# verses

text:
But you [Meshech and Tubal] shall be broken in the midst of the uncircumcised and shall lie [without honors] with those who are slain with the sword.


text:
Edom is there, her kings and all her princes, who for all their might are laid with those who were slain by the sword; they shall lie with the <f>[1]</f>uncircumcised (the heathen) and with those who go down to the pit.


text:
The princes of the north are there, all of them, and all the Sidonians, who have gone down with the slain; for all the terror which they caused by their might they are put to shame, and they lie uncircumcised with those who are slain by the sword and henceforth bear their shame with those who go down to the pit.


text:
When Pharaoh sees them, he will comfort himself for all his multitude — even Pharaoh and all his army, slain by the sword, says the Lord God.


text:
For I have put his <i>and</i> My terror in the land of the living, and he shall be laid in the midst of the uncircumcised (the heathen) with those slain by the sword, even Pharaoh and all his multitude, says the Lord God. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Son of man, speak to your people [the Israelite captives in Babylon] and say to them, When I bring the sword upon a land and the people of the land take a man from among them and make him their watchman,


text:
Then whoever hears the sound of the trumpet and does not take warning, and the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be upon his own head.


text:
He heard the sound of the trumpet and did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But he who takes warning shall save his life.


text:
But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any one of them, he is taken away in <i>and</i> for his perversity <i>and</i> iniquity, but his blood will I require at the watchman’s hand.


text:
So you, son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore hear the word at My mouth and give them warning from Me.


text:
When I say to the wicked, O wicked man, you shall surely die, and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his perversity <i>and</i> iniquity, but his blood will I require at your hand.


text:
But if you warn the wicked to turn from his evil way and he does not turn from his evil way, he shall die in his iniquity, but you will have saved your life.


text:
And you, son of man, say to the house of Israel, Thus you have said: Truly our transgressions and our sins are upon us, and we waste away because of them; how then can we live?


text:
Say to them, As I live, says the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?


text:
And you, son of man, say to your people, The uprightness <i>and</i> justice of the [uncompromisingly] righteous shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression; and as for the wicked lawlessness of the wicked lawless, he shall not fall because of it in the day that he turns from his wickedness, neither shall the rigidly upright <i>and</i> just be able to live because of his past righteousness in the day that he sins <i>and</i> misses the mark [in keeping in harmony and right standing with God].


text:
When I shall say to the [uncompromisingly] righteous that he shall surely live, and he trusts to his own righteousness [to save him] and commits iniquity (heinous sin), all his righteous deeds shall not be [seriously] remembered; but for his perversity <i>and</i> iniquity that he has committed he shall die.


text:
Again, when I have said to the wicked, You shall surely die, if he turns from his sin and does that which is lawful and right —


text:
If the wicked restores [what he took in] pledge, gives back what he had taken in robbery, walks in the statutes of life [right relationship with God], without committing iniquity, he shall surely live; he shall not die.


text:
None of his sins that he has committed shall be [seriously] remembered against him; he has done that which is lawful and right; he shall surely live.


text:
Yet your people say, The way of the Lord is not perfect <i>or</i> even just; but as for them, it is their own way that is not perfect <i>or</i> even just.


text:
When the righteous turns back from his [uncompromising] righteousness and commits perverseness <i>and</i> iniquity, he shall even die in <i>and</i> because of it.


text:
But if the wicked turns back from his wickedness and does what is lawful and right, he shall live because of it.


text:
Yet you say, The way of the Lord is not perfect <i>or</i> [even] just. O you house of Israel, I will judge you, every one according to his own ways!


text:
In the twelfth year of our captivity [in Babylon], in the tenth [month], on the fifth [day] of the month, a man who had escaped out of Jerusalem came to me [Ezekiel], saying, The city [Jerusalem] is taken.


text:
Now the hand of the Lord had been upon me in the evening before this one who had escaped came, and He had opened my mouth [in readiness for the fugitives] coming to me in the morning, and my mouth was opened and I was no longer dumb.


text:
Son of man, those [back in Palestine] who inhabit those wastes of the ground of Israel are saying, Abraham was only one man and he inherited the land, but we are many; the land is surely given to us to possess as our inheritance.


text:
Therefore say to them, Thus says the Lord God: You eat meat with the blood [as an idolatrous rite] and lift up your eyes to your [filthy] idols and shed blood; shall you then possess the land? <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
You stand upon your sword [as your dependence]; you commit abominations and each of you defiles your neighbor’s wife; shall you then possess the land?


text:
Say this to them, Thus says the Lord God: As I live, surely those who are in the waste places shall fall by the sword, and him that is in the open field will I give to the beasts to be devoured, and those who are in strongholds and in caves shall die by pestilence.


text:
And I will make the land [of Israel] a desolation and a waste, and her proud might shall cease, and the mountains of Israel shall be so desolate that no one will pass through them.


text:
Then shall they know, understand, <i>and</i> realize that I am the Lord, when I have made the land a desolation and a waste because of all their abominations which they have committed.


text:
As for you, son of man, your people who talk of you by the walls and in the doors of the houses say one to another, every one to his brother, Come and hear what the word is that comes forth from the Lord.


text:
And they come to you as people come, and they sit before you as My people, and they hear the words you say, but they will not do them; for with their mouths they show much love, but their hearts go after <i>and</i> are set on their [idolatrous greed for] gain.


text:
Behold, you are to them as a very lovely [love] song of one who has a pleasant voice and can play well on an instrument, for they hear your words but do not do them.


text:
When this comes to pass — for behold, it will come! — then shall they know, understand, <i>and</i> realize that a prophet has been among them.


text:
Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them, even to the [spiritual] shepherds, Thus says the Lord God: Woe to the [spiritual] shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the sheep?


text:
You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you kill the fatlings, but you do not feed the sheep.


text:
The diseased <i>and</i> weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the hurt <i>and</i> crippled you have not bandaged, those gone astray you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought to find, but with force and hardhearted harshness you have ruled them.


text:
And they were scattered because there was no shepherd, and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild beasts of the field.


text:
My sheep wandered through all the mountains and upon every high hill; yes, My sheep were scattered upon all the face of the earth and no one searched or sought for them. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
As I live, says the Lord God, surely because My sheep became a prey, and My sheep became food for every beast of the field because there was no shepherd — neither did My shepherds search for My sheep, but the shepherds fed themselves and fed not My sheep —


text:
Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require My sheep at their hand and cause them to cease feeding the sheep, neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more. I will rescue My sheep from their mouths, that they may not be food for them.


text:
As a shepherd seeks out his sheep in the day that he is among his flock that are scattered, so will I seek out My sheep; and I will rescue them out of all places where they have been scattered in the day of clouds and thick darkness.


text:
And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries and will bring them to their own land; and I will feed them upon the mountains of Israel, by the watercourses, and in all the inhabited places of the country.


text:
I will feed them with good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be; there shall they lie down in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel.


text:
I will seek that which was lost and bring back that which has strayed, and I will bandage the hurt <i>and</i> the crippled and will strengthen the weak <i>and</i> the sick, but I will destroy the fat and the strong [who have become hardhearted and perverse]; I will feed them with judgment <i>and</i> punishment. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
And as for you, O My flock, thus says the Lord God: Behold, I judge between sheep and sheep, between the rams and the great he-goats [the malicious and the tyrants of the pasture].


text:
Is it too little for you that you feed on the best pasture, but you must tread down with your feet the rest of your pasture? And to have drunk of the waters clarified by subsiding, but you must foul the rest of the water with your feet?


text:
Therefore thus says the Lord God to them: Behold, I, I Myself, will judge between fat sheep and impoverished sheep, <i>or</i> fat goats and lean goats.


text:
Because you push with side and with shoulder and thrust with your horns all those that have become weak <i>and</i> diseased, till you have scattered them abroad,


text:
Therefore will I rescue My flock, and they shall no more be a prey; and I will judge between sheep and sheep.


text:
And I will raise up over them one Shepherd and He shall feed them, even My Servant <f>[1]</f>David; He shall feed them and He shall be their Shepherd. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
And I the Lord will be their God and My Servant David a Prince among them; I the Lord have spoken it.


text:
And I will confirm with them a covenant of peace and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land, and [My people] shall dwell safely in the wilderness, desert, <i>or</i> pastureland and sleep [confidently] in the woods. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
And I will make them and the places round about My hill a blessing, and I will cause the showers to come down in their season; there shall be showers of blessing [of good insured by God’s favor].


text:
And the tree of the field shall yield its fruit and the earth shall yield its increase; and [My people] shall be secure in their land, and they shall be confident <i>and</i> know (understand and realize) that I am the Lord, when I have broken the bars of their yoke and have delivered them out of the hand of those who made slaves of them.


text:
And they shall no more be a prey to the nations, nor shall the beasts of the earth devour them, but they shall dwell safely and none shall make them afraid [in the <f>[2]</f>day of the Messiah’s reign]. <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
And I will raise up for them a planting of crops for renown, and they shall be no more consumed with hunger in the land nor bear the reproach of the nations any longer.


text:
Then shall they know [positively] that I, the Lord their God, am with them and that they, the house of Israel, are My people, says the Lord God,


text:
And that you, My sheep, the sheep of My pasture, are [only] men and I am your God, says the Lord God.


text:
And say to it, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, O Mount Seir, I am against you, and I will stretch out My hand against you and I will make you a desolation and an astonishment.


text:
I will lay your cities waste and you shall be desolate, and you shall know, understand, <i>and</i> realize that I am the Lord [the Sovereign Ruler, Who calls forth loyalty and obedient service].


text:
Because you [of Esau] have had a perpetual enmity [for Jacob] and you gave over the sons of Israel to the power of the sword at the time of their calamity, when they were suffering their final punishment [the Babylonian conquest], <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Therefore, as I live, says the Lord God, I will expose you to slaughter and slaughter shall pursue you; since you could not bear to live without bloodshed, therefore bloodshed shall pursue you.


text:
Thus will I make Mount Seir an astonishment and a desolation, and I will cut off from it him who passes through it and him who returns [that way].


text:
And I will fill [Edom’s] mountains with his slain men; on your hills and in your valleys and in all your ravines shall those fall who are slain with the sword.


text:
I will make you a perpetual desolation and your <f>[1]</f>cities shall not be inhabited. Then you will know, understand, <i>and</i> realize that I am the Lord [the Sovereign Ruler, Who calls forth loyalty and obedient service].


text:
Because you [Edom] said, These two nations [Israel and Judah] and these two countries shall be mine and we will take possession of them — although the Lord was there,


text:
Therefore, as I live, says the Lord God, I will deal with you according to the anger and envy you showed because of your enmity for them, and I will make Myself known among them [as He Who will judge and punish] when I judge <i>and</i> punish you.


text:
And you shall know, understand, <i>and</i> realize that I am the Lord [the Sovereign Ruler, Who calls forth loyalty and obedient service], and that I have heard all your revilings <i>and</i> scornful speeches that you have uttered against the mountains of Israel, saying, They are laid waste <i>and</i> desolate; they are given to us to devour.


text:
Thus you have boasted <i>and</i> magnified yourselves against Me with your mouth, multiplying your words against Me; I have heard it.


text:
Thus says the Lord God: While the whole earth rejoices, I will make you a waste <i>and</i> desolation.


text:
As you rejoiced over the inheritance of the house of Israel because it was desolate, so will I deal with you; you shall be a waste <i>and</i> desolation, O Mount Seir and all Edom, all of it. Then they shall know, understand, <i>and</i> realize that I am the Lord [the Sovereign Ruler, Who calls forth loyalty and obedient service].


text:
Also you, son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel and say, You mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord.


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Thus says the Lord God: Because the enemy has said over you, Aha! and, The ancient heights have become our possession,


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Therefore prophesy and say, Thus says the Lord God: Because, yes, because they made you a desolation, and they snapped after <i>and</i> crushed you from every side so that you became the possession of the rest of the nations and you became the talk and evil gossip of the people,


text:
Therefore, O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God: Thus says the Lord God to the mountains and hills, to the ravines and valleys, to the desolate wastes and the cities that are forsaken, that have become a prey and derision to the rest of the nations that are round about;


text:
Therefore thus says the Lord God: Surely in the fire of My hot jealousy have I spoken against the rest of the nations and against all Edom, who have given to themselves My land with wholehearted joy and with uttermost contempt, that they might empty it out <i>and</i> possess it for a prey <i>and</i> a spoil.


text:
Prophesy therefore concerning the land of Israel and say to the mountains and hills, to the ravines and valleys, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I have spoken in My jealousy and in My wrath because you have suffered the shame <i>and</i> reproach of the nations;


text:
Therefore thus says the Lord God: I have lifted up My hand <i>and</i> sworn, Surely the nations that are round about you shall themselves suffer shame and reproach.


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But you, O mountains of Israel, shall shoot forth your branches and yield your fruit to My people Israel, for they are soon to come [home].


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And I will multiply men upon you, the whole house of Israel, even all of it; the cities shall be inhabited and the waste places shall be rebuilt,


text:
And I will multiply upon you man and beast, and they shall increase and be fruitful. And I will cause you to be inhabited according to your former estate and I will do better for you than at your beginnings; and you shall know, understand, <i>and</i> realize that I am the Lord [the Sovereign Ruler, Who calls forth loyalty and obedient service].


text:
Yes, [O mountains of Israel] I will cause men to walk upon you, even My people Israel, and they shall possess you, and you shall be their inheritance; and you shall no more after this bereave them of children [for idol sacrifices].


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Thus says the Lord God: Because they say to you, You [O land] are a devourer of men and have bereaved your nation of children [offered to idols],


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Therefore you shall devour men no more, neither bereave your nation <i>or</i> cause it to stumble any more, says the Lord God.


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Neither will I let you hear any more the reproach of the nations, nor shall you suffer the dishonor of the peoples any more, nor shall you cause your nation to stumble <i>and</i> fall any more [through idolatry], says the Lord God.


text:
Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by [doing] their [own] way and by their [idolatrous] doings. Their conduct before Me was like the uncleanness of a woman during her [physical] impurity.


text:
So I poured out My wrath upon them for the blood that they had shed upon the land and for their idols with which they had defiled it.


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And I scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed through the countries; according to their conduct and their [idolatrous] deeds I judged <i>and</i> punished them.


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And when they came to the nations to which they went, they profaned My holy name in that men said of them, These are the people of the Lord, and yet they had to go forth out of His land.


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But I had regard, concern, <i>and</i> compassion for My holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations to which they went.


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Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: I do not do this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for My holy name’s sake, which you have profaned among the nations to which you went.


text:
And I will vindicate the holiness of My great name <i>and</i> separate it for its holy purpose from all that defiles it — My name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned among them — and the nations will know, understand, <i>and</i> realize that I am the Lord [the Sovereign Ruler, Who calls forth loyalty and obedient service], when I shall be set apart by you <i>and</i> My holiness vindicated in you before their eyes <i>and</i> yours.


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For I will <f>[1]</f>take you from among the nations and gather you out of all countries and bring you into your own land.


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Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleanness; and from all your idols will I cleanse you.


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A new heart will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you, and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.


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And I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you shall heed My ordinances and do them.


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And you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and you shall be My people, and I will be your God.


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I will also save you from all your uncleannesses, and I will call forth the grain and make it abundant and lay no famine on you.


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And I will multiply the fruit of the tree and the increase of the field, that you may no more suffer the reproach <i>and</i> disgrace of famine among the nations.


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Then you shall [earnestly] remember your own evil ways and your doings that were not good, and shall loathe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominable deeds.


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Not for your sake do I do this, says the Lord God; let that be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your [own] wicked ways, O house of Israel!


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Thus says the Lord God: In the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities I will [also] cause [Israel’s] cities to be inhabited, and the waste places shall be rebuilt.


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And the desolate land shall be tilled, that which had lain desolate in the sight of all who passed by.


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And they shall say, This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden, and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are fortified and inhabited.


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Then the nations that are left round about you shall know that I the Lord have rebuilt the ruined places and replanted that which was desolate. I the Lord have spoken it, and I will do it.


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Thus says the Lord God: For this also I will let the house of Israel inquire of Me to do it for them; I will increase their men like a flock.


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Like the flock of holy things for sacrifice, like the flock of Jerusalem in her [solemn] appointed feasts, so shall the waste cities be filled with flocks of men; and they shall know, understand, <i>and</i> realize that I am the Lord [the Sovereign Ruler, Who calls forth loyalty and obedient service].


text:
The hand of the Lord was upon me, and He brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones.


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And He caused me to pass round about among them, and behold, there were very many [human bones] in the open valley <i>or</i> plain, and behold, they were very dry.


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Again He said to me, Prophesy to these bones and say to them, O you dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. <f>ⓑ</f>


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Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath <i>and</i> spirit to enter you, and you shall live;


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And I will lay sinews upon you and bring up flesh upon you and cover you with skin, and I will put breath <i>and</i> spirit in you, and you [dry bones] shall live; and you shall know, understand, <i>and</i> realize that I am the Lord [the Sovereign Ruler, Who calls forth loyalty and obedient service].


text:
So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a [thundering] noise and behold, a shaking <i>and</i> trembling <i>and</i> a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone.


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And I looked and behold, there were sinews upon [the bones] and flesh came upon them and skin covered them over, but there was no breath <i>or</i> spirit in them.


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Then said He to me, Prophesy to the breath <i>and</i> spirit, son of man, and say to the breath <i>and</i> spirit, Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath <i>and</i> spirit, and breathe upon these slain that they may live.


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So I prophesied as He commanded me, and the breath <i>and</i> spirit came into [the bones], and they lived and stood up upon their feet, an exceedingly great host. <f>ⓒ</f>


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Then He said to me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, Our bones are dried up and our hope is lost; we are completely cut off.


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Therefore prophesy and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves, O My people; and I will bring you [back home] to the land of Israel. <f>ⓓ</f>


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And you shall know that I am the Lord [your Sovereign Ruler], when I have opened your graves and caused you to come up out of your graves, O My people.


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And I shall put My Spirit in you and you shall live, and I shall place you in your own land. Then you shall know, understand, <i>and</i> realize that I the Lord have spoken it and performed it, says the Lord.


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Son of man, take a stick and write on it, For Judah and the children of Israel his companions; then take another stick and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and all the house of Israel his companions;


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Say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph — which is in the hand of Ephraim — and the tribes of Israel his associates, and will join with it the stick of Judah and make them one stick, and they shall be one in My hand.


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Then say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the nations to which they have gone, and will <f>[1]</f>gather them from every side and bring them into their own land.


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And I will make them one nation in the land, upon the mountains of Israel, and one <f>[2]</f>King shall be King over them all; and they shall be no longer two nations, neither be divided into two kingdoms any more. <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
They shall not defile themselves any more with their idols and their detestable things or with any of their transgressions, but I will save them out of all their dwelling places <i>and</i> from all their backslidings in which they have sinned, and I will cleanse them. So shall they be My people, and I will be their God.


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And <f>[3]</f>David My Servant shall be King over them, and they all shall have one Shepherd. They shall also walk in My ordinances and heed My statutes and do them.


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They shall dwell in the land in which your fathers dwelt, that I gave to My servant Jacob, and they shall dwell there, they and their children and their children’s children, forever; and My Servant David shall be their Prince forever. <f>ⓕ</f>


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I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them, and I will give blessings to them and multiply them and will set My sanctuary in the midst of them forevermore.


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My tabernacle <i>or</i> dwelling place also shall be with them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.


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Then the nations shall know, understand, <i>and</i> realize that I the Lord do set apart <i>and</i> consecrate Israel for holy use, when My sanctuary shall be in their midst forevermore.


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Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of <f>[1]</f>Magog, the prince of Rosh, of Meshech, and of Tubal, and prophesy against him,


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And say, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am against you, O Gog, chief prince (ruler) of Rosh, of Meshech, and of Tubal.


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And I will turn you back and put hooks into your jaws, and I will bring you forth and all your army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed in full armor, a great company with buckler and shield, all of them handling swords —


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Gomer and all his hordes, the house of Togarmah in the uttermost parts of the north and all his hordes — many people are with you.


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You [Gog] be prepared; yes, prepare yourself, you and all your companies that are assembled about you, and you be a guard <i>and</i> a commander for them.


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After many days you shall be visited <i>and</i> mustered [for service]; in the latter years you shall go against the land that is restored from the ravages of the sword, where people are gathered out of many nations upon the mountains of Israel, which had been a continual waste; but its [people] are brought forth out of the nations and they shall dwell securely, all of them. <f>ⓐ</f>


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You shall ascend and come like a storm; you shall be like a cloud to cover the land, you and all your hosts and many people with you.


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Thus says the Lord God: At the same time thoughts shall come into your mind, and you will devise an evil plan.


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And you will say, I will go up against an open country [the land of unwalled villages]; I will fall upon those who are at rest, who dwell securely, all of them dwelling without walls and having neither bars nor gates,


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To take spoil and prey, to turn your hand upon the desolate places now inhabited and assail the people gathered out of the nations, who have obtained livestock and goods, who dwell at the center of the earth [Palestine].


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Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish, with all their lionlike cubs [or satellite areas], shall say to you, Have you come to take spoil? Have you gathered your hosts to take the prey? To carry away silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods, to take a great spoil?


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Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say to Gog, Thus says the Lord God: In that day when My people Israel dwell securely, will you not know it <i>and</i> be aroused?


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And you will come from your place out of the uttermost parts of the north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great host, a mighty army.


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And you shall come up against My people Israel like a cloud to cover the land. In the latter days I will bring you against My land, that the nations may know, understand, <i>and</i> realize Me when My holiness shall be vindicated through you [vindicated and honored in your overwhelming destruction], O Gog, before their eyes.


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Thus says the Lord God: Are you he of whom I have spoken in olden times by My servants the prophets of Israel, who prophesied in those days for years that I would bring you [Gog] against them?


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But in that day when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, says the Lord God, My wrath shall come up into My nostrils.


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For in My jealousy and in the fire of My wrath have I said, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking <i>or</i> cosmic catastrophe in the land of Israel,


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So that the fishes of the sea and the birds of the heavens, the beasts of the field and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall tremble <i>and</i> shake at My presence; and the mountains shall be thrown down and the steep places shall fall and every wall [natural or artificial] shall fall to the ground.


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And I will call for a sword against [Gog] throughout all My mountains, says the Lord God, every man’s sword shall be against his brother [over the dividing of booty].


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And with pestilence and with bloodshed will I enter into judgment with [Gog], and I will rain upon him and upon his hordes and upon the many peoples that are with him torrents of rain and great hailstones, fire and brimstone. <f>ⓑ</f>


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Thus will I demonstrate My greatness and My holiness, and I will be recognized, understood, <i>and</i> known in the eyes of many nations; yes, they shall know that I am the Lord [the Sovereign Ruler, Who calls forth loyalty and obedient service].


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And you, son of man, prophesy against Gog, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am against you, O Gog, chief prince (ruler) of Rosh, of Meshech, and of Tubal.


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And I will turn you about and will lead you on, and will cause you to come up from the uttermost parts of the north and will lead you against the mountains of Israel;


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And I will smite your bow from your left hand and will cause your arrows to fall out of your right hand.


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You shall fall [dead] upon the mountains of Israel, you and all your hosts and the peoples who are with you. I will give you to the ravenous birds of every sort and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.


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I will send fire on Magog and upon those who dwell securely in the coastlands, and they shall know, understand, <i>and</i> realize that I am the Lord [the Sovereign Ruler, Who calls forth loyalty and obedient service].


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And I will make My holy name known in the midst of My people Israel, and I will not let them profane My holy name any more; and the nations shall know, understand, <i>and</i> realize that I am the Lord, the Holy One of Israel.


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Behold, it is coming and it will be done, says the Lord God; that is the day of which I have spoken.


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And [when you, Gog, are no longer] they who dwell in the cities of Israel shall go forth and shall set on fire and burn the battle gear, the shields and the bucklers, the bows and the arrows, the handspikes <i>or</i> riding whips and the spears; and they shall burn them as fuel for seven years,


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So that My people shall take no firewood out of the field or cut down any out of the forests, for they shall make their fires of the weapons. And they shall despoil those who despoiled them and plunder those who plundered them, says the Lord God.


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And in that day, I will give to Gog a place for burial there in Israel, the valley of those who pass through on the east side in front of the [Dead] Sea [the highway between Syria, Petra, and Egypt], and it will delay <i>and</i> stop those who pass through. And there shall they <f>[1]</f>bury Gog and all his multitude, and they shall call it the Valley of Hamon-gog [multitude of Gog].


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Yes, all the people of the land will bury them, and it shall bring them renown in the day that I shall be glorified, says the Lord God.


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And they shall set apart men to work continually who shall pass through the land, men commissioned to bury, with the help of those who are passing by, those bodies that lie unburied on the face of the ground, in order to cleanse the land. After the end of seven months they shall make their search.


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And when these pass through the land and anyone sees a human bone, he shall set up a marker by it as a sign to the buriers, until they have buried it in the Valley of Hamon-gog <i>or</i> of Gog’s multitude.


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And Hamonah [multitude] shall also be the name of the city [of the dead]. Thus shall they cleanse the land.


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And you, son of man, thus says the Lord God: Say to the birds of prey of every sort and to every beast of the field, Assemble yourselves and come, gather from every side to the sacrificial feast that I am preparing for you, even a great sacrificial feast on the mountains of Israel at which you may eat flesh and drink blood.


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You shall eat the flesh of the mighty and drink the blood of the princes of the earth, of rams, of lambs, of goats, and of bullocks, all of them fatlings of Bashan [east of the Jordan].


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And you shall eat fat till you are filled and drink blood till you are drunk at the sacrificial feast which I am preparing for you.


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And you shall be filled at My table with horses and riders, with mighty men, and with soldiers of every kind, says the Lord God.


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And I will manifest My honor <i>and</i> glory among the nations, and all the nations shall see My judgment <i>and</i> justice [in the punishment] which I have executed and My hand which I have laid on them.


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So the house of Israel shall know, understand, <i>and</i> realize beyond all question that I am the Lord their God from that day forward.


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And the nations shall know, understand, <i>and</i> realize positively that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity, because they trespassed against Me; and I hid My face from them. So I gave them into the hand of their enemies and they all fell [into captivity or were slain] by the power of the sword. <f>ⓐ</f>


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According to their uncleanness and according to their transgressions I dealt with them and hid My face from them.


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Therefore thus says the Lord God: Now will I reverse the captivity of Jacob and have mercy upon the whole house of Israel and will be jealous for My holy name.


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They shall forget their shame <i>and</i> self-reproach and all their treachery <i>and</i> unfaithfulness in which they have transgressed against Me, when they dwell securely in their land and there is none who makes them afraid.


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When I have brought them again from the peoples and gathered them out of their enemies’ lands, and My justice <i>and</i> holiness are set apart <i>and</i> vindicated through them in the sight of many nations,


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Then shall they know, understand, <i>and</i> realize positively that I am the Lord their God, because I sent them into captivity <i>and</i> exile among the nations and then gathered them to their own land. I will leave none of them remaining among the nations any more [in the latter days].


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Neither will I hide My face any more then from them, when I have poured out My Spirit upon the house of Israel, says the Lord God.


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In the twenty-fifth year of our captivity [by Babylon], in the beginning of the year, on the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after the city [of Jerusalem] was taken, on the very same day the hand of the Lord was upon me and He brought me to that place.


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In the visions of God He brought me into the land of Israel and set me down upon a very high mountain, on the south side of which there was what seemed to be the structure of a city.


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He brought me there, and behold, there was a man [an angel] whose appearance was like bronze, with a line of flax and a measuring reed in his hand, and he stood in the gateway.


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And the man said to me, Son of man, look with your eyes and hear with your ears and set your heart <i>and</i> mind on all that I will show you, for you are brought here that I may show them to you. Declare all that you see to the house of Israel.


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And behold, there was a wall all around the outside area of the house [of the Lord], and in the man’s hand a measuring reed six long cubits in length, each cubit being longer [than the usual one] by a handbreadth; so he measured the thickness of the wall, one reed, and the height, one reed.


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Then he came to the gate which faced the east and went up its [seven] steps and measured the threshold of the gateway, one reed broad, and the other threshold of the gateway [inside the thick wall], one reed broad.


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And every room for the guards was one reed long and one reed broad, and the space between the guardrooms <i>or</i> lodges was five cubits. And the threshold of the gate by the porch <i>or</i> vestibule of the gateway within was one reed.


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He measured also the porch <i>or</i> vestibule of the gate toward the house [of the Lord], one reed.


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Then he measured the porch <i>or</i> vestibule of the gateway, eight cubits, and its posts <i>or</i> jambs, two cubits. And the porch <i>or</i> vestibule of the gate was inside [toward the house of the Lord].


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And the guardrooms <i>or</i> lodges of the east gateway were three on this side and three on that side; the three were the same size, and the posts <i>or</i> jambs were the same size on either side.


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And he measured the breadth of the opening of the gateway, ten cubits, and the length of the gateway, thirteen cubits.


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And a border <i>or</i> barrier before the guardrooms was one cubit on this side, and a border <i>or</i> barrier, one cubit on that side. And the guardrooms <i>or</i> lodges were six cubits on this side and six cubits on that side.


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And <f>[1]</f><i>the man</i> [an angel] measured the gate from the outer wall of one chamber <i>or</i> guardroom to the outer wall of another — a breadth of twenty-five cubits from door to door.


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And <f>[2]</f>the open part of the porch <i>or</i> vestibule of the gateway on the outside was twenty cubits, the chambers <i>or</i> guardrooms of the gate being round about.


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And including this porch <i>or</i> vestibule of the gate on the outside and the porch <i>or</i> vestibule on the inside, the extent was fifty cubits.


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And there were closed windows to the guardrooms <i>or</i> chambers and to their posts <i>or</i> pillars within the gate round about, and likewise to the archway <i>or</i> vestibule; and windows were round about facing into the court, and upon each post <i>or</i> pillar were palm tree [decorations].


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Then he brought me into the outward court, and behold, there were chambers and a pavement round about the court; thirty chambers fronted on the pavement.


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And the pavement was along by the side of the gates, answerable to the length of the gateways; this was the lower pavement.


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Then <i>the man</i> measured the distance from the inner front before the lower gate to the outer front of the inner court, a hundred cubits, both on the east and on the north.


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And the gate of the outward court which faced the north, of it he measured both the length and the breadth.


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And its guardrooms <i>or</i> lodges, three on this side and three on that side, and its posts <i>or</i> pillars and archway <i>or</i> vestibule were the same size as those of the first gate; the length was fifty cubits and the breadth twenty-five cubits.


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And its windows and its archway <i>or</i> vestibule and its palm trees were of the same size as those of the gate that faces toward the east. It was reached by going up seven steps, and the archway of its vestibule was on the inner side.


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Opposite the gate on the north and on the east was a gate to the inner court, and he [the man with the measuring rod of reed] measured from gate to gate, a hundred cubits.


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After that <i>the man</i> brought me toward the south, and behold, there was a gate on the south, and he measured its posts <i>or</i> pillars and its archway <i>or</i> vestibule; they measured as the others did.


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And there were windows round about in it and in its archway <i>or</i> vestibule, like those windows in the other gateways; its length was fifty cubits and its breadth twenty-five cubits.


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And there were seven steps going up to the gate, and its archway <i>or</i> vestibule was on the inside. And it had palm trees, one on this side and another on that side, carved on its posts <i>or</i> pillars.


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And there was a gate to the inner court on the south, and he measured from gate to gate toward the south, a hundred cubits.


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And <i>the man</i> [an angel] brought me into the inner court by the south gate, and he measured the south gate; its measurements were the same as those of the other gateways.


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And its guardrooms <i>or</i> chambers and its posts <i>or</i> pillars and its archway <i>or</i> vestibule measured as did the others. And there were windows in the gateway and in its archway <i>or</i> vestibule round about; its length was fifty cubits and its breadth twenty-five cubits.


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And there was an archway <i>or</i> a vestibule round about, twenty-five cubits long and five cubits wide.


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And its [arched] vestibule faced the outer court; and palm trees were carved upon its posts <i>or</i> pillars, and the steps going up to it were eight.


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And he brought me into the inner court toward the east and he measured the gate; it measured the same as the others.


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And its guardrooms <i>or</i> chambers and its posts <i>or</i> pillars and its archway <i>or</i> vestibule measured as did the others. And there were windows in it and in its [arched] vestibule round about; the gateway was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide.


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And its [arched] vestibule faced the outer court; and palm trees were carved upon its posts <i>or</i> pillars on either side, and the steps leading to it were eight.


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And <i>the man</i> [an angel] brought me to the north gate and measured it; the measurements were the same as those of the other gates.


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Its guardrooms <i>or</i> chambers, its posts <i>or</i> pillars, its [arched] vestibule, and the windows to it round about [were of the same size as the others]. The length of the gateway was fifty cubits and the width was twenty-five cubits.


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And its posts <i>or</i> pillars were toward the outer court, and palm trees were carved upon them on either side. And the approach to it had eight steps.


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There was an attached chamber with its door beside the posts <i>or</i> pillars of the gates where the burnt offering was to be washed.


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And in the porch <i>or</i> vestibule of the gate were two tables on this side and two tables on that side, on which to slay the burnt offering and the sin offering and the trespass <i>or</i> guilt offering.


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And on the one side without, as one goes up to the entrance of the gate to the north, were two tables; and on the other side at the vestibule of the gate were two tables.


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Four tables were on the inside and four tables on the outside of the side of the gate, eight tables upon which the sacrifices were to be slain.


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Moreover, there were four tables of hewn stone for the burnt offering, a cubit and a half long, a cubit and a half broad, and one cubit high. Upon them were to be laid the instruments with which were slain the burnt offering and the sacrifice.


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And slabs <i>or</i> hooks a handbreadth long were fastened within [the room] round about. Upon the tables was to be placed the flesh of the offering.


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<f>[3]</f>Then <i>the man</i> [an angel] led me [from without] into the inner court, and behold, there were two chambers in the inner court: one beside the north gate but facing the south, and one beside the south gate but looking toward the north.


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And <i>the man</i> [an angel who was guiding me] said, This chamber with its view to the south is for the priests who have charge of the house [of the Lord],


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And the chamber with its view to the north is for the priests who have charge of the altar. These are the sons of Zadok, who alone among the sons of Levi may come near to the Lord to minister to Him.


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And he measured the court, a hundred cubits long and a hundred cubits broad, foursquare; and the altar was in front of the house [of the Lord].


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Then he brought me to the porch <i>or</i> vestibule of the temple proper, and he measured each post <i>or</i> pillar of the porch, five cubits on either side. And the width of the gate was three cubits for this [leaf] and three cubits for that one.


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And the length of the porch <i>or</i> vestibule was twenty cubits and the breadth eleven cubits; and he brought me by the steps by which it was reached, and there were two pillars standing on the posts [as bases] <i>or</i> beside them, one on either side of the entrance.


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And <i>the man</i> [an angel] brought me to [the Holy Place of] the temple and measured the wall pillars, six cubits broad on one side [of the ten-cubit door] and six cubits broad on the other side, <f>[1]</f>which was the breadth of the tabernacle <i>or</i> tent [later called the temple].


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And the breadth of the entrance was ten cubits, and the leaves of the door were five cubits on the one side and five cubits on the other side; and he measured its length, forty cubits, and its breadth, twenty cubits.


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Then <i>the man</i> [being an angel, and unrestricted] went inside [the inner room, but went alone] and measured each post of the door, two cubits, the doorway, six cubits, and the breadth of the entrance, seven cubits. <f>ⓐ</f>


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And he measured the length [of the interior of the second room] in the temple proper, twenty cubits, and the breadth, twenty cubits; and he [came out and] said to me, This is the Most Holy Place (the Holy of Holies).


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Then he measured the wall of the temple, six cubits thick [to accommodate side chambers]; and the breadth of every side chamber, four cubits, round about the temple proper on every side.


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These side chambers were three stories high, one over another and thirty in each story; and they entered into the wall which belonged to the house for the side chambers round about, that they might have hold of the wall [of the house], but they did not have hold of the wall of the temple.


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And the side rooms became broader as they encompassed the temple higher and higher, for the encircling of the house went higher and higher round about the temple; therefore the breadth of the house continued upward, and so one went up from the lowest story to the highest one by way of the middle story [on a winding stairway].


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I saw also that the temple had an elevation <i>or</i> foundation platform round about it. The foundations of the side chambers measured a full reed measure of six long cubits.


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The thickness of the outer wall of the side chamber was five cubits, as was the width of that part of the foundation that was left free of the side chambers that belonged to the house.


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And between [the free space of the foundation platform and] the chambers was a breadth of twenty cubits round about the temple on every side.


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And the doors of the attached side chambers opened on the free space that was left, one door toward the north and another door toward the south; and the breadth of the space on the foundation platform that was left free was five cubits round about.


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And the building that faced the temple yard on the west side was seventy cubits broad, and the wall of the building was five cubits thick round about, and its length ninety cubits.


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And <i>the man</i> [an angel in my vision] measured the temple, a hundred cubits long; and the yard and the building with its walls, a hundred cubits long;


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Then <i>the man</i> [an angel] measured the length of the building on the west side of the yard with its walls on either side, a hundred cubits. The Holy Place of the temple, the inner Holy of Holies, and the outer vestibule


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Were roofed over, and all three had latticed windows all around. The inside walls of the temple were paneled with wood round about from the floor up to the windows and from the windows to the roof,


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Including the space above the door leading to the inner room, inside and out. And on the walls round about in the inner room and the Holy Place were carvings,


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With figures of cherubim and palm trees, so that a palm tree was between a cherub and a cherub; and every cherub had two faces,


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So that the face of a man was toward the palm tree on the one side, and the face of a young lion toward the palm tree on the other side. It was made this way through all the house round about.


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From the floor to above the entrance were cherubim and palm trees made, and also on the wall of the temple [the Holy Place].


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The door frames of the temple were squared, and in front [outside of the sanctuary or Holy of Holies] was what appeared to be


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An altar of wood, three cubits high and two cubits long [and wide]; and its corners, its base, and its sides were of wood. And <i>the man</i> [an angel] said to me, This is the table that is before the Lord.


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And the temple <i>or</i> Holy Place and the sanctuary <i>or</i> Holy of Holies, had two doors [one for each of them].


