten commandments...” Selected Messages Bk.

1,    p. 233 (1900); 6BC 1109,1110; The EGWhite 1888 Materials, p. 1575; 1MR 130,131

“The law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith” (Galatians 3:24). In this scripture, the Holy Spirit through the apostle is speaking especially of the moral law.” Selected Messages Bk, 1 p. 234 (1900); 6BC 1110; The EGWhite 1888 Materials, p. 1575; 1MR 131

God values nothing higher than our freedom, dignity and individuality.

36.    “Every human being, created in the image of God, is endowed with a power akin to that of the Creator-individuality, power to think and to do. The men in whom this power is developed are the men who bear responsibilities, who are leaders in enterprise, and who influence character. It is the work of true education to develop this power, to train the youth to be thinkers, and not mere reflectors of other men’s thought...Instead of educated weaklings, institutions of learning may send forth men strong to think and to act, men who are masters and not slaves of circumstances, men who possess breadth of mind, clearness of thought, and the courage of their convictions.” Education 17,18 (1903); Mind, Character, and Personality, vol. 1, 361; Mind, Character, and Personality, vol.

2,    423; Reflecting Christ 155

37.    “It is the first and highest duty of every rational being to learn from the Scriptures what is truth, and then to walk in the light and encourage others to follow his example. We should day by day study the Bible diligently, weighing every thought and comparing scripture with scripture. With divine help we are to form our opinions for ourselves as we are to answer for ourselves before God.” The Great Controversy 598 (1888); 4SP 416 (1884); Maranatha 94; Reflecting Christ 116; RH June 28, 1906 and September 10, 1914

Jesus will come when His people are ready.

38.    “The long night of gloom is trying; but the morning is deferred in mercy, because if the Master should come, so many would be found unready. God’s unwillingness to have His people perish has been the reason for so long delay.” Testimonies for the Church, vol. 2, p. 193 (1868); Evangelism 694; Maranatha 56; LDE 37; Ph 098 p. 16

39.    “Just as soon as the people of God are sealed in their foreheads-it is not any seal or mark that can

be seen, but a settling into the truth, both intellectually and spiritually, so they cannot be moved-just as soon as God’s people are sealed and prepared for the shaking, it will come. Indeed, it has begun already; the judgments of God are now upon the land, to give us warning, that we may know what is coming” (MS 173, 1902). S.D.A. Bible Commentary Vol. 4, p. 1161; LDE 219; Maranatha 200; FLB 287; 1MR 249,250; 10MR 252

Where on earth are God’s friends?

40.    “Notwithstanding the spiritual darkness and alienation from God that exist in the churches which constitute Babylon, the great body of Christ’s true followers are still to be found in their communion.” The Great Controversy 390 (1888); FLB 285; LDE 198

What difference does it make to know the truth about God?

41.    “The reason why it seems so difficult to win souls for Christ, is that Satan is continually engaged in misrepresenting the character of God to the human mind. Christ came to reveal the Father to the world in his true character, that the false conceptions which men entertained of the divine character might be swept away.” Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, May 31, 1892 (2RH 573:2:2); compare GC 569; 4SP 385

42.    “We are not to think of God only as a judge, and to forget him as our loving Father. Nothing can do our souls greater harm than this; for our whole spiritual life will be molded by our conceptions of God’s character.”Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, April 5, 1887 (RH 126:1:2); Our High Calling 176; That I May Know Him 262

43.    “Jesus said: ‘This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.’ All that was done and said had this one object in view,-to rivet truth in their minds that they might attain unto everlasting life. Jesus did not come to astonish men with some great announcement of some special time when some great event would occur, but he came to instruct and save the lost.” Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, May 22, 1892 (2RH 553:3:1); Selected Messages, bk. 1, 186-187; 6BC 1052; The EGWhite 1888 Materials, p. 958

44.    “It is growth in knowledge of the character of Christ that sanctifies the soul. To discern and appreciate the wonderful work of the atonement, transforms him who contemplates the plan of salvation. By beholding Christ, he becomes changed into the same image, from glory to glory, as by the Spirit of the Lord. The beholding of Jesus becomes an ennobling, refining process to the actual Christian. He sees the Pattern, and grows into its likeness, and then how easily are dissensions, emulations, and strife adjusted. The perfection of Christ’s character is the Christian’s inspiration. When we see him as he is, desire awakes to be like him, and this elevates the whole man; for “every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.” Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, August 26, 1890 (2RH421:3:2) Reflecting Christ 304; That I May Know Him 166; The EGWhite 1888 Materials, p. 695

45.    “Men put God out of their knowledge and worshiped the creatures of their own imagination; and as the result, they became more and more debased. The psalmist describes the effect produced upon the worshiper by the adoration of idols. He says, “They that make them are like unto them; so is every one that trusteth in them.” Psalm 115:8. It is a law of the human mind that by beholding we become changed. Man will rise no higher than his conceptions of truth, purity, and holiness. If the mind is never exalted above the level of humanity, if it is not uplifted by faith to contemplate infinite wisdom and love, the man will be constantly sinking lower and lower. The worshipers of false gods clothed their deities with human attributes and passions, and thus their standard of character was degraded to the likeness of sinful humanity. They were defiled in consequence.” Patriarchs and Prophets 91 (1890)

46.    “It is a law both of the intellectual and the spiritual nature that by beholding we become changed. The

mind gradually adapts itself to the subjects upon which it is allowed to dwell. It becomes assimilated to that which it is accustomed to love and reverence. Man will never rise higher than his standard of purity or goodness or truth. If self is his loftiest ideal, he will never attain to anything more exalted. Rather, he will constantly sink lower and lower. The grace of God alone has power to exalt man. Left to himself, his course must inevitably be downward.” The Great Controversy p. 555 (1888); Mind, Character, and Personality, vol. 1, 331; Mind, Character, and Personality, vol. 2, 418

47.    “Merely to hear or to read the word is not enough. He who desires to be profited by the Scriptures must meditate upon the truth that has been presented to him. By earnest attention and prayerful thought he must learn the meaning of the words of truth, and drink deep of the spirit of the holy oracles. (Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, 11/10/1891; Bible Echoes 10/1/1892; FE 169,170; CE 100,101; compare The Signs of the Times, 1/30/1893 and 9/26/1895)

“God bids us fill the mind with great thoughts, pure thoughts. He desires us to meditate upon His love and mercy, to study His wonderful work in the great plan of redemption. Then clearer and still clearer will be our perception of truth, higher, holier, our desire for purity of heart and clearness of thought. The soul dwelling in the pure atmosphere of holy thought will be transformed by communion with God through the study of Scriptures.” Christ’s Object Lessons 59,60 (1900); AG 34 compare FLB 223.3; MH 466.0

48.    “The effort to earn salvation by one’s own works inevitably leads men to pile up human exactions as a barrier against sin. For, seeing that they fail to keep the law, they will devise rules and regulations of their own to force themselves to obey. All this turns the mind away from God to self. His love dies out of the heart, and with it perishes love for his fellow men. A system of human invention, with its multitudinous exactions, will lead its advocates to judge all who come short of the prescribed human standard. The atmosphere of selfish and narrow criticism stifles the noble and generous emotions, and causes men to become self-centered judges and petty spies.

“The Pharisees were of this class. They came forth from their religious services, not humbled with a sense of their own weakness, not grateful for the great privileges that God had given them. They came forth filled with spiritual pride, and their theme was, “Myself, my feelings, my knowledge, my ways.” Their own attainments became the standard by which they judged others. Putting on the robes of self-dignity, they mounted the judgment seat to criticize and condemn. (ST 12/17/1894)

“The people partook largely of the same spirit, intruding upon the province of conscience and judging one another in matters that lay between the soul and God. It was in reference to this spirit and practice that Jesus said, “Judge not, that ye be not judged.” That is, do not set yourself up as a standard. Do not make your opinions, your views of duty, your interpretations of Scripture, a criterion for others and in your heart condemn them if they do not come up to your ideal. Do not criticize others, conjecturing as to their motives and passing judgment upon them.” Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, 123,124

For more information contact: khart@sachs.llu.edu

December 11, 2005

Though all these evidences have been given, the enemy of good blinded the minds of men, so that they looked upon God with fear; they thought of [11] Him as severe and unforgiving. Satan led men to conceive of God as a being whose chief attribute is stern justice-one who is a severe judge, a harsh, exacting creditor. He pictured the Creator as a being who is watching with jealous eye to discern the errors and mistakes of men that He may visit judgments upon them. It was to remove this dark shadow, by revealing to the world the infinite love of God, that Jesus came to live among men.--SC 11 (1892). {1MCP 250.1}

Our Creator justly claims the right to do as He chooses with the creatures of His hand. He has a right to govern as He will, and not as man chooses. But He is not a severe judge, a harsh, exacting creditor. He is the very fountain of love, the giver of blessings innumerable. It should cause you the deepest grief that you have disregarded such love, and have not let gratitude and praise well up in your hearts for the marvelous goodness of God. We do not deserve all His benefits; but they are [315] continued to us, notwithstanding our unworthiness and cruel ingratitude. Then cease to complain as though you were bond servants under a hard taskmaster. Jesus is good. Praise Him. Praise Him who is the health of your countenance, and your God. {5T 314.4}

Many conceive of the Christian's God as a being whose attribute is stern justice,--one who is a severe judge, a harsh, exacting creditor. The Creator has been pictured as a being who is watching with jealous eye to discern the errors and mistakes of men, that He may visit judgment upon them. In the minds of thousands, love and sympathy and tenderness are associated with the character of Christ, while God is regarded as the law-giver, inflexible, arbitrary, devoid of sympathy for the beings He has made. {BTS, November 1, 1908 par. 1} Never was there a greater error. Nature and revelation alike testify of God's love. It is from Him that we receive every good gift. He is the source of life, of wisdom, and of joy. {BTS, November 1, 1908 par. 2}

1-2 Kings 17:5 Then Shalmaneser invaded Israel and besieged Samaria. In the third year of the siege, 6 which was the ninth year of the reign of Hoshea, the Assyrian emperor captured Samaria, took the Israelites to Assyria as prisoners, and settled some of them in the city of Halah, some near the Habor River in the district of Gozan and some in the cities of Media. 7 Samaria fell because the Israelites sinned against the Lord their God, who had rescued them from the king of Egypt and had led them out of Egypt. They worshiped other gods, 8 followed the customs of the people whom the Lord had driven out as his people advanced, and adopted customs introduced by the kings of Israel. 9 The Israelites did things that the Lord their God disapproved of. They built pagan places of worship in all their towns, from the smallest village to the largest city. 10 On all the hills and under every shady tree they put up stone pillars and images of the goddess Asherah, 11 and they burned incense on all the pagan altars, following the practice of the people whom the Lord had driven out of the land. They aroused the Lord's anger with all their wicked deeds 12 and disobeyed the Lord's command not to worship idols. 13 The Lord had sent his messengers and prophets to warn Israel and Judah: "Abandon your evil ways and obey my commands, which are contained in the Law I gave to your ancestors and which I handed on to you through my servants the prophets." 14 But they would not obey; they were stubborn like their ancestors, who had not trusted in the Lord their God. 15 They refused to obey his instructions, they did not keep the covenant he had made with their ancestors, and they disregarded his warnings. They worshiped worthless idols and became worthless themselves, and they followed the customs of the surrounding nations, disobeying the Lord's command not to imitate them. 16 They broke all the laws of the Lord their God and made two metal bull-calves to worship; they also made an image of the goddess Asherah, worshiped the stars, and served the god Baal. 17 They sacrificed their sons and daughters as burnt offerings to pagan gods; they consulted mediums and fortunetellers, and they devoted themselves completely to doing what is wrong in the Lord's sight, and so aroused his anger. 18 The Lord was angry with the Israelites and banished them from his sight, leaving only the kingdom of Judah. 19 But even the people of Judah did not obey the laws of the Lord their God; they imitated the customs adopted by the people of Israel. 20 The Lord rejected all the Israelites, punishing them and handing them over to cruel enemies until at last he had banished them from his sight. 21 After the Lord had separated Israel from Judah, the Israelites made Jeroboam son of Nebat their king. Jeroboam caused them to abandon the Lord and led them into terrible sins. 22 They followed Jeroboam and continued to practice all the sins he had committed, 23 until at last the Lord banished them from his sight, as he had warned through his servants the prophets that he would do. So the people of Israel were taken into exile to Assyria, where they still live.

Hosea 1:1 This is the message which the Lord gave Hosea son of Beeri during the time that Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah were kings of Judah, and Jeroboam son of Jehoash was king of Israel. 2 When the Lord first spoke to Israel through Hosea, he said to Hosea, "Go and get married; your wife will be unfaithful, and your children will be just like her. In the same way my people have left me and become unfaithful." 3 So Hosea married a woman named Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim. After the birth of their first child, a son,

Hosea 2:12 I will destroy her grapevines and her fig trees, which she said her lovers gave her for serving them. I will turn her vineyards and orchards into a wilderness; wild animals will destroy them. 13 I will punish her for the times that she forgot me, when she burned incense to Baal and put on her jewelry to go chasing after her lovers. The Lord has spoken. 14 So I am going to take her into the desert again; there I will win her back with words of love. 15 I will give back to her the vineyards she had and make Trouble Valley a door of hope. She will respond to me there as she did when she was young, when she came from Egypt. 18 At that time I will make a covenant with all the wild animals and birds, so that they will not harm my people. I will also remove all weapons of war from the land, all swords and bows, and will let my people live in peace and safety.

Hosea 4:1 The Lord has an accusation to bring against the people who live in this land. Listen, Israel, to what he says: "There is no faithfulness or love in the land, and the people do not acknowledge me as God. 2 They make promises and break them; they lie, murder, steal, and commit adultery. Crimes increase, and there is one murder after another. 3 And so the land will dry up, and everything that lives on it will die. All the animals and birds, and even the fish, will die."

Hosea 4:11 The Lord says, "Wine, both old and new, is robbing my people of their senses! 12 They ask for revelations from a piece of wood! A stick tells them what they want to know! They have left me. Like a woman who becomes a prostitute, they have given themselves to other gods. 13 At sacred places on the mountaintops they offer sacrifices, and on the hills they burn incense under tall, spreading trees, because the shade is so pleasant! "As a result, your daughters serve as prostitutes, and your daughters-in-law commit adultery. 14 Yet I will not punish them for this, because you yourselves go off with temple prostitutes, and together with them you offer pagan sacrifices. As the proverb says, "A people without sense will be ruined.' 15 "Even though you people of Israel are unfaithful to me, may Judah not be guilty of the same thing. Don't worship at Gilgal or Bethaven, or make promises there in the name of the living Lord. 16 The people of Israel are as stubborn as mules. How can I feed them like lambs in a meadow?

Ezekiel 4:1 God said, "Mortal man, get a brick, put it in front of you, and scratch lines on it to represent the city of Jerusalem. 2 Then, to represent a siege, put trenches, earthworks, camps, and battering rams all around it. 3 Take an iron pan and set it up like a wall between you and the city. Face the city. It is under siege, and you are the one besieging it. This will be a sign to the nation of Israel. 4 "Then lie down on your left side, and I will place on you the guilt of the nation of Israel. For 390 days you will stay there and suffer because of their guilt. I have sentenced you to one day for each year their punishment will last. 6 When you finish that, turn over on your right side and suffer for the guilt of Judah for forty days - one day for each year of their punishment.

James 5:1 And now, you rich people, listen to me! Weep and wail over the miseries that are coming upon you! 2 Your riches have rotted away, and your clothes have been eaten by moths. 3 Your gold and silver are covered with rust, and this rust will be a witness against you and will eat up your flesh like fire. You have piled up riches in these last days. 4 You have not paid any wages to those who work in your fields. Listen to their complaints! The cries of those who gather in your crops have reached the ears of God, the Lord Almighty. 5 Your life here on earth has been full of luxury and pleasure. You have made yourselves fat for the day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and murdered innocent people, and they do not resist you. 7 Be patient, then, my friends, until the Lord comes. See how patient farmers are as they wait for their land to produce precious crops. They wait patiently for the autumn and spring rains.

Revelation 3:14 "To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: "This is the message from the Amen, the faithful and true witness, who is the origin of all that God has created. 15 I know what you have done; I know that you are neither cold nor hot. How I wish you were either one or the other! 16 But because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I am going to spit you out of my mouth! 17 You say, "I am rich and well off; I have all I need.' But you do not know how miserable and pitiful you are! You are poor, naked, and blind. 18 I advise you, then, to buy gold from me, pure gold, in order to be rich. Buy also white clothing to dress yourself and cover up your shameful nakedness. Buy also some ointment to put on your eyes, so that you may see. 19 I rebuke and punish all whom I love. Be in earnest, then, and turn from your sins. 20 Listen! I stand at the door and knock; if any hear my voice and open the door, I will come into their house and eat with them, and they will eat with me. 21 To those who win the victory I will give the right to sit beside me on my throne, just as I have been victorious and now sit by my Father on his throne. 22 "If you have ears, then, listen to what the Spirit says to the churches!"

Revelation 14:6 Then I saw another angel flying high in the air, with an eternal message of Good News to announce to the peoples of the earth, to every race, tribe, language, and nation. 7 He said in a loud voice, "Honor God and praise his greatness! For the time has come for him to judge all people. Worship him who made heaven, earth, sea, and the springs of water!" 8 A second angel followed the first one, saying, "She has fallen! Great Babylon has fallen! She made all peoples drink her wine - the strong wine of her immoral lust!" 9 A third angel followed the first two, saying in a loud voice, "Those who worship the beast and its image and receive the mark on their forehead or on their hand 10 will themselves drink God's wine, the wine of his fury, which he has poured at full strength into the cup of his anger! All who do this will be tormented in fire and sulfur before the holy angels and the Lamb. 11 The smoke of the fire that torments them goes up forever and ever. There is no relief day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, for anyone who has the mark of its name." 12 This calls for endurance on the part of God's people, those who obey God's commandments and are faithful to Jesus.

2-2 Kings 17:5 Then Shalmaneser invaded Israel and besieged Samaria. In the third year of the siege, 6 which was the ninth year of the reign of Hoshea, the Assyrian emperor captured Samaria, took the Israelites to Assyria as prisoners, and settled some of them in the city of Halah, some near the Habor River in the district of Gozan and some in the cities of Media. 7 Samaria fell because the Israelites sinned against the Lord their God, who had rescued them from the king of Egypt and had led them out of Egypt. They worshiped other gods, 8 followed the customs of the people whom the Lord had driven out as his people advanced, and adopted customs introduced by the kings of Israel. 9 The Israelites did things that the Lord their God disapproved of. They built pagan places of worship in all their towns, from the smallest village to the largest city. 10 On all the hills and under every shady tree they put up stone pillars and images of the goddess Asherah, 11 and they burned incense on all the pagan altars, following the practice of the people whom the Lord had driven out of the land. They aroused the Lord's anger with all their wicked deeds 12 and disobeyed the Lord's command not to worship idols. 13 The Lord had sent his messengers and prophets to warn Israel and Judah: "Abandon your evil ways and obey my commands, which are contained in the Law I gave to your ancestors and which I handed on to you through my servants the prophets." 14 But they would not obey; they were stubborn like their ancestors, who had not trusted in the Lord their God. 15 They refused to obey his instructions, they did not keep the covenant he had made with their ancestors, and they disregarded his warnings. They worshiped worthless idols and became worthless themselves, and they followed the customs of the surrounding nations, disobeying the Lord's command not to imitate them. 16 They broke all the laws of the Lord their God and made two metal bull-calves to worship; they also made an image of the goddess Asherah, worshiped the stars, and served the god Baal. 17 They sacrificed their sons and daughters as burnt offerings to pagan gods; they consulted mediums and fortunetellers, and they devoted themselves completely to doing what is wrong in the Lord's sight, and so aroused his anger. 18 The Lord was angry with the Israelites and banished them from his sight, leaving only the kingdom of Judah. 19 But even the people of Judah did not obey the laws of the Lord their God; they imitated the customs adopted by the people of Israel. 20 The Lord rejected all the Israelites, punishing them and handing them over to cruel enemies until at last he had banished them from his sight. 21 After the Lord had separated Israel from Judah, the Israelites made Jeroboam son of Nebat their king. Jeroboam caused them to abandon the Lord and led them into terrible sins. 22 They followed Jeroboam and continued to practice all the sins he had committed, 23 until at last the Lord banished them from his sight, as he had warned through his servants the prophets that he would do. So the people of Israel were taken into exile to Assyria, where they still live.

3-Hosea 4:11 The Lord says, "Wine, both old and new, is robbing my people of their senses! 12 They ask for revelations from a piece of wood! A stick tells them what they want to know! They have left me. Like a woman who becomes a prostitute, they have given themselves to other gods. 13 At sacred places on the mountaintops they offer sacrifices, and on the hills they burn incense under tall, spreading trees, because the shade is so pleasant! "As a result, your daughters serve as prostitutes, and your daughters-in-law commit adultery. 14 Yet I will not punish them for this, because you yourselves go off with temple prostitutes, and together with them you offer pagan sacrifices. As the proverb says, "A people without sense will be ruined.' 15 "Even though you people of Israel are unfaithful to me, may Judah not be guilty of the same thing. Don't worship at Gilgal or Bethaven, or make promises there in the name of the living Lord. 16 The people of Israel are as stubborn as mules. How can I feed them like lambs in a meadow? 17 The people of Israel are under the spell of idols. Let them go their own way. 18 After drinking much wine, they delight in their prostitution, preferring disgrace to honor. 19 They will be carried away as by the wind, and they will be ashamed of their pagan sacrifices.

4-Hosea 1:1 This is the message which the Lord gave Hosea son of Beeri during the time that Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah were kings of Judah, and Jeroboam son of Jehoash was king of Israel.

5-Isaiah 1:1 This book contains the messages about Judah and Jerusalem which God revealed to Isaiah son of Amoz during the time when Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah were kings of Judah.

Amos 1:1 These are the words of Amos, a shepherd from the town of Tekoa. Two years before the earthquake, when Uzziah was king of Judah and Jeroboam son of Jehoash was king of Israel, God revealed to Amos all these things about Israel.

Micah 1:1 During the time that Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah were kings of Judah, the Lord gave this message to Micah, who was from the town of Moresheth. The Lord revealed to Micah all these things about Samaria and Jerusalem.

6-Hosea 4:17 The people of Israel are under the spell of idols. Let them go their own way.

7-Leviticus 21:7 A priest shall not marry a woman who has been a prostitute or a woman who is not a virgin or who is divorced; he is holy.

Ezekiel 44:22 No priest may marry a divorced woman; he is to marry only an Israelite virgin or the widow of another priest.

8-Hosea 1:1 This is the message which the Lord gave Hosea son of Beeri during the time that Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah were kings of Judah, and Jeroboam son of Jehoash was king of Israel. 2 When the Lord first spoke to Israel through Hosea, he said to Hosea, "Go and get married; your wife will be unfaithful, and your children will be just like her. In the same way my people have left me and become unfaithful." 3 So Hosea married a woman named Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim. After the birth of their first child, a son, 4 the Lord said to Hosea, "Name him "Jezreel,' because it will not be long before I punish the king of Israel for the murders that his ancestor Jehu committed at Jezreel. I am going to put an end to Jehu's dynasty. 5 And in Jezreel Valley I will at that time destroy Israel's military power." 6 Gomer had a second child - this time it was a daughter. The Lord said to Hosea, "Name her "Unloved,' because I will no longer show love to the people of Israel or forgive them. 7 But to the people of Judah I will show love. I, the Lord their God, will save them, but I will not do it by war - with swords or bows and arrows or with horses and horsemen." 8 After Gomer had weaned her daughter, she became pregnant again and had another son. 9 The Lord said to Hosea, "Name him "Not-My-People,' because the people of Israel are not my people, and I am not their God." 10 The people of Israel will become like the sand of the sea, more than can be counted or measured. Now God says to them, "You are not my people," but the day is coming when he will say to them, "You are the children of the living God!" 11 The people of Judah and the people of Israel will be reunited. They will choose for themselves a single leader, and once again they will grow and prosper in their land. Yes, the day of Jezreel will be a great day!

Hosea 2: 1 So call your fellow Israelites "God's People" and "Loved-by-the-Lord." 2 My children, plead with your mother - though she is no longer a wife to me, and I am no longer her husband. Plead with her to stop her adultery and prostitution. 3 If she does not, I will strip her as naked as she was on the day she was born. I will make her like a dry and barren land, and she will die of thirst. 4 I will not show mercy to her children; they are the children of a shameless prostitute. She herself said, "I will go to my lovers - they give me food and water, wool and linen, olive oil and wine." 6 So I am going to fence her in with thorn bushes and build a wall to block her way. 7 She will run after her lovers but will not catch them. She will look for them but will not find them. Then she will say, "I am going back to my first husband - I was better off then than I am now." 8 She would never acknowledge that I am the one who gave her the grain, the wine, the olive oil, and all the silver and gold that she used in the worship of Baal. 9 So at harvest time I will take back my gifts of grain and wine, and will take away the wool and the linen I gave her for clothing. 10 I will strip her naked in front of her lovers, and no one will be able to save her from my power. 11 I will put an end to all her festivities - her annual and monthly festivals and her Sabbath celebrations - all her religious meetings. 12 I will destroy her grapevines and her fig trees, which she said her lovers gave her for serving them. I will turn her vineyards and orchards into a wilderness; wild animals will destroy them. 13 I will punish her for the times that she forgot me, when she burned incense to Baal and put on her jewelry to go chasing after her lovers. The Lord has spoken. 14 So I am going to take her into the desert again; there I will win her back with words of love. 15 I will give back to her the vineyards she had and make Trouble Valley a door of hope. She will respond to me there as she did when she was young, when she came from Egypt. 16 Then once again she will call me her husband - she will no longer call me her Baal. 17 I will never let her speak the name of Baal again. 18 At that time I will make a covenant with all the wild animals and birds, so that they will not harm my people. I will also remove all weapons of war from the land, all swords and bows, and will let my people live in peace and safety. 19 Israel, I will make you my wife; I will be true and faithful; I will show you constant love and mercy and make you mine forever. 20 I will keep my promise and make you mine, and you will acknowledge me as Lord. 21 At that time I will answer the prayers of my people Israel. I will make rain fall on the earth, and the earth will produce grain and grapes and olives. 23 I will establish my people in the land and make them prosper. I will show love to those who were called "Unloved," and to those who were called "Not-My-People" I will say, "You are my people," and they will answer, "You are our God."

Hosea 3:1 The Lord said to me, "Go again and show your love for a woman who is committing adultery with a lover. You must love her just as I still love the people of Israel, even though they turn to other gods and like to take offerings of raisins to idols." 2 So I paid fifteen pieces of silver and seven bushels of barley to buy her. 3 I told her that for a long time she would have to wait for me without being a prostitute or committing adultery; and during this time I would wait for her. 4 In just this way the people of Israel will have to live for a long time without kings or leaders, without sacrifices or sacred stone pillars, without idols or images to use for divination. 5 But the time will come when the people of Israel will once again turn to the Lord their God and to a descendant of David their king. Then they will fear the Lord and will receive his good gifts.

Isaiah 20:1 Under the orders of Emperor Sargon of Assyria, the commander-in-chief of the Assyrian army attacked the Philistine city of Ashdod. 2 Three years earlier the Lord had told Isaiah son of Amoz to take off his sandals and the sackcloth he was wearing. He obeyed and went around naked and barefoot. 3 When Ashdod was captured, the Lord said, "My servant Isaiah has been going around naked and barefoot for three years. This is a sign of what will happen to Egypt and Ethiopia. 4 The emperor of Assyria will lead away naked the prisoners he captures from those two countries. Young and old, they will walk barefoot and naked, with their buttocks exposed, bringing shame on Egypt. 5 Those who have put their trust in Ethiopia and have boasted about Egypt will be disillusioned, their hopes shattered. 6 When that time comes, the people who live along the coast of Philistia will say, "Look at what has happened to the people we relied on to protect us from the emperor of Assyria! How will we ever survive?' "

Jeremiah 27:1 Soon after Josiah's son Zedekiah became king of Judah, the Lord told me 2 to make myself a yoke out of leather straps and wooden crossbars and to put it on my neck. 3 Then the Lord told me to send a message to the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, and Sidon through their ambassadors who had come to Jerusalem to see King Zedekiah. 4 The Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, told me to command them to tell their kings that the Lord had said: 5 "By my great power and strength I created the world, human beings, and all the animals that live on the earth; and I give it to anyone I choose. 6 I am the one who has placed all these nations under the power of my servant, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia, and I have made even the wild animals serve him. 7 All nations will serve him, and they will serve his son and his grandson until the time comes for his own nation to fall. Then his nation will serve powerful nations and great kings.

Ezekiel 3:26 I will paralyze your tongue so that you won't be able to warn these rebellious people. 27 Then, when I speak to you again and give you back the power of speech, you will tell them what I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying. Some of them will listen, but some will ignore you, for they are a nation of rebels."

Ezekiel 4:1 God said, "Mortal man, get a brick, put it in front of you, and scratch lines on it to represent the city of Jerusalem. 2 Then, to represent a siege, put trenches, earthworks, camps, and battering rams all around it. 3 Take an iron pan and set it up like a wall between you and the city. Face the city. It is under siege, and you are the one besieging it. This will be a sign to the nation of Israel. 4 "Then lie down on your left side, and I will place on you the guilt of the nation of Israel. For 390 days you will stay there and suffer because of their guilt. I have sentenced you to one day for each year their punishment will last.

Ezekiel 4:4 Moreover lie thou upon thy left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it; [according to] the number of the days that thou shalt lie upon it, thou shalt bear their iniquity. 5 For I have appointed the years of their iniquity to be unto thee a number of days, even three hundred and ninety days: so shalt thou bear the iniquity of the house of Israel.

Ezekiel 4:6 When you finish that, turn over on your right side and suffer for the guilt of Judah for forty days - one day for each year of their punishment. 7 "Fix your eyes on the siege of Jerusalem. Shake your fist at the city and prophesy against it. 8 I will tie you up so that you cannot turn from one side to the other until the siege is over.

Ezekiel 4:9 "Now take some wheat, barley, beans, peas, millet, and spelt. Mix them all together and make bread. That is what you are to eat during the 390 days you are lying on your left side. 10 You will be allowed eight ounces of bread a day, and it will have to last until the next day. 11 You will also have a limited amount of water to drink, two cups a day. 12 You are to build a fire out of dried human excrement, bake bread on the fire, and eat it where everyone can see you." 13 The Lord said, "This represents the way the Israelites will have to eat food which the Law forbids, when I scatter them to foreign countries." 14 But I replied, "No, Sovereign Lord! I have never defiled myself. From childhood on I have never eaten meat from any animal that died a natural death or was killed by wild animals. I have never eaten any food considered unclean." 15 So God said, "Very well. I will let you use cow dung instead, and you can bake your bread on that." 16 And he added, "Mortal man, I am going to cut off the supply of bread for Jerusalem. The people there will be distressed and anxious as they measure out the food they eat and the water they drink. 17 They will run out of bread and water; they will be in despair, and they will waste away because of their sins."

Ezekiel 5:1 The Lord said, "Mortal man, take a sharp sword and use it to shave off your beard and all your hair. Then weigh the hair on scales and divide it into three parts. 2 Burn up a third of it in the city when the siege is over. Take another third and chop it up with your sword as you move around outside the city. Scatter the remaining third to the winds, and I will pursue it with my sword. 3 Keep back a few hairs and wrap them in the hem of your clothes. 4 Then take a few of them out again, throw them in the fire, and let them burn up. From them fire will spread to the whole nation of Israel."

Ezekiel 12:1 The Lord spoke to me. 2 "Mortal man," he said, "you are living among rebellious people. They have eyes, but they see nothing; they have ears, but they hear nothing, because they are rebellious. 3 "Now, mortal man, pack a bundle just as a refugee would and start out before nightfall. Let everyone see you leaving and going to another place. Maybe those rebels will notice you. 4 While it is still daylight, pack your bundle for exile, so that they can see you, and then let them watch you leave in the evening as if you were going into exile. 5 While they are watching, break a hole through the wall of your house and take your pack out through it. 6 Let them watch you putting your pack on your shoulder and going out into the dark with your eyes covered, so that you can't see where you are going. What you do will be a warning to the Israelites."

Ezekiel 12:17 The Lord spoke to me. 18 "Mortal man," he said, "tremble when you eat, and shake with fear when you drink. 19 Tell the whole nation that this is the message of the Sovereign Lord to the people of Jerusalem who are still living in their land: They will tremble when they eat and shake with fear when they drink. Their land will be stripped bare, because everyone who lives there is lawless. 20 Cities that are now full of people will be destroyed, and the country will be made a wilderness. Then they will know that I am the Lord."

Ezekiel 21:6 "Mortal man, groan as if your heart is breaking with despair. Groan in sorrow where everyone can watch you. 7 When they ask you why you are groaning, tell them it is because of the news that is coming. When it comes, their hearts will be filled with fear, their hands will hang limp, their courage will fail, and their knees will tremble. The time has come; it is here." The Sovereign Lord has spoken.

Ezekiel 21:18 The Lord spoke to me. 19 "Mortal man," he said, "mark out two roads by which the king of Babylonia can come with his sword. Both of them are to start in the same country. Put up a signpost where the roads fork. 20 One will show the king the way to the Ammonite city of Rabbah, and the other the way to Judah, to the fortified city, Jerusalem. 21 The king of Babylonia stands by the signpost at the fork of the road. To discover which way to go, he shakes the arrows; he consults his idols; he examines the liver of a sacrificed animal. 22 Now! His right hand holds the arrow marked "Jerusalem'! It tells him to go and set up battering rams, to shout the battle cry, to place battering rams against the gates, to throw up earthworks, and to dig trenches. 23 The people of Jerusalem won't believe this because of the treaties they have made. But this prediction is to remind them of their sins and to warn them that they will be captured.

Ezekiel 24:15 The Lord spoke to me. 16 "Mortal man," he said, "with one blow I am going to take away the person you love most. You are not to complain or cry or shed any tears. 17 Don't let your sobbing be heard. Do not go bareheaded or barefoot as a sign of mourning. Don't cover your face or eat the food that mourners eat." 18 Early in the day I was talking with the people. That evening my wife died, and the next day I did as I had been told. 19 The people asked me, "Why are you acting like this?" 20 So I said to them, "The Lord spoke to me and told me 21 to give you Israelites this message: You are proud of the strength of the Temple. You like to look at it and to visit it, but the Lord is going to profane it. And the younger members of your families who are left in Jerusalem will be killed in war. 22 Then you will do what I have done. You will not cover your faces or eat the food that mourners eat. 23 You will not go bareheaded or barefoot or mourn or cry. You will waste away because of your sins, and you will groan to one another. 24 Then I will be a sign to you; you will do everything I have done. The Lord says that when this happens, you will know that he is the Sovereign Lord." 25 The Lord said, "Now, mortal man, I will take away from them the strong Temple that was their pride and joy, which they liked to look at and to visit. And I will take away their sons and daughters. 26 On the day that I do this, some who escape the destruction will come and tell you about it.

Ezekiel 37:15 The Lord spoke to me again. 16 "Mortal man," he said, "take a wooden stick and write on it the words, "The kingdom of Judah.' Then take another stick and write on it the words, "The kingdom of Israel.' 17 Then hold the two sticks end to end in your hand so that they look like one stick. 18 When your people ask you to tell them what this means, 19 tell them that I, the Sovereign Lord, am going to take the stick representing Israel and put it with the one that represents Judah. Out of the two I will make one stick and hold it in my hand. 20 "Hold in your hand the two sticks and let the people see them. 21 Then tell them that I, the Sovereign Lord, am going to take all my people out of the nations where they have gone, gather them together, and bring them back to their own land. 22 I will unite them into one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. They will have one king to rule over them, and they will no longer be divided into two nations or split into two kingdoms. 23 They will not defile themselves with disgusting idols any more or corrupt themselves with sin. I will free them from all the ways in which they sin and betray me. I will purify them; they will be my people, and I will be their God.

Micah 1:8 Then Micah said, "Because of this I will mourn and lament. To show my sorrow, I will walk around barefoot and naked. I will howl like a jackal and wail like an ostrich.

9-Matthew 5:16 In the same way your light must shine before people, so that they will see the good things you do and praise your Father in heaven.

10-Hosea 2:8 She would never acknowledge that I am the one who gave her the grain, the wine, the olive oil, and all the silver and gold that she used in the worship of Baal. 9 So at harvest time I will take back my gifts of grain and wine, and will take away the wool and the linen I gave her for clothing. 10 I will strip her naked in front of her lovers, and no one will be able to save her from my power. 11 I will put an end to all her festivities - her annual and monthly festivals and her Sabbath celebrations - all her religious meetings. 12 I will destroy her grapevines and her fig trees, which she said her lovers gave her for serving them. I will turn her vineyards and orchards into a wilderness; wild animals will destroy them. 13 I will punish her for the times that she forgot me, when she burned incense to Baal and put on her jewelry to go chasing after her lovers. The Lord has spoken.

11-Judges 19:1 In those days before Israel had a king, there was a Levite living far back in the hill country of Ephraim. He took a young woman from Bethlehem in Judah to be his concubine. 2 But she became angry with him, went back to her father's house in Bethlehem, and stayed there four months. 3 Then the man decided to go after her and try to persuade her to return to him. He took his servant and two donkeys with him. The woman showed the Levite into the house, and when her father saw him, he gave him a hearty greeting. 4 The father insisted that he stay, and so he stayed for three days. The couple had their meals and spent the nights there. 5 On the morning of the fourth day they woke up early and got ready to go. But the woman's father said to the Levite, "Have something to eat first. You'll feel better. You can go later." 6 So the two men sat down and ate and drank together. Then the woman's father told him, "Please spend the night and enjoy yourself." 7 The Levite got up to go, but the father urged him to stay, so he spent another night there. 8 Early in the morning of the fifth day he started to leave, but the woman's father said, "Eat something, please. Wait until later in the day." So the two men ate together. 9 When the man, his concubine, and the servant once more started to leave, the father said, "Look, it's almost evening now; you might as well stay all night. It will be dark soon; stay here and have a good time. Tomorrow you can get up early for the trip and go home." 10 But the man did not want to spend another night there, so he and his concubine started on their way, with their servant and two donkeys with pack saddles. It was late in the day when they came near Jebus (that is, Jerusalem), so the servant said to his master, "Why don't we stop and spend the night here in this Jebusite city?" 12 But his master said, "We're not going to stop in a city where the people are not Israelites. We'll pass on by and go a little farther and spend the night at Gibeah or Ramah." 14 So they passed by Jebus and continued on their way. It was sunset when they came to Gibeah in the territory of the tribe of Benjamin. 15 They turned off the road to go and spend the night there. They went into town and sat down in the city square, but no one offered to take them home for the night. 16 While they were there, an old man came by at the end of a day's work on the farm. He was originally from the hill country of Ephraim, but he was now living in Gibeah. (The other people there were from the tribe of Benjamin.) 17 The old man noticed the traveler in the city square and asked him, "Where do you come from? Where are you going?" 18 The Levite answered, "We have been in Bethlehem in Judah, and now we are on our way home deep in the hill country of Ephraim. No one will put us up for the night, 19 even though we have fodder and straw for our donkeys, as well as bread and wine for my concubine and me and for my servant. We have everything we need." 20 The old man said, "You are welcome in my home! I'll take care of you; you don't have to spend the night in the square." 21 So he took them home with him and fed their donkeys. His guests washed their feet and had a meal. 22 They were enjoying themselves when all of a sudden some sexual perverts from the town surrounded the house and started beating on the door. They said to the old man, "Bring out that man that came home with you! We want to have sex with him!" 23 But the old man went outside and said to them, "No, my friends! Please! Don't do such an evil, immoral thing! This man is my guest. 24 Look! Here is his concubine and my own virgin daughter. I'll bring them out now, and you can have them. Do whatever you want to with them. But don't do such an awful thing to this man!" 25 But the men would not listen to him. So the Levite took his concubine and put her outside with them. They raped her and abused her all night long and didn't stop until morning. 26 At dawn the woman came and fell down at the door of the old man's house, where her husband was. She was still there when daylight came. 27 Her husband got up that morning, and when he opened the door to go on his way, he found his concubine lying in front of the house with her hands reaching for the door. 28 He said, "Get up. Let's go." But there was no answer. So he put her body across the donkey and started on his way home. 29 When he arrived, he went in the house and got a knife. He took his concubine's body, cut it into twelve pieces, and sent one piece to each of the twelve tribes of Israel. 30 Everyone who saw it said, "We have never heard of such a thing! Nothing like this has ever happened since the Israelites left Egypt! We have to do something about this! What will it be?"

12-Hosea 2:12 I will destroy her grapevines and her fig trees, which she said her lovers gave her for serving them. I will turn her vineyards and orchards into a wilderness; wild animals will destroy them. 13 I will punish her for the times that she forgot me, when she burned incense to Baal and put on her jewelry to go chasing after her lovers. The Lord has spoken. 14 So I am going to take her into the desert again; there I will win her back with words of love. 15 I will give back to her the vineyards she had and make Trouble Valley a door of hope. She will respond to me there as she did when she was young, when she came from Egypt.

13-Hosea 4:1 The Lord has an accusation to bring against the people who live in this land. Listen, Israel, to what he says: "There is no faithfulness or love in the land, and the people do not acknowledge me as God. 2 They make promises and break them; they lie, murder, steal, and commit adultery. Crimes increase, and there is one murder after another. 3 And so the land will dry up, and everything that lives on it will die. All the animals and birds, and even the fish, will die." 4 The Lord says, "Let no one accuse the people or reprimand them - my complaint is against you priests. 5 Night and day you blunder on, and the prophets do no better than you. I am going to destroy Israel, your mother. 6 My people are doomed because they do not acknowledge me. You priests have refused to acknowledge me and have rejected my teaching, and so I reject you and will not acknowledge your sons as my priests. 7 "The more of you priests there are, the more you sin against me, and so I will turn your honor into disgrace. 8 You grow rich from the sins of my people, and so you want them to sin more and more. 9 You will suffer the same punishment as the people! I will punish you and make you pay for the evil you do. 10 You will eat your share of the sacrifices, but still be hungry. You will worship the fertility gods, but still have no children, because you have turned away from me to follow other gods." 11 The Lord says, "Wine, both old and new, is robbing my people of their senses! 12 They ask for revelations from a piece of wood! A stick tells them what they want to know! They have left me. Like a woman who becomes a prostitute, they have given themselves to other gods. 13 At sacred places on the mountaintops they offer sacrifices, and on the hills they burn incense under tall, spreading trees, because the shade is so pleasant! "As a result, your daughters serve as prostitutes, and your daughters-in-law commit adultery. 14 Yet I will not punish them for this, because you yourselves go off with temple prostitutes, and together with them you offer pagan sacrifices. As the proverb says, "A people without sense will be ruined.' 15 "Even though you people of Israel are unfaithful to me, may Judah not be guilty of the same thing. Don't worship at Gilgal or Bethaven, or make promises there in the name of the living Lord. 16 The people of Israel are as stubborn as mules. How can I feed them like lambs in a meadow? 17 The people of Israel are under the spell of idols. Let them go their own way. 18 After drinking much wine, they delight in their prostitution, preferring disgrace to honor. 19 They will be carried away as by the wind, and they will be ashamed of their pagan sacrifices.

14-Hosea 6:6 I want your constant love, not your animal sacrifices. I would rather have my people know me than burn offerings to me.

15-Hosea 12:7 The Lord says, "The people of Israel are as dishonest as the Canaanites; they love to cheat their customers with false scales. 8 "We are rich,' they say. "We've made a fortune. And no one can accuse us of getting rich dishonestly.'

16-Exodus 33:12 Moses said to the Lord, "It is true that you have told me to lead these people to that land, but you did not tell me whom you would send with me. You have said that you know me well and are pleased with me. 13 Now if you are, tell me your plans, so that I may serve you and continue to please you. Remember also that you have chosen this nation to be your own."

Jeremiah 9:23 The Lord says, "The wise should not boast of their wisdom, nor the strong of their strength, nor the rich of their wealth. 24 If any want to boast, they should boast that they know and understand me, because my love is constant, and I do what is just and right. These are the things that please me. I, the Lord, have spoken."

Daniel 11:32 By deceit the king will win the support of those who have already abandoned their religion, but those who follow God will fight back.

1 John 2:4 If we say that we know him, but do not obey his commands, we are liars and there is no truth in us.

John 17:3 And eternal life means to know you, the only true God, and to know Jesus Christ, whom you sent.

John 14:9 Jesus answered, "For a long time I have been with you all; yet you do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. Why, then, do you say, "Show us the Father'?

17-Revelation 3:14 "To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: "This is the message from the Amen, the faithful and true witness, who is the origin of all that God has created. 15 I know what you have done; I know that you are neither cold nor hot. How I wish you were either one or the other! 16 But because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I am going to spit you out of my mouth! 17 You say, "I am rich and well off; I have all I need.' But you do not know how miserable and pitiful you are! You are poor, naked, and blind. 18 I advise you, then, to buy gold from me, pure gold, in order to be rich. Buy also white clothing to dress yourself and cover up your shameful nakedness. Buy also some ointment to put on your eyes, so that you may see. 19 I rebuke and punish all whom I love. Be in earnest, then, and turn from your sins. 20 Listen! I stand at the door and knock; if any hear my voice and open the door, I will come into their house and eat with them, and they will eat with me. 21 To those who win the victory I will give the right to sit beside me on my throne, just as I have been victorious and now sit by my Father on his throne. 22 "If you have ears, then, listen to what the Spirit says to the churches!"

18-Revelation 14:6 Then I saw another angel flying high in the air, with an eternal message of Good News to announce to the peoples of the earth, to every race, tribe, language, and nation. 7 He said in a loud voice, "Honor God and praise his greatness! For the time has come for him to judge all people. Worship him who made heaven, earth, sea, and the springs of water!" 8 A second angel followed the first one, saying, "She has fallen! Great Babylon has fallen! She made all peoples drink her wine - the strong wine of her immoral lust!" 9 A third angel followed the first two, saying in a loud voice, "Those who worship the beast and its image and receive the mark on their forehead or on their hand 10 will themselves drink God's wine, the wine of his fury, which he has poured at full strength into the cup of his anger! All who do this will be tormented in fire and sulfur before the holy angels and the Lamb. 11 The smoke of the fire that torments them goes up forever and ever. There is no relief day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, for anyone who has the mark of its name." 12 This calls for endurance on the part of God's people, those who obey God's commandments and are faithful to Jesus.

19-2 Kings 17:5 Then Shalmaneser invaded Israel and besieged Samaria. In the third year of the siege, 6 which was the ninth year of the reign of Hoshea, the Assyrian emperor captured Samaria, took the Israelites to Assyria as prisoners, and settled some of them in the city of Halah, some near the Habor River in the district of Gozan and some in the cities of Media. 7 Samaria fell because the Israelites sinned against the Lord their God, who had rescued them from the king of Egypt and had led them out of Egypt. They worshiped other gods, 8 followed the customs of the people whom the Lord had driven out as his people advanced, and adopted customs introduced by the kings of Israel. 9 The Israelites did things that the Lord their God disapproved of. They built pagan places of worship in all their towns, from the smallest village to the largest city. 10 On all the hills and under every shady tree they put up stone pillars and images of the goddess Asherah, 11 and they burned incense on all the pagan altars, following the practice of the people whom the Lord had driven out of the land. They aroused the Lord's anger with all their wicked deeds 12 and disobeyed the Lord's command not to worship idols. 13 The Lord had sent his messengers and prophets to warn Israel and Judah: "Abandon your evil ways and obey my commands, which are contained in the Law I gave to your ancestors and which I handed on to you through my servants the prophets." 14 But they would not obey; they were stubborn like their ancestors, who had not trusted in the Lord their God. 15 They refused to obey his instructions, they did not keep the covenant he had made with their ancestors, and they disregarded his warnings. They worshiped worthless idols and became worthless themselves, and they followed the customs of the surrounding nations, disobeying the Lord's command not to imitate them. 16 They broke all the laws of the Lord their God and made two metal bull-calves to worship; they also made an image of the goddess Asherah, worshiped the stars, and served the god Baal. 17 They sacrificed their sons and daughters as burnt offerings to pagan gods; they consulted mediums and fortunetellers, and they devoted themselves completely to doing what is wrong in the Lord's sight, and so aroused his anger. 18 The Lord was angry with the Israelites and banished them from his sight, leaving only the kingdom of Judah. 19 But even the people of Judah did not obey the laws of the Lord their God; they imitated the customs adopted by the people of Israel. 20 The Lord rejected all the Israelites, punishing them and handing them over to cruel enemies until at last he had banished them from his sight. 21 After the Lord had separated Israel from Judah, the Israelites made Jeroboam son of Nebat their king. Jeroboam caused them to abandon the Lord and led them into terrible sins. 22 They followed Jeroboam and continued to practice all the sins he had committed, 23 until at last the Lord banished them from his sight, as he had warned through his servants the prophets that he would do. So the people of Israel were taken into exile to Assyria, where they still live.

Hosea 4:11 The Lord says, "Wine, both old and new, is robbing my people of their senses! 12 They ask for revelations from a piece of wood! A stick tells them what they want to know! They have left me. Like a woman who becomes a prostitute, they have given themselves to other gods. 13 At sacred places on the mountaintops they offer sacrifices, and on the hills they burn incense under tall, spreading trees, because the shade is so pleasant! "As a result, your daughters serve as prostitutes, and your daughters-in-law commit adultery. 14 Yet I will not punish them for this, because you yourselves go off with temple prostitutes, and together with them you offer pagan sacrifices. As the proverb says, "A people without sense will be ruined.' 15 "Even though you people of Israel are unfaithful to me, may Judah not be guilty of the same thing. Don't worship at Gilgal or Bethaven, or make promises there in the name of the living Lord. 16 The people of Israel are as stubborn as mules. How can I feed them like lambs in a meadow?

Hosea 7:11 Israel flits around like a silly pigeon; first her people call on Egypt for help, and then they run to Assyria! 12 But I will spread out a net and catch them like birds as they go by. I will punish them for the evil they have done.

Hosea 10:11 "Israel was once like a well-trained young cow, ready and willing to thresh grain. But I decided to put a yoke on her beautiful neck and to harness her for harder work. I made Judah pull the plow and Israel pull the harrow. 12 I said, "Plow new ground for yourselves, plant righteousness, and reap the blessings that your devotion to me will produce. It is time for you to turn to me, your Lord, and I will come and pour out blessings upon you.' 13 But instead you planted evil and reaped its harvest. You have eaten the fruit produced by your lies. "Because you trusted in your chariots and in the large number of your soldiers,

Hosea 14:1 Return to the Lord your God, people of Israel. Your sin has made you stumble and fall. 2 Return to the Lord, and let this prayer be your offering to him: "Forgive all our sins and accept our prayer, and we will praise you as we have promised. 3 Assyria can never save us, and war horses cannot protect us. We will never again say to our idols that they are our God. O Lord, you show mercy to those who have no one else to turn to." 4 The Lord says, "I will bring my people back to me. I will love them with all my heart; no longer am I angry with them. 5 I will be to the people of Israel like rain in a dry land. They will blossom like flowers; they will be firmly rooted like the trees of Lebanon. 6 They will be alive with new growth, and beautiful like olive trees. They will be fragrant like the cedars of Lebanon. 7 Once again they will live under my protection. They will grow crops of grain and be fruitful like a vineyard. They will be as famous as the wine of Lebanon. 8 The people of Israel will have nothing more to do with idols; I will answer their prayers and take care of them. Like an evergreen tree I will shelter them; I am the source of all their blessings." 9 May those who are wise understand what is written here, and may they take it to heart. The Lord's ways are right, and righteous people live by following them, but sinners stumble and fall because they ignore them.

Judges 2:11 Then the people of Israel sinned against the Lord and began to serve the Baals. 12 They stopped worshiping the Lord, the God of their ancestors, the God who had brought them out of Egypt, and they began to worship other gods, the gods of the peoples around them. They bowed down to them and made the Lord angry. 13 They stopped worshiping the Lord and served the Baals and the Astartes. 14 And so the Lord became furious with Israel and let raiders attack and rob them. He let the enemies all around overpower them, and the Israelites could no longer protect themselves. 15 Every time they would go into battle, the Lord was against them, just as he had said he would be. They were in great distress. 16 Then the Lord gave the Israelites leaders who saved them from the raiders. 17 But the Israelites paid no attention to their leaders. Israel was unfaithful to the Lord and worshiped other gods. Their fathers had obeyed the Lord's commands, but this new generation soon stopped doing so. 18 Whenever the Lord gave Israel a leader, the Lord would help that leader and would save the people from their enemies as long as that leader lived. The Lord would have mercy on them because they groaned under their suffering and oppression. 19 But when the leader died, the people would return to the old ways and behave worse than the previous generation. They would serve and worship other gods, and stubbornly continue their own evil ways. 20 Then the Lord would become furious with Israel and say, "This nation has broken the covenant that I commanded their ancestors to keep. Because they have not obeyed me, 21 I will no longer drive out any of the nations that were still in the land when Joshua died. 22 I will use them to find out whether or not these Israelites will follow my ways, as their ancestors did." 23 So the Lord allowed these nations to remain in the land; he did not give Joshua victory over them, nor did he drive them out soon after Joshua's death.

Judges 3:1 So then, the Lord left some nations in the land to test the Israelites who had not been through the wars in Canaan. 2 He did this only in order to teach each generation of Israelites about war, especially those who had never been in battle before. 3 Those left in the land were the five Philistine cities, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites who lived in the Lebanon Mountains from Mount Baal Hermon as far as Hamath Pass. 4 They were to be a test for Israel, to find out whether or not the Israelites would obey the commands that the Lord had given their ancestors through Moses. 5 And so the people of Israel settled down among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 6 They intermarried with them and worshiped their gods. 7 The people of Israel forgot the Lord their God; they sinned against him and worshiped the idols of Baal and Asherah. 8 So the Lord became angry with Israel and let King Cushan Rishathaim of Mesopotamia conquer them. They were subject to him for eight years. 9 Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord, and he sent someone to free them. This was Othniel, the son of Caleb's younger brother Kenaz. 10 The spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he became Israel's leader. Othniel went to war, and the Lord gave him the victory over the king of Mesopotamia. 11 There was peace in the land for forty years, and then Othniel died.

Matthew 11:28 "Come to me, all of you who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke and put it on you, and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in spirit; and you will find rest. 30 For the yoke I will give you is easy, and the load I will put on you is light."

Romans 5:8 But God has shown us how much he loves us - it was while we were still sinners that Christ died for us!

1 Peter 2:24 Christ himself carried our sins in his body to the cross, so that we might die to sin and live for righteousness. It is by his wounds that you have been healed

20-Hosea 4:11 The Lord says, "Wine, both old and new, is robbing my people of their senses! 12 They ask for revelations from a piece of wood! A stick tells them what they want to know! They have left me. Like a woman who becomes a prostitute, they have given themselves to other gods. 13 At sacred places on the mountaintops they offer sacrifices, and on the hills they burn incense under tall, spreading trees, because the shade is so pleasant! "As a result, your daughters serve as prostitutes, and your daughters-in-law commit adultery. 14 Yet I will not punish them for this, because you yourselves go off with temple prostitutes, and together with them you offer pagan sacrifices. As the proverb says, "A people without sense will be ruined.' 15 "Even though you people of Israel are unfaithful to me, may Judah not be guilty of the same thing. Don't worship at Gilgal or Bethaven, or make promises there in the name of the living Lord. 16 The people of Israel are as stubborn as mules. How can I feed them like lambs in a meadow?

21-Hosea 4:17 The people of Israel are under the spell of idols. Let them go their own way.

22-2 Kings 17:5 Then Shalmaneser invaded Israel and besieged Samaria. In the third year of the siege, 6 which was the ninth year of the reign of Hoshea, the Assyrian emperor captured Samaria, took the Israelites to Assyria as prisoners, and settled some of them in the city of Halah, some near the Habor River in the district of Gozan and some in the cities of Media. 7 Samaria fell because the Israelites sinned against the Lord their God, who had rescued them from the king of Egypt and had led them out of Egypt. They worshiped other gods, 8 followed the customs of the people whom the Lord had driven out as his people advanced, and adopted customs introduced by the kings of Israel. 9 The Israelites did things that the Lord their God disapproved of. They built pagan places of worship in all their towns, from the smallest village to the largest city. 10 On all the hills and under every shady tree they put up stone pillars and images of the goddess Asherah, 11 and they burned incense on all the pagan altars, following the practice of the people whom the Lord had driven out of the land. They aroused the Lord's anger with all their wicked deeds 12 and disobeyed the Lord's command not to worship idols. 13 The Lord had sent his messengers and prophets to warn Israel and Judah: "Abandon your evil ways and obey my commands, which are contained in the Law I gave to your ancestors and which I handed on to you through my servants the prophets." 14 But they would not obey; they were stubborn like their ancestors, who had not trusted in the Lord their God. 15 They refused to obey his instructions, they did not keep the covenant he had made with their ancestors, and they disregarded his warnings. They worshiped worthless idols and became worthless themselves, and they followed the customs of the surrounding nations, disobeying the Lord's command not to imitate them. 16 They broke all the laws of the Lord their God and made two metal bull-calves to worship; they also made an image of the goddess Asherah, worshiped the stars, and served the god Baal. 17 They sacrificed their sons and daughters as burnt offerings to pagan gods; they consulted mediums and fortunetellers, and they devoted themselves completely to doing what is wrong in the Lord's sight, and so aroused his anger. 18 The Lord was angry with the Israelites and banished them from his sight, leaving only the kingdom of Judah. 19 But even the people of Judah did not obey the laws of the Lord their God; they imitated the customs adopted by the people of Israel. 20 The Lord rejected all the Israelites, punishing them and handing them over to cruel enemies until at last he had banished them from his sight. 21 After the Lord had separated Israel from Judah, the Israelites made Jeroboam son of Nebat their king. Jeroboam caused them to abandon the Lord and led them into terrible sins. 22 They followed Jeroboam and continued to practice all the sins he had committed, 23 until at last the Lord banished them from his sight, as he had warned through his servants the prophets that he would do. So the people of Israel were taken into exile to Assyria, where they still live.

23-Deuteronomy 8:5 Remember that the Lord your God corrects and punishes you just as parents discipline their children.

Proverbs 13:24 If you don't punish your children, you don't love them. If you do love them, you will correct them.

Hosea 11:1 The Lord says, "When Israel was a child, I loved him and called him out of Egypt as my son. 2 But the more I called to him, the more he turned away from me. My people sacrificed to Baal; they burned incense to idols. 3 Yet I was the one who taught Israel to walk. I took my people up in my arms, but they did not acknowledge that I took care of them. 4 I drew them to me with affection and love. I picked them up and held them to my cheek; I bent down to them and fed them.

Hebrews 12:6 Because the Lord corrects everyone he loves, and punishes everyone he accepts as a child."

Revelation 3:19 I rebuke and punish all whom I love. Be in earnest, then, and turn from your sins.

24-Hosea 11:5 "They refuse to return to me, and so they must return to Egypt, and Assyria will rule them. 6 War will sweep through their cities and break down the city gates. It will destroy my people because they do what they themselves think best. 7 They insist on turning away from me. They will cry out because of the yoke that is on them, but no one will lift it from them. 8 "How can I give you up, Israel? How can I abandon you? Could I ever destroy you as I did Admah, or treat you as I did Zeboiim? My heart will not let me do it! My love for you is too strong. 9 I will not punish you in my anger; I will not destroy Israel again. For I am God and not a mere human being. I, the Holy One, am with you. I will not come to you in anger.

25-Genesis 14:8 Then the kings of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Bela drew up their armies for battle in Siddim Valley and fought

26-Romans 5:8 But God has shown us how much he loves us - it was while we were still sinners that Christ died for us!

1 Peter 2:24 Christ himself carried our sins in his body to the cross, so that we might die to sin and live for righteousness. It is by his wounds that you have been healed.

Galatians 3:13 But by becoming a curse for us Christ has redeemed us from the curse that the Law brings; for the scripture says, "Anyone who is hanged on a tree is under God's curse."

27-Revelation 14:9 A third angel followed the first two, saying in a loud voice, "Those who worship the beast and its image and receive the mark on their forehead or on their hand 10 will themselves drink God's wine, the wine of his fury, which he has poured at full strength into the cup of his anger! All who do this will be tormented in fire and sulfur before the holy angels and the Lamb. 11 The smoke of the fire that torments them goes up forever and ever. There is no relief day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, for anyone who has the mark of its name."

28-Romans 1:1 From Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus and an apostle chosen and called by God to preach his Good News. 2 The Good News was promised long ago by God through his prophets, as written in the Holy Scriptures. 3 It is about his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ: as to his humanity, he was born a descendant of David; 4 as to his divine holiness, he was shown with great power to be the Son of God by being raised from death. 5 Through him God gave me the privilege of being an apostle for the sake of Christ, in order to lead people of all nations to believe and obey. 6 This also includes you who are in Rome, whom God has called to belong to Jesus Christ. 7 And so I write to all of you in Rome whom God loves and has called to be his own people: May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace. 8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because the whole world is hearing about your faith. 9 God is my witness that what I say is true - the God whom I serve with all my heart by preaching the Good News about his Son. God knows that I remember you 10 every time I pray. I ask that God in his good will may at last make it possible for me to visit you now. 11 For I want very much to see you, in order to share a spiritual blessing with you to make you strong. 12 What I mean is that both you and I will be helped at the same time, you by my faith and I by yours. 13 You must remember, my friends, that many times I have planned to visit you, but something has always kept me from doing so. I want to win converts among you also, as I have among other Gentiles. 14 For I have an obligation to all peoples, to the civilized and to the savage, to the educated and to the ignorant. 15 So then, I am eager to preach the Good News to you also who live in Rome. 16 I have complete confidence in the gospel; it is God's power to save all who believe, first the Jews and also the Gentiles. 17 For the gospel reveals how God puts people right with himself: it is through faith from beginning to end. As the scripture says, "The person who is put right with God through faith shall live." 18 God's anger is revealed from heaven against all the sin and evil of the people whose evil ways prevent the truth from being known. 19 God punishes them, because what can be known about God is plain to them, for God himself made it plain. 20 Ever since God created the world, his invisible qualities, both his eternal power and his divine nature, have been clearly seen; they are perceived in the things that God has made. So those people have no excuse at all! 21 They know God, but they do not give him the honor that belongs to him, nor do they thank him. Instead, their thoughts have become complete nonsense, and their empty minds are filled with darkness. 22 They say they are wise, but they are fools; 23 instead of worshiping the immortal God, they worship images made to look like mortals or birds or animals or reptiles. 24 And so God has given those people over to do the filthy things their hearts desire, and they do shameful things with each other. 25 They exchange the truth about God for a lie; they worship and serve what God has created instead of the Creator himself, who is to be praised forever! Amen. 26 Because they do this, God has given them over to shameful passions. Even the women pervert the natural use of their sex by unnatural acts. 27 In the same way the men give up natural sexual relations with women and burn with passion for each other. Men do shameful things with each other, and as a result they bring upon themselves the punishment they deserve for their wrongdoing. 28 Because those people refuse to keep in mind the true knowledge about God, he has given them over to corrupted minds, so that they do the things that they should not do. 29 They are filled with all kinds of wickedness, evil, greed, and vice; they are full of jealousy, murder, fighting, deceit, and malice. They gossip 30 and speak evil of one another; they are hateful to God, insolent, proud, and boastful; they think of more ways to do evil; they disobey their parents; 31 they have no conscience; they do not keep their promises, and they show no kindness or pity for others. 32 They know that God's law says that people who live in this way deserve death. Yet, not only do they continue to do these very things, but they even approve of others who do them.

29-Romans 1:18 God's anger is revealed from heaven against all the sin and evil of the people whose evil ways prevent the truth from being known.

30-Romans 1:16 I have complete confidence in the gospel; it is God's power to save all who believe, first the Jews and also the Gentiles.

31-Romans 1:24 And so God has given those people over to do the filthy things their hearts desire, and they do shameful things with each other. 25 They exchange the truth about God for a lie; they worship and serve what God has created instead of the Creator himself, who is to be praised forever! Amen. 26 Because they do this, God has given them over to shameful passions. Even the women pervert the natural use of their sex by unnatural acts. 27 In the same way the men give up natural sexual relations with women and burn with passion for each other. Men do shameful things with each other, and as a result they bring upon themselves the punishment they deserve for their wrongdoing. 28 Because those people refuse to keep in mind the true knowledge about God, he has given them over to corrupted minds, so that they do the things that they should not do.

32-Hosea 4:16 The people of Israel are as stubborn as mules. How can I feed them like lambs in a meadow? 17 The people of Israel are under the spell of idols. Let them go their own way.

Hosea 11:1 The Lord says, "When Israel was a child, I loved him and called him out of Egypt as my son. 2 But the more I called to him, the more he turned away from me. My people sacrificed to Baal; they burned incense to idols. 3 Yet I was the one who taught Israel to walk. I took my people up in my arms, but they did not acknowledge that I took care of them. 4 I drew them to me with affection and love. I picked them up and held them to my cheek; I bent down to them and fed them. 5 "They refuse to return to me, and so they must return to Egypt, and Assyria will rule them. 6 War will sweep through their cities and break down the city gates. It will destroy my people because they do what they themselves think best. 7 They insist on turning away from me. They will cry out because of the yoke that is on them, but no one will lift it from them. 8 "How can I give you up, Israel? How can I abandon you? Could I ever destroy you as I did Admah, or treat you as I did Zeboiim? My heart will not let me do it! My love for you is too strong. 9 I will not punish you in my anger; I will not destroy Israel again. For I am God and not a mere human being. I, the Holy One, am with you. I will not come to you in anger. 10 "My people will follow me when I roar like a lion at their enemies. They will hurry to me from the west. 11 They will come from Egypt, as swiftly as birds, and from Assyria, like doves. I will bring them to their homes again. I, the Lord, have spoken." 12 The Lord says, "The people of Israel have surrounded me with lies and deceit, and the people of Judah are still rebelling against me, the faithful and holy God.

33-Romans 6:23 For sin pays its wage - death; but God's free gift is eternal life in union with Christ Jesus our Lord.

34-Romans 4:25 Because of our sins he was given over to die, and he was raised to life in order to put us right with God.

35-Matthew 27:46 At about three o'clock Jesus cried out with a loud shout, ["Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?"] which means, "My God, my God, why did you abandon me?"