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And the doors had two leaves apiece, two folding leaves — two leaves for the one door and two leaves for the other door.


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And there were carved on them, on the doors of the temple, cherubim and palm trees, like those carved upon the walls; and there was also a canopy of wood in front of the porch outside.


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And there were recessed windows and palm trees on the one side and on the other side of the porch. Thus were the side chambers and the canopies of the house.


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Then <i>the man</i> [an angel] brought me forth into the outer court northward, and he brought me to the attached chambers that were opposite the temple yard and were opposite the building on the north.


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Before the long side of one hundred cubits was the door toward the north, and the breadth was fifty cubits.


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Adjoining the twenty cubits which belonged to the inner court, and opposite the pavement which belonged to the outer court, was balcony facing balcony in three stories.


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And before the attached chambers was a walk inward of ten cubits breadth and a hundred cubits long, and their doors were on the north.


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Now the upper chambers were shorter, for the balconies took off from these more than from the lower and middle chambers of the building.


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For they were in three stories, but did not have pillars as the pillars of the [outer] court; therefore the upper chambers were set back more than the lower and the middle ones from the ground.


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And the wall <i>or</i> fence that was outside, opposite <i>and</i> parallel to the chambers, toward the outer court before the chambers, was fifty cubits long,


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For the length of the [combined] chambers that were on the outer court was fifty cubits, while [the length] of those opposite the temple was a hundred cubits.


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And under these chambers was the entrance on the east side, as one approached them from the outer court.


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In the breadth of the wall of the court going toward the east, before the yard and before the building, were the chambers


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With a passage before them that gave the appearance of the attached chambers on the north, of the same length and breadth, with similar exits and arrangements and doors.


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And like the doors of the chambers that were toward the south there was an entrance at the head of the way, the way before the dividing wall toward the east, as one enters them.


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Then said <i>the man</i> [an angel] to me, The north chambers and the south chambers, which are opposite the yard, are the holy chambers where the priests who approach the Lord shall eat the most holy offerings; there shall they lay the most holy things — the meal offering, the sin offering, and the trespass <i>or</i> guilt offering — for the place is holy.


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When the priests enter the Holy Place, they shall not go out of it into the outer court unless they lay aside there the garments in which they minister, for these are holy, separate, <i>and</i> set apart. They shall put on other garments before they approach that which is for the people.


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Now when he had finished measuring the inner temple area, he brought me forth toward the gate which faces east and measured it [the outer area] round about.


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He measured the east side with the measuring reed, five hundred reeds with the measuring reed round about.


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He measured it on the four sides; it had a wall round about, the length five hundred reeds and the breadth five hundred, to make a separation between that which was holy [the temple proper] and that which was common [the outer area].


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And behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the east and His voice was like the sound of many waters, and the earth shone with His glory. <f>ⓐ</f>


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And the vision which I saw was like the vision I had seen when I came to foretell the destruction of the city and like the vision I had seen beside the river Chebar [near Babylon]; and I fell on my face. <f>ⓑ</f>


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Then the Spirit caught me up and brought me into the inner court, and behold, the glory of the Lord filled the temple.


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And He [the Lord] said to me, Son of man, this is the place of My throne and the place of the soles of My feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel forever; and My holy name the house of Israel shall no more profane, neither they nor their kings, by their [idolatrous] harlotry, nor by the dead bodies <i>and</i> monuments of their kings,


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Nor by setting their threshold by My thresholds and their doorposts by My doorposts, with a mere wall between Me and them. They have profaned My holy name by their abominations which they have committed; therefore I have consumed them in My anger.


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Now let them put away their [idolatrous] harlotry and the dead bodies <i>and</i> monuments of their kings far from Me, and I will dwell in their midst forever.


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Son of man, show the temple by your description of it to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities; and let them measure accurately its appearance and plan.


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And if they are ashamed of all that they have done, make known to them the form of the temple and the arrangement of it — its exits and its entrances and the whole form of it — all its ordinances and all its forms and all its laws. And write it down in their sight so that they may keep the whole form of it and all the ordinances of it and do them.


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This is the law of the house [of the Lord]: The whole area round about on the top of the mountain <f>[1]</f>[Mount Moriah] shall be most holy, separated, <i>and</i> set apart. Behold, this is the law of the house [of the Lord].


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And these are the measurements of the altar [of burnt offering] in cubits. The cubit is a royal cubit [the length of a forearm and a palm of the hand]; the bottom <i>or</i> gutter shall be a cubit deep and a cubit wide, with a rim or lip round about it of a span’s breadth. And this shall be the height of the altar:


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From the bottom <i>or</i> gutter on the ground to the lower ledge <i>or</i> brim shall be two cubits, and the breadth one cubit; and from the lesser ledge to the greater ledge shall be four cubits, and the breadth one cubit.


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And the altar hearth shall be four cubits high, and from the altar hearth reaching upward there shall be four horns one cubit high.


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And the ledge shall be fourteen cubits long and fourteen cubits broad on its four sides, and the border about it shall be half a cubit; and its bottom <i>or</i> gutter shall be a cubit deep and wide, and its ascent [not steps] shall face the east. <f>ⓒ</f>


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And [the Lord] said to me, Son of man, thus says the Lord God: These are the regulations for the use of the altar in the day that it is erected, upon which to offer burnt offerings and to sprinkle blood against it:


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You shall give to the priests, the Levites who are of the offspring of Zadok, who are near to Me to minister to Me, says the Lord God, a young bull for a sin offering.


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And you shall take of its blood and put it on the four horns of [the altar of burnt offering] and on the four corners of the ledge and on the rim <i>or</i> border round about. Thus shall you cleanse <i>and</i> make atonement for [the altar].


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You shall also take the bullock of the sin offering, and it shall be burned in the appointed place of the temple, outside the sacred enclosure. <f>ⓓ</f>


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And on the second day you shall offer a male goat without blemish for a sin offering. Thus the altar shall be cleansed, as it was cleansed with the bullock.


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When you have finished cleansing it, you shall offer a young bull without blemish and a ram out of the flock without blemish.


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And you shall bring them near before the Lord, and the priests shall cast salt upon them and they shall offer them up for a burnt offering to the Lord.


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Seven days you shall prepare every day a goat for a sin offering; also a young bull and a ram out of the flock, without blemish, shall be prepared.


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For seven days shall they make atonement for the altar and purify it; so the priests shall consecrate, separate, <i>and</i> set it apart to receive offerings. <f>ⓔ</f>


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And when these days have been accomplished, on the eighth day and from then on, the priests shall offer your burnt offerings upon the altar and your peace offerings; and I will accept you, says the Lord God. <f>ⓕ</f>


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Then <i>the man</i> [an angel] brought me back the way of the outer gate of the sanctuary which faces the east, and it was shut.


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Then the Lord said to me, This gate shall be <f>[1]</f>shut; it shall not be opened and no man shall enter in by it, for the Lord, the God of Israel, has entered in by it; therefore it shall remain shut.


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As for the prince, being the prince, he shall sit in it to eat bread before the Lord; he shall enter by way of the porch <i>or</i> vestibule of the gate and shall go out the same way.


text:
Then he brought me by way of the north gate to the front of the temple; I looked, and behold, the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord, and I fell upon my face. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
And the Lord said to me, Son of man, mark well <i>and</i> set your heart to see with your eyes and hear with your ears all that I say to you concerning all the ordinances of the house of the Lord and all its laws, and mark well <i>and</i> set your heart to know who are allowed to enter the temple and all those who are excluded from the sanctuary.


text:
And you shall say to the rebellious, even to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: O you house of Israel, let all your previous abominations be enough for you! [Do not repeat them!]


text:
You have brought into My sanctuary aliens, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in My sanctuary to pollute <i>and</i> profane it, even My house, when you offer My bread, the fat and the blood; and through it all <i>and</i> in addition to all your abominations, they <i>and</i> you have broken My covenant.


text:
And you have not kept charge of My holy things, but you have chosen foreign keepers to please yourselves and have set them in charge of My sanctuary.


text:
Therefore thus says the Lord God: No foreigner uncircumcised in heart and flesh shall enter into My sanctuary [where no one but the priests might enter], of any foreigners who are among the children of Israel.


text:
But the Levites who went far away from Me when Israel went astray, who went astray from Me after their idols, they shall bear [the punishment for] their iniquity <i>and</i> guilt.


text:
They shall minister in My sanctuary, having oversight as guards at the gates of the temple and ministering in the temple. They shall slay the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall attend the people to serve them.


text:
Because [the priests] ministered to [the people] before their idols and became a stumbling block of iniquity <i>and</i> guilt to the house of Israel, therefore I have lifted up My hand <i>and</i> have sworn against them, says the Lord God, that they shall bear the punishment for their iniquity <i>and</i> guilt.


text:
And they shall not come near to Me to do the office of a priest to Me, nor come near to any of My holy things that are most sacred; but they shall bear their shame <i>and</i> their punishment for the abominations which they have committed.


text:
Yet I will appoint them as caretakers to have charge of the temple, for all the service of the temple and for all that will be done in it.


text:
But the Levitical priests, the sons of Zadok, who kept the charge of My sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from Me, shall come near to Me to minister to Me, and they shall attend Me to offer to Me the fat and the blood, says the Lord God.


text:
They shall enter into My sanctuary; and they shall come near to My table to minister to Me, and they shall keep My charge.


text:
When they enter the gates of the inner court, they shall be clothed in linen garments; no wool shall be on them while they minister at the gates of the inner court and within the temple.


text:
They shall have linen turbans on their heads and linen breeches upon their loins; they shall not gird themselves with anything that causes [them to] sweat.


text:
And when they go out into the outer court to the people, they shall put off the garments in which they ministered and lay them in the holy chambers, and they shall put on other garments, lest by contact of their garments with the people they should consecrate (separate and set apart for holy use) such persons [unintentionally and unfittingly].


text:
Neither shall they shave their heads or allow their locks to grow long; they shall only cut short <i>or</i> trim the hair of their heads.


text:
Neither shall they take for their wives a widow or a woman separated <i>or</i> divorced from her husband; but they shall marry maidens [who are virgins] of the offspring of the house of Israel or a widow previously married to a priest.


text:
The priests shall teach My people the difference between the holy and the common <i>or</i> profane, and cause them to distinguish between the unclean and the clean.


text:
And in a controversy they shall act as judges, and they shall judge according to My judgments; and they shall keep My laws and My statutes in all My appointed feasts, and they shall keep My Sabbaths holy.


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And they shall go near to no dead person to defile themselves, except for father or for mother, for son or for daughter, for brother or for sister who has had no husband; for them they may defile themselves. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
And after he is cleansed [from the defilement of a dead body] they shall reckon to him seven days more before returning to the temple.


text:
And on the day that he goes into the sanctuary, into the inner court to minister in the sanctuary, he shall offer his sin offering, says the Lord God.


text:
This [their ministry to Me] shall be to them as an inheritance, for I am their inheritance; and you shall give them no possession in Israel, for I am their possession. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
They shall eat the meal offering and the sin offering and the trespass offering, and every offering in Israel dedicated by a solemn vow to God shall be theirs.


text:
And the first of all the firstfruits of all kinds, and every offering of all kinds from all your offerings, shall belong to the priests. You shall also give to the priest the first of your coarse meal <i>and</i> bread dough, that a blessing may rest on your house.


text:
The priests shall not eat of anything that has died of itself or is torn, whether it be bird or beast.


text:
Moreover, when you shall divide the land by apportioned <i>and</i> assigned lots for inheritance, you shall set apart as an offering to the Lord a portion of the land to be used for holy purposes. The length shall be 25,000 <f>[1]</f><i>cubits</i>, and the breadth 20,000. It shall be holy (set apart and consecrated to sacred use) in its every area. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Of this there shall belong to the sanctuary a square plot 500 by 500, and 50 <i>cubits</i> for the open space around it.


text:
And in this sacred section you shall measure off a portion 25,000 <f>[2]</f><i>cubits</i> in length and 10,000 <i>cubits</i> in breadth. And in it shall be the sanctuary which is most holy.


text:
It is a holy portion of the land; it shall be for the priests, the ministers of the sanctuary, who come near to minister to the Lord; and it shall be a place for their houses and a holy place (set apart as sacred) for the sanctuary.


text:
And another portion of land, 25,000 <i>cubits</i> long and 10,000 <i>cubits</i> wide, shall also be for the Levites, the ministers of the temple, and they shall possess it as a place in which to live.


text:
And you shall appoint for the possession of the city an area of 5,000 <i>cubits</i> wide and 25,000 <i>cubits</i> long, along beside the portion set aside as a holy section. It shall belong to the whole house of Israel.


text:
And to the prince shall belong the land on the one side and on the other side of the portion set aside as a holy section and the property of the city, in front of the holy section and the property of the city, from the west side westward and from the east side eastward; and the length shall be answerable to that of one of the tribal portions <i>and</i> parallel to it from the western boundary to the eastern boundary of the land.


text:
It shall be for the prince — his possession in Israel. And My princes shall no more oppress My people, but they shall give the rest of the land to the house of Israel according to their tribes.


text:
Thus says the Lord God: That is enough for you, O princes of Israel! Stop the violence and plundering <i>and</i> oppression [that you did when you were given no property], and do justice and righteousness, and take away your exactions <i>and</i> cease your evictions of My people, says the Lord God.


text:
You shall have just weights on your scales and just measures — both a just ephah measure and a just bath measure.


text:
The ephah and the bath measures shall both be the same size, the bath containing one tenth of a homer and the ephah one tenth of a homer; the standard measure shall be the homer.


text:
And the shekel shall be twenty gerahs; twenty shekels and twenty-five shekels and fifteen shekels shall be your maneh.


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This is the offering which you shall make: a sixth of an ephah from each homer of wheat and a sixth of an ephah from each homer of barley.


text:
And as to the set portion of oil, you shall offer the tenth part of a bath of oil out of each cor, which is a homer of ten baths, for ten baths make [both a cor and] a homer.


text:
And [you shall offer] one lamb out of every flock of two hundred, out of the well-watered pastures of Israel <i>and</i> from all the families of Israel, to provide for a meal offering and for a burnt offering and for peace offerings, to make atonement for those who brought them, says the Lord God.


text:
And it shall be the prince’s part to furnish [from the contributions of the people] the burnt offerings, meal offerings, and drink offerings at the feasts and on the New Moons and on the Sabbaths, at all the appointed feasts of the house of Israel. He shall prepare <i>and</i> make the sin offering, the meal offering, the burnt offering, and the peace offerings to make atonement for, bringing forgiveness <i>and</i> reconciliation to, the house of Israel.


text:
Thus says the Lord God: In the first [month], on the first [day] of the month, you shall take a young bull without blemish and you shall cleanse the sanctuary.


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And the priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering and put it upon the doorposts of the temple and upon the four corners of the ledge of the altar and upon the posts of the gate of the inner court.


text:
You shall do this on the seventh day of the month for everyone who has sinned through error <i>or</i> ignorance and for him who is simple-minded. So shall you make atonement for the temple.


text:
In the first month on the fourteenth day of the [month]; you shall have the Passover, a feast of seven days; unleavened bread shall be eaten.


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Upon that day the prince shall prepare for himself and for all the people of the land a bullock for a sin offering.


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And for the seven days of the feast he shall prepare a burnt offering to the Lord, seven bullocks and seven rams without blemish daily for the seven days, and a he-goat daily for a sin offering.


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And he shall prepare as a meal offering to be offered with each bullock an ephah of meal, an ephah for each ram, and a hin of oil for each ephah of meal.


text:
In the seventh [month], on the fifteenth day of the month, he shall make the same provision <i>and</i> preparation for the seven days of the feast, for sin offerings, burnt offerings, bloodless <i>or</i> meal offerings, and for the oil.


text:
Thus says the Lord God: The gate of the inner court that faces east shall be shut during the six working days, but on the Sabbath it shall be opened, and also on the day of the New Moon it shall be opened.


text:
And the prince shall enter by the porch <i>or</i> vestibule of the gate from without and shall stand by the sidepost of the gate. The priests shall prepare <i>and</i> offer his burnt offering and his peace offerings, and he shall worship at the threshold of the gate. Then he shall go out, but the gate shall not be shut until evening.


text:
The people of the land shall worship at the entrance of that gate before the Lord on the Sabbaths and on the New Moons.


text:
And the burnt offering that the prince shall offer to the Lord on the Sabbath day shall be six lambs without blemish and a ram without blemish.


text:
And the bloodless <i>or</i> meal offering with the ram shall be an ephah, and the meal offering with the lambs shall be as much as he is able <i>and</i> willing to give, and a hin of oil with each ephah.


text:
And on the day of the New Moon the offering shall be a young bull without blemish and six lambs and a ram without blemish.


text:
And the prince shall provide <i>and</i> make a meal <i>or</i> bloodless offering, an ephah for the bullock and an ephah for the ram, and for the lambs as he is able <i>and</i> willing according to what has been made available to his hand, and a hin of oil to each ephah.


text:
And when the prince shall enter, he shall go in by the porch <i>or</i> vestibule of that gate and he shall go out by way of it.


text:
But when the people of the land shall come before the Lord at the appointed solemn feasts, he who enters the north gate to worship shall go out by the south gate, and he who enters by the south gate shall go out by the north gate; he shall not return by the gate by which he came in but shall go out by the opposite gate [straight ahead]. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
And in the appointed and solemn feasts the meal <i>or</i> bloodless offering shall be with a bullock an ephah, and with a ram an ephah, and with the lambs as much as the prince is willing <i>and</i> able to give [from what has been made available to him], and a hin of oil with each ephah.


text:
When the prince shall prepare <i>and</i> make a freewill burnt offering or peace offerings voluntarily to the Lord, the gate that faces east shall be opened for him, and he shall offer his burnt offering and his peace offerings as he does on the Sabbath day. Then he shall go out, and after he has gone out, the gate shall be shut.


text:
And a lamb a year old without blemish shall you [the priests, for the congregation] offer daily to the Lord; you shall prepare <i>and</i> offer it every morning.


text:
And you [the priests] shall prepare a meal offering to go with it every morning, one-sixth of an ephah with one-third of a hin of oil to moisten the fine flour. This is a perpetual ordinance for a continual meal offering to the Lord.


text:
Thus shall they prepare <i>and</i> offer the lamb and the meal offering and the oil every morning for a continual burnt offering.


text:
Thus says the Lord God: If the prince gives a gift to any of his sons out of his inheritance, it shall belong to his sons; it is their property by inheritance.


text:
But if he gives a gift out of his inheritance to one of his servants, then it shall be his until the year of liberty [the Year of Jubilee]; after that it shall be returned to the prince; only his sons may keep a gift from his inheritance [permanently].


text:
Moreover, the prince shall not take of the people’s inheritance by oppression, thrusting them out of their property; what he gives to his sons he shall take out of his own possession, so that none of My people shall be separated from his [inherited] possession.


text:
Then he [my guide] led me through the entrance which was at the side of the gate into the holy chambers for the priests, which faced the north; and behold, there was a place at the extreme western end of them.


text:
And he said to me, This is the place where the priests shall boil the guilt offering and the sin offering, and where they shall bake the [bloodless] meal offering, to prevent their having to bring them into the outer court, lest they should thereby wrongfully sanctify (separate and consecrate for holy service) the people who are there.


text:
And he brought me out into the outer court and caused me to pass by the four corners of the court, and behold, in every corner of the court there was a court.


text:
In the four corners of the court there were courts joined on <i>and</i> enclosed, forty cubits long and thirty broad; these four in the corners were the same size.


text:
And there was a row of masonry inside them, round about [each of] the four courts, and it was made with hearths for boiling at the bottom of the rows round about.


text:
Then said he to me, These are the kitchens of those who do the boiling, where the ministers [the Levites] of the temple shall boil the sacrifices of the people.


text:
Then he [my guide] brought me again to the door of the house [of the Lord — the temple], and behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the temple toward the east, for the front of the temple was toward the east; and the waters came down from under, from the right side of the temple, on the south side of the altar.


text:
Then he brought me out by way of the north gate and led me around outside to the outer gate by the way that faces east, and behold, waters were running out on the right side. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
And when the man went on eastward with the measuring line in his hand, he measured a thousand cubits, and he caused me to pass through the waters, waters that were ankle-deep.


text:
Again he measured a thousand cubits and caused me to pass through the waters, waters that reached to the knees. Again he measured a thousand cubits and caused me to pass through the waters, waters that reached to the loins.


text:
Afterward he measured a thousand, and it was a river that I could not pass through, for the waters had risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over <i>or</i> through.


text:
And he said to me, Son of man, have you seen this? Then he led me and caused me to return to the bank of the river.


text:
Now when I had returned, behold, on the bank of the river were very many trees on the one side and on the other.


text:
Then he said to me, These waters pour out toward the eastern region and go down into the Arabah (the Jordan Valley) and on into the Dead Sea. And when they shall enter into the sea [the sea of putrid waters], the waters shall be healed <i>and</i> made fresh.


text:
And wherever the double river shall go, every living creature which swarms shall live. And there shall be a very great number of fish, because these waters go there that [the waters of the sea] may be healed <i>and</i> made fresh; and everything shall live wherever the river goes.


text:
The fishermen shall stand on [the banks of the Dead Sea]; from En-gedi even to En-eglaim shall be a place to spread nets; their fish shall be of very many kinds, as the fish of the Great <i>or</i> Mediterranean Sea.


text:
But its swamps and marshes will not become wholesome for animal life; they shall [as the river subsides] be left encrusted with salt <i>and</i> given over to it.


text:
And on the banks of the river on both its sides, there shall grow all kinds of trees for food; their leaf shall not fade nor shall their fruit fail [to meet the demand]. Each tree shall bring forth new fruit every month, [these supernatural qualities being] because their waters came from out of the sanctuary. And their fruit shall be for food and their leaves for healing.


text:
Thus says the Lord God: These shall be the boundaries by which you shall divide the land among the twelve tribes of Israel: Joseph shall have two portions.


text:
And you shall divide it equally. I lifted up My hand <i>and</i> swore to give it to your fathers, and this land shall fall to you as your inheritance.


text:
And this shall be the boundary of the land on the north side: from the Great <i>or</i> Mediterranean Sea by way of Hethlon to the entrance of Zedad,


text:
Hamath, Berothah, Sibraim, which is on the border between Damascus and Hamath, as far as Hazer-hatticon on the border of Hauran.


text:
So the boundary shall extend from the [Mediterranean] Sea to Hazar-enan, at the boundary of Damascus on the north, together with the boundary of Hamath to the north. This is the north side.


text:
And on the east side you shall measure the boundary from between Hauran and Damascus, and Gilead on one side and the land of Israel on the other, with the Jordan forming the boundary down to the East <i>or</i> Dead Sea. And this [from Damascus to the Dead Sea and including it] is the east side.


text:
And the south side [boundary] southward, from Tamar [near the Dead Sea] shall run as far as the waters of Meribath-kadesh, then along the Brook of Egypt to the Great <i>or</i> Mediterranean Sea. And this is the south side.


text:
On the west side [the boundary] shall be the Great <i>or</i> Mediterranean Sea to a point opposite the entrance of Hamath [north of Mount Hermon]. This is the west side.


text:
You shall divide it by allotment as an inheritance for yourselves and for the foreigners who reside among you and shall have children born among you. They shall be to you as those born in the country among the children of Israel; they shall inherit with you among the tribes of Israel.


text:
In whatever tribe the foreigner resides, there shall you give him his inheritance, says the Lord God.


text:
Now these are the names of the tribes: From the north end, beside the way of Hethlon to the entrance of Hamath as far as Hazar-enan, which is on the northern border of Damascus opposite Hamath, and reaching from the east border to the west, Dan, one [portion].


text:
And beside the border of Judah, from the east side to the west side, shall be the offering of land which you shall offer: 25,000 reeds in breadth, and in length as one of the tribal portions from the east side to the west side; and the sanctuary shall be in the midst of it.


text:
The portion of land that you shall set apart and offer to the Lord shall be 25,000 [measures] in length and 10,000 in breadth [for each of the two districts].


text:
And for these, even for the priests, shall be this holy offering of land: toward the north 25,000 [measures] in length, and toward the west 10,000 in breadth, and toward the east 10,000 in breadth, and toward the south 25,000 in length, and the sanctuary of the Lord shall be in the midst of it.


text:
The set-apart <i>and</i> sacred portion shall be for the consecrated priests of the sons of Zadok, who have kept My charge and who did not go astray when the children of Israel went astray, as the other Levites did.


text:
And this land offering shall be for the priests as a thing most holy beside the border of the [other] Levites.


text:
And opposite the border of the priests the [other] Levites shall have 25,000 [measures] in length and 10,000 in breadth. The whole length shall be 25,000 and the breadth 10,000.


text:
And they shall not sell any of it or exchange it; they shall not convey <i>or</i> transfer this the firstfruits of the land, for it has been offered to the Lord and is holy to Him.


text:
And the remaining strip of 5,000 [measures] in breadth and 25,000 in length shall be for the city’s secular use, for a place in which to dwell and for open country <i>or</i> suburbs. The city shall be in the midst of the plot.


text:
And these shall be the dimensions of it: the north side 4,500 [measures] and the south side 4,500, the east side 4,500 and the west side 4,500. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
And the city shall have suburbs <i>or</i> open country: toward the north 250 [measures] and toward the south 250, toward the east 250 and toward the west 250.


text:
The remainder of the length along beside the holy portion shall be 10,000 [measures] to the east and 10,000 to the west, and it shall be along beside the holy portion. The produce from it shall be for food for those who work in the city.


text:
The whole portion that you shall set apart as an offering to God shall be 25,000 [measures] by 25,000; you shall set apart the holy portion foursquare, together with the property of the city.


text:
And what is left unallotted, on both sides of the holy portion and of that possessed by the city, shall belong to the prince. Reaching eastward from the 25,000 [measures] of the holy portion to the east border, and westward from the 25,000 [measures] to the west border, parallel to the tribal allotments, it belongs to the prince. The holy portion with the sanctuary of the temple in its midst,


text:
And the possession of the Levites and the property of the city [of Jerusalem] shall be in the midst of that which belongs to the prince. What lies between the border of Judah and the border of Benjamin shall be for the prince.


text:
And beside the border of Gad, at the south side southward, the border shall extend from Tamar to the waters of Meribath-kadesh and on along the Brook [of Egypt] to the Great <i>or</i> Mediterranean Sea.


text:
This is the land which you shall divide by allotment among the tribes of Israel as their inheritance, and these are their several portions, says the Lord God.


text:
Three gates: one gate of Reuben, one gate of Judah, one gate of Levi, the gates of the city being called after the names of the tribes of Israel;


text:
And on the east side’s 4,500 measures, three gates: one gate of Joseph, one gate of Benjamin, one gate of Dan;


text:
And on the south side’s 4,500 measures, three gates: one gate of Simeon, one gate of Issachar, one gate of Zebulun;


text:
On the west side’s 4,500 measures, three gates: one gate of Gad, one gate of Asher, one gate of Naphtali.


text:
The distance around the city shall be 18,000 [4 x 4,500] measures; and the name of the city from that day <i>and</i> ever after shall be, THE LORD IS THERE. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it.


text:
And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with a part of the vessels of the house of God; and he carried them into the land of Shinar [Babylonia] to the house of his god and placed the vessels in the treasury of his god. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
And the [Babylonian] king told Ashpenaz, the master of his eunuchs, to bring in some of the children of Israel, both of the royal family and of the nobility — <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Youths without blemish, well-favored in appearance and skillful in all wisdom, discernment, <i>and</i> understanding, apt in learning knowledge, competent to stand <i>and</i> serve in the king’s palace — and to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans.


text:
And the king assigned for them a daily portion of his own rich <i>and</i> dainty food and of the wine which he drank. They were to be so educated <i>and</i> so nourished for three years that at the end of that time they might stand before the king.


text:
The chief of the eunuchs gave them names: Daniel he called Belteshazzar [the king’s attendant], Hananiah he called Shadrach, Mishael he called Meshach, and Azariah he called Abednego.


text:
But Daniel determined in his heart that he would not defile himself by [eating his portion of] the king’s rich <i>and</i> dainty food or by [drinking] the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might [be allowed] not to defile himself. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
Now God made Daniel to find favor, compassion, <i>and</i> loving-kindness with the chief of the eunuchs.


text:
And the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel, I fear, lest my lord the king, who has appointed your food and your drink, should see your faces worse looking <i>or</i> more sad than the other youths of your age. Then you would endanger my head with the king.


text:
Then said Daniel to the steward whom the chief of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah,


text:
Prove your servants, I beseech you, for ten days and let us be given a vegetable diet and water to drink.


text:
Then let our appearance and the appearance of the youths who eat of the king’s [rich] dainties be observed <i>and</i> compared by you, and deal with us your servants according to what you see.


text:
And at the end of ten days it was seen that they were looking better and had taken on more flesh than all the youths who ate of the king’s rich dainties.


text:
So the steward took away their [rich] dainties and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables.


text:
As for these four youths, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding in all [kinds of] visions and dreams. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
Now at the end of the time which the king had set for bringing [all the young men in], the chief of the eunuchs brought them before Nebuchadnezzar.


text:
And the king conversed with them, and among them all none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah; therefore they were assigned to stand before the king.


text:
And in all matters of wisdom and understanding concerning which the king asked them, he found them ten times better than all the [learned] magicians and enchanters who were in his whole realm.


text:
And Daniel continued there even to the first year of King Cyrus [at the close of the seventy years’ exile of Judah in Babylonia, which Jeremiah had foretold]. <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams by which his spirit was troubled <i>and</i> agitated and his sleep went from him.


text:
Then the king commanded to call the magicians, the enchanters <i>or</i> soothsayers, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans [diviners], to tell the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king.


text:
Then said the Chaldeans [diviners] to the king in Aramaic [the Syrian language], O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation.


text:
The king answered the Chaldeans, The thing is gone from me! And the decree goes forth from me <i>and</i> I say it with all emphasis: if you do not make known to me the dream with its interpretation, you shall be cut in pieces and your houses shall be made a dunghill!


text:
But if you show the dream and its interpretation, you shall receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. So show me the dream and the interpretation of it.


text:
They answered again, Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation of it.


text:
The king answered, I know with certainty that you are trying to gain time, because you see the thing is gone from me <i>and</i> because you see that my word [against you] is sure:


text:
If you will not make known to me the dream, there is but one sentence for you; for you have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak before me [hoping to delay your execution] until the time is changed. Therefore tell me the dream, and I will know that you can tell me the interpretation of it.


text:
The Chaldeans [diviners] answered before the king and said, There is not a man on earth who can show the king this matter, for no king, lord, or ruler has [ever] asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or Chaldean.


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A rare <i>and</i> weighty thing indeed the king requires! None except the gods can reveal it to the king, and their dwelling is not with [human] flesh.


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For this cause the king was angry and very furious and commanded that all the wise men of Babylon be destroyed.


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So the decree went forth that the wise men were to be killed, and [the officers] sought Daniel and his companions to be slain.


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Then Daniel returned an answer which was full of prudence and wisdom to Arioch the captain <i>or</i> executioner of the king’s guard, who had gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon.


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He said to Arioch, the king’s captain, Why is the decree so urgent <i>and</i> hasty from the king? Then Arioch explained the matter to Daniel.


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And Daniel went in and desired of the king that he would set a date <i>and</i> give him time, and he would show the king the interpretation.


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Then Daniel went to his house and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions,


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So that they would desire <i>and</i> request mercy of the God of heaven concerning this secret, that Daniel and his companions should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.


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Then the secret was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night, and Daniel blessed the God of heaven.


text:
He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and sets up kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding! <f>ⓐ</f>


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He reveals the deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with Him! <f>ⓑ</f>


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I thank You and praise You, O God of my fathers, Who has given me wisdom and might and has made known to me now what we desired of You, for You have made known to us the solution to the king’s problem.


text:
Therefore Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon; he went and said thus to him: Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon! Bring me in before the king, and I will show to the king the interpretation.


text:
Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste and said thus to him: I have found a man of the captives of Judah who will make known to the king the interpretation [of his dream].


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The king said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, Are you able to make known to me the dream which I have seen and the interpretation of it?


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Daniel answered the king, The [mysterious] secret which the king has demanded neither the wise men, enchanters, magicians, nor astrologers can show the king,


text:
But there is a God in heaven Who reveals secrets, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what it is that shall be in the latter days (at the end of days). Your dream and the visions in your head upon your bed are these:


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As for you, O king, as you were lying upon your bed thoughts came into your mind about what should come to pass hereafter, and He Who reveals secrets was making known to you what shall come to pass.


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But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than anyone else living, but in order that the interpretation may be made known to the king and that you may know the thoughts of your heart <i>and</i> mind.


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You, O king, saw, and behold, [there was] a great image. This image which was mighty and of exceedingly great brightness stood before you, and the appearance of it was frightening <i>and</i> terrible.


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As for this <f>[1]</f>image, its head was of fine gold, its breast and its arms of silver, its belly and its thighs of bronze,


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As you looked, a <f>[2]</f>Stone was cut out without human hands, which smote the image on its feet of iron and [baked] clay [of the potter] and broke them to pieces. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
Then the iron, the [baked] clay [of the potter], the bronze, the silver, and the gold were broken <i>and</i> crushed together and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors, and the wind carried them away so that not a trace of them could be found. And the Stone that smote the image became a great mountain <i>or</i> rock and filled the whole earth.


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You, O king, are king of the [earthly] kings to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, the might, and the glory. <f>ⓓ</f>


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And wherever the children of men dwell, and the beasts of the field, and the birds of the heavens — He has given them into your hand and has made you to rule over them all. You [king of Babylon] are the head of gold.


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And after you shall arise another kingdom [the Medo-Persian], inferior to you, and still a third kingdom of bronze [Greece under Alexander the Great] which shall bear rule over all the earth.


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And the fourth kingdom [Rome] shall be strong as iron, since iron breaks to pieces and subdues all things; and like iron which crushes, it shall break and crush all these. <f>ⓔ</f>


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And as you saw the feet and toes, partly of [baked] clay [of the potter] and partly of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom; but there shall be in it some of the firmness <i>and</i> strength of iron, just as you saw the iron mixed with miry [earthen] clay.


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And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of [baked] clay [of the potter], so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly brittle <i>and</i> broken.


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And as you saw the iron mixed with miry <i>and</i> earthen clay, so they shall mingle themselves in the seed of men [in marriage bonds]; but they will not hold together [for two such elements or ideologies can never harmonize], even as iron does not mingle itself with clay.


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And in the days of these [final ten] kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, nor shall its sovereignty be left to another people; but it shall break <i>and</i> crush and consume all these kingdoms and it shall stand forever. <f>ⓕ</f>


text:
Just as you saw that the Stone was cut out of the mountain without hands and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold, the great God has made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter. The dream is certain and the interpretation of it is sure.


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Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face and paid homage to Daniel [as a great prophet of the highest God] and ordered that an offering and incense should be offered up to him [in honor of his God].


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The king answered Daniel, Of a truth your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a Revealer of secret mysteries, seeing that you could reveal this secret mystery! <f>ⓖ</f>


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Then the king made Daniel great and gave him many great gifts, and he made him to rule over the whole province of Babylon and to be chief governor over all the wise men of Babylon.


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And Daniel requested of the king and he appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego over the affairs of the province of Babylon. But Daniel remained in the gate of the king [at the king’s court].


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Nebuchadnezzar the king [caused to be] made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits <i>or</i> ninety feet and its breadth six cubits <i>or</i> nine feet. He set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon.


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Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the satraps, the deputies, the governors, the judges <i>and</i> chief stargazers, the treasurers, the counselors, the sheriffs <i>and</i> lawyers, and all the chief officials of the provinces to come to the dedication of the image which King Nebuchadnezzar had [caused to be] set up.


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Then the satraps, the deputies, the governors, the judges <i>and</i> chief stargazers, the treasurers, the counselors, the sheriffs <i>and</i> lawyers, and all the chief officials of the provinces were gathered together for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up, and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.


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That when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, dulcimer <i>or</i> bagpipe, and every kind of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up.


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And whoever does not fall down and worship shall that very hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.


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Therefore, when all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, dulcimer <i>or</i> bagpipe, and every kind of music, all the peoples, nations, and languages fell down and worshiped the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.


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Therefore at that time certain men of Chaldean descent came near and brought [malicious] accusations against the Jews.


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You, O king, have made a decree that every man who hears the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, dulcimer <i>or</i> bagpipe, and every kind of music shall fall down and worship the golden image,


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And that whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.


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There are certain Jews whom you have appointed <i>and</i> set over the affairs of the province of Babylon — Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men, O king, pay no attention to you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up.


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Then Nebuchadnezzar in rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; and these men were brought before the king.


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[Then] Nebuchadnezzar said to them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image which I have set up?


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Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, dulcimer <i>or</i> bagpipe, and every kind of music to fall down and worship the image which I have made, very good. But if you do not worship, you shall be cast at once into the midst of a burning fiery furnace, and who is that god who can deliver you out of my hands?


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Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, it is not necessary for us to answer you on this point.


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If our God Whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, He will deliver us out of your hand, O king.


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But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up! <f>ⓐ</f>


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Then Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury and his facial expression was changed [to antagonism] against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Therefore he commanded that the furnace should be heated seven times hotter than it was usually heated.


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And he commanded the strongest men in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace.


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Then these [three] men were bound in their cloaks, their tunics <i>or</i> undergarments, their turbans, and their other clothing, and they were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.


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Therefore because the king’s commandment was urgent and the furnace exceedingly hot, the flame <i>and</i> sparks from the fire killed those men who handled Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.


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And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the burning fiery furnace.


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Then Nebuchadnezzar the king [saw and] was astounded, and he jumped up and said to his counselors, Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered, True, O king.


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He answered, Behold, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt! And the form of the fourth is like a son of the gods! <f>ⓑ</f>


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Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, you servants of the Most High God, come out and come here. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out from the midst of the fire.


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And the satraps, the deputies, the governors, and the king’s counselors gathered around together and saw these men — that the fire had no power upon their bodies, nor was the hair of their head singed; neither were their garments scorched <i>or</i> changed in color <i>or</i> condition, nor had even the smell of smoke clung to them.


text:
Then Nebuchadnezzar said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, Who has sent His angel and delivered His servants who believed in, trusted in, <i>and</i> relied on Him! And they set aside the king’s command and yielded their bodies rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.


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Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation, and language that speaks anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be cut in pieces and their houses be made a dunghill, for there is no other God who can deliver in this way!


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Nebuchadnezzar the king, to all people, nations, and languages that dwell on all the earth: May peace be multiplied to you!


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How great are His signs! And how mighty His wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and His dominion is from generation to generation. <f>ⓐ</f>


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I had a dream which made me afraid, and the thoughts <i>and</i> imaginations and the visions of my head as I was lying upon my bed troubled <i>and</i> agitated me.


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Therefore I made a decree to bring in all the wise men of Babylon before me, that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream.


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Then the magicians, the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers came in, and I told them the dream, but they could not make known to me the interpretation of it.


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But at last Daniel came in before me — he who was named Belteshazzar, after the name of my god, and in whom is the Spirit of the Holy God — and I told the dream before him, saying,


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O Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, because I know that the Spirit of the Holy God is in you and no secret mystery is a burden <i>or</i> troubles you, tell me the visions of my dream that I have seen and the interpretation of it.


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The visions of my head [as I lay] on my bed were these: I saw, and behold, [there was] a tree in the midst of the earth, and its height was great.


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The tree grew and was strong and its height reached to the heavens, and the sight of it reached to the end of the whole earth.


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Its leaves were fair and its fruit abundant, and in it was food for all. The living creatures of the field found shade under it, and the birds of the sky dwelt in its branches; and all flesh was fed from it.


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I saw in the visions of my head [as I lay] on my bed, and behold, a watcher, a holy one, came down from heaven.


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He cried aloud [with might] and said, Cut down the tree and cut off its branches; shake off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the living creatures flee from under it and the fowls from its branches.


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Nevertheless leave the stump of its roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze, in the midst of the tender grass of the field. Let him be wet with the dew of the heavens, and let him share the lot of the living creatures in the grass of the earth.


text:
Let his nature <i>and</i> understanding be changed from a man’s and let a beast’s nature <i>and</i> understanding be given him, and let seven times [or years] pass over him.


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This sentence is by the decree of the [heavenly] watchers and the decision is by the word of the holy ones, to the intent that the living may know that the Most High [God] rules the kingdom of mankind and gives it to whomever He will and sets over it the humblest <i>and</i> lowliest of men. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
This dream I, King Nebuchadnezzar, have seen. And you, O Belteshazzar [Daniel], declare now its interpretation, since all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known to me the interpretation; but you are able, for the Spirit of the Holy God is in you.


text:
Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was astonished <i>and</i> dismayed <i>and</i> stricken dumb for a while [concerned about the king’s destiny], and his thoughts troubled, agitated, <i>and</i> alarmed him. The king said, Belteshazzar, let not the dream or its interpretation trouble <i>or</i> alarm you. Belteshazzar answered, My lord, may the dream be for those who hate you and its message for your enemies.


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The tree that you saw, which grew [great] and was strong, whose height reached to the heavens and which was visible to all the earth,


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Whose foliage was beautiful and its fruit abundant, on which was food for all, under which the living creatures of the field dwelt, and on whose branches the birds of the sky had their nests —


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It is you, O king, who have grown and become strong; your greatness has increased and it reaches to the heavens, and your dominion to the ends of the earth.


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And whereas the king saw a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, Cut the tree down and destroy it, but leave the stump of its roots in the earth with a band of iron and bronze around it, in the tender grass of the field; and let him be wet with the dew of the heavens, and let his portion be with the living creatures of the field until seven times [or years] pass over him —


text:
This is the interpretation, O king: It is the decree of the Most High [God] which has come upon my lord the king:


text:
You shall be driven from among men and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field; you shall be made to eat grass as do the oxen and you shall be wet with the dew of the heavens; and seven times [or years] shall pass over you until you learn <i>and</i> know <i>and</i> recognize that the Most High [God] rules the kingdom of mankind and gives it to whomever He will.


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And in that it was commanded to leave the stump of the roots of the tree, your kingdom shall be sure to you after you have learned <i>and</i> know that [the God of] heaven rules.


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Therefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable to you; break off your sins <i>and</i> show the reality of your repentance by righteousness (right standing with God and moral and spiritual rectitude and rightness in every area and relation) <i>and</i> liberate yourself from your iniquities by showing mercy <i>and</i> loving-kindness to the poor <i>and</i> oppressed, that [if the king will repent] there may possibly be a continuance <i>and</i> lengthening of your peace <i>and</i> tranquility <i>and</i> a healing of your error.


text:
The king said, Is not this the great Babylon that I have built as the royal residence <i>and</i> seat of government by the might of my power and for the honor <i>and</i> glory of my majesty?


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While the words were still in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: The kingdom has departed from you,


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And you shall be driven from among men and your dwelling will be with the living creatures of the field. You will be made to eat grass like the oxen, and seven times [or years] shall pass over you until you have learned <i>and</i> know that the Most High [God] rules in the kingdom of men and gives it to whomever He will.


text:
That very hour the thing was [in process of] being fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven from among men and did eat grass like oxen [as Daniel had said he would], and his body was wet with the dew of the heavens until his hair grew like eagles’ [feathers] and his nails [were] like birds’ [claws].


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And at the end of the days [seven years], I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted up my eyes to heaven, and my understanding <i>and</i> the right use of my mind returned to me; and I blessed the Most High [God] and I praised and honored <i>and</i> glorified Him Who lives forever, Whose dominion is an everlasting dominion; and His kingdom endures from generation to generation.


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And all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing. And He does according to His will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay His hand or say to Him, What are You doing?


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Now at the same time my reason <i>and</i> understanding returned to me; and for the glory of my kingdom, my majesty and splendor returned to me, and my counselors and my lords sought me out; I was reestablished in my kingdom, and still more greatness [than before] was added to me.


text:
Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, Whose works are all faithful <i>and</i> right and Whose ways are just. And those who walk in pride He is able to abase <i>and</i> humble.


text:
Belshazzar the king [descendant of Nebuchadnezzar] made a great feast for a thousand of his lords, and he drank his wine in the presence of the thousand.


text:
Belshazzar, while he was tasting the wine, commanded that the gold and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple [out of the sacred area — the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies] which was in Jerusalem be brought, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them.


text:
Then they brought in the gold <i>and</i> silver vessels which had been taken out of the temple, the house of God which was in Jerusalem; and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them.


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Immediately <i>and</i> suddenly there appeared the fingers of a man’s hand and wrote on the plaster of the wall opposite the candlestick [so exposed especially to the light] in the king’s palace, and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.


text:
Then the color <i>and</i> the [drunken] hilarious brightness of the king’s face was changed, and his [terrifying] thoughts troubled <i>and</i> alarmed him; the joints <i>and</i> muscles of his hips <i>and</i> back gave way and his knees smote together.


text:
The king cried aloud [mightily] to bring in the enchanters <i>or</i> soothsayers, the Chaldeans [diviners], and the astrologers. The king said to the wise men of Babylon, Whoever will read this writing and show me the interpretation of it will be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold put about his neck and will be the third ruler in the kingdom.


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And all the king’s wise men came in, but they could not read the writing or make known to the king the interpretation of it.


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Then King Belshazzar was greatly perplexed <i>and</i> alarmed and the color faded from his face, and his lords were puzzled <i>and</i> astounded.


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Now the queen [mother], overhearing the exciting words of the king and his lords, came into the banquet house. The queen [mother] said, O king, live forever! Do not be alarmed at your thoughts or let your cheerful expression <i>and</i> the color of your face be changed.


text:
There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the Spirit of the holy God [or gods], and in the days of your father light and understanding and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods were found in him; and King Nebuchadnezzar, your father — the king, I say, your father — appointed him master of the magicians, enchanters <i>or</i> soothsayers, Chaldeans, and astrologers,


text:
Because an excellent spirit, knowledge, and understanding to interpret dreams, clarify riddles, and solve knotty problems were found in this same Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar. Now let Daniel be called, and he will show the interpretation.


text:
Then Daniel was brought in before the king. And the king said to Daniel, Are you that Daniel of the children of the captivity of Judah, whom the king my father brought out of Judah?


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I have heard of you, that the Spirit of the holy God [or gods] is in you and that light and understanding and superior wisdom are found in you.


text:
Now the wise men, the enchanters, have been brought in before me that they might read this writing and make known to me the interpretation of it, but they could not show the interpretation of the matter.


text:
But I have heard of you, that you can make interpretations and solve knotty problems. Now if you can read the writing and make known to me its interpretation, you shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold put around your neck and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.


text:
Then Daniel answered before the king, Let your gifts be for yourself and give your rewards to another. However, I will read the writing to the king and make known to him the interpretation.


text:
O king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar your father a kingdom and greatness and glory and majesty;


text:
And because of the greatness that He gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him. Whom he would he slew, and whom he would he kept alive; whom he would he set up, and whom he would he put down.


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But when his heart was lifted up and his mind <i>and</i> spirit were hardened so that he dealt proudly, he was deposed from his kingly throne and his glory was taken from him;


text:
He was driven from among men, and his heart <i>or</i> mind was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild asses. He was fed with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of the heavens until he learned <i>and</i> knew that the Most High God rules in the kingdom of men and that He appoints <i>and</i> sets over it whomever He will.


text:
And you his son, O Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart <i>and</i> mind, though you knew all this [knew it and were defiant].


text:
And you have lifted yourself up against the Lord of heaven, and the vessels of His house have been brought before you, and you and your lords, your wives, and your concubines have drunk wine from them; and you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know; but the God in Whose hand your breath is and Whose are all your ways you have not honored <i>and</i> glorified [but have dishonored and disgraced].


text:
Then was the part of the hand sent from the presence of [the Most High God], and this writing was inscribed.


text:
And this is the <f>[1]</f>inscription that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN — numbered, numbered, weighed, divisions.


text:
This is the interpretation of the matter: MENE, God has numbered the days of your kingship and brought them to an end;


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<f>[2]</f>PERES, Your kingdom <i>and</i> your kingship are divided and given to the Medes and Persians. [Foretold in Isa. 21:2, 5, 9.]


text:
Then Belshazzar commanded, and Daniel was clothed with purple and a chain of gold put about his neck, and a proclamation was made concerning him that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.


text:
It pleased [King] Darius [successor to Belshazzar] to set over the kingdom 120 satraps who should be [in charge] throughout all the kingdom,


text:
And over them three presidents — of whom Daniel was one — that these satraps might give account to them and that the king should have no loss <i>or</i> damage.


text:
Then this Daniel was distinguished above the presidents and the satraps because an excellent spirit was in him, and the king thought to set him over the whole realm.


text:
Then the presidents and satraps sought to find occasion [to bring accusation] against Daniel concerning the kingdom, but they could find no occasion or fault, for he was faithful, nor was there any error or fault found in him.


text:
Then said these men, We shall not find any occasion [to bring accusation] against this Daniel except we find it against him concerning the law of his God. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Then these presidents and satraps came [tumultuously] together to the king and said to him, King Darius, live forever!


text:
All the presidents of the kingdom, the deputies and the satraps, the counselors and the governors, have consulted <i>and</i> agreed that the king should establish a royal statute and make a firm decree that whoever shall ask a petition of any god or man for thirty days, except of you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions.


text:
Now, O king, establish the decree and sign the writing that it may not be changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be altered.


text:
Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house, and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he got down upon his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Then these men came thronging [by agreement] and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God.


text:
Then they came near and said before the king concerning his prohibitory decree, Have you not signed an edict that any man who shall make a petition to any god or man within thirty days, except of you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions? The king answered and said, The thing is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be changed <i>or</i> repealed.


text:
Then they said before the king, That Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, does not regard <i>or</i> pay any attention to you, O king, or to the decree that you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day.


text:
Then the king, when he heard these words, was much distressed [over what he had done] and set his mind on Daniel to deliver him; and he labored until the sun went down to rescue him.


text:
Then these same men came thronging [by agreement] to the king and said, Know, O king, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians that no decree or statute which the king establishes may be changed <i>or</i> repealed.


text:
Then the king commanded, and Daniel was brought and cast into the den of lions. The king said to Daniel, May your God, Whom you are serving continually, deliver you! <f>ⓒ</f>


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And a stone was brought and laid upon the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet and with the signet of his lords, that there might be no change of purpose concerning Daniel.


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Then the king went to his palace and passed the night fasting, neither were instruments of music or dancing girls brought before him; and his sleep fled from him.


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And when he came to the den and to Daniel, he cried out in a voice of anguish. The king said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is your God, Whom you serve continually, able to deliver you from the lions?


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My God has sent His angel and has shut the lions’ mouths so that they have not hurt me, because I was found innocent <i>and</i> blameless before Him; and also before you, O king, [as you very well know] I have done no harm <i>or</i> wrong. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
Then the king was exceedingly glad and commanded that Daniel should be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no hurt of any kind was found on him because he believed in (relied on, adhered to, and trusted in) his God.


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And the king commanded, and those men who had accused Daniel were brought and cast into the den of lions, they, their children, and their wives; and before they ever reached the bottom of the den, the lions had overpowered them and had broken their bones in pieces.


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Then King Darius wrote to all peoples, nations, and languages [in his realm] that dwelt in all the earth: May peace be multiplied to you!


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I make a decree that in all my royal dominion men must tremble and fear before the God of Daniel, for He is the living God, enduring <i>and</i> steadfast forever, and His kingdom shall not be destroyed and His dominion shall be even to the end [of the world].


text:
He is a Savior and Deliverer, and He works signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth — He Who has delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.


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<f>[1]</f>In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions in his head as he was lying upon his bed. Then he wrote down the dream and told the gist of the matter.


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Daniel said, I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of the heavens [political and social agitations] were stirring up the great sea [the nations of the world].


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The first [the Babylonian empire under Nebuchadnezzar] was like a lion and had eagle’s wings. I looked till the wings of it were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth and made to stand upon two feet as a man, and a man’s heart was given to it. <f>ⓐ</f>


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And behold another beast, a second one [the Medo-Persian empire], was like a bear, and it raised up itself on one side [or one dominion] and three ribs were in its mouth between its teeth; and it was told, Arise, devour much flesh.


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After this I looked, and behold, another [the Grecian empire of Alexander the Great], like a leopard which had four wings of a bird on its back. The beast had also four heads [Alexander’s generals, his successors], and dominion was given to it. <f>ⓑ</f>


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After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast [the Roman empire] — terrible, powerful <i>and</i> dreadful, and exceedingly strong. And it had great iron teeth; it devoured and crushed and trampled what was left with its feet. And it was different from all the beasts that came before it, and it had ten horns [symbolizing ten kings]. <f>ⓒ</f>


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I considered the horns, and behold, there came up among them another horn, a little one, before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots; and behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth speaking great things.


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I kept looking until thrones were placed [for the assessors with the Judge], and the Ancient of Days [God, the eternal Father] took His seat, Whose garment was white as snow and the hair of His head like pure wool. His throne was like the fiery flame; its wheels were burning fire. <f>ⓓ</f>


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A stream of fire came forth from before Him; a thousand thousands ministered to Him and ten thousand times ten thousand rose up <i>and</i> stood before Him; the Judge was seated [the court was in session] and the books were opened.


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I looked then because of the sound of the great words which the horn was speaking. I watched until the beast was slain and its body destroyed and given over to be burned with fire.


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And as for the rest of the beasts, their power of dominion was taken away; yet their lives were prolonged [for the duration of their lives was fixed] for a season and a time.


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I saw in the night visions, and behold, <f>[2]</f>on the clouds of the heavens came One like a Son of man, and He came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before Him.


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And there was given Him [the Messiah] dominion and glory and kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away, and His kingdom is one which shall not be destroyed. <f>ⓔ</f>


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As for me, Daniel, my spirit was grieved <i>and</i> anxious within me, and the visions of my head alarmed <i>and</i> agitated me.


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I came near to one of those who stood there and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of the things.


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But the saints of the Most High [God] shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever. <f>ⓕ</f>


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Then I wished to know the truth about the fourth beast — which was different from all the others, exceedingly terrible <i>and</i> shocking, whose teeth were of iron and its nails of bronze, which devoured, broke <i>and</i> crushed, and trampled what was left with its feet —


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And about the ten horns [representing kings] that were on its head, and the other horn which came up later and before which three of [the horns] fell, the horn which had eyes and a mouth that spoke great things and which looked greater than the others.


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Until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the Most High [God], and the time came when the saints possessed the kingdom.


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Thus [the angel] said, The fourth beast shall be a fourth kingdom on earth, which shall be different from all other kingdoms and shall devour the whole earth, tread it down, and break it in pieces <i>and</i> crush it.


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And as for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings shall arise; and another shall arise after them, and he shall be different from the former ones, and he shall subdue <i>and</i> put down three kings.


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And he shall speak words against the Most High [God] and shall wear out the saints of the Most High and think to change the time [of sacred feasts and holy days] and the law; and the saints shall be given into his hand for a time, two times, and half a time [three and one-half years]. <f>ⓗ</f>


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But the judgment shall be set [by the court of the Most High], and they shall take away his dominion to consume it [gradually] and to destroy it [suddenly] in the end.


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And the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heavens shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High; His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all the dominions shall serve and obey Him.


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Here is the end of the matter. As for me, Daniel, my [waking] thoughts troubled and alarmed me much and my cheerfulness of countenance was changed in me; but I kept the matter [of the interpreting angel’s information] in my heart <i>and</i> mind.


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In the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar a vision appeared to me, Daniel, after the one that appeared to me at the first.


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And I saw in the vision and it seemed that I was at Shushan the palace <i>or</i> fortress [in Susa, the capital of Persia], which is in the province of Elam, and I saw in the vision and I was by the river of Ulai.


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And I lifted up my eyes and saw, and behold, there stood before the river a [single] ram which had two horns [representing two kings of Medo-Persia: Darius the Mede, then Cyrus]; and the two horns were high, but one [Persia] was higher than the other, and the higher one came up last.


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I looked <i>and</i> saw the ram [Medo-Persia] pushing <i>and</i> charging westward and northward and southward; no beast could stand before him, neither could anyone rescue from his power, but he did according to his [own] will <i>and</i> pleasure and magnified himself. <f>ⓐ</f>


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As I was considering, behold, a he-goat [the king of Greece] came from the west across the face of the whole earth without touching the ground, and the goat had a conspicuous <i>and</i> remarkable horn between his eyes [symbolizing Alexander the Great]. <f>ⓑ</f>


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And he came to the ram that had the two horns which I had seen standing on the bank of the river and ran at him in the heat of his power.


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[In my vision] I saw him come close to the ram [Medo-Persia], and he was moved with anger against him and he [Alexander the Great] struck the ram and broke his two horns; and there was no power in the ram to stand before him, but the goat threw him to the ground and trampled on him. And there was no one who could rescue the ram from his power.


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And the he-goat [Alexander the Great] magnified himself exceedingly, and when he was [young and] strong, the <f>[1]</f>great horn [he] was [suddenly] broken; and instead of [him] there came up four notable horns [to whom the kingdom was divided, one] toward [each of] the four winds of the heavens.


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Out of littleness <i>and</i> small beginnings one of them came forth [Antiochus Epiphanes], a <f>[2]</f>horn whose [impious presumption and pride] grew exceedingly great toward the south and toward the east and toward the ornament [the precious, blessed land of Israel]. <f>ⓒ</f>


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And [in my vision this horn] grew great, even against the host of heaven [God’s true people, the saints], and some of the host and of the stars [priests] it cast down to the ground and trampled on them,


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Yes, [this horn] magnified itself, even [matching itself] against the Prince of the host [of heaven]; and from Him the continual [burnt offering] was taken away and the place of [God’s] sanctuary was cast down <i>and</i> profaned.


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And the host [the chosen people] was given [to the wicked horn] together with the continual burnt offering because of the transgression [of God’s people — their abounding irreverence, ungodliness, and lack of piety]. And righteousness <i>and</i> truth were cast down to the ground, and it [the wicked horn] accomplished this [by divine permission] and prospered.


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Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to the one that spoke, For how long is the vision concerning the continual offering, the transgression that makes desolate, and the giving over of both the sanctuary and the host [of the people] to be trampled underfoot? <f>ⓓ</f>


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And he said to him <i>and</i> to me, For 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the sanctuary shall be cleansed <i>and</i> restored.


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When I, even I, Daniel, had seen the vision, I sought to understand it; then behold, there stood before me one [Gabriel] with the appearance of a man.


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And I heard a man’s voice between the banks of the [river] Ulai which called and said, Gabriel, make this man [Daniel] understand the vision. <f>ⓔ</f>


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So he came near where I stood, and when he came, I was frightened and fell on my face. But he said to me, Understand, O son of man, for the [fulfillment of the] vision belongs to [events that shall occur in] the time of the end.


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Now as he [Gabriel] was speaking with me, I fell stunned <i>and</i> in deep unconsciousness with my face to the ground; but he touched me and set me upright [where I had stood].


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And he said, Behold, I will make you know what will be in the latter time of the indignation [of God upon the ungodly], for it has to do with the time of the end.


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And the shaggy <i>and</i> rough he-goat is the king of Greece, and the great horn between his eyes is the first king [who consolidated the whole realm, Alexander the Great].


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And as for the horn which was shattered, in whose place four others arose, four kingdoms shall arise out of his nation but not having his [Alexander’s] power.


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And at the latter end of their kingdom, when the transgressors [the apostate Jews] have reached the fullness [of their wickedness, taxing the limits of God’s mercy], a king of fierce countenance and understanding dark trickery <i>and</i> craftiness shall stand up.


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And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power; and he shall corrupt <i>and</i> destroy astonishingly and shall prosper and do his own pleasure, and he shall corrupt <i>and</i> destroy the mighty men and the holy people (the people of the saints). <f>ⓕ</f>


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And through his policy he shall cause trickery to prosper in his hand; he shall magnify himself in his heart <i>and</i> mind, and in their security he will corrupt <i>and</i> destroy many. He shall also stand up against the Prince of princes, but he shall be broken and that by no [human] hand. <f>ⓖ</f>


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The vision of the evenings and the mornings which has been told you is true. But seal up the vision, for it has to do with <i>and</i> belongs to the [now] distant future.


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And I, Daniel, fainted and was sick [for several] days. Afterward I rose up and did the king’s business; and I wondered at the vision, but there was no one who understood it <i>or</i> could make it understood.


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In the first year of Darius son of Ahasuerus, of the offspring of the Medes, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans —


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In the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the books the number of years which, according to the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass by before the desolations [which had been] pronounced on Jerusalem should end; and it was seventy years. <f>ⓐ</f>


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And I set my face to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and supplications, with fasting and sackcloth and ashes;


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And I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, Who keeps covenant, mercy, <i>and</i> loving-kindness with those who love Him and keep His commandments,


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We have sinned and dealt perversely and done wickedly and have rebelled, turning aside from Your commandments and ordinances.


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Neither have we listened to <i>and</i> heeded Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings, our princes and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.


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O Lord, righteousness belongs to You, but to us confusion <i>and</i> shame of face, as at this day — to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, to those who are near and those who are far off, through all the countries to which You have driven them because of the [treacherous] trespass which they have committed against You.


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O Lord, to us belong confusion <i>and</i> shame of face — to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers — because we have sinned against You.


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To the Lord our God belong mercy <i>and</i> loving-kindness and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against Him;


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And we have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God by walking in His laws which He set before us through His servants the prophets.


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Yes, all Israel has transgressed Your law, even turning aside that they might not obey Your voice. Therefore the curse has been poured out on us and the oath that is written in the Law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against Him. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
And He has carried out intact His [threatening] words which He threatened against us and against our judges [the kings, princes, and rulers generally] who ruled us, and He has brought upon us a great evil; for under the whole heavens there has not been done before [anything so dreadful] as [He has caused to be] done against Jerusalem.


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Just as it is written in the Law of Moses as to all this evil [that would surely come upon transgressors], so it has come upon us. Yet we have not earnestly begged for forgiveness <i>and</i> entreated the favor of the Lord our God, that we might turn from our iniquities and have understanding <i>and</i> become wise in Your truth. <f>ⓒ</f>


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Therefore the Lord has kept ready the calamity (evil) and has brought it upon us, for the Lord our God is [uncompromisingly] righteous <i>and</i> rigidly just in all His works which He does [keeping His word]; and we have not obeyed His voice.


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And now, O Lord our God, Who brought Your people forth out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand and secured Yourself renown <i>and</i> a name as at this day, we have sinned, we have done wickedly!


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O Lord, according to all Your rightness <i>and</i> justice, I beseech You, let Your anger and Your wrath be turned away from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain. Because of our sins and the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people have become a reproach <i>and</i> a byword to all who are around about us.


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Now therefore, O our God, listen to <i>and</i> heed the prayer of Your servant <f>[1]</f>[Daniel] and his supplications, and for Your own sake cause Your face to shine upon Your sanctuary which is desolate.


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O my God, incline Your ear and hear; open Your eyes and look at our desolations and the city which is called by Your name; for we do not present our supplications before You for our own righteousness <i>and</i> justice, but for Your great mercy <i>and</i> loving-kindness.


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O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, give heed and act! Do not delay, for Your own sake, O my God, because Your city and Your people are called by Your name.


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While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God for the holy hill of my God —


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Yes, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the former vision, being caused to fly swiftly, came near to me <i>and</i> touched me about the time of the evening sacrifice. <f>ⓓ</f>


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He instructed me <i>and</i> made me understand; he talked with me and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give you skill <i>and</i> wisdom and understanding.


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At the beginning of your prayers, the word [giving an answer] went forth, and I have come to tell you, for you are greatly beloved. Therefore consider the matter and understand the vision.


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Seventy weeks [of years, or 490 years] are decreed upon your people and upon your holy city [Jerusalem], to finish <i>and</i> put an end to transgression, to seal up <i>and</i> make full the measure of sin, to purge away <i>and</i> make expiation <i>and</i> reconciliation for sin, to bring in everlasting righteousness (permanent moral and spiritual rectitude in every area and relation) to seal up vision and prophecy <i>and</i> prophet, and to anoint a Holy of Holies.


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Know therefore and understand that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem until [the coming of] the Anointed One, a Prince, shall be seven weeks [of years] and sixty-two weeks [of years]; it shall be built again with [city] square and moat, but in troublous times.


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And after the sixty-two weeks [of years] shall the Anointed One be cut off <i>or</i> killed and shall have nothing [and no one] belonging to [and defending] Him. And the people of the [other] prince who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end shall come with a flood; and even to the end there shall be war, and desolations are decreed. <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
And he shall enter into a strong <i>and</i> firm covenant with the many for one week [seven years]. And in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and offering to cease [for the remaining three and one-half years]; and upon the wing <i>or</i> pinnacle of abominations [shall come] one who makes desolate, until the full determined end is poured out on the desolator.


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In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a word was revealed to Daniel, who was called Belteshazzar. And the word was true and it referred to great tribulation (conflict and wretchedness). And he understood the word and had understanding of the vision. <f>ⓐ</f>


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I ate no pleasant <i>or</i> desirable food, nor did any meat or wine come into my mouth; and I did not anoint myself at all for the full three weeks.


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On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was on the bank of the great river Hiddekel [which is the Tigris],


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I lifted up my eyes and looked, and behold, a man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with pure gold of Uphaz.


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His body also was [a golden luster] like beryl, his face had the appearance of lightning, his eyes were like flaming torches, his arms and his feet like glowing burnished bronze, and the sound of his words was like the noise of a multitude [of people or the roaring of the sea]. <f>ⓑ</f>


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And I, Daniel, alone saw the vision [of this heavenly being], for the men who were with me did not see the vision, but a great trembling fell upon them so that they fled to hide themselves.


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So I was left alone and saw this great vision, and no strength was left in me, for my fresh appearance was turned to pallor; I grew weak <i>and</i> faint [with fright].


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Then I heard the sound of his words; and when I heard the sound of his words, I fell on my face in a deep sleep, with my face [sunk] to the ground.


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And behold, a hand touched me, which set me [unsteadily] upon my knees and upon the palms of my hands.


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And [the angel] said to me, O Daniel, you greatly beloved man, understand the words that I speak to you and stand upright, for to you I am now sent. And while he was saying this word to me, I stood up trembling.


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Then he said to me, Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your mind <i>and</i> heart to understand and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come as a consequence of [and in response to] your words.


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But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me for twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief [of the celestial] princes, came to help me, for I remained there with the kings of Persia.


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Now I have come to make you understand what is to befall your people in the latter days, for the vision is for [many] days yet to come.


text:
And behold, one in the likeness of the sons of men touched my lips. Then I opened my mouth and spoke. I said to him who stood before me, O my lord, by reason of the vision sorrows <i>and</i> pains have come upon me, and I retain no strength.


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For how can my lord’s servant [who is so feeble] talk with this my lord? For now no strength remains in me, nor is there any breath left in me.


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And he said, O man greatly beloved, fear not! Peace be to you! Be strong, yes, be strong. And when he had spoken to me, I was strengthened and said, Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.


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Then he said, Do you know why I have come to you? And now I will return to fight with the [hostile] prince of Persia; and when I have gone, behold, the [hostile] prince of Greece will come.


text:
But I will tell you what is inscribed in the writing of truth <i>or</i> the Book of Truth. There is no one who holds with me <i>and</i> strengthens himself against these [hostile spirit forces] except Michael, your prince [national guardian angel].


text:
Also I [the angel], in the first year of Darius the Mede, even I, stood up to confirm and to strengthen him [Michael, the angelic prince].


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And now I will show you the truth. Behold, there shall arise three more kings in Persia, and a fourth shall be far richer than they all. And when he has become strong through his riches he shall stir up <i>and</i> stake all against the realm of Greece.


text:
Then a <f>[1]</f>mighty [warlike, threatening] king shall arise who shall rule with great dominion and do according to his [own] will.


text:
And as soon as he has fully arisen, his [Alexander the Great’s] kingdom shall be broken [by his death] and divided toward the four winds [the east, west, north, and south] of the heavens, but not to his posterity, nor according to the [Grecian] dominion which he ruled, for his kingdom shall be torn out <i>and</i> uprooted and go to others [to his four generals] to the exclusion of these.


text:
Then the king of the South (Egypt) shall be strong, but one of his princes shall be stronger than he is and have dominion; his dominion shall be a great dominion.


text:
At the end of some years they [the king of the North, Syria, and the king of the South, Egypt] shall make an alliance; the daughter of the king of the South shall come to the king of the North to make [a just and peaceful marriage] agreement; but she shall not retain the power of her might, neither shall he and his might endure. She shall be handed over with her attendants, her child, and him who strengthened her in those times.


text:
But out of a branch of the [same ancestral] roots as hers shall one [her brother] stand up in his place <i>or</i> office, who shall come against the [Syrian] army and shall enter into the fortress of the king of the North and shall deal against them and shall prevail.


text:
And also he shall carry off to Egypt their [Syria’s] gods with their molten images and with their precious vessels of silver and of gold, and he shall refrain for some years from [waging war against] the king of the North.


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And he [the king of Syria] shall come into the kingdom of the king of the South but shall return to his own land.


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But his sons shall be stirred up <i>and</i> shall prepare for war and shall assemble a multitude of great forces, which shall come on and overflow and pass through and again shall make war even to the fortress [of the king of the South].


text:
And the king of the South (Egypt) shall be moved with anger and shall come forth and fight with the king of the North (Syria); and he [the Syrian king] shall set forth a great multitude, but the multitude shall be given into his [the Egyptian king’s] hand.


text:
When the multitude is taken <i>and</i> carried away, the heart <i>and</i> mind [of the Egyptian king] shall be exalted, and he shall cast down tens of thousands, but he shall not prevail.


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For the king of the North shall raise a multitude greater than [he had] before, and after some years shall certainly return, coming with a great army and much substance <i>and</i> equipment.


text:
In those times many shall rise up against the king of the South (Egypt); also the men of violence among your own people shall lift themselves up in order to fulfill the visions [of Dan. 8 and 9], but they shall fail <i>and</i> fall.


text:
Then the king of the North shall come and cast up siege works and take a well-fortified city, and the forces of the South shall not stand, or even his chosen troops, for there shall be no strength to stand [against the Syrian king].


text:
But he [Antiochus the Great] who comes against him [from Syria] shall do according to his own will, and none shall stand before him; he shall stand in the glorious land [of Israel], and in his hand shall be destruction <i>and</i> all the land shall be in his power.


text:
He [Antiochus the Great] shall set his face to come with the strength of his whole kingdom, and with him upright conditions <i>and</i> terms of peace, and he shall perform them [by making an agreement with the king of the South]. He shall give him [his] daughter to corrupt <i>and</i> destroy it [his league with Egypt] <i>and</i> the kingdom, but it shall not succeed or be to his advantage.


text:
After this he shall turn his attention to the islands <i>and</i> coastlands and shall take over many of them. But a prince <i>or</i> commander shall teach him [Antiochus the Great] to put an end to the insults offered by him; in fact he shall turn his insolence <i>and</i> reproaches back upon him.


text:
Then he shall turn his face back toward the fortresses of his own land [of Syria], but he shall stumble and fall and not be found.


text:
Then shall <f>[2]</f>stand up in his place <i>or</i> office one who shall send an exactor of tribute to pass through the glory of the kingdom, but within a few days he shall be destroyed, [yet] neither in anger nor in battle.


text:
And in his place <i>or</i> office [in Syria] shall arise a <f>[3]</f>contemptuous <i>and</i> contemptible person, to whom royal majesty <i>and</i> honor of the kingdom have not been given. But he shall come in without warning in time of security and shall obtain the kingdom by flatteries, intrigues, <i>and</i> cunning hypocritical conduct. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Before him the overwhelming forces of invading armies shall be broken <i>and</i> utterly swept away; yes, and a prince of the covenant [with those who were at peace with him] also [shall be broken and swept away].


text:
And from the time that an alliance is made with him he shall work deceitfully, and he shall come up unexpectedly and shall become strong with a small people.


text:
Without warning <i>and</i> stealthily he shall come into the most productive places of a province <i>or</i> among the richest men of a province [of Egypt], and he shall do that which his fathers have not done nor his fathers’ fathers; he shall distribute among them plunder, spoil, and goods. He shall devise plans against strongholds — but only for a time [the period decreed by God].


text:
And he shall stir up his power and his courage against the king of the South [Egypt] with a great army; and the king of the South shall wage war with an exceedingly great and mighty army, but he shall not stand, for schemes shall be devised against [the king of the South].


text:
Yes, those who eat of his rich <i>and</i> dainty food shall break <i>and</i> destroy him, and his army shall drift <i>or</i> turn away to flee, and many shall fall down slain.


text:
And as for both of these kings, their hearts <i>and</i> minds shall be set on doing mischief; they shall speak lies over the same table, but it will not succeed, for the end is yet to be at the time appointed.


text:
Then shall [the vile conqueror from the North] return into his land with much booty; and his heart <i>and</i> purpose shall be set against [God’s] holy covenant [with His people], and he shall accomplish [his malicious intention] and return to his own land [Syria].


text:
At the time appointed [God’s own time] he shall return and come into the South, but it shall not be successful as were the former invasions [of Egypt].


text:
For the ships of Kittim [or Cyprus, in Roman hands] shall come against him; therefore he shall be grieved <i>and</i> discouraged and turn back [to Palestine] and carry out his rage <i>and</i> indignation against the holy covenant <i>and</i> God’s people, and he shall do his own pleasure; he shall even turn back and make common cause with those [Jews] who abandon the holy covenant [with God].


text:
And armed forces of his shall appear [in the holy land] and they shall pollute the sanctuary, the [spiritual] stronghold, and shall take away the continual [daily burnt offering]; and they shall set up [in the sanctuary] the abomination that astonishes <i>and</i> makes desolate [probably an altar to a pagan god].


text:
And such as violate the covenant he shall pervert <i>and</i> seduce with flatteries, but the people who know their God shall prove themselves strong <i>and</i> shall stand firm and do exploits [for God].


text:
And they who are wise <i>and</i> understanding among the people shall instruct many <i>and</i> make them understand, though some [of them and their followers] shall fall by the sword and flame, by captivity and plunder, for many days.


text:
Now when they fall, they shall receive a little help. Many shall join themselves to them with flatteries <i>and</i> hypocrisies.


text:
And some of those who are wise, prudent, <i>and</i> understanding shall be weakened <i>and</i> fall, [thus, then, the insincere among the people will lose courage and become deserters. It will be a test] to refine, to purify, and to make those among [God’s people] white, even to the time of the end, because it is yet for the time [God] appointed.


text:
And the <f>[4]</f>king shall do according to his will; he shall exalt himself and magnify himself above every god and shall speak astonishing things against the God of gods and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished, for that which is determined [by God] shall be done.


text:
He shall not regard the gods of his fathers or Him [to Whom] women desire [to give birth — the Messiah] or any other god, for he shall magnify himself above all.


text:
But in their place he shall honor the god of fortresses; a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honor with gold and silver, with precious stones, and with pleasant <i>and</i> expensive things.


text:
And he shall deal with the strongest fortresses by the help of a foreign god. Those who acknowledge him he shall magnify with glory <i>and</i> honor, and he shall cause them to rule over many and shall divide the land for a price.


text:
And at the time of the end the king of the South shall push at <i>and</i> attack him, and the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots and horsemen and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries and shall overflow and pass through.


text:
He shall enter into the Glorious Land [Palestine] and many shall be overthrown, but these shall be delivered out of his hand: Edom, Moab, and the main [core] of the people of Ammon.


text:
He shall stretch out his hand also against the [other] countries, but the land of Egypt shall not be among the escaped ones.


text:
But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver and over all the precious things of Egypt, and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall accompany him [compelled to follow his steps].


text:
But rumors from the east and from the north shall alarm <i>and</i> hasten him. And he shall go forth with great fury to destroy and utterly to sweep away many.


text:
And he shall pitch his palatial tents between the seas and the glorious holy Mount [Zion]; yet he shall come to his end with none to help him. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
And at that time [of the end] Michael shall arise, the great [angelic] prince who defends <i>and</i> has charge of your [Daniel’s] people. And there shall be a time of trouble, straitness, <i>and</i> distress such as never was since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the Book [of God’s plan for His own].