36-Revelation 14:9 A third angel followed the first two, saying in a loud voice, "Those who worship the beast and its image and receive the mark on their forehead or on their hand 10 will themselves drink God's wine, the wine of his fury, which he has poured at full strength into the cup of his anger! All who do this will be tormented in fire and sulfur before the holy angels and the Lamb. 11 The smoke of the fire that torments them goes up forever and ever. There is no relief day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, for anyone who has the mark of its name."

37-2 Kings 17:5 Then Shalmaneser invaded Israel and besieged Samaria. In the third year of the siege, 6 which was the ninth year of the reign of Hoshea, the Assyrian emperor captured Samaria, took the Israelites to Assyria as prisoners, and settled some of them in the city of Halah, some near the Habor River in the district of Gozan and some in the cities of Media. 7 Samaria fell because the Israelites sinned against the Lord their God, who had rescued them from the king of Egypt and had led them out of Egypt. They worshiped other gods, 8 followed the customs of the people whom the Lord had driven out as his people advanced, and adopted customs introduced by the kings of Israel. 9 The Israelites did things that the Lord their God disapproved of. They built pagan places of worship in all their towns, from the smallest village to the largest city. 10 On all the hills and under every shady tree they put up stone pillars and images of the goddess Asherah, 11 and they burned incense on all the pagan altars, following the practice of the people whom the Lord had driven out of the land. They aroused the Lord's anger with all their wicked deeds 12 and disobeyed the Lord's command not to worship idols. 13 The Lord had sent his messengers and prophets to warn Israel and Judah: "Abandon your evil ways and obey my commands, which are contained in the Law I gave to your ancestors and which I handed on to you through my servants the prophets." 14 But they would not obey; they were stubborn like their ancestors, who had not trusted in the Lord their God. 15 They refused to obey his instructions, they did not keep the covenant he had made with their ancestors, and they disregarded his warnings. They worshiped worthless idols and became worthless themselves, and they followed the customs of the surrounding nations, disobeying the Lord's command not to imitate them. 16 They broke all the laws of the Lord their God and made two metal bull-calves to worship; they also made an image of the goddess Asherah, worshiped the stars, and served the god Baal. 17 They sacrificed their sons and daughters as burnt offerings to pagan gods; they consulted mediums and fortunetellers, and they devoted themselves completely to doing what is wrong in the Lord's sight, and so aroused his anger. 18 The Lord was angry with the Israelites and banished them from his sight, leaving only the kingdom of Judah. 19 But even the people of Judah did not obey the laws of the Lord their God; they imitated the customs adopted by the people of Israel. 20 The Lord rejected all the Israelites, punishing them and handing them over to cruel enemies until at last he had banished them from his sight. 21 After the Lord had separated Israel from Judah, the Israelites made Jeroboam son of Nebat their king. Jeroboam caused them to abandon the Lord and led them into terrible sins. 22 They followed Jeroboam and continued to practice all the sins he had committed, 23 until at last the Lord banished them from his sight, as he had warned through his servants the prophets that he would do. So the people of Israel were taken into exile to Assyria, where they still live.

Hosea 4:1 The Lord has an accusation to bring against the people who live in this land. Listen, Israel, to what he says: "There is no faithfulness or love in the land, and the people do not acknowledge me as God. 2 They make promises and break them; they lie, murder, steal, and commit adultery. Crimes increase, and there is one murder after another. 3 And so the land will dry up, and everything that lives on it will die. All the animals and birds, and even the fish, will die." 4 The Lord says, "Let no one accuse the people or reprimand them - my complaint is against you priests. 5 Night and day you blunder on, and the prophets do no better than you. I am going to destroy Israel, your mother. 6 My people are doomed because they do not acknowledge me. You priests have refused to acknowledge me and have rejected my teaching, and so I reject you and will not acknowledge your sons as my priests. 7 "The more of you priests there are, the more you sin against me, and so I will turn your honor into disgrace. 8 You grow rich from the sins of my people, and so you want them to sin more and more. 9 You will suffer the same punishment as the people! I will punish you and make you pay for the evil you do. 10 You will eat your share of the sacrifices, but still be hungry. You will worship the fertility gods, but still have no children, because you have turned away from me to follow other gods." 11 The Lord says, "Wine, both old and new, is robbing my people of their senses! 12 They ask for revelations from a piece of wood! A stick tells them what they want to know! They have left me. Like a woman who becomes a prostitute, they have given themselves to other gods. 13 At sacred places on the mountaintops they offer sacrifices, and on the hills they burn incense under tall, spreading trees, because the shade is so pleasant! "As a result, your daughters serve as prostitutes, and your daughters-in-law commit adultery. 14 Yet I will not punish them for this, because you yourselves go off with temple prostitutes, and together with them you offer pagan sacrifices. As the proverb says, "A people without sense will be ruined.' 15 "Even though you people of Israel are unfaithful to me, may Judah not be guilty of the same thing. Don't worship at Gilgal or Bethaven, or make promises there in the name of the living Lord. 16 The people of Israel are as stubborn as mules. How can I feed them like lambs in a meadow? 17 The people of Israel are under the spell of idols. Let them go their own way. 18 After drinking much wine, they delight in their prostitution, preferring disgrace to honor. 19 They will be carried away as by the wind, and they will be ashamed of their pagan sacrifices. ,

Hosea 6:4 But the Lord says, "Israel and Judah, what am I going to do with you? Your love for me disappears as quickly as morning mist; it is like dew, that vanishes early in the day. 7 "But as soon as they entered the land at Adam, they broke the covenant I had made with them. 8 Gilead is a city full of evil people and murderers. 9 The priests are like a gang of robbers who wait in ambush for someone. Even on the road to the holy place at Shechem they commit murder. And they do all this evil deliberately! 10 I have seen a horrible thing in Israel: my people have defiled themselves by worshiping idols. 11 "And as for you, people of Judah, I have set a time to punish you also for what you are doing.

Hosea 7:1 "Whenever I want to heal my people Israel and make them prosperous again, all I can see is their wickedness and the evil they do. They cheat one another; they break into houses and steal; they rob people in the streets. 2 It never enters their heads that I will remember all this evil; but their sins surround them, and I cannot avoid seeing them." 3 The Lord says, "People deceive the king and his officers by their evil plots. 4 They are all treacherous and disloyal. Their hatred smolders like the fire in an oven, which is not stirred by the baker until the dough is ready to bake. 5 On the day of the king's celebration they made the king and his officials drunk and foolish with wine. 6 Yes, they burned like an oven with their plotting. All night their anger smoldered, and in the morning it burst into flames. 7 "In the heat of their anger they murdered their rulers. Their kings have been assassinated one after another, but no one prays to me for help." 8 The Lord says, "The people of Israel are like a half-baked loaf of bread. They rely on the nations around them 9 and do not realize that this reliance on foreigners has robbed them of their strength. Their days are numbered, but they don't even know it. 10 The arrogance of the people of Israel cries out against them. In spite of everything that has happened, they have not returned to me, the Lord their God. 11 Israel flits around like a silly pigeon; first her people call on Egypt for help, and then they run to Assyria! 12 But I will spread out a net and catch them like birds as they go by. I will punish them for the evil they have done. 13 "They are doomed! They have left me and rebelled against me. They will be destroyed. I wanted to save them, but their worship of me was false. 14 They have not prayed to me sincerely, but instead they throw themselves down and wail as the heathen do. When they pray for grain and wine, they gash themselves like pagans. What rebels they are! 15 Even though I was the one who brought them up and made them strong, they plotted against me. 16 They keep on turning away from me to a god that is powerless. They are as unreliable as a crooked bow. Because their leaders talk arrogantly, they will die a violent death, and the Egyptians will laugh."

Hosea 8:1 The Lord says, "Sound the alarm! Enemies are swooping down on my land like eagles! My people have broken the covenant I made with them and have rebelled against my teaching. 14 "The people of Israel have built palaces, but they have forgotten their own Maker. The people of Judah have built fortified cities. But I will send fire that will burn down their palaces and their cities."

Hosea 9:1 People of Israel, stop celebrating your festivals like pagans. You have turned away from your God and have been unfaithful to him. All over the land you have sold yourselves like prostitutes to the god Baal and have loved the grain you thought he paid you with! 10 The Lord says, "When I first found Israel, it was like finding grapes growing in the desert. When I first saw your ancestors, it was like seeing the first ripe figs of the season. But when they came to Mount Peor, they began to worship Baal and soon became as disgusting as the gods they loved. 17 The God I serve will reject his people, because they have not listened to him. They will become wanderers among the nations.

Hosea 10:13 But instead you planted evil and reaped its harvest. You have eaten the fruit produced by your lies. "Because you trusted in your chariots and in the large number of your soldiers,

Hosea 12:8 "We are rich,' they say. "We've made a fortune. And no one can accuse us of getting rich dishonestly.'

38-Hosea 5:15 "I will abandon my people until they have suffered enough for their sins and come looking for me. Perhaps in their suffering they will try to find me."

Hosea 6:1 The people say, "Let's return to the Lord! He has hurt us, but he will be sure to heal us; he has wounded us, but he will bandage our wounds, won't he? 3 Let us try to know the Lord. He will come to us as surely as the day dawns, as surely as the spring rains fall upon the earth." 6 I want your constant love, not your animal sacrifices. I would rather have my people know me than burn offerings to me.

Hosea 12:6 So now, descendants of Jacob, trust in your God and return to him. Be loyal and just, and wait patiently for your God to act.

Hosea 14:1 Return to the Lord your God, people of Israel. Your sin has made you stumble and fall. 2 Return to the Lord, and let this prayer be your offering to him: "Forgive all our sins and accept our prayer, and we will praise you as we have promised.

39-Joel 1:1 This is the Lord's message to Joel son of Pethuel. 2 Pay attention, you older people; everyone in Judah, listen. Has anything like this ever happened in your time or the time of your ancestors? 3 Tell your children about it; they will tell their children, who in turn will tell the next generation. 4 Swarm after swarm of locusts settled on the crops; what one swarm left, the next swarm devoured. 5 Wake up and weep, you drunkards; cry, you wine-drinkers; the grapes for making new wine have been destroyed. 6 An army of locusts has attacked our land; they are powerful and too many to count; their teeth are as sharp as those of a lion. 7 They have destroyed our grapevines and chewed up our fig trees. They have stripped off the bark, till the branches are white. 8 Cry, you people, like a young woman who mourns the death of the man she was going to marry. 9 There is no grain or wine to offer in the Temple; the priests mourn because they have no offerings for the Lord. 10 The fields are bare; the ground mourns because the grain is destroyed, the grapes are dried up, and the olive trees are withered. 11 Grieve, you farmers; cry, you that take care of the vineyards, because the wheat, the barley, yes all the crops are destroyed. 12 The grapevines and fig trees have withered; all the fruit trees have wilted and died. The joy of the people is gone. 13 Put on sackcloth and weep, you priests who serve at the altar! Go into the Temple and mourn all night! There is no grain or wine to offer your God. 14 Give orders for a fast; call an assembly! Gather the leaders and all the people of Judah into the Temple of the Lord your God and cry out to him! 15 The day of the Lord is near, the day when the Almighty brings destruction. What terror that day will bring! 16 We look on helpless as our crops are destroyed. There is no joy in the Temple of our God. 17 The seeds die in the dry earth. There is no grain to be stored, and so the empty granaries are in ruins. 18 The cattle are bellowing in distress because there is no pasture for them; the flocks of sheep also suffer. 19 I cry out to you, Lord, because the pastures and trees are dried up, as though a fire had burned them. 20 Even the wild animals cry out to you because the streams have become dry.

Joel 2:28 "Afterward I will pour out my Spirit on everyone: your sons and daughters will proclaim my message; your old people will have dreams, and your young people will see visions. 29 At that time I will pour out my Spirit even on servants, both men and women.

Joel 2:31 The sun will be darkened, and the moon will turn red as blood before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes. 32 But all who ask the Lord for help will be saved. As the Lord has said, "Some in Jerusalem will escape; those whom I choose will survive.' "

Acts 2:1 When the day of Pentecost came, all the believers were gathered together in one place. 2 Suddenly there was a noise from the sky which sounded like a strong wind blowing, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 Then they saw what looked like tongues of fire which spread out and touched each person there. 4 They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to talk in other languages, as the Spirit enabled them to speak. 5 There were Jews living in Jerusalem, religious people who had come from every country in the world. 6 When they heard this noise, a large crowd gathered. They were all excited, because all of them heard the believers talking in their own languages. 7 In amazement and wonder they exclaimed, "These people who are talking like this are Galileans! 8 How is it, then, that all of us hear them speaking in our own native languages? 9 We are from Parthia, Media, and Elam; from Mesopotamia, Judea, and Cappadocia; from Pontus and Asia, 10 from Phrygia and Pamphylia, from Egypt and the regions of Libya near Cyrene. Some of us are from Rome, 11 both Jews and Gentiles converted to Judaism, and some of us are from Crete and Arabia - yet all of us hear them speaking in our own languages about the great things that God has done!" 12 Amazed and confused, they kept asking each other, "What does this mean?" 13 But others made fun of the believers, saying, "These people are drunk!" 14 Then Peter stood up with the other eleven apostles and in a loud voice began to speak to the crowd: "Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, listen to me and let me tell you what this means. 15 These people are not drunk, as you suppose; it is only nine o'clock in the morning. 16 Instead, this is what the prophet Joel spoke about: 17 "This is what I will do in the last days, God says: I will pour out my Spirit on everyone. Your sons and daughters will proclaim my message; your young men will see visions, and your old men will have dreams. 18 Yes, even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will proclaim my message. 19 I will perform miracles in the sky above and wonders on the earth below. There will be blood, fire, and thick smoke; 20 the sun will be darkened, and the moon will turn red as blood, before the great and glorious Day of the Lord comes. 21 And then, whoever calls out to the Lord for help will be saved.'

Romans 10:13 As the scripture says, "Everyone who calls out to the Lord for help will be saved."

Matthew 10:28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather be afraid of God, who can destroy both body and soul in hell. 29 For only a penny you can buy two sparrows, yet not one sparrow falls to the ground without your Father's consent. 30 As for you, even the hairs of your head have all been counted. 31 So do not be afraid; you are worth much more than many sparrows!

40-Joel 1:1 This is the Lord's message to Joel son of Pethuel. 2 Pay attention, you older people; everyone in Judah, listen. Has anything like this ever happened in your time or the time of your ancestors? 3 Tell your children about it; they will tell their children, who in turn will tell the next generation. 4 Swarm after swarm of locusts settled on the crops; what one swarm left, the next swarm devoured. 5 Wake up and weep, you drunkards; cry, you wine-drinkers; the grapes for making new wine have been destroyed. 6 An army of locusts has attacked our land; they are powerful and too many to count; their teeth are as sharp as those of a lion. 7 They have destroyed our grapevines and chewed up our fig trees. They have stripped off the bark, till the branches are white.

41-Mark 13:24 "In the days after that time of trouble the sun will grow dark, the moon will no longer shine,

Luke 21:25 "There will be strange things happening to the sun, the moon, and the stars. On earth whole countries will be in despair, afraid of the roar of the sea and the raging tides.

Revelation 6:9 Then the Lamb broke open the fifth seal. I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been killed because they had proclaimed God's word and had been faithful in their witnessing.

Revelation 9:2 The star opened the abyss, and smoke poured out of it, like the smoke from a large furnace; the sunlight and the air were darkened by the smoke from the abyss.

Acts 2:15 These people are not drunk, as you suppose; it is only nine o'clock in the morning. 16 Instead, this is what the prophet Joel spoke about: 17 "This is what I will do in the last days, God says: I will pour out my Spirit on everyone. Your sons and daughters will proclaim my message; your young men will see visions, and your old men will have dreams. 18 Yes, even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will proclaim my message. 19 I will perform miracles in the sky above and wonders on the earth below. There will be blood, fire, and thick smoke; 20 the sun will be darkened, and the moon will turn red as blood, before the great and glorious Day of the Lord comes. 21 And then, whoever calls out to the Lord for help will be saved.'

Romans 10:13 As the scripture says, "Everyone who calls out to the Lord for help will be saved."

42-Joel 1:1 This is the Lord's message to Joel son of Pethuel. 2 Pay attention, you older people; everyone in Judah, listen. Has anything like this ever happened in your time or the time of your ancestors? 3 Tell your children about it; they will tell their children, who in turn will tell the next generation. 4 Swarm after swarm of locusts settled on the crops; what one swarm left, the next swarm devoured. 5 Wake up and weep, you drunkards; cry, you wine-drinkers; the grapes for making new wine have been destroyed. 6 An army of locusts has attacked our land; they are powerful and too many to count; their teeth are as sharp as those of a lion.

43-Deuteronomy 28:38 "You will plant plenty of seed, but reap only a small harvest, because the locusts will eat your crops.

44-Amos 1:1 These are the words of Amos, a shepherd from the town of Tekoa. Two years before the earthquake, when Uzziah was king of Judah and Jeroboam son of Jehoash was king of Israel, God revealed to Amos all these things about Israel.

45-Exodus 12:12 "On that night I will go through the land of Egypt, killing every first-born male, both human and animal, and punishing all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord.

46-Joel 1:1 This is the Lord's message to Joel son of Pethuel. 2 Pay attention, you older people; everyone in Judah, listen. Has anything like this ever happened in your time or the time of your ancestors? 3 Tell your children about it; they will tell their children, who in turn will tell the next generation. 4 Swarm after swarm of locusts settled on the crops; what one swarm left, the next swarm devoured. 5 Wake up and weep, you drunkards; cry, you wine-drinkers; the grapes for making new wine have been destroyed. 6 An army of locusts has attacked our land; they are powerful and too many to count; their teeth are as sharp as those of a lion.

47-Numbers 21:6 Then the Lord sent poisonous snakes among the people, and many Israelites were bitten and died.

48-Deuteronomy 8:15 He led you through that vast and terrifying desert where there were poisonous snakes and scorpions. In that dry and waterless land he made water flow out of solid rock for you.

49-Joel 1:15 The day of the Lord is near, the day when the Almighty brings destruction. What terror that day will bring!

Joel 2:1 Blow the trumpet; sound the alarm on Zion, God's sacred hill. Tremble, people of Judah! The day of the Lord is coming soon. 2 It will be a dark and gloomy day, a black and cloudy day. The great army of locusts advances like darkness spreading over the mountains. There has never been anything like it, and there never will be again. 11 The Lord thunders commands to his army. The troops that obey him are many and mighty. How terrible is the day of the Lord! Who will survive it?

Joel 3:14 Thousands and thousands are in the Valley of Judgment. It is there that the day of the Lord will soon come.

50-Isaiah 25:9 When it happens, everyone will say, "He is our God! We have put our trust in him, and he has rescued us. He is the Lord! We have put our trust in him, and now we are happy and joyful because he has saved us."

Amos 5:18 How terrible it will be for you who long for the day of the Lord! What good will that day do you? For you it will be a day of darkness and not of light. 19 It will be like someone who runs from a lion and meets a bear! Or like someone who comes home and puts his hand on the wall - only to be bitten by a snake! 20 The day of the Lord will bring darkness and not light; it will be a day of gloom, without any brightness.

Obadiah 15 "The day is near when I, the Lord, will judge all nations. Edom, what you have done will be done to you. You will get back what you have given.

Zephaniah 1:14 The great day of the Lord is near - very near and coming fast! That day will be bitter, for even the bravest soldiers will cry out in despair! 15 It will be a day of fury, a day of trouble and distress, a day of ruin and destruction, a day of darkness and gloom, a black and cloudy day, 16 a day filled with the sound of war trumpets and the battle cry of soldiers attacking fortified cities and high towers. 17 The Lord says, "I will bring such disasters on the human race that everyone will grope about like someone blind. They have sinned against me, and now their blood will be poured out like water, and their dead bodies will lie rotting on the ground." 18 On the day when the Lord shows his fury, not even all their silver and gold will save them. The whole earth will be destroyed by the fire of his anger. He will put an end - a sudden end - to everyone who lives on earth.

Acts 2:20 the sun will be darkened, and the moon will turn red as blood, before the great and glorious Day of the Lord comes. 21 And then, whoever calls out to the Lord for help will be saved.'

1 Thessalonians 5:1 There is no need to write you, friends, about the times and occasions when these things will happen. 2 For you yourselves know very well that the Day of the Lord will come as a thief comes at night. 3 When people say, "Everything is quiet and safe," then suddenly destruction will hit them! It will come as suddenly as the pains that come upon a woman in labor, and people will not escape. 4 But you, friends, are not in the darkness, and the Day should not take you by surprise like a thief. 5 All of you are people who belong to the light, who belong to the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. 6 So then, we should not be sleeping like the others; we should be awake and sober. 7 It is at night when people sleep; it is at night when they get drunk. 8 But we belong to the day, and we should be sober. We must wear faith and love as a breastplate, and our hope of salvation as a helmet. 9 God did not choose us to suffer his anger, but to possess salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us in order that we might live together with him, whether we are alive or dead when he comes. 11 And so encourage one another and help one another, just as you are now doing.

2 Peter 3:10 But the Day of the Lord will come like a thief. On that Day the heavens will disappear with a shrill noise, the heavenly bodies will burn up and be destroyed, and the earth with everything in it will vanish. 11 Since all these things will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people should you be? Your lives should be holy and dedicated to God, 12 as you wait for the Day of God and do your best to make it come soon - the Day when the heavens will burn up and be destroyed, and the heavenly bodies will be melted by the heat. 13 But we wait for what God has promised: new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness will be at home.

Revelation 6:16 They called out to the mountains and to the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the eyes of the one who sits on the throne and from the anger of the Lamb! 17 The terrible day of their anger is here, and who can stand up against it?"

51-Deut. 1:30 The Lord your God will lead you, and he will fight for you, just as you saw him do in Egypt

Deut. 3:22 Don't be afraid of them, for the Lord your God will fight for you.'

Josh. 5:13 While Joshua was near Jericho, he suddenly saw a man standing in front of him, holding a sword. Joshua went up to him and asked, "Are you one of our soldiers, or an enemy?"

Josh. 6:2 The Lord said to Joshua, "I am putting into your hands Jericho, with its king and all its brave soldiers.

52-Lev. 18:25 Their actions made the land unclean, and so the Lord is punishing the land and making it reject the people who lived there.

Deut. 9:4 "After the Lord your God has driven them out for you, do not say to yourselves that he brought you in to possess this land because you deserved it. No, the Lord is going to drive these people out for you because they are wicked. 5 It is not because you are good and do what is right that the Lord is letting you take their land. He will drive them out because they are wicked and because he intends to keep the promise that he made to your ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

53-Joel 2:1 Blow the trumpet; sound the alarm on Zion, God's sacred hill. Tremble, people of Judah! The day of the Lord is coming soon. 2 It will be a dark and gloomy day, a black and cloudy day. The great army of locusts advances like darkness spreading over the mountains. There has never been anything like it, and there never will be again. 3 Like fire they eat up the plants. In front of them the land is like the Garden of Eden, but behind them it is a barren desert. Nothing escapes them. 4 They look like horses; they run like war-horses. 5 As they leap on the tops of the mountains, they rattle like chariots; they crackle like dry grass on fire. They are lined up like a great army ready for battle. 6 As they approach, everyone is terrified; every face turns pale. 7 They attack like warriors; they climb the walls like soldiers. They all keep marching straight ahead and do not change direction 8 or get in each other's way. They swarm through defenses, and nothing can stop them. 9 They rush against the city; they run over the walls; they climb up the houses and go in through the windows like thieves. 10 The earth shakes as they advance; the sky trembles. The sun and the moon grow dark, and the stars no longer shine. 11 The Lord thunders commands to his army. The troops that obey him are many and mighty. How terrible is the day of the Lord! Who will survive it? 12 "But even now," says the Lord, "repent sincerely and return to me with fasting and weeping and mourning. 13 Let your broken heart show your sorrow; tearing your clothes is not enough." Come back to the Lord your God. He is kind and full of mercy; he is patient and keeps his promise; he is always ready to forgive and not punish. 14 Perhaps the Lord your God will change his mind and bless you with abundant crops. Then you can offer him grain and wine. 15 Blow the trumpet on Mount Zion; give orders for a fast and call an assembly! 16 Gather the people together; prepare them for a sacred meeting; bring the old people; gather the children and the babies too. Even newly married couples must leave their homes and come. 17 The priests, serving the Lord between the altar and the entrance of the Temple, must weep and pray: "Have pity on your people, Lord. Do not let other nations despise us and mock us by saying, "Where is your God?' " 18 Then the Lord showed concern for his land; he had mercy on his people. 19 He answered them: "Now I am going to give you grain and wine and olive oil, and you will be satisfied. Other nations will no longer despise you. 20 I will remove the locust army that came from the north and will drive some of them into the desert. Their front ranks will be driven into the Dead Sea, their rear ranks into the Mediterranean. Their dead bodies will stink. I will destroy them because of all they have done to you. 21 "Fields, don't be afraid, but be joyful and glad because of all the Lord has done for you. 22 Animals, don't be afraid. The pastures are green; the trees bear their fruit, and there are plenty of figs and grapes. 23 "Be glad, people of Zion, rejoice at what the Lord your God has done for you. He has given you the right amount of autumn rain; he has poured down the winter rain for you and the spring rain as before. 24 The threshing places will be full of grain; the pits beside the presses will overflow with wine and olive oil. 25 I will give you back what you lost in the years when swarms of locusts ate your crops. It was I who sent this army against you. 26 Now you will have plenty to eat, and be satisfied. You will praise the Lord your God, who has done wonderful things for you. My people will never be despised again. 27 Then, Israel, you will know that I am among you and that I, the Lord, am your God and there is no other. My people will never be despised again. 28 "Afterward I will pour out my Spirit on everyone: your sons and daughters will proclaim my message; your old people will have dreams, and your young people will see visions. 29 At that time I will pour out my Spirit even on servants, both men and women. 30 "I will give warnings of that day in the sky and on the earth; there will be bloodshed, fire, and clouds of smoke. 31 The sun will be darkened, and the moon will turn red as blood before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes. 32 But all who ask the Lord for help will be saved. As the Lord has said, "Some in Jerusalem will escape; those whom I choose will survive.' "

54-Isa. 22:1 This is a message about the Valley of Vision. What is happening? Why are all the people of the city celebrating on the roofs of the houses? 2 The whole city is in an uproar, filled with noise and excitement. Your people who died in this war did not die fighting. 3 All your leaders ran away and were captured before they shot a single arrow. 4 Now leave me alone to weep bitterly over all those of my people who have died. Don't try to comfort me. 5 This is a time of panic, defeat, and confusion in the Valley of Vision, and the Sovereign Lord Almighty has sent it on us. The walls of our city have been battered down, and cries for help have echoed among the hills. 6 The soldiers from the land of Elam came riding on horseback, armed with bows and arrows. Soldiers from the land of Kir had their shields ready. 7 The fertile valleys of Judah were filled with chariots; soldiers on horseback stood in front of Jerusalem's gates. 8 All of Judah's defenses crumbled. When that happened, you brought weapons out of the arsenal. 9 You found the places where the walls of Jerusalem needed repair. You inspected all the houses in Jerusalem and tore some of them down to get stones to repair the city walls. In order to store water, 11 you built a reservoir inside the city to hold the water flowing down from the old pool. But you paid no attention to God, who planned all this long ago and who caused it to happen. 12 The Sovereign Lord Almighty was calling you then to weep and mourn, to shave your heads and wear sackcloth. 13 Instead, you laughed and celebrated. You killed sheep and cattle to eat, and you drank wine. You said, "We might as well eat and drink! Tomorrow we'll be dead." 14 The Sovereign Lord Almighty himself spoke to me and said, "This evil will never be forgiven them as long as they live. I, the Sovereign Lord Almighty, have spoken."

Jer. 46:2 beginning with Egypt. This is what he said about the army of King Neco of Egypt, which King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia defeated at Carchemish near the Euphrates River in the fourth year that Jehoiakim was king of Judah: 3 "The Egyptian officers shout, "Get your shields ready and march into battle! 4 Harness your horses and mount them! Fall in line and put on your helmets! Sharpen your spears! Put on your armor!' 5 "But what do I see?" asks the Lord. "They are turning back in terror. Their soldiers are beaten back; overcome with fear, they run as fast as they can and do not look back. 6 Those who run fast cannot get away; the soldiers cannot escape. In the north, by the Euphrates, they stumble and fall. 7 Who is this that rises like the Nile, like a river flooding its banks? 8 It is Egypt, rising like the Nile, like a river flooding its banks. Egypt said, "I will rise and cover the world; I will destroy cities and the people who live there. 9 Command the horses to go and the chariots to roll! Send out the soldiers: men from Ethiopia and Libya, carrying shields, and skilled archers from Lydia.' " 10 This is the day of the Sovereign Lord Almighty: today he will take revenge; today he will punish his enemies. His sword will eat them until it is full, and drink their blood until it is satisfied. Today the Almighty sacrifices his victims in the north, by the Euphrates. 11 People of Egypt, go to Gilead and look for medicine! All your medicine has proved useless; nothing can heal you. 12 Nations have heard of your shame; everyone has heard you cry. One soldier trips over another, and both of them fall to the ground.

Lam. 1:1 How lonely lies Jerusalem, once so full of people! Once honored by the world, she is now like a widow; The noblest of cities has fallen into slavery. 2 All night long she cries; tears run down her cheeks. Of all her former friends, not one is left to comfort her. Her allies have betrayed her and are all against her now. 3 Judah's people are helpless slaves, forced away from home. They live in other lands, with no place to call their own - Surrounded by enemies, with no way to escape. 4 No one comes to the Temple now to worship on the holy days. The young women who sang there suffer, and the priests can only groan. The city gates stand empty, and Zion is in agony. 5 Her enemies succeeded; they hold her in their power. The Lord has made her suffer for all her many sins; Her children have been captured and taken away. 6 The splendor of Jerusalem is a thing of the past. Her leaders are like deer that are weak from hunger, Whose strength is almost gone as they flee from the hunters. 7 A lonely ruin now, Jerusalem recalls her ancient splendor. When she fell to the enemy, there was no one to help her; Her conquerors laughed at her downfall. 8 Her honor is gone; she is naked and held in contempt. She groans and hides her face in shame. Jerusalem made herself filthy with terrible sin. 9 Her uncleanness was easily seen, but she showed no concern for her fate. Her downfall was terrible; no one can comfort her. Her enemies have won, and she cries to the Lord for mercy. 10 The enemies robbed her of all her treasures. She saw them enter the Temple itself, Where the Lord had forbidden Gentiles to go. 11 Her people groan as they look for something to eat; They exchange their treasures for food to keep themselves alive. "Look at me, Lord," the city cries; "see me in my misery." 12 "Look at me!" she cries to everyone who passes by. "No one has ever had pain like mine, Pain that the Lord brought on me in the time of his anger. 13 "He sent fire from above, a fire that burned inside me. He set a trap for me and brought me to the ground. Then he abandoned me and left me in constant pain. 14 "He took note of all my sins and tied them all together; He hung them around my neck, and I grew weak beneath the weight. The Lord gave me to my foes, and I was helpless against them. 15 "The Lord laughed at all my strongest soldiers; He sent an army to destroy my young men. He crushed my people like grapes in a wine press. 16 "That is why my eyes are overflowing with tears. No one can comfort me; no one can give me courage. The enemy has conquered me; my people have nothing left. 17 "I stretch out my hands, but no one will help me. The Lord has called enemies against me from every side; They treat me like some filthy thing. 18 "But the Lord is just, for I have disobeyed him. Listen to me, people everywhere; look at me in my pain. My young men and women have been taken away captive. 19 "I called to my allies, but they refused to help me. The priests and the leaders died in the city streets, Looking for food to keep themselves alive. 20 "Look, O Lord, at my agony, at the anguish of my soul! My heart is broken in sorrow for my sins. There is murder in the streets; even indoors there is death. 21 "Listen to my groans; there is no one to comfort me. My enemies are glad that you brought disaster on me. Bring the day you promised; make my enemies suffer as I do. 22 "Condemn them for all their wickedness; Punish them as you punished me for my sins. I groan in misery, and I am sick at heart."

Ezek. 13:1 The Lord spoke to me. 2 "Mortal man," he said, "denounce the prophets of Israel who make up their own prophecies. Tell them to listen to the word of the Lord." 3 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: "These foolish prophets are doomed! They provide their own inspiration and invent their own visions. 4 People of Israel, your prophets are as useless as foxes living among the ruins of a city. 5 They don't guard the places where the walls have crumbled, nor do they rebuild the walls, and so Israel cannot be defended when war comes on the day of the Lord. 6 Their visions are false, and their predictions are lies. They claim that they are speaking my message, but I have not sent them. Yet they expect their words to come true! 7 I tell them: Those visions you see are false, and the predictions you make are lies. You say that they are my words, but I haven't spoken to you!" 8 So the Sovereign Lord says to them, "Your words are false, and your visions are lies. I am against you. 9 I am about to punish you prophets who have false visions and make misleading predictions. You will not be there when my people gather to make decisions; your names will not be included in the list of the citizens of Israel; you will never return to your land. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.

55-Joel 1:15 The day of the Lord is near, the day when the Almighty brings destruction. What terror that day will bring!

Isa. 13:6 Howl in pain! The day of the Lord is near, the day when the Almighty brings destruction. 9 The day of the Lord is coming - that cruel day of his fierce anger and fury. The earth will be made a wilderness, and every sinner will be destroyed.

Zeph. 1:14 The great day of the Lord is near - very near and coming fast! That day will be bitter, for even the bravest soldiers will cry out in despair! 15 It will be a day of fury, a day of trouble and distress, a day of ruin and destruction, a day of darkness and gloom, a black and cloudy day, 16 a day filled with the sound of war trumpets and the battle cry of soldiers attacking fortified cities and high towers. 17 The Lord says, "I will bring such disasters on the human race that everyone will grope about like someone blind. They have sinned against me, and now their blood will be poured out like water, and their dead bodies will lie rotting on the ground." 18 On the day when the Lord shows his fury, not even all their silver and gold will save them. The whole earth will be destroyed by the fire of his anger. He will put an end - a sudden end - to everyone who lives on earth.

56-Isa. 4:2 The time is coming when the Lord will make every plant and tree in the land grow large and beautiful. All the people of Israel who survive will take delight and pride in the crops that the land produces. 3 Everyone who is left in Jerusalem, whom God has chosen for survival, will be called holy. 4 By his power the Lord will judge and purify the nation and wash away the guilt of Jerusalem and the blood that has been shed there. 5 Then over Mount Zion and over all who are gathered there, the Lord will send a cloud in the daytime and smoke and a bright flame at night. God's glory will cover and protect the whole city. 6 His glory will shade the city from the heat of the day and make it a place of safety, sheltered from the rain and storm.

Hos. 2:18 At that time I will make a covenant with all the wild animals and birds, so that they will not harm my people. I will also remove all weapons of war from the land, all swords and bows, and will let my people live in peace and safety. 19 Israel, I will make you my wife; I will be true and faithful; I will show you constant love and mercy and make you mine forever. 20 I will keep my promise and make you mine, and you will acknowledge me as Lord. 21 At that time I will answer the prayers of my people Israel. I will make rain fall on the earth, and the earth will produce grain and grapes and olives.

Amos 9:11 The Lord says, "A day is coming when I will restore the kingdom of David, which is like a house fallen into ruins. I will repair its walls and restore it. I will rebuild it and make it as it was long ago. 12 And so the people of Israel will conquer what is left of the land of Edom and all the nations that were once mine," says the Lord, who will cause this to happen. 13 "The days are coming," says the Lord, "when grain will grow faster than it can be harvested, and grapes will grow faster than the wine can be made. The mountains will drip with sweet wine, and the hills will flow with it. 14 I will bring my people back to their land. They will rebuild their ruined cities and live there; they will plant vineyards and drink the wine; they will plant gardens and eat what they grow. 15 I will plant my people on the land I gave them, and they will not be pulled up again." The Lord your God has spoken.

Mic. 4:6 "The time is coming," says the Lord, "when I will gather together the people I punished, those who have suffered in exile. 7 They are crippled and far from home, but I will make a new beginning with those who are left, and they will become a great nation. I will rule over them on Mount Zion from that time on and forever." 8 And you, Jerusalem, where God, like a shepherd from his lookout tower, watches over his people, will once again be the capital of the kingdom that was yours.

57-Joel 2:30 "I will give warnings of that day in the sky and on the earth; there will be bloodshed, fire, and clouds of smoke. 31 The sun will be darkened, and the moon will turn red as blood before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes.

58-Joel 2:2 It will be a dark and gloomy day, a black and cloudy day. The great army of locusts advances like darkness spreading over the mountains. There has never been anything like it, and there never will be again.

59-Joel 1:15 The day of the Lord is near, the day when the Almighty brings destruction. What terror that day will bring!

60-Joel 3:12 "The nations must get ready and come to the Valley of Judgment. There I, the Lord, will sit to judge all the surrounding nations. 13 They are very wicked; cut them down like grain at harvest time; crush them as grapes are crushed in a full wine press until the wine runs over." 14 Thousands and thousands are in the Valley of Judgment. It is there that the day of the Lord will soon come.

61-Amos 5:18 How terrible it will be for you who long for the day of the Lord! What good will that day do you? For you it will be a day of darkness and not of light. 19 It will be like someone who runs from a lion and meets a bear! Or like someone who comes home and puts his hand on the wall - only to be bitten by a snake! 20 The day of the Lord will bring darkness and not light; it will be a day of gloom, without any brightness.

62-Joel 2:32 But all who ask the Lord for help will be saved. As the Lord has said, "Some in Jerusalem will escape; those whom I choose will survive.' "

Joel 3:16 The Lord roars from Mount Zion; his voice thunders from Jerusalem; earth and sky tremble. But he will defend his people. 18 At that time the mountains will be covered with vineyards, and cattle will be found on every hill; there will be plenty of water for all of Judah. A stream will flow from the Temple of the Lord, and it will water Acacia Valley. 19 "Egypt will become a desert, and Edom a ruined waste, because they attacked the land of Judah and killed its innocent people. 20 I will avenge those who were killed; I will not spare the guilty. But Judah and Jerusalem will be inhabited forever, and I, the Lord, will live on Mount Zion."

1 Thess. 5:2 For you yourselves know very well that the Day of the Lord will come as a thief comes at night. 3 When people say, "Everything is quiet and safe," then suddenly destruction will hit them! It will come as suddenly as the pains that come upon a woman in labor, and people will not escape. 4 But you, friends, are not in the darkness, and the Day should not take you by surprise like a thief. 5 All of you are people who belong to the light, who belong to the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness.

63-Joel 2:28 "Afterward I will pour out my Spirit on everyone: your sons and daughters will proclaim my message; your old people will have dreams, and your young people will see visions. 29 At that time I will pour out my Spirit even on servants, both men and women.

Acts 2:1 When the day of Pentecost came, all the believers were gathered together in one place. 2 Suddenly there was a noise from the sky which sounded like a strong wind blowing, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 Then they saw what looked like tongues of fire which spread out and touched each person there. 4 They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to talk in other languages, as the Spirit enabled them to speak. 5 There were Jews living in Jerusalem, religious people who had come from every country in the world. 6 When they heard this noise, a large crowd gathered. They were all excited, because all of them heard the believers talking in their own languages. 7 In amazement and wonder they exclaimed, "These people who are talking like this are Galileans! 8 How is it, then, that all of us hear them speaking in our own native languages? 9 We are from Parthia, Media, and Elam; from Mesopotamia, Judea, and Cappadocia; from Pontus and Asia, 10 from Phrygia and Pamphylia, from Egypt and the regions of Libya near Cyrene. Some of us are from Rome, 11 both Jews and Gentiles converted to Judaism, and some of us are from Crete and Arabia - yet all of us hear them speaking in our own languages about the great things that God has done!" 12 Amazed and confused, they kept asking each other, "What does this mean?" 13 But others made fun of the believers, saying, "These people are drunk!" 14 Then Peter stood up with the other eleven apostles and in a loud voice began to speak to the crowd: "Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, listen to me and let me tell you what this means. 15 These people are not drunk, as you suppose; it is only nine o'clock in the morning. 16 Instead, this is what the prophet Joel spoke about: 17 "This is what I will do in the last days, God says: I will pour out my Spirit on everyone. Your sons and daughters will proclaim my message; your young men will see visions, and your old men will have dreams. 18 Yes, even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will proclaim my message. 19 I will perform miracles in the sky above and wonders on the earth below. There will be blood, fire, and thick smoke; 20 the sun will be darkened, and the moon will turn red as blood, before the great and glorious Day of the Lord comes. 21 And then, whoever calls out to the Lord for help will be saved.'

64-Joel 2:28 "Afterward I will pour out my Spirit on everyone: your sons and daughters will proclaim my message; your old people will have dreams, and your young people will see visions.

65-Joel 2:28 "Afterward I will pour out my Spirit on everyone: your sons and daughters will proclaim my message; your old people will have dreams, and your young people will see visions. 29 At that time I will pour out my Spirit even on servants, both men and women. 30 "I will give warnings of that day in the sky and on the earth; there will be bloodshed, fire, and clouds of smoke. 31 The sun will be darkened, and the moon will turn red as blood before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes.

66-Corinthians 12:1 Now, concerning what you wrote about the gifts from the Holy Spirit. I want you to know the truth about them, my friends. 2 You know that while you were still heathen, you were led astray in many ways to the worship of lifeless idols. 3 I want you to know that no one who is led by God's Spirit can say "A curse on Jesus!" and no one can confess "Jesus is Lord," without being guided by the Holy Spirit. 4 There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit gives them. 5 There are different ways of serving, but the same Lord is served. 6 There are different abilities to perform service, but the same God gives ability to all for their particular service. 7 The Spirit's presence is shown in some way in each person for the good of all. 8 The Spirit gives one person a message full of wisdom, while to another person the same Spirit gives a message full of knowledge. 9 One and the same Spirit gives faith to one person, while to another person he gives the power to heal. 10 The Spirit gives one person the power to work miracles; to another, the gift of speaking God's message; and to yet another, the ability to tell the difference between gifts that come from the Spirit and those that do not. To one person he gives the ability to speak in strange tongues, and to another he gives the ability to explain what is said. 11 But it is one and the same Spirit who does all this; as he wishes, he gives a different gift to each person. 12 Christ is like a single body, which has many parts; it is still one body, even though it is made up of different parts. 13 In the same way, all of us, whether Jews or Gentiles, whether slaves or free, have been baptized into the one body by the same Spirit, and we have all been given the one Spirit to drink. 14 For the body itself is not made up of only one part, but of many parts. 15 If the foot were to say, "Because I am not a hand, I don't belong to the body," that would not keep it from being a part of the body. 16 And if the ear were to say, "Because I am not an eye, I don't belong to the body," that would not keep it from being a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were just an eye, how could it hear? And if it were only an ear, how could it smell? 18 As it is, however, God put every different part in the body just as he wanted it to be. 19 There would not be a body if it were all only one part! 20 As it is, there are many parts but one body. 21 So then, the eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" Nor can the head say to the feet, "Well, I don't need you!" 22 On the contrary, we cannot do without the parts of the body that seem to be weaker; 23 and those parts that we think aren't worth very much are the ones which we treat with greater care; while the parts of the body which don't look very nice are treated with special modesty, 24 which the more beautiful parts do not need. God himself has put the body together in such a way as to give greater honor to those parts that need it. 25 And so there is no division in the body, but all its different parts have the same concern for one another. 26 If one part of the body suffers, all the other parts suffer with it; if one part is praised, all the other parts share its happiness. 27 All of you are Christ's body, and each one is a part of it. 28 In the church God has put all in place: in the first place apostles, in the second place prophets, and in the third place teachers; then those who perform miracles, followed by those who are given the power to heal or to help others or to direct them or to speak in strange tongues. 29 They are not all apostles or prophets or teachers. Not everyone has the power to work miracles 30 or to heal diseases or to speak in strange tongues or to explain what is said. 31 Set your hearts, then, on the more important gifts. Best of all, however, is the following way.

67-Joel 2:31 The sun will be darkened, and the moon will turn red as blood before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes. 32 But all who ask the Lord for help will be saved. As the Lord has said, "Some in Jerusalem will escape; those whom I choose will survive.' "

68-Isaiah 25:9 When it happens, everyone will say, "He is our God! We have put our trust in him, and he has rescued us. He is the Lord! We have put our trust in him, and now we are happy and joyful because he has saved us."

69-Revelation 6:16 They called out to the mountains and to the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the eyes of the one who sits on the throne and from the anger of the Lamb! 17 The terrible day of their anger is here, and who can stand up against it?"

70-Joel 2:32 But all who ask the Lord for help will be saved. As the Lord has said, "Some in Jerusalem will escape; those whom I choose will survive.' "

Acts 2:21 And then, whoever calls out to the Lord for help will be saved.'

Romans 10:13 As the scripture says, "Everyone who calls out to the Lord for help will be saved."

71-Amos 1:1 These are the words of Amos, a shepherd from the town of Tekoa. Two years before the earthquake, when Uzziah was king of Judah and Jeroboam son of Jehoash was king of Israel, God revealed to Amos all these things about Israel. 2 Amos said, "The Lord roars from Mount Zion; his voice thunders from Jerusalem. The pastures dry up, and the grass on Mount Carmel turns brown." 3 The Lord says, "The people of Damascus have sinned again and again, and for this I will certainly punish them. They treated the people of Gilead with savage cruelty. 4 So I will send fire upon the palace built by King Hazael and I will burn down the fortresses of King Benhadad. 5 I will smash the city gates of Damascus and remove the inhabitants of Aven Valley and the ruler of Betheden. The people of Syria will be taken away as prisoners to the land of Kir." 6 The Lord says, "The people of Gaza have sinned again and again, and for this I will certainly punish them. They carried off a whole nation and sold them as slaves to the people of Edom. 7 So I will send fire upon the city walls of Gaza and burn down its fortresses. 8 I will remove the rulers of the cities of Ashdod and Ashkelon. I will punish the city of Ekron, and all the Philistines who are left will die." 9 The Lord says, "The people of Tyre have sinned again and again, and for this I will certainly punish them. They carried off a whole nation into exile in the land of Edom, and did not keep the treaty of friendship they had made. 10 So I will send fire upon the city walls of Tyre and burn down its fortresses." 11 The Lord says, "The people of Edom have sinned again and again, and for this I will certainly punish them. They hunted down their relatives, the Israelites, and showed them no mercy. Their anger had no limits, and they never let it die. 12 So I will send fire upon the city of Teman and burn down the fortresses of Bozrah." 13 The Lord says, "The people of Ammon have sinned again and again, and for this I will certainly punish them. In their wars for more territory they even ripped open pregnant women in Gilead. 14 So I will send fire upon the city walls of Rabbah and burn down its fortresses. Then there will be shouts on the day of battle, and the fighting will rage like a storm. 15 Their king and his officers will go into exile." 2:1 The Lord says, "The people of Moab have sinned again and again, and for this I will certainly punish them. They dishonored the bones of the king of Edom by burning them to ashes. 2 I will send fire upon the land of Moab and burn down the fortresses of Kerioth. The people of Moab will die in the noise of battle while soldiers are shouting and trumpets are sounding. 3 I will kill the ruler of Moab and all the leaders of the land." 4 The Lord says, "The people of Judah have sinned again and again, and for this I will certainly punish them. They have despised my teachings and have not kept my commands. They have been led astray by the same false gods that their ancestors served. 5 So I will send fire upon Judah and burn down the fortresses of Jerusalem." 6 The Lord says, "The people of Israel have sinned again and again, and for this I will certainly punish them. They sell into slavery honest people who cannot pay their debts, the poor who cannot repay even the price of a pair of sandals. 7 They trample down the weak and helpless and push the poor out of the way. A man and his father have intercourse with the same slave woman, and so profane my holy name. 8 At every place of worship people sleep on clothing that they have taken from the poor as security for debts. In the temple of their God they drink wine which they have taken from those who owe them money. 9 "And yet, my people, it was for your sake that I totally destroyed the Amorites, who were as tall as cedar trees and as strong as oaks. 10 I brought you out of Egypt, led you through the desert for forty years, and gave you the land of the Amorites to be your own. 11 I chose some of your sons to be prophets and some of your young men to be nazirites. Isn't this true, people of Israel? I, the Lord, have spoken. 12 But you made the nazirites drink wine, and ordered the prophets not to speak my message. 13 And now I will crush you to the ground, and you will groan like a cart loaded with grain. 14 Not even fast runners will escape; strong men will lose their strength, and soldiers will not be able to save their own lives. 15 Archers will not stand their ground, fast runners will not get away, and men on horses will not escape with their lives. 16 On that day even the bravest soldiers will drop their weapons and run." The Lord has spoken.

Isaiah 58; 1 The Lord says, "Shout as loud as you can! Tell my people Israel about their sins! 2 They worship me every day, claiming that they are eager to know my ways and obey my laws. They say they want me to give them just laws and that they take pleasure in worshiping me." 3 The people ask, "Why should we fast if the Lord never notices? Why should we go without food if he pays no attention?" The Lord says to them, "The truth is that at the same time you fast, you pursue your own interests and oppress your workers. 4 Your fasting makes you violent, and you quarrel and fight. Do you think this kind of fasting will make me listen to your prayers? 5 When you fast, you make yourselves suffer; you bow your heads low like a blade of grass and spread out sackcloth and ashes to lie on. Is that what you call fasting? Do you think I will be pleased with that? 6 "The kind of fasting I want is this: Remove the chains of oppression and the yoke of injustice, and let the oppressed go free. 7 Share your food with the hungry and open your homes to the homeless poor. Give clothes to those who have nothing to wear, and do not refuse to help your own relatives. 8 "Then my favor will shine on you like the morning sun, and your wounds will be quickly healed. I will always be with you to save you; my presence will protect you on every side. 9 When you pray, I will answer you. When you call to me, I will respond. "If you put an end to oppression, to every gesture of contempt, and to every evil word; 10 if you give food to the hungry and satisfy those who are in need, then the darkness around you will turn to the brightness of noon. 11 And I will always guide you and satisfy you with good things. I will keep you strong and well. You will be like a garden that has plenty of water, like a spring of water that never goes dry. 12 Your people will rebuild what has long been in ruins, building again on the old foundations. You will be known as the people who rebuilt the walls, who restored the ruined houses." 13 The Lord says, "If you treat the Sabbath as sacred and do not pursue your own interests on that day; if you value my holy day and honor it by not traveling, working, or talking idly on that day, 14 then you will find the joy that comes from serving me. I will make you honored all over the world, and you will enjoy the land I gave to your ancestor, Jacob. I, the Lord, have spoken."

Luke 12:47 "The servant who knows what his master wants him to do, but does not get himself ready and do it, will be punished with a heavy whipping. 48 But the servant who does not know what his master wants, and yet does something for which he deserves a whipping, will be punished with a light whipping. Much is required from the person to whom much is given; much more is required from the person to whom much more is given.

1 Kings 8:37 "When there is famine in the land or an epidemic or the crops are destroyed by scorching winds or swarms of locusts, or when your people are attacked by their enemies, or when there is disease or sickness among them, 38 listen to their prayers. If any of your people Israel, out of heartfelt sorrow, stretch out their hands in prayer toward this Temple, 39 hear their prayer. Listen to them in your home in heaven, forgive them, and help them. You alone know the thoughts of the human heart. Deal with each person as he deserves, 40 so that your people may obey you all the time they live in the land which you gave to our ancestors.

Amos 4:12 "So then, people of Israel, I am going to punish you. And because I am going to do this, get ready to face my judgment!" 13 God is the one who made the mountains and created the winds. He makes his thoughts known to people; he changes day into night. He walks on the heights of the earth. This is his name: the Lord God Almighty!

Obadiah 1 This is the prophecy of Obadiah - what the Sovereign Lord said about the nation of Edom. The Lord has sent his messenger to the nations, and we have heard his message: "Get ready! Let us go to war against Edom!" 2 The Lord says to Edom, "I will make you weak; everyone will despise you. 3 Your pride has deceived you. Your capital is a fortress of solid rock; your home is high in the mountains, and so you say to yourself, "Who can ever pull me down?' 4 Even though you make your home as high as an eagle's nest, so that it seems to be among the stars, yet I will pull you down. 5 "When thieves come at night, they take only what they want. When people gather grapes, they always leave a few. But your enemies have wiped you out completely. 6 Descendants of Esau, your treasures have been looted. 7 Your allies have deceived you; they have driven you from your country. People who were at peace with you have now conquered you. Those friends who ate with you have laid a trap for you; they say of you, "Where is all that cleverness he had?' 8 "On the day I punish Edom, I will destroy their clever men and wipe out all their wisdom. 9 The fighting men of Teman will be terrified, and every soldier in Edom will be killed. 10 "Because you robbed and killed your relatives, the descendants of Jacob, you will be destroyed and dishonored forever. 11 You stood aside on that day when enemies broke down their gates. You were as bad as those strangers who carried off Jerusalem's wealth and divided it among themselves. 12 You should not have gloated over the misfortune of your relatives in Judah. You should not have been glad on the day of their ruin. You should not have laughed at them in their distress. 13 You should not have entered the city of my people to gloat over their suffering and to seize their riches on the day of their disaster. 14 You should not have stood at the crossroads to catch those trying to escape. You should not have handed them over to the enemy on the day of their distress. 15 "The day is near when I, the Lord, will judge all nations. Edom, what you have done will be done to you. You will get back what you have given. 16 My people have drunk a bitter cup of punishment on my sacred hill. But all the surrounding nations will drink a still more bitter cup of punishment; they will drink it all and vanish away. 17 "But on Mount Zion some will escape, and it will be a sacred place. The people of Jacob will possess the land that is theirs by right. 18 The people of Jacob and of Joseph will be like fire; they will destroy the people of Esau as fire burns stubble. No descendant of Esau will survive. I, the Lord, have spoken. 19 "People from southern Judah will occupy Edom; those from the western foothills will capture Philistia. Israelites will possess the territory of Ephraim and Samaria; the people of Benjamin will take Gilead. 20 The army of exiles from northern Israel will return and conquer Phoenicia as far north as Zarephath. The exiles from Jerusalem who are in Sardis will capture the towns of southern Judah. 21 The victorious men of Jerusalem will attack Edom and rule over it. And the Lord himself will be king."

72-Amos 7:14 Amos answered, "I am not the kind of prophet who prophesies for pay. I am a herdsman, and I take care of fig trees.

73-Amos 1:1 These are the words of Amos, a shepherd from the town of Tekoa. Two years before the earthquake, when Uzziah was king of Judah and Jeroboam son of Jehoash was king of Israel, God revealed to Amos all these things about Israel.

74-Zechariah 14:5 You will escape through this valley that divides the mountain in two. You will flee as your ancestors did when the earthquake struck in the time of King Uzziah of Judah. The Lord my God will come, bringing all the angels with him.

75-Isaiah 58:1 The Lord says, "Shout as loud as you can! Tell my people Israel about their sins! 2 They worship me every day, claiming that they are eager to know my ways and obey my laws. They say they want me to give them just laws and that they take pleasure in worshiping me." 3 The people ask, "Why should we fast if the Lord never notices? Why should we go without food if he pays no attention?" The Lord says to them, "The truth is that at the same time you fast, you pursue your own interests and oppress your workers. 4 Your fasting makes you violent, and you quarrel and fight. Do you think this kind of fasting will make me listen to your prayers? 5 When you fast, you make yourselves suffer; you bow your heads low like a blade of grass and spread out sackcloth and ashes to lie on. Is that what you call fasting? Do you think I will be pleased with that? 6 "The kind of fasting I want is this: Remove the chains of oppression and the yoke of injustice, and let the oppressed go free. 7 Share your food with the hungry and open your homes to the homeless poor. Give clothes to those who have nothing to wear, and do not refuse to help your own relatives. 8 "Then my favor will shine on you like the morning sun, and your wounds will be quickly healed. I will always be with you to save you; my presence will protect you on every side. 9 When you pray, I will answer you. When you call to me, I will respond. "If you put an end to oppression, to every gesture of contempt, and to every evil word; 10 if you give food to the hungry and satisfy those who are in need, then the darkness around you will turn to the brightness of noon. 11 And I will always guide you and satisfy you with good things. I will keep you strong and well. You will be like a garden that has plenty of water, like a spring of water that never goes dry. 12 Your people will rebuild what has long been in ruins, building again on the old foundations. You will be known as the people who rebuilt the walls, who restored the ruined houses." 13 The Lord says, "If you treat the Sabbath as sacred and do not pursue your own interests on that day; if you value my holy day and honor it by not traveling, working, or talking idly on that day, 14 then you will find the joy that comes from serving me. I will make you honored all over the world, and you will enjoy the land I gave to your ancestor, Jacob. I, the Lord, have spoken."

76-Leviticus 19:18 Do not take revenge on others or continue to hate them, but love your neighbors as you love yourself. I am the Lord.

Deuteronomy 6:5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.

77-Exodus 22:21 "Do not mistreat or oppress a foreigner; remember that you were foreigners in Egypt. 22 Do not mistreat any widow or orphan. 23 If you do, I, the Lord, will answer them when they cry out to me for help, 24 and I will become angry and kill you in war. Your wives will become widows, and your children will be fatherless.

78-James 2:14 My friends, what good is it for one of you to say that you have faith if your actions do not prove it? Can that faith save you? 15 Suppose there are brothers or sisters who need clothes and don't have enough to eat. 16 What good is there in your saying to them, "God bless you! Keep warm and eat well!" - if you don't give them the necessities of life? 17 So it is with faith: if it is alone and includes no actions, then it is dead. 18 But someone will say, "One person has faith, another has actions." My answer is, "Show me how anyone can have faith without actions. I will show you my faith by my actions." 19 Do you believe that there is only one God? Good! The demons also believe - and tremble with fear. 20 You fool! Do you want to be shown that faith without actions is useless? 21 How was our ancestor Abraham put right with God? It was through his actions, when he offered his son Isaac on the altar. 22 Can't you see? His faith and his actions worked together; his faith was made perfect through his actions. 23 And the scripture came true that said, "Abraham believed God, and because of his faith God accepted him as righteous." And so Abraham was called God's friend. 24 You see, then, that it is by our actions that we are put right with God, and not by our faith alone. 25 It was the same with the prostitute Rahab. She was put right with God through her actions, by welcoming the Israelite spies and helping them to escape by a different road. 26 So then, as the body without the spirit is dead, also faith without actions is dead.

79-Acts 4:32 The group of believers was one in mind and heart. None of them said that any of their belongings were their own, but they all shared with one another everything they had. 33 With great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God poured rich blessings on them all. 34 There was no one in the group who was in need. Those who owned fields or houses would sell them, bring the money received from the sale, 35 and turn it over to the apostles; and the money was distributed according to the needs of the people. 36 And so it was that Joseph, a Levite born in Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means "One who Encourages"),

80-Amos 3:1 People of Israel, listen to this message which the Lord has spoken about you, the entire nation that he brought out of Egypt: 2 "Of all the nations on earth, you are the only one I have known and cared for. That is what makes your sins so terrible, and that is why I must punish you for them."

81-Genesis 4:1 Then Adam had intercourse with his wife, and she became pregnant. She bore a son and said, "By the Lord's help I have gotten a son." So she named him Cain.

John 17:And eternal life means to know you, the only true God, and to know Jesus Christ, whom you sent.

82-Matthew 7:21 "Not everyone who calls me "Lord, Lord' will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only those who do what my Father in heaven wants them to do. 22 When the Judgment Day comes, many will say to me, "Lord, Lord! In your name we spoke God's message, by your name we drove out many demons and performed many miracles!' 23 Then I will say to them, "I never knew you. Get away from me, you wicked people!'

Acts 19:11 God was performing unusual miracles through Paul. 12 Even handkerchiefs and aprons he had used were taken to the sick, and their diseases were driven away, and the evil spirits would go out of them. 13 Some Jews who traveled around and drove out evil spirits also tried to use the name of the Lord Jesus to do this. They said to the evil spirits, "I command you in the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches." 14 Seven brothers, who were the sons of a Jewish High Priest named Sceva, were doing this. 15 But the evil spirit said to them, "I know Jesus, and I know about Paul; but you - who are you?" 16 The man who had the evil spirit in him attacked them with such violence that he overpowered them all. They ran away from his house, wounded and with their clothes torn off. 17 All the Jews and Gentiles who lived in Ephesus heard about this; they were all filled with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was given greater honor. 18 Many of the believers came, publicly admitting and revealing what they had done. 19 Many of those who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in public. They added up the price of the books, and the total came to fifty thousand silver coins. 20 In this powerful way the word of the Lord kept spreading and growing stronger.

83-Revelation 3:14 "To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: "This is the message from the Amen, the faithful and true witness, who is the origin of all that God has created. 15 I know what you have done; I know that you are neither cold nor hot. How I wish you were either one or the other! 16 But because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I am going to spit you out of my mouth! 17 You say, "I am rich and well off; I have all I need.' But you do not know how miserable and pitiful you are! You are poor, naked, and blind. 18 I advise you, then, to buy gold from me, pure gold, in order to be rich. Buy also white clothing to dress yourself and cover up your shameful nakedness. Buy also some ointment to put on your eyes, so that you may see. 19 I rebuke and punish all whom I love. Be in earnest, then, and turn from your sins. 20 Listen! I stand at the door and knock; if any hear my voice and open the door, I will come into their house and eat with them, and they will eat with me. 21 To those who win the victory I will give the right to sit beside me on my throne, just as I have been victorious and now sit by my Father on his throne. 22 "If you have ears, then, listen to what the Spirit says to the churches!"

84-Luke 12:47 "The servant who knows what his master wants him to do, but does not get himself ready and do it, will be punished with a heavy whipping. 48 But the servant who does not know what his master wants, and yet does something for which he deserves a whipping, will be punished with a light whipping. Much is required from the person to whom much is given; much more is required from the person to whom much more is given.

85-1 Kings 8:37 "When there is famine in the land or an epidemic or the crops are destroyed by scorching winds or swarms of locusts, or when your people are attacked by their enemies, or when there is disease or sickness among them, 38 listen to their prayers. If any of your people Israel, out of heartfelt sorrow, stretch out their hands in prayer toward this Temple, 39 hear their prayer. Listen to them in your home in heaven, forgive them, and help them. You alone know the thoughts of the human heart. Deal with each person as he deserves, 40 so that your people may obey you all the time they live in the land which you gave to our ancestors.

86-Romans 6:23 For sin pays its wage - death; but God's free gift is eternal life in union with Christ Jesus our Lord.

87-Obadiah 1 This is the prophecy of Obadiah - what the Sovereign Lord said about the nation of Edom. The Lord has sent his messenger to the nations, and we have heard his message: "Get ready! Let us go to war against Edom!" 2 The Lord says to Edom, "I will make you weak; everyone will despise you. 3 Your pride has deceived you. Your capital is a fortress of solid rock; your home is high in the mountains, and so you say to yourself, "Who can ever pull me down?' 4 Even though you make your home as high as an eagle's nest, so that it seems to be among the stars, yet I will pull you down.

88-Obadiah 5 "When thieves come at night, they take only what they want. When people gather grapes, they always leave a few. But your enemies have wiped you out completely. 6 Descendants of Esau, your treasures have been looted. 7 Your allies have deceived you; they have driven you from your country. People who were at peace with you have now conquered you. Those friends who ate with you have laid a trap for you; they say of you, "Where is all that cleverness he had?' 8 "On the day I punish Edom, I will destroy their clever men and wipe out all their wisdom. 9 The fighting men of Teman will be terrified, and every soldier in Edom will be killed.

89-Obadiah 10 "Because you robbed and killed your relatives, the descendants of Jacob, you will be destroyed and dishonored forever. 11 You stood aside on that day when enemies broke down their gates. You were as bad as those strangers who carried off Jerusalem's wealth and divided it among themselves. 12 You should not have gloated over the misfortune of your relatives in Judah. You should not have been glad on the day of their ruin. You should not have laughed at them in their distress. 13 You should not have entered the city of my people to gloat over their suffering and to seize their riches on the day of their disaster. 14 You should not have stood at the crossroads to catch those trying to escape. You should not have handed them over to the enemy on the day of their distress.