text:
And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake: some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt <i>and</i> abhorrence. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
And the teachers <i>and</i> those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness (to uprightness and right standing with God) [shall give forth light] like the stars forever and ever. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
But you, O Daniel, shut up the words and seal the Book until the time of the end. [Then] many shall run to and fro <i>and</i> search anxiously [through the Book], and knowledge [of God’s purposes as revealed by His prophets] shall be increased <i>and</i> become great. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
Then I, Daniel, looked, and behold, there stood two others, the one on the brink of the river on this side and the other on the brink of the river on that side.


text:
And one said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, How long shall it be to the end of these wonders? <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
And I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, when he held up his right and his left hand toward the heavens and swore by Him Who lives forever that it shall be for a time, times, and a half a time [or three and one-half years]; and when they have made an end of shattering <i>and</i> crushing the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.


text:
And I heard, but I did not understand. Then I said, O my lord, what shall be the issue <i>and</i> final end of these things?


text:
And he [the angel] said, Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed till the time of the end.


text:
Many shall purify themselves and make themselves white and be tried, smelted, <i>and</i> refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly. And none of the wicked shall understand, but the teachers <i>and</i> those who are wise shall understand. <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
And from the time that the continual burnt offering is taken away and the abomination that makes desolate is set up, there shall be 1,290 days. <f>ⓕ</f>


text:
Blessed, happy, fortunate, spiritually prosperous, <i>and</i> to be envied is he who waits expectantly <i>and</i> earnestly [who endures without wavering beyond the period of tribulation] and comes to the 1,335 days!


text:
But you [Daniel, who was now over ninety years of age], go your way until the end; for you shall rest and shall stand [fast] in your allotted place at the end of the days. <f>ⓖ</f>


text:
The word of the Lord that came to Hosea son of Beeri in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam son of Joash king of Israel.


text:
When the Lord first spoke with <i>and</i> through Hosea, the Lord said to him, Go, take to yourself a wife of harlotry and have children of [her] harlotry, for the land commits great whoredom by departing from the Lord.


text:
And the Lord said to him, Call his name Jezreel <i>or</i> God-sows, for yet a little while and I will avenge the blood of Jezreel <i>and</i> visit the punishment for it upon the house of Jehu, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
And [Gomer] conceived again and bore a daughter. And the Lord said to Hosea, Call her name Lo-Ruhamah <i>or</i> Not-pitied, for I will no more have love, pity, <i>and</i> mercy on the house of Israel, that I should in any way pardon them.


text:
But I will have love, pity, <i>and</i> mercy on the house of Judah and will deliver them by the Lord their God and will <f>[1]</f>not save them by bow, nor by sword, nor by equipment of war, nor by horses, nor by horsemen. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
And the Lord said, Call his name Lo-Ammi [Not-my-people], for you are not My people and I am not your God.


text:
Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or numbered; and instead of it being said to them, You are not My people, it shall be said to them, Sons of the Living God! <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
Then shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel be gathered together and appoint themselves one head, and they shall go up out of the land, for great shall be the day of Jezreel [for the spiritually reborn Israel, a divine offspring, the people whom the Lord has blessed.] <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
[Hosea], say to your brethren, Ammi [or You-are-my-people], and to your sisters, Ruhamah [or You-have-been-pitied-and-have-obtained-mercy].


text:
Plead with your mother [your nation]; plead, for she is not My wife and I am not her Husband; [plead] that she put away her [marks of] harlotry from her face and her adulteries from between her breasts, <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Lest I strip her naked and make her as in the day she was born, and make her as a wilderness and set her like a parched land and slay her with thirst.


text:
Yes, for her children I will have no love <i>nor</i> pity <i>nor</i> mercy, for they are the children of harlotry.


text:
For their mother has played the harlot; she who conceived them has done shamefully, for she said, I will go after my lovers that give me my food and my water, my wool and my flax, my oil and my refreshing drinks.


text:
Therefore, behold, I [the Lord God] will hedge up her way [even yours, O Israel] with thorns; and I will build a wall against her that she shall not find her paths.


text:
And she shall follow after her lovers but she shall not overtake them; and she shall seek them [inquiring for and requiring them], but shall not find them. Then shall she say, Let me go and return to my first husband, for then was it better with me than now.


text:
For she has not noticed, understood, <i>or</i> realized that it was I [the Lord God] Who gave her the grain and the new wine and the fresh oil, and Who lavished upon her silver and gold which they used for Baal <i>and</i> made into his image.


text:
Therefore will I return <i>and</i> take back My grain in the time for it and My new wine in the season for it, and will pluck away <i>and</i> recover My wool and My flax which were to cover her [Israel’s] nakedness.


text:
And now will I uncover her lewdness <i>and</i> her shame in the sight of her lovers, and no one shall rescue her out of My hand.


text:
I will also cause to cease all her mirth, her feastmaking, her New Moons, her Sabbaths, and all her solemn feasts <i>and</i> appointed festive assemblies.


text:
And I will lay waste <i>and</i> destroy her vines and her fig trees of which she has said, These are my reward <i>or</i> loose woman’s hire that my lovers have given me; and I will make [her plantations] an inaccessible forest, and the wild beasts of the open country shall eat them.


text:
And I will visit [punishment] upon her for the feast days of the Baals, when she burned incense to them and decked herself with her earrings <i>and</i> nose rings and her jewelry and went after her lovers and forgot Me, says the Lord.


text:
Therefore, behold, I will allure her [Israel] and bring her into the wilderness, and I will speak tenderly <i>and</i> to her heart.


text:
There I will give her her vineyards and make the Valley of Achor [troubling] to be for her a door of hope <i>and</i> expectation. And she shall sing there <i>and</i> respond as in the days of her youth and as at the time when she came up out of the land of Egypt. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
And it shall be in that day, says the Lord, that you will call Me Ishi [my Husband], and you shall no more call Me Baali [my Baal].


text:
For I will take away the names of Baalim [the Baals] out of her mouth, and they shall no more be mentioned <i>or</i> seriously remembered by their name.


text:
And in that day will I make a covenant for Israel with the living creatures of the open country and with the birds of the heavens and with the creeping things of the ground. And I will break the bow and the sword and [abolish battle equipment and] conflict out of the land and will make you lie down safely.


text:
And I will betroth you to Me forever; yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and justice, in steadfast love, and in mercy.


text:
I will even betroth you to Me in stability <i>and</i> in faithfulness, and you shall know (recognize, be acquainted with, appreciate, give heed to, and cherish) the Lord.


text:
And in that day I will respond, says the Lord; I will respond to the heavens [which ask for rain to pour on the earth], and they shall respond to the earth [which begs for the rain it needs],


text:
And the earth shall respond to the grain and the wine and the oil [which beseech it to bring them forth], and these shall respond to Jezreel [restored Israel, who prays for a supply of them].


text:
And I will sow her for Myself anew in the land, and I will have love, pity, <i>and</i> mercy for her who had not obtained love, pity, <i>and</i> mercy; and I will say to those who were not My people, You are My people, and they shall say, You are my God! <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
Then said the Lord to me, Go again, love [the same] woman [Gomer] who is beloved of a paramour and is an adulteress, even as the Lord loves the children of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love cakes of raisins [used in the sacrificial feasts in idol worship].


text:
So I bought her for <f>[1]</f>fifteen pieces of silver and a homer and a half of barley [the price of a slave].


text:
And I said to her, You shall be [betrothed] to me for many days; you shall not play the harlot and you shall not belong to another man. So will I also be to you [until you have proved your loyalty to me and our marital relations may be resumed].


text:
For the children of Israel shall dwell <i>and</i> sit deprived many days, without king or prince, without sacrifice or [idolatrous] pillar, and without ephod [a garment worn by priests when seeking divine counsel] or teraphim (household gods).


text:
Afterward shall the children of Israel return and seek the Lord their God, [inquiring of and requiring Him] and [from the line of] David, their King [of kings]; and they shall come in [anxious] fear to the Lord and to His goodness <i>and</i> His good things in the latter days. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Hear the word of the Lord, you children of Israel, for the Lord has a controversy (a pleading contention) with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no faithfulness, love, pity <i>and</i> mercy, or knowledge of God [from personal experience with Him] in the land.


text:
There is nothing but [false] swearing and breaking faith and killing and stealing and committing adultery; they break out [into violence], one [deed of] bloodshed following close on another.


text:
Therefore shall the land [continually] mourn, and all who dwell in it shall languish, together with the wild beasts of the open country and the birds of the heavens; yes, the fishes of the sea also shall [perish because of the drought] be collected <i>and</i> taken away.


text:
Yet let no man strive, neither let any man reprove [another — do not waste your time in mutual recriminations], for with you is My contention, O priest.


text:
And you shall stumble in the daytime, and the [false] prophet also shall stumble with you in the night; and I will destroy your mother [the priestly nation]. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you [the priestly nation] have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you that you shall be no priest to Me; seeing you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also forget your children.


text:
The more they increased <i>and</i> multiplied [in prosperity and power], the more they sinned against Me; I will change their glory into shame.


text:
And it shall be: Like people, like priest; I will punish them for their ways and repay them for their doings.


text:
For they shall eat and not have enough; they shall play the harlot and beget no increase, because they have forsaken the Lord for harlotry;


text:
Harlotry and wine and new wine take away the heart <i>and</i> the mind <i>and</i> the spiritual understanding.


text:
My people [habitually] ask counsel of their [senseless] wood [idols], and their staff [of wood] gives them oracles <i>and</i> instructs them. For the spirit of harlotry has led them astray and they have played the harlot, withdrawing themselves from subjection to their God.


text:
They sacrifice on the tops of the mountains, and they burn incense upon the hills and under oaks, poplars, and terebinths, because there the shade is good. Therefore your daughters play the harlot and your sons’ wives commit adultery.


text:
I will not punish your daughters when they play the harlot nor your daughters-in-law when they commit adultery, for [the fathers and husbands] themselves go aside in order to be alone with women who prostitute themselves for gain, and they sacrifice at the altar with dedicated harlots [who surrender their chastity in honor of the goddess]. Therefore the people without understanding shall stumble <i>and</i> fall <i>and</i> come to ruin.


text:
Though you, Israel, play the harlot <i>and</i> worship idols, let not Judah offend <i>and</i> become guilty; come not to Gilgal, neither go up to Beth-aven [contemptuous reference to Bethel, then noted for idolatry], nor swear [in idolatrous service, saying], As the Lord lives.


text:
For Israel has behaved stubbornly, like a stubborn heifer. How then should he expect to be fed <i>and</i> treated by the Lord like a lamb in a large pasture?


text:
Their drinking carousal over, they go habitually to play the harlot; [Ephraim’s] rulers [continue to] love shame more than her glory [which is the Lord, Israel’s God].


text:
The resistless wind [of God’s wrath] has bound up [Israel] in its wings <i>or</i> skirts, and [in captivity] they <i>and</i> their altars shall be put to shame because of their sacrifices [to calves, to sun, moon, and stars, and to heathen gods].


text:
Hear this, O you priests! And listen, O house of Israel! And give ear, O house of the king! For the judgment pronounced pertains to you <i>and</i> is meant for you, because you have been a snare at Mizpah and a net spread upon Tabor [military strongholds on either side of the Jordan River].


text:
The revolters are deeply sunk in corruption <i>and</i> slaughter, but I [the Lord God] am a rebuke <i>and</i> a chastisement for them all.


text:
I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hid from Me; for now, O Ephraim, you have played the harlot <i>and</i> have worshiped idols; Israel is defiled.


text:
Their doings will not permit them to return to their God, for the spirit of harlotry is within them and they know not the Lord [they do not recognize, appreciate, give heed to, or cherish the Lord].


text:
But the pride <i>and</i> self-reliance of Israel testifies before his [own] face. Therefore shall [all] Israel, and [especially] Ephraim [the northern ten tribes], totter <i>and</i> fall in their iniquity <i>and</i> guilt, and Judah shall stumble <i>and</i> fall with them.


text:
They shall go with their flocks and with their herds to seek the Lord [inquiring for and requiring Him], but they will not find Him; He has withdrawn Himself from them.


text:
They have dealt faithlessly <i>and</i> treacherously with the Lord [their espoused Husband], for they have borne alien children. Now shall a [single] New Moon (one month) devour them with their fields.


text:
Blow the horn in Gibeah and the trumpet in Ramah [both lofty hills on Benjamin’s northern border]. Sound the alarm at Beth-aven: [the enemy is] behind you <i>and</i> after you, O Benjamin [be on your guard]!


text:
Ephraim shall become a desolation in the day of rebuke <i>and</i> punishment. Among the tribes of Israel I declare what shall surely be.


text:
The princes of Judah are like those who remove the landmark [the barrier between right and wrong]; I will pour out My wrath upon them like water. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Ephraim is oppressed; he is broken <i>and</i> crushed by [divine] judgment, because he was content to walk after idols (images) <i>and</i> man’s [evil] command <f>[1]</f>(<i>vanities and filth</i>).


text:
Therefore I am like a moth to Ephraim and like dry rot to the house of Judah [in My judgment against them].


text:
When Ephraim saw his sickness and Judah saw his wound, then Ephraim went to Assyria and sent to [Assyria’s] great King Jareb [for help]. Yet he cannot heal you nor will he cure you of your wound [received in divine judgment].


text:
For I will be to Ephraim like a lion, and like a young lion to the house of Judah. I, even I, will rend and go on [rending]; I will carry off and there will be no one to deliver.


text:
I will return to My place [on high] until they acknowledge their offense <i>and</i> feel their guilt and seek My face; in their affliction <i>and</i> distress they will seek, inquire for, <i>and</i> require Me earnestly, saying,


text:
Come and let us return to the Lord, for He has torn so that He may heal us; He has stricken so that He may bind us up.


text:
After two days He will revive us (quicken us, give us life); on the third day He will raise us up that we may live before Him. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Yes, let us know (recognize, be acquainted with, and understand) Him; let us be zealous to know the Lord [to appreciate, give heed to, and cherish Him]. His going forth is prepared <i>and</i> certain as the dawn, and He will come to us as the [heavy] rain, as the latter rain that waters the earth.


text:
O Ephraim, what shall I do with you? [says the Lord] O Judah, what shall I do with you? For your [wavering] love <i>and</i> kindness are like the night mist <i>or</i> like the dew that goes early away.


text:
Therefore have I hewn down <i>and</i> smitten them by means of the prophets; I have slain them by the words of My mouth; My judgments [pronounced upon them by you prophets] are like the light that goes forth.


text:
For I desire <i>and</i> delight in dutiful steadfast love <i>and</i> goodness, not sacrifice, and the knowledge of <i>and</i> acquaintance with God more than burnt offerings. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
But they, like [less-privileged] men <i>and</i> like Adam, have transgressed the covenant; there have they dealt faithlessly <i>and</i> treacherously with Me.


text:
And as troops of robbers lie in wait for a man, so the company of priests murder on the road toward Shechem; yes, they commit villainy <i>and</i> outrages.


text:
I have seen a horrible thing in the house of Israel! There harlotry <i>and</i> idolatry are found in Ephraim; Israel is defiled.


text:
Also, O Judah, there is a harvest [of divine judgment] appointed for you; when I would return My people from their captivity [in which they are slaves to the misery brought on by their own sins],


text:
When I would heal Israel, then Ephraim’s guilt is uncovered, and the wickedness of Samaria; how they practice falsehood, and the thief enters and the troop of bandits ravage <i>and</i> raid without.


text:
But they do not consider <i>and</i> say to their minds <i>and</i> hearts that I [earnestly] remember all their wickedness. Now their own doings surround and entangle them; they are before My face.


text:
They are all [idolatrous] adulterers; their passion smolders like heat of an oven when the baker ceases to stir the fire from the kneading of the dough until it is leavened.


text:
On the [special] day of our king the princes made themselves <i>and</i> him sick with the heat of wine; [the king] stretched out his hand with scoffers <i>and</i> lawless men.


text:
For they have made ready their heart, <i>and</i> their mind burns [with intrigue] like an oven while they lie in wait. Their anger smolders all night; in the morning it blazes forth as a flaming fire.


text:
They are all hot as an oven and devour their judges; all their kings are fallen; there is none among them who calls to Me.


text:
Ephraim mixes himself among the peoples [courting the favor of first one country, then another]; Ephraim is a cake not turned.


text:
Strangers have devoured his strength, and he knows it not; yes, gray hairs are sprinkled here and there upon him, and he does not know it.


text:
And the pride of Israel testifies against him <i>and</i> to his face. But they do not return to the Lord their God, nor seek <i>nor</i> inquire of <i>nor</i> require Him in spite of all this.


text:
Ephraim also is like a silly dove without heart <i>or</i> understanding; they call to Egypt; they go to Assyria.


text:
As they go, I will spread My net over them; I will bring them down like birds of the heavens. I will chastise them according to the announcement [or prediction made] to their congregation [in the Scriptures]. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Woe to them, for they have wandered from Me! Destruction to them, because they have rebelled <i>and</i> trespassed against Me! Though I would redeem them, yet they have spoken lies against Me.


text:
They do not cry to Me from their heart, but they wail upon their beds; they gash <i>and</i> distress <i>and</i> assemble themselves [in mourning] for grain and new wine; they rebel against Me.


text:
Although I have chastened them <i>and</i> trained and strengthened their arms, yet they think <i>and</i> devise evil against Me.


text:
They turn back, shift, <i>or</i> change, but not upwards [to the Most High]. They are like a deceitful bow; their princes shall fall by the sword for the insolence <i>and</i> rage of their tongue. This shall be [cause for] their derision <i>and</i> scorning in the land of Egypt.


text:
Set the trumpet to your lips! [The enemy] comes as a [great] vulture against the house of the Lord, because they have broken My covenant and transgressed against My law.


text:
They set up kings, but not from Me [therefore without My blessing]; they have made princes or removed them [without consulting Me; therefore], I knew <i>and</i> recognized [them] not. With their silver and their gold they made idols for themselves, that they [the silver and the gold] may be destroyed.


text:
Your calf [idol], O Samaria, is loathsome <i>and</i> I have spurned it. My wrath burns against them. How long will it be before they attain purity?


text:
For this [calf] too is from Israel; a craftsman made it; therefore it is not God. The calf of Samaria shall be broken to shivers <i>and</i> go up in flames.


text:
For they sow the wind and they shall reap the whirlwind. The standing grain has no heads; it shall yield no meal; if it were to yield, strangers <i>and</i> aliens would eat it up.


text:
Israel is [as if] swallowed up. Already they have become among the nations as a vessel [of cheap, coarse pottery] that is useless.


text:
For they are gone up to Assyria, a wild ass taking her own way by herself; Ephraim has hired lovers.


text:
Yes, though with presents they hire [allies] among the nations, now will I gather them up, and in a little while they will sorrow <i>and</i> begin to diminish [their gifts] because of the burden (tribute) imposed by the king of princes [the king of Assyria].


text:
I wrote for him the ten thousand things of My law, but they are counted as a strange thing [as something which does not concern him].


text:
My sacrificial gifts they sacrifice [as a mere form]; yes, they sacrifice flesh and eat it, but the Lord does not accept them. Now He will [earnestly] remember their guilt <i>and</i> iniquity and will punish their sins. They shall return to [another] Egypt [Assyria]. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
For Israel has forgotten his Maker and built palaces <i>and</i> idol temples, and Judah has multiplied fortified cities; but I will send a fire upon his cities and it shall devour his palaces <i>and</i> fortified buildings. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Rejoice not, O Israel, with exultation as do the peoples, for you have played the harlot, forsaking your God. You have loved [a harlot’s] hire upon every threshing floor [ascribing the harvest to the Baals instead of to God].


text:
They shall not remain in the Lord’s land, but Ephraim shall return to [another] Egypt and they shall eat unclean food in Assyria. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
They shall not pour out wine offerings to the Lord, neither shall they be pleasing to Him. Their sacrifices shall be to them as the bread of mourners; all who eat of them shall be defiled, for their bread shall be [only] for their appetite; it shall not come into the house of the Lord [to be offered first to Him].


text:
What will you do on the day of the appointed solemn assembly <i>or</i> festival and on the day of the feast of the Lord [when you are in exile]?


text:
For behold, they are gone away from devastation <i>and</i> destruction; Egypt shall gather them in; Memphis shall bury them. Their precious things of silver shall be in the possession of nettles; thorns shall be [growing] in their tents.


text:
The days of visitation <i>and</i> punishment have come; the days of recompense have come; Israel shall know it. The prophet is [considered] a crazed fool and the man who is inspired is [treated as if] mad <i>or</i> a fanatic, because of the abundance of your iniquity and because the enmity, hostility, <i>and</i> persecution are great. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Ephraim was [intended to be] a watchman with my God [and a prophet to the surrounding nations]; but he, that prophet, has become a fowler’s snare in all his ways. There is enmity, hostility, <i>and</i> persecution in the house of his God.


text:
They have deeply corrupted themselves as in the days of Gibeah. The Lord will [earnestly] remember their iniquity; He will punish their sins. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your fathers as the first ripe fruit on the fig tree in its first season, but they went to Baal-peor and consecrated themselves to that shameful thing [Baal], and they became detestable <i>and</i> loathsome like that which they loved.


text:
As for Ephraim, their glory shall fly away like a bird; there shall be no birth, no being with child, and [because of their impurity] no becoming pregnant.


text:
Though they bring up their children, yet will I bereave them so that not a man shall be left; yes, woe also to them when I look away <i>and</i> depart from them!


text:
Ephraim, as I have seen with Tyre, is planted in a pleasant place, but Ephraim shall bring out his children to the slayer.


text:
Give them [their due], O Lord! [But] what will You give? Give them a miscarrying womb and dry breasts.


text:
All their wickedness [says the Lord] is focused in Gilgal, for there I hated them; for the wickedness of their [idolatrous] doings I will drive them out of My house [the Holy Land]; I will love them no more; all their princes are rebels. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
Ephraim is smitten, their root is dried up, they shall bear no fruit. Yes, though they bring forth, yet will I slay even their beloved children.


text:
My God will cast them away because they did not listen to <i>and</i> obey Him, and they shall be wanderers <i>and</i> fugitives among the nations.


text:
Israel is a luxuriant vine that puts forth its [material] fruit. According to the abundance of his fruit he has multiplied his altars [to idols]; according to the goodness <i>and</i> prosperity of their land they have made goodly pillars <i>or</i> obelisks [to false gods].


text:
Their heart is divided <i>and</i> deceitful; now shall they be found guilty <i>and</i> suffer punishment. The Lord will smite <i>and</i> break down [the horns of] their altars; He will destroy their [idolatrous] pillars.


text:
Surely now they shall say, We have no [actual] king because we fear not the Lord; and as for the king, what can he do for us?


text:
They have spoken mere words of the lips, swearing falsely in making covenants; therefore judgment springs up like hemlock [or other poisonous plants] in the furrows of the field.


text:
The inhabitants of Samaria shall be in terror for the calf [idol] of Beth-aven [the house of idolatry, contemptuously meaning Bethel], for its people shall mourn over it and its [idolatrous] priests who rejoiced over it [shall tremble] for the glory of [their calf god], because it is departed from it.


text:
[The golden calf] shall also be carried into Assyria as a tribute-gift to the fighting King Jareb; Ephraim shall be put to shame and Israel shall be ashamed of his own counsel [to set up calf worship and detach Israel from Judah].


text:
As for Samaria, her king <i>and</i> her whole monarchy are cut off like twigs <i>or</i> foam upon the water.


text:
The high places also of Aven [once Beth(el), house of God, now (Beth-)aven, house of idolatry], the sin of Israel, shall be destroyed; the thorn and the thistle shall come up on their [idol] altars, and they shall say to the mountains, Cover us! And to the hills, Fall on us! <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
O Israel, you have [willfully] sinned from the days of Gibeah [when you all but wiped out the tribe of Benjamin]! There [Israel] stood [then, only] that the battle against the sons of unrighteousness might not overtake <i>and</i> turn against them at Gibeah [but now the kingdom of the ten tribes and the name of Ephraim shall be utterly blotted out]. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
When I please I will chastise them, and hostile peoples shall be gathered against them when I shall bind <i>and</i> yoke them for their two transgressions [revolt from the Lord their God and the worship of idols]. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
Ephraim indeed is a heifer broken in <i>and</i> loving to tread out the grain, but I have [heretofore] spared the beauty of her fair neck. I will now set a rider upon Ephraim <i>and</i> make him to draw; Judah shall plow and Jacob shall break his clods.


text:
Sow for yourselves according to righteousness (uprightness and right standing with God); reap according to mercy <i>and</i> loving-kindness. Break up your uncultivated ground, for it is time to seek the Lord, to inquire for <i>and</i> of Him, <i>and</i> to require His favor, till He comes and teaches you righteousness <i>and</i> rains His righteous gift of salvation upon you. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
You have plowed <i>and</i> plotted wickedness, you have reaped the [willful] injustice [of oppressors], you have eaten the fruit of lies. Because you have trusted in your [own] way <i>and</i> your chariots, in the multitude of your mighty men,


text:
Therefore shall a tumult arise against your people and all your fortresses shall be wasted <i>and</i> destroyed, as Shalmaneser wasted <i>and</i> destroyed Beth-arbel on the day of battle; the mother was dashed in pieces with her children. <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
So shall it be done to you at [idolatrous] Bethel because of your great wickedness; at daybreak shall the king of Israel be utterly cut off.


text:
The more [the prophets] called to them, the more they went from them; they kept sacrificing to the Baals and burning incense to the graven images.


text:
Yet I taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by their arms <i>or</i> taking them up in My arms, but they did not know that I healed them.


text:
I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love, and I was to them as one who lifts up <i>and</i> eases the yoke over their cheeks, and I bent down to them <i>and</i> gently laid food before them.


text:
They shall not [literally] return into [another bondage in] the land of Egypt, but the Assyrian shall be their king because they refused to return to Me.


text:
And the sword shall rage against <i>and</i> fall upon their cities and shall consume the bars of their gates and shall make an end [of their defenses], because of their own counsels <i>and</i> devices.


text:
My people are bent on backsliding from Me; though [the prophets] call them to Him Who is on high, none at all will exalt Him <i>or</i> lift himself up [to come to Him].


text:
How can I give you up, O Ephraim! How can I surrender you <i>and</i> cast you off, O Israel! How can I make you as Admah <i>or</i> how can I treat you as Zeboiim [both destroyed with Sodom]! My heart recoils within Me; My compassions are kindled together. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
I will not execute the fierceness of My anger; I will not bring back Ephraim to nothing <i>or</i> again destroy him. For I am God and not man, the Holy One in the midst of you, and I will not come in wrath <i>or</i> enter into the city.


text:
They shall walk after the Lord, Who will roar like a lion; He Himself will roar and [His] sons shall come trembling <i>and</i> eagerly from the west.


text:
They shall come trembling <i>but</i> hurriedly like a bird out of Egypt and like a dove out of the land of Assyria, and I will cause them to dwell in their houses, says the Lord.


text:
Ephraim surrounds Me with lies and the house of Israel with deceit, and Judah is not yet steadfast with God, with the faithful Holy One.


text:
Ephraim herds <i>and</i> feeds on the wind and pursues the [parching] east wind; every day he increases lies and violence, and a covenant is made with Assyria and oil is carried to Egypt. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
The Lord has also a controversy (a pleading contention) with Judah, and will punish Jacob by visiting upon him according to his ways; according to his doings will He recompense him.


text:
He took his brother by the heel in [their mother’s] womb, and in the strength [of his manhood] he contended <i>and</i> had power with God. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Yes, he had power over the <f>[1]</f>Angel [of the Lord] and prevailed; he wept and sought His favor. He met Him in Bethel, and there [God] spoke with [him and through him with] us — <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
Therefore return to your God! Hold fast to love <i>and</i> mercy, to righteousness <i>and</i> justice, and wait [expectantly] for your God continually!


text:
Canaan [Israel — whose ideals have sunk to those of Canaan] is a trader; the balances of deceit are in his hand; he loves to oppress <i>and</i> defraud.


text:
Ephraim has said, Ah, but I have become rich; I have gained for myself wealth. All my profits shall bring on me no iniquity that would be sin. [But all his profits will never offset nor suffice to expiate the guilt which he has incurred.] <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
But I [Who] am the Lord your God from [when you became a nation in] the land of Egypt will yet make you to dwell in tents, as in the days of the appointed <i>and</i> solemn Feast [of Tabernacles]. <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
I have also spoken to [you by] the prophets, and I have multiplied visions [for you] and [have appealed to you] through parables acted out by the prophets.


text:
If Gilead is given over to idolatry, they shall come to nought <i>and</i> be mere waste; if they [insult God by] sacrificing bullocks in Gilgal [on heathen altars], their altars shall be like heaps in the furrows of the fields.


text:
Jacob fled into the open country of Aram <i>or</i> Padan-aram, and [there] Israel served for a wife, and for a wife he herded sheep. <f>ⓕ</f>


text:
Ephraim has provoked most bitter anger; therefore shall his blood [guilt] be left upon him, and his disgrace <i>and</i> reproach shall his Lord return upon him.


text:
When Ephraim spoke with trembling, he exalted himself in Israel; but when he offended <i>and</i> became guilty in Baal worship, he died [spiritually, and then outward ruin came also, sealing Israel’s doom as a nation].


text:
And now they sin more and more and have made for themselves molten images of their silver, even idols according to their own understanding [as it pleased them], all of them the work of the craftsmen. To these [very works of their hands] they speak <i>or</i> pray who sacrifice to them; they kiss <i>and</i> show homage to the calves [as if they were alive]!


text:
Therefore they shall be like the morning mist or like the dew that passes early away, like the chaff that swirls with the whirlwind from the threshing floor and as the smoke out of the chimney <i>or</i> through the window.


text:
Yet I am the Lord your God from [the time you became a nation in] the land of Egypt, and you shall know <i>or</i> recognize no God but Me, for there is no Savior besides Me.


text:
I knew (recognized, understood, and had regard for) you in the wilderness, in the land of great drought.


text:
According to their pasture, so were they filled [when they fed, they grew full], and their heart was lifted up; therefore have they forgotten Me.


text:
Therefore I have become to them like a lion; like a leopard I will lurk by the way [to Assyria] <i>and</i> watch them.


text:
I will meet them like a bear that is robbed of her cubs, and I will rend the covering of their heart, and there will I devour them like a lioness, as a wild beast would tear them.


text:
Where now is your king that he may save you in all your cities? And your judges of whom you said, Give me a king and princes?


text:
The iniquity of Ephraim [not fully punished yet] is bound up [as in a bag]; his sin is laid up in store [for judgment and destruction].


text:
The pains of a woman in childbirth are coming on for him [to be born]; but he is an unwise son, for now when it is time [to be born], he comes not to the place where [unborn] children break forth [he needs new birth but makes no effort to acquire it].


text:
Should I ransom them from the power of Sheol (the place of the dead)? Should I redeem them from death? <f>[1]</f>O death, where are your plagues? O Sheol, where is your destruction? Relenting <i>and</i> compassion are hidden from My eyes. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
For though among his brethren [his fellow tribes] he may be fruitful, an east wind [Assyria] will come, the breath of the Lord rising from the desert; and Ephraim’s spring shall become dry and his fountain be dried up. [Assyria] shall plunder his treasury of every precious vessel.


text:
Samaria shall bear her guilt <i>and</i> become desolate, for she rebelled against her God; they shall fall by the sword, their infants shall be dashed in pieces, and their pregnant women shall be ripped up.


text:
O Israel, return to the Lord your God, for you have stumbled <i>and</i> fallen, [visited by calamity] due to your iniquity.


text:
Take with you words and return to the Lord. Say to Him, Take away all <i>our</i> iniquity; accept what is good <i>and</i> receive us graciously; so will we render [our thanks] as bullocks [to be sacrificed] <i>and</i> pay the confession of our lips. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Assyria shall not save us; we will not ride upon horses, neither will we say any more to the work of our hands [idols], You are our gods. For in You [O Lord] the fatherless find love, pity, <i>and</i> mercy.


text:
I will heal their faithlessness; I will love them freely, for My anger is turned away from [Israel].


text:
I will be like the dew <i>and</i> the night mist to Israel; he shall grow <i>and</i> blossom like the lily and cast forth his roots like [the sturdy evergreens of] Lebanon.


text:
His suckers <i>and</i> shoots shall spread, and his beauty shall be like the olive tree and his fragrance like [the cedars and aromatic shrubs of] Lebanon.


text:
They that dwell under his shade shall return; they shall revive like the grain and blossom like the vine; the scent of it shall be like the wine of Lebanon.


text:
Ephraim shall say, What have I to do any more with idols? I have answered [him] and will regard <i>and</i> watch over him; I am like a green fir <i>or</i> cypress tree; with Me is the fruit found [which is to nourish you].


text:
Who is wise, that he may understand these things? Prudent, that he may know them? For the ways of the Lord are right and the [uncompromisingly] just shall walk in them, but transgressors shall stumble <i>and</i> fall in them. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Hear this, you aged men, and give ear, all you inhabitants of the land! Has such a thing as this occurred in your days or even in the days of your fathers?


text:
Tell your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children another generation.


text:
What the crawling locust left, the swarming locust has eaten; and what the swarming locust left, the hopping locust has eaten; and what the hopping locust left, the stripping locust has eaten.


text:
Awake, you drunkards, and weep; wail, all you drinkers of wine, because of the [fresh] sweet juice [of the grape], for it is cut off <i>and</i> removed from your mouth.


text:
For a [heathen and hostile] nation [of locusts, illustrative of a human foe] has invaded My land, mighty and without number; its teeth are the teeth of a lion, and it has the jaw teeth of a lioness. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
It has laid waste My vine [symbol of God’s people] and barked <i>and</i> broken My fig tree; it has made them completely bare and thrown them down; their branches are made white. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
The meal <i>or</i> cereal offering and the drink offering are cut off from the house of the Lord; the priests, the Lord’s ministers, mourn.


text:
The field is laid waste, the ground mourns; for the grain is destroyed, the new juice [of the grape] is dried up, the oil fails.


text:
Be ashamed, O you tillers of the soil; wail, O you vinedressers, for the wheat and for the barley, because the harvest of the field has perished.


text:
The vine is dried up and the fig tree fails; the pomegranate tree, the palm tree also, and the apple <i>or</i> quince tree, even all the trees of the field are withered, so that joy has withered <i>and</i> fled away from the sons of men.


text:
Gird yourselves and lament, you priests; wail, you ministers of the altar; come, lie all night in sackcloth, you ministers of my [Joel’s] God, for the cereal <i>or</i> meal offering and the drink offering are withheld from the house of your God.


text:
Sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land in the house of the Lord, your God, and cry to the Lord [in penitent pleadings].


text:
Alas for the day! For the day of [the judgment of] the Lord is at hand, and as a destructive tempest from the Almighty will it come. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
The seed [grain] rots <i>and</i> shrivels under the clods, the garners are desolate <i>and</i> empty, the barns are in ruins because the grain has failed.


text:
How the beasts groan! The herds of cattle are perplexed <i>and</i> huddle together because they have no pasture; even the flocks of sheep suffer punishment (are forsaken and made wretched).


text:
O Lord, to You will I cry, for the fire has devoured the pastures <i>and</i> folds of the plain <i>and</i> the wilderness, and flame has burned all the trees of the field.


text:
Even the wild beasts of the field pant <i>and</i> cry to You, for the water brooks are dried up and fire has consumed the pastures <i>and</i> folds of the wilderness <i>and</i> the plain.


text:
Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound an alarm on My holy Mount [Zion]. Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of [the judgment of] the Lord is coming; it is close at hand — <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
A day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and of thick mists <i>and</i> darkness, like the morning dawn spread upon the mountains; so there comes a [heathen, hostile] people numerous and mighty, the like of which has never been before and shall not be again even to the years of many generations.


text:
A fire devours before them, and behind them a flame burns; the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yes, and none has escaped [the ravages of the devouring hordes].


text:
Their appearance is like the appearance of horses, and like war horses <i>and</i> horsemen, so do they run.


text:
Like the noise of chariots on the tops of the mountains they leap — like the noise of a flame of fire devouring the stubble, like a mighty people set in battle array. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
They run like mighty men; they climb the wall like men of war. They march each one [straight ahead] on his ways, and they do not break their ranks.


text:
Neither does one thrust upon another; they walk every one in his path. And they burst through <i>and</i> upon the weapons, yet they are not wounded <i>and</i> do not change their course.


text:
They leap upon the city; they run upon the wall; they climb up on <i>and</i> into the houses; they enter in at the windows like a thief.


text:
The earth quakes before them; the heavens tremble. The sun and the moon are darkened and the stars withdraw their shining. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
And the Lord utters His voice before His army, for His host is very great, and [they are] strong <i>and</i> powerful who execute [God’s] word. For the day of the Lord is great and very terrible, and who can endure it? <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
Therefore also now, says the Lord, turn <i>and</i> keep on coming to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning [until every hindrance is removed and the broken fellowship is restored].


text:
Rend your hearts and not your garments and return to the Lord, your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in loving-kindness; and He revokes His sentence of evil [when His conditions are met].


text:
Who knows but what He will turn, revoke your sentence [of evil], and leave a blessing behind Him [giving you the means with which to serve Him], even a cereal <i>or</i> meal offering and a drink offering for the Lord, your God?


text:
Blow the trumpet in Zion; set apart a fast [a day of restraint and humility]; call a solemn assembly.


text:
Gather the people, sanctify the congregation; assemble the elderly people, gather the children and the nursing infants; let the bridegroom [who is legally exempt from attending] go forth from his chamber and the bride out of her closet. [None is exempt from the humiliation.]


text:
Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar; and let them say, Have pity <i>and</i> spare Your people, O Lord, and give not Your heritage to reproach, that the [heathen] nations should rule over them <i>or</i> use a byword against them. Why should they say among the peoples, Where is their God?


text:
Yes, the Lord answered and said to His people, Behold, I am sending you grain and juice [of the grape] and oil, and you shall be satisfied with them; and I will no more make you a reproach among the [heathen] nations.


text:
But I will remove far off from you the northern [destroyer’s] army and will drive it into a land barren and desolate, with its front toward the eastern [Dead] Sea and with its rear toward the western [Mediterranean] Sea. And its stench shall come up [like that of a decaying mass of locusts, a symbol and forecast of the fate of the northern army in the final day of the Lord], and its foul odor shall come up, because <f>[1]</f>He has done great things [the Lord will have destroyed the invaders]! <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
Be not afraid, you wild beasts of the field, for the pastures of the wilderness have sprung up <i>and</i> are green; the tree bears its fruit, and the fig tree and the vine yield their [full] strength.


text:
Be glad then, you children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord, your God; for He gives you the former <i>or</i> early rain in just measure <i>and</i> in righteousness, and He causes to come down for you the rain, the former rain and the latter rain, as before.


text:
And the [threshing] floors shall be full of grain and the vats shall overflow with juice [of the grape] and oil.


text:
And I will restore <i>or</i> replace for you the years that the locust has eaten — the hopping locust, the stripping locust, and the crawling locust, My great army which I sent among you.


text:
And you shall eat in plenty and be satisfied and praise the name of the Lord, your God, Who has dealt wondrously with you. And My people shall never be put to shame.


text:
And you shall know, understand, <i>and</i> realize that I am in the midst of Israel and that I the Lord am your God and there is none else. My people shall never be put to shame.


text:
And afterward I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.


text:
And I will show signs <i>and</i> wonders in the heavens, and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke.


text:
The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes. <f>ⓖ</f>


text:
And whoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered <i>and</i> saved, for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the Lord has said, and among the remnant [of survivors] shall be those whom the Lord calls. <f>ⓗ</f>


text:
For behold, in those days and at that time when I shall reverse the captivity <i>and</i> restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem,


text:
I will gather all nations and will bring them down into the Valley of Jehoshaphat, and there will I deal with <i>and</i> execute judgment upon them for [their treatment of] My people and of My heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations and [because] they have divided My land.


text:
And they have cast lots for My people, and have given a boy for a harlot and have sold a girl for juice [of the grape] and have drunk it.


text:
Yes, and what are you to Me, O Tyre and Sidon and all the [five small] divisions of Philistia? Will you pay Me back for something? Even if you pay Me back, swiftly and speedily I will return your deed [of retaliation] upon your own head, <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Because you have taken My silver and My gold and have carried into your temples <i>and</i> palaces My precious treasures,


text:
And have sold the children of Judah and the children of Jerusalem to the sons of the Grecians, that you may remove them far from their border.


text:
Behold, I will stir them up out of the place to which you have sold them and will return your deed [of retaliation] upon your own head.


text:
I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the children of Judah, and they will sell them to the Sabeans, to a nation far off, for the Lord has spoken it. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Proclaim this among the nations: Prepare war! Stir up the mighty men! Let all the men of war draw near, let them come up.


text:
Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears; let the weak say, I am strong [a warrior]! <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
Hasten and come, all you nations round about, and assemble yourselves; there You, O Lord, will bring down Your mighty ones (Your warriors).


text:
Let the nations bestir themselves and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat, for there will I sit to judge all the nations round about.


text:
Put in the sickle, for the [vintage] harvest is ripe; come, get down <i>and</i> tread the grapes, for the winepress is full; the vats overflow, for the wickedness [of the peoples] is great. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
The Lord will thunder <i>and</i> roar from Zion and utter His voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth shall shake; but the Lord will be a refuge for His people and a stronghold to the children of Israel. <f>ⓕ</f>


text:
So shall you know, understand, <i>and</i> realize that I am the Lord your God, dwelling in Zion, My holy mountain. Then shall Jerusalem be holy, and strangers <i>and</i> foreigners [not born into the family of God] shall no more pass through it.


text:
And in that day, the mountains shall drip with fresh juice [of the grape] and the hills shall flow with milk; and all the brooks <i>and</i> riverbeds of Judah shall flow with water, and a fountain shall come forth from the house of the Lord and shall water the Valley of Shittim. <f>ⓖ</f>


text:
Egypt shall be a desolation and Edom shall be a desolate wilderness for their violence against the children of Judah, because they have shed innocent blood in their land.


text:
But Judah shall remain <i>and</i> be inhabited forever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation.