90-Amos 1:1 These are the words of Amos, a shepherd from the town of Tekoa. Two years before the earthquake, when Uzziah was king of Judah and Jeroboam son of Jehoash was king of Israel, God revealed to Amos all these things about Israel. 2 Amos said, "The Lord roars from Mount Zion; his voice thunders from Jerusalem. The pastures dry up, and the grass on Mount Carmel turns brown." 3 The Lord says, "The people of Damascus have sinned again and again, and for this I will certainly punish them. They treated the people of Gilead with savage cruelty. 4 So I will send fire upon the palace built by King Hazael and I will burn down the fortresses of King Benhadad. 5 I will smash the city gates of Damascus and remove the inhabitants of Aven Valley and the ruler of Betheden. The people of Syria will be taken away as prisoners to the land of Kir." 6 The Lord says, "The people of Gaza have sinned again and again, and for this I will certainly punish them. They carried off a whole nation and sold them as slaves to the people of Edom. 7 So I will send fire upon the city walls of Gaza and burn down its fortresses. 8 I will remove the rulers of the cities of Ashdod and Ashkelon. I will punish the city of Ekron, and all the Philistines who are left will die." 9 The Lord says, "The people of Tyre have sinned again and again, and for this I will certainly punish them. They carried off a whole nation into exile in the land of Edom, and did not keep the treaty of friendship they had made. 10 So I will send fire upon the city walls of Tyre and burn down its fortresses." 11 The Lord says, "The people of Edom have sinned again and again, and for this I will certainly punish them. They hunted down their relatives, the Israelites, and showed them no mercy. Their anger had no limits, and they never let it die. 12 So I will send fire upon the city of Teman and burn down the fortresses of Bozrah." 13 The Lord says, "The people of Ammon have sinned again and again, and for this I will certainly punish them. In their wars for more territory they even ripped open pregnant women in Gilead. 14 So I will send fire upon the city walls of Rabbah and burn down its fortresses. Then there will be shouts on the day of battle, and the fighting will rage like a storm. 15 Their king and his officers will go into exile." 2:1 The Lord says, "The people of Moab have sinned again and again, and for this I will certainly punish them. They dishonored the bones of the king of Edom by burning them to ashes. 2 I will send fire upon the land of Moab and burn down the fortresses of Kerioth. The people of Moab will die in the noise of battle while soldiers are shouting and trumpets are sounding. 3 I will kill the ruler of Moab and all the leaders of the land." 4 The Lord says, "The people of Judah have sinned again and again, and for this I will certainly punish them. They have despised my teachings and have not kept my commands. They have been led astray by the same false gods that their ancestors served. 5 So I will send fire upon Judah and burn down the fortresses of Jerusalem." 6 The Lord says, "The people of Israel have sinned again and again, and for this I will certainly punish them. They sell into slavery honest people who cannot pay their debts, the poor who cannot repay even the price of a pair of sandals. 7 They trample down the weak and helpless and push the poor out of the way. A man and his father have intercourse with the same slave woman, and so profane my holy name. 8 At every place of worship people sleep on clothing that they have taken from the poor as security for debts. In the temple of their God they drink wine which they have taken from those who owe them money. 9 "And yet, my people, it was for your sake that I totally destroyed the Amorites, who were as tall as cedar trees and as strong as oaks. 10 I brought you out of Egypt, led you through the desert for forty years, and gave you the land of the Amorites to be your own. 11 I chose some of your sons to be prophets and some of your young men to be nazirites. Isn't this true, people of Israel? I, the Lord, have spoken. 12 But you made the nazirites drink wine, and ordered the prophets not to speak my message. 13 And now I will crush you to the ground, and you will groan like a cart loaded with grain. 14 Not even fast runners will escape; strong men will lose their strength, and soldiers will not be able to save their own lives. 15 Archers will not stand their ground, fast runners will not get away, and men on horses will not escape with their lives. 16 On that day even the bravest soldiers will drop their weapons and run." The Lord has spoken. 3:1 People of Israel, listen to this message which the Lord has spoken about you, the entire nation that he brought out of Egypt: 2 "Of all the nations on earth, you are the only one I have known and cared for. That is what makes your sins so terrible, and that is why I must punish you for them." 3 Do two people start traveling together without arranging to meet? 4 Does a lion roar in the forest unless he has found a victim? Does a young lion growl in his den unless he has caught something? 5 Does a bird get caught in a trap if the trap has not been baited? Does a trap spring unless something sets it off? 6 Does the war trumpet sound in a city without making the people afraid? Does disaster strike a city unless the Lord sends it? 7 The Sovereign Lord never does anything without revealing his plan to his servants, the prophets. 8 When a lion roars, who can keep from being afraid? When the Sovereign Lord speaks, who can keep from proclaiming his message? 9 Announce to those who live in the palaces of Egypt and Ashdod: "Gather together in the hills around Samaria and see the great disorder and the crimes being committed there." 10 The Lord says, "These people fill their mansions with things taken by crime and violence. They don't even know how to be honest. 11 And so an enemy will surround their land, destroy their defenses, and plunder their mansions." 12 The Lord says, "As a shepherd recovers only two legs or an ear of a sheep that a lion has eaten, so only a few will survive of Samaria's people, who now recline on luxurious couches. 13 Listen now, and warn the descendants of Jacob," says the Sovereign Lord Almighty. 14 "On the day when I punish the people of Israel for their sins, I will destroy the altars of Bethel. The corners of every altar will be broken off and will fall to the ground. 15 I will destroy winter houses and summer houses. The houses decorated with ivory will fall in ruins; every large house will be destroyed." 4:1 Listen to this, you women of Samaria, who grow fat like the well-fed cows of Bashan, who mistreat the weak, oppress the poor, and demand that your husbands keep you supplied with liquor! 2 As the Sovereign Lord is holy, he has promised, "The days will come when they will drag you away with hooks; every one of you will be like a fish on a hook. 3 You will be dragged to the nearest break in the wall and thrown out." 4 The Sovereign Lord says, "People of Israel, go to the holy place in Bethel and sin, if you must! Go to Gilgal and sin with all your might! Go ahead and bring animals to be sacrificed morning after morning, and bring your tithes every third day. 5 Go on and offer your bread in thanksgiving to God, and brag about the extra offerings you bring! This is the kind of thing you love to do. 6 "I was the one who brought famine to all your cities, yet you did not come back to me. 7 I kept it from raining when your crops needed it most. I sent rain on one city, but not on another. Rain fell on one field, but another field dried up. 8 Weak with thirst, the people of several cities went to a city where they hoped to find water, but there was not enough to drink. Still you did not come back to me. 9 "I sent a scorching wind to dry up your crops. The locusts ate up all your gardens and vineyards, your fig trees and olive trees. Still you did not come back to me. 10 "I sent a plague on you like the one I sent on Egypt. I killed your young men in battle and took your horses away. I filled your nostrils with the stink of dead bodies in your camps. Still you did not come back to me. 11 "I destroyed some of you as I destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. Those of you who survived were like a burning stick saved from a fire. Still you did not come back to me," says the Lord. 12 "So then, people of Israel, I am going to punish you. And because I am going to do this, get ready to face my judgment!" 13 God is the one who made the mountains and created the winds. He makes his thoughts known to people; he changes day into night. He walks on the heights of the earth. This is his name: the Lord God Almighty!

91-Revelation 19:10 I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, "Don't do it! I am a servant together with you and with other believers, all those who hold to the truth that Jesus revealed. Worship God!" For the truth that Jesus revealed is what inspires the prophets.

92-Amos 3:7 The Sovereign Lord never does anything without revealing his plan to his servants, the prophets.

93-Deuteronomy 29:29 "There are some things that the Lord our God has kept secret; but he has revealed his Law, and we and our descendants are to obey it forever.

2 Chronicles 20:20 Early the next morning the people went out to the wild country near Tekoa. As they were starting out, Jehoshaphat addressed them with these words: "People of Judah and Jerusalem! Put your trust in the Lord your God, and you will stand your ground. Believe what his prophets tell you, and you will succeed."

94-Matthew 24:14 And this Good News about the Kingdom will be preached through all the world for a witness to all people; and then the end will come.

95-John 13:19 I tell you this now before it happens, so that when it does happen, you will believe that "I Am Who I Am.'

John 14:29 I have told you this now before it all happens, so that when it does happen, you will believe.

96-Amos 4:6 "I was the one who brought famine to all your cities, yet you did not come back to me. 8 Weak with thirst, the people of several cities went to a city where they hoped to find water, but there was not enough to drink. Still you did not come back to me. 9 "I sent a scorching wind to dry up your crops. The locusts ate up all your gardens and vineyards, your fig trees and olive trees. Still you did not come back to me. 10 "I sent a plague on you like the one I sent on Egypt. I killed your young men in battle and took your horses away. I filled your nostrils with the stink of dead bodies in your camps. Still you did not come back to me. 11 "I destroyed some of you as I destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. Those of you who survived were like a burning stick saved from a fire. Still you did not come back to me," says the Lord.

97-2 Kings 17:5 Then Shalmaneser invaded Israel and besieged Samaria. In the third year of the siege, 6 which was the ninth year of the reign of Hoshea, the Assyrian emperor captured Samaria, took the Israelites to Assyria as prisoners, and settled some of them in the city of Halah, some near the Habor River in the district of Gozan and some in the cities of Media. 7 Samaria fell because the Israelites sinned against the Lord their God, who had rescued them from the king of Egypt and had led them out of Egypt. They worshiped other gods, 8 followed the customs of the people whom the Lord had driven out as his people advanced, and adopted customs introduced by the kings of Israel. 9 The Israelites did things that the Lord their God disapproved of. They built pagan places of worship in all their towns, from the smallest village to the largest city. 10 On all the hills and under every shady tree they put up stone pillars and images of the goddess Asherah, 11 and they burned incense on all the pagan altars, following the practice of the people whom the Lord had driven out of the land. They aroused the Lord's anger with all their wicked deeds 12 and disobeyed the Lord's command not to worship idols. 13 The Lord had sent his messengers and prophets to warn Israel and Judah: "Abandon your evil ways and obey my commands, which are contained in the Law I gave to your ancestors and which I handed on to you through my servants the prophets." 14 But they would not obey; they were stubborn like their ancestors, who had not trusted in the Lord their God. 15 They refused to obey his instructions, they did not keep the covenant he had made with their ancestors, and they disregarded his warnings. They worshiped worthless idols and became worthless themselves, and they followed the customs of the surrounding nations, disobeying the Lord's command not to imitate them. 16 They broke all the laws of the Lord their God and made two metal bull-calves to worship; they also made an image of the goddess Asherah, worshiped the stars, and served the god Baal. 17 They sacrificed their sons and daughters as burnt offerings to pagan gods; they consulted mediums and fortunetellers, and they devoted themselves completely to doing what is wrong in the Lord's sight, and so aroused his anger. 18 The Lord was angry with the Israelites and banished them from his sight, leaving only the kingdom of Judah. 19 But even the people of Judah did not obey the laws of the Lord their God; they imitated the customs adopted by the people of Israel. 20 The Lord rejected all the Israelites, punishing them and handing them over to cruel enemies until at last he had banished them from his sight. 21 After the Lord had separated Israel from Judah, the Israelites made Jeroboam son of Nebat their king. Jeroboam caused them to abandon the Lord and led them into terrible sins. 22 They followed Jeroboam and continued to practice all the sins he had committed, 23 until at last the Lord banished them from his sight, as he had warned through his servants the prophets that he would do. So the people of Israel were taken into exile to Assyria, where they still live.

Amos 5:1 Listen, people of Israel, to this funeral song which I sing over you: 2 Virgin Israel has fallen, Never to rise again! She lies abandoned on the ground, And no one helps her up. 3 The Sovereign Lord says, "A city in Israel sends out a thousand soldiers, but only a hundred return; another city sends out a hundred, but only ten come back." 4 The Lord says to the people of Israel, "Come to me, and you will live. 5 Do not go to Beersheba to worship. Do not try to find me at Bethel - Bethel will come to nothing. Do not go to Gilgal - her people are doomed to exile." 6 Go to the Lord, and you will live. If you do not go, he will sweep down like fire on the people of Israel. The fire will burn up the people of Bethel, and no one will be able to put it out. 7 You are doomed, you that twist justice and cheat people out of their rights! 8 The Lord made the stars, the Pleiades and Orion. He turns darkness into daylight and day into night. He calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out on the earth. His name is the Lord. 9 He brings destruction on the mighty and their strongholds. 10 You people hate anyone who challenges injustice and speaks the whole truth in court. 11 You have oppressed the poor and robbed them of their grain. And so you will not live in the fine stone houses you build or drink wine from the beautiful vineyards you plant. 12 I know how terrible your sins are and how many crimes you have committed. You persecute good people, take bribes, and prevent the poor from getting justice in the courts. 13 And so, keeping quiet in such evil times is the smart thing to do! 14 Make it your aim to do what is right, not what is evil, so that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty really will be with you, as you claim he is. 15 Hate what is evil, love what is right, and see that justice prevails in the courts. Perhaps the Lord will be merciful to the people of this nation who are still left alive.

Amos 7:10 Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, then sent a report to King Jeroboam of Israel: "Amos is plotting against you among the people. His speeches will destroy the country. 11 This is what he says: "Jeroboam will die in battle, and the people of Israel will be taken away from their land into exile.' " 12 Amaziah then said to Amos, "That's enough, prophet! Go on back to Judah and do your preaching there. Let [them ]pay you for it. 13 Don't prophesy here at Bethel any more. This is the king's place of worship, the national temple." 14 Amos answered, "I am not the kind of prophet who prophesies for pay. I am a herdsman, and I take care of fig trees. 15 But the Lord took me from my work as a shepherd and ordered me to come and prophesy to his people Israel. 16 So now listen to what the Lord says. You tell me to stop prophesying, to stop raving against the people of Israel. 17 And so, Amaziah, the Lord says to you, "Your wife will become a prostitute in the city, and your children will be killed in war. Your land will be divided up and given to others, and you yourself will die in a heathen country. And the people of Israel will certainly be taken away from their own land into exile.' "

Amos 9:11 The Lord says, "A day is coming when I will restore the kingdom of David, which is like a house fallen into ruins. I will repair its walls and restore it. I will rebuild it and make it as it was long ago. 12 And so the people of Israel will conquer what is left of the land of Edom and all the nations that were once mine," says the Lord, who will cause this to happen. 13 "The days are coming," says the Lord, "when grain will grow faster than it can be harvested, and grapes will grow faster than the wine can be made. The mountains will drip with sweet wine, and the hills will flow with it. 14 I will bring my people back to their land. They will rebuild their ruined cities and live there; they will plant vineyards and drink the wine; they will plant gardens and eat what they grow. 15 I will plant my people on the land I gave them, and they will not be pulled up again." The Lord your God has spoken.

Hebrews 5:14 Solid food, on the other hand, is for adults, who through practice are able to distinguish between good and evil.

Isaiah 5:20; 20 You are doomed! You call evil good and call good evil. You turn darkness into light and light into darkness. You make what is bitter sweet, and what is sweet you make bitter.

Acts 15:13 When they had finished speaking, James spoke up: "Listen to me, my friends! 14 Simon has just explained how God first showed his care for the Gentiles by taking from among them a people to belong to him. 15 The words of the prophets agree completely with this. As the scripture says, 16 "After this I will return, says the Lord, and restore the kingdom of David. I will rebuild its ruins and make it strong again. 17 And so all the rest of the human race will come to me, all the Gentiles whom I have called to be my own. 18 So says the Lord, who made this known long ago.'

98-2 Kings 17:5 Then Shalmaneser invaded Israel and besieged Samaria. In the third year of the siege, 6 which was the ninth year of the reign of Hoshea, the Assyrian emperor captured Samaria, took the Israelites to Assyria as prisoners, and settled some of them in the city of Halah, some near the Habor River in the district of Gozan and some in the cities of Media. 7 Samaria fell because the Israelites sinned against the Lord their God, who had rescued them from the king of Egypt and had led them out of Egypt. They worshiped other gods, 8 followed the customs of the people whom the Lord had driven out as his people advanced, and adopted customs introduced by the kings of Israel. 9 The Israelites did things that the Lord their God disapproved of. They built pagan places of worship in all their towns, from the smallest village to the largest city. 10 On all the hills and under every shady tree they put up stone pillars and images of the goddess Asherah, 11 and they burned incense on all the pagan altars, following the practice of the people whom the Lord had driven out of the land. They aroused the Lord's anger with all their wicked deeds 12 and disobeyed the Lord's command not to worship idols. 13 The Lord had sent his messengers and prophets to warn Israel and Judah: "Abandon your evil ways and obey my commands, which are contained in the Law I gave to your ancestors and which I handed on to you through my servants the prophets." 14 But they would not obey; they were stubborn like their ancestors, who had not trusted in the Lord their God. 15 They refused to obey his instructions, they did not keep the covenant he had made with their ancestors, and they disregarded his warnings. They worshiped worthless idols and became worthless themselves, and they followed the customs of the surrounding nations, disobeying the Lord's command not to imitate them. 16 They broke all the laws of the Lord their God and made two metal bull-calves to worship; they also made an image of the goddess Asherah, worshiped the stars, and served the god Baal. 17 They sacrificed their sons and daughters as burnt offerings to pagan gods; they consulted mediums and fortunetellers, and they devoted themselves completely to doing what is wrong in the Lord's sight, and so aroused his anger. 18 The Lord was angry with the Israelites and banished them from his sight, leaving only the kingdom of Judah. 19 But even the people of Judah did not obey the laws of the Lord their God; they imitated the customs adopted by the people of Israel. 20 The Lord rejected all the Israelites, punishing them and handing them over to cruel enemies until at last he had banished them from his sight. 21 After the Lord had separated Israel from Judah, the Israelites made Jeroboam son of Nebat their king. Jeroboam caused them to abandon the Lord and led them into terrible sins. 22 They followed Jeroboam and continued to practice all the sins he had committed, 23 until at last the Lord banished them from his sight, as he had warned through his servants the prophets that he would do. So the people of Israel were taken into exile to Assyria, where they still live.

99-Deut. 26:19 He will make you greater than any other nation that he has created, and you will bring praise and honor to his name. You will be his own people, as he promised."

Deut. 28:10 Then all the peoples on earth will see that the Lord has chosen you to be his own people, and they will be afraid of you.

Deut. 4:6 Obey them faithfully, and this will show the people of other nations how wise you are. When they hear of all these laws, they will say, "What wisdom and understanding this great nation has!'

100-Ezekiel 26:13 I will put an end to all your songs, and I will silence the music of your harps.

101-1 Chronicles 16:42 Heman and Jeduthun also had charge of the trumpets and cymbals and the other instruments which were played when the songs of praise were sung. The members of Jeduthun's clan were in charge of guarding the gates.

1 Chronicles 23:5 four thousand to do guard duty, and four thousand to praise the Lord, using the musical instruments provided by the king for this purpose.

1 Chronicles 25:6 All of his sons played cymbals and harps under their father's direction, to accompany the Temple worship. And Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman were under orders from the king. 7 All these twenty-four men were experts; and their fellow Levites were trained musicians. There were 288 men in all.

102-Amos 5:14 Make it your aim to do what is right, not what is evil, so that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty really will be with you, as you claim he is. 15 Hate what is evil, love what is right, and see that justice prevails in the courts. Perhaps the Lord will be merciful to the people of this nation who are still left alive.

Hebrews 5:14 Solid food, on the other hand, is for adults, who through practice are able to distinguish between good and evil.

Romans 12:9 Love must be completely sincere. Hate what is evil, hold on to what is good.

Proverbs 8:6 Those who do not find me hurt themselves; anyone who hates me loves death."

103-Matthew 5:16 In the same way your light must shine before people, so that they will see the good things you do and praise your Father in heaven.

104-1 Peter 5:8 Be alert, be on watch! Your enemy, the Devil, roams around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.

105-Amos 5:23 Stop your noisy songs; I do not want to listen to your harps. 24 Instead, let justice flow like a stream, and righteousness like a river that never goes dry.

Hosea 6:6 I want your constant love, not your animal sacrifices. I would rather have my people know me than burn offerings to me.

Matthew 9:13 Go and find out what is meant by the scripture that says: "It is kindness that I want, not animal sacrifices.' I have not come to call respectable people, but outcasts."

Psalm 51:17 My sacrifice is a humble spirit, O God; you will not reject a humble and repentant heart.

106-Amos 8:11 "The time is coming when I will send famine on the land. People will be hungry, but not for bread; they will be thirsty, but not for water. They will hunger and thirst for a message from the Lord. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken. 12 People will wander from the Dead Sea to the Mediterranean and then on around from the north to the east. They will look everywhere for a message from the Lord, but they will not find it.

Daniel 12:4 He said to me, "And now, Daniel, close the book and put a seal on it until the end of the world. Meanwhile, many people will waste their efforts trying to understand what is happening."

107-Revelation 14:6 Then I saw another angel flying high in the air, with an eternal message of Good News to announce to the peoples of the earth, to every race, tribe, language, and nation. 7 He said in a loud voice, "Honor God and praise his greatness! For the time has come for him to judge all people. Worship him who made heaven, earth, sea, and the springs of water!" 8 A second angel followed the first one, saying, "She has fallen! Great Babylon has fallen! She made all peoples drink her wine - the strong wine of her immoral lust!" 9 A third angel followed the first two, saying in a loud voice, "Those who worship the beast and its image and receive the mark on their forehead or on their hand 10 will themselves drink God's wine, the wine of his fury, which he has poured at full strength into the cup of his anger! All who do this will be tormented in fire and sulfur before the holy angels and the Lamb. 11 The smoke of the fire that torments them goes up forever and ever. There is no relief day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, for anyone who has the mark of its name." 12 This calls for endurance on the part of God's people, those who obey God's commandments and are faithful to Jesus.

108-Amos 9:11 The Lord says, "A day is coming when I will restore the kingdom of David, which is like a house fallen into ruins. I will repair its walls and restore it. I will rebuild it and make it as it was long ago. 12 And so the people of Israel will conquer what is left of the land of Edom and all the nations that were once mine," says the Lord, who will cause this to happen. 13 "The days are coming," says the Lord, "when grain will grow faster than it can be harvested, and grapes will grow faster than the wine can be made. The mountains will drip with sweet wine, and the hills will flow with it. 14 I will bring my people back to their land. They will rebuild their ruined cities and live there; they will plant vineyards and drink the wine; they will plant gardens and eat what they grow. 15 I will plant my people on the land I gave them, and they will not be pulled up again." The Lord your God has spoken.

109-Luke 1:32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High God. The Lord God will make him a king, as his ancestor David was, 33 and he will be the king of the descendants of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end!"

Acts 15:13 When they had finished speaking, James spoke up: "Listen to me, my friends! 14 Simon has just explained how God first showed his care for the Gentiles by taking from among them a people to belong to him. 15 The words of the prophets agree completely with this. As the scripture says, 16 "After this I will return, says the Lord, and restore the kingdom of David. I will rebuild its ruins and make it strong again. 17 And so all the rest of the human race will come to me, all the Gentiles whom I have called to be my own. 18 So says the Lord, who made this known long ago.'

110-Acts 15:15 The words of the prophets agree completely with this. As the scripture says, 16 "After this I will return, says the Lord, and restore the kingdom of David. I will rebuild its ruins and make it strong again. 17 And so all the rest of the human race will come to me, all the Gentiles whom I have called to be my own.

111-Isaiah 45:22 "Turn to me now and be saved, people all over the world! I am the only God there is.

Genesis 12:3 I will bless those who bless you, But I will curse those who curse you. And through you I will bless all the nations."

112-Jonah 1:1 One day the Lord spoke to Jonah son of Amittai. 2 He said, "Go to Nineveh, that great city, and speak out against it; I am aware of how wicked its people are." 3 Jonah, however, set out in the opposite direction in order to get away from the Lord. He went to Joppa, where he found a ship about to go to Spain. He paid his fare and went aboard with the crew to sail to Spain, where he would be away from the Lord. 4 But the Lord sent a strong wind on the sea, and the storm was so violent that the ship was in danger of breaking up. 5 The sailors were terrified and cried out for help, each one to his own god. Then, in order to lessen the danger, they threw the cargo overboard. Meanwhile, Jonah had gone below and was lying in the ship's hold, sound asleep. 6 The captain found him there and said to him, "What are you doing asleep? Get up and pray to your god for help. Maybe he will feel sorry for us and spare our lives." 7 The sailors said to each other, "Let's draw lots and find out who is to blame for getting us into this danger." They did so, and Jonah's name was drawn. 8 So they said to him, "Now, then, tell us! Who is to blame for this? What are you doing here? What country do you come from? What is your nationality?" 9 "I am a Hebrew," Jonah answered. "I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made land and sea." 10 Jonah went on to tell them that he was running away from the Lord. The sailors were terrified, and said to him, "That was an awful thing to do!" 11 The storm was getting worse all the time, so the sailors asked him, "What should we do to you to stop the storm?" 12 Jonah answered, "Throw me into the sea, and it will calm down. I know it is my fault that you are caught in this violent storm." 13 Instead, the sailors tried to get the ship to shore, rowing with all their might. But the storm was becoming worse and worse, and they got nowhere. 14 So they cried out to the Lord, "O Lord, we pray, don't punish us with death for taking this man's life! You, O Lord, are responsible for all this; it is your doing." 15 Then they picked Jonah up and threw him into the sea, and it calmed down at once. 16 This made the sailors so afraid of the Lord that they offered a sacrifice and promised to serve him. 17 At the Lord's command a large fish swallowed Jonah, and he was inside the fish for three days and three nights.

Jonah 2:1 From deep inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God: 2 "In my distress, O Lord, I called to you, and you answered me. From deep in the world of the dead I cried for help, and you heard me. 3 You threw me down into the depths, to the very bottom of the sea, where the waters were all around me, and all your mighty waves rolled over me. 4 I thought I had been banished from your presence and would never see your holy Temple again. 5 The water came over me and choked me; the sea covered me completely, and seaweed wrapped around my head. 6 I went down to the very roots of the mountains, into the land whose gates lock shut forever. But you, O Lord my God, brought me back from the depths alive. 7 When I felt my life slipping away, then, O Lord, I prayed to you, and in your holy Temple you heard me. 8 Those who worship worthless idols have abandoned their loyalty to you. 9 But I will sing praises to you; I will offer you a sacrifice and do what I have promised. Salvation comes from the Lord!" 10 Then the Lord ordered the fish to spit Jonah up on the beach, and it did.

Jonah 3:1 Once again the Lord spoke to Jonah. 2 He said, "Go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to the people the message I have given you." 3 So Jonah obeyed the Lord and went to Nineveh, a city so large that it took three days to walk through it. 4 Jonah started through the city, and after walking a whole day, he proclaimed, "In forty days Nineveh will be destroyed!" 5 The people of Nineveh believed God's message. So they decided that everyone should fast, and all the people, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth to show that they had repented. 6 When the king of Nineveh heard about it, he got up from his throne, took off his robe, put on sackcloth, and sat down in ashes. 7 He sent out a proclamation to the people of Nineveh: "This is an order from the king and his officials: No one is to eat anything; all persons, cattle, and sheep are forbidden to eat or drink. 8 All persons and animals must wear sackcloth. Everyone must pray earnestly to God and must give up their wicked behavior and their evil actions. 9 Perhaps God will change his mind; perhaps he will stop being angry, and we will not die!" 10 God saw what they did; he saw that they had given up their wicked behavior. So he changed his mind and did not punish them as he had said he would.

Jonah 4:1 Jonah was very unhappy about this and became angry. 2 So he prayed, "Lord, didn't I say before I left home that this is just what you would do? That's why I did my best to run away to Spain! I knew that you are a loving and merciful God, always patient, always kind, and always ready to change your mind and not punish. 3 Now then, Lord, let me die. I am better off dead than alive." 4 The Lord answered, "What right do you have to be angry?" 5 Jonah went out east of the city and sat down. He made a shelter for himself and sat in its shade, waiting to see what would happen to Nineveh. 6 Then the Lord God made a plant grow up over Jonah to give him some shade, so that he would be more comfortable. Jonah was extremely pleased with the plant. 7 But at dawn the next day, at God's command, a worm attacked the plant, and it died. 8 After the sun had risen, God sent a hot east wind, and Jonah was about to faint from the heat of the sun beating down on his head. So he wished he were dead. "I am better off dead than alive," he said. 9 But God said to him, "What right do you have to be angry about the plant?" Jonah replied, "I have every right to be angry - angry enough to die!" 10 The Lord said to him, "This plant grew up in one night and disappeared the next; you didn't do anything for it and you didn't make it grow - yet you feel sorry for it! 11 How much more, then, should I have pity on Nineveh, that great city. After all, it has more than 120,000 innocent children in it, as well as many animals!"

Psalm 139:1 Lord, you have examined me and you know me. 2 You know everything I do; from far away you understand all my thoughts. 3 You see me, whether I am working or resting; you know all my actions. 4 Even before I speak, you already know what I will say. 5 You are all around me on every side; you protect me with your power. 6 Your knowledge of me is too deep; it is beyond my understanding. 7 Where could I go to escape from you? Where could I get away from your presence? 8 If I went up to heaven, you would be there; if I lay down in the world of the dead, you would be there. 9 If I flew away beyond the east or lived in the farthest place in the west, 10 you would be there to lead me, you would be there to help me. 11 I could ask the darkness to hide me or the light around me to turn into night, 12 but even darkness is not dark for you, and the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are the same to you.

Isaiah 42:5 God created the heavens and stretched them out; he fashioned the earth and all that lives there; he gave life and breath to all its people. And now the Lord God says to his servant,

Revelation 10:6 and took a vow in the name of God, who lives forever and ever, who created heaven, earth, and the sea, and everything in them. The angel said, "There will be no more delay!

Matthew 12:39 "How evil and godless are the people of this day!" Jesus exclaimed. "You ask me for a miracle? No! The only miracle you will be given is the miracle of the prophet Jonah. 40 In the same way that Jonah spent three days and nights in the big fish, so will the Son of Man spend three days and nights in the depths of the earth. 41 On the Judgment Day the people of Nineveh will stand up and accuse you, because they turned from their sins when they heard Jonah preach; and I tell you that there is something here greater than Jonah!

2 Kings 17:5 Then Shalmaneser invaded Israel and besieged Samaria. In the third year of the siege, 6 which was the ninth year of the reign of Hoshea, the Assyrian emperor captured Samaria, took the Israelites to Assyria as prisoners, and settled some of them in the city of Halah, some near the Habor River in the district of Gozan and some in the cities of Media. 7 Samaria fell because the Israelites sinned against the Lord their God, who had rescued them from the king of Egypt and had led them out of Egypt. They worshiped other gods, 8 followed the customs of the people whom the Lord had driven out as his people advanced, and adopted customs introduced by the kings of Israel. 9 The Israelites did things that the Lord their God disapproved of. They built pagan places of worship in all their towns, from the smallest village to the largest city. 10 On all the hills and under every shady tree they put up stone pillars and images of the goddess Asherah, 11 and they burned incense on all the pagan altars, following the practice of the people whom the Lord had driven out of the land. They aroused the Lord's anger with all their wicked deeds 12 and disobeyed the Lord's command not to worship idols. 13 The Lord had sent his messengers and prophets to warn Israel and Judah: "Abandon your evil ways and obey my commands, which are contained in the Law I gave to your ancestors and which I handed on to you through my servants the prophets." 14 But they would not obey; they were stubborn like their ancestors, who had not trusted in the Lord their God. 15 They refused to obey his instructions, they did not keep the covenant he had made with their ancestors, and they disregarded his warnings. They worshiped worthless idols and became worthless themselves, and they followed the customs of the surrounding nations, disobeying the Lord's command not to imitate them. 16 They broke all the laws of the Lord their God and made two metal bull-calves to worship; they also made an image of the goddess Asherah, worshiped the stars, and served the god Baal. 17 They sacrificed their sons and daughters as burnt offerings to pagan gods; they consulted mediums and fortunetellers, and they devoted themselves completely to doing what is wrong in the Lord's sight, and so aroused his anger. 18 The Lord was angry with the Israelites and banished them from his sight, leaving only the kingdom of Judah. 19 But even the people of Judah did not obey the laws of the Lord their God; they imitated the customs adopted by the people of Israel. 20 The Lord rejected all the Israelites, punishing them and handing them over to cruel enemies until at last he had banished them from his sight. 21 After the Lord had separated Israel from Judah, the Israelites made Jeroboam son of Nebat their king. Jeroboam caused them to abandon the Lord and led them into terrible sins. 22 They followed Jeroboam and continued to practice all the sins he had committed, 23 until at last the Lord banished them from his sight, as he had warned through his servants the prophets that he would do. So the people of Israel were taken into exile to Assyria, where they still live.

2 Chronicles 36:15 The Lord, the God of their ancestors, had continued to send prophets to warn his people, because he wanted to spare them and the Temple. 16 But they made fun of God's messengers, ignoring his words and laughing at his prophets, until at last the Lord's anger against his people was so great that there was no escape. 17 So the Lord brought the king of Babylonia to attack them. The king killed the young men of Judah even in the Temple. He had no mercy on anyone, young or old, man or woman, sick or healthy. God handed them all over to him.

113-Jonah 1:1 One day the Lord spoke to Jonah son of Amittai. 2 He said, "Go to Nineveh, that great city, and speak out against it; I am aware of how wicked its people are." 3 Jonah, however, set out in the opposite direction in order to get away from the Lord. He went to Joppa, where he found a ship about to go to Spain. He paid his fare and went aboard with the crew to sail to Spain, where he would be away from the Lord. 4 But the Lord sent a strong wind on the sea, and the storm was so violent that the ship was in danger of breaking up. 5 The sailors were terrified and cried out for help, each one to his own god. Then, in order to lessen the danger, they threw the cargo overboard. Meanwhile, Jonah had gone below and was lying in the ship's hold, sound asleep. 6 The captain found him there and said to him, "What are you doing asleep? Get up and pray to your god for help. Maybe he will feel sorry for us and spare our lives." 7 The sailors said to each other, "Let's draw lots and find out who is to blame for getting us into this danger." They did so, and Jonah's name was drawn. 8 So they said to him, "Now, then, tell us! Who is to blame for this? What are you doing here? What country do you come from? What is your nationality?" 9 "I am a Hebrew," Jonah answered. "I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made land and sea." 10 Jonah went on to tell them that he was running away from the Lord. The sailors were terrified, and said to him, "That was an awful thing to do!" 11 The storm was getting worse all the time, so the sailors asked him, "What should we do to you to stop the storm?" 12 Jonah answered, "Throw me into the sea, and it will calm down. I know it is my fault that you are caught in this violent storm." 13 Instead, the sailors tried to get the ship to shore, rowing with all their might. But the storm was becoming worse and worse, and they got nowhere. 14 So they cried out to the Lord, "O Lord, we pray, don't punish us with death for taking this man's life! You, O Lord, are responsible for all this; it is your doing." 15 Then they picked Jonah up and threw him into the sea, and it calmed down at once. 16 This made the sailors so afraid of the Lord that they offered a sacrifice and promised to serve him. 17 At the Lord's command a large fish swallowed Jonah, and he was inside the fish for three days and three nights.

Jonah 2:1 From deep inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God: 2 "In my distress, O Lord, I called to you, and you answered me. From deep in the world of the dead I cried for help, and you heard me. 3 You threw me down into the depths, to the very bottom of the sea, where the waters were all around me, and all your mighty waves rolled over me. 4 I thought I had been banished from your presence and would never see your holy Temple again. 5 The water came over me and choked me; the sea covered me completely, and seaweed wrapped around my head. 6 I went down to the very roots of the mountains, into the land whose gates lock shut forever. But you, O Lord my God, brought me back from the depths alive. 7 When I felt my life slipping away, then, O Lord, I prayed to you, and in your holy Temple you heard me. 8 Those who worship worthless idols have abandoned their loyalty to you. 9 But I will sing praises to you; I will offer you a sacrifice and do what I have promised. Salvation comes from the Lord!" 10 Then the Lord ordered the fish to spit Jonah up on the beach, and it did.

Jonah 3:1 Once again the Lord spoke to Jonah. 2 He said, "Go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to the people the message I have given you." 3 So Jonah obeyed the Lord and went to Nineveh, a city so large that it took three days to walk through it. 4 Jonah started through the city, and after walking a whole day, he proclaimed, "In forty days Nineveh will be destroyed!" 5 The people of Nineveh believed God's message. So they decided that everyone should fast, and all the people, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth to show that they had repented. 6 When the king of Nineveh heard about it, he got up from his throne, took off his robe, put on sackcloth, and sat down in ashes. 7 He sent out a proclamation to the people of Nineveh: "This is an order from the king and his officials: No one is to eat anything; all persons, cattle, and sheep are forbidden to eat or drink. 8 All persons and animals must wear sackcloth. Everyone must pray earnestly to God and must give up their wicked behavior and their evil actions. 9 Perhaps God will change his mind; perhaps he will stop being angry, and we will not die!" 10 God saw what they did; he saw that they had given up their wicked behavior. So he changed his mind and did not punish them as he had said he would.

Jonah 4:1 Jonah was very unhappy about this and became angry. 2 So he prayed, "Lord, didn't I say before I left home that this is just what you would do? That's why I did my best to run away to Spain! I knew that you are a loving and merciful God, always patient, always kind, and always ready to change your mind and not punish. 3 Now then, Lord, let me die. I am better off dead than alive." 4 The Lord answered, "What right do you have to be angry?" 5 Jonah went out east of the city and sat down. He made a shelter for himself and sat in its shade, waiting to see what would happen to Nineveh. 6 Then the Lord God made a plant grow up over Jonah to give him some shade, so that he would be more comfortable. Jonah was extremely pleased with the plant. 7 But at dawn the next day, at God's command, a worm attacked the plant, and it died. 8 After the sun had risen, God sent a hot east wind, and Jonah was about to faint from the heat of the sun beating down on his head. So he wished he were dead. "I am better off dead than alive," he said. 9 But God said to him, "What right do you have to be angry about the plant?" Jonah replied, "I have every right to be angry - angry enough to die!" 10 The Lord said to him, "This plant grew up in one night and disappeared the next; you didn't do anything for it and you didn't make it grow - yet you feel sorry for it! 11 How much more, then, should I have pity on Nineveh, that great city. After all, it has more than 120,000 innocent children in it, as well as many animals!"

114-2 Kings 14:23 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Amaziah son of Joash as king of Judah, Jeroboam son of Jehoash became king of Israel, and he ruled in Samaria for forty-one years. 24 He sinned against the Lord, following the wicked example of his predecessor King Jeroboam son of Nebat, who led Israel into sin. 25 He reconquered all the territory that had belonged to Israel, from Hamath Pass in the north to the Dead Sea in the south. This was what the Lord, the God of Israel, had promised through his servant the prophet Jonah son of Amittai from Gath Hepher.

115-Gen. 10:11 From that land he went to Assyria and built the cities of Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah, 12 and Resen, which is between Nineveh and the great city of Calah.

116-Zeph. 2:13 The Lord will use his power to destroy Assyria. He will make the city of Nineveh a deserted ruin, a waterless desert. 14 It will be a place where flocks, herds, and animals of every kind will lie down. Owls will live among its ruins and hoot from the windows. Crows will caw on the doorsteps. The cedar wood of her buildings will be stripped away. 15 That is what will happen to the city that is so proud of its own power and thinks it is safe. Its people think that their city is the greatest in the world. What a desolate place it will become, a place where wild animals will rest! Everyone who passes by will shrink back in horror.

117-Nah. 1:1 This is a message about Nineveh, the account of a vision seen by Nahum, who was from Elkosh.

Nah. 3:1 Doomed is the lying, murderous city, full of wealth to be looted and plundered!

118-Nah. 2:6 The gates by the river burst open; the palace is filled with terror. 7 The queen is taken captive; her servants moan like doves and beat their breasts in sorrow. 8 Like water from a broken dam the people rush from Nineveh! "Stop! Stop!" the cry rings out - but no one turns back.

119-2 Chronicles 36:15 The Lord, the God of their ancestors, had continued to send prophets to warn his people, because he wanted to spare them and the Temple. 16 But they made fun of God's messengers, ignoring his words and laughing at his prophets, until at last the Lord's anger against his people was so great that there was no escape.

120-Jonah 4: 1 Jonah was very unhappy about this and became angry. 2 So he prayed, "Lord, didn't I say before I left home that this is just what you would do? That's why I did my best to run away to Spain! I knew that you are a loving and merciful God, always patient, always kind, and always ready to change your mind and not punish. 3 Now then, Lord, let me die. I am better off dead than alive." 4 The Lord answered, "What right do you have to be angry?" 5 Jonah went out east of the city and sat down. He made a shelter for himself and sat in its shade, waiting to see what would happen to Nineveh. 6 Then the Lord God made a plant grow up over Jonah to give him some shade, so that he would be more comfortable. Jonah was extremely pleased with the plant. 7 But at dawn the next day, at God's command, a worm attacked the plant, and it died. 8 After the sun had risen, God sent a hot east wind, and Jonah was about to faint from the heat of the sun beating down on his head. So he wished he were dead. "I am better off dead than alive," he said. 9 But God said to him, "What right do you have to be angry about the plant?" Jonah replied, "I have every right to be angry - angry enough to die!" 10 The Lord said to him, "This plant grew up in one night and disappeared the next; you didn't do anything for it and you didn't make it grow - yet you feel sorry for it! 11 How much more, then, should I have pity on Nineveh, that great city. After all, it has more than 120,000 innocent children in it, as well as many animals!"

121-Genesis 18:25 Surely you won't kill the innocent with the guilty. That's impossible! You can't do that. If you did, the innocent would be punished along with the guilty. That is impossible. The judge of all the earth has to act justly."

Exodus 32:7 The Lord said to Moses, "Hurry and go back down, because your people, whom you led out of Egypt, have sinned and rejected me. 8 They have already left the way that I commanded them to follow; they have made a bull-calf out of melted gold and have worshiped it and offered sacrifices to it. They are saying that this is their god, who led them out of Egypt. 9 I know how stubborn these people are. 10 Now, don't try to stop me. I am angry with them, and I am going to destroy them. Then I will make you and your descendants into a great nation." 11 But Moses pleaded with the Lord his God and said, "Lord, why should you be so angry with your people, whom you rescued from Egypt with great might and power? 12 Why should the Egyptians be able to say that you led your people out of Egypt, planning to kill them in the mountains and destroy them completely? Stop being angry; change your mind and do not bring this disaster on your people. 13 Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Remember the solemn promise you made to them to give them as many descendants as there are stars in the sky and to give their descendants all that land you promised would be their possession forever." 14 So the Lord changed his mind and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.

Deuteronomy 9:6 You can be sure that the Lord is not giving you this fertile land because you deserve it. No, you are a stubborn people. 7 "Never forget how you made the Lord your God angry in the desert. From the day that you left Egypt until the day you arrived here, you have rebelled against him. 8 Even at Mount Sinai you made the Lord angry - angry enough to destroy you. 9 I went up the mountain to receive the stone tablets on which was written the covenant that the Lord had made with you. I stayed there forty days and nights and did not eat or drink anything. 10 Then the Lord gave me the two stone tablets on which he had written with his own hand what he had said to you from the fire on the day that you were gathered there at the mountain. 11 Yes, after those forty days and nights the Lord gave me the two stone tablets on which he had written the covenant. 12 "Then the Lord said to me, "Go down the mountain at once, because your people, whom you led out of Egypt, have become corrupt and have done evil. They have already turned away from what I commanded them to do, and they have made an idol for themselves.' 13 "The Lord also said to me, "I know how stubborn these people are.

Deut. 9:26 And I prayed, "Sovereign Lord, don't destroy your own people, the people you rescued and brought out of Egypt by your great strength and power. 27 Remember your servants, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and do not pay any attention to the stubbornness, wickedness, and sin of this people. 28 Otherwise, the Egyptians will say that you were unable to take your people into the land that you had promised them. They will say that you took your people out into the desert to kill them, because you hated them. 29 After all, these are the people whom you chose to be your own and whom you brought out of Egypt by your great power and might.'

Deuteronomy 32:26 I would have destroyed them completely, so that no one would remember them. 27 But I could not let their enemies boast that they had defeated my people, when it was I myself who had crushed them.'

Numbers 14:11 The Lord said to Moses, "How much longer will these people reject me? How much longer will they refuse to trust in me, even though I have performed so many miracles among them? 12 I will send an epidemic and destroy them, but I will make you the father of a nation that is larger and more powerful than they are!" 13 But Moses said to the Lord, "You brought these people out of Egypt by your power. When the Egyptians hear what you have done to your people, 14 they will tell it to the people who live in this land. These people have already heard that you, Lord, are with us, that you appear in plain sight when your cloud stops over us, and that you go before us in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. 15 Now if you kill all your people, the nations who have heard of your fame will say 16 that you killed your people in the wilderness because you were not able to bring them into the land you promised to give them.

Job 42:7 After the Lord had finished speaking to Job, he said to Eliphaz, "I am angry with you and your two friends, because you did not speak the truth about me, the way my servant Job did. 8 Now take seven bulls and seven rams to Job and offer them as a sacrifice for yourselves. Job will pray for you, and I will answer his prayer and not disgrace you the way you deserve. You did not speak the truth about me as he did."

Ezekiel 36:22 "Now then, give the Israelites the message that I, the Sovereign Lord, have for them: What I am going to do is not for the sake of you Israelites, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have disgraced in every country where you have gone. 23 When I demonstrate to the nations the holiness of my great name - the name you disgraced among them - then they will know that I am the Lord. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken. I will use you to show the nations that I am holy.

Daniel 9:14 You, O Lord our God, were prepared to punish us, and you did, because you always do what is right, and we did not listen to you. 15 "O Lord our God, you showed your power by bringing your people out of Egypt, and your power is still remembered. We have sinned; we have done wrong. 16 You have defended us in the past, so do not be angry with Jerusalem any longer. It is your city, your sacred hill. All the people in the neighboring countries look down on Jerusalem and on your people because of our sins and the evil our ancestors did. 17 O God, hear my prayer and pleading. Restore your Temple, which has been destroyed; restore it so that everyone will know that you are God. 18 Listen to us, O God; look at us and see the trouble we are in and the suffering of the city that bears your name. We are praying to you because you are merciful, not because we have done right. 19 Lord, hear us. Lord, forgive us. Lord, listen to us, and act! In order that everyone will know that you are God, do not delay! This city and these people are yours."

John 15:15 I do not call you servants any longer, because servants do not know what their master is doing. Instead, I call you friends, because I have told you everything I heard from my Father.

Romans 1:18 God's anger is revealed from heaven against all the sin and evil of the people whose evil ways prevent the truth from being known.

Romans 2:17 What about you? You call yourself a Jew; you depend on the Law and boast about God; 18 you know what God wants you to do, and you have learned from the Law to choose what is right; 19 you are sure that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in darkness, 20 an instructor for the foolish, and a teacher for the ignorant. You are certain that in the Law you have the full content of knowledge and of truth. 21 You teach others - why don't you teach yourself? You preach, "Do not steal" - but do you yourself steal? 22 You say, "Do not commit adultery" - but do you commit adultery? You detest idols - but do you rob temples? 23 You boast about having God's law - but do you bring shame on God by breaking his law? 24 The scripture says, "Because of you Jews, the Gentiles speak evil of God."

122-Jonah 1:9 "I am a Hebrew," Jonah answered. "I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made land and sea." 10 Jonah went on to tell them that he was running away from the Lord. The sailors were terrified, and said to him, "That was an awful thing to do!" 11 The storm was getting worse all the time, so the sailors asked him, "What should we do to you to stop the storm?" 12 Jonah answered, "Throw me into the sea, and it will calm down. I know it is my fault that you are caught in this violent storm."

123-Jonah 1:4 But the Lord sent a strong wind on the sea, and the storm was so violent that the ship was in danger of breaking up.

124-Jonah 2:2 And he said, I called by reason of mine affliction unto Jehovah, And he answered me; Out of the belly of Sheol cried I, [And] thou heardest my voice. ASV

125-Jonah 4:1 Jonah was very unhappy about this and became angry. 2 So he prayed, "Lord, didn't I say before I left home that this is just what you would do? That's why I did my best to run away to Spain! I knew that you are a loving and merciful God, always patient, always kind, and always ready to change your mind and not punish. 3 Now then, Lord, let me die. I am better off dead than alive."

126-Matthew 12:38 Then some teachers of the Law and some Pharisees spoke up. "Teacher," they said, "we want to see you perform a miracle." 39 "How evil and godless are the people of this day!" Jesus exclaimed. "You ask me for a miracle? No! The only miracle you will be given is the miracle of the prophet Jonah. 40 In the same way that Jonah spent three days and nights in the big fish, so will the Son of Man spend three days and nights in the depths of the earth. 41 On the Judgment Day the people of Nineveh will stand up and accuse you, because they turned from their sins when they heard Jonah preach; and I tell you that there is something here greater than Jonah!

Matthew 16:4 How evil and godless are the people of this day! You ask me for a miracle? No! The only miracle you will be given is the miracle of Jonah." So he left them and went away.

Luke 11:29 As the people crowded around Jesus, he went on to say, "How evil are the people of this day! They ask for a miracle, but none will be given them except the miracle of Jonah. 30 In the same way that the prophet Jonah was a sign for the people of Nineveh, so the Son of Man will be a sign for the people of this day. 31 On the Judgment Day the Queen of Sheba will stand up and accuse the people of today, because she traveled all the way from her country to listen to King Solomon's wise teaching; and there is something here, I tell you, greater than Solomon. 32 On the Judgment Day the people of Nineveh will stand up and accuse you, because they turned from their sins when they heard Jonah preach; and I assure you that there is something here greater than Jonah!

127-Jonah 3:9 Perhaps God will change his mind; perhaps he will stop being angry, and we will not die!" 10 God saw what they did; he saw that they had given up their wicked behavior. So he changed his mind and did not punish them as he had said he would.

Exodus 32:14 So the Lord changed his mind and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.

Numbers 23:19 God is not like people, who lie; He is not a human who changes his mind. Whatever he promises, he does; He speaks, and it is done.

1 Samuel 15:10 The Lord said to Samuel, 11 "I am sorry that I made Saul king; he has turned away from me and disobeyed my commands." Samuel was angry, and all night long he pleaded with the Lord. 29 Israel's majestic God does not lie or change his mind. He is not a human being - he does not change his mind." 31 So Samuel went back with him, and Saul worshiped the Lord.

2 Samuel 24:16 When the Lord's angel was about to destroy Jerusalem, the Lord changed his mind about punishing the people and said to the angel who was killing them, "Stop! That's enough!" The angel was by the threshing place of Araunah, a Jebusite.

Jeremiah 4:28 The earth will mourn; the sky will grow dark. The Lord has spoken and will not change his mind. He has made his decision and will not turn back.

Romans 11:29 For God does not change his mind about whom he chooses and blesses.

Malachi 3:6 "I am the Lord, and I do not change. And so you, the descendants of Jacob, are not yet completely lost.

128-Micah 1:1 During the time that Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah were kings of Judah, the Lord gave this message to Micah, who was from the town of Moresheth. The Lord revealed to Micah all these things about Samaria and Jerusalem. 2 Hear this, all you nations; listen to this, all who live on earth! The Sovereign Lord will testify against you. Listen! He speaks from his heavenly temple. 3 The Lord is coming from his holy place; he will come down and walk on the tops of the mountains. 4 Then the mountains will melt under him like wax in a fire; they will pour down into the valleys like water pouring down a hill. 5 All this will happen because the people of Israel have sinned and rebelled against God. Who is to blame for Israel's rebellion? Samaria, the capital city itself! Who is guilty of idolatry in Judah? Jerusalem itself! 6 So the Lord says, "I will make Samaria a pile of ruins in the open country, a place for planting grapevines. I will pour the rubble of the city down into the valley, and will lay bare the city's foundations. 7 All its precious idols will be smashed to pieces, everything given to its temple prostitutes will be destroyed by fire, and all its images will become a desolate heap. Samaria acquired these things for its fertility rites, and now her enemies will carry them off for temple prostitutes elsewhere." 8 Then Micah said, "Because of this I will mourn and lament. To show my sorrow, I will walk around barefoot and naked. I will howl like a jackal and wail like an ostrich. 9 Samaria's wounds cannot be healed, and Judah is about to suffer in the same way; destruction has reached the gates of Jerusalem itself, where my people live."

Mica 2:1 How terrible it will be for those who lie awake and plan evil! When morning comes, as soon as they have the chance, they do the evil they planned. 2 When they want fields, they seize them; when they want houses, they take them. No one's family or property is safe. 3 And so the Lord says, "I am planning to bring disaster on you, and you will not be able to escape it. You are going to find yourselves in trouble, and then you will not walk so proudly any more. 4 When that time comes, people will use the story about you as an example of disaster, and they will sing this song of despair about your experience: We are completely ruined! The Lord has taken our land away And given it to those who took us captive." 5 So then, when the time comes for the land to be given back to the Lord's people, there will be no share for any of you. 6 The people preach at me and say, "Don't preach at us. Don't preach about all that. God is not going to disgrace us. 7 Do you think the people of Israel are under a curse? Has the Lord lost his patience? Would he really do such things? Doesn't he speak kindly to those who do right?" 8 The Lord replies, "You attack my people like enemies. Men return from battle, thinking they are safe at home, but there you are, waiting to steal the coats off their backs. 9 You drive the women of my people out of the homes they love, and you have robbed their children of my blessings forever. 10 Get up and go; there is no safety here any more. Your sins have doomed this place to destruction. 11 "These people want the kind of prophet who goes around full of lies and deceit and says, "I prophesy that wine and liquor will flow for you.'

Micah 5:2 The Lord says, "Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are one of the smallest towns in Judah, but out of you I will bring a ruler for Israel, whose family line goes back to ancient times."

Micah 6:1 Listen to the Lord's case against Israel. Arise, O Lord, and present your case; let the mountains and the hills hear what you say. 2 You mountains, you everlasting foundations of the earth, listen to the Lord's case! The Lord has a case against his people. He is going to bring an accusation against Israel. 3 The Lord says, "My people, what have I done to you? How have I been a burden to you? Answer me. 4 I brought you out of Egypt; I rescued you from slavery; I sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam to lead you. 5 My people, remember what King Balak of Moab planned to do to you and how Balaam son of Beor answered him. Remember the things that happened on the way from the camp at Acacia to Gilgal. Remember these things and you will realize what I did in order to save you." 6 What shall I bring to the Lord, the God of heaven, when I come to worship him? Shall I bring the best calves to burn as offerings to him? 7 Will the Lord be pleased if I bring him thousands of sheep or endless streams of olive oil? Shall I offer him my first-born child to pay for my sins? 8 No, the Lord has told us what is good. What he requires of us is this: to do what is just, to show constant love, and to live in humble fellowship with our God.

Micah 7:18 There is no other god like you, O Lord; you forgive the sins of your people who have survived. You do not stay angry forever, but you take pleasure in showing us your constant love. 19 You will be merciful to us once again. You will trample our sins underfoot and send them to the bottom of the sea! 20 You will show your faithfulness and constant love to your people, the descendants of Abraham and of Jacob, as you promised our ancestors long ago.

2 Corinthians 11:23 Are they Christ's servants? I sound like a madman - but I am a better servant than they are! I have worked much harder, I have been in prison more times, I have been whipped much more, and I have been near death more often. 24 Five times I was given the thirty-nine lashes by the Jews; 25 three times I was whipped by the Romans; and once I was stoned. I have been in three shipwrecks, and once I spent twenty-four hours in the water. 26 In my many travels I have been in danger from floods and from robbers, in danger from my own people and from Gentiles; there have been dangers in the cities, dangers in the wilds, dangers on the high seas, and dangers from false friends. 27 There has been work and toil; often I have gone without sleep; I have been hungry and thirsty; I have often been without enough food, shelter, or clothing.

129-Micah 3:12 And so, because of you, Zion will be plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become a pile of ruins, and the Temple hill will become a forest.

130-Micah 5:2 The Lord says, "Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are one of the smallest towns in Judah, but out of you I will bring a ruler for Israel, whose family line goes back to ancient times."

131-Jeremiah 26:18 "When Hezekiah was king of Judah, the prophet Micah of Moresheth told all the people that the Lord Almighty had said, "Zion will be plowed like a field; Jerusalem will become a pile of ruins, and the Temple hill will become a forest.' 19 King Hezekiah and the people of Judah did not put Micah to death. Instead, Hezekiah honored the Lord and tried to win his favor. And the Lord changed his mind about the disaster that he said he would bring on them. Now we are about to bring a terrible disaster on ourselves."

132-2 Kings 15:29 It was while Pekah was king that Tiglath Pileser, the emperor of Assyria, captured the cities of Ijon, Abel Beth Maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, and Hazor, and the territories of Gilead, Galilee, and Naphtali, and took the people to Assyria as prisoners.

133-Micah 2:8 The Lord replies, "You attack my people like enemies. Men return from battle, thinking they are safe at home, but there you are, waiting to steal the coats off their backs. 9 You drive the women of my people out of the homes they love, and you have robbed their children of my blessings forever.

134-Micah 2:1 How terrible it will be for those who lie awake and plan evil! When morning comes, as soon as they have the chance, they do the evil they planned. 2 When they want fields, they seize them; when they want houses, they take them. No one's family or property is safe. 3 And so the Lord says, "I am planning to bring disaster on you, and you will not be able to escape it. You are going to find yourselves in trouble, and then you will not walk so proudly any more. 4 When that time comes, people will use the story about you as an example of disaster, and they will sing this song of despair about your experience: We are completely ruined! The Lord has taken our land away And given it to those who took us captive." 5 So then, when the time comes for the land to be given back to the Lord's people, there will be no share for any of you.

135-Micah 3:1 Listen, you rulers of Israel! You are supposed to be concerned about justice, 2 yet you hate what is good and you love what is evil. You skin my people alive and tear the flesh off their bones. 3 You eat my people up. You strip off their skin, break their bones, and chop them up like meat for the pot. 4 The time is coming when you will cry out to the Lord, but he will not answer you. He will not listen to your prayers, for you have done evil. 5 My people are deceived by prophets who promise peace to those who pay them, but threaten war for those who don't. To these prophets the Lord says, 6 "Prophets, your day is almost over; the sun is going down on you. Because you mislead my people, you will have no more prophetic visions, and you will not be able to predict anything." 7 Those who predict the future will be disgraced by their failure. They will all be humiliated because God does not answer them. 8 But as for me, the Lord fills me with his spirit and power, and gives me a sense of justice and the courage to tell the people of Israel what their sins are. 9 Listen to me, you rulers of Israel, you that hate justice and turn right into wrong. 10 You are building God's city, Jerusalem, on a foundation of murder and injustice. 11 The city's rulers govern for bribes, the priests interpret the Law for pay, the prophets give their revelations for money - and they all claim that the Lord is with them. "No harm will come to us," they say. "The Lord is with us." 12 And so, because of you, Zion will be plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become a pile of ruins, and the Temple hill will become a forest.

136-Micah 6:9 It is wise to fear the Lord. He calls to the city, "Listen, you people who assemble in the city! 10 In the houses of evil people are treasures which they got dishonestly. They use false measures, a thing that I hate. 11 How can I forgive those who use false scales and weights? 12 Your rich people exploit the poor, and all of you are liars. 13 So I have already begun your ruin and destruction because of your sins. 14 You will eat, but not be satisfied - in fact you will still be hungry. You will carry things off, but you will not be able to save them; anything you do save I will destroy in war. 15 You will sow grain, but not harvest the crop. You will press oil from olives, but never get to use it. You will make wine, but never drink it. 16 This will happen because you have followed the evil practices of King Omri and of his son, King Ahab. You have continued their policies, and so I will bring you to ruin, and everyone will despise you. People everywhere will treat you with contempt."

Micah 7:1 It's hopeless! I am like a hungry person who finds no fruit left on the trees and no grapes on the vines. All the grapes and all the tasty figs have been picked. 2 There is not an honest person left in the land, no one loyal to God. Everyone is waiting for a chance to commit murder. Everyone hunts down their own people. 3 They are all experts at doing evil. Officials and judges ask for bribes. The influential people tell them what they want, and so they scheme together. 4 Even the best and most honest of them are as worthless as weeds. The day has come when God will punish the people, as he warned them through their watchmen, the prophets. Now they are in confusion. 5 Don't believe your neighbor or trust your friend. Be careful what you say even to your husband or wife. 6 In these times sons treat their fathers like fools, daughters oppose their mothers, and young women quarrel with their mothers-in-law; your enemies are the members of your own family. 7 But I will watch for the Lord; I will wait confidently for God, who will save me. My God will hear me.

137-Micah 1:1 During the time that Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah were kings of Judah, the Lord gave this message to Micah, who was from the town of Moresheth. The Lord revealed to Micah all these things about Samaria and Jerusalem.

138-Micah 3:5 My people are deceived by prophets who promise peace to those who pay them, but threaten war for those who don't. To these prophets the Lord says, 6 "Prophets, your day is almost over; the sun is going down on you. Because you mislead my people, you will have no more prophetic visions, and you will not be able to predict anything." 7 Those who predict the future will be disgraced by their failure. They will all be humiliated because God does not answer them. 8 But as for me, the Lord fills me with his spirit and power, and gives me a sense of justice and the courage to tell the people of Israel what their sins are. 9 Listen to me, you rulers of Israel, you that hate justice and turn right into wrong. 10 You are building God's city, Jerusalem, on a foundation of murder and injustice. 11 The city's rulers govern for bribes, the priests interpret the Law for pay, the prophets give their revelations for money - and they all claim that the Lord is with them. "No harm will come to us," they say. "The Lord is with us."

139-Micah 5:2 The Lord says, "Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are one of the smallest towns in Judah, but out of you I will bring a ruler for Israel, whose family line goes back to ancient times."

Micah 6:1 Listen to the Lord's case against Israel. Arise, O Lord, and present your case; let the mountains and the hills hear what you say. 2 You mountains, you everlasting foundations of the earth, listen to the Lord's case! The Lord has a case against his people. He is going to bring an accusation against Israel. 3 The Lord says, "My people, what have I done to you? How have I been a burden to you? Answer me. 4 I brought you out of Egypt; I rescued you from slavery; I sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam to lead you. 5 My people, remember what King Balak of Moab planned to do to you and how Balaam son of Beor answered him. Remember the things that happened on the way from the camp at Acacia to Gilgal. Remember these things and you will realize what I did in order to save you." 6 What shall I bring to the Lord, the God of heaven, when I come to worship him? Shall I bring the best calves to burn as offerings to him? 7 Will the Lord be pleased if I bring him thousands of sheep or endless streams of olive oil? Shall I offer him my first-born child to pay for my sins? 8 No, the Lord has told us what is good. What he requires of us is this: to do what is just, to show constant love, and to live in humble fellowship with our God.

Micah 7:18 There is no other god like you, O Lord; you forgive the sins of your people who have survived. You do not stay angry forever, but you take pleasure in showing us your constant love. 19 You will be merciful to us once again. You will trample our sins underfoot and send them to the bottom of the sea! 20 You will show your faithfulness and constant love to your people, the descendants of Abraham and of Jacob, as you promised our ancestors long ago.

140-Micah 2:11 "These people want the kind of prophet who goes around full of lies and deceit and says, "I prophesy that wine and liquor will flow for you.'

141-2 Timothy 4:3 The time will come when people will not listen to sound doctrine, but will follow their own desires and will collect for themselves more and more teachers who will tell them what they are itching to hear. 4 They will turn away from listening to the truth and give their attention to legends.

142-Micah 4:1 In days to come the mountain where the Temple stands will be the highest one of all, towering above all the hills. Many nations will come streaming to it, 2 and their people will say, "Let us go up the hill of the Lord, to the Temple of Israel's God. He will teach us what he wants us to do; we will walk in the paths he has chosen. For the Lord's teaching comes from Jerusalem; from Zion he speaks to his people." 3 He will settle disputes among the nations, among the great powers near and far. They will hammer their swords into plows and their spears into pruning knives. Nations will never again go to war, never prepare for battle again. 4 Everyone will live in peace among their own vineyards and fig trees, and no one will make them afraid. The Lord Almighty has promised this.

143-Isaiah 2:2 In days to come the mountain where the Temple stands will be the highest one of all, towering above all the hills. Many nations will come streaming to it, 3 and their people will say, "Let us go up the hill of the Lord, to the Temple of Israel's God. He will teach us what he wants us to do; we will walk in the paths he has chosen. For the Lord's teaching comes from Jerusalem; from Zion he speaks to his people." 4 He will settle disputes among great nations. They will hammer their swords into plows and their spears into pruning knives. Nations will never again go to war, never prepare for battle again.

144-Jude 1:1 From Jude, servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James - To those who have been called by God, who live in the love of God the Father and the protection of Jesus Christ: 2 May mercy, peace, and love be yours in full measure. 3 My dear friends, I was doing my best to write to you about the salvation we share in common, when I felt the need of writing at once to encourage you to fight on for the faith which once and for all God has given to his people. 4 For some godless people have slipped in unnoticed among us, persons who distort the message about the grace of our God in order to excuse their immoral ways, and who reject Jesus Christ, our only Master and Lord. Long ago the Scriptures predicted the condemnation they have received. 5 For even though you know all this, I want to remind you of how the Lord once rescued the people of Israel from Egypt, but afterward destroyed those who did not believe. 6 Remember the angels who did not stay within the limits of their proper authority, but abandoned their own dwelling place: they are bound with eternal chains in the darkness below, where God is keeping them for that great Day on which they will be condemned. 7 Remember Sodom and Gomorrah, and the nearby towns, whose people acted as those angels did and indulged in sexual immorality and perversion: they suffer the punishment of eternal fire as a plain warning to all. 8 In the same way also, these people have visions which make them sin against their own bodies; they despise God's authority and insult the glorious beings above. 9 Not even the chief angel Michael did this. In his quarrel with the Devil, when they argued about who would have the body of Moses, Michael did not dare condemn the Devil with insulting words, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!" 10 But these people attack with insults anything they do not understand; and those things that they know by instinct, like wild animals, are the very things that destroy them. 11 How terrible for them! They have followed the way that Cain took. For the sake of money they have given themselves over to the error that Balaam committed. They have rebelled as Korah rebelled, and like him they are destroyed. 12 With their shameless carousing they are like dirty spots in your fellowship meals. They take care only of themselves. They are like clouds carried along by the wind, but bringing no rain. They are like trees that bear no fruit, even in autumn, trees that have been pulled up by the roots and are completely dead. 13 They are like wild waves of the sea, with their shameful deeds showing up like foam. They are like wandering stars, for whom God has reserved a place forever in the deepest darkness. 14 It was Enoch, the seventh direct descendant from Adam, who long ago prophesied this about them: "The Lord will come with many thousands of his holy angels 15 to bring judgment on all, to condemn them all for the godless deeds they have performed and for all the terrible words that godless sinners have spoken against him!" 16 These people are always grumbling and blaming others; they follow their own evil desires; they brag about themselves and flatter others in order to get their own way. 17 But remember, my friends, what you were told in the past by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. 18 They said to you, "When the last days come, people will appear who will make fun of you, people who follow their own godless desires." 19 These are the people who cause divisions, who are controlled by their natural desires, who do not have the Spirit. 20 But you, my friends, keep on building yourselves up on your most sacred faith. Pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, 21 and keep yourselves in the love of God, as you wait for our Lord Jesus Christ in his mercy to give you eternal life. 22 Show mercy toward those who have doubts; 23 save others by snatching them out of the fire; and to others show mercy mixed with fear, but hate their very clothes, stained by their sinful lusts. 24 To him who is able to keep you from falling and to bring you faultless and joyful before his glorious presence - 25 to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, might, and authority, from all ages past, and now, and forever and ever! Amen.

2 Peter 2:1 False prophets appeared in the past among the people, and in the same way false teachers will appear among you. They will bring in destructive, untrue doctrines, and will deny the Master who redeemed them, and so they will bring upon themselves sudden destruction. 2 Even so, many will follow their immoral ways; and because of what they do, others will speak evil of the Way of truth. 3 In their greed these false teachers will make a profit out of telling you made-up stories. For a long time now their Judge has been ready, and their Destroyer has been wide awake! 4 God did not spare the angels who sinned, but threw them into hell, where they are kept chained in darkness, waiting for the Day of Judgment. 5 God did not spare the ancient world, but brought the flood on the world of godless people; the only ones he saved were Noah, who preached righteousness, and seven other people. 6 God condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, destroying them with fire, and made them an example of what will happen to the godless. 7 He rescued Lot, a good man, who was distressed by the immoral conduct of lawless people. 8 That good man lived among them, and day after day he suffered agony as he saw and heard their evil actions. 9 And so the Lord knows how to rescue godly people from their trials and how to keep the wicked under punishment for the Day of Judgment, 10 especially those who follow their filthy bodily lusts and despise God's authority. These false teachers are bold and arrogant, and show no respect for the glorious beings above; instead, they insult them. 11 Even the angels, who are so much stronger and mightier than these false teachers, do not accuse them with insults in the presence of the Lord. 12 But these people act by instinct, like wild animals born to be captured and killed; they attack with insults anything they do not understand. They will be destroyed like wild animals, 13 and they will be paid with suffering for the suffering they have caused. Pleasure for them is to do anything in broad daylight that will satisfy their bodily appetites; they are a shame and a disgrace as they join you in your meals, all the while enjoying their deceitful ways! 14 They want to look for nothing but the chance to commit adultery; their appetite for sin is never satisfied. They lead weak people into a trap. Their hearts are trained to be greedy. They are under God's curse! 15 They have left the straight path and have lost their way; they have followed the path taken by Balaam son of Beor, who loved the money he would get for doing wrong 16 and was rebuked for his sin. His donkey spoke with a human voice and stopped the prophet's insane action. 17 These people are like dried-up springs, like clouds blown along by a storm; God has reserved a place for them in the deepest darkness. 18 They make proud and stupid statements, and use immoral bodily lusts to trap those who are just beginning to escape from among people who live in error. 19 They promise them freedom while they themselves are slaves of destructive habits - for we are slaves of anything that has conquered us. 20 If people have escaped from the corrupting forces of the world through their knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and then are again caught and conquered by them, such people are in worse condition at the end than they were at the beginning. 21 It would have been much better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than to know it and then turn away from the sacred command that was given them. 22 What happened to them shows that the proverbs are true: "A dog goes back to what it has vomited" and "A pig that has been washed goes back to roll in the mud."

145-Isaiah 37:1 As soon as King Hezekiah heard their report, he tore his clothes in grief, put on sackcloth, and went to the Temple of the Lord. 2 He sent Eliakim, the official in charge of the palace, Shebna, the court secretary, and the senior priests to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz. They also were wearing sackcloth. 3 This is the message which he told them to give to Isaiah: "Today is a day of suffering; we are being punished and are in disgrace. We are like a woman who is ready to give birth, but is too weak to do it. 4 The Assyrian emperor has sent his chief official to insult the living God. May the Lord your God hear these insults and punish those who spoke them. So pray to God for those of our people who survive." 5 When Isaiah received King Hezekiah's message, 6 he sent back this answer: "The Lord tells you not to let the Assyrians frighten you by their claims that he cannot save you. 7 The Lord will cause the emperor to hear a rumor that will make him go back to his own country, and the Lord will have him killed there." 8 The Assyrian official learned that the emperor had left Lachish and was fighting against the nearby city of Libnah; so he went there to consult him. 9 Word reached the Assyrians that the Egyptian army, led by King Tirhakah of Ethiopia, was coming to attack them. When the emperor heard this, he sent a letter to King Hezekiah 10 of Judah to tell him: "The god you are trusting in has told you that you will not fall into my hands, but don't let that deceive you. 11 You have heard what an Assyrian emperor does to any country he decides to destroy. Do you think that you can escape? 12 My ancestors destroyed the cities of Gozan, Haran, and Rezeph, and killed the people of Betheden who lived in Telassar, and none of their gods could save them. 13 Where are the kings of the cities of Hamath, Arpad, Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah?" 14 King Hezekiah took the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went to the Temple, placed the letter there in the presence of the Lord, 15 and prayed, 16 "Almighty Lord, God of Israel, seated above the winged creatures, you alone are God, ruling all the kingdoms of the world. You created the earth and the sky. 17 Now, Lord, hear us and look at what is happening to us. Listen to all the things that Sennacherib is saying to insult you, the living God. 18 We all know, Lord, that the emperors of Assyria have destroyed many nations, made their lands desolate, 19 and burned up their gods - which were no gods at all, only images of wood and stone made by human hands. 20 Now, Lord our God, rescue us from the Assyrians, so that all the nations of the world will know that you alone are God." 21 Then Isaiah sent a message telling King Hezekiah that in answer to the king's prayer 22 the Lord had said, "The city of Jerusalem laughs at you, Sennacherib, and makes fun of you. 23 Whom do you think you have been insulting and ridiculing? You have been disrespectful to me, the holy God of Israel. 24 You sent your servants to boast to me that with all your chariots you had conquered the highest mountains of Lebanon. You boasted that there you cut down the tallest cedars and the finest cypress trees, and that you reached the deepest parts of the forests. 25 You boasted that you dug wells and drank water in foreign lands, and that the feet of your soldiers tramped the Nile River dry. 26 "Have you never heard that I planned all this long ago? And now I have carried it out. I gave you the power to turn fortified cities into piles of rubble. 27 The people who lived there were powerless; they were frightened and stunned. They were like grass in a field or weeds growing on a roof when the hot east wind blasts them. 28 "But I know everything about you, what you do and where you go. I know how you rage against me. 29 I have received the report of that rage and that pride of yours, and now I will put a hook through your nose and a bit in your mouth and will take you back by the same road you came." 30 Then Isaiah said to King Hezekiah, "Here is a sign of what will happen. This year and next you will have only wild grain to eat, but the following year you will be able to plant grain and harvest it, and plant vines and eat grapes. 31 Those in Judah who survive will flourish like plants that send roots deep into the ground and produce fruit. 32 There will be people in Jerusalem and on Mount Zion who will survive, because the Lord Almighty is determined to make this happen. 33 "And this is what the Lord has said about the Assyrian emperor: "He will not enter this city or shoot a single arrow against it. No soldiers with shields will come near the city, and no siege mounds will be built around it. 34 He will go back by the same road he came, without entering this city. I, the Lord, have spoken. 35 I will defend this city and protect it, for the sake of my own honor and because of the promise I made to my servant David.' " 36 An angel of the Lord went to the Assyrian camp and killed 185,000 soldiers. At dawn the next day there they lay, all dead! 37 Then the Assyrian emperor Sennacherib withdrew and returned to Nineveh. 38 One day when he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, two of his sons, Adrammelech and Sharezer, killed him with their swords and then escaped to the land of Ararat. Another of his sons, Esarhaddon, succeeded him as emperor.

146-2 Kings 19: 1 As soon as King Hezekiah heard their report, he tore his clothes in grief, put on sackcloth, and went to the Temple of the Lord. 2 He sent Eliakim, the official in charge of the palace, Shebna, the court secretary, and the senior priests to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz. They also were wearing sackcloth. 3 This is the message which he told them to give Isaiah: "Today is a day of suffering; we are being punished and are in disgrace. We are like a woman who is ready to give birth, but is too weak to do it. 4 The Assyrian emperor has sent his chief official to insult the living God. May the Lord your God hear these insults and punish those who spoke them. So pray to God for those of our people who survive." 5 When Isaiah received King Hezekiah's message, 6 he sent back this answer: "The Lord tells you not to let the Assyrians frighten you with their claims that he cannot save you. 7 The Lord will cause the emperor to hear a rumor that will make him go back to his own country, and the Lord will have him killed there." 8 The Assyrian official learned that the emperor had left Lachish and was fighting against the nearby city of Libnah; so he went there to consult him. 9 Word reached the Assyrians that the Egyptian army, led by King Tirhakah of Ethiopia, was coming to attack them. When the emperor heard this, he sent a letter to King Hezekiah of Judah 10 to tell him, "The god you are trusting in has told you that you will not fall into my hands, but don't let that deceive you. 11 You have heard what an Assyrian emperor does to any country he decides to destroy. Do you think that you can escape? 12 My ancestors destroyed the cities of Gozan, Haran, and Rezeph, and killed the people of Betheden who lived in Telassar, and none of their gods could save them. 13 Where are the kings of the cities of Hamath, Arpad, Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah?" 14 King Hezekiah took the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went to the Temple, placed the letter there in the presence of the Lord, 15 and prayed, "O Lord, the God of Israel, seated on your throne above the winged creatures, you alone are God, ruling all the kingdoms of the world. You created the earth and the sky. 16 Now, Lord, look at what is happening to us. Listen to all the things that Sennacherib is saying to insult you, the living God. 17 We all know, Lord, that the emperors of Assyria have destroyed many nations, made their lands desolate, 18 and burned up their gods - which were no gods at all, only images of wood and stone made by human hands. 19 Now, Lord our God, rescue us from the Assyrians, so that all the nations of the world will know that only you, O Lord, are God." 20 Then Isaiah sent a message telling King Hezekiah that in answer to the king's prayer 21 the Lord had said, "The city of Jerusalem laughs at you, Sennacherib, and makes fun of you. 22 Whom do you think you have been insulting and ridiculing? You have been disrespectful to me, the holy God of Israel. 23 You sent your messengers to boast to me that with all your chariots you had conquered the highest mountains of Lebanon. You boasted that there you cut down the tallest cedars and the finest cypress trees and that you reached the deepest parts of the forests. 24 You boasted that you dug wells and drank water in foreign lands and that the feet of your soldiers tramped the Nile River dry. 25 "Have you never heard that I planned all this long ago? And now I have carried it out. I gave you the power to turn fortified cities into piles of rubble. 26 The people who lived there were powerless; they were frightened and stunned. They were like grass in a field or weeds growing on a roof when the hot east wind blasts them. 27 "But I know everything about you, what you do and where you go. I know how you rage against me. 28 I have received the report of that rage and that pride of yours, and now I will put a hook through your nose and a bit in your mouth, and take you back by the same road you came." 29 Then Isaiah said to King Hezekiah, "Here is a sign of what will happen. This year and next you will have only wild grain to eat, but the following year you will be able to plant your grain and harvest it, and plant vines and eat grapes. 30 Those in Judah who survive will flourish like plants that send roots deep into the ground and produce fruit. 31 There will be people in Jerusalem and on Mount Zion who will survive, because the Lord is determined to make this happen. 32 "And this is what the Lord has said about the Assyrian emperor: "He will not enter this city or shoot a single arrow against it. No soldiers with shields will come near the city, and no siege mounds will be built around it. 33 He will go back by the same road he came, without entering this city. I, the Lord, have spoken. 34 I will defend this city and protect it, for the sake of my own honor and because of the promise I made to my servant David.' " 35 That night an angel of the Lord went to the Assyrian camp and killed 185,000 soldiers. At dawn the next day there they lay, all dead! 36 Then the Assyrian emperor Sennacherib withdrew and returned to Nineveh. 37 One day, when he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, two of his sons, Adrammelech and Sharezer, killed him with their swords and then escaped to the land of Ararat. Another of his sons, Esarhaddon, succeeded him as emperor.

147-2 Samuel 22: 1 When the Lord saved David from Saul and his other enemies, David sang this song to the Lord: 2 The Lord is my protector; he is my strong fortress. 3 My God is my protection, and with him I am safe. He protects me like a shield; he defends me and keeps me safe. He is my savior; he protects me and saves me from violence. 4 I call to the Lord, and he saves me from my enemies. Praise the Lord! 5 The waves of death were all around me; the waves of destruction rolled over me. 6 The danger of death was around me, and the grave set its trap for me. 7 In my trouble I called to the Lord; I called to my God for help. In his temple he heard my voice; he listened to my cry for help. 8 Then the earth trembled and shook; the foundations of the sky rocked and quivered because God was angry! 9 Smoke poured out of his nostrils, a consuming flame and burning coals from his mouth. 10 He tore the sky open and came down, with a dark cloud under his feet. 11 He flew swiftly on his winged creature; he traveled on the wings of the wind. 12 He covered himself with darkness; thick clouds, full of water, surrounded him; 13 burning coals flamed up from the lightning before him. 14 Then the Lord thundered from the sky, and the voice of Almighty God was heard. 15 He shot his arrows and scattered his enemies; with flashes of lightning he sent them running. 16 The floor of the ocean was laid bare, and the foundations of the earth were uncovered when the Lord rebuked his enemies and roared at them in anger. 17 The Lord reached down from above and took hold of me; he pulled me out of the deep waters. 18 He rescued me from my powerful enemies and from all those who hate me - they were too strong for me. 19 When I was in trouble, they attacked me, but the Lord protected me. 20 He helped me out of danger; he saved me because he was pleased with me. 21 The Lord rewards me because I do what is right; he blesses me because I am innocent. 22 I have obeyed the law of the Lord; I have not turned away from my God. 23 I have observed all his laws; I have not disobeyed his commands. 24 He knows that I am faultless, that I have kept myself from doing wrong. 25 And so he rewards me because I do what is right, because he knows that I am innocent. 26 O Lord, you are faithful to those who are faithful to you, and completely good to those who are perfect. 27 You are pure to those who are pure, but hostile to those who are wicked. 28 You save those who are humble, but you humble those who are proud. 29 You, Lord, are my light; you dispel my darkness. 30 You give me strength to attack my enemies and power to overcome their defenses. 31 This God - how perfect are his deeds, how dependable his words! He is like a shield for all who seek his protection. 32 The Lord alone is God; God alone is our defense. 33 This God is my strong refuge; he makes my pathway safe. 34 He makes me sure-footed as a deer; he keeps me safe on the mountains. 35 He trains me for battle, so that I can use the strongest bow. 36 O Lord, you protect me and save me; your help has made me great. 37 You have kept me from being captured, and I have never fallen. 38 I pursue my enemies and defeat them; I do not stop until I destroy them. 39 I strike them down, and they cannot rise; they lie defeated before me. 40 You give me strength for the battle and victory over my enemies. 41 You make my enemies run from me; I destroy those who hate me. 42 They look for help, but no one saves them; they call to the Lord, but he does not answer. 43 I crush them, and they become like dust; I trample on them like mud in the streets. 44 You saved me from my rebellious people and maintained my rule over the nations; people I did not know have now become my subjects. 45 Foreigners bow before me; when they hear me, they obey. 46 They lose their courage and come trembling from their fortresses. 47 The Lord lives! Praise my defender! Proclaim the greatness of the strong God who saves me! 48 He gives me victory over my enemies; he subdues the nations under me 49 and saves me from my foes. O Lord, you give me victory over my enemies and protect me from violent men. 50 And so I praise you among the nations; I sing praises to you. 51 God gives great victories to his king; he shows constant love to the one he has chosen, to David and his descendants forever.

148-Psalm 18: 1 How I love you, Lord! You are my defender. 2 The Lord is my protector; he is my strong fortress. My God is my protection, and with him I am safe. He protects me like a shield; he defends me and keeps me safe. 3 I call to the Lord, and he saves me from my enemies. Praise the Lord! 4 The danger of death was all around me; the waves of destruction rolled over me. 5 The danger of death was around me, and the grave set its trap for me. 6 In my trouble I called to the Lord; I called to my God for help. In his temple he heard my voice; he listened to my cry for help. 7 Then the earth trembled and shook; the foundations of the mountains rocked and quivered, because God was angry. 8 Smoke poured out of his nostrils, a consuming flame and burning coals from his mouth. 9 He tore the sky open and came down with a dark cloud under his feet. 10 He flew swiftly on his winged creature; he traveled on the wings of the wind. 11 He covered himself with darkness; thick clouds, full of water, surrounded him. 12 Hailstones and flashes of fire came from the lightning before him and broke through the dark clouds. 13 Then the Lord thundered from the sky; and the voice of the Most High was heard. 14 He shot his arrows and scattered his enemies; with flashes of lightning he sent them running. 15 The floor of the ocean was laid bare, and the foundations of the earth were uncovered, when you rebuked your enemies, Lord, and roared at them in anger. 16 The Lord reached down from above and took hold of me; he pulled me out of the deep waters. 17 He rescued me from my powerful enemies and from all those who hate me - they were too strong for me. 18 When I was in trouble, they attacked me, but the Lord protected me. 19 He helped me out of danger; he saved me because he was pleased with me. 20 The Lord rewards me because I do what is right; he blesses me because I am innocent. 21 I have obeyed the law of the Lord; I have not turned away from my God. 22 I have observed all his laws; I have not disobeyed his commands. 23 He knows that I am faultless, that I have kept myself from doing wrong. 24 And so he rewards me because I do what is right, because he knows that I am innocent. 25 O Lord, you are faithful to those who are faithful to you; completely good to those who are perfect. 26 You are pure to those who are pure, but hostile to those who are wicked. 27 You save those who are humble, but you humble those who are proud. 28 O Lord, you give me light; you dispel my darkness. 29 You give me strength to attack my enemies and power to overcome their defenses. 30 This God - how perfect are his deeds! How dependable his words! He is like a shield for all who seek his protection. 31 The Lord alone is God; God alone is our defense. 32 He is the God who makes me strong, who makes my pathway safe. 33 He makes me sure-footed as a deer; he keeps me safe on the mountains. 34 He trains me for battle, so that I can use the strongest bow. 35 O Lord, you protect me and save me; your care has made me great, and your power has kept me safe. 36 You have kept me from being captured, and I have never fallen. 37 I pursue my enemies and catch them; I do not stop until I destroy them. 38 I strike them down, and they cannot rise; they lie defeated before me. 39 You give me strength for the battle and victory over my enemies. 40 You make my enemies run from me; I destroy those who hate me. 41 They cry for help, but no one saves them; they call to the Lord, but he does not answer. 42 I crush them, so that they become like dust which the wind blows away. I trample on them like mud in the streets. 43 You saved me from a rebellious people and made me ruler over the nations; people I did not know have now become my subjects. 44 Foreigners bow before me; when they hear me, they obey. 45 They lose their courage and come trembling from their fortresses. 46 The Lord lives! Praise my defender! Proclaim the greatness of the God who saves me. 47 He gives me victory over my enemies; he subdues the nations under me 48 and saves me from my foes. O Lord, you give me victory over my enemies and protect me from violent people. 49 And so I praise you among the nations; I sing praises to you. 50 God gives great victories to his king; he shows constant love to the one he has chosen, to David and his descendants forever.

149-Joel 3:10 Hammer the points of your plows into swords and your pruning knives into spears. Even the weak must fight.

150-Micah 4:3 He will settle disputes among the nations, among the great powers near and far. They will hammer their swords into plows and their spears into pruning knives. Nations will never again go to war, never prepare for battle again.

151-Isaiah 2:4 He will settle disputes among great nations. They will hammer their swords into plows and their spears into pruning knives. Nations will never again go to war, never prepare for battle again.

152-Micah 4:11 Many nations have gathered to attack you. They say, "Jerusalem must be destroyed! We will see this city in ruins!" 12 But these nations do not know what is in the Lord's mind. They do not realize that they have been gathered together to be punished in the same way that grain is brought in to be threshed.

153-Micah 4:13 The Lord says, "People of Jerusalem, go and punish your enemies! I will make you as strong as a bull with iron horns and bronze hoofs. You will crush many nations, and the wealth they got by violence you will present to me, the Lord of the whole world." 5:1 People of Jerusalem, gather your forces! We are besieged! They are attacking the leader of Israel!

154-Micah 4:13 The Lord says, "People of Jerusalem, go and punish your enemies! I will make you as strong as a bull with iron horns and bronze hoofs. You will crush many nations, and the wealth they got by violence you will present to me, the Lord of the whole world."

155-Micah 5:1 People of Jerusalem, gather your forces! We are besieged! They are attacking the leader of Israel!

156-Micah 5:2 The Lord says, "Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are one of the smallest towns in Judah, but out of you I will bring a ruler for Israel, whose family line goes back to ancient times."

157-Micah 6:1 Listen to the Lord's case against Israel. Arise, O Lord, and present your case; let the mountains and the hills hear what you say. 2 You mountains, you everlasting foundations of the earth, listen to the Lord's case! The Lord has a case against his people. He is going to bring an accusation against Israel. 3 The Lord says, "My people, what have I done to you? How have I been a burden to you? Answer me. 4 I brought you out of Egypt; I rescued you from slavery; I sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam to lead you. 5 My people, remember what King Balak of Moab planned to do to you and how Balaam son of Beor answered him. Remember the things that happened on the way from the camp at Acacia to Gilgal. Remember these things and you will realize what I did in order to save you." 6 What shall I bring to the Lord, the God of heaven, when I come to worship him? Shall I bring the best calves to burn as offerings to him? 7 Will the Lord be pleased if I bring him thousands of sheep or endless streams of olive oil? Shall I offer him my first-born child to pay for my sins? 8 No, the Lord has told us what is good. What he requires of us is this: to do what is just, to show constant love, and to live in humble fellowship with our God.

158-Micah 7:18 There is no other god like you, O Lord; you forgive the sins of your people who have survived. You do not stay angry forever, but you take pleasure in showing us your constant love. 19 You will be merciful to us once again. You will trample our sins underfoot and send them to the bottom of the sea! 20 You will show your faithfulness and constant love to your people, the descendants of Abraham and of Jacob, as you promised our ancestors long ago.

159-Habakkuk 1:1 This is the message that the Lord revealed to the prophet Habakkuk. 2 O Lord, how long must I call for help before you listen, before you save us from violence? 3 Why do you make me see such trouble? How can you stand to look on such wrongdoing? Destruction and violence are all around me, and there is fighting and quarreling everywhere. 4 The law is weak and useless, and justice is never done. Evil people get the better of the righteous, and so justice is perverted. 5 Then the Lord said to his people, "Keep watching the nations around you, and you will be astonished at what you see. I am going to do something that you will not believe when you hear about it. 6 I am bringing the Babylonians to power, those fierce, restless people. They are marching out across the world to conquer other lands. 7 They spread fear and terror, and in their pride they are a law to themselves. 8 "Their horses are faster than leopards, fiercer than hungry wolves. Their cavalry troops come riding from distant lands; their horses paw the ground. They come swooping down like eagles attacking their prey. 9 "Their armies advance in violent conquest, and everyone is terrified as they approach. Their captives are as numerous as grains of sand. 10 They treat kings with contempt and laugh at high officials. No fortress can stop them - they pile up earth against it and capture it. 11 Then they sweep on like the wind and are gone, these men whose power is their god." 12 Lord, from the very beginning you are God. You are my God, holy and eternal. Lord, my God and protector, you have chosen the Babylonians and made them strong so that they can punish us. 13 But how can you stand these treacherous, evil men? Your eyes are too holy to look at evil, and you cannot stand the sight of people doing wrong. So why are you silent while they destroy people who are more righteous than they are? 14 How can you treat people like fish or like a swarm of insects that have no ruler to direct them? 15 The Babylonians catch people with hooks, as though they were fish. They drag them off in nets and shout for joy over their catch! 16 They even worship their nets and offer sacrifices to them, because their nets provide them with the best of everything. 17 Are they going to use their swords forever and keep on destroying nations without mercy?

Habakkuk 2:2 The Lord gave me this answer: "Write down clearly on tablets what I reveal to you, so that it can be read at a glance. 3 Put it in writing, because it is not yet time for it to come true. But the time is coming quickly, and what I show you will come true. It may seem slow in coming, but wait for it; it will certainly take place, and it will not be delayed. 4 And this is the message: "Those who are evil will not survive, but those who are righteous will live because they are faithful to God.' "

Habakkuk 3:1 This is a prayer of the prophet Habakkuk: 2 O Lord, I have heard of what you have done, and I am filled with awe. Now do again in our times the great deeds you used to do. Be merciful, even when you are angry. 3 God is coming again from Edom; the holy God is coming from the hills of Paran. His splendor covers the heavens, and the earth is full of his praise. 4 He comes with the brightness of lightning; light flashes from his hand, there where his power is hidden. 5 He sends disease before him and commands death to follow him. 6 When he stops, the earth shakes; at his glance the nations tremble. The eternal mountains are shattered; the everlasting hills sink down, the hills where he walked in ancient times. 7 I saw the people of Cushan afraid and the people of Midian tremble. 8 Was it the rivers that made you angry, Lord? Was it the sea that made you furious? You rode upon the clouds; the storm cloud was your chariot, as you brought victory to your people. 9 You got ready to use your bow, ready to shoot your arrows. Your lightning split open the earth. 10 When the mountains saw you, they trembled; water poured down from the skies. The waters under the earth roared, and their waves rose high. 11 At the flash of your speeding arrows and the gleam of your shining spear, the sun and the moon stood still. 12 You marched across the earth in anger; in fury you trampled the nations. 13 You went out to save your people, to save your chosen king. You struck down the leader of the wicked and completely destroyed his followers. 14 Your arrows pierced the commander of his army when it came like a storm to scatter us, gloating like those who secretly oppress the poor. 15 You trampled the sea with your horses, and the mighty waters foamed. 16 I hear all this, and I tremble; my lips quiver with fear. My body goes limp, and my feet stumble beneath me. I will quietly wait for the time to come when God will punish those who attack us. 17 Even though the fig trees have no fruit and no grapes grow on the vines, even though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no grain, even though the sheep all die and the cattle stalls are empty, 18 I will still be joyful and glad, because the Lord God is my savior. 19 The Sovereign Lord gives me strength. He makes me sure-footed as a deer and keeps me safe on the mountains.

Galatians 3:11 Now, it is clear that no one is put right with God by means of the Law, because the scripture says, "Only the person who is put right with God through faith shall live."

Hebrews 11:1 To have faith is to be sure of the things we hope for, to be certain of the things we cannot see. 2 It was by their faith that people of ancient times won God's approval. 3 It is by faith that we understand that the universe was created by God's word, so that what can be seen was made out of what cannot be seen. 4 It was faith that made Abel offer to God a better sacrifice than Cain's. Through his faith he won God's approval as a righteous man, because God himself approved of his gifts. By means of his faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead. 5 It was faith that kept Enoch from dying. Instead, he was taken up to God, and nobody could find him, because God had taken him up. The scripture says that before Enoch was taken up, he had pleased God. 6 No one can please God without faith, for whoever comes to God must have faith that God exists and rewards those who seek him. 7 It was faith that made Noah hear God's warnings about things in the future that he could not see. He obeyed God and built a boat in which he and his family were saved. As a result, the world was condemned, and Noah received from God the righteousness that comes by faith. 8 It was faith that made Abraham obey when God called him to go out to a country which God had promised to give him. He left his own country without knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he lived as a foreigner in the country that God had promised him. He lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who received the same promise from God. 10 For Abraham was waiting for the city which God has designed and built, the city with permanent foundations. 11 It was faith that made Abraham able to become a father, even though he was too old and Sarah herself could not have children. He trusted God to keep his promise. 12 Though Abraham was practically dead, from this one man came as many descendants as there are stars in the sky, as many as the numberless grains of sand on the seashore. 13 It was in faith that all these persons died. They did not receive the things God had promised, but from a long way off they saw them and welcomed them, and admitted openly that they were foreigners and refugees on earth.

Philippians 4:11 And I am not saying this because I feel neglected, for I have learned to be satisfied with what I have.

160-Habakkuk 1:1 This is the message that the Lord revealed to the prophet Habakkuk. 2 O Lord, how long must I call for help before you listen, before you save us from violence? 3 Why do you make me see such trouble? How can you stand to look on such wrongdoing? Destruction and violence are all around me, and there is fighting and quarreling everywhere. 4 The law is weak and useless, and justice is never done. Evil people get the better of the righteous, and so justice is perverted.

161-Habakkuk 1:5 Then the Lord said to his people, "Keep watching the nations around you, and you will be astonished at what you see. I am going to do something that you will not believe when you hear about it. 6 I am bringing the Babylonians to power, those fierce, restless people. They are marching out across the world to conquer other lands. 7 They spread fear and terror, and in their pride they are a law to themselves. 8 "Their horses are faster than leopards, fiercer than hungry wolves. Their cavalry troops come riding from distant lands; their horses paw the ground. They come swooping down like eagles attacking their prey. 9 "Their armies advance in violent conquest, and everyone is terrified as they approach. Their captives are as numerous as grains of sand. 10 They treat kings with contempt and laugh at high officials. No fortress can stop them - they pile up earth against it and capture it.

162-Habakkuk 1:12 Lord, from the very beginning you are God. You are my God, holy and eternal. Lord, my God and protector, you have chosen the Babylonians and made them strong so that they can punish us. 13 But how can you stand these treacherous, evil men? Your eyes are too holy to look at evil, and you cannot stand the sight of people doing wrong. So why are you silent while they destroy people who are more righteous than they are? 14 How can you treat people like fish or like a swarm of insects that have no ruler to direct them? 15 The Babylonians catch people with hooks, as though they were fish. They drag them off in nets and shout for joy over their catch! 16 They even worship their nets and offer sacrifices to them, because their nets provide them with the best of everything. 17 Are they going to use their swords forever and keep on destroying nations without mercy?

163-Habakkuk 2:1 I will climb my watchtower and wait to see what the Lord will tell me to say and what answer he will give to my complaint.

164-Habakkuk 2:2 The Lord gave me this answer: "Write down clearly on tablets what I reveal to you, so that it can be read at a glance. 3 Put it in writing, because it is not yet time for it to come true. But the time is coming quickly, and what I show you will come true. It may seem slow in coming, but wait for it; it will certainly take place, and it will not be delayed. 4 And this is the message: "Those who are evil will not survive, but those who are righteous will live because they are faithful to God.' "

165-Habakkuk 2:5 Wealth is deceitful. Greedy people are proud and restless - like death itself they are never satisfied. That is why they conquer nation after nation for themselves. 6 The conquered people will taunt their conquerors and show their scorn for them. They will say, "You take what isn't yours, but you are doomed! How long will you go on getting rich by forcing your debtors to pay up?" 7 But before you know it, you that have conquered others will be in debt yourselves and be forced to pay interest. Enemies will come and make you tremble. They will plunder you! 8 You have plundered the people of many nations, but now those who have survived will plunder you because of the murders you have committed and because of your violence against the people of the world and its cities. 9 You are doomed! You have made your family rich with what you took by violence, and have tried to make your own home safe from harm and danger! 10 But your schemes have brought shame on your family; by destroying many nations you have only brought ruin on yourself. 11 Even the stones of the walls cry out against you, and the rafters echo the cry. 12 You are doomed! You founded a city on crime and built it up by murder. 13 The nations you conquered wore themselves out in useless labor, and all they have built goes up in flames. The Lord Almighty has done this. 14 But the earth will be as full of the knowledge of the Lord's glory as the seas are full of water. 15 You are doomed! In your fury you humiliated and disgraced your neighbors; you made them stagger as though they were drunk. 16 You in turn will be covered with shame instead of honor. You yourself will drink and stagger. The Lord will make you drink your own cup of punishment, and your honor will be turned to disgrace. 17 You have cut down the forests of Lebanon; now you will be cut down. You killed its animals; now animals will terrify you. This will happen because of the murders you have committed and because of your violence against the people of the world and its cities. 18 What's the use of an idol? It is only something that a human being has made, and it tells you nothing but lies. What good does it do for its maker to trust it - a god that can't even talk! 19 You are doomed! You say to a piece of wood, "Wake up!" or to a block of stone, "Get up!" Can an idol reveal anything to you? It may be covered with silver and gold, but there is no life in it. 20 The Lord is in his holy Temple; let everyone on earth be silent in his presence.

166-Psalm 115:8 May all who made them and who trust in them become like the idols they have made.

167-Habakkuk 2:20 The Lord is in his holy Temple; let everyone on earth be silent in his presence.

168-Habakkuk 3:1 This is a prayer of the prophet Habakkuk: 2 O Lord, I have heard of what you have done, and I am filled with awe. Now do again in our times the great deeds you used to do. Be merciful, even when you are angry. 3 God is coming again from Edom; the holy God is coming from the hills of Paran. His splendor covers the heavens, and the earth is full of his praise. 4 He comes with the brightness of lightning; light flashes from his hand, there where his power is hidden. 5 He sends disease before him and commands death to follow him. 6 When he stops, the earth shakes; at his glance the nations tremble. The eternal mountains are shattered; the everlasting hills sink down, the hills where he walked in ancient times. 7 I saw the people of Cushan afraid and the people of Midian tremble. 8 Was it the rivers that made you angry, Lord? Was it the sea that made you furious? You rode upon the clouds; the storm cloud was your chariot, as you brought victory to your people. 9 You got ready to use your bow, ready to shoot your arrows. Your lightning split open the earth. 10 When the mountains saw you, they trembled; water poured down from the skies. The waters under the earth roared, and their waves rose high. 11 At the flash of your speeding arrows and the gleam of your shining spear, the sun and the moon stood still. 12 You marched across the earth in anger; in fury you trampled the nations. 13 You went out to save your people, to save your chosen king. You struck down the leader of the wicked and completely destroyed his followers. 14 Your arrows pierced the commander of his army when it came like a storm to scatter us, gloating like those who secretly oppress the poor. 15 You trampled the sea with your horses, and the mighty waters foamed. 16 I hear all this, and I tremble; my lips quiver with fear. My body goes limp, and my feet stumble beneath me. I will quietly wait for the time to come when God will punish those who attack us. 17 Even though the fig trees have no fruit and no grapes grow on the vines, even though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no grain, even though the sheep all die and the cattle stalls are empty, 18 I will still be joyful and glad, because the Lord God is my savior. 19 The Sovereign Lord gives me strength. He makes me sure-footed as a deer and keeps me safe on the mountains.

169-Habakkuk 3:17 Even though the fig trees have no fruit and no grapes grow on the vines, even though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no grain, even though the sheep all die and the cattle stalls are empty, 18 I will still be joyful and glad, because the Lord God is my savior. 19 The Sovereign Lord gives me strength. He makes me sure-footed as a deer and keeps me safe on the mountains.

170-James 1:13 If we are tempted by such trials, we must not say, "This temptation comes from God." For God cannot be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one. 14 But we are tempted when we are drawn away and trapped by our own evil desires. 15 Then our evil desires conceive and give birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

171-Hosea 4:17 The people of Israel are under the spell of idols. Let them go their own way.

172-Galatians 4:4 But when the right time finally came, God sent his own Son. He came as the son of a human mother and lived under the Jewish Law,

173-Habakkuk 2:4 And this is the message: "Those who are evil will not survive, but those who are righteous will live because they are faithful to God.' "

174-2 Kings 19:34 I will defend this city and protect it, for the sake of my own honor and because of the promise I made to my servant David.' "

2 Kings 20:6 I will let you live fifteen years longer. I will rescue you and this city Jerusalem from the emperor of Assyria. I will defend this city, for the sake of my own honor and because of the promise I made to my servant David."

Psalms 25:11 Keep your promise, Lord, and forgive my sins, for they are many.

Isaiah 37:35 I will defend this city and protect it, for the sake of my own honor and because of the promise I made to my servant David.' "

Isaiah 48:9 "In order that people will praise my name, I am holding my anger in check; I am keeping it back and will not destroy you. 10 I have tested you in the fire of suffering, as silver is refined in a furnace. But I have found that you are worthless. 11 What I do is done for my own sake - I will not let my name be dishonored or let anyone else share the glory that should be mine and mine alone."

Jeremiah 14:7 My people cry out to me, "Even though our sins accuse us, help us, Lord, as you have promised. We have turned away from you many times; we have sinned against you. 21 Remember your promises and do not despise us; do not bring disgrace on Jerusalem, the place of your glorious throne. Do not break the covenant you made with us.

Ezekiel 20:9 But I did not, since that would have brought dishonor to my name, for in the presence of the people among whom they were living I had announced to Israel that I was going to lead them out of Egypt.

175-Romans 1:17 For the gospel reveals how God puts people right with himself: it is through faith from beginning to end. As the scripture says, "The person who is put right with God through faith shall live."

Galatians 3:1 Now, it is clear that no one is put right with God by means of the Law, because the scripture says, "Only the person who is put right with God through faith shall live."

Hebrews 10:38 My righteous people, however, will believe and live; but if any of them turns back, I will not be pleased with them."

176-Romans 1:16 I have complete confidence in the gospel; it is God's power to save all who believe, first the Jews and also the Gentiles. 17 For the gospel reveals how God puts people right with himself: it is through faith from beginning to end. As the scripture says, "The person who is put right with God through faith shall live."

Galatians 3:11 Now, it is clear that no one is put right with God by means of the Law, because the scripture says, "Only the person who is put right with God through faith shall live."

Hebrews 10:37 For, as the scripture says, "Just a little while longer, and he who is coming will come; he will not delay. 38 My righteous people, however, will believe and live; but if any of them turns back, I will not be pleased with them."

177-Romans 1:17 For the gospel reveals how God puts people right with himself: it is through faith from beginning to end. As the scripture says, "The person who is put right with God through faith shall live."

178-Habakkuk 2:4 And this is the message: "Those who are evil will not survive, but those who are righteous will live because they are faithful to God.' "

179-Habakkuk 2:14 But the earth will be as full of the knowledge of the Lord's glory as the seas are full of water.

180-Isaiah 1:3 Cattle know who owns them, and donkeys know where their master feeds them. But that is more than my people Israel know. They don't understand at all."

Isaiah 5:12 At your feasts you have harps and tambourines and flutes - and wine. But you don't understand what the Lord is doing, 13 and so you will be carried away as prisoners. Your leaders will starve to death, and the common people will die of thirst.

Hosea 4:6 My people are doomed because they do not acknowledge me. You priests have refused to acknowledge me and have rejected my teaching, and so I reject you and will not acknowledge your sons as my priests.

181-Psalms 115:1 To you alone, O Lord, to you alone, and not to us, must glory be given because of your constant love and faithfulness. 2 Why should the nations ask us, "Where is your God?" 3 Our God is in heaven; he does whatever he wishes. 4 Their gods are made of silver and gold, formed by human hands. 5 They have mouths, but cannot speak, and eyes, but cannot see. 6 They have ears, but cannot hear, and noses, but cannot smell. 7 They have hands, but cannot feel, and feet, but cannot walk; they cannot make a sound. 8 May all who made them and who trust in them become like the idols they have made.

Isaiah 44:9 All those who make idols are worthless, and the gods they prize so highly are useless. Those who worship these gods are blind and ignorant - and they will be disgraced. 10 It does no good to make a metal image to worship as a god! 11 Everyone who worships it will be humiliated. The people who make idols are human beings and nothing more. Let them come and stand trial - they will be terrified and will suffer disgrace. 12 The metalworker takes a piece of metal and works with it over a fire. His strong arm swings a hammer to pound the metal into shape. As he works, he gets hungry, thirsty, and tired. 13 The carpenter measures the wood. He outlines a figure with chalk, carves it out with his tools, and makes it in the form of a man, a handsome human figure, to be placed in his house. 14 He might cut down cedars to use, or choose oak or cypress wood from the forest. Or he might plant a laurel tree and wait for the rain to make it grow. 15 A person uses part of a tree for fuel and part of it for making an idol. With one part he builds a fire to warm himself and bake bread; with the other part he makes a god and worships it. 16 With some of the wood he makes a fire; he roasts meat, eats it, and is satisfied. He warms himself and says, "How nice and warm! What a beautiful fire!" 17 The rest of the wood he makes into an idol, and then he bows down and worships it. He prays to it and says, "You are my god - save me!" 18 Such people are too stupid to know what they are doing. They close their eyes and their minds to the truth. 19 The maker of idols hasn't the wit or the sense to say, "Some of the wood I burned up. I baked some bread on the coals, and I roasted meat and ate it. And the rest of the wood I made into an idol. Here I am bowing down to a block of wood!" 20 It makes as much sense as eating ashes. His foolish ideas have so misled him that he is beyond help. He won't admit to himself that the idol he holds in his hand is not a god at all.

1 Kings 18:25 Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "Since there are so many of you, you take a bull and prepare it first. Pray to your god, but don't set fire to the wood." 26 They took the bull that was brought to them, prepared it, and prayed to Baal until noon. They shouted, "Answer us, Baal!" and kept dancing around the altar they had built. But no answer came. 27 At noon Elijah started making fun of them: "Pray louder! He is a god! Maybe he is day-dreaming or relieving himself, or perhaps he's gone off on a trip! Or maybe he's sleeping, and you've got to wake him up!" 28 So the prophets prayed louder and cut themselves with knives and daggers, according to their ritual, until blood flowed. 29 They kept on ranting and raving until the middle of the afternoon; but no answer came, not a sound was heard.

182-Romans 1:20 Ever since God created the world, his invisible qualities, both his eternal power and his divine nature, have been clearly seen; they are perceived in the things that God has made. So those people have no excuse at all! 21 They know God, but they do not give him the honor that belongs to him, nor do they thank him. Instead, their thoughts have become complete nonsense, and their empty minds are filled with darkness. 22 They say they are wise, but they are fools; 23 instead of worshiping the immortal God, they worship images made to look like mortals or birds or animals or reptiles.

183-Habakkuk 2:18 What's the use of an idol? It is only something that a human being has made, and it tells you nothing but lies. What good does it do for its maker to trust it - a god that can't even talk! 19 You are doomed! You say to a piece of wood, "Wake up!" or to a block of stone, "Get up!" Can an idol reveal anything to you? It may be covered with silver and gold, but there is no life in it.

184-Habakkuk 2:20 The Lord is in his holy Temple; let everyone on earth be silent in his presence.

185-1 Kings 18:25 Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "Since there are so many of you, you take a bull and prepare it first. Pray to your god, but don't set fire to the wood." 26 They took the bull that was brought to them, prepared it, and prayed to Baal until noon. They shouted, "Answer us, Baal!" and kept dancing around the altar they had built. But no answer came. 27 At noon Elijah started making fun of them: "Pray louder! He is a god! Maybe he is day-dreaming or relieving himself, or perhaps he's gone off on a trip! Or maybe he's sleeping, and you've got to wake him up!" 28 So the prophets prayed louder and cut themselves with knives and daggers, according to their ritual, until blood flowed. 29 They kept on ranting and raving until the middle of the afternoon; but no answer came, not a sound was heard.

186-Isaiah 33:16 Then you will be safe; you will be as secure as if in a strong fortress. You will have food to eat and water to drink.

187-Habakkuk 3:7 Even though the fig trees have no fruit and no grapes grow on the vines, even though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no grain, even though the sheep all die and the cattle stalls are empty, 18 I will still be joyful and glad, because the Lord God is my savior. 19 The Sovereign Lord gives me strength. He makes me sure-footed as a deer and keeps me safe on the mountains.

188-Isaiah 40:10 The Sovereign Lord is coming to rule with power, bringing with him the people he has rescued. 11 He will take care of his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs together and carry them in his arms; he will gently lead their mothers. 12 Can anyone measure the ocean by handfuls or measure the sky with his hands? Can anyone hold the soil of the earth in a cup or weigh the mountains and hills on scales? 13 Can anyone tell the Lord what to do? Who can teach him or give him advice? 14 With whom does God consult in order to know and understand and to learn how things should be done? 15 To the Lord the nations are nothing, no more than a drop of water; the distant islands are as light as dust. 16 All the animals in the forests of Lebanon are not enough for a sacrifice to our God, and its trees are too few to kindle the fire. 17 The nations are nothing at all to him. 18 To whom can God be compared? How can you describe what he is like? 19 He is not like an idol that workers make, that metalworkers cover with gold and set in a base of silver. 20 Anyone who cannot afford silver or gold chooses wood that will not rot. He finds a skillful worker to make an image that won't fall down. 21 Do you not know? Were you not told long ago? Have you not heard how the world began? 22 It was made by the one who sits on his throne above the earth and beyond the sky; the people below look as tiny as ants. He stretched out the sky like a curtain, like a tent in which to live. 23 He brings down powerful rulers and reduces them to nothing. 24 They are like young plants, just set out and barely rooted. When the Lord sends a wind, they dry up and blow away like straw. 25 To whom can the holy God be compared? Is there anyone else like him? 26 Look up at the sky! Who created the stars you see? The one who leads them out like an army, he knows how many there are and calls each one by name! His power is so great - not one of them is ever missing! 27 Israel, why then do you complain that the Lord doesn't know your troubles or care if you suffer injustice? 28 Don't you know? Haven't you heard? The Lord is the everlasting God; he created all the world. He never grows tired or weary. No one understands his thoughts. 29 He strengthens those who are weak and tired. 30 Even those who are young grow weak; young people can fall exhausted. 31 But those who trust in the Lord for help will find their strength renewed. They will rise on wings like eagles; they will run and not get weary; they will walk and not grow weak.

189-Habakkuk 3:16 I hear all this, and I tremble; my lips quiver with fear. My body goes limp, and my feet stumble beneath me. I will quietly wait for the time to come when God will punish those who attack us. 17 Even though the fig trees have no fruit and no grapes grow on the vines, even though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no grain, even though the sheep all die and the cattle stalls are empty, 18 I will still be joyful and glad, because the Lord God is my savior. 19 The Sovereign Lord gives me strength. He makes me sure-footed as a deer and keeps me safe on the mountains.

190-Habakkuk 2:4 And this is the message: "Those who are evil will not survive, but those who are righteous will live because they are faithful to God.' "

191-Acts 16:31 They answered, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved - you and your family."

192-Zephaniah 1:14 The great day of the Lord is near - very near and coming fast! That day will be bitter, for even the bravest soldiers will cry out in despair! 15 It will be a day of fury, a day of trouble and distress, a day of ruin and destruction, a day of darkness and gloom, a black and cloudy day, 16 a day filled with the sound of war trumpets and the battle cry of soldiers attacking fortified cities and high towers. 17 The Lord says, "I will bring such disasters on the human race that everyone will grope about like someone blind. They have sinned against me, and now their blood will be poured out like water, and their dead bodies will lie rotting on the ground." 18 On the day when the Lord shows his fury, not even all their silver and gold will save them. The whole earth will be destroyed by the fire of his anger. He will put an end - a sudden end - to everyone who lives on earth.

Zephaniah 2:1 Shameless nation, come to your senses 2 before you are driven away like chaff blown by the wind, before the burning anger of the Lord comes upon you, before the day when he shows his fury. 3 Turn to the Lord, all you humble people of the land, who obey his commands. Do what is right, and humble yourselves before the Lord. Perhaps you will escape punishment on the day when the Lord shows his anger.

Zephaniah 3:1 Jerusalem is doomed, that corrupt, rebellious city that oppresses its own people. 2 It has not listened to the Lord or accepted his discipline. It has not put its trust in the Lord or asked for his help. 3 Its officials are like roaring lions; its judges are like hungry wolves, too greedy to leave a bone until morning. 4 The prophets are irresponsible and treacherous; the priests defile what is sacred, and twist the law of God to their own advantage. 5 But the Lord is still in the city; he does what is right and never what is wrong. Every morning without fail, he brings justice to his people. And yet the unrighteous people there keep on doing wrong and are not ashamed.

Joel 2:1 Blow the trumpet; sound the alarm on Zion, God's sacred hill. Tremble, people of Judah! The day of the Lord is coming soon. 2 It will be a dark and gloomy day, a black and cloudy day. The great army of locusts advances like darkness spreading over the mountains. There has never been anything like it, and there never will be again. 3 Like fire they eat up the plants. In front of them the land is like the Garden of Eden, but behind them it is a barren desert. Nothing escapes them. 4 They look like horses; they run like war-horses. 5 As they leap on the tops of the mountains, they rattle like chariots; they crackle like dry grass on fire. They are lined up like a great army ready for battle. 6 As they approach, everyone is terrified; every face turns pale. 7 They attack like warriors; they climb the walls like soldiers. They all keep marching straight ahead and do not change direction 8 or get in each other's way. They swarm through defenses, and nothing can stop them. 9 They rush against the city; they run over the walls; they climb up the houses and go in through the windows like thieves. 10 The earth shakes as they advance; the sky trembles. The sun and the moon grow dark, and the stars no longer shine. 11 The Lord thunders commands to his army. The troops that obey him are many and mighty. How terrible is the day of the Lord! Who will survive it?

Isaiah 11:4 he will judge the poor fairly and defend the rights of the helpless. At his command the people will be punished, and evil persons will die.

Isaiah 62:5 Like a young man taking a virgin as his bride, He who formed you will marry you. As a groom is delighted with his bride, So your God will delight in you.

Nahum 1 This is a message about Nineveh, the account of a vision seen by Nahum, who was from Elkosh. 2 The Lord God tolerates no rivals; he punishes those who oppose him. In his anger he pays them back. 3 The Lord does not easily become angry, but he is powerful and never lets the guilty go unpunished. Where the Lord walks, storms arise; the clouds are the dust raised by his feet! 4 He commands the sea, and it dries up! He makes the rivers go dry. The fields of Bashan wither, Mount Carmel turns brown, and the flowers of Lebanon fade. 5 Mountains quake in the presence of the Lord; hills melt before him. The earth shakes when the Lord appears; the world and all its people tremble. 6 When he is angry, who can survive? Who can survive his terrible fury? He pours out his flaming anger; rocks crumble to dust before him. 7 The Lord is good; he protects his people in times of trouble; he takes care of those who turn to him. 8 Like a great rushing flood he completely destroys his enemies; he sends to their death those who oppose him. 9 What are you plotting against the Lord? He will destroy you. No one opposes him more than once. 10 Like tangled thorns and dry straw you drunkards will be burned up! 11 From you, Nineveh, there came someone full of wicked schemes, who plotted against the Lord. 12 This is what the Lord says to his people Israel: "Even though the Assyrians are strong and numerous, they will be destroyed and disappear. My people, I made you suffer, but I will not do it again. 13 I will now end Assyria's power over you and break the chains that bind you." 14 This is what the Lord has decreed about the Assyrians: "They will have no descendants to carry on their name. I will destroy the idols that are in the temples of their gods. I am preparing a grave for the Assyrians - they don't deserve to live!" 15 Look, a messenger is coming over the mountains with good news! He is on his way to announce the victory! People of Judah, celebrate your festivals and give God what you solemnly promised him. The wicked will never invade your land again. They have been totally destroyed!

193-2 Kings 21:1 Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled in Jerusalem for fifty-five years. His mother was Hephzibah. 2 Following the disgusting practices of the nations whom the Lord had driven out of the land as his people advanced, Manasseh sinned against the Lord. 3 He rebuilt the pagan places of worship that his father Hezekiah had destroyed; he built altars for the worship of Baal and made an image of the goddess Asherah, as King Ahab of Israel had done. Manasseh also worshiped the stars. 4 He built pagan altars in the Temple, the place that the Lord had said was where he should be worshiped. 5 In the two courtyards of the Temple he built altars for the worship of the stars. 6 He sacrificed his son as a burnt offering. He practiced divination and magic and consulted fortunetellers and mediums. He sinned greatly against the Lord and stirred up his anger. 7 He placed the symbol of the goddess Asherah in the Temple, the place about which the Lord had said to David and his son Solomon: "Here in Jerusalem, in this Temple, is the place that I have chosen out of all the territory of the twelve tribes of Israel as the place where I am to be worshiped. 8 And if the people of Israel will obey all my commands and keep the whole Law that my servant Moses gave them, then I will not allow them to be driven out of the land that I gave to their ancestors." 9 But the people of Judah did not obey the Lord, and Manasseh led them to commit even greater sins than those committed by the nations whom the Lord had driven out of the land as his people advanced. 10 Through his servants the prophets the Lord said, 11 "King Manasseh has done these disgusting things, things far worse than what the Canaanites did; and with his idols he has led the people of Judah into sin. 12 So I, the Lord God of Israel, will bring such a disaster on Jerusalem and Judah that everyone who hears about it will be stunned. 13 I will punish Jerusalem as I did Samaria, as I did King Ahab of Israel and his descendants. I will wipe Jerusalem clean of its people, as clean as a plate that has been wiped and turned upside down. 14 I will abandon the people who survive, and will hand them over to their enemies, who will conquer them and plunder their land. 15 I will do this to my people because they have sinned against me and have stirred up my anger from the time their ancestors came out of Egypt to this day." 16 Manasseh killed so many innocent people that the streets of Jerusalem were flowing with blood; he did this in addition to leading the people of Judah into idolatry, causing them to sin against the Lord. 17 Everything else that Manasseh did, including the sins he committed, is recorded in [The History of the Kings of Judah.] 18 Manasseh died and was buried in the palace garden, the garden of Uzza, and his son Amon succeeded him as king. 19 Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled in Jerusalem for two years. His mother was Meshullemeth, the daughter of Haruz from the town of Jotbah. 20 Like his father Manasseh, he sinned against the Lord; 21 he imitated his father's actions, and he worshiped the idols that his father had worshiped. 22 He rejected the Lord, the God of his ancestors, and disobeyed the Lord's commands. 23 Amon's officials plotted against him and assassinated him in the palace. 24 The people of Judah killed Amon's assassins and made his son Josiah king. 25 Everything else that Amon did is recorded in [The History of the Kings of Judah.] 26 Amon was buried in the tomb in the garden of Uzza, and his son Josiah succeeded him as king.

2 Chr. 33:1 Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled in Jerusalem for fifty-five years. 2 Following the disgusting practices of the nations whom the Lord had driven out of the land as his people advanced, Manasseh sinned against the Lord. 3 He rebuilt the pagan places of worship that his father Hezekiah had destroyed. He built altars for the worship of Baal, made images of the goddess Asherah, and worshiped the stars. 4 He built pagan altars in the Temple, the place that the Lord had said was where he should be worshiped forever. 5 In the two courtyards of the Temple he built altars for the worship of the stars. 6 He sacrificed his sons in Hinnom Valley as burnt offerings. He practiced divination and magic and consulted fortunetellers and mediums. He sinned greatly against the Lord and stirred up his anger. 7 He placed an image in the Temple, the place about which God had said to David and his son Solomon: "Here in Jerusalem, in this Temple, is the place that I have chosen out of all the territory of the twelve tribes of Israel as the place where I am to be worshiped. 8 And if the people of Israel will obey all my commands and keep the whole Law that my servant Moses gave them, then I will not allow them to be driven out of the land that I gave to their ancestors." 9 Manasseh led the people of Judah to commit even greater sins than those committed by the nations whom the Lord had driven out of the land as his people advanced. 10 Although the Lord warned Manasseh and his people, they refused to listen. 11 So the Lord let the commanders of the Assyrian army invade Judah. They captured Manasseh, stuck hooks in him, put him in chains, and took him to Babylon. 12 In his suffering he became humble, turned to the Lord his God, and begged him for help. 13 God accepted Manasseh's prayer and answered it by letting him go back to Jerusalem and rule again. This convinced Manasseh that the Lord was God. 14 After this, Manasseh increased the height of the outer wall on the east side of David's City, from a point in the valley near Gihon Spring north to the Fish Gate and the area of the city called Ophel. He also stationed an army officer in command of a unit of troops in each of the fortified cities of Judah. 15 He removed from the Temple the foreign gods and the image that he had placed there, and the pagan altars that were on the hill where the Temple stood and in other places in Jerusalem; he took all these things outside the city and threw them away. 16 He also repaired the altar where the Lord was worshiped, and he sacrificed fellowship offerings and thanksgiving offerings on it. He commanded all the people of Judah to worship the Lord, the God of Israel. 17 Although the people continued to offer sacrifices at other places of worship, they offered them only to the Lord. 18 Everything else that Manasseh did, the prayer he made to his God, and the messages of the prophets who spoke to him in the name of the Lord, the God of Israel, are all recorded in [The History of the Kings of Israel.] 19 The king's prayer and God's answer to it, and an account of the sins he committed before he repented - the evil he did, the pagan places of worship and the symbols of the goddess Asherah that he made and the idols that he worshiped - are all recorded in [The History of the Prophets.] 20 Manasseh died and was buried at the palace, and his son Amon succeeded him as king. 21 Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled in Jerusalem for two years. 22 Like his father Manasseh, he sinned against the Lord, and he worshiped the idols that his father had worshiped. 23 But unlike his father, he did not become humble and turn to the Lord; he was even more sinful than his father had been. 24 Amon's officials plotted against him and assassinated him in the palace. 25 The people of Judah killed Amon's assassins and made his son Josiah king.

194-2 Kings 22:8 Shaphan delivered the king's order to Hilkiah, and Hilkiah told him that he had found the book of the Law in the Temple. Hilkiah gave him the book, and Shaphan read it. 9 Then he went back to the king and reported: "Your servants have taken the money that was in the Temple and have handed it over to the men in charge of the repairs." 10 And then he said, "I have here a book that Hilkiah gave me." And he read it aloud to the king. 11 When the king heard the book being read, he tore his clothes in dismay, 12 and gave the following order to Hilkiah the priest, to Ahikam son of Shaphan, to Achbor son of Micaiah, to Shaphan, the court secretary, and to Asaiah, the king's attendant: 13 "Go and consult the Lord for me and for all the people of Judah about the teachings of this book. The Lord is angry with us because our ancestors have not done what this book says must be done." 14 Hilkiah, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went to consult a woman named Huldah, a prophet who lived in the newer part of Jerusalem. (Her husband Shallum, the son of Tikvah and grandson of Harhas, was in charge of the Temple robes.) They described to her what had happened, 15 and she told them to go back to the king and give him 16 the following message from the Lord: "I am going to punish Jerusalem and all its people, as written in the book that the king has read. 17 They have rejected me and have offered sacrifices to other gods, and so have stirred up my anger by all they have done. My anger is aroused against Jerusalem, and it will not die down. 18 As for the king himself, this is what I, the Lord God of Israel, say: You listened to what is written in the book, 19 and you repented and humbled yourself before me, tearing your clothes and weeping, when you heard how I threatened to punish Jerusalem and its people. I will make it a terrifying sight, a place whose name people will use as a curse. But I have heard your prayer, 20 and the punishment which I am going to bring on Jerusalem will not come until after your death. I will let you die in peace." The men returned to King Josiah with this message.

195-2 Kings 22:3 In the eighteenth year of his reign, King Josiah sent the court secretary Shaphan, the son of Azaliah and grandson of Meshullam, to the Temple with the order:

196-Zephaniah 1:4 "I will punish the people of Jerusalem and of all Judah. I will destroy the last trace of the worship of Baal there, and no one will even remember the pagan priests who serve him.

Zephaniah 2:7 The people of Judah who survive will occupy your land. They will pasture their flocks there and sleep in the houses of Ashkelon. The Lord their God will be with them and make them prosper again. 9 As surely as I am the living Lord, the God of Israel, I swear that Moab and Ammon are going to be destroyed like Sodom and Gomorrah. They will become a place of salt pits and everlasting ruin, overgrown with weeds. Those of my people who survive will plunder them and take their land."

Zephaniah 3:13 The people of Israel who survive will do no wrong to anyone, tell no lies, nor try to deceive. They will be prosperous and secure, afraid of no one."

197-Zephaniah 1:7 The day is near when the Lord will sit in judgment; so be silent in his presence. The Lord is preparing to sacrifice his people and has invited enemies to plunder Judah. 8 "On that day of slaughter," says the Lord, "I will punish the officials, the king's sons, and all who practice foreign customs. 9 I will punish all who worship like pagans and who steal and kill in order to fill their master's house with loot. 10 "On that day," says the Lord, "you will hear the sound of crying at the Fish Gate in Jerusalem. You will hear wailing in the newer part of the city and a great crashing sound in the hills. 14 The great day of the Lord is near - very near and coming fast! That day will be bitter, for even the bravest soldiers will cry out in despair! 15 It will be a day of fury, a day of trouble and distress, a day of ruin and destruction, a day of darkness and gloom, a black and cloudy day, 16 a day filled with the sound of war trumpets and the battle cry of soldiers attacking fortified cities and high towers. 18 On the day when the Lord shows his fury, not even all their silver and gold will save them. The whole earth will be destroyed by the fire of his anger. He will put an end - a sudden end - to everyone who lives on earth.

Zephaniah 2:2 before you are driven away like chaff blown by the wind, before the burning anger of the Lord comes upon you, before the day when he shows his fury. 3 Turn to the Lord, all you humble people of the land, who obey his commands. Do what is right, and humble yourselves before the Lord. Perhaps you will escape punishment on the day when the Lord shows his anger.

Zephaniah 3:8 "Just wait," the Lord says. "Wait for the day when I rise to accuse the nations. I have made up my mind to gather nations and kingdoms in order to let them feel the force of my anger. The whole earth will be destroyed by the fire of my fury. 11 At that time you, my people, will no longer need to be ashamed that you rebelled against me. I will remove everyone who is proud and arrogant, and you will never again rebel against me on my sacred hill. 16 The time is coming when they will say to Jerusalem, "Do not be afraid, city of Zion! Do not let your hands hang limp!

198-Zephaniah 1:2 The Lord said, "I am going to destroy everything on earth, 3 all human beings and animals, birds and fish. I will bring about the downfall of the wicked. I will destroy everyone, and no survivors will be left. I, the Lord, have spoken. 4 "I will punish the people of Jerusalem and of all Judah. I will destroy the last trace of the worship of Baal there, and no one will even remember the pagan priests who serve him. 5 I will destroy anyone who goes up on the roof and worships the sun, the moon, and the stars. I will also destroy those who worship me and swear loyalty to me, but then take oaths in the name of the god Molech. 6 I will destroy those who have turned back and no longer follow me, those who do not come to me or ask me to guide them." 7 The day is near when the Lord will sit in judgment; so be silent in his presence. The Lord is preparing to sacrifice his people and has invited enemies to plunder Judah. 8 "On that day of slaughter," says the Lord, "I will punish the officials, the king's sons, and all who practice foreign customs. 9 I will punish all who worship like pagans and who steal and kill in order to fill their master's house with loot. 10 "On that day," says the Lord, "you will hear the sound of crying at the Fish Gate in Jerusalem. You will hear wailing in the newer part of the city and a great crashing sound in the hills. 11 Wail and cry when you hear this, you that live in the lower part of the city, because all the merchants will be dead! 12 "At that time I will take a lamp and search Jerusalem. I will punish the people who are self-satisfied and confident, who say to themselves, "The Lord never does anything, one way or the other.' 13 Their wealth will be looted and their houses destroyed. They will never live in the houses they are building or drink wine from the vineyards they are planting." 14 The great day of the Lord is near - very near and coming fast! That day will be bitter, for even the bravest soldiers will cry out in despair! 15 It will be a day of fury, a day of trouble and distress, a day of ruin and destruction, a day of darkness and gloom, a black and cloudy day, 16 a day filled with the sound of war trumpets and the battle cry of soldiers attacking fortified cities and high towers. 17 The Lord says, "I will bring such disasters on the human race that everyone will grope about like someone blind. They have sinned against me, and now their blood will be poured out like water, and their dead bodies will lie rotting on the ground." 18 On the day when the Lord shows his fury, not even all their silver and gold will save them. The whole earth will be destroyed by the fire of his anger. He will put an end - a sudden end - to everyone who lives on earth.

Zephaaniah 2:1 Shameless nation, come to your senses 2 before you are driven away like chaff blown by the wind, before the burning anger of the Lord comes upon you, before the day when he shows his fury. 3 Turn to the Lord, all you humble people of the land, who obey his commands. Do what is right, and humble yourselves before the Lord. Perhaps you will escape punishment on the day when the Lord shows his anger. 4 No one will be left in the city of Gaza. Ashkelon will be deserted. The people of Ashdod will be driven out in half a day, and the people of Ekron will be driven from their city. 5 You Philistines are doomed, you people who live along the coast. The Lord has passed sentence on you. He will destroy you, and not one of you will be left. 6 Your land by the sea will become open fields with shepherd's huts and sheep pens. 7 The people of Judah who survive will occupy your land. They will pasture their flocks there and sleep in the houses of Ashkelon. The Lord their God will be with them and make them prosper again. 8 The Lord Almighty says, "I have heard the people of Moab and Ammon insulting and taunting my people, and boasting that they would seize their land. 9 As surely as I am the living Lord, the God of Israel, I swear that Moab and Ammon are going to be destroyed like Sodom and Gomorrah. They will become a place of salt pits and everlasting ruin, overgrown with weeds. Those of my people who survive will plunder them and take their land." 10 That is how the people of Moab and Ammon will be punished for their pride and arrogance and for insulting the people of the Lord Almighty. 11 The Lord will terrify them. He will reduce the gods of the earth to nothing, and then every nation will worship him, each in its own land. 12 The Lord will also put the people of Ethiopia to death. 13 The Lord will use his power to destroy Assyria. He will make the city of Nineveh a deserted ruin, a waterless desert. 14 It will be a place where flocks, herds, and animals of every kind will lie down. Owls will live among its ruins and hoot from the windows. Crows will caw on the doorsteps. The cedar wood of her buildings will be stripped away. 15 That is what will happen to the city that is so proud of its own power and thinks it is safe. Its people think that their city is the greatest in the world. What a desolate place it will become, a place where wild animals will rest! Everyone who passes by will shrink back in horror.

Zephaniah 3:1 Jerusalem is doomed, that corrupt, rebellious city that oppresses its own people. 2 It has not listened to the Lord or accepted his discipline. It has not put its trust in the Lord or asked for his help. 3 Its officials are like roaring lions; its judges are like hungry wolves, too greedy to leave a bone until morning. 4 The prophets are irresponsible and treacherous; the priests defile what is sacred, and twist the law of God to their own advantage. 5 But the Lord is still in the city; he does what is right and never what is wrong. Every morning without fail, he brings justice to his people. And yet the unrighteous people there keep on doing wrong and are not ashamed. 6 The Lord says, "I have wiped out whole nations; I have destroyed their cities and left their walls and towers in ruins. The cities are deserted; the streets are empty - no one is left. 7 I thought that then my people would have reverence for me and accept my discipline, that they would never forget the lesson I taught them. But soon they were behaving as badly as ever.

199-Zeph. 3:8 "Just wait," the Lord says. "Wait for the day when I rise to accuse the nations. I have made up my mind to gather nations and kingdoms in order to let them feel the force of my anger. The whole earth will be destroyed by the fire of my fury. 9 "Then I will change the people of the nations, and they will pray to me alone and not to other gods. They will all obey me. 10 Even from distant Ethiopia my scattered people will bring offerings to me. 11 At that time you, my people, will no longer need to be ashamed that you rebelled against me. I will remove everyone who is proud and arrogant, and you will never again rebel against me on my sacred hill. 12 I will leave there a humble and lowly people, who will come to me for help. 13 The people of Israel who survive will do no wrong to anyone, tell no lies, nor try to deceive. They will be prosperous and secure, afraid of no one." 14 Sing and shout for joy, people of Israel! Rejoice with all your heart, Jerusalem! 15 The Lord has stopped your punishment; he has removed all your enemies. The Lord, the king of Israel, is with you; there is no reason now to be afraid. 16 The time is coming when they will say to Jerusalem, "Do not be afraid, city of Zion! Do not let your hands hang limp! 17 The Lord your God is with you; his power gives you victory. The Lord will take delight in you, and in his love he will give you new life. He will sing and be joyful over you, 18 as joyful as people at a festival." The Lord says, "I have ended the threat of doom and taken away your disgrace. 19 The time is coming! I will punish your oppressors; I will rescue all the lame and bring the exiles home. I will turn their shame to honor, and all the world will praise them. 20 The time is coming! I will bring your scattered people home; I will make you famous throughout the world and make you prosperous once again." The Lord has spoken.