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And I will cleanse <i>and</i> hold as innocent their blood <i>and</i> avenge it, blood which I have not cleansed, held innocent, <i>and</i> avenged, for the Lord dwells in Zion.


text:
The words of Amos, who was among the herdsmen <i>and</i> sheep masters of Tekoa, which he saw [in divine revelation] concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquake. <f>ⓐ</f>


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And he said, The Lord roars out of Zion and utters His voice from Jerusalem; then the pastures of the shepherds mourn and the top of [Mount] Carmel dries up. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Thus says the Lord: For three transgressions of Damascus [the capital of Syria] and for four [for multiplied delinquencies], I will not reverse the punishment of it <i>or</i> revoke My word concerning it, because they have threshed Gilead [east of the Jordan River] with iron sledges. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
So I will send a fire [of war, conquest, and destruction] upon the house of Hazael [who killed and succeeded King Ben-hadad] which shall devour the palaces <i>and</i> strongholds of Ben-hadad.


text:
I will break also the bar [of the gate] of Damascus and cut off the inhabitant from the plain of Aven <i>or</i> On, and him who holds the scepter from Beth-eden; and the people of Syria [conquered by the Assyrians] shall go into exile to Kir, says the Lord. <f>ⓓ</f>


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Thus says the Lord: For three transgressions of Gaza [a city in Philistia] and for four [for multiplied delinquencies], I will not reverse the punishment of it <i>or</i> revoke My word concerning it, because [as slave traders] they carried away captive the whole [Jewish] population [of defenseless Judean border villages, of which none was spared, none left behind] and delivered them up to Edom [for the slave trade]. <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
And I will cut off the inhabitants from Ashdod and him who holds the scepter from Ashkelon, and I will turn My hand against Ekron; and the rest of the Philistines [in Gath and the towns dependent on these four Philistine cities] shall perish, says the Lord God. <f>ⓕ</f>


text:
Thus says the Lord: For three transgressions of Tyre and for four [for multiplied delinquencies], I will not reverse the punishment of it <i>or</i> revoke My word concerning it, because they [as middlemen] delivered up a whole [Jewish] population to Edom and did not [seriously] remember their brotherly covenant. <f>ⓖ</f>


text:
Thus says the Lord: For three transgressions of Edom [descendants of Esau] and for four [for multiplied delinquencies], I will not reverse the punishment of it <i>or</i> revoke My word concerning it, because he pursued his brother Jacob (Israel) with the sword, corrupting his compassions <i>and</i> casting off all pity, and his anger tore perpetually and his wrath he kept <i>and</i> heeded forever.


text:
Thus says the Lord: For three transgressions of the children of Ammon [descendants of Lot] and for four [for multiplied delinquencies], I will not reverse the punishment of it <i>or</i> revoke My word concerning it, because [the Ammonites] have ripped up women with child in Gilead, that they might enlarge their border.


text:
So I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah [in Ammon] and it shall devour the strongholds of it, with shouting in the day of battle, with a tempest in the day of the whirlwind;


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Thus says the Lord: For three transgressions of Moab [descendants of Lot] and for four [for multiplied delinquencies], I will not reverse the punishment of it <i>or</i> revoke My word concerning it, because he burned the bones of the king of Edom [Esau’s descendant] into lime.


text:
So I will send a fire upon Moab and it shall devour the strongholds of Kerioth, and Moab shall die amid uproar, shouting, and the sound of the trumpet.


text:
Thus says the Lord: For three transgressions of Judah and for four [for multiplied delinquencies], I will not reverse the punishment of it <i>or</i> revoke My word concerning it, because they have despised <i>and</i> rejected the law of the Lord and have not kept His commandments, but their lies, after which their fathers have walked, caused them to err <i>and</i> go astray.


text:
Thus says the Lord: For three transgressions of Israel and for four [for multiplied delinquencies], I will not reverse the punishment of it <i>or</i> revoke My word concerning it, because they have sold the [strictly] just <i>and</i> uncompromisingly righteous for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals;


text:
They pant after [the sight of] the poor [reduced to such misery that they will be throwing] dust of the earth on their heads [in token of their grief]; they defraud <i>and</i> turn aside the humble [who are too meek to defend themselves]; and a man and his father will have sexual relations with the same maiden, so that My holy name is profaned.


text:
And they lay themselves down beside every [pagan] altar upon clothes they have taken in pledge [for indebtedness], and in the house of their God [in daring contempt of Him] they frivolously drink the wine which has been exacted from those [unjustly] fined.


text:
Yet I destroyed the Amorite before them, whose height was like the height of the cedars and he was strong as the oaks; yet I destroyed his fruit from above and his roots from beneath.


text:
Also I brought you up out of the land of Egypt and led you forty years through the wilderness to possess the land of the Amorite.


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And I raised up some of your sons for prophets and some of your young men for dedicated ones [Nazirites]. Is this not true, O you children of Israel? says the Lord. <f>ⓐ</f>


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But you gave the dedicated ones [the Nazirites] wine to drink and commanded the prophets, saying, Prophesy not.


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Behold, I am pressed under you <i>and</i> I will press you down in your place as a cart presses that is full of sheaves.


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And flight shall be lost to the swift <i>and</i> refuge shall fail him; the strong shall not retain <i>and</i> confirm his strength, neither shall the mighty deliver himself.


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Neither shall he stand who handles the bow, and he who is swift of foot shall not deliver himself; neither shall he who rides the horse deliver his life.


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Hear this word that the Lord has spoken against you, O children of Israel, against the whole family which I brought up from the land of Egypt:


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You only have I known (chosen, sympathized with, and loved) of all the families of the earth; therefore I will visit upon you all your wickedness <i>and</i> punish you for all your iniquities.


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Will a lion roar in the forest when he has no prey? Will a young lion cry out of his den if he has taken nothing?


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Can a bird fall in a snare upon the earth where there is no trap for him? Does a trap spring up from the ground when nothing at all has sprung it?


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Shall a trumpet be blown in the city and the people not be alarmed <i>and</i> afraid? Shall misfortune <i>or</i> evil occur [as punishment] and the Lord has not caused it?


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Surely the Lord God will do nothing <f>[1]</f>without revealing His secret to His servants the prophets. <f>ⓐ</f>


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Publish to the strongholds in Ashdod [Philistia] and to the strongholds in the land of Egypt, and say, Assemble yourselves upon the mountains of Samaria, and behold what great tumults (confusion and disorder) are in her and what oppressions are in the midst of her.


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For they know not how to do right, says the Lord, they who store up violence and robbery in their strongholds.


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Therefore thus says the Lord God: An adversary shall surround the land, and he shall bring down your defenses from you and your strongholds shall be plundered.


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Thus says the Lord: As the shepherd rescues out of the mouth of the lion two legs or a piece of an ear [of a sheep], so shall the children of Israel who dwell in Samaria be rescued with the corner of a couch and [part of] the damask covering of a bed.


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That in the day when I visit Israel’s transgressions upon him I will also visit [with punishment] the altars of Bethel [with its golden calf], and the horns of the altar shall be cut off and fall to the ground.


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And I will smite the winter house with the summer house, and the houses of ivory shall perish and the many <i>and</i> great houses shall come to an end, says the Lord.


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Hear this word, you cows [women] of Bashan who are in the mountain of Samaria, who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, who say to their husbands, Bring and let us drink! <f>ⓐ</f>


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The Lord God has sworn by His holiness that behold, the days shall come upon you when they shall take you away with hooks and the last of you with fishhooks. <f>ⓑ</f>


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And you shall go out through the breaches [made in the city’s wall], every [woman] straight before her, and you shall be cast forth into Harmon [an unknown place of exile], says the Lord.


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Come to Bethel [where the golden calf is] and transgress; at Gilgal [another idol worship center] multiply transgression; and bring your sacrifices every morning and your tithes every three days.


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And offer [by burning] a sacrifice of thanksgiving of that which is leavened, and proclaim and publish freewill offerings, for this you like to do, O children of Israel! says the Lord God.


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I also gave you cleanness of teeth in all your cities and want of bread in all your places; yet you did not return to Me, says the Lord.


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And also I withheld the rain from you when there were yet three months to the harvest. I caused it to rain upon one city and caused it not to rain upon another city; one piece of ground was rained upon, and the piece upon which it did not rain withered.


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So [the people of] two or three cities wandered <i>and</i> staggered into one city to drink water, but they were not satisfied; yet you did not return to Me, says the Lord.


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I smote you with blight [from the poisonous east wind] and with mildew; I laid waste the multitude of your gardens and your vineyards; your fig trees and your olive trees the palmerworm [a form of locust] devoured; yet you did not return to Me, says the Lord.


text:
I have sent among you the pestilence [which I made] epidemic in Egypt; your young men I slew with the sword and I took into exile your horses, and I made the stench of your camp come up into your nostrils; yet you did not return to Me, says the Lord. <f>ⓒ</f>


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I have overthrown some among you as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and you were as a brand plucked out of the burning; yet you did not return to Me, says the Lord. <f>ⓓ</f>


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Therefore thus will I do to you, O Israel; and because I will do this to you, prepare to meet your God, O Israel!


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For behold, He Who forms the mountains and creates the wind and declares to man what is his thought, Who makes the morning darkness and treads on the heights of the earth — the Lord, the God of hosts, is His name! <f>ⓔ</f>


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The Virgin of Israel has fallen; she shall no more rise; she lies cast down <i>and</i> forsaken on her land; there is no one to raise her up.


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For thus says the Lord God: The city that went forth a thousand shall have a hundred left, and that which went forth a hundred shall have ten left to the house of Israel.


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For thus says the Lord to the house of Israel: Seek Me [inquire for and of Me and require Me as you require food] and you shall live! <f>ⓐ</f>


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But seek not [the golden calf at] Bethel nor enter into [idolatrous] Gilgal, and pass not over to [the idols of] Beersheba; for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity <i>and</i> exile, and Bethel [house of God] shall become Beth-aven [house of vanity, emptiness, falsity, and futility] and come to nothing.


text:
Seek the Lord [inquire for and of Him and require Him] and you shall live, lest He rush down like fire upon the house of Joseph [representing the ten tribes] and devour it, and there be none to quench it in Bethel [the center of their idol hopes].


text:
You who turn justice into [the bitterness of] wormwood and cast righteousness (uprightness and right standing with God) down to the ground,


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Seek Him Who made the [cluster of stars called] Pleiades and [the constellation] Orion, Who turns the shadow of death <i>or</i> deep darkness into the morning and darkens the day into night, Who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out upon the face of the earth — the Lord is His name —


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Who causes sudden destruction to flash forth upon the strong so that destruction comes upon the fortress.


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They hate him who reproves in the [city] gate [holding him as an abomination and rejecting his rebuke], and they abhor him who speaks uprightly.


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Therefore because you tread upon the poor and take from him exactions of wheat, you have built houses of hewn stone, but you shall not dwell in them; you have planted pleasant vineyards, but you shall not drink their wine.


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For I know how manifold are your transgressions and how mighty are your sins — you who afflict the [uncompromisingly] righteous, who take a bribe, and who turn aside the needy in the [court of the city] gate from their right.


text:
Seek (inquire for and require) good and not evil that you may live, and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you, as you have said.


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Hate the evil and love the good and establish justice in the [court of the city’s] gate. It may be that the Lord, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph [the northern kingdom].


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Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of hosts, the Lord: There shall be wailing in all the broad ways, and in all the streets they shall say, Alas! Alas! And they shall call the farmers to mourning and such as are skilled in lamentation to wailing.


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And in all vineyards there shall be wailing, for I will pass through the midst of you, says the Lord.


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Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord! Why would you want the day of the Lord? It is darkness and not light;


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It is as if a man fled from a lion and a bear met him, or went into the house and leaned with his hand against the wall and a serpent bit him.


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I hate, I despise your feasts, and I will not smell a savor <i>or</i> take delight in your solemn assemblies.


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Though you offer Me your burnt offerings and your cereal offerings, I will not accept them, neither will I look upon the peace <i>or</i> thank offerings of your fatted beasts.


text:
Did you bring to Me sacrifices and cereal offerings during those forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?


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[No] but [instead of bringing Me the appointed sacrifices] you carried about the tent of your king Sakkuth and Kaiwan [names for the gods of the planet Saturn], your images of your star-god which you made for yourselves [and you will do so again].


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Therefore I will cause you to go into exile beyond Damascus, says the Lord, whose name is the God of hosts. <f>ⓑ</f>


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Woe to those who are at ease in Zion and to those on the mountain of Samaria who are careless <i>and</i> feel secure, the notable men of the chief [because chosen by God] of the nations, to whom the house of Israel comes! <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Pass over to Calneh and see, and from there go to Hamath the great [city, north of Damascus]; then go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are they better than these [your] kingdoms? Or are their boundaries greater than your boundaries,


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O you who put far away the evil day [of punishment], yet cause the sitting of violence [upon you] to come near?


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Woe to those who lie upon beds of ivory and stretch themselves upon their couches, and eat the lambs out of the flock and the calves out of the midst of the stall,


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Who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp and invent for themselves instruments of music like David’s, <f>ⓑ</f>


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Who drink wine in bowls and anoint themselves with the finest oils, but are not grieved <i>and</i> sick at heart over the affliction <i>and</i> ruin of Joseph (Israel)! <f>ⓒ</f>


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Therefore now shall they go captive with the first who go into exile, and the revelry <i>and</i> banqueting of those who stretch themselves shall be ended.


text:
The Lord God has sworn by Himself — the Lord, the God of hosts, says: I abhor, reject, <i>and</i> despise the pride <i>and</i> false, futile glory of Jacob (Israel), and I hate his palaces <i>and</i> strongholds; and I will deliver up the city [idol-worshiping Samaria] with all that is in it.


text:
And it shall come to pass that if there remain ten men in one house, they shall die [by the pestilence that comes with war].


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And then a man’s uncle <i>or</i> kinsman, he who is to make a burning to cremate <i>and</i> dispose [of his pestilence-infected body], comes in to bring the bones out of the house, and he shall say to another still alive in the farthest parts of the house, Is there anyone else with you? and he shall say, No. Then shall the newcomer say, Hush! Hold your [cursing] tongue! We dare not so mention the name of the Lord [lest we invoke more punishment]. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
For behold, the Lord commands and He will smite the great house into ruins and the little house into fragments.


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Do horses run upon rocks? Do men plow the ocean with oxen? But you have turned justice into [the poison of] gall and the fruit of righteousness into [the bitterness of] wormwood —


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You who rejoice in Lo-debar [a thing of nought], who say, Have we not by our own strength taken Karnaim <i>or</i> horns [of resistance] for ourselves?


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For behold, I will raise up against you a nation, O house of Israel, says the Lord, the God of hosts; and they shall afflict <i>and</i> oppress you [to the entire limits of Israel] from the entrance of Hamath to the brook of the Arabah.


text:
Thus the Lord God showed me [Amos], and behold, He formed locusts in the beginning of the shooting up of the second crop, and behold, it was the second crop after the king’s mowings.


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And when [the locusts] had finished eating the plants of the land, then I said, O Lord God, forgive, I pray You. How can Jacob stand? For he is so small!


text:
The Lord relented <i>and</i> revoked this sentence: It shall not take place, said the Lord [and He was eased and comforted concerning it].


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Thus the Lord God showed me, and behold, the Lord God called for punishment with fire, and it devoured the great deep and would have eaten up the land.


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The Lord relented <i>and</i> revoked this sentence: This also shall not be, said the Lord [and He was eased and comforted concerning it].


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Thus He showed me, and behold, the Lord stood upon a wall with a plumb line, with a plumb line in His hand. <f>ⓐ</f>


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And the Lord said to me, Amos, what do you see? And I said, A plumb line. Then said the Lord, Behold, I am setting a plumb line as a standard in the midst of My people Israel. I will not pass by <i>and</i> spare them any more [the door of mercy is shut].


text:
And the [idolatrous] high places of Isaac (Israel) shall be desolate and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste, and I will rise with the sword against the house of King Jeroboam [who set up the golden calf shrines].


text:
Then Amaziah the priest of [the golden calf shrine at] Bethel sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, Amos has conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel; the land is not able to bear all his words. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
For thus Amos has said, Jeroboam shall die by the sword and Israel shall surely be led away captive out of his land.


text:
Also Amaziah said to Amos, O you seer, go! Flee back to the land of Judah [your own country], and eat your bread and live out your profession as a prophet there [as I perform my duties here].


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But do not prophesy any more at Bethel, for it is the king’s sanctuary and a seat of his kingdom. <f>ⓒ</f>


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Then Amos said to Amaziah, I was no prophet [by profession]! Neither was I a prophet’s son; [but I had my occupation] I was a herdsman and a dresser of sycamore trees and a gatherer of sycamore figs.


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And the Lord took me as I followed the flock and the Lord said to me, Go, prophesy to My people Israel.


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Now therefore listen to the word of the Lord: You say, Do not prophesy against Israel and drop no statements not complimentary to the house of Isaac.


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Therefore thus says the Lord: Your wife shall be a harlot in the city and your sons and your daughters shall fall by the sword, and your land shall be divided up by line; you yourself shall die in an unclean <i>and</i> defiled land, and Israel shall surely go forth out of his land into exile.


text:
Thus the Lord God showed to me, and behold, a basket of [ripe and therefore soon to perish] summer fruit.


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And He said, Amos, what do you see? And I said, A basket of summer fruit. Then said the Lord to me, The end has come upon My people Israel; I will not pass by <i>and</i> spare them any more.


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And the songs of the temple shall become wailings in that day, says the Lord God. The dead bodies shall be many; in every place they shall be cast forth in silence.


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Hear this, O you who would swallow up <i>and</i> trample down the needy, even to make the poor of the land to fail <i>and</i> come to an end,


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Saying, When will the New Moon festival be past that we may sell grain? And the Sabbath that we may offer wheat for sale, making the ephah [measure] small and the shekel [measure] great and falsifying the scales by deceit,


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That we may buy [into slavery] the poor for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals; yes, and sell the refuse of the wheat [as if it were good grade]?


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The Lord has sworn by [Himself Who is] the Glory <i>and</i> Pride of Jacob, Surely I will never forget any of their [rebellious] deeds.


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Shall not the land tremble on this account, and everyone mourn who dwells in it? Yes, it shall rise like the river [Nile], all of it, and it shall be tossed about and sink back again to normal level, as does the Nile of Egypt.


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And in that day, says the Lord God, I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the broad daylight. <f>ⓐ</f>


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And I will turn your feasts into mourning and all your songs into lamentation, and I will cause sackcloth to be put upon all loins and baldness [for mourning] shall come on every head; and I will make that time as the mourning for an only son, and the end of it as a bitter day.


text:
Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord God, when I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but [a famine] for hearing the words of the Lord.


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And [the people] shall wander from sea to sea and from the north even to the east; they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord [inquiring for and requiring it as one requires food], but shall not find it.


text:
Those who swear by Ashimah <i>or</i> the sin of Samaria and say, By the life of your god [the golden calf], O Dan! and [swear], By the life of the way of [idolatrous] Beersheba, they shall fall and rise no more.


text:
I saw the Lord standing at the altar, and He said, Smite the tops of the pillars until the thresholds tremble, and shatter them on the heads of all of the people; and the remainder of them I will slay with the sword. He who flees of them shall not get away, and he who escapes of them shall not be delivered.


text:
Though they dig into Sheol (Hades, the dark abode of the gathered dead), from there shall My hand take them; though they climb up to heaven [the abode of light], from there will I bring them down;


text:
And though they hide themselves on the top of [Mount] Carmel, from there I will search out and take them; and though they [try to] hide from My sight at the bottom of the sea, there I will command the serpent and it shall bite them.


text:
And though they go into captivity before their enemies, there will I command the sword and it shall slay them, and I will set My eyes upon them for evil and not for good.


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The Lord God of hosts, it is He Who touches the earth and it melts, and all who dwell in it mourn; it shall rise like the [river] Nile, all of it, and it shall sink again like the Nile of Egypt.


text:
It is He Who builds His upper chambers in the heavens and Who founds His vault over the earth, Who calls to the waters of the sea and pours them out on the face of the earth — The Lord is His name.


text:
You [O degenerate children of Israel] are no more to Me than these [despised] Cushites, says the Lord. I brought up Israel out of the land of Egypt, but have I not [also] brought the Philistines out of Caphtor and the Syrians from Kir?


text:
Behold, the eyes of the Lord God are upon the sinful kingdom [of Israel’s ten tribes] and I will destroy it from the surface of the ground, except that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, says the Lord.


text:
For behold, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations <i>and</i> cause it to move to and fro as grain is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least kernel fall upon the earth <i>and</i> be lost [from My sight]. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
All the sinners of My people shall die by the sword, who say, The evil shall not overtake or meet [and assail] us.


text:
In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David, the fallen hut <i>or</i> booth, and close up its breaches; and I will raise up its ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old,


text:
That they may possess the remnant of Edom and of all the nations that are called by My name, says the Lord Who does this. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him who sows the seed; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine and all the hills shall melt [that is, everything heretofore barren and unfruitful shall overflow with spiritual blessing]. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
And I will bring back the exiles of My people Israel, and they shall build the waste cities and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards and drink the wine from them; they shall also make gardens and eat the fruit of them.


text:
And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be torn up out of their land which I gave them, says the Lord your God.


text:
The vision of Obadiah. Thus says the Lord God concerning <f>[1]</f>Edom: We have heard tidings from the Lord, and an ambassador is sent forth among the nations [saying], Arise, and let us rise up against [Edom] for battle! <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
The pride of your heart has deceived you, you dweller in the refuges of the rock [Petra, Edom’s capital], whose habitation is high, who says in his heart, Who can bring me down to the ground?


text:
Though you mount on high as the eagle and though you set your nest among the stars, I will bring you down from there, says the Lord.


text:
If thieves came to you, if robbers by night — how you are brought to nothing! — would they not steal only enough for themselves? If grape gatherers came to you, would they not leave some grapes for gleaning? [But this ravaging was done by God, not men.] <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
All the men of your confederacy (your allies) have brought you on your way, even to the border; the men who were at peace with you have deceived you and prevailed against you; they who eat your bread have laid a snare under you. There is no understanding [in Edom, or] of it.


text:
Will not I in that day, says the Lord, destroy the wise men out of Edom and [men of] understanding out of Mount Esau [Idumea, a mountainous region]?


text:
And your mighty men, O Teman, shall be dismayed, to the end that everyone from Mount Esau will be cut off by slaughter.


text:
For the violence you did against your brother Jacob, shame shall cover you, and you shall be cut off forever.


text:
On the day that you stood aloof [from your brother Jacob] — on the day that strangers took captive his forces <i>and</i> carried off his wealth, and foreigners entered into his gates and cast lots for Jerusalem — you were even as one of them. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
But you should not have gloated over your brother’s day, the day when his misfortune came <i>and</i> he was made a stranger; you should not have rejoiced over the sons of Judah in the day of their ruin; you should not have spoken arrogantly in the day of their distress.


text:
You should not have entered the gate of My people in the day of their calamity <i>and</i> ruin; yes, you should not have looked [with delight] on their misery in the day of their calamity <i>and</i> ruin, and not have reached after their army <i>and</i> their possessions in the day of their calamity <i>and</i> ruin.


text:
And you should not have stood at the crossway to cut off those of Judah who escaped, neither should you have delivered up those [of Judah] who remained in the day of distress.


text:
For the day of the Lord is near upon all the nations. As you have done, it shall be done to you; your dealings will return upon your own head. <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
For as you [Edom] have drunk upon the mountain of My holiness [desecrating it in the wild revelry of the destroyers], so shall all the nations drink continually [in turn, of My wrath]; yes, they shall drink, talk foolishly, <i>and</i> swallow down [the full measure of punishment] and they shall be [destroyed] as though they had not been. <f>ⓕ</f>


text:
But on Mount Zion [in Jerusalem] there shall be deliverance [for those who escape], and it shall be holy; and the house of Jacob shall possess its [own former] possessions. <f>ⓖ</f>


text:
The house of Jacob shall be a fire and the house of Joseph a flame, but the house of Esau shall be stubble; they shall kindle <i>and</i> burn them and consume them, and there shall be no survivor of the house of Esau, for the Lord has spoken it. <f>ⓗ</f>


text:
They of the South (the Negeb) shall possess Mount Esau, and they of the lowland the land of the Philistines; they shall possess the land of Ephraim and the fields of Samaria, and Benjamin shall possess Gilead [across the Jordan River]. <f>ⓘ</f>


text:
And the exiles of this host of the children of Israel who are among the Canaanites shall possess [Phoenicia] as far as Zarephath, and the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad shall possess the cities of the South (the Negeb).


text:
And deliverers shall go up on Mount Zion to rule <i>and</i> judge Mount Esau, and the kingdom <i>and</i> the kingship shall be the Lord’s. <f>ⓙ</f>


text:
Arise, go to <f>[2]</f>Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim against it, for their wickedness has come up before Me. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from being in the presence of the Lord [as His prophet] and went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish [the most remote of the Phoenician trading places then known]. So he paid the appointed fare and went down into the ship to go with them to Tarshish from being in the presence of the Lord [as His servant and minister]. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
But the Lord sent out a great wind upon the sea, and there was a violent tempest on the sea so that the ship was about to be broken. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
Then the mariners were afraid, and each man cried to his god; and they cast the goods that were in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship and had lain down and was fast asleep.


text:
So the captain came and said to him, What do you mean, you sleeper? Arise, call upon your God! Perhaps your God will give a thought to us so that we shall not perish.


text:
And they each said to one another, Come, let us cast lots, that we may know on whose account this evil has come upon us. So they cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah.


text:
Then they said to him, Tell us, we pray you, on whose account has this evil come upon us? What is your occupation? Where did you come from? And what is your country and nationality?


text:
And he said to them, I am a Hebrew, and I [reverently] fear <i>and</i> worship the Lord, the God of heaven, Who made the sea and the dry land.


text:
Then the men were exceedingly afraid and said to him, What is this that you have done? For the men knew that he fled from being in the presence of the Lord [as His prophet and servant], because he had told them.


text:
Then they said to him, What shall we do to you, that the sea may subside <i>and</i> be calm for us? For the sea became more and more [violently] tempestuous.


text:
And [Jonah] said to them, Take me up and cast me into the sea; so shall the sea become calm for you, for I know that it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you.


text:
Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring the ship to the land, but they could not, for the sea became more and more violent against them.


text:
Therefore they cried to the Lord, We beseech You, O Lord, we beseech You, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not upon us innocent blood; for You, O Lord, have done as it pleased You.


text:
Then the men [reverently and worshipfully] feared the Lord exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.


text:
Now the Lord had prepared <i>and</i> appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
And said, I cried out of my distress to the Lord, and He heard me; out of the belly of Sheol cried I, and You heard my voice. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
For You cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the floods surrounded me; all Your waves and Your billows passed over me. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Then I said, I have been cast out of Your presence <i>and</i> Your sight; yet I will look again toward Your holy temple. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
The waters compassed me about, even to [the extinction of] life; the abyss surrounded me, the seaweed was wrapped about my head. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
I went down to the bottoms <i>and</i> the very roots of the mountains; the earth with its bars closed behind me forever. Yet You have brought up my life from the pit <i>and</i> corruption, O Lord my God.


text:
When my soul fainted upon me [crushing me], I earnestly <i>and</i> seriously remembered the Lord; and my prayer came to You, into Your holy temple.


text:
Those who pay regard to false, useless, <i>and</i> worthless idols forsake their own [Source of] mercy <i>and</i> loving-kindness.


text:
But as for me, I will sacrifice to You with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that which I have vowed. Salvation <i>and</i> deliverance belong to the Lord!


text:
Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach <i>and</i> cry out to it the preaching that I tell you.


text:
So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city of three days’ journey [sixty miles in circumference].


text:
And Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he cried, Yet forty days and Nineveh shall be overthrown!


text:
So the people of Nineveh believed in God and proclaimed a fast and put on sackcloth [in penitent mourning], from the greatest of them even to the least of them.


text:
For word came to the king of Nineveh [of all that had happened to Jonah, and his terrifying message from God], and he arose from his throne and he laid his robe aside, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.


text:
And he made proclamation and published through Nineveh, By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; let them not feed nor drink water.


text:
But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth and let them cry mightily to God. Yes, let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands.


text:
Who can tell, God may turn and revoke His sentence against us [when we have met His terms], and turn away from His fierce anger so that we perish not. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God revoked His [sentence of] evil that He had said that He would do to them and He did not do it [for He was comforted and eased concerning them].


text:
And he prayed to the Lord and said, I pray You, O Lord, is not this just what I said when I was still in my country? That is why I fled to Tarshish, for I knew that You are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness, and [when sinners turn to You and meet Your conditions] You revoke the [sentence of] evil against them. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Therefore now, O Lord, I beseech You, take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.


text:
So Jonah went out of the city and sat to the east of the city, and he made a booth there for himself. He sat there under it in the shade till he might see what would become of the city.


text:
And the Lord God prepared a gourd and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to deliver him from his evil situation. So Jonah was exceedingly glad [to have the protection] of the gourd.


text:
But God prepared a cutworm when the morning dawned the next day, and it smote the gourd so that it withered.


text:
And when the sun arose, God prepared a sultry east wind, and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah so that he fainted and wished in himself to die and said, It is better for me to die than to live.


text:
And God said to Jonah, Do you do well to be angry for the loss of the gourd? And he said, I do well to be angry, angry enough to die!


text:
Then said the Lord, You have had pity on the gourd, for which you have not labored nor made it grow, which came up in a night and perished in a night.


text:
And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons not [yet old enough to] know their right hand from their left, and also many cattle [not accountable for sin]?


text:
The word of the Lord that came to Micah of Moresheth in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw [through divine revelation] concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.


text:
Hear, all you people; listen closely, O earth and all that is in it, and let the Lord God be witness among you <i>and</i> against you, the Lord from His holy temple. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
For behold, the Lord comes forth out of His place and will come down and tread upon the high places of the earth. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
And the mountains shall melt under Him and the valleys shall be cleft like wax before the fire, like waters poured down a steep place.


text:
All this is because of the transgression of Jacob and the sins of the house of Israel. What is the transgression of Jacob? Is it not [the idol worship of] Samaria? And what are the high places [of idolatry] in Judah? Are they not Jerusalem?


text:
Therefore I [the Lord] will make Samaria a <f>[1]</f>heap in the open country, a place for planting vineyards; and I will pour down into the ravine her stones and lay bare her foundations. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
And all her carved images shall be broken in pieces, and all her hires [all that man would gain from desertion of God] shall be burned with fire, and all her idols will be laid waste; for from the hire of [one] harlot she gathered them, and to the hire of [another] harlot they shall return.


text:
Therefore I [Micah] will lament and wail; I will go stripped and [virtually] naked; I will make a wailing like the jackals and a lamentation like the ostriches.