200-Zeph. 1:1 This is the message that the Lord gave to Zephaniah during the time that Josiah son of Amon was king of Judah. (Zephaniah was descended from King Hezekiah through Amariah, Gedaliah, and Cushi.) 2 The Lord said, "I am going to destroy everything on earth, 3 all human beings and animals, birds and fish. I will bring about the downfall of the wicked. I will destroy everyone, and no survivors will be left. I, the Lord, have spoken. 4 "I will punish the people of Jerusalem and of all Judah. I will destroy the last trace of the worship of Baal there, and no one will even remember the pagan priests who serve him. 5 I will destroy anyone who goes up on the roof and worships the sun, the moon, and the stars. I will also destroy those who worship me and swear loyalty to me, but then take oaths in the name of the god Molech. 6 I will destroy those who have turned back and no longer follow me, those who do not come to me or ask me to guide them." 7 The day is near when the Lord will sit in judgment; so be silent in his presence. The Lord is preparing to sacrifice his people and has invited enemies to plunder Judah. 8 "On that day of slaughter," says the Lord, "I will punish the officials, the king's sons, and all who practice foreign customs. 9 I will punish all who worship like pagans and who steal and kill in order to fill their master's house with loot. 10 "On that day," says the Lord, "you will hear the sound of crying at the Fish Gate in Jerusalem. You will hear wailing in the newer part of the city and a great crashing sound in the hills. 11 Wail and cry when you hear this, you that live in the lower part of the city, because all the merchants will be dead! 12 "At that time I will take a lamp and search Jerusalem. I will punish the people who are self-satisfied and confident, who say to themselves, "The Lord never does anything, one way or the other.' 13 Their wealth will be looted and their houses destroyed. They will never live in the houses they are building or drink wine from the vineyards they are planting." 14 The great day of the Lord is near - very near and coming fast! That day will be bitter, for even the bravest soldiers will cry out in despair! 15 It will be a day of fury, a day of trouble and distress, a day of ruin and destruction, a day of darkness and gloom, a black and cloudy day, 16 a day filled with the sound of war trumpets and the battle cry of soldiers attacking fortified cities and high towers. 17 The Lord says, "I will bring such disasters on the human race that everyone will grope about like someone blind. They have sinned against me, and now their blood will be poured out like water, and their dead bodies will lie rotting on the ground." 18 On the day when the Lord shows his fury, not even all their silver and gold will save them. The whole earth will be destroyed by the fire of his anger. He will put an end - a sudden end - to everyone who lives on earth.

201-Zeph. 2:1 Shameless nation, come to your senses 2 before you are driven away like chaff blown by the wind, before the burning anger of the Lord comes upon you, before the day when he shows his fury. 3 Turn to the Lord, all you humble people of the land, who obey his commands. Do what is right, and humble yourselves before the Lord. Perhaps you will escape punishment on the day when the Lord shows his anger. 4 No one will be left in the city of Gaza. Ashkelon will be deserted. The people of Ashdod will be driven out in half a day, and the people of Ekron will be driven from their city. 5 You Philistines are doomed, you people who live along the coast. The Lord has passed sentence on you. He will destroy you, and not one of you will be left. 6 Your land by the sea will become open fields with shepherd's huts and sheep pens. 7 The people of Judah who survive will occupy your land. They will pasture their flocks there and sleep in the houses of Ashkelon. The Lord their God will be with them and make them prosper again. 8 The Lord Almighty says, "I have heard the people of Moab and Ammon insulting and taunting my people, and boasting that they would seize their land. 9 As surely as I am the living Lord, the God of Israel, I swear that Moab and Ammon are going to be destroyed like Sodom and Gomorrah. They will become a place of salt pits and everlasting ruin, overgrown with weeds. Those of my people who survive will plunder them and take their land." 10 That is how the people of Moab and Ammon will be punished for their pride and arrogance and for insulting the people of the Lord Almighty. 11 The Lord will terrify them. He will reduce the gods of the earth to nothing, and then every nation will worship him, each in its own land. 12 The Lord will also put the people of Ethiopia to death. 13 The Lord will use his power to destroy Assyria. He will make the city of Nineveh a deserted ruin, a waterless desert. 14 It will be a place where flocks, herds, and animals of every kind will lie down. Owls will live among its ruins and hoot from the windows. Crows will caw on the doorsteps. The cedar wood of her buildings will be stripped away. 15 That is what will happen to the city that is so proud of its own power and thinks it is safe. Its people think that their city is the greatest in the world. What a desolate place it will become, a place where wild animals will rest! Everyone who passes by will shrink back in horror.

202-Zeph. 3:8 "Just wait," the Lord says. "Wait for the day when I rise to accuse the nations. I have made up my mind to gather nations and kingdoms in order to let them feel the force of my anger. The whole earth will be destroyed by the fire of my fury. 9 "Then I will change the people of the nations, and they will pray to me alone and not to other gods. They will all obey me. 10 Even from distant Ethiopia my scattered people will bring offerings to me. 11 At that time you, my people, will no longer need to be ashamed that you rebelled against me. I will remove everyone who is proud and arrogant, and you will never again rebel against me on my sacred hill. 12 I will leave there a humble and lowly people, who will come to me for help. 13 The people of Israel who survive will do no wrong to anyone, tell no lies, nor try to deceive. They will be prosperous and secure, afraid of no one." 14 Sing and shout for joy, people of Israel! Rejoice with all your heart, Jerusalem! 15 The Lord has stopped your punishment; he has removed all your enemies. The Lord, the king of Israel, is with you; there is no reason now to be afraid. 16 The time is coming when they will say to Jerusalem, "Do not be afraid, city of Zion! Do not let your hands hang limp! 17 The Lord your God is with you; his power gives you victory. The Lord will take delight in you, and in his love he will give you new life. He will sing and be joyful over you, 18 as joyful as people at a festival." The Lord says, "I have ended the threat of doom and taken away your disgrace. 19 The time is coming! I will punish your oppressors; I will rescue all the lame and bring the exiles home. I will turn their shame to honor, and all the world will praise them. 20 The time is coming! I will bring your scattered people home; I will make you famous throughout the world and make you prosperous once again." The Lord has spoken.

203-Zephaniah 2:5 You Philistines are doomed, you people who live along the coast. The Lord has passed sentence on you. He will destroy you, and not one of you will be left. 6 Your land by the sea will become open fields with shepherd's huts and sheep pens. 7 The people of Judah who survive will occupy your land. They will pasture their flocks there and sleep in the houses of Ashkelon. The Lord their God will be with them and make them prosper again. 8 The Lord Almighty says, "I have heard the people of Moab and Ammon insulting and taunting my people, and boasting that they would seize their land. 9 As surely as I am the living Lord, the God of Israel, I swear that Moab and Ammon are going to be destroyed like Sodom and Gomorrah. They will become a place of salt pits and everlasting ruin, overgrown with weeds. Those of my people who survive will plunder them and take their land."

204-Zephaniah 1:12 "At that time I will take a lamp and search Jerusalem. I will punish the people who are self-satisfied and confident, who say to themselves, "The Lord never does anything, one way or the other.'

Jeremiah 5:12 The Lord's people have denied him and have said, "He won't really do anything. We won't have hard times; we won't have war or famine."

2 Peter 3:3 First of all, you must understand that in the last days some people will appear whose lives are controlled by their own lusts. They will make fun of you

205-Zephaniah 1:2 The Lord said, "I am going to destroy everything on earth, 3 all human beings and animals, birds and fish. I will bring about the downfall of the wicked. I will destroy everyone, and no survivors will be left. I, the Lord, have spoken. 4 "I will punish the people of Jerusalem and of all Judah. I will destroy the last trace of the worship of Baal there, and no one will even remember the pagan priests who serve him. 5 I will destroy anyone who goes up on the roof and worships the sun, the moon, and the stars. I will also destroy those who worship me and swear loyalty to me, but then take oaths in the name of the god Molech. 6 I will destroy those who have turned back and no longer follow me, those who do not come to me or ask me to guide them." 7 The day is near when the Lord will sit in judgment; so be silent in his presence. The Lord is preparing to sacrifice his people and has invited enemies to plunder Judah. 8 "On that day of slaughter," says the Lord, "I will punish the officials, the king's sons, and all who practice foreign customs. 9 I will punish all who worship like pagans and who steal and kill in order to fill their master's house with loot. 10 "On that day," says the Lord, "you will hear the sound of crying at the Fish Gate in Jerusalem. You will hear wailing in the newer part of the city and a great crashing sound in the hills. 11 Wail and cry when you hear this, you that live in the lower part of the city, because all the merchants will be dead! 12 "At that time I will take a lamp and search Jerusalem. I will punish the people who are self-satisfied and confident, who say to themselves, "The Lord never does anything, one way or the other.' 13 Their wealth will be looted and their houses destroyed. They will never live in the houses they are building or drink wine from the vineyards they are planting." 14 The great day of the Lord is near - very near and coming fast! That day will be bitter, for even the bravest soldiers will cry out in despair! 15 It will be a day of fury, a day of trouble and distress, a day of ruin and destruction, a day of darkness and gloom, a black and cloudy day, 16 a day filled with the sound of war trumpets and the battle cry of soldiers attacking fortified cities and high towers. 17 The Lord says, "I will bring such disasters on the human race that everyone will grope about like someone blind. They have sinned against me, and now their blood will be poured out like water, and their dead bodies will lie rotting on the ground." 18 On the day when the Lord shows his fury, not even all their silver and gold will save them. The whole earth will be destroyed by the fire of his anger. He will put an end - a sudden end - to everyone who lives on earth.

Zephaniah 2:1 Shameless nation, come to your senses 2 before you are driven away like chaff blown by the wind, before the burning anger of the Lord comes upon you, before the day when he shows his fury. 3 Turn to the Lord, all you humble people of the land, who obey his commands. Do what is right, and humble yourselves before the Lord. Perhaps you will escape punishment on the day when the Lord shows his anger. 4 No one will be left in the city of Gaza. Ashkelon will be deserted. The people of Ashdod will be driven out in half a day, and the people of Ekron will be driven from their city.

Zephaniah 3:16 The time is coming when they will say to Jerusalem, "Do not be afraid, city of Zion! Do not let your hands hang limp! 17 The Lord your God is with you; his power gives you victory. The Lord will take delight in you, and in his love he will give you new life. He will sing and be joyful over you, 18 as joyful as people at a festival." The Lord says, "I have ended the threat of doom and taken away your disgrace. 19 The time is coming! I will punish your oppressors; I will rescue all the lame and bring the exiles home. I will turn their shame to honor, and all the world will praise them. 20 The time is coming! I will bring your scattered people home; I will make you famous throughout the world and make you prosperous once again." The Lord has spoken

Joel 1:15 The day of the Lord is near, the day when the Almighty brings destruction. What terror that day will bring!

Joel 2:1 Blow the trumpet; sound the alarm on Zion, God's sacred hill. Tremble, people of Judah! The day of the Lord is coming soon. 2 It will be a dark and gloomy day, a black and cloudy day. The great army of locusts advances like darkness spreading over the mountains. There has never been anything like it, and there never will be again. 11 The Lord thunders commands to his army. The troops that obey him are many and mighty. How terrible is the day of the Lord! Who will survive it? 31 The sun will be darkened, and the moon will turn red as blood before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes.

Joel 3:14 Thousands and thousands are in the Valley of Judgment. It is there that the day of the Lord will soon come.

206-Revelation 14:6 Then I saw another angel flying high in the air, with an eternal message of Good News to announce to the peoples of the earth, to every race, tribe, language, and nation. 7 He said in a loud voice, "Honor God and praise his greatness! For the time has come for him to judge all people. Worship him who made heaven, earth, sea, and the springs of water!" 8 A second angel followed the first one, saying, "She has fallen! Great Babylon has fallen! She made all peoples drink her wine - the strong wine of her immoral lust!" 9 A third angel followed the first two, saying in a loud voice, "Those who worship the beast and its image and receive the mark on their forehead or on their hand 10 will themselves drink God's wine, the wine of his fury, which he has poured at full strength into the cup of his anger! All who do this will be tormented in fire and sulfur before the holy angels and the Lamb. 11 The smoke of the fire that torments them goes up forever and ever. There is no relief day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, for anyone who has the mark of its name." 12 This calls for endurance on the part of God's people, those who obey God's commandments and are faithful to Jesus.

207-Zephaniah 1:2 The Lord said, "I am going to destroy everything on earth, 3 all human beings and animals, birds and fish. I will bring about the downfall of the wicked. I will destroy everyone, and no survivors will be left. I, the Lord, have spoken. 4 "I will punish the people of Jerusalem and of all Judah. I will destroy the last trace of the worship of Baal there, and no one will even remember the pagan priests who serve him. 5 I will destroy anyone who goes up on the roof and worships the sun, the moon, and the stars. I will also destroy those who worship me and swear loyalty to me, but then take oaths in the name of the god Molech. 6 I will destroy those who have turned back and no longer follow me, those who do not come to me or ask me to guide them." 7 The day is near when the Lord will sit in judgment; so be silent in his presence. The Lord is preparing to sacrifice his people and has invited enemies to plunder Judah. 8 "On that day of slaughter," says the Lord, "I will punish the officials, the king's sons, and all who practice foreign customs. 9 I will punish all who worship like pagans and who steal and kill in order to fill their master's house with loot. 14 The great day of the Lord is near - very near and coming fast! That day will be bitter, for even the bravest soldiers will cry out in despair! 15 It will be a day of fury, a day of trouble and distress, a day of ruin and destruction, a day of darkness and gloom, a black and cloudy day, 16 a day filled with the sound of war trumpets and the battle cry of soldiers attacking fortified cities and high towers. 18 On the day when the Lord shows his fury, not even all their silver and gold will save them. The whole earth will be destroyed by the fire of his anger. He will put an end - a sudden end - to everyone who lives on earth.

Zephaniah 2:1 Shameless nation, come to your senses 2 before you are driven away like chaff blown by the wind, before the burning anger of the Lord comes upon you, before the day when he shows his fury. 3 Turn to the Lord, all you humble people of the land, who obey his commands. Do what is right, and humble yourselves before the Lord. Perhaps you will escape punishment on the day when the Lord shows his anger.

Zephaniah 3:6 The Lord says, "I have wiped out whole nations; I have destroyed their cities and left their walls and towers in ruins. The cities are deserted; the streets are empty - no one is left. 7 I thought that then my people would have reverence for me and accept my discipline, that they would never forget the lesson I taught them. But soon they were behaving as badly as ever. 8 "Just wait," the Lord says. "Wait for the day when I rise to accuse the nations. I have made up my mind to gather nations and kingdoms in order to let them feel the force of my anger. The whole earth will be destroyed by the fire of my fury.

208-Hosea 4:17 The people of Israel are under the spell of idols. Let them go their own way.

Hosea 11:1 The Lord says, "When Israel was a child, I loved him and called him out of Egypt as my son. 2 But the more I called to him, the more he turned away from me. My people sacrificed to Baal; they burned incense to idols. 3 Yet I was the one who taught Israel to walk. I took my people up in my arms, but they did not acknowledge that I took care of them. 4 I drew them to me with affection and love. I picked them up and held them to my cheek; I bent down to them and fed them. 5 "They refuse to return to me, and so they must return to Egypt, and Assyria will rule them. 6 War will sweep through their cities and break down the city gates. It will destroy my people because they do what they themselves think best. 7 They insist on turning away from me. They will cry out because of the yoke that is on them, but no one will lift it from them. 8 "How can I give you up, Israel? How can I abandon you? Could I ever destroy you as I did Admah, or treat you as I did Zeboiim? My heart will not let me do it! My love for you is too strong. 9 I will not punish you in my anger; I will not destroy Israel again. For I am God and not a mere human being. I, the Holy One, am with you. I will not come to you in anger. 10 "My people will follow me when I roar like a lion at their enemies. They will hurry to me from the west. 11 They will come from Egypt, as swiftly as birds, and from Assyria, like doves. I will bring them to their homes again. I, the Lord, have spoken." 12 The Lord says, "The people of Israel have surrounded me with lies and deceit, and the people of Judah are still rebelling against me, the faithful and holy God.

209-2 Kings 17:1 In the twelfth year of the reign of King Ahaz of Judah, Hoshea son of Elah became king of Israel, and he ruled in Samaria for nine years. 2 He sinned against the Lord, but not as much as the kings who had ruled Israel before him. 3 Emperor Shalmaneser of Assyria made war against him; Hoshea surrendered to Shalmaneser and paid him tribute every year. 4 But one year Hoshea sent messengers to So, king of Egypt, asking for his help, and stopped paying the annual tribute to Assyria. When Shalmaneser learned of this, he had Hoshea arrested and put in prison. 5 Then Shalmaneser invaded Israel and besieged Samaria. In the third year of the siege, 6 which was the ninth year of the reign of Hoshea, the Assyrian emperor captured Samaria, took the Israelites to Assyria as prisoners, and settled some of them in the city of Halah, some near the Habor River in the district of Gozan and some in the cities of Media. 7 Samaria fell because the Israelites sinned against the Lord their God, who had rescued them from the king of Egypt and had led them out of Egypt. They worshiped other gods, 8 followed the customs of the people whom the Lord had driven out as his people advanced, and adopted customs introduced by the kings of Israel. 9 The Israelites did things that the Lord their God disapproved of. They built pagan places of worship in all their towns, from the smallest village to the largest city. 10 On all the hills and under every shady tree they put up stone pillars and images of the goddess Asherah, 11 and they burned incense on all the pagan altars, following the practice of the people whom the Lord had driven out of the land. They aroused the Lord's anger with all their wicked deeds 12 and disobeyed the Lord's command not to worship idols. 13 The Lord had sent his messengers and prophets to warn Israel and Judah: "Abandon your evil ways and obey my commands, which are contained in the Law I gave to your ancestors and which I handed on to you through my servants the prophets." 14 But they would not obey; they were stubborn like their ancestors, who had not trusted in the Lord their God. 15 They refused to obey his instructions, they did not keep the covenant he had made with their ancestors, and they disregarded his warnings. They worshiped worthless idols and became worthless themselves, and they followed the customs of the surrounding nations, disobeying the Lord's command not to imitate them. 16 They broke all the laws of the Lord their God and made two metal bull-calves to worship; they also made an image of the goddess Asherah, worshiped the stars, and served the god Baal. 17 They sacrificed their sons and daughters as burnt offerings to pagan gods; they consulted mediums and fortunetellers, and they devoted themselves completely to doing what is wrong in the Lord's sight, and so aroused his anger. 18 The Lord was angry with the Israelites and banished them from his sight, leaving only the kingdom of Judah. 19 But even the people of Judah did not obey the laws of the Lord their God; they imitated the customs adopted by the people of Israel. 20 The Lord rejected all the Israelites, punishing them and handing them over to cruel enemies until at last he had banished them from his sight. 21 After the Lord had separated Israel from Judah, the Israelites made Jeroboam son of Nebat their king. Jeroboam caused them to abandon the Lord and led them into terrible sins. 22 They followed Jeroboam and continued to practice all the sins he had committed, 23 until at last the Lord banished them from his sight, as he had warned through his servants the prophets that he would do. So the people of Israel were taken into exile to Assyria, where they still live. 24 The emperor of Assyria took people from the cities of Babylon, Cuth, Ivvah, Hamath, and Sepharvaim, and settled them in the cities of Samaria in place of the exiled Israelites. They took possession of these cities and lived there. 25 When they first settled there, they did not worship the Lord, and so he sent lions, which killed some of them. 26 The emperor of Assyria was told that the people he had settled in the cities of Samaria did not know the law of the god of that land, and so the god had sent lions, which were killing them. 27 So the emperor commanded: "Send back one of the priests we brought as prisoners; have him go back and live there, in order to teach the people the law of the god of that land." 28 So an Israelite priest who had been deported from Samaria went and lived in Bethel, where he taught the people how to worship the Lord. 29 But the people who settled in Samaria continued to make their own idols, and they placed them in the shrines that the Israelites had built. Each different group made idols in the cities they were living in: 30 the people of Babylon made idols of the god Succoth Benoth; the people of Cuth, idols of Nergal; the people of Hamath, idols of Ashima; 31 the people of Ivvah, idols of Nibhaz and Tartak; and the people of Sepharvaim sacrificed their children as burnt offerings to their gods Adrammelech and Anammelech. 32 These people also worshiped the Lord and chose from among their own number all sorts of people to serve as priests at the pagan places of worship and to offer sacrifices for them there. 33 So they worshiped the Lord, but they also worshiped their own gods according to the customs of the countries from which they had come. 34 They still carry on their old customs to this day. They do not worship the Lord nor do they obey the laws and commands which he gave to the descendants of Jacob, whom he named Israel. 35 The Lord had made a covenant with them and had ordered them: "Do not worship other gods; do not bow down to them or serve them or offer sacrifices to them. 36 You shall obey me, the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt with great power and strength; you are to bow down to me and offer sacrifices to me. 37 You shall always obey the laws and commands that I wrote for you. You shall not obey other gods, 38 and you shall not forget the covenant I made with you. 39 You shall obey me, the Lord your God, and I will rescue you from your enemies." 40 But those people would not listen, and they continued to follow their old customs. 41 So those people worshiped the Lord, but they also worshiped their idols; and to this day their descendants continue to do the same.

2 Chronicles 36:15 The Lord, the God of their ancestors, had continued to send prophets to warn his people, because he wanted to spare them and the Temple. 16 But they made fun of God's messengers, ignoring his words and laughing at his prophets, until at last the Lord's anger against his people was so great that there was no escape.

210-Revelation 14:9 A third angel followed the first two, saying in a loud voice, "Those who worship the beast and its image and receive the mark on their forehead or on their hand 10 will themselves drink God's wine, the wine of his fury, which he has poured at full strength into the cup of his anger! All who do this will be tormented in fire and sulfur before the holy angels and the Lamb. 11 The smoke of the fire that torments them goes up forever and ever. There is no relief day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, for anyone who has the mark of its name."

211-Zephaniah 1:12 "At that time I will take a lamp and search Jerusalem. I will punish the people who are self-satisfied and confident, who say to themselves, "The Lord never does anything, one way or the other.'

212-2 Chronicles 33:9 Manasseh led the people of Judah to commit even greater sins than those committed by the nations whom the Lord had driven out of the land as his people advanced.

213-Deuteronomy 8:15 He led you through that vast and terrifying desert where there were poisonous snakes and scorpions. In that dry and waterless land he made water flow out of solid rock for you.

Deuteronomy 31:16 The Lord said to Moses, "You will soon die, and after your death the people will become unfaithful to me and break the covenant that I made with them. They will abandon me and worship the pagan gods of the land they are about to enter. 17 When that happens, I will become angry with them; I will abandon them, and they will be destroyed. Many terrible disasters will come upon them, and then they will realize that these things are happening to them because I, their God, am no longer with them. 18 And I will refuse to help them then, because they have done evil and worshiped other gods.

Joshua 7:1 The Lord's command to Israel not to take from Jericho anything that was to be destroyed was not obeyed. A man named Achan disobeyed that order, and so the Lord was furious with the Israelites. (Achan was the son of Carmi and grandson of Zabdi, and belonged to the clan of Zerah, a part of the tribe of Judah.) 2 Joshua sent some men from Jericho to Ai, a city east of Bethel, near Bethaven, with orders to go and explore the land. When they had done so, 3 they reported back to Joshua: "There is no need for everyone to attack Ai. Send only about two or three thousand men. Don't send the whole army up there to fight; it is not a large city." 4 So about three thousand Israelites made the attack, but they were forced to retreat. 5 The men of Ai chased them from the city gate as far as some quarries and killed about thirty-six of them on the way down the hill. Then the Israelites lost their courage and were afraid. 6 Joshua and the leaders of Israel tore their clothes in grief, threw themselves to the ground before the Lord's Covenant Box, and lay there till evening, with dust on their heads to show their sorrow. 7 And Joshua said, "Sovereign Lord! Why did you bring us across the Jordan at all? To turn us over to the Amorites? To destroy us? Why didn't we just stay on the other side of the Jordan? 8 What can I say, O Lord, now that Israel has retreated from the enemy? 9 The Canaanites and everyone else in the country will hear about it. They will surround us and kill every one of us! And then what will you do to protect your honor?" 10 The Lord said to Joshua, "Get up! Why are you lying on the ground like this? 11 Israel has sinned! They have broken the agreement with me that I ordered them to keep. They have taken some of the things condemned to destruction. They stole them, lied about it, and put them with their own things. 12 This is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies. They retreat from them because they themselves have now been condemned to destruction! I will not stay with you any longer unless you destroy the things you were ordered not to take!

Joshua 23:16 If you do not keep the covenant which the Lord your God commanded you to keep and if you serve and worship other gods, then in his anger he will punish you, and soon none of you will be left in this good land that he has given you."

Judges 2:12 They stopped worshiping the Lord, the God of their ancestors, the God who had brought them out of Egypt, and they began to worship other gods, the gods of the peoples around them. They bowed down to them and made the Lord angry. 13 They stopped worshiping the Lord and served the Baals and the Astartes. 14 And so the Lord became furious with Israel and let raiders attack and rob them. He let the enemies all around overpower them, and the Israelites could no longer protect themselves. 19 But when the leader died, the people would return to the old ways and behave worse than the previous generation. They would serve and worship other gods, and stubbornly continue their own evil ways. 20 Then the Lord would become furious with Israel and say, "This nation has broken the covenant that I commanded their ancestors to keep. Because they have not obeyed me, 21 I will no longer drive out any of the nations that were still in the land when Joshua died. 22 I will use them to find out whether or not these Israelites will follow my ways, as their ancestors did." 23 So the Lord allowed these nations to remain in the land; he did not give Joshua victory over them, nor did he drive them out soon after Joshua's death.

Judges 3:7 The people of Israel forgot the Lord their God; they sinned against him and worshiped the idols of Baal and Asherah. 8 So the Lord became angry with Israel and let King Cushan Rishathaim of Mesopotamia conquer them. They were subject to him for eight years. 9 Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord, and he sent someone to free them. This was Othniel, the son of Caleb's younger brother Kenaz.

Judges 10:6 Once again the Israelites sinned against the Lord by worshiping the Baals and the Astartes, as well as the gods of Syria, of Sidon, of Moab, of Ammon, and of Philistia. They abandoned the Lord and stopped worshiping him. 7 So the Lord became angry with the Israelites, and let the Philistines and the Ammonites conquer them. 8 For eighteen years they oppressed and persecuted all the Israelites who lived in Amorite country east of the Jordan River in Gilead. 9 The Ammonites even crossed the Jordan to fight the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and Ephraim. Israel was in great distress. 10 Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord and said, "We have sinned against you, for we left you, our God, and worshiped the Baals." 11 The Lord gave them this answer: "The Egyptians, the Amorites, the Ammonites, the Philistines, 12 the Sidonians, the Amalekites, and the Maonites oppressed you in the past, and you cried out to me. Did I not save you from them?

214-John 9:1 As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been born blind. 2 His disciples asked him, "Teacher, whose sin caused him to be born blind? Was it his own or his parents' sin?" 3 Jesus answered, "His blindness has nothing to do with his sins or his parents' sins. He is blind so that God's power might be seen at work in him.

Proverbs 22:6 Teach children how they should live, and they will remember it all their life.

215-Nahum 1:1 This is a message about Nineveh, the account of a vision seen by Nahum, who was from Elkosh. 2 The Lord God tolerates no rivals; he punishes those who oppose him. In his anger he pays them back. 3 The Lord does not easily become angry, but he is powerful and never lets the guilty go unpunished. Where the Lord walks, storms arise; the clouds are the dust raised by his feet! 4 He commands the sea, and it dries up! He makes the rivers go dry. The fields of Bashan wither, Mount Carmel turns brown, and the flowers of Lebanon fade. 5 Mountains quake in the presence of the Lord; hills melt before him. The earth shakes when the Lord appears; the world and all its people tremble. 6 When he is angry, who can survive? Who can survive his terrible fury? He pours out his flaming anger; rocks crumble to dust before him. 8 Like a great rushing flood he completely destroys his enemies; he sends to their death those who oppose him. 9 What are you plotting against the Lord? He will destroy you. No one opposes him more than once. 10 Like tangled thorns and dry straw you drunkards will be burned up!

Hosea 11:7 They insist on turning away from me. They will cry out because of the yoke that is on them, but no one will lift it from them. 8 "How can I give you up, Israel? How can I abandon you? Could I ever destroy you as I did Admah, or treat you as I did Zeboiim? My heart will not let me do it! My love for you is too strong.

216-Nahum 1:7 The Lord is good; he protects his people in times of trouble; he takes care of those who turn to him.

217-Romans 2:4 Or perhaps you despise his great kindness, tolerance, and patience. Surely you know that God is kind, because he is trying to lead you to repent.

218-2 Kings 19:35 That night an angel of the Lord went to the Assyrian camp and killed 185,000 soldiers. At dawn the next day there they lay, all dead!

Isaiah 37:36 An angel of the Lord went to the Assyrian camp and killed 185,000 soldiers. At dawn the next day there they lay, all dead!

219-Romans 2:4 Or perhaps you despise his great kindness, tolerance, and patience. Surely you know that God is kind, because he is trying to lead you to repent.

220-Exodus 20:18 When the people heard the thunder and the trumpet blast and saw the lightning and the smoking mountain, they trembled with fear and stood a long way off. 19 They said to Moses, "If you speak to us, we will listen; but we are afraid that if God speaks to us, we will die." 20 Moses replied, "Don't be afraid; God has only come to test you and make you keep on obeying him, so that you will not sin."

221-2 Kings 2:24 Elisha turned around, glared at them, and cursed them in the name of the Lord. Then two she-bears came out of the woods and tore forty-two of the boys to pieces.

222-Leviticus 10:1 Aaron's sons, Nadab and Abihu, each took his fire pan, put live coals in it, added incense, and presented it to the Lord. But this fire was not holy, because the Lord had not commanded them to present it. 2 Suddenly the Lord sent fire, and it burned them to death there in the presence of the Lord. 3 Then Moses said to Aaron, "This is what the Lord was speaking about when he said, "All who serve me must respect my holiness; I will reveal my glory to my people.' " But Aaron remained silent. 4 Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel, Aaron's uncle, and said to them, "Come here and carry your cousins' bodies away from the sacred Tent and put them outside the camp." 5 So they came and took hold of the clothing on the corpses and carried them outside the camp, just as Moses had commanded. 6 Then Moses said to Aaron and to his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, "Do not leave your hair uncombed or tear your clothes to show that you are in mourning. If you do, you will die, and the Lord will be angry with the whole community. But all other Israelites are allowed to mourn this death caused by the fire which the Lord sent. 7 Do not leave the entrance of the Tent or you will die, because you have been consecrated by the anointing oil of the Lord." So they did as Moses said. 8 The Lord said to Aaron, 9 "You and your sons are not to enter the Tent of my presence after drinking wine or beer; if you do, you will die. This is a law to be kept by all your descendants. 10 You must distinguish between what belongs to God and what is for general use, between what is ritually clean and what is unclean. 11 You must teach the people of Israel all the laws which I have given to you through Moses."

223-Numbers 16:1 Korah son of Izhar, from the Levite clan of Kohath, rebelled against the leadership of Moses. He was joined by three members of the tribe of Reuben - Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth - and by 250 other Israelites, well-known leaders chosen by the community. 3 They assembled before Moses and Aaron and said to them, "You have gone too far! All the members of the community belong to the Lord, and the Lord is with all of us. Why, then, Moses, do you set yourself above the Lord's community?" 4 When Moses heard this, he threw himself on the ground and prayed. 5 Then he said to Korah and his followers, "Tomorrow morning the Lord will show us who belongs to him; he will let the one who belongs to him, that is, the one he has chosen, approach him at the altar. 6 Tomorrow morning you and your followers take fire pans, put live coals and incense on them, and take them to the altar. Then we will see which of us the Lord has chosen. You Levites are the ones who have gone too far!" 8 Moses continued to speak to Korah. "Listen, you Levites! 9 Do you consider it a small matter that the God of Israel has set you apart from the rest of the community, so that you can approach him, perform your service in the Lord's Tent, and minister to the community and serve them? 10 He has let you and all the other Levites have this honor - and now you are trying to get the priesthood too! 11 When you complain against Aaron, it is really against the Lord that you and your followers are rebelling." 12 Then Moses sent for Dathan and Abiram, but they said, "We will not come! 13 Isn't it enough that you have brought us out of the fertile land of Egypt to kill us here in the wilderness? Do you also have to lord it over us? 14 You certainly have not brought us into a fertile land or given us fields and vineyards as our possession, and now you are trying to deceive us. We will not come!" 15 Moses became angry and said to the Lord, "Do not accept any offerings these men bring. I have not wronged any of them; I have not even taken one of their donkeys." 16 Moses said to Korah, "Tomorrow you and your 250 followers must come to the Tent of the Lord's presence; Aaron will also be there. 17 Each of you will take his fire pan, put incense on it, and then present it at the altar." 18 So they each took their fire pans, put live coals and incense on them, and stood at the entrance of the Tent with Moses and Aaron. 19 Then Korah gathered the whole community, and they stood facing Moses and Aaron at the entrance of the Tent. Suddenly the dazzling light of the Lord's presence appeared to the whole community, 20 and the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 21 "Move back from these people, and I will destroy them immediately." 22 But Moses and Aaron bowed down with their faces to the ground and said, "O God, you are the source of all life. When one of us sins, do you become angry with the whole community?" 23 The Lord said to Moses, 24 "Tell the people to move away from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram." 25 Then Moses, accompanied by the leaders of Israel, went to Dathan and Abiram. 26 He said to the people, "Get away from the tents of these wicked men and don't touch anything that belongs to them. Otherwise, you will be wiped out with them for all their sins." 27 So they moved away from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. Dathan and Abiram had come out and were standing at the entrance of their tents, with their wives and children. 28 Moses said to the people, "This is how you will know that the Lord has sent me to do all these things and that it is not by my own choice that I have done them. 29 If these men die a natural death without some punishment from God, then the Lord did not send me. 30 But if the Lord does something unheard of, and the earth opens up and swallows them with all they own, so that they go down alive to the world of the dead, you will know that these men have rejected the Lord." 31 As soon as he had finished speaking, the ground under Dathan and Abiram split open 32 and swallowed them and their families, together with all of Korah's followers and their possessions. 33 So they went down alive to the world of the dead, with their possessions. The earth closed over them, and they vanished. 34 All the people of Israel who were there fled when they heard their cry. They shouted, "Run! The earth might swallow us too!" 35 Then the Lord sent a fire that blazed out and burned up the 250 men who had presented the incense.

224-2 Samuel 6:1 Once more David called together the best soldiers in Israel, a total of thirty thousand men, 2 and led them to Baalah in Judah, in order to bring from there God's Covenant Box, bearing the name of the Lord Almighty, whose throne is above the winged creatures. 3 They took it from Abinadab's home on the hill and placed it on a new cart. Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, were guiding the cart, 4 with Ahio walking in front. 5 David and all the Israelites were dancing and singing with all their might to honor the Lord. They were playing harps, lyres, drums, rattles, and cymbals. 6 As they came to the threshing place of Nacon, the oxen stumbled, and Uzzah reached out and took hold of the Covenant Box. 7 At once the Lord God became angry with Uzzah and killed him because of his irreverence. Uzzah died there beside the Covenant Box, 8 and so that place has been called Perez Uzzah ever since. David was furious because the Lord had punished Uzzah in anger.

225-Revelation 14:6 Then I saw another angel flying high in the air, with an eternal message of Good News to announce to the peoples of the earth, to every race, tribe, language, and nation. 7 He said in a loud voice, "Honor God and praise his greatness! For the time has come for him to judge all people. Worship him who made heaven, earth, sea, and the springs of water!" 8 A second angel followed the first one, saying, "She has fallen! Great Babylon has fallen! She made all peoples drink her wine - the strong wine of her immoral lust!" 9 A third angel followed the first two, saying in a loud voice, "Those who worship the beast and its image and receive the mark on their forehead or on their hand 10 will themselves drink God's wine, the wine of his fury, which he has poured at full strength into the cup of his anger! All who do this will be tormented in fire and sulfur before the holy angels and the Lamb. 11 The smoke of the fire that torments them goes up forever and ever. There is no relief day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, for anyone who has the mark of its name." 12 This calls for endurance on the part of God's people, those who obey God's commandments and are faithful to Jesus.

226-Haggai 1:1 During the second year that Darius was emperor of Persia, on the first day of the sixth month, the Lord spoke through the prophet Haggai. The message was for the governor of Judah, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and for the High Priest, Joshua son of Jehozadak. 2 The Lord Almighty said to Haggai, "These people say that this is not the right time to rebuild the Temple." 3 The Lord then gave this message to the people through the prophet Haggai: 4 "My people, why should you be living in well-built houses while my Temple lies in ruins? 5 Don't you see what is happening to you? 6 You have planted much grain, but have harvested very little. You have food to eat, but not enough to make you full. You have wine to drink, but not enough to get drunk on! You have clothing, but not enough to keep you warm. And workers cannot earn enough to live on. 7 Can't you see why this has happened? 8 Now go up into the hills, get lumber, and rebuild the Temple; then I will be pleased and will be worshiped as I should be. 9 "You hoped for large harvests, but they turned out to be small. And when you brought the harvest home, I blew it away. Why did I do that? Because my Temple lies in ruins while every one of you is busy working on your own house. 10 That is why there is no rain and nothing can grow. 11 I have brought drought on the land - on its hills, grainfields, vineyards, and olive orchards - on every crop the ground produces, on people and animals, on everything you try to grow." 12 Then Zerubbabel and Joshua and all the people who had returned from the exile in Babylonia, did what the Lord their God told them to do. They were afraid and obeyed the prophet Haggai, the Lord's messenger. 13 Then Haggai gave the Lord's message to the people: "I will be with you - that is my promise." 14 The Lord inspired everyone to work on the Temple: Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah; Joshua, the High Priest, and all the people who had returned from the exile. They began working on the Temple of the Lord Almighty, their God, 15 on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month of the second year that Darius was emperor.

Haggai 2:1 On the twenty-first day of the seventh month of that same year, the Lord spoke again through the prophet Haggai. 2 He told Haggai to speak to Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah, to Joshua, the High Priest, and to the people, and to say to them, 3 "Is there anyone among you who can still remember how splendid the Temple used to be? How does it look to you now? It must seem like nothing at all. 4 But now don't be discouraged, any of you. Do the work, for I am with you. 5 When you came out of Egypt, I promised that I would always be with you. I am still with you, so do not be afraid. 6 "Before long I will shake heaven and earth, land and sea. 7 I will overthrow all the nations, and their treasures will be brought here, and the Temple will be filled with wealth. 8 All the silver and gold of the world is mine. 9 The new Temple will be more splendid than the old one, and there I will give my people prosperity and peace." The Lord Almighty has spoken. 10 On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month of the second year that Darius was emperor, the Lord Almighty spoke again to the prophet Haggai. 11 He said, "Ask the priests for a ruling on this question: 12 Suppose someone takes a piece of consecrated meat from a sacrifice and carries it in a fold of his robe. If he then lets his robe touch any bread, cooked food, wine, olive oil, or any kind of food at all, will it make that food consecrated also?" When the question was asked, the priests answered, "No." 13 Then Haggai asked, "Suppose someone is defiled because he has touched a dead body. If he then touches any of these foods, will that make them defiled too?" The priests answered, "Yes." 14 Then Haggai said, "The Lord says that the same thing applies to the people of this nation and to everything they produce; and so everything they offer on the altar is defiled." 15 The Lord says, "Can't you see what has happened to you? Before you started to rebuild the Temple, 16 you would go to a pile of grain expecting to find twenty bushels, but there would be only ten. You would go to draw fifty gallons of wine from a vat, but find only twenty. 17 I sent scorching winds and hail to ruin everything you tried to grow, but still you did not repent. 18 Today is the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, the day that the foundation of the Temple has been completed. See what is going to happen from now on. 19 Although there is no grain left, and the grapevines, fig trees, pomegranates, and olive trees have not yet produced, yet from now on I will bless you." 20 On that same day, the twenty-fourth of the month, the Lord gave Haggai a second message 21 for Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah: "I am about to shake heaven and earth 22 and overthrow kingdoms and end their power. I will overturn chariots and their drivers; the horses will die, and their riders will kill one another. 23 On that day I will take you, Zerubbabel my servant, and I will appoint you to rule in my name. You are the one I have chosen." The Lord Almighty has spoken.

John 2:19 Jesus answered, "Tear down this Temple, and in three days I will build it again."

Ezra 3:1 By the seventh month the people of Israel were all settled in their towns. Then they all assembled in Jerusalem, 2 and Joshua son of Jehozadak, his fellow priests, and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, together with his relatives, rebuilt the altar of the God of Israel, so that they could burn sacrifices on it according to the instructions written in the Law of Moses, the man of God. 3 Even though the returning exiles were afraid of the people who were living in the land, they rebuilt the altar where it had stood before. Then they began once again to burn on it the regular morning and evening sacrifices. 4 They celebrated the Festival of Shelters according to the regulations; each day they offered the sacrifices required for that day; 5 and in addition they offered the regular sacrifices to be burned whole and those to be offered at the New Moon Festival and at all the other regular assemblies at which the Lord is worshiped, as well as all the offerings that were given to the Lord voluntarily. 6 Although the people had not yet started to rebuild the Temple, they began on the first day of the seventh month to burn sacrifices to the Lord.

Matthew 1:23 "A virgin will become pregnant and have a son, and he will be called Immanuel" (which means, "God is with us").

Matthew 12:6 I tell you that there is something here greater than the Temple.

Luke 24:13 On that same day two of Jesus' followers were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, 14 and they were talking to each other about all the things that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed, Jesus himself drew near and walked along with them; 16 they saw him, but somehow did not recognize him. 17 Jesus said to them, "What are you talking about to each other, as you walk along?" They stood still, with sad faces. 18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, "Are you the only visitor in Jerusalem who doesn't know the things that have been happening there these last few days?" 19 "What things?" he asked. "The things that happened to Jesus of Nazareth," they answered. "This man was a prophet and was considered by God and by all the people to be powerful in everything he said and did. 20 Our chief priests and rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and he was crucified. 21 And we had hoped that he would be the one who was going to set Israel free! Besides all that, this is now the third day since it happened. 22 Some of the women of our group surprised us; they went at dawn to the tomb, 23 but could not find his body. They came back saying they had seen a vision of angels who told them that he is alive. 24 Some of our group went to the tomb and found it exactly as the women had said, but they did not see him." 25 Then Jesus said to them, "How foolish you are, how slow you are to believe everything the prophets said! 26 Was it not necessary for the Messiah to suffer these things and then to enter his glory?" 27 And Jesus explained to them what was said about himself in all the Scriptures, beginning with the books of Moses and the writings of all the prophets.

227-Haggai 1:1 During the second year that Darius was emperor of Persia, on the first day of the sixth month, the Lord spoke through the prophet Haggai. The message was for the governor of Judah, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and for the High Priest, Joshua son of Jehozadak.

228-Haggai 1:15 on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month of the second year that Darius was emperor.

229-Haggai 2:1 On the twenty-first day of the seventh month of that same year, the Lord spoke again through the prophet Haggai

230-Haggai 2:10 On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month of the second year that Darius was emperor, the Lord Almighty spoke again to the prophet Haggai. 20 On that same day, the twenty-fourth of the month, the Lord gave Haggai a second message

231-Ezra 6:15 They finished the Temple on the third day of the month Adar in the sixth year of the reign of Emperor Darius.

232-Haggai 1:1 During the second year that Darius was emperor of Persia, on the first day of the sixth month, the Lord spoke through the prophet Haggai. The message was for the governor of Judah, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and for the High Priest, Joshua son of Jehozadak. 2 The Lord Almighty said to Haggai, "These people say that this is not the right time to rebuild the Temple." 3 The Lord then gave this message to the people through the prophet Haggai: 4 "My people, why should you be living in well-built houses while my Temple lies in ruins? 5 Don't you see what is happening to you? 6 You have planted much grain, but have harvested very little. You have food to eat, but not enough to make you full. You have wine to drink, but not enough to get drunk on! You have clothing, but not enough to keep you warm. And workers cannot earn enough to live on. 7 Can't you see why this has happened? 8 Now go up into the hills, get lumber, and rebuild the Temple; then I will be pleased and will be worshiped as I should be. 9 "You hoped for large harvests, but they turned out to be small. And when you brought the harvest home, I blew it away. Why did I do that? Because my Temple lies in ruins while every one of you is busy working on your own house. 10 That is why there is no rain and nothing can grow. 11 I have brought drought on the land - on its hills, grainfields, vineyards, and olive orchards - on every crop the ground produces, on people and animals, on everything you try to grow." 12 Then Zerubbabel and Joshua and all the people who had returned from the exile in Babylonia, did what the Lord their God told them to do. They were afraid and obeyed the prophet Haggai, the Lord's messenger. 13 Then Haggai gave the Lord's message to the people: "I will be with you - that is my promise." 14 The Lord inspired everyone to work on the Temple: Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah; Joshua, the High Priest, and all the people who had returned from the exile. They began working on the Temple of the Lord Almighty, their God, 15 on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month of the second year that Darius was emperor.

233-Leviticus 26:16 I will punish you. I will bring disaster on you - incurable diseases and fevers that will make you blind and cause your life to waste away. You will plant your crops, but it will do you no good, because your enemies will conquer you and eat what you have grown. 20 All your hard work will do you no good, because your land will not produce crops and the trees will not bear fruit.

234-Zephaniah 1:12 "At that time I will take a lamp and search Jerusalem. I will punish the people who are self-satisfied and confident, who say to themselves, "The Lord never does anything, one way or the other.'

235-Haggai 1:1 During the second year that Darius was emperor of Persia, on the first day of the sixth month, the Lord spoke through the prophet Haggai. The message was for the governor of Judah, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and for the High Priest, Joshua son of Jehozadak. 2 The Lord Almighty said to Haggai, "These people say that this is not the right time to rebuild the Temple." 3 The Lord then gave this message to the people through the prophet Haggai: 4 "My people, why should you be living in well-built houses while my Temple lies in ruins? 5 Don't you see what is happening to you? 6 You have planted much grain, but have harvested very little. You have food to eat, but not enough to make you full. You have wine to drink, but not enough to get drunk on! You have clothing, but not enough to keep you warm. And workers cannot earn enough to live on. 7 Can't you see why this has happened? 8 Now go up into the hills, get lumber, and rebuild the Temple; then I will be pleased and will be worshiped as I should be. 9 "You hoped for large harvests, but they turned out to be small. And when you brought the harvest home, I blew it away. Why did I do that? Because my Temple lies in ruins while every one of you is busy working on your own house. 10 That is why there is no rain and nothing can grow. 11 I have brought drought on the land - on its hills, grainfields, vineyards, and olive orchards - on every crop the ground produces, on people and animals, on everything you try to grow." 12 Then Zerubbabel and Joshua and all the people who had returned from the exile in Babylonia, did what the Lord their God told them to do. They were afraid and obeyed the prophet Haggai, the Lord's messenger. 13 Then Haggai gave the Lord's message to the people: "I will be with you - that is my promise." 14 The Lord inspired everyone to work on the Temple: Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah; Joshua, the High Priest, and all the people who had returned from the exile. They began working on the Temple of the Lord Almighty, their God, 15 on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month of the second year that Darius was emperor.

Haggai 2:1 On the twenty-first day of the seventh month of that same year, the Lord spoke again through the prophet Haggai. 2 He told Haggai to speak to Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah, to Joshua, the High Priest, and to the people, and to say to them, 3 "Is there anyone among you who can still remember how splendid the Temple used to be? How does it look to you now? It must seem like nothing at all. 4 But now don't be discouraged, any of you. Do the work, for I am with you. 5 When you came out of Egypt, I promised that I would always be with you. I am still with you, so do not be afraid. 6 "Before long I will shake heaven and earth, land and sea. 7 I will overthrow all the nations, and their treasures will be brought here, and the Temple will be filled with wealth. 8 All the silver and gold of the world is mine. 9 The new Temple will be more splendid than the old one, and there I will give my people prosperity and peace." The Lord Almighty has spoken. 10 On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month of the second year that Darius was emperor, the Lord Almighty spoke again to the prophet Haggai. 11 He said, "Ask the priests for a ruling on this question: 12 Suppose someone takes a piece of consecrated meat from a sacrifice and carries it in a fold of his robe. If he then lets his robe touch any bread, cooked food, wine, olive oil, or any kind of food at all, will it make that food consecrated also?" When the question was asked, the priests answered, "No." 13 Then Haggai asked, "Suppose someone is defiled because he has touched a dead body. If he then touches any of these foods, will that make them defiled too?" The priests answered, "Yes." 14 Then Haggai said, "The Lord says that the same thing applies to the people of this nation and to everything they produce; and so everything they offer on the altar is defiled." 15 The Lord says, "Can't you see what has happened to you? Before you started to rebuild the Temple, 16 you would go to a pile of grain expecting to find twenty bushels, but there would be only ten. You would go to draw fifty gallons of wine from a vat, but find only twenty. 17 I sent scorching winds and hail to ruin everything you tried to grow, but still you did not repent. 18 Today is the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, the day that the foundation of the Temple has been completed. See what is going to happen from now on. 19 Although there is no grain left, and the grapevines, fig trees, pomegranates, and olive trees have not yet produced, yet from now on I will bless you." 20 On that same day, the twenty-fourth of the month, the Lord gave Haggai a second message 21 for Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah: "I am about to shake heaven and earth 22 and overthrow kingdoms and end their power. I will overturn chariots and their drivers; the horses will die, and their riders will kill one another. 23 On that day I will take you, Zerubbabel my servant, and I will appoint you to rule in my name. You are the one I have chosen." The Lord Almighty has spoken.

236-Haggai 1:12 Then Zerubbabel and Joshua and all the people who had returned from the exile in Babylonia, did what the Lord their God told them to do. They were afraid and obeyed the prophet Haggai, the Lord's messenger. 13 Then Haggai gave the Lord's message to the people: "I will be with you - that is my promise." 14 The Lord inspired everyone to work on the Temple: Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah; Joshua, the High Priest, and all the people who had returned from the exile. They began working on the Temple of the Lord Almighty, their God

237-Isaiah 7:14 Well then, the Lord himself will give you a sign: a young woman who is pregnant will have a son and will name him "Immanuel.'

Matthew 1:23 "A virgin will become pregnant and have a son, and he will be called Immanuel" (which means, "God is with us").

Matthew 28:20 and teach them to obey everything I have commanded you. And I will be with you always, to the end of the age."

238-Haggai 2:1 On the twenty-first day of the seventh month of that same year, the Lord spoke again through the prophet Haggai. 2 He told Haggai to speak to Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah, to Joshua, the High Priest, and to the people, and to say to them, 3 "Is there anyone among you who can still remember how splendid the Temple used to be? How does it look to you now? It must seem like nothing at all. 4 But now don't be discouraged, any of you. Do the work, for I am with you. 5 When you came out of Egypt, I promised that I would always be with you. I am still with you, so do not be afraid.

239-Ezra 3:12 Many of the older priests, Levites, and heads of clans had seen the first Temple, and as they watched the foundation of this Temple being laid, they cried and wailed. But the others who were there shouted for joy.

Haggai 2:3 "Is there anyone among you who can still remember how splendid the Temple used to be? How does it look to you now? It must seem like nothing at all.

240-Exodus 40:34 Then the cloud covered the Tent and the dazzling light of the Lord's presence filled it. 35 Because of this, Moses could not go into the Tent.

Numbers 9:15 On the day the Tent of the Lord's presence was set up, a cloud came and covered it. At night the cloud looked like fire.

1 Kings 8:10 As the priests were leaving the Temple, it was suddenly filled with a cloud 11 shining with the dazzling light of the Lord's presence, and they could not go back in to perform their duties.

Isaiah 6:4 The sound of their voices made the foundation of the Temple shake, and the Temple itself became filled with smoke.

Ezekiel 43:4 The dazzling light passed through the east gate and went into the Temple. 5 The Lord's spirit lifted me up and took me into the inner courtyard, where I saw that the Temple was filled with the glory of the Lord.

Revelation 15:8 The temple was filled with smoke from the glory and power of God, and no one could go into the temple until the seven plagues brought by the seven angels had come to an end.

Matthew 12:6 I tell you that there is something here greater than the Temple.

241-Haggai 2:6 "Before long I will shake heaven and earth, land and sea. 7 I will overthrow all the nations, and their treasures will be brought here, and the Temple will be filled with wealth. 8 All the silver and gold of the world is mine. 9 The new Temple will be more splendid than the old one, and there I will give my people prosperity and peace." The Lord Almighty has spoken.

242-Luke 24:13 On that same day two of Jesus' followers were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, 14 and they were talking to each other about all the things that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed, Jesus himself drew near and walked along with them; 16 they saw him, but somehow did not recognize him. 17 Jesus said to them, "What are you talking about to each other, as you walk along?" They stood still, with sad faces. 18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, "Are you the only visitor in Jerusalem who doesn't know the things that have been happening there these last few days?" 19 "What things?" he asked. "The things that happened to Jesus of Nazareth," they answered. "This man was a prophet and was considered by God and by all the people to be powerful in everything he said and did. 20 Our chief priests and rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and he was crucified. 21 And we had hoped that he would be the one who was going to set Israel free! Besides all that, this is now the third day since it happened. 22 Some of the women of our group surprised us; they went at dawn to the tomb, 23 but could not find his body. They came back saying they had seen a vision of angels who told them that he is alive. 24 Some of our group went to the tomb and found it exactly as the women had said, but they did not see him." 25 Then Jesus said to them, "How foolish you are, how slow you are to believe everything the prophets said! 26 Was it not necessary for the Messiah to suffer these things and then to enter his glory?" 27 And Jesus explained to them what was said about himself in all the Scriptures, beginning with the books of Moses and the writings of all the prophets.

243-Luke 24:44 Then he said to them, "These are the very things I told you about while I was still with you: everything written about me in the Law of Moses, the writings of the prophets, and the Psalms had to come true."

John 5:39 You study the Scriptures, because you think that in them you will find eternal life. And these very Scriptures speak about me!

244-Galatians 4:4 But when the right time finally came, God sent his own Son. He came as the son of a human mother and lived under the Jewish Law,

245-Genesis 6:5 When the Lord saw how wicked everyone on earth was and how evil their thoughts were all the time,

246-Mark 7:1 Some Pharisees and teachers of the Law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus. 2 They noticed that some of his disciples were eating their food with hands that were ritually unclean - that is, they had not washed them in the way the Pharisees said people should. 3 (For the Pharisees, as well as the rest of the Jews, follow the teaching they received from their ancestors: they do not eat unless they wash their hands in the proper way; 4 nor do they eat anything that comes from the market unless they wash it first. And they follow many other rules which they have received, such as the proper way to wash cups, pots, copper bowls, and beds. ) 5 So the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law asked Jesus, "Why is it that your disciples do not follow the teaching handed down by our ancestors, but instead eat with ritually unclean hands?"

247-2 Kings 22:1 Josiah was eight years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled in Jerusalem for thirty-one years. His mother was Jedidah, the daughter of Adaiah from the town of Bozkath. 2 Josiah did what was pleasing to the Lord; he followed the example of his ancestor King David, strictly obeying all the laws of God. 3 In the eighteenth year of his reign, King Josiah sent the court secretary Shaphan, the son of Azaliah and grandson of Meshullam, to the Temple with the order: 4 "Go to the High Priest Hilkiah and get a report on the amount of money that the priests on duty at the entrance to the Temple have collected from the people. 5 Tell him to give the money to the men who are in charge of the repairs in the Temple. They are to pay 6 the carpenters, the builders, and the masons, and buy the timber and the stones used in the repairs. 7 The men in charge of the work are thoroughly honest, so there is no need to require them to account for the funds." 8 Shaphan delivered the king's order to Hilkiah, and Hilkiah told him that he had found the book of the Law in the Temple. Hilkiah gave him the book, and Shaphan read it. 9 Then he went back to the king and reported: "Your servants have taken the money that was in the Temple and have handed it over to the men in charge of the repairs." 10 And then he said, "I have here a book that Hilkiah gave me." And he read it aloud to the king. 11 When the king heard the book being read, he tore his clothes in dismay, 12 and gave the following order to Hilkiah the priest, to Ahikam son of Shaphan, to Achbor son of Micaiah, to Shaphan, the court secretary, and to Asaiah, the king's attendant: 13 "Go and consult the Lord for me and for all the people of Judah about the teachings of this book. The Lord is angry with us because our ancestors have not done what this book says must be done." 14 Hilkiah, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went to consult a woman named Huldah, a prophet who lived in the newer part of Jerusalem. (Her husband Shallum, the son of Tikvah and grandson of Harhas, was in charge of the Temple robes.) They described to her what had happened, 15 and she told them to go back to the king and give him 16 the following message from the Lord: "I am going to punish Jerusalem and all its people, as written in the book that the king has read. 17 They have rejected me and have offered sacrifices to other gods, and so have stirred up my anger by all they have done. My anger is aroused against Jerusalem, and it will not die down. 18 As for the king himself, this is what I, the Lord God of Israel, say: You listened to what is written in the book, 19 and you repented and humbled yourself before me, tearing your clothes and weeping, when you heard how I threatened to punish Jerusalem and its people. I will make it a terrifying sight, a place whose name people will use as a curse. But I have heard your prayer, 20 and the punishment which I am going to bring on Jerusalem will not come until after your death. I will let you die in peace." The men returned to King Josiah with this message.

2 Kings23:1 King Josiah summoned all the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, 2 and together they went to the Temple, accompanied by the priests and the prophets and all the rest of the people, rich and poor alike. Before them all the king read aloud the whole book of the covenant which had been found in the Temple. 3 He stood by the royal column and made a covenant with the Lord to obey him, to keep his laws and commands with all his heart and soul, and to put into practice the demands attached to the covenant, as written in the book. And all the people promised to keep the covenant. 4 Then Josiah ordered the High Priest Hilkiah, his assistant priests, and the guards on duty at the entrance to the Temple to bring out of the Temple all the objects used in the worship of Baal, of the goddess Asherah, and of the stars. The king burned all these objects outside the city near Kidron Valley and then had the ashes taken to Bethel. 5 He removed from office the priests that the kings of Judah had ordained to offer sacrifices on the pagan altars in the cities of Judah and in places near Jerusalem - all the priests who offered sacrifices to Baal, to the sun, the moon, the planets, and the stars. 6 He removed from the Temple the symbol of the goddess Asherah, took it out of the city to Kidron Valley, burned it, pounded its ashes to dust, and scattered it over the public burying ground. 7 He destroyed the living quarters in the Temple occupied by the temple prostitutes. (It was there that women wove robes used in the worship of Asherah.) 8 He brought to Jerusalem the priests who were in the cities of Judah, and throughout the whole country he desecrated the altars where they had offered sacrifices. He also tore down the altars dedicated to the goat demons near the gate built by Joshua, the city governor, which was to the left of the main gate as one enters the city. 9 Those priests were not allowed to serve in the Temple, but they could eat the unleavened bread provided for their fellow priests. 10 King Josiah also desecrated Topheth, the pagan place of worship in Hinnom Valley, so that no one could sacrifice his son or daughter as a burnt offering to the god Molech. 11 He also removed the horses that the kings of Judah had dedicated to the worship of the sun, and he burned the chariots used in this worship. (These were kept in the temple courtyard, near the gate and not far from the living quarters of Nathan Melech, a high official.) 12 The altars which the kings of Judah had built on the palace roof above King Ahaz' quarters, King Josiah tore down, along with the altars put up by King Manasseh in the two courtyards of the Temple; he smashed the altars to bits and threw them into Kidron Valley. 13 Josiah desecrated the altars that King Solomon had built east of Jerusalem, south of the Mount of Olives, for the worship of disgusting idols - Astarte the goddess of Sidon, Chemosh the god of Moab, and Molech the god of Ammon. 14 King Josiah broke the stone pillars to pieces, cut down the symbols of the goddess Asherah, and the ground where they had stood he covered with human bones. 15 Josiah also tore down the place of worship in Bethel, which had been built by King Jeroboam son of Nebat, who led Israel into sin. Josiah pulled down the altar, broke its stones into pieces, and pounded them to dust; he also burned the image of Asherah. 16 Then Josiah looked around and saw some tombs there on the hill; he had the bones taken out of them and burned on the altar. In this way he desecrated the altar, doing what the prophet had predicted long before during the festival as King Jeroboam was standing by the altar. King Josiah looked around and saw the tomb of the prophet who had made this prediction. 17 "Whose tomb is that?" he asked. The people of Bethel answered, "It is the tomb of the prophet who came from Judah and predicted these things that you have done to this altar." 18 "Leave it as it is," Josiah ordered. "His bones are not to be moved." So his bones were not moved, neither were those of the prophet who had come from Samaria. 19 In every city of Israel King Josiah tore down all the pagan places of worship which had been built by the kings of Israel, who thereby aroused the Lord's anger. He did to all those altars what he had done in Bethel. 20 He killed all the pagan priests on the altars where they served, and he burned human bones on every altar. Then he returned to Jerusalem. 21 King Josiah ordered the people to celebrate the Passover in honor of the Lord their God, as written in the book of the covenant. 22 No Passover like this one had ever been celebrated by any of the kings of Israel or of Judah, since the time when judges ruled the nation. 23 Now at last, in the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah, the Passover was celebrated in Jerusalem. 24 In order to enforce the laws written in the book that the High Priest Hilkiah had found in the Temple, King Josiah removed from Jerusalem and the rest of Judah all the mediums and fortunetellers, and all the household gods, idols, and all other pagan objects of worship. 25 There had never been a king like him before, who served the Lord with all his heart, mind, and strength, obeying all the Law of Moses; nor has there been a king like him since. 26 But the Lord's fierce anger had been aroused against Judah by what King Manasseh had done, and even now it did not die down. 27 The Lord said, "I will do to Judah what I have done to Israel: I will banish the people of Judah from my sight, and I will reject Jerusalem, the city I chose, and the Temple, the place I said was where I should be worshiped." 28 Everything else that King Josiah did is recorded in [The History of the Kings of Judah.] 29 While Josiah was king, King Neco of Egypt led an army to the Euphrates River to help the emperor of Assyria. King Josiah tried to stop the Egyptian army at Megiddo and was killed in battle. 30 His officials placed his body in a chariot and took it back to Jerusalem, where he was buried in the royal tombs. The people of Judah chose Josiah's son Joahaz and anointed him king. 31 Joahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled in Jerusalem for three months. His mother was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah from the city of Libnah. 32 Following the example of his ancestors, he sinned against the Lord. 33 His reign ended when King Neco of Egypt took him prisoner in Riblah, in the land of Hamath, and made Judah pay 7,500 pounds of silver and 75 pounds of gold as tribute. 34 King Neco made Josiah's son Eliakim king of Judah as successor to Josiah, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. Joahaz was taken to Egypt by King Neco, and there he died. 35 King Jehoiakim collected a tax from the people in proportion to their wealth, in order to raise the amount needed to pay the tribute demanded by the king of Egypt. 36 Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled in Jerusalem for eleven years. His mother was Zebidah, the daughter of Pedaiah from the town of Rumah. 37 Following the example of his ancestors, Jehoiakim sinned against the Lord.

Nehemiah 8:1 By the seventh month the people of Israel were all settled in their towns. On the first day of that month they all assembled in Jerusalem, in the square just inside the Water Gate. They asked Ezra, the priest and scholar of the Law which the Lord had given Israel through Moses, to get the book of the Law. 2 So Ezra brought it to the place where the people had gathered - men, women, and the children who were old enough to understand. 3 There in the square by the gate he read the Law to them from dawn until noon, and they all listened attentively. 4 Ezra was standing on a wooden platform that had been built for the occasion. The following men stood at his right: Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah; and the following stood at his left: Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam. 5 As Ezra stood there on the platform high above the people, they all kept their eyes fixed on him. As soon as he opened the book, they all stood up. 6 Ezra said, "Praise the Lord, the great God!" All the people raised their arms in the air and answered, "Amen! Amen!" They knelt in worship, with their faces to the ground. 7 Then they rose and stood in their places, and the following Levites explained the Law to them: Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, and Pelaiah. 8 They gave an oral translation of God's Law and explained it so that the people could understand it. 9 When the people heard what the Law required, they were so moved that they began to cry. So Nehemiah, who was the governor, Ezra, the priest and scholar of the Law, and the Levites who were explaining the Law told all the people, "This day is holy to the Lord your God, so you are not to mourn or cry. 10 Now go home and have a feast. Share your food and wine with those who don't have enough. Today is holy to our Lord, so don't be sad. The joy that the Lord gives you will make you strong." 11 The Levites went around calming the people and telling them not to be sad on such a holy day. 12 So all the people went home and ate and drank joyfully and shared what they had with others, because they understood what had been read to them. 13 The next day the heads of the clans, together with the priests and the Levites, went to Ezra to study the teachings of the Law. 14 They discovered that the Law, which the Lord gave through Moses, ordered the people of Israel to live in temporary shelters during the Festival of Shelters. 15 So they gave the following instructions and sent them all through Jerusalem and the other cities and towns: "Go out to the hills and get branches from pines, olives, myrtles, palms, and other trees to make shelters according to the instructions written in the Law." 16 So the people got branches and built shelters on the flat roofs of their houses, in their yards, in the Temple courtyard, and in the public squares by the Water Gate and by the Ephraim Gate. 17 All the people who had come back from captivity built shelters and lived in them. This was the first time it had been done since the days of Joshua son of Nun, and everybody was excited and happy. 18 From the first day of the festival to the last they read a part of God's Law every day. They celebrated for seven days, and on the eighth day there was a closing ceremony, as required in the Law.

248-John 8:48 They asked Jesus, "Were we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon in you?"

249-1 Corinthians 4:9 For it seems to me that God has given the very last place to us apostles, like people condemned to die in public as a spectacle for the whole world of angels and of human beings.

250-Haggai 1:2 The Lord Almighty said to Haggai, "These people say that this is not the right time to rebuild the Temple." 3 The Lord then gave this message to the people through the prophet Haggai: 4 "My people, why should you be living in well-built houses while my Temple lies in ruins? 5 Don't you see what is happening to you? 6 You have planted much grain, but have harvested very little. You have food to eat, but not enough to make you full. You have wine to drink, but not enough to get drunk on! You have clothing, but not enough to keep you warm. And workers cannot earn enough to live on. 7 Can't you see why this has happened? 8 Now go up into the hills, get lumber, and rebuild the Temple; then I will be pleased and will be worshiped as I should be. 9 "You hoped for large harvests, but they turned out to be small. And when you brought the harvest home, I blew it away. Why did I do that? Because my Temple lies in ruins while every one of you is busy working on your own house. 10 That is why there is no rain and nothing can grow. 11 I have brought drought on the land - on its hills, grainfields, vineyards, and olive orchards - on every crop the ground produces, on people and animals, on everything you try to grow."

251-Isaiah 40:9 Jerusalem, go up on a high mountain and proclaim the good news! Call out with a loud voice, Zion; announce the good news! Speak out and do not be afraid. Tell the towns of Judah that their God is coming! 10 The Sovereign Lord is coming to rule with power, bringing with him the people he has rescued. 11 He will take care of his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs together and carry them in his arms; he will gently lead their mothers. 12 Can anyone measure the ocean by handfuls or measure the sky with his hands? Can anyone hold the soil of the earth in a cup or weigh the mountains and hills on scales? 13 Can anyone tell the Lord what to do? Who can teach him or give him advice? 14 With whom does God consult in order to know and understand and to learn how things should be done? 15 To the Lord the nations are nothing, no more than a drop of water; the distant islands are as light as dust. 16 All the animals in the forests of Lebanon are not enough for a sacrifice to our God, and its trees are too few to kindle the fire. 17 The nations are nothing at all to him. 18 To whom can God be compared? How can you describe what he is like? 19 He is not like an idol that workers make, that metalworkers cover with gold and set in a base of silver. 20 Anyone who cannot afford silver or gold chooses wood that will not rot. He finds a skillful worker to make an image that won't fall down. 21 Do you not know? Were you not told long ago? Have you not heard how the world began? 22 It was made by the one who sits on his throne above the earth and beyond the sky; the people below look as tiny as ants. He stretched out the sky like a curtain, like a tent in which to live. 23 He brings down powerful rulers and reduces them to nothing. 24 They are like young plants, just set out and barely rooted. When the Lord sends a wind, they dry up and blow away like straw. 25 To whom can the holy God be compared? Is there anyone else like him? 26 Look up at the sky! Who created the stars you see? The one who leads them out like an army, he knows how many there are and calls each one by name! His power is so great - not one of them is ever missing!

252-Isaiah 44:6 The Lord, who rules and protects Israel, the Lord Almighty, has this to say: "I am the first, the last, the only God; there is no other god but me. 7 Could anyone else have done what I did? Who could have predicted all that would happen from the very beginning to the end of time? 8 Do not be afraid, my people! You know that from ancient times until now I have predicted all that would happen, and you are my witnesses. Is there any other god? Is there some powerful god I never heard of?" 9 All those who make idols are worthless, and the gods they prize so highly are useless. Those who worship these gods are blind and ignorant - and they will be disgraced. 10 It does no good to make a metal image to worship as a god! 11 Everyone who worships it will be humiliated. The people who make idols are human beings and nothing more. Let them come and stand trial - they will be terrified and will suffer disgrace. 12 The metalworker takes a piece of metal and works with it over a fire. His strong arm swings a hammer to pound the metal into shape. As he works, he gets hungry, thirsty, and tired. 13 The carpenter measures the wood. He outlines a figure with chalk, carves it out with his tools, and makes it in the form of a man, a handsome human figure, to be placed in his house. 14 He might cut down cedars to use, or choose oak or cypress wood from the forest. Or he might plant a laurel tree and wait for the rain to make it grow. 15 A person uses part of a tree for fuel and part of it for making an idol. With one part he builds a fire to warm himself and bake bread; with the other part he makes a god and worships it. 16 With some of the wood he makes a fire; he roasts meat, eats it, and is satisfied. He warms himself and says, "How nice and warm! What a beautiful fire!" 17 The rest of the wood he makes into an idol, and then he bows down and worships it. He prays to it and says, "You are my god - save me!" 18 Such people are too stupid to know what they are doing. They close their eyes and their minds to the truth. 19 The maker of idols hasn't the wit or the sense to say, "Some of the wood I burned up. I baked some bread on the coals, and I roasted meat and ate it. And the rest of the wood I made into an idol. Here I am bowing down to a block of wood!" 20 It makes as much sense as eating ashes. His foolish ideas have so misled him that he is beyond help. He won't admit to himself that the idol he holds in his hand is not a god at all.

1 Kings 18:20 So Ahab summoned all the Israelites and the prophets of Baal to meet at Mount Carmel. 21 Elijah went up to the people and said, "How much longer will it take you to make up your minds? If the Lord is God, worship him; but if Baal is God, worship him!" But the people didn't say a word. 22 Then Elijah said, "I am the only prophet of the Lord still left, but there are 450 prophets of Baal. 23 Bring two bulls; let the prophets of Baal take one, kill it, cut it in pieces, and put it on the wood - but don't light the fire. I will do the same with the other bull. 24 Then let the prophets of Baal pray to their god, and I will pray to the Lord, and the one who answers by sending fire - he is God." The people shouted their approval. 25 Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "Since there are so many of you, you take a bull and prepare it first. Pray to your god, but don't set fire to the wood." 26 They took the bull that was brought to them, prepared it, and prayed to Baal until noon. They shouted, "Answer us, Baal!" and kept dancing around the altar they had built. But no answer came. 27 At noon Elijah started making fun of them: "Pray louder! He is a god! Maybe he is day-dreaming or relieving himself, or perhaps he's gone off on a trip! Or maybe he's sleeping, and you've got to wake him up!" 28 So the prophets prayed louder and cut themselves with knives and daggers, according to their ritual, until blood flowed. 29 They kept on ranting and raving until the middle of the afternoon; but no answer came, not a sound was heard. 30 Then Elijah said to the people, "Come closer to me," and they all gathered around him. He set about repairing the altar of the Lord which had been torn down. 31 He took twelve stones, one for each of the twelve tribes named for the sons of Jacob, the man to whom the Lord had given the name Israel. 32 With these stones he rebuilt the altar for the worship of the Lord. He dug a trench around it, large enough to hold about four gallons of water. 33 Then he placed the wood on the altar, cut the bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood. He said, "Fill four jars with water and pour it on the offering and the wood." They did so, 34 and he said, "Do it again" - and they did. "Do it once more," he said - and they did. 35 The water ran down around the altar and filled the trench. 36 At the hour of the afternoon sacrifice the prophet Elijah approached the altar and prayed, "O Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, prove now that you are the God of Israel and that I am your servant and have done all this at your command. 37 Answer me, Lord, answer me, so that this people will know that you, the Lord, are God and that you are bringing them back to yourself." 38 The Lord sent fire down, and it burned up the sacrifice, the wood, and the stones, scorched the earth and dried up the water in the trench. 39 When the people saw this, they threw themselves on the ground and exclaimed, "The Lord is God; the Lord alone is God!" 40 Elijah ordered, "Seize the prophets of Baal; don't let any of them get away!" The people seized them all, and Elijah led them down to Kishon Brook and killed them.

253-2 Kings 17:15 They refused to obey his instructions, they did not keep the covenant he had made with their ancestors, and they disregarded his warnings. They worshiped worthless idols and became worthless themselves, and they followed the customs of the surrounding nations, disobeying the Lord's command not to imitate them.

Hosea 9:10 The Lord says, "When I first found Israel, it was like finding grapes growing in the desert. When I first saw your ancestors, it was like seeing the first ripe figs of the season. But when they came to Mount Peor, they began to worship Baal and soon became as disgusting as the gods they loved.

Numbers 25:1 When the Israelites were camped at Acacia Valley, the men began to have sexual intercourse with the Moabite women who were there. 2 These women invited them to sacrificial feasts, where the god of Moab was worshiped. The Israelites ate the food and worshiped the god 3 Baal of Peor. So the Lord was angry with them 4 and said to Moses, "Take all the leaders of Israel and, in obedience to me, execute them in broad daylight, and then I will no longer be angry with the people." 5 Moses said to the officials, "Each of you is to kill every man in your tribe who has become a worshiper of Baal of Peor."

Psalms 115:8 May all who made them and who trust in them become like the idols they have made.

Jeremiah 2:5 The Lord says: "What accusation did your ancestors bring against me? What made them turn away from me? They worshiped worthless idols and became worthless themselves. 17 Israel, you brought this on yourself! You deserted me, the Lord your God, while I was leading you along the way. 18 What do you think you will gain by going to Egypt to drink water from the Nile? What do you think you will gain by going to Assyria to drink water from the Euphrates?

Jeremiah 7:6 Stop taking advantage of aliens, orphans, and widows. Stop killing innocent people in this land. Stop worshiping other gods, for that will destroy you.

2 Corinthians 3:18 All of us, then, reflect the glory of the Lord with uncovered faces; and that same glory, coming from the Lord, who is the Spirit, transforms us into his likeness in an ever greater degree of glory.

254-Zechariah 1:1 In the eighth month of the second year that Darius was emperor of Persia, the Lord gave this message to the prophet Zechariah, the son of Berechiah and grandson of Iddo. 2 The Lord Almighty told Zechariah to say to the people, "I, the Lord, was very angry with your ancestors, 3 but now I say to you, "Return to me, and I will return to you. 4 Do not be like your ancestors. Long ago the prophets gave them my message, telling them not to live evil, sinful lives any longer. But they would not listen to me or obey me. 5 Your ancestors and those prophets are no longer alive. 6 Through my servants the prophets I gave your ancestors commands and warnings, but they disregarded them and suffered the consequences. Then they repented and acknowledged that I, the Lord Almighty, had punished them as they deserved and as I had determined to do.' " 7 In the second year that Darius was emperor, on the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month (the month of Shebat), the Lord gave me a message in a vision at night. 8 I saw someone riding a red horse. He had stopped among some myrtle trees in a valley, and behind him were other horses - red, dappled, and white. 9 I asked him, "Sir, what do these horses mean?" He answered, "I will show you what they mean. 10 The Lord sent them to go and inspect the earth." 11 They reported to the angel: "We have been all over the world and have found that the whole world lies helpless and subdued." 12 Then the angel said, "Almighty Lord, you have been angry with Jerusalem and the cities of Judah for seventy years now. How much longer will it be before you show them mercy?" 13 The Lord answered the angel with comforting words, 14 and the angel told me to proclaim what the Lord Almighty had said: "I have a deep love and concern for Jerusalem, my holy city, 15 and I am very angry with the nations that enjoy quiet and peace. For while I was holding back my anger against my people, those nations made the sufferings of my people worse. 16 So I have come back to Jerusalem to show mercy to the city. My Temple will be restored, and the city will be rebuilt." 17 The angel also told me to proclaim: "The Lord Almighty says that his cities will be prosperous again and that he will once again help Jerusalem and claim the city as his own." 18 In another vision I saw four ox horns. 19 I asked the angel that had been speaking to me, "What do these horns mean?" He answered, "They stand for the world powers that have scattered the people of Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem." 20 Then the Lord showed me four workers with hammers. 21 I asked, "What have they come to do?" He answered, "They have come to terrify and overthrow the nations that completely crushed the land of Judah and scattered its people."

Zechariah 2:1 In another vision I saw a man with a measuring line in his hand. 2 "Where are you going?" I asked. "To measure Jerusalem," he answered, "to see how long and how wide it is." 3 Then I saw the angel who had been speaking to me step forward, and another angel came to meet him. 4 The first one said to the other, "Run and tell that young man with the measuring line that there are going to be so many people and so much livestock in Jerusalem that it will be too big to have walls. 5 The Lord has promised that he himself will be a wall of fire around the city to protect it and that he will live there in all his glory." 6 The Lord said to his people, "I scattered you in all directions. But now, you exiles, escape from Babylonia and return to Jerusalem. 8 Anyone who strikes you strikes what is most precious to me." So the Lord Almighty sent me with this message for the nations that had plundered his people: 9 "The Lord himself will fight against you, and you will be plundered by the people who were once your servants." When this happens, everyone will know that the Lord Almighty sent me. 10 The Lord said, "Sing for joy, people of Jerusalem! I am coming to live among you!" 11 At that time many nations will come to the Lord and become his people. He will live among you, and you will know that he has sent me to you. 12 Once again Judah will be the special possession of the Lord in his sacred land, and Jerusalem will be the city he loves most of all. 13 Be silent, everyone, in the presence of the Lord, for he is coming from his holy dwelling place.

Zechariah 3:1 In another vision the Lord showed me the High Priest Joshua standing before the angel of the Lord. And there beside Joshua stood Satan, ready to bring an accusation against him. 2 The angel of the Lord said to Satan, "May the Lord condemn you, Satan! May the Lord, who loves Jerusalem, condemn you. This man is like a stick snatched from the fire." 3 Joshua was standing there, wearing filthy clothes. 4 The angel said to his heavenly attendants, "Take away the filthy clothes this man is wearing." Then he said to Joshua, "I have taken away your sin and will give you new clothes to wear." 5 He commanded the attendants to put a clean turban on Joshua's head. They did so, and then they put the new clothes on him while the angel of the Lord stood there. 6 Then the angel told Joshua that 7 the Lord Almighty had said: "If you obey my laws and perform the duties I have assigned you, then you will continue to be in charge of my Temple and its courts, and I will hear your prayers, just as I hear the prayers of the angels who are in my presence. 8 Listen then, Joshua, you who are the High Priest; and listen, you fellow priests of his, you that are the sign of a good future: I will reveal my servant, who is called The Branch! 9 I am placing in front of Joshua a single stone with seven facets. I will engrave an inscription on it, and in a single day I will take away the sin of this land. 10 When that day comes, each of you will invite your neighbor to come and enjoy peace and security, surrounded by your vineyards and fig trees."

Zechariah 4:1 The angel who had been speaking to me came again and roused me as if I had been sleeping. 2 "What do you see?" he asked. "A lampstand made of gold," I answered. "At the top is a bowl for the oil. On the lampstand are seven lamps, each one with places for seven wicks. 3 There are two olive trees beside the lampstand, one on each side of it." 4 Then I asked the angel, "What do these things stand for, sir?" 5 "Don't you know?" he asked me. "No, I don't, sir," I replied. 6 The angel told me to give Zerubbabel this message from the Lord: "You will succeed, not by military might or by your own strength, but by my spirit. 7 Obstacles as great as mountains will disappear before you. You will rebuild the Temple, and as you put the last stone in place, the people will shout, "Beautiful, beautiful!' " 8 Another message came to me from the Lord. 9 He said, "Zerubbabel has laid the foundation of the Temple, and he will finish the building. When this happens, my people will know that it is I who sent you to them. 10 a) They are disappointed because so little progress is being made. But they will see Zerubbabel continuing to build the Temple, and they will be glad." b) The angel said to me, "The seven lamps are the seven eyes of the Lord, which see all over the earth." 11 Then I asked him, "What do the two olive trees on either side of the lampstand mean? 12 And what is the meaning of the two olive branches beside the two gold pipes from which the olive oil pours?" 13 He asked me, "Don't you know?" "No, I don't, sir," I answered. 14 Then he said, "These are the two men whom God has chosen and anointed to serve him, the Lord of the whole earth."

Romans 15:9 and to enable even the Gentiles to praise God for his mercy. As the scripture says, "And so I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing praises to you." 10 Again it says, "Rejoice, Gentiles, with God's people!" 11 And again, "Praise the Lord, all Gentiles; praise him, all peoples!" 12 And again, Isaiah says, "A descendant of Jesse will appear; he will come to rule the Gentiles, and they will put their hope in him." 13 May God, the source of hope, fill you with all joy and peace by means of your faith in him, so that your hope will continue to grow by the power of the Holy Spirit. 14 My friends: I myself feel sure that you are full of goodness, that you have all knowledge, and that you are able to teach one another. 15 But in this letter I have been quite bold about certain subjects of which I have reminded you. I have been bold because of the privilege God has given me 16 of being a servant of Christ Jesus to work for the Gentiles. I serve like a priest in preaching the Good News from God, in order that the Gentiles may be an offering acceptable to God, dedicated to him by the Holy Spirit. 17 In union with Christ Jesus, then, I can be proud of my service for God. 18 I will be bold and speak only about what Christ has done through me to lead the Gentiles to obey God. He has done this by means of words and deeds,

Ephesians 3:1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles, pray to God. 2 Surely you have heard that God in his grace has given me this work to do for your good. 3 God revealed his secret plan and made it known to me. (I have written briefly about this, 4 and if you will read what I have written, you can learn about my understanding of the secret of Christ.) 5 In past times human beings were not told this secret, but God has revealed it now by the Spirit to his holy apostles and prophets. 6 The secret is that by means of the gospel the Gentiles have a part with the Jews in God's blessings; they are members of the same body and share in the promise that God made through Christ Jesus. 7 I was made a servant of the gospel by God's special gift, which he gave me through the working of his power. 8 I am less than the least of all God's people; yet God gave me this privilege of taking to the Gentiles the Good News about the infinite riches of Christ,

Exodus 25:31 "Make a lampstand of pure gold. Make its base and its shaft of hammered gold; its decorative flowers, including buds and petals, are to form one piece with it. 32 Six branches shall extend from its sides, three from each side. 33 Each of the six branches is to have three decorative flowers shaped like almond blossoms with buds and petals. 34 The shaft of the lampstand is to have four decorative flowers shaped like almond blossoms with buds and petals. 35 There is to be one bud below each of the three pairs of branches. 36 The buds, the branches, and the lampstand are to be a single piece of pure hammered gold. 37 Make seven lamps for the lampstand and set them up so that they shine toward the front. 38 Make its tongs and trays of pure gold. 39 Use seventy-five pounds of pure gold to make the lampstand and all this equipment. 40 Take care to make them according to the plan that I showed you on the mountain.

255-Matthew 23:35 As a result, the punishment for the murder of all innocent people will fall on you, from the murder of innocent Abel to the murder of Zechariah son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the Temple and the altar.

Zechariah 1:1 In the eighth month of the second year that Darius was emperor of Persia, the Lord gave this message to the prophet Zechariah, the son of Berechiah and grandson of Iddo.

2 Chronicles 24:21 King Joash joined in a conspiracy against Zechariah, and on the king's orders the people stoned Zechariah in the Temple courtyard.

256-Zechariah 1:3 but now I say to you, "Return to me, and I will return to you.

257-Zechariah 1:15 and I am very angry with the nations that enjoy quiet and peace. For while I was holding back my anger against my people, those nations made the sufferings of my people worse. 16 So I have come back to Jerusalem to show mercy to the city. My Temple will be restored, and the city will be rebuilt." 17 The angel also told me to proclaim: "The Lord Almighty says that his cities will be prosperous again and that he will once again help Jerusalem and claim the city as his own."

258-Matthew 24:14 And this Good News about the Kingdom will be preached through all the world for a witness to all people; and then the end will come.

259-Matthew 6:33 Instead, be concerned above everything else with the Kingdom of God and with what he requires of you, and he will provide you with all these other things.

260-Zechariah 3:1 In another vision the Lord showed me the High Priest Joshua standing before the angel of the Lord. And there beside Joshua stood Satan, ready to bring an accusation against him. 2 The angel of the Lord said to Satan, "May the Lord condemn you, Satan! May the Lord, who loves Jerusalem, condemn you. This man is like a stick snatched from the fire." 3 Joshua was standing there, wearing filthy clothes. 4 The angel said to his heavenly attendants, "Take away the filthy clothes this man is wearing." Then he said to Joshua, "I have taken away your sin and will give you new clothes to wear." 5 He commanded the attendants to put a clean turban on Joshua's head. They did so, and then they put the new clothes on him while the angel of the Lord stood there.

261-Zechariah 3:1 In another vision the Lord showed me the High Priest Joshua standing before the angel of the Lord. And there beside Joshua stood Satan, ready to bring an accusation against him. 2 The angel of the Lord said to Satan, "May the Lord condemn you, Satan! May the Lord, who loves Jerusalem, condemn you. This man is like a stick snatched from the fire." 3 Joshua was standing there, wearing filthy clothes. 4 The angel said to his heavenly attendants, "Take away the filthy clothes this man is wearing." Then he said to Joshua, "I have taken away your sin and will give you new clothes to wear." 5 He commanded the attendants to put a clean turban on Joshua's head. They did so, and then they put the new clothes on him while the angel of the Lord stood there.

262-Revelation 12:9 The huge dragon was thrown out - that ancient serpent, named the Devil, or Satan, that deceived the whole world. He was thrown down to earth, and all his angels with him. 10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven saying, "Now God's salvation has come! Now God has shown his power as King! Now his Messiah has shown his authority! For the one who stood before our God and accused believers day and night has been thrown out of heaven.

263-1 John 2:1 I am writing this to you, my children, so that you will not sin; but if anyone does sin, we have someone who pleads with the Father on our behalf - Jesus Christ, the righteous one.

Romans 8:26 In the same way the Spirit also comes to help us, weak as we are. For we do not know how we ought to pray; the Spirit himself pleads with God for us in groans that words cannot express. 27 And God, who sees into our hearts, knows what the thought of the Spirit is; because the Spirit pleads with God on behalf of his people and in accordance with his will. 31 In view of all this, what can we say? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 Certainly not God, who did not even keep back his own Son, but offered him for us all! He gave us his Son - will he not also freely give us all things? 33 Who will accuse God's chosen people? God himself declares them not guilty! 34 Who, then, will condemn them? Not Christ Jesus, who died, or rather, who was raised to life and is at the right side of God, pleading with him for us! 35 Who, then, can separate us from the love of Christ? Can trouble do it, or hardship or persecution or hunger or poverty or danger or death?

Job 1:6 When the day came for the heavenly beings to appear before the Lord, Satan was there among them.

Job 2:1 When the day came for the heavenly beings to appear before the Lord again, Satan was there among them.

264-John 5:27 And he has given the Son the right to judge, because he is the Son of Man.

265-John 11:11 Jesus said this and then added, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I will go and wake him up." 12 The disciples answered, "If he is asleep, Lord, he will get well." 13 Jesus meant that Lazarus had died, but they thought he meant natural sleep. 14 So Jesus told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead, 15 but for your sake I am glad that I was not with him, so that you will believe. Let us go to him."

1 Thessalonians 4:13 Our friends, we want you to know the truth about those who have died, so that you will not be sad, as are those who have no hope. 14 We believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will take back with Jesus those who have died believing in him. 15 W_ hat we are teaching you now is the Lord's teaching: we who are alive on the day the Lord comes will not go ahead of those who have died. 16 There will be the shout of command, the archangel's voice, the sound of God's trumpet, and the Lord himself will come down from heaven. Those who have died believing in Christ will rise to life first; 17 then we who are living at that time will be gathered up along with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord. 18 So then, encourage one another with these words.

266-Ecclesiastes 3:17 I told myself, "God is going to judge the righteous and the evil alike, because every thing, every action, will happen at its own set time."

Ecclesiastes 11:9 Young people, enjoy your youth. Be happy while you are still young. Do what you want to do, and follow your heart's desire. But remember that God is going to judge you for whatever you do.

Ecclesiastes 12:13 After all this, there is only one thing to say: Have reverence for God, and obey his commands, because this is all that we were created for. 14 God is going to judge everything we do, whether good or bad, even things done in secret.

Isaiah 66:16 By fire and sword he will punish all the people of the world whom he finds guilty - and many will be put to death.

Jeremiah 25:31 and the sound will echo to the ends of the earth. The Lord has a case against the nations. He will bring all people to trial and put the wicked to death. The Lord has spoken.' "

John 5:28 Do not be surprised at this; the time is coming when all the dead will hear his voice 29 and come out of their graves: those who have done good will rise and live, and those who have done evil will rise and be condemned.

Romans 14:10 You then, who eat only vegetables - why do you pass judgment on others? And you who eat anything - why do you despise other believers? All of us will stand before God to be judged by him

2 Corinthians 5:10 For all of us must appear before Christ, to be judged by him. We will each receive what we deserve, according to everything we have done, good or bad, in our bodily life.

267-Isaiah 66:16 By fire and sword he will punish all the people of the world whom he finds guilty - and many will be put to death.

Jeremiah 25:31 and the sound will echo to the ends of the earth. The Lord has a case against the nations. He will bring all people to trial and put the wicked to death. The Lord has spoken.' "

Hebrews 10:27 Instead, all that is left is to wait in fear for the coming Judgment and the fierce fire which will destroy those who oppose God!

268-Daniel 7:22 Then the one who had been living forever came and pronounced judgment in favor of the people of the Supreme God. The time had arrived for God's people to receive royal power.

269-John 5:28 Do not be surprised at this; the time is coming when all the dead will hear his voice 29 and come out of their graves: those who have done good will rise and live, and those who have done evil will rise and be condemned. 30 "I can do nothing on my own authority; I judge only as God tells me, so my judgment is right, because I am not trying to do what I want, but only what he who sent me wants.

Hebrews 9:27 Everyone must die once, and after that be judged by God.

270-John 12:31 Now is the time for this world to be judged; now the ruler of this world will be overthrown.

John 16:11 and they are wrong about judgment, because the ruler of this world has already been judged.

Revelation 20:10 Then the Devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had already been thrown; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

271-Ecclesiastes 12:13 After all this, there is only one thing to say: Have reverence for God, and obey his commands, because this is all that we were created for. 14 God is going to judge everything we do, whether good or bad, even things done in secret.

Matthew 12:42 On the Judgment Day the Queen of Sheba will stand up and accuse you, because she traveled all the way from her country to listen to King Solomon's wise teaching; and I assure you that there is something here greater than Solomon!

2 Peter 2:4 God did not spare the angels who sinned, but threw them into hell, where they are kept chained in darkness, waiting for the Day of Judgment. 9 And so the Lord knows how to rescue godly people from their trials and how to keep the wicked under punishment for the Day of Judgment,

2 Peter 3:7 But the heavens and the earth that now exist are being preserved by the same command of God, in order to be destroyed by fire. They are being kept for the day when godless people will be judged and destroyed.

Jude 1:6 Remember the angels who did not stay within the limits of their proper authority, but abandoned their own dwelling place: they are bound with eternal chains in the darkness below, where God is keeping them for that great Day on which they will be condemned.

272-Matthew 12:42 On the Judgment Day the Queen of Sheba will stand up and accuse you, because she traveled all the way from her country to listen to King Solomon's wise teaching; and I assure you that there is something here greater than Solomon!

Luke 11:31 On the Judgment Day the Queen of Sheba will stand up and accuse the people of today, because she traveled all the way from her country to listen to King Solomon's wise teaching; and there is something here, I tell you, greater than Solomon.

273-Zechariah 3:2 The angel of the Lord said to Satan, "May the Lord condemn you, Satan! May the Lord, who loves Jerusalem, condemn you. This man is like a stick snatched from the fire."

Revelation 12:10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven saying, "Now God's salvation has come! Now God has shown his power as King! Now his Messiah has shown his authority! For the one who stood before our God and accused believers day and night has been thrown out of heaven. 11 They won the victory over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the truth which they proclaimed; and they were willing to give up their lives and die. 12 And so be glad, you heavens, and all you that live there! But how terrible for the earth and the sea! For the Devil has come down to you, and he is filled with rage, because he knows that he has only a little time left."

274-1 Peter 4:17 The time has come for judgment to begin, and God's own people are the first to be judged. If it starts with us, how will it end with those who do not believe the Good News from God?

2 Peter 2:4 God did not spare the angels who sinned, but threw them into hell, where they are kept chained in darkness, waiting for the Day of Judgment. 9 And so the Lord knows how to rescue godly people from their trials and how to keep the wicked under punishment for the Day of Judgment,

2 Peter 3:7 But the heavens and the earth that now exist are being preserved by the same command of God, in order to be destroyed by fire. They are being kept for the day when godless people will be judged and destroyed.

John 11:11 Jesus said this and then added, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I will go and wake him up." 12 The disciples answered, "If he is asleep, Lord, he will get well." 13 Jesus meant that Lazarus had died, but they thought he meant natural sleep. 14 So Jesus told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead, 15 but for your sake I am glad that I was not with him, so that you will believe. Let us go to him."

275-2 Peter 2:4 God did not spare the angels who sinned, but threw them into hell, where they are kept chained in darkness, waiting for the Day of Judgment.

276-Job 1:1 There was a man named Job, living in the land of Uz, who worshiped God and was faithful to him. He was a good man, careful not to do anything evil. 2 He had seven sons and three daughters, 3 and owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, one thousand head of cattle, and five hundred donkeys. He also had a large number of servants and was the richest man in the East. 4 Job's sons used to take turns giving a feast, to which all the others would come, and they always invited their three sisters to join them. 5 The morning after each feast, Job would get up early and offer sacrifices for each of his children in order to purify them. He always did this because he thought that one of them might have sinned by insulting God unintentionally. 6 When the day came for the heavenly beings to appear before the Lord, Satan was there among them. 7 The Lord asked him, "What have you been doing?" Satan answered, "I have been walking here and there, roaming around the earth." 8 "Did you notice my servant Job?" the Lord asked. "There is no one on earth as faithful and good as he is. He worships me and is careful not to do anything evil." 9 Satan replied, "Would Job worship you if he got nothing out of it? 10 You have always protected him and his family and everything he owns. You bless everything he does, and you have given him enough cattle to fill the whole country. 11 But now suppose you take away everything he has - he will curse you to your face!" 12 "All right," the Lord said to Satan, "everything he has is in your power, but you must not hurt Job himself." So Satan left. 13 One day when Job's children were having a feast at the home of their oldest brother, 14 a messenger came running to Job. "We were plowing the fields with the oxen," he said, "and the donkeys were in a nearby pasture. 15 Suddenly the Sabeans attacked and stole them all. They killed every one of your servants except me. I am the only one who escaped to tell you." 16 Before he had finished speaking, another servant came and said, "Lightning struck the sheep and the shepherds and killed them all. I am the only one who escaped to tell you." 17 Before he had finished speaking, another servant came and said, "Three bands of Chaldean raiders attacked us, took away the camels, and killed all your servants except me. I am the only one who escaped to tell you." 18 Before he had finished speaking, another servant came and said, "Your children were having a feast at the home of your oldest son, 19 when a storm swept in from the desert. It blew the house down and killed them all. I am the only one who escaped to tell you." 20 Then Job got up and tore his clothes in grief. He shaved his head and threw himself face downward on the ground. 21 He said, "I was born with nothing, and I will die with nothing. The Lord gave, and now he has taken away. May his name be praised!" 22 In spite of everything that had happened, Job did not sin by blaming God.

Job 2:1 When the day came for the heavenly beings to appear before the Lord again, Satan was there among them. 2 The Lord asked him, "Where have you been?" Satan answered, "I have been walking here and there, roaming around the earth." 3 "Did you notice my servant Job?" the Lord asked. "There is no one on earth as faithful and good as he is. He worships me and is careful not to do anything evil. You persuaded me to let you attack him for no reason at all, but Job is still as faithful as ever." 4 Satan replied, "A person will give up everything in order to stay alive. 5 But now suppose you hurt his body - he will curse you to your face!" 6 So the Lord said to Satan, "All right, he is in your power, but you are not to kill him." 7 Then Satan left the Lord's presence and made sores break out all over Job's body. 8 Job went and sat by the garbage dump and took a piece of broken pottery to scrape his sores. 9 His wife said to him, "You are still as faithful as ever, aren't you? Why don't you curse God and die?" 10 Job answered, "You are talking nonsense! When God sends us something good, we welcome it. How can we complain when he sends us trouble?" Even in all this suffering Job said nothing against God. 11 Three of Job's friends were Eliphaz, from the city of Teman, Bildad, from the land of Shuah, and Zophar, from the land of Naamah. When they heard how much Job had been suffering, they decided to go and comfort him. 12 While they were still a long way off they saw Job, but did not recognize him. When they did, they began to weep and wail, tearing their clothes in grief and throwing dust into the air and on their heads. 13 Then they sat there on the ground with him for seven days and nights without saying a word, because they saw how much he was suffering.

Revelation 12:1 Then a great and mysterious sight appeared in the sky. There was a woman, whose dress was the sun and who had the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. 2 She was soon to give birth, and the pains and suffering of childbirth made her cry out. 3 Another mysterious sight appeared in the sky. There was a huge red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and a crown on each of his heads. 4 With his tail he dragged a third of the stars out of the sky and threw them down to the earth. He stood in front of the woman, in order to eat her child as soon as it was born. 5 Then she gave birth to a son, who will rule over all nations with an iron rod. But the child was snatched away and taken to God and his throne. 6 The woman fled to the desert, to a place God had prepared for her, where she will be taken care of for 1,260 days. 7 Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, who fought back with his angels; 8 but the dragon was defeated, and he and his angels were not allowed to stay in heaven any longer. 9 The huge dragon was thrown out - that ancient serpent, named the Devil, or Satan, that deceived the whole world. He was thrown down to earth, and all his angels with him. 10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven saying, "Now God's salvation has come! Now God has shown his power as King! Now his Messiah has shown his authority! For the one who stood before our God and accused believers day and night has been thrown out of heaven. 11 They won the victory over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the truth which they proclaimed; and they were willing to give up their lives and die. 12 And so be glad, you heavens, and all you that live there! But how terrible for the earth and the sea! For the Devil has come down to you, and he is filled with rage, because he knows that he has only a little time left." 13 When the dragon realized that he had been thrown down to the earth, he began to pursue the woman who had given birth to the boy. 14 She was given the two wings of a large eagle in order to fly to her place in the desert, where she will be taken care of for three and a half years, safe from the dragon's attack. 15 And then from his mouth the dragon poured out a flood of water after the woman, so that it would carry her away. 16 But the earth helped the woman; it opened its mouth and swallowed the water that had come from the dragon's mouth. 17 The dragon was furious with the woman and went off to fight against the rest of her descendants, all those who obey God's commandments and are faithful to the truth revealed by Jesus. 18 And the dragon stood on the seashore.

Daniel 7:9 While I was looking, thrones were put in place. One who had been living forever sat down on one of the thrones. His clothes were white as snow, and his hair was like pure wool. His throne, mounted on fiery wheels, was blazing with fire, 10 and a stream of fire was pouring out from it. There were many thousands of people there to serve him, and millions of people stood before him. The court began its session, and the books were opened.

277-Job 1:8 "Did you notice my servant Job?" the Lord asked. "There is no one on earth as faithful and good as he is. He worships me and is careful not to do anything evil."

Job 2:3 "Did you notice my servant Job?" the Lord asked. "There is no one on earth as faithful and good as he is. He worships me and is careful not to do anything evil. You persuaded me to let you attack him for no reason at all, but Job is still as faithful as ever."

278-Job 42:7 After the Lord had finished speaking to Job, he said to Eliphaz, "I am angry with you and your two friends, because you did not speak the truth about me, the way my servant Job did. 8 Now take seven bulls and seven rams to Job and offer them as a sacrifice for yourselves. Job will pray for you, and I will answer his prayer and not disgrace you the way you deserve. You did not speak the truth about me as he did."

279-1 Kings 8:46 "When your people sin against you - and there is no one who does not sin - and in your anger you let their enemies defeat them and take them as prisoners to some other land, even if that land is far away,

2 Chronicles 6:36 "When your people sin against you - and there is no one who does not sin - and in your anger you let their enemies defeat them and take them as prisoners to some other land, even if that land is far away,

Ecclesiastes 7:20 There is no one on earth who does what is right all the time and never makes a mistake.

Romans 3:23 everyone has sinned and is far away from God's saving presence.

280-Psalms 51:10 Create a pure heart in me, O God, and put a new and loyal spirit in me.

Jeremiah 31:33 The new covenant that I will make with the people of Israel will be this: I will put my law within them and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 34 None of them will have to teach a neighbor to know the Lord, because all will know me, from the least to the greatest. I will forgive their sins and I will no longer remember their wrongs. I, the Lord, have spoken."

John 3:3 Jesus answered, "I am telling you the truth: no one can see the Kingdom of God without being born again." 4 "How can a grown man be born again?" Nicodemus asked. "He certainly cannot enter his mother's womb and be born a second time!" 5 "I am telling you the truth," replied Jesus, "that no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. 6 A person is born physically of human parents, but is born spiritually of the Spirit. 7 Do not be surprised because I tell you that you must all be born again. 8 The wind blows wherever it wishes; you hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going. It is like that with everyone who is born of the Spirit."

281-Zechariah 3:1 In another vision the Lord showed me the High Priest Joshua standing before the angel of the Lord. And there beside Joshua stood Satan, ready to bring an accusation against him. 2 The angel of the Lord said to Satan, "May the Lord condemn you, Satan! May the Lord, who loves Jerusalem, condemn you. This man is like a stick snatched from the fire." 3 Joshua was standing there, wearing filthy clothes. 4 The angel said to his heavenly attendants, "Take away the filthy clothes this man is wearing." Then he said to Joshua, "I have taken away your sin and will give you new clothes to wear." 5 He commanded the attendants to put a clean turban on Joshua's head. They did so, and then they put the new clothes on him while the angel of the Lord stood there.

282-James 2:19 Do you believe that there is only one God? Good! The demons also believe - and tremble with fear.

283-Genesis 11:1 At first, the people of the whole world had only one language and used the same words. 2 As they wandered about in the East, they came to a plain in Babylonia and settled there. 3 They said to one another, "Come on! Let's make bricks and bake them hard." So they had bricks to build with and tar to hold them together. 4 They said, "Now let's build a city with a tower that reaches the sky, so that we can make a name for ourselves and not be scattered all over the earth." 5 Then the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which they had built, 6 and he said, "Now then, these are all one people and they speak one language; this is just the beginning of what they are going to do. Soon they will be able to do anything they want! 7 Let us go down and mix up their language so that they will not understand each other." 8 So the Lord scattered them all over the earth, and they stopped building the city. 9 The city was called Babylon, because there the Lord mixed up the language of all the people, and from there he scattered them all over the earth.

284-Exodus 32:1 When the people saw that Moses had not come down from the mountain but was staying there a long time, they gathered around Aaron and said to him, "We do not know what has happened to this man Moses, who led us out of Egypt; so make us a god to lead us." 2 Aaron said to them, "Take off the gold earrings which your wives, your sons, and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me." 3 So all the people took off their gold earrings and brought them to Aaron. 4 He took the earrings, melted them, poured the gold into a mold, and made a gold bull-calf. The people said, "Israel, this is our god, who led us out of Egypt!" 5 Then Aaron built an altar in front of the gold bull-calf and announced, "Tomorrow there will be a festival to honor the Lord." 6 Early the next morning they brought some animals to burn as sacrifices and others to eat as fellowship offerings. The people sat down to a feast, which turned into an orgy of drinking and sex. 7 The Lord said to Moses, "Hurry and go back down, because your people, whom you led out of Egypt, have sinned and rejected me. 8 They have already left the way that I commanded them to follow; they have made a bull-calf out of melted gold and have worshiped it and offered sacrifices to it. They are saying that this is their god, who led them out of Egypt. 9 I know how stubborn these people are. 10 Now, don't try to stop me. I am angry with them, and I am going to destroy them. Then I will make you and your descendants into a great nation." 11 But Moses pleaded with the Lord his God and said, "Lord, why should you be so angry with your people, whom you rescued from Egypt with great might and power? 12 Why should the Egyptians be able to say that you led your people out of Egypt, planning to kill them in the mountains and destroy them completely? Stop being angry; change your mind and do not bring this disaster on your people. 13 Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Remember the solemn promise you made to them to give them as many descendants as there are stars in the sky and to give their descendants all that land you promised would be their possession forever." 14 So the Lord changed his mind and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened. 15 Moses went back down the mountain, carrying the two stone tablets with the commandments written on both sides. 16 God himself had made the tablets and had engraved the commandments on them. 17 Joshua heard the people shouting and said to Moses, "I hear the sound of battle in the camp." 18 Moses said, "That doesn't sound like a shout of victory or a cry of defeat; it's the sound of singing." 19 When Moses came close enough to the camp to see the bull-calf and to see the people dancing, he became furious. There at the foot of the mountain, he threw down the tablets he was carrying and broke them. 20 He took the bull-calf which they had made, melted it, ground it into fine powder, and mixed it with water. Then he made the people of Israel drink it. 21 He said to Aaron, "What did these people do to you, that you have made them commit such a terrible sin?" 22 Aaron answered, "Don't be angry with me; you know how determined these people are to do evil. 23 They said to me, "We don't know what has happened to this man Moses, who brought us out of Egypt; so make us a god to lead us.' 24 I asked them to bring me their gold ornaments, and those who had any took them off and gave them to me. I threw the ornaments into the fire and out came this bull-calf!" 25 Moses saw that Aaron had let the people get out of control and make fools of themselves in front of their enemies. 26 So he stood at the gate of the camp and shouted, "Everyone who is on the Lord's side come over here!" So all the Levites gathered around him, 27 and he said to them, "The Lord God of Israel commands every one of you to put on your sword and go through the camp from this gate to the other and kill your brothers, your friends, and your neighbors." 28 The Levites obeyed, and killed about three thousand men that day. 29 Moses said to the Levites, "Today you have consecrated yourselves as priests in the service of the Lord by killing your sons and brothers, so the Lord has given you his blessing." 30 The next day Moses said to the people, "You have committed a terrible sin. But now I will again go up the mountain to the Lord; perhaps I can obtain forgiveness for your sin." 31 Moses then returned to the Lord and said, "These people have committed a terrible sin. They have made a god out of gold and worshiped it. 32 Please forgive their sin; but if you won't, then remove my name from the book in which you have written the names of your people." 33 The Lord answered, "It is those who have sinned against me whose names I will remove from my book. 34 Now go, lead the people to the place I told you about. Remember that my angel will guide you, but the time is coming when I will punish these people for their sin." 35 So the Lord sent a disease on the people, because they had caused Aaron to make the gold bull-calf.

285-John 6:25 When the people found Jesus on the other side of the lake, they said to him, "Teacher, when did you get here?" 26 Jesus answered, "I am telling you the truth: you are looking for me because you ate the bread and had all you wanted, not because you understood my miracles. 27 Do not work for food that spoils; instead, work for the food that lasts for eternal life. This is the food which the Son of Man will give you, because God, the Father, has put his mark of approval on him." 28 So they asked him, "What can we do in order to do what God wants us to do?" 29 Jesus answered, "What God wants you to do is to believe in the one he sent." 30 They replied, "What miracle will you perform so that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? 31 Our ancestors ate manna in the desert, just as the scripture says, "He gave them bread from heaven to eat.' " 32 "I am telling you the truth," Jesus said. "What Moses gave you was not the bread from heaven; it is my Father who gives you the real bread from heaven. 33 For the bread that God gives is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." 34 "Sir," they asked him, "give us this bread always." 35 "I am the bread of life," Jesus told them. "Those who come to me will never be hungry; those who believe in me will never be thirsty. 36 Now, I told you that you have seen me but will not believe. 37 Everyone whom my Father gives me will come to me. I will never turn away anyone who comes to me, 38 because I have come down from heaven to do not my own will but the will of him who sent me. 39 And it is the will of him who sent me that I should not lose any of all those he has given me, but that I should raise them all to life on the last day. 40 For what my Father wants is that all who see the Son and believe in him should have eternal life. And I will raise them to life on the last day." 41 The people started grumbling about him, because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven." 42 So they said, "This man is Jesus son of Joseph, isn't he? We know his father and mother. How, then, does he now say he came down from heaven?" 43 Jesus answered, "Stop grumbling among yourselves. 44 People cannot come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me; and I will raise them to life on the last day. 45 The prophets wrote, "Everyone will be taught by God.' Anyone who hears the Father and learns from him comes to me. 46 This does not mean that anyone has seen the Father; he who is from God is the only one who has seen the Father. 47 I am telling you the truth: he who believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your ancestors ate manna in the desert, but they died. 50 But the bread that comes down from heaven is of such a kind that whoever eats it will not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If you eat this bread, you will live forever. The bread that I will give you is my flesh, which I give so that the world may live." 52 This started an angry argument among them. "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" they asked. 53 Jesus said to them, "I am telling you the truth: if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you will not have life in yourselves. 54 Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them to life on the last day. 55 For my flesh is the real food; my blood is the real drink. 56 Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood live in me, and I live in them. 57 The living Father sent me, and because of him I live also. In the same way whoever eats me will live because of me. 58 This, then, is the bread that came down from heaven; it is not like the bread that your ancestors ate, but then later died. Those who eat this bread will live forever." 59 Jesus said this as he taught in the synagogue in Capernaum. 60 Many of his followers heard this and said, "This teaching is too hard. Who can listen to it?" 61 Without being told, Jesus knew that they were grumbling about this, so he said to them, "Does this make you want to give up? 62 Suppose, then, that you should see the Son of Man go back up to the place where he was before? 63 What gives life is God's Spirit; human power is of no use at all. The words I have spoken to you bring God's life-giving Spirit. 64 Yet some of you do not believe." (Jesus knew from the very beginning who were the ones that would not believe and which one would betray him.) 65 And he added, "This is the very reason I told you that no people can come to me unless the Father makes it possible for them to do so." 66 Because of this, many of Jesus' followers turned back and would not go with him any more. 67 So he asked the twelve disciples, "And you - would you also like to leave?" 68 Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life. 69 And now we believe and know that you are the Holy One who has come from God."

286-Zechariah 4:14 Then he said, "These are the two men whom God has chosen and anointed to serve him, the Lord of the whole earth."

287-Zechariah 7:8 The Lord gave this message to Zechariah: 9 "Long ago I gave these commands to my people: "You must see that justice is done, and must show kindness and mercy to one another. 10 Do not oppress widows, orphans, foreigners who live among you, or anyone else in need. And do not plan ways of harming one another.' 11 "But my people stubbornly refused to listen. They closed their minds 12 and made their hearts as hard as rock. Because they would not listen to the teaching which I sent through the prophets who lived long ago, I became very angry. 13 Because they did not listen when I spoke, I did not answer when they prayed. 14 Like a storm I swept them away to live in foreign countries. This good land was left a desolate place, with no one living in it."

288-Isaiah 58:1 The Lord says, "Shout as loud as you can! Tell my people Israel about their sins! 2 They worship me every day, claiming that they are eager to know my ways and obey my laws. They say they want me to give them just laws and that they take pleasure in worshiping me." 3 The people ask, "Why should we fast if the Lord never notices? Why should we go without food if he pays no attention?" The Lord says to them, "The truth is that at the same time you fast, you pursue your own interests and oppress your workers. 4 Your fasting makes you violent, and you quarrel and fight. Do you think this kind of fasting will make me listen to your prayers? 5 When you fast, you make yourselves suffer; you bow your heads low like a blade of grass and spread out sackcloth and ashes to lie on. Is that what you call fasting? Do you think I will be pleased with that? 6 "The kind of fasting I want is this: Remove the chains of oppression and the yoke of injustice, and let the oppressed go free. 7 Share your food with the hungry and open your homes to the homeless poor. Give clothes to those who have nothing to wear, and do not refuse to help your own relatives. 8 "Then my favor will shine on you like the morning sun, and your wounds will be quickly healed. I will always be with you to save you; my presence will protect you on every side. 9 When you pray, I will answer you. When you call to me, I will respond. "If you put an end to oppression, to every gesture of contempt, and to every evil word; 10 if you give food to the hungry and satisfy those who are in need, then the darkness around you will turn to the brightness of noon. 11 And I will always guide you and satisfy you with good things. I will keep you strong and well. You will be like a garden that has plenty of water, like a spring of water that never goes dry. 12 Your people will rebuild what has long been in ruins, building again on the old foundations. You will be known as the people who rebuilt the walls, who restored the ruined houses." 13 The Lord says, "If you treat the Sabbath as sacred and do not pursue your own interests on that day; if you value my holy day and honor it by not traveling, working, or talking idly on that day, 14 then you will find the joy that comes from serving me. I will make you honored all over the world, and you will enjoy the land I gave to your ancestor, Jacob. I, the Lord, have spoken."

289-Zechariah 8:1 The Lord Almighty gave this message to Zechariah: 2 "I have longed to help Jerusalem because of my deep love for her people, a love which has made me angry with her enemies. 3 I will return to Jerusalem, my holy city, and live there. It will be known as the faithful city, and the hill of the Lord Almighty will be called the sacred hill. 4 Once again old men and women, so old that they use canes when they walk, will be sitting in the city squares. 5 And the streets will again be full of boys and girls playing. 6 "This may seem impossible to those of the nation who are now left, but it's not impossible for me. 7 I will rescue my people from the lands where they have been taken, 8 and will bring them back from east and west to live in Jerusalem. They will be my people, and I will be their God, ruling over them faithfully and justly. 9 "Have courage! You are now hearing the same words the prophets spoke at the time the foundation was being laid for rebuilding my Temple. 10 Before that time no one could afford to hire either men or animals, and no one was safe from enemies. I turned people against one another. 11 But now I am treating the survivors of this nation differently. 12 They will plant their crops in peace. Their vines will bear grapes, the earth will produce crops, and there will be plenty of rain. I will give all these blessings to the people of my nation who survive. 13 People of Judah and Israel! In the past foreigners have cursed one another by saying, "May the same disasters fall on you that fell on Judah and Israel!' But I will save you, and then those foreigners will say to one another, "May you receive the same blessings that came to Judah and Israel!' So have courage and don't be afraid." 14 The Lord Almighty says, "When your ancestors made me angry, I planned disaster for them and did not change my mind, but carried out my plans. 15 But now I am planning to bless the people of Jerusalem and Judah. So don't be afraid. 16 These are the things you should do: Speak the truth to one another. In the courts give real justice - the kind that brings peace. 17 Do not plan ways of harming one another. Do not give false testimony under oath. I hate lying, injustice, and violence." 18 The Lord Almighty gave this message to Zechariah: 19 "The fasts held in the fourth, fifth, seventh, and tenth months will become festivals of joy and gladness for the people of Judah. You must love truth and peace." 20 The Lord Almighty says, "The time is coming when people from many cities will come to Jerusalem. 21 Those from one city will say to those from another, "We are going to worship the Lord Almighty and pray for his blessing. Come with us!' 22 Many peoples and powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to worship the Lord Almighty and to pray for his blessing. 23 In those days ten foreigners will come to one Jew and say, "We want to share in your destiny, because we have heard that God is with you.' "

Zechariah 9:9 Rejoice, rejoice, people of Zion! Shout for joy, you people of Jerusalem! Look, your king is coming to you! He comes triumphant and victorious, but humble and riding on a donkey - on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

Zechariah 12:1 This is a message about Israel from the Lord, the Lord who spread out the skies, created the earth, and gave life to man. He says, 2 "I will make Jerusalem like a cup of wine; the nations around her will drink and stagger like drunks. And when they besiege Jerusalem, the cities of the rest of Judah will also be besieged. 3 But when that time comes, I will make Jerusalem like a heavy stone - any nation that tries to lift it will be hurt. All the nations of the world will join forces to attack her. 4 At that time I will terrify all their horses and make all their riders go crazy. I will watch over the people of Judah, but I will make the horses of their enemies blind. 5 Then the clans of Judah will say to themselves, "The Lord God Almighty gives strength to his people who live in Jerusalem.' 6 "At that time I will make the clans of Judah like a fire in a forest or in a field of ripe grain - they will destroy all the surrounding nations. The people of Jerusalem will remain safe in the city. 7 "I, the Lord, will give victory to the armies of Judah first, so that the honor which the descendants of David and the people of Jerusalem will receive will be no greater than that of the rest of Judah. 8 At that time the Lord will protect those who live in Jerusalem, and even the weakest among them will become as strong as David was. The descendants of David will lead them like the angel of the Lord, like God himself. 9 At that time I will destroy every nation that tries to attack Jerusalem. 10 "I will fill the descendants of David and the other people of Jerusalem with the spirit of mercy and the spirit of prayer. They will look at the one whom they stabbed to death, and they will mourn for him like those who mourn for an only child. They will mourn bitterly, like those who have lost their first-born son.

Zechariah 13:7 The Lord Almighty says, "Wake up, sword, and attack the shepherd who works for me! Kill him, and the sheep will be scattered. I will attack my people 8 and throughout the land two-thirds of the people will die. 9 And I will test the third that survives and will purify them as silver is purified by fire. I will test them as gold is tested. Then they will pray to me, and I will answer them. I will tell them that they are my people, and they will confess that I am their God."

Zechariah 14:1 The day when the Lord will sit in judgment is near. Then Jerusalem will be looted, and the loot will be divided up before your eyes. 2 The Lord will bring all the nations together to make war on Jerusalem. The city will be taken, the houses looted, and the women raped. Half of the people will go into exile, but the rest of them will not be taken away from the city. 3 Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations, as he has fought in times past. 4 At that time he will stand on the Mount of Olives, to the east of Jerusalem. Then the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west by a large valley. Half of the mountain will move northward, and half of it southward. 5 You will escape through this valley that divides the mountain in two. You will flee as your ancestors did when the earthquake struck in the time of King Uzziah of Judah. The Lord my God will come, bringing all the angels with him. 6 When that time comes, there will no longer be cold or frost, 7 nor any darkness. There will always be daylight, even at nighttime. When this will happen is known only to the Lord. 8 When that day comes, fresh water will flow from Jerusalem, half of it to the Dead Sea and the other half to the Mediterranean. It will flow all year long, in the dry season as well as the wet. 9 Then the Lord will be king over all the earth; everyone will worship him as God and know him by the same name. 10 The whole region, from Geba in the north to Rimmon in the south, will be made level. Jerusalem will tower above the land around it; the city will reach from the Benjamin Gate to the Corner Gate, where there had been an earlier gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the royal wine presses. 11 The people will live there in safety, no longer threatened by destruction. 12 The Lord will bring a terrible disease on all the nations that make war on Jerusalem. Their flesh will rot away while they are still alive; their eyes and their tongues will rot away. 13 At that time the Lord will make them so confused and afraid that everyone will seize the man next to him and attack him. 14 The men of Judah will fight to defend Jerusalem. They will take as loot the wealth of all the nations - gold, silver, and clothing in great abundance. 15 A terrible disease will also fall on the horses, the mules, the camels, and the donkeys - on all the animals in the camps of the enemy. 16 Then all of the survivors from the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go there each year to worship the Lord Almighty as king and to celebrate the Festival of Shelters. 17 If any nation refuses to go and worship the Lord Almighty as king, then rain will not fall on their land. 18 If the Egyptians refuse to celebrate the Festival of Shelters, then they will be struck by the same disease that the Lord will send on every nation that refuses to go. 19 This will be the punishment that will fall on Egypt and on all the other nations if they do not celebrate the Festival of Shelters. 20 At that time even the harness bells of the horses will be inscribed with the words "Dedicated to the Lord." The cooking pots in the Temple will be as sacred as the bowls before the altar. 21 Every cooking pot in Jerusalem and in all Judah will be set apart for use in the worship of the Lord Almighty. The people who offer sacrifices will use them for boiling the meat of the sacrifices. When that time comes, there will no longer be any merchant in the Temple of the Lord Almighty.

Matthew 21:9 The crowds walking in front of Jesus and those walking behind began to shout, "Praise to David's Son! God bless him who comes in the name of the Lord! Praise be to God!"

John 19:37 And there is another scripture that says, "People will look at him whom they pierced."

290-Zechariah 8:4 Once again old men and women, so old that they use canes when they walk, will be sitting in the city squares. 5 And the streets will again be full of boys and girls playing.

291-Zechariah 14:9 Then the Lord will be king over all the earth; everyone will worship him as God and know him by the same name.

Zechariah 8:23 In those days ten foreigners will come to one Jew and say, "We want to share in your destiny, because we have heard that God is with you.' "

292-John 12:28 Father, bring glory to your name!" Then a voice spoke from heaven, "I have brought glory to it, and I will do so again." 29 The crowd standing there heard the voice, and some of them said it was thunder, while others said, "An angel spoke to him!" 30 But Jesus said to them, "It was not for my sake that this voice spoke, but for yours. 31 Now is the time for this world to be judged; now the ruler of this world will be overthrown. 32 When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to me.

293-John 12:31 Now is the time for this world to be judged; now the ruler of this world will be overthrown. 32 When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to me.

294-Galatians 6:16 As for those who follow this rule in their lives, may peace and mercy be with them - with them and with all of God's people!

Matthew 24:14 And this Good News about the Kingdom will be preached through all the world for a witness to all people; and then the end will come.

Matthew 28:19 Go, then, to all peoples everywhere and make them my disciples: baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, 20 and teach them to obey everything I have commanded you. And I will be with you always, to the end of the age."

Ephesians 1:7 For by the blood of Christ we are set free, that is, our sins are forgiven. How great is the grace of God, 8 which he gave to us in such large measure! In all his wisdom and insight 9 God did what he had purposed, and made known to us the secret plan he had already decided to complete by means of Christ. 10 This plan, which God will complete when the time is right, is to bring all creation together, everything in heaven and on earth, with Christ as head.

Ephesians 3:7 I was made a servant of the gospel by God's special gift, which he gave me through the working of his power. 8 I am less than the least of all God's people; yet God gave me this privilege of taking to the Gentiles the Good News about the infinite riches of Christ, 9 and of making all people see how God's secret plan is to be put into effect. God, who is the Creator of all things, kept his secret hidden through all the past ages, 10 in order that at the present time, by means of the church, the angelic rulers and powers in the heavenly world might learn of his wisdom in all its different forms.

295-Micah 6:8 No, the Lord has told us what is good. What he requires of us is this: to do what is just, to show constant love, and to live in humble fellowship with our God.

Zechariah 8:16 These are the things you should do: Speak the truth to one another. In the courts give real justice - the kind that brings peace. 17 Do not plan ways of harming one another. Do not give false testimony under oath. I hate lying, injustice, and violence."

296-Zechariah 9:9 Rejoice, rejoice, people of Zion! Shout for joy, you people of Jerusalem! Look, your king is coming to you! He comes triumphant and victorious, but humble and riding on a donkey - on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

297-Matthew 21:5 "Tell the city of Zion, Look, your king is coming to you! He is humble and rides on a donkey and on a colt, the foal of a donkey."

Mark 11:9 The people who were in front and those who followed behind began to shout, "Praise God! God bless him who comes in the name of the Lord! 10 God bless the coming kingdom of King David, our father! Praise be to God!"

Luke 19:38 "God bless the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory to God!"

John 12:13 So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, shouting, "Praise God! God bless him who comes in the name of the Lord! God bless the King of Israel!" 14 Jesus found a donkey and rode on it, just as the scripture says, 15 "Do not be afraid, city of Zion! Here comes your king, riding on a young donkey."

298-Luke 22:24 An argument broke out among the disciples as to which one of them should be thought of as the greatest.

299-Zechariah 12:10 "I will fill the descendants of David and the other people of Jerusalem with the spirit of mercy and the spirit of prayer. They will look at the one whom they stabbed to death, and they will mourn for him like those who mourn for an only child. They will mourn bitterly, like those who have lost their first-born son.

300-Numbers 25:8 followed the man and the woman into the tent, and drove the spear through both of them. In this way the epidemic that was destroying Israel was stopped,

1 Samuel 31:4 He said to the young man carrying his weapons, "Draw your sword and kill me, so that these godless Philistines won't gloat over me and kill me." But the young man was too terrified to do it. So Saul took his own sword and threw himself on it.

301-Zechariah 12:1 This is a message about Israel from the Lord, the Lord who spread out the skies, created the earth, and gave life to man. He says, 2 "I will make Jerusalem like a cup of wine; the nations around her will drink and stagger like drunks. And when they besiege Jerusalem, the cities of the rest of Judah will also be besieged. 3 But when that time comes, I will make Jerusalem like a heavy stone - any nation that tries to lift it will be hurt. All the nations of the world will join forces to attack her. 4 At that time I will terrify all their horses and make all their riders go crazy. I will watch over the people of Judah, but I will make the horses of their enemies blind. 5 Then the clans of Judah will say to themselves, "The Lord God Almighty gives strength to his people who live in Jerusalem.' 6 "At that time I will make the clans of Judah like a fire in a forest or in a field of ripe grain - they will destroy all the surrounding nations. The people of Jerusalem will remain safe in the city. 7 "I, the Lord, will give victory to the armies of Judah first, so that the honor which the descendants of David and the people of Jerusalem will receive will be no greater than that of the rest of Judah. 8 At that time the Lord will protect those who live in Jerusalem, and even the weakest among them will become as strong as David was. The descendants of David will lead them like the angel of the Lord, like God himself. 9 At that time I will destroy every nation that tries to attack Jerusalem. 10 "I will fill the descendants of David and the other people of Jerusalem with the spirit of mercy and the spirit of prayer. They will look at the one whom they stabbed to death, and they will mourn for him like those who mourn for an only child. They will mourn bitterly, like those who have lost their first-born son. 11 At that time the mourning in Jerusalem will be as great as the mourning for Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. 12 Each family in the land will mourn by itself: the family descended from David, the family descended from Nathan, the family descended from Levi, the family descended from Shimei, and all the other families. Each family will mourn by itself, and the men of each family will mourn separately from the women.

Zechariah 13: 1 "When that time comes," says the Lord Almighty, "a fountain will be opened to purify the descendants of David and the people of Jerusalem from their sin and idolatry. 2 At that time I will remove the names of the idols from the land, and no one will remember them any more. I will get rid of anyone who claims to be a prophet and will take away the desire to worship idols. 3 Then if anyone still insists on prophesying, his own father and mother will tell him that he must be put to death, because he claimed to speak the Lord's word, but spoke lies instead. When he prophesies, his own father and mother will stab him to death. 4 When that time comes, no prophet will be proud of his visions or act like a prophet or wear a prophet's coarse garment in order to deceive people. 5 Instead, he will say, "I am not a prophet. I am a farmer - I have farmed the land all my life.' 6 Then if someone asks him, "What are those wounds on your chest?' he will answer, "I got them at a friend's house.' " 7 The Lord Almighty says, "Wake up, sword, and attack the shepherd who works for me! Kill him, and the sheep will be scattered. I will attack my people 8 and throughout the land two-thirds of the people will die. 9 And I will test the third that survives and will purify them as silver is purified by fire. I will test them as gold is tested. Then they will pray to me, and I will answer them. I will tell them that they are my people, and they will confess that I am their God."

Zechariah 14:1 The day when the Lord will sit in judgment is near. Then Jerusalem will be looted, and the loot will be divided up before your eyes. 2 The Lord will bring all the nations together to make war on Jerusalem. The city will be taken, the houses looted, and the women raped. Half of the people will go into exile, but the rest of them will not be taken away from the city. 3 Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations, as he has fought in times past. 4 At that time he will stand on the Mount of Olives, to the east of Jerusalem. Then the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west by a large valley. Half of the mountain will move northward, and half of it southward. 5 You will escape through this valley that divides the mountain in two. You will flee as your ancestors did when the earthquake struck in the time of King Uzziah of Judah. The Lord my God will come, bringing all the angels with him. 6 When that time comes, there will no longer be cold or frost, 7 nor any darkness. There will always be daylight, even at nighttime. When this will happen is known only to the Lord. 8 When that day comes, fresh water will flow from Jerusalem, half of it to the Dead Sea and the other half to the Mediterranean. It will flow all year long, in the dry season as well as the wet. 9 Then the Lord will be king over all the earth; everyone will worship him as God and know him by the same name. 10 The whole region, from Geba in the north to Rimmon in the south, will be made level. Jerusalem will tower above the land around it; the city will reach from the Benjamin Gate to the Corner Gate, where there had been an earlier gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the royal wine presses. 11 The people will live there in safety, no longer threatened by destruction. 12 The Lord will bring a terrible disease on all the nations that make war on Jerusalem. Their flesh will rot away while they are still alive; their eyes and their tongues will rot away. 13 At that time the Lord will make them so confused and afraid that everyone will seize the man next to him and attack him. 14 The men of Judah will fight to defend Jerusalem. They will take as loot the wealth of all the nations - gold, silver, and clothing in great abundance. 15 A terrible disease will also fall on the horses, the mules, the camels, and the donkeys - on all the animals in the camps of the enemy. 16 Then all of the survivors from the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go there each year to worship the Lord Almighty as king and to celebrate the Festival of Shelters. 17 If any nation refuses to go and worship the Lord Almighty as king, then rain will not fall on their land. 18 If the Egyptians refuse to celebrate the Festival of Shelters, then they will be struck by the same disease that the Lord will send on every nation that refuses to go. 19 This will be the punishment that will fall on Egypt and on all the other nations if they do not celebrate the Festival of Shelters. 20 At that time even the harness bells of the horses will be inscribed with the words "Dedicated to the Lord." The cooking pots in the Temple will be as sacred as the bowls before the altar. 21 Every cooking pot in Jerusalem and in all Judah will be set apart for use in the worship of the Lord Almighty. The people who offer sacrifices will use them for boiling the meat of the sacrifices. When that time comes, there will no longer be any merchant in the Temple of the Lord Almighty.

302-Isaiah 53:1 The people reply, "Who would have believed what we now report? Who could have seen the Lord's hand in this? 2 It was the will of the Lord that his servant grow like a plant taking root in dry ground. He had no dignity or beauty to make us take notice of him. There was nothing attractive about him, nothing that would draw us to him. 3 We despised him and rejected him; he endured suffering and pain. No one would even look at him - we ignored him as if he were nothing. 4 "But he endured the suffering that should have been ours, the pain that we should have borne. All the while we thought that his suffering was punishment sent by God. 5 But because of our sins he was wounded, beaten because of the evil we did. We are healed by the punishment he suffered, made whole by the blows he received. 6 All of us were like sheep that were lost, each of us going his own way. But the Lord made the punishment fall on him, the punishment all of us deserved. 7 "He was treated harshly, but endured it humbly; he never said a word. Like a lamb about to be slaughtered, like a sheep about to be sheared, he never said a word. 8 He was arrested and sentenced and led off to die, and no one cared about his fate. He was put to death for the sins of our people. 9 He was placed in a grave with those who are evil, he was buried with the rich, even though he had never committed a crime or ever told a lie." 10 The Lord says, "It was my will that he should suffer; his death was a sacrifice to bring forgiveness. And so he will see his descendants; he will live a long life, and through him my purpose will succeed. 11 After a life of suffering, he will again have joy; he will know that he did not suffer in vain. My devoted servant, with whom I am pleased, will bear the punishment of many and for his sake I will forgive them. 12 And so I will give him a place of honor, a place among the great and powerful. He willingly gave his life and shared the fate of evil men. He took the place of many sinners and prayed that they might be forgiven."