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For [Samaria’s] wounds are incurable and they come even to Judah; He [the Lord] has reached to the gate of my people, to Jerusalem.


text:
In Gath [a city in Philistia] announce it not; <i>in</i> <f>[2]</f><i>Acco</i> weep not at all, [betraying your grief to foreigners; but among your own people] in Beth-le-aphrah [house of dust] roll yourself in the dust.


text:
Pass on your way [into exile], dwellers of Shaphir, in shameful nakedness. The dwellers of Zaanan dare not come forth; the wailing of Beth-ezel takes away from you the place on which it stands.


text:
For the inhabitant of Maroth [bitterness] writhes in pain [at its losses] and waits anxiously for good, because evil comes down from the Lord to the gate of Jerusalem.


text:
Bind the chariot to the swift steed, O lady inhabitant of Lachish; you were the beginning of sin to the Daughter of Zion, for the transgressions of Israel were found in you.


text:
Therefore you must give parting gifts to Moresheth-gath [Micah’s home town]; the houses of Achzib [place of deceit] shall be a deception to the kings of Israel.


text:
Yet will I bring a conqueror upon you, O lady inhabitant of Mareshah, who shall possess you; the glory <i>and</i> nobility of Israel shall come to Adullam [to hide in the caves, as did David]. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
Make yourself bald in mourning and cut off your hair for the children of your delight; enlarge your baldness as the eagle, for [your children] shall be carried from you into exile.


text:
Woe to those who devise iniquity and work out evil upon their beds! When the morning is light, they perform <i>and</i> practice it because it is in their power.


text:
They covet fields and seize them, and houses and take them away; they oppress <i>and</i> crush a man and his house, a man and his inheritance. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Therefore thus says the Lord: Behold, against this family I am planning a disaster from which you cannot remove your necks, nor will you be able to walk erect; for it will be an evil time.


text:
In that day shall they take up a [taunting] parable against you and wail with a doleful <i>and</i> bitter lamentation and say, We are utterly ruined <i>and</i> laid waste! [God] changes the portion of my people. How He removes it from me! He divides our fields [to the rebellious, our captors].


text:
Therefore you shall have no one to cast a line by lot upon a plot [of ground] in the assembly of the Lord. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Do not preach, say the prophesying false prophets; one should not babble <i>and</i> harp on such things; disgrace will not overtake us [the reviling has no end].


text:
O house of Jacob, shall it be said, Is the Spirit of the Lord restricted, impatient, <i>and</i> shortened? Or are these [prophesied plagues] His doings? Do not My words do good to him who walks uprightly?


text:
But lately (yesterday) My people have stood up as an enemy [and have made Me their antagonist]. Off from the garment you strip the cloak of those who pass by in secure confidence of safety <i>and</i> are averse to war.


text:
The women of My people you cast out from their pleasant houses; from their young children you take away My glory forever.


text:
Arise and depart, for this is not the rest [which was promised to the righteous in Canaan], because of uncleanness that works destruction, even a sharp <i>and</i> grievous destruction.


text:
If a man walking in a spirit [of vanity] and in falsehood should lie and say, I will prophesy to you of wine and strong drink, O Israel, he would even be the acceptable prophet of this people! <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
I will surely gather all of you, O Jacob; I will surely collect the remnant of Israel. I will bring them [Israel] together like sheep in a fold, like a flock in the midst of their pasture. They [the fold and the pasture] shall swarm with men <i>and</i> hum with much noise.


text:
The <f>[1]</f>Breaker [the Messiah] will go up before them. They will break through, pass in through the gate and go out through it, and their King will pass on before them, the Lord at their head. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
And I [Micah] said, Hear, I pray you, you heads of Jacob and rulers of the house of Israel! Is it not for you to know justice? —


text:
You who hate the good and love the evil, who pluck <i>and</i> steal the skin from off [My people] and their flesh from off their bones;


text:
Yes, you who eat the flesh of my people and strip their skin from off them, who break their bones and chop them in pieces as for the pot, like meat in a big kettle.


text:
Then will they cry to the Lord, but He will not answer them; He will even hide His face from them at that time, because they have made their deeds evil. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Thus says the Lord: Concerning the false prophets who make My people err, when they have anything good to bite with their teeth they cry, Peace; and whoever gives them nothing to chew, against him they declare a sanctified war.


text:
Therefore it shall be night to you, so that you shall have no vision; yes, it shall be dark to you without divination. And the sun shall go down over the false prophets, and the day shall be black over them.


text:
And the seers shall be put to shame and the diviners shall blush <i>and</i> be confounded; yes, they shall all cover their lips, for there is no answer from God.


text:
But truly I [Micah] am full of power, of the Spirit of the Lord, and of justice and might, to declare to Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin.


text:
Hear this, I pray you, you heads of the house of Jacob and rulers of the house of Israel, who abhor <i>and</i> reject justice and pervert all equity,


text:
Its heads judge for reward <i>and</i> a bribe and its priests teach for hire and its prophets divine for money; yet they lean on the Lord and say, Is not the Lord among us? No evil can come upon us. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Therefore shall Zion on your account be <f>[1]</f>plowed like a field, Jerusalem shall become heaps [of ruins], and the mountain of the house [of the Lord] like a densely wooded height. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
But in the latter days it shall come to pass that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains; and it shall be exalted above the hills, and peoples shall flow to it.


text:
And many nations shall come and say, Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that He may teach us His ways, and we may walk in His paths. For the law shall go forth out of Zion and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.


text:
And He shall judge between many peoples and shall decide for strong nations afar off, and they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree, and none shall make them afraid, for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken it. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
For all the peoples [now] walk every man in the name of his god, but we will walk in the name of the Lord our God forever and ever.


text:
In that day, says the Lord, I will assemble the lame, and I will gather those who have been driven away and those whom I have afflicted.


text:
And I will make the lame a remnant, and those who were cast off a strong nation; and the Lord shall reign over them in Mount Zion from this time forth and forever.


text:
And you, O tower of the flock, the hill <i>and</i> stronghold of the Daughter of Zion, unto you the former dominion shall come, the kingdom of the Daughter of Jerusalem.


text:
Now why do you cry aloud? Is there no king among you? Has your counselor perished, that pains have taken you like a woman in labor?


text:
Writhe in pain and labor to bring forth, O Daughter of Zion, like a woman in childbirth; for now you shall go forth out of the city and you shall live in the open country. You shall go to Babylon; there you shall be rescued. There the Lord shall redeem you from the hand of your enemies.


text:
Now many nations are assembled against you, saying, Let her be profaned and let our eyes gaze upon Zion.


text:
But they know not the thoughts of the Lord, neither do they understand His plan, for He shall gather them as the sheaves to the threshing floor.


text:
Arise and thresh, O Daughter of Zion! For I will make your horn iron and I will make your hoofs bronze; you shall beat in pieces many peoples, and I will devote their gain to the Lord and their treasure to the Lord of all the earth. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
Now gather yourself in troops, O daughter of troops; a state of siege has been placed against us. They shall smite the ruler of Israel with a rod (a scepter) on the cheek.


text:
But you, Bethlehem Ephratah, you are little to be among the clans of Judah; [yet] out of you shall One come forth for Me Who is to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth have been from of old, from ancient days (eternity). <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Therefore shall He give them up until the time that she who travails has brought forth; then what is left of His brethren shall return to the children of Israel.


text:
And He shall stand and feed His flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord His God; and they shall dwell [secure], for then shall He be great [even] to the ends of the earth. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
And this [One] shall be our peace. When the Assyrian comes into our land and treads upon our soil <i>and</i> in our palaces, then will we raise against him seven shepherds and eight princes among men. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
And they shall rule <i>and</i> waste the land of Assyria with the sword and the land of Nimrod within her [Assyria’s own] gates. Thus shall He [the Messiah] deliver us from the Assyrian [representing the opposing powers] when he comes into our land and when he treads on our borders.


text:
Then the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many peoples like dew from the Lord, like showers upon the grass which [come suddenly and] tarry not for man nor wait for the sons of men. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the nations in the midst of many peoples like a lion among the beasts of the forest, like a young lion [suddenly appearing] among the flocks of sheep which, when it goes through, treads down and tears in pieces, and there is no deliverer.


text:
And in that day, says the Lord, I will cut off your horses [on which you depend] from among you and will destroy your chariots. <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
And I will cut off witchcrafts <i>and</i> sorceries from your hand, and you shall have no more soothsayers.


text:
Your carved images also I will cut off and your statues <i>or</i> pillars out of your midst, and you shall no more worship the work of your hands.


text:
And I will root out your Asherim [symbols of the goddess Asherah] and I will destroy your cities [the seats of false worship]. <f>ⓕ</f>


text:
And in anger and wrath I will execute vengeance upon the nations which would not obey [vengeance such as they have not heard of before].


text:
Hear now what the Lord says: Arise, contend <i>and</i> plead your case before the mountains, and let the hills hear your voice.


text:
Hear, O mountains, the Lord’s controversy, and you strong <i>and</i> enduring foundations of the earth, for the Lord has a controversy (a pleading contention) with His people, and He will [pleadingly] contend with Israel.


text:
O My people, what have I done to you? And in what have I wearied you? Testify against Me [answer Me]!


text:
For I brought you up out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you out of the house where you were bond servants, and I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.


text:
O My people, [earnestly] remember now what Balak king of Moab devised and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him; [remember what the Lord did for you] from <f>[1]</f>Shittim to Gilgal, that you may know the righteous <i>and</i> saving acts of the Lord. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
With what shall I come before the Lord and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?


text:
Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?


text:
He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, and to love kindness <i>and</i> mercy, and to humble yourself <i>and</i> walk humbly with your God? <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
The voice of the Lord calls to the city [Jerusalem] — and it is sound wisdom to hear <i>and</i> fear Your name — Hear (heed) the rod and Him Who has appointed it.


text:
Are there not still treasures gained by wickedness in the house of the wicked, and a scant measure [a false measure for grain] that is abominable <i>and</i> accursed?


text:
Can I be pure [Myself, and acquit the man] with wicked scales and with a bag of deceitful weights? <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
For [the city’s] rich men are full of violence; her inhabitants have spoken lies and their tongues are deceitful in their mouths.


text:
Therefore I have also smitten you with a deadly wound <i>and</i> made you sick, laying you desolate, waste, <i>and</i> deserted because of your sins.


text:
You shall eat but not be satisfied, and your emptiness <i>and</i> hunger shall remain in you; you shall carry away [goods and those you love] but fail to save them, and those you do deliver I will give to the sword.


text:
You shall sow but not reap; you shall tread olives but not anoint yourselves with oil, and [you shall extract juice from] the grapes but not drink the wine.


text:
For the statutes of [idolatrous] Omri you have kept, and all the works of the house of [wicked] Ahab, and you walk in their counsels. Therefore I will make you a desolation <i>and</i> an astonishment and your [city’s] inhabitants a hissing, and you shall bear the reproach <i>and</i> scorn of My people.


text:
Woe is me! For I am as when the summer fruits have been gathered, as when the vintage grapes have been gleaned and there is no cluster to eat, no first-ripe fig for which my appetite craves.


text:
The godly man has perished from the earth, and there is none upright among men. They all lie in wait for blood; each hunts his brother with a net.


text:
Both their hands are put forth <i>and</i> are upon what is evil to do it diligently; the prince and the judge ask for a bribe, and the great man utters his evil desire. Thus they twist between them [the course of justice].


text:
The best of them is like a brier; the most upright <i>or</i> the straightest is like a thorn hedge. The day of your watchmen, even of [God’s] judgment <i>and</i> your punishment, has come; now shall be their perplexity <i>and</i> confusion.


text:
Trust not in a neighbor; put no confidence in a friend. Keep the doors of your mouth from her who lies in your bosom. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
For the son dishonors the father, the daughter rises up against her mother, the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law — a man’s enemies are the men (members) of his own house. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
But as for me, I will look to the Lord <i>and</i> confident in Him I will keep watch; I will wait with hope <i>and</i> expectancy for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.


text:
Rejoice not against me, O my enemy! When I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light to me.


text:
I will bear the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against Him, until He pleads my cause and executes judgment for me. He will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold His righteous deliverance. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
Then my enemy will see it, and shame will cover her who said to me, Where is the Lord your God? My eyes will see my desire upon her; now she will be trodden down as the mire of the streets.


text:
In the day that your walls are to be built [a day for building], in that day shall the boundary [of Israel] be far extended <i>and</i> the decree [against her] be far removed. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
In that day they will come to you from Assyria and from the cities of Matzor [Egypt] and from Egypt even to the river [Euphrates], from sea to sea and from mountain to mountain.


text:
Rule <i>and</i> feed Your people with Your rod <i>and</i> scepter, the flock of Your inheritance who dwell alone in a forest in the midst of Carmel [a garden land]; they shall feed in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old.


text:
The nations shall see [God’s deliverance] and be ashamed of all their might [which cannot be compared to His]. They shall lay their hands upon their mouths in consternation; their ears shall be deaf.


text:
They shall lick the dust like a serpent; like crawling things of the earth they shall come trembling out of their strongholds <i>and</i> close places. They shall turn <i>and</i> come with fear <i>and</i> dread to the Lord our God and shall be afraid <i>and</i> stand in awe because of You [O Lord]. <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
Who is a God like You, Who forgives iniquity and passes over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He retains not His anger forever, because He delights in mercy <i>and</i> loving-kindness.


text:
He will again have compassion on us; He will subdue <i>and</i> tread underfoot our iniquities. You will cast all <i>our</i> sins into the depths of the sea. <f>ⓕ</f>


text:
You will show Your faithfulness <i>and</i> perform the sure promise to Jacob and loving-kindness <i>and</i> mercy to Abraham, as You have sworn to our fathers from the days of old. <f>ⓖ</f>


text:
The burden <i>or</i> oracle (the thing to be lifted up) concerning <f>[1]</f>Nineveh [the capital of Assyria]. The book of the vision of Nahum of Elkosh.


text:
The Lord is a jealous God and avenging; the Lord avenges and He is full of wrath. The Lord takes vengeance on His adversaries and reserves wrath for His enemies. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
The Lord is slow to anger and great in power and will by no means clear the guilty. The Lord has His way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of His feet. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
He rebukes <i>and</i> threatens the sea and makes it dry, and dries up all the rivers. Bashan [on the east] and Mount Carmel [on the west] wither, and [in the north] the blossom of Lebanon fades.


text:
The mountains tremble <i>and</i> quake before Him and the hills melt away, and the earth is upheaved at His presence — yes, the world and all that dwell in it.


text:
Who can stand before His indignation? And who can stand up <i>and</i> endure the fierceness of His anger? His wrath is poured out like fire, and the rocks are broken asunder by Him.


text:
The Lord is good, a Strength <i>and</i> Stronghold in the day of trouble; He knows (recognizes, has knowledge of, and understands) those who take refuge <i>and</i> trust in Him. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
But with an <f>[2]</f>overrunning flood He will make a full end of [Nineveh’s very] site and pursue His enemies into darkness.


text:
What do you devise <i>and</i> [how mad is your attempt to] plot against the Lord? He will make a full end [of Nineveh]; affliction [which My people shall suffer from Assyria] shall not rise up the second time.


text:
For [the Ninevites] are as bundles of thorn branches [for fuel], and even while drowned in their drunken [carousing] they shall be consumed like stubble fully dry [in the day of the Lord’s wrath]. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
There is one gone forth out of you [O Nineveh] who plots evil against the Lord, a villainous <f>[3]</f>counselor [the king of Assyria, who counsels for wickedness and worthlessness]. <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
Thus says the Lord: Though they be in full strength and likewise many, even so shall [the Assyrians] be cut down when [their evil counselor] shall pass away. Though I have afflicted you [Jerusalem], I will not cause you to be afflicted [for your past sins] any more. <f>ⓕ</f>


text:
And the Lord has given a commandment concerning you [evil Assyrian counselor], that no more of your name shall be born <i>nor</i> shall your name be perpetuated. Out of the house of your gods I will cut off the graven and molten images; I will make [their temple] your tomb, for you are vile <i>and</i> despised. <f>ⓗ</f>


text:
Behold! upon the mountains the feet of him who brings good tidings [telling of the Assyrian’s death], who publishes peace! Celebrate your feasts, O Judah; perform your vows. For the wicked counselor [the king of Assyria] shall no more come against you <i>or</i> pass through your land; he is utterly cut off. <f>ⓘ</f> [Then the prophet Nahum sarcastically addresses his message to Nineveh:]


text:
He who dashes in pieces [that is, the king of Medo-Babylon] is come up before your face [Nineveh]. Keep the fortress <i>and</i> ramparts manned, watch the road, gird your loins, collect <i>and</i> fortify all your strength <i>and</i> power mightily.


text:
For the Lord restores the excellency of Jacob as the excellency of [ancient] Israel, for plunderers have plundered them <i>and</i> emptied them out and [outrageously] destroyed their vine branches. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
The shields of the mighty men [of Media and Babylon] are [dyed] red; the valiant men are [clothed] in dyed scarlet. The chariots blaze with fire of steel on the day of his preparation [for battle], and the officers’ horses prance like a cypress forest [reeling in the wind].


text:
The chariots rage in confusion in the streets; they run to and fro [in wild terror] in the broad ways. They flash with steel [making them appear like torches]; they rush [in various directions] like forked lightnings.


text:
[The Assyrian leader] remembers <i>and</i> summons his bravest men; they stumble in their march. They hasten to the city’s wall, and their movable defense shelter is prepared <i>and</i> set up.


text:
The gates <i>or</i> dams of the rivers [surrounding and guarding Nineveh] are opened and the [imperial] palace [of sun-dried brick] is dissolved [by the torrents] <i>and</i> is in dismay.


text:
It is decreed. She [Nineveh] is stripped and removed, and her maids are lamenting <i>and</i> moaning like doves [softly for fear], beating upon their breasts [and hearts].


text:
And Nineveh, like a standing pool are her waters and [her inhabitants] are fleeing away! Stand! Stand [firm! a few cry], but no one looks back <i>or</i> causes them to return.


text:
Take the spoil of silver; take the spoil of gold! For there is no end of the treasure, the glory <i>and</i> wealth of all the precious furnishings.


text:
Emptiness! Desolation! Utter waste! Hearts faint and knees smite together, and anguish is in all loins, and the faces of all grow pale! <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Where is the den of the lions which was the feeding place of the young lions, where the lion and the lioness walked, and the lion’s whelp, and none made them afraid?


text:
The lion tore in pieces enough for his whelps and strangled [prey] for his lionesses; he filled his caves with prey and his dens with what he had seized <i>and</i> carried off.


text:
Behold, I am against you [Nineveh], says the Lord of hosts, and I will burn <i>your</i> chariots in the smoke, and the sword shall devour your young lions. And I will cut off your prey from the earth, and the voice of your messengers shall no more be heard.


text:
The cracking of the whip, the noise of the rattling of wheels, and prancing horses and chariots rumbling <i>and</i> bounding,


text:
Horsemen mounting <i>and</i> charging, the flashing sword, the gleaming spear, a multitude of slain and a great number of corpses, no end of corpses! [The horsemen] stumble over the corpses!


text:
All because of the multitude of the harlotries [of Nineveh], the well-favored harlot, the mistress of deadly charms who betrays <i>and</i> sells nations through her whoredoms [idolatry] and peoples through her enchantments.


text:
Behold, I am against you, says the Lord of hosts, and I will lift up your skirts over your face, and I will let the nations look on your nakedness [O Nineveh] and the kingdoms on your shame.


text:
I will cast abominable things at you <i>and</i> make you filthy, treat you with contempt, and make you a gazingstock.


text:
And all who look on you will shrink <i>and</i> flee from you and say, Nineveh is laid waste; who will pity <i>and</i> bemoan her? Where [then] shall I seek comforters for you?


text:
Are you better than No-amon [Thebes, capital of Upper Egypt], that dwelt by the rivers <i>or</i> canals, that had the waters round about her, whose rampart was a sea [the Nile] and water her wall?


text:
Ethiopia and Egypt were her strength, and that without limit. Put and the Libyans were <i>her</i> helpers.


text:
Yet she was carried away; she went into captivity. Her young children also were dashed in pieces at all the street corners; lots were cast [by the Assyrian officers] for her nobles, and all her great men were bound with chains.


text:
You will be drunk [Nineveh, with the cup of God’s wrath]; you will be dazed. You will seek <i>and</i> require a refuge because of the enemy.


text:
All your fortresses are fig trees with early figs; if they are shaken they will fall into the mouth of the eater.


text:
Behold, your troops in the midst of you are [as weak and helpless as] women; the gates of your land are set wide open to your enemies [without effort]; fire consumes your bars.


text:
Draw for yourself the water [necessary] for a [long continued] siege, make strong your fortresses! Go down into the clay pits and trample the mortar; make ready the brickkiln [to burn bricks for the bulwarks]!


text:
[But] there [in the very midst of these preparations] will the fire devour you; the sword will cut you off; it will destroy you as the locusts [destroy]. Multiply yourselves like the licking locusts; make yourselves many like the swarming locusts!


text:
You increased your merchants more than the [visible] stars of the heavens. The swarming locust spreads itself <i>and</i> destroys, and then flies away.


text:
Your princes are like the grasshoppers and your marshals like the swarms of locusts which encamp in the hedges on a cold day — but when the sun rises, they fly away, and no one knows where they are.


text:
Your shepherds are asleep, O king of Assyria; your nobles are lying still [in death]. Your people are scattered on the mountains and there is no one to gather them.


text:
There is no healing of your hurt; your wound is grievous. All who hear the news about you clap their hands over [what has happened to] you. For upon whom has not your [unceasing] evil come continually?


text:
O Lord, how long shall I cry for help and You will not hear? Or cry out to You of violence and You will not save?


text:
Why do You show me iniquity <i>and</i> wrong, and Yourself look upon <i>or</i> cause me to see perverseness <i>and</i> trouble? For destruction and violence are before me; and there is strife, and contention arises.


text:
Therefore the law is slackened and justice <i>and</i> a righteous sentence never go forth, for the [hostility of the] wicked surrounds the [uncompromisingly] righteous; therefore justice goes forth perverted.


text:
Look around [you, Habakkuk, replied the Lord] among the nations and see! And be astonished! Astounded! For I am putting into effect a work in your days [such] that you would not believe it if it were told you. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
For behold, I am rousing up the Chaldeans, that bitter and impetuous nation who march through the breadth of the earth to take possession of dwelling places that do not belong to them. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
[The Chaldeans] are terrible and dreadful; their justice and dignity proceed [only] from themselves.


text:
Their horses also are swifter than leopards and are fiercer than the evening wolves, and their horsemen spread themselves <i>and</i> press on proudly; yes, their horsemen come from afar; they fly like an eagle that hastens to devour.


text:
They all come for violence; their faces turn eagerly forward, and they gather prisoners together like sand.


text:
They scoff at kings, and rulers are a derision to them; they ridicule every stronghold, for they heap up dust [for earth mounds] and take it.


text:
Then they sweep by like a wind and pass on, and they load themselves with guilt, [as do all men] whose own power is their god.


text:
Are not You from everlasting, O Lord my God, my Holy One? We shall not die. O Lord, You have appointed [the Chaldean] to execute [Your] judgment, and You, O Rock, have established him for chastisement <i>and</i> correction. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
You are of purer eyes than to behold evil and can not look [inactively] upon injustice. Why then do You look upon the plunderer? Why are you silent when the wicked one destroys him who is more righteous than [the Chaldean oppressor] is?


text:
Why do You make men like the fish of the sea, like reptiles <i>and</i> creeping things that have no ruler [and are defenseless against their foes]?


text:
[The Chaldean] brings all of them up with his hook; he catches and drags them out with his net, he gathers them in his dragnet; so he rejoices and is in high spirits.


text:
Therefore he sacrifices [offerings] to his net and burns incense to his dragnet, because from them he lives luxuriously and his food is plentiful <i>and</i> rich.


text:
[Oh, I know, I have been rash to talk out plainly this way to God!] I will [in my thinking] stand upon my post of observation and station myself on the tower <i>or</i> fortress, and will watch to see what He will say within me and what answer I will make [as His mouthpiece] to the perplexities of my complaint against Him.


text:
And the Lord answered me and said, Write the vision and engrave it so plainly upon tablets that everyone who passes may [be able to] read [it easily and quickly] as he hastens by.


text:
For the vision is yet for an appointed time and it hastens to the end [fulfillment]; it will not deceive <i>or</i> disappoint. Though it tarry, wait [earnestly] for it, because it will surely come; it will not be behindhand on its appointed day. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Look at the proud; his soul is not straight <i>or</i> right within him, but the [rigidly] just <i>and</i> the [uncompromisingly] righteous man shall <f>[1]</f>live by his faith <i>and</i> in his faithfulness. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Moreover, wine <i>and</i> <f>[2]</f><i>wealth</i> are treacherous; the proud man [the Chaldean invader] is restless <i>and</i> cannot stay at home. His appetite is large like that of Sheol and [his greed] is like death and cannot be satisfied; he gathers to himself all nations and collects all people as if he owned them.


text:
Shall not all these [victims of his greed] take up a taunt against him and in scoffing derision of him say, Woe to him who piles up that which is not his! [How long will he possess it?] And [woe to him] who loads himself with promissory notes for usury!


text:
Shall [your debtors] not rise up suddenly who shall bite you, exacting usury of you, and those awake who will vex you [toss you to and fro and make you tremble violently]? Then you will be booty for them.


text:
Because you [king of Babylon] have plundered many nations, all who are left of the people shall plunder you — because of men’s blood and for the violence done to the earth, to the city and all the people who live in each city.


text:
Woe to him who obtains wicked gain for his house, [who thinks by so doing] to set his nest on high that he may be preserved from calamity <i>and</i> delivered from the power of evil!


text:
You have devised shame to your house by cutting off <i>and</i> putting an end to many peoples, and you have sinned against <i>and</i> forfeited your own life.


text:
For the stone shall cry out of the wall [built in sin, to accuse you], and the beam out of the woodwork will answer it [agreeing with its charge against you].


text:
Behold, is it not by appointment of the Lord of hosts that the nations toil only to satisfy the fire [that will consume their work], and the peoples weary themselves only for emptiness, falsity, <i>and</i> futility?


text:
But [the time is coming when] the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
Woe to him who gives his neighbors drink, who pours out your bottle to them <i>and</i> adds to it your poisonous <i>and</i> blighting wrath and also makes them drunk, that you may look on their stripped condition <i>and</i> pour out foul shame [on their glory]!


text:
You [yourself] will be filled with shame <i>and</i> contempt instead of glory. Drink also and be like an uncircumcised [heathen]! The cup [of wrath] in the Lord’s right hand will come around to you [O destroyer], and foul shame shall be upon your own glory! <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
For the violence done to Lebanon will cover <i>and</i> overwhelm you; the destruction of the animals [which the violence frightened away] will terrify you on account of men’s blood and the violence done to the land, to the city and all its inhabitants.


text:
What profit is the graven image when its maker has formed it? It is only a molten image and a teacher of lies. For the maker trusts in his own creations [as his gods] when he makes dumb idols.


text:
Woe to him who says to the wooden image, Awake! and to the dumb stone, Arise, teach! [Yet, it cannot, for] behold, it is laid over with gold and silver and there is no breath at all inside it!


text:
But the Lord is in His holy temple; let all the earth hush <i>and</i> keep silence before Him. <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
O Lord, I have heard the report of You and was afraid. O Lord, revive Your work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make [Yourself] known! In wrath [earnestly] remember love, pity, <i>and</i> mercy.


text:
God [approaching from Sinai] came from Teman [which represents Edom] and the Holy One from Mount Paran [in the Sinai region]. <i>Selah</i> [pause, and calmly think of that]! His glory covered the heavens and the earth was full of His praise.


text:
And His brightness was like the sunlight; rays streamed from His hand, and there [in the sunlike splendor] was the hiding place of His power.


text:
Before Him went the pestilence [as in Egypt], and burning plague followed His feet [as in Sennacherib’s army]. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
He stood and measured the earth; He looked and shook the nations, and the eternal mountains were scattered and the perpetual hills bowed low. His ways are everlasting <i>and</i> His goings are of old.


text:
I [Habakkuk, in vision] saw the tents of Cushan [probably Ethiopia] in affliction; the [tent] curtains of the land of Midian trembled.


text:
Were You displeased with the rivers, O Lord? Or was Your anger against the rivers [You divided]? Was Your wrath against the [Red] Sea, that You rode [before] upon Your horses and Your chariots of victory <i>and</i> deliverance?


text:
Your bow was made quite bare; sworn to the tribes [of Israel] by Your sure word were the rods of chastisement, scourges, <i>and</i> calamities. <i>Selah</i> [pause, and calmly think of that]! With rivers You cleaved the earth [bringing forth waters in dry places]. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
The mountains saw You; they trembled <i>and</i> writhed [as if in pain]. The overflowing of the water passed by [as at the deluge]; the deep uttered its voice and lifted its hands on high.


text:
The sun and moon stood back [as before Joshua] in their habitation at the light of Your arrows as they sped, at the flash of Your glittering spear. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
You went forth <i>and</i> have come for the salvation of Your people, for the deliverance <i>and</i> victory of Your anointed [people Israel]; You smote the head of the house of the wicked, laying bare the foundation even to the neck. <i>Selah</i> [pause, and calmly think of that]!


text:
You pierced with his own arrows the head of [the enemy’s] hordes; they came out as a whirlwind to scatter me [the people], rejoicing as if to devour the poor [Israel] secretly.


text:
You have trodden the sea with Your horses, [beside] the heap of great <i>and</i> surging waters. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
I heard and my [whole inner self] trembled; my lips quivered at the sound. Rottenness enters into my bones and under me [down to my feet]; I tremble. I will wait quietly for the day of trouble and distress when there shall come up against [my] people him who is about to invade <i>and</i> oppress them.


text:
Though the fig tree does not blossom and there is no fruit on the vines, [though] the product of the olive fails and the fields yield no food, though the flock is cut off from the fold and there are no cattle in the stalls,


text:
The Lord God is my Strength, my personal bravery, <i>and</i> my invincible army; He makes my feet like hinds’ feet and will make me to walk [not to stand still in terror, but to walk] <i>and</i> make [spiritual] progress upon my high places [of trouble, suffering, or responsibility]! <br/><e>For the Chief Musician; with my stringed instruments.</e>


text:
The word of the Lord which came to Zephaniah son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah king of Judah and son of Amon.


text:
By taking away I will make an end <i>and</i> I will utterly consume <i>and</i> sweep away all things from the face of the earth, says the Lord.


text:
I will consume <i>and</i> sweep away man and beast; I will consume <i>and</i> sweep away the birds of the air and the fish of the sea. I will overthrow the stumbling blocks (the idols) with the wicked [worshipers], and I will cut off mankind from the face of the earth, says the Lord.


text:
I will also stretch out My hand over Judah and over all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place and the name of the idol priests with the [false] priests,


text:
And those who worship the starry host of the heavens upon their housetops and those who [pretend to] worship the Lord and swear by <i>and</i> to Him and yet swear by <i>and</i> to [the heathen god Molech or] Malcam [their idol king],


text:
And those who have drawn back from following the Lord and those who have not sought the Lord nor inquired for, inquired of, <i>and</i> required the Lord [as their first necessity].


text:
[Hush!] Be silent before the Lord God, for the day [of the vengeance] of the Lord is near; for the Lord has prepared a sacrifice, and He has set apart [for His use] those who have accepted His invitation. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
And on the day of the Lord’s sacrifice, I will punish the officials and the king’s sons and all who are clothed in [lavish] foreign apparel [instead of the Jewish dress, with its reminders to obey God’s commandments]. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
In the same day also will I punish all those who leap swiftly on <i>or</i> over the threshold [upon entering houses to steal], who fill their master’s house with violence and deceit <i>and</i> fraud.


text:
And in that day, says the Lord, there shall be heard the voice of crying from the Fish Gate [in the wall of Jerusalem] and a wailing from the Second Quarter <i>or</i> Lower City and a great crashing <i>and</i> sound of destruction from the hills.


text:
Wail, you inhabitants of the Mortar [those located in the hollow part of the city]! For all the merchant people, like the people of Canaan, will be silent [entirely destroyed]; all those who weighed out silver <i>and</i> were loaded with it will be cut off.


text:
And at that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps and punish the men who [like old wine] are thickening <i>and</i> settling on their lees, who say in their hearts, The Lord will not do good, nor will He do evil.


text:
And their wealth shall become plunder and their houses a desolation. Though they build houses, they shall not inhabit them; though they plant vineyards, they shall not drink the wine from them. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
The great day of the Lord is near — near and hastening fast. Hark! the voice of the day of the Lord! The mighty man [unable to fight or to flee] will cry then bitterly.


text:
That day is a day of wrath, a day of distress and anguish, a day of ruin and devastation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness, <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
A day of the blast of trumpet and battle cry against the fortified cities and against the high towers <i>and</i> battlements.


text:
And I will bring distress upon men, so that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the Lord; their blood shall be poured out like dust and their flesh like dung.


text:
Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord’s indignation <i>and</i> wrath. But the whole earth shall be consumed in the fire of His jealous <f>[1]</f>wrath, for a full, yes, a sudden, end will He make of all the inhabitants of the earth. <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
Collect your thoughts, yes, unbend yourselves [in submission and see if there is no sense of shame and no consciousness of sin left in you], O shameless nation [not desirous or desired]!


text:
[The time for repentance is speeding by like chaff whirled before the wind!] Therefore consider, before God’s decree brings forth [the curse upon you], before the time [to repent] is gone like the drifting chaff, before the fierce anger of the Lord comes upon you — yes, before the day of the wrath of the Lord comes upon you!


text:
Seek the Lord [inquire for Him, inquire of Him, and require Him as the foremost necessity of your life], all you humble of the land who have acted in compliance with His revealed will <i>and</i> have kept His commandments; seek righteousness, seek humility [inquire for them, require them as vital]. It may be you will be hidden in the day of the Lord’s anger.


text:
For [hear the fate of the Philistines:] Gaza shall be forsaken and Ashkelon shall become a desolation; the people of Ashdod shall be driven out at noonday and Ekron shall be uprooted.


text:
Woe to the inhabitants of the seacoast, the nation of the Cherethites [in Philistia]! The word of the Lord is against you, O Canaan, land of the Philistines; I will destroy you until no inhabitant is left.


text:
And the seacoast shall be pastures, with [deserted] dwelling places <i>and</i> caves for shepherds and folds for flocks.


text:
The <f>[1]</f>seacoast shall belong to the remnant of the house of Judah; they shall pasture their flocks upon it; in the houses of [deserted Philistine] Ashkelon shall they of Judah lie down in the evening. For the Lord their [Judah’s] God shall visit them [for their relief] and restore them from their captivity. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
I have heard the taunts of Moab and the revilings of the Ammonites by which they have reproached My people, and magnified themselves <i>and</i> made boasts against their territory.


text:
Therefore, as I live, says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Moab shall become like Sodom and the Ammonites like Gomorrah, a land possessed by nettles <i>and</i> wild vetches and salt pits, and a perpetual desolation. The remnant of My people shall make a prey of them and what is left of My nation shall possess them.


text:
This shall they have for their pride, because they have taunted and boasted against the people of the Lord of hosts.


text:
The Lord will be terrible to them, for He will make lean <i>and</i> famish all the gods of the earth; and men shall worship Him, every one from his place, even all the isles <i>and</i> coastlands of the nations. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
And [the Lord] will stretch out His hand against the north and destroy Assyria and will make Nineveh a desolation, dry as the desert. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
Herds shall lie down in the midst of [Nineveh], all the [wild] beasts of the nations <i>and</i> of every kind; both the pelican and the hedgehog shall lodge on the upper part of her [fallen] pillars; the voice [of the nesting bird] shall sing in the windows; desolation <i>and</i> drought shall be on the thresholds, for her cedar paneling will He lay bare.


text:
This is the joyous <i>and</i> exultant city that dwelt carelessly [feeling so secure], that said in her heart, I am and there is none beside me. What a desolation she has become, a lair for [wild] beasts! Everyone who passes by her shall hiss and wave his hand [indicating his gratification]. <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
She did not listen to <i>and</i> heed the voice [of God]; she accepted no correction <i>or</i> instruction; she trusted not in the Lord [nor leaned on or was confident in Him, but was confident in her own wealth]; she drew not near to her God [but to the god of Baal or Molech].


text:
Her officials in the midst of her are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves; they gnaw not the bones on the morrow, for nothing is left by morning.


text:
Her prophets are light [lacking truth, gravity, and steadiness] and men of treachery; her priests have profaned the sanctuary; [defrauding God and man by pretending their own word is God’s word] they have done violence to the law. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
The Lord in the midst of her is [uncompromisingly] righteous; He will not do iniquity. Every morning He brings His justice to light; He fails not, but the unjust [person] knows no shame.


text:
I [the Lord] have cut off nations; their battlements <i>and</i> corner towers are desolate <i>and</i> in ruins. I laid their streets waste so that none passes over them; their cities are destroyed so that there is no man, there is no inhabitant.


text:
I said, Only let her [reverently and worshipfully] fear Me, receive correction and instruction, and [Jerusalem’s] dwelling shall not be cut off. However, I have punished her [according to all that I have appointed concerning her in the way of punishment], but all the more they are eager to make all their doings corrupt <i>and</i> infamous.


text:
Therefore [earnestly] wait for Me, says the Lord, [waiting] for the day when I rise up to the attack [as a witness, accuser, or judge, and a testimony]. For My decision <i>and</i> determination <i>and</i> right it is to gather the nations together, to assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them My indignation, even all [the heat of] My fierce anger; for [in that day] all the earth shall be consumed with the fire of My zeal <i>and</i> jealousy.


text:
For then [changing their impure language] I will give to the people a clear <i>and</i> pure speech from pure lips, that they may all call upon the name of the Lord, to serve Him with one unanimous consent <i>and</i> one united shoulder [bearing the yoke of the Lord].


text:
From beyond the rivers of Cush <i>or</i> Ethiopia those who pray to Me, the daughter of My dispersed people, will bring <i>and</i> present My offering.


text:
In that day you [the congregation of Israel] shall not be put to shame for all your deeds by which you have rebelled <i>and</i> transgressed against Me, for then I will take away out of your midst those who exult in your majesty <i>and</i> pride; and you shall no more be haughty [and carry yourselves arrogantly on or] because of My holy mountain.


text:
For I will leave in the midst of you a people afflicted and poor, and they shall trust, seek refuge, <i>and</i> be confident in the name of the Lord.


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What is left of Israel shall not do iniquity or speak lies, neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth, for they shall feed and lie down and none shall make them afraid.


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Sing, O Daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice, be in high spirits <i>and</i> glory with all your heart, O Daughter of Jerusalem [in that day].


text:
[For then it will be that] the Lord has taken away the judgments against you; He has cast out your enemy. The King of Israel, even the Lord [Himself], is in the midst of you; [and after He has come to you] you shall not experience <i>or</i> fear evil any more.


text:
In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear not, O Zion. Let not your hands sink down <i>or</i> be slow <i>and</i> listless.


text:
The Lord your God is in the midst of you, a Mighty One, a Savior [Who saves]! He will rejoice over you with joy; He will rest [in silent satisfaction] <i>and</i> in His love He will be silent <i>and</i> make no mention [of past sins, or even recall them]; He will exult over you with singing.


text:
I will gather those belonging to you [those Israelites in captivity] who yearn <i>and</i> grieve for the solemn assembly [and the festivals], on whom [their exile and inability to attend services at Jerusalem have brought derision and] the reproach of it is a burden.


text:
Behold, at that time I will deal with all those who afflict you; I will save the limping [ones] and gather the outcasts and will make them a praise and a name in every land of their shame. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
At that time I will bring you in; yes, at that time I will gather you, for I will make you a name and a praise among all the nations of the earth when I reverse your captivity before your eyes, says the Lord.


text:
In the second year of Darius king [of Persia], in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came by means of Haggai the prophet [in Jerusalem after the Babylonian captivity] to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, saying,


text:
Thus says the Lord of hosts: These people say, The time is not yet come that the <f>[1]</f>Lord’s house should be rebuilt [although Cyrus had ordered it done eighteen years before]. <f>ⓐ</f>


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Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses while this house [of the Lord] lies in ruins?


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Now therefore thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways <i>and</i> set your mind on what has come to you.


text:
You have sown much, but you have reaped little; you eat, but you do not have enough; you drink, but you do not have your fill; you clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; and he who earns wages has earned them to put them in a bag with holes in it.


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Thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways (your previous and present conduct) <i>and</i> how you have fared.


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Go up to the hill country and bring lumber and rebuild [My] house, and I will take pleasure in it and I will be glorified, says the Lord [by accepting it as done for My glory and by displaying My glory in it].


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You looked for much [harvest], and behold, it came to little; and even when you brought that home, I blew it away. Why? says the Lord of hosts. Because of My house, which lies waste while you yourselves run each man to his own house [eager to build and adorn it].


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Therefore the heavens above you [for your sake] withhold the dew, and the earth withholds its produce.


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And I have called for a drought upon the land and the hill country, upon the grain, the fresh wine, the oil, upon what the ground brings forth, upon men and cattle, and upon all the [wearisome] toil of [men’s] hands.


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Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people [who had returned from captivity], listened to <i>and</i> obeyed the voice of the Lord their God [not vaguely or partly, but completely, according to] the words of Haggai the prophet, since the Lord their God had sent him, and the people [reverently] feared <i>and</i> [worshipfully] turned to the Lord.


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Then Haggai, the Lord’s messenger, spoke the Lord’s message to the people saying, I am with you, says the Lord.


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And the Lord aroused the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people, so that they came and labored on the house of the Lord of hosts, their God,


text:
In the seventh month, on the twenty-first day of the month, in the second year of Darius king [of Persia], came the word of the Lord by the prophet Haggai, saying,


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Speak now to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remainder of the people, saying,


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Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? And how do you see it now? Is not this in your sight as nothing in comparison to that?


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Yet now be strong, alert, <i>and</i> courageous, O Zerubbabel, says the Lord; be strong, alert, <i>and</i> courageous, O Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest; and be strong, alert, <i>and</i> courageous, all you people of the land, says the Lord, and work! For I am with you, says the Lord of hosts.


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According to the promise that I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt, so My Spirit stands <i>and</i> abides in the midst of you; fear not.


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For thus says the Lord of hosts: Yet once more, in a little while, I will shake <i>and</i> make tremble the [starry] heavens, the earth, the sea, and the dry land; <f>ⓐ</f>


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And I will shake all nations and the <f>[1]</f>desire <i>and</i> the precious things of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with splendor, says the Lord of hosts. <f>ⓑ</f>


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The latter glory of this house [with its successor, to which Jesus came] shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts; and in this place will I give peace <i>and</i> prosperity, says the Lord of hosts.


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On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet, saying,


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If one carries in the skirt of his garment flesh that is holy [because it has been offered in sacrifice to God], and with his skirt <i>or</i> the flaps of his garment he touches bread, or pottage, or wine, or oil, or any kind of food, does what he touches become holy [dedicated to God’s service exclusively]? And the priests answered, No! [Holiness is not infectious.]


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Then said Haggai, If one who is [ceremonially] unclean because he has come in contact with a dead body should touch any of these articles of food, shall it be [ceremonially] unclean? And the priests answered, It shall be unclean. [Unholiness is infectious.]


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Then answered Haggai, So is this people and so is this nation before Me, says the Lord; and so is every work of their hands, and what they offer there [on the altar] is unclean [because they who offer it are themselves unclean].


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And now, I pray you, consider what will happen from this day onward. Since the time before a stone was laid upon a stone in the temple of the Lord, how have you fared?


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Through all that time [the harvests have not fulfilled expectations, for] when one has gone expecting to find a heap [of sheaves] of twenty measures, there were but ten; when he has gone to the wine vat to draw out fifty bucketfuls from the press, there were only twenty.


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I smote you with blight and with mildew and with hail in all [the products of] the labors of your hands; yet you returned not <i>nor</i> were converted to Me, says the Lord.


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Consider, I pray you, from this day onward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, even from the day that the foundation of the Lord’s temple was [re]laid, consider this:


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Is the harvested grain any longer in the barn? As to the grapevine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree — they have not yet borne. From this day on I will bless you.


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Speak to Zerubbabel [the representative of the Davidic monarchy and covenant and in direct line of the ancestry of Jesus Christ] governor of Judah, saying, I will shake the heavens and the earth; <f>ⓒ</f>


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And I will [in the distant future] overthrow the throne of kingdoms and I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the [ungodly] nations, and I will overthrow the chariots and those who ride in them, and the horses and their riders shall go down, every one by the sword of his brother. <f>ⓓ</f>


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In that day, says the Lord of hosts, will I take you, O Zerubbabel, My servant, the son of Shealtiel, says the Lord, and will make you [through the Messiah, your descendant] <i>My</i> signet ring; for I have chosen you [as the one with whom to renew My covenant to David’s line], says the Lord of hosts. <f>ⓔ</f>


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In the eighth month, in the second year [of the reign] of Darius, came the word of the Lord to Zechariah son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, the prophet, saying, <f>ⓐ</f>


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Therefore say to them [the Jews of this day], Thus says the Lord of hosts: Return to Me, says the Lord of hosts, and I will return to you; it is the utterance of the Lord of hosts.


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Be not as your fathers to whom the former prophets cried, Thus says the Lord of hosts: Return now from your evil ways and your evil doings; but they would not hear or listen to Me, says the Lord. <f>ⓑ</f>


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But My words and My statutes, which I commanded My servants the prophets, did they not overtake <i>and</i> take hold of your fathers? So they repented and said, As the Lord of hosts planned <i>and</i> purposed to do to us, according to our ways and according to our doings, so has He dealt with us.


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Upon the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, which is the month of Shebat, in the second year of the reign of Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, the prophet. Zechariah said,


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I saw in the night [vision] and behold, a <f>[1]</f>Man riding upon a red horse, and He stood among the myrtle trees that were in a low valley <i>or</i> bottom, and behind Him there were horses, red, bay <i>or</i> flame-colored, and white.


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Then said I, O my lord, what are these? And the <f>[2]</f>angel who talked with me said, I will show you what these are.


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And the Man who stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, These are they whom the Lord has sent to walk to and fro through the earth <i>and</i> patrol it.


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And the men on the horses answered <f>[3]</f>the Angel of the Lord Who stood among the myrtle trees and said, We have walked to and fro through the earth [patrolling it] and behold, all the earth sits at rest [in peaceful security].


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Then the Angel of the Lord said, O Lord of hosts, how long will You not have mercy <i>and</i> lovingkindness for Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, against which You have had indignation these seventy years [of the Babylonian captivity]?


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So the angel who talked with me said to me, Cry out, Thus says the Lord of hosts: I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy.


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And I am very angry with the nations that are at ease; for while I was but a little displeased, they helped forward the affliction <i>and</i> disaster.


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Therefore thus says the Lord: I have returned to Jerusalem with compassion (lovingkindness and mercy). My house shall be built in it, says the Lord of hosts, and a measuring line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem [with a view to rebuilding its walls].


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Cry yet again, saying, Thus says the Lord of hosts: My cities shall yet again overflow with prosperity, and the Lord shall yet comfort Zion and shall yet choose Jerusalem.


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And I said to the angel who talked with me, What are these? And he answered me, These are the horns <i>or</i> powers which have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.


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Then said I, What are these [horns and smiths] coming to do? And he said, These are the horns <i>or</i> powers that scattered Judah so that no man lifted up his head. But these smiths <i>or</i> workmen have come to terrorize them <i>and</i> cause them to be panic-stricken, to cast out the horns <i>or</i> powers of the nations who lifted up their horn against the land of Judah to scatter it.


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Then said I, Where are you going? And he said to me, To measure Jerusalem, to see what is its breadth and what is its length.


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And he said to the second angel, Run, speak to this young man, saying, Jerusalem shall be inhabited <i>and</i> dwell as villages without walls, because of the multitude of people and livestock in it.


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For I, says the Lord, will be to her a wall of fire round about, and I will be the glory in the midst of her.


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Ho! ho! [Hear and] flee from the land of the north, says the Lord, and from the four winds of the heavens, for to them have I scattered you, says the Lord.


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For thus said the Lord of hosts, after [His] glory had sent me [His messenger] to the nations who plundered you — for he who touches you touches the apple <i>or</i> pupil of His eye:


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Behold, I will swing my hand over them and they shall become plunder for those who served them. Then you shall know (recognize and understand) that the Lord of hosts has sent me [His messenger].


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Sing and rejoice, O Daughter of Zion; for behold, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of you, says the Lord.


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And many nations shall join themselves to the Lord in that day and shall be My people. And I will dwell in the midst of you, and you shall know (recognize and understand) that the Lord of hosts has sent me [His messenger] to you. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Be still, all flesh, before the Lord, for He is aroused <i>and</i> risen from His holy habitation. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Then [the guiding angel] showed me Joshua the high priest standing before <f>[1]</f>the Angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at Joshua’s right hand to be his adversary <i>and</i> to accuse him.


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And the Lord said to Satan, The Lord rebuke you, O Satan! Even the Lord, Who [now and habitually] chooses Jerusalem, rebuke you! Is not this [returned captive Joshua] a brand plucked out of the fire? <f>ⓐ</f>


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And He spoke to those who stood before Him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And He said to [Joshua], Behold, I have caused your iniquity to pass from you, and I will clothe you with rich apparel.


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And I [Zechariah] said, Let them put a clean turban on his head. So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with [rich] garments. And the Angel of the Lord stood by.


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Thus says the Lord of hosts: If you will walk in My ways and keep My charge, then also you shall rule My house and have charge of My courts, and I will give you access [to My presence] <i>and</i> places to walk among these who stand here.


text:
Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, you and your colleagues who [usually] sit before you — for they are men who are a sign <i>or</i> omen [types of what is to come] — for behold, I will bring forth My servant the <f>[2]</f>Branch. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
For behold, upon the stone which I have set before Joshua, upon that one stone are seven eyes <i>or</i> facets [the all-embracing providence of God and the sevenfold radiations of the Spirit of God]. Behold, I will carve upon it its inscription, says the Lord of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity <i>and</i> guilt of this land in a single day. <f>ⓒ</f>


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In that day, says the Lord of hosts, you shall invite each man his neighbor under his own vine and his own fig tree. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
And the angel who talked with me came again and awakened me, like a man who is wakened out of his sleep.


text:
And said to me, What do you see? I said, I see, and behold, a lampstand all of gold, with its bowl [for oil] on the top of it and its seven lamps on it, and [there are] seven pipes to each of the seven lamps which are upon the top of it. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
And there are two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl and the other upon the left side of it [feeding it continuously with oil]. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Then the angel who talked with me answered me, Do you not know what these are? And I said, No, my lord.


text:
Then he said to me, This [addition of the bowl to the candlestick, causing it to yield a ceaseless supply of oil from the olive trees] is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit [of Whom the oil is a symbol], says the Lord of hosts.


text:
For who are you, O great mountain [of human obstacles]? Before Zerubbabel [who with Joshua had led the return of the exiles from Babylon and was undertaking the rebuilding of the temple, before him] you shall become a plain [a mere <f>[1]</f>molehill]! And he shall bring forth the finishing gable stone [of the new temple] with loud shoutings of the people, crying, Grace, grace to it! <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundations of this house; his hands shall also finish it. Then you shall know (recognize and understand) that the Lord of hosts has sent me [His messenger] to you.


text:
Who [with reason] despises the day of small things? For these seven shall rejoice when they see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel. [These seven] are the eyes of the Lord which run to and fro throughout the whole earth. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
Then I said to him [the angel who talked with me], What are these two olive trees on the right side of the lampstand and on the left side of it?


text:
And a second time I said to him, What are these two olive branches which are beside the two golden tubes <i>or</i> spouts by which the golden oil is emptied out?


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Then said he, These are the two <f>[2]</f>sons of oil [Joshua the high priest and Zerubbabel the prince of Judah, the two anointed ones] who stand before the Lord of the whole earth [as His anointed instruments]. <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
And the angel said to me, What do you see? And I answered, I see a flying scroll; its length is twenty cubits <i>or</i> thirty feet and its breadth is ten cubits <i>or</i> fifteen feet.


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Then he said to me, This is the curse that goes out over the face of the whole land; for everyone who steals shall be cut off from henceforth according to it [the curse written on this subject on the scroll], and everyone who swears falsely shall be cut off from henceforth according to it. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
I will bring [the curse] forth, says the Lord of hosts, and it shall enter into the house of the thief and into the house of him who swears falsely by My name; and it shall abide in the midst of his house and shall consume it, both its timber and its stones.


text:
Then the angel who talked with me came forward and said to me, Lift up now your eyes and see what this is that goes forth.


text:
And I said, What is it? [What does it symbolize?] And he said, This that goes forth is an ephah[-sized vessel for separate grains all collected together]. This, he continued, is the symbol of the sinners mentioned above <i>and</i> is the resemblance of their iniquity throughout the whole land. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
And behold, a round, flat weight of lead was lifted and there sat a woman in the midst of the ephah[-sized vessel].


text:
And he said, This is lawlessness (wickedness)! And he thrust her back into the ephah[-sized vessel] and he cast the weight of lead upon the mouth of it!


text:
Then lifted I up my eyes and looked, and behold, there were two women coming forward! The wind was in their wings, for they had wings like the wings of a stork, and they lifted up the ephah[-sized vessel] between the earth and the heavens.


text:
And he said to me, To the land of Shinar [Babylonia] to build it a house, and when it is finished, to set up the ephah[-sized vessel — the symbol of such sinners and their guilt] there upon its own base.


text:
And again I lifted up my eyes and saw, and behold, four chariots came out from between two mountains; and the mountains were mountains of firm, immovable bronze.


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The third chariot had white horses, and the fourth chariot had dappled, active, <i>and</i> strong horses.


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And the angel answered me, These are the four winds <i>or</i> spirits of the heavens, which go forth from presenting themselves before the Lord of all the earth. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
The chariot with the black horses is going forth into the north country, and the white ones are going forth after them [because there are two northern powers to overcome], and the dappled ones are going forth toward the south country.


text:
And [the chariots with] the strong [horses] went forth and sought to go that they might patrol the earth. And [the Lord] said to them, Go, walk to and fro through the earth <i>and</i> patrol it. So they walked about through the earth [watching and protecting it].


text:
Then He summoned me and said to me, Behold, these that go toward the north country have quieted My Spirit [of wrath] <i>and</i> have caused it to rest in the north country.


text:
Accept donations <i>and</i> offerings from these [as representatives of the] exiles, from Heldai, from Tobijah, and from Jedaiah, who have come from Babylon; and come the same day and go to the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah.


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Yes, take from them silver and gold, and make crowns and set [one] upon the head of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest,


text:
And say to him, Thus says the Lord of hosts: [You, Joshua] behold (look at, keep in sight, watch) the Man [the Messiah] whose name is the Branch, for He shall grow up in His place and He shall build the [true] temple of the Lord. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Yes, [you are building a temple of the Lord, but] it is He Who shall build the [true] temple of the Lord, and He shall bear the honor <i>and</i> glory [as of the only begotten of the Father] and shall sit and rule upon His throne. And He shall be a <f>[1]</f>Priest upon His throne, and the counsel of peace shall be between the two [offices — Priest and King]. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
And the [other] crown shall be [credited] to Helem (Heldai), to Tobijah, and to Jedaiah, and to the kindness <i>and</i> favor of Josiah the son of Zephaniah, and shall be in the temple of the Lord for a reminder <i>and</i> memorial. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
And those who are far off shall come and help build the temple of the Lord, and you shall know (recognize and understand) that the Lord sent me [Zechariah] to you. And [your part in this] shall come to pass if you will diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God.


text:
And in the fourth year of the reign of King Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month, Chislev.


text:
Now the people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regem-melech and their men to pray <i>and</i> entreat the favor of the Lord


text:
And to speak to the priests of the house of the Lord of hosts and to the prophets, saying, [Now that I am returned from exile] should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself as I have done these so many years [in Babylon]?


text:
Speak to all the people of the land and to the priests, saying, When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months, even those seventy years you were in exile, was it for Me that you fasted, for Me?


text:
Should you not hear the words which the Lord cried by the former prophets when Jerusalem was inhabited and in prosperity with her cities round about her, and the South (the Negeb) and the lowlands were inhabited?


text:
Thus has the Lord of hosts spoken: Execute true judgment and show mercy <i>and</i> kindness and tender compassion, every man to his brother;


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And oppress not the widow or the fatherless, the temporary resident or the poor, and let none of you devise <i>or</i> imagine <i>or</i> think evil against his brother in your heart.


text:
But they refused to listen and turned a rebellious <i>and</i> stubborn shoulder and made heavy <i>and</i> dull their ears that they might not hear.


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Yes, they made their hearts as an adamant stone <i>or</i> diamond point, lest they should hear the law and the words which the Lord of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets. Therefore there came great wrath from the Lord of hosts.


text:
So it came to pass that as He cried and they would not hear [He said], So they shall cry and I will not answer, says the Lord of hosts,


text:
But I will scatter them with a whirlwind among all the nations whom they know not <i>and</i> who know not them. Thus the land was desolate after they had gone, so that no man passed through or returned, for they [the Jews by their sins] had [caused to be] laid waste <i>and</i> forsaken the pleasant land (the land of desire).


text:
Thus says the Lord of hosts: I am jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I am jealous for her with great wrath [against her enemies].


text:
Thus says the Lord: I shall return to Zion and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem, and Jerusalem shall be called the [faithful] City of Truth, and the mountain of the Lord of hosts, the Holy Mountain.


text:
Thus says the Lord of hosts: Old men and old women shall again dwell in Jerusalem <i>and</i> sit out in the streets, every man with his staff in his hand for very [advanced] age.


text:
Thus says the Lord of hosts: Because it will be marvelous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in those days [in which it comes to pass], should it also be marvelous in My eyes? says the Lord of hosts. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Thus says the Lord of hosts: Behold, I will save My people from the east country and from the west [the country of the going down of the sun]. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
And I will bring them [home] and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God in truth <i>and</i> faithfulness and in righteousness.


text:
Thus says the Lord of hosts: Let your hands be strong <i>and</i> hardened, you who in these days hear these words from the mouths of the prophets who on the day that the foundation of the house of the Lord of hosts was laid foretold that the temple should be rebuilt.


text:
For before those days there was no hire for man nor any hire for beast, neither was there any peace <i>or</i> success to him who went out or came in because of the adversary <i>and</i> oppressor, for I set (let loose) all men, every one against his neighbor.


text:
But now [in this period since you began to build] I am not to the remnant of this people as in the former days, says the Lord of hosts.


text:
For there shall the seed produce peace <i>and</i> prosperity; the vine shall yield her fruit and the ground shall give its increase and the heavens shall give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to inherit <i>and</i> possess all these things.


text:
And as you have been a curse <i>and</i> a byword among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so will I save you, and you shall be a blessing. Fear not, but let your hands be strong <i>and</i> hardened. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
For thus says the Lord of hosts: As I thought to bring calamity upon you when your fathers provoked Me to wrath, says the Lord of hosts, and I did not relent <i>or</i> revoke your sentence,


text:
These are the things that you shall do: speak every man the truth with his neighbor; render the truth and pronounce the judgment <i>or</i> verdict that makes for peace in [the courts at] your gates. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
And let none of you think <i>or</i> imagine <i>or</i> devise evil <i>or</i> injury in your hearts against his neighbor, and love no false oath, for all these things I hate, says the Lord.


text:
Thus says the Lord of hosts: The fast of the fourth month and the fast of the fifth, the fast of the seventh and the fast of the tenth, shall be to the house of Judah times of joy and gladness and cheerful, appointed seasons; therefore [in order that this may happen to you, as the condition of fulfilling the promise] love truth and peace.


text:
Thus says the Lord of hosts: It shall yet come to pass that there shall come [to Jerusalem] peoples and the inhabitants of many <i>and</i> great cities,


text:
And the inhabitants of one city shall go to them of another, saying, Let us go speedily to pray <i>and</i> entreat the favor of the Lord and to seek, inquire of, <i>and</i> require [to meet our own most essential need] the Lord of hosts. I will go also.


text:
Yes, many people and strong nations shall come to Jerusalem to seek, inquire of, <i>and</i> require [to fill their own urgent need] the Lord of hosts and to pray to the Lord for His favor.


text:
Thus says the Lord of hosts: In those days ten men out of all languages of the nations shall take hold of the robe of him who is a Jew, saying, Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.


text:
The burden <i>or</i> oracle (the thing to be lifted up) of the word of the Lord is against the land of Hadrach [in Syria], and Damascus shall be its resting place, for the Lord has an eye upon mankind as upon all the tribes of Israel,


text:
And Tyre has built herself a stronghold [on an island a half mile from the shore, which seems impregnable], and heaped up silver like dust and fine gold like the mire of the streets.


text:
Behold, the Lord will <f>[1]</f>cast her out <i>and</i> dispossess her; He will smite her power in the sea <i>and</i> into it and [Tyre] shall be devoured by fire.


text:
[The strong cities of Philistia] shall see it and fear; <f>[2]</f>Ashkelon, Gaza also, and be sorely pained, and Ekron, for her confidence <i>and</i> expectation shall be put to shame, and a king [monarchial government] shall perish from Gaza, and Ashkelon shall not be inhabited.


text:
And I will take out of [the Philistines’] mouths and from between their teeth the abominable idolatrous sacrifices eaten with the blood. And they too shall remain <i>and</i> be a remnant for our God, and they shall be like chieftains (the head over a thousand) in Judah, and Ekron shall be like one of the Jebusites [who at last were merged and had lost their identity in Israel].


text:
Then I will encamp about My house as a guard <i>or</i> a garrison so that none shall march back and forth, and no oppressor <i>or</i> demanding collector shall again overrun them, for now My eyes are upon them.


text:
Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O Daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King comes to you; He is [uncompromisingly] just and having salvation [triumphant and victorious], patient, meek, lowly, and riding on a donkey, upon a colt, the foal of a donkey. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
And I will cut off <i>and</i> exterminate the war chariot from Ephraim and the [war] horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off; and He shall speak the word and peace shall come to the nations, and His dominion shall be from the [Mediterranean] Sea to [any other] sea, and from the River [Euphrates] to the ends of the earth! <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
As for you also, because of <i>and</i> for the sake of the [covenant of the Lord with His people, which was sealed with sprinkled] covenant blood, I have released <i>and</i> sent forth your imprisoned people out of the waterless pit. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
Return to the stronghold [of security and prosperity], you prisoners of hope; even today do I declare that I will restore double your former prosperity to you. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
For I have bent Judah for Myself as My bow, filled the bow with Ephraim as My arrow, and will stir up your sons, O Zion, against your sons, O Greece, and will make you [Israel] as the sword of a mighty man.


text:
And the Lord shall be seen over them and His arrow shall go forth as the lightning, and the Lord God will blow the trumpet and will go forth in the windstorms of the south.


text:
The Lord of hosts shall defend <i>and</i> protect them; and they shall devour and they shall tread on [their fallen enemies] as on slingstones [that have missed their aim], and they shall drink [of victory] and be noisy <i>and</i> turbulent as from wine and become full like bowls [used to catch the sacrificial blood], like the corners of the [sacrificial] altar.


text:
And the Lord their God will save them on that day as the flock of His people, for they shall be as the [precious] jewels of a crown, lifted high over <i>and</i> shining glitteringly upon His land.


text:
For how great is God’s goodness and how great is His beauty! And how great [He will make Israel’s] goodliness and [Israel’s] beauty! Grain shall make the young men thrive and fresh wine the maidens.


text:
Ask of the Lord rain in the time of the latter <i>or</i> spring rain. It is the Lord Who makes lightnings which usher in the rain <i>and</i> give men showers, and grass to everyone in the field.


text:
For the teraphim (household idols) have spoken vanity (emptiness, falsity, and futility) and the diviners have seen a lie and the dreamers have told false dreams; they comfort in vain. Therefore the people go their way like sheep; they are afflicted <i>and</i> hurt because there is no shepherd.


text:
My anger is kindled against the shepherds [who are not true shepherds] and I will punish the goat leaders, for the Lord of hosts has visited His flock, the house of Judah, and will make them as His beautiful <i>and</i> majestic horse in the battle. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Out of him [Judah] shall come forth the <f>[1]</f>Cornerstone, out of him the tent peg, out of him the battle bow; every ruler shall proceed from him. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
And they shall be like mighty men treading down their enemies in the mire of the streets in the battle, and they shall fight because the Lord is with them, and the [oppressor’s] riders on horses shall be confounded <i>and</i> put to shame.


text:
And I will strengthen the house of Judah and I will save the house of Joseph [Ephraim]. I will bring them back <i>and</i> cause them to dwell securely, for I have mercy, loving-kindness, <i>and</i> compassion for them. They shall be as though I had not cast them off, for I am the Lord their God, and I will hear them.


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Then Ephraim [the ten tribes] shall become like a mighty warrior, and their hearts shall rejoice as through wine; yes, their children shall see it and rejoice; their hearts shall feel great delight <i>and</i> glory triumphantly in the Lord!


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I will hiss for them [as the keeper does for his bees] and gather them in, for I have redeemed them, and they shall increase [again] as they have increased [before, in Egypt]. <f>ⓒ</f>


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And though I sow them among the nations, yet they shall [earnestly] remember Me in far countries, and with their children they shall live and shall return [to God and the land He gave them].


text:
I will bring them [all Israel] home again from the land of Egypt and gather them out of Assyria, and I will bring them into the land [on the east and on the west of the Jordan, into] Gilead and Lebanon, and room enough shall not be found for them.


text:
And [the Lord] will pass through the sea of distress <i>and</i> affliction [at the head of His people, as He did at the Red Sea]; and He will smite down the waves of the sea, and all the depths of the [river] Nile shall be dried up <i>and</i> put to shame; and the pride of Assyria shall be brought down and the scepter <i>or</i> rod [of the taskmasters of Egypt] shall pass away.


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And I will strengthen [Israel] in the Lord, and they shall walk up and down <i>and</i> glory in His name, says the Lord.


text:
Wail, O fir tree <i>and</i> cypress, for the cedar has fallen, because the glorious <i>and</i> lofty trees are laid waste! Wail, O you oaks of Bashan, for the thick <i>and</i> inaccessible forest [on the steep mountainside] has in flames been felled!


text:
A voice of the wailing of the shepherds, for their glory, the broad pasturage, is laid waste! A voice of the roaring of young lions, for the pride of the Jordan [the jungle or thickets] is ruined!


text:
Whose buyers <i>or</i> possessors slay them and hold themselves not guilty; and they who sell them say, Blessed be the Lord, for I have become rich! And their own shepherds neither pity <i>nor</i> spare them [from the wolves].


text:
For I will no more pity <i>or</i> spare the inhabitants of the land, says the Lord; but behold, I will deliver every man into his neighbor’s hand and into the hand of his [foreign] king. And [the enemy] shall lay waste the land, and I will not deliver [the people] out of the hand [of the foreign oppressor].


text:
So I [Zechariah] shepherded the flock of slaughter, truly [as the name implies] the most miserable of sheep. And I took two [shepherd’s] staffs, the one I called Beauty <i>or</i> Grace and the other I called Bands <i>or</i> Union; and I fed <i>and</i> shepherded the flock.


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And I cut off the three shepherds [the civil authorities, the priests, and the prophets] in one month, for I was weary <i>and</i> impatient with them, and they also loathed me. <f>ⓐ</f>


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So I [Zechariah] said, I will not be your shepherd. What is to die, let it die, and what is to be destroyed, let it be destroyed; and let the survivors devour one another’s flesh.


text:
And I took my staff, Beauty <i>or</i> Grace, and broke it in pieces to show that I was annulling the covenant <i>or</i> agreement which I had made with all the peoples [not to molest them].


text:
So the covenant was annulled on that day, and thus the most wretched of the flock <i>and</i> the traffickers in the sheep who were watching me knew (recognized and understood) that it was truly the word of the Lord.


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And I said to them, If it seems just <i>and</i> right to you, give me my wages; but if not, withhold them. So they weighed out for my price thirty pieces of silver.


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And the Lord said to me, Cast it to the potter [as if He said, To the dogs!] — the munificently [miserable] sum at which I [and My shepherd] am priced by them! And I [Zechariah] took the thirty pieces of silver and cast them to the potter in the house of the Lord. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Then I broke into pieces my other staff, Bands <i>or</i> Union, indicating that I was annulling the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.


text:
And the Lord said to me, Take up once more the implements [the staff and rod of a shepherd, but this time] of a worthless <i>and</i> wicked shepherd. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
For behold, I will raise up a false shepherd in the land; the lost <i>and</i> perishing he will not miss <i>or</i> visit, the young <i>and</i> scattered he will not go to seek, the wounded <i>and</i> broken he will not heal, nor will he feed those that are sound <i>and</i> strong; but he will eat the flesh of the fat ones and break off their hoofs [to consume all the flesh].


text:
Woe to the worthless <i>and</i> foolish shepherd who deserts the flock! The sword shall smite his arm and his right eye; his arm shall be utterly withered and his right eye utterly blinded. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
The burden <i>or</i> oracle (the thing to be lifted up) of the word of the Lord concerning Israel: Thus says the Lord, Who stretches out the heavens and lays the foundation of the earth and forms the spirit of man within him:


text:
Behold, I am about to make Jerusalem a cup <i>or</i> bowl of reeling to all the peoples round about, and in the siege against Jerusalem will there also be a siege against <i>and</i> upon Judah.


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And in that day I will make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all peoples; all who lift it <i>or</i> burden themselves with it shall be sorely wounded. And all the nations of the earth shall come <i>and</i> gather together against it.


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In that day, says the Lord, I will smite every horse [of the armies that contend against Jerusalem] with terror <i>and</i> panic and his rider with madness; and I will open My eyes <i>and</i> regard with favor the house of Judah and will smite every horse of the opposing nations with blindness.


text:
And the chiefs of Judah shall say in their hearts, The inhabitants of Jerusalem are our strength in the Lord of hosts, their God.


text:
In that day will I make the chiefs of Judah like a big, blazing pot among [sticks of] wood and like a flaming torch among sheaves [of grain], and they shall devour all the peoples round about, on the right hand and on the left; and they of Jerusalem shall yet again dwell <i>and</i> sit securely in their own place, in Jerusalem.


text:
And the Lord shall save <i>and</i> give victory to the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem may not be magnified <i>and</i> exalted above Judah.


text:
In that day will the Lord guard <i>and</i> defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and he who is [spiritually] feeble <i>and</i> stumbles among them in that day [of persecution] shall become [strong and noble] like David; and the house of David [shall maintain its supremacy] like God, like the <f>[1]</f>Angel of the Lord Who is before them.


text:
And it shall be in that day that I will make it My aim to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.


text:
And I will pour out upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace <i>or</i> unmerited favor and supplication. And they shall look [earnestly] upon Me Whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for Him as one who is in bitterness for his firstborn. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of [the city of] Hadadrimmon in the Valley of Megiddo [over beloved King <f>[2]</f>Josiah]. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
And the land shall mourn, every family apart: the [kingly] family of the house of David apart and their wives apart; the family of the house of Nathan [David’s son] apart and their wives apart;


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The [priestly] family of the house of Levi apart and their wives apart; the family of Shimei [grandson of Levi] apart and their wives apart;


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All the families that are left, each by itself, and their wives by themselves [each with an overwhelming individual sorrow over having blindly rejected their unrecognized Messiah].


text:
In that day there shall be a fountain opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem [to cleanse them from] sin and uncleanness.


text:
And in that day, says the Lord of hosts, I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, and they shall no more be remembered; and also I will remove from the land the [false] prophets and the unclean spirit.


text:
And if anyone again appears [falsely] as a prophet, then his father and his mother who bore him shall say to him, You shall not live, for you speak lies in the name of the Lord; and his father and his mother who bore him shall thrust him through when he prophesies.


text:
And in that day the [false] prophets shall each be ashamed of his vision when he prophesies, nor will he wear a hairy <i>or</i> rough garment to deceive,


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But he will [deny his identity and] say, I am no prophet. I am a tiller of the ground, for I have been made a bond servant from my youth.


text:
And one shall say to him, What are these wounds on your breast <i>or</i> between your hands? Then he will answer, Those with which I was wounded [when disciplined] in the house of my [loving] friends.


text:
Awake, O sword, against My shepherd and against the man who is My associate, says the Lord of hosts; smite the shepherd and the sheep [of the flock] shall be scattered, and I will turn back My hand <i>and</i> stretch it out again upon the little ones [of the flock]. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
And in all the land, says the Lord, two-thirds shall be cut off and perish, but one-third shall be left alive. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined and will test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, and I will hear <i>and</i> answer them. I will say, It is My people; and they will say, The Lord is my God.


text:
Behold, a day of the Lord is coming when the spoil [taken from you] shall be divided [among the victors] in the midst of you.


text:
For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city shall be taken and the houses rifled and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go into exile, but the rest of the people shall not be cut off from the city.


text:
Then shall the Lord go forth and fight against those nations, as when He fought in the day of battle.


text:
And His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, which lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from the east to the west by a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north and half of it toward the south. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
And you shall flee by the valley of My mountains, for the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azal, and you shall flee as you fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah; and the Lord my [Zechariah’s] <f>[1]</f>God shall come, and all the holy ones [saints and angels] with <i>Him</i>. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
And it shall come to pass in that day that there shall not be light; the glorious <i>and</i> bright ones [the heavenly bodies] shall be darkened.


text:
But it shall be one continuous day, known to the Lord — not day and not night, but at evening time there shall be light.


text:
And it shall be in that day that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem, half of them to the eastern [Dead] Sea and half of them to the western [Mediterranean] Sea; in summer and in winter shall it be.


text:
And the Lord shall be King over all the earth; in that day the Lord shall be one [in the recognition and worship of men] and His name one.


text:
All the land shall be turned into a plain from Geba to Rimmon, [the Rimmon that is] south of Jerusalem. But Jerusalem shall remain lifted up on its site and dwell in its place, from Benjamin’s gate to the place of the First Gate, to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the king’s winepresses.


text:
And it shall be inhabited, for there shall be no more curse <i>or</i> ban of utter destruction, but Jerusalem shall dwell securely. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
And this shall be the plague wherewith the Lord will smite all the peoples that have warred against Jerusalem: their flesh shall rot away while they stand upon their feet and their eyes shall corrode away in their sockets and their tongue shall decay away in their mouth.


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And in that day there shall be a great confusion, discomfiture, <i>and</i> panic among them from the Lord; and they shall seize each his neighbor’s hand, and the hand of the one shall be raised against the hand of the other.


text:
And Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem, and the wealth of all the nations round about shall be gathered together — gold and silver and apparel in great abundance.


text:
And as that plague on men, so shall be the plague on the horse, on the mule, on the camel, on the donkey, and on all the livestock <i>and</i> beasts that may be in those camps.


text:
And everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles <i>or</i> Booths.


text:
And it shall be that whoso of the families of the earth shall not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, upon them there shall be no rain.


text:
And if the family of Egypt does not go up to Jerusalem and present themselves, upon them there shall be no rain, but there shall be the plague with which the Lord will smite the nations that go not up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.


text:
This shall be the consequent punishment of the sin of Egypt and the consequent punishment of the sin of all the nations that do not go up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.


text:
In that day there shall be [written] upon the [little] bells on the horses, HOLY TO THE LORD, and the pots in the Lord’s house shall be holy to the Lord like the bowls before the altar.


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Yes, every pot in all the houses of Jerusalem and in Judah shall be dedicated <i>and</i> holy to the Lord of hosts, and all who sacrifice may come and take of them and boil their sacrifices in them [and traders in such wares will no longer be seen at the temple]. And in that day there shall be no more a Canaanite [that is, any godless or unclean person, whether Jew or Gentile] in the house of the Lord of hosts. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
The burden <i>or</i> oracle (the thing to be lifted up) of the word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi [My messenger].


text:
I have loved you, says the Lord. Yet you say, How <i>and</i> in what way have You loved us? Was not Esau Jacob’s brother? says the Lord; yet I loved Jacob (Israel),


text:
But [in comparison with the degree of love I have for Jacob] I have hated Esau [Edom] and have laid waste his mountains, and his heritage I have given to the jackals of the wilderness. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Though [impoverished] Edom should say, We are beaten down, but we will return and build the waste places — thus says the Lord of hosts: They may build, but I will tear <i>and</i> throw down; and men will call them the Wicked Country, the people against whom the Lord has indignation forever.


text:
Your own eyes shall see this and you shall say, The Lord is great <i>and</i> will be magnified over <i>and</i> beyond the border of Israel! <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a Father, where is My honor? And if I am a Master, where is the [reverent] fear due Me? says the Lord of hosts to you, O priests, who despise My name. You say, How <i>and</i> in what way have we despised Your name?


text:
By offering polluted food upon My altar. And you ask, How have we polluted it <i>and</i> profaned You? By thinking that the table of the Lord is contemptible <i>and</i> may be despised.


text:
When you [priests] offer blind [animals] for sacrifice, is it not evil? And when you offer the lame and the sick, is it not evil? Present such a thing [a blind or lame or sick animal] now to your governor [in payment of your taxes, and see what will happen]. Will he be pleased with you? Or will he receive you graciously? says the Lord of hosts.


text:
Now then, I [Malachi] beg [you priests], entreat God [earnestly] that He will be gracious to us. With such a gift from your hand [as a defective animal for sacrifice], will He accept it <i>or</i> show favor to any of you? says the Lord of hosts.


text:
Oh, that there were even one among you [whose duty it is to minister to Me] who would shut the doors, that you might not kindle fire on My altar to no purpose [an empty, futile, fruitless pretense]! I have no pleasure in you, says the Lord of hosts, nor will I accept an offering from your hand.


text:
For from the rising of the sun to its setting My name shall be great among the nations, and in every place incense shall be offered to My name, and indeed a pure offering; for My name shall be great among the nations, says the Lord of hosts.


text:
But you [priests] profane it when [by your actions] you say, The table of the Lord is polluted, and the fruit of it, its food, is contemptible <i>and</i> may be despised.


text:
You say also, Behold, what a drudgery <i>and</i> weariness this is! And you have sniffed at it, says the Lord of hosts. And you have brought that which was <f>[1]</f>taken by violence, or the lame or the sick; this you bring as an offering! Shall I accept this from your hand? says the Lord. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
But cursed is the [cheating] deceiver who has a male in his flock and vows to offer it, yet sacrifices to the [sovereign] Lord a blemished <i>or</i> diseased thing! For I am a great King, says the Lord of hosts, and My name is terrible <i>and</i> to be [reverently] feared among the nations.


text:
If you will not hear and if you will not lay it to heart to give glory to My name, says the Lord of hosts, then I will send the curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings; yes, I have already turned them to curses because you do not lay it to heart.


text:
Behold, I will rebuke your seed [grain — which will prevent due harvest], and I will spread the <f>[1]</f>dung from the festival offerings upon your faces, and you shall be taken away with it.


text:
And you shall know, recognize, <i>and</i> understand that I have sent this [new] decree to you priests, to be My [new] covenant with Levi [the priestly tribe], says the Lord of hosts.


text:
My covenant [on My part with Levi] was to give him life and peace, because [on his part] of the [reverent and worshipful] fear with which [the priests] would revere Me and stand in awe of My name.


text:
The law of truth was in [Levi’s] mouth, and unrighteousness was not found in his lips; he walked with Me in peace and uprightness and turned many away from iniquity.


text:
For the priest’s lips should guard <i>and</i> keep pure the knowledge [of My law], and the people should seek (inquire for and require) instruction at his mouth; for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts.


text:
But you have turned aside out of the way; you have caused many to stumble by your instruction [in the law]; you have corrupted the covenant of Levi [with Me], says the Lord of hosts.


text:
Therefore have I also made you despised and abased before all the people, inasmuch as you have not kept My ways but have shown favoritism to persons in your administration of the law [of God].


text:
Have we not all one Father? Has not one God created us? Why then do we deal faithlessly and treacherously each against his brother, profaning the covenant of [God with] our fathers?


text:
Judah has been faithless <i>and</i> dealt treacherously, and an abomination has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah [that is, Jewish men] has profaned the holy sanctuary of the Lord which He loves, and has married the daughter of a foreign god [having divorced his Jewish wife]. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
The Lord will cast out of the tents of Jacob to the last man those who do this [evil thing], the master and the servant [or the pupil] alike, even him who brings an offering to the Lord of hosts.


text:
And this you do with double guilt; you cover the altar of the Lord with tears [shed by your unoffending wives, divorced by you that you might take heathen wives], and with [your own] weeping and crying out because the Lord does not regard your offering any more or accept it with favor at your hand.


text:
Yet you ask, Why does He reject it? Because the Lord was witness [to the covenant made at your marriage] between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt treacherously <i>and</i> to whom you were faithless. Yet she is your companion and the wife of your covenant [made by your marriage vows].


text:
And did not God make [you and your wife] one [flesh]? Did not One make you and preserve your spirit alive? And why [did God make you two] one? Because He sought a godly offspring [from your union]. Therefore take heed to yourselves, and let no one deal treacherously <i>and</i> be faithless to the wife of his youth.


text:
For the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I hate divorce <i>and</i> marital separation and him who covers his garment [his wife] with violence. Therefore keep a watch upon your spirit [that it may be controlled by My Spirit], that you deal not treacherously <i>and</i> faithlessly [with your marriage mate].


text:
You have wearied the Lord with your words. Yet you say, In what way have we wearied Him? [You do it when by your actions] you say, Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord and He delights in them. Or [by asking], Where is the God of justice?


text:
Behold, I send My <f>[1]</f>messenger, and he shall prepare the way before Me. And the Lord [the Messiah], Whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; the <f>[2]</f>Messenger <i>or</i> Angel of the covenant, Whom you desire, behold, He shall come, says the Lord of hosts. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap; <f>ⓑ</f>


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He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and He will purify the priests, the sons of Levi, and refine them like gold and silver, that they may offer to the Lord offerings in righteousness.