303-Zechariah 12:10 "I will fill the descendants of David and the other people of Jerusalem with the spirit of mercy and the spirit of prayer. They will look at the one whom they stabbed to death, and they will mourn for him like those who mourn for an only child. They will mourn bitterly, like those who have lost their first-born son.

Zechariah 13:7 The Lord Almighty says, "Wake up, sword, and attack the shepherd who works for me! Kill him, and the sheep will be scattered. I will attack my people 8 and throughout the land two-thirds of the people will die. 9 And I will test the third that survives and will purify them as silver is purified by fire. I will test them as gold is tested. Then they will pray to me, and I will answer them. I will tell them that they are my people, and they will confess that I am their God."

304-Zechariah 13:7 The Lord Almighty says, "Wake up, sword, and attack the shepherd who works for me! Kill him, and the sheep will be scattered. I will attack my people 8 and throughout the land two-thirds of the people will die. 9 And I will test the third that survives and will purify them as silver is purified by fire. I will test them as gold is tested. Then they will pray to me, and I will answer them. I will tell them that they are my people, and they will confess that I am their God."

305-Matthew 26:31 Then Jesus said to them, "This very night all of you will run away and leave me, for the scripture says, "God will kill the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.' 56 But all this has happened in order to make come true what the prophets wrote in the Scriptures." Then all the disciples left him and ran away.

Mark 14:27 Jesus said to them, "All of you will run away and leave me, for the scripture says, "God will kill the shepherd, and the sheep will all be scattered.' 50 Then all the disciples left him and ran away. 51 A certain young man, dressed only in a linen cloth, was following Jesus. They tried to arrest him, 52 but he ran away naked, leaving the cloth behind.

306-Matthew 26:53 Don't you know that I could call on my Father for help, and at once he would send me more than twelve armies of angels?

307-Zechariah 14:1 The day when the Lord will sit in judgment is near. Then Jerusalem will be looted, and the loot will be divided up before your eyes. 2 The Lord will bring all the nations together to make war on Jerusalem. The city will be taken, the houses looted, and the women raped. Half of the people will go into exile, but the rest of them will not be taken away from the city. 3 Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations, as he has fought in times past. 4 At that time he will stand on the Mount of Olives, to the east of Jerusalem. Then the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west by a large valley. Half of the mountain will move northward, and half of it southward. 5 You will escape through this valley that divides the mountain in two. You will flee as your ancestors did when the earthquake struck in the time of King Uzziah of Judah. The Lord my God will come, bringing all the angels with him. 6 When that time comes, there will no longer be cold or frost, 7 nor any darkness. There will always be daylight, even at nighttime. When this will happen is known only to the Lord. 8 When that day comes, fresh water will flow from Jerusalem, half of it to the Dead Sea and the other half to the Mediterranean. It will flow all year long, in the dry season as well as the wet. 9 Then the Lord will be king over all the earth; everyone will worship him as God and know him by the same name. 10 The whole region, from Geba in the north to Rimmon in the south, will be made level. Jerusalem will tower above the land around it; the city will reach from the Benjamin Gate to the Corner Gate, where there had been an earlier gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the royal wine presses. 11 The people will live there in safety, no longer threatened by destruction. 12 The Lord will bring a terrible disease on all the nations that make war on Jerusalem. Their flesh will rot away while they are still alive; their eyes and their tongues will rot away. 13 At that time the Lord will make them so confused and afraid that everyone will seize the man next to him and attack him. 14 The men of Judah will fight to defend Jerusalem. They will take as loot the wealth of all the nations - gold, silver, and clothing in great abundance. 15 A terrible disease will also fall on the horses, the mules, the camels, and the donkeys - on all the animals in the camps of the enemy. 16 Then all of the survivors from the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go there each year to worship the Lord Almighty as king and to celebrate the Festival of Shelters. 17 If any nation refuses to go and worship the Lord Almighty as king, then rain will not fall on their land. 18 If the Egyptians refuse to celebrate the Festival of Shelters, then they will be struck by the same disease that the Lord will send on every nation that refuses to go. 19 This will be the punishment that will fall on Egypt and on all the other nations if they do not celebrate the Festival of Shelters. 20 At that time even the harness bells of the horses will be inscribed with the words "Dedicated to the Lord." The cooking pots in the Temple will be as sacred as the bowls before the altar. 21 Every cooking pot in Jerusalem and in all Judah will be set apart for use in the worship of the Lord Almighty. The people who offer sacrifices will use them for boiling the meat of the sacrifices. When that time comes, there will no longer be any merchant in the Temple of the Lord Almighty.

308-Zechariah 8:4 Once again old men and women, so old that they use canes when they walk, will be sitting in the city squares. 5 And the streets will again be full of boys and girls playing.

309-Zechariah 12:10 "I will fill the descendants of David and the other people of Jerusalem with the spirit of mercy and the spirit of prayer. They will look at the one whom they stabbed to death, and they will mourn for him like those who mourn for an only child. They will mourn bitterly, like those who have lost their first-born son.

Revelation 1:7 Look, he is coming on the clouds! Everyone will see him, including those who pierced him. All peoples on earth will mourn over him. So shall it be!

310-Zechariah 3:8 Listen then, Joshua, you who are the High Priest; and listen, you fellow priests of his, you that are the sign of a good future: I will reveal my servant, who is called The Branch! 9 I am placing in front of Joshua a single stone with seven facets. I will engrave an inscription on it, and in a single day I will take away the sin of this land. 10 When that day comes, each of you will invite your neighbor to come and enjoy peace and security, surrounded by your vineyards and fig trees."

311-Isaiah 42:1 The Lord says, "Here is my servant, whom I strengthen - the one I have chosen, with whom I am pleased. I have filled him with my Spirit, and he will bring justice to every nation. 2 He will not shout or raise his voice or make loud speeches in the streets. 3 He will not break off a bent reed nor put out a flickering lamp. He will bring lasting justice to all. 4 He will not lose hope or courage; he will establish justice on the earth. Distant lands eagerly wait for his teaching." 5 God created the heavens and stretched them out; he fashioned the earth and all that lives there; he gave life and breath to all its people. And now the Lord God says to his servant, 6 "I, the Lord, have called you and given you power to see that justice is done on earth. Through you I will make a covenant with all peoples; through you I will bring light to the nations. 7 You will open the eyes of the blind and set free those who sit in dark prisons. 8 "I alone am the Lord your God. No other god may share my glory; I will not let idols share my praise. 9 The things I predicted have now come true. Now I will tell you of new things even before they begin to happen." 10 Sing a new song to the Lord; sing his praise, all the world! Praise him, you that sail the sea; praise him, all creatures of the sea! Sing, distant lands and all who live there! 11 Let the desert and its towns praise God; let the people of Kedar praise him! Let those who live in the city of Sela shout for joy from the tops of the mountains! 12 Let those who live in distant lands give praise and glory to the Lord! 13 The Lord goes out to fight like a warrior; he is ready and eager for battle. He gives a war cry, a battle shout; he shows his power against his enemies. 14 God says, "For a long time I kept silent; I did not answer my people. But now the time to act has come; I cry out like a woman in labor. 15 I will destroy the hills and mountains and dry up the grass and trees. I will turn the river valleys into deserts and dry up the pools of water. 16 "I will lead my blind people by roads they have never traveled. I will turn their darkness into light and make rough country smooth before them. These are my promises, and I will keep them without fail. 17 All who trust in idols, who call images their gods, will be humiliated and disgraced." 18 The Lord says, "Listen, you deaf people! Look closely, you that are blind! 19 Is anyone more blind than my servant, more deaf than the messenger I send? 20 Israel, you have seen so much, but what has it meant to you? You have ears to hear with, but what have you really heard?" 21 The Lord is a God who is eager to save, so he exalted his laws and teachings, and he wanted his people to honor them. 22 But now his people have been plundered; they are locked up in dungeons and hidden away in prisons. They were robbed and plundered, with no one to come to their rescue. 23 Will any of you listen to this? From now on will you listen with care? 24 Who gave Israel up to the looters? It was the Lord himself, against whom we sinned! We would not live as he wanted us to live or obey the teachings he gave us. 25 So he made us feel the force of his anger and suffer the violence of war. Like fire his anger burned throughout Israel, but we never knew what was happening; we learned nothing at all from it.

Isaiah 49:1 Listen to me, distant nations, you people who live far away! Before I was born, the Lord chose me and appointed me to be his servant. 2 He made my words as sharp as a sword. With his own hand he protected me. He made me like an arrow, sharp and ready for use. 3 He said to me, "Israel, you are my servant; because of you, people will praise me." 4 I said, "I have worked, but how hopeless it is! I have used up my strength, but have accomplished nothing." Yet I can trust the Lord to defend my cause; he will reward me for what I do. 5 Before I was born, the Lord appointed me; he made me his servant to bring back his people, to bring back the scattered people of Israel. The Lord gives me honor; he is the source of my strength. 6 The Lord said to me, "I have a greater task for you, my servant. Not only will you restore to greatness the people of Israel who have survived, but I will also make you a light to the nations - so that all the world may be saved." 7 Israel's holy God and savior says to the one who is deeply despised, who is hated by the nations and is the servant of rulers: "Kings will see you released and will rise to show their respect; princes also will see it, and they will bow low to honor you." This will happen because the Lord has chosen his servant; the holy God of Israel keeps his promises. 8 The Lord says to his people, "When the time comes to save you, I will show you favor and answer your cries for help. I will guard and protect you and through you make a covenant with all peoples. I will let you settle once again in your land that is now laid waste. 9 I will say to the prisoners, "Go free!' and to those who are in darkness, "Come out to the light!' They will be like sheep that graze on the hills; 10 they will never be hungry or thirsty. Sun and desert heat will not hurt them, for they will be led by one who loves them. He will lead them to springs of water. 11 "I will make a highway across the mountains and prepare a road for my people to travel. 12 My people will come from far away, from the north and the west, and from Aswan in the south." 13 Sing, heavens! Shout for joy, earth! Let the mountains burst into song! The Lord will comfort his people; he will have pity on his suffering people. 14 But the people of Jerusalem said, "The Lord has abandoned us! He has forgotten us." 15 So the Lord answers, "Can a woman forget her own baby and not love the child she bore? Even if a mother should forget her child, I will never forget you. 16 Jerusalem, I can never forget you! I have written your name on the palms of my hands. 17 "Those who will rebuild you are coming soon, and those who destroyed you will leave. 18 Look around and see what is happening! Your people are assembling - they are coming home! As surely as I am the living God, you will be proud of your people, as proud as a bride is of her jewels. 19 "Your country was ruined and desolate - but now it will be too small for those who are coming to live there. And those who left you in ruins will be far removed from you. 20 Your people who were born in exile will one day say to you, "This land is too small - we need more room to live in!' 21 Then you will say to yourself, "Who bore all these children for me? I lost my children and could have no more. I was exiled and driven away - who brought these children up? I was left all alone - where did these children come from?' " 22 The Sovereign Lord says to his people: "I will signal to the nations, and they will bring your children home. 23 Kings will be like fathers to you; queens will be like mothers. They will bow low before you and honor you; they will humbly show their respect for you. Then you will know that I am the Lord; no one who waits for my help will be disappointed." 24 Can you take away a soldier's loot? Can you rescue the prisoners of a tyrant? 25 The Lord replies, "That is just what is going to happen. The soldier's prisoners will be taken away, and the tyrant's loot will be seized. I will fight against whoever fights you, and I will rescue your children. 26 I will make your oppressors kill each other; they will be drunk with murder and rage. Then all people will know that I am the Lord, the one who saves you and sets you free. They will know that I am Israel's powerful God."

Isaiah 50:1 The Lord says, "Do you think I sent my people away like a man who divorces his wife? Where, then, are the papers of divorce? Do you think I sold you into captivity like a man who sells his children as slaves? No, you went away captive because of your sins; you were sent away because of your crimes. 2 "Why did my people fail to respond when I went to them to save them? Why did they not answer when I called? Am I too weak to save them? I can dry up the sea with a command and turn rivers into a desert, so that the fish in them die for lack of water. 3 I can make the sky turn dark, as if it were in mourning for the dead." 4 The Sovereign Lord has taught me what to say, so that I can strengthen the weary. Every morning he makes me eager to hear what he is going to teach me. 5 The Lord has given me understanding, and I have not rebelled or turned away from him. 6 I bared my back to those who beat me. I did not stop them when they insulted me, when they pulled out the hairs of my beard and spit in my face. 7 But their insults cannot hurt me because the Sovereign Lord gives me help. I brace myself to endure them. I know that I will not be disgraced, 8 for God is near, and he will prove me innocent. Does anyone dare bring charges against me? Let us go to court together! Let him bring his accusation! 9 The Sovereign Lord himself defends me - who, then, can prove me guilty? All my accusers will disappear; they will vanish like moth-eaten cloth. 10 All of you that honor the Lord and obey the words of his servant, the path you walk may be dark indeed, but trust in the Lord, rely on your God. 11 All of you that plot to destroy others will be destroyed by your own plots. The Lord himself will make this happen; you will suffer a miserable fate.

Isaiah 52: 1 Jerusalem, be strong and great again! Holy city of God, clothe yourself with splendor! The heathen will never enter your gates again. 2 Shake yourself free, Jerusalem! Rise from the dust and sit on your throne! Undo the chains that bind you, captive people of Zion! 3 The Sovereign Lord says to his people, "When you became slaves, no money was paid for you; in the same way nothing will be paid to set you free. 4 When you went to live in Egypt as foreigners, you did so of your own free will; Assyria, however, took you away by force and paid nothing for you. 5 And now in Babylonia the same thing has happened: you are captives, and nothing was paid for you. Those who rule over you boast and brag and constantly show contempt for me. 6 In time to come you will acknowledge that I am God and that I have spoken to you." 7 How wonderful it is to see a messenger coming across the mountains, bringing good news, the news of peace! He announces victory and says to Zion, "Your God is king!" 8 Those who guard the city are shouting, shouting together for joy. They can see with their own eyes the return of the Lord to Zion. 9 Break into shouts of joy, you ruins of Jerusalem! The Lord will rescue his city and comfort his people. 10 The Lord will use his holy power; he will save his people, and all the world will see it. 11 Be sure to leave Babylonia, all you that carry the Temple equipment. Touch no forbidden thing; keep yourselves holy and leave. 12 This time you will not have to leave in a hurry; you will not be trying to escape. The Lord your God will lead you and protect you on every side. 13 The Lord says, "My servant will succeed in his task; he will be highly honored. 14 Many people were shocked when they saw him; he was so disfigured that he hardly looked human. 15 But now many nations will marvel at him, and kings will be speechless with amazement. They will see and understand something they had never known."

Isaiah 53:1 The people reply, "Who would have believed what we now report? Who could have seen the Lord's hand in this? 2 It was the will of the Lord that his servant grow like a plant taking root in dry ground. He had no dignity or beauty to make us take notice of him. There was nothing attractive about him, nothing that would draw us to him. 3 We despised him and rejected him; he endured suffering and pain. No one would even look at him - we ignored him as if he were nothing. 4 "But he endured the suffering that should have been ours, the pain that we should have borne. All the while we thought that his suffering was punishment sent by God. 5 But because of our sins he was wounded, beaten because of the evil we did. We are healed by the punishment he suffered, made whole by the blows he received. 6 All of us were like sheep that were lost, each of us going his own way. But the Lord made the punishment fall on him, the punishment all of us deserved. 7 "He was treated harshly, but endured it humbly; he never said a word. Like a lamb about to be slaughtered, like a sheep about to be sheared, he never said a word. 8 He was arrested and sentenced and led off to die, and no one cared about his fate. He was put to death for the sins of our people. 9 He was placed in a grave with those who are evil, he was buried with the rich, even though he had never committed a crime or ever told a lie." 10 The Lord says, "It was my will that he should suffer; his death was a sacrifice to bring forgiveness. And so he will see his descendants; he will live a long life, and through him my purpose will succeed. 11 After a life of suffering, he will again have joy; he will know that he did not suffer in vain. My devoted servant, with whom I am pleased, will bear the punishment of many and for his sake I will forgive them. 12 And so I will give him a place of honor, a place among the great and powerful. He willingly gave his life and shared the fate of evil men. He took the place of many sinners and prayed that they might be forgiven."

312-Isa. 28:16 This, now, is what the Sovereign Lord says: "I am placing in Zion a foundation that is firm and strong. In it I am putting a solid cornerstone on which are written the words, "Faith that is firm is also patient.'

313-Zechariah 6:12 Tell him that the Lord Almighty says, "The man who is called The Branch will flourish where he is and rebuild the Lord's Temple. 13 He is the one who will build it and receive the honor due a king, and he will rule his people. A priest will stand by his throne, and they will work together in peace and harmony.'

314-Psalm 110:1 The Lord said to my lord, "Sit here at my right side until I put your enemies under your feet." 2 From Zion the Lord will extend your royal power. "Rule over your enemies," he says. 3 On the day you fight your enemies, your people will volunteer. Like the dew of early morning your young men will come to you on the sacred hills. 4 The Lord made a solemn promise and will not take it back: "You will be a priest forever in the priestly order of Melchizedek." 5 The Lord is at your right side; when he becomes angry, he will defeat kings. 6 He will pass judgment on the nations and fill the battlefield with corpses; he will defeat kings all over the earth. 7 The king will drink from the stream by the road, and strengthened, he will stand victorious.

Hebrews 7:1 This Melchizedek was king of Salem and a priest of the Most High God. As Abraham was coming back from the battle in which he defeated the four kings, Melchizedek met him and blessed him, 2 and Abraham gave him one tenth of all he had taken. (The first meaning of Melchizedek's name is "King of Righteousness"; and because he was king of Salem, his name also means "King of Peace.") 3 There is no record of Melchizedek's father or mother or of any of his ancestors; no record of his birth or of his death. He is like the Son of God; he remains a priest forever. 4 You see, then, how great he was. Abraham, our famous ancestor, gave him one tenth of all he got in the battle. 5 And those descendants of Levi who are priests are commanded by the Law to collect one tenth from the people of Israel, that is, from their own people, even though they are also descendants of Abraham. 6 Melchizedek was not descended from Levi, but he collected one tenth from Abraham and blessed him, the man who received God's promises. 7 There is no doubt that the one who blesses is greater than the one who is blessed. 8 In the case of the priests the tenth is collected by men who die; but as for Melchizedek the tenth was collected by one who lives, as the scripture says. 9 And, so to speak, when Abraham paid the tenth, Levi (whose descendants collect the tenth) also paid it. 10 For Levi had not yet been born, but was, so to speak, in the body of his ancestor Abraham when Melchizedek met him. 11 It was on the basis of the levitical priesthood that the Law was given to the people of Israel. Now, if the work of the levitical priests had been perfect, there would have been no need for a different kind of priest to appear, one who is in the priestly order of Melchizedek, not of Aaron. 12 For when the priesthood is changed, there also has to be a change in the law. 13 And our Lord, of whom these things are said, belonged to a different tribe, and no member of his tribe ever served as a priest. 14 It is well known that he was born a member of the tribe of Judah; and Moses did not mention this tribe when he spoke of priests. 15 The matter becomes even plainer; a different priest has appeared, who is like Melchizedek. 16 He was made a priest, not by human rules and regulations, but through the power of a life which has no end. 17 For the scripture says, "You will be a priest forever, in the priestly order of Melchizedek." 18 The old rule, then, is set aside, because it was weak and useless. 19 For the Law of Moses could not make anything perfect. And now a better hope has been provided through which we come near to God. 20 In addition, there is also God's vow. There was no such vow when the others were made priests. 21 But Jesus became a priest by means of a vow when God said to him, "The Lord has made a solemn promise and will not take it back: "You will be a priest forever.' " 22 This difference, then, also makes Jesus the guarantee of a better covenant. 23 There is another difference: there were many of those other priests, because they died and could not continue their work. 24 But Jesus lives on forever, and his work as priest does not pass on to someone else. 25 And so he is able, now and always, to save those who come to God through him, because he lives forever to plead with God for them. 26 Jesus, then, is the High Priest that meets our needs. He is holy; he has no fault or sin in him; he has been set apart from sinners and raised above the heavens. 27 He is not like other high priests; he does not need to offer sacrifices every day for his own sins first and then for the sins of the people. He offered one sacrifice, once and for all, when he offered himself. 28 The Law of Moses appoints men who are imperfect to be high priests; but God's promise made with the vow, which came later than the Law, appoints the Son, who has been made perfect forever.

315-Zechariah 9:9 Rejoice, rejoice, people of Zion! Shout for joy, you people of Jerusalem! Look, your king is coming to you! He comes triumphant and victorious, but humble and riding on a donkey - on a colt, the foal of a donkey. 10 The Lord says, "I will remove the war chariots from Israel and take the horses from Jerusalem; the bows used in battle will be destroyed. Your king will make peace among the nations; he will rule from sea to sea, from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth."

316-Matthew 21:5 "Tell the city of Zion, Look, your king is coming to you! He is humble and rides on a donkey and on a colt, the foal of a donkey."

John 12:15 "Do not be afraid, city of Zion! Here comes your king, riding on a young donkey."

317-Zechariah 10:4 From among them will come rulers, leaders, and commanders to govern my people.

318-Ps. 118:22 The stone which the builders rejected as worthless turned out to be the most important of all.

Isa. 28:16 This, now, is what the Sovereign Lord says: "I am placing in Zion a foundation that is firm and strong. In it I am putting a solid cornerstone on which are written the words, "Faith that is firm is also patient.'

319-Matt. 21:42 Jesus said to them, "Haven't you ever read what the Scriptures say? "The stone which the builders rejected as worthless turned out to be the most important of all. This was done by the Lord; what a wonderful sight it is!'

320-Isa. 22:22 I will give him complete authority under the king, the descendant of David. He will have the keys of office; what he opens, no one will shut, and what he shuts, no one will open. 23 I will fasten him firmly in place like a peg, and he will be a source of honor to his whole family.

321-Exod. 15:2 The Lord is my strong defender; he is the one who has saved me. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will sing about his greatness. 3 The Lord is a warrior; the Lord is his name.

Psalms 7:1 O Lord, my God, I come to you for protection; rescue me and save me from all who pursue me,

Psalms 27:1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; I will fear no one. The Lord protects me from all danger; I will never be afraid.

322-Zechariah 11:4 The Lord my God said to me, "Act the part of the shepherd of a flock of sheep that are going to be butchered. 5 Their owners kill them and go unpunished. They sell the meat and say, "Praise the Lord! We are rich!' Even their own shepherds have no pity on them." 6 (The Lord said, "I will no longer pity anyone on earth. I myself will put all the people in the power of their rulers. These rulers will devastate the earth, and I will not save it from their power.") 7 Those who bought and sold the sheep hired me, and I became the shepherd of the sheep that were going to be butchered. I took two sticks: one I called "Favor" and the other "Unity." And I took care of the flock. 8 I lost patience with three other shepherds, who hated me, and I got rid of them all in a single month. 9 Then I said to the flock, "I will not be your shepherd any longer. Let those die who are to die. Let those be destroyed who are to be destroyed. Those who are left will destroy one another." 10 Then I took the stick called "Favor" and broke it, to cancel the covenant which the Lord had made with all the nations. 11 So the covenant was canceled on that day. Those who bought and sold the sheep were watching me, and they knew that the Lord was speaking through what I did. 12 I said to them, "If you are willing, give me my wages. But if not, keep them." So they paid me thirty pieces of silver as my wages. 13 The Lord said to me, "Put them in the Temple treasury." So I took the thirty pieces of silver - the magnificent sum they thought I was worth - and put them in the Temple treasury. 14 Then I broke the second stick, the one called "Unity," and the unity of Judah and Israel was shattered.

323-Matthew 27:3 When Judas, the traitor, learned that Jesus had been condemned, he repented and took back the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and the elders. 6 The chief priests picked up the coins and said, "This is blood money, and it is against our Law to put it in the Temple treasury." 7 After reaching an agreement about it, they used the money to buy Potter's Field, as a cemetery for foreigners. 8 That is why that field is called "Field of Blood" to this very day. 9 Then what the prophet Jeremiah had said came true: "They took the thirty silver coins, the amount the people of Israel had agreed to pay for him,

John 19:37 And there is another scripture that says, "People will look at him whom they pierced."

324-Zechariah 12:10 "I will fill the descendants of David and the other people of Jerusalem with the spirit of mercy and the spirit of prayer. They will look at the one whom they stabbed to death, and they will mourn for him like those who mourn for an only child. They will mourn bitterly, like those who have lost their first-born son. 11 At that time the mourning in Jerusalem will be as great as the mourning for Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. 12 Each family in the land will mourn by itself: the family descended from David, the family descended from Nathan, the family descended from Levi, the family descended from Shimei, and all the other families. Each family will mourn by itself, and the men of each family will mourn separately from the women.

325-John 19:37 And there is another scripture that says, "People will look at him whom they pierced."

326-Ps. 22:16 An evil gang is around me; like a pack of dogs they close in on me; they tear at my hands and feet.

Isa. 53:5 But because of our sins he was wounded, beaten because of the evil we did. We are healed by the punishment he suffered, made whole by the blows he received.

327-John 3:14 As Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the desert, in the same way the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.

328-Num. 21:9 So Moses made a bronze snake and put it on a pole. Anyone who had been bitten would look at the bronze snake and be healed.

Isa. 45:22 "Turn to me now and be saved, people all over the world! I am the only God there is.

Heb. 12:2 Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from beginning to end. He did not give up because of the cross! On the contrary, because of the joy that was waiting for him, he thought nothing of the disgrace of dying on the cross, and he is now seated at the right side of God's throne.

329-Zechariah 13:6 Then if someone asks him, "What are those wounds on your chest?' he will answer, "I got them at a friend's house.' " 7 The Lord Almighty says, "Wake up, sword, and attack the shepherd who works for me! Kill him, and the sheep will be scattered. I will attack my people 8 and throughout the land two-thirds of the people will die. 9 And I will test the third that survives and will purify them as silver is purified by fire. I will test them as gold is tested. Then they will pray to me, and I will answer them. I will tell them that they are my people, and they will confess that I am their God."

330-Zech. 14:4 And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, Which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, From east to west, Making a very large valley; Half of the mountain shall move toward the north And half of it toward the south. 5 Then you shall flee through My mountain valley, For the mountain valley shall reach to Azal. Yes, you shall flee As you fled from the earthquake In the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Thus the Lord my God will come, And all the saints with You.

331-1 Thess. 4:16 There will be the shout of command, the archangel's voice, the sound of God's trumpet, and the Lord himself will come down from heaven. Those who have died believing in Christ will rise to life first; 17 then we who are living at that time will be gathered up along with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord.

332-Zech. 14:5 You will flee by my mountain valley, for it will extend to Azel. You will flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the LORD my God will come, and all the holy ones with him.

333-Zechariah 14:6 When that time comes, there will no longer be cold or frost, 7 nor any darkness. There will always be daylight, even at nighttime. When this will happen is known only to the Lord. 8 When that day comes, fresh water will flow from Jerusalem, half of it to the Dead Sea and the other half to the Mediterranean. It will flow all year long, in the dry season as well as the wet. 9 Then the Lord will be king over all the earth; everyone will worship him as God and know him by the same name.

334-Malachi 1:1 This is the message that the Lord gave Malachi to tell the people of Israel. 2 The Lord says to his people, "I have always loved you." But they reply, "How have you shown your love for us?" The Lord answers, "Esau and Jacob were brothers, but I have loved Jacob and his descendants, 3 and have hated Esau and his descendants. I have devastated Esau's hill country and abandoned the land to jackals." 4 If Esau's descendants, the Edomites, say, "Our towns have been destroyed, but we will rebuild them," then the Lord will reply, "Let them rebuild - I will tear them down again. People will call them "The evil country' and "The nation with whom the Lord is angry forever.' " 5 The people of Israel are going to see this with their own eyes, and they will say, "The Lord is mighty even outside the land of Israel!" 6 The Lord Almighty says to the priests, "Children honor their parents, and servants honor their masters. I am your father - why don't you honor me? I am your master - why don't you respect me? You despise me, and yet you ask, "How have we despised you?' 7 This is how - by offering worthless food on my altar. Then you ask, "How have we failed to respect you?' I will tell you - by showing contempt for my altar. 8 When you bring a blind or sick or lame animal to sacrifice to me, do you think there's nothing wrong with that? Try giving an animal like that to the governor! Would he be pleased with you or grant you any favors?" 9 Now, you priests, try asking God to be good to us. He will not answer your prayer, and it will be your fault. 10 The Lord Almighty says, "I wish one of you would close the Temple doors so as to prevent you from lighting useless fires on my altar. I am not pleased with you; I will not accept the offerings you bring me. 11 People from one end of the world to the other honor me. Everywhere they burn incense to me and offer acceptable sacrifices. All of them honor me! 12 But you dishonor me when you say that my altar is worthless and when you offer on it food that you despise. 13 You say, "How tired we are of all this!' and you turn up your nose at me. As your offering to me you bring a stolen animal or one that is lame or sick. Do you think I will accept that from you? 14 A curse on the cheater who sacrifices a worthless animal to me, when he has in his flock a good animal that he promised to give me! For I am a great king, and people of all nations fear me."

Malachi 2: 1 The Lord Almighty says to the priests, "This command is for you: 2 You must honor me by what you do. If you will not listen to what I say, then I will bring a curse on you. I will put a curse on the things you receive for your support. In fact, I have already put a curse on them, because you do not take my command seriously. 3 I will punish your children and rub your faces in the dung of the animals you sacrifice - and you will be taken out to the dung heap. 4 Then you will know that I have given you this command, so that my covenant with the priests, the descendants of Levi, will not be broken. 5 "In my covenant I promised them life and well-being, and this is what I gave them, so that they might respect me. In those days they did respect and fear me. 6 They taught what was right, not what was wrong. They lived in harmony with me; they not only did what was right themselves, but they also helped many others to stop doing evil. 7 It is the duty of priests to teach the true knowledge of God. People should go to them to learn my will, because they are the messengers of the Lord Almighty. 8 "But now you priests have turned away from the right path. Your teaching has led many to do wrong. You have broken the covenant I made with you. 9 So I, in turn, will make the people of Israel despise you because you do not obey my will, and when you teach my people, you do not treat everyone alike." 10 Don't we all have the same father? Didn't the same God create us all? Then why do we break our promises to one another, and why do we despise the covenant that God made with our ancestors? 11 The people of Judah have broken their promise to God and done a horrible thing in Jerusalem and all over the country. They have defiled the Temple which the Lord loves. Men have married women who worship foreign gods. 12 May the Lord remove from the community of Israel those who did this, and never again let them participate in the offerings our nation brings to the Lord Almighty. 13 This is another thing you do. You drown the Lord's altar with tears, weeping and wailing because he no longer accepts the offerings you bring him. 14 You ask why he no longer accepts them. It is because he knows you have broken your promise to the wife you married when you were young. She was your partner, and you have broken your promise to her, although you promised before God that you would be faithful to her. 15 Didn't God make you one body and spirit with her? What was his purpose in this? It was that you should have children who are truly God's people. So make sure that none of you breaks his promise to his wife. 16 "I hate divorce," says the Lord God of Israel. "I hate it when one of you does such a cruel thing to his wife. Make sure that you do not break your promise to be faithful to your wife." 17 You have tired the Lord out with your talk. But you ask, "How have we tired him?" By saying, "The Lord Almighty thinks all evildoers are good; in fact he likes them." Or by asking, "Where is the God who is supposed to be just?"

Malachi 3:1 The Lord Almighty answers, "I will send my messenger to prepare the way for me. Then the Lord you are looking for will suddenly come to his Temple. The messenger you long to see will come and proclaim my covenant." 2 But who will be able to endure the day when he comes? Who will be able to survive when he appears? He will be like strong soap, like a fire that refines metal. 3 He will come to judge like one who refines and purifies silver. As a metalworker refines silver and gold, so the Lord's messenger will purify the priests, so that they will bring to the Lord the right kind of offerings. 4 Then the offerings which the people of Judah and Jerusalem bring to the Lord will be pleasing to him, as they used to be in the past. 5 The Lord Almighty says, "I will appear among you to judge, and I will testify at once against those who practice magic, against adulterers, against those who give false testimony, those who cheat employees out of their wages, and those who take advantage of widows, orphans, and foreigners - against all who do not respect me. 6 "I am the Lord, and I do not change. And so you, the descendants of Jacob, are not yet completely lost. 7 You, like your ancestors before you, have turned away from my laws and have not kept them. Turn back to me, and I will turn to you. But you ask, "What must we do to turn back to you?' 8 I ask you, is it right for a person to cheat God? Of course not, yet you are cheating me. "How?' you ask. In the matter of tithes and offerings. 9 A curse is on all of you because the whole nation is cheating me. 10 Bring the full amount of your tithes to the Temple, so that there will be plenty of food there. Put me to the test and you will see that I will open the windows of heaven and pour out on you in abundance all kinds of good things. 11 I will not let insects destroy your crops, and your grapevines will be loaded with grapes. 12 Then the people of all nations will call you happy, because your land will be a good place to live. 13 "You have said terrible things about me," says the Lord. "But you ask, "What have we said about you?' 14 You have said, "It's useless to serve God. What's the use of doing what he says or of trying to show the Lord Almighty that we are sorry for what we have done? 15 As we see it, proud people are the ones who are happy. Evil people not only prosper, but they test God's patience with their evil deeds and get away with it.' " 16 Then the people who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord listened and heard what they said. In his presence, there was written down in a book a record of those who feared the Lord and respected him. 17 "They will be my people," says the Lord Almighty. "On the day when I act, they will be my very own. I will be merciful to them as parents are merciful to the children who serve them. 18 Once again my people will see the difference between what happens to the righteous and to the wicked, to the person who serves me and the one who does not."

Malachi 4:1 The Lord Almighty says, "The day is coming when all proud and evil people will burn like straw. On that day they will burn up, and there will be nothing left of them. 2 But for you who obey me, my saving power will rise on you like the sun and bring healing like the sun's rays. You will be as free and happy as calves let out of a stall. 3 On the day when I act, you will overcome the wicked, and they will be like dust under your feet. 4 "Remember the teachings of my servant Moses, the laws and commands which I gave him at Mount Sinai for all the people of Israel to obey. 5 "But before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes, I will send you the prophet Elijah. 6 He will bring fathers and children together again; otherwise I would have to come and destroy your country."

Leviticus 1:1 The Lord called to Moses from the Tent of the Lord's presence and gave him the following rules 2 for the Israelites to observe when they offer their sacrifices. When (If) you offer an animal sacrifice, it may be one of your cattle or one of your sheep or goats. 3 If you are offering one of your cattle as a burnt offering, you must bring a bull without any defects. You must present it at the entrance of the Tent of the Lord's presence so that the Lord will accept you.

Ephesians 5:21 Submit yourselves to one another because of your reverence for Christ. 22 Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands as to the Lord. 23 For a husband has authority over his wife just as Christ has authority over the church; and Christ is himself the Savior of the church, his body. 24 And so wives must submit themselves completely to their husbands just as the church submits itself to Christ. 25 Husbands, love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave his life for it. 26 He did this to dedicate the church to God by his word, after making it clean by washing it in water, 27 in order to present the church to himself in all its beauty - pure and faultless, without spot or wrinkle or any other imperfection. 28 Men ought to love their wives just as they love their own bodies. A man who loves his wife loves himself 29 (None of us ever hate our own bodies. Instead, we feed them, and take care of them, just as Christ does the church; 30 for we are members of his body.) 31 As the scripture says, "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and unite with his wife, and the two will become one." 32 There is a deep secret truth revealed in this scripture, which I understand as applying to Christ and the church. 33 But it also applies to you: every husband must love his wife as himself, and every wife must respect her husband.

Exodus 32:32 Please forgive their sin; but if you won't, then remove my name from the book in which you have written the names of your people."

335-Malachi 1:7 This is how - by offering worthless food on my altar. Then you ask, "How have we failed to respect you?' I will tell you - by showing contempt for my altar. 8 When you bring a blind or sick or lame animal to sacrifice to me, do you think there's nothing wrong with that? Try giving an animal like that to the governor! Would he be pleased with you or grant you any favors?"

Malachi 3:10 Bring the full amount of your tithes to the Temple, so that there will be plenty of food there. Put me to the test and you will see that I will open the windows of heaven and pour out on you in abundance all kinds of good things.

336-Nehemiah 13:23 At that time I also discovered that many of the Jewish men had married women from Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab. 24 Half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod or some other language and didn't know how to speak our language. 25 I reprimanded the men, called down curses on them, beat them, and pulled out their hair. Then I made them take an oath in God's name that never again would they or their children intermarry with foreigners. 26 I told them, "It was foreign women that made King Solomon sin. Here was a man who was greater than any of the kings of other nations. God loved him and made him king over all of Israel, and yet he fell into this sin. 27 Are we then to follow your example and disobey our God by marrying foreign women?" 28 Joiada was the son of Eliashib the High Priest, but one of Joiada's sons married the daughter of Sanballat, from the town of Beth Horon, so I made Joiada leave Jerusalem. 29 Remember, God, how those people defiled both the office of priest and the covenant you made with the priests and the Levites. 30 I purified the people from everything foreign; I prepared regulations for the priests and the Levites so that all of them would know their duties; 31 I arranged for the wood used for burning the offerings to be brought at the proper times, and for the people to bring their offerings of the first grain and the first fruits that ripened. Remember all this, O God, and give me credit for it.

Ezra 9:1 After all this had been done, some of the leaders of the people of Israel came and told me that the people, the priests, and the Levites had not kept themselves separate from the people in the neighboring countries of Ammon, Moab, and Egypt or from the Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, and Amorites. They were doing the same disgusting things which these people did. 2 Jewish men were marrying foreign women, and so God's holy people had become contaminated. The leaders and officials were the chief offenders. 3 When I heard this, I tore my clothes in despair, tore my hair and my beard, and sat down crushed with grief. 4 I sat there grieving until the time for the evening sacrifice to be offered, and people began to gather around me - all those who were frightened because of what the God of Israel had said about the sins of those who had returned from exile. 5 When the time came for the evening sacrifice, I got up from where I had been grieving, and still wearing my torn clothes, I knelt in prayer and stretched out my hands to the Lord my God. 6 I said, "O God, I am too ashamed to raise my head in your presence. Our sins pile up higher than our heads; they reach as high as the heavens. 7 From the days of our ancestors until now, we, your people, have sinned greatly. Because of our sins we, our kings, and our priests have fallen into the hands of foreign kings, and we have been slaughtered, robbed, and carried away as prisoners. We have been totally disgraced, as we still are today. 8 Now for a short time, O Lord our God, you have been gracious to us and have let some of us escape from slavery and live in safety in this holy place. You have let us escape from slavery and have given us new life. 9 We were slaves, but you did not leave us in slavery. You made the emperors of Persia favor us and permit us to go on living and to rebuild your Temple, which was in ruins, and to find safety here in Judah and Jerusalem. 10 "But now, O God, what can we say after all that has happened? We have again disobeyed the commands 11 that you gave us through your servants, the prophets. They told us that the land we were going to occupy was an impure land because the people who lived in it filled it from one end to the other with disgusting, filthy actions. 12 They told us that we were never to intermarry with those people and never to help them prosper or succeed if we wanted to enjoy the land and pass it on to our descendants forever. 13 Even after everything that has happened to us in punishment for our sins and wrongs, we know that you, our God, have punished us less than we deserve and have allowed us to survive. 14 Then how can we ignore your commandments again and intermarry with these wicked people? If we do, you will be so angry that you will destroy us completely and let no one survive. 15 Lord God of Israel, you are just, but you have let us survive. We confess our guilt to you; we have no right to come into your presence."

Ezra 10:1 While Ezra was bowing in prayer in front of the Temple, weeping and confessing these sins, a large group of Israelites - men, women, and children - gathered around him, weeping bitterly. 2 Then Shecaniah son of Jehiel, of the clan of Elam, said to Ezra, "We have broken faith with God by marrying foreign women, but even so there is still hope for Israel. 3 Now we must make a solemn promise to our God that we will send these women and their children away. We will do what you and the others who honor God's commands advise us to do. We will do what God's Law demands. 4 It is your responsibility to act. We are behind you, so go ahead and get it done." 5 So Ezra began by making the leaders of the priests, of the Levites, and of the rest of the people take an oath that they would do what Shecaniah had proposed. 6 Then he went from in front of the Temple into the living quarters of Jehohanan son of Eliashib, and spent the night there grieving over the unfaithfulness of the exiles. He did not eat or drink anything. 7 A message was sent throughout Jerusalem and Judah that all those who had returned from exile were to meet in Jerusalem 8 by order of the leaders of the people. If any failed to come within three days, all their property would be confiscated, and they would lose their right to be members of the community. 9 Within the three days, on the twentieth day of the ninth month, all the men living in the territory of Judah and Benjamin came to Jerusalem and assembled in the Temple square. It was raining hard, and because of the weather and the importance of the meeting everyone was trembling. 10 Ezra the priest stood up and spoke to them. He said, "You have been faithless and have brought guilt on Israel by marrying foreign women. 11 Now then, confess your sins to the Lord, the God of your ancestors, and do what pleases him. Separate yourselves from the foreigners living in our land and get rid of your foreign wives." 12 The people shouted in answer, "We will do whatever you say." 13 But they added, "The crowd is too big, and it's raining hard. We can't stand here in the open like this. This isn't something that can be done in one or two days, because so many of us are involved in this sin. 14 Let our officials stay in Jerusalem and take charge of the matter. Then let anyone who has a foreign wife come at a set time, together with the leaders and the judges of his city. In this way God's anger over this situation will be turned away." 15 No one was opposed to the plan except Jonathan son of Asahel and Jahzeiah son of Tikvah, who had the support of Meshullam and of Shabbethai, a Levite. 16 The returned exiles accepted the plan, so Ezra the priest appointed men from among the heads of the clans and recorded their names. On the first day of the tenth month they began their investigation, 17 and within the next three months they investigated all the cases of men with foreign wives. 18 This is the list of the men who had foreign wives: [Priests, ]listed by clans: Clan of Joshua and his brothers, sons of Jehozadak: Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah. 19 They promised to divorce their wives, and they offered a ram as a sacrifice for their sins. 20 Clan of Immer: Hanani and Zebadiah 21 Clan of Harim: Maaseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel, and Uzziah 22 Clan of Pashhur: Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad, and Elasah 23 [Levites:] Jozabad, Shimei, Kelaiah (also called Kelita), Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer 24 [Musicians:] Eliashib [Temple guards:] Shallum, Telem, and Uri 25 [Others:] Clan of Parosh: Ramiah, Izziah, Malchijah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Malchijah, and Benaiah 26 Clan of Elam: Mattaniah, Zechariah, Jehiel, Abdi, Jeremoth, and Elijah 27 Clan of Zattu: Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Jeremoth, Zabad, and Aziza 28 Clan of Bebai: Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, and Athlai 29 Clan of Bani: Meshullam, Malluch, Adaiah, Jashub, Sheal, and Jeremoth 30 Clan of Pahath Moab: Adna, Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnui, and Manasseh 31 Clan of Harim: Eliezer, Isshijah, Malchijah, Shemaiah, Shimeon, Benjamin, Malluch, and Shemariah 33 Clan of Hashum: Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, and Shimei 34 Clan of Bani: Maadai, Amram, Uel, Benaiah, Bedeiah, Cheluhi, Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasu 38 Clan of Binnui: Shimei, Shelemiah, Nathan, Adaiah, Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai, Azarel, Shelemiah, Shemariah, Shallum, Amariah, and Joseph 43 Clan of Nebo: Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai, Joel, and Benaiah 44 All these men had foreign wives. They divorced them and sent them and their children away.

337-Revelation 3:16 But because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I am going to spit you out of my mouth!

338-Malachi 1:2 The Lord says to his people, "I have always loved you." But they reply, "How have you shown your love for us?" The Lord answers, "Esau and Jacob were brothers, but I have loved Jacob and his descendants, 6 The Lord Almighty says to the priests, "Children honor their parents, and servants honor their masters. I am your father - why don't you honor me? I am your master - why don't you respect me? You despise me, and yet you ask, "How have we despised you?' 7 This is how - by offering worthless food on my altar. Then you ask, "How have we failed to respect you?' I will tell you - by showing contempt for my altar. 8 When you bring a blind or sick or lame animal to sacrifice to me, do you think there's nothing wrong with that? Try giving an animal like that to the governor! Would he be pleased with you or grant you any favors?" 10 The Lord Almighty says, "I wish one of you would close the Temple doors so as to prevent you from lighting useless fires on my altar. I am not pleased with you; I will not accept the offerings you bring me. 11 People from one end of the world to the other honor me. Everywhere they burn incense to me and offer acceptable sacrifices. All of them honor me! 12 But you dishonor me when you say that my altar is worthless and when you offer on it food that you despise. 13 You say, "How tired we are of all this!' and you turn up your nose at me. As your offering to me you bring a stolen animal or one that is lame or sick. Do you think I will accept that from you?

Malachi 2:13 This is another thing you do. You drown the Lord's altar with tears, weeping and wailing because he no longer accepts the offerings you bring him. 14 You ask why he no longer accepts them. It is because he knows you have broken your promise to the wife you married when you were young. She was your partner, and you have broken your promise to her, although you promised before God that you would be faithful to her. 17 You have tired the Lord out with your talk. But you ask, "How have we tired him?" By saying, "The Lord Almighty thinks all evildoers are good; in fact he likes them." Or by asking, "Where is the God who is supposed to be just?"

Malachi 3:7 You, like your ancestors before you, have turned away from my laws and have not kept them. Turn back to me, and I will turn to you. But you ask, "What must we do to turn back to you?' 8 I ask you, is it right for a person to cheat God? Of course not, yet you are cheating me. "How?' you ask. In the matter of tithes and offerings. 13 "You have said terrible things about me," says the Lord. "But you ask, "What have we said about you?' 14 You have said, "It's useless to serve God. What's the use of doing what he says or of trying to show the Lord Almighty that we are sorry for what we have done?

339-Malachi 1:1 This is the message that the Lord gave Malachi to tell the people of Israel. 2 The Lord says to his people, "I have always loved you." But they reply, "How have you shown your love for us?" The Lord answers, "Esau and Jacob were brothers, but I have loved Jacob and his descendants, 3 and have hated Esau and his descendants. I have devastated Esau's hill country and abandoned the land to jackals."

340-Genesis 25:23 The Lord said to her, "Two nations are within you; You will give birth to two rival peoples. One will be stronger than the other; The older will serve the younger."

Genesis 36:1 These are the descendants of Esau, also called Edom. 2 Esau married Canaanite women: Adah, the daughter of Elon the Hittite; Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah son of Zibeon the Hivite; 3 and Basemath, the daughter of Ishmael and sister of Nebaioth. 4 Adah bore Eliphaz; Basemath bore Reuel; 5 and Oholibamah bore Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. All these sons were born to Esau in the land of Canaan. 6 Then Esau took his wives, his sons, his daughters, and all the people of his house, along with all his livestock and all the possessions he had gotten in the land of Canaan, and went away from his brother Jacob to another land. 7 He left because the land where he and Jacob were living was not able to support them; they had too much livestock and could no longer stay together. 8 So Esau lived in the hill country of Edom. 9 These are the descendants of Esau, the ancestor of the Edomites.

Isaiah 34:5 The Lord has prepared his sword in heaven, and now it will strike Edom, those people whom he has condemned to destruction. 6 His sword will be covered with their blood and fat, like the blood and fat of lambs and goats that are sacrificed. The Lord will offer this sacrifice in the city of Bozrah; he will make this a great slaughter in the land of Edom. 7 The people will fall like wild oxen and young bulls, and the earth will be red with blood and covered with fat. 8 This is the time when the Lord will rescue Zion and take vengeance on her enemies. 9 The rivers of Edom will turn into tar, and the soil will turn into sulfur. The whole country will burn like tar. 10 It will burn day and night, and smoke will rise from it forever. The land will lie waste age after age, and no one will ever travel through it again. 11 Owls and ravens will take over the land. The Lord will make it a barren waste again, as it was before the creation. 12 There will be no king to rule the country, and the leaders will all be gone. 13 Thorns and thistles will grow up in all the palaces and walled towns, and jackals and owls will live in them. 14 Wild animals will roam there, and demons will call to each other. The night monster will come there looking for a place to rest. 15 Owls will build their nests, lay eggs, hatch their young, and care for them there. Vultures will gather there, one after another. 16 Search in the Lord's book of living creatures and read what it says. Not one of these creatures will be missing, and not one will be without its mate. The Lord has commanded it to be so; he himself will bring them together. 17 It is the Lord who will divide the land among them and give each of them a share. They will live in the land age after age, and it will belong to them forever.

Isaiah 63:1 "Who is this coming from the city of Bozrah in Edom? Who is this so splendidly dressed in red, marching along in power and strength?" It is the Lord, powerful to save, coming to announce his victory. 2 "Why is his clothing so red, like that of someone who tramples grapes to make wine?" 3 The Lord answers, "I have trampled the nations like grapes, and no one came to help me. I trampled them in my anger, and their blood has stained all my clothing. 4 I decided that the time to save my people had come; it was time to punish their enemies. 5 I was amazed when I looked and saw that there was no one to help me. But my anger made me strong, and I won the victory myself. 6 In my anger I trampled whole nations and shattered them. I poured out their lifeblood on the ground."

Jeremiah 49:7 This is what the Lord Almighty said about Edom: "Have the people of Edom lost their good judgment? Can their advisers no longer tell them what to do? Has all their wisdom disappeared? 8 People of Dedan, turn and run! Hide! I am going to destroy Esau's descendants because the time has come for me to punish them. 9 When people pick grapes, they leave a few on the vines, and when robbers come at night, they take only what they want. 10 But I have stripped Esau's descendants completely and uncovered their hiding places, so that they can no longer hide. All the people of Edom are destroyed. Not one of them is left. 11 Leave your orphans with me, and I will take care of them. Your widows can depend on me. 12 "If even those who did not deserve to be punished had to drink from the cup of punishment, do you think that you will go unpunished? No, you must drink from the cup! 13 I myself have sworn that the city of Bozrah will become a horrifying sight and a desert; people will make fun of it and use its name as a curse. All the nearby villages will be in ruins forever. I, the Lord, have spoken." 14 I said, "Edom, I have received a message from the Lord. He has sent a messenger to tell the nations to assemble their armies and to get ready to attack you. 15 The Lord is going to make you weak, and no one will respect you. 16 Your pride has deceived you. No one fears you as much as you think they do. You live on the rocky cliffs, high on top of the mountain; but even though you live as high up as an eagle, the Lord will bring you down. The Lord has spoken." 17 The Lord said, "The destruction that will come on Edom will be so terrible that everyone who passes by will be shocked and terrified. 18 The same thing will happen to Edom that happened to Sodom and Gomorrah, when they and the nearby towns were destroyed. No one will ever live there again. I, the Lord, have spoken. 19 Like a lion coming out of the thick woods along the Jordan River up to the green pasture land, I will come and make the Edomites run away suddenly from their country. Then the leader I choose will rule the nation. Who can be compared to me? Who would dare challenge me? What ruler could oppose me? 20 So listen to the plan that I have made against the people of Edom, and to what I intend to do to the people of the city of Teman. Even their children will be dragged off, and everyone will be horrified. 21 When Edom falls, there will be such a noise that the entire earth will shake, and the cries of alarm will be heard as far away as the Gulf of Aqaba. 22 The enemy will attack Bozrah like an eagle swooping down with outspread wings. On that day Edom's soldiers will be as frightened as a woman in labor."

Ezekiel 25:12 The Sovereign Lord said, "The people of Edom took cruel revenge on Judah, and that revenge has brought lasting guilt on Edom. 13 Now I announce that I will punish Edom and kill every person and animal there. I will make it a wasteland, from the city of Teman to the city of Dedan, and the people will be killed in battle. 14 My people Israel will take revenge on Edom for me, and they will make Edom feel my furious anger. Edom will know what it means to be the object of my revenge." The Sovereign Lord has spoken.

Ezekiel 35:1 The Lord spoke to me. 2 "Mortal man," he said, "denounce the country of Edom. 3 Tell the people what I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying: "I am your enemy, mountains of Edom! I will make you a desolate wasteland. 4 I will leave your cities in ruins And your land desolate; Then you will know that I am the Lord. 5 "You were Israel's constant enemy and let her people be slaughtered in the time of her disaster, the time of final punishment for her sins. 6 So then - as surely as I, the Sovereign Lord, am the living God - death is your fate, and you cannot escape it. You are guilty of murder, and murder will follow you. 7 I will make the hill country of Edom a wasteland and kill everyone who travels through it. 8 I will cover the mountains with corpses, and the bodies of those who are killed in battle will cover the hills and valleys. 9 I will make you desolate forever, and no one will live in your cities again. Then you will know that I am the Lord. 10 "You said that the two nations, Judah and Israel, together with their lands, belonged to you and that you would possess them, even though I, the Lord, was their God. 11 So then, as surely as I, the Sovereign Lord, am the living God, I will pay you back for your anger, your jealousy, and your hate toward my people. They will know that I am punishing you for what you did to them. 12 Then you will know that I, the Lord, heard you say with contempt that the mountains of Israel were desolate and that they were yours to devour. 13 I have heard the wild, boastful way you have talked against me." 14 The Sovereign Lord says, "I will make you so desolate that the whole world will rejoice at your downfall, 15 just as you rejoiced at the devastation of Israel, my own possession. The mountains of Seir, yes, all the land of Edom, will be desolate. Then everyone will know that I am the Lord."

Amos 1:11 The Lord says, "The people of Edom have sinned again and again, and for this I will certainly punish them. They hunted down their relatives, the Israelites, and showed them no mercy. Their anger had no limits, and they never let it die. 12 So I will send fire upon the city of Teman and burn down the fortresses of Bozrah."

Obadiah 1:1 This is the prophecy of Obadiah - what the Sovereign Lord said about the nation of Edom. The Lord has sent his messenger to the nations, and we have heard his message: "Get ready! Let us go to war against Edom!" 2 The Lord says to Edom, "I will make you weak; everyone will despise you. 3 Your pride has deceived you. Your capital is a fortress of solid rock; your home is high in the mountains, and so you say to yourself, "Who can ever pull me down?' 4 Even though you make your home as high as an eagle's nest, so that it seems to be among the stars, yet I will pull you down. 5 "When thieves come at night, they take only what they want. When people gather grapes, they always leave a few. But your enemies have wiped you out completely. 6 Descendants of Esau, your treasures have been looted. 7 Your allies have deceived you; they have driven you from your country. People who were at peace with you have now conquered you. Those friends who ate with you have laid a trap for you; they say of you, "Where is all that cleverness he had?' 8 "On the day I punish Edom, I will destroy their clever men and wipe out all their wisdom. 9 The fighting men of Teman will be terrified, and every soldier in Edom will be killed. 10 "Because you robbed and killed your relatives, the descendants of Jacob, you will be destroyed and dishonored forever. 11 You stood aside on that day when enemies broke down their gates. You were as bad as those strangers who carried off Jerusalem's wealth and divided it among themselves. 12 You should not have gloated over the misfortune of your relatives in Judah. You should not have been glad on the day of their ruin. You should not have laughed at them in their distress. 13 You should not have entered the city of my people to gloat over their suffering and to seize their riches on the day of their disaster. 14 You should not have stood at the crossroads to catch those trying to escape. You should not have handed them over to the enemy on the day of their distress.

341-Matthew 10:37 "Those who love their father or mother more than me are not fit to be my disciples; those who love their son or daughter more than me are not fit to be my disciples.

Luke 14:26 "Those who come to me cannot be my disciples unless they love me more than they love father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and themselves as well.

342-Malachi 1:6 The Lord Almighty says to the priests, "Children honor their parents, and servants honor their masters. I am your father - why don't you honor me? I am your master - why don't you respect me? You despise me, and yet you ask, "How have we despised you?' 7 This is how - by offering worthless food on my altar. Then you ask, "How have we failed to respect you?' I will tell you - by showing contempt for my altar. 8 When you bring a blind or sick or lame animal to sacrifice to me, do you think there's nothing wrong with that? Try giving an animal like that to the governor! Would he be pleased with you or grant you any favors?" 9 Now, you priests, try asking God to be good to us. He will not answer your prayer, and it will be your fault. 10 The Lord Almighty says, "I wish one of you would close the Temple doors so as to prevent you from lighting useless fires on my altar. I am not pleased with you; I will not accept the offerings you bring me. 11 People from one end of the world to the other honor me. Everywhere they burn incense to me and offer acceptable sacrifices. All of them honor me! 12 But you dishonor me when you say that my altar is worthless and when you offer on it food that you despise. 13 You say, "How tired we are of all this!' and you turn up your nose at me. As your offering to me you bring a stolen animal or one that is lame or sick. Do you think I will accept that from you? 14 A curse on the cheater who sacrifices a worthless animal to me, when he has in his flock a good animal that he promised to give me! For I am a great king, and people of all nations fear me."

343-Acts 16:31 They answered, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved - you and your family."

344-Malachi 2:1 The Lord Almighty says to the priests, "This command is for you: 2 You must honor me by what you do. If you will not listen to what I say, then I will bring a curse on you. I will put a curse on the things you receive for your support. In fact, I have already put a curse on them, because you do not take my command seriously. 3 I will punish your children and rub your faces in the dung of the animals you sacrifice - and you will be taken out to the dung heap. 4 Then you will know that I have given you this command, so that my covenant with the priests, the descendants of Levi, will not be broken. 5 "In my covenant I promised them life and well-being, and this is what I gave them, so that they might respect me. In those days they did respect and fear me. 6 They taught what was right, not what was wrong. They lived in harmony with me; they not only did what was right themselves, but they also helped many others to stop doing evil. 7 It is the duty of priests to teach the true knowledge of God. People should go to them to learn my will, because they are the messengers of the Lord Almighty. 8 "But now you priests have turned away from the right path. Your teaching has led many to do wrong. You have broken the covenant I made with you. 9 So I, in turn, will make the people of Israel despise you because you do not obey my will, and when you teach my people, you do not treat everyone alike."

345-Malachi 2:10 Don't we all have the same father? Didn't the same God create us all? Then why do we break our promises to one another, and why do we despise the covenant that God made with our ancestors? 11 The people of Judah have broken their promise to God and done a horrible thing in Jerusalem and all over the country. They have defiled the Temple which the Lord loves. Men have married women who worship foreign gods. 12 May the Lord remove from the community of Israel those who did this, and never again let them participate in the offerings our nation brings to the Lord Almighty. 13 This is another thing you do. You drown the Lord's altar with tears, weeping and wailing because he no longer accepts the offerings you bring him. 14 You ask why he no longer accepts them. It is because he knows you have broken your promise to the wife you married when you were young. She was your partner, and you have broken your promise to her, although you promised before God that you would be faithful to her. 15 Didn't God make you one body and spirit with her? What was his purpose in this? It was that you should have children who are truly God's people. So make sure that none of you breaks his promise to his wife. 16 "I hate divorce," says the Lord God of Israel. "I hate it when one of you does such a cruel thing to his wife. Make sure that you do not break your promise to be faithful to your wife."

346-Deuteronomy 24:1 "Suppose a man marries a woman and later decides that he doesn't want her, because he finds something about her that he doesn't like. So he writes out divorce papers, gives them to her, and sends her away from his home. 2 Then suppose she marries another man, 3 and he also decides that he doesn't want her, so he also writes out divorce papers, gives them to her, and sends her away from his home. Or suppose her second husband dies. 4 In either case, her first husband is not to marry her again; he is to consider her defiled. If he married her again, it would be offensive to the Lord. You are not to commit such a terrible sin in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.

Matthew 5:31 "It was also said, "Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a written notice of divorce.' 32 But now I tell you: if a man divorces his wife for any cause other than her unfaithfulness, then he is guilty of making her commit adultery if she marries again; and the man who marries her commits adultery also.

Matthew 19:1 When Jesus finished saying these things, he left Galilee and went to the territory of Judea on the other side of the Jordan River. 2 Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there. 3 Some Pharisees came to him and tried to trap him by asking, "Does our Law allow a man to divorce his wife for whatever reason he wishes?" 4 Jesus answered, "Haven't you read the scripture that says that in the beginning the Creator made people male and female? 5 And God said, "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and unite with his wife, and the two will become one.' 6 So they are no longer two, but one. No human being must separate, then, what God has joined together." 7 The Pharisees asked him, "Why, then, did Moses give the law for a man to hand his wife a divorce notice and send her away?" 8 Jesus answered, "Moses gave you permission to divorce your wives because you are so hard to teach. But it was not like that at the time of creation. 9 I tell you, then, that any man who divorces his wife for any cause other than her unfaithfulness, commits adultery if he marries some other woman." 10 His disciples said to him, "If this is how it is between a man and his wife, it is better not to marry." 11 Jesus answered, "This teaching does not apply to everyone, but only to those to whom God has given it. 12 For there are different reasons why men cannot marry: some, because they were born that way; others, because men made them that way; and others do not marry for the sake of the Kingdom of heaven. Let him who can accept this teaching do so."

Mark 10:11 He said to them, "A man who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against his wife. 12 In the same way, a woman who divorces her husband and marries another man commits adultery."

Luke 16:18 "Any man who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery; and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

347-Malachi 2:17 You have tired the Lord out with your talk. But you ask, "How have we tired him?" By saying, "The Lord Almighty thinks all evildoers are good; in fact he likes them." Or by asking, "Where is the God who is supposed to be just?"

Malachi 3:1 The Lord Almighty answers, "I will send my messenger to prepare the way for me. Then the Lord you are looking for will suddenly come to his Temple. The messenger you long to see will come and proclaim my covenant." 2 But who will be able to endure the day when he comes? Who will be able to survive when he appears? He will be like strong soap, like a fire that refines metal. 3 He will come to judge like one who refines and purifies silver. As a metalworker refines silver and gold, so the Lord's messenger will purify the priests, so that they will bring to the Lord the right kind of offerings. 4 Then the offerings which the people of Judah and Jerusalem bring to the Lord will be pleasing to him, as they used to be in the past. 5 The Lord Almighty says, "I will appear among you to judge, and I will testify at once against those who practice magic, against adulterers, against those who give false testimony, those who cheat employees out of their wages, and those who take advantage of widows, orphans, and foreigners - against all who do not respect me.

348-Malachi 3:6 "I am the Lord, and I do not change. And so you, the descendants of Jacob, are not yet completely lost.

349-1 Samuel 2:30 I, the Lord God of Israel, promised in the past that your family and your clan would serve me as priests for all time. But now I say that I won't have it any longer! Instead, I will honor those who honor me, and I will treat with contempt those who despise me.

1 Samuel 15:10 The Lord said to Samuel, 11 "I am sorry that I made Saul king; he has turned away from me and disobeyed my commands." Samuel was angry, and all night long he pleaded with the Lord. 10 The Lord said to Samuel, 11 "I am sorry that I made Saul king; he has turned away from me and disobeyed my commands." Samuel was angry, and all night long he pleaded with the Lord 29 Israel's majestic God does not lie or change his mind. He is not a human being - he does not change his mind." 35 As long as Samuel lived, he never again saw the king; but he grieved over him. The Lord was sorry that he had made Saul king of Israel.

1 Samuel 26:19 Your Majesty, listen to what I have to say. If it is the Lord who has turned you against me, an offering to him will make him change his mind; but if some people have done it, may the Lord's curse fall on them. For they have driven me out from the Lord's land to a country where I can only worship foreign gods.

Genesis 6:6 he was sorry that he had ever made them and put them on the earth. He was so filled with regret 7 that he said, "I will wipe out these people I have created, and also the animals and the birds, because I am sorry that I made any of them."

Exodus 32:14 So the Lord changed his mind and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.

Numbers 23:19 God is not like people, who lie; He is not a human who changes his mind. Whatever he promises, he does; He speaks, and it is done. 20 I have been instructed to bless, And when God blesses, I cannot call it back.

Judges 2:18 Whenever the Lord gave Israel a leader, the Lord would help that leader and would save the people from their enemies as long as that leader lived. The Lord would have mercy on them because they groaned under their suffering and oppression.

2 Samuel 24:16 When the Lord's angel was about to destroy Jerusalem, the Lord changed his mind about punishing the people and said to the angel who was killing them, "Stop! That's enough!" The angel was by the threshing place of Araunah, a Jebusite.

1 Chronicles 21:14 So the Lord sent an epidemic on the people of Israel, and seventy thousand of them died.

350-Genesis 6:6 he was sorry that he had ever made them and put them on the earth. He was so filled with regret 7 that he said, "I will wipe out these people I have created, and also the animals and the birds, because I am sorry that I made any of them."

351-Genesis 1:31 God looked at everything he had made, and he was very pleased. Evening passed and morning came - that was the sixth day.

352-Malachi 3:8 I ask you, is it right for a person to cheat God? Of course not, yet you are cheating me. "How?' you ask. In the matter of tithes and offerings. 9 A curse is on all of you because the whole nation is cheating me. 10 Bring the full amount of your tithes to the Temple, so that there will be plenty of food there. Put me to the test and you will see that I will open the windows of heaven and pour out on you in abundance all kinds of good things. 11 I will not let insects destroy your crops, and your grapevines will be loaded with grapes. 12 Then the people of all nations will call you happy, because your land will be a good place to live.

353-Malachi 3:8 I ask you, is it right for a person to cheat God? Of course not, yet you are cheating me. "How?' you ask. In the matter of tithes and offerings. 9 A curse is on all of you because the whole nation is cheating me. 10 Bring the full amount of your tithes to the Temple, so that there will be plenty of food there. Put me to the test and you will see that I will open the windows of heaven and pour out on you in abundance all kinds of good things. 11 I will not let insects destroy your crops, and your grapevines will be loaded with grapes. 12 Then the people of all nations will call you happy, because your land will be a good place to live.

354-Genesis 14:20 May the Most High God, who gave you victory over your enemies, be praised!" And Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of all the loot he had recovered.

355-Genesis 28:22 This memorial stone which I have set up will be the place where you are worshiped, and I will give you a tenth of everything you give me."

356-Leviticus 27:30 One tenth of all the produce of the land, whether grain or fruit, belongs to the Lord. 31 If you wish to buy any of it back, you must pay the standard price plus an additional 20 percent. 32 One of every ten domestic animals belongs to the Lord. When the animals are counted, every tenth one belongs to the Lord. 33 You may not arrange the animals so that the poor animals are chosen, and you may not make any substitutions. If you do substitute one animal for another, then both animals will belong to the Lord and may not be bought back.

357-Malachi 3:13 "You have said terrible things about me," says the Lord. "But you ask, "What have we said about you?' 14 You have said, "It's useless to serve God. What's the use of doing what he says or of trying to show the Lord Almighty that we are sorry for what we have done? 15 As we see it, proud people are the ones who are happy. Evil people not only prosper, but they test God's patience with their evil deeds and get away with it.' " 16 Then the people who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord listened and heard what they said. In his presence, there was written down in a book a record of those who feared the Lord and respected him. 17 "They will be my people," says the Lord Almighty. "On the day when I act, they will be my very own. I will be merciful to them as parents are merciful to the children who serve them. 18 Once again my people will see the difference between what happens to the righteous and to the wicked, to the person who serves me and the one who does not."

358-Matthew 5:43 "You have heard that it was said, "Love your friends, hate your enemies.' 44 But now I tell you: love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may become the children of your Father in heaven. For he makes his sun to shine on bad and good people alike, and gives rain to those who do good and to those who do evil. 46 Why should God reward you if you love only the people who love you? Even the tax collectors do that! 47 And if you speak only to your friends, have you done anything out of the ordinary? Even the pagans do that! 48 You must be perfect - just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

359-Malachi 3:16 Then the people who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord listened and heard what they said. In his presence, there was written down in a book a record of those who feared the Lord and respected him.

360-Exodus 32:32 Please forgive their sin; but if you won't, then remove my name from the book in which you have written the names of your people."

Psalm 139:16 you saw me before I was born. The days allotted to me had all been recorded in your book, before any of them ever began.

Isaiah 4:3 Everyone who is left in Jerusalem, whom God has chosen for survival, will be called holy.

Isaiah 65:6 "I have already decided on their punishment, and their sentence is written down. I will not overlook what they have done, but will repay them

Daniel 7:9 While I was looking, thrones were put in place. One who had been living forever sat down on one of the thrones. His clothes were white as snow, and his hair was like pure wool. His throne, mounted on fiery wheels, was blazing with fire, 10 and a stream of fire was pouring out from it. There were many thousands of people there to serve him, and millions of people stood before him. The court began its session, and the books were opened.

Ecclesiastes 12:14 God is going to judge everything we do, whether good or bad, even things done in secret.

Revelation 20:12 And I saw the dead, great and small alike, standing before the throne. Books were opened, and then another book was opened, the book of the living. The dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books.

361-Malachi 4:1 The Lord Almighty says, "The day is coming when all proud and evil people will burn like straw. On that day they will burn up, and there will be nothing left of them. 2 But for you who obey me, my saving power will rise on you like the sun and bring healing like the sun's rays. You will be as free and happy as calves let out of a stall. 3 On the day when I act, you will overcome the wicked, and they will be like dust under your feet. 4 "Remember the teachings of my servant Moses, the laws and commands which I gave him at Mount Sinai for all the people of Israel to obey. 5 "But before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes, I will send you the prophet Elijah. 6 He will bring fathers and children together again; otherwise I would have to come and destroy your country."

362-Deuteronomy 30:19 I am now giving you the choice between life and death, between God's blessing and God's curse, and I call heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Choose life.

John 3:16 For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not die but have eternal life.

John 5:27 And he has given the Son the right to judge, because he is the Son of Man. 28 Do not be surprised at this; the time is coming when all the dead will hear his voice

363-Exodus 15:17 You bring them in and plant them on your mountain, the place that you, Lord, have chosen for your home, the Temple that you yourself have built.

Isaiah 5:24 So now, just as straw and dry grass shrivel and burn in the fire, your roots will rot and your blossoms will dry up and blow away, because you have rejected what the Lord Almighty, Israel's holy God, has taught us.

Isaiah 40:24 They are like young plants, just set out and barely rooted. When the Lord sends a wind, they dry up and blow away like straw.

Isaiah 41:2 "Who was it that brought the conqueror from the east and makes him triumphant wherever he goes? Who gives him victory over kings and nations? His sword strikes them down as if they were dust. His arrows scatter them like straw before the wind.

Isaiah 47:14 "They will be like bits of straw, and a fire will burn them up! They will not even be able to save themselves - the flames will be too hot for them, not a cozy fire to warm themselves by.

Isaiah 66:24 "As they leave, they will see the dead bodies of those who have rebelled against me. The worms that eat them will never die, and the fire that burns them will never be put out. The sight of them will be disgusting to all people."

Joel 2:5 As they leap on the tops of the mountains, they rattle like chariots; they crackle like dry grass on fire. They are lined up like a great army ready for battle.

Obadiah 1:18 The people of Jacob and of Joseph will be like fire; they will destroy the people of Esau as fire burns stubble. No descendant of Esau will survive. I, the Lord, have spoken.

Nahum 1:10 Like tangled thorns and dry straw you drunkards will be burned up!

2 Peter 2:6 God condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, destroying them with fire, and made them an example of what will happen to the godless.

364-Malachi 4:5 "But before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes, I will send you the prophet Elijah. 6 He will bring fathers and children together again; otherwise I would have to come and destroy your country."

365-Revelation 19:10 I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, "Don't do it! I am a servant together with you and with other believers, all those who hold to the truth that Jesus revealed. Worship God!" For the truth that Jesus revealed is what inspires the prophets.

366-Revelation 3:17 You say, "I am rich and well off; I have all I need.' But you do not know how miserable and pitiful you are! You are poor, naked, and blind. 18 I advise you, then, to buy gold from me, pure gold, in order to be rich. Buy also white clothing to dress yourself and cover up your shameful nakedness. Buy also some ointment to put on your eyes, so that you may see.

367-2 Kings 22:3 In the eighteenth year of his reign, King Josiah sent the court secretary Shaphan, the son of Azaliah and grandson of Meshullam, to the Temple with the order: 4 "Go to the High Priest Hilkiah and get a report on the amount of money that the priests on duty at the entrance to the Temple have collected from the people. 5 Tell him to give the money to the men who are in charge of the repairs in the Temple. They are to pay 6 the carpenters, the builders, and the masons, and buy the timber and the stones used in the repairs. 7 The men in charge of the work are thoroughly honest, so there is no need to require them to account for the funds." 8 Shaphan delivered the king's order to Hilkiah, and Hilkiah told him that he had found the book of the Law in the Temple. Hilkiah gave him the book, and Shaphan read it. 9 Then he went back to the king and reported: "Your servants have taken the money that was in the Temple and have handed it over to the men in charge of the repairs." 10 And then he said, "I have here a book that Hilkiah gave me." And he read it aloud to the king. 11 When the king heard the book being read, he tore his clothes in dismay, 12 and gave the following order to Hilkiah the priest, to Ahikam son of Shaphan, to Achbor son of Micaiah, to Shaphan, the court secretary, and to Asaiah, the king's attendant: 13 "Go and consult the Lord for me and for all the people of Judah about the teachings of this book. The Lord is angry with us because our ancestors have not done what this book says must be done." 14 Hilkiah, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went to consult a woman named Huldah, a prophet who lived in the newer part of Jerusalem. (Her husband Shallum, the son of Tikvah and grandson of Harhas, was in charge of the Temple robes.) They described to her what had happened, 15 and she told them to go back to the king and give him 16 the following message from the Lord: "I am going to punish Jerusalem and all its people, as written in the book that the king has read. 17 They have rejected me and have offered sacrifices to other gods, and so have stirred up my anger by all they have done. My anger is aroused against Jerusalem, and it will not die down. 18 As for the king himself, this is what I, the Lord God of Israel, say: You listened to what is written in the book, 19 and you repented and humbled yourself before me, tearing your clothes and weeping, when you heard how I threatened to punish Jerusalem and its people. I will make it a terrifying sight, a place whose name people will use as a curse. But I have heard your prayer, 20 and the punishment which I am going to bring on Jerusalem will not come until after your death. I will let you die in peace." The men returned to King Josiah with this message.

2 Chronicles 34:8 In the eighteenth year of his reign, after he had purified the land and the Temple by ending pagan worship, King Josiah sent three men to repair the Temple of the Lord God: Shaphan son of Azaliah, Maaseiah, the governor of Jerusalem, and Joah son of Joahaz, a high official. 9 The money that the Levite guards had collected in the Temple was turned over to Hilkiah the High Priest. (It had been collected from the people of Ephraim and Manasseh and the rest of the Northern Kingdom, and from the people of Judah, Benjamin, and Jerusalem.) 10 This money was then handed over to the three men in charge of the Temple repairs, and they gave it to 11 the carpenters and the builders to buy the stones and the timber used to repair the buildings that the kings of Judah had allowed to decay. 12 The men who did the work were thoroughly honest. They were supervised by four Levites: Jahath and Obadiah of the clan of Merari, and Zechariah and Meshullam of the clan of Kohath. (The Levites were all skillful musicians.) 13 Other Levites were in charge of transporting materials and supervising the workers on various jobs, and others kept records or served as guards. 14 While the money was being taken out of the storeroom, Hilkiah found the book of the Law of the Lord, the Law that God had given to Moses. 15 He said to Shaphan, "I have found the book of the Law here in the Temple." He gave Shaphan the book, 16 and Shaphan took it to the king. He reported, "We have done everything that you commanded. 17 We have taken the money that was kept in the Temple and handed it over to the workers and their supervisors." 18 Then he added, "I have here a book that Hilkiah gave me." And he read it aloud to the king. 19 When the king heard the book being read, he tore his clothes in dismay 20 and gave the following order to Hilkiah, to Ahikam son of Shaphan, to Abdon son of Micaiah, to Shaphan, the court secretary, and to Asaiah, the king's attendant: 21 "Go and consult the Lord for me and for the people who still remain in Israel and Judah. Find out about the teachings of this book. The Lord is angry with us because our ancestors have not obeyed the word of the Lord and have not done what this book says must be done." 22 At the king's command, Hilkiah and the others went to consult a woman named Huldah, a prophet who lived in the newer part of Jerusalem. (Her husband Shallum, the son of Tikvah and grandson of Harhas, was in charge of the Temple robes.) They described to her what had happened, 23 and she told them to go back to the king and give him 24 the following message from the Lord: "I am going to punish Jerusalem and all its people with the curses written in the book that was read to the king. 25 They have rejected me and have offered sacrifices to other gods, and so have stirred up my anger by all they have done. My anger is aroused against Jerusalem, and it will not die down. 26 As for the king himself, this is what I, the Lord God of Israel, say: You listened to what is written in the book, 27 and you repented and humbled yourself before me, tearing your clothes and weeping, when you heard how I threatened to punish Jerusalem and its people. I have heard your prayer, 28 and the punishment which I am going to bring on Jerusalem will not come until after your death. I will let you die in peace." The men returned to King Josiah with this message.

368-Jeremiah 7:18 The children gather firewood, the men build fires, and the women mix dough to bake cakes for the goddess they call the Queen of Heaven. They also pour out offerings of wine to other gods, in order to hurt me. 19 But am I really the one they are hurting? No, they are hurting themselves and bringing shame on themselves.

Jeremiah 44:15 Then all the men who knew that their wives offered sacrifices to other gods, and all the women who were standing there, including the Israelites who lived in southern Egypt - a large crowd in all - said to me, 16 "We refuse to listen to what you have told us in the name of the Lord. 17 We will do everything that we said we would. We will offer sacrifices to our goddess, the Queen of Heaven, and we will pour out wine offerings to her, just as we and our ancestors, our king and our leaders, used to do in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. Then we had plenty of food, we were prosperous, and had no troubles. 18 But ever since we stopped sacrificing to the Queen of Heaven and stopped pouring out wine offerings to her, we have had nothing, and our people have died in war and of starvation." 19 And the women added, "When we baked cakes shaped like the Queen of Heaven, offered sacrifices to her, and poured out wine offerings to her, our husbands approved of what we were doing." 20 Then I said to all the men and the women who had answered me in this way, 21 "As for the sacrifices which you and your ancestors, your kings and your leaders, and the people of the land offered in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem - do you think that the Lord did not know about them or that he forgot them? 22 This very day your land lies in ruins and no one lives in it. It has become a horrifying sight, and people use its name as a curse because the Lord could no longer endure your wicked and evil practices. 23 This present disaster has come on you because you offered sacrifices to other gods and sinned against the Lord by not obeying all his commands." 24 I told all the people, especially the women, what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, was saying to the people of Judah living in Egypt: "Both you and your wives have made solemn promises to the Queen of Heaven. You promised that you would offer sacrifices to her and pour out wine offerings to her, and you have kept your promises. Very well, then! Keep your promises! Carry out your vows! 26 But now listen to the vow that I, the Lord, have made in my mighty name to all you Israelites in Egypt: Never again will I let any of you use my name to make a vow by saying, "I swear by the living Sovereign Lord!' 27 I will see to it that you will not prosper, but will be destroyed. All of you will die, either in war or of disease, until not one of you is left. 28 But a few of you will escape death and return from Egypt to Judah. Then the survivors will know whose words have come true, mine or theirs. 29 I, the Lord, will give you proof that I will punish you in this place and that my promise to bring destruction on you will come true.

369-Ps. 90:2 Before you created the hills or brought the world into being, you were eternally God, and will be God forever. 1 The Lord spoke to me. 2 "Mortal man," he said, "there were once two sisters. 3 When they were young, living in Egypt, they lost their virginity and became prostitutes. 4 The older one was named Oholah (she represents Samaria), and the younger one was named Oholibah (she represents Jerusalem). I married both of them, and they bore me children. 5 Although she was mine, Oholah continued to be a prostitute and was full of lust for her lovers from Assyria. 6 They were soldiers in uniforms of purple, noblemen and high-ranking officers; all of them were handsome young cavalry officers. 7 She was the whore for all the Assyrian officers, and her lust led her to defile herself by worshiping Assyrian idols. 8 She continued what she had begun as a prostitute in Egypt, where she lost her virginity. From the time she was a young woman, men slept with her and treated her like a prostitute. 9 So I handed her over to her Assyrian lovers whom she wanted so much. 10 They stripped her naked, seized her sons and daughters, and then killed her with a sword. Women everywhere gossiped about her fate. 11 "Even though her sister Oholibah saw this, she was wilder and more of a prostitute than Oholah had ever been. 12 She too was full of lust for the Assyrian noblemen and officers - soldiers in bright uniforms - and for the cavalry officers, all of those handsome young men. 13 I saw that she was completely immoral, that the second sister was as bad as the first. 14 "She sank deeper and deeper in her immorality. She was attracted by the images of high Babylonian officials carved into the wall and painted bright red, with sashes around their waists and fancy turbans on their heads. 16 As soon as she saw them, she was filled with lust and sent messengers to them in Babylonia. 17 The Babylonians came to have sex with her. They used her and defiled her so much that finally she became disgusted with them. 18 She exposed herself publicly and let everyone know she was a whore. I was as disgusted with her as I had been with her sister. 19 She became more of a prostitute than ever, acting the way she did as a young woman, when she was a prostitute in Egypt. 20 She was filled with lust for oversexed men who had all the lustfulness of donkeys or stallions. 21 (Oholibah, you wanted to repeat the immorality you were guilty of as a young woman in Egypt, where men played with your breasts and you lost your virginity.) 22 "Now then, Oholibah, this is what I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying to you. You are tired of those lovers, but I will make them angry with you and bring them to surround you. 23 I will bring all the Babylonians and Chaldeans, men from Pekod, Shoa, and Koa, and all the Assyrians. I will gather all those handsome young noblemen and officers, all those important officials and high-ranking cavalry officers. 24 They will attack you from the north, bringing a large army with chariots and supply wagons. Protected by shields and helmets, they will surround you. I will hand you over to them, and they will judge you by their own laws. 25 Because I am angry with you, I will let them deal with you in their anger. They will cut off your nose and your ears and kill your children. Yes, they will take your sons and daughters from you and burn them alive. 26 They will tear off your clothes and take your jewels. 27 I will put a stop to your lust and to the obscenities you have committed ever since you were in Egypt. You won't look at any more idols or think about Egypt any more." 28 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: "I will hand you over to people you hate and are disgusted with. 29 And because they hate you, they will take away everything you have worked for and leave you stripped naked, exposed like a prostitute. Your lust and your prostitution 30 have brought this on you. You were a prostitute for the nations and defiled yourself with their idols. 31 You followed in your sister's footsteps, and so I will give you the same cup of punishment to drink." 32 The Sovereign Lord says, "You will drink from your sister's cup; it is large and deep. Everyone will scorn and mock you; the cup is full. 33 It will make you miserable and drunk, that cup of fear and ruin, your sister Samaria's cup. 34 You will drink and drain it dry, and with its broken pieces tear your breast. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken." 35 Now this is what the Sovereign Lord is saying: "Because you forgot me and turned your back on me, you will suffer for your lust and your prostitution." 36 The Lord said to me, "Mortal man, are you ready to judge Oholah and Oholibah? Accuse them of the disgusting things they have done. 37 They have committed adultery and murder - adultery with idols and murder of the children they bore me. They sacrificed my children to their idols. 38 And that is not all they did. They profaned my Temple and broke the Sabbath, which I had established. 39 The very day that they killed my children as sacrifices to idols, they came to my Temple and profaned it! 40 "Again and again they sent messengers to invite men to come from a great distance, and the men came. The two sisters would bathe and put on eye shadow and jewelry. 41 They would sit on a beautiful couch, and in front of them they would have a table covered with good things, including the incense and the olive oil that I had given them. 42 The sound of a carefree crowd could be heard, a group of men brought in from the desert. They put bracelets on the women's arms and beautiful crowns on their heads. 43 And I said to myself that they were using as a prostitute a woman worn out by adultery. 44 They went back to these prostitutes again and again. They went back to Oholah and Oholibah, those immoral women. 45 Righteous men will condemn them on the charge of adultery and murder, because they practice adultery and their hands are stained with blood." 46 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: "Bring a mob to terrorize them and rob them. 47 Let the mob stone them and attack them with swords, kill their children, and burn down their houses. 48 Throughout the land I will put a stop to immorality, as a warning to every woman not to commit adultery as they did. 49 And you two sisters - I will punish you for your immorality and your sin of worshiping idols. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign Lord."

370-Jn 1:1 In the beginning the Word already existed; the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 From the very beginning the Word was with God. 3 Through him God made all things; not one thing in all creation was made without him.

371-Jn 17:24 "Father! You have given them to me, and I want them to be with me where I am, so that they may see my glory, the glory you gave me; for you loved me before the world was made.

372-Heb1:8 About the Son, however, God said: "Your kingdom, O God, will last forever and ever! You rule over your people with justice. 9 You love what is right and hate what is wrong. That is why God, your God, has chosen you and has given you the joy of an honor far greater than he gave to your companions." 10 He also said, "You, Lord, in the beginning created the earth, and with your own hands you made the heavens.

373-1 Pet 1:20 He had been chosen by God before the creation of the world and was revealed in these last days for your sake.

374-Eph 1:4 Even before the world was made, God had already chosen us to be his through our union with Christ, so that we would be holy and without fault before him. Because of his love 5 God had already decided that through Jesus Christ he would make us his children - this was his pleasure and purpose.

375-Col. 1:Col. 1:15-17

376-Psalms 91:15 Christ is the visible likeness of the invisible God. He is the first-born Son, superior to all created things. 16 For through him God created everything in heaven and on earth, the seen and the unseen things, including spiritual powers, lords, rulers, and authorities. God created the whole universe through him and for him. 17 Christ existed before all things, and in union with him all things have their proper place.

377-Hebrews 1:4 The Son was made greater than the angels, just as the name that God gave him is greater than theirs. 5 For God never said to any of his angels, "You are my Son; today I have become your Father." Nor did God say about any angel, "I will be his Father, and he will be my Son." 6 But when God was about to send his first-born Son into the world, he said, "All of God's angels must worship him." 7 But about the angels God said, "God makes his angels winds, and his servants flames of fire." 8 About the Son, however, God said: "Your kingdom, O God, will last forever and ever! You rule over your people with justice. 9 You love what is right and hate what is wrong. That is why God, your God, has chosen you and has given you the joy of an honor far greater than he gave to your companions." 10 He also said, "You, Lord, in the beginning created the earth, and with your own hands you made the heavens. 11 They will disappear, but you will remain; they will all wear out like clothes. 12 You will fold them up like a coat, and they will be changed like clothes. But you are always the same, and your life never ends." 13 God never said to any of his angels: "Sit here at my right side until I put your enemies as a footstool under your feet." 14 What are the angels, then? They are spirits who serve God and are sent by him to help those who are to receive salvation.

Hebrews 2:1 That is why we must hold on all the more firmly to the truths we have heard, so that we will not be carried away. 2 The message given to our ancestors by the angels was shown to be true, and those who did not follow it or obey it received the punishment they deserved.

378-Exodus 23:23 My angel will go ahead of you and take you into the land of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, and I will destroy them.

379-1 Chronicles 21:16 David saw the angel standing in midair, holding his sword in his hand, ready to destroy Jerusalem. Then David and the leaders of the people - all of whom were wearing sackcloth - bowed low, with their faces touching the ground.

380-2 Samuel 24:16 When the Lord's angel was about to destroy Jerusalem, the Lord changed his mind about punishing the people and said to the angel who was killing them, "Stop! That's enough!" The angel was by the threshing place of Araunah, a Jebusite. 17 David saw the angel who was killing the people, and said to the Lord, "I am the guilty one. I am the one who did wrong. What have these poor people done? You should punish me and my family."

381-Ezekiel 28:13 You lived in Eden, the garden of God, and wore gems of every kind: rubies and diamonds; topaz, beryl, carnelian, and jasper; sapphires, emeralds, and garnets. You had ornaments of gold. They were made for you on the day you were created.

382-Revelation 12:7 Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, who fought back with his angels; 8 but the dragon was defeated, and he and his angels were not allowed to stay in heaven any longer. 9 The huge dragon was thrown out - that ancient serpent, named the Devil, or Satan, that deceived the whole world. He was thrown down to earth, and all his angels with him. 10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven saying, "Now God's salvation has come! Now God has shown his power as King! Now his Messiah has shown his authority! For the one who stood before our God and accused believers day and night has been thrown out of heaven. 11 They won the victory over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the truth which they proclaimed; and they were willing to give up their lives and die. 12 And so be glad, you heavens, and all you that live there! But how terrible for the earth and the sea! For the Devil has come down to you, and he is filled with rage, because he knows that he has only a little time left."

383-Genesis 3:1 Now the snake was the most cunning animal that the Lord God had made. The snake asked the woman, "Did God really tell you not to eat fruit from any tree in the garden?" 2 "We may eat the fruit of any tree in the garden," the woman answered, 3 "except the tree in the middle of it. God told us not to eat the fruit of that tree or even touch it; if we do, we will die." 4 The snake replied, "That's not true; you will not die.

384-Job 1:6 When the day came for the heavenly beings to appear before the Lord, Satan was there among them.

385-Job 2:1 When the day came for the heavenly beings to appear before the Lord again, Satan was there among them.

386-Job 38:4 Were you there when I made the world? If you know so much, tell me about it. 5 Who decided how large it would be? Who stretched the measuring line over it? Do you know all the answers? 6 What holds up the pillars that support the earth? Who laid the cornerstone of the world? 7 In the dawn of that day the stars sang together, and the heavenly beings shouted for joy.

387-Daniel 9:21 While I was praying, Gabriel, whom I had seen in the earlier vision, came flying down to where I was. It was the time for the evening sacrifice to be offered.

388-Acts 12:7 Suddenly an angel of the Lord stood there, and a light shone in the cell. The angel shook Peter by the shoulder, woke him up, and said, "Hurry! Get up!" At once the chains fell off Peter's hands.

389-Hebrews 13:2 Remember to welcome strangers in your homes. There were some who did that and welcomed angels without knowing it.

390-Revelation 22:16 "I, Jesus, have sent my angel to announce these things to you in the churches. I am descended from the family of David; I am the bright morning star."

391-2 Peter 1:19 So we are even more confident of the message proclaimed by the prophets. You will do well to pay attention to it, because it is like a lamp shining in a dark place until the Day dawns and the light of the morning star shines in your hearts.

392-1 Corinthians 4:9 For it seems to me that God has given the very last place to us apostles, like people condemned to die in public as a spectacle for the whole world of angels and of human beings.

393-Ephesians 1:9 God did what he had purposed, and made known to us the secret plan he had already decided to complete by means of Christ. 10 This plan, which God will complete when the time is right, is to bring all creation together, everything in heaven and on earth, with Christ as head.

Ephesians 3:9 and of making all people see how God's secret plan is to be put into effect. God, who is the Creator of all things, kept his secret hidden through all the past ages, 10 in order that at the present time, by means of the church, the angelic rulers and powers in the heavenly world might learn of his wisdom in all its different forms.

394-Colossians 1:19 For it was by God's own decision that the Son has in himself the full nature of God. 20 Through the Son, then, God decided to bring the whole universe back to himself. God made peace through his Son's blood on the cross and so brought back to himself all things, both on earth and in heaven.

395-Isaiah 14:12 King of Babylon, bright morning star, you have fallen from heaven! In the past you conquered nations, but now you have been thrown to the ground. 13 You were determined to climb up to heaven and to place your throne above the highest stars. You thought you would sit like a king on that mountain in the north where the gods assemble. 14 You said you would climb to the tops of the clouds and be like the Almighty.

396-Ezekiel 28:11 The Lord spoke to me again. 12 "Mortal man," he said, "grieve for the fate that is waiting for the king of Tyre. Tell him what I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying: You were once an example of perfection. How wise and handsome you were! 13 You lived in Eden, the garden of God, and wore gems of every kind: rubies and diamonds; topaz, beryl, carnelian, and jasper; sapphires, emeralds, and garnets. You had ornaments of gold. They were made for you on the day you were created. 14 I put a terrifying angel there to guard you. You lived on my holy mountain and walked among sparkling gems. 15 Your conduct was perfect from the day you were created until you began to do evil.

397-Matthew 4:8 Then the Devil took Jesus to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in all their greatness. 9 "All this I will give you," the Devil said, "if you kneel down and worship me."

398-Genesis 2:17 except the tree that gives knowledge of what is good and what is bad. You must not eat the fruit of that tree; if you do, you will die the same day."

399-Romans 6:23 For sin pays its wage - death; but God's free gift is eternal life in union with Christ Jesus our Lord.

400-Genesis 3:woman, "Did God really tell you not to eat fruit from any tree in the garden?" 2 "We may eat the fruit of any tree in the garden," the woman answered, 3 "except the tree in the middle of it. God told us not to eat the fruit of that tree or even touch it; if we do, we will die." 4 The snake replied, "That's not true; you will not die. 5 God said that because he knows that when you eat it, you will be like God and know what is good and what is bad."

401-Job 1:6 When the day came for the heavenly beings to appear before the Lord, Satan was there among them. 7 The Lord asked him, "What have you been doing?" Satan answered, "I have been walking here and there, roaming around the earth." 8 "Did you notice my servant Job?" the Lord asked. "There is no one on earth as faithful and good as he is. He worships me and is careful not to do anything evil." 9 Satan replied, "Would Job worship you if he got nothing out of it? 10 You have always protected him and his family and everything he owns. You bless everything he does, and you have given him enough cattle to fill the whole country. 11 But now suppose you take away everything he has - he will curse you to your face!" 12 "All right," the Lord said to Satan, "everything he has is in your power, but you must not hurt Job himself." So Satan left.

402-Job 2:1 When the day came for the heavenly beings to appear before the Lord again, Satan was there among them. 2 The Lord asked him, "Where have you been?" Satan answered, "I have been walking here and there, roaming around the earth." 3 "Did you notice my servant Job?" the Lord asked. "There is no one on earth as faithful and good as he is. He worships me and is careful not to do anything evil. You persuaded me to let you attack him for no reason at all, but Job is still as faithful as ever." 4 Satan replied, "A person will give up everything in order to stay alive. 5 But now suppose you hurt his body - he will curse you to your face!" 6 So the Lord said to Satan, "All right, he is in your power, but you are not to kill him."

403-Revelation 12:1 Then a great and mysterious sight appeared in the sky. There was a woman, whose dress was the sun and who had the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. 2 She was soon to give birth, and the pains and suffering of childbirth made her cry out. 3 Another mysterious sight appeared in the sky. There was a huge red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and a crown on each of his heads. 4 With his tail he dragged a third of the stars out of the sky and threw them down to the earth. He stood in front of the woman, in order to eat her child as soon as it was born. 5 Then she gave birth to a son, who will rule over all nations with an iron rod. But the child was snatched away and taken to God and his throne. 6 The woman fled to the desert, to a place God had prepared for her, where she will be taken care of for 1,260 days. 7 Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, who fought back with his angels; 8 but the dragon was defeated, and he and his angels were not allowed to stay in heaven any longer. 9 The huge dragon was thrown out - that ancient serpent, named the Devil, or Satan, that deceived the whole world. He was thrown down to earth, and all his angels with him. 10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven saying, "Now God's salvation has come! Now God has shown his power as King! Now his Messiah has shown his authority! For the one who stood before our God and accused believers day and night has been thrown out of heaven. 11 They won the victory over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the truth which they proclaimed; and they were willing to give up their lives and die. 12 And so be glad, you heavens, and all you that live there! But how terrible for the earth and the sea! For the Devil has come down to you, and he is filled with rage, because he knows that he has only a little time left."

404-Ezekiel 28:12 "Mortal man," he said, "grieve for the fate that is waiting for the king of Tyre. Tell him what I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying: You were once an example of perfection. How wise and handsome you were! 13 You lived in Eden, the garden of God, and wore gems of every kind: rubies and diamonds; topaz, beryl, carnelian, and jasper; sapphires, emeralds, and garnets. You had ornaments of gold. They were made for you on the day you were created. 14 I put a terrifying angel there to guard you. You lived on my holy mountain and walked among sparkling gems. 15 Your conduct was perfect from the day you were created until you began to do evil. 16 You were busy buying and selling, and this led you to violence and sin. So I forced you to leave my holy mountain, and the angel who guarded you drove you away from the sparkling gems.

405-Luke 10:18 Jesus answered them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.

406-John 8:18 Jesus answered them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.

407-John 12:31 Now is the time for this world to be judged; now the ruler of this world will be overthrown.

408-Col. 2:15 And on that cross Christ freed himself from the power of the spiritual rulers and authorities; he made a public spectacle of them by leading them as captives in his victory procession.

409-Revelation 12:7 Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, who fought back with his angels; 8 but the dragon was defeated, and he and his angels were not allowed to stay in heaven any longer. 9 The huge dragon was thrown out - that ancient serpent, named the Devil, or Satan, that deceived the whole world. He was thrown down to earth, and all his angels with him. 10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven saying, "Now God's salvation has come! Now God has shown his power as King! Now his Messiah has shown his authority! For the one who stood before our God and accused believers day and night has been thrown out of heaven.

410-Genesis 3:1 Now the snake was the most cunning animal that the Lord God had made. The snake asked the woman, "Did God really tell you not to eat fruit from any tree in the garden?" 2 "We may eat the fruit of any tree in the garden," the woman answered, 3 "except the tree in the middle of it. God told us not to eat the fruit of that tree or even touch it; if we do, we will die." 4 The snake replied, "That's not true; you will not die.

411-Ezekiel 28:12 "Mortal man," he said, "grieve for the fate that is waiting for the king of Tyre. Tell him what I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying: You were once an example of perfection. How wise and handsome you were! 13 You lived in Eden, the garden of God, and wore gems of every kind: rubies and diamonds; topaz, beryl, carnelian, and jasper; sapphires, emeralds, and garnets. You had ornaments of gold. They were made for you on the day you were created. 14 I put a terrifying angel there to guard you. You lived on my holy mountain and walked among sparkling gems. 15 Your conduct was perfect from the day you were created until you began to do evil. 16 You were busy buying and selling, and this led you to violence and sin. So I forced you to leave my holy mountain, and the angel who guarded you drove you away from the sparkling gems.

412-Job 1:1 There was a man named Job, living in the land of Uz, who worshiped God and was faithful to him. He was a good man, careful not to do anything evil. 2 He had seven sons and three daughters, 3 and owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, one thousand head of cattle, and five hundred donkeys. He also had a large number of servants and was the richest man in the East. 4 Job's sons used to take turns giving a feast, to which all the others would come, and they always invited their three sisters to join them. 5 The morning after each feast, Job would get up early and offer sacrifices for each of his children in order to purify them. He always did this because he thought that one of them might have sinned by insulting God unintentionally. 6 When the day came for the heavenly beings to appear before the Lord, Satan was there among them. 7 The Lord asked him, "What have you been doing?" Satan answered, "I have been walking here and there, roaming around the earth." 8 "Did you notice my servant Job?" the Lord asked. "There is no one on earth as faithful and good as he is. He worships me and is careful not to do anything evil." 9 Satan replied, "Would Job worship you if he got nothing out of it? 10 You have always protected him and his family and everything he owns. You bless everything he does, and you have given him enough cattle to fill the whole country. 11 But now suppose you take away everything he has - he will curse you to your face!" 12 "All right," the Lord said to Satan, "everything he has is in your power, but you must not hurt Job himself." So Satan left. 13 One day when Job's children were having a feast at the home of their oldest brother, 14 a messenger came running to Job. "We were plowing the fields with the oxen," he said, "and the donkeys were in a nearby pasture. 15 Suddenly the Sabeans attacked and stole them all. They killed every one of your servants except me. I am the only one who escaped to tell you." 16 Before he had finished speaking, another servant came and said, "Lightning struck the sheep and the shepherds and killed them all. I am the only one who escaped to tell you." 17 Before he had finished speaking, another servant came and said, "Three bands of Chaldean raiders attacked us, took away the camels, and killed all your servants except me. I am the only one who escaped to tell you." 18 Before he had finished speaking, another servant came and said, "Your children were having a feast at the home of your oldest son, 19 when a storm swept in from the desert. It blew the house down and killed them all. I am the only one who escaped to tell you." 20 Then Job got up and tore his clothes in grief. He shaved his head and threw himself face downward on the ground. 21 He said, "I was born with nothing, and I will die with nothing. The Lord gave, and now he has taken away. May his name be praised!" 22 In spite of everything that had happened, Job did not sin by blaming God.

Job 2:1 When the day came for the heavenly beings to appear before the Lord again, Satan was there among them. 2 The Lord asked him, "Where have you been?" Satan answered, "I have been walking here and there, roaming around the earth." 3 "Did you notice my servant Job?" the Lord asked. "There is no one on earth as faithful and good as he is. He worships me and is careful not to do anything evil. You persuaded me to let you attack him for no reason at all, but Job is still as faithful as ever." 4 Satan replied, "A person will give up everything in order to stay alive. 5 But now suppose you hurt his body - he will curse you to your face!" 6 So the Lord said to Satan, "All right, he is in your power, but you are not to kill him." 7 Then Satan left the Lord's presence and made sores break out all over Job's body. 8 Job went and sat by the garbage dump and took a piece of broken pottery to scrape his sores. 9 His wife said to him, "You are still as faithful as ever, aren't you? Why don't you curse God and die?" 10 Job answered, "You are talking nonsense! When God sends us something good, we welcome it. How can we complain when he sends us trouble?" Even in all this suffering Job said nothing against God. 11 Three of Job's friends were Eliphaz, from the city of Teman, Bildad, from the land of Shuah, and Zophar, from the land of Naamah. When they heard how much Job had been suffering, they decided to go and comfort him. 12 While they were still a long way off they saw Job, but did not recognize him. When they did, they began to weep and wail, tearing their clothes in grief and throwing dust into the air and on their heads. 13 Then they sat there on the ground with him for seven days and nights without saying a word, because they saw how much he was suffering.

413-Matthew 4:8 Then the Devil took Jesus to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in all their greatness. 9 "All this I will give you," the Devil said, "if you kneel down and worship me."

414-1 Kings 22:1 There was peace between Israel and Syria for the next two years, 2 but in the third year King Jehoshaphat of Judah went to see King Ahab of Israel. 3 Ahab asked his officials, "Why is it that we have not done anything to get back Ramoth in Gilead from the king of Syria? It belongs to us!" 4 And 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. 5 But first let's consult the Lord." 6 So Ahab called in the prophets, about four hundred of them, and asked them, "Should I go and attack Ramoth, or not?" "Attack it," they answered. "The Lord will give you victory." 7 But Jehoshaphat asked, "Isn't there another prophet through whom we can consult the Lord?" 8 Ahab answered, "There is one more, Micaiah son of Imlah. But I hate him because he never prophesies anything good for me; it's always something bad." "You shouldn't say that!" Jehoshaphat replied. 9 Then Ahab called in a court official and told him to go and get Micaiah at once. 10 The two kings, dressed in their royal robes, were sitting on their thrones at the threshing place just outside the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets were prophesying in front of them. 11 One of them, Zedekiah son of Chenaanah, made iron horns and said to Ahab, "This is what the Lord says: "With these you will fight the Syrians and totally defeat them.' " 12 All the other prophets said the same thing. "March against Ramoth and you will win," they said. "The Lord will give you victory." 13 Meanwhile, the official who had gone to get Micaiah said to him, "All the other prophets have prophesied success for the king, and you had better do the same." 14 But Micaiah answered, "By the living Lord I promise that I will say what he tells me to!" 15 When he appeared before King Ahab, the king asked him, "Micaiah, should King Jehoshaphat and I go and attack Ramoth, or not?" "Attack!" Micaiah answered. "Of course you'll win. The Lord will give you victory." 16 But Ahab replied, "When you speak to me in the name of the Lord, tell the truth! How many times do I have to tell you that?" 17 Micaiah answered, "I can see the army of Israel scattered over the hills like sheep without a shepherd. And the Lord said, "These men have no leader; let them go home in peace.' " 18 Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, "Didn't I tell you that he never prophesies anything good for me? It's always something bad!" 19 Micaiah went on: "Now listen to what the Lord says! I saw the Lord sitting on his throne in heaven, with all his angels standing beside him. 20 The Lord asked, "Who will deceive Ahab so that he will go and be killed at Ramoth?' Some of the angels said one thing, and others said something else, 21 until a spirit stepped forward, approached the Lord, and said, "I will deceive him.' 22 "How?' the Lord asked. The spirit replied, "I will go and make all of Ahab's prophets tell lies.' The Lord said, "Go and deceive him. You will succeed.' " 23 And Micaiah concluded: "This is what has happened. The Lord has made these prophets of yours lie to you. But he himself has decreed that you will meet with disaster!" 24 Then the prophet Zedekiah went up to Micaiah, slapped his face, and asked, "Since when did the Lord's spirit leave me and speak to you?" 25 "You will find out when you go into some back room to hide," Micaiah replied. 26 Then King Ahab ordered one of his officers, "Arrest Micaiah and take him to Amon, the governor of the city, and to Prince Joash. 27 Tell them to throw him in prison and to put him on bread and water until I return safely." 28 "If you return safely," Micaiah exclaimed, "then the Lord has not spoken through me!" And he added, "Listen, everyone, to what I have said!" 29 Then King Ahab of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah went to attack the city of Ramoth in Gilead. 30 Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, "As we go into battle, I will disguise myself, but you wear your royal garments." So the king of Israel went into battle in disguise. 31 The king of Syria had ordered his thirty-two chariot commanders to attack no one else except the king of Israel. 32 So when they saw King Jehoshaphat, they all thought that he was the king of Israel, and they turned to attack him. But when he cried out, 33 they realized that he was not the king of Israel, and they stopped their attack. 34 By chance, however, a Syrian soldier shot an arrow which struck King Ahab between the joints of his armor. "I'm wounded!" he cried out to his chariot driver. "Turn around and pull out of the battle!" 35 While the battle raged on, King Ahab remained propped up in his chariot, facing the Syrians. The blood from his wound ran down and covered the bottom of the chariot, and at evening he died. 36 Near sunset the order went out through the Israelite ranks: "Each of you go back to your own country and city!" 37 So died King Ahab. His body was taken to Samaria and buried. 38 His chariot was cleaned up at the pool of Samaria, where dogs licked up his blood and prostitutes washed themselves, as the Lord had said would happen. 39 Everything else that King Ahab did, including an account of his palace decorated with ivory and of all the cities he built, is recorded in [The History of the Kings of Israel.] 40 At his death his son Ahaziah succeeded him as king. 41 In the fourth year of the reign of King Ahab of Israel, Jehoshaphat son of Asa became king of Judah 42 at the age of thirty-five, and he ruled in Jerusalem for twenty-five years. His mother was Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi. 43 Like his father Asa before him, he did what was right in the sight of the Lord; but the places of worship were not destroyed, and the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there. 44 Jehoshaphat made peace with the king of Israel. 45 Everything else that Jehoshaphat did, all his bravery and his battles, are recorded in [The History of the Kings of Judah.] 46 He got rid of all the male and female prostitutes serving at the pagan altars who were still left from the days of his father Asa. 47 The land of Edom had no king; it was ruled by a deputy appointed by the king of Judah. 48 King Jehoshaphat had ocean-going ships built to sail to the land of Ophir for gold; but they were wrecked at Eziongeber and never sailed. 49 Then King Ahaziah of Israel offered to let his men sail with Jehoshaphat's men, but Jehoshaphat refused the offer. 50 Jehoshaphat died and was buried in the royal tombs in David's City, and his son Jehoram succeeded him as king. 51 In the seventeenth year of the reign of King Jehoshaphat of Judah, Ahaziah son of Ahab became king of Israel, and he ruled in Samaria for two years. 52 He sinned against the Lord, following the wicked example of his father Ahab, his mother Jezebel, and King Jeroboam, who had led Israel into sin. 53 He worshiped and served Baal, and like his father before him, he aroused the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel.

415-2 Chronicles 18:1 When King Jehoshaphat of Judah became rich and famous, he arranged a marriage between a member of his family and the family of King Ahab of Israel. 2 A number of years later Jehoshaphat went to the city of Samaria to visit Ahab. To honor Jehoshaphat and those with him, Ahab had a large number of sheep and cattle slaughtered for a feast. He tried to persuade Jehoshaphat to join him in attacking the city of Ramoth in Gilead. 3 He asked, "Will you go with me to attack Ramoth?" Jehoshaphat replied, "I am ready when you are, and so is my army. We will join you." 4 Then he added, "But first let's consult the Lord." 5 So Ahab called in the prophets, about four hundred of them, and asked them, "Should I go and attack Ramoth, or not?" "Attack it," they answered. "God will give you victory." 6 But Jehoshaphat asked, "Isn't there another prophet through whom we can consult the Lord?" 7 Ahab answered, "There is one more, Micaiah son of Imlah. But I hate him because he never prophesies anything good for me; it's always something bad." "You shouldn't say that!" Jehoshaphat replied. 8 So King Ahab called in a court official and told him to go and get Micaiah at once. 9 The two kings, dressed in their royal robes, were sitting on their thrones at the threshing place just outside the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets were prophesying in front of them. 10 One of them, Zedekiah son of Chenaanah, made iron horns and said to Ahab, "This is what the Lord says, "With these you will fight the Syrians and totally defeat them.' " 11 All the other prophets said the same thing. "March against Ramoth and you will win," they said. "The Lord will give you victory." 12 Meanwhile, the official who had gone to get Micaiah said to him, "All the other prophets have prophesied success for the king, and you had better do the same." 13 But Micaiah answered, "By the living Lord I will say what my God tells me to!" 14 When he appeared before King Ahab, the king asked him, "Micaiah, should King Jehoshaphat and I go and attack Ramoth, or not?" "Attack!" Micaiah answered. "Of course you'll win. The Lord will give you victory." 15 But Ahab replied, "When you speak to me in the name of the Lord, tell the truth! How many times do I have to tell you that?" 16 Micaiah answered, "I can see the army of Israel scattered over the hills like sheep without a shepherd. And the Lord said, "These men have no leader; let them go home in peace.' " 17 Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, "I told you that he never prophesies anything good for me; it's always something bad!" 18 Micaiah went on: "Now listen to what the Lord says! I saw the Lord sitting on his throne in heaven, with all his angels standing beside him. 19 The Lord asked, "Who will deceive Ahab so that he will go and get killed at Ramoth?' Some of the angels said one thing, and others said something else, 20 until a spirit stepped forward, approached the Lord, and said, "I will deceive him.' "How?' the Lord asked. 21 The spirit replied, "I will go and make all of Ahab's prophets tell lies.' The Lord said, "Go and deceive him. You will succeed.' " 22 And Micaiah concluded: "This is what has happened. The Lord has made these prophets of yours lie to you. But he himself has decreed that you will meet with disaster!" 23 Then the prophet Zedekiah went up to Micaiah, slapped his face, and asked, "Since when did the Lord's spirit leave me and speak to you?" 24 "You will find out when you go into some back room to hide," Micaiah replied. 25 Then King Ahab ordered one of his officers, "Arrest Micaiah and take him to Amon, the governor of the city, and to Prince Joash. 26 Tell them to throw him in prison and to put him on bread and water until I return safely." 27 "If you return safely," Micaiah exclaimed, "then the Lord has not spoken through me!" And he added, "Listen, everyone, to what I have said!" 28 Then King Ahab of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah went to attack the city of Ramoth in Gilead. 29 Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, "As we go into battle, I will disguise myself, but you wear your royal garments." So the king of Israel went into battle in disguise. 30 The king of Syria had ordered his chariot commanders to attack no one else except the king of Israel. 31 So when they saw King Jehoshaphat, they all thought that he was the king of Israel, and they turned to attack him. But Jehoshaphat gave a shout, and the Lord God rescued him and turned the attack away from him. 32 The chariot commanders saw that he was not the king of Israel, so they stopped pursuing him. 33 By chance, however, a Syrian soldier shot an arrow which struck King Ahab between the joints of his armor. "I'm wounded!" he cried out to his chariot driver. "Turn around and pull out of the battle!" 34 While the battle raged on, King Ahab remained propped up in his chariot, facing the Syrians. At sunset he died.

416-John 12:31 Now is the time for this world to be judged; now the ruler of this world will be overthrown.

417-John 14:30 I cannot talk with you much longer, because the ruler of this world is coming. He has no power over me,

418-John 16:11 and they are wrong about judgment, because the ruler of this world has already been judged.

419-2 Cor.4:4 They do not believe, because their minds have been kept in the dark by the evil god of this world. He keeps them from seeing the light shining on them, the light that comes from the Good News about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.

420-Eph. 2:1 In the past you were spiritually dead because of your disobedience and sins. 2 At that time you followed the world's evil way; you obeyed the ruler of the spiritual powers in space, the spirit who now controls the people who disobey God.

421-Eph. 6:16 At all times carry faith as a shield; for with it you will be able to put out all the burning arrows shot by the Evil One.

422-1 John 5:19 We know that we belong to God even though the whole world is under the rule of the Evil One.

423-Zechariah 3:1 In another vision the Lord showed me the High Priest Joshua standing before the angel of the Lord. And there beside Joshua stood Satan, ready to bring an accusation against him. 2 The angel of the Lord said to Satan, "May the Lord condemn you, Satan! May the Lord, who loves Jerusalem, condemn you. This man is like a stick snatched from the fire." 3 Joshua was standing there, wearing filthy clothes. 4 The angel said to his heavenly attendants, "Take away the filthy clothes this man is wearing." Then he said to Joshua, "I have taken away your sin and will give you new clothes to wear." 5 He commanded the attendants to put a clean turban on Joshua's head. They did so, and then they put the new clothes on him while the angel of the Lord stood there.

424-Jude 9 Not even the chief angel Michael did this. In his quarrel with the Devil, when they argued about who would have the body of Moses, Michael did not dare condemn the Devil with insulting words, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!"

425-Genesis 2:17 except the tree that gives knowledge of what is good and what is bad. You must not eat the fruit of that tree; if you do, you will die the same day."

426-Genesis 3:15 I will make you and the woman hate each other; her offspring and yours will always be enemies. Her offspring will crush your head, and you will bite her offspring's heel."

427-Romans 3:1 Do the Jews then have any advantage over the Gentiles? Or is there any value in being circumcised? 2 Much, indeed, in every way! In the first place, God trusted his message to the Jews. 3 But what if some of them were not faithful? Does this mean that God will not be faithful? 4 Certainly not! God must be true, even though all human beings are liars. As the scripture says, "You must be shown to be right when you speak; you must win your case when you are being tried."

428-Romans 3:25 God offered him, so that by his blood he should become the means by which people's sins are forgiven through their faith in him. God did this in order to demonstrate that he is righteous. In the past he was patient and overlooked people's sins; but in the present time he deals with their sins, in order to demonstrate his righteousness. In this way God shows that he himself is righteous and that he puts right everyone who believes in Jesus. 27 What, then, can we boast about? Nothing! And what is the reason for this? Is it that we obey the Law? No, but that we believe.

429-1 Corinthians 4:9 For it seems to me that God has given the very last place to us apostles, like people condemned to die in public as a spectacle for the whole world of angels and of human beings.

430-Ephesians 1:7 For by the blood of Christ we are set free, that is, our sins are forgiven. How great is the grace of God, 8 which he gave to us in such large measure! In all his wisdom and insight 9 God did what he had purposed, and made known to us the secret plan he had already decided to complete by means of Christ. 10 This plan, which God will complete when the time is right, is to bring all creation together, everything in heaven and on earth, with Christ as head.

431-Eph. 3:9 and of making all people see how God's secret plan is to be put into effect. God, who is the Creator of all things, kept his secret hidden through all the past ages, 10 in order that at the present time, by means of the church, the angelic rulers and powers in the heavenly world might learn of his wisdom in all its different forms.

432-Colossians 1:19 For it was by God's own decision that the Son has in himself the full nature of God. 20 Through the Son, then, God decided to bring the whole universe back to himself. God made peace through his Son's blood on the cross and so brought back to himself all things, both on earth and in heaven.

433-Romans 8:3 What the Law could not do, because human nature was weak, God did. He condemned sin in human nature by sending his own Son, who came with a nature like our sinful nature, to do away with sin.

434-Romans 3:4 Certainly not! God must be true, even though all human beings are liars. As the scripture says, "You must be shown to be right when you speak; you must win your case when you are being tried."

435-Ephesians 1:7 For by the blood of Christ we are set free, that is, our sins are forgiven. How great is the grace of God, 8 which he gave to us in such large measure! In all his wisdom and insight 9 God did what he had purposed, and made known to us the secret plan he had already decided to complete by means of Christ. 10 This plan, which God will complete when the time is right, is to bring all creation together, everything in heaven and on earth, with Christ as head.

436-Eph. 3:7 I was made a servant of the gospel by God's special gift, which he gave me through the working of his power. 8 I am less than the least of all God's people; yet God gave me this privilege of taking to the Gentiles the Good News about the infinite riches of Christ, 9 and of making all people see how God's secret plan is to be put into effect. God, who is the Creator of all things, kept his secret hidden through all the past ages, 10 in order that at the present time, by means of the church, the angelic rulers and powers in the heavenly world might learn of his wisdom in all its different forms.

437-Colossians 1:19 For it was by God's own decision that the Son has in himself the full nature of God. 20 Through the Son, then, God decided to bring the whole universe back to himself. God made peace through his Son's blood on the cross and so brought back to himself all things, both on earth and in heaven.

438-John 12:32 When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to me.

439-Ezekiel 20:1 It was the tenth day of the fifth month of the seventh year of our exile. Some of the leaders of the Israelite community came to consult me about the Lord's will, and they sat down in front of me. 2 Then the Lord spoke to me. 3 "Mortal man," he said, "speak to these leaders and tell them that the Sovereign Lord is saying: You have come to ask my will, have you? As surely as I am the living God, I will not let you ask me anything. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken. 4 "Are you ready to pass sentence on them, mortal man? Then do so. Remind them of the disgusting things their ancestors did. 5 Tell them what I am saying. When I chose Israel, I made them a promise. I revealed myself to them in Egypt and told them: I am the Lord your God. 6 It was then that I promised to take them out of Egypt and lead them to a land I had chosen for them, a rich and fertile land, the finest land of all. 7 I told them to throw away the disgusting idols they loved and not to make themselves unclean with the false gods of Egypt, because I am the Lord their God. 8 But they defied me and refused to listen. They did not throw away their disgusting idols or give up the Egyptian gods. I was ready to let them feel the full force of my anger there in Egypt. 9 But I did not, since that would have brought dishonor to my name, for in the presence of the people among whom they were living I had announced to Israel that I was going to lead them out of Egypt. 10 "And so I led them out of Egypt into the desert. 11 I gave them my commands and taught them my laws, which bring life to anyone who obeys them. 12 I made the keeping of the Sabbath a sign of the agreement between us, to remind them that I, the Lord, make them holy. 13 But even in the desert they defied me. They broke my laws and rejected my commands, which bring life to anyone who obeys them. They completely profaned the Sabbath. I was ready to let them feel the force of my anger there in the desert and to destroy them. 14 But I did not, since that would have brought dishonor to my name among the nations which had seen me lead Israel out of Egypt. 15 So I made a vow in the desert that I would not take them to the land I had given them, a rich and fertile land, the finest land of all. 16 I made the vow because they had rejected my commands, broken my laws, and profaned the Sabbath - they preferred to worship their idols. 17 "But then I took pity on them. I decided not to kill them there in the desert. 18 Instead, I warned the young people among them: Do not keep the laws your ancestors made; do not follow their customs or defile yourselves with their idols. 19 I am the Lord your God. Obey my laws and my commands. 20 Make the Sabbath a holy day, so that it will be a sign of the covenant we made, and will remind you that I am the Lord your God. 21 "But that generation also defied me. They broke my laws and did not keep my commands, which bring life to anyone who obeys them. They profaned the Sabbath. I was ready to let them feel the force of my anger there in the desert and to kill them all. 22 But I did not, since that would have brought dishonor to my name among the nations which had seen me bring Israel out of Egypt. 23 So I made another vow in the desert. I vowed that I would scatter them all over the world. 24 I did this because they had rejected my commands, broken my laws, profaned the Sabbath, and worshiped the same idols their ancestors had served. 25 "Then I gave them laws that are not good and commands that do not bring life. 26 I let them defile themselves with their own offerings, and I let them sacrifice their first-born sons. This was to punish them and show them that I am the Lord. 27 "Now then, mortal man, tell the Israelites what I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying to them. This is another way their ancestors insulted me by their unfaithfulness. 28 I brought them to the land I had promised to give them. When they saw the high hills and green trees, they offered sacrifices at all of them. They made me angry by the sacrifices they burned and by the wine they brought as offerings. 29 I asked them: What are these high places where you go? So they have been called "High Places' ever since. 30 Now tell the Israelites what I am saying: Why must you commit the same sins your ancestors did and go running after their idols? 31 Even today you offer the same gifts and defile yourselves with the same idols by sacrificing your children to them in the fire. And then you Israelites still come to ask what my will is! As surely as I, the Sovereign Lord, am the living God, I will not let you ask me anything. 32 You have made up your minds that you want to be like the other nations, like the people who live in other countries and worship trees and rocks. But that will never be. 33 "As surely as I, the Sovereign Lord, am the living God, I warn you that in my anger I will rule over you with a strong hand, with all my power. 34 I will show you my power and my anger when I gather you together and bring you back from all the countries where you have been scattered. 35 I will bring you into the "Desert of the Nations,' and there I will condemn you to your face. 36 I will now condemn you just as I condemned your ancestors in the Sinai Desert," says the Sovereign Lord. 37 "I will take firm control of you and make you obey my covenant. 38 I will take away from among you those who are rebellious and sinful. I will take them out of the lands where they are living now, but I will not let them return to the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord." 39 The Sovereign Lord says, "And now, all you Israelites, 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. 40 There in the land, on my holy mountain, the high mountain of Israel, all you people of Israel will worship me. I will be pleased with you and will expect you to bring me your sacrifices, your best offerings, and your holy gifts. 41 After I bring you out of the countries where you have been scattered and gather you together, I will accept the sacrifices that you burn, and the nations will see that I am holy. 42 When I bring you back to Israel, the land that I promised I would give to your ancestors, then you will know that I am the Lord. 43 Then you will remember all the disgraceful things you did and how you defiled yourselves. You will be disgusted with yourselves because of all the evil things you did. 44 When I act to protect my honor, you Israelites will know that I am the Lord, because I do not deal with you as your wicked, evil actions deserve." The Sovereign Lord has spoken. 45 The Lord spoke to me. 46 "Mortal man," he said, "look toward the south. Speak against the south and prophesy against the forest of the south. 47 Tell the southern forest to hear what the Sovereign Lord is saying: Look! I am starting a fire, and it will burn up every tree in you, whether green or dry. Nothing will be able to put it out. It will spread from south to north, and everyone will feel the heat of the flames. 48 They will all see that I, the Lord, set it on fire and that no one can put it out." 49 But I protested, "Sovereign Lord, don't make me do it! Everyone is already complaining that I always speak in riddles."

Ezekiel 36:1 The Lord said, "Mortal man, speak to the mountains of Israel and tell them to listen to the message which I, 2 the Sovereign Lord, have for them: Israel's enemies gloated and said, "Now those ancient hills are ours!' 3 "Prophesy, then, and announce what I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying. When the neighboring nations captured and plundered the mountains of Israel, everyone made fun of Israel. 4 So now listen to what I, the Sovereign Lord, say to you mountains and hills, to you brooks and valleys, to you places that were left in ruins, and to you deserted cities which were plundered and mocked by all the surrounding nations. 5 "I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken out in the heat of my anger against the surrounding nations, and especially against Edom. With glee and contempt they captured my land and took possession of its pastures. 6 "So prophesy to the land of Israel; tell the mountains, hills, brooks, and valleys what I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying in jealous anger because of the way the nations have insulted and humiliated them. 7 I, the Sovereign Lord, solemnly promise that the surrounding nations will be humiliated. 8 But on the mountains of Israel the trees will again grow leaves and bear fruit for you, my people Israel. You are going to come home soon. 9 I am on your side, and I will make sure that your land is plowed again and crops are planted on it. 10 I will make your population grow. You will live in the cities and rebuild everything that was left in ruins. 11 I will make people and cattle increase in number. There will be more of you than ever before, and you will have many children. I will let you live there as you used to live, and I will make you more prosperous than ever. Then you will know that I am the Lord. 12 I will bring you, my people Israel, back to live again in the land. It will be your own land, and it will never again let your children starve. 13 "I, the Sovereign Lord, say: It is true that people say that the land eats people and that it robs the nation of its children. 14 But from now on it will no longer eat people and rob you of your children. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken. 15 The land will no longer have to listen to the nations making fun of it or see the peoples sneer at it. The land will no longer rob the nation of its children. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken." 16 The Lord spoke to me. 17 "Mortal man," he said, "when the Israelites were living in their land, they defiled it by the way they lived and acted. I regarded their behavior as being as ritually unclean as a woman is during her monthly period. 18 I let them feel the force of my anger because of the murders they had committed in the land and because of the idols by which they had defiled it. 19 I condemned them for the way they lived and acted, and I scattered them through foreign countries. 20 Wherever they went, they brought disgrace on my holy name, because people would say, "These are the people of the Lord, but they had to leave his land.' 21 That made me concerned for my holy name, since the Israelites brought disgrace on it everywhere they went. 22 "Now then, give the Israelites the message that I, the Sovereign Lord, have for them: What I am going to do is not for the sake of you Israelites, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have disgraced in every country where you have gone. 23 When I demonstrate to the nations the holiness of my great name - the name you disgraced among them - then they will know that I am the Lord. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken. I will use you to show the nations that I am holy. 24 I will take you from every nation and country and bring you back to your own land. 25 I will sprinkle clean water on you and make you clean from all your idols and everything else that has defiled you. 26 I will give you a new heart and a new mind. I will take away your stubborn heart of stone and give you an obedient heart. 27 I will put my spirit in you and will see to it that you follow my laws and keep all the commands I have given you. 28 Then you will live in the land I gave your ancestors. You will be my people, and I will be your God. 29 I will save you from everything that defiles you. I will command the grain to be plentiful, so that you will not have any more famines. 30 I will increase the yield of your fruit trees and your fields, so that there will be no more famines to disgrace you among the nations. 31 You will remember your evil conduct and the wrongs that you committed, and you will be disgusted with yourselves because of your sins and your iniquities. 32 Israel, I want you to know that I am not doing all this for your sake. I want you to feel the shame and disgrace of what you are doing. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken." 33 The Sovereign Lord says, "When I make you clean from all your sins, I will let you live in your cities again and let you rebuild the ruins. 34 Everyone who used to walk by your fields saw how overgrown and wild they were, but I will let you farm them again. 35 Everyone will talk about how this land, which was once a wilderness, has become like the Garden of Eden, and how the cities which were torn down, looted, and left in ruins, are now inhabited and fortified. 36 Then the neighboring nations that have survived will know that I, the Lord, rebuild ruined cities and replant waste fields. I, the Lord, have promised that I would do this - and I will." 37 The Sovereign Lord says, "I will once again let the Israelites ask me for help, and I will let them increase in numbers like a flock of sheep. 38 The cities that are now in ruins will then be as full of people as Jerusalem was once full of the sheep which were offered as sacrifices at a festival. Then they will know that I am the Lord."

440-Ezekiel 20:4 "Are you ready to pass sentence on them, mortal man? Then do so. Remind them of the disgusting things their ancestors did. 5 Tell them what I am saying. When I chose Israel, I made them a promise. I revealed myself to them in Egypt and told them: I am the Lord your God. 6 It was then that I promised to take them out of Egypt and lead them to a land I had chosen for them, a rich and fertile land, the finest land of all. 7 I told them to throw away the disgusting idols they loved and not to make themselves unclean with the false gods of Egypt, because I am the Lord their God.

441-Eze 20:10 "And so I led them out of Egypt into the desert. 11 I gave them my commands and taught them my laws, which bring life to anyone who obeys them. 12 I made the keeping of the Sabbath a sign of the agreement between us, to remind them that I, the Lord, make them holy.

442-Exodus 32:7 The Lord said to Moses, "Hurry and go back down, because your people, whom you led out of Egypt, have sinned and rejected me. 8 They have already left the way that I commanded them to follow; they have made a bull-calf out of melted gold and have worshiped it and offered sacrifices to it. They are saying that this is their god, who led them out of Egypt. 9 I know how stubborn these people are. 10 Now, don't try to stop me. I am angry with them, and I am going to destroy them. Then I will make you and your descendants into a great nation." 11 But Moses pleaded with the Lord his God and said, "Lord, why should you be so angry with your people, whom you rescued from Egypt with great might and power? 12 Why should the Egyptians be able to say that you led your people out of Egypt, planning to kill them in the mountains and destroy them completely? Stop being angry; change your mind and do not bring this disaster on your people. 13 Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Remember the solemn promise you made to them to give them as many descendants as there are stars in the sky and to give their descendants all that land you promised would be their possession forever." 14 So the Lord changed his mind and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.

443-Eze. 20:15 So I made a vow in the desert that I would not take them to the land I had given them, a rich and fertile land, the finest land of all. 16 I made the vow because they had rejected my commands, broken my laws, and profaned the Sabbath - they preferred to worship their idols. 17 "But then I took pity on them. I decided not to kill them there in the desert. 18 Instead, I warned the young people among them: Do not keep the laws your ancestors made; do not follow their customs or defile yourselves with their idols. 19 I am the Lord your God. Obey my laws and my commands. 20 Make the Sabbath a holy day, so that it will be a sign of the covenant we made, and will remind you that I am the Lord your God.

444-Eze. 20:37 "I will take firm control of you and make you obey my covenant. 38 I will take away from among you those who are rebellious and sinful. I will take them out of the lands where they are living now, but I will not let them return to the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord." 39 The Sovereign Lord says, "And now, all you Israelites, 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. 40 There in the land, on my holy mountain, the high mountain of Israel, all you people of Israel will worship me. I will be pleased with you and will expect you to bring me your sacrifices, your best offerings, and your holy gifts. 41 After I bring you out of the countries where you have been scattered and gather you together, I will accept the sacrifices that you burn, and the nations will see that I am holy. 42 When I bring you back to Israel, the land that I promised I would give to your ancestors, then you will know that I am the Lord.

445-Ezekiel 20:12 I made the keeping of the Sabbath a sign of the agreement between us, to remind them that I, the Lord, make them holy.

446-Eze. 20:20 Make the Sabbath a holy day, so that it will be a sign of the covenant we made, and will remind you that I am the Lord your God.

447-Ezekiel 20:13 But even in the desert they defied me. They broke my laws and rejected my commands, which bring life to anyone who obeys them. They completely profaned the Sabbath. I was ready to let them feel the force of my anger there in the desert and to destroy them. 14 But I did not, since that would have brought dishonor to my name among the nations which had seen me lead Israel out of Egypt. 15 So I made a vow in the desert that I would not take them to the land I had given them, a rich and fertile land, the finest land of all. 16 I made the vow because they had rejected my commands, broken my laws, and profaned the Sabbath - they preferred to worship their idols. 17 "But then I took pity on them. I decided not to kill them there in the desert. 18 Instead, I warned the young people among them: Do not keep the laws your ancestors made; do not follow their customs or defile yourselves with their idols. 19 I am the Lord your God. Obey my laws and my commands. 20 Make the Sabbath a holy day, so that it will be a sign of the covenant we made, and will remind you that I am the Lord your God. 21 "But that generation also defied me. They broke my laws and did not keep my commands, which bring life to anyone who obeys them. They profaned the Sabbath. I was ready to let them feel the force of my anger there in the desert and to kill them all.

Table of Contents

Lesson #1 for April 6, 2013 Spiritual Adultery (Hosea)

Lesson #2 for April 13, 2013 Love and Judgment: God’s Dilemma (Hosea)

Lesson #3 for April 20, 2013 A Holy and Just God (Joel)

Lesson #4 for April 27, 2013 Lord of All Nations (Amos/Obadiah)

Lesson #5 for May 4, 2013 Seek the Lord and Live! (Amos)

Lesson #6 for May 11, 2013 Prophets Eager to Forgive (Jonah)

Lesson #7 for May 18, 2013 God’s Special People (Micah)

Lesson #8 for May 25, 2013 Trusting God’s Goodness (Habakkuk)

Lesson #9 for June 1, 2013 The Day of the Lord (Zephaniah and Nahum)

Lesson #10 for June 8, 2013 First Things First (Haggai)

Lesson #11 for June 15, 2013 Visions of Hope (Zechariah)

Lesson #12 for June 22, 2013 Heaven’s Best Gift (Zechariah)

Lesson #13 for June 29, 2013 Lest We Forget? (Malachi)

Great Controversy in Scriptures

SOME QUOTATIONS FROM ELLEN WHITE REGARDING --THE PLAN OF SALVATION IN THE SETTING OF THE GREAT CONTR

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