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Then will the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in ancient years.


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Then I will draw near to you for judgment; I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against the false swearers, and against those who oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, and who turn aside the temporary resident from his right and fear not Me, says the Lord of hosts.


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Even from the days of your fathers you have turned aside from My ordinances and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. But you say, How shall we return?


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Will a man rob <i>or</i> defraud God? Yet you rob <i>and</i> defraud Me. But you say, In what way do we rob <i>or</i> defraud You? [You have withheld your] tithes and offerings.


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Bring all the tithes (the whole tenth of your income) into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and prove Me now by it, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. <f>ⓓ</f>


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And I will rebuke the devourer [insects and plagues] for your sakes and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground, neither shall your vine drop its fruit before the time in the field, says the Lord of hosts.


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And all nations shall call you happy <i>and</i> blessed, for you shall be a land of delight, says the Lord of hosts.


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Your words have been strong <i>and</i> hard against Me, says the Lord. Yet you say, What have we spoken against You?


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You have said, It is useless to serve God, and what profit is it if we keep His ordinances and walk gloomily <i>and</i> as if in mourning apparel before the Lord of hosts?


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And now we consider the proud <i>and</i> arrogant to be happy <i>and</i> favored; evildoers are exalted <i>and</i> prosper; yes, and when they test God, they escape [unpunished].


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Then those who feared the Lord talked often one to another; and the Lord listened and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him of those who reverenced <i>and</i> worshipfully feared the Lord and who thought on His name.


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And they shall be Mine, says the Lord of hosts, in that day when I publicly recognize <i>and</i> openly declare them to be My jewels (My special possession, My peculiar treasure). And I will spare them, as a man spares his own son who serves him.


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Then shall you return and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him who serves God and him who does not serve Him.


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For behold, the day comes that shall burn like an oven, and all the proud <i>and</i> arrogant, yes, and all that do wickedly <i>and</i> are lawless, shall be stubble; the day that comes shall burn them up, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. <f>ⓐ</f>


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But unto you who revere <i>and</i> worshipfully fear My name shall the Sun of Righteousness arise with healing in His wings <i>and</i> His beams, and you shall go forth and gambol like calves [released] from the stall <i>and</i> leap for joy.


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And you shall tread down the lawless <i>and</i> wicked, for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, says the Lord of hosts.


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[Earnestly] remember the law of Moses, My servant, the statutes and the ordinances which I commanded him on [Mount] Horeb [to give] to all Israel.


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Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes. <f>ⓑ</f>


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And he shall turn <i>and</i> reconcile the hearts of the [estranged] fathers to the [ungodly] children, and the hearts of the [rebellious] children to [the piety of] their fathers [a reconciliation produced by repentance of the ungodly], lest I come and smite the land with a curse <i>and</i> a ban of utter destruction. <f>ⓒ</f>


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The book of the ancestry (genealogy) of Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed), the son (descendant) of David, the son (descendant) of Abraham. <f>ⓐ</f>


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Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,


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Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar, Perez the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Aram,


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Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse,


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Jesse the father of King David, King David the father of Solomon, whose mother had been the wife of Uriah, <f>ⓑ</f>


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Asa the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Joram [Jehoram], Joram the father of Uzziah,


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And Josiah became the father of Jeconiah [also called Coniah and Jehoiachin] and his brothers about the time of the removal (deportation) to Babylon. <f>ⓒ</f>


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After the exile to Babylon, Jeconiah became the father of Shealtiel [Salathiel], Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,


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Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, Who is called the Christ. (the Messiah, the Anointed)


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So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen, from David to the Babylonian exile (deportation) fourteen generations, from the Babylonian exile to the Christ fourteen generations.


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Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place under these circumstances: When His mother Mary had been promised in marriage to Joseph, before they came together, she was found to be pregnant [through the power] of the Holy Spirit.


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And her [promised] husband Joseph, being a just <i>and</i> upright man and not willing to expose her publicly <i>and</i> to shame <i>and</i> disgrace her, decided to repudiate <i>and</i> dismiss (divorce) her quietly <i>and</i> secretly.


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But as he was thinking this over, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, Joseph, descendant of David, do not be afraid to take Mary [as] your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of (from, out of) the Holy Spirit.


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She will bear a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus [the Greek form of the Hebrew Joshua, which means Savior], for He will save His people from their sins [that is, prevent them from <f>[1]</f>failing and missing the true end and scope of life, which is God].


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Behold, the virgin shall become pregnant and give birth to a Son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel — which, when translated, means, God with us. <f>ⓓ</f>


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Then Joseph, being aroused from his sleep, did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him: he took [her to his side as] his wife.


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But he had no union with her as her husband until she had borne <i>her firstborn</i> Son; and he called His name Jesus.


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Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men [astrologers] from the east came to Jerusalem, asking,


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Where is He Who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the east <f>[1]</f>at its rising and have come to worship Him. <f>ⓐ</f>


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When Herod the king heard this, he was disturbed <i>and</i> troubled, and the whole of Jerusalem with him.


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So he called together all the chief priests and learned men (scribes) of the people and <f>[2]</f>anxiously asked them where the Christ was to be born.


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And you Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, you are not in any way least <i>or</i> insignificant among the <f>[3]</f>chief cities of Judah; for from you shall come a Ruler (<f>[4]</f>Leader) Who will govern <i>and</i> <f>[5]</f>shepherd My people Israel. <f>ⓑ</f>


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Then Herod sent for the wise men [astrologers] secretly, and <f>[6]</f>accurately to the last point ascertained from them the time of the appearing of the star [that is, <f>[7]</f>how long the star had made itself visible since its rising in the east].


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Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, Go and search for the Child carefully <i>and</i> diligently, and when you have found <f>[8]</f>Him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship Him.


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When they had listened to the king, they went their way, and behold, the star which had been seen in the east <f>[9]</f>in its rising went before them until it came and stood over the place where the young Child was.


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And on going into the house, they saw the Child with Mary His mother, and they fell down and worshiped Him. Then opening their treasure bags, they presented to Him gifts — gold and frankincense and myrrh.


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And <f>[10]</f>receiving an answer to their asking, they were divinely instructed <i>and</i> warned in a dream not to go back to Herod; so they departed to their own country by a different way.


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Now after they had gone, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, Get up! [<f>[11]</f>Tenderly] take <i>unto you</i> the young Child and His mother and flee to Egypt; and remain there till I tell you [otherwise], for Herod intends to search for the Child in order to destroy Him.


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And remained there until Herod’s death. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, Out of Egypt have I called My Son. <f>ⓒ</f>


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Then Herod, when he realized that he had been misled by the wise men, was furiously enraged, and he sent and put to death all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that territory who were two years old and under, reckoning according to the date which he had investigated diligently <i>and</i> had learned exactly from the wise men.


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A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they were no more. <f>ⓓ</f>


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And said, Rise, [<f>[12]</f>tenderly] take <i>unto you</i> the Child and His mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the Child’s life are dead.


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Then he awoke and arose and [<f>[13]</f>tenderly] took the Child and His mother and came into the land of Israel.


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But because he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in the place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being divinely warned in a dream, he withdrew to the region of Galilee.


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He went and dwelt in a town called Nazareth, so that what was spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled: He shall be called a Nazarene [Branch, Separated One]. <f>ⓔ</f>


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And saying, Repent (<f>[1]</f>think differently; change your mind, regretting your sins and changing your conduct), for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.


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This is he who was mentioned by the prophet Isaiah when he said, The voice of one crying in the wilderness (shouting in the desert), Prepare the road for the Lord, make His highways straight (level, <f>[2]</f>direct). <f>ⓐ</f>


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This <i>same</i> John’s garments were made of camel’s hair, and he wore a leather girdle about his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey. <f>ⓑ</f>


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But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee <i>and</i> escape from the wrath <i>and</i> indignation [of God against disobedience] that is coming?


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And do not presume to say to yourselves, We have Abraham for our forefather; for I tell you, God is able to raise up descendants for Abraham from these stones!


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And already the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.


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I indeed baptize you <f>[3]</f>in (with) water <f>[4]</f>because of repentance [that is, because of your <f>[5]</f>changing your minds for the better, heartily amending your ways, with abhorrence of your past sins]. But He Who is coming after me is mightier than I, Whose sandals I am not worthy <i>or</i> fit to take off <i>or</i> carry; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.


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His winnowing fan (shovel, fork) is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear out <i>and</i> clean His threshing floor and gather <i>and</i> store His wheat in His barn, but the chaff He will burn up with fire that cannot be put out.


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But John <f>[6]</f>protested strenuously, having in mind to prevent Him, saying, It is I who have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?


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But Jesus replied to him, <f>[7]</f>Permit it just now; for this is the fitting way for [both of] us to fulfill all righteousness [that is, to <f>[8]</f>perform completely whatever is right]. Then he permitted Him.


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And when Jesus was baptized, He went up at once out of the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he [John] saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on Him.


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Then Jesus was led (guided) by the [Holy] Spirit into the wilderness (desert) to be tempted (tested and tried) by the devil.


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And the tempter came and said to Him, If You are God’s Son, command these stones to be made [<f>[1]</f>loaves of] bread.


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But He replied, It has been written, Man shall not live <i>and</i> be upheld <i>and</i> sustained by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God. <f>ⓑ</f>


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Then the devil took Him into the holy city and placed Him on <f>[2]</f>a turret (pinnacle, <f>[3]</f>gable) of the temple <f>[4]</f>sanctuary. <f>ⓒ</f>


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And he said to Him, If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written, He will give His angels charge over you, and they will bear you up on their hands, lest you strike your foot against a stone. <f>ⓓ</f>


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Jesus said to him, <f>[5]</f>On the other hand, it is written also, You shall not tempt, <f>[6]</f>test thoroughly, <i>or</i> <f>[7]</f>try exceedingly the Lord your God. <f>ⓔ</f>


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Again, the devil took Him up on a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory (the splendor, magnificence, preeminence, and excellence) of them.


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And he said to Him, These things, all taken together, I will give You, if You will prostrate Yourself before me and do homage <i>and</i> worship me.


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Then Jesus said to him, Begone, Satan! For it has been written, You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him alone shall you serve. <f>ⓕ</f>


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Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested <i>and</i> put in prison, He withdrew into Galilee.


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And leaving Nazareth, He went <i>and</i> dwelt in Capernaum by the sea, in the country of Zebulun and Naphtali —


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The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, in the <f>[8]</f>way to the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles [of the <f>[9]</f>peoples who are not of Israel] — <f>ⓖ</f>


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The people who sat <f>[10]</f>(dwelt enveloped) in darkness have seen a great Light, and for those who sat in the land and shadow of death Light has dawned.


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From that time Jesus began to preach, <f>[11]</f>crying out, Repent (<f>[12]</f>change your mind for the better, heartily amend your ways, with abhorrence of your past sins), for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.


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As He was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He noticed two brothers, Simon who is called Peter and Andrew his brother, throwing a dragnet into the sea, for they were fishermen.


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And He said to them, Come <f>[13]</f>after Me [as disciples — letting Me be your Guide], follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men!


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At once they left their nets and <f>[14]</f>became His disciples [sided with His party and followed Him].


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And going on further from there He noticed two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets <i>and</i> putting them right; and He called them.


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At once they left the boat and their father and <f>[15]</f>joined Jesus as disciples [sided with His party and followed Him].


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And He went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the good news (Gospel) of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every weakness <i>and</i> infirmity among the people.


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So the report of Him spread throughout all Syria, and they brought Him all who were sick, those afflicted with various diseases and torments, those under the power of demons, and epileptics, and paralyzed people, and He healed them.


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And great crowds joined <i>and</i> accompanied Him about, coming from Galilee and Decapolis [the district of the ten cities east of the Sea of Galilee] and Jerusalem and Judea and from the other [the east] side of the Jordan.


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Blessed (happy, <f>[1]</f>to be envied, and <f>[2]</f>spiritually prosperous — <f>[3]</f>with life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions) are the poor in spirit (the humble, who rate themselves insignificant), for theirs is the kingdom of heaven!


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Blessed <i>and</i> enviably happy [with a <f>[4]</f>happiness produced by the experience of God’s favor and especially conditioned by the revelation of His matchless grace] are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted! <f>ⓐ</f>


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Blessed (happy, blithesome, joyous, <f>[5]</f>spiritually prosperous — <f>[6]</f>with life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions) are the meek (the mild, patient, long-suffering), for they shall inherit the earth! <f>ⓑ</f>


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Blessed <i>and</i> fortunate <i>and</i> happy <i>and</i> <f>[7]</f>spiritually prosperous (in that state in which the born-again child of God <f>[8]</f>enjoys His favor and salvation) are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness (uprightness and right standing with God), for they shall be <f>[9]</f>completely satisfied! <f>ⓒ</f>


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Blessed (happy, <f>[10]</f>to be envied, and <f>[11]</f>spiritually prosperous — <f>[12]</f>with life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions) are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy!


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Blessed (happy, <f>[13]</f>enviably fortunate, and <f>[14]</f>spiritually prosperous — possessing the <f>[15]</f>happiness produced by the experience of God’s favor and especially conditioned by the revelation of His grace, regardless of their outward conditions) are the pure in heart, for they shall see God! <f>ⓓ</f>


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Blessed (enjoying <f>[16]</f>enviable happiness, <f>[17]</f>spiritually prosperous — <f>[18]</f>with life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions) are the makers <i>and</i> <f>[19]</f> maintainers of peace, for they shall be called the sons of God!


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Blessed <i>and</i> happy <i>and</i> <f>[20]</f>enviably fortunate <i>and</i> <f>[21]</f>spiritually prosperous <f>[22]</f>(in the state in which the born-again child of God enjoys and finds satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of his outward conditions) are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake (for being and doing right), for theirs is the kingdom of heaven!


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Blessed (happy, <f>[23]</f>to be envied, and <f>[24]</f>spiritually prosperous — <f>[25]</f>with life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of your outward conditions) are you when people revile you and persecute you and say all kinds of evil things against you falsely on My account.


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Be glad <i>and</i> supremely joyful, for your reward in heaven is great (strong and intense), for in this same way people persecuted the prophets who were before you. <f>ⓔ</f>


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You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste (its strength, its quality), how can its saltness be restored? It is not good for anything any longer but to be thrown out and trodden underfoot by men.


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Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a peck measure, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house.


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Let your light so shine before men that they may see your <f>[26]</f>moral excellence <i>and</i> your praiseworthy, noble, <i>and</i> good deeds and <f>[27]</f>recognize <i>and</i> honor <i>and</i> praise <i>and</i> glorify your Father Who is in heaven.


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Do not think that I have come to do away with <i>or</i> <f>[28]</f>undo the Law or the Prophets; I have come not to do away with <i>or</i> undo but to complete <i>and</i> fulfill them.


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For truly I tell you, until the sky and earth pass away <i>and</i> perish, not one smallest letter nor one little hook [identifying certain Hebrew letters] will pass from the Law until all things [it foreshadows] are accomplished.


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Whoever then breaks <i>or</i> does away with <i>or</i> relaxes one of the least [important] of these commandments and teaches men so shall be called least [important] in the kingdom of heaven, but he who practices them and teaches others to do so shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.


text:
For I tell you, unless your righteousness (your uprightness and your right standing with God) is more than that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.


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You have heard that it was said to the men of old, You shall not kill, and whoever kills shall be <f>[29]</f>liable to <i>and</i> unable to escape the punishment imposed by the court. <f>ⓕ</f>


text:
But I say to you that everyone who continues to be <f>[30]</f>angry with his brother <i>or</i> harbors malice (enmity of heart) against him shall be <f>[31]</f>liable to <i>and</i> unable to escape the punishment imposed by the court; and whoever speaks contemptuously <i>and</i> insultingly to his brother shall be <f>[32]</f>liable to <i>and</i> unable to escape the punishment imposed by the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, You <f>[33]</f>cursed fool! [You empty-headed idiot!] shall be <f>[34]</f>liable to <i>and</i> unable to escape the hell (Gehenna) of fire.


text:
So if when you are offering your gift at the altar you there remember that your brother has any [grievance] against you,


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Leave your gift at the altar and go. First make peace with your brother, and then come back <i>and</i> present your gift.


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Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way traveling with him, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison.


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But I say to you that everyone who so much as looks at a woman with evil desire for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.


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If your right eye serves as a trap to ensnare you <i>or</i> is an occasion for you to stumble <i>and</i> sin, pluck it out and throw it away. It is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be cast into hell (Gehenna).


text:
And if your right hand serves as a trap to ensnare you <i>or</i> is an occasion for you to stumble <i>and</i> sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better that you lose one of your members than that your entire body should be cast into hell (Gehenna).


text:
But I tell you, Whoever dismisses <i>and</i> repudiates <i>and</i> divorces his wife, except on the grounds of unfaithfulness (sexual immorality), causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a woman who has been divorced commits adultery. <f>ⓗ</f>


text:
Again, you have heard that it was said to the men of old, You shall not swear falsely, but you shall perform your oaths to the Lord [as a religious duty].


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But I tell you, Do not bind yourselves by an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is the throne of God;


text:
Or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. <f>ⓘ</f>


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Let your Yes be simply Yes, and your No be simply No; anything more than that comes from the evil one. <f>ⓙ</f>


text:
But I say to you, Do not resist the evil man [who injures you]; but if anyone strikes you on the right jaw <i>or</i> cheek, turn to him the other one too.


text:
Give to him who keeps on begging from you, and do not turn away from him who would borrow [<f>[35]</f>at interest] from you. <f>ⓛ</f>


text:
<f>[36]</f>To show that you are the children of your Father Who is in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the wicked and on the good, and makes the rain fall upon the upright and the wrongdoers [alike].


text:
For if you love those who love you, what reward can you have? Do not even the tax collectors do that?


text:
And if you greet only your brethren, what more than others are you doing? Do not even the Gentiles (the heathen) do that?


text:
You, therefore, must be perfect [growing into complete <f>[37]</f>maturity of godliness in mind and character, <f>[38]</f>having reached the proper height of virtue and integrity], as your heavenly Father is perfect. <f>ⓞ</f>


text:
Take care not to do your good deeds publicly <i>or</i> before men, in order to be seen by them; otherwise you will have no reward [<f>[1]</f>reserved for and awaiting you] with <i>and</i> from your Father Who is in heaven.


text:
Thus, whenever you give to the poor, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites in the synagogues and in the streets like to do, that they may be <f>[2]</f>recognized <i>and</i> honored <i>and</i> praised by men. Truly I tell you, they have their reward <f>[3]</f>in full already.


text:
So that your deeds of charity may be in secret; and your Father Who sees in secret will reward you <i>openly</i>.


text:
Also when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward <f>[4]</f>in full already.


text:
But when you pray, go into your [most] private room, and, closing the door, pray to your Father, Who is in secret; and your Father, Who sees in secret, will reward you <i>in the open</i>.


text:
And when you pray, do not heap up phrases (multiply words, repeating the same ones over and over) as the Gentiles do, for they think they will be heard for their much speaking. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven (<f>[5]</f>left, remitted, and let go of the debts, and have <f>[6]</f>given up resentment against) our debtors.


text:
And lead (bring) us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. <i>For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.</i>


text:
For if you forgive people their trespasses [their <f>[7]</f>reckless and willful sins, <f>[8]</f>leaving them, letting them go, and <f>[9]</f>giving up resentment], your heavenly Father will also forgive you.


text:
But if you do not forgive others their trespasses [their <f>[10]</f>reckless and willful sins, <f>[11]</f>leaving them, letting them go, and <f>[12]</f>giving up resentment], neither will your Father forgive you your trespasses.


text:
And whenever you are fasting, do not look gloomy <i>and</i> <f>[13]</f>sour <i>and</i> <f>[14]</f>dreary like the hypocrites, for they put on a dismal countenance, that their fasting may be apparent to <i>and</i> seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward <f>[15]</f>in full already. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
So that your fasting may not be noticed by men but by your Father, Who sees in secret; and your Father, Who sees in secret, will reward you <i>in the open</i>.


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Do not <f>[16]</f>gather <i>and</i> heap up <i>and</i> store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust <i>and</i> worm consume <i>and</i> destroy, and where thieves break through and steal.


text:
But <f>[17]</f>gather <i>and</i> heap up <i>and</i> store for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust <i>nor</i> worm consume <i>and</i> destroy, and where thieves do not break through and steal;


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But if your eye is unsound, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the very light in you [your <f>[18]</f>conscience] is darkened, how dense is that darkness!


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No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will stand by <i>and</i> be devoted to the one and despise and be <f>[19]</f>against the other. You cannot serve God and mammon (<f>[20]</f>deceitful riches, money, possessions, or <f>[21]</f>whatever is trusted in).


text:
Therefore I tell you, stop being <f>[22]</f>perpetually uneasy (anxious and worried) about your life, what you shall eat <i>or what you shall drink</i>; or about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life greater [in quality] than food, and the body [far above and more excellent] than clothing?


text:
Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father keeps feeding them. Are you not worth much more than they?


text:
And who of you by worrying <i>and</i> being anxious can add one unit of measure (cubit) to his stature <i>or</i> to the <f>[23]</f>span of his life? <f>ⓒ</f>


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And why should you be anxious about clothes? Consider the lilies of the field <i>and</i> <f>[24]</f>learn thoroughly how they grow; they neither toil nor spin.


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Yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his <f>[25]</f>magnificence (excellence, dignity, and grace) was not arrayed like one of these. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive <i>and</i> green and tomorrow is tossed into the furnace, will He not much more surely clothe you, O you of little faith?


text:
Therefore do not worry <i>and</i> be anxious, saying, What are we going to have to eat? or, What are we going to have to drink? or, What are we going to have to wear?


text:
For the Gentiles (heathen) wish for <i>and</i> crave <i>and</i> diligently seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows well that you need them all.


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But seek (<f>[26]</f>aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (<f>[27]</f>His way of doing and being right), and then all these things <f>[28]</f>taken together will be given you besides.


text:
So do not worry <i>or</i> be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will have worries <i>and</i> anxieties of its own. Sufficient for each day is its own trouble.


text:
Do not judge <i>and</i> criticize <i>and</i> condemn others, so that you may not be judged <i>and</i> criticized <i>and</i> condemned yourselves.


text:
For just as you judge <i>and</i> criticize <i>and</i> condemn others, you will be judged <i>and</i> criticized <i>and</i> condemned, and in accordance with the measure you [use to] deal out to others, it will be dealt out again to you.


text:
Why do you <f>[1]</f>stare from without at the <f>[2]</f>very small particle that is in your brother’s eye but do not become aware of <i>and</i> consider the beam <f>[3]</f>of timber that is in your own eye?


text:
Or how can you say to your brother, Let me get the tiny particle out of your eye, when there is the beam <f>[4]</f>of timber in your own eye?


text:
You hypocrite, first get the beam of timber out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the tiny particle out of your brother’s eye.


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Do not give that which is holy (the sacred thing) to the dogs, and do not throw your pearls before hogs, lest they trample upon them with their feet and turn <i>and</i> tear you in pieces.


text:
<f>[5]</f>Keep on asking and it will be given you; <f>[6]</f> keep on seeking and you will find; <f>[7]</f>keep on knocking [reverently] and [the door] will be opened to you.


text:
For everyone who keeps on asking receives; and he who keeps on seeking finds; and to him who keeps on knocking, [the door] will be opened.


text:
If you then, evil as you are, know how to give good <i>and</i> <f>[8]</f>advantageous gifts to your children, how much more will your Father Who is in heaven [perfect as He is] give good <i>and</i> <f>[9]</f>advantageous things to those who <f>[10]</f>keep on asking Him!


text:
So then, whatever you desire that others would do to <i>and</i> for you, even so do also to <i>and</i> for them, for this is (sums up) the Law and the Prophets.


text:
Enter through the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and spacious <i>and</i> broad is the way that leads away to destruction, and many are those who are entering through it.


text:
But the gate is narrow (contracted <f>[11]</f>by pressure) and the way is straitened <i>and</i> compressed that leads away to life, and few are those who find it. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Beware of false prophets, who come to you dressed as sheep, but inside they are devouring wolves. <f>ⓑ</f>


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You will <f>[12]</f>fully recognize them by their fruits. Do people pick grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles?


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Even so, every healthy (sound) tree bears good fruit [<f>[13]</f>worthy of admiration], but the sickly (decaying, worthless) tree bears bad (worthless) fruit.


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A good (healthy) tree cannot bear bad (worthless) fruit, nor can a bad (diseased) tree bear <f>[14]</f>excellent fruit [worthy of admiration].


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Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father Who is in heaven.


text:
Many will say to Me on that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name and driven out demons in Your name and done many mighty works in Your name?


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And then I will say to them openly (publicly), I never knew you; depart from Me, you who act wickedly [disregarding My commands]. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
So everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts upon them [obeying them] will be like a <f>[16]</f>sensible (prudent, practical, wise) man who built his house upon the rock.


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And the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.


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And everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not do them will be like a stupid (foolish) man who built his house upon the sand.


text:
And the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell — and great <i>and</i> complete was the fall of it.


text:
When Jesus had finished these sayings [the Sermon on the Mount], the crowds were astonished <i>and</i> overwhelmed with bewildered wonder at His teaching,


text:
And behold, a leper came up to Him and, prostrating himself, worshiped Him, saying, Lord, if You are willing, You are able to <f>[1]</f>cleanse me by curing me.


text:
And He reached out His hand and touched him, saying, I am willing; be cleansed <f>[2]</f>by being cured. And instantly his leprosy was cured <i>and</i> cleansed.


text:
And Jesus said to him, See that you tell nothing about this to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest and present the offering that Moses commanded, for a testimony [to your healing] <i>and</i> as an evidence to the people. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
And saying, Lord, my servant boy is lying at the house paralyzed <i>and</i> <f>[3]</f>distressed with intense pains.


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But the centurion replied to Him, Lord, I am not worthy <i>or</i> fit to have You come under my roof; but only speak the word, and my servant boy will be cured.


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For I also am a man subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, Go, and he goes; and to another, Come, and he comes; and to my slave, Do this, and he does it.


text:
When Jesus heard him, He marveled and said to those who followed Him [<f>[4]</f>who adhered steadfastly to Him, conforming to His example in living and, if need be, in dying also], I tell you truly, I have not found so much faith as this <f>[5]</f>with anyone, even in Israel.


text:
I tell you, many will come from east and west, and will sit at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven,


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While the sons <i>and</i> heirs of the kingdom will be driven out into the darkness outside, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Then to the centurion Jesus said, Go; it shall be done for you as you have believed. And the servant boy was restored to health at that very <f>[6]</f>moment.


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When evening came, they brought to Him many who were <f>[7]</f>under the power of demons, and He drove out the spirits with a word and restored to health all who were sick.


text:
And thus He fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah, He Himself took [<f>[8]</f>in order to carry away] our weaknesses <i>and</i> infirmities and bore <f>[9]</f>away our diseases. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
Now Jesus, when He saw the great throngs around Him, gave orders to cross to the other side [of the lake].


text:
And Jesus replied to him, Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have lodging places, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.


text:
Another of the disciples said to Him, Lord, let me first go and bury [<f>[10]</f>care for till death] my father.


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And <f>[12]</f>suddenly, behold, there arose a violent storm on the sea, so that the boat was being covered up by the waves; but He was sleeping.


text:
And He said to them, Why are you timid <i>and</i> afraid, O you of little faith? Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great <i>and</i> wonderful calm (<f>[13]</f>a perfect peaceableness).


text:
And the men were stunned with bewildered wonder <i>and</i> marveled, saying, What kind of Man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him!


text:
And when He arrived at the other side in the country of the Gadarenes, two men under the control of demons went to meet Him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce <i>and</i> savage that no one was able to pass that way.


text:
And behold, they shrieked <i>and</i> screamed, What have You to do with us, <i>Jesus</i>, Son of God? Have You come to torment us before the appointed time? <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
And He said to them, Begone! So they came out and went into the hogs, and behold, the whole drove rushed down the steep bank into the sea and died in the water.


text:
The herdsmen fled and went into the town and reported everything, including what had happened to the men under the power of demons.


text:
And behold, the whole town went out to meet Jesus; and as soon as they saw Him, they begged Him to depart from their locality.


text:
And behold, they brought to Him a man paralyzed <i>and</i> prostrated by illness, lying on a sleeping pad; and when Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralyzed man, Take courage, son; your sins are forgiven <i>and</i> the <f>[1]</f>penalty remitted.


text:
And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, This man blasphemes [He claims the rights and prerogatives of God]!


text:
But Jesus, knowing (<f>[2]</f>seeing) their thoughts, said, Why do you think evil <i>and</i> harbor <f>[3]</f>malice in your hearts?


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For which is easier: to say, Your sins are forgiven <i>and</i> the <f>[4]</f>penalty remitted, or to say, Get up and walk?


text:
But in order that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins <i>and</i> <f>[5]</f>remit the penalty, He then said to the paralyzed man, Get up! Pick up your sleeping pad and go to your own house.


text:
When the crowds saw it, they were struck with fear <i>and</i> awe; and they <f>[6]</f>recognized God <i>and</i> praised <i>and</i> thanked Him, Who had given such power <i>and</i> authority to men.


text:
As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s office; and He said to him, <f>[7]</f>Be My disciple [side with My party and follow Me]. And he rose and followed Him.


text:
And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and <f>[8]</f>[especially wicked] sinners came and sat (reclined) with Him and His disciples.


text:
And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, Why does your Master eat with tax collectors and those [preeminently] sinful?


text:
But when Jesus heard it, He replied, Those who are strong <i>and</i> well (healthy) have no need of a physician, but those who are weak <i>and</i> sick.


text:
Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy [that is, <f>[9]</f>readiness to help those in trouble] and not sacrifice <i>and</i> sacrificial victims. For I came not to call <i>and</i> invite [to repentance] the righteous (those who are upright and in right standing with God), but sinners (the erring ones and all those not free from sin). <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Then the disciples of John came to Jesus, inquiring, Why is it that we and the Pharisees fast <f>[10]</f><i>often</i>, [that is, abstain from food and drink as a religious exercise], but Your disciples do not fast?


text:
And Jesus replied to them, Can the wedding guests mourn while the bridegroom is still with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.


text:
And no one puts a piece of cloth that has not been shrunk on an old garment, for such a patch tears away from the garment and a worse rent (tear) is made.


text:
Neither is new wine put in old wineskins; for if it is, the skins burst and are <f>[11]</f>torn in pieces, and the wine is spilled and the skins are ruined. But new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved.


text:
While He was talking this way to them, behold, a ruler entered and, kneeling down, worshiped Him, saying, My daughter has just <f>[12]</f>now died; but come and lay Your hand on her, and she will come to life.


text:
And behold, a woman who had suffered from a flow of blood for twelve years came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His garment; <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Jesus turned around and, seeing her, He said, Take courage, daughter! Your faith has made you well. And at once the woman was restored to health.


text:
And when Jesus came to the ruler’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd making an uproar <i>and</i> din,


text:
But when the crowd had been ordered to go outside, He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose.


text:
As Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed Him, shouting loudly, Have pity <i>and</i> mercy on us, Son of David!


text:
When He reached the house and went in, the blind men came to Him, and Jesus said to them, Do you believe that I am able to do this? They said to Him, Yes, Lord.


text:
Then He touched their eyes, saying, According to your faith <i>and</i> trust <i>and</i> reliance [on the power invested in Me] be it done to you;


text:
And their eyes were opened. And Jesus earnestly <i>and</i> sternly charged them, See that you let no one know about this.


text:
And when the demon was driven out, the dumb man spoke; and the crowds were stunned with bewildered wonder, saying, Never before has anything like this been seen in Israel.


text:
But the Pharisees said, He drives out demons through <i>and</i> with the help of the prince of demons.


text:
And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news (the Gospel) of the kingdom and curing all kinds of disease and every weakness <i>and</i> infirmity.


text:
When He saw the throngs, He was moved with pity <i>and</i> sympathy for them, because they were bewildered (harassed and distressed and dejected and helpless), like sheep without a shepherd. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
So pray to the Lord of the harvest to <f>[13]</f>force out <i>and</i> thrust laborers into His harvest.


text:
And Jesus summoned to Him His twelve disciples and gave them power <i>and</i> authority over unclean spirits, to drive them out, and to cure all kinds of disease and all kinds of weakness <i>and</i> infirmity.


text:
Now these are the names of the twelve apostles (special messengers): first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James son of Zebedee, and John his brother;


text:
Philip and Bartholomew [Nathaniel]; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus [Judas, not Iscariot];


text:
Jesus sent out these twelve, charging them, Go nowhere among the Gentiles and do not go into any town of the Samaritans;


text:
Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, drive out demons. Freely (without pay) you have received, freely (without charge) give.


text:
And do not take a provision bag <i>or</i> a <f>[1]</f>wallet for a collection bag for your journey, nor two undergarments, nor sandals, nor a staff; for the workman deserves his support (his living, his food).


text:
And into whatever town or village you go, inquire who in it is deserving, and stay there [at his house] until you leave [that vicinity].


text:
Then if indeed that house is deserving, let come upon it your peace [that is, <f>[2]</f>freedom from all the distresses that are experienced as the result of sin]. But if it is not deserving, let your peace return to you.


text:
And whoever will not receive <i>and</i> accept <i>and</i> welcome you nor listen to your message, as you leave that house or town, shake the dust [of it] from your feet.


text:
Truly I tell you, it shall be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.


text:
Behold, I am sending you out like sheep in the midst of wolves; be <f>[3]</f>wary <i>and</i> wise as serpents, and be innocent (harmless, guileless, and <f>[4]</f>without falsity) as doves. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Be on guard against men [whose <f>[5]</f>way or nature is to act in opposition to God]; for they will deliver you up to councils and flog you in their synagogues,


text:
And you will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a witness to bear testimony before them and to the Gentiles (the nations).


text:
But when they deliver you up, do not be anxious about how <i>or</i> what you are to speak; for what you are to say will be given you in that very hour <i>and</i> <f>[6]</f>moment,


text:
Brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father his child; and children will take a stand against their parents and will have them put to death.


text:
And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake, but he who perseveres <i>and</i> endures to the end will be saved [<f>[7]</f>from spiritual disease and death in the world to come].


text:
When they persecute you in one town [that is, pursue you in a manner that would injure you and cause you to suffer because of your belief], flee to another town; for truly I tell you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before <f>[8]</f> the Son of Man comes.


text:
It is sufficient for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant <i>or</i> slave like his master. If they have called the Master of the house Beelzebub [<f>[9]</f>master of the dwelling], how much more will they speak evil of those of His household. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
So have no fear of them; for nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, or kept secret that will not become known.


text:
What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered in the ear, proclaim upon the housetops.


text:
And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; but rather be afraid of Him who can destroy both soul and body in hell (Gehenna).


text:
Are not two <f>[10]</f>little sparrows sold for a penny? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father’s leave (consent) <i>and</i> notice.


text:
Therefore, everyone who acknowledges Me before men <i>and</i> confesses Me [<f>[11]</f>out of a state of oneness with Me], I will also acknowledge him before My Father Who is in heaven <i>and</i> <f>[12]</f>confess [that I am abiding in] him.


text:
But whoever denies <i>and</i> disowns Me before men, I also will deny <i>and</i> disown him before My Father Who is in heaven.


text:
Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.


text:
For I have come to part asunder a man from his father, and a daughter from her mother, and a <f>[13]</f>newly married wife from her mother-in-law —


text:
He who loves [and <f>[14]</f>takes more pleasure in] father or mother more than [in] Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves [and takes more pleasure in] son or daughter more than [in] Me is not worthy of Me;


